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Category Archives: Matthew

Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20)

07 Sep

13 Later that same day Jesus left the house and sat beside the lake. 2 A large crowd soon gathered around him, so he got into a boat. Then he sat there and taught as the people stood on the shore. 3 He told many stories in the form of parables, such as this one:

“Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. 4 As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. 5 Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. 6 But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants. 8 Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! 9 Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”

10 His disciples came and asked him, “Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?”

11 He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. 12 To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. 13 That is why I use these parables,

For they look, but they don’t really see.
    They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand.

14 This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says,

‘When you hear what I say,
    you will not understand.
When you see what I do,
    you will not comprehend.
15 For the hearts of these people are hardened,
    and their ears cannot hear,
and they have closed their eyes—
    so their eyes cannot see,
and their ears cannot hear,
    and their hearts cannot understand,
and they cannot turn to me
    and let me heal them.’

16 “But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. 17 I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn’t hear it.

18 “Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds: 19 The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. 20 The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. 21 But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. 22 The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. 23 The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”

Matthew 13:1-23

4 Once again Jesus began teaching by the lakeshore. A very large crowd soon gathered around him, so he got into a boat. Then he sat in the boat while all the people remained on the shore. 2 He taught them by telling many stories in the form of parables, such as this one:

3 “Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seed. 4 As he scattered it across his field, some of the seed fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate it. 5 Other seed fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seed sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. 6 But the plant soon wilted under the hot sun, and since it didn’t have deep roots, it died. 7 Other seed fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants so they produced no grain. 8 Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they sprouted, grew, and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” 9 Then he said, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”

10 Later, when Jesus was alone with the twelve disciples and with the others who were gathered around, they asked him what the parables meant.

11 He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secret of the Kingdom of God. But I use parables for everything I say to outsiders, 12 so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled:

‘When they see what I do,
    they will learn nothing.
When they hear what I say,
    they will not understand.
Otherwise, they will turn to me
    and be forgiven.’”

13 Then Jesus said to them, “If you can’t understand the meaning of this parable, how will you understand all the other parables? 14 The farmer plants seed by taking God’s word to others. 15 The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message, only to have Satan come at once and take it away. 16 The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. 17 But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. 18 The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s word, 19 but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced. 20 And the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”

Mark 4:1-20

Dear God, I think I might have some thorny soil. Why do I say that? Because I woke up several times last night and I was not at peace at all. I have some things on my heart that are burdening it. And I guess I’ll go ahead and say it. My temptation is to be coy and vague, knowing you know what I’m referring to, but what I kept thinking about was Christian Nationalism as it is impacting Christianity in the United States as a whole and my community in particular. It kind of reminds me of the COVID-19 pandemic when it first hit. We heard about it other places, but then all of a sudden people were in our hospital with it. People I knew had it. People I knew died from it. I mean, yes, it’s possible that your Holy Spirit is putting this on my heart so that He can use me in some way, but right now it doesn’t feel like my response is pure and of you. It feels full of fear, despair, and sorrow.

So that brings me to the thorny soil. I think it’s safe to say that my heart doesn’t fit the description of being the seed that fell on the path or among the rocks. I’ve been here with you too long for that to be true. Oh, but I can let some thorns come in. Some weeds. I can let “the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things” come in and rob your ability to grow the fruits of your Spirit in me. Some of the worries I’ve let in include worrying about money at work and if we will continue to have enough revenue to operate the programs we offer our patients. I still have a tendency to read too much news. I want to have a nice vacation with my wife next month. I have family relationships that are strained and make me ache. Yes, my soil is thorny. It needs some weeding.

I also want to go back and look at Matthew 13:12: 12 To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. Am I a listener? Am I seeking you? Do I provide space for your still small voice to talk to me? Do I seek voices I trust who will speak to me with your authority? Do I stop and find you in the secular things in my life? I want to have an abundance of knowledge. If I have a little, I don’t want you to take it away from me.

Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, I earnestly pray that you help me weed my soil. Help me to hear. Help me to seek. I believe. Help my unbelief. Help me to love with your love. When others call for you to rain fire down on Samaria, help me to just rest in your arms and walk with you to Jerusalem. I want your fruits, Holy Spirit. I want your comfort. And I want to be your vessel so that you might enter this world through me and my life. Here I am, Lord. Send me.

I pray all of this completely submitted to you,

Amen

 
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Posted by on September 7, 2023 in Mark, Matthew

 

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Parable of the Divided Kingdom (Matthew 12:22-30, Mark 3:20-30)

05 Sep

22 Then a demon-possessed man, who was blind and couldn’t speak, was brought to Jesus. He healed the man so that he could both speak and see. 23 The crowd was amazed and asked, “Could it be that Jesus is the Son of David, the Messiah?”

24 But when the Pharisees heard about the miracle, they said, “No wonder he can cast out demons. He gets his power from Satan, the prince of demons.”

25 Jesus knew their thoughts and replied, “Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A town or family splintered by feuding will fall apart. 26 And if Satan is casting out Satan, he is divided and fighting against himself. His own kingdom will not survive. 27 And if I am empowered by Satan, what about your own exorcists? They cast out demons, too, so they will condemn you for what you have said. 28 But if I am casting out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you. 29 For who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man and plunder his goods? Only someone even stronger—someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house.

30 “Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me.”

Matthew 12:22-30

20 One time Jesus entered a house, and the crowds began to gather again. Soon he and his disciples couldn’t even find time to eat. 21 When his family heard what was happening, they tried to take him away. “He’s out of his mind,” they said.

22 But the teachers of religious law who had arrived from Jerusalem said, “He’s possessed by Satan,[e] the prince of demons. That’s where he gets the power to cast out demons.”

23 Jesus called them over and responded with an illustration. “How can Satan cast out Satan?” he asked. 24 “A kingdom divided by civil war will collapse. 25 Similarly, a family splintered by feuding will fall apart. 26 And if Satan is divided and fights against himself, how can he stand? He would never survive. 27 Let me illustrate this further. Who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man and plunder his goods? Only someone even stronger—someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house.

28 “I tell you the truth, all sin and blasphemy can be forgiven, 29 but anyone who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. This is a sin with eternal consequences.” 30 He told them this because they were saying, “He’s possessed by an evil spirit.”

Mark 3:20-30

Dear God, I remember when I was a kid being freaked out by the idea of being irredeemable from blaspheming the Holy Spirit. I certainly hope I have never done this. I’m fascinated that there is a line drawn in the sand there. I can blaspheme against Jesus and it’s forgivable, but not the other. Oh, Lord, I simply lay myself before you and beg your mercy. Lord, have mercy. Jesus, have mercy. Holy Spirit, have mercy.

So we get the same parable/analogy from Jesus in two different settings here. I never thought about this before, but apparently he experienced this accusation more than once and was able to use the same concepts to teach and explain each time. It was one of his go-to defenses against accusations of being sent from Satan.

The question for me is, how do I keep from being your enemy? How do I keep from being the part of your kingdom that will sow dissension and make at least the little part that I touch weaker? No, I don’t think little ol’ me can make your kingdom fall, but I can certainly do damage to your kingdom. Do I represent you accurately? Do my actions cause anyone to not trust you?

Father, right now, there is something within our local pastoral collective that concerns me. In fact, there are a few things that concern me. We have normally been a pretty cohesive, supportive, constructive group, but I can see a few things that have sneaked in to divide us. I do not want to be part of that division. At the same time, I do not want to ignore those things and enable them to cause more division. Help me to know what to do. Help me to know what to say. Help me to also know what not to do and what not to say. All for your glory, oh Lord.

I pray this in the name of Jesus, my savior,

Amen

 
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Posted by on September 5, 2023 in Jesus's Parables, Mark, Matthew, Parables of the Bible

 

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Parable of New Cloth & Old Garment/Old & New Wineskins (Matthew 9:16-17, Mark 2:18-22)

04 Sep

14 One day the disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus and asked him, “Why don’t your disciples fast like we do and the Pharisees do?”

15 Jesus replied, “Do wedding guests mourn while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.

16 “Besides, who would patch old clothing with new cloth? For the new patch would shrink and rip away from the old cloth, leaving an even bigger tear than before.

17 “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the old skins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine is stored in new wineskins so that both are preserved.”

Matthew 9:14-17

18 Once when John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting, some people came to Jesus and asked, “Why don’t your disciples fast like John’s disciples and the Pharisees do?”

19 Jesus replied, “Do wedding guests fast while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. They can’t fast while the groom is with them. 20 But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.

21 “Besides, who would patch old clothing with new cloth? For the new patch would shrink and rip away from the old cloth, leaving an even bigger tear than before.

22 “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the wine would burst the wineskins, and the wine and the skins would both be lost. New wine calls for new wineskins.”

Mark 2:18-22

Dear God, this has always been one of those vague parables/analogies of Jesus that I really could have used a later section where Jesus explains the parable like he did at other times. This seems like too big of a deal to just let it go with these two quick references.

Jesus had come to bring whole new thing. The old garment, the old wineskins, were not fit to handle his new Gospel. They weren’t fit to contain what we would eventually call Christianity. Did Jesus fast and pray? Yes. Did he tell his disciples that some things only come out through fasting and prayer? Sure. But what the Pharisees were doing and had taught no longer made sense in this new song Jesus was teaching.

A local pastor I respect put out an email to local pastors recently that he was about to lead a study on a book by an author whom I have heard is more along the lines of Christian nationalism. Not wanting to prejudge the book or the author, I downloaded the sample on my Kindle app and read the endorsements that come with the book along with the introduction. I was disappointed because it was definitely about the Christian church exerting power and influence over the government. Interestingly, it drew parallels to Dietrich Bonhoeffer from Germany in the 1930s and his call for the church to resist Hitler’s Nazi regime and ideals, but I saw key differences. Anyway, I don’t want to get into all of that except to say that this type of approach seems to be very “old wine skin” and “old garment.” It doesn’t feel to me like who Jesus is. As I read this book, I tried to imagine Jesus, or even any of the apostles reading the book and thinking it was the right message–even the bombastic, front-lobed Peter. It looked more like Israel of the Old Testament, taking the world by force in your name, rather than the Jesus who led with prayer, service, persuasion, and suffering. When we start striving for power and influence then we will lose sight of you and make that our idol, and we will do whatever it takes to achieve it. We will be more like James and John, asking Jesus if they can sit at your right and left or if they should call down fire on Samaria, rather than Paul considering his own life worth nothing to him or James, the brother of Jesus, saying we should take our suffering and consider it joy.

Father, I realize I am being very judgmental right now. I’m sorry for that. But I am truly trying to process how you want me to respond to this. The pastor who is promoting this study. I still love him very much. I respect him as well. I just want to know how to love him as you would have me love him. I want to also see the error in my own thinking. Am I too weak? Am I not courageously taking up my cross and following you? Speak to me. Holy Spirit, speak to me. Help me to know exactly how to get rid of my old wine skin for your new ones. Help me to pre-shrink my fabric to make it fill in the gaps for the old, torn covenant of the Old Testament. For the beautiful symphony of Christianity that Jesus wrote, help me to be an effective player.

I pray all of this in complete submission to you,

Amen

 
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Posted by on September 4, 2023 in Jesus's Parables, Mark, Matthew, Parables of the Bible

 

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Parable of the Speck and the Log (Matthew 7:1-5)

03 Sep

 1“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. 2 For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.

3 “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? 4 How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.

Matthew 7:1-5

Dear God, this is part of Matthew’s recording of the “Sermon on the Mount.” First, I’ll say that it hurts to be called a hypocrite by Jesus, but it fits. Sure I’m a hypocrite. Of course I am. I’m sorry that I am. I recognize that I am.

In the TV show Ted Lasso, one of the favorite quotes people will say from the show (which is actually attributed to Walt Whitman in the show, but is apparently not really from Whitman) is, “Be curious, not judgmental.” Here’s the scene:

It’s a different take on what Jesus taught here, and it doesn’t involve the self reflection that Jesus encourages in his statement, but it still makes me think of it. There are two parts of judging someone, I suppose. There’s the empathy and hypocritical nature of it that Jesus is pointing out, and then there is the lack of compassion that “Ted” points out in this scene.

There are some people who are really frustrating me right now. Some of them make me angry. And I’ve certainly judged some of them. But you are calling me to use that as an opportunity for self-reflection. When I see the speck in their eye, what is the log in my own? And then maybe when I identify my log I can turn around and figure out why it is I do what I do in that area? What is motivating me? And finally, I can maybe then take that knowledge and apply it to the person I’m judging. Did they wake up that morning wanting to do harm, or do they think they are doing the right thing based on their experience, hurts, and wounds?

Father, we can read over this little parable so quickly and easily. We can even watch this scene from Ted Lasso, enjoy Rupert getting beat at his own game, and then not stop to wonder if we aren’t more often the “Rupert” of the story than we are the “Ted” (see Disney Princess Theology by Erna Kim Hackett). I admit that I’m guilty of it. I probably watched that scene from Ted Lasso four or five times before I stopped to wonder about the real meaning of that quote, or if I am Rupert. So help me today, Holy Spirit. Help me to embrace you and hear you. Help me to listen to you and your still, small voice. Help me to turn loose of the ways I judge others to prop myself up, and to instead find ways in which I might impact your world through prayer, service, persuasion, and suffering.

I offer all of this to you through the gift of mercy you gave me through Jesus, my Lord,

Amen

 
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Posted by on September 3, 2023 in Jesus's Parables, Matthew, Parables of the Bible

 

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Parable of the Lamp (Matthew 5:14-16, Mark 4:21-25)

01 Sep

14 “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

Matthew 5:14-16

14 “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

Mark 4:21-25

Dear God, what am I a lamp for? Why am I a lamp? What’s the purpose of my lamp? Well, it’s right there at the end of each of these versions of this parable: …so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. It’s interesting that the words are exactly the same for each of the two versions. I wonder if the translators of the NLT paid attention to that when they wrote it down.

So here’s my problem. I live a life that is dedicated to you as much as I can. On a scale of 1-10, I’m probably a 5 or 6, but most are a 2 so it looks like I have this amazing relationship with you. My point is, people respect me. I had a woman in my office yesterday who probably really disagrees with me about some of the social/culture issues we are facing, but she said more than once she wanted to engage with me about it and understand my thoughts because I am someone she really respects. So I have earned integrity with those around me, and that’s great.

Oh yeah, I started that paragraph with “here’s my problem,” but then I didn’t say what the problem is. The problem is that I don’t seem to help people take the respect they have for me and turn it into a desire on their part to disciple with you and know you better. Yes, people can see that I know you and give you glory, but I don’t seem to be effective at helping them to take that next step in their journey with you.

Father, help me to be your light in the world. Help me to live a life that causes others to praise you, worship you, and commune with you. I received a letter a couple of days ago from an anonymous woman names Faye with a local PO box who wanted me to find you through being a Jehovah’s Witness. While that’s not going to happen, and I believe her letter (and being Jehovah’s Witness overall) was ill-conceived, I do admire her willingness to try to point people to the God she worships (not sure if I should do God with a little “g” or not since I do think she is trying to worship you). She is not just living a life dedicated to you, but she is trying to get others to live that same life. As I go through this day, help me to have that same kind of courage. I would be nothing without you. I have no idea what kind of shambles my life would be without you. Thank you. Thank you for breaking me, melting me, molding me, and filling me. Now, Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me.

I pray all of this in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on September 1, 2023 in Jesus's Parables, Mark, Matthew

 

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Parable of Salt (Matthew 5:13)

28 Aug

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.

Matthew 5:13

Dear God, Matthew follows up the Beatitudes with this little metaphor. Yeah, I guess this is really more of a metaphor of Jesus than it is a parable, but I think I’ll go with it anyway. He’s making a point.

So what does salt do? It preserves in an era when preservation was difficult and refrigeration non-existent. And when I was a camp counselor, we used to say at mealtime that salt made everything taste better. So what does it look like for me to be salty? What does it look like when I’ve lost my saltiness?

I think the best thing I can do after loving you with all my heart soul and strength, is to love my neighbor by being salty. Adding goodness to them. Adding quality to their lives. Being a solution to their problem. Now that I think about it, salt is only useful when it combines itself with something else. It isn’t the nourishment. It has some nutritional value in that we need to replace sodium in our bodies, but it needs other foods to be good and the other food needs it as well. If I just try to be salt in isolation, I will never be useful and no one will want me. But if I allow myself to partner with something/someone else, I can be part of your presence in this world.

Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, tomorrow’s parable will be the Parable of the Lamp. How I am to shine for you. But right now, I want to focus on being a functional part of your plan. You guide me. You cover me. You make me better and salty so that I might be your ambassador into the world. Please help me to be useful.

I pray this in the name of the one, Triune God,

Amen

 
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Posted by on August 28, 2023 in Jesus's Parables, Matthew

 

Matthew 15:21-28

20 Aug

21 Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Gentile woman who lived there came to him, pleading, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! For my daughter is possessed by a demon that torments her severely.”

23 But Jesus gave her no reply, not even a word. Then his disciples urged him to send her away. “Tell her to go away,” they said. “She is bothering us with all her begging.”

24 Then Jesus said to the woman, “I was sent only to help God’s lost sheep—the people of Israel.”

25 But she came and worshiped him, pleading again, “Lord, help me!”

26 Jesus responded, “It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs.”

27 She replied, “That’s true, Lord, but even dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall beneath their masters’ table.”

28 “Dear woman,” Jesus said to her, “your faith is great. Your request is granted.” And her daughter was instantly healed.

Matthew 15:21-28

Dear God, this was the passage for church today, and the priest did a nice homily about it. So I want to ask something I don’t think I’ve asked before. What was this girl’s life like after Jesus healed her? Was she remarkably healthy? Did she live to an old age? Did her mother’s work on her behalf make a difference in her relationship with her mother? How did it impact how her mother treated her for the rest of their lives? Did the girl and/or the mother feel the girl’s life was now saddled with a responsibility to be used well since her life was spared and prolonged? Did the woman become a Gentile disciple after Jesus’s death and resurrection? Did the girl grow up to be a follower?

There are so many questions that this story doesn’t tell us. All it tells us is that Jesus responded tersely with this woman–almost in a racist way–and the woman impressed him. I tend to think he wasn’t actually being racist, but was testing her to see what she believed, as a Gentile, when it came to you and to him. Was she there for the freak show? Was she there just to use him?

So as I, a Gentile believe, pray for the things in my life–my wife, children, family, friends, etc.–what am I really doing here? What do I really want. Do I just selfishly want you to do for each one what I ask you to do, or do I want to simply ask that your kingdom will come and your will will be done in their lives, and in mine? Can I let go–truly let go–of the outcomes I want to see and simply turn my eyes upon you? Can I let go of making any of them my idols and let you be God?

Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, please be with everyone who is on my heart right now. I turn my eyes to you. Work in me. Break me, melt me, mold me, and fill me.

I pray all of this through complete submission to you,

Amen

 
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Posted by on August 20, 2023 in Matthew

 

Matthew 19:13-15

19 Aug

13 One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could lay his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him.

14 But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.” 15 And he placed his hands on their heads and blessed them before he left.

Dear God, I think I have prayed about this before, but this was the New Testament/Gospel reading for the Catholic Church today so I thought I would look at it again. The same question that I think came to my mind then is what popped up today: How did those children’s lives turn out?

A nice thought might be that they ended up living these wonderful, Godly, blessed, and fruitful lives–all positive. I’m sure that’s what the parents who brought them that day wanted for them. We love our children and want the best for them. But the truth is, we have no idea what your best for them is. Maybe your best for them is for them to struggle and be honed into the people you have for them to be. Maybe your best for them is for them to suffer as they serve you. I am sure there was a disconnect that day between what the parents had in mind and what you had in mind.

We want so much for our children. I guess all animals do. I was thinking this week about animals in the wild that have babies. With some exceptions, the mothers will normally do whatever they have to do to defend and protect their child. There is this natural desire to just want to wrap them up and not let anything hurt them. But eventually we have to let them go, both humans and wild animals, and they have to face the world on their own. Human parents can try to help with some of the struggles of adulthood as appropriate, but for the most part the hope is that you will provide a path for our children than will bring them love, joy, peace, patients, goodness, faithfulness, kindness, gentleness, and self control.

Father, I pray that kind of blessing for my grown children today. Lead them into the fruit that comes from a life lived in submission to you. That’s the best I know how to pray for them. Use my wife and me in whatever way you have for us to be a part of your plan.

I pray all of this through the redemption offered me through Jesus,

Amen

 
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Posted by on August 19, 2023 in Matthew

 

Matthew 17:14-20

12 Aug

14 At the foot of the mountain, a large crowd was waiting for them. A man came and knelt before Jesus and said, 15 “Lord, have mercy on my son. He has seizures and suffers terribly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. 16 So I brought him to your disciples, but they couldn’t heal him.”

17 Jesus said, “You faithless and corrupt people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” 18 Then Jesus rebuked the demon in the boy, and it left him. From that moment the boy was well.

19 Afterward the disciples asked Jesus privately, “Why couldn’t we cast out that demon?”

20 “You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”

Matthew 17:14-20

Dear God, first, I want to say that it is always a good time to worship you. It is good for me. It is good for my soul. The Old Testament readings for the Catholic church today are Deuteronomy 6:4-13 (Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone! Therefore you shall love the LORD, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength…) and Psalm 18:2-4, 47, and 51 (I love you, O LORD, my strength, O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer…). So I want to acknowledge you, Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit. My joy comes in the morning. You haven’t called me to wield power over my neighbor and take this land for you. You have called me to love you and love my neighbor. As someone said recently, you have called mem to pray, serve, persuade, and suffer. Those are the four tools Jesus used, and they are the tools you gave me to do your work. Pray, serve, persuade, and suffer. My my entire life be a prayer of worship to you.

With that said, the New Testament reading today struck me because I am about to be part of a board strategy session that will take a large part of the day. We are going to have to make a lot of decisions. We need to be wise and shrewd. We need to be faithful and compassionate. At the same time, we need to be careful to follow your Holy Spirit and not our own egos or ambitions. We need to be about bringing your kingdom and will into the earth through our lives and through our work.

There is a mystery verse 21 that is not in all manuscripts, but I think is important. As Jesus is talking about their lack of faith, he adds a button to the end: “But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” That is really going to need to be a part of this too. I’m going to need to pray and fast. Frankly, I wonder if there aren’t a few things in my live through which I need to fast. You know I pray to you about them, but I’ve fasted very infrequently. It might be time for that too.

Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, I bring you my life. I bring you my soul. I live for you alone. Every breath that I take. Every moment I’m awake. Lord, have your way with me.

I pray all of this submitted to your authority over me,

Amen

 
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Posted by on August 12, 2023 in Matthew

 

“Forever” by Third Day

28 Jul

“Forever” by Third Day

I see a hand reaching out to help me
But I don’t understand all of your ways
You are still the Potter and I am just the clay
And though I know at times I am too proud
To reach for You, to help me out
And if I waited on myself to get it right
I would be waiting here forever

Your grace is never going to change
Your faith will always remain
Your love is the same yesterday, today, and forever

I see a world looking for an answer but I don’t know what for
When will we realize that we’re sinners in the hands of a loving God who came
And died and wants to set us free
Oh how he longs to be with you and me
And if we waited on the truth to change
We would be waiting here forever

Your grace is never going to change
Your faith will always remain
Your love is the same yesterday, today, and forever

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Brian Holland / Freddie Gorman / Lamont Herbert Dozier

Dear God, this is almost a continuation from yesterday’s prayer. It plays off of Hebrews 10:31

31 It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

When I read this for the first time this week a few days ago, it made me think of the line in the second verse of this song that says, “We are sinners in the hands of a loving God who came and died to set us free.” I believe this line from the song is also a twist on the sermon by Jonathan Edwards in the 1740s called “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.”

Reading the Wikipedia description of this sermon, I found this diary entry from pastor Stephen Williams, who was in attendance:

[B]efore the sermon was done there was a great moaning and crying out through the whole house — “What shall I do to be saved?” “Oh, I am going to hell!” “Oh what shall I do for a Christ?” and so forth — so that the minister was obliged to desist. [The] shrieks and cries were piercing and amazing. After some time of waiting, the congregation were still, so that a prayer was made by Mr. Wheelock, and after that we descended from the pulpit and discoursed with the people, some in one place and some in another. And amazing and astonishing: the power [of] God was seen and several souls were hopefully wrought upon that night, and oh the cheerfulness and pleasantness of their countenances that received comfort. Oh that God would strengthen and confirm [their new faith]! We sang a hymn and prayed, and dispersed the assembly.

I bolded part of his diary because that is probably the most amazing thing I’ve seen in myself and others when they come to faith in Jesus and accept your grace through him: “cheerfulness and pleasantness of their countenance that received comfort.” I’ll be frank, Father. I don’t know how I feel about threatening people with hell in order to get them to accept you, but I do know that whenever anyone makes that decision regardless of the motive, the relief and forthcoming joy after that relief is palpable.

So back to this song, for the last two days I’ve had it going in my head when I woke up in the morning. It’s been nice, and I’ve liked it. So I thought I would look at it a little and spend some time with it this morning in your presence.

Here’s the first verse again:

I see a hand reaching out to help me
But I don’t understand all of your ways
You are still the Potter and I am just the clay
And though I know at times I am too proud
To reach for You, to help me out
And if I waited on myself to get it right
I would be waiting here forever

So I truly don’t understand all of your ways. I never will this side of heaven. I can’t figure out the future. I can’t dictate what will happen in the next moment, much less the following years. Sure, I can influence by my actions, but there is no way I can see how the dominoes will fall. I also know that I cannot undo all of the things I’ve done wrong–to you or to others. I simply need grace and to learn from those mistakes so I won’t do it again.

I see a world looking for an answer but I don’t know what for
When will we realize that we’re sinners in the hands of a loving God who came
And died and wants to set us free
Oh how he longs to be with you and me
And if we waited on the truth to change
We would be waiting here forever

This is just kind of an exasperated moment. I think the writer is even exasperated with himself. He uses the collective “we” in the second line. But we do. We pursue happiness. We pursue self-fulfillment. We pursue peace. We pursue what essentially turn out to be the fruits of your Spirit, but we try to grow them by planting our seeds in rocks and thorns. In fact, I really enjoyed the Apple TV+ show Ted Lasso, and a lot of people who watched it loved it. It finally occurred to me that it was teaching pursuing the fruits of the Spirit. The problem is that it was doing it apart from you so it needed a contrived television script to pull it off. People are hungering for your fruit. They just don’t want to humble themselves and risk losing themselves. What they do not realize is that surrender brings them to a freedom through which they can find themselves.

Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, my Triune God, I give you all my praise and worship. Thank you that your grace is never gonna change and your will always remain, and your love is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 28, 2023 in Galatians, Hymns and Songs, Matthew

 

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