Daily Lesson for December 18, 2020

 Today's Daily Lesson comes from Hebrews chapter 6 verses 19 and 20a:

19 We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters the inner shrine behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus, a forerunner on our behalf, has entered.

We have this hope, anchored deeply in our souls so that no matter what happens in this world, come storm or tempest, hell or high water, we can deal. We can survive.

Our souls are anchored so we can hold on.

What a year it has been. We've been tossed and tempest-turned. We've lost loved ones, and friends, and jobs, and about a year of life. But our souls have survived. And we still have hope.

The light of hope has entered into the deepest place, into the house where we have been cloistered; and no matter how dark its's been outside the house, inside, the light has been kept. Hope remains.

It's three more days of deep darkness here in the Northern Hemisphere. Then the light outside will come back again. Hold on, beloved. Hold on to the light inside.

For God is the anchor of your soul; and it'll hold.

NOTE: We are reading the whole Bible through this year. Over the weekend we will finish Hebrews and read 2 Timothy.

Ryon Price is the Senior Pastor of Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas.

Daily Lesson for December 17, 2020

 Today's Daily Lesson comes from 1 Peter chapter 2 verses 13 through 17:

13 For the Lord’s sake accept the authority of every human institution, whether of the emperor as supreme, 14 or of governors, as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right. 15 For it is God’s will that by doing right you should silence the ignorance of the foolish. 16 As servants of God, live as free people, yet do not use your freedom as a pretext for evil. 17 Honor everyone. Love the family of believers. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

Honor is to be given where honor is due. This means we recognize the legitimacy of government as a part of the established order of creation going all the way back to Eden. Emperors, and kings, and presidents have their place; and so does the rule of law. We honor the merits of human authority.

We "honor the emperor", Paul says, but we "fear God." That means our ultimate allegiance is to God, for it is to God that in the end we will have to stand before and with all the rulers and kings and presidents and paupers of this world.

We have a little over a month left of the Presidency of Donald J. Trump. At noon on January 20 Joe Biden will assume the Office of the President.

We honor this Office. We respect its authority -- even if we do not respect the person in it. We respect the Office of the President; and we pray for the President, and all other governors, and mayors, and persons of authority also so that we may live peaceably and well with one another and with all the world.

Much has been made in recent months about the tradition of peaceful transition of power in the United States of America. It is a strong, and venerable tradition and one that has kept us in tact over four centuries.

Let us remember that it is we the people who keep this hallowed tradition. So may we the people guard and protect it.

May we the people honor the President, and fear the LORD.

NOTE: We are reading the whole Bible through this year. Tomorrow we begin the book of Hebrews chapters 1-6.

Ryon Price is the Senior Pastor of Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth, TX.

Daily Lesson for December 16, 2020

Today's Daily Lesson comes from Titus chapter 2 verses 9 and 10:

9 Tell slaves to be submissive to their masters and to give satisfaction in every respect; they are not to talk back, 10 not to pilfer, but to show complete and perfect fidelity, so that in everything they may be an ornament to the doctrine of God our Savior.

It is the year 2020 and believe it or not we still have so-called serious theologians of the Southern Baptist variety refusing to outright condemn slavery because slavery is not outlawed in the New Testament. And they actually dare to defend the institution of slavery -- basically promoting the old Lost Cause argument that it was not slavery itself that God chastised in the Civil War but rather only a cruel form of it. This is the justification given for keeping the names of slaveholders on campus buildings throughout the South. So the myth of a kind and decent slavery and a good and decent master are perpetuated.

And who would have to be cruel and mean when one has slave traders and overseers to do the dirty work?

Listen, friends, the slaves have been liberated, but the slaveholder mentality still holds sway for too many. They believe that just because it is in the Bible it is justified. So "slaves obey your masters" and "women be subject to your husbands". And the modern mind is still imprisoned in an ancient cell, and women can't enter the pulpit except to make an announcement, and furtively the theological building blocks of a slave system are being put back in order.

And the whole Gospel is vision lost -- replaced by white men in suits making decrees against "critical race theory" because it upsets the order as they've come to dominated it.

Hear this, beloved, it is for the sake of freedom that Christ has come to set us free; and we must be free indeed. The prison doors have already been opened. But we must walk out the doors. Christ has set us free; but we ourselves must want to be free. We must want to be free, and we must be free -- and never let anybody take us back.

NOTE: We are reading the whole Bible together this year. Tomorrow we will read the book of 1 Peter.

Ryon Price is the Senior Pastor of Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth, TX.

Daily Lesson for December 15, 2020

 Today's Daily Lesson comes from 1 Timothy chapter 1 verses 12 through 15:

12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. 13 Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. 14 The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.

In seminary I had a professor named Stanley Hauerwas, an old son of a Texas bricklayer, who someone said was the pacifist they would most like to have on their side in a bar fight.

I know the type.

Paul knew the type.

God knows the type.

God knows what we once were and what can be made of us all. By God's grace we have been saved. And by God we will be.

Today marks what would have been the 90th birthday of my boyhood pastor John Claypool, two pulpits of his I have now grown up to assume. At the end of every service John ended his weekly benediction with these words:

"By the goodness of God you were born into this world.

"By the grace of God you have been kept all the day long, even until this very hour.

"And by the love of God, fully revealed in the face of Jesus Christ, you are being redeemed."

Redemption is a process. As Dylan said (and I quoted in my ordination paper) we are "slow trains coming". But we are on the track anyhow -- and facing the right way.

And so, as Dr. King used to say, "I ain't what I ought to be. I ain't what I'm gonna be. But thank God I ain't what I was."

Thank God indeed!

NOTE: We are reading the whole Bible through this year. Tomorrow we will read Titus together.

Ryon Price is the Senior Pastor of Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas.

Daily Lesson for December 14, 2020

 Today's Daily Lesson comes from Ephesians chapter 6 verses 10 through 19a:

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. 15 As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. 16 With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. 19 Pray also for me.

In his eulogy for President Lincoln following Lincoln's assassination in April 1865, Philips Brooks called the institution of slavery a "sacrament" of evil. It was, in the sacramental mental language, "an outward and visible sign" of an inward and invisible evil. And, Brooks said, though General Lee had surrendered and the Confederacy was broken the evil manifest in slavery was still on the loose -- in both the South and also the North.

What St. Paul calls "the spiritual forces of evil" are still on the loose. They are still in rebellion. In the North and the South they are still working to undermine and destroy our Union and the promise of its "government of the people, and by the people, and for the people."

Beware, friends. Stay alert. Be brave. Be strong. Pray. Pray really hard.

As Paul said, we've got to "put on the whole armor of God."

And as we would say in a West Texas locker room, "It's time to strap 'em on."

NOTE: We are reading the whole Bible through in 2020. What a year to do so. Tomorrow we will read 1 Timothy.

Ryon Price is the Senior Pastor of Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas.

Daily Lesson for December 11, 2020

 Today's Daily Lesson comes from Acts chapter 27 verses 9 through 12:

9 Since much time had been lost and sailing was now dangerous, because even the Fast had already gone by, Paul advised them, 10 saying, “Sirs, I can see that the voyage will be with danger and much heavy loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” 11 But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said. 12 Since the harbor was not suitable for spending the winter, the majority was in favor of putting to sea from there, on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, where they could spend the winter.

We know we are headed for trouble this winter.

Europe is re-entering lockdowns and just today France announced that it will be instituting a curfew to be in effect even on New Year's Eve. But in America we are pressing on, and there is no question that that will come at an extraordinary cost of lives.

In recent days news of the virus striking the homes of congregants and friends has quickened dramatically. So too has the news of deaths of people I know. Without a change in course, this will only increase over the next month.

Yet, like the captain of the ship in today's Lesson, our nation's leaders still have us pressing forward. We have cowboys in town for the rodeo running around Cowtown completely unmasked. And they have bandanas! And churches are still advertising on my Facebook feed to "come and join" them this Christmas. It is folly! And soon this ship will run aground.

Friends, time is on our side. Vaccines are coming. There will be an end to all this. We see the first glimmer of light shining. But the sun isn't up yet. We still have some waiting to do. We have to hold out until the dawn fully arrives and it is safe.

So, beloved, be not afraid and not foolish. Be careful. Be cautious. Mask up, keep your distance, and do not take unnecessary risks. These are dangerous, dangerous waters we are crossing, and I want everybody I know and love to make it through.

NOTE: We are reading the whole Bible through this year. Over the weekend we will read some short epistles: Colossians, Ephesians, Philemon, and Philippians.

Daily Lesson for December 10, 2020

 Today's Daily Lesson comes from Acts chapter 24 verses 1 through 8:

Five days later the high priest Ananias came down with some elders and an attorney, a certain Tertullus, and they reported their case against Paul to the governor. 2 When Paul had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying:

“Your Excellency, because of you we have long enjoyed peace, and reforms have been made for this people because of your foresight. 3 We welcome this in every way and everywhere with utmost gratitude. 4 But, to detain you no further, I beg you to hear us briefly with your customary graciousness. 5 We have, in fact, found this man a pestilent fellow, an agitator among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. 6 He even tried to profane the temple, and so we seized him. 8 By examining him yourself you will be able to learn from him concerning everything of which we accuse him."

They came with the lawyers and all kinds of spuriousness and sycophancy aimed at St. Paul. The truth was that Paul was never responsible for any of the outrage which was cast upon him; but the truth didn't matter to these guys. The truth was on trial. The truth was guilty.

And then there was the abdication of law. Paul's accusers were vying for a change of venue. Having been moved to Caesarea after being rescued from a lynching in Jerusalem, they wanted to bring him back to Jerusalem, where no doubt he would be killed before even being tried. So Paul appealed to the Emperor in Rome. But then when King Agrippa came down and heard his case and said, "This man would be free if he had not appealed to the Emperor." A snide, and cynical lie, because Paul would not have been free if he had not appealed; he would have been dead.

Nevertheless, Paul made the most of his opportunities. He testified before governors, and magistrates, and kings. And he bore witness to the resurrection of the dead. He talked about life, and death, and resurrection, and the judgement to follow. He talked about justice and righteousness and the judge above all judges.

Paul would not be set free. He would not be spared. But the gospel would be proclaimed. Some would mock him. Others would ignore him. Still others would seethe at him. But a few in the court would hear his words and be filled with the fear of the Lord; for they knew, in William Cullen Bryant's words:

"Truth, crushed to earth, will rise again."

NOTE: We are reading the whole Bible through this year. Tomorrow's Lesson comes from Acts chapters 27 and 28.