Big Guy and the Baptistry

 When Jesus was baptized, God testified who Jesus was (His Son - Luke 3), and so Christian baptism provides an opportunity for the candidate to say who Jesus is and state their faith in Christ. While this is a beautiful picture of Christ's work in us, it is only the beginning. Saved by faith through grace, Christians are now called to live out the gospel in our communities by demonstrating the love and care of Jesus.

Jesus GPS

 The universal nature of the gospel was demonstrated when wise men came from the East to worship Jesus (Matthew 2).  While they were not part of the national, ethnic, or religious backgrounds associated with Jesus or His family, they learned of His coming and how to find Him by following the light of a star. Are you a light that demonstrates the love of Christ and draws strangers to Jesus?

What are YOU doing?

 When Mary and Joesph find the 12-year-old Jesus in the midst of a group of religious scholars, Mary asks, why did you do this? (Luke 2) Although Jesus does obey Mary and follows her back to the family, we might consider His words in this story and ask ourselves, are we learning, teaching, and growing in a place that encourages us to become more like Jesus, or are we simply getting on with our lives?

Helping Hand...or...NOT?

 Christians universally look to a time of absolute peace and combability (Isaiah 11). We might be tempted to wait for Jesus by abandoning the call to love our neighbor and dismantle systems of power that cause pain and suffering. However, Jesus warned us of those who do not 'wait' with their "lamps" burning bright (Matt 25). Does your waiting include good works, or do you simply say you are waiting?

More Cookie Drama

The remarkable story of the widow who shares the last of her food with Elijah (1 Kings 17) might remind us of modern religious speakers who claim special blessings for their benefactors. Those who misuse this story to increase their own wealth miss the importance of a non-Israelite caring for God's prophet. Maybe those the Church labels as 'sinners' are teaching us how to love well and to care for the vulnerable.

Who is awesome?

 Proverbs 22 emphasizes the importance of a 'good name.' We might think of this as a person's character, or what they are known for. Many people seek fame or a legacy or give themselves impressive titles but miss the importance of being a good person or bearing a good name. Do you indulge your pride by seeking fame, or do you live out the gospel of Christ taking His good name as yours?

That's Just Your Interpretation...

 Many commentators note the hard rebuke Jesus gives to Peter when Peter insists that Jesus, as the Christ, must not die (Mark 8). Peter believed that the Messiah would be a military leader who kills His enemies, but Jesus seemed to prefer sacrifice to violence. Do your interpretations of Messiah look like Jesus or like the military leader? Do you think Jesus would rebuke you for your interpretation? 

Who are you?

 In Deuteronomy 4 God's people are encouraged to remember all that God had done for them, and all that God promised for them. The message reminded Israel to remember where they came from and what values defined them. What values to do we demonstrate to show that we are followers of Christ? Do we value our rules and laws more than we value the neighbor that Jesus told to us to love as ourselves?

Nothing to see here

 When the prophet Elijah asked to die (1 Kings 19), God intervened by sending His angel to nurture and sustain Elijah. The Church tends to ignore or hide those who may be suffering from depression or anxiety, or worse, guilty of blaming the victims for feeling the effects of depression. May we learn to just sit with and be with those in emotional need. Have you ever needed a friend to just sit with you?

Doggone it

 When Jesus spoke the words the Church now uses to celebrate the "Lord's Supper," He gave no moral requirements, He simply provided spiritual nourishment to those who would come. Do we help others come to the table of Jesus? Do we demand more than Jesus Himself or maybe we mistakenly offer physical nourishment and wealth in place of spiritual. Let us embrace the true gospel of Christ.

They will know us by our forceful pressing of doctrine and creed

 

While the apostle Paul is best known for his strong doctrine and logical arguments, he also recommends and reminds us that the guiding principle of Christ's followers is love. In Ephesians, Paul used the words rooted and grounded to describe how our beliefs are less about logic and obedience and are really more about love. How do you demonstrate God's love to those around you?

Why is it so hard to see Jesus?

 in Mark 6:45-52 the disciples are caught in a storm while crossing a body of water. When Jesus responds to their fear by walking over to the boat, they don't recognize Him and become even more afraid. Were they so fixated on the storm and waves that they missed the one they called "master." What troubles or contexts cause you to miss seeing Jesus in your situations? Are you fixated on your problems or on Jesus?

Prioritizing God's work

When asked to heal a very important man's daughter (Mark 5), Jesus allowed Himself to be diverted by a powerless woman who also needed healing. Although Jesus was on-task to help someone who was in a more dire situation with a more impressive family, Jesus noticed the woman and took time to confront her and provide the words she needed to hear. How do you prioritize your helpfulness? 
 

Saul sees Saul and not David

 David was Saul's best solider and military leader. After killing Goliath and winning the war with the Philistines, David was cheered and loved by his people. This success caused Saul to become bitterly jealous. It seems like Saul projected his own faults onto David and could not accept that David was being used by God to bolster the kingdom (I Sam 18). Who do you secretly fear and envy?

When your belief is more important that your Lord

 Jesus's teachings were so radical that even the best teachers were left baffled. In John 3 Jesus seems to confound Nicodemus. We might wonder if part of the confusion came from the way Nicodemus understood scripture and his apparent inability to shift that thinking. What ideas or interpretations have you latched onto that have become more important than Jesus?

NOW He's gone too far!

 

Jesus's ministry demonstrated radical rule-breaking, specifically to help those abused by the systems and rulers of the day. When Jesus actually broke death, by raising a young girl and his own friend, Lazarus, Jesus had good too far. The religious leaders could not explain the miracles, but decided that Jesus must not be allowed to continue to bring this kind of healing (John 11). What kinds of healing do you oppose?

Meanwhile, life without Jesus got harder...

The wonder of Christ's transfiguration is quickly confronted by the hard reality of those disciples left behind (Mark 9). To make matters worse, the disciples who had witnessed transfiguration were forbidden to talk about it. Do you join those living the hard reality of life while doing the work of Christ or do you find yourselves trying to relive an exciting mountain top experience?

Who are you calling weak?

 The term 'weaker brother' is describes a Christian who is offended by certain behaviors (1 Co 8). While the passage is often used to bolster our opinions of our own spirituality or worse, to condemn others who exhibit behaviors we dislike, the point of the passage seems to be the need to demonstrate love. Paul is willing to limit his freedoms in order to show love to his brothers. How do you show love to the Church? 

Fishers of Men

 Jesus promises to make His disciples 'Fishers of Men (Mark 1).'  We might be tempted to use this phrase as an excuse to treat our relationships as a sport or as a means to an end. Christ's relationships encourage a change of perspective. Asking Christ to save us should change our orientation from selfishness to honest concern and care for others. How have you changed your perspective to others.

Using Paul to clobber others

 Christians are infamous for using Paul's writings to condemn any behavior that they feel is not acceptable. One example is 1 Corinthians 6:12-20. Some translations chose words that specifically condemn the LGTBQ community, instead of accepting that anyone who refuses to give up power and pleasure taken by force should repent. Have you ever reinterpreted the Bible for your own purposes?