Tag: god’s presence

Keeping Sacred Space Sacred (John 2:13-22)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
Christ Casting Out the Money Changers, by Peter Gorban

The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves and the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, with the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” 

The Jews then said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking of the temple of his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. (New Revised Standard Version)

It doesn’t take a Bible scholar to figure out that Jesus was upset. He quite literally came to the Jerusalem temple, whipped everyone into shape, and cleaned house. 

Cleaning house is what the season of Lent is really all about. This is the time of year for Christians to take a good hard look at the state of their hearts; it’s about shining light on the shadowy dark places, so that we can turn from all that hinders our relationship to Christ, and allow the presence of God to fill us and give us new life.

In the other Gospel accounts we discern why Jesus was upset. Matthew, Mark, and Luke each mention Jesus saying that the temple is to be a house of prayer, but the ones buying and selling in the temple courts were making it a den of robbers. (Matthew 21:12-16; Mark 11:15-18; Luke 19:45-47)

Two things were happening which angered Jesus: 

  1. Business was taking place in the Court of the Gentiles, thus pushing non-Jews out of being able to worship God.
  2. Those providing the service of sacrificial animals were charging exorbitant prices and gouging those who were just trying to offer a sacrifice during Passover. 

Disrespect of Gentiles, along with plain old greed, hindered prayer and worship for everyone seeking God. John, however, did not mention those reasons. He simply communicated that Jesus was downright mad over his Father’s house being turned into a market.

Orthodox depiction of Christ driving out the money changers

Jesus quoted from Psalm 69 saying, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” That particular psalm is a lament. The psalmist was grieving over the state of religion; it had degenerated into mindless empty ritual.

For Jesus, although worship was happening, he lamented and grieved over the state of people’s hearts, because they were far from God. The evidence was that people cared more about the presence of other people and animals than they cared about the presence of God.

Jesus stood in the Old Testament prophetic tradition of getting down to the heart of the matter (e.g. Amos 4:4-5; Hosea 5:6, 6:6). From a New Testament perspective, it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away guilt and shame.

Therefore, there is no longer any temple because Jesus has come. The temple represented God’s presence on earth. But now the temple is Jesus, who is God with us, and God’s presence on earth. With the sending of the Holy Spirit, the presence of Jesus continues to be alongside the Church. Believers are God’s temple, the continuing presence of Jesus on this planet.

This creates a problem for many people. It’s the age old predicament of caring more about the presence of other things rather than the presence of God. Jesus was not speaking to pagan kings or Gentile sinners; he spoke to people in the temple courts who professed and worshiped the name of God – but they did not seek the presence of God with all their hearts. The Lord was not their primary allegiance.

Jesus wants people to desire the presence of God more than anything else in the whole world – and to not hinder others from doing so, as well. In every aspect of life, the heart must be in it. And the heart needs to be in the right place, at home, at work, at church, in the neighborhood, and in everyplace we go and everything we do and say.

The Cleansing of the Temple, by Ippolito Scarzella (1550-1620)

Many of the religious folk of Christ’s day lost their true sense of purpose as God’s people. They neither perceived nor focused on God’s presence, but cared more about animals and sacrifices and making money and keeping their social positions secure. 

Christ not only extends grace and mercy through healing the needy of society; he also turns his burning love for the Father on those who would treat the sacred with sacrilege. There is a time for gentleness and meekness, and there is a time for zeal and action, done with flavor!

Jesus had a zero-tolerance policy toward using the representation of God, the temple, as the means to make money. As people from all over the Middle East poured into Jerusalem for the Passover, savvy marketers set up their wares. 

Knowing that not everyone could bring animals for sacrifice, the money-changers were more than ready to take advantage of the situation by providing sheep and cattle at inflated prices. The temple looked more like a marketplace than a worship space, and Jesus would have none of it.

Christ the Lord was consumed with zeal for his Father’s house. Jesus single-handedly took on the businessmen and drove them out of the temple courts with a homemade whip. Whereas the people seemed to settle for the status quo of secular Passover protocol, Jesus restored worship to its rightful place in the life of God’s people.

Jesus still has zeal for proper worship. As he did in the temple all those centuries ago, Christ rearranges the furniture and upsets how things have become. Like an extreme makeover, the Lord overturns tables designed for selfish gain and re-establishes a connection between us and God. He upholds holiness and righteousness so that you and I will have a clean and clear path of relationship with the sovereign God of the universe.

Sacred space is important, both as a physical room or building as well as in our own spiritual hearts. That space becomes the meeting place between us and God. The Lord wants a meaningful dialogue with us, and he will guard that place of connection with great zeal.

Christ Jesus, the one who zealously loves, you have gone before me and cleared the way for me to enter God’s presence. Thank you for your movement toward me, and your careful guarding of our relationship. May my time on this earth be an offering of praise and thanksgiving to you. Amen.

Shining the Light On Our Fears (Mark 9:2-8)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year B1 Comment
Transfiguration of Jesus, by Armando Alemdar Ara

Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and brought them to the top of a very high mountain where they were alone. He was transformed in front of them, and his clothes were amazingly bright, brighter than if they had been bleached white. Elijah and Moses appeared and were talking with Jesus. 

Peter reacted to all of this by saying to Jesus, “Rabbi, it’s good that we’re here. Let’s make three shrines—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He said this because he didn’t know how to respond, for the three of them were terrified.

Then a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice spoke from the cloud, “This is my Son, whom I dearly love. Listen to him!” Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus. (Common English Bible)

The transfiguration of Christ was a glorious experience on the mountain for those closest to Jesus. Yet, we are told that Peter, James, and John – the inner circle of Christ’s disciples – were terribly frightened.

Peter, always the extrovert of the group, and forever their mouthpiece, nervously babbled-on without making any sense because he was so nervous and afraid.

Have you ever wondered why Jesus would take three of his disciples with him to experience such an incredible vision? Why did Jesus show these men something so otherworldly that they nearly soiled themselves? 

I will tell you why I think Jesus put his close disciples in such a glorious, yet frightening, position as this:

Because the only way to see Jesus as our only hope, we must face our fears, insecurities, and anxieties, squarely, without hiding from them.

Jesus did not relieve their anxiety. He let his disciples feel the full impact of their fear. The glory of Christ shone show brightly that Peter, James, and John could not hide from what was happening to them, and could not avoid what was in their minds and hearts. 

Only through shining the light on the shadowy place of our fears and insecurities will we ever be able to accept that we need a savior. And that savior is Jesus, the light of the world, the Lord over fear, anxiety, and discouragement.

The invitation which Christ extends to us is to move further into our fears, face those fears, and sit awhile with our fears, so that we can see how desperately we need the Savior Jesus. 

No one seeks a savior when they don’t even believe they need deliverance from anything. “I’m just fine, thank you very much!” says the independently self-sufficient person among us. To seek salvation, for such a person, is an intensely personal affair; they will look within, not without. It will take quite the desperate situation for them to consult someone who knows the ways of the soul.

But the one who sees what is truly inside of them, and is aware of their fear of connection; the scary prospect of confrontation; the anxiety of what will happen; or, the discouragement of failure; this is the one who is then able to hear the voice of God, and listen to Jesus give the answer to our most pressing life issues, worries, and concerns.

Jesus Christ wants to change us from the inside-out. He helps us by showing us not to avoid the fears which cause us to be beside ourselves, but instead, to face those fears and confront the anxieties within. 

The bright light of God’s presence enables us to see very clearly all that is within us. And Christ’s intimate relationship with us assures us that change is possible. Then, the Holy Spirit comes and empowers us for transformation, so that we may shine, along with Jesus, and let the light help others, as well.

You and I are never alone; we always have the glorious presence of Christ with us as we walk through dark valleys and ascend high mountains. 

It is the wonderful existence and omnipresence of God, in Christ, through the Spirit, which makes all the difference. We were created for connection with the divine, not for separation and loneliness in our fears.

Glorious Christ, you love me with a grace and mercy which always has my best interests in mind. Help me through my most pressing fears and failures so that I might see your glory, hear your voice, and know your constant presence. Amen.

Recall the Faithfulness of God (Psalm 105:1-11, 37-45)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
The Delivery of Israel out of Egypt, by Francis Danby, 1825

O give thanks to the Lord; call on his name;
    make known his deeds among the peoples.
Sing to him, sing praises to him;
    tell of all his wonderful works.
Glory in his holy name;
    let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
Seek the Lord and his strength;
    seek his presence continually.
Remember the wonderful works he has done,
    his miracles and the judgments he has uttered,
O offspring of his servant Abraham,
    children of Jacob, his chosen ones.

He is the Lord our God;
    his judgments are in all the earth.
He is mindful of his covenant forever,
    of the word that he commanded for a thousand generations,
the covenant that he made with Abraham,
    his sworn promise to Isaac,
which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute,
    to Israel as an everlasting covenant,
saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan
    as your portion for an inheritance….

Then he brought Israel out with silver and gold,
    and there was no one among their tribes who stumbled.
Egypt was glad when they departed,
    for dread of them had fallen upon it.
He spread a cloud for a covering
    and fire to give light by night.
They asked, and he brought quails
    and gave them food from heaven in abundance.
He opened the rock, and water gushed out;
    it flowed through the desert like a river.
For he remembered his holy promise
    and Abraham, his servant.

So he brought his people out with joy,
    his chosen ones with singing.
He gave them the lands of the nations,
    and they took possession of the wealth of the peoples,
that they might keep his statutes
    and observe his laws.
Praise the Lord! (New Revised Standard Version)

Some stories are worth repeating over and over again. For example, on the birthday of each of my children (and now grandchildren) I recount and remember their birth story; on Christmas, I read the first chapter of Luke’s Gospel to the family in order to recall and remember the birth of Jesus.

Psalm 105 is a remembering and retelling of the ancient Israelites’ exodus event, their deliverance from Egyptian slavery. That event permeates much of the Old Testament, and rightly so. God’s faithfulness, grace, and steadfast love dominates the psalm, namely because the Lord’s majesty, power, and sovereignty was overwhelmingly evident through the deliverance from Egypt.

And so, it is appropriate for the psalmist to express gratitude and praise to God in remembering that deliverance. It only makes sense, in such a retelling, that we are encouraged to continually seek the Lord. Seeking the Lord is a common biblical admonition, and is linked to memories of what God has done in the past.

Glory in his holy name;
    let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
Seek the Lord and his strength;
    seek his presence continually.
Remember the wonderful works he has done,
    his miracles and the judgments he uttered. (1 Chronicles 16:10-12, NRSV)

God graciously works in history by choosing a people and making a covenant with them. The Lord is faithful to that arrangement by giving them everything they need to maintain obedience on their end of the covenant. For God doesn’t merely call persons who are already equipped and ready for high level spiritual service. Rather, the Lord equips those who are called.

Abraham was called by God, not because he had some sort of superior spirituality or inclination toward the divine, but only because God chose him, period. And once he was called, Abraham doggedly and faithfully sought the Lord.

God brought the Israelites out of Egypt because of the covenant made to Abraham. The Lord promised him and his descendants a people and a land. It may have seemed that becoming enslaved in Egypt would negate the promise. But not so. The exodus happened.

Being freed from slavery, the people could seek the Lord and pursue knowing God without any hindrance or obstacle. From that point on, the people were expected to utilize their memory of God’s saving actions to seek God with all their heart, soul, and mind.

The entire aim of recounting God’s covenant and the exodus event is to remind the people to observe God’s commands. Since a powerfully good God has acted in history, then we are to keep the faith by embracing the powerfully good words of God and following them with the utmost commitment.

Remembering that we belong to God, enables us to keep on seeking the Lord throughout all of life, for the rest of our lives. The consistent retelling of deliverance stories can strengthen our faith and equip us for what is ahead.

When times are tough, it is good and helpful to recall the divine deliverance that has already happened. Our memory can then serve us well, by renewing our minds and energizing us to persevere in the spiritual life.

O Lord our God, we pray that your Spirit would guide and inspire our life and worship, our contemplation and our action. Open our mouths to sing and speak your praise, our ears to hear your Word, our eyes to see to you at work among us, and our hearts to receive your divine love. Help us to remember your goodness, seek your face continually, and serve you always. Amen.

Seen by God (Genesis 16:7-15)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment

The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. And he said, “Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?”

“I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,” she answered.

Then the angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” The angel added, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.”

The angel of the Lord also said to her:

“You are now pregnant
    and you will give birth to a son.
You shall name him Ishmael,
    for the Lord has heard of your misery.
He will be a wild donkey of a man;
    his hand will be against everyone
    and everyone’s hand against him,
and he will live in hostility
    toward all his brothers.”

She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered.

So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. (New International Version)

I’m blind as a bat without my glasses. They’re the first thing I put on when waking in the morning, and the last thing I take off before retiring at night. Without them I can’t distinguish anything very well, at all. I cannot see others unless they are inches from my face.

As bad as it would be if I didn’t have my glasses, it would be even worse if you were not seen by anyone. I believe that one of the great tragedies of modern Western civilization is that we can live among so many other people, yet not be seen by so many of them. The loneliness of not being seen is a terrible situation.

Hagar certainly felt that way. Perhaps even worse, she felt that God didn’t see her. It was as if God lost his glasses somewhere. 

Because a slave, Hagar’s body was not her own. Through a bunch of decisions out her control, she became pregnant with Abraham’s son. It was messy and complicated. Dysfunction was all around. A very pregnant Hagar ran away.

Having been abused by her mistress, we can feel Hagar’s despair… but there was someone watching, someone seeing the desperation on the face of a pregnant slave: God. 

The Lord saw everything – all the craziness, all the mistreatment – and stepped-in and acted on behalf of Hagar and her unborn son.

As a result, Hagar began to call God, “The God Who Sees Me.” She never again had to wonder or doubt whether she was seen. 

You might feel today that God doesn’t see your pain, is aloof and distant from your hurt, and is blind to your deep wounds. But God sees… all of it. The Lord may not be working on the same timetable as you and me, but nevertheless, you are seen with divine eyes.

You “see,” there is someone watching who specializes in hard cases. The Lord came alongside Hagar and spoke a promise to her that she could hold onto in her time of trouble. It was a promise way beyond what she could have dreamed of, far above her station in life.

Hagar gave a name to God. “El Roi” means “the God who sees.” At a low point in Hagar’s life when it seemed she was an unseen nobody, God showed up and let her know different.

I’m sure there have been times in your life, just like there have been situations in my life, where you wonder if anybody sees you, including God. You feel that if you stepped off the earth today, nobody would even notice or care.

Conversely, to be seen brings wonder, joy, and awe into life. To know the God who sees you is to be transported into the garden of paradise, enjoying divine presence and fellowship.

You are not alone. The Lord knows your every move. God watches because God loves and adores you. The almighty Lord is not a god who is aloof and distant. The One true God looks upon you and me with the kind of affection that a new parent has standing over the crib of their infant child. It’s a look of care, protection, joy, pride, and compassion.

One of the most fundamental theological statements we could say about God is: The Lord sees each individual person, and the Lord of all creation cares for each one.

Yes, terrible tragedies and gut-wrenching evil exist in this twisted mixed-up world. And God has anger and wrath, and is not okay with all the injustice throughout the earth. Yet, God’s wrath exists because of God’s love. The Lord will do something about it, and will do it in the proper time.

God is working out good purposes and plans. God will judge the living and the dead. The Lord has not forgotten you. God sees you, created in the divine image and likeness, and will act on your behalf.

Blessed are you, Sovereign God of all, to you be praise and glory forever. In your tender compassion the dawn from on high is breaking upon us to dispel the lingering shadows of night. As we look for your coming among us, open our eyes to behold your presence. Strengthen our hands to do your will, so that the world may rejoice and give you praise. Blessed be you, God almighty. Amen.