February 27

Matthew 21:12-17

I have never noticed before how in Matthew's telling of this story that Jesus throws not only the sellers in the temple out, but he also throws the buyers. He holds both groups responsible for making the temple a "den of robbers". I don't think this is a teaching that states we should not sell things at the church. I do think this teaching challenges us to reflect on what we do at the church. Are we keeping it a place of prayer, a place where individuals can connect their lives to God? Or have we become distracted by others things that draw our attention away from God?

February 26

John 12

"Father, save me from this hour? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour."

As I read that I could hear the struggle in Jesus' life. No one wants to be crucified. Crucifixion was a brutal form of death. It is easy to see why Jesus would want God to save him from such a death. But no sooner does he say that, then he immediately submits himself to God. He recognizes he came to die to save us.

In those moments when we struggle with living the way God calls us to live, we can remember the struggle of Jesus.

February 25

Luke 19:28-47

We are reading the entry into Jerusalem stories from different gospels. Notice the differences in Luke's telling. Luke has Jesus weep for the city. He weeps because they are missing what God is doing. He weeps as he foretells the destruction of the temple. He doesn't throw out those who are selling, he laments that they are selling. The difference in Luke is in the response of Jesus. Luke shows his sadness that the people have missed the point of relationship with God.

February 24

Mark 11:1-11

Jesus enters Jerusalem knowing he is going to die. Can you imagine what the experience must have been like for him. He knows death is just a few days away. The death is not one he deserves, but one to which he is giving his life. He is giving his life because of how much he loves us. This is his gift for us.

2/23 - Exodus 12

Exodus 12

God gives the people of Israel instructions on how they are to prepare for the Passover, those instructions become the basis for how they celebrate the Passovers today. The instructions help them remember the situation of their people and how God acted on their behalf. God wants them to remember.

When life becomes difficult, it is easy to forget. When our problems are great, or when we feel tremendous stress, it is easy for us to forgot what God. In those difficult times we feel as if it is all up to us. We become easily overwhelmed. There is great power in remembering. In taking just a few moments every day to center our lives and remember that God is with us.

2/22 - Exodus 11

Exodus 11

Every culture has a way of viewing the world and life. The American worldview tends to be strongly individualistic. We highly values the rights of individuals. The worldview of the bible tends to value the community over the individual. Consequently, we read passages where a whole nation is punished for the actions of one person and see that as unfair. Is it fair that the stubbornness of Pharaoh to set the Israelites free results in the death of many of his people when the tenth plague comes? We think that is not fair, for many of the people were innocent. People in the ancient world understood that everyone was connected and they suffered the consequences of the actions of others.

I write this because when we read a passage such as this we think God is not being fair. That sense of unfairness arises from our worldview. We have to be careful how we judge God or others.

February 20

2 Corinthians 8

Paul is working with all the churches to take special offering to help the Jerusalem Church, which is in the midst of a famine. The Corinthian church has told Paul they would participate. The time is drawing near for Paul to take the pick up the offering but the Corinthians have yet to act. 2 Corinthians chapters 8 & 9 are Paul's exhortation to them to give. He uses the Macedonians as an example, he reminds the Corinthians they have plenty, he uses a variety of arguments as to why they need to give. The ultimate reason they are to give comes in 8:9, "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich." He teaches that we give because God has given to us.

2/19 - Luke 12

Luke 12

Consider the order of what is presented in Luke 12. The man asks Jesus to help him with an inheritance problem. Part of Jesus response is "Take care! Protect yourself against the least bit of greed. Life is not defined by what you have, even if you have a lot." (Message translation) Jesus then tells the parable of the rich fool. The parable is full of warning about our resources. Jesus' attention moves to the disciples. He talks to them about worry and concludes with "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (NIV) Do you think Jesus is concerned about how our money will shape us?

In our study of the "Hole In Our Gospel" we have repeated heard and read that American Christians as the richest Christians who have ever lived. When Jesus speaks to the disciples in Luke 12, they have already given up everything to follow him. Yet, he warns them. What might he say to us?

February 18

Amos 5

This is a call to repentance. A call to the people of Israel, and to us, to repent from our sin. Repentance is confession of what we have done wrong. But it is more than just a confession. Repentance is turning away from the sin to a new way of living. Amos calls the people to repent from the way they have lived to a lifestyle of righteousness. In verse 24 he writes, "But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream."

Lent is a time of reflection and repentance. A time of self-examination in which we turn to lives of righteousness.

February 17

Jeremiah 9

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. Lent is the 40 days leading to Easter. It is a time of reflection as we prepare our hearts for the celebration of the resurrection. We are inviting you this year as part of lent to an act of kindness towards the poor. What could you do over the next 40 days that would serve the poor in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ?

In the Jeremiah passage, God is lamenting the actions of the people. In verses 23-24 God tells the people not to boast of their strength, riches or wisdom. Rather, let the person boast that he follows the Lord. What will you boast of in the coming days? Will it be of the Lord?

February 13

Matthew 6:19-34

We can all agree to the truth of this passage but it is so difficult to live. Money entices. We can become fearful of not having enough money. We work hard to protect our money. We see money as a reward for our efforts. We live in a culture that idolizes money. Yet, Jesus teaches us there is a better way. A way that depends upon God. A way that seeks God first. This is very hard. That is why we have to remember every day that life is centered in God, not money.

February 12

Luke 10

"Go and do likewise"

With the ground being covered by snow, it has changed the night. The snow reflects so much light, that even the night does not seem that dark. Scripture teaches us to reflect the love of God in our lives. When we "go and do likewise" in loving our neighbor, it brings the light of Christ to our world. It illumines even the dark spots of our world, as the snow illumines the night.

February 11

Psalm 140

"I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy."

Occasionally in the Bible there is an amazing miracle. Miracles like the feeding of the 5000, or Jesus walking on water. However, those are the exception, not the rule. Usually when God acted in scripture it was through the lives of people carrying out the work of God. The way God normally acts today is through the lives of people. God in various ways calls people of faith
to carry out the work God wants done. So how would "the Lord secure justice for the poor"? Most likely it would be through people like you and me working on behalf of the poor. God has put many of us in positions that allow us to do what God wants.

February 10

Matthew 6:1-18

In the early part of this chapter Jesus teaches the manner in which we are to do acts of faith. He assumes we will help the poor, pray and fast. The core of his teaching is that we are to do these acts without drawing attention to ourselves. The point of doing the work of God is not that we be praised or recognized for what we have done, the point is that God's work is accomplished. In essence, he is teaching that it is not about us.

February 9

Revelation 3

There are letters to seven churches in Revelation. The letter to the Church in Laodicea is probably the most quoted. The images of being lukewarm and Jesus knocking at the door are both present in this letter. There is also the line in verse 17 that fits "The Hole In Our Gospel", "I am rich, I have acquired wealth and do not need thing." This attitude is one of the reasons that Jesus warns us about wealth. There is the temptation with money to become self-reliant instead of dependent upon Christ. The poor know they can't do it alone, they must have God. When you hear the poor pray, you can hear that desparation. The rich ask for God's help but often times it is to do what we already believe we can do ourselves.

February 8

Deuteronomy 15

Every seven years the law called for a year of jubilee where all debts were canceled. The Israelites were required to cancel the debts of other Israelites but not the debts of foreigners. Think how this law helped the poor. It gave people a second chance if they had made a terrible financial decision. It brought people back to more even terms.

Can you imagine such a law today in the United States? To enact such a law would cause economic chaos. So a year of "jubilee" would be impossible, but are there are other that could be done to give the poor a better chance?

February 6

February 5

2/5 - Luke 18

Why does Jesus tell us to receive the Kingdom of God like a child? Think of the characteristics of a child, especially when compared to an adult. A child sees things very simply, trusts more readily, forgives more easily, and shares love quickly. There are many other characteristics, but as I watch my grandson, maybe it is the way a child utterly trusts the parent. Julius wants his parents to pick him up and hold him, and is completely dependent upon his parents. He knows where his every need is met.

February 4

John 8

Jesus calls us to a life of a very high ethical standard. In Matthew 5:28 he says, "But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." A rather high standard. In today's passage he encounters a woman who has been caught in adultery. The punishment for adultery was death. His response to her, "Go now and leave your life of sin." An amazing gift of grace.

Pull these two teachings of Jesus together and they are very powerful. There is the call to a high ethical standard in our living but there is grace when we fall short. Living with such a perspective provides a powerful tension in our lives. Our tendency is to either have a high ethical standard and condemn those who fall short, or to the opposite extreme, always offer grace with no corresponding ethical standard. Jesus calls us to live with both; the high ethical standard and the willingness to offer grace to others and to receive grace for ourselves.

2/4 - Proverb 14

Proverb 14

This Proverb contains 2 verses that speaks about how the poor are treated:

"The poor are shunned even by their neighbors, but the rich have many friends"

"He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God."

We have a woman in our church that does not drive and has to walk to work everyday. She works the night shift and her walk is about 2 miles. She is part of the working poor in our community. She works hard but barely makes enough to provide a small apartment and food. I have never heard her complain, she just goes about her business. I am not sure she could handle the responsibility of a car. What she has done is found a way to make life work without a car.

One morning, during the bitter cold of December, multiple people from our church arrived at her work at the same time to give her a ride home. These women had thought about her, and her walk in the cold. They coordinated together during the rest of the bitter cold for the woman to have a ride to and from work. I believe that is such behavior is what the Proverb would say honors God.

February 2

Psalm 23

"I shall not want"

I did not have to get very far in this passage before I stopped. This Psalm is used so often in funerals that when I think of this Psalm my mind goes to the verse "of the valley of the shadow of death". I skip right past "I shall not want".

I want many things. I want God's blessing on my family. I want things at the church to go well. I want to make good decisions and follow God's leading. I don't think there is anything wrong with those wants. The problem with wanting is with my stuff or more precisely, the stuff that I want. It's not like I sit down and write out a list of particular items that I want. It's that I see an advertisement and suddenly want the product. Or that I have a item like a cell phone that works perfectly well but I want a "newer or better" one. It is a tremendous challenge for me to not want. You might even say it is a temptation that I need to confess.

February 1

Luke 3

John is calling the people to repentance. (John is the original New Testament fire and brimstone preacher. If you will watch carefully, Jesus seldom preaches that way.) In response to John's call to repentance a man asks, "What should we do then?" John's reply is "The man who has two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same." Notice that his call to repentance is not just about changing the way the person thinks, it changes the way the person acts. He shares similar action responses to the tax collectors and soldiers who ask what they should do. I believe he would share a similar call with us.