Daily Devotions

“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

Then he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

“Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Every day he was teaching in the temple, and at night he would go out and spend the night on the Mount of Olives, as it was called. And all the people would get up early in the morning to listen to him in the temple. Luke 21:25-38

Every child learns the story of the little boy who cried “Wolf!” When the wolf finally came, the townspeople didn’t believe him. He was wrong before. He tricked them before. Why should they believe him now?

What does Jesus mean when he says “Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place”? Is he crying wolf? Or is something else going on?

We are now approaching the end of the year on the Christian calendar. Christ the King Sunday, the last Sunday of the year, is almost here. This is the time of the year when we hear what we have always been taught are the “end times prophecies” of Jesus. These are the scary parts of the Bible that terrified me in middle school. The “you better be ready OR ELSE” parts of the Bible that made me squirm in my seat and accept Jesus into my heart every time the person in the front of the room said I had to.

Is that the point? After reading all the Jesus stories about how he helped people, fed people, healed people, confronted the authorities, reached out across boundaries by healing foreigners, engaging with women, is the story now going to close with Jesus scaring people into being good little boys and girls OR ELSE?

The text says that people would get up early in the morning to go down to the temple to listen to what Jesus was teaching. Was Jesus just using emotional manipulation to draw a crowd? Or is something else, something deeper, going on?

People who have been blessed to discover a new life through finding a God that works for them through the 12 Steps of AA also come away with a long list of pithy sayings. Little one liners that help them stay on track. This morning I’m thinking about the line where the person says that they used to live “with one foot in the past and one foot in the middle, pissing on the present.” The obvious point here is that dwelling on a past you can’t change is futile. Living in the future is fantasy. All we really have to work with is today, and that is all that God asks of us. To live today. Taking one step at a time, hopefully in the right direction.

Whenever I teach the creation stories I work very hard to help people see that those two stories are theological arguments about the way life really works in the present. They aren’t history lessons. This morning I’m thinking the very same thing about the “end times prophecies.” They aren’t scenes of coming attractions – they are intended the lift the veil that covers our eyes about the way life really works right now. Over against our “oh, I’ll get around to it someday” way of living with our eyes closed, Jesus wants us to remain alert. Awake.

Jesus’ words are not coming to us as a snapshot of a moment in history, when Jesus talked to those people way back there – he is talking to us, today, now, in the present. To be alert, to stay awake, lest we miss the redemption that Jesus is bringing us right now. The redemption of love, not the rejection of being left behind.

Let us pray: Come Lord Jesus. Come to us now, today. Wake up our faith, our trust in you. Open our eyes to the realities of our broken world, that we might join you in the birthing of a new creation. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.

God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. Ephesians 1:15-23

It never occurred to me, when God saw fit to schedule my first opportunity to work as an associate pastor at a congregation here in Houston, that I would spend the rest of my life in this town. Or that I would come to realize what a wonderful blessing that has been. Especially now that I have reached that stage in ministry where children I baptized have reached out to me to perform their weddings. And where great friends of mine have now gotten ever closer, and have passed over, to the other side.

There are massive cemeteries right along the highway that connects the places where I have served. I drive by it often. I have been part of many funerals there. Sometimes I don’t even notice them. Sometimes I do. Every time that I’m there for a funeral I realize the disconnect between those who are grieving and those who are just driving by.

Houston has a huge medical center. A tremendous complex of hospitals and medical schools and research facilities. It is just down the street from our church. There too it is so easy to just drive on by without realizing the gut wrenching realities that people are facing in their lives inside each of those buildings. All the people there to help all the people there who hurt.

I helped a couple get married last Saturday. This Sunday I will be privileged to speak those holy words as I baptize the third child born to a young couple at Faith. Saturday night we will host a famous Chinese evangelist as she sings and shares her faith with those who come. All of this because of the mysterious movement of God’s Holy Spirit, whose power continues to infuse us with the power of faith that enlightens the eyes of our hearts.

We worry so much about what we believe is entirely up to us. That is the price we pay when we think that life is all about us. But when we are given those precious moments of insight, those little glimpses into the power and presence of God, then we are able to realize that God is up to something far bigger, far better, far more beautiful, than we could ever imagine. Trust God in all things and you are able then to reconnect the disparate moments of your life and know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.

Let us pray: Dear Lord, from cradle to grave and beyond, you have caught us up into the mystery of your love, the fellowship of the church, the glory of creation, and the greater glory yet to come. Continue to open the eyes of our hearts that we might truly see. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, singing, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?” I said to him, “Sir, you are the one that knows.” Then he said to me, “These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. For this reason they are before the throne of God, and worship him day and night within his temple, and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them. They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Revelation 7:9-17

The book of Revelation is a tough read. Full of symbols, numerology, mythic creatures, and obscure poetry, it is precisely the kind of literature that lends itself to the idea that its true meaning, its true power, is only available to a select group of insiders who speak its language. Which is the point.

Apocalyptic literature like Revelation is the science fiction of the Bible. Scholars tell us that it is the kind of literature that emerges in times of great stress and oppression. Fittingly, it was probably written sometime in the 90’s CE, during the reign of Emperor Domitian. Domitian is often described using words like despot, tyrant, authoritarian, personality cult. He was very popular among the people who benefited from his iron hand rule and very unpopular among those who suffered – including the Senators he dismissed and the Christians he fed to the lions in the very popular games that he grew to entertain Roman crowds.

Domitian’s quest was to restore the Roman empire to the power and glory of the days under Caesar Augustus. He took divine titles for himself and for his family. As always, the tension between earthly kingdoms and the Kingdom of God put Christians under suspicion. Their choice was to “go along to get along” or to retreat, and when pushed, resist. Depending on who the emperor was, and the struggles the empire was facing, there were periods of great oppression in the first century but there were also periods of benign neglect. Along the way, the book of Revelation was written.

The Christian talk of temples and kingdoms, the vision of a future without hunger, thirst, tears or death, the final victory of God over the forces of evil – all of this is powerful, even more powerful if you read it while you are hungry, thirsty, grieving, and terrified. It is a reminder to us that earthly empires rise and fall. That people will always be prone to idolize earthly characters, who inevitably fall short. Domitian was assassinated. Christ is King.

Let us pray: Dear Lord, when times get hard and the future is uncertain, or when times are great and the future seems wide open, protect us against the temptation to seek our salvation from the gods who are not gods. Keep our eyes firmly fixed on you and that future vision where the many divisions of this life are healed as you bring us into that great multitude from every nation where death has died and tears have dried. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Greetings everyone.

I wrote today’s devotion last night when the results of today’s election were not known. This morning I shared a message with our congregation via Facebook. (Which kind of goes against the grain for me since I have been largely ignoring Facebook since July.) But it is a wonderful communication tool. So here is the message that I sent to our beautiful folks at Faith Lutheran Church:

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died.

For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of God’s trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Everything that I was taught about the New Testament in the seminary, and everything that I have read since, at least by reputable scholars, is that Paul’s first letter to the church in Thessalonica is the oldest writing in the New Testament. Written, maybe, from Corinth, in, maybe, 52 CE, it helps us see the thinking of the young Paul, the early Paul. Even though there is obviously a lot of conjecture and educated guesses here, one thing is certain. Beyond a doubt. Paul was wrong.

The young Paul, the early Paul, clearly and certainly expected that Jesus would return as an avenging angel, leading a celestial army, heralded by a heavenly trumpet, in Paul’s own lifetime. He expected Jesus to suck the dead out of the ground where they had been buried. He expected a sea of bodies to rise through the air and meet Jesus in the clouds. The dead would go up as Jesus would come down, and those still alive, including Paul, would party with Jesus forever.

Paul was wrong.

Paul was as wrong as William Miller was when he preached that Jesus was coming back sometime between March 1843 and March 1844. Eventually they settled on October 22^nd as the big day. Many gave their possessions away, thinking they wouldn’t need them anymore. Imagine their surprise – estimates are that over 100,000 people came to fervently believe that Jesus was coming back that very night – to wake up on October 23^rd.

You would think that would have settled it. That people would realize that their anticipation of the second coming was misguided. That they had been, however innocently, misled. But that isn’t what happened. Instead they went back to the Bible again. And some found the parable of the virgins in Matthew 25 to explain Jesus’ delay. I don’t know, I guess something suddenly came up for Jesus other than bodies flying into the clouds from their graves.

And yet there are still today millions of Christians who remain convinced that Paul’s sense of the future IS what is going to happen, exactly in the way the Bible describes. Absolutely convinced. And I say – knowing that people will not like to hear this, and freely admitting that it is my opinion – I believe that they are just as wrong now as Paul was then.

Does that mean that I don’t believe “in the Bible”? Absolutely not. I take the Bible very seriously. It is God’s Word to all of us, especially to those who actually read it. But I do not take the Bible literally. To do so elevates an idea above the plain words of the text and that is idolatrous. To hear the plain words of the text is to listen well to the Bible. And when I read the plain words of this passage from 1 Thessalonians, it is clear to me that Paul’s understanding and expectation of the future was simply wrong.

I think even Paul figured that out over time as his final work, the letter to the Romans, never mentions trumpets or clouds or meeting Jesus in the air. He came to a new understanding. He grew. He matured.

By the time you read this the election will be over. As in every election, some will wake up this morning feeling excited, vindicated, hopeful about the future. Others will wake up feeling devastated, deflated, less hopeful about the future. People from both parties have joked that if their candidate doesn’t win they are moving to Canada. Oh well, if they aren’t willing to stay and work to make things better it probably is best for all concerned if they go. Just know that they will still run into real life there too and it will still be far more complicated than simple answers suggest.

But let’s do let Paul words be a warning to us. People can be dead wrong about a lot of things. Only time will tell.

Jesus will put a wrap on it when he is good and ready. In his time, not in ours. And between now and then he was crystal clear what he expects from us – to love God and to love our neighbor, to baptize and make disciples, to teach and to serve. Nothing about yesterday’s election changes a thing about any of that.

Let us pray: Dear Lord, like Paul we look forward with anticipation for whatever it is that you have prepared for us. By grace we hope to be included in it. But now we will live for today. We pray all the best for those who were elected to office yesterday and for the common good that we all strive toward. We pray for encouragement to the discouraged and courage and wisdom for those who will soon assume new positions of honor, authority, and trust. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you, I will praise your name; for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure. For you have made the city a heap, the fortified city a ruin; the palace of aliens is a city no more, it will never be rebuilt. Therefore strong peoples will glorify you; cities of ruthless nations will fear you.

For you have been a refuge to the poor, a refuge to the needy in their distress, a shelter from the rainstorm and a shade from the heat. When the blast of the ruthless was like a winter rainstorm, the noise of aliens like heat in a dry place, you subdued the heat with the shade of clouds; the song of the ruthless was stilled.

On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear. And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; he will swallow up death forever. Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.

It will be said on that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation. Isaiah 25:1-9

Today is election day. Voting is an honor, a privilege, a responsibility of citizenship. It is also, in the history of how human beings have actually worked to bring order to their common lives, a relatively new practice. Throughout the majority of human history, it has simply been about “might makes right”, “who’s your daddy?” and “those who have the gold make the rules.” In much of the world, this remains the case.

But we live in a new world which includes a new idea. The government functions at the consent of the governed. We get to cast a ballot. Everyone of legal age – since 1920, including every woman – since 1965, including people of color who were previously discriminated against – since 1971, including 18 year olds – gets one single solitary vote. One vote.

One vote per person might not seem like it means much. But we aren’t a land of one person. We are a land of many people. Every flood wreaks devastation one drop of water at a time. Every blizzard kills people one snowflake at a time. Every parched field is restored one rain drop at a time.

As the people of Israel suffered in Isaiah’s day, their only option regarding their common life was to wait. To wait to see what the powers that be would do. To wait and see what God would do. They went about their daily lives. They suffered under an advancing army. They were terrified to see their beloved Jerusalem surrounded. Over and over they were starved out in a brutal waiting game of what might happen next.

Where was their champion? Where was their rescuer? Who would save them?

They lifted their eyes to the hills. They lifted their eyes to the future. Someday! Someday God will make things right! Someday will come! Someday we will have a feast of fat foods, a cup of fine wine. Someday tears will dry and death will die. But for now, we wait.

Nothing can change the hopeful optimism of people of faith. Life for us will always be comedy rather than tragedy. There will be an ending and it will be happy. We cling to that. But we don’t just sit around and wait for it.

Jesus didn’t tell the lame, the blind, the hungry, or the poor to sit around and wait because someday it will all be better. He did what he could while he had time to do it. So do we who follow him in our lives. We don’t just wait, we participate. And today, that includes voting for those who will bear responsibility to do their part in leading us in our earthly lives.

Let us pray: Gracious Lord, today is a glorious and terrifying day in the lives of the people of the United States. Thank you for those who volunteer their time in providing order and security as their fellow citizens cast their ballots. We pray for safety, for justice, for access. We are grateful that today has finally arrived. See us through this day as you see us through all days. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Pete Seeger wrote the song in the late 1950’s. The Byrds made it their own in 1965. Like many people, I can’t remember the first time that I heard “Turn, Turn, Turn.” I can’t remember a time when that song didn’t sound oddly familiar.

Who would have thought, in the midst of the turbulent changes of those days, that a passage from a long ignored Old Testament book, Ecclesiastes, would have reappeared in our culture in the form of a folk rock song that rose to #1 on the Billboard music charts? Actually, anyone who has paid much attention through the years to the ways that biblical poetry inspires and encourages people. Especially when it is set to music with the kind of melody that gives birth to earworms.

As I’ve shared before, our daily readings come from a resource that we use in our congregation every Sunday, the Taking Faith Home bulletin insert. I don’t choose the verses. They just show up. I read them, process what I hear, and share my reaction to them with you. So, oddly and fittingly enough, these are our verses for today.

Also, without reading ahead, I talked about the book of Ecclesiastes yesterday with our confirmation families in our learning about the wisdom literature of the Old Testament.

Imagine that, Ecclesiastes showing up, unannounced, two days in a row in my life. What do I do with that…other than dealing with the earworm certain to follow me throughout this turbulent week?

My sense in reading Ecclesiastes is that the overall mood of the work is gloomy, cynical, and depressing. So these famous verses about time could be heard in two ways. We could read them and come away with a sad “nothing much matters, the more things change, the more they stay the same” or with an optimistic “the sun will come out tomorrow” vibe. Which will it be?

I very definitely have a preference in tomorrow’s election but I’ve already made that known. Even though I wanted to vote on the ACTUAL day, the convenience and short lines of early voting got me this year. My vote has been cast. I’ve made my choice. I’ve done my part.

As for the people who win their election to office? They will be my elected leaders. I will pray for them. I will pray for their safety, their wisdom, their judgment. I’ll pray that they not abuse their positions of power and that they never lose sight of what will be good for children, widows, orphans, and strangers. And I won’t be the only one praying such prayers. We pray for our governmental leaders every weekend in worship. We’re all in this together.

To everything there is a season. No matter who gets elected, Christ remains my king. And the sun will come out tomorrow.

Let us pray: Gracious Lord, thank you for the opportunity to participate in the common life that we share with others. For the privilege of voting, for the privilege of supporting our common life through doing our part, paying our taxes, and practicing good citizenship, even when that means protesting what we believe to be wrong. Remind us, again and again, that you are always with us, through all the times that come. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord.

But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, “Know the Lord,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more. Jeremiah 31:31-34

Growing up in North Dakota I was all about the Minnesota Twins. I was vaguely aware of a team called the Chicago Cubs. A bit like my awareness today of the Florida Marlins. They exist but I know nothing about their history of their fan base.

My only connection with Chicago Cubs fans would be my memory of the 1987 Twins. They snuck into the World Series after winning only 85 games in the season. I remember the growing fever pitch around town and the organist in our seminary chapel, Mark Sedio, playing a fugue based on the Twins theme song when we gathered for worship the morning after the Twins won.

Yes, baseball is trivial compared to life for the people of Israel who languished in Babylon with their fading memories of “back home” and the stories of the brutality their elders faced following the destruction of Jerusalem. The early chapters of Jeremiah detail the slow burn of an invading army outside of the city gates demanding tribute from the Jewish leaders. Until finally the Babylonians had enough. The army was needed back home. So to hold their territory, they took vast numbers of Israelis on a forced march back to Babylon with them. The Exile.

That pain was real pain, far more devastating and humiliating than waiting 108 years for another World Series title. But hopelessness is hopelessness…yet neither the people of Israel nor true Cubs fans ever completely lost hope. Their day would come. God wouldn’t forget them.

So the tenor of the book of Jeremiah changes. From the warnings and the attacks of the earlier chapters, suddenly Jeremiah speaks out from the midst of the exiles. God will not forget you. A new day is coming. God will not turn his face away from you forever.

No one is born a baseball fan. Someone has to teach that. It begins with a ball, years have to pass before a glove and a bat are added. Anyone can learn to throw and catch and hit. Some are “naturals” and others will either never be interested or never be that great. It takes time to learn the rules, a lifetime to learn the intricacies. But to truly love a team, to live and die with a team, to yell at a television screen, or tell everyone around a radio to hush so you can listen, to drive the miles to a stadium, to lay the cash out for a ticket (or to know the right person who has access to tickets) – all of that has to be learned. It is modeled in our elders. It is passed down through stories. It becomes our heart language.

The promise here in Jeremiah is that devotion to God is passed on just like devotion to baseball. But metaphors are metaphors and they all break down. I can’t remember who won the World Series three years ago, I would have to look it up. But the assurance that God will never let us go, that God has brighter days ahead for us, that God is forgiveness and love – that has been written on my heart. I don’t have to look it up to be reminded. I just need to see it modeled even as I model it for others.

Let us pray: Gracious Lord, our lives today are so good. There is so much we take for granted. We know there are so many today who experience life so differently – terrified refugees climbing into boats or walking down dusty roads to places that don’t want them and don’t have room, starving Haitians still digging out from what a hurricane left behind, people struggling in the face of disease and poverty, people living in their own version of exile. Where ever there is such suffering, we pray that you bring hope, bring help, bring healing. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). On account of these the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient. These are the ways you also once followed, when you were living that life.

But now you must get rid of all such things—anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator. In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all!

As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:5-17

A couple of years ago Kelley and I joined a class at church that wanted to teach us to be better stewards of our bodies. It involved a weekly Bible study, more regular exercise, and watching (and recording) what we ate. It was truly a holistic experience led by the kindest and most encouraging teacher in our congregation. When we did what we were supposed to do we actually lost a few pounds and felt much better about ourselves.

I’m thinking today about that experience because I remember, in our first gathering, we took our “BEFORE” pictures. The idea, of course, was that at the end of the class we would take our “AFTER” pictures and feel great about how well we did. Let’s just say that it didn’t quite work out that way. We petered out before it was through. We somehow forget to take our “AFTER” pictures.

Truthfully, we slid back into our old ways and didn’t want the shame of the “AFTER” picture to remind us. I pretty much have forgotten about that (pushed it forcibly out of my mind) until Paul reminded me of it this morning.

Paul, and frankly most of the earliest Christians – and plenty of modern Christians as well – clearly could remember his “before Jesus” days, his “after I met Jesus” days, and how different they were. Many of the people I serve tell me that they don’t have memories like that. They were born, baptized, raised in the church, maybe strayed a bit in college, but came back home and have been active Christians since. They would tell you that they don’t remember a time in their lives “before Jesus.”

I, on the other hand, clearly remember when God and the church had little to nothing to do with my life or the life of my family. And I clearly remember when God suddenly and dramatically turned my life around on a dime.

And yet as I remember that today, aware of how I have slipped and slid and backslid and forward jumped and fallen off and climbed back on the Christian journey that God keeps me on, none of that matters. Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow might come. All I really have is NOW.

So it really doesn’t matter how we came to where we are now, the Christian faith will always be a one day at a time walk. We will always have things we are working on, things we are letting go of, things that refuse to let go of us, new experiences that the Holy Spirit needs to use to help us become the “us” that God has in mind. Along the way we catch glimpses of the mystery that we are both “already there” and that we will “never get there” at the same time.

Along the way that journey is much more fruitful, scenic, and rewarding if we share it with others. If we sing together. If we read the words that God has given us. And if we realize that the road and the destination are both called “Love.”

Let us pray: God, thank you for calling us to join you and to be mindful of your presence as we make our way down this road of life. Thank you for holding us close, for helping us let go, and for loving us though we fail. Thank you for the church, this laboratory of love, where we can learn the tools that help us make it through. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

We who are strong ought to put up with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Each of us must please our neighbor for the good purpose of building up the neighbor. For Christ did not please himself; but, as it is written, “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.

May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. Romans 15:1-7

I love to teach our confirmation classes at my church. I’m not saying that I’m all that great at it, just that I love giving it a shot every week that we meet. We expect every young person to bring at least one adult, preferably a parent, ideally both parents, and then I get to teach the whole crew. We all become students. As the teacher, I have to think about how I will present the topic and I learn by doing that. The students have a chance to learn something new, and frankly, so do their parents.

The “secret sauce” to it all is the realization that parents are just big kids with more responsibilities. No matter how old we are, or how much we have accomplished in our lives, or how hard we have worked to grow up, there is always, and will always be, that “middle school aged” part of us that we will never fully leave behind.

Usually, that part of us is what feels pain the most deeply. And that is the part of us that needs Jesus the most.

Do you remember your middle school years? Growing into your own body. Sprouting pimples. Worrying about fitting in. The cruelty that kids inflict upon one another. Trying things, especially the things you weren’t supposed to try. Still being a child even as you know that your childhood has suddenly slipped by. School becoming more challenging. Seeing those mysterious classmates who actually seemed to have quit caring about anything that matters. Stepping into the lunchroom and wondering where you would sit. Old friends deciding they don’t want to be friends with you anymore. Your first painful tastes of romance and rejection.

Just starting to break away from your parents but not yet old enough to drive so you couldn’t break far enough away. Curfews every night. Dormant addictions gradually moving in and taking over, even before high school – that’s what happens, according to the experts. And we saw it happen. Those were some tough years.

I believe we carry those years in us for the rest of our lives. The stakes get higher but we still play the game. And then Jesus comes along and changes the whole game.

Jesus tells us that our identity isn’t a function of our race, our class, our parents, our ethnicity, our hometown, our clothing, our sexuality, our gender – our identity is rooted in being a unique and blessed child of God, loved powerfully and eternally.

Jesus tells us that he doesn’t grade us, or keep a scorecard, or even remember our sins. He gives us a fresh new start every morning.

Jesus tells us that we are always welcome at his table for dinner. We have a new family called the church that lives in virtually every neighborhood and every city and we are at home in any one of them.

And then Jesus invites us in joining him in sharing the experiences that this new game creates in our lives with others. To make way for the new kid. To live in harmony instead of competition. To worry about the needs of others more than our own. To put others first, not because we have to but because we want to, because we want them to know that they matter just like we have learned that we matter too.

Let us pray: Dear Lord, we all want to know that we matter, that we count, that there is a place where we will be welcomed, where we will know that we belong. Bless every effort in your church to be that place, and to share that experience, with all you send along the way. Teach us anew that it is in loving others where we will feel most deeply loved. In Jesus’ name. Amen.