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Don't tell anyone! Yesterday, I snuck in a new verse to "Because He Lives." I don't know if that's some kind of copyright infringement, but I did it.  The verse is based on 1 Peter 1:3-9, which we used as our call to worship. I took the cue from GBOD and had people from the congregation stand to read each verse. I actually forgot who was doing the readings. So, I didn't know everyone who would stand and speak. It was intriguing to wait and see where the next voice came from.  My message was about believing and having life in Jesus' name. Knowing so many people love that song, it felt like a great spot to tie in the 1 Peter passage.  I don't know if anyone noticed that it wasn't the usual second verse. But I can tell you they sang it! Though trials may come and fear would shake us, we still rejoice with precious faith. We may not see the face of Jesus, but we believe and give him all our greatest praise. Stay blessed...john

  1 Corinthians 11:23-26 Listen to today’s devotional There's a strange habit in the church. On the biggest days like Christmas or Easter ,  when our sanctuaries are full, and the energy is high, somebody inevitably asks, “Should we skip communion…to save time?” The apostle Paul doesn’t give us that option in 1 Corinthians 11. Admittedly, he doesn't tell us how often to have the sacred meal. But he does say, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” That means we shouldn't lose sight of something that happens at Communion. We have to stop thinking of Communion as a filler. Scripture says it is its own proclamation. It’s the sermon you can taste and hold. It’s embodied theology because you don’t just hear it, you receive it. And if that’s true, then what are we saying when we skip it on the very days we celebrate incarnation and resurrection, especially just to get people out the door earlier? What are we proclaimin...

  John 12:1-9 Listen to today’s devotional A family member once gave me an entire box of cologne that I forgot in the trunk of my car. After a while, the box took on one too many turns, and the bottles inside came out. I knew immediately when one of the bottles finally broke. The smell quickly covered the entire car. And there was no hiding or containing the smell for weeks. In John 12, Mary breaks open a jar of expensive perfume and pours it on Jesus’ feet. John tells us the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. Not only was it costly and excessive, but the smell was also unmistakable. I imagine it lingered for a while, too. I'll offer to you today that that is what happens when we do not contain our love for God. Of course, Judas made a stink about it. From his distance, Mary's devotion looks wasteful. It doesn’t make sense to pour out something so valuable in a single moment. But Jesus doesn’t feel the same way. He corrected Judas and received her gift. Because...

 It's not too late to invite someone to church for Easter.  Stay blessed...john

Genesis 28:10-17 Sorry! My allergies didn’t let me record an audio version today. As part of a recent class, I was instructed to take a prayer walk at a local park. I'm used to doing that at my local church. So, I decided my prayer walk that day would be at the church just one block from where I was. This happened to be one of the largest congregations in my denomination. That means the walk took a while. As I made my way around the huge area, I noticed the usual things you might encounter on a prayer walk. I heard the birds, saw the trees beginning to bloom, heard children playing in a church playground, and noticed how even the wind seemed to be walking with me. At several points, I looked up at the massive building that houses this congregation. When I did, a question came to mind: Why here? At some point, the land where I walked was nothing like it was that day. Someone decided that this place would be where this church would worship and serve. Was it the potential for communit...

  Psalm 95:1-5 Click here to listen to today's devotional This week, I was asked to lead worship for a small group. Now, I've already told them what I usually say first. I don't sing well. Singing is not something I should be leading other human voices in. Of course, I do sing. I just sing the way a grateful heart sometimes does when it forgets who's listening and remembers who is worthy. While I played my guitar for the group, I couldn't help but sing as I led the song  Great Are You, Lord.  I told the group that we were about to sing one of my favorite lines. I'll make a loud and joyful noise for this one: All the earth will shout your praise Our hearts will cry These bones will say Great are You, Lord That's an image from the prophet Ezekiel. He saw a valley of dry bones with no life or breath. Then, today, I read from Psalm 95. The psalm is a familiar invitation to worship the God who formed the earth and holds the depths of the world in holy hands. Toge...

  Micah 7:18-20 Click here to listen The prophet Micah ends his prophecy in a way I hope we allow our faith to end. He doesn't land on an answer. He's astonished at the thought of the God he knows. "Who is a God like you...?" he asks. Of all the things he could say about the Lord, the prophet is astonished by God's mercy and compassion. That's a bit of a surprise ending. It turns out to be a doxology we can emulate. Micah has spent chapters calling out the corruption of God's people. Leaders have exploited those they were supposed to serve. Prophets put on religious performances while ignoring social injustices. He has given some harsh prophetic judgment. After naming these kinds of realities, it would be easy to grow cynical, easy to assume things will never change. But Micah doesn't end that way. He lifts his eyes. Who is a God like this? Let's call this the shock of mercy. Of course, God judges, but God also forgives. God sees sin and still give...

I know I'm supposed to be against fog machines in church.  But it's almost Transfiguration Sunday. And what's so bad about experiencing worship?  Don't ask what got into me, but I wrote Sunday's sermon on Monday morning. That's the upcoming Sunday on the previous Monday, not the other way around. As I was reading and writing, I kept thinking about the cloud that covered Jesus and his disciples.  I've seen pastors use cheap mountain top backdrops. Some bring ladders to worship to talk about mountain-top experiences. And I know the preaching world if full of corny mountain-climbing illustrations.  So, what's wrong with a fog machine? I mean, if I was Catholic or Eastern Orthodox, wouldn't I be used to smoke in worship? Stay blessed...john

  Psalm 42:1-5 Listen to today's devotional Recently, I heard The Bible Project discuss a paradox reflected in Psalm 42. It's the idea that in God we have everything we need. God is enough. But as we seek God, we long for more. I know I want a strong faith. I want to feel that my faith in God is full, confident, and that in Christ I am satisfied. Psalm 42 opens with another equally important image. It's not one of fullness, but of thirst. The psalmist describes a deep longing for God, even though he already knows the Lord as his solid rock. That reminds me that our faith isn't a final resting place. It is an ongoing thirst for God. And that thirst is not a weakness, as if to imply you're lacking something. Only living things get thirsty. Living faith longs for more. Do you have a spiritual hunger? I'd be worried if I didn't. That hunger doesn't mean something is wrong. It means something is awake in you. There's an ache for God that doesn't show ...

  Psalm 146:5-10 Listen to today's devotional There's a kind of happiness the world can't give. As the song says, the world can't take it away from you either. Psalm 146 describes a happiness that doesn't depend on a perfect morning, an easy week, or everything going the way you planned. This happiness is a blessed assurance that you are held by God, who keeps faith forever. The psalm opens with praise and circles back to it at the end. It's like the psalmist knew how easily we can drift. We start with good intentions, but life has a way of distracting us. Our problems get loud. Our worries push their way to the forefront of our lives. Before we realize it, our trust has slipped into whatever feels most accessible right now. That's why the psalmist points us toward praise. Praise doesn't ignore reality; it helps us regain perspective. Praise reminds us of what stays true about God. We can see God again and realize that what frightens us doesn't frigh...

  Psalm 117 Listen to today's devotional It's easy to see how divided our world can be. People separate themselves into categories, labels, and sides. We draw lines that distinguish ourselves from others in subtle and bold ways. And then we defend those lines with all our strength. So, let's reflect on something God desires for our world. Listen again to the psalmist say, "Praise the Lord, all you nations! Worship him, all you people!" Everyone is included in the call to worship. This short psalm refuses to let us shrivel God down to fit inside our boundaries. We can't read it and assume God’s love is only for people who look like us, think like us, vote like us, worship like us, or agree with us. Instead, it widens the circle until we can’t see the edges anymore. Recently, Pope Leo XIV released an apostolic letter titled "In the Unity of Faith" to commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. He emphasized that the creed isn't ju...

  Psalm 117 Listen to today's devotional It amazes me how other people can reflect theologically on things that I would not have considered on my own. There are endless ideas to explore when it comes to understanding theology, biblical studies, and religious studies. For me, studying these kinds of things is a form of worship of the loving God who gives us insight and wisdom. And I always encourage others to learn how to think through them, too. At the same time, I've also learned we can overcomplicate faith. Or at least, we make it harder than it needs to be. We pile on expectations, rules, church politics, spiritual checklists, and the pressure to "get it right." Of course, those have their place, usually a good place, but they can also distract us. Then two simple verses remind us that the foundations of faith don't have to be complicated. Psalm 117 is just 17 words in Hebrew. Those few words, though, hold what we need to know about God and our relation to God....

Psalm 8:1-4 No audio devotional today :( My wife and I added bubble parties to our small business venture. We love spreading joy, and there's something about bubbles that makes everyone happy. At a bubble party this weekend, I noticed something you've probably seen, too. Every time a child showed up to the party and saw all the soapy, floating spheres, the first thing they would say was, "Bubbles!"  I started thinking, What makes a child feel like they have to say it out loud every time? My guess is they can’t keep the joy to themselves. It’s like their hearts recognize something wonderful and their mouths just respond. They don’t analyze the situation. They don’t hold back. It's almost like they can't. They just say it: Bubbles! Don't you think that's what praise should be? Real joy that we experience in God overflows from our hearts. When we pay attention to something beautiful that God has done, it’s natural to speak it, to sing it, and to let it ri...

  Psalm 78:1-8 Listen to today's devotional Psalm 78 envisions an experience that churches can use to model intergenerational practices. The psalm underscores the importance of remembering God's past acts of salvation and deliverance. Included in that remembrance is the often unfaithful response of the people. Most notable in this psalm is the insistence that this recounting be shared among all generations. The older generations have heard of God's deeds from their ancestors. Now, they shall not "hide" these experiences from their children but share them. This sharing will spread to the "next generation." As a result, they will "set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments." Faith and discipleship take root in a community's shared experiences. Psalm 78 doesn't imagine an accidental gathering of the generations. Instead, it sees a deliberate effort to form young people in the knowledge and trust of Go...

  Psalm 139:1-6 Listen to today's devotional Stevie Wonder's song  Isn't She Lovely  celebrates the gift of his newborn daughter. The joy of the song comes out of life born out of the action and communion of love. Love through connection. That's what we believe about God, too. Wherever God is, whatever God is, God is with you. God is with us. That's an astounding tenet of our faith. John Wesley said that it was the best of all things on his deathbed. Our faith proclaims a God who is relational, communal and present. That shows us what love truly is. Often, we reduce love to a feeling. Culture depicts love as mostly emotion. But scripture pushes us deeper. Love isn't less than feeling, but it is so, so much more. Love is connection. And God is that connection. In the Trinity, for example, we glimpse a God who is love through eternal relationship. That God is willing to connect with us is the greatest signpost to love. God is not distant. God is here, connected to...

  Ezekiel 20:39-44 Listen to today's devotional Who doesn't love  The Lion King ? Hakuna matata, if you don't. It's a classic story and a great movie. One of my favorite scenes comes right after Simba sees a vision of his father, Mufasa, in the sky. "You have forgotten me," Mufasa says. A lot has happened to separate Simba from his past, his family and, might I say, his calling. Then Rafiki shows up. He listens to Simba wrestle with his past, and suddenly bops him with his staff. You don't see that coming. That hit on the head becomes a part of a larger lesson and wake-up call for the soon-to-be king. We all need those kinds of moments. Ezekiel can be our Rafiki today, though without the jokes and singing. There's a lot in his writings that might shock or surprise you. In chapter 20, God gives the people their own bop, saying, "Go serve your idols, every one of you now and hereafter." That's not what you expect God to say. But that's ...

  Luke 19:45-48 Listen to today's devotional As a pastor, I’ve served churches that considered themselves “older.” In fact, I still have at least a decade before I reach the average age of many of those congregations. In those churches, a conversation that always comes up is this: Why aren’t younger people more engaged with the church and its mission? Church leaders often look for the silver bullet that will make this happen. Some churches are more willing to try whatever they’ve heard might make all the difference. But I’d like to suggest something that has to be in place no matter what else we do. We see it in today’s reading. Jesus reminded everyone of God’s purpose for the temple when he flipped tables and drove people out. As he did, he quoted scripture: “My house shall be a house of prayer; but you have made it a den of robbers.” The Message Bible calls it a “religious bazaar.” In other words, the priorities of those leading the worship life of the temple were way off. Now, J...

  Psalm 50:22-23 Listen to today's devotional I forget. A lot. Apparently, I'm in good company. Forgetfulness is something many of us share. But here's a question worth pondering: Could any of us forgetters ever forget God? Scripture says yes. Not in the way we forget to pick up milk or where we left our keys. But in the deeper, more troubling way of neglecting God’s presence in our lives. Psalm 50:22 offers a clear and urgent warning to God forgetters. The urgency is so strong, a literal translation might be "Please, don't forget!" The psalmist knows we will not forget God ever existed to us. Instead, he knows well the reality that we can ignore God. What we forget is to care. We cease to care about the Lord or the way of Jesus. We get wrapped up in our own plans, anxieties and desires, that we slowly begin to ignore God. Our culture of distraction and self-reliance makes that easier to do. Our other priorities don't diminish who God is. But they do cloud...