Our reading for today is John chapter 11

This chapter is the critical pivot for the John’s gospel.  Imagine you haven’t read the other gospels, aren’t familiar with how the story ends.  At the beginning of this chapter Jesus’ story is still open-ended; it can go in infinite directions.  By the end of the chapter, those options are reduced to one.  Jesus’ story will end – must end – and you will know both the perpetrators and their motivations. 

The chapter begins innocently enough.  Jesus receives word from two friends, Martha and Mary, that their brother, Lazarus, is sick, near death.  Pay attention to Jesus’ response to this news, and, significantly, to the disciples’ responses to Jesus.  The plot of this chapter is pushed forward through dialogue, as Jesus is confronted first by his disciples, then by Martha and by the crowd that has gathered to console her.  

When you reach the end of the chapter, unwind it in your mind as you would a good mystery movie, allowing the ending to define every action, reaction, and conversation that came before.  Consider the options before both Jesus’ enemies and his friends.  Remember that dialogue often reveals character.  Ask why Jesus waits, and why he weeps. 

That’s why I want to read John 11 again!

Our reading for today is John chapter 11

This chapter is the critical pivot for the John’s gospel.  Imagine you haven’t read the other gospels, aren’t familiar with how the story ends.  At the beginning of this chapter Jesus’ story is still open-ended; it can go in infinite directions.  By the end of the chapter, those options are reduced to one.  Jesus’ story will end – must end – and you will know both the perpetrators and their motivations. 

The chapter begins innocently enough.  Jesus receives word from two friends, Martha and Mary, that their brother, Lazarus, is sick, near death.  Pay attention to Jesus’ response to this news, and, significantly, to the disciples’ responses to Jesus.  The plot of this chapter is pushed forward through dialogue, as Jesus is confronted first by his disciples, then by Martha and by the crowd that has gathered to console her.  

When you reach the end of the chapter, unwind it in your mind as you would a good mystery movie, allowing the ending to define every action, reaction, and conversation that came before.  Consider the options before both Jesus’ enemies and his friends.  Remember that dialogue often reveals character.  Ask why Jesus waits, and why he weeps. 

That’s why I want to read John 11 again!

Our reading for today is Romans chapter 7.

Near the end of this chapter is a passage that might run through your head like a looping tape: “For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.  For I do not do the good that I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep doing…”  And later, “For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.  Wretched man that I am!  Who will deliver me from this body of death?”

This is not an abstract passage written by an anonymous struggling believer.  This is the Apostle Paul.  He believes that he, himself, has died, and with it his subordination to the law.  He believes, likewise, that he has been made alive in Christ: something has happened in him that he cannot describe in any other way.  Yet there is this parasite – sin – holding him hostage.  He does what he doesn’t want and doesn’t do what he wants.  Something is amiss, and Paul boldly shares this with a church that looks up to him. 

Don’t miss the context: this is at the end of long legal discourse on the inadequacy of the law and the gift of faith in Christ.  This feels like a personal crescendo: Paul feels the weight of all he’s written to this point.  He holds himself up to its mirror, for all the world to see.

That’s why I want to read Romans 7 again!

Our reading for today is Romans chapter 7.

Near the end of this chapter is a passage that might run through your head like a looping tape: “For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.  For I do not do the good that I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep doing…”  And later, “For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.  Wretched man that I am!  Who will deliver me from this body of death?”

This is not an abstract passage written by an anonymous struggling believer.  This is the Apostle Paul.  He believes that he, himself, has died, and with it his subordination to the law.  He believes, likewise, that he has been made alive in Christ: something has happened in him that he cannot describe in any other way.  Yet there is this parasite – sin – holding him hostage.  He does what he doesn’t want and doesn’t do what he wants.  Something is amiss, and Paul boldly shares this with a church that looks up to him. 

Don’t miss the context: this is at the end of long legal discourse on the inadequacy of the law and the gift of faith in Christ.  This feels like a personal crescendo: Paul feels the weight of all he’s written to this point.  He holds himself up to its mirror, for all the world to see.

That’s why I want to read Romans 7 again!

For many of us, this psalm was our first Bible passage to put to memory. Jews and Christians often read it at funerals. Although it does carry hope of eternity beyond death's shadow, this passage is also about day to day life.

Sheep are dumb. Domesticated sheep without a shepherd have little chance of survival. They are preyed upon by a multitude of creatures from the tiny ked to the big cat. They don't readily migrate and will quickly overgraze their territory. Without men to dunk them in troughs laden with "flea dip", guard their pens from dusk to dawn, and get them moving along narrow passes to fresh grazing land, they would struggle to survive in the Fertile Crescent hills where still waters are hard to find.

David, who wrote this psalm, was the furthest thing from a sheep. A herdsman in his youth, he fended off lions and bears. He ruthlessly killed his enemies, beginning with Goliath, commanded 600 scouts against armies of thousands, and built walled cities and palaces. He was confident in his station as the rising king of Israel. This psalm is not about personal humility. It is about the elevation of a Great and Mighty Lord.

David implies, "If, to me, The Almighty is a shepherd, then what should He be to you?"

This is a declaration of dependence -- total dependence on the Almighty -- daily. As you read Psalm 23, think about how you can recognize God's providence in your daily life. If have good water, credit Him. If you've been given health, credit Him. If your sworn enemies have been kept at bay, credit Him. Commit yourself to be led by Him daily, even if the passes are narrow and your carnal instinct is to live only for what you know here and now. At the end of the day, aspire to His house, from here on to eternity.

For many of us, this psalm was our first Bible passage to put to memory. Jews and Christians often read it at funerals. Although it does carry hope of eternity beyond death's shadow, this passage is also about day to day life.

Sheep are dumb. Domesticated sheep without a shepherd have little chance of survival. They are preyed upon by a multitude of creatures from the tiny ked to the big cat. They don't readily migrate and will quickly overgraze their territory. Without men to dunk them in troughs laden with "flea dip", guard their pens from dusk to dawn, and get them moving along narrow passes to fresh grazing land, they would struggle to survive in the Fertile Crescent hills where still waters are hard to find.

David, who wrote this psalm, was the furthest thing from a sheep. A herdsman in his youth, he fended off lions and bears. He ruthlessly killed his enemies, beginning with Goliath, commanded 600 scouts against armies of thousands, and built walled cities and palaces. He was confident in his station as the rising king of Israel. This psalm is not about personal humility. It is about the elevation of a Great and Mighty Lord.

David implies, "If, to me, The Almighty is a shepherd, then what should He be to you?"

This is a declaration of dependence -- total dependence on the Almighty -- daily. As you read Psalm 23, think about how you can recognize God's providence in your daily life. If have good water, credit Him. If you've been given health, credit Him. If your sworn enemies have been kept at bay, credit Him. Commit yourself to be led by Him daily, even if the passes are narrow and your carnal instinct is to live only for what you know here and now. At the end of the day, aspire to His house, from here on to eternity.

A dry desert wind carries a lonely voice out across the centuries. Can you hear it? Prepare the way of the Lord! Make his paths straight!

This voice prophesied by Isaiah is growing louder and clearer in Matthew 3. Its source is coming into view. It is John the Baptist, calling out to the people of Israel. Yes, by Matthew 3, Jesus has been born and has grown up. The fullness of who He is, however, has not yet been made clear to very many people.

So many years of waiting had made the people of God nearly forget about His promised Messiah. The ground needed prepared for the One who would redeem His people from their lives of misery, sin, and oppression. John the Baptist is here to refresh their memory. The people might have forgotten, but God hasn’t! A Savior is the way. Make His paths straight!

John the Baptist prepares the way for Jesus Christ to come. He invites the people to be baptized in preparation for Jesus’s arrival. The people confessed their sins and were washed clean.

Like John and the people he baptizes, we can prepare for Christ’s coming. We can confess and repent of our sins. We can ask God to make us clean, fit to be in the presence of our Savior. Like John, we too can call people to the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

A dry desert wind carries a lonely voice out across the centuries. Can you hear it? Prepare the way of the Lord! Make his paths straight!

This voice prophesied by Isaiah is growing louder and clearer in Matthew 3. Its source is coming into view. It is John the Baptist, calling out to the people of Israel. Yes, by Matthew 3, Jesus has been born and has grown up. The fullness of who He is, however, has not yet been made clear to very many people.

So many years of waiting had made the people of God nearly forget about His promised Messiah. The ground needed prepared for the One who would redeem His people from their lives of misery, sin, and oppression. John the Baptist is here to refresh their memory. The people might have forgotten, but God hasn’t! A Savior is the way. Make His paths straight!

John the Baptist prepares the way for Jesus Christ to come. He invites the people to be baptized in preparation for Jesus’s arrival. The people confessed their sins and were washed clean.

Like John and the people he baptizes, we can prepare for Christ’s coming. We can confess and repent of our sins. We can ask God to make us clean, fit to be in the presence of our Savior. Like John, we too can call people to the Way, the Truth, and the Life.