Category: Trinity-1

Micah 7:18-20 - Lectionary for Trinity 3

6/22/2020

6/22/20
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.

What kind of a God is this Christian God? Our Old Testament reading from Micah 7 reflects on the fact that God tramples sins under foot, that he casts them into the sea. This looks on the surface as if it could be very bad news for us. Normally our actions of trampling something and throwing it away is not completely precise. For instance, when we find a part of the insect kingdom invading our home, one of the venomous insects or one that can tend to carry illnesses, we don’t simply remove the venom or clean up the infectious properties. We smash the critter and get rid of it. The whole thing.

What does God do with our sin? Is he going to trample us along with our sin? Is that our destiny? As I said, it looks like it could be bad news.

The good news is that God is able to distinguish between the sin which corrupts and kills us and the fact that we remain bearers of God’s image. He removes that sin from us, replacing it with his own righteousness. In this way he shows faithfulness and love. He pardons our iniquity. He passes over our transgression. He delights in love and compassion toward us.
Do we fear the outcome of a sinful life? We should. But when we are struck by that fear, we look to God the savior, the one who forgives our sins and purifies us in his love.

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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Luke 16:19-31 - Lectionary for Trinity 1

6/11/2020

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6/11/20
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 this week’s Gospel passage Jesus’ story of the rich man should set us back on our heels. It should surprise us, as many of us have become like the rich man. We are used to having all we need. We are used to ignoring some parts of society, especially those that look different, act different, and, yes, smell different from our ideals. The division between different cultures in my native country is growing sharper and sharper by the year, especially evident in the past thirteen to fifteen years, as different groups have grown more hostile toward one another. Many would rather the people who are different from themselves would just go away, or just die.

What does Jesus say in this passage? First, what he does NOT say. The rich man is not excluded from heavenly bliss due to his riches. The poor man is not included in heavenly bliss due to his poverty. That would contradict many other passages of Scripture. Most notably, we recall that Abraham was a very rich man, and he is in the place of bliss. It isn’t about money. The passage also makes no condemnation of rich people using their riches. The clothing and feasting of the rich man is never spoken against. His lack of care for his neighbor is, as the poor man would like what falls from the table but is unable to get it. The household dogs presumably are treated well, but the poor man, to think in terms of the culture I live in, finds the trash cans are kept locked up.

Now, what does Jesus say? He says two very important things. First, there is no changing our status after death. We are ushered into bliss or into torment. The rich man can accept this, but he wants to see if someone can come back from the dead and warn his brothers. The other thing Jesus says is that even if someone rises from the dead they won’t believe. What’s the proof for that? Jesus, who rose from the dead, and who calls people to believe him as Abraham believed him, is rejected and scorned by those who are like the rich man and his brothers.

If we are trusting in our wealth, our property, our influence, our power to make a way in this world, it will all prove a futile trust. If, on the other hand, we entrust our resources, our energy, our very lives to God in his gracious mercy as shown through Jesus, all will work out well. It is our trust in God or our trust in ourselves that makes the difference between being like the rich man and like Lazarus. Let’s be more like Lazarus. He receives his comfort. That’s a very good thing.

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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1 John 4:16-21 - Lectionary for Trinity 1

6/10/2020

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6/10/20
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.

Our reading from 1 John 4:16-21 is a corrective about our general inclinations when we think about love. After all, we think, we all know what love is. Right? All you need is love. And if you hang something on your wall about love being a deep feeling of affection for those who are special to you, you must not be too far off, right? Live, love, laugh, and all that?

What is God’s love for us. His love is the kind of love that finds us when we were still sinners. It is the kind of love that makes us able to live in God’s presence. It is the kind of love that takes away all fear because it has negated punishment. Oh, yes, there’s still punishment but it is for those who are not in Christ. In Christ, there is no fear of anything.

Is true love something we do? Not at all. We love because he first loved us. We would have no capacity for genuine love except that God has initiated it in us. And we have an inkling that the love of God is working in us because we develop the kind of care God has shown us for others in our lives. We love our brother, who we have seen, and it is a sign of love for God who we have not seen.

Does that mean that we also engage in no judgment, that everything anyone else would do is all right? On one level, we leave judgment up to God. However, he has given us a lot of clear statements in Scripture about what is acceptable and unacceptable in his sight. We love our neighbor enough to help him see when he is in danger of God’s judgment. While we ourselves aren’t hostile about it, the ideas may well be perceived as hostile and result in retaliation by those who are in danger of God’s judgment and react in fear, seeking to avoid punishment by punishing us. That’s a very real possibility, which happens to countless people every day.

Yet our attitude remains the same. As we are secure in Christ’s love for us, we are free to love our neighbor. And our love for our neighbor might just help that neighbor see God’s love for him in Christ.

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 33:12-22 - Lectionary for Trinity 1

6/9/2020

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6/9/20
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.

“Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield” (Psalm 33:20, ESV). What is the help that we receive from the Lord? Chiefly, eternal hope of salvation rooted in Christ crucified for us.

Why does this hope of forgiven sins mean anything? Isn’t it some sort of a fool’s hope? The Scripture describes forgiveness as the only hope there ever is. As our will, our goodness, our desires make shipwreck of our lives, we see more and more that we need a mighty deliverer. We can’t gain the forgiveness for our sins, and those sins are absolutely real. What else would we do? We turn to the Lord in faith and ask his forgiveness.

No matter what we try, our armies, our forces of horsemen, our wisdom, our intelligence, our courage, none of it will have any avail. We can’t hope to be saved by our might, but only by God’s might and power.

Then, as we realize our identity as the blessed people of God, we are truly blessed. We see that we are chosen by God’s mercy. We are secure in him, not in ourselves.

Our soul waits for the Lord. Come quickly, Lord, to save your 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.

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Genesis 15:1-6 - Lectionary for Trinity 1

6/8/2020

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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.

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Micah 7:18-20 - Lectionary for Trinity 3

Luke 16:19-31 - Lectionary for Trinity 1

1 John 4:16-21 - Lectionary for Trinity 1

Psalm 33:12-22 - Lectionary for Trinity 1

Genesis 15:1-6 - Lectionary for Trinity 1

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Micah 7:18-20 - Lectionary for Trinity 3

Luke 16:19-31 - Lectionary for Trinity 1

1 John 4:16-21 - Lectionary for Trinity 1

Psalm 33:12-22 - Lectionary for Trinity 1

Genesis 15:1-6 - Lectionary for Trinity 1

​Help Fuel This Ministry by Clicking Here!

About Throwing Inkwells

Blog Feeds

Categories

Help Fuel This Ministry by Clicking Here!