Good Morning Friends,
The combined mystery of Jesus being fully God and fully Man is perhaps the greatest mystery in the Bible. Conveying to others the ability of Christ to help us, to run to our cries for help, when we and others are in distress is the task of every Christian. And whether the distress is formed from the sufferings or the temptations of life makes little difference, for Christ understands the human condition and the need to share the Word incarnate in his/His very being as a means of defeating the demons of life. Your see there was a time in the history of the world when the Word of God was a very rare thing. One would think that the Word of God would never be out of season, however history indicates that it too has an ebb and flow. So too I think there is a season of miracles associated with the cultural expression of our worship. We see the reality of both conditions in today’s lectionary text.
And it makes me wonder about how receptive we will be to share the power of God in our lives after the intensity of the holidays, political transition and pandemic settles down. I wonder how much we will be paying attention to what is happening to us moment to moment when we share the Gospel in the years to come. I pose this question now when the world seems at a tipping point in the hope we will remember. So, When Things Quiet Will We Still Listen For God To Speak Through Us In Sharing The Gospel?
Scripture: Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death. For it is clear that he did not come to help angels, but the descendants of Abraham. Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.
Hebrews 2:14-18 (NRSV)
As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them. That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” He answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.” And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.
Mark 1:29-39 (NRSV)
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!”
Matthew 13:1-9 (NRSV)
O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples. Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wonderful works. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually. Remember the wonderful works he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered, O offspring of his servant Abraham, children of Jacob, his chosen ones. He is the Lord our God; his judgments are in all the earth. He is mindful of his covenant forever, of the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations, the covenant that he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac,
Psalm 105:1-9 (NRSV)
Message: So much of the hope of scripture is in the good news despite the not yet reality of the Kingdom. So, we ask God to speak into our lives with understanding that surpasses our understanding. And hopefully we are listening even though it is uncomfortable. And as I think on this, I conclude, and perhaps you will as well, that we must trust that the Lord will heal us and others as we share the good news to overcome the evil of the world. But this we need to know friends; God will be silent to those who do not want to listen. So, we are to anticipate God’s presence in scripture and in our interactions but realize that all will not want to hear. And for Christians the relevant thing for us to remember is how Jesus deals with this challenge. You see, because Jesus was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help us when we are being tested. Today’s Gospel passage gives us an intimate look at the daily life of Jesus as he interacts with those who have yet to hear. In the reading, it becomes clear that we have physical as well as spiritual needs just as we have physical as well and spiritual ways of communicating. We see this in the ministry of Jesus and how he showed great love, grace, and compassion to shine a light on the message and caste out the darkness and suffering in people’s hearts. You see, Jesus always responded in power and grace and continues to meet our needs according to His gracious provision when we step out to serve those being tested. This supernatural connection is what we are to be hoping for in our hearts. So, look for glimpses of grace and you might just hear the Lord in your heart. Recognize the timing, the troubles, the touch of life’s experiences and listen. Understand the momentum of the situations we face and the reality that there are people who have yet to hear the Gospel. Friends, there is a challenge to sharing the Gospel in tough times but perhaps more so in times of less turmoil, especially for those who are not listening for the Lord. That is why we like Jesus must be compassionate and gracious to all people realizing that forever and always people will have needs that only Jesus can meet.
And So, there will come a time when the tension and drama of our lives lessens and when that happens, we really need to continue to have a thankful heart that raises praise for what God has done and for who God is in our lives. We will need to thank God who gives us victory through Jesus Christ. But moreover, we will need to remember why it is we are to rejoice in all things. You see, we are to give thanks by making the deeds of Jesus known to others. God knows we get sad and mad. God knows we have setbacks and disappointments. He knows that we sin and fall short of the glory of God. He knows that we have terrible tragedies in life. And God wants us to take all of our troubles to Him. Today’s psalm suggests four ways how we can show our thankfulness for the indwelling of the Spirit. First, we can speak to God in prayer and then we can speak to people about God and singing praise to God for this can have a tremendous effect on the people who hear us. And finally, we are to seek the Lord with all our hearts together. Thankfully, in this way we hope to help people, though the power of the Holy Spirit, to open their hearts to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior. And this helps us to believe the more that God is working in and through us for a holy purpose.
Pray we call on the Lord to save us from evil. Pray we have visions of God. Pray we listen for God. Pray we are not so concerned about God hearing us as us hearing from God. Pray that even though we do not hear God’s voice or feel the divine touch, we still believe that the Lord can still speak to us and heal us. Pray we put ourselves in the hands of God. Pray God give us the strength and wisdom to serve. Pray we have faith in the Word of God even when it is so rare as to be thought a fantasy by those around us. Pray we genuinely feel hope. Pray we realize that God speaks to the ones who are listening. Pray we show great love, grace, and compassion as we share the good news. Pray God open all our hearts, minds and ears and hands to the work of the Kingdom to come. Pray we patiently keep listening even when doing so seems to have gone out of season. Pray the movement of the Spirit reveal to us what areas of our lives need correction. Pray we speak to God and about God and have a heartfelt thankfulness in our singing and seeking for Jesus.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 
Good morning to you Brother John,
Hopeful I am that you hear God speaking to you this day… both in the silence and over the cacophony of the world. Sometimes I wonder if anyone is listening… not only to God, but to one another as well. The desire of the day seems to be that everyone else listen to me… and… if they won’t… cancel them!
There is a lot of shouting, but very little listening. All sources of information seem to be focused on only sharing their perspective. No one seems to know how to simply lay out the facts. And… most difficult for me to accept… is the decision to attack others while claiming you are not.
In all fairness to all concerned, it is difficult to fully know the facts. Experience shows us that multiple people can see an event unfold and still all report what they saw differently. Seeing the same issue unfold and actually understanding what we are seeing can be very difficult. We are biased by who we are, where we have been, and in how we have been trained to evaluate what we hear and see.
Ironically, many people know of the famous phrase Abraham Lincoln used in a powerful speech he gave regarding deep divisions within our country. That part of his speech began with these words… “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” What they fail to realize is that he was quoting scripture.
You will find these words throughout Scripture… some spoken as warnings by prophets… at least one a comment made by Jesus to his followers. All of them point to the same “fact,” if we cannot find common ground, we will crumble and be swallowed by the earthquakes of our own making. While we all may want others to “come around” to our point of view, if we don’t listen to them… really listen to the pain behind the words… we will hear nothing but the sounds of our own feeble voices.
The divisions we face today are legion. We are often divided by race, even though we can find a multiplicity of races defending and attacking each side of every issue. We are often divided by sexuality and gender. Even divided by issues of science and faith. It is unclear if anyone in a position of leadership… whether it be politics, science, or religion… has the capacity to see both sides and offer ways of meeting in the middle.
No one seems to recognize that all persons are children of God… created in His image… no matter how disillusioned we believe them to be. I would like to think that the Church has the answers, but it too is deeply divided. Some believe Christian values should be politicized and weaponized… and this has been true for centuries. Others believe the Church should become less a place of faith and more willing to accept secular values… meaning that we give up any notion of absolute truth and value.
I think Jesus knew that the Church would face these conflicts in every age and even in every generation. So…one day he turned to His disciples and asked them… “Who do you say that I am?” In the end, it doesn’t matter what others say or do… what matters is what we say and do in response to what we hear Jesus saying to us. Is He our Lord? Do we respond as we hear Him calling us to respond? Or do we simply give Him thanks for our salvation and then do what we want?
In my estimation the Church is collapsing because it cannot agree on whether or not Jesus is Lord. Many years ago, the PCUSA, at one of its General Assemblies, was asked to vote on whether or not Jesus is Lord. At that time the vote was 51% yes and 49% no. The commissioners to that Assembly showed us that the Church is divided so much that we are in danger of no longer being able to stand. And… because the Church cannot speak with one volce… because the Church cannot listen to one another without resorting to diatribes… our nation cannot either.
Unfortunately, the answer to all this division today seems to be the culture of cancel. If we don’t like what someone says, or believes, then we erase them from social media, call for their removal from elected positions, and, in some cases, seek to do them economic and physical harm. No one seems to know how to bring about reconciliation in the midst of our turmoil.
Karl Barth wrote 4 volumes on this topic… and I am about half-way through volume three. Without boring you too much let me reduce his “observations” to two ideas. The first calls us to recognize that God alone can reconcile us… and He has done so in Christ Jesus our Lord. He argues that we can only come to the place from which we need to act by understanding that Jesus has already won the victory, no matter how dark our present may seem. The second reminds us that the purpose of the Church is to work for reconciliation. We are not to seek power in politics, but to realize that our power comes from our Lord through the Spirit. And our mission, should we choose to accept it, is to work for reconciliation in the world.
Reconciliation can only come about when those who believe that they have been wronged are willing to forgive. In today’s society, both in Church politics and secular politics, those who believe they have been wronged are only willing to consider forgiveness IF those who, they believe, have harmed them make reparations. In other words, I won’t forgive until I have been given a “pound of flesh” in return for what you have done to me. This demand for recompense before forgiveness will never work. And that is why God chose to act, in Jesus, to forgive us while we are still sinners.
I don’t know if we Christians have time to learn how to really forgive… both Christians who have denied our Lord and people who never claimed to be His followers. Nor do I know if we really want to. But… what I do know is that unless we try, no one else will. Only when we learn how to forgive without asking for an apology will we learn how to save our children and our grandchildren from the fallout from our sin. Right now, we need to be talking about how we might do this both privately and publicly. As you have said on many occasions, may we listen well… then act well.
hesed ve shalom,
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