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John 1:19-28 - Lectionary for Advent 4

12/19/2019

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12/19/19
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

Our Gospel reading from John 1:19-28 introduces us to John, the forerunner of the Messiah. We meet John proclaiming the kingdom of God and baptizing repentant people. When asked why he was doing this, he denied being the Christ or the prophet to come, but says he can show the people to the Christ. 

It’s so very easy for us to mix up our priorities. I regularly find myself talking with pastors and other church leaders who are frustrated because they haven’t been able to convert people to Christ. They have found that they are unable to put marriages and families back together again. They have failed in their prayers, in their counsel, in their administration. 

My question in these situations, though I usually ask it more gently than this, is, “Who do you think you are, anyway?” If we think we are the savior, we will be disappointed, and so will the people we try to care for. Worse still, the people we try to care for may try to trust us as the savior, be deceived into looking for salvation to come from us, and fall from the grace of God into eternal condemnation. Who do we think we are, anyway? 

Who are you, John? I’m a guy pointing people to Jesus, the Messiah. You should see what he is doing. He’s able to bring you forgiveness. He’s able to deliver life to you. He’s worthy to take away the sins of the whole world. Really, don’t trust me. Trust him. He’s the one you want to meet. 

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

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Philippians 4:4-7 - Lectionary for Advent 4

12/18/2019

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12/18/19
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

Our Epistle for this week, from Philippians 4:4-7, came up also in a special Thanksgiving service which I recently led. It applies just as well to the preparations we make for the Christmas season. Here Paul tells the Philippians not to be anxious about anything. That seems really difficult, especially when we think not only of festive occasions, but also of the many trials that can come upon us at any time. In my country, we are approaching the shortest day of the year. We move into the coldest time of year, the time when a lot of industry that depends on work outside closes down due to weather, the time when seasonal employment in the retail sector is getting ready to be cut off, the time when some types of manufacturing shut down for a while to retool for the next year’s model of whatever they are making. There’s some uncertainty there. We are also moving into the season when influenza and other related illnesses predictably claim the lives of 12,000 to 60,000 Americans each year. That’s a whole lot of uncertainty, produced from what most of us would consider a fairly routine type of infection. Don’t be anxious? This is EXACTLY the right time to be anxious!

What’s the rest of verse 6? We commit everything to God through Jesus in prayer. We give him thanks. We are telling a heavenly Father who cares about the troubles we may face, about the fears we have, about our uncertainty, about the troubles of those around us, big and small. And we can do it with thanksgiving. After all, the Lord is able and willing to care for the needs of His people. There’s no reason to think He would abandon us. He likes us to bring our problems before Him. He cares for his children. 

As we commit our concerns to the Lord, I want to observe something in verse seven. It is often misquoted, as a benediction or a wish for someone. “May the peace of God…” But this isn’t what the apostle Paul said. He made a statement, a factual statement. “The peace of God will guard your hearts and minds.” This is the natural result of turning our concerns over to the Lord. He will guard our hearts with His peace. There’s no room left for that anxiety. Yes, there’s a lot of uncertainty in our lives. But who is in charge of the world? Not I, not my fears, not my hopes, nor even my thoughts and prayers. God almighty is in charge of the world. As we commit our cares to Him, He will guard our hearts and minds. No fear. Uncertainty, yes, but fear? Not at all.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

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Psalm 111 - Lectionary for Advent 4

12/17/2019

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12/17/19
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding” (Psalm 111:10, ESV). I’ve listened to numerous interviews and read a good number of books and articles recently which have led me to a conclusion about our Psalm for this week. Those who actually consider culture and history in context, looking at it with an open mind, then who give the Scripture genuine consideration, these people will find wisdom and understanding in the Scripture. They will ultimately see that God has worked in history through his covenant people, providing for the needs of huge swaths of society. Those who remember his words of peace and gracious treatment of our neighbors will in turn care for their neighbors. Those who view God as the source of all food and other renewable resources will find themselves caring for production and distribution of those resources. Those who see God as the God of all knowledge, understanding, and beauty are going to share that knowledge, understanding, and beauty with the world all around them. Those who know that God is the God of justice and order will themselves practice justice and order through cultural norms and through governmental organizations. Those who recognize that God’s redemptive covenants are for all who believe will invite everyone to believe and receive God’s redeeming care. There’s a tremendous weight of good for all the world as we discover the fear of the Lord and the accompanying wisdom. The more we explore the riches of God, the better we are at loving and serving our neighbors.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

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Deuteronomy 18:15-19 - Lectionary for Advent 4

12/16/2019

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12/16/19
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the historic one-year lectionary.

Most people in our world seem to have one of two responses to Christianity, both described in Deuteronomy 18:15-19. Some of them, fearful of what might happen if they are confronted by God, are like those of verse 16. “Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord!” The presence of the creator of all is a terrible thing. He is described as a consuming fire, possessing glory which will kill those who gaze upon it. Many who are afraid of God’s confrontation are intimidated by all His commands as well. They flee from a life regulated in ways which go against their own inclinations. They find God’s identification of sin repugnant. In this headlong flight from the true and living God, they prefer “dead” gods, those made in the human image, including physical idols and idols of their own imagination.

Others like the idea of God visiting the world, but they misunderstand the glory and majesty of God. They say they want an unmediated encounter with God. They pursue spiritual experiences, emotional highs, and seek to be ushered into the spiritual presence of God. Some turn to mediums and spiritists, ending up in the presence of evil spirits. Some turn to experiential forms of Christianity and try to be whipped into an emotional frenzy. They don’t consider the fact that an unmediated encounter wtih God is exactly what brings death and destruction throughout the Scripture, because only that which is holy and pure can stand before God. 

My hope and prayer is that all these people, in both categories, will be frustrated and their desires will be unfulfilled. Both groups are going down a path that leads to eternal destruction. 

What is the alternative? As God raised up Moses, a prophet who would speak for him in the presence of the people. in these last days, just as He promised, God the Son, Jesus, has come. True God, yes, but clothed in humanity, he mediates the presence of God for all who look to him. Being without sin himself, he alone is able to stand in the presence of the holy Lord. Being truly human, he alone is able to represent all humanity before God’s throne. He is the one we are to hear and believe.

Verse 19 leaves us with a sobering thought. We can stand before God in the mediating presence of Jesus, or we can stand before God without Jesus’ protective care. God requires this perfect obedience, perfect holiness, perfect submission, from someone. Are we prepared to stand before God in our own selves? Not at all. We need a mediator, and in Jesus we have exactly the mediator we need. Lord, give us grace to hear and believe him.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

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    About Throwing Inkwells

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