Month: February 2020

Our scripture this week is Matthew 17:1-9.

Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”
Matthew 17:3-4

Moses was revered by the people of Israel because he was a great leader who taught them God’s law. Elijah was remembered as a great prophet who opposed the worship of idols and called Israel to repent. It was said that they both would return before the kingdom of God would come.

In this passage the three disciples see them talking with Jesus, who is radiant with glory. They were overwhelmed, as we would be, by this occurrence. Peter offers to build three shelters for them, which seems a strange thing to us. What does he hope to accomplish by this?

In the history of Israel it had been customary to build a place for God to meet us. Perhaps that was Peter’s intent. More likely he wanted to keep the wonderful experience going for as long as possible and hoped to keep Jesus, Moses and Elijah there on the mountaintop. We know that God has promised to be with us always, and we can’t contain His presence. We also know He has called us to wonderful moments such as this, but that they are always to prepare us to go back “down the mountain” where our service to Him is needed.

Gracious God, while we are here You give us glimpses of the glory to come when we are in Your presence forever. Help us to continue the work You have for us until the day You call us home. Amen.

Our scripture this week os Matthew 17:1-9.

After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.
Matthew 17:1-2

On the mountaintop, the full glory of our Lord Jesus was revealed. No one on earth had ever seen anything like this, no one on earth has seen it since. God chose to come to earth to better show us how to live with Him and each other, and He chose this way to show Peter, John and James the reality of Christ.

Why doesn’t God show up like this for all of us? The easy answer is that He doesn’t choose to come to us in that way. In the same manner that He chose to come to earth as a human baby and grow to manhood, He chooses to reach us differently. He wants to have a personal relationship with each of us.

Are we ready for that, seeking a personal connection to the Creator of all things? That may be too much for us to handle. Perhaps a relationship to our quiet God, the one who hears our prayers and gently guides our steps is a better connection for us. Make no mistake, our God is one, constant and consistent, but He graciously allows us to know Him in many different ways.

Loving Lord, You have revealed Yourself to us through Your word, through the prophets who spoke Your truth and through Your son Jesus who came to love and teach us. May we choose You above all else, living in and for You. Amen.

Our scripture this week is Matthew 17:1-9.

After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus. As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”
Matthew 17:1-9

Even among His disciples, Jesus has some who are His closest friends. Whenever we hear that Jesus went away with Peter, John and James, we know something important is going to happen. They accompany Him to the mountaintop experience in this week’s scripture, later they will accompany Him to pray away from the others at the Garden of Gethsemane.

These mountaintop experiences are important to the people of Israel. Moses received the Law in a mountaintop experience with God (Exodus 20). Elijah heard God’s voice and saw Him pass by as he hid in a crevice on the mountaintop (1 Kings 19:11). They are important to us because the word of God was given directly to people at these times.

On Mount Sinai God gave us the Ten Commandments, the basis for our relationship with Him. In today’s scripture He speaks to Peter, John and James that they may testify to the truth of Christ. While these are certainly awe inspiring occurrences, God speaks to each of us in many different ways every day. Don’t ignore His voice just because you’re not having a mountaintop experience!

Loving Lord, we miss Your call in our lives because we don’t listen properly. Help us to pay attention, to hear what You ask us to do and not let the noise and distraction of our busy world keep us from Your word. Amen.

Our scripture this week is Matthew 5:43-48.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Matthew 5:43-48

Jesus tells us “You have heard that it was said” and has a warning for us – this saying is from humans, not God. The command to hate your enemy does not appear anywhere in scripture. It is a human thought that had been repeated over and over until it became a “saying” some thought was from God.

This is why Jesus encourages us to be in God’s word – so that we can separate what people say from the truth He gives us. How can we know God’s will for us if we don’t study His word? We often wind up going astray because we believe the word of man over the word of God.

God wants us all to be counted as His people, but we must learn what He requires of us in order to be included. God’s word teaches us God’s will so we can walk in God’s way. Jesus says then we can “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect”.

Loving Lord, help us to learn Your word, Your will and Your way. Teach us the joy of a relationship with You and the love we are called to share with everyone. Amen.

Our scripture this week is Matthew 5:43-48.

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Matthew 5:48

You’ve asked some really difficult things of us, Lord. “Love your neighbor as yourself”. “Love your enemies and bless those that curse you”. These are hard but really now – “be perfect”? That’s just not possible.

God knows how hard this is for us because He knows how imperfect we have become. He sees our struggles and wants us to know His love and that there is a better way, not the easy way but the way He had intended for us all along. God knows we can be perfect because He made us to be perfect.

God created us in His own image, a true reflection of His glory. Through our failings that image has been marred and obscured, but through His love for us that image can be restored. When Christ asks us to be perfect, we can answer “Yes Lord, with Your help” and begin to renew the image of the Father within us.

Gracious God, we are sorry for the many ways we harm each other and dishonor Your creation. Show us the way to be made whole again through Your love. Amen.

Our scripture this week is Matthew 5:43-48.

And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?
Matthew 5:47

Once again, Jesus urges us to be more than what the world expects of us. We are called to be the children of God, and that means to live in ways that are often contrary to those of others. Our actions come from the love of God within us, not our own desires or the standards of our culture.

Jesus says these things to make us look at ourselves and see how our changed hearts and lives can become an example to others. If we are to lead people to Him, we must be as much like Him as possible. If we are to be like Him, we must know and do what He teaches.

Being like Jesus is not easy, but it is necessary if we are to work for His kingdom. Living a Christian life will often put us at odds with the ways of the world. We must persevere, sharing His love with everyone, but especially with those who may not love us.

Gracious God, we are grateful for the gift of Your Son to teach us and lead us. Help us to be more like Him that we may reach out to Your world in love. Amen.

Our scripture this week is Matthew 5:43-48.

If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?
Matthew 5:46

During the course of His time with us, Jesus tells us many times that we are called to a higher standard than the world expects of people. In Matthew 7 Jesus teaches “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets”. The world tells us to do to others what they do to us, a stark contrast with the law of God to love one another.

We often find as believers we are at odds with worldly opinion and practice. The way of the world is the easy path, putting ourselves first. As Christians, we are expected to put others first, living for God and not ourselves.

Jesus taught us to take the right path, even when it is not easy. If we love only those who love us in return, we are not following His teaching. His way requires us to be intentional in our faith and to love when it would be easier to ignore.

Lord of all, You call us to treat everyone with love and respect, but instead we curse each other. Help us to see that the way of the world leads to destruction, and show us how we can live in peace. Amen.

Our scripture this week is Matthew 5:43-48.

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
Matthew 5:44-45

Jesus has an important lesson for us in these verses – if we want to be the children of God, we must follow His guidance, loving all people, not just those who love us. While this may be hard to hear and harder to do, Jesus explains that God treats all people the same, and expects us to do so as well.

God’s creation is given to everyone and we are all part of that creation. In that sense, God has given us to each other. We are expected to nurture and protect everything God has given us, to be good stewards of His gifts and we sometimes forget that charge applies to caring for all of His people.

Jesus knows that some people are harder to love than others, but there is no exception to the command He gives us to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”. We don’t get to choose to love some and hate others. All people are loved by God and He calls us to love them as He does.

Wise and wonderful God, You have made all things and given us a duty to Your creation. Help us to see others as You do and love them because You first loved us. Amen.

Our scripture this week is Matthew 5:43-48.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
Matthew 5:43

Jesus tells the people “you have heard it said” and the people had indeed heard it, but not from Him nor the prophets nor anywhere in scripture. Nowhere does it say to hate your enemies. Psalm 139:21-22 records David saying “Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord, … I count them my enemies” but those are the words of man, not God.

We have been adept from the very beginning at twisting God’s word to suit ourselves. In Genesis 3:6 we hear Eve’s thinking about the forbidden fruit “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it”. We reason “God only wants good for us and this is good so why shouldn’t we have it?” and that’s how we fall into sin. Obeying our own desires instead of God’s is never a good thing.

Jesus will show us how we have come to believe that if a thing is true then the opposite must be true as well – love neighbor, hate enemies – but He will show us that God’s logic is different. God is love and He wants us to love each other no matter what. It is a lesson Jesus will repeat to us in many ways and show us by His example, loving us all even when it wasn’t easy.

Loving Lord, we are quick to anger and slow to love. You taught us to love each other no matter who we are, no matter what. Help us to obey Your commandment. Amen.

Our scripture this week is Matthew 5:43-48.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Matthew 5:43-48

Jesus gives us a difficult commandment in this passage – “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”. The instruction to love our neighbor as ourselves is hard enough, but love our enemies? That’s pretty tough, Lord!

Jesus asks us to be an example to the world, to show the children of God choose love instead of indifference or hate. He tells us even those who have no relationship with God love their own people and those who treat them well. Those who claim the name of Jesus are called to do more.

Jesus always asks more of us because we have been given more. No, God doesn’t love us more than others – God is love and His love is given equally to all His people. However, our relationship to God compels us to be more and do more. This is how the world will know we are Christians – by our love.

Gracious God, Your love extends to all of creation, blessing everyone to be connected to You through that love. Let us be a channel for Your love, that by our words and actions all nations may know Your saving mercy. Amen.