Gen. 6:1-8; Heb. 3:12-19; John 2:1-12

The last couple days have been some of the most trying days of my personal life and professional career.  Between the presbytery, my church, and my life, it has been big decisions, and crunched time.  Sorry you haven’t heard from me in a few days.  I simply ran out of time.

In the midst of it, one of my friends said, “How do you keep going, doing such difficult work for these churches?  You obviously have a heart for ministry.”

And that is true.  I think it’s amazing the kind of energy one can have when you truly love what you are doing.

Today, that word pops up in a number of our readings – heart.

“The Lord saw …that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually …, and it grieved him to his heart.”  Genesis 6:5b, 6b

“Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”  Hebrews 3:15

The wedding at Cana in John, while it doesn’t say these words, could be interpreted as, “their hearts were filled with joy.”

In scripture, the word heart is used quite differently than our usage.  While we often think of the heart as the center of emotions, and the head as center of intellect.  People of this time used bowels as the place thought to be the center of emotions.  The heart was where one’s own soul resided.  And soul was different for them as well, a representation of their whole self: body, mind, spirit, and emotions.  A soul was not separated from the body, but the very essence of it.  From it comes blood, the essential fabric of life.  Without the heart, the center of life, one loses the breath of God, given at the time of Adam by God himself.

Jeremiah later speaks a promise of God to put the law of God within us, and to write it on our hearts.  So hearts are where reason reside.  Even today we say, “Does that feel right in your heart?” an indication of full satisfaction.

One’s true self came out through the heart, and to have a hardened heart meant being frozen and impenetrable to God’s grace – self-centered and distant.

Hearts can be hard, shut, made of stone, proud, or hurt.  In places in the Bible, hearts are covered, an awkward phrase which may indicate a protective shield, defending from outside hostilities or danger.

Hearts also change.  They can become open and refreshed.  Hard hearts can be thawed by the awesome grace of God.  (Of course in our Genesis passage, the hardened hearts of the people are unsalvageable to God, and destruction of the whole creation is begun, with only Noah finding favor, a righteous remnant).

We are called to the joy of the wedding at Cana, when hearts danced and were filled with joy.  God invites us to have open hearts, surprised by the joy and grace offered each day.  An open heart is one which bursts with joy, responding to God in thanksgiving.  An open heart is also one filled with passion and compassion.  This means a special burden to the open heart, one that is concerned with justice, peace, and goodwill.

Having an open heart means not only fully experiencing the joy of the wedding at Cana, but being compelled to show up and share in the revealed glory of Christ. It means being open to others in need, a welcoming, trusting, and listening heart.

Is this an invitation to attend the wild and crazy parties?  Absolutely, if that is where one can minister to the outcast and brokenhearted.  What a better place to shine the light of Christ, see a non-judgmental open heart, and work for the end of suffering, loneliness, and ache for justice to prevail!

So let us live this day with an OPEN HEART, listening and living a life of invitation.

-Matt

AM Psalm 5, 6; PM Psalm 10, 11
Gen. 3:1-24; Heb. 2:1-10; John 1:19-28

Have you or your work ever been questioned?  Have you ever struggled to stay true to yourself in the face of accusations or temptations?  Have you ever felt like John the Baptist – being the “voice of one crying out in the wilderness” for justice, freedom, or peace?

I know many of you can relate.  I know because some of you have told me, shared your stories of pain or questioning.  You have emailed me.  You have talked with me.  I have  been routinely surprised at the extent that this Morning Reflection ministry has had on me as I hear the stories of how so many of you have struggled to stay true to yourself in the face of pain, opposition, or struggle.

This is what we are called to: to bear one another’s burdens.  Sometimes in the midst of that we are called beyond ourselves – to stand for something greater.  Sometimes we called to rise up and take a stand against an unhealthy system, whether that be a large corporation, the government, or a dysfunctional marriage.

And it is not easy.  It is never easy to endure the accusations – to work for justice, freedom, or peace.  Sometimes it is hard to see the big picture and realize that the problems in the short term will help out the problems in the long term.

John the Baptist knew this well.  He seemed to inherently know the big picture, and he took a stand, enduring the short-term chaos – the short-term trial – because he knew the rest of the story.  In the reading today it is if John the Baptist is on trial today.  The Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem.  They asked him, “‘Who are you?’  He confessed and did not deny it, ‘I am not the Messiah.’  And they asked him, ‘What then?  Are you Elijah?’ He said, ‘I am not.’ ‘Are you the prophet?’ He answered, ‘No.’  Then they said to him, ‘Who are you?’”

In the midst of the questions, he remembered the bigger picture.  For him that “rest of the story” was that Jesus was the one who could take on the powers and complete the work of justice, freedom, and peace.  Jesus: “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!  This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me’”

Did you notice what else John had?  Humility.  In the face of standing – perhaps railing against the system, we must realize we do not have all the answers.  We are all called to John’s humility – to realize that we are not the One who brings justice, freedom, or peace.

But we very well may be the catalysts for that change.  We may very well be the ones who are called to help change the system.  And if that is so, may God grant us the grace to stand firm in the face of torment – to stand firm when people slander you or speak ill of you.  Remember – you may be the one who is called in this time and place to shine the radiant love of Christ – breaking the systems of the past, and helping God’s light to shine in.

So stand firm.

-Matt

AM Psalm 1, 2, 3; PM Psalm 4, 7
Gen. 2:4-9(10-15)16-25; Heb. 1:1-14; John 1:1-18

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  These words have echoed through the naves of our churches for two millennia now.  And they still carry as much mystery and depth as always.

This passage from the beginning of John’s gospel also stands as a prologue to the whole book.  Karl Barth used to teach a class on the Gospel of John and the entire semester was spent focusing on the first 20 verses or so.  That is because so much of the Gospel is simply an expansion on this initial philosophical stance.

The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us – full of grace and truth.

What do these words say to our church today – churches who are struggling to share the gospel?  John is anything but simple, and yet, the images are often rooted in simplicity.  The Word was with God.  Logic, rational, understanding: these things are with God.

And the Word became flesh…Jesus, right?  Seems easy so far.  In Jesus is all that is logic and understanding.  OK, not so simple.  Later John takes up these concepts of grace and truth and expands them into light and sharing the light.

Down South the last couple weeks folks have been finding their way back to church after missing church for a couple weeks.  Up North many are just starting to miss church.  Over the years I have heard laments about winter and missing church.  My favorite is still a high school senior lamenting when we had to cancel Christmas eve service with that horrid ice storm from a few years ago, with the choice words: “I didn’t know the little baby Jesus could arrive if First Pres’ choir didn’t sing him in!”

And yet the light comes. Nothing could stop Christmas from arriving, because it was already in our hearts.  Christ is all around us, and God’s Word permeates every nook and cranny of this world.

I hope you have discovered the wonderfully strange book of John’s gospels, which speaks to the complexity, and yet the simplicity of God’s truth revealed to us.

-Matt

AM Psalm 2, 110:1-5(6,7)
Jonah 2:2-9; Eph. 6:10-20; John 11:17-27,38-44

Eve of Epiphany:
PM Psalm 29, 98
Isa. 66: 18-23; Rom. 15:7-13

As Christmas winds down, and we enter the Season of Light tonight with the Eve of the Epiphany, we pause to say Thank You to God.  Thank you for bringing us the true Light of the World, and showing us the way.

The splendor and variety of how that light has come is shared in all our readings today.  Let me briefly cover a bunch of them.

One of the most vivid images children often remember from the Old Testament comes before us today: the time of Jonah in the belly of the fish.  When I read this story to children I often ask them, “Why is Jonah so happy he got swallowed by a fish?”  I would be a little upset!  Instead, he is thanking God, first and foremost.

“The waters closed in over me; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped around my head….But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you.”

The fish saved him from drowning!  I think often we adults forget that part of the story.  But the kids zoom right in on the thankfulness.  They know and understand joy.  As an adult I often get stuck with the plausibility of the story to begin with, or spend time trying to figure out what type of fish this would be.  How bizarre of me.

Interestingly enough, if you read deeply, you see this is more than the belly of a fish, but he comes from the “belly of Sheol.”  The belly of Hell.  Or, the belly of shadowy darkness.  As he comes back into the light, he sees God’s deliverance.

Being in this belly is simply a metaphor for being separated from God.  There are a lot of ways we separate ourselves from God, or are separated because of our circumstances.

Ephesians is wrapping up.  The whole armor of God comes to light.  Take a belt of truth.  A shield.  A helmet of salvation.  Flaming arrows.  We find out our struggle is not against our enemies, but against the authorities and the cosmic powers.

How are you struggling?  Is your struggle with outside pressures?  Things beyond your control?  Or are you struggling at this point in your life with something more intimate, perhaps wrestling with yourself?

The writer of Ephesians reminds us: “Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication…. Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel.”

My prayer for you, and for all my readers in these Morning Reflections, is that God reveals himself to you, and that you find yourself connecting to God in prayer deeper and more often.  Know that you are loved.  And know that God has called you into the Light where darkness cannot survive, and where peace and joy win.

-Matt

AM Psalm 85, 87; PM Psalm 89:1-29
Joshua 3:14—4:7; Eph. 5:1-20; John 9:1-12,35-38

We are now well into our Christmas Season, and I hope you have begun to sense the true War on Christmas.  It is not “OMG, we can finally say Merry Christmas again” but a clear assault on Jesus Christ just as soon as he is announced as come to earth.

This war is not simply waged by the retail industry which is set up for Valentine’s Day (or July 4 for all I know), but waged by those who pretend to know Christ, but have no true intention of turning their lives around and following the Incarnate One.  The fake US Christian/Nationalists pretend to be merry, but have no idea what that word even means.

Newness and hope are the centerpieces of God’s salvation.  It is the story of truly turning one’s life around.

We see newness and hope and this “turning” today in all our scripture readings, but especially in the Old Testament lesson.  Joshua leads the people across the Jordan into the promised land.  Just like the parting of the Red Sea, here the river is temporarily dammed, long enough for the whole people of Israel to cross over.  The water becomes like bookmarks on each end of the 40 year journey.

Once they get there, they commemorate their journey with the 12 stones representing the 12 tribes.

It is a breathtaking liturgical procession, wrought with symbolism and intrigue.  It makes me want to do a procession like this with our churches – perhaps during baptism – a journey toward new life.

In liturgical processional fashion, the people march into the promised land, complete with the ark of the covenant, where God is said to live at that time.  What I do know is that hope is right around the corner.  And God goes with them.

The message of Christmas continues!  God goes with us.  Emmanuel means “God with us.”  As Christians we see the Old Testament prophecies fulfilled.  As Christians we see the closeness of God going with us in a unique way, as we turn around.

May today be a celebration of that.

-Matt

AM Psalm 68; PM Psalm 72
1 Kings 19:9-18; Eph. 4:17-32; John 6:15-27

Sometimes reading the Bible is INTENSE.  Today is one of those days.

Elijah flees Jezebel’s wrath by escaping to the wilderness, where God asks him the same question again and again, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”  The Ephesians reading explores the practical suggestions for the new life, no longer living as Gentiles do, but clothed in a new way that renews the mind.  In John, Jesus has just finished feeding the five thousand, only to realize that the authorities are about to come and take him by force.  He escapes and is later seen walking on the water.  The crowd follows him the next day, and he talks of “bread from heaven.”

I suppose on the surface they may not seem intense.  Maybe it was just my contemplative prayer time, where one word kept popping up in my imagination: FLEE.

Elijah fled from the crowd.  Jesus fled as well, seeking refuge in the wilderness, just as Elijah had.  God had called them to rest.  And yet, very quickly (that evening in fact) they were called back out to be with the people.  Even Paul, in Ephesians, is separating from both the Jewish ways and the Gentile ways, blazing a new way forward for the Christian.

2018 has begun, and I wonder what God is calling us to?

Sometimes I feel like fleeing from the world’s problems too.  Between our President’s ridiculous Twitter feed, which is mainly used to create confusion, a foreign policy mess never seen before by this country, and now ramping up threats of nuclear war, it is amazing this man is still in office.  The challenges for the church in 2018 abound.  Then there is climate change showing its ugly head, with another batch of extreme weather for Oklahoma and frozen pipes everywhere.  And don’t get me started on the political mess in Oklahoma that almost rivals the national stage.  Trust me, the temptation to flee is ever present.

The Bible reminds us today there are times to separate and times to engage.

The renewing of one’s mind seems to be an important ingredient.  God isn’t talking about vacations here!  There is more going on than simple “Sabbath” too, although that is an important ingredient.  I believe we are called to separate ourselves at times, from the perspective of the world, in order to keep ourselves in check and make sure that we are “in the world, but not of the world.”  The word self-differentiation comes to mind.

Perhaps my New Year’s Resolution should be to block the Donald on Twitter.  I know I would feel better.

We are called to newness and difference, for the way of the Christian is often contrary to the ways of the world.  Like Jesus, we feel the need to be separate at times, but we also love our neighbors so much, we cannot be separate for long – only long enough to gain a fresh new perspective.

May God renew us this day, and always.

-Matt

AM Psalm 34; PM Psalm 33
1 Kings 19:1-8; Eph. 4:1-16; John 6:1-14

A Happy New Year to you all.

Today’s readings for the 9th Day of Christmas offer us a continued unfolding of the miracle of Christmas, God breaking forth in mysterious ways.  We see that God often comes veiled in mystery, and comes in unexpected ways.  That is, in part, the Christmas story and the entire biblical story as well.

In 1 Kings, Elijah flees to Mount Horeb.  There he finds himself nourished by God himself, as an angel touches him and says “Get up and eat.”  He finds cakes baked on hot stones, and a jar of water.

Ultimately Elijah is seeking for God.  He is also hiding from those seeking him.  He is commanded by the angel, in one of the most profound and memorable sightings of God: He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”  Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.  When Elijah heart it, he wrapped his face in the mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.  Then there came a voice to him….

This is profundity of our God that nonbelievers cannot grasp.  Our God is not one who micromanages the world with an iron fist.  Our God is not the kind of God to show up in the midst of a New Year’s Day Parade, or however important of a Rose Bowl, to provide some magic and make us all believe like some grand Santa Claus in the sky.  (We found that out the hard way, didn’t we Sooner fans?  Up by 17 and with the ball.  And…utter collapse.  This one stings.  It really does.)

Our God is the kind of God who comes in the form of a small infant, or in the sheer silence.  And why?  To remind us that we play a part in this grand adventure of life.

Our God desires our allegiance.  We need to to listen.  We need to pay attention, even when the rest of the world has given up and stopped listening to God.  God offers us mystery and the unexpected.  It may not seem like much.  But if this whole “following God thing was easy” everyone would do it.

We are called to buck the trend – to do what is unpopular – and follow our God into the unknown, into what is uncomfortable, into what is unpopular or perhaps even inconceivable, to give our life and our love away.

Only then may we encounter God.

-Matt