Jesus
He Teaches the Humble
by Linda Rex
October 1, 2023, Proper 21 | After Pentecost—I’ve noticed lately in the news and in social media that there is a movement towards being split into two extreme sides. There doesn’t seem to be a place where people are willing and able to see both sides and come to some understanding of where the other is coming from. This seems to include every facet of our society, including politics, education, and matters of faith.
When the apostle Paul addresses issues of disunity, he focuses on the one thing all humans have in common—the gift of salvation in Jesus Christ. Inherent within the gift is the indication that we have great need of grace—that we all are guilty of not loving God and each other in the way we were intended to originally.
In our New Testament passage for this Sunday, Philippians 2:1–13, Paul points out that our unity, our participation in the perichoresis or other-centered love and oneness of Father, Son, and Spirit, are best experienced when we share in the humility demonstrated by Jesus Christ. He points out the dramatic contrast between the divinity and exaltation of the Son of God and the humiliation of crucifixion and death he was willing to undergo in human flesh at the hands of his own creation. Profoundly, we are asked to ponder this spiritual reality and to ask ourselves whether we are willing to have this same humility when it comes to those around us.
So often we are like the rocks the ancient Israelites encountered in the wilderness—hard, dry, and unyielding. There is no life or refreshment for others when we are self-absorbed, self-centered and self-willed. We easily ignore the reality of the immanent presence of God by the Spirit, and stubbornly question whether or not God really cares at all about what we are going through (Exodus 17:1–7). We can even be so absorbed with doing the “right” thing, that we stop genuinely loving and caring for those closest to us. I am learning that my own spiritual vision can become so limited that I miss the mark entirely when it comes to loving God and loving others as God intends.
How glorious that God in Christ would become that rock himself, as God in human flesh, so that rock could be broken and rivers of living water begin to flow out from and through us for the benefit of those around us! Jesus, the Rock, was willing to be truly humble to the point of death, struck by our own human hands and to suffer and die, so that ultimately, we might have new life (Psalm 78:15–16). And rising into glory, exalted by the Father to sit forever at his side still bearing our human flesh, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit, giving us a genuine personal participation in his zōe life, a life meant to be spent in spiritual community—a oneness based in Christ’s own magnificent humility.
We participate in Jesus’ humility when we embrace and participate in his self-sacrificial service to God and others. It takes a profound sense of self-sacrifice and humble service to be willing and able to lay down your life for others as a part of your everyday life. Yesterday, I was told about an officer of the law who was shot simply because he was busy performing his service to his community, and for no other reason. I understand that there may be more complex issues involved in that circumstance—I do not want to minimize those. But I do want to say that the heart and will to lay down one’s life in a community where one may simply be shot because he or she is a police officer, takes a will and power beyond oneself and requires a great deal of humility and grace, not to mention courage.
The willingness and ability to see another person’s point of view, even if you don’t agree with it, requires a real sense of humility, of knowing one’s own need for grace and recognizing our own limitations as creatures. It is possible to stand firmly upon what we believe God’s word says, and still humbly meet another person where they are for the purpose of bringing them into an embrace of love and grace. This is what Jesus did for us, and what he is inviting us to participate with him in doing for those around us.
If we stubbornly remain entrenched in our place of “right”, and shut the door to anyone who does not agree with us, we miss creating the space of grace where the Spirit can begin to work to bring transformation, healing and renewal in our lives. Humbly embracing the other, while following the Spirit’s lead in faithful obedience, opens the door for God to do something new in their lives and in our own. We remain open to the Spirit, allowing the new life which is ours in Christ to flow into and through us by the Spirit, and God begins to transform, heal, and renew both us and the world around us, enabling us to participate in his own unity and oneness in the Spirit.
We praise you, heavenly Father, for loving us so much that you would stoop to share life with us through your Son and Spirit, offering your very self to us in Jesus and allowing your Son to be crucified and die. What a gift you have given! Grant us the grace to humbly offer ourselves in service to you and others, allowing Christ’s life to flow freely through us by your Spirit. Amen.
“Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus ‘every knee will bow’, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” Philippians 2:1–13 NASB
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In View of Suffering
by Linda Rex
September 24, 2023, Proper 20 | After Pentecost—I was thinking the other day about the story of Esau, who sold his birthright for a bowl of lentil soup. It always seemed extreme to me that Esau would trade in his future for the sake of a full stomach, even though know that when person is genuinely starving, any price would be one worth paying to have a morsel of food.
In the Old Testament reading for this Sunday the ancient Israelites complained because they didn’t have anything to eat. They told Moses and Aaron that they would have rather gone back into slavery in Egypt where they could have meat, than to continue to suffer. It seems that the nation did not know God very well, or they would have known that the last thing God would have wanted them to do would be to die in the wilderness—all they needed to do was ask him for what they needed rather than complaining and getting mad at Moses (Exodus 16:2–15).
It’s easy to point the finger at these people, but if we are honest with ourselves, we are a lot like them. How often do we, when things get difficult or painful, begin believing that God isn’t good, that he doesn’t care, and that we’d be better off slaves than to have to continue to suffer? How many times have we, instead of seeing our dear Father as the One we turn to when we are in distress, make him or others our scapegoat and the recipient of our complaints and abuse? Or perhaps we sit off in our dark corner muttering in self-pity and grief, believing that we are forsaken and unloved?
Another way we fall into this unhealthy way of thinking and acting is when we bear heavy burdens for a long period of time for the sake of Christ without allowing ourselves to find respite and renewal in healthy ways. Our bodies and minds were not created to endlessly bear up under constant stress and turmoil. The rhythms of our life were meant to include rest and refreshment on a regular basis, as well as seasons of fruitful and productive labor. When we violate this principle, we end up in a place of suffering we weren’t meant to bear.
In the gospel passage for this Sunday, Jesus tells a parable about a landowner who hires workers at different times of the day to work in his vineyard. He told each person he would pay them a day’s wage for their effort. But at the end of the day, when he began to pay them, he started with those who had only worked a couple of hours. When he gave them a day’s wage, the people who had worked hard all day long expected a bigger paycheck. But all they got when the time came was the same day’s wage that the others had received. Those who had worked all day long were quite upset, having thought that they might receive more for all the effort they had put in.
Jesus ended his parable with the landowner saying, “Why are you criticizing me for being generous? Can’t I do what I want with what is mine?” The people he was talking to needed to be reminded of who God was—the God who loved and cared for his creation so much that he was present with them right then in that moment as God in human flesh, who was going to lay down his life on their behalf. God was willing to go to that extreme to provide all of us with what we needed most—redemption, restoration, and renewal. Jesus closed his conversation with the reminder of what he was facing—that he would be giving himself up to be crucified and would rise again the third day for the sake of all (Matthew 20:1-16).
In Philippians 1:21–30, the apostle Paul shared that he was torn between two strong pulls—to go and be at home with his Lord or to stay and continue to care for the body of Christ. Paul was facing death at the hands of Rome, and knew that apart from the grace of God, he would no longer be able to care for his spiritual brothers and sisters. For Paul, having to suffer for the sake of Jesus Christ was a privilege, not something to complain about. Paul was willing to go all the way into death, in order that others might hear and respond to the good news. Paul held tightly to the truth of who God was. In his mind, no doubt, was God’s own description of himself rehearsed by the psalmists of his people, “The LORD is gracious and merciful; slow to anger and great in lovingkindness” (Psalm 145:8). Unlike Jonah, who objected to God showing compassion for the non-Jews, Paul sought the redemption and salvation of all, and resonated with the loving heart of our Father, even to the point of laying down his life.
It was in this place of self-offering Paul encouraged the believers to stand firm in their unity in Christ. He reminded them that suffering and opposition were part of the package, but that they would continue to grow up in Christ as they labored together in one spirit to share the good news of salvation. By the Spirit, they were reminded of who God was—the One who was and would be with them unto the end. We can find great encouragement in these words today. For whatever we may endure for the sake of the gospel and our Lord Jesus Christ, our benefit is life eternal, in blessed union and communion with God and one another, now and forever.
Heavenly Father, forgive our stubborn insistence that we are forsaken, unloved, and forgotten. You are always compassionate, merciful, slow to anger, and full of lovingkindness. Grant us the grace to suffer for your name’s sake, no matter the cost to ourselves. Grant us also the grace to care for ourselves, to find rest and renewal in you, so we can continue the journey, through Jesus and by your Spirit. Amen.
“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith, so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again. Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God. For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.” Philippians 1:21–30 NASB
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God Will Make Them Stand
by Linda Rex
September 17, 2023, Proper 19 | After Pentecost—This morning I was reading the Old Testament passage for this Sunday when it occurred to me that being baptized in Jesus’ death and resurrection is a lot like the Israelites walking through the waters of the Jordan with the Egyptians in pursuit. As we rise out of the waters of baptism, Jesus accomplishes for us what we cannot do ourselves—he buries the enemy in utter defeat, and puts us safely on the other shore where we begin our new life in him.
With our warrior, Jesus, fighting for us, how can we fail? All we have left to do is to celebrate the victory and begin to live this new life in Christ in joyful worship (see Exodus 15:1b–11, 20–21). Now life and death are placed on a new elevation, with grace being the operative word that guides and fuels our life in Christ.
The situation the apostle Paul addresses in Romans 14:1–12 is that we tend to get stuck on the dos and don’ts of our walk in Christ. And it’s bad enough that we do this with ourselves—the worse thing is when we do it with one another. If we have never really come to a realization of our own need for God’s grace and haven’t fully embraced the gift God has given, we will tend to be very critical of others in how they live their lives. This is especially true for those of us who say we are followers of Jesus Christ.
It may be helpful to listen to your self, to your conversations within and without, for oftentimes we do not see how we are really functioning when it comes to these things. We are often a lot like Peter, who asked Jesus just how many times he had to forgive his brother. He thought he was being really generous when he suggested seven times—even the rabbis only said he needed to forgive three times and that would be gracious enough.
But Jesus pinpointed the issue and got right to the heart of the matter—Peter didn’t see his own need for grace, his own need to be forgiven. He was focused on the error another person was committing. Jesus wanted him to face his own need for grace, and in doing so, find that he had every reason to forgive and keep forgiving, no matter how many times the other person offended him (Matthew 18:21–35).
The apostle Paul used this same principle in talking to the members in Rome who just couldn’t seem to get past the things which divided them. He reminded the members that their brother or sister answered to God and God alone, and that Jesus was quite capable of making them right with the God they answered to, in spite of the ways in which they differed in their worship of God. Some still felt compelled to observe the Jewish holy days and special food requirements; others did not. Paul told them to keep these secondary things secondary, and to focus on the centrality of Jesus Christ. There they would find their unity.
Jesus is the warrior who defends each of us; he is our advocate. We do not pass judgment on one another, nor do we condemn one another, because that judgment and condemnation was already poured out on Jesus Christ on the cross. Jesus already paid whatever is due—it is forgiven. The billion-dollar debt we owed has been stamped with a paid-in-full stamp and then shredded—it no longer exists.
The question is, do we live as though there is still a debt outstanding? Do we hold others to their debts, when Jesus has already made things right? Maybe instead of pointing out people’s sins, they’d be better served by being told that God loves them and has already made things right in and through the gift of his Son and his Spirit, and that we want to include them in our own walk with Christ. Perhaps, instead of focusing on the enemy and evil which was drowned in the sea, we may want to focus on Jesus and following him, and celebrating with others our new life in him. Perhaps, we may wish to find in Christ what unites us instead of looking for things that only divide. This is our challenge as followers of Christ, for Jesus has commanded us to love one another in such a way that every can see we are his followers. We may want to ask ourselves how well are we doing this.
Our dear God, enable us to see clearly both our need for you and your grace, and the wonderful deliverance you have given us in Christ. Open our hearts and minds, that we may receive your mercy and grace, and ever offer it to others generously and freely, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
“Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only. The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him. Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God. For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written, ‘ “as I live,” says the Lord, “every knee shall bow to me and every tongue shall give praise to God.” ’ So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.” Romans 14:1–12 NASB
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Putting Off and Putting On
by Linda Rex
September 10, 2023, Proper 18 | After Pentecost—What’s your early morning routine? Do you stumble out of bed, straight into the shower? Or do you grope your way into the kitchen and grab a cup of coffee before you start your day? Or do you groan, push the snooze button on the alarm clock and roll over to catch some more zzz’s?
It is interesting that the apostle Paul, in Romans 13:8–14, uses the images of night and day, sleep and awakening, bedclothes and work clothes, in his description of how we are to be living out our lives as those who are alive from the dead in Christ. His use of these contrasts gives us a vivid picture of the difference between living life in the kingdom of God or continuing to sleep in the darkness of unbelief and disobedience.
The context of this discussion, though, is God’s love expressed to us and through us in Christ by the Spirit. God’s love was poured out in the sacrificial self-offering of Jesus and in the giving of God’s Spirit, so that we all might be participants by faith in the union and communion of Father, Son, and Spirit. God first loved us, tremendously and mightily, and so, we love one another as he has first loved us. What does love look like? It looks a lot like Jesus Christ, who laid down his life for us, and who, today, gives his life to us in and through the Holy Spirit.
This is why Paul says that the law is fulfilled as we love our neighbor as ourself. What does this look like? We can find a description in the laws of the covenant (Ex. 20; Deut. 5), and in the many descriptions given in the epistles in the New Testament. We look at Jesus, and we see the embodiment and fulfillment of the law—for he lived it out as no other human has or could. When we look around and look at ourselves, we fail to see this kind of love being lived out or expressed in such powerful and self-sacrificial ways. But this kind of love is what we were created for—to love God with our whole heart, soul, mind, and being, and to love our neighbor as ourself.
For this reason, Paul instructs us to “put on Christ.” Putting on Christ has the sense of being what someone does when they arise from bed in the morning, take off their pajamas, and get dressed in their work clothes, ready for whatever they may face in the day. The night is over, Paul reminds us—Christ has come and fought the battle against evil, sin, and death, and won. The day has dawned in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, so we live in a new day. We put on the armor of light, an expression Paul liked to use to describe the process of putting on Christ, who is the Light (1 Thess. 5:8; 2 Cor. 6:7; Rom. 6:13; Eph. 6:13ff). This armor, Jesus Christ, is essential to our new life in Christ. We cannot live in the truth of who we are in Christ apart from Jesus living this life in and through us by his indwelling Holy Spirit.
In Ephesians 6:13–20, Paul describes the armor of God. If we prayerfully consider what he says there, we will realize that Paul is telling us to put on Christ. For example, the helmet of salvation is Jesus, who is our salvation. The breastplate of righteousness is Jesus, who is our right relationship with God. The belt of truth is Jesus, who is the way, the truth, and the life (not to mention our Father the God of truth, and the Spirit of truth). The shield of faith is Jesus, who is the One with complete trust in his Father and whose belief in us has never wavered, even when it cost him his life. And the shoes of the gospel of peace—the gospel and our peace being Jesus, in his life, death, resurrection, and ascension.
In Gal. 3:27, Paul writes, “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (NASB). We actively participate in our immersion in Christ by the practice of baptism, a one-time event showing our inclusion in Jesus’ death and resurrection. Being baptized is a tangible way we put on Christ, just as taking communion regularly is another way we “put on” Christ. And living in the truth of who we are in Christ—living in the “light” or the “day” where we practice Christlike ways of caring for ourselves and others in the way God means us to is another way we “put on Christ”. Our focus and attention are on Jesus Christ, on loving God and others (our risen-in-Christ life), and not on self-centered, self-willed ways of living or fulfilling the sensual desires of our flesh (which all died when Jesus died).
As we begin and end each day, we may want to attend to the spiritual realities by pulling our attention away from the things of our dead-in-Christ flesh, and concentrate on putting on the new-life-in-Christ ways of living and thinking. We can do this by spending time alone with our Lord, being focused on him, and by practicing spiritual disciplines such as prayer, listening, meditation, silence, study of God’s Word, worship, and contemplation to open ourselves up to his Spirit’s inner work. We live each day awake and fully alive, dressed in the armor of light and the robe of righteousness given to us by God through Christ in his Spirit. As we practice putting on Christ, we also are diligent to fulfill our obligation to love others, for as we practice other-centered Christlike ways of loving, giving, and serving others, we begin to live even now in the already-not-yet reality of the kingdom of God.
Heavenly Father, thank you for loving us and so generously giving us your Son and your Spirit. Thank you, Jesus, for clothing us with yourself and including us in your own life with our Father in the Spirit. Thank you for filling us with your love, and causing it to flow from us to others. Grant us the grace to wake up from our slumber, to live alert and alive each day to your life flowing in and through us by your Spirit. Amen.
“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. The commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not covet,’ and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.” Romans 13:8–14 NIV
“Remain debt free; the only thing we owe the world is our love. This is the essence of the law. Love makes it impossible for you to commit adultery, or to kill someone, or to steal from someone, speak evil of anyone, or to covet anything that belongs to someone else. Your only option is to esteem a fellow human with equal value to yourself. Everything love does is to the advantage of another; therefore, love is the most complete expression of what the law requires. You must understand the urgency and context of time; it is most certainly now the hour to wake up at once out of the hypnotic state of slumber and unbelief. Salvation has come. It was night for long enough; the day has arrived. Cease immediately with any action associated with the darkness of ignorance. Clothe yourself in the radiance of light as a soldier would wear his full weaponry. Our lives exhibit the kind of conduct consistent with the day, in contrast to the parade of the night of intoxicated licentiousness and lust, with all the quarrels and jealousy it ignites.” Romans 13:8–14 Mirror
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Learning to Walk
by Linda Rex
September 3, 2023, Proper 17 | After Pentescost—I remember when my husband and I were farming and had to do chores after a week of heavy rain or snow melt. It was such a pain to simply try to walk across the barnyard. If we weren’t careful, the suction of the mud would grab hold of our rubber boots and we would step right out of them, causing us to trip, or worse, land facedown or on our knees in the mud.
There are times when it seems as though we are wading through thick mud in our efforts to live in right relationship with God and one another. We get caught in difficult places and we end up in situations which cause us to suffer or question exactly how to respond. Though our life in Christ is upheld by all Jesus has done for us in his vicarious humanity, is doing now in his mediation with our Father, and is empowered by his Holy Spirit and personal presence, it still requires our full participation, which involves learning new things.
When my children were infants, they had to learn to walk. They didn’t immediately figure out how to do this, but had to learn and practice individual skills which enabled them to eventually be able to walk. They would lay on a blanket on the floor, begin to roll one way and then the other. Then they would get onto their tummies, pull their knees under themselves and rock. Eventually they would begin to discover they could crawl to reach those toys or objects they wanted. Then they figured out how to pull themselves up on the couch and stand. Eventually they were able to take a few tentative steps, which eventually led to them walking. Soon they were running about, getting into all kinds of trouble while I tried to keep up with them.
As you can see, we don’t magically learn new ways of walking without practice, or our full participation in our learning and growth. This also applies to our walk with Christ. This is why we find in the New Testament lists of descriptions of what it looks like to live out the truth of who we are in Christ. And learning to live out the truth of our new life in Christ takes practice.
One of these lists is Romans 12:9-21, where the apostle Paul follows his discussion of the gifts of the Holy Spirit with instructions on how to express God’s love in our everyday lives. We open ourselves up to the Holy Spirit by practicing (notice that it takes practice) spiritual disciplines such as prayer, Bible study, meditation, silence, contemplation, worship, and service. Note that we do not do these things to make ourselves better people, to impress others, or to get ourselves right with God. Rather we do these things to make ourselves available to God to grow us up in Christ and to participate in his mission and ministry in this world. The first way is turned inward and is self-reliant and self-exalting; God’s way is Christ-centered, open to the Spirit, dependent upon the Father, and turned outward in service and love toward others.
What Paul describes in this passage in Romans are ways in which we allow God’s love to flow into us and out to others, even to those who persecute or harm us in some way. Paul tells us that this love is to be authentic and real, not hypocritical. The genuineness of our love is reflected in our abhorrence of evil and devotion to what is good. God’s love pours out to our brothers and sisters in Christ in familial affection and honor. By the Spirit, we are passionate about expressing the love of God in Christ, serving God even in difficult and trying situations. Our conversation with God is ongoing through constant prayer, and we are generous and hospitable towards our brothers and sisters in Christ. We participate in the suffering and joy of others as Christ does with us, and we are humble in our estimation of ourselves and our treatment of others.
Living out God’s love isn’t just for our relationships with those within the body of Christ. Paul explains that God’s love should shine out in all our relationships, even with those who are hostile or who harm us. He tells us to do everything within our power to live in peace with everyone, but acknowledges that may not always be possible. He tells us to leave vengeance up to God—we are to bless those who are our enemies, overcoming evil with good. These descriptions of our life in Christ resonate with Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, and so remind us that it is God’s love flowing in and through us that makes this possible—it is Christ’s life lived in and through us by his Spirit that enables us to live in this way. It is not something we are necessarily able to do under our own power.
Our participation in Christ involves practicing these Christlike ways of living and serving others. This is not something we do well at first, but we keep practicing, allowing Christ’s life to flow in and through us by his Spirit, and drawing upon God’s wisdom, strength and power. Over time, we will find that living in genuinely other-centered loving ways has become less like trudging through the mud and falling flat on our face, and more like a celebration of God’s life and love.
We are God’s children, and will always be learning and growing in this life, by the Spirit developing the characteristics of Christ, and becoming more glorious reflections of our heavenly Father. And since God’s kingdom life is how we will be living for all eternity, it only makes since to start learning to live it out now by learning and practicing our new life in Christ.
Father, thank you for making us your very own, and for teaching us how to live this out day by day. Grant us the grace to remain open to you and allow you to form Christ in us. Heavenly Spirit, please make manifest in us and in our lives the love of God in Christ, so that we grow to look more and more like Jesus. Amen.
“Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. ‘But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:9–21 NASB
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Giving the Gift We Are
by Linda Rex
August 27, 2023, Proper 16 | After Pentecost—Recently my son and I took a trip out of state to a part of the United States I had not been in before. On our way home, we drove for a while down the Blue Ridge Parkway simply as an opportunity to see God’s creation and enjoy the view. The scenery was beautiful and worth seeing, but the roads were full of snakelike curves and sharp corners. As we got four hours into the trip, I began to wonder if the scenery was worth the effort we were putting into just trying to stay on the road.
Sometimes we make decisions about our everyday lives which don’t take into consideration the long-range view we ought to have. There are times when we forget the spiritual realities which are meant to guide our choices. The apostle Paul in the passage for this Sunday, Romans 12:1-8, reminds us of where our focus needs to be when it comes to our everyday lives. Having spent much of the earlier part of his letter to the Romans explaining our common need for grace and the generous, undeserved gift of mercy and inclusion in God’s life and love which we all have been given, Paul goes on to explain the impact this is meant to have on the way we conduct our lives.
Since grace is a gift we are given by God, we respond in gratitude by giving our lives away in service to God and others. Paul says this is our “spiritual service of worship” (NASB, NRSV, ESV), our “true and proper worship” (NIV), or our “reasonable service” (NKJV). In other words, rather than offering up animals in ritual sacrifice through death, we offer ourselves to God alive from the dead through Jesus’ own sacrificial offering. Instead of having to die ourselves, we die to ourselves by offering ourselves and our lives to God to do whatever he asks of us.
Determining what God asks of us means renewing our minds or our way of being so that it coincides with the truth of who we are in Christ. We focus on Jesus Christ, learning from him, and opening ourselves up to the Spirit’s guidance and direction. Since Jesus Christ lived our perfect human life as we were meant to, in right relationship with his Father in the Spirit, he becomes for us our own right relationship with God by the Spirit. We rest in him, not in our human efforts to get things right. Elsewhere the apostle Paul reminds us to keep our mind on things above, not on things on this earth, and to place our affections on things above, not on earthly things. We want to grow up into the fullness of Christ, but we won’t get there if our focus is upon human standards, rituals, ways of conducting our lives rather than on Jesus.
Paul goes on to say that as we grow up in Christ and are transformed by the renewing of our minds, we not only offer ourselves to God, but we also offer our lives in service to one another. God, by his Spirit, has through Christ given us new life. He has taken our human flesh through a change similar to what a caterpillar experiences when it becomes a butterfly—something entirely new being made out of the old. We stop eating leaves and start drinking nectar. We stop walking everywhere and start flying. Whatever we have turned away from to follow Christ no longer is our focus. Rather, we are focused on God’s agenda in this world—on the restoration, renewal, transformation, and healing of all things. We are focused on pointing others to the present and future reality of the kingdom of God here on earth as it is in heaven.
The grace God has given us in Christ poured out on and in us by his Spirit comes with gifts of service meant to be a gift to others. Just as we are united with God through Christ in the Spirit, we are joined with one another in such a way that each of us is an essential part of the body with gifts that are meant to be a blessing and service to others. This means our everyday lives become a place where we pour our lives out in love, generosity, compassion, and service to everyone around us, whether family, friends, neighbors, strangers, or even our enemies.
This elevates our human experience to a new level of participation with Jesus Christ in what he is doing in the world. We are no longer self-absorbed, self-centered, or self-willed. Rather, we are Spirit-absorbed, Christ-centered, God-willed—living as we were always meant to, in right relationship with God and one another. We live in other-centered, self-sacrificing, service to God and others.
You and I both know that this is an ideal we rarely seem to experience in this life. This is why our everyday life is a matter of daily sacrifice—of offering ourselves once more to God in gratitude and thanksgiving. Just as Jesus deliberately and willingly walked the long road to the cross, voluntarily offering himself up for us all, we choose each day to offer ourselves up as well. Our gifts and abilities are not ours to be used for our own pleasure, but for the will of God—how he would like them to be a blessing to himself and others. Whatever the result of our efforts—it is all of grace. We rest in Christ’s faithful obedience to his Father, not in our own perfect offering.
As we do this each day, we may be surprised to discover after a while that our sacrifice is no sacrifice at all, for we, in Christ, end up doing what we were originally created for and best gifted at. And our life is given meaning and value in a way we’ve never experienced before. And we no longer waste our time in futile, self-destructive pastimes, while instead, we find ways to enjoy life and relationship which are healthy, joy-filled and productive. We discover we are living God’s kingdom life right now, in fellowship with God and each other as we were always meant to. For God always meant this for us, even before any of us or our cosmos even existed.
Thank you, dear Father, for your faithful love and boundless grace. Enable us to freely offer ourselves this day, and every day, in loving service to you and others. Open our eyes to see how you have gifted and called us to service, and grant us each day the grace to do so faithfully, in Jesus’ name and by your Spirit. Amen.
“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.” Romans 12:1–8 NASB
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Just Who Runs the Show?
by Linda Rex
August 20, 2023, Proper 15 | After Pentecost—I was watching a BibleProject video this week on the kingdom of God, and it struck me how we go about our everyday lives without realizing the significance of what it means to be real participants in God’s life and love. In fact, we often act as though we are in charge—in charge of our lives, our belongings, our communities, our world—but do not ever give much thought to the reality that none of it belongs to us. In the real scheme of things, all that we have and all that we are is a gift from God, a God who loves to share what he has with others, specifically with all of us.
Even a cursory glance at the cosmos in which we live and the earth on which we reside shows us the magnitude of what God made us responsible for when he created human beings and said to them, “Here, take care of this, flourish within it, and spread out in every direction to fill it.” This earth and this cosmos were never meant to be ours to use and abuse, but rather were a stewardship responsibility and gift, to be administered under the leadership and guidance of our heavenly Father through his Son and in the Spirit.
In other words, from the beginning, it was always about relationship. And when we stubbornly turned away from God, insisting on doing everything our way, according to our own determination of what was right or wrong, we found ourselves endlessly with our back against the wall, needing delivered by the Lord of all. God chose out a people through whom he would send his Son to take on our human flesh—the ancient Israelites. Through them came Jesus, the Savior of all and Lord of all, who was the way in which God once and for all established his rule and reign within our human sphere in the manner he always intended it to be expressed. In his Son, Jesus Christ, God’s will was, is and will be fulfilled here on earth as it is in heaven.
And that is the issue for us. We don’t want God dictating to us how to do things. And even if it is up to God, his kingdom and his will doesn’t seem to be being fulfilled right now. What we forget is that God always meant for his kingdom life to be expressed in and through us as human beings, those made in his image and after his likeness. And we stubbornly insist on doing it our way. We go about trying to figure it out on our own, when we were always meant to do everything in union and communion with the God who made us and gifted us with the responsibility to care for what he had made.
In Romans 11:1–2a, 29–32, our passage for this Sunday, the apostle Paul explains that even though his own people, the ancient Jews, had rejected God, God never rejected them. God had made a commitment to the ancient nation of Israel, and in spite of their constant rejection and disobedience to the covenant, God was faithful. And when Jesus came, he was rejected and crucified, even though it was evident that he was not guilty but was the Anointed One sent by God. In spite of Paul’s people rejecting Jesus in this way, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ made possible the acceptance and deliverance of every human being, Jew and non-Jew. The point Paul was making, and this is central to the book of Romans, was that every human being is guilty of sin and of turning away from God. But God, in Christ, has brought every one of us back to himself, and in the gift of the Spirit, unites us with himself in such a way that none of us can be separated from the love of God in Christ. It is a beautiful and glorious thing which God has done!
So, even though people from both sides of the aisle—Jews and non-Jews—have turned from God and are guilty of sin, both are set free in and through Jesus in his life, death, resurrection, and ascension, and by receiving the gift of the Spirit are included in the body of Christ. The body of Christ, the Church, is meant to be a pointer to or witness to the kingdom of God in this world today. In other words, when believers live out the truth of our inclusion in God’s love and life, living in other-centered love, they are a real expression of what it looks like to participate in the kingdom of God right now in the Spirit. We are citizens of this world in one sense, while we are even more so, citizens of the kingdom of God in another. As citizens of the kingdom of God, in right relationship with Father, Son, and Spirit, we live out our existence on this earth as stewards of all God has made, bearing witness to God and his love as his adopted, beloved children, living together in unity, equality, and those who uniquely bear the image and likeness of Jesus Christ, just as we were always meant to.
Heavenly God, thank you for never giving up on us, but always being good and being faithful. Thank you, Jesus, for coming to bring us home to the Father, and for sending the Spirit so even now we can share life with you. May we live even now in the true reality of your heavenly kingdom, through Jesus our Lord and by your Spirit. Amen.
“I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. … for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy. For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.” Romans 11:1–2a, 29–32 NASB
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The Word is Near/In You
by Linda Rex
August 13, 2023, Proper 14 | After Pentecost—Lately I’ve been realizing how blessed I was to have parents who insisted I learn to observe what the Bible teaches, however misguided their efforts might have been. Granted, there are things I wish I had not been forced to do, which I would not inflict on any child today. But there were some benefits to studying the book of Proverbs and learning texts such as the ten commandments and the sermon on the mount.
However, as the years have passed, I have come to see that all of the Bible-learning in the world does no good whatsoever if it only goes skin deep or we turn what we learn into rigid rules and regulations to live by. Often, knowing the right thing to do is worthless when our flesh insists on doing it some other way. And when everything in our world is crying out to us to follow our flesh, doing the right thing is even harder to do. Even when do we want to do what is right it is a challenge to go down the path of living in right relationship with God and one another.
In our New Testament reading for this week, Romans 10:5–15, the apostle Paul contrasts a righteousness based on law with a righteousness based on faith. There were benefits to living according to the law Moses gave Israel—blessings rather than cursings, peace rather than being invaded by other nations, and a better life over all without the heartaches of painful consequences. Unfortunately though, so often, the people did what was right in their own eyes, as Joshua wrote, and paid the sorry consequences. What we come to see in what Moses wrote is that the issue was an internal one—a matter of the heart. All the legislation in the world is useless without a change of heart and mind—without an internal movement, ability, and desire to do what is right internally present within the person or people involved.
When we believe it is all up to us to get ourselves right with God and to live a good life (i.e., a righteousness based on law), then we are in a really unhappy, unhealthy place. The reason is that no matter how hard we try, we cannot get there from here, no matter how many laws or regulations we may impose upon ourselves from the outside. Nor did God intend us to. No, he knew from the beginning how it would be and planned before time began to enter into our physical flesh to reform it and make us what he always meant us to be—from the inside out. From the beginning we were formed to be creatures who were dependent upon him for his life and his love. He always intended us to be joined forever with him in union and communion—in right relationship.
Realizing that when Jesus, the Word of God, died, everything in this cosmos died with him, and everything rose with him when he came up from the grave, is essential to realizing that we were not and cannot be separated from God in any way, shape, or form. The Scriptures tell us that all things were created by God in and through Jesus in the Spirit. We are held in God, even though the blindness of our sinful flesh often makes us believe we are separated from God. How often I hear someone say they are all alone in a very dark place. What may be wrong is they simply cannot see the reality that below, or above, all that darkness is the light of Jesus—the very presence of God is near them and in them by the Spirit. What they have lost sight of is God holding them and loving them unconditionally, offering them acceptance and forgiveness.
Our experience of our connection with God is what is at stake when we turn away from Jesus and insist on going our own way. We can certainly act like we are self-existent deities if we wish, but it doesn’t at all make it true. And time will eventually make evident this reality as life’s experiences and eventually death will show how powerless we really are over this world and even ourselves. Our choices in this life and our rejection of God have consequences, and we certainly don’t like having to experience how tough life gets when we stubbornly go our own way. And we even tend to blame God or even others when the world gets to be impossible to live in. But none of this alters the reality that God took every possible precaution to ensure that we, everyone of us, would be included in his life and love.
When Jesus, the Word of God, the Son of God, took on our human flesh, lived our life, died our death and rose again, taking us home to the Father, he sent the Spirit so each and every person could participate in his own face-to-face relationship with his Father in the Spirit. In Jesus Christ—who is Lord of all, every one of us has the assurance of being included in the love and life of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit now and forever. Do we believe this is true? If we don’t, we will continue to struggle to make ourselves right with God, living out a righteousness based on law.
If we do believe it’s true, we will live accordingly—living out the reality of a personal relationship with our Father through Jesus in the Spirit (a righteousness based on faith). We will allow Jesus to live his life in and through us, participating in what he is actively doing in this world, which includes sharing this good news with others. We will act as if we are full participants in Jesus’ own life in face-to-face fellowship with his Father in the Spirit. What does that look like? Well, that’s where all those descriptions of the Christian life in the Bible come in handy—they give us a clue as to what it looks like to live as God’s very own beloved children, in right relationship with him and one another. And that’s where a little Bible-learning comes in handy.
Heavenly Father, thank you for including us in your life with your Son in the Spirit, through his incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection and ascension. By your Spirit, grant us the faith of Jesus, the One who trusts you completely and implicitly, that we may quit practicing the righteousness based on law and start practicing the righteousness based on faith, sharing this good news with others, as we confess with our mouths and believe in our hearts that Jesus our Lord is risen from the grave. Amen.
“For Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on law shall live by that righteousness. But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: ‘Do not say in your heart, “Who will ascend into heaven?” (that is, to bring Christ down), or “Who will descend into the abyss?” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).’ But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes in him will not be disappointed.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for ‘whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feed of those who bring good news of good things!’” Romans 10:5–15 NASB
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Right in Front of Us
by Linda Rex
August 6, 2023, Proper 13 | After Pentecost—In C.S. Lewis’ book “The Last Battle”, there is a scene which profoundly pictures how we can have everything we’ve ever wanted right in front of us and still not see it. In this part of the story, the black dwarves are comfortably sitting in a lovely meadow in the new Narnia, and Aslan the lion has given them a great feast of tasty foods to enjoy.
Unfortunately, the black dwarves are blind to these heavenly realities. What is a lovely meadow in reality, to them is the filthy dirt floor of a smelly stable. The tasty treats they are enjoying to them are wisps of straw and grain, covered with animal waste. Even though there was enough food for them all to enjoy, the dwarves believed there wasn’t enough, and soon were having a fight over who got what.
This picture of our inability to see what is right in front of us is the author’s way of helping us to understand how we can be in the midst of God’s kingdom even now, and yet be living as though we are still enslaved citizens of this earthly realm. Blind to the spiritual realities, we may live as though we are unloved, God-forsaken orphans who have to struggle to have the smallest blessing in this bleak, dark world, when in reality, through Christ, we have been included in God’s inner life and love, and by the Spirit have all of heaven’s blessings available to us.
In the New Testament reading for this Sunday, Romans 9:1-5, the apostle Paul spoke of some of his fellow Israelites as being in this place of blindness. Paul said he had “great sorrow and unceasing anguish” in his heart because he longed for them to see and understand all that Jesus Christ had done for them, but they refused to receive it. His concern was deep enough that he was even willing, if God had allowed him, to sacrifice his own inclusion in Christ’s life so that they would recognize theirs. It broke Paul’s heart that his people, the human lineage of Jesus, could not and would not embrace the truth which was so evident in Christ’s life, death, resurrection and ascension.
The gospel story for today in Matthew 14:13–21 tells how Jesus was actively ministering to a crowd of over five thousand people, even though he had hoped for some time alone to deal with the loss of his relative John the Baptizer. His compassion moved him to offer healing to those in need, and the task was so large that as the day drew to a close, his work was not done. The disciples encouraged him to send the people away so they could get food for themselves. But Jesus told his disciples, “You feed them.”
This was an interesting statement, because it was obvious to the disciples that this task was impossible. The disciples did happen to have five loaves and two fish, but to feed over five thousand people? The men were still in a space of blindness with regards to the spiritual realities. Even after all of their time with Jesus, and even after he had spent all day performing miracles, they couldn’t imagine being able to feed the people with five loaves and two fish. The day was getting darker, the situation more serious, and Jesus was telling them it was up to them to solve this problem!
Going for a moment back to the passage in Romans 9:5, notice who Paul says Jesus is. He didn’t say Jesus was a nice guy who helped people, healed the sick, and told good stories. What he said was, Jesus Christ was and is both fully human and fully God. The problem in dealing with feeding the large group of people was that the disciples still did not realize who Jesus was. This is the central spiritual reality we all need to embrace, for it makes a profound difference in how we deal with the everyday situations in our lives which seem to be beyond our ability to handle.
Notice the profound difference which occurred when the disciples placed their five loaves and two fish in Jesus’ hands and then acted as though he could and would do what was needed in the situation. Jesus told them to organize the people—so they did. Jesus blessed the bread and broke it, and told them to share the food with others—so they did. When all was said and done, everyone had all they needed and there was even enough left over to fill twelve large baskets. Jesus told them not to neglect to gather the leftovers—so they did. Nothing was wasted, and all were fed.
The irony was that even after he did all this, the disciples still seemed to be blind as to who Jesus was. They needed their eyes opened and their hearts awakened. The spiritual realities are not something we touch, taste, feel, like our physical senses, so it seems at times that they are not real. But Jesus Christ is our living Lord, and he reveals himself to us by his Spirit. He loves to take what little we have and put it to work doing great things for his kingdom in this world. And he loves to include us in what he is doing even though at times it may not make sense to us.
In spite of how things may appear at the moment, God is present and at work in this world and in our lives through Jesus by his Spirit. Ask him to help you see the truth of what’s really going on. Ask him to awaken you to the spiritual realities—and get ready for a challenging journey of discovery!
Father, please awaken us by your Spirit to the spiritual realities we are included in. Enable us to see and know Jesus for who he really is, and to respond to him in faith, trusting him with all that we have in every situation. Grant us the grace to follow wherever he leads, and to do all that he asks of us, believing he will do more for us and in and through us by your Spirit than we could ever ask or imagine, for your glory. Amen.
“I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit—I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.” Romans 9:1–5 NIV
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Talking to the Air
by Linda Rex
July 30, 2023, Proper 12 | After Pentecost—When I talk to some people about praying to God, they get extremely uncomfortable, especially if I mention Jesus or the Holy Spirit. For some people, doing this is the equivalent of having a tooth filled or being asked to give an impromptu speech before a stadium full of people. One believer said it was totally awkward talking to the air as though someone was there that they could not see—it felt weird and psycho. Other people I know believe prayer is best done at church, and saw no reason that it should be done at any other time. After all, this religious stuff is only for when we’re in church and has nothing to do with our everyday lives, right?
I’m sure you realize I am being facetious, and not serious. Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well that it’s not about getting our location of worship correct—it’s about worshiping God in Spirit and in truth (John 4:21-24). Jesus brought it out of the realm of religiosity and ritual into the space of personal relationship. Jesus, in his life, death, resurrection, and ascension brought all of us up into his own union and communion with his Father in the Spirit, and by the Spirit we participate in their inner life and love. The apostle Paul teaches that our bodies are the temple of the Spirit of God corporately and individually, with the indwelling Spirit enabling us to freely participate in intimate fellowship with God and each other as God always meant for us to do.
The apostle Paul in our reading for this Sunday, Romans 8:26–39, reminds the believers in Rome that in Jesus Christ the incarnate Son, the elect chosen One, all persons are elect and chosen, “predestined to be conformed to the image of [God’s] Son” (v. 29). In our gospel reading for today, Matthew 13:31–33, 44–52, Jesus’ parables point not only to the catholicity (the universal or cosmic scope) of the gospel, but also to the reality that God does all the heavy lifting. What we do is participate in what Jesus has already done, is doing today by his Holy Spirit, and will do when he returns in glory.
Paul explains that rather than working so hard to justify ourselves, we rest in the reality of God justifying us and glorifying us. Rather than trying to get ourselves right with God, we accept the reality that Jesus made/makes us right with God. Jesus interceded for us and continues to intercede for us as our advocate with the Father in the Spirit. And when we can’t seem to come up with the words we need to say, the Spirit intercedes for us, enabling us to commune with the Father through his Son Jesus and find healing and restoration. In this whole scenario, we find the triune God—Father, Son, and Spirit—bringing us into right relationship with himself, doing the hard work of uniting us with himself.
Our joy in all this is that the triune God—Father, Son, and Spirit—are for us. In other words, who can stand against us if the God of all stands in our place, advocating on our behalf, defending us and reconciling us? And our other joy is that nothing—in heaven or on earth—can separate us from God’s love. Not even the worst possible thing this world could possibly come up with. Not even the evil one or his demons.
So, we are invited to talk with our triune God, in every circumstance, in every situation, at all times. We are encouraged to speak to him as Father, as brother, as friend, and as mother. We are asked to give him our attention—to listen to him to hear his response, whether by written Word of God, or the myriad ways in which the Spirit finds to communicate with us through books, conversations, podcasts, videos, devotionals, worship music, spiritual disciplines, or the inner still small voice of the Spirit.
Having a conversation with God may require the use of what Larry Hinkle of Odyssey in Christ calls our “sanctified imagination.” It may mean stretching ourselves a little out of our comfort zone to try something new and scary, that may feel a bit weird at first. But in time, we may discover that it has become as normal as putting on clothes in the morning, or sending a friend a text. We may be surprised to find that it has actually become a part of who we are, something we always were meant to do as a part of our everyday life as God’s beloved children. And we will also discover that we are beginning to look just a little more like Jesus in the process.
Dear God—Father, Son, Spirit—thank you for loving us so much that you have done all that is needed for us to be in right relationship with you. Thank you, Jesus, and thank you, Holy Spirit, for interceding for us so faithfully. As we begin to take steps toward deepening our relationship with you, enable us to see with the inner eyes of your Spirit, and to hear and obey your Word to us, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
“In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, ‘For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:26–39 NASB
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