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Category Archives: Matthew

Luke 6:27-38

11 Sep

27 “But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. 28 Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. 30 Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. 31 Do to others as you would like them to do to you.

32 “If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them! 33 And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do that much! 34 And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, why should you get credit? Even sinners will lend to other sinners for a full return.

35 “Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. 36 You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.

37 “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”

Luke 6:27-38

Dear God, I have a pastor friend who likes to talk about walking around with leaky buckets and letting you flow through us to the people around us. I would think verse 38 here might be at least one of his inspirations for that metaphor, and I like that. I think about it sometimes when I’m interacting with people.

I was actually thinking about this passage and its corresponding passage from Matthew 5 yesterday when I heard the news about Charlie Kirk. Frankly, I didn’t know who he was when I heard the news he had been assassinated. From what I can tell, he was a Christian who felt a calling to admonish those he felt were going down a liberal path. Assuming that, like everyone else in the world, that there would be things he and I would agree on and disagree on, the thought that kept going through my mind when I thought about the tragedy was, Would Christians be willing to lean into Jesus’s words here and in Matthew 5? Will we be able to love our enemies and lean into their abuse (verses 27-29)? If he was truly representing you in his life and in the moment he was killed, then will we be able to rest on Jesus’s assurance that you bless us and blessed Charlie “when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted the same way”? (Matthew 5:11-12) Will our Christian leaders lead us in this to follow these principles? Will we take the momentum out of the pendulum that is swinging wider and wider between the right and the left and bring it back to the middle so we can show the world who you are and how you designed us to live–getting our freedom, peace, and joy through submission to you? Will we be “the salt of the earth”? (Matthew 5:13) Will we let our good deeds shine for all to see so that everyone will praise you? (Matthew 5:16)

I was talking once again to someone the other day about Ted Lasso. I still think the show is so remarkable because the main character exhibits almost all of the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and people are amazed by it. He forgives quickly and easily. He loves. He is patient. Nearly all of them (except peace, which I think is only really felt through accepting your love and redemption). Can we, as Christians, do that in this moment?

And can all of us realize this is happening on both sides and see our own hypocrisy when we are outraged by an assassination on one side of the political aisle and not the other. I’m thinking about the Minnesota state legislator, Melissa Hortman, and her husband who were assassinated in their home along with another one who was shot a few months ago, leaving behind orphaned children. Are the people who were outraged that day as outraged now? Were the people who are outraged now outraged when that happened? When will we let Jesus take the wind out of these outrage sails and love our enemies?

Father, let it start with me. Help me to forgive, to love, and to accept my fate, whatever it might be, as your child and worshipper. If someone wants to take my life or hurt me for my faith in you and in my love for others then I pray that somehow, in the doing of it by them, you would get glory in their eyes and in the world’s eyes. I pray that you will not waste the pain that we are experiencing by this loss yesterday. I didn’t even know of Mr. Kirk 24 hours ago, but now I pray that his family will be comforted. You promised that to those who mourn. (Matthew 5:4) I also pray that they will be able to extend mercy and be peacemakers. (Matthew 5:7, 9). I pray that you will bless them for the persecution they’ve experienced. (Matthew 5:10). I pray that you will use this to teach your believers how to be merciful and to change the tide. There’s a line in the song “My Shot” in Hamilton that has stuck with me: “And if we win our independence\Is that a guarantee of freedom for our descendants?\Or will the blood we shed begin an endless\Cycle of vengeance and death with no defendants?” Use your people to break this cycle. Use your people to preach love and mercy. Let this be how the world sees us and draw conservatives and liberals alike to you.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on September 11, 2025 in Luke, Matthew

 

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Matthew 12:14-21

19 Jul

Then the Pharisees called a meeting to plot how to kill Jesus. But Jesus knew what they were planning. So he left that area, and many people followed him. He healed all the sick among them, but he warned them not to reveal who he was.

This fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah concerning him: “Look at my Servant, whom I have chosen. He is my Beloved, who pleases me. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. He will not fight or shout or raise his voice in public. He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. Finally he will cause justice to be victorious. And his name will be the hope of all the world.”
Matthew 12:14-21

Dear God, I particularly touched by the end of this passage from Isaiah: “Finally he will cause justice to be victorious. And his name will be the hope of all the world.”

I will probably be talking about the men from Christian Men’s Life Skills for a long time. I’ve been so moved by my time with them. All of them had some type of run-in with the law and were there to earn community service hours. On the day they were arrested for whatever it was they had done, I am sure they did not care much for justice. I am sure they didn’t want it to be victorious. They were probably, at a minimum, embarrassed and, at a maximum, furious that justice was treating them like this. What they didn’t know was you had a path for them through that gate. At some point down the road they would end up in a class with 19 other guys as well as some instructors who were donating their time to not only teach them but love them. Offer them grace through your power and love. Offer them you! And they found their hope. Not all 20 of them at this experience. But that’s okay because you still planted seeds in them that might just take a little longer to find fertile soil.

It reminds me of a Phillips, Craig, and Dean song called “Mercy Came Running.” It’s a deep cut back into 90s Christian music. The chorus says, “Mercy came a runnin’, like a prisoner set free. Past all my failures to the point of my need. When the sin that I carried was all I could see. And when I could not reach mercy, mercy came a runnin’ to me.” These guys have found the mercy in your justice. I’m finding it everyday for myself as well. Mercy, mercy, mercy. Blessed are those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. It’s a two-way street. It’s impossible to really receive mercy if I’m incapable or unwilling to give it.

Father, I pray for these men, the teachers and myself. We all need to give mercy and receive mercy from you and others we’ve hurt. Thank you for your system of justice. Thank you that the name of Jesus is the hope of all the world.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 19, 2025 in Matthew

 

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Matthew 13: 1-9, 18-23

12 Jul

13 On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. 2 And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.

3 Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. 8 But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

18 “Therefore hear the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. 20 But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. 22 Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. 23 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Dear God, this will be my Bible study passage for Monday night. It’s going to be my last 30 minutes with these men to have their undivided attention. I want to use this time with them well, Father. Please be with me right now as I prepare to get my thoughts together for a Bible study for them. I’m going to slip over the Microsoft Word to plot this out and then bring it back here to the blog, but my intent is that this entire time will be a prayer to you.

FCA Leadership Conference

  • Growing up Baptist, I accepted Jesus as many as 30 times between the ages of 9 and 17.
  • Some of them have probably experienced what I did back then. The need. The joy. The freedom. But now what?
  • 38 years ago this week, from July 13-17, 1987, I went to an FCA Leadership conference that talked about discipleship.
  • I want to share a little tonight of what I learned that week nearly 40 years ago.

Parable of the Sower  

  • Matthew 13:3-9 (Page 944)

3 Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. 8 But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

  • Path – birds devoured
  • Stony places – no roots so they withered
  • Thorns – choked them out
  • Good soil – massive crop.

So what does this mean?

  • Matthew 13:18-23

18 “Therefore hear the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. 20 But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. 22 Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. 23 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

  • Path – The person that hears it but just has no space for it and doesn’t take it in.
    • Stones – The person who hears it but the depth of their heart is shallow, and they aren’t ready to be serious about it.
    • Thorns – The person who plants it in deep soil and takes it seriously, but they don’t want to get rid of the other things in their lives that will choke out their faith.
    • Good soil – The person who takes it seriously and weeds out the soil of their heart to ensure their faith can grow.
  • Fruits of the Spirit and all of Jesus’s vegetation parables.

Who are you?

  • Everyone in here is one of these categories.
    • Who are you?
    • Who do you want to be?
  • Who will you be after graduation this Thursday?
    • We’ve talked about we are the average of the 5 people/influences we spend the most time with.
      • Will you be intentional about who those five people/influences are?
    • We have talked about how Saul was prone to feeling sorry for himself and that caused him to use people for his benefit.
      • Will you be intentional about fighting for the rights of others more than your own rights?
    • We have talked about how flawed David was and yet how God loved and blessed him because his faith was about serving and respecting God and not seeking his own advancement at other costs?
      • Will you willingly take steps back and sacrifice for the sake of God and others?

What is your floor?

  • For those in here with stony hearts or thorny hearts, will we decide to do something about it?
  • Describe what Father Mike Schmitz said in his homily called “The Floor.”
  • Give them my floor and my extras to add on top of the floor:

John’s Floor

  • The prayer journals. Spending 15-30 minutes a day in a concentrated time of prayer like this has become a have to for me.
  • Giving. Ten percent of our gross is a minimum.
  • Intentional time in conversation with my wife at least once a day is a floor.
  • At least one sermon/Bible teaching a week.
  • Communication and contact with at least one of the two male friends I have.
  • Avoiding sexual temptation/lust.
  • Exercising at least four times a week.
  • Doing the things I know bless my wife like fixing things around the house, managing our money and then sharing with her what our status is, doing my laundry, making the bed, etc.

Good things added to the floor

  • Church. A lot of Christians would probably disagree with me on this one. While I feel like it is important to have a church you belong to and to be involved in that church, I don’t feel like the foundation in my life is cracking if I miss a week.
  • My extra writing projects.
  • Teaching.
  • Engaging healthily through prayer and action in my community.
  • Listening to Christian music. I mix it in during the week, but I also listen to secular as well.
  • Listening to Christian podcasts. Similar to music, I mix it in, but it’s a “get” to.

It’s Time To List Your Own Floor

  • Hand out sheets for them to list their own floor.
  • NOTE: Theirs will be different from mine as my wife’s is different from mine.
  • Give them five minutes to fill out.
  • Does anyone want to share?
  • Find someone in your life to share it with and be accountable to them.

Close in Prayer

Father, I offer all of this to you. My next step will be to make some slides for this for PowerPoint. Help me to know how to do this well. Please take all of this and turn it into something that will find good soil in these men’s hearts. And I pray for the hearts of some others I know and who are on my mind right now. Please guide them. Comfort them. Direct them. Heal them. Cover them in your glory. Call them to you. Give them ears to hear.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 12, 2025 in Matthew

 

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Judas and Barabbas Revisited

05 May

Judas and Barabbas

Matthew

26 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, 2 “As you know, Passover begins in two days, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”

3 At that same time the leading priests and elders were meeting at the residence of Caiaphas, the high priest, 4 plotting how to capture Jesus secretly and kill him. 5 “But not during the Passover celebration,” they agreed, “or the people may riot.”

6 Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy. 7 While he was eating, a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume and poured it over his head.

8 The disciples were indignant when they saw this. “What a waste!” they said. 9 “It could have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.”

10 But Jesus, aware of this, replied, “Why criticize this woman for doing such a good thing to me? 11 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me. 12 She has poured this perfume on me to prepare my body for burial. 13 I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deed will be remembered and discussed.”

14 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests 15 and asked, “How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?” And they gave him thirty pieces of silver. 16 From that time on, Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus.

Matthew 26:1-16

27 Very early in the morning the leading priests and the elders of the people met again to lay plans for putting Jesus to death. 2 Then they bound him, led him away, and took him to Pilate, the Roman governor.

3 When Judas, who had betrayed him, realized that Jesus had been condemned to die, he was filled with remorse. So he took the thirty pieces of silver back to the leading priests and the elders. 4 “I have sinned,” he declared, “for I have betrayed an innocent man.”

“What do we care?” they retorted. “That’s your problem.”

5 Then Judas threw the silver coins down in the Temple and went out and hanged himself.

Matthew 27:1-5

15 Now it was the governor’s custom each year during the Passover celebration to release one prisoner to the crowd—anyone they wanted. 16 This year there was a notorious prisoner, a man named Barabbas. 17 As the crowds gathered before Pilate’s house that morning, he asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you—Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” 18 (He knew very well that the religious leaders had arrested Jesus out of envy.)

19 Just then, as Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: “Leave that innocent man alone. I suffered through a terrible nightmare about him last night.”

20 Meanwhile, the leading priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be released and for Jesus to be put to death. 21 So the governor asked again, “Which of these two do you want me to release to you?”

The crowd shouted back, “Barabbas!”

22 Pilate responded, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?”

They shouted back, “Crucify him!”

23 “Why?” Pilate demanded. “What crime has he committed?”

But the mob roared even louder, “Crucify him!”

24 Pilate saw that he wasn’t getting anywhere and that a riot was developing. So he sent for a bowl of water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. The responsibility is yours!”

25 And all the people yelled back, “We will take responsibility for his death—we and our children!”

26 So Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified.

Matthew 27:15-26

Mark

14 It was now two days before Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The leading priests and the teachers of religious law were still looking for an opportunity to capture Jesus secretly and kill him. 2 “But not during the Passover celebration,” they agreed, “or the people may riot.”

3 Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy. While he was eating, a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard. She broke open the jar and poured the perfume over his head.

4 Some of those at the table were indignant. “Why waste such expensive perfume?” they asked. 5 “It could have been sold for a year’s wages and the money given to the poor!” So they scolded her harshly.

6 But Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. Why criticize her for doing such a good thing to me? 7 You will always have the poor among you, and you can help them whenever you want to. But you will not always have me. 8 She has done what she could and has anointed my body for burial ahead of time. 9 I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deed will be remembered and discussed.”

10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests to arrange to betray Jesus to them. 11 They were delighted when they heard why he had come, and they promised to give him money. So he began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus.

Mark 14:1-11

6 Now it was the governor’s custom each year during the Passover celebration to release one prisoner—anyone the people requested. 7 One of the prisoners at that time was Barabbas, a revolutionary who had committed murder in an uprising. 8 The crowd went to Pilate and asked him to release a prisoner as usual.

9 “Would you like me to release to you this ‘King of the Jews’?” Pilate asked. 10 (For he realized by now that the leading priests had arrested Jesus out of envy.) 11 But at this point the leading priests stirred up the crowd to demand the release of Barabbas instead of Jesus. 12 Pilate asked them, “Then what should I do with this man you call the king of the Jews?”

13 They shouted back, “Crucify him!”

14 “Why?” Pilate demanded. “What crime has he committed?”

But the mob roared even louder, “Crucify him!”

15 So to pacify the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified.

Mark 15:6-15

Luke

22 The Festival of Unleavened Bread, which is also called Passover, was approaching. 2 The leading priests and teachers of religious law were plotting how to kill Jesus, but they were afraid of the people’s reaction.

3 Then Satan entered into Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve disciples, 4 and he went to the leading priests and captains of the Temple guard to discuss the best way to betray Jesus to them. 5 They were delighted, and they promised to give him money. 6 So he agreed and began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus so they could arrest him when the crowds weren’t around.

Luke 22:1-6

13 Then Pilate called together the leading priests and other religious leaders, along with the people, 14 and he announced his verdict. “You brought this man to me, accusing him of leading a revolt. I have examined him thoroughly on this point in your presence and find him innocent. 15 Herod came to the same conclusion and sent him back to us. Nothing this man has done calls for the death penalty. 16 So I will have him flogged, and then I will release him.”

18 Then a mighty roar rose from the crowd, and with one voice they shouted, “Kill him, and release Barabbas to us!” 19 (Barabbas was in prison for taking part in an insurrection in Jerusalem against the government, and for murder.) 20 Pilate argued with them, because he wanted to release Jesus. 21 But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”

22 For the third time he demanded, “Why? What crime has he committed? I have found no reason to sentence him to death. So I will have him flogged, and then I will release him.”

23 But the mob shouted louder and louder, demanding that Jesus be crucified, and their voices prevailed. 24 So Pilate sentenced Jesus to die as they demanded. 25 As they had requested, he released Barabbas, the man in prison for insurrection and murder. But he turned Jesus over to them to do as they wished.

Luke 23:13-25

John

12 Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus—the man he had raised from the dead. 2 A dinner was prepared in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those who ate[a] with him. 3 Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance.

4 But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said, 5 “That perfume was worth a year’s wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.” 6 Not that he cared for the poor—he was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples’ money, he often stole some for himself.

7 Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

John 12:1-8

2 It was time for supper, and the devil had already prompted Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus.

John 13:2

38 “What is truth?” Pilate asked. Then he went out again to the people and told them, “He is not guilty of any crime. 39 But you have a custom of asking me to release one prisoner each year at Passover. Would you like me to release this ‘King of the Jews’?”

40 But they shouted back, “No! Not this man. We want Barabbas!” (Barabbas was a revolutionary.)

John 18:38-40

Dear God, I came across this prayer from December 2023 recently, and I wondered if it wouldn’t make a good Sunday school lesson. I’m teaching this Sunday and then I’m also starting a weekly Bible study next Monday the 14th so I want to dust this off and sit with it again for a bit.

The prayer I did back in December 2023 was long. Honestly, I’m surprised I spent that much time with it. I wonder how long it took me to put all of the scriptures together from all four gospels. Regardless, it’s interesting to think about and then compare the world then and the world now. Are we really that much different? Does the perceived weakness in Jesus then still frustrate us today. Is his way (read: your way) too soft? Don’t you realize the only way to get things done is to do this like Barabbas tried, but with your power?

I was talking with a guy on Friday, and he was rattling off presidents he thought were too week and wimpy. It was basically everyone since Reagan with the exception of the current president. H.W. and W. were to wimpy. I pushed back a little on W., saying I hadn’t heard that or thought that about him, but he was saying W. was too nice.

Oh, Father, help us. I get the feeling that’s what the church now thinks is true: nice gets you nowhere. Nice leaves you vulnerable. Nice is weak. Nice will lead to your destruction. We need tough. We need warriors. We need to fight. I said a couple of years ago that the logical fulfillment of Christian Nationalism is the Spanish Inquisition and, ultimately, the Crusades. As I look at what is happening now and how we are trying to nationalize Christianity and punish our allies for not being more like us I think it’s happening faster than I thought it would. And oh, how it will destroy trust in you. The first- and second-century churches were seen as loving and caring. That’s all they had to offer, and that’s still all we should have to offer because that’s who you are. You are loving and caring. Do you judge? Sure. Do you condemn? Yes. But that’s up to you to do. Our job is to love you with everything we have and love our neighbors as our selves. That includes our enemies. So help me to do that today. And help me to take that attitude into the world. I love you. I want to love like you.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on May 5, 2025 in John, Luke, Mark, Matthew

 

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Matthew 27:59-61

19 Apr

59 Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a long sheet of clean linen cloth. 60 He placed it in his own new tomb, which had been carved out of the rock. Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance and left. 61 Both Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting across from the tomb and watching.

Matthew 27:59-61

Dear God, as I sit here on this Saturday morning before Easter, the word “hopeless” comes to mind. There are things in my life that bring me sorrow about which I feel hopeless. I’m tired. I’m defeated. I’ve tried multiple times and in multiple ways to remedy the sorrowful situation, but nothing seems to work. It feels hopeless.

I would imagine that is how Joseph and Nicodemus were feeling as they handled Jesus’s body that Friday night, making themselves unclean for the Passover. I would imagine that’s how the Marys and all of Jesus’s other followers/believers, whether close to him or believing in him from a distance, were feeling that Friday evening and Saturday. Hopeless. Asking themselves, “What does this mean? Where do we go from here?” while dealing with their simple grief of losing someone they loved so brutally. Rome was still in charge. Pilate had the power to kill him. Caiaphas and his crew had won. What now?

In today’s entry into Restore: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation, Sister Miriam…well, she says this:

An ancient homily on Holy Saturday captures it best: “What is happening? Today there is a great silence over the earth, a great silence, and stillness, a great silence because the King sleeps; the earth was in terror and was still, because God slept in the flesh and raised up those who were sleeping from the ages. God has died in the flesh, and the underworld has trembled…Truly he goes to seek out our first parent like a lost sheep; he wishes to visit those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. He goes to free the prisoner Adam and his fellow prisoner Eve from her pains, he who is God, and Adam’s son. The Lord goes in to them holding his victorious weapon, his Cross. When Adam, the first created man, sees him, he strikes his breast in terror and calls out to all: ‘My Lord be with you all.’ And Christ in reply says to Adam: ‘And with your spirit.’ And grasping his hand he raises him up, saying, ‘Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light.'”

Father, I think I want to sit in this silence today. As I’ve been praying, I’ve decided to not “play” anything today. No music. No podcasts. No YouTube videos or sports. I think I want this to be a real day of silence for me. I want to be alone with the Holy Spirit and my thoughts. I want to commune with you without distraction. I want to learn to love you just a little better today. And I want to learn to be at peace in the silence of my sorrow. The silence of my hopelessness. But I have an advantage on Joseph, Nicodemus, the Marys, and all the others. I know what’s about to happen tomorrow, and it gives me hope too.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on April 19, 2025 in Matthew, Restore: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation

 

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Matthew 21:1-11

13 Apr

21 As Jesus and the disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the town of Bethphage on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead. 2 “Go into the village over there,” he said. “As soon as you enter it, you will see a donkey tied there, with its colt beside it. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will immediately let you take them.”

4 This took place to fulfill the prophecy that said,

5 “Tell the people of Jerusalem,
    ‘Look, your King is coming to you.
He is humble, riding on a donkey—
    riding on a donkey’s colt.’”

6 The two disciples did as Jesus commanded. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt to him and threw their garments over the colt, and he sat on it.

8 Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of him, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around him were shouting,

“Praise God for the Son of David!
    Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
    Praise God in highest heaven!”

10 The entire city of Jerusalem was in an uproar as he entered. “Who is this?” they asked.

11 And the crowds replied, “It’s Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Matthew 21:1-11

Dear God, a lot of the time I skip the explanations in the footnotes, but that is probably a mistake. There’s an important one today. For verse 9, right after “Praise God,” there is a footnote that says, “21:9a Greek Hosanna, an exclamation of praise that literally means “save now”; also in 21:9b, 15.” It’s the “save now” that caught my eye. It’s what I thought of when I first read this passage this morning. Of course, I’ve thought this before. The people that day were so ignorant. Not one of them, including the disciples, knew what was going on or about to happen. In fact, I’ll bet the disciples were getting pretty amped up too. “Yes, Jesus, save now! We’ve spent the last three years priming the pump. It’s go time!” They just didn’t know what they needed saving from.

How do we make that same mistake today. We pray to you to save our country. To give us power and influence. To give us provision including rain for our water and food (crops and livestock). We pray that you make us feel better about ourselves. That you make us happy. What we miss is that that’s not what you came for that day. Somehow, we still try to put you back on that donkey and get in line both ahead and behind you shouting, “Save now!” But we misidentify what we need saved from.

So what do I think I need saved from? Myself. My selfishness. My own agenda. My sin. My hate. My lust. My covetousness.

This is a deep thought for me. When I am critical of Christian Nationalists in our country, or any other country for that matter, what I think I’m critical of is that they are trying to put you on that donkey and join the crowd that day. Ready to follow you to personal glory and power.

That brings to mind your behavior after the resurrection. Okay, so, sure, leading in to the crucifixion, yes, that had to be what it was because we needed your death and resurrection to save us from our sins. But after the resurrection and our sin is paid for, that’s when it will be “go time,” right? When you rise again you’ll show yourself to Caiaphas, supplant him as the high priest of Israel and then work things so that Israel removes Roman rule. Surely that’s how this will work!

No. No, that’s not how it will work either. How it will work is you will selectively reveal yourself to a few hundred people. here and there. You will leave after 40 days, send your Holy Spirit, and then allow each of the original 11 (excluding Judas) to be, at a minimum, persecuted, and all but one of those 11 martyred.

Father, help me to identify today the areas of my heart that still cling to the error of Palm Sunday. The part of my heart that identifies “saving” as power instead of “saving” being redemption and reconciliation with you. I am a citizen of this world, but it is not my home. You are my home. I give you my praise and worship today not for what you are doing for me, but simply for who you are.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on April 13, 2025 in Matthew, Restore: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation

 

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Matthew 22:34-40

25 Feb

34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees with his reply, they met together to question him again. 35 One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”

37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

Matthew 22:34-40

Dear God, I heard Skye Jethani on a podcast last week talk about Jesus highlighting these two commandments when only one commandment was requested. He made an interesting point. He basically said, as I interpret it, that you made people in your image so when we honor each other we honor you. There was a lot of explanation as to how he got there that I won’t go into now, but I thought it was an interesting conclusion.

Verse 40 is interesting in that I’ve always seen the “entire law” part of it, but the part that says, “…all the demands of the prophets…” is important too. The prophets called for a return to you. Faithfulness to you. But they also called for benevolence and mercy for others. There is a reason that the closer I get to you the more the fruit of your Spirit grows out of me (love, joy, peace…). You encourage love in me. You are love. You are a mature, secure being. You don’t need to prove anything to anyone. So what I see coming out of you is a God at peace with his role as omnipotent creator and nothing to prove to little old me. You just want me to love.

Father, help me to love well today. We have a staff meeting this morning. Help me to love well. We have a finance committee meeting this morning. Help me to be the man you need me to be in that meeting. We have another committee meeting this evening, a board meeting tomorrow morning, and still another committee meeting after that. Help me to be everything you need me to be in all of these cases. Thank you for the prayers you answered yesterday for my relative who had a medical procedure. Thank you for your mercy. Thank you for your kindness. Thank you for loving us and caring. Help me to love others and care about them today. Help me to be part of your presence coming into this earth. And forgive me for my failures.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 25, 2025 in Matthew

 

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Joseph

20 Feb

Dear God, I am preparing my Sunday school lesson for this week, and I want to spend some time going over the things I’ve learned about Joseph over the last 24 years, since I first wrote God, Family, Job: In that Order?: A Study of Joseph, Jesus’s Earthly Father. Of course, my interest in Joseph started when I was at a retreat, and I started looking for a biblical man I wanted to emulate as a faithful worshipper of you, a husband, and a father. The list was short. Ultimately, I landed on Joseph and the Prodigal Son’s father. Since the Prodigal Son’s father was a representation of you, I ended up with Joseph. And I’ so glad I did. I’m so glad he was there to be Jesus’s earthly father. I’m so glad his example is there for me to follow.

When I think about Joseph off of the top of my head, here are my thoughts on an outline. Please guide me as I think about this, Holy Spirit:

  • His first decision: Divorce her quietly.
    • This decision would cost him and make him vulnerable
    • You needed Joseph to make this decision for your plan to work
  • He believed the dream and acted on it.
    • He married Mary but did not “consummate” the marriage
      • Did doubts ever linger?
  • He had to find a place for them to stay in Bethlehem
    • With family? In a tent outside of town? We don’t know.
    • What were their conversations like during the journey and before the birth?
  • The baby is born.
    • Had to improvise a difficult situation
      • Helping Mary made people unclean
      • Needed a better place but couldn’t find one
      • Doubts? What am I doing here? Was the dream real?
  • The shepherds.
    • Affirmation that this was all real! I cannot underscore this enough. If there were any doubts, the shepherds removed them.
  • The Temple (Simeon and Anna).
    • More affirmations.
    • Simeon’s warning to Mary.
  • The Wise Men
    • They created more problems than they solved.
    • More affirmations some months later.
  • The Dream and Escape to Egypt
    • Believing the dream
    • Survivor’s guilt?
    • Starting a new life? Gifts from the Magi?
    • Living in Egypt
  • Time to go home
    • More dreams.
    • Couldn’t return to Bethlehem because of Herod’s son. Ended up in Nazareth.
  • Lost in the Temple
    • He’s gone!
      • Where could he be?
      • Did Herod’s son, Archelaus, get him?
      • What were the conversations with Mary like for those three days of searching (four days of him being missing)?
    • Found!
      • He’s in the Temple and amazing people
        • Was this a surprise to Joseph and Mary? Had they already been amazed by him? When did Jesus start to display his knowledge and come into his mental maturity?
      • How inadequate did Joseph feel in raising your son?
  • Presumed dead
    • Sad that Joseph wasn’t around to comfort and help Mary during Jesus’s ministry.
      • Brothers and sisters seem to have been a hinderance
      • Would Joseph have been a hinderance too?

Father, there is so much for me to learn from Joseph. The least of which is that he, ultimately, considered his life nothing to him, even before his angel visit. He made a huge sacrifice just in his decision to divorce her quietly. I was just reminded of the scene in the first Captain American: The First Avenger movie when Steve Rogers, before the super serum, throws himself on a grenade to save everyone else, revealing the character the doctor was looking for in the man who would get this great power. That’s Joseph. Before you have him this great responsibility, even then, we are allowed to see his amazing character. Oh, Father, help me to be a man like that.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 20, 2025 in Luke, Matthew

 

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Matthew 11:20-24

28 Dec

20 Then Jesus began to denounce the towns where he had done so many of his miracles, because they hadn’t repented of their sins and turned to God. 21 “What sorrow awaits you, Korazin and Bethsaida! For if the miracles I did in you had been done in wicked Tyre and Sidon, their people would have repented of their sins long ago, clothing themselves in burlap and throwing ashes on their heads to show their remorse. 22 I tell you, Tyre and Sidon will be better off on judgment day than you.

23 “And you people of Capernaum, will you be honored in heaven? No, you will go down to the place of the dead. For if the miracles I did for you had been done in wicked Sodom, it would still be here today. 24 I tell you, even Sodom will be better off on judgment day than you.”

Matthew 11:20-24

Dear God, this kind of brings me back to my thought several months ago about what it would be like to live in an area that was currently hostile towards you and Christianity. Right now, I live in an area where it is culturally preferred that I acknowledge faith in you. In fact, an open acknowledgment of lack of faith in you is scorned in my area of the world. But what if I were to move to an area like Portland, which I have heard described by some who have lived many places as the most liberal, Godless city in the United States? What would it do for my my relationship with you if I were in an environment where my faith was challenged more? What would it do for them if I was your light in their darkness?

There is something about self-righteousness that puts up a barrier between you and me that is seemingly more dangerous than if I were in full rebellion against you. At least in rebellion, I am able to see how I contrast with you and make a decision to embrace you instead of me. But in self-righteousness, I am setting myself up to be like you but, subtly, without a need for you.

This might seem like a different topic, but it’s kind of related. I heard someone describe a recent New York Times editorial by David French in which he talked about how dangerous it is for Christians to decide they have to be the ones in charge because they are the ones who are “right.” The problem becomes when those same Christians start to use the world’s methods to get their power. They start to manipulate. They start to compromise morality. They start to grasp for the power instead of simply waking up and grasping for you.

Father, it feels like this is what Jesus was condemning, and it is something that I want to be vigilant about in my own heart. I want to be repentant. I want to be holy. I want to love you well. I want to love others well. Help me to do that, Father. Help me to be wholly yours in every moment.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on December 28, 2024 in Matthew

 

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Joy to the World by John Piper – Advent Day 10

10 Dec

10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 

Matthew 2:10-11

Dear God, when I read this story this morning, my first thought went back to what I prayed a couple of days ago about the Magi: Who did they think they were worshipping? What did they think their act of prostration and gifts to him were accomplishing? In their minds, whom were they worshipping and honoring? I will bet it wasn’t an immaculately conceived son of yours who would live a humble life, teach, die, and then resurrect for their opportunity to relate to you directly. For their great-great-great-great grandchildren to be invited into knowing the Living God.

And the truth is, I have no idea what I am doing at any given moment. I am as ignorant as these men. Even in what I think I know of you, I am still woefully ignorant. I know that huge chunks of my theology are wrong. How could they not be? I know I probably make as big of mistakes as these men likely made then. If they had known their visit would lead to slaughter of all of the young boys in the area, would they have made the visit at all?

Father, what I bring to you is an earnest heart. I love you. I really want to do what you need me to do in this world. And I am confident that I miss ten times as many opportunities as I catch. Please redeem my mistakes and bless the few victories I make. Lord, I give you my heart. That is what I lay before you. Use the small life you have given to me as you will.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on December 10, 2024 in Advent 2024, Matthew

 

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