Darkness and Light

We live in dark times.  The COVID-19 global pandemic, racism, Godzilla clouds from the Sahara – there’s just no end to the intensity and pervasiveness of the darkness that envelops the world.  And yet in one sense, this is nothing new.  Since the Fall in the Garden of Eden, people have been in an epic struggle between dark and light, evil and good.  If all we had at our disposal were newspapers and politicians, it would be pretty hopeless.  But thanks be to God, this isn’t the case.  Today, let’s consider Light and Dark and our individual and collective responsibilities as Christians.

Matthew 5:14-16

You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Things to think about:

The World lives in Darkness

·      John 3:19b – “but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.”

·      Acts 26:18 (Jesus speaking to Paul) – “to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”

·      Why does sin shroud Man in darkness?

God is Light

·      1 John 1:5 – “This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.”

·      In John 1:4-5, the apostle tells us, “In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

We have been brought into the Light

·      In John 8, Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

·      Colossians 1:13 – “For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves”

We are the Light of the world

·      Matthew 5:14-16 – “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

·      1 John 1:6-7 – “If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.”

Our Response

·      Thinking about your family, how do we let our light shine before others?

·      Thinking about your neighbors, how do we let our light shine before others?

·      Thinking about our society, how do we let our light shine before others?

·      Thinking about our world, how do we let our light shine before others?

Do Something

Last week, we talked about how God is looking for people who will stand up and be counted, especially in the face of injustice.  We read in Isaiah 59:16  “He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene.”  I ended our note with Be Somebody. But be somebody to do what?  Whether big or small, God calls us to not just talk about, even agree on things that aren’t right, but He also commands us to Do Something.  We’re going to look at one of the most familiar verses, found in James 2 that clearly communicates that the walk has to match the talk.

 

James 2:14-17

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?   In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

 

 

Things to think about:

·      Given the protests that have gone on for over a week now, clearly there are a lot people who are motivated to “do something”

o   We can agree that the violence and looting isn’t helpful

o   What constructive actions have you seen people take?

o   Hopefully we can also agree that the Church needs to stand up and be involved

o   What have you seen the Church or Christians do to make a positive difference?

o   What do you think the church’s response should be?

 

§  What Scripture or Christian principle would you use to support that view?

·      Our verse is about seeing the needs of the local community (a brother or sister) and meeting them. 

o   Seeing the needs of the community can come in Small, Medium, and Large sizes

§  Small – one person you know (or know of) where you can meet their needs

§  Medium – a group, area, or other trait that addresses the needs of a larger group of folks.

§  Large – getting involved at the city, state, or national level to affect change for the better

·      Do you find yourself sufficiently motivated to Do Something to bring justice where God has given you the sight to see its absence?

o   What does that look like for you?

§  If not, James 1:5 - If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

o   Have you already begun to put your faith into action?

o   Do you need an extra dose of courage to overcome any fear or reluctance to act?

§  Psalm 56:3-4 - When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.  In God, whose word I praise— in God, I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?

My prayer for each of us that we will find our role in addressing injustice in whatever form God has called us to intervene.

 

 

Race and Christianity

First of all, please know this is a very strange blog for me to write.  I'm afraid that even in the writing of it I may be offending some.  If that's the case, please accept my apologies. But I'm more afraid of being a coward and not addressing a topic I feel needs to be addressed. Ephesians 4:15 implores us to  "Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ."

The George Floyd tragedy and the COVID death disparity are the two most recent examples that the world Africa-Americans and other people of color live in and the world whites live in are very different.  James 2:1-9 is about the forbidding of favoritism and it seems to me that racism is an ugly form of favoritism.

My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?

8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. 9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 

Things to think about:

• Speaking the truth in love - Love without truth is mush.  Truth without love is harsh.
• I believe God is the Artist who loves color would have us celebrate the variety in His creation. I don't believe in color blindness because that tries to ignore the beauty of the quilt God has made.  I am richer when I embrace others from different backgrounds who don't necessarily look or sound like me.
• Why should you see color?
• Full transparency about the current climate (How do you really feel about it?)
• What you (don’t/want) to understand about race, police violence, etc.? What is the lingering question you’ve always wanted to ask?
• Advocating in your respective circles for your brothers (When topics of race surface do you stand in the gap, tend to agree or remain silent?)
• What can we as a group do to help? Heal? Change for the better? 

Isaiah 59: 1-9

So Justice is driven back,
    and Righteousness stands at a distance;
Truth has stumbled in the streets,
    Honesty cannot enter.
Truth is nowhere to be found,
    and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.

The Lord looked and was displeased
    that there was no Justice.
 He saw that there was no one,
    he was appalled that there was no one to intervene;
so His own arm achieved Salvation for him,
    and His own Righteousness sustained him.

BE SOMEONE

Jesus - The Source, The Structure and The Salvation

There are so many facets of the Christian faith to explore that are good and of God and deserving of our time and attention.   In verses 15-23 of the first chapter of Colossians, Paul brings us back to the True North of our faith, Jesus.   As I re-read this passage in The Message version of the Bible, I was struck by three aspects of Jesus: He is the Source, He is the Structure, and He is the Salvation. Let’s explore each of these and in doing so, bring back into focus the elemental Truth of our faith.

Colossians 1:16 - For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in Him and finds its purpose in Him.

Things to think about:

The Source

·      Col. 1:15-18  -  We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body.

o   Jesus is the representation of God

o   Everything got its start in Jesus

o   Everything finds its purpose in Jesus

o   What is the Holy Spirit illuminating for you as you consider Jesus as The Source of everything?

The Structure

·       Col. 1:18-20 -  He was supreme in the beginning and—leading the resurrection parade—he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end he’s there, towering far above everything, everyone. So spacious is he, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, …

o   Jesus is eternal

o   Jesus is supreme

o   Jesus provides a home and healing for all creation

o   What is the Holy Spirit illuminating for you as you consider Jesus as The Structure of the universe?

The Salvation

·      Col. 1:20-22 - …all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross. You yourselves are a case study of what he does. At one time you all had your backs turned to God, thinking rebellious thoughts of him, giving him trouble every chance you got. But now, by giving himself completely at the Cross, actually dying for you, Christ brought you over to God’s side and put your lives together, whole and holy in his presence.

o   Jesus’ sacrifice

o   Jesus carried us to God’s side

o   Jesus put our lives together

o   Jesus makes us acceptable before God

o   What is the Holy Spirit illuminating for you as you consider Jesus as The Salvation of your soul?

Our response

·      Col. 1:23 - You don’t walk away from a gift like that! You stay grounded and steady in that bond of trust, constantly tuned in to the Message, careful not to be distracted or diverted. There is no other Message—just this one. Every creature under heaven gets this same Message. 

·      What characteristics of Jesus feel new or renewed to you as you think through our lesson?

o   What are things we can do today to keep ourselves grounded and steady?

o   How does our study encourage you to avoid being distracted and diverted?

  

The Breath of Life

During the current pandemic, the whole point of self-quarantining, wearing masks, and other precautions is to prevent the breathing in of the COVID-19 virus because it is transmitted through droplets in the air.  Breathing in this air can quite literally be fatal. Ironically, the Bible also has a lot to say about breathing. To borrow an expression from C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity, it is like a “good infection”.  Let’s look at three examples of how God’s breath gives us life and consider our response to them.

John 20:22 - And with that He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

Things to think about:

·      Genesis 2:7 – “Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”

o   We owe our very physical presence to God breathing life into us.

o   Job 34:14-15 – “If he should set his heart to it and gather to himself his spirit and his breath, all flesh would perish together, and man would return to dust.”

·      John 20:22 – “And with that He breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’”

o   Oxygen is what allows us to keep on living. Jesus breathed into us an eternal source of life through the Holy Spirit.

o   We don’t take one gulp of air to last a lifetime but it is a continuous process.

§  How do we practice spiritual breathing?

·      2 Timothy 3:16 – “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness…”

o   Our source for knowledge and wisdom has the very breath of God as its source.

·      Psalm 150:6 – “Let everything that has breath praise the LORD”

·      Sometimes people (Christians included) wear masks so as to NOT breathe in God’s breath

o   What are some of these masks?

o   Why do we wear them?

·      Without overworking the analogy here too hard, how can we be spiritual ventilators to those who are struggling to take in God’s breath?

o   Isaiah 42:5-7 - This is what God the Lord says—
the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out,
    who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it,
    who gives breath to its people,
    and life to those who walk on it:
“I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness;
    I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
    to be a covenant for the people
    and a light for the Gentiles,
to open eyes that are blind,
    to free captives from prison
    and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

o   We can only give what we have already been given.        

§  Breath is Life – pass it on!

The Whetstone (part 2)

Last week we began to look at look at how God uses two kinds of abrasives to sharpen our faith and character – Relationships and Circumstances.   The metaphor was how a sharp edge is put on a blade. To sharpen a knife, you get a whetstone – a hard, abrasive stone designed specifically to put a razor-sharp edge on a blank piece of metal.  In the hands of an amateur, a knife will just be ground into a blunt chunk of useless metal. But in the hands of an expert, he will gently work both sides of the blade until it is honed into a keen tool, effective for its intended purpose.   So we now have one side of the blade addressed, the Relationship side, and will turn our attention to the other one here, Circumstances.

Romans 5:3-4 - Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

Things to think about:

·      Circumstances

o   As we said last week the current pandemic with the social distancing, public activities and places being closed, and many people’s jobs being “furloughed” or eliminated are all sources of stress.  This is on top of all the real life events that were already occurring before the COVID-19 crisis.

o   How are you coping right now?

·      There are many verses that speak to how and why God allows difficulties into our lives

o   Romans 5:3-4

o   James 1:2-4

o   1 Peter 4:12-13

·      Which Bible story resonates with you that tells of God’s child or people in a trying circumstance?

o   There are so many that deal with all manner of challenges in life, here are just a few:

§  Abraham and Sarah couldn’t conceive (Family issues)

§  Moses and the children of Israel in slavery (Political problems)

§  Moses and the Hebrews backed up against the Red Sea (Insurmountable situation)

§  No food and water in the desert (Basic needs)

§  Jehoshaphat facing an immense enemy army (Power struggles)

§  Various people in the Gospels with physical conditions (Health problems)

§  Jesus being persecuted (Being misunderstood)

·      All of these situations looked impossible

o   God has seen it all.  There isn’t a situation He hasn’t come across before and effectively dealt with.

o   What common thread(s) do you see in how they were resolved?

§  Fulfillment of a promise God made

§  God’s mercy prevailing

§  Dependence on God being revealed

§  The praise for the victory going to God

§  Something only God could do

§  Something else?

·      How do all of these various kinds of circumstances help sharpen us? (Hint: our verse for today)

o   Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

o   Does the order of these characteristics matter and if so, why?

§  Think about any skill you have ever learned, whether it is in business, sports, music, a hobby.  You probably weren’t very good at it at first but you kept after it (Perseverance).  After a while, you got a bit better and even developed some competency (Character).  Ultimately, when it was time to perform, you knew you could do it (Hope).

§  How is the current situation building any of these into your life?

·      It wouldn’t be an appropriate Bible study on circumstances without a reference to Romans 8:28 and its orphaned follow-on in verse 29. Here it is from The Message:

o   That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. God knew what He was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. 

·      At the end of his life, Moses told the Israelites, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”

o   In our time of social distancing, God is not staying away.

·      Remember, God doesn’t write stories with bad endings, they just never go the way we would have written them (praise be to God!)

·      My encouragement to you is this - Be alert and expectant to what God is up to.  He is using this once-in-a-lifetime event to sharpen each of us to serve Him and others. It may feel rough but know that His purposes are being worked out in and through you, even in the midst of a pandemic.