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Ruth 1:18-22 Naomi saw a nagging determination in Ruth. Ruth was not going to leave her mother-in-law to fend for herself. You may recall, both women lost their husbands. Naomi lost two sons and her husband. One of her daughters-in-law already left for home after her husband died. Naomi's charge to them both was to leave because she had nothing to offer them. They were still young enough to build a new family. But Ruth was not having it. Once Naomi realized this, she "said no more to her." She accepted her companionship. Still, her heart was empty. The two women journeyed to Bethlehem, where Naomi was from. When they arrived there, the town recognized her. And yet they weren't sure they did. "Is this Naomi?" they asked. It probably wasn't her years away from Bethlehem that made her almost unrecognizable. Instead, her loss and deep grief had taken a toll on her. While her people were happy to see her, she had a different response. Naomi's name means  ...

Ezekiel 14:12-23 In Noah's story, depending on your sources, millions or billions of people died (Genesis 6-8). Those who opposed Daniel and his three friends were "torn limb from limb" or didn't last long in the lion's den (Daniel 3, 6). And just about everyone in Job's life died. All that to say, death surrounds these biblical heroes. A lot of death. In one of Ezekiel's visions, death would still follow them. The prophet's message was that of God's coming judgement. God's people had not been faithful, taking "their idols into their hearts" (Ezekiel 14:3). So much so, the impending consequence could not be avoided. Not even if Noah, Daniel and Job showed up together in one place! No ark, no lion's den and no dung heap would halt God's coming judgement. Humans and animals would be "cut off" from Jerusalem (14:21). But a remnant would remain. What a glorious reminder repeated in scripture! This remnant would offer con...

Acts 9:32-35 Many of the "acts" of the apostles were miracles that brought healing and restoration. I'd love that every prayer would bring immediate power like that today. Some would say I can't or won't see that because I haven't believed strong enough. I don't know how to pray for such a thing to happen, apparently. Well, if that's true, it's not for a lack of desire! Oh, how I wish we would see more miracles. I trust God has the power for them. And I'm convinced God desires our wholeness. Still, many prayers find their answers apart from the healing we might pray for. That seems to be how prayer "works." In Acts 9, the immediate healing of Aeneas is a short story--three verses. People had known Aeneas bedridden for several years. Peter told him to get up and make his bed, and he did. From there, "all the residents...saw him and turned to the Lord" (9:35). His healing (and Peter's prayer?) was a testimony for other peo...

  Exodus 4:1-17 Most of us can probably relate to Moses. God showed up in a burning bush and told Moses he had a new job. Moses either realized the absurdity of the call or felt the pressure of his insecurities. Or maybe a little bit of both. For anyone who has ever doubted themselves, this story hits home. Don't think you're the only one that's ever tried to convince God to pick someone else. We come from a long line of excuse makers. So, you might as well forego the temptation to negotiate with God. Just listen to the call! As much as we might relate to Moses, though, we actually connect more with the rest of the Israelites. There was only one Moses. While he may have battled with self-doubt, he was sure the people of God wouldn't believe or listen to him. Why would they? Who was he to lead them? He had no eloquence or, seemingly, real confidence. And if you know the Exodus story, you know the constant struggle between Moses and the Israelites. They followed his lead,...

  Nehemiah 1:1-11 Nehemiah 8:10 is an important verse for me. You may remember Nehemiah's words to the people as they wept: The joy of the Lord is your strength. That was his response as the people mourned their sin. They had just heard from God's word. And there were those who explained what they heard. The people, then, knew they had transgressed. So, they wept. Nehemiah, though, shifted their sorrow. I've long since traded my sorrow for God's joy. It's the reason I'm annoyingly hopeful and cheerful. Some might say joy is the only thing I take seriously. I'd be okay with that. Just know the joy of the Lord isn't superficial. It's not an escape from what is really happening in the world. Joy is the conviction of God's goodness despite life's cruelty. Nehemiah wasn't asking the people to forget their sorrow. He was showing them how to hold it in perspective. Remember this: the scene where Nehemiah shares that encouragement started somepla...

  Hebrew 7:1-10 We know little about Melchizedek. Most of what I've ever read about him is a repeat of what's written in Hebrews 7. He's an important figure in Hebrews because, in part, of his appearance in Genesis 14. If you recall, he met Abram, bringing bread and wine to celebrate the patriarch's victory. Then he blessed Abram. That's when Abram gave the priest a "tenth of everything." Abram's tithe came from the spoils of defeating "Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him" (Genesis 14: 17). Four different kings, if you're keeping score. For Hebrews, Abram's tithe to Melchizedek illustrates the priest's superiority. Abram's offering is no small act and Melchizedek is no small figure. As important as he was, though, Jesus as our high priest is greater. Though Melchizedek's priesthood remains forever, it is now unnecessary because of Jesus' priesthood. Melchizedek stands out because of one act. We remember what he d...

  John 13:1-17 There's some knowing and not knowing happening in John 13. Jesus knew his hour had come (13:1). He also knew "the Father had given all things into his hands and that he had come from God and was going to God" (13:3). Peter didn't know what Jesus was doing washing the disciples' feet. But Jesus knew which disciple would soon betray him. After the foot washing, the Lord asked the disciples, "Do you know what I have done to you" (13:12)? Finally, blessings come to those who "do" the things they know Jesus taught them. I'm going to give the disciples a little more credit than we tend to in this story. At least Peter, since he's the one mentioned. Jesus has had time to reflect on the outcome of his ministry. He understood what things were probably going to happen leading up to his "hour." That hour, of course, isn't a specific time. It's an event. And Jesus had spent time in prayer about all this. He had refl...

  Psalm 75:1-10 I had a Psalm 75:1 moment this weekend. Our church hosted a community event and hundreds of people stopped by for candy and fun. Most people had something to say about my  almost  costume. I've lost a few pounds, but I can still play a great Shrek. One person, though, could not have cared less about what I was wearing. A woman approached me, ready to share something I needed to hear. She had come to our annual event for several years. Her daughter and grandchildren were always with her before. But her daughter wasn't there this year. That's because, "Pastor," she said, "we put my daughter through school!" Yes, her daughter went to class and did all the school work, but "we all finished with her." The daughter now has a master's degree and a dream job in a new city. I could hear her emotion louder than the music blaring next to us and the hum of hundreds of candy goers. She wore a smile better than any costume anyone else was...

  Hebrews 6:1-12 Wesleyan theology puts an emphasis on sanctification. Entire sanctification at that. We value the belief our faith can come to full fruition even in this life time. The other word we often use to label that experience is perfection. Yes, child of God, you can be perfect here and now. Many of us often mistake what we mean by perfection. No, we aren't perfect people, without fault or sin. We're not Jesus. But we do have the Spirit Jesus promised working within us. So, our faith is growing. We're becoming more like Jesus in thought and deed. The fruit of the Holy Spirit takes root in our hearts as we continue in life. And that can fill us so much with the love of God there's no room for anything else: perfection. For most of us, our journey to perfection takes a lifetime. But I appreciate greatly Phoebe Palmer's conviction. Church history considers her the mother of the holiness movement. She had strong Methodist roots and a great desire to pursue Chri...

  Revelation 17:1-18 "Bad news isn't wine. It doesn't improve with age." I haven't found the context for that quote from Colin Powell. But bad news is bad news. So, I can appreciate what his quote means. We can even apply it to scripture today. First, let me confess. I don't always look forward to writing a reflection on anything from Revelation. Do I have to describe beasts and battles again? But, today, a little apocalyptic literature might be good for the soul. In our reading today, guess what, there's a beast. It has seven heads. There's also, though, a woman John sees. His vision is of a woman "clothed in purple scarlet and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls" (Revelation 17:4). In other words, she has it all. This is, of course, no ordinary woman. Most likely, the woman, labeled the "great whore," represents Babylon and her religious practices. John sees her "drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of the wit...

  Genesis 14: 17-24 If it weren't for the references in Hebrews 5, 6 & 7, most of us would not give much attention to Melchizedek. We'd just be glad it wasn't our turn to read scripture when his name came up. There are two Old Testament passages that mention the ancient priest-king. Psalm 110 first mentions his perpetual priesthood--whatever that means. Genesis 14 offers a brief interaction between Melchizedek, Abram and the king of Sodom. From this story, chances are, you may come away with more questions than answers about who he was. We do know what his name meant. Melchizedek means "king of righteousness." In this encounter we get a glimpse of the righteousness he upheld. He blessed Abram and gave God praise for Abram's important victory. Now, what do we know of the king of Sodom? For our reflection today, we only need to recall Sodom's reputation. Both kings have approached Abram after his defeat of an opposing king. Both have something to offer. ...

First, Tom was in a restaurant. Then he ended up in a Barnes and Nobles. Joseph and I were just glad he could make it from Wisconsin this week.   Stay blessed...john

  Luke 16:19-31 Recently, I watched a presentation by Reverend Candace Lewis. She shared something at the Leadership Institute at Church of the Resurrection I've been reflecting on since. It's taken a while, but one lesson has come across enough in local church ministry that it's easier to talk about. More of us can now distinguish between ministry  to  someone and ministry  with  someone.  To  someone is a service. Now, it may be a necessary and beneficial service.  To  someone can quickly meet needs and provide relief. Our perspective changes, though, when  with  replaces  to .  With  someone ensures dignity and compassion. It also nurtures relationships and fosters greater community. It's also a reminder we're all in this world with each other, with God. Dr. Lewis presented a third option. She asked listeners if their churches were simply "in" their neighborhood or community.  To- someone ministry is helpful....

  Psalm 39 A few weeks ago I preached a sermon based on Mark 9. Jesus said if your hand, foot or eye causes you to sin, cut it off. I told the congregation to consider what body parts they'd be left with if they had to cut off what made them sin. After worship, someone jokingly confessed they'd never speak again. They would have had to cut off their tongue. I imagine that's true for a lot of us. What is it about putting our foot in our mouth that is so common? We all say things we don't really mean. Words pour out that we didn't even know we were thinking. The maturing among us learn to acknowledge when that happens. We own up to what we've said and how it came across. Some stick to blaming others for taking things the wrong way. We aren't given a specific circumstance behind the words of Psalm 39. The psalm's title says it's merely a psalm of David. Some have suggested the psalm relates to his experience with Bathsheba. Others suggest David is an ol...

  Obadiah 1-9 Based on its etymology, you can say part of what it means to be arrogant is to be overbearing. An arrogant person can overwhelm others with their haughty attitudes and self aggrandizing. It can be much to listen to someone go on and on about how good they are, especially in relation to other people. To add injury to insult, arrogant people may rely on their lowly opinions of others to excuse or dismiss inappropriate behavior. It's easy to mock someone you already think less of. Spend your time thinking too much of yourself and you're bound to belittle the people around you. One word to associate with the message of the book of Obadiah is arrogance. Edom had been arrogant in their relation to Israel (even God). Edom refused to help Israel in their desert wandering (Numbers 20). One could, perhaps, chalk that up to sibling and tribal rivalry. But Obadiah's vision also includes other reminders. Edom joined Israel's enemies and even "gloated" over Is...

  Deuteronomy 5:22-33 Preachers love GPS illustrations. Since those devices became wildly accessible, countless sermons have included them. Messages about directions of life, turn arounds, recalculating and even listening to the GPS voice. The illustration has navigated itself to almost cliché status. So, here's my take on the GPS illustration. When I attended seminary I also served a student appointment. That meant a full time school schedule and a (wink, wink) part time pastor's schedule. To say the least, if I wasn't at school, I was at church. And if I wasn't at church, I was at school. Consequently, in my four years in the DFW metroplex, I never got comfortable with the area, only my everyday route. I just wanted the GPS to take me where I wanted.  I forget where streets end up and what neighborhoods are where. If I traveled on my own, I'd be lost without the GPS device. If the Bible is God's GPS, that sounds like a good thing to say about it. In one sense,...

  Deuteronomy 5:1-21 I took one preaching class in seminary. In that class, I learned how to preach a five minute sermon, even though I rarely preach a five minute sermon. And our professor encouraged us to preach a series on the Ten Commandments. It took me a decade to finally get around to doing that. His recommendation was to not preach a sermon on the commandments, but a sermon on each commandment. So, earlier this year, I did just that. And I appreciated the chance to look at each commandment on its own. It gave me a chance to highlight something Moses said to the people. My series focused mainly on the Exodus recording of the commandments. But, in Deuteronomy, Moses tells Israel to "learn them and be careful do them" (5:1b). Two things came to mind in that reflection. First, to learn them doesn't only mean being able to recite them. For example, one of the commandments instructs the people to put no other gods before God. I can recite that easily. But can I identify...

  Jeremiah 3:6-14 In scripture, the image of a faithful marriage is a reflection of our communion with God. And God's faithfulness to us. Of course, the opposite is true, too. We know what adultery is and what it does to a family. Do we know what unfaithfulness does to God? Thankfully, God receives his adulterine children. But God also knows who we are. A parent can sense when her child just wants to return to good graces. The child will say they are sorry. They may even clean their room or take out the trash. When Mom or Dad seem satisfied, the child carries on like before. God's people fit that bill. Israel had turned from God and Judah followed her example. Notice words like divorce, faithless and "prostituted herself" in today's reading. God saw how the people chose to live and saw their lives as adulterous. This was adultery in the extreme. Still, the Lord told Irsrael, "I am your husband" (Jeremiah 3:14). Judah, apparently, said they were sorry. Wh...

  1 Corinthians 7:10-16 I preach with a twofold goal I don't know I always fulfill. First, I want to inform, instruct and encourage. A listener shouldn't have to figure out what I'm talking about. There needs to be a clarity to what I say. But, secondly, I want you to leave a sermon wondering what else I meant. In a way, I want to point you towards more questions than certainty. Clarity and mystery should meet so that a message is more than a presentation or TED talk. That's how I leave reading Paul's instructions on married life in 1 Corinthians. On one hand, there are straight forward thoughts. Don't divorce, mainly. Scripture doesn't promote or celebrate divorce. Still, there are exceptions where divorce is acceptable. It's helpful to recognize Paul is addressing specific questions asked of him. And his responses may or may not be most helpful in all situations for us today. He's also aware of particular ideas circulating through the church. Some ...

  Psalm 55:1-15 Ever had a "wanna get away" moment? In the Southwest Airlines commercials people find themselves in circumstances they'd rather not be. It's humorous for us onlookers because we can feel the tension. Being in those moments is different. And I'm not thinking of the awkward kind in the commercials. No, think of the trying times you've endured before. What valleys have you struggled to find your way through? Reflecting on my moments, I had times I would have preferred to get away. Lord, take me away--another famous line of commercials. Remove me from the situation, from the pressure and the stress of it all. Let me be anywhere in the world besides this meeting. This argument or this circumstance. The psalmist understood this feeling. His situation had something to do with betrayal and deception. You expect your enemy's opposition. But there's a certain sting when "sweet fellowship" turns against you. This was a "wanna get aw...

  Romans 8:1-11 Confirmation Sunday is a wonderful day when our youth confirm the faith their family has given them. We say that part of their confirmation is deciding to make their faith their own. It's a rite of passage acknowledging their maturity and the calling God gives to us all. And confirmation has a long-standing tradition in some churches. I'm still reflecting on something I learned about our Methodist association with confirmation. Did you know early Methodists did not have confirmation? Oh, they had young people, to be sure. But they hadn't incorporated this practice. Confirmation was something other established churches did. The Methodists had no need for it. Methodists confirmed their faith every week! Their desire to "flee the wrath to come" centered their conversations around God's grace. They knew their sin kept them experiencing new life in Christ. So, they confessed their sin to one another. Prayer wasn't a task best left to some clergy...