When Jesus said, "I am the light of the world," the Pharisees questioned him. If you're going to say something like that, you're going to need proof. Where are your witnesses to what you're saying, Jesus? Who can confirm this? How do we know you're speaking truth?

I laugh when I read this passage. Jesus' response is, essentially, God is my witness. Can you imagine how you would respond if someone told you that today? Apparently, God says a lot of things to a lot of people. Am I a Pharisee if my first response is to question what God said to them?

If your Father is your witness, "Where is your Father?" the Pharisees wanted to know. Well, you don't know him. Again, if anyone other Jesus said this, it'd be a little suspect. Of course, it was more than suspect for the Pharisees and other teachers. So, many of them rejected Jesus.

Many people today, too, reject Jesus. Where is his father, they might wonder. Jesus isn't even here. Where is the light of world?

It's important, then, to reflect on the fullness of what Jesus said. He said something about himself. But he also said something about us. "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of the life." Did you notice how fluid that was? One idea flows easily with the other.

In that light, we are the Lord's witnesses. Our lives become the light for the rest of the world to see. That may not seem fair. I'm just trying to live my life, and I don't need the responsibility of having everyone watch me. And yet, that's the reality of our lives. If we've seen the light, how can we walk in darkness?

As we walk in God's light, as the light Jesus said we are, people may still wonder where God is. But they won't have to wonder how God has changed you. And that is the greatest testimony.

Stay blessed...john

Our possessions, wealth, honor or success are blessings from God. If we have a lot of stuff, it must be because God's been good to us. If we're wealthy, of course, God blessed us.

But not necessarily, right?

Are all wealthy people blessed by God? Are God's blessings stuff?

Some of the people I've met who have felt most blessed by God have had less of what we call blessings. No second or third cars. No new home. No raise. Not even three meals a day. Just a full assurance of God's presence and power.

While I'm sure God can and does bless us with comforts and prosperity, I always want to be careful with that notion. It's too easy to keep going in that direction. It doesn't take much effort to find that kind of faith teaching that says the more we have, the more blessed we are. The more God favors us. That prosperity is God's ultimate desire for us.

How convenient for us.

It's helpful to consider what blessings are. Are they rewards? Incentives? I'll suggest there is a greater purpose behind them we often miss. Blessings aren't to make us more comfortable or more happy. Of course, blessings might bring those feelings with them. But blessings are to make us more holy. To draw us closer to God and God's image within us. And to prepare us to serve God's people more.

If that's true, we really need to evaluate the blessings we have. Possessions, wealth, honor and success have a way of steering us from God's holiness, if we're not careful. Oh, we may look to God. But not to God's beauty or loving kindness. We don't offer our lives in praise and worship as a response. We end up dismissing the Lord as, what one young person once described to me, "a Santa Claus with rules."

Those weren't the blessings Solomon asked of God. Maybe being the new king takes away some of your need for more of those. Still, understanding the task before him, Solomon asked God for wisdom. Notice how that blessing was going to serve Solomon and the people of his kingdom.

Friends, it's Christmas. The goodness and loving kindness of God has appeared and has a name, Jesus. His is the ultimate one-size-fits-all gift. Christ came and brought salvation to all. What other gift could stir in us such joy and hope? What other treasure could we expect to find?

And yet scripture reminds us that with salvation comes another gift.

I have a hope for you today. Today and always, really. That within your celebrations and moments of worship, you sense the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

May the Holy Spirit guide you to God's peace when circumstances feel tense. If anxiousness and animosity show their faces, may the Holy Spirit propel your joy, God's joy, to take over. When pride and indifference fill your thoughts, may God's Spirit bring you back to earth and love.

God's gift is not a season. Not even a celebration. But a constant renewal and transformation. According to the hope of eternal life, may the Spirit of God draw you ever closer to the perfect will and love of God.

Merry Christmas.

Stay blessed...john

It happens to us preachers. Sunday afternoon or Monday morning we'll kick ourselves because we forgot to say something in the sermon we thought was important. That happened to me this week. As it often is for me, there was one sentence I wanted to say. One thing that would tie everything together.

We read from Luke about Mary visiting Elizabeth. The women rejoiced together because they had a strong sense of what God was about to do through Mary's child. We remembered Mary's song of praise and the upside down kingdom she saw coming. The sermon was about us being love in the flesh in that kingdom.

The night before, our church had just hosted a fun, big community event. It was a love-in-the-flesh kind of gathering. But it cost us thousands of dollars to pull off. We weren't going to be able to do that again right away. So, I also mentioned another incarnational example. It was a simple Christmas card someone gave to another person. The one who received the card was in tears because it was the first card someone gave them since as long as they could remember. Plus, it had been a difficult season for them, to say the least.

I'm sure many of you have stories like that. Either you've helped people who were in pain or you were the one struggling. Either way, there's something important to remember that I forgot to mention in my sermon. We aren't just doing good deeds to fill our time or even to feel good about ourselves. Many of us will soon hear the words from the prophet Isaiah: The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light (Isaiah 9:2). Praise God for that light. That light is our salvation.

But the light appeared to the people who walked in darkness. The people. If I ever forget to say it, don't forget the people. Behind every act of compassion, every kind gesture and every thoughtful gift is someone loved by God. Look them in the eyes. Learn their name. Listen to their story. As you do, you'll discover how much the light means to them--and maybe why God loves them so much.

Stay blessed...john

Waiting is a major theme of Advent. We remember that God's people waited for the promise of Messiah. They prayed and waited and waited and prayed until Christ came into the world. Jesus' birth was the fulfillment of God's promise and the waiting came to an end. But after Jesus resurrected and ascended into heaven, a new waiting began.

Now, God's people wait for the return of Christ. Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. Have you ever been so saddened and burdened by what's happening in the world that you've prayed for Christ to come back soon? If so, you've had a taste of how God's people waited and prayed before.

That's our faith's big-picture waiting. But we also have everyday life prayers we wait for. And learning to wait for Christ's return teaches us how to wait for those more personal promises.

There's a particular detail about Isaac you might miss in Genesis 25. The text says Isaac married Rebekah when he was forty years old. You don't read any details about their marriage or family except for one thing. The text says, "Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless" (25:21). Barrenness had multiple interpretations, none of them positive. So, Isaac prayed and God heard.

Rebekah became pregnant and we get a first glimpse at the struggle her children will have later in life. But, notice, after we're told Isaac prayed, after Rebekah questioned her pregnancy and God answered her, the text tells us something else about Isaac. It's the detail we should pay attention to. "Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to them" (25:26).

Potentially, then, Isaac prayed and waited and waited and prayed for twenty years for the answer to his prayer.

Is that something you've had to do? Is that something you think you could do? You may have to. So, whatever you're praying for, waiting to hear from God on, learn to pray and wait with faith and patience.

Stay blessed...john

I've been thinking a lot about what church would be without church. That is to say, most of us can't imagine being a part of a church without a building to house us.

It almost seems impossible to have a church without a church facility.

And yet many Christians pull it off. Christians have long, long fulfilled the commission to make disciples without buildings. Many still do today. In my recent meandering, I've recognized I'm grateful every congregation I've served had an address. There were many meaningful and holy moments there. At the same time, there was always a struggle to extend our mission away from church. It's as if real ministry can only happen a that holy address.

When I visited other congregations, I began to notice something. A lot of churches love their church buildings. Guess what many of us put on the cover of our weekly bulletins, monthly newsletters and letterhead. Buildings. We even put them on our website and t-shirts. Oh, and don't forget all the pictures we hang in our hallways.

Not that a physical location can't be a blessing. It certainly can be and often is. But it can also be a hindrance. An escape, even. I used to think that constructing a new church building was the apex of ministry. No one ever told me that. It was just too hard to ignore how much we overvalued the effort.

I want to imagine more ministry away from the church so the church can be the church. So we can experience more incarnational ministry in the places where people are. Hebrews reminds its readers others once aligned them with insulted and afflicted people. The Hebrews community once were "partners" with those people. Theirs was a bold ministry because of it.

I suppose what I've been reflecting on is this question. How much do our buildings take us away from that kind of bold ministry?

The incarnation started in a manger. Whether it was at the inn like our Christmas plays illustrate or, more likely, in a room in someone's house, there was an address of some sort. But the incarnation didn't stay there. Does God want us to stay at our holy address?

Stay blessed...john

From time to time, a conversation I had with a 90-year-old saint comes to mind. We had been at a church event one morning. It was one of those kind where everyone shows up. In the midst of the hurry of the event, I sat down to visit for a moment with my friend. We said how good is was to see everyone and that things were looking well. Then he said something I wasn't expecting. He said, "I hope we're actually teaching them about Jesus."

There's a difference between child-like faith and childish faith. Child-like faith is Jesus centered. This faith forms out of humility, wonder and trust. Childish faith is self centered. It's the image of a child pouting for what they want or because of what they didn't get. No matter our age, either faith is a choice we make. The years you accumulate in church do not automatically equate to holiness and discipleship. You decide what faith you will pursue and nurture.

Jesus once addressed a crowd about the message they heard from John the Baptist. Parenthetically, Luke tells us even tax collectors "acknowledged the justice of God" (7:29). But the Pharisees and other religious teachers "rejected God's purpose for themselves"(7:30). Jesus responded by offering an illustration. What were the "people of this generation" like? They were like children playing in the marketplace. Now, they weren't having fun. Instead, they complained because they couldn't make people play by their rules.

Reflection is looking back to live forward. You learn to look back on life experiences, good or bad, to appreciate what they meant to you. To understand their impact on who you were then and who you are now. But you don't have to only think of big experiences. John Wesley's Holy Club had a list of 22 questions they reflected on at the end of each day.

We also reflect on what we hear and read in scripture or about God's word. You could spend money on Bible study curriculum. But what if people in our churches took more time to reflect on each week's sermon instead? Looking back, reflecting, on scripture teaches us to notice more of the Spirit's voice. The more we reflect, the more Bible reading becomes more than Bible reading.

In the final chapter of Acts, the apostle Paul met with a group of Jewish leaders. He wanted to see and speak with them and they wanted to hear from him. After sharing with the leaders "from morning until evening," the inevitable happened. "Some were convinced by what he said, while others refused to believe." That's the reality of sharing the gospel. Some people receive it and others do not.

Paul had one final thing to say to the leaders as they were leaving. He quoted the prophet Isaiah, but notice how he introduced the passage. He said, "The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your ancestors."

The apostle offered his hearers a chance to reflect on a word they knew. A word spoken to their ancestors. Isaiah spoke to a previous generation, but, through the Holy Spirit, those words were speaking to Paul's audience that day. And through the same Holy Spirit, as we learn to reflect on what we read, those words can speak to us today.

Stay blessed...john

Discipleship is central to everything we are and all we do as God's church. With as much as there can be to say about discipleship, the idea is pretty simple.

I'm grateful people have asked me, What is a disciple? For a while, I've gone with what I consider an easy definition of discipleship. A disciple is anyone who is learning about Jesus, in order to live like Jesus because they love Jesus. Again, we can explore much more about each of the three parts to that definition. But I also appreciate an even more concise answer. Simply said, discipleship is imitation.

Those three words also allow us to clarify at least two important things. First, you can be anyone's disciple. We might have a hard time answering what Jesus would do or say. But we can easily answer what our go-to political pundits think. We may even repeat what we hear from them. In a sense, that's imitation.

Parents often worry about the kinds of friends their children have. Why? Imitation.

The other important lesson centers on what we are becoming. Discipleship includes spiritual disciplines. That is, a disciple prays, studies scripture, worships and serves. The reality is anyone can go to church and even bow their head to pray. A disciple, though, understands those practices are a part of God's transformation. They are not the end all themselves. Who you are becoming is what makes you a disciple. If you're imitating Jesus, you're becoming more Christ-like. That's what makes you a disciple of Jesus.

And as we're learning more about Jesus, God has given us other examples to follow. You may recall the great faith chapter in Hebrews. It was important for the writer to look back on ancient examples of faith. But she also turns our attention to the present. Hebrews 13 says, "Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith." So, we can also say discipleship is imitating others imitating Jesus.

The question is not if we're imitating someone. It's who we're imitating. As God's people, our highest priority is discipleship, imitating Jesus. If not, who are we becoming?

Stay blessed...john

Some of us have the spiritual gift of generosity. Giving is easy for those people. And it's not only about having the finances to be generous. It's an attitude that looks first to the love of God and the sacrifice of Jesus. The gift of generosity compels those people to give in ways that might make the rest of us uncomfortable or reluctant.

I'm grateful we recognize generosity as a gift of God's spirit. It gives us a chance to reflect on how meaningful giving is to our faith. There are, at least, three ways generosity builds the church.

First, generosity is a blessing. When generosity meets a need, we help take care of a part of someone's life. This weekend, our church gave an impromptu gift to a neighbor who lost his home in a fire Sunday morning. The neighbor's tears showed me they knew it was a blessing.

Second, ministry happens because of generosity. I need to remind you kingdom ministry comes in many forms. But generosity also takes on many forms. And, often, it doesn't cost anything. Still, there are financial ministry needs generosity supports. Even Jesus had people who gave money to maintain his public ministry (Luke 8:3). Generosity can help establish, maintain and even strengthen ministry.

Finally, generosity is contagious. Around Christmas time I remember a saint who is no longer with us. She used to provide tamales for our last food pantry opening before Christmas. She was an older widow who provided tamales for over 100 people. And everyone loved it--it was a treat. The year she passed away, someone else found out about her tamale tradition and decided to keep it going. Plus, the person who made the tamales made breakfast for another month. That's how generosity works. It inspires. It helps us see what we can be a part of that can make a difference in the world.

So, if generosity is your gift, thank you for using it for God's glory. If it isn't, thank you for being generous even when you didn't' feel like it. And look to others to show you how fun generosity can be.

Stay blessed...john

In Luke's gospel, other than Jesus' baptism, there is no direct interaction between John and Jesus. Now, we know John baptized Jesus. For one, that's what John was doing. Secondly, there are other gospel accounts of Jesus' baptism that tell us so. Notice, though, Luke's text doesn't say specifically John baptized the Lord. Again, there's no direct interaction between the two cousins.

Maybe that helps account for John's worry. John was in jail and sent his disciples to ask Jesus a question. "Are you the one who is to come, or are we to expect someone else" (Luke 7:21)? In other words, have I wasted my time with you? Am I in jail for someone who isn't who I thought he was?

Have you ever wondered the same or struggled with a similar question?

Jesus inaugurated his ministry by quoting from the prophet Isaiah. One of the signs of the Spirit's anointing Isaiah saw was that Messiah would "proclaim release to the captives" (Luke 3:18). Well, John is a captive. Where's his proclamation?

Jesus answers John by asking John's disciples to share what they have seen and heard. What Isaiah once saw is now happening, and then some! Even though it wouldn't happen for John, it was happening. That is was happening was a sign to the people of God's justice. The forgotten, the marginalized and the nobodies were experiencing God's grace in a way they didn't now was possible. That was John's answer.

Much of ministry success today looks for different answers. Have we met the budget? Have we filled a few more pews? Is everyone happy with what we're doing? We're convinced God is moving if we can answer yes. But isn't the Spirit's anointing meant for so much more? Don't you want to see the nobodies know Jesus? Don't you want people to know the freedom and power of God's grace?

If you believe Jesus is Messiah, look for how it's already happening and pray you can share in his  kingdom ministry. You may have to learn something new, do something new or even become something new. But you'll see the Spirit's work in a more profound way.

Stay blessed...john

Especially around the Christmas season, people will say, "Don't be a Scrooge," or "Don't be a Grinch." Of course, I know what we mean when we say that. Don't be greedy or cold-heart like Ebenezer Scrooge was. The world doesn't need another Who-hating person. So, don't be mean to others. Yes, those are all worthy encouragements. But we'd actually do better by being more Scrooge and Grinch like.

When we tell each other to not be Scrooge or Grinch, we're remembering one part of each character's story. How would you like it if everyone only remembered you for your shortcomings? Both Scrooge and Grinch are different people by the time we finish their stories. Didn't Tiny Tim want people to remember the change God brought to people? That people would see him, sickly as he was, and on Christmas remember the one "who made lame beggars walk, and blind men see."

Both Scrooge and Grinch had their heart's eyes awakened by love's pull. Both became something new afterwards. We find out Scrooge can compliment people. And he can smile as he shares a Christmas Day meal with his nephew and family. The Grinch's heart grew three sizes, which should be a medical emergency, but was a sign of his change. He brought all the toys and food back and even carved the roast beast.

The prophet Isaiah told of a day when Egypt would know the Lord. Remember Israel's experience with Egypt to appreciate the power of that vision. Scripture envisions Egypt as the oppressor. But God can make us all new.

Just because the first part of your story isn't everything you'd hope it would be, there's time for more.

So, I say, "Be a Scrooge." "Be a Grinch." Be someone willing to change. Be open to the power of God's love in a new way that refreshes your soul and makes you a new person. What in your life do you struggle the most to acknowledge about yourself? Start there. Ask God to put a new song in your heart that gives God praise (Psalm 40:3).

Stay blessed...john