life
Spiritual Food and Drink
By Linda Rex
March 23, 2025, 3rd Sunday in Preparation for Easter or Lent—As I scroll through my feed on my social networking app, I often find pictures someone has taken of a delicious meal or drink they have found at a local restaurant. Or they will post a special occasion, where fine dining was involved, or pictures of a fun party, with cake and punch and all the trimmings.
Eating and drinking is an essential part of our human story and our everyday life. God created us this way, so it only makes sense that he would reach out to connect to us in ways we could understand and appreciate such as through food and drink. In our lectionary passage for this Sunday, 1 Corinthians 10:1–13, the apostle Paul shows how his people, the ancient Israelites, ate and drank of “the Rock” while they were in the wilderness. This Rock they ate and drank from was Jesus Christ, as their Lord and Deliverer. He had rescued them from slavery in Egypt, brought them to Sinai to make a covenant with them, and then led them through the wilderness to the Jordan River, where they would cross over into their promised land.
What is truly human about us is that we enjoy the good gifts God has given us—food, drink, sex, relationships, even a relationship with himself. These ancient people had not only been given a relationship with their God who had rescued them, but they were also given manna—daily bread when they had nothing to eat, and water from a rock when they had nothing to drink. It seemed that God was constantly doing good things for them. But as truly human as they were, they took God’s good gifts and complained, or simply misused them for their own lusts and desires. And the result in every instance was death.
God told the humans in the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve, that they had everything they could eat from in that garden. They could and did walk with God each day in warm fellowship and companionship. And they had clear water to drink. They had all they needed—God had provided well and offered them the tree of life. They could live forever in that beautiful paradise. But then, as in the case of the ancient Israelites, the human craving to do things our way took over. They ate of the one tree they were told not to eat of—the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and death entered in. When we choose to go our own way, to misuse the gifts we’ve been given by God, to turn away from our relationship with our Creator, the end result is death.
The apostle Paul was concerned about the believers in Corinth. They lived in a metropolis in which temple prostitution was the norm and an expected behavior. Self-indulgence, sexual immorality, social elitism, and idolatry were the norm. And these values had entered the church via these believers, who had begun to return to their pagan roots, and adopt unhealthy ways of living and being. The apostle Paul called them on this, reminding them of the cost of choosing to go their own way—death. They had received a tremendous gift from the Lord Jesus Christ—his life for their life. Jesus offered them their daily bread—himself, and drink from the fountain of living water—the Holy Spirit. Why in the world would they trade in this spiritual food and drink for that which would not last and which would only lead to death?
It is in this context that the apostle Paul says that God does not allow temptation in any way other than what is common to our human condition, and only to the extent in which we can bear up under it. And he always provides a means of escape. He has given us Jesus to intercede on our behalf, and has given us the Holy Spirit to offer intercession for us. God in us by the Holy Spirit is ever at work, enabling us to face the temptations of this life and to resist them. This is possible because Jesus, as God in human flesh, experienced every temptation we experience, and did not ever sin. This is our comfort and strength when facing severe temptation. We turn to Jesus, and he delivers us.
You may ask yourself, this isn’t how I understood this passage before—isn’t this about our trials or bad experiences in life? Actually, in the Greek, the meaning of the word we translate “temptation” has more to do about being put to the test the way the ancient Jewish leaders were constantly putting Jesus to the test, trying to tempt him and lead him astray. Can you see that we are often faced with the same temptations Jesus was faced with—to justify himself, to prove himself, and to turn away from what his heavenly Father had asked him to do, to abandon us and leave us in our sins? But he stood firm—not in himself—but in the Spirit, in his Father’s will, trusting fully in faith that his heavenly Father would bring him through.
When it comes to temptation, this is our only hope—that our Triune God will deliver us and carry us through. That is why we eat and drink from the spiritual Rock that is Jesus Christ, identifying with him in his death and resurrection, and allowing him to have his way in our hearts, minds, and lives. In the end, it is his life for our life that will bring us through to the other side, and on into our promised land.
Heavenly Father of Lights, in Whom there is no alteration in your love and grace, thank you for every good gift you have given, most especially the gift of your Son and your Spirit so that we could live in right relationship with you. Forgive us for turning aside to our own way, and for trading in your spiritual food and drink for that which is temporary and passing. Grant us the grace to turn back to you, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
1“For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; 2and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3and all ate the same spiritual food; 4and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased; for they were laid low in the wilderness. 6Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved. 7Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written, ‘the people sat down to eat and drink, and stood up to play.’ 8Nor let us act immorally, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day. 9Nor let us try the Lord, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the serpents. 10Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. 12Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall. 13No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:1–13 NASB
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Paul Says, Follow Me
By Linda Rex
March 16, 2025, 2nd Sunday in Preparation for Easter or Lent—One of the questions I often come across as a follower of Christ is the contradiction which people experience between what we as Christians profess and how we actually live our lives. As those who follow Christ, we are held to a standard—Jesus—which we cannot genuinely attain by any human effort. Our best efforts so often fall short of his perfection, and this is why we must remind ourselves that it is all of grace. Even though those who know us may not offer us the grace which God gives us, we are called by our Lord to continue to “stand firm” and trust that God will finish what he has begun in us through Jesus and by the Spirit.
In the New Testament passage for this Sunday, Philippians 3:17–4:1, the apostle Paul encourages the believers to follow his example. These believers were being impacted by a culture which, on the one hand, encouraged an atheistic view of life which embraced self-indulgence and pleasure, while on the other hand, embraced a self-salvation via rigid observation of rules, rites and rituals. The emperor cult saw the Roman Caesar as being the savior of the people, and no doubt, the believers had to face the challenge of their community expecting their participation in emperor worship. To follow the culture would have placed them at odds with all they had come to see and believe in when they heard the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Paul’s encouragement that they follow his own example actually comes after his admonishment that they follow the example of Jesus Christ. Earlier in this letter, the apostle Paul reminds his readers that the Son of God humbled himself, emptying himself to join us in our humanity, to live a truly human life, and die at the hands of those he created. But the Father exalted Jesus, raising him up and seating him at his right hand in glory. This gives a great basis for the rest of Paul’s letter, which encourages the believers to be willing to follow Christ’s example. Great humility comes before exaltation—and God will exalt those who humble themselves before him (Phil. 2:5–11).
Paul goes on to show all of the human glories that he once had as a religious leader of his people. There was a time when he had all of the special marks of the cream of the crop, holding to the righteousness which was by the law of Moses. But now, as he wrote this letter, he considered every one of these things which made him look good to others, seem good to others, as loss for the sake of Christ. The apostle was willing to suffer the loss of all these things for the sake of knowing Jesus Christ as his Lord. This was what mattered most to him—and everything else was worthless in comparison (Phil. 3:7–11).
This concept is what sets the stage for our passage for this Sunday. Paul begins by helping the believers see that they need to follow Christ’s example. Then he shows the profound difference between following the expectations of the culture and the religious leaders around them, and following Jesus Christ. Paul had left all that humanly gave him worth and value behind to find his value and worth in Jesus Christ alone. How he lived his life was no longer based on his pleasure or expectations, but solely on following Jesus Christ, and doing his will. So, when Paul told his readers to follow his example, he was encouraging them to live in the grace that was theirs in Jesus. He was trying to help them turn away from their culture, away from themselves, and to turn back to Jesus.
Even though these believers may have been Roman citizens, as citizens of the lesser region of Philippi, they were part of an even greater kingdom which would last forever—the kingdom of God. They needed to start living in the truth of who they were as citizens of this divine kingdom, rather than citizens of the broken culture in which they lived.
This is our struggle even today as those who seek to follow Christ in our own broken culture. On the one hand, we are given many ways to live that are supposed to save us, make us successful, and enable us to achieve and acquire all that we seek in this world. On the other hand, we are told to live life however we wish, to indulge our flesh and seek our pleasure. God’s word to us today is to turn away from all these things and to turn to Jesus Christ—to do things his way, not our way. And when we fall short, to turn to him in faith, and ask for the grace that is ours in him.
The good news is that we probably won’t get it right, but Jesus Christ stands in our place on our behalf, as we trust in him. We follow him, down the road to humility and suffering, so that one day we will be lifted up into glory, given new glorified bodies in the new heaven and earth. We look expectantly toward that day when we will see our glorified Jesus face to face. Meanwhile, we follow him. And we do our best to be the kind of Christ followers who are a true reflection of his goodness and love where we are, right now.
Father, thank you for giving us your Son so freely, and thank you, Jesus, for your great humility in joining us where we are in our darkness to bring us into your light. Grant us the grace to follow you in faithful obedience as we longingly wait for your return in glory. Amen.
“Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself. Therefore, my beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy and crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord, my beloved.” Philippians 3:17–4:1 NASB
“Let me be your example here, my brothers: let my example be the standard by which you can tell who are the genuine Christians among those about you. For there are many, of whom I have told you before and tell you again now, even with tears, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ. These men are heading for utter destruction—their god is their own appetite, their pride is in what they should be ashamed of, and this world is the limit of their horizon. But we are citizens of Heaven; our outlook goes beyond this world to the hopeful expectation of the saviour who will come from Heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will re-make these wretched bodies of ours to resemble his own glorious body, by that power of his which makes him the master of everything that is. So, my brothers whom I love and long for, my joy and my crown, do stand firmly in the Lord, and remember how much I love you.” Philippians 3:17–4:1 JB Phillips
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Hold Fast and Stand
By Linda Rex
February 9, 2025, 5th Sunday in Epiphany—What do you believe about the Lord Jesus Christ? Why do you believe what you believe? What impact does this belief regarding Jesus have on your life, if any?
The apostle Paul, in our New Testament reading for this Sunday, 1 Corinthians 15:1–11, challenges the Christians in Corinth with the basics of their faith. In his letter to them, he addresses quite a few issues which were occurring within that church, which brought into question the seriousness of their faith in Jesus Christ. If they truly believed that Jesus Christ was the Messiah, who lived, died, and rose again, appearing to many people after his resurrection, then why wasn’t their behavior demonstrating this? They were acting more like the culture they lived in than they were acting like Jesus Christ and his kingdom culture. This was a grave concern for the apostle.
In this passage, Paul rehearses an early statement of faith which was probably recited by the believers of his day. He reminds his readers of how Jesus Christ, in his life, death, and resurrection, fulfilled the prophetic Word, which predicted his life’s events. Going on beyond that, Paul points out the many eyewitness accounts of encounters with the resurrected Jesus, who after his bodily resurrection interacted with, and ate and drank with many people, before he ascended back to heaven.
Today we do not have the benefit of being able to have a face-to-face conversation with those who knew Jesus Christ personally and witnessed his life, death, and resurrection. But we do have the written testimony of the New Testament scriptures, and the witness of the Holy Spirit, who enables us to understand and believe what we read about Jesus. Because of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, we are able to come to faith in Jesus, realizing that he is still alive and active today in our world and in us, and in our lives.
It’s important, though, to remember that Jesus Christ is not just this person who lived many millennia ago. He is so much more than a human being who lives and dies and ends up forgotten or memorialized in a book somewhere. What makes Jesus so significant is that he is not just human, but is God in human flesh. This means that his life here on earth is of eternal significance, and what he did for all of us as humans is profound. In and through him, we have new life. Our human existence, our personhood, has been transformed, brought up to a new level within which we live and participate by faith in Jesus Christ.
What difference does it make that we trust in Jesus as our Lord and Savior? Faith in Jesus Christ, in his life, death, resurrection, and ascension, means that our human existence is grounded in something beyond our transient, temporal existence. Our culture is constantly changing and morphing into something new. Its trends and expectations are always being replaced by new ones, which are grounded in changing human opinions, preferences, and passions. Instead of the solidity of our Maker’s design and redemptive work, we are beset by a kaleidoscope of possibilities and impossibilities, which are ever in flux.
But Jesus, as the perfected human, who brings us into right relationship with his Father in the Spirit, stands as our Rock amid this constantly changing scene. Jesus provides us with a foundation which is solid, and on which we can take our stand, no matter what may come our way. As Paul addresses the issues in the church at Corinth, he brings the believers back to the basis of their faith—Jesus Christ, who lived, died, and rose again, as their Messiah. He was their unity, in spite of their many differences. He was their wisdom, right relationship with God and one another, and their redemption. It was Jesus they were growing up into by the Spirit, and who gave them all the Spirit’s gifts and blessings for the benefit of the entire Body. The true evidence of life in the Spirit was when they were actually living in such a way that they resembled Jesus Christ. Today, as we gather in Jesus’ name, we want to be sure that we heed the apostle Paul’s words by living in truth of who we are in Jesus. Jesus is our life. May our lives, words, and deeds be a true reflection of him in every way, for this is our true humanity.
Heavenly Father, thank you for loving us so much that you gave your Son and your Spirit so that we could share in your love and life. Enable us to trust in Jesus, and by your Spirit, to live out our faith in a way that is a true reflection of your kingdom glory. Amen.
“Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to 1ames, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.” 1 Corinthians 15:1–11 NASB
“… When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.’ Simon answered and said, ‘Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.’ When they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break; so they signaled to their partners in the other boat for them to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying, ‘Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!’ … When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.” Luke 5:1–11 NASB
“In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called out to another and said, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.’ And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. Then I said, ‘Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.’ Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched my mouth with it and said, ‘Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.’ Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’ ” Isaiah 6:1–8 NASB
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Just Making Noise
By Linda Rex
February 2, 2025, 4th Sunday in Epiphany—During this season of Epiphany, we consider how Jesus Christ is revealed to us as being the Son of God in human flesh, and what that means for us as God’s children. Recently, we’ve looked at the way in which God has equipped his people with spiritual gifts, for the sake of the community of faith, so that we all may grow up in Christ, share the good news of Jesus, and serve others.
In our New Testament passage for this Sunday, 1 Corinthians 13:1–13, the apostle Paul uses a poetic summary of the love of God expressed to us in Christ, to enable the members in Corinth to see themselves in a new light. They believed that the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues was the supreme gift. They valued prophetic speaking and special knowledge, and miracles. But Paul says that apart from love or agapē (God and Christ’s self-giving love—Utley), a person speaking in tongues is just making a lot of noise. In the same way, a generous and sacrificial person, apart from agapē, has done nothing profitable. Paul says that person who is a great preacher and does a lot of miracles, apart from agapē, is nothing.
For those of us who are active in the Christian faith, and trying live lives that are full of service and sacrifice, these are powerful words. Just what are the motives which drive us? How do we express ourselves in our everyday lives? As I have gotten older, the Lord has shown me more and more how my motives for doing what I do are often mistaken. This is why it is all of grace. We need Christ in us, the hope of glory, for apart from his love at work in our hearts by his Holy Spirit, we are all just making a lot of noise.
The apostle Paul wanted the church at Corinth to realize that the Lord they said they worshipped was not at all like how they were living. He wanted them to grow up in Christ—to put on Christ in such a way that they were a true expression of humanity as God intended it to be. By looking into the mirror of their soul, Jesus Christ, they would see themselves as children who needed to grow up and put away the childish things which were keeping them from living in God’s love as they were created to live.
When reading this passage closely and with open hearts to the Spirit, we begin to realize that this is a description of Jesus, and of our Triune God. In his life here on earth, Jesus was patient, kind, and not jealous. He did not brag, but spoke truthfully about who he was and why he was here on earth, even though people did not believe him. He was never rude, though he was often straightforward and honest with the people he encountered. He did not take into account any wrong done to him, even those wrongs which placed him on the cross. We find Jesus, to the bitter end, loving all of us in spite of how we treated him, in such a way that he died a horrific death.
It is hard to look at ourselves sometimes, to see the truth about our motives and inclinations. We don’t like it when the Spirit gives us that gentle nudge which says, “That thing you are doing—it needs to stop,” or “To not do that when you could do it to help them—that’s sin.” When our hearts condemn us—and they do sometimes—God is greater and knows the truth. But he also knows what’s going on inside when we go through the motions of the Christian life without having our hearts in the right place. And he calls us to repent—to have a change of heart and mind which turns us around and gets us going in the right direction again.
It is God’s heart of love, given to us by his Spirit, which flowing into us and through us, enables us to love others as God does. It is Christ in us, living in and through us, who enables our everyday life to reflect the divine glory. We open ourselves up to the Spirit, welcoming the presence and power of God, flowing in and through us. And we respond to the Spirit’s lead in ways that express the love of God in Christ. As the apostle Paul shows us, these are ways grounded in the motive of agapē which reflect the very nature of God, and are an expression of spiritual maturity, a true reflection of our Lord Jesus Christ in this dark world. Apart from God’s grace, we are all just making a lot of noise. Thankfully, God is ever at work bringing us into the orchestrated wonder of his heavenly kingdom, and he will not quit until we are all singing his perfect song of agapē as his beloved children.
Father, Jesus, Spirit, thank you that your motive in all that you do is genuine love. Fill us anew with your presence and power, that we may love as you do. May all we say and do come from your heart of love and grace, through Jesus and by your Spirit. Amen.
“If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:1–13 NASB
“And He began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’ And all were speaking well of Him, and wondering at the gracious words which were falling from His lips; and they were saying, ‘Is this not Joseph’s son?’ … And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down the cliff. But passing through their midst, He went His way.” Luke 4:21–30 NASB
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Each is Necessary
By Linda Rex
January 26, 2025, 3rd Sunday in Epiphany—In my last sermon blog, we tackled the first part of 1 Corinthians 12 and saw how all of the gifts the Spirit pours out are meant for the common good. As the body of Christ in the world, the Church best reflects our Lord Jesus as we serve one another and those around us with compassionate care and concern. When we serve and care for those around us as a unified whole, we more truly reveal Jesus Christ to the world in which we live.
As we read on into the next section, 1 Corinthians 12:12–31a, the apostle Paul continues to address the issues which were causing division in the church at Corinth. Paul reminds them that their unity is found in Jesus Christ. They were baptized into Christ, having been given the one Holy Spirit. Our value is not lessened or increased by the spiritual gifts we are given. Nor is it changed by whatever role we have in this life, our culture, or our gender. Rather, we are defined solely by our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus elevates us to a place of unity within the body of Christ.
And God himself determines the place we have in his Body, the Church. Just because the way God has made us or gifted us isn’t obvious to others and doesn’t play a dramatic or significant role, does not mean we are less important. In God’s view, each person and their gifting are an essential part of the whole.
Speaking from personal experience, I found that it was next to impossible to effectively lead a church without people who were specifically gifted to do such things as pay attention to whether there is plenty of toilet tissue and paper towels on hand, ensure there is proper drainage around the building, or help clean people’s houses. Some tasks are just not very “spiritual” in nature, but are very essential to the proper working of a fellowship and its service within a community.
People may expect a pastor to do all of these things him or herself. And that may be how it works out at times, but this is actually why God brings a lot of people together into a group and gives each of them different gifts. It’s a good thing for a pastor to serve others by keeping track of inventory, digging ditches, and cleaning houses. But if a pastor spends all of his or her time doing these things, he or she will struggle to complete the specific tasks he or she was called and gifted by God to do such as preaching, teaching, and evangelizing.
This is why we see the example in Acts 6 where the apostles selected certain people to help the Hellenistic widows so that the apostles could focus on the ministry of the Word of God and prayer. Over the years, there were some very beautiful people I met along the way in my ministry who took on these challenging tasks I didn’t have time for (and wasn’t gifted for) and did a marvelous job of keeping up with them, thereby easing my burdens. Because of their service, I was freed up so I could preach and teach, and serve in music ministry at the church. And I’m so grateful for each person who did this, and for the gifting the Spirit gave them, and how they generously and faithfully offered their gifts to God and to the church.
Going back to our passage for this Sunday, we are reminded that the apostle Paul sought to help the members in Corinth quit placing so much emphasis on speaking in tongues and on having greater status in the church, depending on which gift the Spirit had given them. What Paul continued to emphasis in this chapter is how each and every person is specially gifted by God’s Spirit to play an important role within the body of Christ. Because God values each person, each person should respect and value the other members of Christ’s body. And they should respect and value themselves, for God has chosen and gifted them, “for the common good.” We each have an important role to play, even if nobody seems to notice or care that we carefully do our part in any way that we can.
And what we can sometimes fail to realize is that the Spirit is continually at work within us, growing us up in Christ. What this means is that, as we offer our gifts and service to God and his Church, we may discover new gifts and abilities we did not realize we had. We may begin to reflect Jesus in new ways, and feel a call to contribute in new ways to what God is doing in and through his Church in this world. The Lord is always up to something new, and wants us to be a part of it. And fundamentally, as we look ahead to 1 Corinthians 13, his main objective is always self-giving, sacrificial love. This is what should be the central focus of our life and ministry.
Dear Father, thank you for all the wonderful people you have gifted and joined together into the body of Christ. Thank you for the blessed gifts you have given and continue to give. Open our eyes, our minds and hearts, to see and receive all you offer us, and to generously and faithfully serve you and those around us, as you have gifted and called us to, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
“For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot says, ‘Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,’ it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. And if the ear says, ‘Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,’ it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. If they were all one member, where would the body be? But now there are many members, but one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’; or again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable, whereas our more presentable members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues. All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they? All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they? But earnestly desire the greater gifts.” 1 Corinthians 12:12–31a NASB
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Calling Down Fire
By Linda Rex
January 12, 2025, 1st Sunday in Epiphany | Baptism of the Lord—On this Sunday, having moved from the Christmas season into the season of Epiphany, we celebrate the baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ. During Epiphany, we consider the revelation of who Jesus Christ is as the incarnate Son of God, present with us in our humanity, participating in our life here on earth. Jesus lived a truly human life as we do, with all its struggles and temptations. And he did not sin during the process, but remained in right relationship with his heavenly Father through it all.
As Jesus grew and matured into adulthood, he eventually came to the place where he was of the age and circumstance to obey his heavenly Father’s call to ministry. All the people were looking at John the Baptizer, and wondering if he was the Messiah. Instead, John pointed them to the young man, Jesus, who had been baptized by him in the Jordan River. The prophet told them that Jesus Christ was the one who would baptize them with the Holy Spirit and with fire. He said that Jesus would separate the wheat from the chaff, burning up the chaff with “unquenchable fire”. How did John know that Jesus was the Messiah? Because he personally witnessed the anointing of Jesus by the Spirit with the blessing of his heavenly Father (Luke 3:15–17, 21–22).
Those who heard John’s prophetic message that day may have had some pretty strong assumptions about what he meant by saying Jesus would burn up the chaff. For many of them, the chaff that needed burning up were their Roman oppressors, or the treasonous tax collectors, or the heretical Samaritans or Hellenists. It’s possible that they had in mind particular people, including King Herod, when they thought about the “bad” people that needed to be “burned up”.
Later in Jesus’ ministry, we read about a conversation Jesus had with two of his disciples, James and John, the sons of Zebedee. Some disciples had gone to a village in Samaria to make travel arrangements for Jesus, but they were rejected by the people there. When James and John saw this, they asked Jesus, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” Jesus turned and rebuked them (Luke 9:54–55). They wanted Jesus to take care of the “chaff” then and there, and eliminate them.
But interestingly, the footnote shows what was added to the text later, that Jesus told them they did not realize what spirit they were of, and that he did not come to destroy people’s lives, but to save them. This is in full agreement with the teachings and ministry of Jesus. It is clear as we look at his life, that his purpose was not to slay all the “bad” people, but to save each and every one of us.
Keeping this in mind, we look at the New Testament passage for this Sunday, Acts 8:14–17. Here in Acts, we see that Jesus kept his promise to the disciples after his ascension back into heaven. The gospel message moved out from Jerusalem into Judea. The previously excluded Samaritans had come to faith in Jesus, and were being baptized. When the church in Jerusalem heard this, they sent John and Peter to go confirm that this was a genuine work of the Spirit. This was a new movement by the Spirit which challenged their beliefs regarding who was included in Christ. The irony here is that John, one of the “sons of thunder” who wanted to call down fire upon the Samaritans, went to Samaria to ensure that the “chaff” was indeed being burned up—but in a new way—by the fire of the Holy Spirit. As they prayed for the people and laid hands on them, God confirmed that this was indeed his Spirit at work in the Samaritans hearts and lives, bringing about repentance, faith, and transformation.
Jesus’ truly human life, lived by the Spirit in right relationship with his heavenly Father, acted as a crucible, burning away the dross of our sin, self, and surrender to Satan. Jesus turned our humanity back towards the Father. In his ascension, and in his sending of the Holy Spirit, Jesus enabled each and every one of us to participate by faith in his truly human life.
We participate by faith in all Jesus has forged into our humanity. We walk in the Spirit and not in our flesh. We grow in our knowledge of the Word and we follow Jesus Christ where he leads us. And as we trust in Christ and obey him, we experience transformation and renewal. The apostle Paul reminds us that we are “in Christ”, that we “grow up” in him, and that we are to “put on” Christ. The fire of God’s Holy Spirit continues to burn away all the chaff, restoring Christ’s life within as we respond in faith to his perfect work. We rest in Jesus, and trust that in his good time, he will finish what he has begun in us. And this is very good news!
Holy Trinity, thank you for the work you have done to clean away the dross that mars our humanity, and to forge in Christ, what it means for us to be truly human, in right relationship with you and others. May your Spirit continue to burn away what does not belong, and may we respond to your Spirit’s lead by obeying your Word and serving you faithfully. Amen.
“Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For He had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit.” Acts 8:14–17 NASB
“But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel, ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you. For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; …” Isaiah 43: 1–3a (1–7) NASB
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Growing Up With Jesus
By Linda Rex
December 29, 2024, 1st Sunday in Christmas | Holy Family—On this first day in the twelve days of Christmas, we pause to consider Jesus’ human family. Often, during Christmas, we focus on the incarnation of Jesus Christ—the coming of the Son of God to take on human flesh. But Christmas begins with Christmas Eve and lasts twelve days. And on this Sunday, we consider Jesus’ incarnational life here on earth, and what it means for us that Jesus took on our human flesh, living a genuine human life here on earth before he died, rose again, and ascended into glory.
Our Old Testament passage for this Sunday is 1 Samuel 2:18–20, 26. The back story for this passage is that after the ancient nation of Israel had finally had crossed over the Jordan River into the Promised Land, and had settled there, they fell back into idolatry and immorality, and other sins, thereby violating their covenant agreement with their God. God would allow a nation to take them captive and eventually the Israelites would turn back to God, repenting of their sinful ways. God would send a deliverer, a judge, to rescue them. They would follow God as long as the judge led them, but eventually the judge would die, and they would go back to doing what was in violation of their covenant with God. And they would again end up enslaved.
As this reached its climax, the priest at the time, Eli, had two sons who served at the tabernacle as priests. They stole the sacrificial offerings and slept with the women who served at the tabernacle—both acts were a grave offense to God. The Lord warned Eli that he needed to deal with his sons, but he would not. In the middle of this circumstance, a man named Elkanah came to present his yearly sacrifice to the Lord. Elkanah had married two woman (a local custom God didn’t approve of), one of which he loved most, Hannah. The other woman, Peninnah, may not have had Elkanah’s favor, but she had several children, and mocked Hannah for her childlessness. This situation came to a crisis during their visit to offer sacrifice, and Hannah ran to the tabernacle to pour out her heart to the Lord. The priest Eli saw her there and thought she was drunk. But when he heard her story, he gave her God’s blessing.
When Elkanah and his family returned home, Hannah became pregnant. She offered her firstborn son, Samuel, in service to the Lord. Samuel began to serve under Eli the priest, and wore a linen ephod—even as a boy, Samual served the Lord. In contrast to Eli’s sons who were so disobedient and evil, Samuel was faithful and obedient in his service to God.
The picture here is of a youth and a young man serving in God’s tabernacle. As the firstborn son, he was devoted to God, to faithfully serve God all his life. As Samuel matured, and continued to serve the Lord faithfully, he grew “in stature and in favor both with the Lord and with men.” When we consider the circumstances around Samuel’s life of service, and how he came to be in that place, serving the Lord, we are reminded this time of year about another young man devoted to the service of the Lord—Jesus Christ.
Samuel is a good signpost to our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus was also born under divinely ordained circumstances, being born of the virgin Mary, conceived of the Holy Spirit. As a young man, we see Jesus in the temple, talking with the elders of the nation, asking questions, and giving profound answers which shocked them. When his parents missed him and finally found him in the temple, Jesus asked them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?” Even at age twelve, the age of accountability, Jesus was actively serving in his Father’s house, and growing in his relationship with his heavenly Father. He returned and submitted himself to his parents’ authority until he was older, and like Samuel, he “kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men” (Luke 2:41–52). Even as a youth and young man, Jesus took seriously his relationship with his heavenly Father, and began to seek his face and serve him when he was young.
Both these stories provide a guiding star by which we can direct our lives as young people and as youth. We do not need to wait to grow up to begin our relationship with God. We can participate even now in Jesus’ life with his Father by the Holy Spirit. We can seek God’s face, ask great questions, and be inspired by the Spirit with great answers. We can grow in God’s wisdom, maturity, and in favor with God and those about us, as we are devoted to him, and seek to serve him. Amid a chaotic, sin-laden world, which pulls us into unhealthy ways of living and being, we can turn to Christ and determine to live a better way—the way we were designed to live—in loving relationship with God and one another, as God always intended. Jesus Christ has made this possible, so we turn to him in faith and follow where he leads us by the power of his Holy Spirit. As we live according to his Word, in faithful devotion to God and humble love and service to others, we will grow and mature as God intends. May God bless you as you grow up in Christ. Merry Christmas!
Heavenly Father, thank you for loving us even when we are young and immature, just enjoying play and learning the basics of life. Grant us the grace to grow up in Christ, to choose the better way, rather than just going along with what everyone else is doing. Grant us the courage to resist the pulls of this world, and to choose a relationship with you, and to serve you all our lives, through Jesus our Lord and by your Spirit. Amen.
“Now Samuel was ministering before the Lord, as a boy wearing a linen ephod. And his mother would make him a little robe and bring it to him from year to year when she would come up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, ‘May the Lord give you children from this woman in place of the one she dedicated to the Lord.’ And they went to their own home. Now the boy Samuel was growing in stature and in favor both with the Lord and with men.” 1 Samuel 2:18–20, 26
“Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when He became twelve, they went up there according to the custom of the Feast; and as they were returning, after spending the full number of days, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. But His parents were unaware of it, but supposed Him to be in the caravan, and went a day’s journey; and they began looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. When they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem looking for Him. Then, after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers. When they saw Him, they were astonished; and His mother said to Him, ‘Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You.’ And He said to them, ‘Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?’ But they did not understand the statement which He had made to them. And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued in subjection to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” Luke 2:41–52 NASB
[Printable copy: https://lifeinthetrinity.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/growing-up-with-jesus-v2.docx ]
God’s Generosity
By Linda Rex
November 10, 2024, Proper 27 | After Pentecost—One of the stories from the gospels that warms my heart when it comes to generosity, is where Jesus points out a poor widow who was dropping her last coins into the temple treasury. In comparison to the rich people who were putting large sums into the treasury, Jesus said that this woman “put in all she owned, all she had to live on” (Mark 12:38–44 NASB).
When we look more closely at what Jesus was saying in this passage, we realize that he was trying to help those gathered around him to see who he really was. Here, in their midst, stood the One who was at that moment, investing all of heaven’s resources in his human existence, for the sake of the kingdom of God and for all of us, the spiritually poor. Standing there, Jesus was the Son of God in human flesh, fully at the mercy of human beings, who would soon betray him and condemn him and crucify him. This widow woman, who laid down her life by giving her last cent to the treasury, was a living parable to the Suffering Servant Messiah, who was in the process of giving everything up by laying down his life on behalf of all.
The New Testament passage for this Sunday, Hebrews 9:24–28, reminds us that Jesus Christ did not enter a humanly constructed holy place, but into heaven itself, to appear before God on our behalf. Jesus did not offer any animal sacrifices on our behalf, but offered his own blood to be shed for our sakes. Because of who he is and was as the Son of God in human flesh, who lived, died, and rose again, Jesus’ one-time self-offering was sufficient for all time. Unlike our human efforts to make ourselves right with God, which need to constantly be repeated, Jesus offered himself just once, and it was sufficient because of who he is and was. In this offering of himself for us, in our place, Jesus put away sin once and for all. How wonderful is that!
But how does this impact our everyday life and the difficulties we face day by day? We are much like the poor widow or the rich people in the temple, going about our business, trying to do the right thing when we get a chance. First, I’d like to note the reality that even though this poor widow was ignored by the powers-that-be, she was noticed by the One who really matters—Jesus. God was not unaware of her circumstance, nor did he reject her feeble efforts to serve and to do the right thing before him.
Humble service and giving may not be noticed or given much attention by the world around us. Often, people’s attention is captured by the generosity of those who are able to make a big splash by pouring large sums into their favorite charity. Giving away large amounts of money isn’t a bad thing. When rich people use their money for the benefit of those who don’t have as much, they are actually following God’s instructions (1 Tim 6:18). But they are to do it in a way that reflects the character and nature of God as demonstrated to us in Jesus Christ, who—“though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich” (2 Cor. 8:9). In other words, the attitude of humility in generous giving, and an effort to lift up those who are poverty-stricken and unable to help themselves, is what best reflects our Lord Jesus Christ.
In this passage in Hebrews, the author uses the word “now” two times. The first “now” has to do with where Jesus is presently—in the presence of his Father in the Spirit, standing in our place and acting on our behalf. Jesus is hidden from our human view at present, but is actively at work, intervening and interceding constantly for us. He is aware of our circumstances, our challenges, and our need, and is constantly seeking our best in each situation. As we come to him in faith, we begin to recognize and experience the reality of our participation in his life with his Father in the Spirit.
The other “now” has to do with the already-not-yet of God’s kingdom, inaugurated at the culmination of the ages when the Son of God entered our sphere in the person of Jesus Christ, and offered himself in our place on our behalf. We live in the midst of this “now” of Jesus’ high priestly ministry on our behalf, and look forward to the day when he will return in glory to establish the new heaven and earth. We can anticipate this day with eagerness and joy because Jesus took care of all our sin, removing it once and for all when he laid down his life for us. This means that the judgment which follows death is meant for our restoration and renewal, not for our destruction. What Jesus is bringing when he returns is our salvation. This gives us great hope. And it is in this Spirit of hope that we quietly, yet generously give to others in humble gratitude for all God has given to us in his Son Jesus.
Heavenly Father, thank you for your generosity towards us in giving us your Son and your Spirit. Thank you, Jesus, for giving your all for our sake, that we may be included in your life with your Father in the Spirit now and forever. Grant us the grace to be humbly generous with others as you have been with us. Amen.
“For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.” Hebrews 9:24–28 NASB
“In His teaching He was saying: ‘Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes, and like respectful greetings in the market places, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets, who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers; these will receive greater condemnation.’ He sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent. Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, ‘Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.’ ” Mark 12:38–44 NASB
[Printable copy: https://lifeinthetrinity.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/olitgods-generosity.pdf ]
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