Tag: Jesus

Eye-Witnesses and Proof of Life

Theme Week – Celebrating Jesus: Acts 1

Old Testament: Malachi 1 & 2

Poetry: Psalm 149

            Have you ever been a witness and had to testify in court?  I have.  I once witnessed a crime while I was on vacation at the beach.  I was called to come back and testify at the trial.  I didn’t mind, it was a free trip back to the beach.

            There are different kinds of witnesses.  If you ever watch television shows that feature courtrooms like Law and Order or CSI you know that different people are called to witness different things.  You can have a character witness who tells about the defendant as a person.  You can have forensic witnesses to talk about evidence.  Maybe the most important is the eye-witness, who talks about what they saw with their own eyes.  If you get two or three eye-witnesses who testify the same thing, there’s a good chance the defendant will be found guilty.

            In today’s reading from Acts, we get a small glimpse of what Jesus was up to during the first 40 days after he was raised from the dead.  He went around showing his disciples that he was still alive.  Luke, who wrote Acts, says that Jesus gave “many convincing proofs” that he was alive. 

Most of my adult children live a good distance from me, in another state, and one lives in another country.  If I haven’t heard from one of them for a while I will text them and ask for “proof of life” which means- “send me a text, call or Facetime with me so I know you’re doing okay.”  Fun fact: Dads are happier when they can see proof that their kids are okay (even if their kids are in their 20’s and 30’s and have kids of their own.).  A phone call, text, or Facetime is pretty low level proof of life, but I doubt that anyone is kidnapping my kids and doing a deepfake proof of life.  If I can see their face or hear their voice, I’m good. 

For the disciples in the first century, they had proof of life right in front of them.  Jesus was there, in his newly resurrected body, still bearing the scars from his crucifixion.  They were eyewitnesses of the risen Jesus.  But it wasn’t enough for them to just see for themselves that Jesus was risen, he told them that they had an important mission.  They were to be his witnesses.  They were to take the story of his life, teaching and resurrection to the whole world.  And they did.  That is why, 2000 years later there are people all over the world who follow Jesus Christ.

The disciples also witnessed Jesus ascend up from the earth through the clouds to heaven where he now sits at the right hand of God.  As they were eyewitnesses to Jesus ascending, they also witnessed the angels who assured them that Jesus would return in the same way that he left, visibly, in the clouds.  For 2000 years the church has kept alive this testimony from the eyewitnesses: Jesus died on the cross for our sins, God raised Jesus from the dead and many people saw him in his risen body, Jesus ascended to heaven and we heard the promise that he would one day return in the same way.  Each generation of Jesus’ followers have kept this message alive and spread it.  Now you have received it, it’s up to you and your generation to continue keeping this eye witness testimony alive, until Jesus returns.

-Jeff Fletcher

Reflection Questions

  1. If you were called up as a character witness for Jesus how would you describe him? What do you know about Jesus as a person? 
  2. If you were called up as a forensic witness testifying to the evidence of Jesus what would you say? What convincing proofs do you have that Jesus is alive?
  3. If you were called up as an eye-witness for what Jesus has done for you what would you say? How is your life different because of Jesus?
  4. Who needs to know what you know about Jesus, about the evidence surrounding his life, death, resurrection, ascension and coming return, and about how you have experienced Jesus and what he has done for you? How will you share? 
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Death and Life

*Theme week – Celebrating Jesus: John 20

Old Testament: Zechariah 13 & 14

Poetry: Psalm 148       

            It feels funny to be talking about Jesus’ death and resurrection during Christmas week.  Sunday we were expecting a baby to be born, Monday the angels were singing to the shepherds announcing his birth.  Here it is Friday and he has already been crucified and his cold, dead body lies in a tomb.  It is kind of jarring to go from celebrating a baby born to be king to suddenly mourning his death. 

            Life is often experienced as a kind of emotional roller coaster.  Something great happens, and you are laughing and joyful.  Then, suddenly you are hit with bad news and the laughter turns to tears.  The events we have been reading about took place over 30+ years from the time Gabriel first appeared to Mary with the announcement that she had been chosen by God to bear his son, the Messiah until she stood at the foot of his cross and watched him die.  As you may recall, there was death surrounding Jesus right from the beginning, as King Herod was trying to kill him when he was a baby, when the little innocent baby boys of Bethlehem were slaughtered.    Jesus warned in John 10:10 that “the thief comes to kill, steal and destroy”.  Right from the beginning evil was out to destroy Jesus.  It took 30 years, but finally Jesus was dead.  The rejoicing has turned to weeping.

            The good news of the Gospels is that death doesn’t have the final word.  Evil doesn’t win.  God wins!  At the Last Supper just before Jesus was arrested he laid out for his disciples what was about to happen:

16 Jesus went on to say, “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.”

At this, some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.” 

Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’? Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. 22 So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. (John 16:16-20).

            This brings us to today’s reading in John 20.  As we saw yesterday, Jesus was unjustly killed for political reasons.  The principalities and powers tried to buttress their own power and control and they saw Jesus as a threat, so they had him unjustly killed.  However, it takes more than the death of his son to thwart God’s plan.  As it turned out, the powers who orchestrated Jesus’ death played right into God’s plan that goes back to the very beginning.  That’s right, since the time of Adam and Eve and the Fall, God’s plan to defeat evil included the sacrificial death of the one who would be the son of God and Messianic King.  Revelation 13:8 speaks of the “lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world.”  Before Jesus ruled as King, he first had to die as sacrifice, as savior, as redeemer.  He died to bear our sins as Isaiah 53 prophesied would one day happen.

            God raised Jesus from the dead.  Death did not have the final word, God has the final word and it is life.  Along with life, Jesus offers the gift of forgiveness.  When you believe that Jesus died and was raised to life and give your loyalty to him as your king, you will share in that blessing Jesus promised. Your sins will be forgiven and you will have your fellowship with God restored. The result of this restored fellowship is peace, the peace that only Jesus can give.

            Jesus points out to the disciples that they came to believe in him by seeing him in person after the resurrection.  Thomas even had the benefit of physically touching Jesus’ scars to help him accept the truth of the resurrection.  Jesus points to those who will believe in him without the benefit of having seen him after his resurrection. Those who have faith in the message of the gospel passed down for 2000 years in the Bible from the first eyewitnesses to the risen Jesus. The good news is, that is you, if you believe that God raised Jesus from death to life, you receive the blessing Jesus promised.  I hope you believe, I know I do.

-Jeff Fletcher

Reflection Questions

  1. What do you love about God and His plan as revealed in John 20? What questions do you have about God and His plan and Jesus’ part in that plan?
  2. What has Jesus offered to you? Have you accepted these gifts? Why or why not?
  3. What is the next step in God’s plan and what is your role in it?
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Religion and Politics

*Theme Week – Celebrating Jesus – Luke 23

Old Testament: Zechariah 11 & 12

Poetry: Psalm 147

            There’s an aphorism that says: “Two subjects that you should never talk about in polite company are, religion and politics.”  Why is that?  Because they often turn into arguments that can never be resolved.  Why can’t they be resolved?  Jonathan Swift wrote in 1721 that: “You cannot reason someone out of something he or she was not reasoned into.” Quite often people don’t choose their religious tradition or their political affiliations, they accept them from their parents. (Some do reject their parents’ religion or politics, which can create some unpleasant conversations at family dinners).  There is no doubt that conversations around religion and politics can and do grow contentious at times.  In my 60 years of living, I would say politics have become more contentious in the last 5-10 years than I can remember in my earlier life.  Some might argue that Trump is the cause of divisive politics, and others might argue that Trump is the outcome of divisive politics.  I would say that there is some truth in both of these arguments.

            What I really want to say as I reflect on today’s reading in Luke 23 is that to say religion and politics is to present a false dichotomy.  Religion and politics are not two separate things.  Religion is political.  One early political philosopher, Aristotle (384-322 BC) envisioned the role of politics to be that “government exists to promote and foster virtue in a way that leads to the good life of its citizens.”  Virtue is doing what is right and avoiding what is wrong.  For him, the good life was the positive result of doing the right things.  Jesus lived between 300 – 400 years after Aristotle.  Jesus taught that if we “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” then we would experience good outcomes in life. (Matthew 6:33-34).  Notice the similarities between Aristotle and Jesus?  Government or Kingdom and virtue or right living.  There has always existed a strong correlation between the governing powers and the right behaviors of the people and how that results in peaceful and good living for everyone.

            In today’s story, we see politics at work.  Israel’s religious leaders felt threatened by Jesus’ massive popularity among the common people.  At the time the religious leaders of Israel had a comfortable arrangement with the Roman authorities.  Rome pretty much left them alone to practice their religion, run their temple sacrifices, and hold their religious feasts and pilgrimages.  As long as the Jewish leaders kept their people in line there wasn’t much of a problem.   But Jesus came along bringing up the ancient talk about the Kingdom of God and God’s anointed King ruling.  That kind of talk made the religious leaders very nervous.  When Jesus came to Jerusalem right before the Passover he was greeted by crowds who wanted to install him as their King.  This would have undoubtedly led to a major conflict with Rome that would have enormous consequences for the leaders of Israel.  So they needed to put a stop to Jesus and his followers.  They needed to get rid of him before his followers got out of control.

            Remember the original Herod tried to have Jesus killed as a baby.  Now, Jesus was brought before  this Herod (descended from the previous Herod) who was not Jewish and not heir to the messianic throne of David, but merely a puppet of the Roman Empire.  Pilate was the Roman governor and was Caesar’s representative in that region.  Both Herod and Pilate needed to keep the peace and keep the Jewish people in line or else their positions would be threatened.  They both had comfortable lives in palaces.  The Priests and scribes lived comfortable lives too.   They all had vested interests in maintaining the status quo in the region.  Jesus was a threat to their political power.

            So, in very political acts, all of the various groups worked out their plan to publicly execute Jesus, even though he had admittedly not committed any crime worthy of capital punishment.  They chose to set free an actual murderer and insurrectionist, while they crucified an innocent man, who also happened to be the son of God, the heir to David’s throne, the true King and Messiah.

            As you continue to celebrate Christmas, eat Christmas leftovers and get ready to celebrate New Years, take a moment to think about what’s truly important to you and why.  Do you commit your allegiance to Jesus as King?  Do you want to seek first God’s Kingdom and the way to live right that Jesus taught?  If so, you are making a political act.  And if you reject Jesus and the Kingdom of God you are also making a political act.  You can’t avoid politics or religion.  Just make sure that you make a thoughtful decision about Jesus and the Kingdom of God.

-Jeff Fletcher

Reflection Questions

  1. Do you agree that religion is political? Why or why not? What examples can you think of to support your position?
  2. What do you think the following people thought about Jesus – Herod, Pilate, chief priests, a Jew watching the events unfold, the criminals, the centurion, Joseph of Arimathea? 
  3. What do you learn about Jesus in Luke 23? 
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The Action Story

Old Testament: Zechariah 9-10

Poetry: Psalm 146

*Theme Week – Celebrating Jesus: Mark 1

            Every writer, speaker, film-maker has their own particular style for telling a story or giving a presentation.  When I preach a sermon I usually choose one particular theme.  I often start with a story that I have personally experienced and then try to help the listener make a connection to that same kind of story/situation and then connect the Bible story/text to that same theme.  It’s a slow build up to the main theme.  That’s one way to do it.

            Some choose to jump right in and focus on the action.  If you’ve ever seen a James Bond movie or a Tom Cruise Mission Impossible movie, you notice that almost always it begins right in the midst of the action.. very little warm up, just a kind of… boom! You’re right in the middle of the action- jumping out of an airplane, skiing down a mountain, climbing up the outside of a skyscraper, whatever.

            When it comes to the four Gospels, each one is different in how they begin.  Matthew goes back to the Old Testament and give a genealogy for Jesus, showing how his is connected to some of Israel’s great people like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and King David and then he tells the story of Jesus’s birth in Bethlehem and how Mary’s betrothed, Joseph, was a good and honorable man.  Luke starts with the announcements of the pregnancies of John the Baptist and Jesus followed by their birth stories.  John’s Gospel follows the pattern of Genesis one and goes back to the beginning with God’s word, his promise and plan and then showing that Jesus fulfills that plan.  All three of those Gospels give back stories and slow roll outs.  Then there’s Mark.  Mark starts out… Boom!  John the Baptist is an adult and doing his ministry of preaching and baptizing.  Then Jesus appears as a grown adult and gets baptized by John and God’s voice descends upon Jesus proclaiming that he is God’s son and that God is pleased with him.

            Mark’s Gospel is an action story.  We know nothing about Jesus as a baby, how he came to be conceived of a virgin or in a manger.  Mark doesn’t mention wise men.  What matters to Mark is:  “What’s Jesus doing now that his mission is getting ready to start?”  We still know from Mark that Jesus is the son of God, because God announces it from heaven.  Mark doesn’t feel the need to share how Jesus happened to be the son of God, God just tells us.  Boom! Action!

            Mark’s favorite word seems to be “immediately”.  Jesus comes out of the water and “immediately” the heavens are torn open and God’s speaks.  Then “immediately” the spirit sends Jesus out to the wilderness to be tempted by Satan.  Compared to the other Gospels not a lot of detail.  We don’t hear from Mark how Jesus was tempted by Satan or how he responded, just that it happened.  Then Jesus is suddenly back in Galilee announcing- “It’s time! The kingdom of God is coming right away”.  Can you feel the urgency in Mark’s storytelling? 

            Next, Jesus is by the sea calling the fishermen to follow him and “immediately they follow him.” He moves on down and finds two more fishermen and “immediately” he calls them.  He goes to Capernaum and “immediately” enters the synagogue and starts teaching.  Then he “immediately” casts out an unclean spirit from a young man. Then he “immediately” leaves the synagogue and goes to the home of Simon and Andrew where Simon’s mother in law is sick and “immediately” they tell Jesus about her illness and he heals her.  From there every sick person in town is being brought to him to be healed.

            Next, Jesus is getting up very early in the morning to go pray and the disciples come looking for him.  There is urgency- “everyone is looking for you.”  Jesus then leads them from town to town preaching and casting out demons.  He meets a leper and touches him and “immediately” the leper is healed.

            Each of the four gospels tell the story of Jesus but do it in different styles.  Luke spends over 19,000 words telling the story, Matthew is right behind at over 18,000 words, John uses just over 15,000 words, and Mark, you guessed it- it is by far the shortest, telling the story of Jesus at just over 11,000 words- in just a little over half the words that Luke uses.  Mark probably had his own reasons for telling the story with so much action and so few words.  It’s still the story of Jesus, told from Mark’s perspective and it still touches on the main points- Jesus is the son of God, Jesus was baptized and tempted, Jesus preached the good news and healed people, and Jesus was on the move.  Mark goes on to show that Jesus was crucified and that God raised him from the dead.

            Isn’t it great that God allows us to keep our own personality and style as we serve him?  The story of Jesus has never and will never change, but how we present Jesus to others may depend on all kinds of factors including our own personality and style as well as the needs of our conversation partners.  God doesn’t make cookie cutter disciples.  God tells the story of Jesus through many different people.  How is he using you to tell the story of Jesus?

-Jeff Fletcher

Reflection Questions

  1. Why do you think God chose four different writers to tell the story of Jesus? 
  2. What do you appreciate about Mark chapter 1?
  3. God tells the story of Jesus through many different people.  How is he using you to tell the story of Jesus?

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Great Stories: Jesus and Israel

Old Testament: Zechariah 7 & 8

Poetry: Psalm 145

*New Testament: Matthew 2

Tuesday, December 26, 2023. The Second Day of Christmas, Mathew 2

            Have you ever noticed how the really good stories keep being retold?  Sometimes it’s a remake.  Like Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory- with Gene Wilder in the iconic role when I was a child, remade with Johnny Depp playing Wonka.  Sometimes they take a classic story and give the backstory, which it seems they are doing with Wonka, with Timothée Chalamet showing a younger version.    Some of the classic stories get some real twists- Romeo and Juliet was modernized and musicalized into West Side Story and Homer’s The Odyssey got Southernized in O Brother, Where Art Thou.  You get the point.  Great stories have the kind of universal themes that carry over from generation to generation.

            We see the same thing when we read the Bible.  Some of the key stories in the Old Testament reappear in the Gospels.  That’s no accident.  Jesus so identifies with the nation of Israel and its story that he, in a sense, re-experiences their story in his own story.  Hebrews 4:15 says that he was tempted in every way as the people he gave himself up for were tempted. 

            Today’s reading in Matthew 2 is a great illustration of how Jesus relives the story of Israel.  Let’s take a moment to consider the ways Jesus recapitulates Israel’s story.  In the story of Moses, the evil Pharaoh was afraid that the enslaved Israelites were becoming too large and powerful and posed a threat to his power in Egypt, so he decreed that all the male Israelite babies born were to be killed.  Moses was spared while many other male children were not.  Moses, the one who was spared grew up to lead Israel out of their bondage and go toward the promised land.  Notice in today’s reading, Herod is afraid that Jesus would be a threat to his power so he seeks to have Jesus killed as a baby.  In the process of trying to have Jesus killed Herod murders all the innocent boys of Bethlehem.  Just as Moses was spared, Jesus’ life was spared, and he went down to Egypt until Herod died and it was safe to leave Egypt and come to Israel.

            Another part of the story was a dream that warned the wise men not to return to tell Herod where Jesus was living.  Dreams are an important part of the story of Israel.  Jacob’s son Joseph had a dream about his family bowing down to him, which led to him being kidnapped and sold by his brothers where he eventually arrived in Egypt and became a powerful leader of Egypt, and his brothers did indeed come to buy grain from him and bowed before him, just as he had dreamed.  In Matthew chapter 1, another Joseph, betrothed to Mary was told that the baby in Mary’s womb was the son of God and that Joseph was to marry her and raise Jesus as his own son. 

            After Jesus grew up and went through the waters of baptism, he went into the wilderness for 40 days where he was tempted.  This was a reenactment of Israel as a nation that went through the Red Sea and into the wilderness for 40 years where they were tempted.  Jesus relives Israel’s story in so many ways.

            Israel celebrated God sparing their firstborn children by passing over their homes wherever the blood of the lamb that was slain was over their entrance.  They celebrated God’s saving them each year by eating unleavened bread, drinking wine, and eating lamb.  Jesus became the lamb of God whose blood was shed to spare us from death.  During communion, we eat unleavened bread and drink wine (or unfermented grape juice) to remember that Jesus is the lamb of God who takes away our sins through his death on the cross so that we might have life everlasting.

            As you read through the Bible during Seek, Grow, Love, notice how the same story is retold in many ways.  The question is, is Jesus’ story a retelling of Israel’s story, or is Israel’s story lived in anticipation of the greatest story ever told, the story of Jesus?  Either way, you and I can make Jesus’ story our own story if we follow him.

-Jeff Fletcher

Reflection Questions

  1. What is the value in reading and knowing the Old Testament? 
  2. What do you love best about Israel’s story? What do you love best about Jesus’ story?
  3. How is Jesus’ story your story? 
  4. What do you learn about the author of Israel’s and Jesus’ stories? 
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Popularity – and Rejection

Old Testament: Micah 1 & 2

Poetry: Psalm 135

New Testament: Matthew 21

As we come to the Christmas season, reading about these last days of Jesus puts a different light on the passage. 

At the beginning of the chapter, we see Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey as the king he was prophesied to be.  This lines up with what was expected from his birth!  And yet, as we continue to read though the last parable in the chapter, we see that rejection starting to come.

In the parable of the tenants, we see a landowner who planted a vineyard, took care to put in safety precautions, then rented it out when he moved.  He sends his servants back first to collect the harvest.

The result?  One is beaten, another killed, and a third stoned.  He sends more servants, and they continue to treat them in the same way.

Finally, the landowner decides to sends his son, certain that he will be respected.  Instead, the tenants kill the son in an effort to steal his inheritance. 

Jesus explains that those who behave in this way – those that reject God’s servants, and ultimately his son – will have the kingdom taken away from them and given to someone else who will produce fruit.

Those who are reading these devotions are probably Christians.  But do we have times in our lives where we reject God’s son all the same?  Probably not an outright rejection or denial, but we might push him to the side of our lives or we might not be willing to speak of the gospel in front of others which is another way of denying him.

As we get closer to Christmas, let’s remember the amazing miracle of Jesus’ birth through the ultimate proof that he was the Messiah by his resurrection and focus on sharing the good news rather than denying his name.

~Stephanie Fletcher

A short bio about me: I live in Minnesota with my husband and our two kids – 5 & almost 3.  We may be a little crazy, but a couple of years ago, we bought a home with my parents – it is like two regular sized homes stacked on top of each other, and we all live there together.  For a short while, my sister, her husband, and their baby lived there too.  We live there with our dog, Indiana (a compromise from Han Solo or Ford based on my liking of Harrison Ford), and a pet fish – Mickey Rainbow Mermaid Fish (name courtesy of my daughter as technically, it’s her pet).

Reflection Questions

  1. What can you learn from Jesus in how he handled popularity? And, from how he handled rejection? 
  2. How have your actions or words (or lack thereof) been a denial of Jesus Christ?
  3. How can you do better? 
  4. What fruit is the landowner looking for? 
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Refocus

Old Testament: Obadiah

Poetry: Psalm 132

New Testament: Matthew 18

Who is the greatest?  The GOAT (is that still a thing)?  This is what the disciples come to Jesus asking at the beginning of Matthew 18.

Jesus doesn’t answer them directly, per usual.  Their question isn’t even worth answering.  It doesn’t matter who is the greatest.  That comes with the wrong focus.  Instead Jesus tells them:

3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 

Your position is not important.  Rather, not viewing yourself as the greatest will put yourself in a better, more humble position.

There are several parables in this chapter, and I think you could probably tie them all to humility in some way, but I want to look at the last section.  It starts with:

21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”

22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.[g]

That is going to require humility.  When someone sins against us, we probably feel we are in the right to be angry or to hold a grudge.  After all, they sinned against me.  But Jesus’ instructions don’t allow for this kind of pride.  Instead, we are to go on forgiving our fellow Christians time and time again, swallowing our pride, pushing it aside, for the sake of forgiveness.

We might think this is unfair, but through the parable Jesus tells of the unmerciful servant, we can see that God forgives us so much!  For us to accept God’s forgiveness for our own sins, but to hold another’s sins against them is prideful.  It is saying that you deserve forgiveness more than them, or that your sins weren’t as great.

Instead, Jesus wants us to humble ourselves, to admit that we are just as low, or even lower, than others and offer the grace to others that we have been given.

Humility is a topic that has come up often in my discussions and readings the last few months.  It is hard – it is against our human nature.  But I really believe it is one of the most important things for us to focus on.  And likely, it isn’t a one-time thing.  We need to constantly be reminded and refocus on humility to make sure that pridefulness doesn’t seep into our lives, because pride does come naturally.  But humility is key.  It is key to forgiveness, to serving others, to spreading the gospel.  Your message will be better received if it comes from a place of humility rather than pride.

~Stephanie Fletcher

Reflection Questions

  1. What does pride look like? What does humility look like? Why do you think Jesus teaches humility? Which type of person do you prefer to be around? 
  2. When and how does pridefulness seep into your life? What has helped you remember and practice humility?
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Merely Human Rules

Old Testament: Amos 3 & 4

Poetry: Psalm 129

New Testament: Matthew 15

Jesus is on a bit of a tirade at the start of this chapter.  He has got to be pretty sick of the Pharisees!  But when he quotes from Isaiah to them in verses 8 and 9, I wonder if we fall into this trap too, and how frustrated he might feel with us at times. 

8 “‘These people honor me with their lips,
    but their hearts are far from me.
9 They worship me in vain;
    their teachings are merely human rules.’”

I have been doing some reading on church history earlier this year, and it seems this was some of the problem that started the reformation back in the 1500s.  Some brave individuals stood up to the churches that led culture at the time and said that people were no longer following the word of God, but rather they were just following the church’s rules which were made by people, often for political reasons.

Are we still doing this?  Teaching things that are merely human rules rather than focusing on God?

While we are to follow the laws of the land that were created by people (as long as they don’t contradict God’s laws), we should not be so focused in our churches on following a set of rules of how a worship service should be set up, or the exact number of times per year you should have communion that we miss out on looking at the heart.  There is a difference between Jesus’ teachings and a tradition set up in a church.

Traditions can be good, but when we focus so much on them that we don’t pay attention to the results of what is being done or said, they have no purpose.  If someone new comes in from another church and they ask “why are you doing things this way?” people tend to get defensive even when the question is asked with a genuine desire to understand rather than to criticize.  The truth is, we should be able to answer that question, or if we can’t, consider the practice to determine if what we are doing does still make sense, or if it has become an outdated tradition that could be changed to better serve people.

After Jesus speaks, the disciples come out like “hey, did you know what you said upset the Pharisees?”  Jesus doesn’t care if they were offended by what he said.  He spoke the truth and wants people to realize the meaning and intent of things.  Yes, washing your hands before you eat is a good practice.  You are less likely to consume bacteria that way.  But not doing that doesn’t defile you spiritually.  The things that come out of your mouth (which come from your heart) do – evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.

~Stephanie Fletcher

Reflection Questions

  1. What is something in your life that needs to be examined to ensure your heart is in the right place?
  2. What instances can you think of in which the church is following mere human rules and not the word of God and teachings of Jesus?

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Giving in the Difficult Season

Old Testament: Amos 1 & 2

Poetry: Psalm 128

New Testament: Matthew 14

 

We have all heard the story about Jesus feeding the 5 thousand, and what Jesus can do with our little. But what happened prior to these events?

In Matthew 14: 1-12, we are told of the moment that Herod decided to behead John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin, and close friend. In Matthew 14:13-14 we are shown the reaction of Jesus when he gets the news.

Matthew 14:13-14

            “When Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there by boat to a remote place to be alone. When the crowds heard this, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a large crowd, had compassion on them, and healed their sick.”

This is an incredible image of who Jesus was. Think of a time in your life when all you wanted was some time alone. You have been through a lot and are trying to grieve and yet there are people who want to talk and need your help. What was your reaction?

Were you irritated, did you yell, maybe you said something you wish you hadn’t? We have all been to that place. We are all human. There have been times I have done the same thing, especially in the recent times with trying to find a job and being patient, as I wait for God to open the door. It has been easy to lose my temper with the people around me, or to be distant from them.

Jesus in this passage, is calling us to have compassion even in our grief and sorrow. Have compassion on people and show them the love of God. Even when we are burnt out and only have a little to give. Even that little, when given to others, has the power to change everything. Jesus took the little bread they had and gave it to God in faith and was able to feed everyone there! Our little strength makes a huge difference.

After this incredible miracle, seeing Jesus do these amazing things, the disciples get into a boat and make their way to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. In the night during a storm, they witness Jesus walking towards them on the water. The disciples in fear believe it is a ghost, but Peter says, if it is you Lord, command me to come to you on the water. Jesus says, “Come.”

Peter begins walking on the water in courage and faith, but fear sets in and he begins to sink as he notices the wind and waves.

Jesus then says as he pulls Peter from the water. “You of little Faith. WHY DID YOU DOUBT?” Jesus says this with love. Peter only had a little faith and was willing to get out and take the chance to walk.

We are called to do the same. When we are burnt out and feel empty. We are called to bring the little faith we have and walk with Jesus. Sometimes the waves in life are tall, and the wind roars in our ears. But Jesus says, “Walk with me.”  In other words, “Bring all you have to serve others,” as we are called.

As I write this, I think of the times in life that I feel burnt out, even at my young age. Life is HARD. But even during those times, it brings me hope to see others who have went before me. They continue to serve and give of themselves even in their challenging times. It is amazing to see what God does even through our grief. God uses our biggest trials to make the biggest differences in our lives, and the lives of people around us. He does this with the little we have to give.

Reflection Questions

In times of testing and grief, do we give up or keep on looking for needs of others?

Are we feeding ourselves spiritually to strengthen our faith, so we don’t sink like Peter did?

-Hannah Eldred

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Weird

Old Testament: Daniel 11, 12

Poetry: Psalm 119

* New Testament: Matthew 5

As a fifth-grade introvert who wanted nothing more to blend in with the small class in my little Christian school, “weird” was about the meanest name one could call me. Because I didn’t even want anyone to so much as notice me, remaining quiet and going with the flow was the most obvious way to camouflage among my peers. 

I’ve had a bit of a wake-up call since my private school elementary days. In my public secondary and post-secondary education, God called me to stand up for my faith on several occasions, even when it meant that I was standing alone – resulting in <gasp> people noticing me! More recently, ever since my husband and I felt God leading us to do things that go against the culture, such as home-birthing and home-educating all four of our children, I’ve had to learn to be confident in those decisions and keep my eyes focused on God, no matter if others think I am weird. (As fate would have it, since opposites attract, I married an extrovert who thinks “weird” is a compliment and loves nothing more than helping others laugh at his own expense, so he tries to do silly things when we are out in public – which then, of course, draws attention to me too! I’ve learned to loosen up and not care as much what others think, and he’s learned to rein in the silly antics a little bit when I am with him.)

Jesus was the epitome of weird, but not in a bad way; in fact, many people were drawn to him because they could sense his sincerity and wisdom. (Some even failed to recognize him as the Messiah for whom they were searching because he didn’t meet their expectations!) Most of Jesus’ teachings in Matthew 5 are quite counter-cultural; for example, the Beatitudes is a list of dichotomous concepts which indicate (in my simple summary) that bad things can be blessings in disguise.

Because God is love (I John 4:8) and Jesus is God’s Son and representative, one could deduce that the primary mission of Jesus’ ministry was to demonstrate the love of his Father to this broken world. That, I believe, is why the end of this chapter (Matthew 5:43-48 NIV) gives perhaps his most controversial nugget of wise advice yet: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Showing love to people who are not like me or who don’t deserve it can be hard enough, but to show love to my enemies and those people who have hurt me? Well, that just takes Jesus’ weird, radical love to a whole new level. Jesus demonstrated this love throughout his ministry, though, by dying for generations of sinners including you and me (see Romans 5:8) and even forgiving the people who brutally murdered him (see Luke 23:34). 

Romans 12:1-2 is one of my favorite passages; I especially love the down-to-earth wording of The Message paraphrase that reminds us why it is important to be weird: “So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” 

(This is a reminder to myself, but you can read it too if you like: Because I am following Jesus, I need to not be so afraid of being weird that no one around me even knows I am a Christian. I need to be weird in a Jesus kind of way so that people want to have the eternally-focused hope that I radiate, the kind of contagious joy that shows others there’s something different and gives me a reason to share my faith with them (see 1 Peter 3:15). In Matthew 5:14 & 16 (NIV) Jesus says, “you are the light of the world… let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Our light must have a source, and today’s Psalm 119 has a great bit of wisdom in verse 105: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Help me, Lord, to know you more through your Word and relationship with you. May I not be so afraid to be weird that I fail to shine your light in this dark world.)

Let’s take courage together to be weird in a countercultural, Jesus kind of way!

Reflection questions: 

-What are ways that you have blended in with the culture rather than standing out for Jesus? 

-Pray about the actions God wants you to take to be more “weird” in a Jesus kind of way. 

Rachel Cain

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