Category: Year C

Luke 1:26-38

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            “Nothing is impossible for God!”  So the angel said to Mary concerning the power of the Holy Spirit to bring about the births of both John and Jesus.  Mary’s response is one full of faith and commitment:  “I am the Lord’s servant! Let it happen as you have said.”  I admire the confident belief of Mary.  There was no cognitive disconnection or spiritual gap between her hearing the Word of God and exercising faith.
 
            It is far too easy to relegate the power of the Holy Spirit and the faith of others to special saintly-type persons.  We common folk cannot surely have such faith!  Yet, we are all called to a life of faith believing that the impossible is always possible with God.  In those times when we think God certainly cannot or will not forgive us for sinning yet again, we are called to trust in the gospel of grace which turns impossible sinners into saints full of possibility.  In those seasons of life where cynicism and sarcasm become our constant companions because we have lost hope that life can be different, God breaks in and speaks impossible words of expectancy which blows our hearts open to the Spirit’s work.  In the days when our faith seems so small and puny that even getting out of bed seems impossible, God takes the littlest mustard seed of belief and grows it so big that even our spiritual blindness can see it.
 
            Just as Mary had to believe and patiently wait for the child within her to gestate, so we must simply believe, wait, and watch for the growth that God gives in the power of his Spirit.  For faith is not some human engineered checklist of right beliefs, but is an active relationship with God through Christ by means of his Holy Spirit.  We only learn such a faith by trying, failing, receiving grace, and going at it again.  Our lives are not impossibly messed up and hopeless because we serve the God of all possibilities.
 

 

            Mighty God, I want to believe; help me in my unbelief!  May I have the faith of Mary so that I can see the power of your Holy Spirit in action through my life into this world.  In Jesus’ name I pray.  Amen.

Psalm 104:24-35

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            All of creation depends on each part in a complex ecosystem which is alive and teeming with all kinds of creatures and exuberant nature.  And all of this creation depends completely on the hand of God that formed it.  Without God, there would be no living holistic creation working together to flourish over the earth.  Humanity, along with the rest of creation, is to sing and praise the God who has made life possible by means of his powerful Spirit.
 
            This same Spirit which worked in creation, animates all creatures, and has left the imprint of God’s likeness on humans, is the very same Spirit which came upon the little band of believers at Pentecost, as well as being the very same Spirit which is given to you and me as followers of Jesus.  Just as we are to listen to the voice of creation praise God; just as we are to listen to the ancient voices of Holy Scripture lift up the name of Jesus; we are to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit of God filling us, guiding us, and empowering us for love and service in the name of Jesus Christ.
 
            In our fast paced society of fast food, fast cars, fast service, and fast everything, there is something profoundly spiritual about slowing down in order to listen to God’s Spirit speaking.  Today when you eat your meals, take the time to chew slowly, thanking God in a rhythm of praise which is connected to the gratitude of each bite.  Carve out some time to walk the dog, and do it slowly, listening to the sounds of creation around you.  Hear it all giving praise and adoration to the God who is pleased to fill creation with his glory.  For, if we do not hear God speaking it is because we are not listening.
 

 

            Mighty God, I join with all creation to sing your praises and give adoration to the Name of Jesus, who loved me and gave himself for me through the power of your Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Galatians 6:7-10

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             “You reap what you sow” is one of those famous (or infamous) phrases of the Bible.  Some people have a visceral reaction to the statement because it was used in the negative sense to keep kids obedient.  But the actual context for the statement, while not excluding the need to avoid disobedience, is aimed much more toward the necessity of doing good works for others.  In the church’s and the Christian’s work of burden-bearing on behalf of those with crushing loads to carry, we are not to become weary as the walk goes on and on.  “Let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up.”
             The main orientation of the verses is patience and perseverance in the doing of good works.  Although it might not seem, at the moment, that our labors are really making a dent at all, God is taking notice.  He sees.  Eventually, if we will keep up the slow, tedious, and often dull work of persisting in doing what is right, it will all pay-off in a harvest of righteousness.
             To be honest, I have struggled with this one in this past week.  I want to see things happen and happen now!  I’m tired of waiting.  I am weary of having the same conversations with people over and over again.  I have grown impatient with impenitent people who only seem to think of themselves.  Alas, welcome to the human race!  The reality is that God cares just as much about the process of attaining a goal as about the goal itself.  We need the encouragement of others in our Christian pilgrimage through this life.  You and I can do it.  Let’s keep going!
             Patient God, you have been waiting for several millennia to complete your work in this world.  It is a small thing for me to keep doing your will with perseverance over the span of my own lifetime.  I look to my model, Jesus Christ, who for the joy set before him endured the cross and reaped eternal life for all who would believe.  Amen.

Galatians 5:16-25

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            The Christian story of how life works is that God created the world, humanity fell into sin and disobedience against God, but God is redeeming the entire world back to himself through the person and work of Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit.  That, in a very small nutshell, is the overarching narrative of the Bible.  If we take a low view of any of those elements of the story, then life is not going to work right.
 
            Humanity’s fall was hard, deep, and pervasive.  Sin is such an ingrained habit amongst us people that it is our default response to much of our circumstances and events.  This is why “the Spirit and your desires are enemies of each other.  They are always fighting each other and keeping you from doing what you feel you should.”  In other words, the follower of Jesus must be trained to live a different way than giving in to selfishness. 
 
            We all have an idea in our heads of what the good life is, and we orient our desires and our habits toward that image.  Our hearts and our love are aimed toward attaining that life.  A continual life of sin betrays our image of what we believe the good life really is; and, the heart that is pointed in the direction of having a spiritual life of following Jesus will result in making us “loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled.”  The way to kill our selfish feelings and desires is to have the right picture in our minds and hearts of what the truly good life is.
 

 

            Gracious God, you have sent your Spirit to train in the ways of genuine flourishing in this life.  Help me to heed your teaching and avail myself of your power so that the name of Jesus is exalted and your church is edified.  Amen.