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Mark 10:35-45 - Lectionary for James the Elder

7/29/2021

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7/29/21
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.

James and John are a lot like the rest of us. In Mark 10:35-45 they want to have positions of honor in Christ's kingdom. This really shouldn't surprise us. After all, Jesus chose James and John to follow him. They are among his closest inner circle, along with Peter. They have left their former livelihood to follow a Messianic hope. When Jesus takes his throne, they would like him to remember them with positions of authority.

We're that way also. We talk really well about our desire to serve Jesus regardless of whether we receive a reward or not, but we'd like to be in a position of influence. We may say our career aspirations are to be faithful, but we frankly would be disappointed if that faithfulness didn't eventually result in having more authority than the person who just started in the career. We also wouldn't mind having pay raises and hopes of retirement. We want to be rewarded for what we do.

That's perfectly normal. However, Jesus shows a different way. He who would be great must be the servant of all. That's just what Jesus did. He laid down his life in love and service to his neighbor (all of humanity), accepting scorn, shame, pain, and finally death.

I guarantee you, if you work long enough in your career, you'll receive death as wel. You might not have the other issues, but given enough years, the result is death. Our life isn't tied up in the honor we may receive, the authority, the retirement plan, or any of the other things that may come along with our faithful service. It's tied up in Jesus, the Lord who lived and died for us. In fact, we'll probably receive the honor, authority, the pay raise, the bonus now and then if we are faithful with what we are doing. But Jesus is the one who makes it all work for good in this world. So he points us, along with James and John, to his eternity.

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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Romans 8:28-39 - Lectionary for James the Elder

7/28/2021

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7/28/21
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.

There's so much to focus on in Romans chapter 8, we could never exhaust it all. I want to focus on just one little portion today. It's easily overlooked. All things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose. 

Do all things work together for good? Not necessarily. For people who don't love God and who aren't living according to his purpose, they might not work for good. They might just work for evil!

Before anyone despairs, saying, "I thought I loved God but bad things have been happening in my life so maybe I don't actually love God!" let me point out that if you are concerned in this way, if you care what God may be saying to you or doing in your life, it is evidence that you do love God. We live in a sin-cursed world and we don't always see the way things work together for good.

What is God's purpose in this? It is in verse 29. He is busy conforming his people to his image. What does this mean? It means that Jesus, the one who loved us and who lived a life of perfect holiness, trusting God the Father in all things, is making us into people who are also in perfect fellowship with God. He wants to be "the firstborn among many brothers." This means he plans to raise you and me from the dead in the last day, made into the image of God, raised in his perfect righteousness.

At that time, not only will all things be working together for good for us, but we'll see them in action. His purpose will be finally accomplished.

In the meantime, we take courage from this passage. Can anything separate us from God's love in Christ? Nothing at all. He is working in us and in many others by his love to build us into the people he would have us be in eternity. It will all work.

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 56 - Lectionary for James the Elder

7/27/2021

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7/27/21
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.

It's easy to take a snippet of Scripture like Psalm 56:3-4 and use it as an easy platitude. Maybe we could go to the Avocation Foyer store or some such place and find it plastered on a picture of someone praying.

I don't want to undervalue the fear and trembling with which some people approach life on a daily basis. Some of it may be nearly invisible. Not all enemies are those described in the Psalm, people who are involved in attack, oppression, stalking, and attempted murder. The enemies, especially the spiritual enemies, who hide in our thoughts and our fears are genuine enemies as well. 

However, this Psalm addresses the fears we have of visible enemies who can be clearly defined due to their overt attempts to slander and kill. 

When the enemy comes to your house intent upon destroying the house and killing everyone in it, what is the godly response according to Psalm 56? It is not a response of fear. It may be a response of running out of the back door and hiding while the enemy comes in through the front door. But it isn't fear. 

Those enemies might be able to kill you. It's their intent. However, God's presence is greater than any enemy. He is the one who is worthy of praise. He's the one who can protect you from eternal harm. Even if they kill my body, I am perfectly safe in Christ, who has promised to be the resurrection and the life, the one who will raise my body and reunite it with my soul in eternity.

In God there is no fear. Whether the enemies are visible or invisible, there is no fear. He is able to keep us forever.

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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Acts 11:27-12:5 - Lectionary for James the Elder

7/26/2021

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7/26/21
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.

We often wonder what in the world our government officials might be thinking. Some of the reasoning that comes out in the form of laws or emergency actions seems bizarre at best. Yet it is nothing new.

In Acts 12 Herod had James arrested and killed. Verse one suggests this action was more or less a test, to see what people would think. Because it was a popular action among the Jews, he then arrested Peter. By this method, possibly he could present Peter to the people after Passover. Perhaps they would decide Peter should die. If not, Herod could look like the good guy who stopped Peter from being executed.

Political pragmatism is almost always a bad idea. It leads to division among the people. It makes leaders appear weak. It plants doubt in the minds of the public, and of other leaders, whether policies are actually heartfelt, whether promises mean anything, and to what level a leader will stoop so as to get his own way.

James the brother of John was executed. Yet there were other Christians who were able to take his place among the leaders of the Christians in Jerusalem. God's kingdom can't be stopped so easily. Moved by the arrests, the Christians gathered together to pray. When Peter was released from prison by supernatural means, he went "to another place" which is not specified. No doubt, he took the Gospel with him. So did all the Christians emboldened by the work of God.

No, Christ's kingdom can't be stopped very easily. It is an everlasting kingdom. Though James lost his earthly life, he was instrumental in gaining a heavenly reward for many others.

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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