Category: Year B

Hebrews 11:17-22

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            I have always thought that kids are collectively closer to God than most adults.  The older one gets it is far too easy to become cynical, having had a bevy of expectations and/or dreams squished in the press of life.  But kids tend to not have that kind of history.  They simply believe. 
 
            Maybe Abraham was a kid at heart.  When God gave him a promise that it would be through his son Isaac and not anyone else that the great spiritual inheritance would be passed on, Abraham simply believed.  In fact, he was so thoroughly convinced that God was good for his word that even when the most contradictory of circumstances seemed to warrant that it was not going to come to pass, he still believed.
 
            At the heart of genuine authentic biblical faith is the simple unshakable conviction that one can completely bank his/her life on the promises of God.  So, even when God came along and told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, child-like Abram just reasoned that even if his son were dead, God would just do the most impossible thing of all by resurrecting his lifeless body.
 
            Abraham is the father of all who believe not because he always did the right thing and never stumbled.  He is our spiritual ancestor because of his simple faith placed firmly in the God whom he believed could do the impossible.  It is faith that ought to dictate how we pray and how we go about living.  It is faith that really should determine how we make decisions and how churches should lay plans.  And it is faith in the promises of God which ought to cause us to respond to him like a little child.
            God of the impossible, you are the one who fulfills every good word in and through Jesus Christ.  I trust you, that as I proclaim the good news you will continue to do your work of raising others from spiritual death through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Matthew 17:14-21

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            I have a grandson with epilepsy.  So, when I read an account like we have today in our Gospel lesson, I especially take notice.  Jesus had been up on the mountain with Peter, James, and John.  Meanwhile, the other disciples were in charge of taking care of things below.  They dealt with a man whose son would have seizures so badly that he would hurt himself when they occurred.  Although the disciples had experienced healing people before, they could not do it in this instance.  Jesus, of course, comes down and takes the seizures completely away from the epileptic boy.  The disciples, understandably, want to know why they were not able to heal the boy.
 
            I’m not sure they were prepared for Jesus’ answer.  He bluntly told them that the reason for their ministry inability was because of their little faith….  Ouch!  What is more, Jesus said to them that even if they had a faith as small as a mustard seed that they could move mountains….  Double ouch!  Jesus was teaching a couple of very important lessons.
 
            First, ministry cannot be reduced to a technique.  Perhaps the disciples thought they could do exactly what they had done before, say the right words and do the right gesticulations, and the healing would come.   But it didn’t because God does not bow to formulas; he responds to faith.  So, then, the second lesson is that the issue is not the amount of faith but where the faith is placed.  If we put stock in our proven methods for healing or doing ministry or living a certain way, then God is put outside the equation.  Faith, when placed even in the smallest way in Jesus, can result in some very big results.
 
            Maybe we all need to completely re-evaluate the way we pray and do ministry.  Do we depend upon particular phrases or words, or do we throw ourselves upon the sheer mercy of God in Christ?  Have we had success before, and now rely on the proven process, or do we persevere in prayer knowing that only Jesus can bring the needed healing to our lives and our loved ones?  Realizing the impossible can only happen when we divest ourselves of the possible.
            Merciful God, I believe in Jesus; help me in my unbelief!  Without your grace I cannot take another breath or one more step.  I desperately need you or I will be completely undone!  Have mercy upon me so that what arises from my life is all your doing, and not mine.  Amen.

Hebrews 12:3-13

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            Perseverance is important to God.  It is important enough to him that he disciplines us for our own good so that we can endure for a lifetime of being faithful to Jesus Christ.  Our response to the disciplining work of God depends upon how we look at it.  If we view discipline as a dirty word to be avoided at any cost, then any time there is trouble or difficulty, we are going to spend our efforts trying to wriggle away like an earthworm to a flashlight.  But if we discern that discipline comes from God as a gracious means of developing perseverance within us, we will patiently endure the circumstance knowing that God is doing an important work in us.  We can submit to God and look forward to the righteous fruit that he will produce in us; or, we can buck our adverse situation and refuse to learn from it.
 
            Even Jesus himself endured hostility, trouble, and eventually death despite the fact that he did nothing to deserve such treatment.  We are not above our Master.  Just as he suffered, so we will, as well.  The real question is:  What will we do when we face painful difficulty?  God loves us enough to not leave us alone but is active in allowing us to endure hardship as discipline so that our faith will grow and develop.  This is a healthy thing, and not a thing to avoid.
 
            We are to consider Jesus, his attitude and way of life, so that we ourselves will not grow weary and fainthearted.  We are to lift our drooping hands and strengthen our feeble knees and find fresh inspiration to keep going through looking squarely at Jesus, our faithful example.  Whether our painful trial is a very real physical disability, a relationship problem that is constantly on-going, or an emotional situation that seems to maintain a constant vice-grip on your head and heart, there is a God in heaven who sees it all and desires to bend each and every adverse circumstance for use in developing your faith and bringing you closer to him.  Allow God to do the expert work that he alone is suited to do.
            Gracious God, I believe that you discipline me for my good.  Help me to not grow weary when you bring adversity into my life.  Instead, strengthen me as I submit to your will for me through Jesus Christ my Lord in the power of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Psalm 125

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
             Psalms 120-134 comprise a collection of short songs of ascent meant to guide Jewish pilgrims in their communal trek up to the city of Jerusalem, and ultimately to the temple mount.  The rhythm of the pious ancient Israelites centered round particular festivals, seasons, and Sabbath.  Taking the annual pilgrimage to the Holy City was an especially anticipated time of year.  This yearly cycle brought both increased faith and needed spiritual stability to the people.  It reminded them of the sound theology that God cannot be moved, and he will always be there.
 
            “Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.”  One of the most fundamental of all truths about God is that he is consistent and constant in his basic nature, that he is forever present with his people.  If God seems or feels as though he is not there or is not listening, it is not that he is aloof or not paying any attention.  It simply means that he chooses to reveal himself when he chooses to reveal himself, and that our responsibility in the entire affair is to engage in consistent rhythms of spirituality that place us in a position to receive grace when God decides to give it.
 
            Therefore we must not despair but anticipate meeting with God, just as the Israelites of old looked forward and upward to their annual worship at the top of the mountain.  The truth is that God surrounds his people, even when we do not always perceive it to be so. 
            Ever-present God, there is no place where I can go where you are not.  Help me to so intuit your presence that it bolsters my faith and resilience for daily life in Jesus Christ.  Amen.