Which Jesus? Matthew 16.13-20

27 August 2020

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’ Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

Matthew 16.13-20 

A couple weeks ago now we took our oldest daughter and moved her into college.  She’s in her second week of classes now – doing well.  One of the classes she is taking is a religion course called: Which Jesus?  In that course they look at how Jesus has been viewed throughout history; how different religions view Jesus; how different cultures understand Jesus; even how each of us have different understandings of Jesus. 

As part of that class she interviews her parents; her pastor; another person theologically trained, and a friend at college asking one question:  Who is Jesus?  And then she writes a 2-3 page paper about the conversation she has. 

How would you answer that question?  I’m going to let you sit with that for a few seconds here.  Who is Jesus for you?  What does it mean when you answer that question; how do you fill that out?

We all have our own preferences for how we see God; we understand the person of Jesus.  Jesus can tend to look a lot like the person who is looking.  So if we are angry and confrontational – so is Jesus.  If we are compassionate and kind-hearted – so it Jesus.  If we prefer traditional time-tested truths – so does Jesus.  If we prefer the creative and unpredictable – so does Jesus.  All this is one way of saying that we tend to create God in our image. 

Jesus asks the disciples:  Who do people say that I am?  Then he asks them:  who do you say that I am?  Peter answers: The Messiah, the son of the living God.  Peter gets it right here.  But he gets it right because, we are told, God reveals it to him.  It is a gift. 

 Some questions for you this morning: 

1.     What words or images from Scripture come to mind when you think of Jesus?

2.     How is Jesus pictured or revealed in some of the hymns that you love?

3.     How is Jesus revealed to us in our worship together?

4.     When have I come to see something about Jesus that I did not expect?

Let’s pray:  Lord God, you are revealed to us in the words of Scripture, in worship, in our service to one another.  Continue to open our eyes to see your presence in the midst of this pandemic; in the midst of our nation’s racial reckoning; even in the midst of this political season.  Walk with us and go through this day.  In your name we pray.  Amen.  

Therefore - Romans 12.1-8

20 August 2020

I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgement, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.

Romans 12.1-8

 In 17th century Italy, in the town of Cremona, lived a young boy named Antonio. Antonio was sad because he lived in a town that was famous for its music, but he could neither sing nor play.

 Antonio’s voice was high and squeaky, so he was not welcome in the Cremona Boys’ Choir. When he took violin lessons, the neighbors persuaded his parents to make him stop. Yet, Antonio still wanted to make music.

 

Antonio’s friends kidded him because it seemed that his only talent was carving, but he did not give up. One day the boy learned that a world-famous violinmaker named Amati lived in Cremona. The next morning Antonio went to visit Amati and begged to serve as his apprentice. For many years he studied and worked. Antonio’s knack for carving grew into a skill; his hobby became his craft. Patiently he fashioned many violins, striving to make each one better and more beautiful than the one before.

 

When Antonio died, he left over 1500 violins, each one bearing a label that said "Antonio Stradivarius." Today they are the most sought after violins in all the world. The clarity of tone and careful craftsmanship remain untouched by the centuries. Antonio Stradivarius could neither sing nor play, but he did what he could, and now, over 300 years later, his violins still make beautiful music.

 

This story reminds us that even though Antonio couldn’t play music or sing very well, this didn’t stop him from making music.  He used what skills he did have to enable others to make beautiful music through the instruments he made. And he had someone to mentor him in the use of that gift.  That is precisely what Paul is getting out in our second reading for today from Romans.  I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

 

One of my mentors many years ago told me: “Any time you read the word, therefore, circle it.”  I’ve tried to follow that advice.  The little word therefore is very important here.  Therefore, because of everything God has done, that the apostle Paul has written about in the first 11 chapters of Romans, comes to a head here in chapter 12.  Therefore present yourselves as a living sacrifice. 

 

Why?  Sacrifices are often thought of as a way to please someone.  You sacrifice for someone – you give something up for them, sometimes to please them, or as a duty (this is what I should do) or so that someone else can say, “good job,” or “way to go,” or “I’m proud of you.”  But here it is more the sense of doing it – of being a living sacrifice – as thankful response. 

 

Because of the mercies of God, therefore, present your bodies as a living sacrifice.  So what has God done?  What are the “mercies of God” that Paul refers to?  In a nutshell they are the first 11 chapters of Romans.   

It's like Paul is saying at the beginning of Romans 12, "Since God has given such wonderful mercies to us, the least we can do is present our bodies to God as a living sacrifice!"

Prayer:  Lord, you have given us life; you’ve given us our minds; you’ve given us friends and family; you’ve given us the ability to think and to reason; you’ve given us ways to live a life or purpose.  Guide us in our living, for we open our minds to know you and to fear you.  In your name we pray.  Amen.

Gratitude - Psalm 138

August 19, 2020 

I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;

   before the gods I sing your praise;
I bow down towards your holy temple
   and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness;
   for you have exalted your name and your word
   above everything.
On the day I called, you answered me,
   you increased my strength of soul.

All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O Lord,
   for they have heard the words of your mouth.
They shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
   for great is the glory of the Lord.
For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly;
   but the haughty he perceives from far away.

Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
   you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies;
you stretch out your hand,
   and your right hand delivers me.
The Lord will fulfil his purpose for me;
   your steadfast love, O Lord, endures for ever.
   Do not forsake the work of your hands.

Psalm 138

Did you notice all the words of thankfulness?

• Your steadfast love and faithfulness.
• On the day I called, you answered me.  
• All earth’s kings of the earth will praise you, O Lord.
• And I love that last verse:  Do not forsake the work of your hands.   Or as Eugene Peterson paraphrased it in The Message:  Finish what you started in me God; your love is eternal – don’t quit on me now.

I think it would be good to commit those words to memory, and say them day after day. 

I’m struck here by the thankfulness. 

But notice as well that the thankfulness comes after experiencing a difficult time; in fact the psalm writer said:  “Though I walk in the midst of trouble.”  We don’t know what the trouble is.  It is vague.  It can perhaps be a physical illness, a spiritual struggle, financial difficulties, or what?  But I find it intriguing that in the midst of a day of trouble the response is to cry out to the Lord. 

And very simply, that’s the point of this psalm.  On the day I called, you answered me.  It seems God brings this person through a time of trouble, and no longer thinks of that dark valley as a time of trouble, but as a time when he (or she) called out and God answered.  A time when God “increased my strength of soul.”

Thankfulness.  One of my seminary classmates - Rolf Jacobson - who is now a professor of Old Testament at Luther Seminary says about this psalm:  “Giving thanks Old Testament style has less to do with some internal feeling of gratitude and more about sending God a thank you note.  And the thank you note that God desires is to tell others what God has done.”

I like that.  I think that is hard for us to do – naming God.  But I want to invite you to spend some time each day with a simple practice of gratitude. 

People who research such things tell us that we quickly focus on the negative in our lives.  And when we remember events, we remember the bad things that have happened.  Not how God brought us through them, but the negative experience itself.  Further, they say that it takes at least 12 seconds of focusing on the good to move an event from short-term memory to longer term memory.  Take 12 seconds of silence right now. 

I invite you each day to take a few minutes and simply write what it is that you are thankful for.  Where is your gratitude today?  And when you experience God bringing you through something; or giving you something you don’t expect, savor it a bit.  At least 12 seconds to store it in longer term memory. 

Let us pray: Compassionate God, you look with favor upon the lowly.  Keep us safe in the midst of trouble, make known your love in our words and deeds, and bring us to new life through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.  Amen.  

Civil Disobedience - Exodus 2.1-10

 August 18

Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was a fine baby, she hid him for three months. When she could hide him no longer she got a papyrus basket for him, and plastered it with bitumen and pitch; she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds on the bank of the river. His sister stood at a distance, to see what would happen to him.

The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her attendants walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to bring it. When she opened it, she saw the child. He was crying, and she took pity on him. ‘This must be one of the Hebrews’ children,’ she said. Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, ‘Shall I go and get you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?’ Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, ‘Yes.’ So the girl went and called the child’s mother. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, ‘Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will give you your wages.’ So the woman took the child and nursed it. When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and she took him as her son. She named him Moses, ‘because’, she said, ‘I drew him out of the water.’

Exodus 2.1-10

This reflection follows the story of Exodus 1.8-22, which begins the Exodus story with civil disobedience of Shiprah and Puah.  

The first reading for this next weekend divides easily into two sections, so we are looking at the second half of that reading today.  We are in Exodus, the first chapter.  We learn the back drop for the Exodus story.  A new king.  A desire to enslave the Hebrew people.  The king of Egypt acts in fear that the Israelites will outnumber the Egyptians and revolt.  So he comes up with the idea to kill off the male children.  He orders the midwives to do just that.  But in a bit of irony here – Shiprah and Puah – and part of the irony is that these two midwives are named while the king – this great king – is not named.  And Shiprah and Puah defy the order of this great king.  And that leads to today’s reading.  Exodus 2.1-10

We have another example this morning of civil disobedience.  This one coming from the daughter of the Pharaoh.  She knows that this baby she has found is a Hebrew boy.  She knows that her father would have this baby killed.  She doesn’t.  In fact this baby’s sister comes forward, and as a result this baby’s Mom gets to nurse her own child a bit longer until she has to hand him over to Pharaoh’s daughter to raise.  And we know that child is Moses. 

A couple other things I want to mention here.  In verse two  we read:  “when she saw that he was a fine baby”  The word is a “tov” baby.  A “good” baby.  It’s the same word that God pronounced over creation.  Each day was “tov”  It was “good.”   

I know my girls have grown older now.  I do wonder how in the world she could keep her child quiet for so long!

When she can do that no longer, in a moment that I imagine must have been heart-wrenching, she places him in a basket and just send him down the Nile.  The word for basket here “tevah,” is used just one other time in Scripture:  Noah’s ark!  Like Noah’s ark, this tevah had no rudder or sail, it just floated down the river, and yet God’s hand was somehow in the midst of it. 

Our lives sometime feel like we are just floating down the river, with no rudder.  We don’t know where we are going.  We don’t know what we can expect.  Is God’s hand in it somehow? 

I think of Forrest Gump when he said:  “I don’t know if Momma was right, or if, if it’s Lieutenant Dan.  I don’t know if we each have a destiny, or if we’re all just floating around accidental-like on a breeze, but I think maybe it’s both.  Maybe both is happenin’ at the same time.” 

August 7 - Matthew 14.22-33

Matthew 14.22-33

Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking towards them on the lake. But when the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified, saying, ‘It is a ghost!’ And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.’

Peter answered him, ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’ He said, ‘Come.’ So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came towards Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’ When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshipped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’

I love this story.  It is a story that I can visualize rather easily.  The storm.  The boat.  Jesus in the distance, walking on the water.  Peter – who is called the rock - jumping out of the boat, somehow walking on the water, before doing what rocks do on water – beginning to sink.  Jesus reaching out and taking his hand to save him.  I can picture all of that. 

I find this story so appropriate for what is going on in our world today.  Like the disciples we are in the midst of a storm.  And there is so much that causes us to be frightened; to be afraid.  I’m not just thinking about the healthy fear of a virus that is quite wily and deadly to some people. 

I’m afraid that once all this is over, we will too soon forget the gift that it is to be near one another;

 I am afraid that some people will never come back to the church building again; and that we lose a sense of the community of faith. 

I’m afraid that we will just try to go back to the way things were before March 15^th, as if nothing ever happened, and that we will not allow ourselves be changed by all that has been. 

I’m afraid that some churches won’t make it out of this, and will end up closing the doors of their building, and the members of those churches won’t connect with another faith community.

 I think we are in the midst of a storm.  And we hear today that Jesus walks into that storm, focusing his attention on the boat that holds those disciples.  And then he encourages, invites, and maybe even stands back when Peter risks everything and takes a step towards him. 

Of course Peter sinks and “Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught Peter.”

That’s the part of the story where we find out who we are.  Notice in the story that when Peter is in the boat, he isn’t sure that it is Jesus who is calling him.  But soon as he is out of the boat and as soon as he starts to sink he cries out:  Lord, save me.”  Peter knows exactly who he is calling to. 

When there are no storms around us, we tend to forget who we are and who Jesus is.  But once we are in a storm, with the water rising quickly around us, we know that we need to be saved, and we know that Jesus is the only one who can do the saving. 

And as we sink, not matter what the fears, Jesus is there.  Right there.  Immediately grabbing us by the hand and pulling us from the stormy waters. 

Let us pray:  Lord, like Peter I am afraid.  Sometimes I will take a risk, step out in faith, and before long I’m crying out to you to rescue me.  Help me know that you are always there.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen. 

August 6 - Romans 10.5-15

Romans 10.5-15

Moses writes concerning the righteousness that comes from the law, that ‘the person who does these things will live by them.’ ⁶But the righteousness that comes from faith says, ‘Do not say in your heart, “Who will ascend into heaven?” ’ (that is, to bring Christ down) ⁷‘or “Who will descend into the abyss?” ’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). ⁸But what does it say?
‘The word is near you,
   on your lips and in your heart’
(that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); ⁹because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. ¹¹The scripture says, ‘No one who believes in him will be put to shame.’ ¹²For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. ¹³For, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

14 But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? ¹⁵And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’

This is again a difficult reading.  I prefer the stories in Scripture to these theological statements that most of Paul’s letters hold.  Having said that, there are some statements here that just kind of stand out:

Verse 9:  If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Verse 13:  Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved

Verse 15:  "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

What I am most struck by here is verse 13:  Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. 

My best friend in high school Rex – when he got to college, he “found” Christ.  While Rex was baptized as an infant, been faithful in going to Sunday school and worship throughout his youth, went to college at Illinois State University.  His junior year he did an internship in Boston, and during that time decided that he didn’t really belong to God. That he had never been part of God’s family.  And if he were to die, figured that he would be damned to hell.

He had several reasons for this.  One was that he didn’t know if he “really” believed in Jesus or not.  Some of his the people he got involved with on the East Coast convinced him that he must not, since he wasn’t fully obedient to everything that God asked of him.  He hadn’t followed what they saw as all the rules for what it means to be a Christian.  Beginning with baptism. 

Rex was baptized as an infant.  In his case the pastor poured water on his head.  What Rex came to believe though is that baptism isn’t about something that God does for us.  For Rex, baptism is something that we do for God.  And so because the word “baptismo” means to go under, he believed he needed to do that over again where he would literally “go under” the water.  Rex was convinced that unless he did that, he was not saved. 

A few years later Rex decided that just going under the water was not enough either.  But he decided that a person also needed to go under the water in the Jordan River in order to be saved. After all, that is where Jesus was baptized. 

I’m not sure what all Rex is doing now.  I know one of his ventures and life goals is to discover Noah’s Ark.  He is actively looking for it.  I also don’t know how he reads this verse.  “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

There is no mention here of baptism.  There is no mention of needing to be Lutheran.  We can even add in verse 9:  If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

What does it mean to do that?  I think it is more than simply thinking that something is true – like believing in the existence of the planet Mars; someplace I’ve never seen but accept as true and it has little if any impact on how I live. 

A belief is something on which I am willing to act.  If I believe in my heart that Jesus is raised from the dead, then I act as if death does not have the last word on life, as if God is a God of life, as if no matter how hard or rough the road, God will hear when I cry out. 

Belief in God doesn’t make us people who say the right words.  It makes us people like Abraham and Sarah who hope against hope in the face of life’s greatest challenges. 

Let us pray:  Surround me with your abiding presence O God, so that your word is always near me, on my lips and in my heart.  Amen.   

August 5 - Psalm 85

Psalm 85

¹ Lord, you were favorable to your land;
   you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
² You forgave the iniquity of your people;
   you pardoned all their sin.
 ³ You withdrew all your wrath;
   you turned from your hot anger.

⁴ Restore us again, O God of our salvation,
   and put away your indignation towards us.
⁵ Will you be angry with us for ever?
   Will you prolong your anger to all generations?
⁶ Will you not revive us again,
   so that your people may rejoice in you?
⁷ Show us your steadfast love, O Lord,
   and grant us your salvation.

⁸ Let me hear what God the Lord will speak,
   for he will speak peace to his people,
   to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.
⁹ Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him,
   that his glory may dwell in our land.

¹⁰ Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;
   righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
¹¹ Faithfulness will spring up from the ground,
   and righteousness will look down from the sky.
¹² The Lord will give what is good,
   and our land will yield its increase.
¹³ Righteousness will go before him,
   and will make a path for his steps.

I am struck by the movement of this psalm.  It begins with a remembering.  You did these things Lord.  And then it goes from there to something of a prayer. Restore us again, Lord.  Do that again, Lord. 

I remember when our girls were quite young, and I would play airplane with them.  They would hold out their arms and I would pick them up and say something like:  Flight 805 ready for take-off.  I would pick them up and they were the airplane and would fly all over the house. They would come in for a landing, usually on their bed – sometimes it would be filled with turbulence.  Other times a soft landing.  They would say:  “Do it again Daddy!  Do it again!”

The psalm writer longs for God to “do it again.”  To do what God did some other time when things were made well.  “Restore us again, O God of our salvation.”  If that’s not a prayer I hear every day as we continue to make our way through this pandemic. 

Then we get to verse 8.  It seems that some sort of a shift happens here.  Let me hear what God the Lord will speak…God will speak peace to his people.  These verses get very poetic. 

Ø God will speak peace, a sense of completeness and rightness. Something has gone wrong between God and the people. God’s peace will restore things to what they should be.

Ø God’s salvation – rescue, deliverance – is at hand, close by.

Ø God’s glory – gravitas, majesty – will dwell in the land, reminding the people of God’s presence with them.

Ø Steadfast love – freely offered grace and dependable kindness – will “meet” with faithfulness, reliability, trustworthiness.

Ø Kindness and trustworthiness will meet, come together, and perhaps even form a relationship, so that the people can count on God’s love.

Ø In a remarkable word picture, righteousness – what is right and just – will kiss peace, wholeness and soundness.

And then I love the image in verse 11.  Faithfulness will come up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky.  And in the middle of the two is you and me.  And we have the image of righteousness preceding God, or coming before God.  Righteousness will clear God’s path and guide God’s steps. 

The picture of life in these verses far exceeds what today would be a clinical definition of life as avoiding death.  Here, life is portrayed as a full, complete, and healthy life lived to the fullest in relationship with God as part of a community of faith.  It is another way of describing peace – the Hebrew word is shalom.

 Shalom is much more than the absence of war or conflict. It is a sense of well-being. That kind of wholeness is centered on a life in the presence of God.

Let us pray:  God of grace, you so loved the world that you gave us your only Son to be our Savior.  Help us rejoice in your redeeming grace by showing mercy and following the way of justice and peace, for the sake of Jesus Christ, redeemer of the world.  Amen. 

August 4

Genesis 37.12-28

Now his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock near Shechem. And Israel said to Joseph, ‘Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.’ He answered, ‘Here I am.’ So he said to him, ‘Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock; and bring word back to me.’ So he sent him from the valley of Hebron.

He came to Shechem, and a man found him wandering in the fields; the man asked him, ‘What are you seeking?’ ‘I am seeking my brothers,’ he said; ‘tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock.’ The man said, ‘They have gone away, for I heard them say, “Let us go to Dothan.” ’ So Joseph went after his brothers, and found them at Dothan. They saw him from a distance, and before he came near to them, they conspired to kill him. They said to one another, ‘Here comes this dreamer. Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; then we shall say that a wild animal has devoured him, and we shall see what will become of his dreams.’ But when Reuben heard it, he delivered him out of their hands, saying, ‘Let us not take his life.’ Reuben said to them, ‘Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but lay no hand on him’—that he might rescue him out of their hand and restore him to his father. So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the long robe with sleeves that he wore; and they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.

Then they sat down to eat; and looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels carrying gum, balm, and resin, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. Then Judah said to his brothers, ‘What profit is there if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.’ And his brothers agreed. When some Midianite traders passed by, they drew Joseph up, lifting him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.

Today we continue our reading from yesterday.  We looked at the start of Joseph’s story.  The dysfunctional family he was part of. The hatred his brothers had for him because, he was Dad’s favorite child, and all the brothers knew it.   And then the dreams Joseph had that made it even worse with his brothers. 

This is really more of a Bible study again today.  So the brothers all head off to care for the flock of sheep the family owns. Jacob sends Joseph to Shechem.  I find it rather amazing that Jacob is so out of touch to his sons feelings toward Joseph.  He can’t see or doesn’t believe that they are really can’t envious of Joseph. 

In any case Joseph goes to Shechem, doesn’t find them, and then an unidentified man sends Joseph to Dothan – about 15 miles away from Shechem.  That’s a fairly good walk. 

The brothers see him coming, conspire to kill him.  But Reuben has a change of heart and convinces them to throw him into a pit without water.  And then when some Ishmaelites come along (those would descendants of Abraham and Hagar through their son Ishmael) he gets sold for 20 pieces of silver and sent off to Egypt.  Now the reading also mentions Midianites, and it seems a bit confusing as to if both Ishmaelites and Midianites come along.  If the Midianites pull him out of the well and the Ishmaelites sell him into slavery, or what exactly happens. 

This is the first of several literal and metaphorical descents (and ascents) Joseph will make in the story. He is lifted out of the pit, he is taken "down" to Egypt (39:1) and sold into slavery.

 Once in Egypt he is blessed by God, and he rises to a position of authority in Potiphar's house (39:2-4). Potiphar is an officer of the Pharoah. 

 Then he is falsely accused by Potiphar's wife, he is again cast down, this time into prison. Once again, God blesses him, and he rises to a position of authority (39:22-23).

Forgotten by Pharaoh's chief cupbearer after he correctly interprets his dream, Joseph seems fated to spend the rest of his life in prison (40:23). Then the cupbearer remembers, and Joseph is raised once again from the "pit" of prison to the highest position possible: he becomes the second in command in Egypt.  Secretary of Agriculture. 

 Meanwhile – we go back to Jacob – Joseph’s father.  Remember the meaning of his name?  Trickster.  Deceiver.  Joseph's brothers, meanwhile, have deceived their father. They have taken Joseph's special coat and dipped it in the blood of a slaughtered goat, then sent the coat to Jacob (37:31). Their father, of course, draws the obvious conclusion that Joseph is dead, killed by a wild animal.

 Jacob is deceived by his sons just as he deceived his own elderly father. What goes around comes around.  As we saw in the story of Jacob and Laban, Jacob's actions come back to haunt him. Yet, God continues to be at work in the lives of Jacob and his family.

Next Monday you will get the rest of that story. 

Let us pray:  The people we meet in Scripture Lord, are oh so human.  They too have clay feet.  They too know what it is like to live with people who irritate, annoy, and deceive them.  And yet you continue to be at work in their lives, even as you are in ours. And for that we give you thanks.  Amen. 

July 31 - Matthew 14

Another Look at Matthew 14.13-21

Now when Jesus heard that John the Baptizer had been killed by Herod, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. 

When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. 

When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.’ 

Jesus said to them, ‘They need not go away; you give them something to eat.’ 

They replied, ‘We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.’ 

And he said, ‘Bring them here to me.’ 

Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 

And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. 

And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

It’s the first part of this reading that I am struck by today.  Jesus withdrew to a deserted place.  He does this after John the Baptizer has been killed by Herod. 

In the gospel story for next week, Jesus will send the disciples off in a boat, and he will go off by himself to pray.

I am struck by Jesus’ need for alone time.

It can be so very easy to get caught up doing lots and lots of different tasks, that we don’t take time to just sit and be. Or time to reflect.

I need this reminder, so that I can do the work God asks of me.

In this reading Jesus responds with compassion.

I’ll leave you with that for today.

Let us pray:  Lord even you took time to be away from the crowds.  You took time to pray.  What did you do when you prayed?  Did you run?  Did you fish?  Did you cook?  Did you simply walk?  Alone?  Remind us that life does not always consist of checking tasks off our to-do lists.  But you desire to spend time with us.  As you do that, re-fill our lives so that we can respond with compassion to the needs of people around us.  In your name we pray.  Amen. 

July 30th - Matthew 14.13-21

Hunger - July 30th

Matthew 14.13-21

Now when Jesus heard (that John the Baptizer had been killed), he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. 

It has been 19 weeks since the people of Immanuel last gathered in person for worship.  Our last in-person worship was held on Sunday, March 15^th.  I’ve gone back in my head to that time recently, trying to recall what it was like as this pandemic captured our awareness and began to spread. At the time I had suspected we would be back in our building for Easter, or soon thereafter. None of us could have imagined that at this juncture we would still be facing a viral spread that continues to grow, affecting so many people not only in this country but around the world. 

As I read this reading I also remembered our first attempts to buy groceries for our family. Reluctant to enter into actual stores, for a while, we ordered groceries online.  We spent far too much time online trying to figure what to purchase, only to receive an email the next day or so discovering that some of what we wanted was substituted with something else. 

I remember wondering how long this situation would last.  I remember wondering, with four adults all who have food sensitivities and allergies, how we might obtain the right food and enough food for us.  Fortunately the supply chains have since recovered, and we feel blessed not to have struggled with hunger during these weeks.

The people of Jesus’ time struggled with hunger, though. It was a constant reality for many of them. This may be why Matthew, Mark, Luke and John remember Jesus as having provided food for hungry people. One of those memories is preserved in this week’s Gospel lesson. Matthew tells us a great crowd — some 5,000 men (10,000 people in total? 15,000?) — is gathered with Jesus in the wilderness. He has traveled there for some alone time, but arriving in that place he is filled with compassion for them and begins to cure their sick.

As evening draws near, Jesus’ disciples point out that it is getting late and the people are getting hungry. They suggest Jesus might send the people away so they can buy food (which in itself would have been a miracle — that 10-15,000 people could find food in those “nearby towns”). He suggests they feed the crowd. They are skeptical, having come up with just a bit of food. With a nod towards the heavens, and a prayerful blessing, 5 loaves and 2 fish feed upwards of 10,000 people, and the table scraps amount to twelve full baskets.

Biblical scholars have long debated how this happened. Did the generosity of a few (the ones with five loaves and two fish) inspire others to share from their supplies? Did the love and blessing of Jesus multiply those seven items until they were enough for all? These questions are unanswerable, of course, but one truth is clear: Jesus is one who cares deeply about the needs of this gathered people, healing their sick, and feeding their hunger. He cares about them as he cares about all of God’s people, including us.

In our time of need, whether it has to do with hunger, sickness, loneliness, loss, grief, unemployment, underemployment, fear of the future… Jesus is with us. He is our source of strength and peace. Just as he was 2,000 years ago, he is for us today. Let us entrust our futures to him, and work with him to heal the hurts and meet the needs of this world.

And so we pray.  Lord God, guide my feet and use my hands for your work in the world.  Amen. 

July 29 - Romans 9.1-5

Wednesday, July 29th

I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit— I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people, my kindred according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; to them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, comes the Messiah, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.

My immediate reaction to reading these words is that Paul is defensive.  It’s like someone has accused him of fake news and he replies:  “I am not lying!  My conscience confirms it!”

I mentioned last week that I often have a hard time understanding Paul’s writings.  Last week’s reading was an exception.  This week we are back to deep readings from Paul.  A little Bible study for you.  Chapters 9-11 of Romans Paul is dealing with the question:  What does Jesus’ death and resurrection mean for Jewish people who do not embrace Jesus as the Christ? 

1.   Paul wrote these words about 30 years after Jesus’ death and resurrection.  By this point it was becoming clear that the Christian gospel would not receive a positive response from the majority of the Jewish people who heard it. 

2.   Paul and other Christians at that time – most of whom had converted from Judaism – were greatly troubled by that fact.  It was not a matter of them saying:  “Good riddance to those of you who don’t believe as I do.”

 3.  The driving question was:  What is God up to? 

And so with these three main questions, Paul writes three chapters of Romans to probe the question of where things stand between the Jewish people and God.  It’s heavy reading. 

These few verses we have today don’t go into much depth here in answering these questions.  What they do for us is remind us that God did not turn his back on the promises God made first with the Jewish people.  The Jewish people have possessed and continue to possess God’s favor because God gave it to them.  The Israelites are who they are because of God’s free choice. 

As Paul wrote:  “To them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; to them belong the patriarchs.”

I don’t know how the Lutheran church in Germany – during the time of Hitler – didn’t acknowledge these words.  You cannot be anti-Semitic and read these words from Romans 9 as a word from God.  It amazes me that we did that. 

 Sometimes the Christian church today says that we are the “new Israel.”  We can’t really do that.  Paul never says that God does away with Israel.  He does say that God grafts us in – or weaves us in, and we share the root of God’s gracious faithfulness. 

And so we pray.  Lord God, you chose the Jewish people as a means to bless the world.  We are blessed by you grafting us into your family, and adopting us, allowing us to participate in work in the world, to bless others.  Help us to do so faithfully.  In your name we pray.  Amen. 

July 28 - Psalm 145

Psalm 145.8-9, 14-21

The Lord is gracious and merciful,
   slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
The Lord is good to all,
   and his compassion is over all that he has made.

The Lord is faithful in all his words,
   and gracious in all his deeds.
The Lord upholds all who are falling,
   and raises up all who are bowed down.
The eyes of all look to you,
   and you give them their food in due season.
You open your hand,
   satisfying the desire of every living thing.
The Lord is just in all his ways,
   and kind in all his doings.
The Lord is near to all who call on him,
   to all who call on him in truth.
He fulfils the desire of all who fear him;
   he also hears their cry, and saves them.
The Lord watches over all who love him,
   but all the wicked he will destroy.

My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
   and all flesh will bless his holy name for ever and ever.

I have a hard time reading that first verse without wanting to sing it.  It’s part of our worship liturgy – sung just before the gospel reading during the season of Lent. 

It is also a verse that pretty summarizes the Hebrew Scriptures – or what we call the Old Testament.  The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.  This is a verse that is also found in Exodus, when Moses receives the tablets of stone from God, we hear these same words (Exodus 34.6-7).

Psalm 145 as a whole has a special place in Judaism.  It is a summary of their entire faith.  And it shapes many of their prayers.  This psalm appears in Jewish prayer books more so than any other psalm. 

It can be easy for us to glide over this psalm rather quickly.  And yet I think it is one we should take note of.  I think of Jesus, sitting on the lap of his mother as she prayed this psalm.  I think the words of this psalm probably helped to shape him as he grew up. 

Just a couple things to note here.  One, notice the universality of the psalm.  “The Lord upholds all who are falling…all who are bowed down…the eyes of all….you satisfy the desire of every living creature…near to all who call on him…all who fear him….all who love him.

A mistake we can easily make is that the blessings of God are only for us.  Or me.  Or certain people.  God chooses a people – in our case God chooses the church – so that we can be a blessing to others. 

So today I invite you to think about how God is at work in the life of the church, making a difference in this world. What is God up to through the church to bless others?

 Let’s pray: Loving God, you are faithful in your promises and tender in your compassion.  Listen to your hymn of joy, and continue to satisfy the needs of every living thing, that all your creatures may bless your name, O God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, both now and forever.  Amen. 

A promise

July 24 - Matthew 13.44-52

‘The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

‘Have you understood all this?’ They answered, ‘Yes.’ And he said to them, ‘Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.’

Have you understood all of this? Jesus asks.  They answered:  “Yes.” 

I have to admit that I am a bit jealous of the disciples here, because I certainly do not understand all of these parables.  And maybe I’m just a little bit suspicious to if they really do understand, because with all the other parables they have asked for an explanation.  But I digress. 

5 parables on the kingdom of heaven.  What do you think the kingdom of heaven is like?  It reminds me of something that has gone around the internet a few times.

• GOD is like Coke...He’s the real thing.
• GOD is like General Electric...He brings things to life.
• GOD is like Bayer Aspirin...He works wonders.
• GOD is like Hallmark Cards...He cares enough to send the very best.
• GOD is like Tide...He gets the stains out that others leave behind.
• GOD is like Dial Soap...Aren’t you glad you know him? Don’t you wish everyone did?
• GOD is like Scotch Tape... You can’t see him, but you know he’s there.

What is the kingdom of heaven like?

A massive shrub that grows from a seemingly insignificant seed?

Like the most beautiful, precious pearl you’ve ever seen?

Like finding a hidden treasure?

Like the miracle of turning ground grain into bread by adding a few tiny grains of yeast?

Or like a bulging net of floppy fish of every kind that God has gathered together?

No matter, there is something here that seems just a little off to me.  Rushing out to buy a field because you know it is worth far more than the seller is aware, while perhaps being shrewd, is at least dubious, if not dishonest. 

There is a certain joyfulness in the one who sells all to buy a pearl, although few people around would have understood his actions.  It seems a little crazy, unless you are not satisfied with what you have. 

And the fish – how do I make sure I’m put into the good basket and not thrown out with the bad?

I don’t know what to do with my questions today.  Other than live with them.  Maybe the good news that I find here is that Jesus takes everyday things:  mustard seeds, yeast, a pearl, a field, some fish; and he sees in each of those things something no one else does. 

Faith is like that.  Faith is not so much about knowing how many books are in the Bible; what the longest chapter in the Bible is; even where to find the book of Amos, or who the Apostle Paul is.  Faith is about believing and trusting a promise.  It’s not about knowledge, it’s about trust.  The kind of trust that leads you to act and speak differently. 

I wonder what Jesus would have said if, when he asked the question: Do you understand all of this?  They would have said:  Not at all.

I don’t know.  But I’d like to think he’d say:  That’s alright.  Simply trust the promise that I am with you. 

Let’s pray: God of light and love, shine your face in all the dark places in your world; places that need our attention and our love.  Amen.