It's hard to use the phrase, "God on our side." Surely, God has love for all of humanity. God is also true to his word, and preserves those whom he loves. Continuing through the battles of Maccabees and the resurrection of Jesus, God proves himself faithful.

Both the martyrs of Maccabees and Jesus on the cross yield their ultimate destiny to God. This was a final measure of faith that Jesus proved was worth the gamble. This behavior isn't limited to martyrs, though. Every day, we must choose to put ourselves in God's hands, in matters that may seem trivial to us.

A lot of talk of martyrdom today, both just before the time of Jesus in Maccabees and the next step of Jesus' own execution. We certainly hope that we never face such an end, but we are in good company if we do. Psalms reminds us that God is faithful, and we must also be faithful in whatever ways are given to us.

Psalm 104 is an extended recognition of God's creative power, but the contrast between Maccabees and Matthew once again reminds us of Jesus' commitment to avoid taking his kingly title by force. It's incredible to think that a savior with the power of the universe refused to unfurl it upon his enemies as they prepared him for death.

The reading from Maccabees is an interesting contrast to Jesus. While Antiochus Epiphanes sought to own and control religion through graphic violence, Jesus rebukes the use of the sword even to save his own life. This is a hard lesson in a world where we often applaud solving conflict with more death.

(Readings from Maccabees are from the NRSV.)

We're covering a wide range today: from glory to betrayal. But it is all a part of the life of God. We do our share of each, hopefully the former more than the latter.

We've been learning what it means to be like Jesus, now we're putting it in action. Faith in your head isn't enough. It needs to trickle down to your heart and extend to those around you.

We are in union with Christ, and Christ is in union with God the Father. This is humbling and a little intimidating. It means that we are deeply loved, but it also means that we should start to take on the qualities of those with whom we share union.

God is holy, and Jesus is Lord. It's easy to say these things, but harder to live them. If we believe God is holy, then we don't treat him casually. (Sometimes we might talk to him casually, but we must remember who we're addressing.) If Jesus is Lord, there ought to be evidence of sacrifice in our lives. We can't follow our own way and his, and at some point we ought to feel a tension that can only be resolved by making a conscious choice to put our choices last and his first. 

What does it mean to be the people of God? There's a great need to learn to trust God, and sometimes that means remaining faithful in the rough times. Waiting on God can be difficult, but we must allow ourselves to be formed spiritually in both good times and bad.