Scripture Reflections – December 2024
12/31/2024 Good morning,
Genesis 1.1-2, In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
We began this journey of almost daily Scripture reflections on February 5, 2024 with a reflection on Genesis 1.1. We will end the year with Genesis 1.1-2!
God is the Creator. He creates with nothing more than His spoken Word. He reveals Himself through the written Word. He encourages and empowers and convicts and judges with that same Word. In Genesis 1.2 we see that phrase of the earth being without form and void. In essence, it was in chaos or perhaps it was the very definition of chaos. In creation God was bringing order to the chaos. In that sense, God continues to create with every Word of healing, with every Word of encouragement, with every Word of gospel working its way to salvation for those who have ears to hear. Wholeness of body and mind is the proper created order. Faith and hope are the ordered way of godliness. The gospel is the order of salvation. God is about order. God is not about chaos but speaks order into our lives through His commandments and His call to live worthy of repentance (Matthew 3.8). In worship we are taught to do all things decently and in order (1 Corinthians 14.40). God is not a God of confusion but of peace and peace comes with the order of creation God intended. Give thanks for the order of God’s beautiful creation. Give Him praise for the joy of a life well ordered through His Word. Amen.
Pastor Ed
12/24/2024 Good morning (almost noon),
Isaiah 9.6, For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
It is Christmas Eve and we prepare to celebrate the birth of the Savior and Lord. In Isaiah Jesus is revealed through four titles: wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.
Wonderful Counselor: God in Christ through the Holy Spirit, John 14:16-17, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper (Counselor), to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth…”
Mighty God: When Mary sings her song in the Christmas story, she speaks of the mighty God, Luke 1.46-49, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.”
Everlasting Father: Jesus will reign forever more. This one might even point us to Christ’s Second Advent. Revelation 11.15, Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.”
Prince of Peace: The Christmas story also includes the peace that Christ brings to the world. The angels sang it to the shepherds, Luke 2.14, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
Let us receive the gift of the Son and all that comes with Him this Christmas.
Merry Christmas,
Pastor Ed
12/23/2024 Good morning,
Proverbs 8.32-36, “And now, O sons, listen to me: blessed are those who keep my ways. 33 Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it. 34 Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors. 35 For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord, 36 but he who fails to find me injures himself; all who hate me love death.”
Proverbs 8 begins with wisdom’s call. The call is to learn prudence and sense, to gain the life offered in knowledge and wisdom. The chapter ends with the blessing that comes with keeping wisdom’s way. Part of the sense of wisdom is watching and waiting (34). This involves listening as we watch daily “at my gates”. I take this to mean that we are ever diligent to read God’s Word so that we are able to discern His wisdom, to nurture “the mind of Christ” (1 Cor 2.16) in us. The Proverb leans toward the building of a house with the language of gates and doors. We build our house (life) on the solid rock that is Christ and not upon the sand that is the foolishness of the world.
We already can see the vast difference between the wisdom of God and the “wisdom” of the world in this season of Advent and Christmas. We see the wisdom of salvation in the birth of Christ. The world sees opportunity for profit and shallow commercialism cloaked in cheer and gaiety. The world is blinded by its failure to find God’s wisdom and in its relentless pursuit of death (abortion, gender confusion, etc). But God’s wisdom is in Christ and the message of the gospel that began on earth in the proclamation of the Christ child. May we rejoice in this wisdom given from above that we might listen carefully, walking in the path of God, watching at the gates, waiting by the doors — to see the Christ who has come and will come again. Amen.
Pastor Ed
12/18/2024 Good morning,
So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom (Psalm 90.12)
This verse is preceded by the insight that our days are short, life is but a breath — verse 10, “The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.” So, says the Psalm, teach us to number our days so that we may grow in wisdom. Number our days? I take this to mean that we are to cherish every day with the goal of gaining wisdom and understanding into the ways of God and His Word, but also into knowing God in Jesus Christ by the power of the Spirit. To gain a heart of wisdom is to not only know theology and Scripture, but to grow in our core being toward devotion and commitment to God. It is to strengthen our desire and obedience to follow Jesus. It is to know as we are known.
Teach us, Lord, to honor each day with a time to meditate on Your Word (Ps 1), to pray without ceasing (1 Thes 5.17), to worship in spirit and truth (John 4.24), and to take up our cross to follow Jesus (Matt 10.38). Teach is to treasure this day and every day for a heart of wisdom. Amen.
Pastor Ed
12/16/2024 Good morning,
Blessed understanding…
1 Corinthians 2.12, “Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.”
Christmas is a time to celebrate and remember the birth of Christ. One of the great traditions is to give and receive gifts, which we could think about in at least two ways: 1) the wise men brought gifts to Jesus, 2) God gave us the gift of His Son. God’s gifts continue every day, with the gift of days, with the gift of life, with the gifts of all we need for faith and life. Paul speaks of the gift given and received – not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God. We have been gifted with the Holy Spirit, within us, for us, giving us understanding of all the things freely given by God. We are capable of comprehending the things of God that those who do not know God cannot understand. We are able to think on the things of the kingdom of God, to think and understand the beautiful truth of Scripture, to know the person of Jesus, and we are summoned to think on “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise…” (Phil 4.8). These thoughts and understandings guide our lives in discipleship and obedience to God’s Word and God’s way. We must think on these things and guard against thinking on the things of “the spirit of the world”. This, I believe, is part of what it means to love God with our mind, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22.37). “To set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace” (Romans 8.6). God has given us the Holy Spirit which gives us tremendous understanding beyond the “wisdom” of the world and beyond the foolishness of human thought. Give thanks! Praise God for this gift, for God is gracious in opening our understanding of spiritual things. Amen.
Pastor Ed
12/13/2024 Good morning,
When life is hard…
Psalm 91.14-16 “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. 15 When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. 16 With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”
There are many Psalms, and other portions of Scripture, that bring comfort in times of trouble. The trials of life often lead us to worry, to fear, or to despair. But one of the great promises we have in Christ is His presence. He will never leave us alone. In Psalm 91 we are called to hold fast to the Lord in love and to know His name. Love and knowledge are key aspects of what it means to follow Christ. Love is the great commandment and knowing Christ draws is closer to Him so that we might love Him more as we come to know His voice and follow in obedience (John 10.4). The promises of Psalm 91 are the same promises in Christ: deliverance, protection, answered prayers, with us (Immanuel) in times of trouble, satisfaction, and salvation, just to name a few!
Psalm 91 is a song and prayer for and of God’s abiding presence and care. He is a refuge for us as we walk in this world, sometimes in times of darkness but other times in the full awareness of God’s love and deliverance. Learn this Psalm and pray this Psalm.
Lord, help us to hold fast to You in love, trusting You to deliver in times of need and helping us to always be aware of the deliverance already provided in the cross of Christ our Lord. Amen.
Pastor Ed
12/7/2024 Good morning,
1 Thessalonians 2.11-12, 11 For you know how, like a father with his children, 12 we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.
The apostle Paul sometimes encourages the church to follow his example. He does this, I believe, only because Paul is following Jesus. That is Paul’s ultimate goal: to get people to follow Jesus. Paul, and the believers with him, encouraged other believers to live in a way that is worthy of being called Christian. Not only did they encourage, but he uses even stronger language to charge someone to walk this way. To give a charge is moving beyond encouragement as it is to give an obligation and responsibility to live in this particular manner – worthy of God, worthy of righteousness, holiness, and the grace of God. It is a charge that is given to each of us through Scripture and through the call of God.
We are deemed righteous in Christ by God who has called us into His kingdom and glory. Because of this, we have a charge to live in Christ, in the way of Christ, and in the Word of Christ. Paul uses the relationship example of a father with his children to speak of this encouragement and charge. It reminds me of a father reminding his children of the family name in how they are to conduct themselves. People take pride in their family names… “Remember, you are a part of a proud family name, act in accordance with the name.” That is quite true for those of us to bear the name of Christ in calling ourselves “Christians”. This also connects us to the third commandment, to not take the name of the Lord in vain. The word “take” can also mean to “carry” or “bear” the name. We carry the name which is why Paul charges us to walk worthy of God and, by implication, worthy of the name.
Pastor Ed
12/4/2024 Good morning,
The Westminster Shorter Catechism begins with this question and answer: Q. 1. What is the chief end of man? A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.
What does it take for us to glorify God and enjoy God forever? I imagine we could explore multiple ways from God’s Word such as giving thanks, praise and worship, service to others, and so on. One way I think about this glory and joy is to become like Christ. Paul uses the phrase “Christ is formed in you” (Galatians 4.19). Another perspective is from Romans 8.29, For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. Our lives are to conform to the image of Jesus Christ, to be like Him. Paul has a lot of verses we might explore, like 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. What an amazing blessing that Christ lives in me, in us, so that we might become more and more like Him each day. Oswald Chambers says this: “We have to be so one with God that we do not continually need to ask for guidance.” Imagine being so close to God through Christ that we seldom need to wonder what it means to glorify Him and enjoy Him. Imagine Christ formed in us to the point that we are constantly aware of His presence. Imagine being conformed to the image of Christ that there is never a doubt in faith and hope and love. This is the way of discipleship, to be so in tune with God’s Word and Christ’s grace that we see God in the details of life, in the order of creation, in the divine design of conformity to the image and life of Jesus Christ. When we are that close to God, all that matters is giving glory to Him. All that matters is enjoying the life of obedience given by grace. All that matters is giving thanks and praise to the One who has redeemed us.
John 15.7-8, 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.
Pastor Ed
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