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Monday, September 28, 2020
“Philip found Nathanael and told him, ‘We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.’ ‘Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?’ Nathanael asked. ‘Come and see,’ said Philip.” —John 1:45-46
These two little verses capture the fascinating scandal of Christian faith. Followers of Jesus believe that God acted decisively to set the world right through a faithful Jewish man living in Roman-occupied Palestine. Not through an army. Not through a president or the Secretary-General of the UN. Not through a caesar. Through one member of an oppressed people on the margins of a great empire.
You can see why people—then and now—find it all a little hard to believe. That being said, for God’s chosen people, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, this really wasn’t out of the blue. God had told their ancestors that his rescue plan for humanity would play out through the Jews. God’s prophets had told of an anointed one, a messiah, who would be God’s instrument of rescue.
So when Philip came to believe that Jesus was this promised one, it was an enormous deal. His words to Nathanael point to the immensity of the news he’s sharing. This is not “This dude I talked to today at work seemed pretty cool.” This is “The one we’ve been waiting for our whole lives and didn’t know if we’d live to see, the one our people have been waiting for for hundreds and hundreds of years, that guy, yeah, I just met him. He’s here in town.” This is news like finding out you’re pregnant or a scientist found a perfect cure for cancer or we’re going to be able to solve climate change or the Cubs won the World Series—it’s like all of that news, but for everyone, forever, times infinity. (And that’s not beginning to do it justice.)
And what’s Nathanael’s reaction to this cosmos-changing news? He has trouble getting past the idea that Jesus is from Nazareth. It’s not clear exactly where Nathanael’s skepticism about Nazarene origins comes from, but the fact that Jesus is from there is some sort of barrier that must be overcome in Nathanael’s mind.
And how does Philip respond to this skepticism? It’s so simple and profound. “Come and see.” He doesn’t argue with Nathanael’s skepticism or prejudiced view of Nazareth. He trusts that an encounter with Jesus is all Nathanael will need in order to grasp what Philip has grasped.
It was in this one man that God’s plan for Israel was fulfilled. It was in this one man that the promises spoken to and through the prophets were made manifest. It was in one man that people near and far were invited to see and to know God in a new way. It was in one man that God reached down and made all things new, rescued creation, and reconciled sinners like us.
It’s scandalous. It’s hard to believe. And yet, in this man Jesus we have seen the Father’s love for us. Come and see.
Friday, September 25, 2020
Today’s post is written by Deacon Karen Katamay.
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom.” —Colossians 3:16
What a wonderful concept, letting the word of Christ dwell in you richly! I love that thought! I also know that when I don’t do this, I find myself feeling more stressed and worried about things than I should be if the words of Christ were dwelling within me. The words of Jesus are actually anti-stress, when you think about them. “Do not worry about your life” (Matthew 6:25,). “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28), “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27). These are just a few of the words of Jesus.
I also like the second part of this verse, which was left out of the daily text. The full verse is this: “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts” (Colossians 3:16). I also find my heart is lighter when it is filled with gratitude for God and all that God does for us. Even on our worst days, we can still find things to be grateful for, and gratitude for all that Christ did for us, up to and including dying on the cross for our sins and redeeming us through his death and resurrection!
So today, and every day, allow the words of Jesus to dwell in you richly and bring you peace. Amen.
Wednesday, September 23, 2020
Today’s reflection is written by Jade Schwich.
He will swallow up death forever. —Isaiah 25:7
Jesus’ earthly ministry brought the Kingdom of God to us. Jesus showed us this Kingdom through the ways in which He healed and loved and forgave those with whom He interacted. And through His death and resurrection Jesus demonstrated God’s incredible love for us by dying on the cross for sins that were not His own, defeating death once and for all.
The Kingdom of God that Jesus inaugurated, it’s here already, but it’s not here in its fullness. It’s what followers of Jesus call the “already but not yet” reality.
This whole already-but-not-yet reality thing proves pretty difficult. Death doesn’t have the final word. We know that. But death still stings on this side of the resurrection of the dead. Loss still hurts and broken relationships aren’t pain-free.
And yet…
And yet, in the darkest of times, God is with us. God is in the midst of our loss, our broken relationships, our grief. He knows your suffering and He knows mine and He’s not afraid to step into it with us and fight our battles, providing us with exactly what we need (whether we feel like it’s what we need or not). In fact, He loves us so much that He descended into death and rose again, swallowing up death forever.
May we allow God’s Kingdom to break through even in our darkest hours.
O death, where is your sting?
