Month: July 2023

Discerning

When and Where God Just Wants You to Stand

*Old Testament: Esther 5-7

Poetry: Psalm 28

New Testament: John 8

Esther’s boldness is often written about… If I perish, I perish.

Kind of melodramatic.

The real story here, although not presented with as much flourish, is Esther’s discernment. When Mordecai tells her what she needs to do, she doesn’t just swoon the ‘if I perish’ line and exit stage left to appeal to the king. She asks for time to pray and fast herself, and asks for others to join her.

Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king…   4:16

After this, Esther still doesn’t march into the king’s presence and boldly present her ask. What she does is be intentional with each and every action and word. She chooses what to wear, and she puts herself in the right place. And she stands there.

Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king’s palace.  5:1

Even after the king receives her and asks for her request, all but assuring her that the answer will be yes, she continues to act with discernment.

And the king said to her, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you, even to the half of my kingdom.” And Esther said, “If it please the king, let the king and Haman come today to a feast that I have prepared for the king.”   5:3-4

At the feast, the king repeats his promise to give her what she desires, but still she doesn’t ask. We can’t really explain why she does what she does, but what can explain it is that she is being led by a wise and knowing God because she has taken the time to listen to him.

And as they were drinking wine after the feast, the king said to Esther, “What is your wish? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.” Then Esther answered, “My wish and my request is: If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it please the king to grant my wish and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come to the feast that I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king has said.”   5:6-8

And then this happens…

On that night the king could not sleep.  6:1

A-ha! His sleepless night led to him doing a little light reading which opened a door for God to speak directly into him. God didn’t put Esther in this place so she could convince the king, he put her there simply to ask. And she did, the next day…

And on the second day, as they were drinking wine after the feast, the king again said to Esther, “What is your wish, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.”Then Queen Esther answered, “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be granted me for my wish, and my people for my request. For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. If we had been sold merely as slaves, men and women, I would have been silent, for our affliction is not to be compared with the loss to the king.” Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, who has dared to do this?” And Esther said, “A foe and enemy! This wicked Haman!”   7:1-6

Far too often, I think we inflate just how much God needs us. He truly does the heavy lifting far more effectively than we can. Our job is to learn to tune in to when it’s time to speak and when it’s time to put on the royal robes and just stand.

How often do we think we’re helping God, or are certain that we’re on the path to do the most good (both positive intentions, by the way) but we’re not doing an awful lot of praying or fasting before we move, speak, or bulldoze ahead?

Maybe God’s thinking, ‘It’s great that you’re willing to perish, but all I really need you to do is just stand there today.’

-Susan Landry

Reflection Questions

  1. Have you tried praying and fasting before making a large decision or bold action? If so, did you find it beneficial? Whether you have done it before or not, what might God want you to spend time praying and fasting about?
  2. Can you think of a time you may have been to0 quick to act – not acting within God’s perfect timing?
  3. When have you seen examples of God’s perfect timing?

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Ego Problems

New Testament: Esther 3 & 4

Poetry: Psalm 27

New Testament: John 7

And all the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage.   Esther 3:2

When I read this description, it reminds me of a scene from a movie. In The Avengers, Loki tells a group of people outside an opera house to kneel before him. There’s one old man in the crowd who stands when Loki says to the people,

“In the end, you will always kneel.”

“Not to men like you,” the gray-haired man says.

Loki responds arrogantly, “There are no men like me.”

“There are always men like you.”

Turns out, he was right! There have always been men like Loki, people who are consumed with pride, hungry for power and so murderous in their pursuit of it that they are willing to wipe out a population of people. Genocides in Rwanda, Bosnia…the Holocaust. These modern tragedies, though horrendous, are not new.

Haman, from our passage in Esther, was so like Loki that he set out to destroy not only Mordecai, but his entire people.

Letters were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces with instruction to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all Jews, young and old, women and children, in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods.  Esther 3:13

I don’t watch scary movies…but isn’t that kind of the plot of The Purge?

Haman was clearly a petty man. Willing to murder an entire race because one man didn’t give him the respect he felt he deserved.

…when Haman saw that Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage to him, Haman was filled with fury. Esther 3:5

Most of us won’t commit genocide over a slight. Most of us won’t even get filled with fury when we don’t get the recognition we deserve. But we may become filled with jealousy, or bitterness, or discouragement. Ego can take a lot of different forms.

Haman based his worth in his status, and it was easily dismantled when that status was challenged. Like Haman, we can find our worth in the wrong place. Our successes or wins, being right, our appearance, finances, being liked, our intellect… really any number of things. And when that worth is dismantled (as it will surely be) we can go the way of Haman and act out to try and earn what we have lost, or we may simply feel worthless.

I don’t think we’re any more aware of doing this than Haman was. We are deceived, and we experience the results of our deceit, causing us to react. Maybe instead of trying to change our reactions, we would be better served to dig a little deeper and expose where it is we believe our value is based. Awareness may not eliminate our bent, but shining a light on deceit is the first step in seeing the truth.

-Susan Landry

Reflection Questions:

  1. How would you describe Haman? How would you describe Mordecai? How are you like, and unlike, each of these characters?
  2. How are you most likely to react when your ego is damaged?
  3. Where do you find your worth? Is it serving you well? Are there adjustments to be made? What does God say makes you valuable?
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I Knew You Were Trouble When You Walked In

Old Testament: Esther 1 & 2

Poetry: Psalm 26

New Testament: John 6

I wanted to focus on Esther chapters 1-2 today, since that section makes us think about some important and difficult things. If you’re not an adult, you will be soon, and reading the bible as an adult means you notice things that your younger, more innocent self didn’t notice. And once you notice things, you can’t un-notice them. Instead, you will have to think about them and try to sort them out. You could call them the “seriously-why-is-this-in-the-bible” moments, and the bible offers so many of them. I’ve found that you really get the value out of them if you awkwardly lean into them rather than ignore them. So let’s get uncomfortable for a few minutes.

The context is that King Ahasuerus is on the hunt for a new queen after removing Queen Vashti from her position for not obeying his command. He orders that beautiful young virgins be gathered up (by force) from his entire kingdom, and he would pick his favorite to be queen. This is basically an ancient version of “The Bachelor,” but the women had no say in whether they would participate or not. After going through a year-long intense beauty regimen (like a spa day, but for a year), each woman would have her turn to spend the night with the king. The morning after, she would be moved to a harem of concubines, to be called upon whenever the king wanted.

It is more than clear that when the women have their night with the king, his expectation is a sexual encounter. Given that the women have no say in this, they are essentially prisoners, and that makes the king, well, a serial rapist. Like so many kings we have heard about, this king is a tyrant and is abusive of his power. He is accountable to nobody, does what he wants, and treats people like things for his own gain. In this case, being a candidate for queen is not a privilege, it is a terrifying situation. Each of the women now belong to the king forever whether they like it or not. Not cooperating would probably mean death for them.

It is sometimes difficult to know what to do with an unpleasant passage such as this. It’s not the kind of thing that causes you to feel inspired or connected to God, but we’re able to learn something from it.

Beware of power. The king is a great example of how having power can corrupt you. When there are no checks or balances, and your word is the law of the land, you can have whatever you desire, even if your desires turn dark. Unfortunately, the church is not immune to this danger. There is something that tends to happen when a church becomes a mega-church and the pastor attains celebrity status. Narcissism takes over, and some pastors or leaders commit terrible abuses of people. We need to put systems of accountability in place to help prevent this. Also, we need to lean on the example of leadership that Jesus gave us. It was never about using power for his own advantage, but about serving people (see Philippians 2:5-8).

Do not take advantage of people. At one point in time it may have been culturally acceptable to own people as property. That time is long gone. There is a reason why the practice of slavery is illegal in every country of the world. Treating anyone like they are property or like they are worth less than you violates their status as the image of God. It is easy to love things and use people. Do the opposite. Love people and use things.

Real-life ethics are hard. The right path through our circumstances is not always clear. Esther faces some tricky ethical dilemmas in this story. Should she cooperate with the king, or should she risk harm or death and resist him? What would be more right? Should she tell the king about the plot to assassinate him? After all, allowing him to be assassinated could be a quick solution to some of her problems, but on the other hand, it could invite equal or worse troubles. Esther opts for the long game, telling the king of the assassination plot, which shows her loyalty and gains the king’s trust. Having the king’s trust proves to be crucial later on in the story.

There is hope. Esther is not in a great situation, but (spoiler alert) we know from the rest of her story that God is able to use her in powerful ways to bring about something good. This doesn’t mean that God causes the bad circumstances we find ourselves in, but he is always working to make the best of them. Partner with God in that mission.

-Jay Laurent

Hi, I’m Jay. I’m a nerd by trade and passion. I enjoy consuming, playing, and creating music whenever I can. I’m a big fan of books and coffee, especially together. My wife, Lauren, and I live in Illinois, and love to play board games, watch shows or movies, or go on a good hike together.

Reflection Questions:

1. What power do you have? What can you do to put checks on it so that you won’t abuse it?

2. What troubles are you going through? How might God be working in your life through (or despite) them? Who is God shaping you to be on the other side of them?

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Missing the Forest for the Trees

Old Testament: Esther Intro below

Poetry: Psalm 25

New Testament: John 5

We saw in John 4 yesterday how Jesus challenged and expanded the boundaries of who can experience the living water, and where worship can happen. Now in John 5, we see him challenging the existing notions of when God should be experienced.

We think of the temple as sacred space, meaning it was a special place where God’s presence lived in a special way. What the temple was to physical space, the Sabbath was to time. The Sabbath is sacred time, like the temple in day form. It was a special day of rest set aside to focus on God, which invited his presence. 

The Sabbath was important to the Jews, so they did their best to follow the laws in scripture concerning it. With all the right intentions, they developed traditional rules about what could be done on the Sabbath that were more strict than what was stated in scripture. This way, they wouldn’t even come close to breaking the laws. It was like driving 30 MPH in a 55 MPH zone so you don’t get pulled over for speeding.

There is a difference between following the letter of the law and following the spirit of the law. The letter of the law in a 55 MPH zone means if you go over 55 MPH, you might get pulled over and probably have to pay a fine. But what is the spirit of the speed limit? One goal is safety. If a lot of people are driving too fast, chances for fatal accidents increase (speed kills). If you are driving 30 in a 55, you are well within the letter of the law, but you are actually not following the spirit of the law, since you are not helping the safety situation. Other drivers will have to slam on their brakes to not hit you, or they will have to pass you and risk a collision with a car coming the other way. In being too preoccupied with the letter of the law, you have violated the spirit of the law.

By healing the man on the Sabbath, Jesus attracts some unwanted criticism. First, the man is criticized for carrying his mat away, as Jesus told him to do. This was apparently against some of the rules about how much weight could be carried or how far something could be carried on the Sabbath. Then the religious leaders criticize Jesus for doing a healing on the Sabbath, since healing qualifies as some form of work in the rule book. They probably just wanted to find any way possible to be critical. 

How does Jesus respond? From verse 17: “My Father is still working [on the Sabbath], and I also am working.” Doesn’t this challenge the traditional wisdom about the Sabbath? If God rested on the seventh day, we observe that pattern and do the same each week. But Jesus is claiming here that God works even on the Sabbath, and maybe even that he has never stopped working. Jesus is all about the business of his Father, so if the Father is working on the Sabbath, so will Jesus.

A large point of the law about the Sabbath is to carve out time to foster a connection with God. By focusing on the technicalities, the religious leaders were missing the point completely, for had their standards been followed, it would have resulted in less connection with God. The man wouldn’t have been healed, and wouldn’t have had the amazing experience that brought him to know Jesus and by proxy, the Father. By maximizing connection to God, Jesus had actually followed the spirit of the law, even though he may not have been within the letter of it.

I think what God wants us to know through this story is that he values compassion and mercy above legalism. I am reminded of what Jesus says in Matthew 9:13 (in reference to Hosea 6:6): “Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.” Our God is a God of genuine love and kindness, and he wants us to mirror that, not just perform the outward ritual.

-Jay Laurent

Reflection Questions:

1. Can you think of a time when obsessing over the rules made you miss the big picture?

2. It’s a busy world. Do you carve out any time to connect with God?

3. If you do, what are some of your favorite ways of connecting?

Esther Introduction

The Book of Esther tells the story of how a Jewish orphan girl became the queen of Persia and saved the Jews from Haman’s plot to kill them all.  The feast of Purim, still celebrated today, celebrates that deliverance.  We don’t know who wrote the book of Esther, but it may have been her cousin, Mordecai (who also raised her after she became an orphan).

The book of Esther is the only book in the Bible that has no direct reference to God, and is only one of two (the other is Ruth) named after a woman.

One of the most well-known verses is Esther 4:13, “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish.  And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this.”

Bonus trivia:  The longest verse in the Bible is Esther 8:9.

This book is a great example of the positive difference one person can make when acting courageously despite fear.  What difference can you make – with God’s help?

-Steve Mattison

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Reach

Old Testament: Nehemiah 11-13

Poetry: Psalm 24

New Testament: John 4

Tribalism is one of those coins with two sides. It has aided in our survival as a species, yet it influences us to do things that are very unhelpful in the modern world. It is beneficial or even necessary to belong to a tribe. We need things like community, cohesion, protection, sharing of resources, cooperation, and a sense of identity and belonging. But a tribal mentality views anyone on the outside as a threat to all of those good things, often leading to polarization, discrimination, racism, or even violent conflict. 

We favor people in our in-group, often at the expense of the outsider. We believe our group is better than other groups and that we have the correct deities or religious practices, and that they do not. Any outside influences or new ideas might be a threat to our way of life, so naturally we want to put up a protective hedge and resist any change. We are stuck in a paradox where we need tribalism and at the same time need to get rid of it. Is it possible to keep the good parts of it and jettison the bad?

Tribalism is in the backdrop of John chapter 4. There was a longstanding tension between the Jews and the Samaritans, mostly over religious practices. They shared many beliefs, but disagreed on some things, most notably about where worship should happen. The Jewish tribe insisted that worship should happen at the temple, while the Samaritan tribe insisted it should happen on a mountain. Each tribe believed the other was not worshiping correctly and perceived the other as some kind of threat to the integrity of proper worship. This all sounds completely insane to us, but we’ve all heard stories of church splits that happened over something ridiculously miniscule.

By talking to the Samaritan woman, Jesus broke down the tribal barrier that existed between them. He showed that having the conversation with her was more important than obeying the cultural pressure to not have the conversation. He showed her that she had value and was not a threat to him. This living water Jesus is talking about apparently knows no tribal or cultural boundaries. 

Whatever ancestral disagreement they had about where worship should take place was not going to be relevant anymore. He tells her that the time is coming when worship will take place neither on the mountain nor in the temple, but true worshipers will worship in spirit and truth. In other words, it’s not going to matter where we worship anymore. It’s all going to be about the heart that the worship comes from.

There is another part of the conversation that deserves some consideration. Verses 16-18 are usually interpreted as Jesus gently calling the woman out for her sin of adultery or promiscuity. That may be. I’ve heard another interpretation that I think changes the mood of the passage. 

Women at this time in history don’t have the same kinds of rights that women have now. It was a highly patriarchal society that had not elevated the status of women very far above property. The right or ability to divorce belonged to men, or if a woman was able to initiate one, it would be with great difficulty. Given the context, when we learn that she has had five husbands, we shouldn’t assume she was responsible for the mess. It is more likely that her previous husbands had exploited their right to divorce, with the result being that she had been abused and passed around like property. And it’s not likely that the man she is with now is going to offer any improvement for the abusive cycle she is in. So when Jesus tells her that he knows about her situation, it is not to condemn her of sin, but to offer his acknowledgment of and empathy for what she has been through. 

Is that the “correct” interpretation? I’m not in a place to claim that, but I do feel this offers a refreshing angle on the passage.

From another part of the reading today, there is something in Nehemiah 13:23-27 that collides with our discussions of tribalism and of divorce. Nehemiah has discovered that many of the Jewish men have married foreign wives. This is considered a problem because it was against the law of Moses for the Israelites to intermarry with the surrounding nations. Solomon was guilty of this also, and it was a big part of his downfall. The intermarriage allows other religious ideas to creep into the tribe, and it likely leads the men astray to worship other gods. To protect the purity and identity of the community, Nehemiah orders that the foreign wives (and their children?) be sent away. I can appreciate the need to protect the tribe, and the desire to uphold the law. But on the other hand, Nehemiah’s hardline response to the problem always strikes me as overly harsh. Breaking up families is not a good thing, and what’s the fate of the people who are sent away? It makes me wonder how Jesus would have dealt with it.

From John 4, we begin to see how Jesus challenged the tribal constructs. He reached out to an outsider and heralded a time when the tribal God of Israel would no longer be just for Israel, but for all peoples and nations. In order to connect with the one true God, we no longer need to be in this place or that, or have a certain racial or cultural identity, or be in the right in-crowd. We only need to be in Spirit and Truth. By example, Jesus is inviting us to suspend some of the deepest instincts of our tribalism and embrace a spirit of inclusion.

-Jay Laurent

Reflection Questions:

1. What tribes do you belong to?

2. Do you recognize any tribal instincts in yourself? When are they helpful? When are they not helpful?

3. Who is an outsider to you, and what would it take to just have a conversation with them?

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Portal

Old Testament: Nehemiah 9 & 10

Poetry: Psalm 23

*New Testament: John 3

“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” John 3:17 (NRSV)

What does it mean to be saved? We all know the correct Sunday school answer. Yes, Jesus died on our behalf so that we can be forgiven of our sins and receive eternal life. I believe this is true, and at the same time, I believe the concept of salvation has to go deeper and wider than that simple transactional formula.

There’s an important question that needs to be asked. Saved from what? We all have a concept of what being saved from something looks like. Stranded on an island, you are saved by the passing boat that just happened to see your fire. You’re trapped in a burning building, but a courageous firefighter is able to find you and carry you out just before the building collapses. These are the scenarios that play out in our imaginations, the books we read, and the movies we watch. 

Is being saved any different in the Bible? The Old Testament has a fairly developed idea of salvation, but the goal of the “afterlife” is really not in view. It hints at the concept of resurrection at times, but that belief didn’t fully develop until sometime in between the Old and New Testaments. In the Old Testament, salvation is usually about deliverance from a real physical threat. A prime example of this is the Israelite exodus out of Egypt. They were being delivered out of slavery, oppression, and a very close call with death itself. The focus of salvation in the Old Testament is also much more about the collective than the individual. A large theme in the prophets is the restoration and healing of the people and nation, with deep connections to the covenant between God and his people.

The concept of salvation does evolve in the New Testament, but keeps its roots firmly planted in the soil of the Old Testament. Salvation in the New Testament finds its center in the person and ministry of Jesus. It becomes more inclusive by expanding out from the Jews to all nations and people groups. While collective salvation remains a reality, individual salvation is brought into the conversation more. There grows to be more emphasis on grace, eternal life, and the new covenant.

So far I haven’t answered the question of what we are being saved from. Consider John 3:36 (NRSV) – “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but must endure God’s wrath.” On the surface, it sounds a bit like we need to be saved from an angry God who will hunt us down and deal out the punishment we deserve. That is the mental picture that comes to mind with the word “wrath,” but it doesn’t best reflect the character of God. What could instead be meant by the “wrath” of God?

There are consequences to sin. We know that ultimately, those consequences lead to death (Rom 6:23). It may be that God disciplines or punishes us for our sin in an active sense, and at the same time, some of the punishment and suffering we feel is due to natural consequences of what we have done. When we sin, we separate ourselves from God and cultivate a living “hell” in our life and in the lives of everyone around us. We are then living in a space that invites destruction and death. God doesn’t have to threaten to punish or destroy us, because left to our own devices, we may very well just destroy ourselves. I may be taking an interpretive risk here, but maybe “wrath” is primarily God allowing us to suffer the natural consequences of our own stupidity. 

What we need to be saved from is our state characterized by exile, separation from God, Sin, and Death. The meanings of those things overlap and tangle so much that we might as well be talking about the same thing. Instead of living in our own twisted upside-down realm, we are meant to experience abundant life under the rule of our merciful God. Jesus didn’t show up to condemn us, but to invite us back to where we really belong. He is the mediator who was able to restore our connection to the divine. He’s the portal back to the realm where we belong.

Salvation is still very much about us being delivered from a real threat. We are being delivered from our own hazardous wasteland into the Garden, and we are called to be cultivators of the grace, abundance, and life that grow there. Salvation has as much to do with the present time and place as it does with eternity.

-Jay Laurent

Reflection Questions:

1. What have you been saved from, or how have you experienced salvation?

2. What do you think it means when Jesus tells Nicodemus he must be “born from above”?

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Making Splashes

Old Testament: Nehemiah 7 & 8

Poetry: Psalm 22

*New Testament: John 2

First impressions are important. What someone thinks of you or what you think of them the first time you meet can set a trajectory for the future of the relationship. After watching the pilot episode of a show, you should come away with some kind of clue as to what direction it will take. Are you going to continue watching the show, or have they not gripped your attention enough?

In John 2, we are given the first impressions or the pilot episode of Jesus’ public ministry, at least according to John’s gospel. Jesus breaks out onto the public scene with the wedding at Cana miracle and the temple cleansing showdown. What is the significance of these events, and how do they foreshadow or help establish a rhythm for the rest of Jesus’ ministry?

The wedding at Cana is only mentioned in John’s gospel. That is not to say that the author made it up. The other gospel writers may not have heard the story or for whatever reason didn’t include it. On the surface, it does seem odd that the first of Jesus’ miracles appears to do nothing more than enable some celebratory characters to get even more drunk than they were before. I’ve never been quite sure how to make sense of that (but hey, welcome to the bible). 

What is being accomplished or communicated with this event? For one, Jesus is providing a clear sign for his disciples that he is the real deal. After seeing the miracle, the disciples have no doubt that Jesus is who he says he is, and that he has the authority from God he claims to have. Another thing being shown is that God is a God of abundance, generosity, and quality. Jesus not only provided very good wine for the party, but provided way more than was needed. Also, by not letting the celebration stop short, Jesus affirms that the good things in life are worth celebrating. That is not a green light on abuse of alcohol, though. Celebration can happen without the aid of recreational substances.

Perhaps most significantly, Jesus is using this miracle to symbolize and foreshadow the transformative work that is about to happen through his ministry, death, and resurrection. Those giant old jars that were used to hold water for purification rites were now going to hold the good stuff. Something was happening that was going to blow the doors off their old, dusty religion. There was a new order, a new reign of God rising up among them. God was really up to something! For some, it was just an epic party (if they even remembered), but for others, it was the night they realized that Jesus was going to change the course of history.

The next event we hear about is the cleansing of the temple. The observant may note that this event happens later in other gospels, much closer to his crucifixion. There are a couple of ways to deal with this. One opinion is that there were two temple cleansing events. John happened to tell us about the earlier one and not the later one, while the other gospel writers told us about the later one and not the earlier one. Another way to deal with it is to say there was really just one event, but John decided to chronologically place it near the beginning of Jesus’ ministry and the other gospel writers placed it near the end. Don’t lose any sleep over it. Whether it was one or two events, there is significance in John’s choice to share an early account of the temple cleansing.

To understand the context, we should try to make sense of why Jesus was so upset about the money changers. It appears they were providing a legitimate and needed service for those visiting the temple. What could be the harm in that? There is a strong possibility that their businesses had started to exploit people. When you have a corner on the market, what’s to stop you from jacking up prices or treating your customers unfairly? The customers have nowhere else to go. Another reason Jesus may have been upset is that the temple is supposed to be a sacred place. When you turn a sacred place into a marketplace, you are distorting its purpose. It appears that Jesus was taking a stand for the purity and integrity of the temple and worship practices.

This event helps set the stage for the tension Jesus will have with the religious leaders throughout his ministry. This tension will spawn many conflicts that will eventually cost Jesus his life. Late spoiler alert. Another thing being communicated is that Jesus is asserting his authority as the true temple. He says in verse 19, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” He said this in reference to his own death and resurrection, but like so many other times in John’s gospel, his words were misunderstood.

Jesus made his first public impressions by powerfully establishing his identity, authority, and mission, and by giving everyone a taste of the transformation that was about to take place. There is something captivating about the character of Jesus. I’m biased when saying that, but I like to think if I had known nothing about Jesus and only read this chapter of John, I would be wanting to see what he did next and where this whole thing was going. In other words, I would totally binge this show.

-Jay Laurent

Reflection Questions:

1. What kinds of transformative work has Jesus done in your life?

2. Jesus caused a scene in the temple over concerns about the integrity of worship practices. What should worship look like?

3. In verse 4, it appears that Jesus is a little reluctant to begin his ministry. Why might that be? Is there something you feel called to do, but don’t feel quite ready for?

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The Cosmic Overture

Old Testament: Nehemiah 5 & 6

Poetry: Psalm 21

*New Testament: John 1

Today I want to focus on what is often called the “prologue” or “preamble” of John, or John 1:1-18.

Read any modern translation of this passage, and it will sound like the Word (Logos) is a person. If it is read this way, then it seems to be communicating that this person was with God from the very beginning, and was actually God. This person created everything and was active in the world and with his people. Finally, in verse 14, this person became flesh and was among us as Jesus. It certainly sounds like this passage is saying God became flesh.

If that is the way you understand this passage, you are definitely not alone. Most Christians for a very long time have read it this way, and would probably say that Jesus is as much God as the Father (co-equal) and has always existed with him (co-eternal). The understanding is that they share a divine essence but are distinct persons. If you throw the Holy Spirit into the mix and hash out a few more considerations (possibly over centuries of bloody dispute), you have a Trinity doctrine.

If you’re reading this, then it’s likely you come from a Biblical Unitarian perspective, meaning you believe that God is one person (the Father), not three. But these words exist on the internet, so virtually anyone on earth or in space can read them. There is a chance you have a Trinitarian understanding of God. If that’s you, please know I am not here to criticize your beliefs. The times and places for that are few and seldom fruitful.

Let’s do an interpretation experiment. By making a very small shift in perspective, the passage reads quite differently. What if we thought of the Word not as a person, but as a personification? Or, in this context, a literary device that imbues a non-person with qualities or abilities of a person. You know, like when opportunity knocks, fear grips, or sin crouches.

If we think of the Word as a thing that is being personified, what is the thing? We could spend lifetimes diving into this question, but for the purposes of our experiment, let’s approximate it to the wisdom of God. 

Is this too far of a leap? I’ll leave that up to you, but I want to mention that there is scriptural precedent for personifying God’s wisdom. Proverbs is a hotbed for this kind of language (see 1:20-33, 8:22-31, 9:1-6). Also, the adventurous and curious (nerds!) can find many examples of personification of God’s wisdom in the deuterocanonical writing called Wisdom of Solomon. It is likely not in your Bible, but if you have Catholic friends, it might be in theirs.

So, what does the passage look like if, when we encounter “Word” in the text, we think of the wisdom of God? It might be understood something like this:

God’s wisdom was right there with God from the beginning. The wisdom of God is God, since you wouldn’t think of his wisdom as something separate from him, but as a quality or extension of him. God created everything through his wisdom. God’s wisdom is life and light to his people. John the baptizer came to testify to this wisdom and prepare the way for it to come in a new and powerful way. God’s wisdom was in the world, and not everyone recognized or accepted it, yet those who did became children of God. And now God’s wisdom has been “made flesh” in Jesus.

If we look at the passage from this angle, we are less likely to come away with the conclusion that God somehow became human, and more likely see Jesus as the human who uniquely embodies divine wisdom. Jesus is the culmination of the entire Hebrew wisdom tradition, the target of the arrow passing through the Pentateuch, the Prophets and the Writings. He is close to the Father’s heart, making Him (Jesus’ Father and his God) known to us, and representing him more closely than anyone ever could. Some would call this Wisdom Christology.

When I encountered this interpretation, it clicked for me, and I found it helpful for making sense of the passage. I offer it not as the one true interpretation that you should also adopt, but as one of many possible interpretive options. I’m very glad if it is as helpful to you as it was to me, but if not, thanks for considering it.

-Jay Laurent

Reflection Questions:

1. John’s gospel begins very differently than the other gospels. What do you think was John’s motive behind beginning his gospel with the Word?

2. God reveals his wisdom in many ways, but most notably through Jesus. What are some other ways?

3. From later in the chapter in verse 45, what do you think Philip means when he says they’ve found the one Moses and the prophets wrote about?

4. What are some issues/problems created by having a human God?

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Builders, Unite!

*Old Testament: Nehemiah 3 & 4

Poetry: Psalm 20

New Testament: John Intro – found below

“Teamwork makes the dream work.” I’m sure this saying or one like it is on many framed posters in the workplace. I can’t utter it without a smirk on my face. It is cheesy, but there is a powerful truth at the core of it. When people work together, the result is something greater than just adding up what each would have accomplished individually. It is more than just the sum of the parts. It is the secret sauce, or added little something you get when people are connected and integrated. Iron Man is better with Hulk and Captain America. Michael Jordan is better with Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman. Neil Peart is better with Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee.

This is part of what Paul was getting at in 1 Corinthians 12 when he was talking about spiritual gifts within the body of Christ. People have different strengths and abilities they bring to the table. Not everyone does the same thing, and nobody can do everything. Instead, we specialize in something and rely on others to do their part. When everyone is contributing, things are working like the proverbial well-oiled machine. When someone is missing, things are not as efficient or effective as they could have been. Paul recognized the strength that emerges out of our interconnectedness and unity.

Rewinding back to Nehemiah chapters 3 and 4, we can see the same principle in play. The context is that they are returning to a ruined Jerusalem after being in exile. The walls need to be rebuilt to ensure the safety and security of everyone in the city, and so that they can work towards getting back to something resembling normal again. Chapter 3 gives us a less than riveting account of the names and jobs of those working to repair the city and its walls, but in chapter 4, things get juicier as enemies threaten to come make war with them to stop their progress. 

This threat prompted a needed pivot in strategy. Some people would be stationed with sword or bow to defend the city against attackers, while others continued to build. Some did dual duty, building with one hand while holding a weapon in the other. It was an “all hands on deck” situation that required the effort of everyone in order to succeed. It wasn’t easy, but they were able to accomplish the goal.

The mutual support of everyone involved and the guidance of good leadership made the result something greater than you would think possible. After experiencing something like this, you might look back and say, “Wow, I don’t know how we did it.” This creates awe and wonder in our hearts, not because of our own abilities, but because of the power of working together while following and cooperating with God’s spirit. The lines start to blur between what I’m doing, what you’re doing, what we’re doing, and what God’s doing.

What could this say about what God is like? God does not prefer to do all the work alone, but would rather delegate and involve his children in the work. When we say humanity is the image of God, this is not about appearance, but vocation. We image God not by looking like him, but by sharing in his work as his agents. Through our actions, others can experience a taste of God. Does this remind you of anyone? We can see God by looking at Jesus, whose God-imaging abilities are unparalleled. Jesus was the only human who perfectly and faithfully stepped up to the work God gave him to do.

You may sometimes feel like you don’t have much to offer the body of Christ. Whatever you can do, even if you think it is insignificant, is beautiful and desperately needed in the church and in the world we reach out to. We cannot do this without you. And perhaps paradoxically, you can’t do this without us. And we can’t do this without God. But somehow this machine works when you put it all together.

-Jay Laurent

Reflection Questions:

1. What are some things you can do to help build up the church?

2. Can you think of times in your past when being part of a team allowed you to accomplish something amazing?

3. What is your favorite team (doesn’t have to be sports)? What is it about the members of the team that allow them to work so well together?

Gospel of John Introduction

John, “the disciple that Jesus loved”, wrote the gospel of John, as well as 1, 2, & 3 John and Revelation.  John told us his purpose in writing this gospel in John 20:31, “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

Many times in the Gospel of John, John contrasted light and darkness.  For example 1:6-9, “There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John [the Baptist].  He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe.  He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.  The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.”

Then 3:19-21 states, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.  Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.  But whosoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”

Then in 8:12, John wrote, “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’”

The most well-known verse in the Bible is found in John 3:16.  I’ll close with John 3:16-18, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

-Steve Mattison

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Your Trials

THEME WEEK – PETER: 1 Peter 1

Old Testament: Nehemiah 1 & 2

Poetry: Psalm 19

This week at FUEL we focused on the life of Peter. Peter is an amazing character in the Bible. His life was full of ups and downs. His faith was high and it was low. Yet, Peter was used to do great works for God. I find a lot of parallels between Peter’s life and ours as believers.  Today’s devotion is not as much focused on Peter’s life, but rather how he uses what he learned from his life experiences.

1 Peter 1 starts by proclaiming the good news and our hope in Christ. He says in verse three, that through mercy we have been given a new birth through the resurrection of Jesus. Now Peter continues this by saying that even though we have our hope in Jesus we will have a lot of grief and many trials. This is true for our lives as well, most of us have gone through something that is incredibly challenging. Life can really beat us down or we build sandcastles on false beliefs. But when you have a living hope through Jesus Christ, you have a strong foundation to rely on during the waves of life.

 Peter also faces many trials in his life such as when he was called out on the water by Jesus, he took his eyes off of Jesus and began to sink because of his lack of faith. Peter also denies Jesus three times. He is ashamed and scared because of what might happen to him so he turns his back on Jesus. But even through all of these difficulties and trials Jesus calls him back. I know that I have taken my eyes off from Christ and maybe even have denied my faith. But he continues to call me back and offers grace.

Peter uses his life experiences to help strengthen fellow believers. He says in verse six and seven that trials come and that “these have come so that your faith … may be  proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” Even when we face trials and setbacks in our life, we can still return to Christ. Or as Amber shared on Monday night, we all need a comeback. So the next time you find yourself sinking, think about Peter and remember that if he can be pulled out of the water, so can you!  Peter reminds us in verse 23 “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.”

-Camden Bormes

If you would like to hear Amber speaking on comebacks, check out the FUEL 2023 Monday Evening General Session on youtube (where you can also find all the other general sessions as well). Amber starts speaking, with sound, at 36 minutes.

Reflection Questions

  1. What trials have you already been through? Have they helped to prove the worth of your faith? If so, how?
  2. Are you currently in need of a comeback (has a trial beaten you down)? What steps could be useful in the process of a comeback? How might the living and enduring word of God play a part?
  3. What can we learn from Peter about faith? About Jesus? About God?
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