1 Kings 13:1-10; Phil. 1:1-11; Mark 15:40-47

As we near the end of Mark, no one is “getting it.”  The disciples are not understanding Jesus’ identity.  Everyone was giving up hope.  Peter denies Jesus.  Judas betrays him.  The Pharisees and scribes were clueless.  The only ones who understood who Jesus was were the demons, and they were silenced.

One of the first people to “get it” is the Roman centurion.  Watching Jesus die on a cross he exclaims, “Truly this man was God’s Son!”

Today we begin reading Philippians.  What an extraordinary book!  Paul, like Mark, sees things in a different way and amplifies our Christian walk.  Paul begins with a prayer:

“I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy…that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight….”  These Philippians are dear to him, and he states this: “you hold me in your heart.”

Paul rejoices that he shares the gospel with them.  It is an invisible bond, like that of family.  This same joy is also tied up in Paul’s expectation of Christ’s return, a return that will save people from God’s wrath and judgment.  We also learn that he is in prison, which may be prompting this kind of world view.

Nevertheless, Philippians is charged with a kind of hope that our world needs.  Like the centurion who finally gets it, Paul is painting a picture of the Christian life that involves living and growing in the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ.

There is some debate among scholars about sanctification.  Luther and Calvin and Barth all had different ways of seeing it.  But ultimately it is a process of becoming holy in the Lord.  It is a trajectory of grace which began in our baptism and which Paul reflects here at the beginning of his letter.  Study, repentance, and prayer itself become vehicles or reflections of this sanctification.

It is more than just fruitful living, it is the fact that our love will overflow so much that we will find ourselves drown in holiness.  It is hard to escape from God’s presence and grace when one is over one’s head in it!

-Matt

1 Kings 11:26-43; James 4:13-5:6; Mark 15:22-32

Both the Old Testament and our Gospel reading today are filled with rebellion.  Jeroboam and others rebel against King Solomon.  Mark’s is a different kind of rebellion though.

Mark recounts the crucifixion of Jesus.  Jesus’ rebellion against the establishment is unlike any other rebellion we have seen in the Bible.  No swords are taken up.  No poisonous words.  No fighting.  No subversive behavior against those in power.  There are no decisive battles imprinted on our memory.  Jesus goes willingly to the cross.  Nailed to a piece of wood, Jesus only weapon is that of love.

And yet, because of this, Jesus’ rebellion against the temple guard is perhaps one of the most remembered rebellions in all of history.  He effectively leads quite the rebellion, doesn’t he?!  My goodness, it turned into one of the major religions of the world, and is no longer seen as a dangerous, illegitimate sect of Judaism (which is how we began, did you know?).

How is it that one man could lead such a successful rebellion?  One word: LOVE.  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son….  It is this extraordinary act, and Jesus’ identity, that takes this to the next level.

Once again, Mark is up to his old tricks of telling a great story – with the audience knowing just a bit more than those trapped in the story.  “Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, ‘Aha!  You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!’”  Those of us standing on the other side of the cross know that Jesus did that very thing!

He conquered more than just the temple guard in his little rebellion.  He conquered death.  (So much for little!)  He did tear down the temple and rebuild it in three days.  And it was more than just the physical temple of his body.  In three days, he managed to change the temple establishment itself, setting us free from its mentality (i.e. that God lived in the temple).

O heavens!  In Mark, Jesus comes back to life and in on the loose!  God on the loose.  Now there’s a story!

-Matt

1 Kings 11:1-13; James 3:13-4:12; Mark 15:12-21

1 Kings takes a sudden shift, and we move from praising Solomon and his achievements with today’s reading, which recounts some of Solomon’s errors.  Mark is no rosy picture either.  The crowd shouts for Jesus to be crucified, and he is handed over to the soldiers, who mock him, spit on him, hit him with a reed, strip him, and shout, “Hail, King of the Jews!”

Both texts deal with the rejection of a king.  It is graphic at times.  It is sad.  It is moderately depressing.

Life is full of rejection sometimes – unfulfilled dreams, perhaps unrequited love, perhaps disappointment with political leaders (OK, that is an understatement!  But I am not about to compare our people with King Solomon or the Prince of Peace).

And yet amidst the hurts and the heartbreaks of life, it is these dark passages from scripture which illuminate why the biblical text has endured the test of time.  If this was one big happy story, my guess is that it would not be the best-selling book of all time.

The Bible is complex and dark.  It has twists and turns.  It has death and intrigue, rejection and triumph.

As the ironies play out in both testaments, we see the rise and fall of a king.  And yet, as the story plays out, we come to realize that God is in charge, and the king must rise again.  For the Hebrew people, Solomon marks the end of the undivided kingdom.  The good news is that the story goes on.  Despite Israel and Judah’s failures, God maintains the blessing and covenant with the people.  But some darker days are on the horizon.  Exile.

Nevertheless, the story continues.  That alone is good news.

And so it is with the crucifixion.  We read on, because we know there is a story beyond the grave.  It is no longer about the Northern and Southern Kingdom, but about the army of God marching off to continue a battle which has already been won.

It is the good news at the end of the story that keeps us reading.

-Matt

1 Kings 8:65-9:9; James 2:14-26; Mark 14:66-72

Did you know that Martin Luther had a problem with the book of James?  There were a few books of the Bible he thought perhaps should be taken out.  He was responding to a church that had become so over-reliant on works, that James seemed to lessen the Bible’s message about “faith, not works.”  But I am guessing that what the Reformers objected to was that, taken out of context, James could be used wrongly.

In the end, the Reformers decided to leave it in the Bible.  And I think I can see why.

It provides balance.  It provides the full expression of what Christianity looks like.  This is part of the reason Joel Osteen had such a rough week.  When actions don’t match the loving-kindness Christians are supposed to show, one’s theology is exposed as a fraud.  This is what got me about poor Joel.  I think what really led to his tough week was not their church’s initial closing and claim of flooding, but the response after: “Well, the city hasn’t asked us yet to open our doors.”  Well, Joel, as a Christian you really shouldn’t have to wait for the city tells you what to do.  You follow the command of Christ.  This is the kind of shenanigans James was responding too.

James unlike Paul speaks of works in the context of “works of charity” not “obedience to the Jewish law.”  This is an important distinction.  “Can faith save you?  If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,’ yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that?”  James then, was responding to the opposite context of Luther.  He was responding to people who wanted to rely only on faith and not back it up with works of mercy.

I wonder if it is not just Osteen’s problem.  Do we live in those times again?  I see many churches these days as very insular.  They are in survival mode, and care nothing for the neighborhoods around them.  They are concerned only with themselves, and their needs.

If you are in “survival mode” as a church, you are not being church.

Perhaps we all need a good dose of the letter of James.  It can be the church’s medicine for these tough times.  Walking the walk is as important as the talk.

-Matt

1 Kings 5:1-6:1,7; Acts 28:1-16; Mark 14:27-42

Our passage in Acts for today stands at the end of Paul’s Journeys, his weaving from one island to another eventually brings him to Rome.  The details we have are strange to say the least: viper bites, natives who bestow honors on Paul.  It is difficult to say where the story is going or what is going to happen next.  But we know one thing: Paul’s story ends at Rome.

Early in my days of understanding, I thought the whole point of this passage, and the whole point of Acts, was “getting to Rome”.  Paul had made it to the heart of the Roman Empire, and rejoiced and took comfort in the fact that the message of Christ had made it all the way to Rome.  Getting the news of Christ to Rome meant that it would easily reach the four corners of the earth.  The Good News would spread to everywhere Roman life was.  Nothing could contain God’s grace now!

But as my years dwelling with scripture passed, my vision and this passage shifted.  The depth of this passage goes beyond Rome.  I began to see the miracle of the journey itself.  In focusing on the end of the journey, I had failed to notice God’s plan was unrolling itself ALL ALONG.  Despite shipwrecks and bites of snakes, dangerous seas and storms, Paul continued on, and God’s word just couldn’t be stopped.  Nothing could STOP God’s message of grace and hope.

I think back on my journey through Princeton Seminary.  It was a journey tattered with problems – full of twists and turns – from medical problems to financial problems, from heartbreak to racial tensions on campus.

I am still surprised that I finished seminary altogether, not because of kidney stones or money, or because of the academic challenges, but because early on in my seminary journey I had interpreted the goal of seminary as I did our passage for today – forgetting God’s blessing in the journey itself, instead focusing too much on the end – getting that degree.  Just like my initial reading of the passage, I had breezed over the journey itself and was focusing on the ultimate goal – the end of the road.  I wanted to be wise and I thought an education at Princeton might help.

In focusing on the degree, rather than the education, I was missing the entire process of the journey and the ministry that was already at hand – here and now.  I had boiled everything down to the equipping of my mind, forgetting that I was called to share the good news of the gospel, spreading Christ’s love for the world.  I had forgotten that our identity as Christians has historically been that of a people on the move, from the Exodus to the Great Commission, we are called to GO and witness to what we have seen in Christ Jesus.

I invite you all on a journey to the unknown.  I invite you to a search beyond the walls of our little lives to a world yearning for the good news found in Christ Jesus.  Allow yourself to be bold and take a journey of proclamation – to preach the good news in your midst – at home, at work, at play. We have been thrust into God’s story and we are called to spread the message of Christ to all peoples, and that is not limited to Sunday morning.

I suppose this journey to today surprises me most of all.  Who would have thought I would be celebrating my 29th year as a church professional?  Who would have thought I would end up in Oklahoma?  And yet, here I am, and having the time of my life ministering with you all.

Thank you for taking this journey of a lifetime with me.  The depth of scripture never ceases to amaze me – always reminding us the end of our journey is quite a ways off.

We must always remember that the journey is just as important as the destination.  I hope you will enjoy the ride with me!

-Matt

[Today’s Morning Reflection was inspired by my Senior Sermon, preached at Princeton Seminary, based on Acts 28.]

1 Kings 3:16-28; Acts 27:27-44; Mark 14:12-26

Lately writing Morning Reflections has been challenging.  I have felt distracted, stretched too thin, working a couple different part-time jobs in different locations, trying to piece together my life, and still trying to have a life.   Prayer time seems elusive.

It has made these 1 Kings’ readings all the more difficult, because the struggle of everyday life is knee-deep there too.  Today we continue the theme of Solomon’s wisdom.  A dramatic representation of his wisdom comes in the battle over two infants.  One is dead, the other is alive.  “No, this one is mine.”  The two mothers fight over the live boy.

Solomon is crafty.  He orders a servant to bring him a sword.  Then he orders the live boy be cut in half.  (OK, my problems are nothing like this!  Lordy!) The true mother of the alive boy becomes easy to spot, “Please, my lord, give her the living boy; certainly do not kill him!”  The other said, “It shall be neither mine nor yours; divide it.”  King Solomon responded:  “Give the first woman the living boy; do not kill him.  She is the mother.”

In our New Testament reading, Jesus celebrates the Passover with his disciples.  The one who betrays him “is the one who is dipping his bread into the bowl with me.”   Jesus declares that it would have been better for that one not to have been born.  What a struggle.

I can’t imagine receiving that kind of curse.  Being told it would have been better to not have been born!  Yikes.  At first Jesus declared that the one who will betray him was in the room eating with him.  Naturally they became distressed and began to say to him, “Surely, not I?”

Most of us have grown up with this sense of the Lord’s Supper.  The way I envision it Judas knows what he is about to do.  I always imagined Jesus talking about the betrayer and thinking about Judas’ eyes dilating, with him thinking, “Oh man, he knows about me!  I gotta sneak out of here!”

But Mark’s version seems to imply otherwise.  Judas, perhaps, did not know.  Mark implies that Judas too asked, “Surely, not I?”  And if he would have known he was up to no good, why would he have dipped his bread.  I’m sure you have surprised yourself more than once thinking, “Did I really just do that?”  Perhaps that was said as he was dipping.  But that certainly gives credence to the fact that he was still at the table and with Jesus.  He didn’t freak out by the earlier betrayal discussion and sneak out the back door.

Both passages today are talking about the difficulty with following the right path.  Getting on the right path, it appears, is not something we can do on our own.  We struggle with our sin.  We need God’s wisdom and God’s blessing in order to continue.

The good news is, we have God’s blessing already!  We just must be continually reminded of it!  May the distractions of your life fade away, and the wisdom of God take its place.

-Matt

1 Kings 3:1-15; Acts 27:9-26; Mark 14:1-11

For millennia, people have prayed for the “wisdom of Solomon.”  Often people remember King Solomon as the “one who messed up”, and so it may seem a bit strange to pray for the wisdom of Solomon.  If you are one of the people saying “Why are we praying for HIS wisdom!?” then I encourage you to read the 1 Kings passage today.

It turns out, Solomon started out with his heart in the right place.  The passage today is probably one of the most famous of Solomon passages.  He prays for wisdom.  And it is beautifully crafted, humble, and God-centered.

“And now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in.  And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people, so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted.  Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?”

Oh, if our leaders in government had this kind of humility.  Instead they often showboat and prance around as if they are the only ones who matter.  Others like to make it seem that folks on their side of the political fence can do no wrong, but the ones on the other side can do no right.  Can you believe there are still people blaming Obama for not responding to Katrina?  He wasn’t even President in 2005.  George W. Bush was.

Sometimes we can’t even get to talking about wisdom yet; we need a little more common sense!  Heck, we are struggling just with facts.  When 99% of scientists agree that climate change is real and yet only 96% of scientists can agree that tobacco causes cancer, and yet we have swaths of the electorate that deny climate change, you know we have a problem.  It is a sad commentary on our education system, and people’s propensity to believe propaganda “news”.  We actually revel in our stupidity sometimes.  It baffles the mind.

Now, I am a Presbyterian minister, and that means I know that humanity is, by nature, is a big ol’ MESS!  Sin stains us all.

The questions come: Where is our humility?

Where are we as a country praying for the wisdom of Solomon?

Lack of humility is one of the problems in the gospel of Mark today, as well.  The scribes and chief priests are looking for a way to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him.  They think they have all the answers.  They think they know the truth.  And they are going to squelch anyone who thinks otherwise.  They know killing is wrong, so they are doing this by stealth.

I wonder how our businesses and churches would change if every meeting we began with a prayer that put us in our place: “Lord, we know that we are broken people.  We don’t have all the answers.  We are here to come up with some solutions and move into the future, but we acknowledge our inabilities.  We need your help.  Grant us the wisdom of Solomon and the forbearance of Christ as we endeavor for your will in this situation.  Amen.”

-Matt