Category: Year B

Luke 16:19-31

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            Everyone looks for a miracle at some point in life, especially for family.  When we see relatives walking far from God or siblings living without much thought to the Jesus way, it can be disconcerting.  We may reason that if they could just experience or see some great miracle occur, then they will surely believe and embrace Christ. 
 
            Yet, Jesus’ parable to us of the rich man and Lazarus graphically depicts an important message:  God has already revealed himself to humanity through Moses and the Prophets (that is, the Old Testament).  If people are not convinced by what already exists and is, they will not respond when the miraculous slaps them in the face.
 
            Maybe we too often look for the dramatic because the mundane typically rules the day.  Perhaps what we are looking for is already present in God’s revelation to us.  It could be that the greatest task we have is not to beg for a miracle (even though there is nothing wrong with that!) but first to be quiet and listen to the Spirit of God speak through the Word of God so that our prayers to God arise in God’s way and God’s time.
 

 

            Mighty God, you have done miraculous things.  Help me to see what you have already done, and teach me to listen so that your revelation becomes alive to me.  Holy Spirit, impress the redemptive event of Christ’s resurrection on the hearts of all who do not know you in order that they might know your grace.  Amen.

Revelation 7:9-17

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            There is a day coming when followers of Jesus will be “before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.”  It will be a glorious time of unending peace, harmony, and rest.
 
            But first, before this permanent Sabbath, there will be trouble, hardship, trial, and even martyrdom.  There must be suffering before glory.  Sometimes the difficult circumstances of life seem to have no end.  Yet, they will eventually pass, and we must continually keep this in mind.  There is a day coming when God’s pastoral presence will forever guard and keep our lives, if we endure to the end.
 
            Perseverance, endurance, and pushing through hard situations are necessary to realizing the finish line.  We cannot just sit here on earth in some sort of holding pattern waiting for the end.  Just as an athlete must go into strict training in order to run the race well, finish strong, and cross the line, so we as Christians are to be in training utilizing an array of spiritual practices that will fortify our souls to keep going and finish the race.  The book of Revelation was a vision of the Apostle John given to believers in hardship needing to persevere.  Giving them a glimpse of the glorious ending was one way of helping them in the present to live for Jesus Christ.
 

 

            Patient God, you tediously work until your plans and purposes are accomplished.  As you are slowly bringing your kingdom to the world, strengthen me so that I do not give up.  Help me to persevere, living and loving like Jesus, to his glory.  Amen.

Hebrews 3:7-19

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            Although many people do their outdoor grilling with propane and propane accessories, there are still some who go with the old charcoal grill.  The key to a good hot grill is in the stacking of the briquettes into a neat pile before lighting them.  If this is not done, it is likely the white hot fire will never get going.  At the most, the briquettes will become warm but quickly grow cold and die.
 
            The New Testament lesson for today operates with the same principle.  “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.  But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”  Just as a pile of charcoal needs all the individual briquettes together in order to become hot and not grow cold, so every Christian needs other Christians to speak into his/her life every day.  If this dynamic does not happen, the heart will grow cold and hard and eventually lead, if unchecked, to a falling away from the faith.
 
            There is much we can learn from the Korean church on this matter.  Every day they have opportunities early in the morning to gather together for prayer and encouragement before going off to their jobs and busy lives.  There is a reason that the Korean church has grown hot for God with many Christians and lots of missionaries going all over the world.  It would be not only wise, but necessary to re-think and re-do our American spiritual practices to better accommodate and reflect an obedience to these very verses in Hebrews.
 

 

            Blessed Holy Trinity, I have been made in your image – the image of the triune God.  Help me to reflect that image every day by encouraging my fellow believers and allowing them to exhort me toward love and good deeds in the faith of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Psalm 55:1-15

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            We all know of the modern day proverb, ‘the squeaky wheel gets oiled.’  The saying is often used in reference to someone who is loud, even obnoxious, about what they want.  In today’s psalm, David cannot avoid the squeaky wheel.  There are people in his face.  All we know about David’s enemies from the psalm is that they were nursing a grudge against him for something.  David was hurt and betrayed.
 
            So, David prayed.  “Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy!  Attend to me, and answer me; I am restless in my complaint and I moan, because of the noise of the enemy… in anger they bear a grudge against me.”  David felt the ache of certain persons speaking against him.  For whatever reason, they had an axe to grind and were determined to make David’s life difficult.
 
            Although, like David, we sometimes feel like flying away and being at rest from the turmoil, we must deal with the insults, the untrue and half-true rhetoric of others.  The way David confronted the problem was primarily through prayer.  When David prayed, it was never a quick on-the-run sort of prayer to God in the rush of dealing with all his kingly duties.  Instead, David offered specific, agonizing, timely prayers asking, even begging God to not let the violent speech and actions of his enemies prevail.
 
            Out of the range of possibilities that we could do in response to sins of the tongue against us, prayer needs to be the primary weapon.  Heartfelt, passionate, detailed, and pointed prayers need to be offered to the God who hears the righteous in their grief.  If you are in such a position of being oppressed by another, a sage way to begin addressing the situation is through praying the very same psalm that David did when he was under duress.
 

 

            Listening God, you hear the cries of the righteous.  Give ear to my plea.  I cry out to you for respite from those allayed against me.  I ask for justice so that the wicked and the unrighteous do not have their way in this world.  In the mighty name of Jesus I pray.  Amen.