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Mark 4:35-41 - Lectionary for Pentecost 5B

6/21/2018

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6/21/18
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.

Jesus’ actions, as reported in the Gospels, are sometimes very intimidating. The Evangelists are apparently persuaded that Jesus is, in fact, divine. He certainly acts upon that assumption. This account, which we should be reminded was written during the time period when there were still living eyewitnesses of the resurrection of Christ, and was apparently written by a companion of one of the people in the boat with Jesus, is no different.

I’d like us to notice quickly that Jesus, after working very hard, was tired. He was tired enough to be asleep in a boat, pitching on the water, probably with a bit of commotion as the fishermen guiding the boat were becoming fearful for their lives. This was no pleasure cruise. The fishermen were familiar with boats and with these waters. They knew when to be afraid they would drown.

It’s amazing how we sanitize Jesus and let him take a little nap because he isn’t good at rowing. On the contrary, he is bone tired and sleeping because he is exhausted. He is familiar with hardship. No matter how hard we work, and many times we work hard, we are no more exhausted than he. He knows our weakness.

When the apostles awaken Jesus, they awaken him with an accusation. They think he doesn’t care for them and that he is letting them go to their deaths! Nobody has ever awakened me in the middle of the night by asking me why I don’t care and am trying to bring on his death for him. I’m not sure how I would react to that. I would probably smack the person as an idiot and then grumble over losing some sleep.

That isn’t what Jesus does. What does he do? He goes and acts like God. He doesn’t smack the wind and the waves. That won’t do anything. He rebukes them. This is a very divine thing to do. But the one who created all things by his word (Genesis 1) is also able to govern them that way. When you or I go outside and tell the weather to change it is utterly unresponsive. But when Jesus tells the wind and waves they don’t have permission to kill his disciples just yet, they obey. In retrospect, this is consistent with the idea I opened with. Jesus seems to act like he thinks he is God. And all creation responds as if he’s right.

One last idea and I’ll quit. Jesus doesn’t let his disciples off the hook. They were accusing him of sending them to their death. He is the one who said, in verse 35, they should go across the lake. That’s exactly what he intended. And if Jesus plans to cross the lake, they will get across the lake. Jesus points out to his disciples that he will make sure they get to the destination. They are, after all, with him. They may not understand how he’s going to do it. They haven’t foreseen all the obstacles on the route. But he’s going to finish what he started. Again, this is consistent with the Jesus pattern that we see throughout the Bible. When he says he will do something, he always does it, even if it’s something impossible for us. He’s the ultimate credible witness.

The disciples are rebuked for their lack of faith. What happens then? He doesn’t fire them. He doesn’t toss them out of the boat, take the boat himself, and leave them behind. He doesn’t distance himself from them in any way. He has corrected them and they are corrected. There’s restoration.

How have we failed God? Not in any way that will prevent forgiveness and restoration. God’s mercy doesn’t give us a free pass to complain about him. But it does mean that whenever we are conscious of our sin and failure He will bring forgiveness. He’s able to do that also. He said so.

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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2 Corinthians 6:1-13 - Lectionary for Pentecost 5B

6/20/2018

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6/20/18
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.

This week’s Epistle reading, from 2 Corinthians 6:1-13, is especially timely. Christians in my country are opposed by an increasingly hostile cadre of secularists. News and social media have exploded in recent years over ideas which would be utterly uncontroversial within my adult memory.

For instance, when a corporation was found to have a policy saying that they didn’t want to offer an employee benefit package covering certain birth control products which, in their opinion, had a potential for causing harm to already conceived unborn children, they were assaulted both legally and socially. They were portrayed as a totalitarian organization which didn’t wish to allow their employees to have health care. Actually, they had a small handful of contraceptive options which they didn’t want to provide through their insurance coverage, although employees were certainly free to obtain them without the benefit of the insurance.

Another company was assaulted when their founder and CEO said that he thinks marriage is a matter for one man and one woman. This view had nothing to do with corporate policy or their business of selling fast food. The company promptly found itself the center of attention for holding a controversial view which has been held by virtually every people group for almost the entire history of the world.

On a daily basis I view social media statements, some of them which even feature correct spelling and grammar, showing a fascinatingly shallow understanding of the nuance of Christian doctrine and suggesting that Christians are hateful and bigoted people who simply want to crush all good out of the world. If you consider the two paragraphs immediately above this one, you will note that in the one case the Christian point of view was that human life is valuable even when that human life is still microscopic. In the other case, the Christian point of view was that marriage, as it has been historically conceived and has been proven to be a positive social force in study after study is a good thing and that in one person’s opinion it shouldn’t be redefined. Somehow these don’t seem like messages of hate to me.

How is this related to Paul’s message to the Corinthians? They live in a culture which can only be described as libertine. They have heard the positive and verifiable claims of Christianity. By faith in Jesus, who alone can bear their sins and atone for them, who is the only one capable of taking sin away and making eternal forgiveness and restoration to the true God, they can inherit an eternal hope. They can live a life as those who are restored and will bring peace and hope to their community. Paul asks how this can possibly be bad news. He pleads with the Corinthians not to reject the message. Despite their hostility toward him and his Christian message, the apostolic group has not rejected the Corinthians. The Corinthians are rejecting the only valid hope they can have.

Another theme which emerges in our current culture is that of rejecting Christianity because followers of Christ have shown themselves to be sinners in need of forgiveness. Paul lists many ways that Christians have shown the power of God’s grace. Among other things, they work hard, they receive affliction, they have been beaten and imprisoned for their faith, they have gone without basic necessities of life, they have sought to be pure, wise, patient and kind despite opposition.

In no way am I suggesting that everyone should pile hatred and hardship on Christians to make sure they are genuine. No, that happens enough in this world. What I am suggesting is that a whole lot of good is done in this world by followers of Jesus. They are the ones who do things like found orphanages, schools, and hospitals. They are the people who have always been at the forefront of fighting hunger, oppression, tyranny, and injustice. Why would they do that? It’s not because they are such very good people. On the contrary. The Christian realizes our propensity to sin. The Christian realizes how evil evil really is. The Christian realizes how fallen the world is. And the Christian knows a way of hope in eternity through Christ. There’s much to be learned about fighting evil with good, a concept that came from Paul’s letter to the Romans, an idea which is just as revolutionary today as it was in the first century.

Let’s don’t go rejecting Christ, the only valid hope we have in this life and the next.

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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Job 38:1-11 - Lectionary for Pentecost 5B

6/19/2018

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6/19/18
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.

Job 38:1-11  depicts God as an eyewitness of the beginning of creation. It describes him as the truly eternal God, existing before anything else existed, bringing it into being, paying attention to all the intricate details of creation, and doing it all so as to bring forth shouts of joy and delight.

A purely naturalistic worldview struggles to explain the incredible complexity of the created order. Even if we grant the possibility that macroevolution could occur, the number of steps necessary to pull together even a single celled organism which would function properly require an unbelievable amount of time. To envision all this happening by accident is beyond belief. In comparison, a biblical view of a transcendent and preexistent God who created everything in an intelligent manner makes a tremendous amount of sense.

What is truly amazing about the description we find in Job, however, is not the creation or the eternity of God. It’s the little question in verses 6-7 (CSV). “Who laid its cornerstone while the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” The answer is obvious. It’s God. But what of the circumstances? The morning stars are a choir singing for joy. The heavenly hosts, angels all, are shouting in joy that God has created the universe and all that is in it. All creation brings forth joy, because it sings of the wisdom and knowledge of God. It proclaims his intelligence. It mirrors his glory. It survives because of his mercy.

Christians sometimes have a reputation for being indifferent stewards of the planet. That isn’t a good biblical view, though all too often it is the view we will take. Rather, when we consider all creation, we should be moved to acknowledge the Creator, knowing that the Lord has made it all for his glory and praise.

For those who wish to deny the existence of God, the burden of proof is still upon you. Can you give compelling evidence of such a complex system springing into being without an intelligent creator? Please do so. Until you can, we’d best recognize the very simple idea that an all-powerful all-wise God created and sustains it all.

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

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Psalm 124 - Lectionary for Pentecost 5B

6/18/2018

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6/18/18
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 Psalm for this week, Psalm 124, speaks to the power of the real God to deliver real people out of real danger. Over the generations, the people of Israel have endured many dangers. They have been invaded by enemies, attacked physically, spiritually, and economically, even taken captive en masse and deported into the lands of their conquerors. It would see that this small nation would have passed from existence several times over. However, time after time, the people of Israel have returned from their captivity. They escape.

The Psalmist gives all the credit for these escapes to the LORD, the one true God of all. He is the one who has been on the side of Israel. For this reason, he says in verse six, “Blessed be the LORD, who has not let us be ripped apart by their teeth” (CSV). God’s glory is shown by his mercy demonstrated to his people.

Granted, we don’t ever have definitive knowledge of a “what if.” We truly don’t know what would have happened, given a different set of circumstances. But we do know this. The mercy of God shown to his people throughout history is impressive. There have been many times when all signs would suggest collapse and destruction. Yet God has always retained a remnant of the people He chose in Abraham to be a blessing to every nation.

In our current age, when it seems there is an air of hostility to all sorts of religions, but especially to Christianity, are we prepared to trust that the Lord will not abandon his people? Adopted by grace through faith in Christ, we can stand firm in the confidence that God has not changed. He is still the Lord who rescues people, just as he has always done in the past.

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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