life
Beyond Knowledge
By Linda Rex
January 28, 2024, 4th Sunday | Epiphany—One of the things I had to learn early on as a fledgling pastor was the difference between head knowledge and heart knowledge. What I mean is, when speaking to the congregation, my purpose was not to inform them about a topic so much as it was to inspire them to follow Christ with greater depth and faithfulness. Fresh from my seminary classes, I was bubbling over with a lot of great information, but what was needed was not simply more theological information, but the living Word of God speaking a word through me that would touch the heart, that the Spirit could use to convict and transform the inner being of those who were listening.
In my family, as we grew up, one of the values that was important was knowing things or being well-informed on about every subject. This may be why I’ve always been fascinated by the newest discoveries in science, especially since reading Thomas F. Torrance’s books on the interrelation between science and theology. Science and theology, I once heard Dr. McKenna say, are intended to inform one another, to work together in unity for the betterment of humankind. Often, sad to say, this is not what happens.
Today, our scientific knowledge is constantly reaching new heights. I’m inevitably amazed by the new things we are finding out about our cosmos. Lately my interest has been in quantum theory—of which I know very little, but from what I can see, seems to echo the divine three-in-oneness of the Trinity. All this new science is fascinating and challenging, but from what I have seen historically, every advancement in science needs to be tempered by other-centered, self-giving love, or it presents the possibility for destruction and catastrophe.
This brings me to the passage for this Sunday, 1 Corinthians 8:1–13, in which the apostle Paul addresses some questions regarding whether believers should eat food offered to idols. Even though some believers knew and understood that idols had no real life in themselves, and meat offered to idols really was just, in the end, meat that could be eaten, there were believers who had, for many years, sacrificed meat to idols. Even though they had abandoned paganism and its practices when they came to faith in Christ, their conscience and understanding were not yet at the place where eating meat offered to idols was clearly okay. They still had questions and concerns, and were vulnerable to falling back into their old belief systems and practices.
So, the apostle Paul reminded believers that more important than the believers’ knowledge about meat offered to idols was their love and concern for their brothers and sisters. In other words, love trumps knowledge. Being knowledgeable can become a source of pride to us, and when we are not careful with it and insist on being able to do what we have a right to do or the freedom to do, we can severely injure others. Instead of trying to prove how knowledgeable we are or how free we are, Paul writes, we need to being concerned for the welfare of others, and do our best not to cause unnecessary harm.
Looking back over my brief years as a pastor, I see times when I was more interested in proving how much I knew and how right I was than I was concerned for the wellbeing of those I was ministering to. I was caught up in expressing my freedom in Christ—which is a good thing—but it was not always beneficial to those around me. If there are any who were wounded by this, I sincerely ask forgiveness, for I realize now that what I was doing was not always for the wellbeing of others.
Recently on Our Life in the Trinity, I talked about our sacred oneness, and my focus was on our human body, and the covenant relationship we have with God, and with our spouse. Our sacred oneness also involves our participation in the Body of Christ, the Church, for we are bound together by the Spirit to be of one mind and heart, for the sake of others. As brothers and sisters in Christ, united to God and one another by the Spirit, we are meant to live together, serve others, and testify to the love and grace of God in Christ, in sacred oneness.
Whatever the cost to ourselves today in caring for one another within and without the Body of Christ, it is nothing compared with the self-offering of our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us that we may live. When any one of us insists upon our rights at the expense of others, or expressing our freedom in Christ in spite of its affect on others, we violate the sacred oneness of the Body of Christ. In fact, we violate Christ himself. We’re all on this journey together, growing up in Christ, but some of us are at different places along the journey. Rather than hindering one another’s progress, we want to be careful to edify or build up one another instead. Because, when all is said and done, what will last on into eternity won’t be “knowledge”, but other-centered, self-giving, serving love (1 Cor. 13).
Heavenly Father, you are the one from whom are all things and for whom we exist. Lord Jesus, you are the one by whom are all things and through whom we exist. Grant us the grace to always be careful not to injure or wound the conscience of others by our freedom in Christ. Fill us, by your Spirit, with other-centered self-giving love, and let it ever flow through us to others for their well-being, through Jesus our Lord. Amen.
“Now concerning things sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies. If anyone supposes that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know; but if anyone loves God, he is known by Him. Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world, and that there is no God but one. For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords, yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him. However not all men have this knowledge; but some, being accustomed to the idol until now, eat food as if it were sacrificed to an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled. But food will not commend us to God; we are neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat. But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if someone sees you, who have knowledge, dining in an idol’s temple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be strengthened to eat things sacrificed to idols? For through your knowledge he who is weak is ruined, the brother for whose sake Christ died. And so, by sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother to stumble.” 1 Corinthians 8:1–13 NASB
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Keeping a Kingdom Perspective
By Linda Rex
January 21, 2024, 3rd Sunday | Epiphany—One of the lessons I am learning through my ongoing battle with malignant melanoma is to accept every new day as a gift from God, and to be thankful for the little blessings that come my way in the midst of whatever struggles I might be facing. Recognizing and accepting the fragility and temporality of life enables me to be grateful for the simple pleasures I have in the past so often taken for granted.
The apostle Paul notes in 1 Corinthians 7:29–31, our passage for this Sunday, that it is important to keep this perspective throughout our lives, in every area of our lives—in marriage, in how we handle loss, in our actions in the marketplace, and in our involvement in our society and culture. We live, he writes, as though this is all coming at any moment to an abrupt end, and so we do not set our hearts on what we own, what we feel, what we experience, what we buy or sell, but on Christ alone.
In the gospel passage for this Sunday, Mark 1:14–20, we are given a glimpse of what this might look like. Here, as these four men are busy occupied with their everyday tasks of life, they encounter Jesus Christ, who invites them to follow him. Their response is immediate and dramatic in Mark’s account—they drop everything, leave behind their families and businesses in order to join Jesus in his ministry to proclaim the present reality of the kingdom of God, calling people to repent and believe in the gospel. When you think of the tight-knit social context in which these men lived and what they were turning their backs on when they begin to follow Jesus, you begin to see the profound change they were experiencing—one that impacted every relationship in their lives. But the kingdom, in Jesus, was present and real to them and these men wanted to participate in it, so they dropped everything and followed Christ.
The apostle Paul reminds us that this is the same level of commitment we are to have as followers of Christ in every century, as we wait for the fulfillment of Christ’s promise to return in glory. In this particular place, Paul seems to focus more on the immanent return of Christ, whereas in others, he talks about it being a future reality. Either way, the point is that our focus is not to be on the temporal kingdoms of this world, but on the eternal kingdom which is present and real right now through Jesus in the Spirit, and on its ultimate fulfillment when Jesus returns in glory. Whatever we do in our daily life keeps this in mind, recognizing the temporality of this world in which we live. We live each day within the context of work, family, community, and society, but we do so with our first allegiance to the claims of Jesus Christ and his kingdom.
One day, the wonder and beauty of our intimate relationship with God will be fully realized in the new heaven and earth, where we will all love God and one another in the way God created us to from the beginning. There will be union and communion between God and humanity that will so far supersede anything that is possible in this present human sphere. There will be no more need for marrying or giving in marriage, Jesus said, for things will be different in the new heaven and earth. So marriage today, in the light of our eternity in union and communion with God, must be kept in perspective, being merely a reflection of that union and communion, and meant to be filled with mutual sacrificial, other-centered love, concern and service of the covenant partners toward one another. As covenant partners care for one another in this way, they bear witness to the kingdom of God. Though their time with one another on this side of the grave is only temporary and may be laden with challenges and suffering, it can be also be filled with moments which reflect the glories of heaven.
In this everyday world, we so easily get wrapped up in going through the motions of work, play, school, and community that we miss the meaning behind it all. We can be so obsessed with attaining goals, acquiring things, grieving our losses, or building empires that we forget the reality that one day all of these things will melt away and be replaced by the true reality of the eternal kingdom of God, where such things will no longer have any value or real existence. Paul reminds us to keep first things first, remembering that this world is filled with temporary things that will not last. As Paul says in Philippians, we want to count everything else as loss for the sake of knowing Christ and being included in his kingdom life and love (Phil. 3:8). As Jesus taught his disciples, “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Mt. 6:33). God gave us many things to enjoy, but we mustn’t set our hearts on them, for they and whatever wealth we may accumulate as time goes by will eventually pass away (Jas. 1:17; 1 Tim. 6:17).
At this time of year, when we are goal-setting, resolution resolving, and plan-making, it is good to be reminded again about what really matters in the over-all scheme of things. We are reminded that Jesus Christ is at the center of every part of life, therefore, we ground all of our hope, dreams, plans, and goals in him. Guided and led by the Spirit, we then seek kingdom aspirations which will be a participation in the renewal of our cosmos by the One who is working to make all things new. And this helps to give us a whole new perspective as we look forward into the New Year. Wishing you all God’s best as you move forward into 2024!
Heavenly Father, thank you for the reminder that we are only passing through—that one day this will be replaced by the true realities forged in the finished work of Christ. Grant us the grace to remember to keep first things first throughout this new year, and to seek your kingdom first as we allow you to provide all we need for life and godliness, through Jesus Christ our Lord and by your Spirit. Amen.
“But this I say, brethren, the time has been shortened, so that from now on those who have wives should be as though they had none; and those who weep, as though they did not weep; and those who rejoice, as though they did not rejoice; and those who buy, as though they did not possess; and those who use the world, as though they did not make full use of it; for the form of this world is passing away.” 1 Corinthians 7:29–31 NASB
“… the urgency of these times might demand mutual sacrifices from those who are married, such as sacrificing their time together for other priorities. Even our most personal space for grief or joy is invaded; that leaves you with no time to indulge in your own interests and possessions. If you are in the process of buying something, buy as if you will never own it! Do not lean too hard upon the fragile (economic) structures of this world; they are here today and gone tomorrow!” 1 Corinthians 7:29–31 Mirror Bible
“Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’ He was going along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. Going on a little farther, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were also in the boat mending the nets. Immediately He called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went away to follow Him.” Mark 1:14–20 NASB
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United With Christ, We Live
By Linda Rex
January 7, 2024, Baptism of the Lord | Epiphany—As we move into the season of Epiphany, we are reminded of the magnitude of what Christ initiated for us in his incarnation. Here, in taking on our human flesh and living as a human being, Jesus formed within our human flesh the capacity to receive and be indwelt by the Holy Spirit, so we could have the very presence of God living within us. Even though every part of our human existence is filled with the presence of the Spirit in some way, when we personally come to faith in Christ, we are individually united with Christ, and so joined together in union with Father, Son, and Spirit and with other members of the Body of Christ. What Jesus did for all now personally becomes our very own by the Spirit as we trust in him.
In our New Testament reading for this Sunday, Acts 19:1–7, we read how the apostle Paul traveled to the city of Ephesus, where he came across some believers. As he interacted with them, Paul realized that something was missing in their relationship with God. They had been baptized by John the Baptizer, but had not paid close enough attention to John’s teaching. If they had been more attentive, they would have realized that John was pointing them to Jesus Christ, telling them that even though he baptized them in water, the Christ would baptize them in the Holy Spirit. And this was what Paul realized they were lacking—the indwelling presence of God through Jesus by the Spirit.
It was important that these believers came to repentance and sought the forgiveness of sins. But there was more involved than a simple recognition of their need to change the way they were living or to be baptized in water. What Paul pointed out to them was their need for the Holy Spirit—the One who would unite them with Christ so that all Jesus did for them in his life, death, resurrection and ascension would become their very own. The Spirit was the One who would enable them to share in and participate in a real way in Christ’s own life with the Father, and all of the perfections which Jesus formed within our human flesh, and now bears in glory.
So, with Paul’s instruction and encouragement, these twelve persons were baptized in the name of Jesus. Being baptized in Jesus’ name meant that they were in essence, baptized into the name of the Father, Son, and Spirit—and so they received the gift of the indwelling Spirit which enabled them to personally participate within the Triune life and love. As they opened themselves up to the presence of God more fully, they were moved to speak of the glories and goodness of God. The Spirit moved them profoundly, which testified to Paul that the Spirit was genuinely present in and with them in a new way.
Too often, our modern religious experience has to do with forms, practices, rituals, and/or dogma. Often, this is why we reject anything having to do with Christianity. While these things can be and often are helpful, they miss the point of it all. There is only one central issue, and that is our life is in Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ alone. There is only one human being who has ever lived in right relationship with God in every moment, never having thought, done, or said anything inappropriate or sinful. And that person is not us. And that person still lives today in right relationship with our Father in the Spirit. And that Person is Jesus Christ.
Whether or not we believe it, we desperately need Jesus in our everyday existence, in every moment, in every thought and every experience of life. Even though we often believe we do just fine without him, we were meant for so much more than what we experience here in this broken world. We just don’t realize, often, that having Jesus Christ live in us and through us would transform our human experience, moving us into an existence which we were always meant to have—one which is authentically human, where we truly love God and love others as we were created to do.
Even though our human flesh will not be fully restored and renewed until the new heaven and earth are established, we do have the miracle of God’s indwelling presence through Jesus in the Spirit as our own, as we trust in Christ’s finished work. When the Spirit indwells us, we discover an inner companion, a Guide, Friend, and Comforter, who never abandons us, but walks with us through every circumstance of life. This is a relationship with a divine Person, who is just like Jesus—in fact, you cannot tell the difference between the two, for they are one.
And as the Spirit lives in us, Jesus and the Father live in us, and that is all possible because of what Jesus did for us when he embraced our human flesh, obeyed John’s called to repentance and baptism, received the Spirit for us, and lived our life, died our death and rose again. How blessed we are to share in Christ’s own relationship with our Father in the Spirit!
Heavenly Father, Son, and Spirit, thank you for the life you forged for all of us, transforming our human existence and giving us new life. Jesus, I believe you lived my life, died my death, and rose again. Jesus, baptize me anew with your Holy Spirit. I receive the Spirit you sent on all, and ask you to awaken me anew to your indwelling presence. Heavenly Spirit, illuminate me so that I might see our Father and his Son, as they live in me, and I in them, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
“It happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus, and found some disciples. He said to them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’ And they said to him, ‘No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.’ And he said, ‘Into what then were you baptized?’ And they said, ‘Into John’s baptism.’ Paul said, ‘John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.’ When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying.” Acts 19:1–7 NASB
“John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea was going out to him, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist, and his diet was locusts and wild honey. And he was preaching, and saying, ‘After me One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to stoop down and untie the thong of His sandals. I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.’ In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him; and a voice came out of the heavens: ‘You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.’ ” Mark 1:4–11 NASB
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Power Clothed in Humility
By Linda Rex
November 26, 2023, Christ the King or Reign of Christ | After Pentecost—It seems as though a common thread in our political sphere today wherever we may live, is a thirst for power. To control the assets, policy, and people of a country or a company drives many to seek out positions of power, often with little regard for such virtues as integrity, compassion, courtesy or generosity. Very often, the code followed is that the ends justify the means, and for that reason, anything that works is what is done, even if it is at the expense of others. If you don’t move out of the way of such persons, you will be stepped on and crushed as they pursue the position of power they seek.
This pursuit of power is in huge contrast with the way in which God manifests his power. Daily, we experience the divine power at work as in hushed tones, the planets rotate on their axis in common orbit around their stars. The earth rotates continually from night into day, and the life manifest on the planet continues through each season of spring, summer, fall, and winter. We experience a sunrise or sunset that is clouded or glorious, without giving any thought as to how these even came about. We don’t hear God saying, “Look what I did today!” He just does it—one more time.
When we read the biblical story, we find a God who relentlessly pursues a relationship with creatures who resist and reject him. At any point God could have allowed the humans he created to fall back into the nothingness out of which he created them, but he hasn’t. Instead, God does the unthinkable, and in the person of a tiny infant, enters into our world to become an infant, birthed in humble circumstances, and laid in a manger.
We find God’s humility written all over the human existence of Jesus Christ. The angels didn’t keep silent when Jesus was born—they celebrated with a glorious announcement. But it wasn’t too long, and Jesus’ birth was smeared with blood as the babes in Bethlehem were slain by a power-hungry king, who feared for his throne. So Jesus, true and divine heir to the Judean throne, went into exile in Egypt, and then spent his childhood growing up in the backwater nowhere town of Nazareth. Called bastard by the locals and rejected by the religious leaders, Jesus was still the most powerful man on the planet. As God in human flesh, he would speak the word and people were healed, the blind could see, the deaf could hear, and the dead awakened.
Even so, the power manifest in Jesus Christ, which Paul describes in Ephesians 1:15–23, was not revealed until our Savior went all the way into the depths of an ignominious death on the cross. This was a death that the Jewish people of his day called accursed, and the Romans considered foolishness. This undeserved end to Jesus’ life, he fully embraced, even intentionally sought out, for the sole reason of exposing the depths of human depravity, sickness, and death to the light of his divine love.
How many people today would be willing to go to this extreme in their positions of power in order to lay down their lives for others? Who would be willing to give up completely, even to the point of death, their ability to control, manage, direct, or change things? Who would be willing to take this position of humility and shame for the sake of others?
The apostle Paul prays that the members in Ephesus would have the ability to comprehend the surpassing greatness of the power Jesus had for those of us who believe. When Jesus talks about the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25:31–46, he is describing what he was about to do on behalf of all creation. Jesus gave himself as the Bread of Life for the spiritually hungry; he gave himself as the Water of Life for the spiritually thirsty; we were strangers to God, but Jesus invited us into the Triune life and love; we were spiritually naked and full of sin—Jesus covered us with his garments of salvation and his righteousness; we were sin-sick and ravaged by evil—Jesus healed us; we were imprisoned by sin, self, and Satan—Jesus set us free!
The way God uses power is humble, self-sacrificing and serving. God’s greatest power was manifest in Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, for in it, he brought our human flesh out of death into new life, seating us face-to-face with our Father in the Spirit. In sending the Spirit, Jesus invites every human being to participate in his own life, and draws together people from all nations into union and communion as his Body, the Church. As the Body of Christ, we manifest the risen King’s divine resurrection power to a broken, hungry, and hurting world through faith, hope, and love—as we serve, love, and care for others. This is true power clothed in humility—Christ in us by the Spirit—expressing his love for all he has created.
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we stand amazed. In true humility, you have invited us to share in your glory and your goodness. Thank you, Jesus, for manifesting so marvelously the majesty of true power, through your humility and sacrifice on our behalf. Open the eyes of our hearts that we may know the hope of your calling, the riches of the glory of your inheritance in the saints and the surpassing greatness of your power toward us who believe. Give us your Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of you, Jesus, as King of kings, who reigns over all, now and forever. Amen.
“For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” Ephesians 1:15–23 NASB
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Destined for Salvation
By Linda Rex
November 19, 2023, Proper 28 | After Pentecost—As I was reading the New Testament passage for this Sunday, I recalled the automatic go-to response I used to have whenever I heard the phrase “day of the Lord.” This phrase brought up all types of references to dispensations and a great tribulation and many other end-times presuppositions, that may or may not have been grounded in well-studied theology.
The more I have gotten to know and grown to love the Lord Jesus Christ, the more I have come to see that we need to keep the phrase “day of the Lord” within the context of Jesus’ parousia, which is an already-not-yet event in which we currently participate right now by the Holy Spirit. Even though the “day of the Lord” is most often associated with the “second coming” of Jesus Christ, it actually can be applied to the whole of the parousia, that the Word of God came in the incarnation of Jesus Christ, is present now by the Spirit, and will one day return in glory.
The apostle Paul, in 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11, told the believers that they didn’t need to have anyone tell them how the “day of the Lord” will come “like a thief in the night.” The apostle Paul had personally experienced this when the glorified Jesus met him on the road to Damascus, illuminating his darkened life profoundly, setting him firmly in the present reality of kingdom of God as Jesus asked, “Why are you persecuting me?” Paul discovered suddenly that everything he trusted in, depended upon, and was allied with was worthless, useless, and valueless in comparison with knowing Jesus Christ his Lord (Phil. 3:4-11).
When we look at the Old Testament passage for this Sunday, Zephaniah 1:7, 12–18, we find a prophetic passage about the “day of the Lord”. Keeping in mind the lens through which we view the Old Testament, Jesus Christ, we see that in many ways, Jesus has fulfilled this prophecy in his incarnational life and ministry.
| Scripture Passage | My Reflections |
| 7“Be silent before the Lord GOD! For the day of the LORD is near, for the LORD has prepared a sacrifice, | For many centuries, God prepared his covenant people for the coming of Jesus, the Lamb of God. In Advent, we rehearse this time of preparation and expectation. |
| He has consecrated His guests. | In the fullness of time, God prepared his offering and invited his disciples, the ancient Jewish people and their leaders, etc. |
| 12‘It will come about at that time that I will search Jerusalem with lamps, And I will punish the men who are stagnant in spirit, who say in their hearts, ‘The LORD will not do good or evil! | The Light of the world, Jesus, came to his people, then to Jerusalem, where the chief priests, scribes, Pharisees and Saducees rejected him and moved to have him crucified, exposing the dark depravity and brokenness of our human flesh. |
| 13Moreover, their wealth will become plunder and their houses desolate; yes, they will build houses but not inhabit them, and plant vineyards but not drink their wine.’ | This consequence of ancient Israel’s rejection of their Messiah was tragically fulfilled in AD 70 when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans. |
| 14Near is the great day of the LORD, near and coming very quickly; listen, the day of the LORD! In it the warrior cries out bitterly. 15A day of wrath is that day, | This day of wrath, the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, the pouring out of his blood, was filled with God’s passion against evil, sin and death. |
| A day of trouble and distress, a day of destruction and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, 6a day of trumpet and battle cry | As he hung on the cross and died, the earth shook and the sky grew dark. On the cross, Jesus Christ conquered over evil, sin, and death (and triumphed in the resurrection). |
| Against the fortified cities and the high corner towers. | Satan and his minions are defeated, his kingdom invaded—Jesus is triumphant! |
| 17I will bring distress on men so that they will walk like the blind, because they have sinned against the LORD; and their blood will be poured out like dust and their flesh like dung. 18Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them | Jesus’ blood, from his human flesh, was poured out, as he was beaten and torn by the humans he created, in our place and on our behalf. Judas tried to stop the results of his betrayal, but giving back the 30 pieces of silver didn’t stop the crucifixion. |
| On the day of the LORD’S wrath; and all the earth will be devoured in the fire of His jealousy, | Jesus’ baptism of fire included all human flesh—all are included in Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension. As Jesus said, “Behold, I make all things new.” |
| For He will make a complete end, | On the cross, Jesus said, “It is finished.” |
| Indeed a terrifying one, of all the inhabitants of the earth. | All are included, but not all will receive and participate in his grace. One day, Jesus will return in glory, and evil, sin, and death will be no more—how will we respond in that day? What will become of those who refuse to participate in all Christ has done or to allow Jesus to be their Lord and King? What about us today who have heard this good news? |
| Zephaniah 1:7, 12–18 | Already-not-yet fulfilled in Jesus Christ |
Indeed, there will be a day when Jesus returns in glory. Every human being will need to face the reality that from then on, how Jesus says things are to be done is how they will be done. There will be no place left for evil and death—for these are destined for the lake of fire. Keeping this in mind, then, we live our daily lives soberly, attentive to and open to the faith, hope, and love which is ours in Jesus Christ, in the gift of salvation. This was always God’s plan for each of us—that we live together with Him, now and forever. Let us begin to participate in that life right now, and encourage and build each other up, as we go along.
Father, Son, and Spirit, thank you for giving us such a profound destiny, of life in union and communion with you forever. Grant us the grace to respond in faith, opening ourselves up to receive and participate in this perfect gift. And inspire us to encourage and build each other up, as we travel this road of faith together, in Jesus by his Spirit. Amen.
“Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, ‘Peace and safety!’ then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not asleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11 NASB
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The Heart of a Leader
By Linda Rex
November 5, 2023, Proper 26 | After Pentecost—In last week’s message we took a look at the heart of a shepherd, which is meant to be formed after and by the heart of the Great Shepherd, Jesus Christ. The heart of a shepherd was likened by the apostle Paul with that of a nursing mother tenderly caring for her child.
Moving into the passage for this Sunday, 1 Thessalonians 2:9–13, we find that the apostle Paul is still feeling the need to defend his ministry from the criticisms of those who opposed it. The apostle explained that he cared for the members of the church as a father would train and teach his children, encouraging and exhorting them to grow up in Christ. At the same time, Paul and his co-workers worked day and night doing hard labor in order to provide for themselves, so that the believers in Thessalonica would not have to support them. Any preaching or teaching had to be done while they were working or in the late afternoons and evenings when their other work was done.
This pattern of physical labor, self-support, and pastoral ministry was an important mark of Paul’s love and concern for the believers he ministered to and cared for. Additionally, Paul and his co-workers were diligent to live in such a manner that it was obvious to the believers, as it was to God, that they were behaving “devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly” toward the believers in everything they said and did. And it was also clear to the members of the church at Thessalonica that Paul and his co-workers weren’t just preaching the Word—they were living it out in their lives, doing their best to model self-sacrificial service and love just as Jesus, the living Word, had done while here on earth.
This is a profound contrast with the spiritual leaders Jesus confronted in the Gospel reading for this Sunday, Matthew 23:1–12. Jesus told the crowds and his disciples to beware of the spiritual leaders of his day who were more concerned about the adulation of the crowds and stuffing their pouches full of money than they were the needs and concerns of the people they cared for. They wanted to be elevated to positions of prominence at events, to be called “rabbi” or “teacher”, and to be greeted respectfully in the public square. While demanding strict legal obedience from their followers, their own hearts were filled with greed, selfishness, and pride. No wonder Jesus told his listeners not to follow their example.
What struck me when reading these two passages together was that, apart from Christ’s intervention in Paul’s life, he would have been one of those people Jesus described. In fact, he had been very much like those spiritual leaders Jesus said not to follow, for he had, as a law-abiding Pharisee, persecuted the early church and had sought the death and imprisonment of the believers.
But the miracle was, by the time the apostle was writing this letter to the church at Thessalonica, Paul had become a gift from God to the church at Thessalonica and the other churches of his day. Christ, by the Spirit, had done a transformational work in Paul’s mind and heart. This knowledge did not make Paul proud. Rather, it humbled him and gave him a powerful gospel message, one of salvation, redemption, faith, and patience for those to whom he ministered.
Our best witness for the God of Jesus Christ is the work the Spirit is doing and has done, in our own hearts and lives as God’s children. Authenticity, transparency, humility, and service are a hallmark of a follower of Jesus Christ.
Many pastors today are bi-vocational pastors who work a full or part time job while pastoring their churches. In many ways, they are following the model of Paul and the early church leaders. As they and the members they serve live out an authentic Christ-centered life within their community, each person has many opportunities to share the good news with others just as Paul did. As believers follow Christ and open their hearts and minds to the Spirit, growing in their own personal relationship with Jesus Christ, they are able to share the good news of Jesus Christ with those they meet just as Paul and his co-workers shared it with the people of their day.
Heavenly Father, thank you for those you have called and gifted to serve as pastors and spiritual mentors. By your Spirit, make us humble servant-hearted believers who care for others, and enable us to live out and share the life of Christ you are forming within us with others. Grant us the grace to be transparent, authentic, humble and ever willing to serve, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
“For you recall, brethren, our labor and hardship, how working night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you, we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers; just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children, so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory. For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.” 1 Thessalonians 2:9–13 NASB
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The Word is Ringing Out
By Linda Rex
October 22, 2023, Proper 24 | After Pentecost—Many years ago, I made some difficult lifetime decisions which affected a lot of people in my life, including close family and friends. It was difficult at the time to know which was the best path to take, but at the time, through prayer, fasting, and counsel, I took the path I believed would follow God’s lead and would be best for my family.
It wasn’t until many years later that I began to see and experience the full implications of the decisions I made at that time. Often, we don’t realize until much after the fact how things we say and do will leave a lasting imprint on those around us. In the New Testament passage for this week, 1 Thessalonians 1:1–10, we learn how our Christ-centered, obedient choices and decisions as followers of Christ can have a lasting, positive affect on those around us, as we respond faithfully to the lead and instruction of the Holy Spirit.
As I was pondering this passage, a question came to mind I would like to share with you: If someone used your life as an example to follow, would they begin, over time, to develop a closer relationship with Jesus, and begin, over time, to look more and more like him? I wonder how well we, as followers of Christ, model a Christ-like life and personal relationship with God. I must admit, in my own life and even within my family, I find that I live at times in such a way that the impact I am having on those close to me or those with whom I am interacting each day is not necessarily what I would prefer.
The apostle Paul points out in our passage that the Thessalonica believers were a powerful presentation of the gospel or good news of Jesus Christ just by how they lived their lives. Filled with and led by the Spirit, they reflected God’s love and turned away from the idols in their lives to serve the Father-Son-Spirit God in whom they found their existence as a gathering of believers, even though this caused persecution and suffering. Paul affirmed their work of faith, labor of love, and steadfastness of hope in Christ, in the presence of the Father. Having been chosen by God in Christ, they chose to respond in faith, hope, and love by following this pathway toward a healthy life together in Christ.
Sharing the good news of Jesus Christ—of all he has done in his life, death, resurrection and ascension, and in the gift of the Spirit—isn’t done just with words, but also is lived out in our everyday lives. What does it look like when God’s adopted child lives a life filled with God’s power, the Spirit, and full conviction? Our faith begins to be reflected in actions that are a reflection of Jesus’ own ministry and mission in this world. Our actions become an expression of God’s love, empowered by the Holy Spirit, for all those around us. Our hope in the coming-and-presence or parousia of Jesus Christ becomes evident for it keeps us centered, focused by the Spirit on the heavenly realities, but also forward-looking, watching for the new heaven and earth promised to us, as we live even now in the present-day reality of God’s reign in our hearts and lives.
What we learn from the believers in Thessalonica is that we live right now in this moment in the reality of God’s kingdom come to earth in Jesus Christ by his Spirit. We live each moment of each day in surrender and willing submission to the King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus Christ, and our lives begin to reflect this reality. We may not imagine that we may be idolators, but if we are honest with ourselves, we each have things and people in our lives who are for us, an idol—something or someone we depend upon or rely upon to help us deal with and cope with the stresses and difficulties in our lives instead of simply trusting in Christ. We have people or things who occupy our attention, energy, and financial resources to the neglect of any kind of ongoing relationship with Jesus or our Father in the Spirit.
However we look at it, when we come to faith in Christ, there is a point in which we must come to terms with the reality of who Jesus is as Lord of all and King of the kingdom. Who has the final say in our hearts and minds and lives? Is it Jesus Christ? And is this evident to those around us? Our focus mustn’t be on what others may think or say, but on our God—Father, Son, and Spirit—in whom we have our existence, and by whom we are saved. He is the One by whom, for whom, and to whom all things are, and our lives belong to him. May our everyday conversation and conduct be a resounding witness to the love and grace of God, in whom we live and move and have our being.
Father, Jesus, Spirit—thank you for loving us and caring for us so faithfully. Grant us the grace to live and walk in a way, each and every day, that is a resounding witness to your goodness and love, expressed to us in Jesus and by your Spirit. Amen.
“Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace. We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers; constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father, knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you; for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything. For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.” 1 Thessalonians 1:1–10 NASB
“For the sake of Jacob My servant, and Israel My chosen one, I have also called you by your name; I have given you a title of honor though you have not known Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other; besides Me there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me; That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun that there is no one besides Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other, the One forming light and creating darkness, causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the LORD who does all these.” Isaiah 45:4–7 NASB
“ ‘Tell us then, what do You think? Is it lawful to give a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?’ But Jesus perceived their malice, and said, ‘Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites? Show Me the coin used for the poll-tax.’ And they brought Him a denarius. And He said to them, ‘Whose likeness and inscription is this?’ They said to Him, ‘Caesar’s.’ Then He said to them, ‘Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.’ ” Matthew 22:17–21 NASB
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Practicing Kingdom Realities
by Linda Rex
October 15, 2023, Proper 23 | After Pentecost—Over the years, I have come to see the kingdom of God and the second coming of Christ through a new lens and that is the incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, ascension, and reign of Jesus Christ. When examined through this new lens, these concepts take on a more paradoxical form and require that I live in a place where I must daily walk by faith, trusting in the near and faithful presence of Jesus in the Spirit.
The biblical concept of the kingdom of God revolves around the Trinity. God reigns over all, yet not all of us acknowledge nor submit to his reign in our hearts and lives. God gave humans the stewardship of his creation here on earth, but so often, we have lived as though we were self-sustaining, self-directed lords rather than simply stewards and creatures whose dependency and livelihood are utterly contingent and dependent upon the God who made us and who sustains us.
We find that our Triune God resolved this issue (as he had always intended to) by coming in the Son of God, the Word of God, into our cosmos as God in human flesh. His coming-and-presence, or parousia, was by the incarnation, and he preached the coming and presence of the kingdom of God in his person. In Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension and in the sending of the Holy Spirit, we as human beings begin to participate by faith in the kingdom of God, right now through the Lord Jesus Christ by his Holy Spirit. We find ourselves today in the already-not-yet of the kingdom of God, which is present by the Spirit today but will come in its fullness when Jesus establishes the new heaven and earth.
When the apostle Paul talked about living in unity, bearing the fruits of the Spirit, and rejoicing in every circumstance in Philippians 4:1-9, he used the expression “in the Lord” or “in Christ Jesus.” Fundamental to our ability to walk in love or gentleness is Christ’s indwelling each of us by his Spirit. We participate by his Spirit in Jesus’ own love and life, living and working together in unity by helping one another and praying for one another. But even our prayers are merely a participation in the ongoing face-to-face conversation between the Father and Son in the Spirit. Jesus offers the things of God to us by the Spirit and offers our response to the Father in the Spirit. By the Spirit, the God of peace is in us and with us in the midst of whatever circumstances we find ourselves, so there is no need for anxiety or distress. We give thanks and rejoice instead, because Christ’s own gratitude and joy is ours to experience and share with others.
Paul says, “Let your gentle spirit be known to all.” This is the same language he uses elsewhere that seems to be a passive statement: “Be filled with the Holy Spirit.” There is a sense of receptivity, of being open to what is happening rather than ignoring, resisting or pushing back. We are given God’s Spirit freely, but if we are so busy doing everything ourselves and refuse to allow God room to work, we may not experience the wonderful blessings of God’s indwelling presence, our union with God in Christ, and his transforming work. And as we close ourselves to what God may want to do, then others will not see the beauty of Christ living in us and shining through us.
Lately, I’ve been pondering the journey I have experienced over the years in my own walk with Christ. How often it has been about getting the rules right or trying to earn the love and favor of God and others! How sad that I could not simply receive the love and grace of God and allow him to do all the heavy lifting, and focus on enjoying life in relationship with God and others in the Spirit by participating in all Jesus has done, is doing, and will do in bringing his kingdom into reality here on earth as it is in heaven.
Paul reminds us that our life is intimately bound up in Christ’s life with the Father in the Spirit. As he said in Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (NASB). We live even now in the reality of God’s kingdom being realized in us and in our world by Jesus in the Spirit, and we participate as we practice these kingdom realities in our lives, keeping our minds on what is excellent and worthy of praise, rejoicing in all situations, and gratefully offering our requests to God, day by day. And we diligently practice loving God and one another as we wait in joyful expectancy for the fullness of God’s kingdom in all its glory.
Lord, thank you for your abundant gifts, most especially your indwelling presence by the Spirit, who enables us to participate in your own face-to-face relationship with your Father. I open myself up to the warmth and healing of your love and life, and welcome you here. Clear out anew the cobwebs and filth that may be gathering that you, my dear Father, may feel at home and welcome always, through Jesus your Son in the Spirit. Amen.
“Therefore, my beloved brethren whom I along to see, my joy and crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord, my beloved. I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord. Indeed, true companion, I ask you also to help these women who have shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel, together with Clement also and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life. Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:1–9 NASB
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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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