Category: Genesis - Wittenberg Door Campus Ministry

Genesis 2:7-17 - Lectionary for Trinity 8

7/27/2020

7/27/20
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.

When we read the beginning of Genesis 2 we are compelled to wonder what it would be like to care for the garden that God has planted. In antiquity the term was used more for a park-type place than for a place to grow food. Think of trees, shrubs, park benches, fountains, flower gardens, border gardens full of things to eat, and, prior to the Fall, no difficulties. There’s no mystery fungus killing the tomatoes. The rabbits only graze where they should. There’s no need to preserve food because there will always be plenty, in all the seasons. There may have been precious little for the man to do except enjoying the garden, though he was the caretaker.

God’s people have remained in this world, and we remain the caretakers of the garden God has given us. However, since the fall into sin it is a world full of hurt. Not only do the rabbits eat all the pea plants, but people harm, steal, and kill. The work of the garden is difficult and often yields little reward. We grow thorns and thistles by the sweat of our brow. Yet we remain gardeners in God’s world.

The text mentions the natural resources, including some which are probably primarily used for trading. It mentions water resources. It speaks of geographical realities. We still get to deal with all these. Extraction and stewardship of valuable products from the earth are included in the very human work of caring for God’s garden. Dealing with water even in this world of drought and flood is part of the work laid before us. And food, don’t forget the food. Since not all parts of the world are equally productive, and since there are seasons that produce food and seasons of dormancy, not only do we produce food, but we do so in such a way as to keep some all year round and to distribute it equitably to places all around the world.

God has placed his people in an amazing world, rich in all manner of resources, but we find now it is a fallen world. Our mandate remains - care for the garden. By God’s grace we hope to do exactly that, for the glory of God and the good of our neighbor.

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.

Genesis 2:7-17 - Lectionary for Trinity 7

7/20/2020

7/20/20
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.

I think it’s really significant that, in Genesis 2:15, before the fall into sin, God gave the man he had created a job - to work the garden and keep it. We don’t really know what this included, but we can get a reasonable picture of it based on what a wilderness is like after the fall. There are lots of plants. This is a fertile place, well watered, and rich in natural resources. God intends his people to do some caretaking. There are plants that provide food, plants that provide shelter, warmth, and the ability to cook (I think the first humans knew about cooking, tools, and creating shelter. They were created in God’s image. They didn’t need to invent everything from scratch. They were inventive and instinctively knew a good bit about how to take care of themselves.). The goal was not to leave “nature” to itself. It was to take care of nature, to intervene when appropriate, and to use resources for good.

At times, Christians have forgotten that they still have a divine mandate to care for their surroundings and use them for good. Some have engaged in plunder and careless use. Some have decided that temporal things don’t matter and can be squandered. On the other hand, some have adopted the view of the Romantic environmentalist movement which says we want to leave nature entirely to itself and avoid human interaction of any sort.

The biblical view is somewhere in between. We are to use our environment, but carefully and gently. There’s a sort of sustainability which comes from good stewardship. Since the fall into sin, it’s harder to keep everything in order. The plants that provide food are under more active attack by plants and animals that could kill them. Plants that are overcrowded don’t mature to their full potential. However, the crowded plants might be very useful for cooking, heating, and even building. Animals that are overcrowded become sick and even starve. Animals that are over-hunted become rare and can die out. Meanwhile, we try to persuade most of the wildlife to stay in their homes (outside) and out of our homes (inside).

God gave his people a mandate to keep the garden. As human population has spread, that mandate has remained unchanged. We tend the garden where we live. And as we keep it and nurture it, we’ll have a good and pleasant place to live, abundant with food, shelter, and all sorts of interesting things to explore. The work is good.

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.

Genesis 50:15-21 - Lectionary for Trinity 4

6/29/2020

6/29/20
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.

How does the Christian deal with hardship? Not through denial and not through retaliation. Our Old Testament reading this week, from Genesis 50:15-21, points us to the nature of reconciliation.

Joseph’s brothers had done evil to him. There’s really no doubt about it. Granted, he had acted arrogant toward them, but they threatened to kill him, then imprisoned him temporarily, sold him to slave traders, and described him to their father as being dead. Joseph spent years in prison before rising to a position of authority in Egypt. He thought he was separated from his family forever. This was some serious hardship.

When Joseph’s brothers came to him, as we note, with another lie intended to save their necks, Joseph redirected the conversation to God’s good pleasure. His brothers meant all their evil to harm him. That is granted. There is no doubt about it. Yet God took his decidedly bad circumstances and used them for good - to Joseph, to his family, to his adopted nation of Egypt.

How does God use the hardship in our lives? We generally don’t know, especially in the midst of troubles. But he is always going to use it for the good of his kingdom. Is he teaching us patience? Is he directing our attention to him? Is he showing us how much Christ suffered on our behalf? Is he showing our neighbors how a Christian deals with hardship? Is he giving us a chance to teach others to love and serve us? Is he teaching us that our neighbors are in need just like we are? Really, we don’t know. But God is always going to use hardship for the good of his kingdom.

Joseph didn’t retaliate. He also didn’t deny that his brothers had acted in an evil way. Instead, he acknowledged that God is good, no matter what his brothers did. That’s how we endure hardship.

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.

Genesis 15:1-6 - Lectionary for Trinity 1

6/8/2020

6/8/20
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.

A time of stress, a word from God, a plea, and a promise, all in Genesis 15:1-6. Here the Lord comes to Abram and initiates a promise. “Your reward shall be very great” (Gen. 15:1c, ESV). Yet Abram’s response reveals that something is bothering him. I wonder if this has happened to you? It certainly has happened to me. Somebody says or does something and I will suddenly become more aware of a situation that is troubling me. It may seem unrelated at first, but eventually we might find it tied directly tho that other person’s action. For instance, my wife may say something about looking for a missing item, which makes me feel guilty and defensive about the things that are certainly lurking in the garage (my domain) and which I have not taken care of or kept in order.

God promises Abram a reward. This is good news, right? Sure! Abram blurts out something about childlessness. Apparently the great reward he would desire has something to do with offspring to carry on his heritage. Eliezer of Damascus may be a perfectly fine man. He probably is, or Abram would have sent him away to avoid his become the heir. But he doesn’t want his right hand man, someone who works for him and is probably a slave of his, to be his heir. He wanted to have a child.

Before making the promise, God had identified himself as Abram’s “shield.” He is there, ready to protect him. So what is the promised blessing? You will have offspring like the stars in number.

Given time, the child of promise is born to Abraham and Sarah. One child of promise, but that child becomes a mighty nation, the nation of Israel. Out of that nation comes Jesus, who shows himself to be the savior of the world. All who trust in him are redeemed from sin and death and become children of Abram. Countless multitudes have come from Abram, according to God’s promise to him.

What was Abram’s response? In verse six, he believed God, which God counted as righteousness. We are repeatedly told in the Scripture to be like Abraham, to have the kind of faith he did. And that faith is shown in this very simple way. He believed God, which God counts as righteousness. Do we want to be like Abraham? Believe God. Take him at his word. He certainly has shown himself to be the kind of Lord who can keep his promises. Our role is simply to believe.

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.

Genesis 11:1-9 - Lectionary for Pentecost Sunday

5/11/2020

5/25/20
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.

During the recent pandemic crisis many Christian organizations, particularly church ministries, have been eager to reinvent themselves. I’m sure this has applied to many other types of organizations which have always worked with a model involving face to face gatherings. Since most religious groups are nearly entirely dependent on this sort of gathering, it has made them extremely busy.

A friend complimented me on what I have done with Wittenberg Door Campus Ministry, how while I was in quarantine due to some travels of family members, missing a few days of work before a regularly scheduled break, I managed to put virtual meetings into operation by the end of that week and how they mostly ran relatively smoothly. He may or may not have used the word “reinvented” and I seem to remember something about “making a name for yourself.” It was a kind conversation and I appreciate that kind of feedback. After all, we would all like to be told that we did something outside of our comfort zone and that it came off well.

However, the idea also reminds me of our Old Testament passage for this week, from Genesis 11. Here the people, as society tended to drift up the Fertile Crescent, decided to make a name for themselves. They wanted to show their superiority and establish a lasting monument to their ingenuity. It would provide unity for them. So they took the tools at their disposal and began the work of building.

What’s the problem that God sees in their work of making a name for themselves? He knows that, even with the best of intentions, humans are sinful. They will fall into evil, they will use the power they establish for their own ends, which always end up including harm to themselves and others. Whenever we make a name for ourselves, we exalt ourselves to a position that rightfully only belongs to God. And it belongs to God because he alone is free from sin and evil.

The people wanted to avoid being scattered throughout the earth. That was the way they planned to establish themselves. So God scattered them, with different languages and, rather quickly, different cultures and traditions. Rather than being a unified and powerful people who would use that centralized power for evil, they became less unified and less powerful peoples who would serve to keep each other’s power in check.

As we approach Pentecost, we recall that God’s gracious work in Acts chapter 2 was an undoing of the scattering of Babel. It was a way of pulling the nations back together, but this time in Christ, rather than in their own power. As people unified by Jesus’ death and resurrection, by his forgiveness and grace, God’s people can dwell together so as to bring God glory and praise. They can be transformed into a people of peace.

Did I reinvent myself? Not really. Did I reinvent Wittenberg Door Campus Ministry? Actually, no. It was much more like having a change of meeting location and putting up a new sign to show people how to find it. Same old thing - being brought together by Christ for the good of the community. And we’re getting close, as I write this, to considering face to face meetings again. May God be glorified, as nothing is impossible for 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.

Genesis 22:1-14 - Lectionary for Lent 5

3/23/2020

3/23/20
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.

In Genesis 22:8, when Isaac asks where the lamb for the burnt offering is, Abraham gives the answer of faith. God will provide the lamb. This is surely the right answer. God had previously told Abraham he would have a child, and that Isaac would be the child of promise, through whom all the nations of the earth would be blessed. It was God’s express intention that the world would be blessed, including through this incident.

Abraham, not to mention Isaac, had no clear idea how it would work out. But they did know that by God’s mercy it would be all right. Christians can have the same confidence, even in a world full of uncertainty. If the Lord has said he will keep His people, He can do it. This has been demonstrated beyond doubt through the death and resurrection of Jesus, the promised child of Abraham, through whom all nations of the world are blessed.

In Genesis 22 God provided a ram to take the place of Isaac. In the Gospels, God provided a lamb, the perfect lamb of God, Jesus, to take the place of you and of me. Death could not hold Jesus. Likewise, all those who trust in him can face even death unafraid. God has provided a substitute.

Our world has plenty of uncertainty. As I write this post, many have been speaking of a viral epidemic which may well be as bad as the flu of 1917-18. Financial markets, fearful of interruptions in manufacturing, shipping, and trade are shaky, to say the least. One country in the world recently inaugurated two different presidents at the same time, sparking what may be an increase in armed conflict throughout its region. There is uncertainty all around. However, from a Christian perspective, there is no room for ultimate fear. God has provided.

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.

Genesis 32:22-32 - Lectionary for Lent 2

3/2/2020

3/2/20
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.

Jacob was terrified, and rightly so. His older brother, Esau, had been robbed of his birthright by Jacob’s deception. Jacob had fled before, had become a wealthy man, also with an element of deception, and was now returning to his homeland. He heard that Esau was coming to meet him. Had Esau’s anger been growing all these years? Did Esau have a bunch of armed men with him? Would this be the end of Jacob? Jacob’s fear was well founded.

We notice that Jacob did what a man of deception and graft would naturally do. He sent gifts ahead of him, then he sent his servants ahead of him, then his family. Are these gifts for Esau? Are they meant to evoke Esau’s pity? Are they human shields? The answer to each question is affirmative. Yes, Jacob is even using his family to protect himself against the possible anger of his brother.

This all ends in the night, when he is confronted by this “man” of verses 24 and following. What kind of a man is it? He wrestles with Jacob all night, never defeating him or being defeated. At last, the “man,” with a touch, takes Jacob’s hip out of joint. This would normally end the conflict instantly. But Jacob continues to wrestle. What manner of man is his opponent? After a while, Jacob asks for a blessing. He knows he is the recipient of a divine visitor, though he doesn’t understand facing God and living.

What is God’s response? He gives the blessing and tells Jacob that he, Jacob, has prevailed. Really? The God of all power, who was able to disjoint Jacob with a touch, could have ended the contest at any point, no fuss, no muss, it would be over. God has all the power needed to end any contest. But God didn’t do it. Why not? He wanted Jacob to prevail. He wanted Jacob to have a new name, Israel, indicating his striving and his overcoming.

Jacob, now Israel, after wrestling with God, is no longer afraid of his brother or of any of the trials life could bring him. He is a partaker of God’s power to strive and overcome. This is not because of Jacob’s ability. He could never have won the wrestling match himself. It is because of God’s gracious decree.

What happens to all the livestock, personnel, and family members Jacob sends ahead? They are received in forgiving love by Esau. They are not in danger from him. Nor is Jacob in danger. All is well.

What do we fear? Are we afraid that God will not graciously remain in control of all our trials? He is the God who has appointed us to our place in this life. He is certainly able to bring those who trust in Him through it to the end. There’s no fear in God.

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.

Genesis 4:1-15 - Lectionary for Pentecost 20C, Proper 25C

10/21/2019

10/21/19
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 three-year lectionary.

Genesis 4:1-15 is easy to misuse. We may want to make it into a call to obedience. In verse six Cain is told by God that he needs to do what is good and right, then he will be received. How many times we have been told to go and do likewise. Do what is right, not kill your brother. But if we do what is right, we will be accepted. So if something is going badly in our lives . . . you can fill in the gap there.

Another way we misuse the passage shows up in verse 15. Cain, clearly guilty of murdering his brother, is given a mark by God, a mark which will protect him and keep people from trying to kill him. Cain got off! He had “get out of jail free” card and so do I! It doesn’t matter what I do as long as it isn’t worse than killing my brother!

Well, we fell off the horse on both sides when we did that. What’s a reasonable response to this text? First, Cain was guilty. He couldn’t blame anybody else. He bumped his brother off because he was angry that God hadn’t received his offering but had received his brother’s offering. Cain was guilty. There wasn’t any doubt about that. God said he was guilty. God fully agreed. Second, Cain was forgiven. He was sorrowful over his sin. Maybe he was partly sad just because he was caught, but really, he had killed his brother. He knew it was wrong. He knew his guilt. He was sorry. What does God do with those who are sorrowful over their sin? He forgives them. He restores them. He puts his hand of protection and guidance on them.

Cain gives us a picture of a sinner who has been confronted with his sin. He also gives us a picture of someone who is repentant. Like you and I can be, Cain, repentant for his sin, is the subject of God’s forgiveness and grace. This speaks volumes about God’s love for his people.

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.

Genesis 32:22-30 - Lectionary for Pentecost 19C, Proper 24C

10/14/2019

10/14/19
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 three-year lectionary.

It’s amazing how quickly we can forget the context of a situation. In Genesis 32, Jacob wrestles with “a man” whom he later recognizes in some way as God. Most Christian commentators have taken this to be God the Son, the pre-incarnate Christ. Jacob wrestled with God all night. He wouldn’t let go. He wouldn’t surrender, even after his hip was disjointed.

We forget the context really quickly. What was Jacob doing there, alone? He had sent his livestock, his wives, and his children ahead of him because he was expecting to encounter Esau, the brother he had gravely offended. Jacob wanted to appease Esau. Just in case, Jacob wanted Esau to wage war with or take captive all his family and possessions before Jacob himself would meet up with Esau. That way Jacob could run away if he needed to.

Yes, Jacob wanted to be well positioned to flee and abandon his family if he was threatened. How did we go and make him brave? I have no idea.

What else do we see about Jacob’s frailty? He is wrestling all night. He’s wrestling with God. His hip comes out of joint when God the Son touched it and caused it to come apart. Do we really think for a moment that Jacob was the one who was preventing God from leaving? Do we actually think Jacob could do anything at all to confound God? No, it seems apparent that God wasn’t really fighting very hard. Jacob was in the battle of his life, but God was not.

What was the outcome of the wrestling match? God changed Jacob’s name to be the one who wrestles with God and man and who prevails. That’s what Israel means. But, truth be told, Jacob could never prevail against God and he had a pretty poor track record prevailing against humans as well. He was fleeing both his brother and his father in law. He was not brave by any stretch of the imagination.

We pause, then, and realize that it is the work of God to make us what we are. He has called Jacob the one who prevails, therefore Jacob is exactly the one who prevails. He has called Christians a faultless bride of Christ. That is exactly what we are. He has called us eternal, holy, godly people. That is what we are. Do we fail to look it? Yes, just as Jacob seems more like Jacob (the deceiver) than like Israel (the overcomer). At the same time we are saint and sinner, mighty and powerless. All we have, all we are, is because our Lord Jesus has worked in us according to His good pleasure. We thought we were wrestling with sin, and we were, but it is Jesus who won the battle against sin. We thought we were doing mighty things, but we did them only through the grace of God working in us.

Thanks be to God who calls us his people, and we are.

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.

Genesis 15:1-6 - Lectionary for Pentecost 9C

8/5/2019

8/5/19
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 three-year lectionary.

In Genesis 15 God came to Abram with a promise, an unbelievable promise. “Your reward will be great.” Abram, childless, equated a divine reward and divine favor with the most normal indicators of wealth and power, children. A childless man would not only have a lonely end to life, he would also not be able to pass on any wealth he received in such a way as to carry on his name and heritage. This was a matter of great importance to Abram. He responded that the only one he had to inherit his property was a man of Damascus, a servant in his household. Abram really didn’t see it as a matter of God’s favor that he could live and work all his life to enrich someone else’s family.

God responded to Abram with a promise he was completely unable to quantify. Look to the stars. Count them, if you are able. Your descendants will outnumber the stars. Particularly in a culture that doesn’t have a lot of light clutter, the visible stars are entirely countless. Go ahead, try to count the stars. You’ll give up pretty soon. They are more abundant than you can really imagine.

God’s promise exceeded even Abram’s imagination. The Lord of all is able to promise the impossible. Then he is able to deliver on his promises, though we don’t see that happen in this particular passage of the Bible. We read later that God blessed all nations through the offspring of Abram.

The greatest point of our reading from Genesis comes in verse six. Abram believed God. God considered that belief as righteousness for Abram. God’s gracious promises are received when His people believe they are true. God’s promises are effective in you when you realize they are promises made for you. The God of all promise has given His word. We do not grasp it by our works any more than Abram received the promise because he already had children. We grasp God’s promises by faith and find out later just how sure and certain the promises were.

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.

Genesis 18:17-33 - Lectionary for Pentecost 7C

7/22/2019

7/22/19
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 three-year lectionary.

Our Old Testament reading from this week is found in Genesis 18:17-33, where Abraham repeatedly asks the Lord to show mercy on the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. Verses 20-21 tell us that the sins of the people have caused an outcry to the Lord. In contrast, in verse 19, Abraham is to be a blessing by operating in righteousness and justice. There is a definite element of obedience to God expected of Abraham and his descendants.

At issue, in verse 26, is justice. Will God do justice? Then again, we realize that Abraham is not asking for justice so much as for mercy. If God were to act in a just manner, He would destroy everyone who ever sinned. This would include every human being. Since sin brings death, God’s justice should logically lead to death.

By the end of the conversation, God has agreed that He will show mercy on the whole city if there are ten righteous people. They don’t have to be sinless, but there is some expectation of ribht behavior, obedience to God. If we consider this, it is a strikingly low threshold. Yet the city fails in the test.

There are probably two critical takeaways from this. First, God expects his people to live a righteous life. We do try to act in accord with God’s commands, which are for our good. Our second takeaway is that God is the merciful Lord. As we fail to live according to God’s command, we ask His forgiveness and mercy. He shows his love for His people by redeeming them from the curse of sin. This leads us to thanksgiving and praise.

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.

Genesis 18:1-14 - Lectionary for Pentecost 6C

7/15/2019

7/15/19
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 three-year lectionary.

Our Old Testament reading from Genesis 18 contains a very telling observation. In verse 12, hearing that she was to have a child in her old age, Sarah laughed to herself. She knew that old ladies don’t bear children, especially after not having children during the many years of her married life. Sarah didn’t think it possible that she would have the blessing of a child. It was not something humanly possible. It was really laughable.

What does God do with Sarah’s unbelief? Her natural understanding of natural processes said it was not possible that she would have a child. It would be as unexpected as if I were to get into my truck and fly home with the invisibility cloaking turned on. It’s one of those things which simply can’t happen. God understands when our unbelief is really disbelief because his actions would have to be miraculous. He does not chasten Sarah for her disbelief. He simply tells her that she will, in fact, see the miraculous happen and she will know that it is just as miraculous as she thought it would be.

We are reminded in this passage that the true God of the Bible is able to do the impossible. It is not a problem for the creator and sustainer of this world to make things happen. He is the Lord of life. He is able to bring life.

We ask ourselves, then, what is the Lord of life doing in our generation? How is he bringing forgiveness and life to us, our community, our nation, and our world? How does he provide for the needs of his people? How is He working in this world as we await his coming in final judgment? He is the Lord of all, able to work in each according to his mercy and grace.

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.

Genesis 11:1-9 - Lectionary for Pentecost C

6/3/2019

6/3/19
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 three-year lectionary.

In our Old Testament passage from Genesis 11:1-9 we read of God confusing the languages of the people, then scattering them. The reason given, in Genesis 11:6, is that the people would otherwise have unbounded power. Some find this as the self-centered action of a cranky and power-hungry God. They assume he feels threatened by the power of the people and wishes to oppress them.

What’s the track record of people in the biblical record prior to Genesis 11? They have defied God and brought death into the world. In the very next generation, the first murder happens. Within a few chapters God could look at the world and see a people who were always evil. He wiped the sinful world clean with a flood, and immediately afterward the remaining family was in shambles. The population grew in a troubled way again. It is the people, not God, who are power hungry, oppressie, and murderous. These are exactly the kind of people who should be confused and separated, before they kill each other.

What God does in Genesis 11 by separating the people, he undoes in the New Testament. Jesus is the savior of all, regardless of their language or origin. In Acts 2 the languages are unconfused. Again and again, the call of Christians is to unity. But now it is a unity of people who have been recreated in the image of God. It is a fellowship of the saints, who work for healing and life, rather than for their own honor and glory. The Lord who separates people in the Old Testament restores them in the New.

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.

Genesis 2:18-25 - Lectionary for Pentecost 20B

10/2/2018

10/2/18
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 three-year lectionary.

Amid all God’s good creation in Genesis 2:18, the Lord says there is something wrong. It isn’t good for the man to be alone. This matters, because God actually does care that all his creation should be without complaint. What can God do to correct the problem? He creates more animals and brings them to the man he has made so the man can name the animals of creation.

Many commentators find a deep significance in the naming. However we stack it, by the time the naming is done, the man knows the nature of the animals. Out of all the animals, there is not one which will be an adequate helper. The coorrespondence was not there. The man understood the lack by the time he had named all the creatures.

In the end, God makes a radical move. Out of all creation, the man was unique. He was the only one made from a substance. Eerything else was made from God’s command. Additionally, the man was the only one who received his breath from God. The others simply lived by being created. But now, God does the unthinkable. He takes the man, who is already special, and makes the woman from the living being.

The woman is very special indeed, and she is recognized immediately by the man. She is the right one for him. She is worthy of a special respect and regard, because she came from him. Humans are a unique part of God’s creation. It’s time we recognized this fact again. Let’s celebrate the way God has resolved the original complaint, by putting us in a special human community.

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.

Genesis 9:8-17 - Lectionary for Pentecost 10B

7/24/2018

7/24/18
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 three-year lectionary.

In Genesis 9:8-17 God makes a covenant with all creation. He will never again wipe out all the creatures through a flood. His covenant is purposeful. It is for the good of his creation. In the original mandate, the creatures are to be fruitful. They are to multiply. In the flood, God preserved a remnant, but his desire is that his creation be able to keep the command. He will not destroy the world by flood because it would prevent the creation mandate.

God makes a protective covenant. He will remember his covenant. He even makes a sign and says it is a sign to remind him, as if he will ever forget anything. He promises to keep this covenant forever and protect his people.

The covenant, then, is purposeful, protective, and permanent. As long as God is God, he will keep his covenant. As long as God is God, his character will never change. As long as God is God, he will preserve a people, just as he said.

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.

Genesis 3:8-15 - Lectionary for Pentecost 3B

6/5/2018

6/5/18
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 three-year lectionary.

In our Old Testament reading from Genesis 3:8-15 I would like to focus on the questioning and listening work of God. In verses 8-13 God, fully aware of all that has happened between the man, the woman, the serpent, and the tree, comes to visit his people and asks them what they are doing. Why did they hide? Why were they ashamed? Did they eat the fruit? What did they think they were going to accomplish by it? Through the course of the conversation, a very pleasant evening time in the garden was shown to be a terribly difficult time. The man and woman were confessing their sin against God, something they had never done before. It’s clear that the world will be in a fallen condition because of their disobedience. God speaks for the first time as one imposing a penalty, rather than as the one who brings blessing.

When God comes to his people through his word, we should not be surprised to find ourselves needing to repent. We live in a world cursed by sin. Our response, when confronted, should be to turn from the sin and seek God’s face. That will only ever happen as we are sorry for sin and as that, with God’s help, we may be restrained from entering into sin.

We see in our passage from Genesis that the Lord listens to the cries of his people. He doesn’t simply tell them to shape up. Rather, he tells them that he will provide a deliverer who will crush the head of the serpent. Here’s the good news of the Gospel. The people can’t save themselves by their obedience. They can only be rescued through God’s work on their behalf. This is the promise given.

As we see the results of a fallen world all around us, sickness, sorrow, sin, and shame, we can also look to Christ who has promised to adopt each and every one who believes on him. Here is the hope of the Christian.

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.

Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 - Lectionary for Lent 2B

2/20/2018

2/20/18
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 three-year lectionary.

In Genesis 17:1-7 Abraham receives a promise of God. Here he is told that he will be the father of many nations, that he will be fruitful, that kings will come from his offspring, and that God’s covenant will be with Abraham and his people forever. What’s startling about this covenant is that God is the one establishing it. Normally we think of a covenant as existing between two people. But this is a remarkably one-sided covenant. God approaches Abraham. God lays out the terms of the covenant. Here, there is nothing required of Abraham except his existence. And God makes all the promises. It’s all from God.

How do Christians respond to such a covenant? Are we willing to accept that the Lord himself will do what is best for us? Are we, like Abraham, ready to accept the covenant as being received by faith and not by works? Are we willing to trust that God is good to his Word?

Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him as righteousness. May we have the same grace, to be partakers of God’s promise by grace through faith.

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.

Genesis 22:1-18 - Lectionary for Lent 1B

2/13/2018

2/13/18
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 three-year lectionary.

Abraham was an old man, a very old man. By the time Isaac, the child of promise, was born, he was a hundred years old. By the time of the events in Genesis 22, he is considerably older. God had shown himself to be the God of promise Isaac was born to an old man and his old wife. The child of promise showed that God’s promise was valid. But what was Abraham to do when, some years later, God told him to take his son and burn him as an offering?

This is the dilemma Abraham faced. How could the God of promise, the one who values life, the one who has made a child to Abraham bring the promise to life, command his servant to sacrifice the child of promise?

Notice that we don’t have any record of Abraham’s debate. We have no mention of his doubt or fear. There’s no indication that he questioned God. Rather, he received the word from God and set himself to obey that word. The closest we come to a commentary about Abraham’s attitude is that he says God will raise up a sacrifice for them when they reach the place of sacrifice. What did Abraham think Was he expecting a different sacrifice to show up? Maybe he expected the Lord to resurrect Isaac. We have no idea. All we see is that Abraham believed God and took Him at His word.

We learn also that Isaac was willing to be an obedient child to his father, no matter what. There’s record of a question, but not of any sort of conflict, even when it became clear to Isaac that he was to be the sacrifice. Isaac was also trusting God.

Even when it looked impossible, the Lord did raise up a substitute. He stopped the actions which would naturally lead to death and destruction. He brought a substitute, a ram who would die in the place of Isaac. He showed that He was able to fulfill his promise and yet show the importance of laying down one’s life for God. This all foreshadows the work of Jesus, the lamb of the tribe of Judah, who came and gave his life in death as a substitute for the promised people, Israel. God’s mercy could not be stopped. Regardless of all appearances of hopelessness and failure, God raised up an offering to die in the place of his people. He will always do whatever it takes to provide satisfaction for his righteous anger, showing the riches of his mercy and grace.

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.

Genesis 1:1-5 - Lectionary for Baptism of Our Lord, Series B

1/3/2018

1/3/18
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 three-year lectionary.

Our Old Testament reading for this week is from Genesis 1:1-5. In this opening passage of the Bible, we find that God is the eternal creator. He was present for the beginning. Before him, there was nothing. We also find that God was able to make things quite easily. There’s no mention of labor, no effort, no material needed to create the heavens and the earth. In verse 3 we see that God is able to create by his command. What God says actually happens. We also find that God is the God of order, not of chaos. While in nature, things tend to devolve, breaking down rather than assembling in an orderly manner, God takes something which is formless. He then organizes it, dividing light and darkness. He defines the idea of a day and the clock begins counting at that time.

When we compare this passage with our reading from Psalm 29 we realize that the Lord who is able to call all things into being by his powerful word is also able to use his creative power for the good of his people. What he has decreed is going to be good.

The commands of God are all valuable. They all make sense. Every last one of them has something to do with God accomplishing his purpose in this world.

Our culture typically considers “light” and “day” as positive things, while we consider “dark” and “night” generally negatively. It isn’t hard to picture people sneaking about under cover of darkness to do bad things. While the dark time, night, is also a time of rest, refreshment, growth, and recovery, we can easily categorize different activities by their time of day.

The Bible normally pictures day as a time of blessing and action, but night as a time of rest or the time when evil happens. May we have grace to be people of the day, living in the light of God.

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.

Well Begun

12/12/2017

Tuesdays are for the Old Testament
12/12/17

Lessing, R. Reed & Andrew E. Steinmann. Prepare the Way of the Lord: An Introduction to the Old Testament. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2014. Chapter 3 “Genesis” pp. 45-73.

Genesis, the book of beginnings, records not only the start of the world, but the origin of God’s people and the promise of a savior (Lessing 2014, 45). Though there are difficulties inherent in tying Genesis to Moses, not the least being the fact that he was not born until hundreds of years later, Lessing sees strong suggestions that Moses was the author and that the Pentateuch is cohesive (Lessing 2014, 45).

Lessing notes that the literary focus of Genesis moves from a broad treatment of all creation to a narrower focus on just the children of Israel (Lessing 2014, 47). The structure also moves through a series of instances of God’s choosing a person or people by grace (Lessing 2014, 48). He repeatedly chooses the lesser rather than the greater(Lessing 2014, 49).

Lessing next discusses history and archaeology as they pertain to Genesis (Lessing 2014, 53). A Mesopotamian creation myth involving division of waters was discovered in 1876, leading some to think the Genesis account is patterned on this pagan myth. Lessing sees substantial and important differences, including a possible dating after the time of Moses (Lessing 2014, 54). There are also Egyptian creation myths which, though similar, bear substantial differences. Lessing observes that a Mosaic account of creation could have been written to refute an Egyptian myth current in his time (Lessing 2014, 55). Dating of events in Genesis is also problematic. Lessing points out that “father” and “son” may simply mean “ancestor” and “descendant” (Lessing 2014, 56). Te lineage and dating of the patriarchs is relatively easier due to information known about the Exodus (Lessing 2014, 57).

Striking theological themes include God’s creation by his spoken word and humans as the pinnacle of creation (Lessing 2014, 58). It is also highly significant that in creation there was no conflict or warfare. This differs from other creation accounts (Lessing 2014, 58). Lessing considers the “days” of creation and concludes that the cycle of “day” and “night” is best understood as we would interpret the day/night cycle, 24 hours (Lessing 2014, 60). He then considers the relationship of Genesis 1 and 2, seeing a parallel and supplementary function of chapter 2, rather than a different account (Lessing 2014, 61).

The fall into sin is central to Genesis (Lessing 2014, 62). All pain and discord are seen as related to the events in Genesis 3. Out of all humans, God chose a line of descent which would lead to a savior from sin. This line is traced in detail in Genesis (Lessing 2014, 63). Lessing also points to the idea of justification by faith as presented in Genesis (Lessing 2014, 65). This faith receives the pardon God has declared. It does not earn anything. Pardon is provided by God, based on His decision rather than human merit.

Lessing traces a Messianic promise through Genesis, observing the existence of the promise as soon as the curse on sin is known (Lessing 2014, 66). God then continues to make promises to the patriarchs, centered on the hope of a Messiah (Lessing 2014, 67). The need for a Messiah is illustrated by the many instances of sin and a need for grace.

Genesis 50:15-21 - Lectionary for Pentecost 15A

9/12/2017

9/12/17
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 three-year lectionary.

Our reading from Genesis 50:15-21 brings up a perpetual human problem. The brothers of Joseph had offended him severely. They had sinned against him by selling him into slavery where he was mistreated for years. Joseph, however, had risen to a position of authority in Egypt. He was now responsible for saving the people of Israel and Egypt from starvation. Joseph had revealed himself to his brothers and they had lived in harmony for some years. However, at this time, their father had died. Joseph’s brothers wondered if he had really forgiven them or if they should plan for his revenge once his father was dead.

It’s an important question. What do we mean by forgiveness? Is the peace we have transacted with someone real peace or are we simply waiting for retribution?

Joseph showed his brothers he had made peace with them. He intended to live in harmony with them. As much as he was able he intended to care for them. He would not be trying to harm them. This is what forgiveness looks like. I often remind people that forgiveness means I will not dwell on past sin, I will not bring it up to harm anyone, I will not let it interfere with our relationship, and I will guard against the sin happening again. That’s forgiveness.

The New Testament describes Jesus purchasing forgiveness for all humanity, who have sinned against God. His forgiveness is also absolutely real. We, who have sinned against God, have no need to be like Joseph’s brothers. We do not need to fear that God’s forgiveness is not real. He always keeps his promises.

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.

Genesis 1:1-2:4a - Lectionary for Trinity Sunday, Series A

6/6/2017

6/6/17
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 three-year lectionary.

Our Old Testament reading for Trinity Sunday is from Genesis 1:1-2:4a. In this passage, we find the uncreated God acting as the creator of everything else. There are a few observations we should make.

Many skeptics make the assumption that everything must have a beginning. Therefore, they beg for an answer to the question, “Who created God?” The Bible presents God as an uncreated creator. It consistently sees him as pre-existent. Rather than affirming that everything which exists comes from somewhere, the Bible would make the affirmation that everything which begins comes from somewhere. God is unique in having no beginning and no end. He is, therefore, able to exist without having come from anywhere. He simply is.

We can observe a parallel structure in the days of creation. On the first three days and the last three days similar events happen. Many would say that the first three days were spent creating and the next three days spent dressing the creation, though all six days were full of creations.

How did God create everything? The text clearly says that he spoke things into existence. No, we don’t understand how this could be. Yet it points to God as supernature. We would pretty much assume that anyway, if he is able to exist without having a beginning.

What is God’s assessment of everything in its original state? It is very good. God is pleased with what he created. Later, in Genesis chapter 3, we find that sin and corruption enter the creation. But in its original form, it is all very good.

The triune God creates everything according to his good pleasure. This is to his glory.

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.

Genesis 12:1-9 - Lectionary for Lent 2A

3/7/2017

3/7/17
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 three-year lectionary.

Our Old Testament reading for this week is from Genesis 12:1-9. At this point in Genesis, the narrative, which has moved very quickly since the time of the Flood, slows down considerably. The passage of time seems much more concrete. I’ll pause for a moment to consider some scholarly ideas before digging very much into the content.

Some scholars consider Genesis 1-11 almost as a fictional pre-history. They notice that the way people’s lives are described are fairly vague. The passage of time doesn’t seem very concrete. Therefore, some decide that those early chapters are not rooted in fact. Many will consider them as simply a creation story which is similar to creation stories in some other cultures. I find these ideas lacking. There is no reason to hold that a universal flood and a scattering of peoples would not be a cultural recollection in various places around the world. The long life spans described would also suggest that there could be very clear living recollections, passed from parents to children, of real events. Simply because a fairly long period of time is not discussed in much detail is not reason to assume it didn’t happen. The Bible tends to focus on God’s preservation of a specific group of people through whom the Lord intends to bring redemption to a fallen world. The most significant people in this narrative would be those who survived the flood, then the people of the promise beginning with Abram.

Now, what do we see about Abram? His age of 75 doesn’t seem all that old to me any more. But he is certainly mature. He and his wife have had many years of their childbearing age, but have not had children. He comes from a center of culture and religion. There are writings in existence today from the place he was born, from the generation or generations before he was born. This man and his family is called by God to undertake a journey. They are promised a great inheritance, a land, and a people through whom all the world will be blessed.

Without any apparent angst or debate, he packs up his family and follows the call, going to a distant land far from home. However God revealed this promise, it was sufficient to convince him. He goes. And the place he goes to seems rather forbidding. If he is going to become a great nation, he will have to trust in God. He can’t do it himself. Without children, he really can’t do it himself.

God gives him a great promise. God will preserve him and will preserve a people through him. Those people will be a blessing to the whole world. As the story unfolds through the Scripture, we find that Jesus, the one who will save the world from sin, is a descendant of Abram. This is the fulfillment of the promise.

God makes many promises to his people. They will not all see the promises fulfilled. But God’s promises are absolutely real and reliable. As he calls his people, Christians, today, he uses them to be a blessing to the whole world. We don’t always know how that will happen. We are often in a hostile environment. We labor without always seeing the positive outcome that God has promised. But his promise is still present. May we have grace to take God at his word.

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.

Genesis 3:1-21 - Lectionary for Lent 1A

2/28/2017

2/28/17
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 three-year lectionary.

Genesis 3:1-21 is one of the foundational texts for understanding life in our world. It lays out the fall into sin. It discusses, in a nutshell, all that is wrong to this day. Before the passage we see a world where there is nothing but peace and harmony. All creation has been made by God’s word. It has been proclaimed good. The world, and specifically the people, hear the voice of God and live in accord with it.

Once the serpent begins speaking, and the people begin listening, everything goes wrong. We observe that the woman attempts to go beyond God’s word in order to defend against the falsehood that the serpent gives her. She denies what God has revealed, substituting her own wisdom. By her own reason she does what is against God’s command and is toxic to all humanity. Rather than being the one who leads his family, his original role, the man bows to the wisdom of his wife even though it goes against God’s command.

The people have been told that when they disobey they will die. Death has entered into the world. It is not natural to creation. It is natural to fallen creation. As God speaks with the serpent, the woman, and the man, it is clear that the one who brought sin into the world will be condemned. The world will endure pain and disappointment, though it is still God’s good creation. Death will reign.

As we look around us we see that our world is a great place to be. It is full of amazing things. Yet we are surrounded by the effects of the fall. We endure pain. We eventually suffer death. The patterns of the world aren’t as predictable as we would think. Some who seem innocent suffer and die. Some who don’t seem innocent are thriving. It’s all topsy turvy.

At the same time, God gives a great promise. He does it when he clothes the man and woman. As he kills one or more animal in order to provide clothes of skin, the man and woman are confronted with the reality of death, something they have never seen. They know that it is their sin which brought death. And it is the death of another on their behalf which is able to cover their sin and guilt. Their attempt at covering their guilt was to no avail. God alone is able to cover the guilt of sin, because he is the one who defines sin.

In the New Testament, this death of the animals on behalf of the people is fulfilled. Jesus, one who is completely human but who has no sin, dies on behalf of the people of this fallen world. It is his death which can cover our sin, as we trust in him. This is the hope of the world.

So we are given in Genesis 3 a clear description of all the root problems of the world and the redemption of the world. A very powerful passage indeed.

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.

Genesis 4:1-15 - Lectionary for Pentecost 23 C

10/18/2016

10/18/16
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 three-year lectionary.

Things look pretty grim in the world in Genesis chapter 4. Not only have the first people been cast out of the Garden due to their sin, but now the children Cain and Abel, apparently at least mostly grown, have a conflict. Notice that they both seem to know how to make sacrifices and offerings to God. They have been taught. Yet somehow Cain’s offering is not pleasing to God. We do not know why. We are simply told that it is not pleasing.

Possibly moved by jealousy, Cain is angered and kills his brother. We would expect this to be the very end of Cain. Yet God’s judgment upon him and God’s confrontation of his actions is such that Cain is moved to ask for God’s protection. What happens? The same God who covers Adam and Eve’s sin in chapter 3 puts a mark on Cain by which nobody will harm him. Despite his evil, despite his violence, Cain is protected.

We notice that this protection of God is despite Cain’s evil. Cain did nothing to redeem himself. He merely begged for mercy. Is this unjust of God? Does it mean that God protects evildoers? In a certain way it is. God has deferred condemnation against the guilty Cain. He has interrupted his destruction of evil. He has interposed his grace.

May the Lord likewise see our evil and the way we justly deserve condemnation. As he sent his Son to bear our sin and be our savior, may we look to his forgiveness.

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.