Scripture Reflections for February 2024
2/29/2024 Good morning,
Text for the day: Proverbs 15.17 Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fattened ox and hatred with it.
The Proverbs are great observations about life that offer wisdom and encouragement. This proverb might first look like a cholesterol proposal that veggies are better than red meat. But it goes much deeper than that. It normally takes a lot more work to raise cattle than to grow a garden. We can fairly easily plant enough food in our backyard to supply the family with food, but we need much more land and feed for beef. Even today, we have to make more money and therefore work harder and longer to afford the fattened ox. This often takes time away from the family and can even build up resentment at the time lost at the family table. Better to work less, spend more time with family, have a light salad, than to labor all the time and sit at table weary and upset with ten pounds of meat sizzling on the grill. That is not to say we have to be vegetarians, only to say that the Proverb says that it is better to have a life filled with love (less work, more family time) than to work ourselves to death and have our fill and yet have hatred with it.
Ah, but we say, why not the ox with love? Well, the Proverb does not entertain that possibility. It takes some sacrifices to have love. It takes “work” in another way than labor. Consider Isaiah 55.2 “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.” The way to love in any home (and in life) is in listening to the Lord, eating His food (Word), and delighting in what the Lord provides. We need not have ourselves exhausted by all that the world would offer, having the best of everything, having the next greatest cell phone or the best version of a vehicle. Better a place of love and little than a place filled with everything and hatred with it. We do well to teach our children that they do not need everything they see, and that is a good lesson for all of us.
Pastor Ed (see also Proverbs 17.1)
2/28/2024 Good morning,
One of the first verses I memorized after my conversion to the faith was 2 Corinthians 5.17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” Several points touched my heart and mind at the age of nineteen, and continue to do so. First, “In Christ” – In my first understanding of “in Christ” I had no idea what that was about. It was a mystery. But it did speak to newness, a sense of all things changing in my life. I would describe it today as a strange new world, a new way of being in the world. It means a new life, new identity, and not only our being in Christ, but also Christ being in us. Being in Christ leads to the second point, “A New Creation” – I don’t recall what I thought about it at nineteen, but I know more today! The God who created all things, the God who spoke everything into existence, the Creator Himself has made us a new creation. His Word and His Spirit create in us a newness of life.
Point three – “The old has passed away; behold the new has come.” The ESV uses that phrase “passed away”, words we use often to indicate that someone has died. The old nature has passed away, it has died. But that is not all that is left. Something else has come. Behold! Look and see! Embrace the new that has come, the new creation that God has spoken into existence in us. We have a new way of being, constantly being renewed and transformed in the process of sanctification.
We can know that God is working this new way of being into our lives by many other teachings received from Scripture:
Philippians 1.6 – And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
Romans 12.1-2 – I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
John 15.10 – If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.
Luke 9.23 – And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
John 14.26 – But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
Matthew 6.33 – But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Colossians 3.1-3 – If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
Just to point out a few!
Pastor Ed
2/27/2024 Good morning,
Text for today: 1 Peter 2.4-5, As you come to him [Jesus], a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
I suspect we seldom think of ourselves as living stones, part of a spiritual house, and yet, Peter calls all who are God’s chosen a house of living stones. We are the building blocks of His house on the earth, the visible church. Notice that Jesus is referred to as a living stone as well in verse 4. He is the cornerstone, we are the building blocks, living, and living for a purpose set out in 1 Peter 2.9, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light”. That we may proclaim! Sounds like stones crying out (Luke 19.40). The church is not brick and mortar; the church is made up of living stones that are called to proclaim the excellencies of God who has called us out of darkness and into His marvelous light. May our proclamation, spoken and acted out, bring others into the light.
Pastor Ed
2/26/2024 Good morning,
One of the ways we can arrange our understanding of the stages of life or get perspective on our lives is through the metaphor of journey. The Bible is filled with journeys big and small. Lent is a season of journey into the wilderness, not in a physical sense, but spiritual. We journey into a sacrificial mode for the sake of preparing ourselves for Holy Week and especially the glory of Easter Resurrection. Lent asks us to look at ourselves, where we need repentance, where we need discipline, and where we need maturity of faith and love. Let’s reflect on Saul’s (Paul’s) three day journey into darkness (and yet in the light!). Acts 9.3-9 “3 Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. 4 And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5 And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” 7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. 8 Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.” Saul, after persecuting Christians, would become one of the “big name” apostles as God called him a “chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel” (Acts 9.15). Saul went through three days of blindness and fasting before his sight was restored and he took nourishment (Acts 9.17-19). His encounter with Jesus on the road was in the middle of Saul’s journey to persecute believers and so his “journey” into the wilderness of blindness and fasting was not voluntary, but it was a journey that we must imagine caused him to rethink everything. This encounter changed his life dramatically. So too we seek God to change our lives as we go about a voluntary journey in Lent. We are seeking to welcome the Holy Spirit to change our lives, but that is seldom a welcomed journey. Change is difficult most of the time. We get comfortable with ourselves and we resist the wilderness journey. Instead of resisting change, perhaps we could pray to embrace change with the knowledge that whatever change God brings to our lives, it is far better than staying in the same place in our maturity and discipleship. We all have journeys that bring change to us. Some are voluntary and others are not. Change need not be feared or resisted. A good biblical word for change is transformation. The biblical Greek word for transformation is where we get our English word metamorphosis. It’s the old caterpillar to butterfly metamorphosis! Actually, this is what we seek in our lives each time we read the Bible or read an almost daily Scripture reflection! It is what we may find with prayer, worship, or any practice of the Christian faith. These things change us because the Holy Spirit is at work in us (Philippians 1.6; 2.13). Embrace the transformation God seeks to work in us and may Saul’s journey encourage us to enter into the wilderness of Lent and come out on Easter Sunday with a renewed perspective for our lives. Saul certainly did…”But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.”
Pastor Ed
2/24/2024 Good morning,
I believe that one of the greatest encouragements from God, if not a commandment, is “fear not”. If you have a computer Bible program or an old fashion paper concordance, search the words fear and afraid and you will find it all over the Bible. Just a couple of texts to that end:
“…fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41.10).
“And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2.10).
The Bible uses the term fear in at least two ways, 1) fear as in being afraid, cautious, trembling, 2) fear as in awe, reverence, that is, the fear of the Lord. In this reflection I want to address the first definition, being afraid. We fear many things. It can be expressed as worry, anxiety, distrust, dread, and an example might be in facing something unknown. God assures us that we have no need to fear. God promises His presence. Any time we are afraid we are often helped to have someone with us. How much more to know that God is with us. God also promises in Isaiah 41, strength, help, and support. Some versions of the Bible speak of the Holy Spirit as our helper (John 14.26). Certainly included in that term is everything we see here in Isaiah 41.
The shepherds in Luke 2 are afraid simply by the appearance of an angel and the glory of God. I’m sure we would have some fear in that as well. The command to fear not is followed by the good news of great joy. The fear is quickly dispersed and replaced with what I imagine as excitement and amazement. They were ready to see what was revealed and to tell others about it.
Fear is a common issue for us. We can fear many things: the unknown, making a mistake, disappointing someone, our lack of confidence, and on the list could go. It is a difficult emotion or condition to overcome. We hear people say we have to face our fears. We have to understand that our fears can hold us back from faithfulness to God, from sharing the gospel, and there are times when we will not admit we are afraid. But the promise of God is that we need not fear. We allow fear to creep in when we spend more time fretting over earthly matters than kingdom of God matters. Politics, economy, viruses…and it is not to say that we cannot be aware of earthly matters, but to let fear lead us rather than trust in God’s sovereignty, faithfulness, and love is a detriment to our lives. Fear not, do not be afraid…yes, easier said than done. Therefore, we can only overcome fear by the help and strength of the Holy Spirit and the trust in God’s promise to be with us through all things. God the Father has sent us His Spirit in Jesus’ name. Pray that we all might trust in these promises and rely on the Helper to build us up in faith and vanquish all fears.
Pastor Ed
2/23/2024 Good morning,
What a joy to be in God’s Word! Today from Psalm 119.14-16, “In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.”
My readings come from the English Standard Version of the Bible and in these verses we might notice the word “delight” used twice to speak of the joy of being in and living out God’s Word. This delight is expressed throughout the Psalms. Delight – to rejoice in Scripture, to find pleasure in Commandments, to exult in the way of God revealed to us.
If we are not embraced by delight, I hope that we would pray for God to open our hearts to receive joy, zeal, excitement, and pleasure in His Word “as much as all riches”. In Psalm 1.2 there is a connection between delight and meditation on the Word. Perhaps that is where we begin fostering delight, by meditation on what God has given us in the Sacred Scriptures. Take the time to meditate, to think about what we read and hear, to focus our hearts and minds in such a way that the Word sticks with us throughout the day. I used to jot down a passage on a 3×5 card and carry it in my pocket so that every time I reached into that pocket I was reminded about what God has said.
These two verses in Psalm 119 highlight the delight we can have in the testimonies of God, fixing our eyes (meditating) on His ways, and therefore not forgetting His Word. As you may recall from Deuteronomy 8 (Feb 21 reflection), one of the greatest dangers through the history of God’s people is forgetting God and His Word. We see this evidenced today as much of our society has forgotten God and His Word. We cannot forget, but we keep the memory alive in the disciplines of worship, prayer, study, meditation, and others. One of our responsibilities as Christians and as the Church is to take delight in the Word so that we keep the memory alive for ourselves and as an on-going witness to the world. Take delight today in Psalm 119.14-16! Read it again, copy it with pen and paper, read it out loud, share it with a friend…delight in God’s Word today and every day.
Pastor Ed
2/22/2024 Good morning,
What is God’s will? Have you ever wondered what God’s will was for you? Ever heard someone struggling to discern God’s will? Let’s explore 1 Thessalonians 5.12-22, “But we ask of you, brothers, that you know those who labor among you, and lead you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and that you regard them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another. 14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. 16 Rejoice always; 17 pray without ceasing; 18 in everything give thanks, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 19 Do not quench the Spirit; 20 do not despise prophecies, 21 but examine all things; hold fast to that which is good; 22 abstain from every form of evil.”
My understanding of God’s will is in two parts: 1) God’s will is to keep His commandments in whatever situation we are in, 2) God’s will gives us freedom to make choices for our life like what college to attend, car to buy, job to take, etc. Many people will quote something like Jeremiah 29.11, “For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares Yahweh, ‘plans for peace and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope'”, and make it out to be a blueprint for our lives that we will either hit or miss. But the context of Jeremiah is that God’s plan was to return Israel to their home, that they would seek the Lord and pray to God. That is the plan! It does not indicate that each Jew would have a detailed plan for day to day living and decisions. I do not think God is concerned with which restaurant we choose, but what God cares about is how we conduct ourselves in the restaurant.
This is what Paul is getting at in 1 Thessalonians 5.18 when he writes, “this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”. God’s will is everything surrounding that phrase! Live in peace, admonish the unruly, be patient, do not repay evil with evil…rejoice always, pray, give thanks…do not quench the Spirit. These imperatives, and really the whole of the Bible, are God’s will for us. No matter what decisions we make in our lives, God’s will is that we conduct ourselves according to God’s Word in those decisions. Sure, we should lift in prayer any and every major decision with which we are faced. But God will use us in ways we cannot imagine in any situation we have chosen. I’m reminded of a quote from Oswald Chambers, “Keep your relationship right with Jesus, then whatever circumstances you are in, and whoever you meet day by day, He is pouring rivers of living water through you, and it is of His mercy that He does not let you know it” (My Utmost for His Highest, Aug 30). Whatever choices we make, God is at work in us to do His will, the will that is filled with love and grace and mercy and justice. God’s will is that we love Him and love others. God’s will is that we keep commandment and abide in Jesus. God’s will is everything Paul teaches in 1 Thess and everything taught in God’s Word. Let us work out God’s will by knowing His Word. Philippians 2.12-13, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” God is already at work in us to will and to work for His good pleasure. That, my friends, is God’s will.
Pastor Ed
2/21/2024 Good morning,
Today we will explore several verses from Deuteronomy 8 but I encourage you to take out your Bible to read the entire chapter!
Deuteronomy 8.2, 11, 14, 18, 19
2 And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.
11 “Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today,
14 then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery,
18 You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.
19 And if you forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish.
One of the themes in the Old Testament is memory. Setting aside our physical loss of memory that may come with age, there is a significant spiritual and relational importance to remembering God, His actions, and His Word. Deuteronomy 8 begins with the command to keep commandment. The threat for Israel throughout the rest of the chapter is failing to remember. If they fail to remember what God has done they will begin to think they had delivered themselves or that the animals that carried them and their stuff had delivered them. What follows, in forgetting the story, is they will also fail to keep commandment. This is a recipe for forgetting God. It does not take a grand leap to see this in our nation as people forget what God has done for Israel (biblically) and what we may consider God has done in establishing the United States of America. No matter what people might say about the founding fathers and mothers of our nation, the evidence is clear that the Ten Commandments mattered, the Bible made a huge impact on the basic understanding of our founding documents, and the Judeo-Christian heritage is interwoven in most of the national ethos. The enemies of God have, for many years now, chipped away at that foundation and caused many to forget God and to forget our history.
But Deuteronomy is more about a people, a believing people who have forgotten. It is about remembering what God has done. How easily we can forget if we are not intentionally putting the story before ourselves for the sake of remembering. This is one reason worship liturgy is used by traditional churches. The repetition of certain beliefs, the weekly reading of Scripture, the music, and simply the gathering of the people is a reminder of what God has done for and in His people. Worship is much more than a reminder, but that is part of the mix. It is like driving a car. There are places we drive regularly and need not ever look to GPS or a map, but if we have not been somewhere after six months or a year we forget how to get there. We might have a vague memory of this road or that barn, but we need new directions. The repetition of driving to work five days a week gets ingrained in our minds. The repetition of worship, prayer, Scripture reading, service, etc. gets ingrained in our being so that we never forget.
To some that might sound like a chore, to be constantly at the life of faith so that we do not forget. But the reality is that fostering memory is a joy. The simple act of saying to God, “thank You”, is in itself an act of praise, an act of remembering, an act of recognition, and an act of prayer. Just say “thank You, Lord” on a daily basis and we will never forget! Otherwise we fall into the idolatry of verse 19 – going after other gods. We fall into the amnesia that fails to keep commandment.
A word about physical loss of memory. We all know people who suffer from loss of memory, not because of turning away from God, not because of failing to keep commandment, but by the breakdown of physical capabilities. Very often those who have lived by faith will remember old hymns or favorite Scriptures, but even if not, our blessing to them is to remember on their behalf. We are called to remember for ourselves and for the community of faith especially for those who cannot remember anymore. Our call is to sing to them the old hymns, to recite the old old story, to share the love of Christ for their benefit and for our own.
Pastor Ed
2/20/2024 Good morning,
Join with me in Isaiah 55.6-7, “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” We are now a few days into Lent. Have you sacrificed something to focus more deeply in prayer? And/or, have you taken on a new discipline in hopes of growing closer to Jesus? Hopefully a 40 day discipline does not fade away as easily as a New Year’s resolution! Our verses for today can certainly fit into the theme of Lent, seeking God, repentance of sin, and the cleansing found in forgiveness.
Seeking – Seek the Lord and call upon Him. We seek – pursuing God and the things of God. We seek through Scripture and prayer, through worship and service. Prayer is obviously evident in calling upon the Lord. We seek communion with God, that is, relationship, fellowship, intimacy in that we open our lives before the Lord, trying our best not to hide anything away (as if we could). We are seeking friendship with Jesus (John 15.15). He is truly an ever present Lord, Savior, companion, and friend. May the season of Lent afford us the opportunity to grow closer to Jesus and to one another.
Repentance – let the wicked forsake his way and thoughts and return! The heart of Lent is here. Forsaking all that does not reflect the glory of God and His righteousness. As Paul says, to take every thought captive to obey Christ (2 Cor 10.5). In Lent we return to the Lord, not necessarily because we have strayed away so far, but because we know, no matter how close we might be to Jesus, there is room for repentance and deeper maturity. May we be willing to confess our sin and seek the Lord daily, denying ourselves, and taking up our cross (Matt 16.24).
Forgiveness – Confession of sin leads us to an awareness of pardon and forgiveness and in Isaiah we see that God’s pardon is abundant! So deep is the love of God and the faithfulness of God to bestow the grace that cleanses through Jesus Christ. It might be difficult for us to forgive ourselves sometimes, but God forgives completely tossing our sins away as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103.12). What peace that brings! May the Lord help us to see ourselves as we are seen in His eyes through the cross of Christ.
Pastor Ed
2/19/2024 Good morning,
Today we reflect on listening. Matthew 13.9, “He who has ears, let him hear.” Jesus had just told the parable of the sower. The sower tossed the seed and some fell on the path, some on rocky ground, some among thorns, and some in good soil. I will probably write something on the parable another day. But today I want to focus on verse 9, “He who has ears, let him hear.” It is basically a call to listen, to pay attention, to contemplate what Jesus has said. And yet, Jesus tells us that not everyone will hear or understand (Matt 13.10-17). To hear is a crucial aspect of Jewish faith. A primary text for Israel is Deuteronomy 6.4, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” Hearing, in this case, carries with it the understanding to obey. Hear and obey! If we truly hear and understand God’s Word, we will obey His Word. When Jesus speaks of those who have ears to hear, His emphasis might very well be to listen and obey, or listen and believe. Listen closely, for what we hear from Jesus is the good news, news of the kingdom, news of salvation, news of forgiveness, life, hope, love, and faith. Listen to the words that lead us to life in abundance. Listen and believe. Listen and obey. It takes energy and focus to really listen. It takes time to truly hear. We all tend to practice selective listening, only hearing what we want to hear. Listening is not easy. In some ways it is an art. We can develop skills for listening by engaging first in the Sacred Words of Scripture. We can develop skills by giving time for silence in prayer. We can develop skills for listening by hearing those around us, paying attention to God’s creation, and listening.
Can you hear Jesus? Try something, not hearing the actual voice of Jesus, but listen to an audible Bible reading. There are plenty of apps and websites that have this option. Another option is to read Scripture out loud. This may seem strange to us at first, but consider that we are reading and listening when we hear our own voice as we read. That’s two ways to soak in the Scripture! Another method is to write down the passage. Copy it word for word or write your own paraphrase or version in your own words. We can “hear” in lots of ways. Perhaps the best way to “hear” is also to do, that is, keep commandments. Jesus says in John 14.23, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” Certainly if we are keeping/doing what Jesus has commanded, we have heard Him.
As I repeat Matthew 13.9 in my mind and heart, I hear it over and over as a call from the Savior who loves us. “He who has ears, let him hear.” It sounds like the words of someone who deeply loves us and wants what is best for us, if we would only listen to His words. Like a parent trying to help her child. Listen to the wisdom from your mother. Listen to Jesus, for in His word is truth and life and wisdom. He who has ears…listen.
2/17/2024 Good morning,
Today we reflect on the Apostle Paul from Philippians 3.4-11,
4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Many of you know that I read a lot of Jewish Rabbinical teachings. Part of that comes from my studies in the Old Testament, but it seems evident to me that Christians can learn a great deal from the Jewish mind. I don’t know if you know this, but Jesus was Jewish! (I know you know!) Paul was Jewish. The disciples were Jewish. The Old Testament is given to us out of the history of Judaism. Paul “brags” a bit on his Jewishness: circumcised, of Israel, tribe of Benjamin, Hebrew, Pharisee. If we stop to reflect just on his pedigree, we see that we have elevated the writings of a Jew (of course, inspired by God) to be some of the most influential teachings for the Christian Church. The foundational teaching of the Old Testament gives us greater insight into the meaning of the New Testament. We ignore the Old Testament at our peril, or at least missing out on great insight into the Christian life.
But Paul then dismisses all his accomplishments, even his deepest identity as a Jew, and all for the sake of Christ. Everything in Paul’s life, following his encounter with Jesus on the road to Demascus, now depends solely on knowing Jesus Christ. Paul’s goal is to know Jesus, to be found in Jesus, to have the righteousness of Jesus, to have faith in Jesus, to know the power of Jesus’ resurrection and share in His sufferings. The goal – to become like Jesus! Paul’s desire is to even know death and resurrection in Jesus. Of course it is a spiritual death, dying to self in order to live to God. It is a crucifixion of the old nature so that the new creation is born in us. Paul is willing to give up everything of his earthly identity, and yet, he is fed in his new identity by his knowledge of God’s Word in the Old Testament. Paul quotes the Old Testament many times to teach us about the New Covenant in Jesus. For example, he quotes Deuteronomy 30 in Romans 10, or Isaiah 64 in 1 Corinthians 2. What I think is helpful is to learn more about how the Jewish mind thinks, but even greater, how the Bible thinks. We have been schooled to think in particular ways that are dominated by Western thought, Enlightenment modes of understanding. The way we think, the way we formulate ideas and philosophies is deeply rooted in reason and science. Nothing inherently wrong with that, but Middle Eastern thinking is somewhat different. Life is known and approached in different ways and I trust that the Bible is better understood when we can “change our minds” to think more like the Bible “thinks”. Can we open ourselves to say this more often — “I never thought of it that way!”? It truly takes a transformation and renewal of the mind (Romans 12.2) to enlarge our understanding of all things biblical. The Holy Spirit leads us in this (1 Corinthians 2.12). It is only by God’s Spirit that our minds can comprehend the things of God. Paul also sought this understanding as a Jew; he desired more than anything to know Christ. Let us set our sights on this: the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus Christ! Know Him through the Word, through prayer, worship, thanksgiving, service, love, silence, meditation. These and other disciplines help us get to know Jesus and to transform our minds and thus our ways. There is no greater joy in this life than knowing more deeply our Lord and Savior.
Pastor Ed
2/16/2024 Good morning,
As we journey through the season of Lent, we are seeking to examine our lives, repent, and prepare our hearts to celebrate on Easter Sunday. I think of a particular Scripture that speaks of ridding ourselves of “every weight and sin which clings so closely”. Hebrews 12.1-2, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” One of the key words for me is cling. It is used here in a negative sense of sin clinging to us. That would indicate how difficult it is for us to get rid of sin. It clings to us! The author of Hebrews tells us to lay it aside so that we might run the race of faith. A key to laying our sins aside is “looking to Jesus”. It is only because of Jesus that we can lay aside sin because Jesus has taken our sin upon Himself in His crucifixion.
A positive sense of the word cling is in Psalm 119.31, “I cling to your testimonies, O Lord; let me not be put to shame!” There may be two ways of linking these texts together. 1) Clinging to God’s Word helps us lay aside the sin that clings so closely, and/or, 2) Laying aside sin enables us to better cling to God’s Word. Either way, or a little bit of both, frees us from sin and binds us to the Word. This is a worthy goal for Lent and even a way to “run with endurance the race that is set before us”. Let us look to Jesus to help us lay aside the sin that clings and let us look to Jesus that we might cling to His Word.
Pastor Ed
2/15/2024 Good morning,
Be still. Be still.
Psalm 46.10a, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Have you ever uttered those words to a child? “Be still.” It is often difficult for children to be still. They have all that energy we once had! But, if we really examine our lives, we all have trouble being still for the purpose of knowing that God is God. Our minds wander all over the place with thoughts of the day, needs to meet, schedules, worries, and we cannot keep still within ourselves. When I used to meet with a group of spiritual directors for prayer and fellowship, we would spend the first 20 minutes in silence. Those who practice silence before the Lord say that it takes a minimum of 20 minutes to be still in our hearts and minds. The words are simple enough, be still, but we live in a world that pushes us to be constantly moving, always producing. How often are we thinking about what has to get done? Stillness and prayer too often get pushed aside. One of the greatest enemies of prayer is hurry. We are in a hurry. Our minds are hurried. Our hearts are burdened with hurry. Hurry is a synonym of busyness. Busyness is a synonym of efficiency. What is the world constantly pushing? Production, being informed, knowing the latest news, acquiring the latest iphone (I prefer android), excessive consumerism, and as we are bombarded with the busyness of the day, we have no time to be still.
This verse in the Psalm is not only about stillness, but also about knowing that God is God. There is a purpose to being still. Being still takes us into prayer. It is a posture, a first step into the presence of God. God is not found in the loud wind or the earthquake but in the whisper (1 Kings 19.11-12) 11 And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks 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. 12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. (Other versions translate whisper as “a still small voice”). Whispers cannot be heard in the busyness, in the hurry, in the blaring television, on the cell phone screen, or in the mental fatigue of worldly pursuits – the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and pride in possessions (1 John 2.16). It is no wonder that it takes at least 20 minutes to quiet ourselves before the Lord. The world seeks to fill us with busyness, fill us with news 24/7, fill us with fears over politics and viruses (physical or computer), and anything else to distract our walk with God. Be still and let all the concerns of the world run their course through our minds until we come to the place of true stillness and Holy Presence.
Be still.
Know that God is God.
Pastor Ed
2/14/2024
Good morning,
It is Ash Wednesday. We start a journey through Lent preparing our hearts for the suffering of Christ, His crucifixion, and resurrection. Let’s take a look at a passage for this day and season. 1 John 1.8-10, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”
Ashes are a symbol of repentance (Luke 10.13). Ashes are a reminder that we are dust and to dust we shall return (Genesis 3.19). When we are marked with ashes, it begins a journey of repentance and reflection as we seek to follow Jesus through self denial. Many will give up something as a sacrificial practice for the purpose of spending more time in prayer or Scripture reading or both(!) or some other discipline to deepen our faith and love for God. 1 John teaches us that we are sinners and to deny that fact shows that the truth is not in us. Lent is a time to acknowledge our sins, confess them to the Lord, and to know that Jesus is faithful and just to forgive us. A season of repentance may sound like a drudgery at first, and yet, to deny the self can be a tremendous period of growth and learning. To intentionally put ourselves through a period of suffering either through self denial or by committing ourselves to a set time of daily prayer (or another discipline), is to experience only a fraction of the suffering Jesus endured during Holy Week. And yet, this is one of the goals of Lent, to share in His suffering (Philippians 3.10). Let us spend the Lenten season in prayer, confessing our sins, and yes, even rejoicing in our suffering, “knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5.3-5).
Pastor Ed
2/13/2024
Good morning,
Let’s meditate today on Romans 12.1-2, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Paul had just written several chapters about God’s salvific work for the Jewish people and also for Gentiles in and through Jesus Christ. “Therefore”, says Paul. Therefore, knowing what Christ has done, present your bodies as a living sacrifice. The Greek word for bodies is the literal flesh. Present your whole self, body, soul, everything, to God, holy and acceptable. It is a proper sacrifice to give our lives to God so that we might bring glory to God. How might we present our bodies? The answer is partly in verse two, by not conforming to the ways of the world. Instead, we renew our minds so that we can know God’s will. We learn to think differently than the world. We learn to think in terms of the Bible. Things like living by the Ten Commandments. Things like abiding in Christ and in His love. Things like seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. We cannot be deceived by the world. The deception is unfortunately everywhere in the world. Politics, news, media, social media, even medicine is losing ground as far as our trust. The world seeks conformity. Get in line with the dominant narrative or else! It reminds me of the narrative the “world” tried to propagate after Jesus rose from the tomb. “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep’” (Matthew 28.13). This is the hope of this world, “If you tell a lie long enough, it becomes the truth.” That saying came from Joseph Goebbles of the Nazi party. It is a strategy still in use today. We might paraphrase Romans 12.2 like this, “Do not be conformed to the lies told us over and over, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind to know the truth of God’s way.” We used to say, “don’t believe everything you read” but it seems these days we cannot believe anything we read! But, there is one source filled with truth, the Word of God. It is in the sacred Word that we renew our minds in order to discern truth from lies. Let us heed the call of Romans 12 to present our bodies as a living sacrifice for this is truly our spiritual worship. Lord, lead us to resist conformity to the world, but to be transformed and renewed in our minds that we might be able to discern Your will. Amen.
Pastor Ed
2/12/2024 Good morning,
Today we meditate on Psalm 63.1-4 noting two particular themes, our yearning for God and God’s steadfast love for us.
“1 O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. 2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. 3 Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. 4 So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.”
There are four active verbs that present a theme of yearning: I seek God, my soul thirsts for God, my flesh faints for God, and I look to God in the sanctuary. Seek – Thirst – Faint – Look. We know of other passages that speak of seeking God, Isaiah 55.6 – Seek the Lord while He may be found. Matthew 6.33 – Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Luke 11.9 – Seek and you will find! Seeking is an action on our part. We are invited to seek, commanded to seek; it is something we are to do with God’s help. Next, it is the soul that thirsts. There is something mysterious deep within our being, the soul, that longs for God, that longs for communion with God. I think of Matthew 5.6, Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. The thirst in our soul is only satisfied by drinking the living water that comes from Jesus (John 4.14). We might think these first two expressions of yearning are spiritual in nature, but the third appears to be a physical yearning only. My flesh faints for You – as in the desert with no water. My thought on this is that the body and soul are interconnected in such a way that we should not try to separate body from soul but look to ourselves as one. The soul and the flesh are one in the sense that all our being yearns for our Creator God. It may not always be the case but often a yearning in the soul can manifest itself in our flesh, an ailment, a pain, a weariness (“fainting”), all of these may point to a soul issue with God. Verse 2 points us in the direction of worship. We look to God in the sanctuary, beholding His power and glory. The word “so” leads us to think that the three verbs of yearning lead us into worship. When seeking God, we may find Him in worship. Our thirst is quenched in worship. Our bodies are renewed in worship.
Every ounce of seeking, thirsting, fainting and looking is satisfied in God’s steadfast love. God’s steadfast love is better than life itself. God’s steadfast love is love expressed in sending His only Son to die on the cross and be raised from the tomb so that we might know the love of God in Christ and through Christ. Seeking, thirsting, fainting, and looking are all met in Jesus. All our yearnings are fulfilled in Jesus. The resulting response in verse 4 is blessing (praise and thanksgiving) and lifting up hands (worship). We respond to God’s steadfast love with thanks and praise, in devotion and obedience, in love and faith. I do not know if Paul Gerhardt had this Psalm in mind in 1653 when he penned the words to the hymn, Jesus, Thy Boundless Love to Me, but I find them fitting to our reflection today.
1 Jesus, Thy boundless love to me, no thought can reach, no tongue declare; O knit my thankful heart to Thee, and reign without a rival there. Thine wholly, Thine alone, I’d live, Myself to Thee entirely give.
2 O grant that nothing in my soul may dwell, but Thy pure love alone! O may Thy love possess me whole, my Joy, my Treasure, and my Crown. All coldness from my heart remove; my every act, word, thought, be love.
3 O Love, how gracious is thy way! All fear before Thy presence flies; care, anguish, sorrow, melt away, where’er Thy healing beams arise. O Jesus, nothing may I see, nothing desire or seek, but Thee. (The Hymnbook, 1955)
Pastor Ed
2/10/2024 Good morning,
Today we live into Psalm 100. “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! 2 Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! 3 Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! 5 For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.”
This was the Psalm the men of the church prayed this morning! If you read my reflections often you will notice that I pay close attention to active verbs. Here is the list from verses 1-4: Make, serve, come, know, enter. Make noise, serve the Lord, come singing, know He is God and enter His gates and courts. These are all actions of God’s people. Then God has a verb, He made us. He who made us…made us His own, His sheep. He has made us through creation, but to all who believe in Jesus, He has made us His church, His people, His family, His covenant partners. Two more verbs follow at the end of verse 4, (I did not miss them!), give thanks and bless. The majority of these verbs point us to worship – making a joyful noise, singing, giving thanks, praising, blessing, but mixed in is service and knowing that God is God. What I would say to that is that service is a form of worship and worship a form of service. There is no clear division between the two. To know God is to worship God and to worship God is to know God. All of it is tied up in a single package of knowing who God is and who we are and the reason why all of this is done and known is summed up in verse 5 – For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
Why do we worship? Because God is good and His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations.
Why do we serve? For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
Why do we come into His presence singing? For this reason — the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
God is good. God is worthy of our thanks and praise. God is loving and faithful. God has revealed His love and faithfulness in Jesus. He has shown His love and faithfulness in sending the Holy Spirit, by entrusting us with the Holy Scriptures, and by returning us to the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls (1 Peter 2.25). Consider God’s goodness, love, and faithfulness. Think about it deeply and perhaps we will not be able to withstand the compelling urge to give thanks and praise God.
Pastor Ed
2/9/2024 Good morning,
Our text for today is Galatians 2.20, I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
If you were to ask me where to start memorizing Scripture, this is one I would suggest. We sometimes look at the cross and imagine how gruesome it must have been to be crucified. But the effect of the crucified Christ has come to us because, with Christ on the cross, we who confess and trust in Jesus have also been crucified. We have not hung on the tree, but in Christ our old nature has been put to death. The “I” has died and now it is all about Christ in me, Christ in us. It is no longer about “I” but totally and completely about “You” as in “You, O Lord.” Our very identity is transformed for we are now in Christ and Christ is in us in such a way that we are identified as children of God, Christian, disciple of Jesus Christ. It is not about “me” but all about “Christ”. Paul affirms that we still live in the flesh, we cannot yet escape our bodies, but we live by faith in Jesus Christ who loved us and gave Himself for us.
Let me interject a little Greek grammar! The phrase “live by faith in the Son of God” can also be translated as “live by the faith of the Son of God” as it is in the King James Version… “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
Imagine for a moment living by faith that is Christ’s faith! His faith rather than my faith! Consider that Christ’s righteousness is imputed or attributed to us by faith (Romans 4.22-25). So too our faith is a gift of God, ” For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2.8). This is one reason why the Reformed Faith sees everything as a gift from God, even “our” faith. Therefore, we give thanks to God for all things including our faith. Thanks be to God.
Interesting version from the Complete Jewish Bible – “When the Messiah was executed on the stake as a criminal, I was too; so that my proud ego no longer lives. But the Messiah lives in me, and the life I now live in my body I live by the same trusting faithfulness that the Son of God had, who loved me and gave himself up for me.”
Pastor Ed
2/8/2024 Good morning! Our text for today is Philippians 4.4-7, 4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Jesus tells us to not be anxious about our lives in Matthew 6. Paul reminds us of that same teaching in Philippians 4, do not be anxious about anything. Easier said than done! Anxiety pulls at our heart strings on a daily basis. We become anxious about world events, news cycles, health issues, relationships, diet, lack of exercise, and on and on the list builds and increases our anxiety. Sometimes we are anxious and we may not even be able to pinpoint why. We just feel anxious. In Matthew 6 Jesus tells us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Paul says to let our requests be known to God by prayer and supplication. I think that Jesus and Paul are telling us basically the same thing, bring all our anxiety to God. Pray, give thanks, seek. These are the disciplines of faith that enable us to release anxiety and find peace and rest in Jesus Christ. Pray by going to God with our anxiety and even when we do not know why we are anxious, ask God to help us release it. Give thanks that God is in charge and is with us through all our anxious moments. Seek wisdom and discernment in the Word that we might vanquish anxiety. Turn to God today and lay down the anxiety asking God to help us know how to be set free and find peace.
Pastor Ed
2/7/2024 Good morning,
Our text for today: Matthew 6.33, But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Matthew 6.25 begins this section of Scripture with Jesus telling us not to be anxious about our lives. It ends here at 6.33 with the counter proposal to such anxiety. BUT – seek God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness. The promise that comes with this seeking is that all our needs will be provided. God will provide. Trust in God’s provisions! That word means to see ahead of time, “pro-video”, foresight, that is, God knows what we need before we do and He will provide. Provision comes when we seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness.
I see this “seeking” as pursuing the things of God, as in Colossians 3 that begins with setting our minds on the things above and not on earthly things (3.2). That same chapter employs two goals, first, putting to death what is earthly in us (3.5-11) and second, putting on that which is of God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness (3.12-17). (Go ahead and look it up!)
In essence it is seeking God Himself in Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit. It means reading the Bible for the sake of pursuing the things of His Kingdom and His righteousness for our sanctification. It means dying to self in order to live to God. It means being completely and utterly devoted to Jesus Christ as a faithful disciple. It means all this and more as we grow in faith and learn to give ourselves over to the Lordship of Christ. Seek first! First. Make this a priority for our lives. Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and trust that all we need will be provided.
Pastor Ed
2/6/2024 Good morning. Our text for today is John 1.1-5, 14 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it…14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John’s gospel begins like Genesis, “In the beginning”. It takes the birth narrative of Jesus coming into the world as a cosmic narrative that is not limited to born in Bethlehem. It speaks to the understanding of begotten not made, because Jesus has always existed – Word that became flesh. Jesus was at the beginning. Our reformed theology speaks of Jesus as of the same substance as God the Father and the Holy Spirit. The Westminster Confession states: “In the unity of the Godhead there are three persons, having one substance, power, and eternity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.” This is the best way we have found to describe and understand the mystery that is the Trinity. John 1 is one of my favorite chapters of Scripture because of the eternal nature of Christ but also the human nature of Christ in that the Word(eternal) became flesh(human) and the powerful end of verse 14, that He came “full of grace and truth”. This is our goal in all the issues we wrestle with in our day, to approach them, and the people involved with them, with a fullness of grace and truth. We cannot compromise the truth, nor can we set aside God’s grace, kindness, and gentleness. May we all be filled with the grace and truth of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
Pastor Ed
2/5/24 Good morning,
Having preached on “Living God’s Word to Make Disciples”, and having emphasized a “million” times for us to be engaged in the Word of God, I’m going to attempt an occasional email reflection in the Word with the hope of making all of us faithful to engage more frequently.
Text for today: Genesis 1.1 “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” From the start, we are told that God created. The word that is used for “create” is unique to God alone. God also forms, shapes, molds, etc. but those words are also applicable to us, to the human capacity to shape or mold. But, we cannot technically “create”. Creation is bringing things into existence that do not exist (Rom 4.17). Creation is speaking something into existence. I cannot say, like Genesis 1.11, “Let the earth sprout vegetation” and my garden will be full of tomatoes. No, I have to use what is already created, soil, water, seed…because I cannot “create” vegetation. What a God! He who speaks that which does not exist into existence. Consider the power of that thought when reflecting on what God has done in Christ for us. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Cor 5.17). A new creation! Re-created, something that did not exist before now exists because of Christ and what He has done through the cross and resurrection. Rejoice and give thanks, for you are a new creation in Christ.
Pastor Ed
revse28 
Leave a comment