Category: Lectionary - Wittenberg Door Campus Ministry

John 1:19-28 - Lectionary for Advent 4

12/19/2019

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.

Philippians 4:4-7 - Lectionary for Advent 4

12/18/2019

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.

Psalm 111 - Lectionary for Advent 4

12/17/2019

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.

Deuteronomy 18:15-19 - Lectionary for Advent 4

12/16/2019

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.

Matthew 11:2-11 - Lectionary for Advent 3

12/12/2019

12/12/19
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 words and deeds of Christ are controversial, as they have been since the time of John the Baptizer’s imprisonment. John’s question to Jesus in Matthew 11:2-11 is whether Jesus is really the Messiah. Jesus’ answer is that John has to make up his own mind. What are the works of Jesus? How do they compare with what John knows of the Messiah. He is healing, even raising the dead, and he is preaching good news to the poor. Are these the works of the Messiah?

These are the works of the Messiah. But Jesus is not the Messiah that some cultures want. After all, by some accounts he should have crushed the Roman government, that bunch of oppressive and hateful people. Maybe he should have given free money and food to all who wanted it. At least it would have been nice if he had healed all sicknesses forever and made it so nobody would ever sin against me again forever. If Jesus was going to usher in a new order of the ages, at least he could have done it the way my imagination would prefer.

This is just the problem we have with all the biblical prophets and other leaders, all the way up to Christ, who showed himself to be God the Son, savior of the world, conqueror of sin, death, and the grave. They don’t do things the way we wanted them to. John was still beheaded in prison. Jesus heals people and they get sick again. They even die! The poor are still among us. For all the preaching about peace, we live in a world of war. What’s going on with all this?

Jesus points out to his listeners that they also didn’t recognize John the Baptizer for what he was. They thought he was some sort of oddball, and really he was, but he was a prophet who would point people to God. In the final analysis, when we try to understand God’s work in terms of our momentary temporal existence in a sin-cursed world, we don’t normally manage the task. This is why we need God’s perspective, as He has delivered it to us in the Scripture. We are then prepared to look through God’s eyes and see that Jesus is rescuing people from sin, death, and an eternity of penalty by grace through faith, delivering them into eternal life. We can see those around us as God sees them, as people who are laboring underneath the weight of the curse of sin and who cannot rescue themselves. We can bring the Gospel - good news of forgiveness, life, and salvation - to the least and the greatest of those surrounding us. We begin to see that Jesus is accomplishing the will of God the Father and that we are along for the ride.

We, like John, may still be imprisoned. We may sometimes lose sight of what God has done in Christ. At those times we are reminded, as was John, that Jesus is doing the work of the Messiah. He is reconciling the world to himself.

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.

1 Corinthians 4:1-5 - Lectionary for Advent 3

12/11/2019

12/11/19
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.

I’ve had discussions, if you can call them that, more frequently of late than usual, with people who level charges against what they think Christianity is. Perhaps that is indicative of our culture in general, perhaps not. Yet regardless, our Epistle reading from 1 Corinthians 4:1-5 speaks to the attitude underneath these discussions.

The apostle tells us that we are “servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God” (v. 1, ESV). The Christian is not a servant of the culture, nor of history, nor of his own or anyone else’s opinion. He is a servant of Christ. As well as we can determine the will of the Savior, based on Scripture, which is our definitive revelation, we serve Jesus’ priorities. We follow His commands. Does Jesus say to love and serve our neighbors? Yes, He does. So what do we do? We love and serve our neighbors, both those who seem worthy to us and those who seem unworthy. Does Jesus say exactly how we serve our neighbors? No, He doesn’t. Does Jesus specifically define who our neighbors are? He illustrates it as being the person we are in contact with and who is in need. That leaves the doors wide open for us to wrestle with situations where those we are in contact with have differing and competing needs. As servants of Christ, we do what we are able to, as well as we understand the situation, and we trust that He will make it clear to us when we need to change course.

What does a steward of the mysteries of God do? He cares for those things that we don’t understand. To throw a little theological terminology around, we frankly can’t understand how substitutionary atonement works. We also can’t understand how water along with the promises of God would forgive sins. We really can’t explain Jesus being truly, physically, substantially, and essentially present in consecrated bread and wine. These are mysteries. We can describe them, but we really can’t explain them. A steward doesn’t have to explain something. He simply takes care of it and makes sure it is present and available for use when the master wants to use it.

Back to those alleged discussions. They are alleged discussions because the assailant in the encounter doesn’t actually wish to discuss anything. He or she wants to make accusations which are rarely based on actual facts. The discussions are rather like giving testimony about why I didn’t stop beating my wife (I couldn’t stop because I never started). The encounters are uniformly about “Christianity” but pertain to issues which are not central to Christian faith or practice. They presuppose that Christianity is a social invention intended to bring the force of oppression on certain groups of people in order to exploit them. They have nothing to do with Christ crucified for sinners and raised from the dead to deliver justification to all who believe on him.

In response to a spiritual mugging, what do we do? We hold firmly to the faith delivered to us in Scripture, bringing honor to Christ, the author and finisher of our salvation, the one who will come as the righteous judge of all. Those who actually want to receive the riches of God in Christ are free to do so. We trust that those whose hearts are opened by the Holy Spirit will become partakers of his riches alongside us.

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.

Psalm 85 - Lectionary for Advent 3

12/10/2019

12/10/19
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.

Would you like to be in good company? I mean really, really good company! In Psalm 85, appointed for this third week of Advent, we read in verses 10-11, “Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other. Faithfulness springs up from the ground, and righteousness looks down from the sky” (ESV). Where are God’s people? They are right in the middle of this meeting. They are getting kissed from both sides at once, like my granddaughters do. Sometimes we have built a “hug sandwich” where the beloved one is the cheese and the parents or grandparents are the bread.

The Christian, redeemed by God’s loving sacrifice on behalf of sinners, has suddenly been placed in the middle of this loving melee! We’re stuck between faithfulness and righteousness. We’re right in the middle of righteousness and peace. We’re being run over by love and faithfulness from opposite sides. There’s no escaping God’s mercy.

Does it always seem like we are in this position? Not at all, nor did it for the Psalmist. In verses 4-7 we cry out for restoration, for God to lay down his indignation, for his anger to go away, for his salvation to be shown. We often find ourselves in a place of fear and doubt.

But God . . .

Our Lord has come, born of a virgin, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, at the right time, in the right place, not clinging to his divine kingly authority but suffering as one of us, to bring us to God. He knows that we aren’t able to live that sinless life. He knows that we won’t keep God’s law perfectly. He knows that we are ultimately powerless to redeem ourselves.

But God . . .

puts in the middle of that cosmic pile-up, treats us with his favor, and redeems us out of all sin and death for eternal life. Thanks be to 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.

Isaiah 40:1-11 - Lectionary for Advent 3

12/9/2019

12/9/19
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.

As we move into the second half of the Advent season, our readings turn to a hopeful kind of peace, still driven by the promise of the coming of the Lord. In Isaiah 40:1-11, we are told of the comfort to be spoken to God’s people. Their trouble is coming to an end. There’s no need to fear, because God is on his way.

Some years ago I saw a series of billboards trying to encourage people to turn to God in faith. Actually, that isn’t quite right. They were trying to scare people to turn to God in faith. They asked questions such as, “How will you answer when God asks you what you did for the least of His people?” One of them, with virtually no graphic, just a stark black background, said, “Don’t make me come down there.” - God - How different this is from the picture we are given in Isaiah. What will happen when God comes down here? His arm rules, he sends his reward, he gathers his lambs, he carries them, he leads those with young. Oh, I want God to come down here. I need to be guided. I look forward to a reward. I am identified in Scripture as a sheep that needs his leadership, and he is the good and gentle leader. We don’t try to scare people into God’s kingdom. No, when we confront our world with the truth, it is frightening enough. These people are scared. They need to confront their fear and be confronted with the fact that they really ought to be scared to death in sin and shame, but that Jesus insisted on dying in their place.

Is God still coming to end the world? Yes. He says that the grass withers, the flowers die, but his word, which gives life, will endure. May we decrease and God increase. Come, Lord Jesus.

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.

Luke 21:25-36 - Lectionary for Advent 2

12/5/2019

12/5/19
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 historic one-year lectionary.

Our Gospel reading in Luke 21:25-36 is regularly used as a warning, and it should be. The coming of Christ to judge the world will be, by all accounts, very frightening. It will bring distress, international tumult, the heavens will be shaken, and all manner of other terrifying things are predicted to happen. The Bible speaks in graphic terms about rather a lot of ways people will be able to die at that time.

Christians, however, need to ask whether this is a scene which should inspire terror. In fact, it is not. Where is the terror in all this for the Christian? Jesus is coming and he is going to take his people to be with him. All who believe on Jesus will be considered as righteous as He is in the final judgment. If we are parted from our bodily life in the process, at that time we will be part of the resurrection, nearly immediately. There’s no fear in that either. If we are not parted from our bodily life, we are told that we will be caught up to be with him. There’s still no place for fear, though there is a very large place for amazement and wonder.

The Christian, in hope of the resurrection, is not a fearful person. Now I admit that I have fears, like anybody else. I had a frank discussion about some fears with a couple of relatives at a family gathering recently. No, I’m not going to tell you what my irrational fears are, nor what theirs are. We all agreed that they were irrational and that we have created coping mechanisms to deal with them. For the person who is not believing in Jesus, fears surrounding the end of life should be very real. But for the Christian the fears are actually not reasonable. We are not to needlessly endanger our lives in the sure and certain hope of the resurrection, but we have no fear about meeting God.

Our response, rather than fear, is to be watchful. There are going to be signs that Jesus is getting ready to come. Some of those signs seem to be with us rather a lot, but they have been with us for millennia as well. The comfort in that is that Jesus has been getting ready to come, and he will do so, at the right time, on his own terms, and he will then gather all his people to himself. As we watch we gain confidence. Yes, Jesus is coming soon. Glory to 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.

Romans 15:4-13 - Lectionary for Advent 2

12/4/2019

12/4/19
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.

This week’s Epistle, from Romans 15:4-13, calls the Romans to receive each other as Christ has received them. In our postmodern West, this sort of call receives praise, especially from theologically progressive people as well as from those who take joy in deriding Christianity. “After all,” they say, “those killjoy Christians think you can reject some people even though Christ welcomes everyone.” This line of reasoning quickly becomes a warrant to reject all calls to repentance and forgiveness, the heart and center of the Christian message. On the contrary, these voices would like us to say that everything is all right and that as long as you are a welcoming person (welcoming according to their definition, which changes frequently), there’s no place for a change in lifestyle, ethics, or beliefs. Everything goes.

The apostle Paul doesn’t fall for that kind of logic, not for a moment. He goes on to describe how Christ has welcomed people. And how is that? By showing God’s truth. By calling people to receive God’s mercy, which specifically implies a condition requiring mercy. By ruling over Jew and Gentile alike, conforming them all into God’s image. Jesus’ welcome is for everyone, yes. But Jesus’ welcome is a transforming kind of welcome. He calls all people, not just some, to repent of their reliance on themselves and their own righteousness, to trust in his mercy, and to believe he is able to deliver them from sin and every evil. God’s welcome redeems people so as to forgive them and change their lives. Our welcome is to be just the same.

What, then, is our prayer during this season of Advent? That we may be God’s instruments to bring the redeeming love of Christ into every situation, calling our world to prepare themselves for the coming of the Lord. Even so, come quickly, Lord.

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.

Psalm 50:1-15 - Lectionary for Advent 2

12/3/2019

12/3/19
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 historic one-year lectionary.

What do you give someone who already has everything? Something to put it in. In our reading from Psalm 50 God presents himself as the one who does already have everything. His people have been making offerings before him, consistent with God’s command. In verse eight He doesn’t rebuke them for their offerings. But he doesn’t accept the offerings, either. At issue is the fact that the people seem to think they are giving God something He needs. We hear this idea all the time. It’s just as wrong now as it was back then.

Maybe if we give to God’s work more generously from our finances, He will open the floodgates of heaven and bless us with more money! If we gather enough people to pray, maybe God will actually listen! If we humble ourselves as well as Christ humbled himself, then we will be exalted like Christ was exalted! All these ideas suggest that God needs something, that he is not complete in himself.

The fact is, if God is not complete in himself, if he needs anything else to be complete, he is not the true God of all. He would be some sort of cheap imitation, like all the other gods of the world, who don’t possess their own cattle, know all the birds, and own all the beasts of the fields.

What is the real issue in this Psalm? God is calling his people to trust him, and reminding them that their offerings are to come from their love and trust in him. Our relationship with God is not based on what we can bring or give, but on who God is and what He has brought into the world - - - everything there is. For this reason we bring him offerings, we give him praise, we honor him in all. He shows himself to be the Lord of all. It’s because God is worthy, not because we have a gift worthy of him. We can’t even give God something to put it all in. We simply call on God in the day of trouble, then find that he knew about it and has taken care of it. He is the mighty and loving Lord of 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.

Malachi 4:1-6 - Lectionary for Advent 2

12/2/2019

12/2/19
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.

For several years I have worked with the three year lectionary, which has this reading near the end of the Church year, so I made comments on it just a few weeks ago. Not surprisingly, there is nothing particularly new to say about our passage of Scripture from Malachi 4:1-6. However, let’s make a few observations. In the last day, the sun will rise. What is this sun that arises? Like the sun in our world, it is able to do a couple of different things, depending on the circumstances of the one receiving it.

For those who are disobedient, not trusting in the Lord as revealed in Scripture, the sun will be the heat source in a burning oven. It will not only heat things up, but it will be like the element on the “clean” cycle of the oven. All that is not of faith will be burned up, reduced to ash. God gives a clear and terrifying warning here. All who read and hear it are called to turn to God as he has revealed himself in Scripture “lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction” (v. 6, ESV). The deadly, burning sun is due to rise. Those who are not trusting in God through Christ should consider themselves warned. There will be no stopping of God’s judgment.

For those who are trusting the Lord as revealed in Scripture, the sunrise will bring healing, warmth, comfort, and nurture. Just as the sunshine causes plants to grow and gives light, warmth, and cheer, God’s people, identified by their trust in Him, will find they can walk before Him, seeing clearly. This is the sun of righteousness, rising with healing!

What’s the difference? It is the same sun. It is the same day of judgment which comes from God. The difference is in how we look to God, the source of light. As we are looking at him through faith in Christ, we are perfectly secure. Otherwise, God promises that it will be a day of doom. How do we treat this warning? May we have grace not to scoff at God’s warning. He keeps his promises. I pray that He will use this passage of Scripture to draw many closer to him in trust, as He has in the past. Let us heed God’s counsel in this, as in all things.

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.

Matthew 21:1-9 - Lectionary for Advent 1

11/28/2019

11/28/19
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 for Advent 1, from Matthew 21, shows a coming of Christ, as He enters Jerusalem, with a donkey, a sign of a humble and gentle king, not one coming in war. Jesus has apparently made arrangements beforehand, though they seem to be news to his disciples. The donkey and her colt are available for Jesus. Instead of leading the donkey, as a healthy man would, Jesus is seated on her. This is a sign of honor, as also are the cloaks and branches laid on the road. It was a sign of great importance for a man to walk on a rug or garments, rather than on the ground. The crowds further emphasize their reception of Jesus, shouting out, identifying him as the Son of David, not only the rightful king but also as the one who comes in God’s name. This is more than a kingly welcome. It is the welcome you would give to God.

The arrival in Jerusalem of Jesus is precisely that. God has come to dwell among His people. He has come as the humble, righteous, and merciful Son of David. He has come to rescue his people from the tyranny of the false kings. He has come in peace to overthrow worldly power. Matthew further notes that he has done it to fulfill the prophecy. As always, Matthew shows Jesus as the one who fulfills the requirements and predictions of God’s words. He is the mighty Lord who accomplishes all that has been written of him. He is the savior.

In this season of Advent, our prayer is that Jesus would show himself as the same kind of king in our lives, that he would come to us as the gentle but mighty king, and that he would rule in our hearts and lives as well. Hosanna to the King. Thanks be to 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.

Romans 13:8-14 - Lectionary for Advent 1

11/27/2019

11/27/19
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.

“Love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:10b, ESV). This sounds so easy, but in reality it is deadly difficult. How do we love one another? Just a verse earlier, the apostle Paul told us how, by summarizing what we might call the ethical law. God has given commandments, cited here, about adultery, murder, theft, and covetousness. He then sums up those commands by telling us to love one another. Yet we don’t love one another by simply allowing everyone to do whatever seems like a good idea at the moment. We don’t love one another by encouraging people that if it feels good it’s all right. There’s a fundamental dignity to a society made of people who are created in God’s image. An important part of loving one another is guarding dignity for all those people.

This is, or at least should be, at the root of Christian striving for moral and ethical behavior. When we do whatever we can to protect the institution of marriage, we are helping to safeguard the dignity of those who are married, as well as those who are not married, as they may be tempted toward adultery. When we try to protect life from conception to natural death, we are helping protect people from being murdered, as well as to protect some from becoming murderers. There’s a natural human dignity which deserves protection, and certainly the unborn and some elderly or seriously ill people are not in a position to protect that dignity. When we insist that property rights are property rights, we are guarding against theft, whether by neighbors, strangers, or governments. When we try to bring hope and cheer to those who have little, or when we try to show contentment with what we have we are guarding against the harm done to ourselves and others by covetousness. All this can be seen as a way of loving our neighbors.

Christians are often mocked for attitudes which seem stodgy or prudish. Fine! Yet I encourage everyone to think about how those attitudes can be for the good of our neighbor. We love and serve our neighbors by showing the dignity which we are persuaded God has shown us, a sense of order which will be good for everyone who lives in this fallen world. A little love and respect goes a long way!

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.

Psalm 24 - Lectionary for Advent 1

11/26/2019

11/26/19
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 season of Advent is a time of preparation. In our Psalm for this week, Psalm 24, we are asked who could go up to the hill of the Lord. Only the one who is pure in heart, with clean hands. The righteous go up to the Lord, no unrighteous need apply.

Christians can be moved either to self-righteousness or despair by this idea. How will I approach the Lord? With clean hands and a pure heart. One of our natural conclusions is that we are impure. We sin against God in grievous ways. We have not kept His commands. We have sinned in what we have done and in what we have left undone. We run into exactly the same problem in 1 John, especially in chapter two, where we are told that the Christian walks as Christ walked, that we love our brothers perfectly, and that we don’t love the things of the world. In these things we stand condemned. What hope is there?

Perhaps then we turn to the other end of the spectrum. God has received me, therefore I am able to ascend the hill of the Lord. It doesn’t matter what I do. All is well. God loves sinners. I love to sin. It’s a great arrangement! But that falls short as well. Deep in my heart I realize that I have fallen short of God’s commands. That won’t work either.

What’s the solution? Who ascends to the mountain of the Lord? Jesus, the Christ, who has clean hands and a pure heart. He is the one who is perfectly acceptable in the eyes of God the Father. What good does this do for me? It does the same good for me that we read about in 1 John. In chapter one of 1 John we are told that as we confess our sins we are cleansed, completely, entirely, from all sin and evil. In the perfect righteousness of Christ, then, not in our own righteousness, which is sinful and corrupt, we approach God. We are brought to His holiness through faith in Christ. For this reason, and this reason alone, we receive the blessing God has promised to His people. It is about Jesus’ righteousness on our behalf, imputed to us. This is our hope and our joy. Therefore we are brought up the mountain of the Lord, dressed in Christ’s righteousness, to the glory of His holy name. Thanks be to 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.

Jeremiah 23:5-8 - Lectionary for Advent 1

11/25/2019

11/25/19
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.

Jeremiah 23:5-8 shows a fundamental shift in the concept of God’s deliverance. It’s one we would do well to wrap our heads around. In the day when God raises up the “righteous Branch” (v. 5), the one Christians understand to be Jesus, we begin thinking of God’s rescue not from something but rather to something.

The people of Israel were always focused on the Exodus. God rescued His people out of Egypt. He brought them across the Red Sea, out of the place of bondage, away from the tyranny of the Egyptians. This was the theme of cultural unification for all of Israel. They were the people who had been taken out, for whom the Exodus had happened.

In the day Jeremiah speaks of, the people are no longer focused on being taken out of bondage in Egypt, but on being brought into the place of promise. This message would speak very clearly to Jeremiah’s original audience. As we recall, Jeremiah was a prophet working in Jerusalem after it had been occupied by the Babylonians. The city was in ruins, it was surrounded by hostile forces, it was full of famine and disease. The city of God was in shambles. And at that time, Jeremiah, looking to the future, said God would raise up the branch of David, the one who would sit on the throne in the eternal kingdom God promised to David. This one, whom Christians identify as Jesus, would bring the people into the land where they belong, out of all the countries where they were before.

Christianity, as described especially in Acts, draws people from all nations together, placing them into a new fellowship, a new nation, if you will. They have landed, through Christ, in His kingdom. It’s the place where they belong.

Christians, then, look to Christ as the one who rescues them from the bondage of sin and evil, but more than that, they look to Christ as the one who places them into His righteousness, His peace, the fellowship with one another, the community of faith, and the eventual promise of an eternal home. We see Jesus as the one who brings us TO something, much more than the one who brings us FROM something. In this, Jeremiah’s prophecy is fulfilled. God gathers His people into the kingdom of the righteous Branch of David. He calls all nations together into this eternal kingdom, the kingdom of His loving deliverance.

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.

Luke 23:27-43 - Lectionary for Last Sunday of the Church Year, Series C

11/21/2019

11/21/19
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.

When Jesus was crucified, he was not alone. He was abandoned by almost all his followers. The leaders of Israel mocked him. The soldiers abused him. Even one of the two people who were executed with him was insulting him. He was not alone at all. Rather, he was surrounded by scorn and hatred. Christians understand this to be part and parcel of Jesus bearing the sin of the world. Sin is an ugly thing and there was plenty to be poured out on Jesus. He went willingly to his death, never defending himself.

What glimmer of light do we find in the very somber events of that Friday afternoon? Jesus would not defend himself, but one of the thieves being executed did. He called out to Jesus for mercy and forgiveness, though he admitted his own sin and shame. What response did he receive from Jesus? A simple promise. He would join Jesus in paradise that day.

Jesus, by his death, gathers all who ask his forgiveness to join him in paradise. His promise was made, not only for the dying thief, but for all who call out to Him. Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. His response is a declaration of mercy. His promise is true. His call? Come join me in paradise.

Thanks to Jesus, death’s power is broken. It is not a fearful thing to those who trust him. It is a time of hope and comfort. Though we die, yet we will live, because Jesus has gone before us into paradise. He is not alone. Neither are we.

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.

Colossians 1:13-20 - Lectionary for Last Sunday of the Church Year, Series C

11/20/2019

11/20/19
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.

We live in a highly mobile society. People change jobs frequently and, even while working for the same employer, it is very common to stay in one position for a while, then seek a transfer. Maybe it is a promotion, maybe a parallel shift. After a few years, though, most of us start thinking a transfer would be good. Over the years I have also spoken with many people who have shifted from one church congregation to another, even from one church body to another, seemingly with little thought about the theological orientation of either church body! Apparently, we are eager for a transfer.

There is one transfer we want to be very aware of. That is the subject of our Epistle reading in Colossians 1:13-20. Here, God has transferred us from darkness into Christ’s kingdom. It’s the transfer we never want to change. Once gathered together in Christ, we stay there. Although there may be countless roles for us in Christ’s kingdom, we should never desire to leave. Why is that? To speak in the terms of corporate America, it isn’t the pay or even the working conditions, but it’s the boss and the benefit package He has arranged.

In verse 16 we read that Christ has created everything, including all those people and organizations we deal with. He, according to verse 18, is the rule of all. In verse 20, He is the one who has reconciled all to God by his own work. There’s peace, eternal peace and life, in Christ. Above all, we realize that our place in God’s kingdom is not due to our abilities or gifts, but that we were selected by Jesus himself. He gives us redemption, forgiveness of sins.

Do you want to be transferred to work for such a perfect boss and then have eternal peace and rest? It is yours as you trust that Jesus is who He said He is and that he has rescued and chosen you. That’s the transfer we want.

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.

Psalm 46 - Lectionary for Last Sunday of the Church Year, Series C

11/19/2019

11/19/19
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 three-year lectionary.

As we move into the end of the old year and into the new year, our readings look to the end of the world. In Psalm 46 we read of God as our refuge, a stronghold. When the day of judgment comes, all our world will seem out of order. The picture in verse two of a mountain thrown into the sea is a scene of terror. It’s similar to our modern idea of a meteor crashing into the sea - a big one. What destruction and terror we have when the end comes! In verse nine, God brings an end to war, but it is by destroying all the weapons of war. This in itself is a warlike action.

The fact is, people turn to God as a fortress because they have reason to be terrified. In the time of the end, God’s intervention will be quite forceful. Yet our Psalm reminds us that we can rest in God. In His presence there is peace (vv. 4-5). We can be still before Him (v. 10) because He is the one who is with us, not against us. He is the true protector of 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.

Malachi 3:13-18 - Lectionary for Last Sunday of the Church Year, Series C

11/18/2019

11/18/19
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 three-year lectionary.

What’s the use? We work and work, after seeing few measurable results. It’s a discouraging process. In the time of Malachi, God’s people were seeking the restoration of their nation after a time of captivity. They faced trial after trial. In Malachi 3:14-15 they ask why they should even try. The people of God have been speaking against God. All their effort seems futile, yet they are working as hard as they can. They assume God must be the one to blame. What will they do?

In verse 16 the people regroup. They speak with each other, and apparently pray to the Lord. He hears them and gives His promise. In the last day, the Lord will take them as His treasure. At that time they will be able to distinguish between the good and the evil.

In the final analysis, God is the only one who brings a hopeful result. He is still the reascuer of His people. The difference between good and evil will be clear, but it is based on their belief and trust in God, not their faithful works. There will be judgment and distinction. But those who have been faithful to the Lord will receive a reward. This 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.

Luke 21:5-36 - Lectionary for Pentecost 23C, Proper 28C

11/14/2019

11/14/19
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.

I was asked recently about the timing of “doomsday.” The questioner wondered because of an encouter she had had with someone worried about plans to implant microchips in people. Our reading from Luke 21:5-36 describes events which could reasonably provoke fear. The dispensationalism which has arisen to prominence in the United States holds that all the events of tribulation will happen in a very limited time.

This is an historical aberration. Until very recently, nearly all Christians have understood the seven years of tribulation as symbolic of a filling up of years. They see the time beginning in the early Christian period, coinciding with the work of the Holy Spirit in the Church, and coming to an end when Christ returns. With that in mind, what do we make of our passage from Luke? It describes our current age. In verse six the temple is destroyed, which happened in the year 70. We have often heard of people calling themselves deliverers. There are wars, riots, and other international conflicts, just as the passage describes. This is nothing new. Famine, disease, allegations of divine signs, people receiving persecution as Christians - none of it is new. God promises to guard His people to the very end. Our role is to watch in hope.

The world is a fallen place. It acts the part. When we see the signs of the fall we take courage. God is bringing the history of the world to a good conclusion. He keeps His people from all eternal harm.

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.

2 Thessalonians 3:1-13 - Lectionary for Pentecost 23C, Proper 28C

11/13/2019

11/13/19
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 Epistle reading for this week, from 2 Thessalonians 3:1-13, struck me in an unusual way as I reviewed it. I recently had a discussion with a young man who is often involved in heated debates with some people who are on the fringes of American culture. During our discussion I formed the impression that his concern for prayer could certainly be summed up in verses 1-2. In his case, some of the “wicked and evil men” would easily be seen as bearing hostile intent. In my typical settings, it is not so obvious. However, the picture the Bible paints of our world is that, since the events of Genesis chapter three, humanity as a whole has been at enmity with God, and, by extension, with God’s servants. In my country this is generally shown by an incredulity that anybody would seek out a lifestyle in conformity to the revealed will of God or that we would consider Scripture in context to be the authority for how life and culture works bets. This is ultimately as dangerous a situation as the overt hostility shown by a small number of people. It allows those ruled by a fallen nature to pass as normative and not harmed by the fall.

All unbelief in Christ is harmful. Falling prey to its deceptions is deadly in the end. How do we fight against this power of evil? Through prayer and trust that the faithful Lord will guard his creation, especially his people who believe in Him (verse 3). What is our prayer? According to verse five it is that our hearts will be conformed to God’s love and the steadfast nature of Christ’s redemption. It is this kind of stability that motivates countless people to love and serve their neighbors. It is this that sterngthens families, results in stable communities, and finally helps others find hope in God’s redeeming love through Christ.

Pray for us, that we may bring Jesus and His care to our lost and hurting world, no matter the setting we find ourselves in.

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.

Psalm 98 - Lectionary for Pentecost 23C, Proper 28C

11/12/2019

11/12/19
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.

Psalm 98 calls all creation to sing praises to the Lord. All creation - the earth, the sea, the rivers, the hills, and all the people too. This is a mighty chorus of praise! What reason is there for such an outcry? The Psalmist provides several reasons in the first few verses of the Psalm. In verse one, God “has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him” (ESV). The salvation of God is a big thing. After all, it seems quite impossible from our perspective to remove sin from somebody, especially without that person’s works of righteousness. Here, however, God works salvation for us. For this reason, we are called to sing God’s praises.

In verse two, God has made His salvation known by showing the nations His righteousness. I was recently talking with afriend who is having a little trouble wrapping her head around how big sin and salvation are. She took issue with the idea that we all sin, because she would rather think of the fact that we all make mistakes. Sin, I explained, is anything which falls short of God’s perfection. God shows us His righteous perfection. Then he shows us how he has given his life for all our sin, for all the times we are short of God’s perfection.

Third, in verse three, God “has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel” (ESV). He has shown his salvation all around the world.

For these reasons, God’s people sing praises to Him all the time. He has shown himself to be the savior, the redeemer of all his creation. We join the chorus of earth, sea, rivers, and hills calling out with God’s praises.

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.

Malachi 4:1-6 - Lectionary for Pentecost 23C, Proper 28C

11/11/2019

11/11/19
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.

Every so often, more often than I would like, I will see or hear a line of commentary that draws a very sharp distinction between the Old Testament and the New, regularly portraying the God of the Old Testament as a grumpy old man eagerly warming up to smite all humanity. On the other hand, the commentators depict Jesus as the all loving New Testament deity who really cares.

A careful reading of our Old Testament passage for this week, Malachi 4:1-6, should dispel those ideas. Verse one warns of a terrible destruction which is coming. The “arrogant and all evildoers” (ESV) are in deep, deep trouble. They will be cut down and then burned. Yet they have been warned. For generation after generation God has called everyone to trust in Him, not in any of our human wisdom or resources. Verse two shows the comfort and safety they can have, with righteous healing resulting in joyful cavorting like young cattle, overjoyed to go play in the pasture. God’s desire is to move people from verse one to verse two. Verse three, however, soberly reminds us that not all will believe. It will be a dreadful day because of those who reject God’s calling.

What is our reasonable reaction? In verse four we are told to remember God’s commands. They are for our good, for our preservation. And God has not just left us with a warning. Verses five and six speak of God’s work to turn hearts to righteousness, not only on an individual basis, but between generations. By God’s grace, people of many generations are called to repentance and faith, moving from verse one to verse two.

In the Old and New Testament alike, God lovingly calls His people to trust in Him as their only hope. If salvation is indeed by grace through faith, that call is the only truly loving thing to do.

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.

Luke 20:27-40 - Lectionary for Pentecost 22C, Proper 27C

11/7/2019

11/7/19
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 Gospel passage from Luke 20:27-40 shows a disconnect between Jesus and the Sadducees. We deal with the same kind of disconnects in today’s society. The Scripture has a particular way of looking at the created order and how the world works by God’s providence. Our fallen world has a very different set of ideas.

The issue the Sadducees ask about is one which is timely for us as well. It’s about the ultimate nature of the marital relationship. This is an issue which has come near to pulling American society apart in the past sixty years or so. The Sadducees wanted to view marriage as an eternal relationship and to use their earthly understanding of marriage as a proof that an eternal resurrection made no sense. Our secular world in America has tried to view marriage solely as a relationship of affection, thus not a picture of the relationship of Christ and the Church, as described in Ephesians chapter five. The outcome of this re-visioning of marriage is that it is easily contracted, easily broken, and does not have the exclusive elements such as man/woman, relational fidelity, and a lifelong covenant which has been accepted in definitions of marriage throughout much of history, and which mirror the biblical relationship of Christ and the Church.

Jesus’ response to the Sadducees is that they have misunderstood the nature of eternity and so have applied a temporal construct to the eternal situation. If our earthly marriages exist in the same way for eternity as they do in time, there’s going to be a whole lot of confusion. However, if their primary goal is to depict the redeeming love of Christ for His Church and the dependence of the Church on Chirst, there’s no eternal problem. The earthly marriage will pass away when the eternal reality is ushered in.

Marriage is good. Yet the goal of all our living and dying is eternity, in which marriage will pass away. That’s the true 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.