The Freeing God

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God Releases the Captive

Acts 12:12-19  The Message

^12-14 Still shaking his head, amazed, he went to Mary’s house, the Mary who was John Mark’s mother. The house was packed with praying friends. When he knocked on the door to the courtyard, a young woman named Rhoda came to see who it was. But when she recognized his voice—Peter’s voice!—she was so excited and eager to tell everyone Peter was there that she forgot to open the door and left him standing in the street.
^15-16 But they wouldn’t believe her, dismissing her, dismissing her report. “You’re crazy,” they said. She stuck by her story, insisting. They still wouldn’t believe her and said, “It must be his angel.” All this time poor Peter was standing out in the street, knocking away.
^16-17 Finally they opened up and saw him—and went wild! Peter put his hands up and calmed them down. He described how the Master had gotten him out of jail, then said, “Tell James and the brothers what’s happened.” He left them and went off to another place.
^18-19 At daybreak the jail was in an uproar. “Where is Peter? What’s happened to Peter?” When Herod sent for him and they could neither produce him nor explain why not, he ordered their execution: “Off with their heads!” Fed up with Judea and Jews, he went for a vacation to Caesarea.

For Reflection

 The whole congregation prayed for Peter.  However, the congregation in those days did not expect God to change God's mind or do something for Peter because the congregation prayed for it.

This brings up a question which I have heard often.  "If God already knows everything before we know anything, what is the point of prayer?"

The New International Lesson Annual author of this Sunday's lesson explains it like this:
1.  We pray because it is the only way we can express our intimate relationship to God.
2.  We pray because our greatest concern is God (or should be).  So when we place our concerns at God's feet we lessen the risk that we are tempted to handle our concerns ourselves.

Prayer, the author writes, is an expression of our love of God and our thankfulness for the gift God has given us, the love for our neighbors.  The Church prayed for Peter not because they expected God would change Peter's outcome, but because they wanted to lift God above all gods.

Pray

all the time for everything.  Prayer is your way to fulfill God's gift to you -- to love as God loves.

God Saves Paul

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God Releases the Captive

Acts 27:14-26  The Message

^13-15 When a gentle southerly breeze came up, they weighed anchor, thinking it would be smooth sailing. But they were no sooner out to sea than a gale-force wind, the infamous nor’easter, struck. They lost all control of the ship. It was a cork in the storm.
^16-17 We came under the lee of the small island named Clauda, and managed to get a lifeboat ready and reef the sails. But rocky shoals prevented us from getting close. GodWe only managed to avoid them by throwing out drift anchors.
^18-20 Next day, out on the high seas again and badly damaged now by the storm, we dumped the cargo overboard. The third day the sailors lightened the ship further by throwing off all the tackle and provisions. It had been many days since we had seen either sun or stars. Wind and waves were battering us unmercifully, and we lost all hope of rescue.
^21-22 With our appetite for both food and life long gone, Paul took his place in our midst and said, “Friends, you really should have listened to me back in Crete. We could have avoided all this trouble and trial. But there’s no need to dwell on that now. From now on, things are looking up! I can assure you that there’ll not be a single drowning among us, although I can’t say as much for the ship—the ship itself is doomed.
^23-26 “Last night God’s angel stood at my side, an angel of this God I serve, saying to me, ‘Don’t give up, Paul. You’re going to stand before Caesar yet—and everyone sailing with you is also going to make it.’ So, dear friends, take heart. I believe God will do exactly what he told me. But we’re going to shipwreck on some island or other.”

For Reflection

 The Scriptures reveal a long history of God's kept promises.  One can count on God's word.  One can lay one's life on the word of God.

Pray

Thank God for God's abiding presence.  Praise God for keeping God's promises.  Pray that you will live your life depending upon The work of God.

The Faithful God

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God Releases the Captive

Daniel 6:25-28  The Message

^25-27 King Darius published this proclamation to every race, color, and creed on earth:

Peace to you! Abundant peace!
    I decree that Daniel’s God shall be worshiped and feared in all parts of my kingdom.
    He is the living God, world without end. His kingdom never falls.
    His rule continues eternally.
    He is a savior and rescuer.
    He performs astonishing miracles in heaven and on earth.
    He saved Daniel from the power of the lions.

²⁸ From then on, Daniel was treated well during the reign of Darius, and also in the following reign of Cyrus the Persian.

 

For Reflection

 Here King Darius does not develop a theocracy.  Darius is still king, however, he decrees that his subjects shall worship Daniel's god, a sort of a state religion.  This sword cuts on both edges.  On the one hand Darius' declaration made many aware of the power and majesty of God.  On the other hand, well, how would you feel if the president declared that we all should worship Buddha.  One cannot successfully legislate religion any more than one can legislate morality.  The more we try the more conflicting the consequences.

Pray

for that all people will recognize God as Lord of the universes.  Pray that God's love will be the guiding principle for all people.  Pray for peace, justice and a forgiving world.

God Saves Daniel

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God Releases the Captive

Daniel 6:19-23  The Message

^19-20 At daybreak the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. As he approached the den, he called out anxiously, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve so loyally, saved you from the lions?”
^21-22 “O king, live forever!” said Daniel. “My God sent his angel, who closed the mouths of the lions so that they would not hurt me. I’ve been found innocent before God and also before you, O king. I’ve done nothing to harm you.”
²³ When the king heard these words, he was happy. He ordered Daniel taken up out of the den. When he was hauled up, there wasn’t a scratch on him. He had trusted his God.

For Reflection

 Not only Daniel, but also, the king expected Daniel to be safe in the lion's den.  Daniel had faith, radical trust, that he would not be harmed.  Daniel testifies that God had closed the lion's mouths.  Two questions arise for each of us:  first, do we have David's radical trust in the face of our troubles, and secondly do we admit that God had intervened on our behalf?

Pray

for the radical trust that lets you expect God to step in.  Praise God for God's abiding presence,

The Rock That Saves

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God Releases the Captive

Psalm 18:1-15  The Message

A David Song, Which He Sang to God After Being Saved from All His Enemies and from Saul

18 ^1-2 I love you, God—
    you make me strong.
God is bedrock under my feet,
    the castle in which I live,
    my rescuing knight.
My God—the high crag
    where I run for dear life,
    hiding behind the boulders,
    safe in the granite hideout.

³ I sing to God, the Praise-Lofty,
    and find myself safe and saved.

^4-5 The hangman’s noose was tight at my throat;
    devil waters rushed over me.
Hell’s ropes cinched me tight;
    death traps barred every exit.

⁶ A hostile world! I call to God,
    I cry to God to help me.
From his palace he hears my call;
    my cry brings me right into his presence—
    a private audience!

^7-15 Earth wobbles and lurches;
    huge mountains shake like leaves,
Quake like aspen leaves
    because of his rage.
His nostrils flare, bellowing smoke;
    his mouth spits fire.
Tongues of fire dart in and out;
    he lowers the sky.
He steps down;
    under his feet an abyss opens up.
He’s riding a winged creature,
    swift on wind-wings.
Now he’s wrapped himself
    in a trenchcoat of black-cloud darkness.
But his cloud-brightness bursts through,
    spraying hailstones and fireballs.
Then God thundered out of heaven;
    the High God gave a great shout,
    spraying hailstones and fireballs.
God shoots his arrows—pandemonium!
    He hurls his lightnings—a rout!
The secret sources of ocean are exposed,
    the hidden depths of earth lie uncovered
The moment you roar in protest,
    let loose your hurricane anger.

For Reflection

 Salvation, for David, had little to do with the afterlife.  The salvation of David is of the here-and-now. David is unconcerned about being left behind.  David is asking God to save him now!  In this song, David is testifying to the power of God and to God's willingness to intercede in human affairs to establish peace.

Think about the trouble times you or your acquaintances have endured.  Think of the unexpected turn of events that allowed your or other's escape from dire consequence.  Examine the possibility that God had intervened and made all things right.  What does salvation mean to you?

Pray

as David sang.  Declare your love for God.  Admit that God is your bedrock.  Recognize that God grants relief from your troubles.  Praise God for God's intimate relationship with you.

The Evangelical Christian

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Trusting the Spirit

Acts 11:19-26  The Message

^19-21 Those who had been scattered by the persecution triggered by Stephen’s death traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, but they were still only speaking and dealing with their fellow Jews. Then some of the men from Cyprus and Cyrene who had come to Antioch started talking to Greeks, giving them the Message of the Master Jesus. God was pleased with what they were doing and put his stamp of approval on it—quite a number of the Greeks believed and turned to the Master.
^22-24 When the church in Jerusalem got wind of this, they sent Barnabas to Antioch to check on things. As soon as he arrived, he saw that God was behind and in it all. He threw himself in with them, got behind them, urging them to stay with it the rest of their lives. He was a good man that way, enthusiastic and confident in the Holy Spirit’s ways. The community grew large and strong in the Master.

^25-26 Then Barnabas went on to Tarsus to look for Saul. He found him and brought him back to Antioch. They were there a whole year, meeting with the church and teaching a lot of people. It was in Antioch that the disciples were for the first time called Christians.

For Reflection 

For some, the terms "evangelical, evangelize, and evangelistic," have taken on negative connotations.  Perhaps it is because of the pressure tactics used by some preachers or the false prophets who make unreasonable promises that are not true to the scriptures. 

But, whatever the reason for the adverse reaction to the term evangelism, to be evangelical pleases God.  The word "evangel" refers to the gospel, the teachings of Christians as found in the first four books of the New Testament. Those who are evangelistic, therefore, are persons of good character, enthusiastic and confident in the ways of The Holy Spirit -- God.


Pray

that you will live an evangelical life that attracts others to follow Christ.  Pray that you will be humble, enthusiastic and confident in the promise of God.

Good News is Great Joy

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Trusting the Spirit

Acts 8:4-8  The Message

^3-8 And Saul just went wild, devastating the church, entering house after house after house, dragging men and women off to jail. Forced to leave home base, the followers of Jesus all became missionaries. Wherever they were scattered, they preached the Message about Jesus. Going down to a Samaritan city, Philip proclaimed the Message of the Messiah. When the people heard what he had to say and saw the miracles, the clear signs of God’s action, they hung on his every word. Many who could neither stand nor walk were healed that day. The evil spirits protested loudly as they were sent on their way. And what joy in the city!

For Reflection 

One:  "Guess what happened?  Saul is hunting Christians.  He is arresting and hauling them off to jail!  Mothers and fathers.  Their poor children left to fend for themselves"

Another: "Oh that's bad!"

One:  "Perhaps not all bad.  The Christians fled and wherever they went more people joined them.  The news of a savior is too compelling to be quelled.  Beside, Saul's persecution gave more reason to join the Christians."

Another:  "Odd though.  For Christians, nothing is either all good or all bad.  They seem to weather it all joyfully and spread the promise of hope, justice and peace."

God, indeed works in all things for Good!

Pray

pray that you will see the blessings found in troubling times.  Pray that your hope and expectation for joyful living  in spite of difficult circumstances will bless others.  Pray that you will cling to God's promise to make all things right.

Strangers Become Heaven's Citizens

The Christian Community Comes Alive 

Giving Bold Testimony 
Trusting the Spirit

Ephesians 2:11-22  The Message

^11-13 But don’t take any of this for granted. It was only yesterday that you outsiders to God’s ways had no idea of any of this, didn’t know the first thing about the way God works, hadn’t the faintest idea of Christ. You knew nothing of that rich history of God’s covenants and promises in Israel, hadn’t a clue about what God was doing in the world at large. Now because of Christ—dying that death, shedding that blood—you who were once out of it altogether are in on everything.
^14-15 The Messiah has made things up between us so that we’re now together on this, both non-Jewish outsiders and Jewish insiders. He tore down the wall we used to keep each other at a distance. He repealed the law code that had become so clogged with fine print and footnotes that it hindered more than it helped. Then he started over. Instead of continuing with two groups of people separated by centuries of animosity and suspicion, he created a new kind of human being, a fresh start for everybody.
^16-18 Christ brought us together through his death on the cross. The Cross got us to embrace, and that was the end of the hostility. Christ came and preached peace to you outsiders and peace to us insiders. He treated us as equals, and so made us equals. Through him we both share the same Spirit and have equal access to the Father.

^19-22 That’s plain enough, isn’t it? You’re no longer wandering exiles. This kingdom of faith is now your home country. You’re no longer strangers or outsiders. You belong here, with as much right to the name Christian as anyone. God is building a home. He’s using us all—irrespective of how we got here—in what he is building. He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation. Now he’s using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together. We see it taking shape day after day—a holy temple built by God, all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home.

For Reflection

What changes if you substitute Christians and non-Christians for Jewish and non-Jewish in the previous passages?  What does it say then about the relationships among Christians, atheists and adherents to other religious traditions?  If God created, through the Christ event, a new kind of human being and made us all equals, how can one act inhospitably to anyone who currently believes or acts differently?  As a Christian I should not treat anyone with animosity whatever their practices are!  All humans share the same Spirit and have equal access to God.  The important question I must ask myself is, "Do my actions toward humans of all kinds attract them to God?  How am I helping others come to the Spirit which resides in them?  Am I bringing hope or condemnation?

Pray

prayers of thanksgiving and praise for the Living God.  Pray that all people will find the Holy Spirit which resides within them.  Pray that you will show profound Christian hospitality to all whom you encounter.

Your Gentle Defense

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Trusting the Spirit

1 Peter 3:13-18  The Message

^13-18 If with heart and soul you’re doing good, do you think you can be stopped? Even if you suffer for it, you’re still better off. Don’t give the opposition a second thought. Through thick and thin, keep your hearts at attention, in adoration before Christ, your Master. Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you’re living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy. Keep a clear conscience before God so that when people throw mud at you, none of it will stick. They’ll end up realizing that they’re the ones who need a bath. It’s better to suffer for doing good, if that’s what God wants, than to be punished for doing bad. That’s what Christ did definitively: suffered because of others’ sins, the Righteous One for the unrighteous ones. He went through it all—was put to death and then made alive—to bring us to God.

 

For Reflection

 One of the keys to understanding these passages is to understand what Peter means by "doing good." In previous passages, Peter suggests that Christians should speak with one voice.  They should seek peace not division and contention.  Christians should not engage in clever and dishonest means for achieving something.  They should avoid real damage to their neighbors.  Christians should bless their enemies and refrain their tongues from speaking evil. Christians should pursue peace when peace is denied.  Christians should not justify others in their sin, but must do all that justice requires or Christian hospitality commands.

How do the most vocal Christians in today's society measure up to these standards of "goodness?' 

Pray

prayers of thanksgiving for the living God, found in Jesus Christ.   Pray that we all will grow into a common understanding of what it means to follow Christ.  Pray that you will, in all things, express the love that we were shown through Jesus Christ.

Water for Everyone

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Trusting the Spirit

John 4:3-14  The Message

4 ^1-3 Jesus realized that the Pharisees were keeping count of the baptisms that he and John performed (although his disciples, not Jesus, did the actual baptizing). They had posted the score that Jesus was ahead, turning him and John into rivals in the eyes of the people. So Jesus left the Judean countryside and went back to Galilee.

^4-6 To get there, he had to pass through Samaria. He came into Sychar, a Samaritan village that bordered the field Jacob had given his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was still there. Jesus, worn out by the trip, sat down at the well. It was noon.
^7-8 A woman, a Samaritan, came to draw water. Jesus said, “Would you give me a drink of water?” (His disciples had gone to the village to buy food for lunch.)
⁹ The Samaritan woman, taken aback, asked, “How come you, a Jew, are asking me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?” (Jews in those days wouldn’t be caught dead talking to Samaritans.)
¹⁰ Jesus answered, “If you knew the generosity of God and who I am, you would be asking me for a drink, and I would give you fresh, living water.”
^11-12 The woman said, “Sir, you don’t even have a bucket to draw with, and this well is deep. So how are you going to get this ‘living water’? Are you a better man than our ancestor Jacob, who dug this well and drank from it, he and his sons and livestock, and passed it down to us?”

^13-14 Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again and again. Anyone who drinks the water I give will never thirst—not ever. The water I give will be an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of endless life.”

For Reflection 

Ah, metaphoric language.  What would the Bible be with out the metaphor?  The meaning of scripture is steeped in mystery and unexpected, counter culture symbolism.  If one denies Biblical mysticism, much of he rich language may be misinterpreted.  What endless life is Christ talking about, physical or spiritual?  Or is there, perhaps another meaning. Isn't it possible that Christ is referring to a God driven human evolution that transforms the world's cultural systems into unending just, compassionate and forgiving societies?

Pray

for the realization of the Kingdom of God..

God for All

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Peter Takes a Risk

Acts 10:39-48  The Message

^39-43 “And we saw it, saw it all, everything he did in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem where they killed him, hung him from a cross. But in three days God had him up, alive, and out where he could be seen. Not everyone saw him—he wasn’t put on public display. Witnesses had been carefully handpicked by God beforehand—us! We were the ones, there to eat and drink with him after he came back from the dead. He commissioned us to announce this in public, to bear solemn witness that he is in fact the One whom God destined as Judge of the living and dead. But we’re not alone in this. Our witness that he is the means to forgiveness of sins is backed up by the witness of all the prophets.”
^44-46 No sooner were these words out of Peter’s mouth than the Holy Spirit came on the listeners. The believing Jews who had come with Peter couldn’t believe it, couldn’t believe that the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out on “outsider” non-Jews, but there it was—they heard them speaking in tongues, heard them praising God.
^46-48 Then Peter said, “Do I hear any objections to baptizing these friends with water? They’ve received the Holy Spirit exactly as we did.” Hearing no objections, he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.

Then they asked Peter to stay on for a few days.

For Reflection 

Who saves?  Peter witnessed to the Christ event.  He brought people together.  But, Peter did not "save" them!  The Holy Spirit called the listeners to become brothers and sisters in Christ.  Even though they were outsiders, Peter recognized God's will and baptized them in the name of Jesus Christ.

Pray

for those who recognize the will of God.  Pray for those who yearn for spiritual inclusion will listen for God's call.  Pray that you might be one who leads another to the well of living water so that the Spirit which resides in them will be a welcome voice.

Peter is Stretched

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Peter Takes a Risk

Acts 10:1-16  The Message

10 ^1-3 There was a man named Cornelius who lived in Caesarea, captain of the Italian Guard stationed there. He was a thoroughly good man. He had led everyone in his house to live worshipfully before God, was always helping people in need, and had the habit of prayer. One day about three o’clock in the afternoon he had a vision. An angel of God, as real as his next-door neighbor, came in and said, “Cornelius.”

^4-6 Cornelius stared hard, wondering if he was seeing things. Then he said, “What do you want, sir?”
The angel said, “Your prayers and neighborly acts have brought you to God’s attention. Here’s what you are to do. Send men to Joppa to get Simon, the one everyone calls Peter. He is staying with Simon the Tanner, whose house is down by the sea.”
^7-8 As soon as the angel was gone, Cornelius called two servants and one particularly devout soldier from the guard. He went over with them in great detail everything that had just happened, and then sent them off to Joppa.
^9-13 The next day as the three travelers were approaching the town, Peter went out on the balcony to pray. It was about noon. Peter got hungry and started thinking about lunch. While lunch was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw the skies open up. Something that looked like a huge blanket lowered by ropes at its four corners settled on the ground. Every kind of animal and reptile and bird you could think of was on it. Then a voice came: “Go to it, Peter—kill and eat.”
¹⁴ Peter said, “Oh, no, Lord. I’ve never so much as tasted food that was not kosher.”
¹⁵ The voice came a second time: “If God says it’s okay, it’s okay.”

¹⁶ This happened three times, and then the blanket was pulled back up into the skies.

 

For Reflection 

Cornelius was a gentile.  Moreover, He was a centurion a soldier in the Roman army.  He was not the sort a Jew would trust or even speak with.  Yet, God selected him to seek out Peter. Cornelius did not need conversion. He was a devout disciple.

Peter, on the other hand, was not disposed to approach gentiles with the Good News.  But in Peter's vision the wisdom of following God, not ritual, was revealed.  Peter risked his life to accompany the Roman soldier because he had irrational trust in God to protect him and make all things right.

Pray

that you will find the radical trust in God to follow God's lead where ever it takes you.  Pray that you will not fear the unpredictable because God is with you.

Lord of the Sabbath

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Peter Takes a Risk

Matthew 12:1-8  The Message

12 ^1-2 One Sabbath, Jesus was strolling with his disciples through a field of ripe grain. Hungry, the disciples were pulling off the heads of grain and munching on them. Some Pharisees reported them to Jesus: “Your disciples are breaking the Sabbath rules!”

^3-5 Jesus said, “Really? Didn’t you ever read what David and his companions did when they were hungry, how they entered the sanctuary and ate fresh bread off the altar, bread that no one but priests were allowed to eat? And didn’t you ever read in God’s Law that priests carrying out their Temple duties break Sabbath rules all the time and it’s not held against them?

^6-8 “There is far more at stake here than religion. If you had any idea what this Scripture meant—‘I prefer a flexible heart to an inflexible ritual’—you wouldn’t be nitpicking like this. The Son of Man is no lackey to the Sabbath; he’s in charge.”

For Reflection 

Rules, rules rules! Why are we so insistent that our spiritual lives are bound by inflexible rules?  In 1940, my mother could not attend my baptism because she was not Catholic as was my father.  In the '40s, women were not permitted to serve as ordained lay persons in most Presbyterian churches, let alone serve as ordained ministers.

Jesus employed situational ethics.  Yes, I said situational ethics.  In this example, Christ violated the Sabbath rules, preferring, "...a flexible heart to and inflexible rule."

Pray

prayers of praise and thanksgiving for the Son of God who showed the world how to interpret God's love.  Pray for the wisdom to bend conventions when they inhibit you from expressing the love of God. 

Peter Takes a Risk

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Peter Takes a Risk

Matthew 14:22-33  The Message

^22-23 As soon as the meal was finished, he insisted that the disciples get in the boat and go on ahead to the other side while he dismissed the people. With the crowd dispersed, he climbed the mountain so he could be by himself and pray. He stayed there alone, late into the night.

^24-26 Meanwhile, the boat was far out to sea when the wind came up against them and they were battered by the waves. At about four o’clock in the morning, Jesus came toward them walking on the water. They were scared out of their wits. “A ghost!” they said, crying out in terror.
²⁷ But Jesus was quick to comfort them. “Courage, it’s me. Don’t be afraid.”
²⁸ Peter, suddenly bold, said, “Master, if it’s really you, call me to come to you on the water.”
^29-30 He said, “Come ahead.”
Jumping out of the boat, Peter walked on the water to Jesus. But when he looked down at the waves churning beneath his feet, he lost his nerve and started to sink. He cried, “Master, save me!”
³¹ Jesus didn’t hesitate. He reached down and grabbed his hand. Then he said, “Faint-heart, what got into you?”

^32-33 The two of them climbed into the boat, and the wind died down. The disciples in the boat, having watched the whole thing, worshiped Jesus, saying, “This is it! You are God’s Son for sure!”

For Reflection 

Peter's faith had limits.  The NIV version translates "Faint-heart" "You of little faith."  In this case "faith" is not a noun, but rather, a verb.  One might advocate that trust be substituted as the active form of the word faith.  Peter trusted the Lord and walked on water until his confidence in that trust eroded. 

How often do we like Peter cry out, "Master save me."  How often do we find our trust in God is limited.  Because of Christ, our trust in God can be radical, irrational, and beyond human imagination. 

Pray

for unlimited radical trust in God to make all things work for good.  Pray for the confidence in God that will free you from fearing the consequence of taking risks for the Kingdom of God.

God's Love Prevails

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Peter Takes a Risk

Romans 8:31-39  The Message

^31-39 So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God’s chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:

They kill us in cold blood because they hate you.
We’re sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one.

None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.

For Reflection 

I think that this all too familiar passage is misunderstood or, at least, misused or misrepresented.  Sometimes I think that some Christians use these passages as justification for warring against imagined threats to their relationship with God or Jesus Christ.  These passages do not, in my opinion, indicate that God is only on the side of Christians so that Christians can justify all manner of aggressive action.

I believe that these passages are intended to reinforce the unconditional love God has for us, thus, removing the threat that God will abandon us if (take your pick of sins) or one will burn in Hell if one is not "saved."  The passages express the "good news" of comfort, encouragement and hope that sustain us in times of despair when faced with threats.

Because of God's abiding love we are free to love our enemies, avoid acts of retribution, be compassionate and work in humility for justice, peace and forgiveness. God is on the side of all people, the sinner, the saint, and the unbeliever. God will not abandon anyone, not even in death!

That, in my opinion, is Good News!

Pray

that God will open your hearts to outsiders.  Pray that the Holy Spirit will help you open your eyes to see others as God sees them.  Pray that you will be a blessing to all you encounter.  Pray that you will practice the love of God as exemplified in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ.

God's Unconventional Way

The Christian Community Comes Alive
Giving Bold Testimony

Saul Earns Credibility

Acts 9:10-21  The Message

¹⁰ There was a disciple in Damascus by the name of Ananias. The Master spoke to him in a vision: “Ananias.”
“Yes, Master?” he answered.
^11-12 “Get up and go over to Straight Avenue. Ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus. His name is Saul. He’s there praying. He has just had a dream in which he saw a man named Ananias enter the house and lay hands on him so he could see again.”
^13-14 Ananias protested, “Master, you can’t be serious. Everybody’s talking about this man and the terrible things he’s been doing, his reign of terror against your people in Jerusalem! And now he’s shown up here with papers from the Chief Priest that give him license to do the same to us.”
^15-16 But the Master said, “Don’t argue. Go! I have picked him as my personal representative to non-Jews and kings and Jews. And now I’m about to show him what he’s in for—the hard suffering that goes with this job.”
^17-19 So Ananias went and found the house, placed his hands on blind Saul, and said, “Brother Saul, the Master sent me, the same Jesus you saw on your way here. He sent me so you could see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” No sooner were the words out of his mouth than something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes—he could see again! He got to his feet, was baptized, and sat down with them to a hearty meal.

^19-21 Saul spent a few days getting acquainted with the Damascus disciples, but then went right to work, wasting no time, preaching in the meeting places that this Jesus was the Son of God. They were caught off guard by this and, not at all sure they could trust him, they kept saying, “Isn’t this the man who wreaked havoc in Jerusalem among the believers? And didn’t he come here to do the same thing—arrest us and drag us off to jail in Jerusalem for sentencing by the high priests?”

For Reflection 

Saul of Tarsus--who would have thought...?  Certainly not Ananias!  How many Christians do you know that would have had reacted the same way as Ananias?  How many Christians do you know whose eyes, like those of Saul, are coated with the scales of false prophets.  What will it take for us to see and realize the truth?

Pray

for those who have seen God and have been cleansed by the experience.  Praise God for the prophets of our time that remind us of the true meaning of the Gospel.  Praise God for those who respond to the love of God and preach justice, peace, and. forgiveness.  Praise God for those who advocate for the poor.  Praise God for those who seek justice in an unjust world.  Praise God for those whose compassion drives them to risk their lives in service to the Lord.

Strangers Become Heaven's Citizens

The Christian Community Comes Alive
Giving Bold Testimony

Peter Takes a Risk

Acts 10:1-16  The Message

10 ^1-3 There was a man named Cornelius who lived in Caesarea, captain of the Italian Guard stationed there. He was a thoroughly good man. He had led everyone in his house to live worshipfully before God, was always helping people in need, and had the habit of prayer. One day about three o’clock in the afternoon he had a vision. An angel of God, as real as his next-door neighbor, came in and said, “Cornelius.”

^4-6 Cornelius stared hard, wondering if he was seeing things. Then he said, “What do you want, sir?”
The angel said, “Your prayers and neighborly acts have brought you to God’s attention. Here’s what you are to do. Send men to Joppa to get Simon, the one everyone calls Peter. He is staying with Simon the Tanner, whose house is down by the sea.”
^7-8 As soon as the angel was gone, Cornelius called two servants and one particularly devout soldier from the guard. He went over with them in great detail everything that had just happened, and then sent them off to Joppa.
^9-13 The next day as the three travelers were approaching the town, Peter went out on the balcony to pray. It was about noon. Peter got hungry and started thinking about lunch. While lunch was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw the skies open up. Something that looked like a huge blanket lowered by ropes at its four corners settled on the ground. Every kind of animal and reptile and bird you could think of was on it. Then a voice came: “Go to it, Peter—kill and eat.”
¹⁴ Peter said, “Oh, no, Lord. I’ve never so much as tasted food that was not kosher.”
¹⁵ The voice came a second time: “If God says it’s okay, it’s okay.”

¹⁶ This happened three times, and then the blanket was pulled back up into the skies.

For Reflection 

Cornelius was a gentile.  Moreover, he was a centurion a soldier in the Roman army.  He was not the sort a Jew one would trust or even speak with.  Yet, God selected him to seek out Peter. Cornelius did not need conversion. He was a devout disciple.

Peter, on the other hand, was not disposed to approach gentiles with the Good News.  But in Peter's vision the wisdom of following God, not ritual, was revealed.  Peter risked his life to accompany the Roman soldier because he had irrational trust in God to protect him and make all things right.

Pray

that you will find the radical trust in God to follow God's lead where ever it takes you.  Pray that you will not fear the unpredictable because God is with you.

God's Surprising Way

The Christian Community Comes Alive
Giving Bold Testimony

Saul Earns Credibility

Acts 9:1-9  The Message

9 ^1-2 All this time Saul was breathing down the necks of the Master’s disciples, out for the kill. He went to the Chief Priest and got arrest warrants to take to the meeting places in Damascus so that if he found anyone there belonging to the Way, whether men or women, he could arrest them and bring them to Jerusalem.

^3-4 He set off. When he got to the outskirts of Damascus, he was suddenly dazed by a blinding flash of light. As he fell to the ground, he heard a voice: “Saul, Saul, why are you out to get me?”
^5-6 He said, “Who are you, Master?”
“I am Jesus, the One you’re hunting down. I want you to get up and enter the city. In the city you’ll be told what to do next.”

^7-9 His companions stood there dumbstruck—they could hear the sound, but couldn’t see anyone—while Saul, picking himself up off the ground, found himself stone-blind. They had to take him by the hand and lead him into Damascus. He continued blind for three days. He ate nothing, drank nothing.

For Reflection 

God does this all the time.  God selects the least anticipated people to take pivotal roles in God's grand overture to reconcile human kind.  Knowing this, I ask you, "Why are you surprised that God would select you?"

Pray

that your encounters with God, the Son and the Holy Spirit lift you into evangelical grace.  Pray that you, like Saul be transformed and spiritually nourished.

God's Generous Way

The Christian Community Comes Alive
Giving Bold Testimony

Saul Earns Credibility

Luke 11:32-36  The Message

^32,31 “On Judgment Day the Ninevites will stand up and give evidence that will condemn this generation, because when Jonah preached to them they changed their lives. A far greater preacher than Jonah is here, and you squabble about ‘proofs.’ On Judgment Day the Queen of Sheba will come forward and bring evidence that condemns this generation, because she traveled from a far corner of the earth to listen to wise Solomon. Wisdom far greater than Solomon’s is right in front of you, and you quibble over ‘evidence.’

^33-36 “No one lights a lamp, then hides it in a drawer. It’s put on a lamp stand so those entering the room have light to see where they’re going. Your eye is a lamp, lighting up your whole body. If you live wide-eyed in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar. Keep your eyes open, your lamp burning, so you don’t get musty and murky. Keep your life as well-lighted as your best-lighted room.”

For Reflection 

How often have we "Quibbled" over evidence.  How often do we get lost in the arguments of whose "facts" are the right facts.  We disagree over the bark on each tree and forget that the forest is most important.  

We forget the Gospel is a story.  A story that never loses its truth in the march of the common culture.  It is a story of holiness where few of the characters are fully holy.  It is a story of the human need to transcend him or herself to become a greater being.  It is a story through which one becomes great by being humble.  It is a story of leading though servitude.  It is a story that demands the sharing of justice, peace and compassion.  It is the story of blind trust in goodness.  It is a story of steadfast love. It is a story that supersedes its facts.  It is truth!

Pray

for those who live in truth.  Pray so that you can listen to the truths beyond the facts.  Pray that you will look into the light of God's truth and reflect that light into our darkest corners.

God's Holy Way

The Christian Community Comes Alive
Giving Bold Testimony

Saul Earns Credibility

1 Peter 1:16-21  The Message

A Future in God

^13-16 So roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready to receive the gift that’s coming when Jesus arrives. Don’t lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn’t know any better then; you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, “I am holy; you be holy.”

¹⁷ You call out to God for help and he helps—he’s a good Father that way. But don’t forget, he’s also a responsible Father, and won’t let you get by with sloppy living.

^18-21 Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God. It cost God plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in. He paid with Christ’s sacred blood, you know. He died like an unblemished, sacrificial lamb. And this was no afterthought. Even though it has only lately—at the end of the ages—become public knowledge, God always knew he was going to do this for you. It’s because of this sacrificed Messiah, whom God then raised from the dead and glorified, that you trust God, that you know you have a future in God.

 

For Reflection 

"Travel with a deep consciousness of God."  You are not empty headed. You are schooled in the faith and carry an unmitigated trust in the Holy Spirit.  Let the Spirit lead you.  These are the end days and you are part of the recovery of humankind.  You have been raised from the dead.  Now alive in Christ, you are sanctified.  Your life is holy.  You are free to choose to follow God.

Pray

for those who no not God even though they profess Christianity.  Pray for those authentic Christians who travel each day, conscious of the Holy Spirit guiding and directing their lives.  Pray so that the Holy Spirit will lead you into the grace of righteous living.

God's Trustworthy Way

The Christian Community Comes Alive
Giving Bold Testimony

Saul Earns Credibility

Psalm 112  The Message

112 ^1-10 Hallelujah!
Blessed man, blessed woman, who fear God,
Who cherish and relish his commandments,
Their children robust on the earth,
And the homes of the upright—how blessed!
Their houses brim with wealth
And a generosity that never runs dry.
Sunrise breaks through the darkness for good people—
God’s grace and mercy and justice!
The good person is generous and lends lavishly;
No shuffling or stumbling around for this one,
But a sterling and solid and lasting reputation.
Unfazed by rumor and gossip,
Heart ready, trusting in God,
Spirit firm, unperturbed,
Ever blessed, relaxed among enemies,
They lavish gifts on the poor—
A generosity that goes on, and on, and on.
An honored life! A beautiful life!
Someone wicked takes one look and rages,
Blusters away but ends up speechless.
There’s nothing to the dreams of the wicked. Nothing.

 

For Reflection 

What warrants Christian trust?   Is one who claims to be Christian  worthy of trust if:

He or she abides in the scriptures?
Their households show a climate of justice, compassion, and forgiveness?
They practice extravagant Christian hospitality?
They enjoy a reputation of "Good People?"
They ignore and do not spread gossip and rumor?
They exhibit a radical trust in God?
They are relaxed in situations that challenge them?
They practice inclusion, love, compassion, forgiveness, and champion distributive justice?
They are remarkable in their servitude?
They are criticized by the common people as foolish and unrealistic.
They create goodness and avoid destructive action.

Some of the above?

All of the above?

None of the above?


Pray

for those whose lives are committed to Christian hospitality.  Pray that you will exhibit the grace of God in all your actions.  Pray that you will always abide in the Spirit as the Spirit abides in you.

Stand Ready

The Christian Community Comes Alive
Giving Bold Testimony

The Spirit Is Not for Sale

Acts 8:26-40  The Message

The Ethiopian Eunuch

^26-28 Later God’s angel spoke to Philip: “At noon today I want you to walk over to that desolate road that goes from Jerusalem down to Gaza.” He got up and went. He met an Ethiopian eunuch coming down the road. The eunuch had been on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and was returning to Ethiopia, where he was minister in charge of all the finances of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. He was riding in a chariot and reading the prophet Isaiah.

^29-30 The Spirit told Philip, “Climb into the chariot.” Running up alongside, Philip heard the eunuch reading Isaiah and asked, “Do you understand what you’re reading?”
^31-33 He answered, “How can I without some help?” and invited Philip into the chariot with him. The passage he was reading was this:

As a sheep led to slaughter,
    and quiet as a lamb being sheared,
He was silent, saying nothing.
    He was mocked and put down, never got a fair trial.
But who now can count his kin
    since he’s been taken from the earth?

^34-35 The eunuch said, “Tell me, who is the prophet talking about: himself or some other?” Philip grabbed his chance. Using this passage as his text, he preached Jesus to him.

^36-39 As they continued down the road, they came to a stream of water. The eunuch said, “Here’s water. Why can’t I be baptized?” He ordered the chariot to stop. They both went down to the water, and Philip baptized him on the spot. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of God suddenly took Philip off, and that was the last the eunuch saw of him. But he didn’t mind. He had what he’d come for and went on down the road as happy as he could be.

⁴⁰ Philip showed up in Azotus and continued north, preaching the Message in all the villages along that route until he arrived at Caesarea.

 

For Reflection 

Why do we avoid the mysticism that permeates Biblical passages?  God is a mystery.  Are we so unwilling to suspend our need for existential proofs, that we miss the truths beyond the facts of the stories?  We need to embrace the scholars of the Word even though they may say things that are uncomfortable and challenge out perspectives.   We are never completed Christians.  We are only becoming Christians -- growing into the grace that God has promised.

Pray

for those whose study of scripture and the life of Christ.  Pray that they will stimulate discussion and change in Christian congregations that will bring all of us closer to the truth.