peace

January 5, 2025, 2^nd Sunday in Christmas—As we enter this new year of 2025, we face many challenges. We look forward with optimism as we see opportunities for growth or anticipate achieving certain goals we set for ourselves. We may dread the outcome of long-term illnesses. Or we may look forward with hopeful joy as we expect the coming of a new child.

No matter what our future may hold for us, we have learned during our Advent and Christmas seasons, that we can have hope. We can have hope, not because we know how things will turn out, but because amid every circumstance of life, we are not alone. We do not do any of these things on our own, but in relationship with our heavenly triune God through Jesus in the Spirit.

In our Old Testament passage for this Sunday, Jeremiah 31:7–14, the prophet inserts in the middle of his prophetic warning to ancient Israel, a word of hope. This hope is not based upon the nation’s willingness and ability to live rightly or to bring it about, but solely in who God is as their covenant partner. God declared they were his people and he was their God. For that reason alone, he would ensure their return and their blessing.

However, we find that the blessing God intended for his people went far beyond what they expected. God had much more in mind than simply returning this people to a location here on earth and giving them a lot of earthly blessings. God was more concerned about their eternal destiny and their spiritual renewal. What God had in mind is what he had in mind for all humans everywhere in all time—the restoration of our relationship with him through our Lord Jesus Christ, and the unity we would one day have with God in the Holy Spirit in the new heaven and earth.

We read about God’s heart in the New Testament reading for this Sunday, Ephesians 1:3–14. In this passage, the apostle Paul celebrates the loving heart of our heavenly Father, who, from before time, intended us to be “holy and blameless before him.” It was always on God’s mind that we be adopted as his beloved children through our Lord Jesus Christ. Everything we have celebrated during this Christmas season points to the important event of the incarnation, where God’s Son entered into our human existence and joined us here on earth. This was always God’s intention, and he worked towards this end in spite of our human fall into evil, sin, and death.

When we read the prophecy of Jeremiah, we hear the echoes of the future fulfillment of this prophetic word in Jesus Christ. For example, he writes that the Lord says, “… I will make them walk by streams of waters, on a straight path in which they will not stumble; for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is My firstborn.” In looking back through the lens of Jesus Christ, we see this word differently than we would see it through the lens of the Mosaic covenant.

We see that the ancient nation of Israel is wrapped up in the person of Jesus, who fulfilled all that was required of them in their covenant with God. We see the “father” talked about in this passage revealed by Jesus to be his own heavenly Father, and the “streams of waters” to be the Helper, the blessed gift of the Holy Spirit. We see that in Jesus, the Son of the Father, who in our human flesh, walked the road we are to walk in relationship with his Father, we have a path to live in and follow which will prevent us from stumbling. As we walk in the Spirit, and not in our flesh, we walk in Jesus, and in doing so, we will not stumble, for he upholds us.

We see that God’s heart toward us desires our blessing and our joy. He worked for millennia to keep his promise to heal and restore our relationship with him. Jesus, when he came, was diligent to fulfill the promises given in the Old Testament to his people, and to the nations. What we celebrate during this Christmas season reminds us that God is faithful, and that we can place our trust in him, because of who he is as our faithful Lord. We are filled with hope, peace, joy, and love, as we reflect on all he has done for us, is doing for us today as he is present in this world by his Spirit, and what he will do one day when Jesus comes in glory to establish the new heaven and earth. In all these things, we have every reason to celebrate. Merry Christmas!

Heavenly Trinity, thank you for your faithfulness and your love expressed to us in the gift of Jesus Christ. Open our hearts and minds and enable us to receive this precious gift, and respond to all have done, are doing, and will do, in faith, putting our faith completely in you and not in ourselves. We thank you for keeping your word, and giving us every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus. Amen.

“For thus says the LORD, ‘Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise and say, “O LORD, save Your people, the remnant of Israel.” Behold, I am bringing them from the north country, and I will gather them from the remote parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and she who is in labor with child, together; a great company, they will return here. With weeping they will come, and by supplication I will lead them; I will make them walk by streams of waters, on a straight path in which they will not stumble; for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is My firstborn.’ Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, and declare in the coastlands afar off, and say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him and keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.’ For the LORD has ransomed Jacob and redeemed him from the hand of him who was stronger than he. They will come and shout for joy on the height of Zion, and they will be radiant over the bounty of the LORD—over the grain and the new wine and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the herd; and their life will be like a watered garden, and they will never languish again. Then the virgin will rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old, together, for I will turn their mourning into joy and will comfort them and give them joy for their sorrow. I will fill the soul of the priests with abundance, and My people will be satisfied with My goodness,” declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 31:7–14 NASB

See also Ephesians 1:3–14; John 1:10–18.

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Such Great Love

Posted on December 10, 2024

by Linda Rex

December 22, 2024, 4^th Sunday in Advent | Love—On this fourth Sunday in Advent when we celebrate the theme of God’s love, we reach the end of the season. We have been anticipating the coming-and-presence of Jesus Christ, which involves looking forward to his coming in his incarnation, his coming and presence now by his Spirit, and his future coming in glory when he ushers in the new heaven and earth when our Triune God will be present with us forever.

Our reading in Micah is a messianic prophecy written by one of the minor prophets during the reign of King Hezekiah. Micah, along with his contemporary, Isaiah the prophet, ministered to the people of ancient Judah, reminding them to be faithful to their covenant with God, and warning them of the coming consequences due to their injustice, immorality, and idolatry.

What Micah’s nation did not seem to realize was that God’s passionate love for his people would not allow him to let them wander away into sin and idolatry without him doing something about it. God told his people that he would allow them to go their own way for a time, to experience the consequences of their sin and idolatry, however horrible those consequences might end up being. But God also gave a promise that he would send the ultimate solution.

In Micah 5:2–5a, the Lord speaks about the role the small town of Bethlehem would play in the future of the nation. This town, which wasn’t even mentioned as one of the cities of Judah, the tribe from whom the kings came, would be the place from which the Messiah would come. Remarkably, this one Micah predicted would be a ruler in Israel, who would shepherd his people, would have his origins from the far distant past, as from eternity, with no beginning. Because of him, his people would return from where they had been taken or wandered as a result of their turning from God.

What is interesting is the way this passage was interpreted by the Jews at the time of Jesus’ birth. When the wise men from the east came looking for the newborn king so they could worship him and give him gifts, King Herod asked the chief priests and scribes where the Messiah was going to be born. According to Matthew, the chief priests and scribes told Herod that he would be born in Bethlehem, quoting Micah in this way: “And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; for out of you shall come forth a ruler who will shepherd My people Israel” (Matt. 2:6 NASB).

Herod’s response to this news was to send the wise men to Bethlehem to search out the child, telling them to return to him with the news of where the child was located, ostensibly so he could worship the newborn king too. Later in chapter two of Matthew, we see the wise men were warned by God to not go back to Jerusalem after visiting the child, but to leave by another way. And they did. And when King Herod found out, he sent soldiers to Bethlehem to kill every young infant up to two years old. Because Joseph was warned in a dream to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt before this happened and they left before the soldiers came, the newborn king Jesus was kept safe by God from King Herod’s plans to execute him.

King Herod, who had been installed in his position by the Romans, took this prophetic word from Micah very seriously. He wasn’t about to allow any other person to take away his position of authority in the Jewish nation. What he did not realize was the kind of king Jesus was and would be. Jesus is our Shepherd and reigns in God’s name. As the newborn child laying in a manger, he may not have looked like much, but he had come from time past, from eternity, and would be great, reigning over all the earth, as God in human flesh.

We will soon celebrate Christmas, when we remember how the Son of God entered our human sphere, taking on our human existence, to live, die, and rise again in our place, on our behalf. This infant that would be born in a small town in Bethlehem in Judea, the newborn king Jesus, is our peace. This is the One who reigns on high, while submitting himself to life in a human body, even that of a tiny infant whose life was threatened by an ambitious, heartless ruler. What a beautiful expression of God’s love!

Father, Son, Spirit, thank you for the faith, hope, and love we have been given. Thank you for being our hope, our peace, our joy, and our love. We look forward in anticipation to what you will do next, through Jesus our Lord and by your Spirit. Amen.

“ ‘But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity.’ Therefore He will give them up until the time when she who is in labor has borne a child. Then the remainder of His brethren will return to the sons of Israel. And He will arise and shepherd His flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD His God. And they will remain, because at that time He will be great to the ends of the earth. This One will be our peace.” Micah 5:2–5a NASB

“Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says,‘Sacrifice and offering you have not desired, but a body you have prepared for me; in whole burnt offerings and’ sacrifices ‘for sin you have taken to pleasure then I said, “Behold, I have come (in the scroll of the book it is written of me) to do Your will, O God.” ’ After saying above, ‘Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and’ sacrifices ‘for sin You have not desired, nor have you taken pleasure’ in them’ (which are offered according to the Law),then He said, ‘Behold, I have to come to do Your will.’ He takes away the first in order to establish the second. By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Hebrews 10:5–10 NASB

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Like Ore in the Fire

Posted on November 26, 2024

By Linda Rex

December 8, 2024, 2^nd Sunday in Advent | Peace—On our second Sunday in the season of Advent, the Gospel passage points us to the ministry of John the Baptist, who was sent by God to prepare the way for our Lord’s entry into our human sphere in the incarnation. Let’s continue to look at the Old Testament readings for this season, which brings us to the book of Malachi. Malachi, in the Hebrew, means messenger—a word used not only for angelic messengers, but also for a human messenger, in the sense of a diplomat, ambassador, or emissary.

In the first chapter of Malachi, the prophet describes a messenger sent from God. But in our passage for this Sunday, Malachi 3:1–4, we see that two parties are involved—one to prepare the way before the Lord, and the other, the messenger of the covenant, who is the Lord. Though the Jews of Jesus’ day wrestled over the meaning of this passage and felt it was unclear, in retrospect, because of Jesus’ instruction, we see that Malachi predicted the coming of John the Baptist, who prepared the way for our Lord Jesus Christ, who was the Messiah.

Many of the Jews of Jesus’ day were expecting a messiah who would deliver their people from oppression and punish their oppressors. For many of those who sat in the halls of the Sanhedrin, the governing body, the fact that they were God’s covenant people meant that God was going to cleanse the world of all that was evil and give them their rightful place as the leader of the nations.

But the book of Malachi, written hundreds of years before Jesus came, was quite clear about where the issue lay—within the spiritual leadership of the nation, the worship of the temple, and the lives of the people. What Malachi predicted was a messenger of ancient Israel’s covenant with God who would “sit as a smelter and purifier of silver” and “refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the Lord offerings in righteousness.” He was indicating that this messenger, their Messiah, would bring the covenant people into judgment, so that they might be purified and refined, cleansed of all those things which were hindering their right relationship with God. This was an intervention which would look quite a bit different than what these leaders expected and planned for.

What does it mean to “sit as a smelter”? Today, when we consider smelting, it probably is not something you would encounter as you walked down the streets where you live. According to Wikipedia, when smelting, intense heat and a chemical reducing agent are applied to an ore in order to extract a particular base metal product. Today, this is done in large factories where blast furnaces are used to produce base metals, such as pig iron from which steel is made.

To refine silver and gold, great heat is applied, and as the impurities rise to the top, they are scraped off and removed. It is said that when the person refining the metal sees a clear reflection of themselves in the liquid metal, then it is pure. This provides a great metaphor for what Malachi was saying the coming messenger of the covenant would do for his people. It was greatly needed, for within their hearts and lives existed the twisted elements of evil, sin, and death, and this was preventing them from living in right relationship with God and one another. The only way they could be righteous was for God to make them right with himself. So, through Malachi, God promised to send a messenger of the covenant, who would apply the intense heat and chemical reducing agent, so to speak, which would remove these impurities and bring God’s people back into right relationship with God.

The apostle Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, written many centuries after Malachi, writes about what Jesus Christ accomplished as the Anointed One send by God to his people and to the world. In Philippians 1:9–11, Paul expresses his concern for the brethren there, praying “that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment,so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” Notice the source of the believers’ righteousness, or right relationship with God—it comes through Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit. Jesus took on the judgment of all of us, bringing our humanity to intense heat through his purifying life here on earth, which led to the crucible of the crucifixion, where, in dying, he scraped off the impurities of evil, sin, and death. And Jesus rose again from the grave, having purified us as silver and gold are purified, giving us peace with God, as he brought us home to his Father and sent us his Spirit.

Because of what Jesus has done, and is doing in and through us by his Spirit, we are able to participate in Jesus’ own right relationship with his Father in the Spirit. In other words, because of Jesus, we can be at peace with God and at peace with one another. As we live and walk in Christ by his Spirit, we live and walk in his right relationship with God and one another, participating in his righteousness. And as the apostle John says, “We know that when [Jesus] appears, we will be like him, because we will see him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:2b–3 NASB). The Holy Spirit continues to work in our hearts and minds, to conform us to Christ, to transform our hearts by faith as we trust in Jesus and respond to him in faithful obedience. This refining and smelting will continue throughout our lives, as we respond to the Spirit’s work, and God will not quit until he has finished what he has begun. But one day we will see him face to face and live with him forever in the new heaven and earth as his beloved children. And that’s the good, good news!

Thank you, Father, for transforming our hearts by faith, for cleansing and renewing us in Jesus. Heavenly Spirit, please fill us anew with Jesus’ righteousness, that we may live at peace with God and man, through Jesus our Lord. Amen.

¹“Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the Lord of hosts. ²But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. ³He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the Lord offerings in righteousness. ⁴Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.” Malachi 3:1–4 NASB

³“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,⁴always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all,⁵in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now. ⁶For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. ⁷For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me.⁸For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. ⁹And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment,¹⁰so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; ¹¹having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” Philippians 1:3–11 NASB

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The Gentleness of Wisdom

Posted on September 10, 2024

By Linda Rex

September 22, 2024, Proper 20 | After Pentecost—As we get further into our election year here in the United States, I am concerned by the way in which we as human beings tend to be swayed by whatever wind of politics blows in our direction. Those of us who believe and follow Jesus can get caught up in the polarization which seems to be occurring during this season, allowing ourselves to be swept along with one party’s aims and ambitions, rather than remaining rooted in our Lord, and his will and ways.

In our New Testament reading for this Sunday, James 3:13–4:3, 4:7–8a, the apostle expresses his concern about the wisdom of those who zealously sought the deliverance of his people from their Roman oppressors. The wisdom they expressed in words and actions led these people toward violence as a means of overthrowing the current government. James saw what drove their response was not the love of God in Christ, but jealousy and selfish ambition. There were those who saw what those in power had and enjoyed, and desired to have it for themselves. This led them to act in ways which did not reflect Christ, but rather, the natural and even demonic tendency towards evil and disorder.

What James speaks about is something which, when we look at our own hearts and minds today, may be a cause for concern. What are our motives for our response to the current situation we find ourselves in? What are our motives for what we do, whether at work, at home, or as we serve in our community or church? Are we motivated by God’s love in Christ, or are we motivated by jealousy and selfish ambition? Sometimes we may believe we have the greatest of intentions, when, in reality, we have ulterior motives. We may need to ask the Lord to show us what’s really going on inside.

If we truly want to be wise and understanding, James says that our wisdom is to be rooted in God himself. True wisdom, he says, is pure—it has no ulterior motives. Just like what Jesus manifested while he was here on earth, it comes simply out of a heart that is “peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.” This sincere and quiet spirit reflects the union and communion of the divine oneness of Father, Son, and Spirit, where each Person fully knows and indwells the other, in a relationship of other-centered, self-giving, sacrificial love. This beautiful shalom, the wholeness and peace of the Triune God, is held by James in stark contrast against the “earthly, natural, demonic” wisdom expressed by those who were embracing a path which led to evil and disorder.

So, what does James say we are to do instead? Because our Triune God, who is love and who loves us, is our Creator and Redeemer, we submit to him. We voluntarily yield ourselves to the authority of Father, Jesus, and Spirit in our hearts, minds, and lives. We resist all that is evil and that spirit which stands in opposition to God’s will and his ways. We choose to draw closer to God, growing in our relationship with him day by day. In response, God will draw closer to us.

Jesus Christ has cleansed us and is cleansing us now by the work of the Holy Spirit in and with us. Jesus purified our hearts through his perfect work in our place on our behalf, and is working now to purify our hearts by his Spirit as we respond to him in faith. Our response to the Holy Spirit’s work in us and in our lives is important. We can resist or grieve the Spirit, or we can respond with humble submission, gratitude, and obedience. True wisdom involves a humble, obedient response to the Spirit’s work, allowing the Spirit to cleanse us and purify our hearts with the indwelling presence and power of Jesus Christ. The wisdom from above, God’s wisdom, has been given to us through Jesus in the Spirit. Are we yielding fully to the Spirit’s work in and through us? Are we allowing him to transform us, and to form us to Christ?

I began this message with a reference to what is happening in the political sphere in our nation today. How might God’s wisdom be applied to this situation? The reality is, as followers of Christ, our first loyalty is to our Lord and Savior, to Jesus. And we are to draw near to him, for he is the One who ultimately is Lord over the nations, and who elevates or demotes our leaders. And we are unable to clearly see and make the best determination of how to move forward apart from his direction and inspiration by his heavenly Spirit. So, we pray for our nation and for God’s Spirit to move in people’s hearts and minds. We ask God to do what only God can do, and as we are directed by him, we act in the gentleness of his divine wisdom.

Heavenly Father, thank you that you know exactly what is needed in our situation, and that you are ever at work in our lives, growing us into the fullness of Christ. Grant us the grace to respond to your work in us by your Spirit, and to yield ourselves to your will in obedience, through Jesus our Lord. Amen.

“Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. … Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” James 3:13–4:3, 4:7–8a NASB

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The Power of a Word

Posted on September 3, 2024

By Linda Rex

September 15, 2024, Proper 19 | After Pentecost—When we are in a situation that requires tact and diplomacy, it is so easy to say the wrong thing. We so often create problems for ourselves by the things we say to other people, and to ourselves for that matter.

As I’ve grown older, I’ve had to deal with the consequences of many a misspoken word—whether from me or from someone else. As the Message Bible says, “It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell” (James 3:5–6). I’m sure you can identify with this, because this is a common human experience. Every one of us is guilty at some point of saying the wrong thing, or saying something that cut, hurt, or shamed someone. Many an adult reflects back to that word from a parent or a teacher which framed the rest of their life in a positive, or a negative, manner. And many a relationship lies broken and severed today, due to hurtful or destructive words which were spoken and soon regretted.

In our New Testament reading for this week, James 3:1–12, the apostle James addresses this issue of the misuse of the tongue. James wanted all of those who were seeking to elevate themselves to a place of teaching within the Body of Christ to reconsider their motives and the consequences that went with being in this position of responsibility. No doubt, James was quite familiar with what happens when people do not guard what they say, and wanted the peace and unity of the Body of Christ to be maintained rather than disrupted.

Looking at the indicatives or spiritual realities within this passage, we are reminded that we each are made and are being remade by the Spirit in the likeness of God, our Lord and Father. Because this is the truth of who we are, and who every person around us is, there is an innate dignity and worth in each person we encounter. Even the worst person to be around is still someone who bears a reflection of the divine Trinity, albeit hidden or obscured by the sin which so easily darkens our glory as image-bearers of our Lord Jesus Christ.

One of the psalms for this Sunday is Psalm 19. Notice what the psalmist says about God’s creation: “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their utterances to the end of the world” (Psalm 19:1–4 NASB). Isn’t it interesting that all that our Father created through Jesus in the Spirit tells of the glory of God. The creation is simply being what it is—a creation which speaks of the glory of God. It’s not speaking a bunch of other things. No, it is simply speaking that which it was created to speak—of the glory of God.

So often, we as human beings go way outside what God created us to be and to do. We are ever eating of that tree where we decide for ourselves how things are going to be, and what is right and what is wrong. With this going on in our hearts, it is no wonder that what comes out of our mouths ends up being not helpful, but destructive or hurtful. We desperately need God’s wisdom (Proverbs 1:20–33), but we often resist or ignore it, and willfully choose our own way. Is there any hope for us sad humans?

The good news is that God “has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all this and through whom he made the universe” (Heb. 1:2 NASB). God’s Word to us is Jesus Christ, and he has taken all our words and our unruly mouths up into himself, cleansing them and making them new. He speaks even now in and through us by his Spirit, as we yield to his lordship over our tongues. And his grace covers all our failures, offering us healing, restoration, and renewal as we turn to him in faith.

This is a journey we take with Jesus, inviting the Spirit moment by moment to take control of our tongues. The Spirit reminds us that those people we are talking to are also taken up in Jesus. When we speak to them we are speaking to Jesus—by God’s grace our words will reflect this reality. As Jesus is the source or wellspring of our words, we draw from the pure source, the Spirit, so that our words are healing, helpful, and holy, whenever we speak. It is Jesus, then, who is our words to God and others, as he is his Father’s Word to us. Thanks be to Jesus! And, best of all, he gets all the glory!

Thank you, Father, for speaking to us through your Son, Jesus. And thank you for giving us your Spirit so that we can participate in Jesus’ own conversation with you and others. Please grant us the grace to submit our speech to your Spirit in every moment, so that we always tell of your glory. Amen.

“Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment. For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well. Now if we put the bits into the horses’ mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their entire body as well. Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires. So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell. For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh.” James 3:1–12 NASB

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Taking Our Stand

Posted on August 13, 2024

By Linda Rex

August 25, 2024, Proper 16 | After Pentecost—Lately, the Lord has brought me back to an immersion in everyday day-long prayer. The life of prayer can easily be lost in this active, busy, stressed-filled existence. It takes being intentional about remaining in conversation with the Lord in the midst of our everyday activities, just like it requires being intentional about staying in conversation with our spouse and loved ones in order to keep our relationships strong and healthy.

The good news is that prayer does not begin with us. Prayer actually begins within the Triune life and love, in the face-to-face communion between the Father and his Son in the Spirit. As we are prompted by the Spirit to pray, as we are attentive to the Spirit’s leading (remain alert), we participate in Jesus’ own life of prayer. The Spirit places concerns on our minds and hearts, and in response, we pray. This is how we can remain in prayer “in every season” or “at all times.”

In our New Testament passage for this Sunday, Ephesians 6:10–20, the apostle Paul summarizes what he has shared throughout his epistle regarding life in the Spirit, the triumphant victorious life which is ours in Christ because of what he has accomplished in his life, death, resurrection, and ascension, and which is ours in the gift of his Holy Spirit. Notice how the different parts of the “armor of God” reflect topics he has brought up elsewhere in his letter—truth, righteousness, faith, salvation, and the gospel or good news of Jesus Christ.

Paul has encouraged us to “be filled with the Spirit” and so now he is encouraging us to wield the “sword of the Spirit” which is the Word of God and prayer. In the light of the evil one at work in this world and the forces of evil impacting every level of society and corrupting every institution, government, and industry, Paul encourages us to remain on our guard, with our feet planted firmly on the gospel of Jesus, and the Word of God and prayer on our lips.

Look closely at each piece of the armor Paul tells us to take up and put on: we actually take up and put on Christ. Jesus is our righteousness, which we need as a breastplate of protection over our hearts. Our Lord is the truth of who we are as God’s beloved, forgiven, and redeemed children; his Spirit is the Spirit of Truth, and our God is the God of truth, who loves us and forgives us and has made us his own. Christ is our salvation, our assurance that we are forgiven, accepted, and beloved, and included in God’s life and love now and forever. It is the faith of Christ which shields us from the fiery attacks of our adversary and accuser—for Jesus is the trustworthy One we can assuredly trust in every moment, no matter how difficult things may get in our lives. As you can see, God has provided himself in Christ as our armor in the great spiritual battle in which we find ourselves.

Because of Jesus, all he has done in his life, death, resurrection, and ascension, and in the gift of God’s Spirit, our feet are firmly planted on the ground, and we are able to weather every wind of combat that may come our way. The apostle Paul reminds us that it is not the people in our lives we are in combat against. Too often, when we experience difficulties in our relationships or circumstances, we turn against the people in our lives, when we should turn to Christ. This brings us back to prayer, and our need to remain in constant communication with the Lord.

As the apostle Paul remained for years chained to a Roman soldier, I’m certain he had plenty of time to ponder the significance of armor in relation to his walk with Christ. A Roman soldier’s shield was designed to be used as protection in battle. When used together properly with all the other solders’ shields, the army was kept safe from any of the arrows or flaming missiles thrown by the enemy. But each member of the army had to work together with the others for this strategy to work best. In the same way, as members of the body of Christ, we are called to pray—to work together in faith, for the movement forward of the good news of the gospel to be spread. The body of Christ today faces many obstacles and new opposition in ways it has not for many years. Paul calls us back to a life of prayer, and of actively putting on all that is ours in Christ, so that we may stand our ground in a world which pushes back against what is good, holy, loving, and right. May we remain alert, and pray always, in every season, in the Spirit.

Heavenly Father, Dear Abba, God and Father of us all,

May your name be hallowed and glorified, now and forever, for you are worthy. You are worthy of all glory, honor, and praise. You are a good God, kind, loving, compassionate, and faithful. Thank you for loving us. May your kingdom come, and your will be done, in us, in our loved ones, in our community, in our state, in our nation, in this world, here on earth, as it is in heaven. Thank you for giving us today all that we need for life and godliness—for giving us your Son, the Bread of Life. Thank you for remembering those who are homeless and need the necessities of life. Grant us the grace to remember them as well. Thank for being so forgiving of us. We need your grace so desperately. Grant that we may ever be as forgiving of others as we desire you to be forgiving of us. Thank for not leading us into temptation, but delivering us from evil and the evil one through Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Thank you for covering us with Jesus—our salvation—as a helmet. Thank you for guarding us with Jesus as our breastplate of righteousness, holding us in right relationship with you now and forever. Thank you for girding us with your truth, the truth that is Jesus and giving us your Spirit of truth. Thank you for shielding us with the faith of Christ, guarding us against the fiery darts of the evil one. And thank you for giving us Jesus to put on, enabling us to walk in his shoes of the preparation of the gospel of peace. Thank you for the sword of the Spirit—for keeping us diligent and faithful in the Word of God and prayer. We need you to fight these spiritual battles for us, for you are the divine Warrior, our Defender and Protector. Thank you, dear Abba, that Jesus is in you, and we are in him, and he is in us. In Christ we are held safe in your arms in the Spirit. For yours is the kingdom, the glory, the honor, now and forever. Amen.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, ‘having girded your loins with truth,’ and ‘having put on the breastplate of righteousness,’ and having shod ‘your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;’ in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take ‘the helmet of salvation,’ and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.” Ephesians 6:10–20 NASB

[Printable copy: https://lifeinthetrinity.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/olittaking-our-stand.pdf ]

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The Grace of Joy

Posted on December 5, 2023

By Linda Rex

December 17, 2023, 3^rd Sunday in Advent | Joy—Sometimes this time of year, we have a hard time coming up with any sense of Christmas cheer. It doesn’t help that our budgets are tight and we’re concerned about possibly catching one of the viruses going around at school, work, and the supermarket. This season may bring to mind significant losses or changes in our lives, and we may sense hovering over us a raincloud of grief, sorrow, pain, or even anxiety at having to cope with family issues as we gather with others.

On this Sunday of Joy in the season of Advent, we look at what the apostle Paul has to say about this in 1 Thessalonians 5:16–24. He tells the believers at Thessalonica to “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks” and goes on to say that this is God’s will for each of us who are in Christ Jesus. If we are in the midst of a snowstorm of grief and loss, it can be really hard to rejoice, much less give thanks. We may even find it next to impossible to pray—the words get stuck in our mind and heart, and nothing comes out. We can only weep.

So how do we respond to this imperative or command given to us in God’s Word? When reading the commands or imperatives in Scripture, we must always first look for the indicatives or foundational spiritual realities on which those imperatives are based. In this case, notice the phrase, “in Christ Jesus.” This is important to pay attention to. Also, when we look a little further on, we see, “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.” Notice who is doing the sanctifying and who is bringing to pass our being without blame. Our wholeness is grounded in the God of peace who sanctifies us in and through his Son Jesus Christ.

Our joy isn’t in the circumstances we are experiencing, though at times we may have joyful and happy experiences with family and friends doing things we enjoy. No, the source of our joy is our faithful God of peace, who has given us his Son and his Spirit. As we come to faith in Christ, trusting in God’s grace and love, we are united with Christ and receive from him the Spirit. The Spirit of God pours into us Christ’s own love, joy, peace, gentleness, goodness, and other fruits of the Spirit.

This means we are able to receive and experience Christ’s own joy, even though at times our circumstances and experiences may be less than joyful. We are also able to be thankful in less than blessed circumstances, because we have already received the greatest gift possible, the gift of Christ in us by the Spirit, who enables us to be thankful in all circumstances.

Going even farther, being in union with Christ by the Spirit means that we share in Jesus’ own life of joy and thanksgiving in his face-to-face fellowship with his Father in the Spirit. Our life of prayer is grounded in Jesus’ own life of prayer with his Father so that he offers the things of the Father to us in the Spirit, and offers our prayers to the Father in the Spirit. When we cannot pray, for our hearts are too broken, Jesus prays for us and the Spirit intercedes for us, already knowing what is in our hearts which so yearns to be spoken.

This offers us great comfort in times when we find it hard to rejoice, pray, or give thanks, even though we know this is God’s will for us. Our faith isn’t in our ability to hang in there and do what is needed in our relationship with God. Rather our faith is in the One who is faithful and will do all that is needed to sanctify us and keep us blameless before God. We can rest in him and trust in his perfect love and grace. What a precious gift!

Dear Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, thank you for holding us in the center of your love and grace. As we go through this Advent season, remind us anew of your compassion and tender love, and fill our hearts with joy and gratitude so we may do your will. Blessed Jesus and Holy Spirit, let your prayers fill our hearts, not just for ourselves, but for all those you bring to our minds, that we may fellowship with you and one another as a communion of faith throughout this sacred Advent season. For our Father’s glory, through Jesus and by your Spirit. Amen.

“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16–24 NASB

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This entry was posted in Blog Site and tagged Advent, cheer, Christ, command, commands, communion, faith, faithful, Father, fellowship, God's will, grace, grateful, gratitude, grief, imperative, imperatives, indicatives, Jesus, joy, love, peace, prayer, prayers, relationship, son, Spirit, thanks, trust, union.

When It All Melts Away

Posted on November 27, 2023

By Linda Rex

December 10, 2023, 2^nd Sunday | Advent—One of the small things we like to do during Advent at our house is post a wish list on the refrigerator for each member of our household. We find this to be quite helpful in picking out stocking stuffers and other little gifts for one another. This practice helps those of us who aren’t good gift givers to be attentive to one another’s desires and interests.

This morning I was reading in our New Testament passage for this Sunday, 2 Peter 3:8–15a, about a deep desire of God’s heart. This desire is much deeper and much more costly than any stocking stuffer we may imagine. Indeed, the Triune God has already gone to great extremes to enable this wish to come true if at all possible. The apostle Peter tells us that God’s desire is that no one perish, but for all to come to repentance. In the end, there may be some who refuse to come to repentance, but God’s desire is still that every person does. Peter says that for this reason, our Lord Jesus has delayed his return in glory—it is God’s great patience and longsuffering that is our salvation.

In this letter, the apostle Peter was encouraging the believers to hold fast their faith in Christ in the face of false teachers and damaging heresies. He was reminding them of all that was theirs in Jesus, of the grace and love of God, and that there was coming, in God’s good time, a judgment in which our Lord and Savior would return in glory and make everything right. The heavens and earth will melt away one day, he said, revealing the hidden glory of the new heavens and new earth.

The day of the Lord or parousia, in the context of Peter’s second letter, is when Jesus returns in glory to establish the new heavens and new earth. Because it will come “like a thief”, it will come unexpectedly. Peter says this is important to remember because as we live our lives day by day, we want to be attentive to what God is up to—patiently working to bring about the salvation of many people. If this is what God is up to, then we want to be living in such a way that we are full participants in what God is doing, and in this way, anticipating and “hastening” the return of Christ.

One way we do this is by being diligent to be found by our Lord in peace, spotless and blameless as members of the Body of Christ. The source of our peace, our spotlessness, and blamelessness, is not in ourselves or our efforts, but in Jesus alone, as we trust in him as the one who is the Prince of Peace, the spotless Lamb of God, who took all blame upon himself, so that we might be found without blame when brought to judgment. Our diligence then, has to do with our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, our dependency upon his finished work, and looking to him to finish what he has begun in us. We are diligent to live in the truth of who we are as God’s adopted children, in loving union and communion with Father, Son, and Spirit and each other.

When we consider the new heavens and earth, as Peter calls it, we are told it will be a place where righteousness dwells. Righteousness, or right relationships with God and one another as I like to put it, will be the hallmark of our existence then. So, as citizens of that kingdom even now, the Body of Christ is called to reflect even now the righteousness Christ forged for us on the cross. In Jesus’ death and resurrection, we find the old self melted away and replaced by the new—in Christ we are new creations. Peter tells us to live in this reality even now, resisting the temptation to fall into old patterns or ways of living that are dead and gone.

Just as one day, this temporal existence will melt away and our new existence which is hidden with Christ in God will be revealed, we look forward to when this earth and the heavens will melt away and God’s new heavens and new earth will be revealed. Meanwhile, we live in this broken, sin-wracked world and in our broken, sin-wracked flesh, trusting in our Lord and Savior’s redeeming grace and love. We diligently seek to be who God has declared us to be, living in peace, spotless and blameless, grateful for the longsuffering patience of our God, which is our salvation.

Father, Son, Spirit, thank you for giving us a hope—a new heavens and new earth to look forward to in anticipation, and a new life forever with you. Grant us the grace to live even now in right relationship with you and one another, in your perfect peace, spotless and blameless, as we trust in your salvation, through Jesus our Lord and by your Spirit. Amen.

“But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but bis patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; …” 2 Peter 3:8–15a NASB

[Printable copy: https://lifeinthetrinity.blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/olitwhen-it-all-melts-away.pdf ]

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This entry was posted in Blog Site and tagged Advent, blameless, Christ, faith, Father, grace, Jesus, lamb of God, love, new earth, new heavens, parousia, patience, peace, Prince of Peace, repentance, return of Christ, salvation, second coming, Spirit, spotless, triune god.

peace

Resources for December 7, 2025, 2nd of Advent/Peace:

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