Daily Lesson for September 29, 2017

Today's Daily Lesson comes from Mark chapter 13 verses 24 through 26 and is in recognition of the St. Michael & All Angels feast day:

24 ‘But in those days, after that suffering,

the sun will be darkened,

   and the moon will not give its light, 

25 and the stars will be falling from heaven,

   and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 

26Then they will see “the Son of Man coming in clouds” with great power and glory. 27Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

Many years ago when Irie and I were living in Vermont I made a trip to Manhattan for the Fosdick Convocation in New York's Riverside Baptist Church. The historic Riverside Church does not actually have Baptist in its name. But I guess because Baptist Harry Emerson Fosdick was its first pastor and it was shaped early on by Baptist principles and governance, I first thought it was called Riverside Baptist Church. I always try to catch myself because I know it's wrong, but the name is stuck and I seem to not be able to help myself. 

Irie was planning to meet me in New York. But she was very unsettled about traveling to the City for the first time. It was the days not too far from 9-11 and the anthrax scare, and she was pregnant for the first time. For the first time, she felt a great responsibility for the life of another. Not helping things was the fact that it was before Uber and she would have to take public transportation -- a bus from La Guardian actually called the M-16!

Irie touched down in New York, found ground transportation, and the M-16 stop. She stood at the stop without talking to any of the other waiting passengers and when the bus pulled up she allowed the driver to load her luggage. Irie got on the bus, sat down in the seat, looked forward and planned not to talk to any other passengers. But she worried how she would know which stop to get off on. 

That's when a man climbed aboard, walked down the aisle, and sat next to her. He was an older, black gentleman. He turned, looked at her clutching her purse and small carry on, and asked in a big city accent, "Where you headed?"

Irie was a bit taken aback. It was a very forward question -- too forward for a man to ask a young pregnant woman. Yet, Irie said, he seemed very kind and peaceful. "My husband is a pastor," she said. "And I am meeting him at a church conference."

"Oh, wonderful," the man said.  "I'm going to a church right now too.  I'm going to Riverside Baptist Church."

"You mean Riverside Church in Manhattan?" Irie asked. "That's where I am going."

"Well, then I'll help you get there," the man said. 

They sat and talked for the 30 minutes to Riverside and when the bus made its way through Harlem and then down Broadway Ave.  When they neared 122nd Street, he told Irie to clang the bell. "This is our stop," he said. He helped Irie with her bags, and the two stepped off the bus, at peace with this man but still a little anxious that it be the right stop. 

When Irie stepped down from the bus she looked up at the street sign. "Seminary Row," it said. She knew it was the right stop. She looked up and could then see the church's iconic tower a block away. 

The man helped Irie with her bags the block over and when they arrived at the door he said, "Welcome to Riverside Baptist Church."  She shook his hand and then turned and went inside.

Today is St. Michael & the Angels feast day. Ask me if I believe in angels, I will tell you absolutely. I absolutely believe they help us get where we need to go -- to church, and to heaven, and one day even to whatever comes after heaven. 

Daily Lesson for September 28, 2017

Today's Daily Lesson comes from Matthew chapter 6 verses 1 through 6, 16-18:

‘Beware of practising your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.

2 ‘So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward.3But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

5 ‘And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 6But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

16 ‘And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 17But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Now here's a hard one. Secret giving, secret prayers, and secret devotions. 

I hate keeping a secret -- especially if it's a really good, and doubly especially if it's a really good secret about me. 

Can't I tell somebody?  My best friend, in order to just encourage them to follow in my way. My children, because they should know how much we've had to sacrifice as a family, my spouse because he should know that I'm taking my lunch break at the park to read my Bible. 

Sure we can. And we do. I do.  And that's usually when I receive my reward. 

But it always makes me feel kind of cheap, like maybe my motives weren't all pure, like maybe I was doing it for man and not for God.

That's when I think of Niebuhr, who said the "final enigma of history" will not be the justification of the righteous over the unrighteousness but rather the redemption of the unrighteous within the righteous.

I tell you, it's one thing to do right; it's another thing to do right for all the right reasons. 

Daily Lesson for September 27, 2017

Today's Daily Lesson comes from Matthew chapter 5 verses 43 through 48:

43 ‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.” 44But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. 46For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax-collectors do the same? 47And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

If you live in the same town long enough you're bound to make a few enemies along the way. They could be on the school board, or at your former place of employment, or on the other kid's soccer sideline, or even at church. That's just a part of life. 

But what do you do when you seem them in the grocery store or at somebody's funeral?  Do you pretend you don't see them?  Do you glance the other way?  Do you pretend like you just received a call on your cell phone?

It may be the toughest thing we do week in and week out, but Jesus says we're supposed to greet them. Now that doesn't mean reach out and shake their hand or ask how they are doing. Those may be too much for them. But we are supposed to say, "Hello," and "Good morning."  It may be small; but it's tough to do. And it's how Christians are supposed to act, because the world is already full of enough people who won't even speak to one another. 

G.K. Chesterton said, "The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because generally they are the same person."

And we can't love our enemies without at least being willing to say hello to them. 

Daily Lesson for September 26, 20017

Today's Daily Lesson comes from Psalm 78 verses 9 though 11:

9 The Ephraimites, armed with[b] the bow,

    turned back on the day of battle.

10 They did not keep God's covenant,

    but refused to walk according to his law.

11 They forgot his works

    and the wonders that he had shown them.

And Matthew chapter 5 verses 33 through 37:

33 ‘Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.” 34But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37Let your word be “Yes, Yes” or “No, No”; anything more than this comes from the evil one.

Fall is upon us and we are coming into the season when many churches and many non-profits ask for commitments to their organizations for the coming year. This is the time when we are asked to make our pledges.

We ought not to make them lightly. 

Learning to let our "yes" be yes and "no" be no is a part of becoming faithful disciples. Pledge season helps us to think on how much we want to give, how much we should be willing to give, how much we say we're willing to give, and how much we are actually going to give. When all those things are equal then our giving truly has integrity.

God is not impressed with unfulfilled pledges. Neither is the head of the food bank, nor the administrator at the homeless shelter, nor the executive at the local Boy's Club. 

And neither is the pastor. 

Daily Lesson for September 25, 2017

Today's Daily Lesson comes from 2 Kings chapter 5 verses 9 through 14:

 9So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and halted at the entrance of Elisha’s house.10Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, ‘Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean.’11But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, ‘I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy! 12Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?’ He turned and went away in a rage. 13But his servants approached and said to him, ‘Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, “Wash, and be clean”?’ 14So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean.

There is Naaman, the Syrian general, all arrayed with his horses and chariots and military regalia.  Looking upon him from a distance he is the model of strength. But beneath the armament Naaman is falling apart -- literally. Naaman, the great General, is a leper.

The prophet says the disease may not be unto death. The prophet says there is cure -- an easy cure. All Naaman has to do is strip down, take off the armor, and go down and dip in the little, piddlin' Jordan River. 

Well, easy for some.

Humility is hard. We'd prefer to have God make a big deal of us. A thunderbolt, or a vision, or some Damascus Road experience. But most of the time it's just needing to strip down and go get bathed in the little creek.

I have a friend who has a lot going for himself except that he's killing himself with alcohol. He says he wants God to help him leave the bottle. He says he wants supernatural power. He says he's desperate. He says he's willing to do something hard to get free. I keep telling him what he needs to do is not hard; it's easy. All he has to do is to start going to an AA meeting every single day until he gets it. But that sounds too easy; besides the storefront is all run down looking. He's holding out for the rivers of Damascus. 

I tell you, humility is hard. 

Daily Lesson for September 22, 2017

Today's Daily Lesson comes from Matthew chapter 5 verses 14 through 16:

14 ‘You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden.15No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

Let me ask you a few things. 

What if Michelangelo decided he would just do murals in the homes of closest friends and family?

What if out of humility Billy Graham thought preaching was too presumptuous?

What if Bach decided not to share his compositions?

What if Fanny Crosby did the same?

The world would be so much poorer and so much less beautiful. 

It would also be so much darker. 

"Let your light shine," Jesus said. 

We've each been given a light. It's ours to use. It's ours to shine. It's ours to share. 

How dare we keep it to ourselves?

Daily Lesson for September 21, 2017

Today's Daily Lesson comes from Matthew chapter 5 verse 8:

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God."

In the book of Titus it is said, "To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure."

The pure of heart see God everywhere and at all times. They see God's hand of provision and mercy and faithfulness. They see God's light in dark times and even in dark people. They have the light of God in their eyes and they see all things through and in light. 

I know people like this. These are the people who hold out hope. They believe for us when our own belief fails. They love and embrace and are for all people. They radiate joy and compassion and they trust that God is at work even in darkness. They are children of light. 

I want to be a person pure in heart. I want to believe all things. I want to hope all things. I want to walk as child of the light. I want to see God.