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Monday, February 15, 2021
“There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.” —Luke 15:7
I have a list of missing items. As of this moment, it contains three items: (1) the sixth Harry Potter book, (2) a condenser microphone, and (3) some black Nike basketball shorts I had when I was in eighth grade. Given that I’ve already read the missing book and outgrown the missing shorts (probably, although given how baggy my clothes were in 1999-2000, it’s possible the shorts would now be too big rather than too small), it’s not such a bad list. My frustration comes less from really needing the missing items and more from the unanswered question of where on earth these things could have gone.
In Luke 15, Jesus tells three parables about missing items: a missing sheep, a missing coin, and a missing son. Tucked in the center of this chapter is today’s verse, which makes explicit the point of the story: God is all about restoring lost people to his family.
If I were to find my missing book, mic, and shorts, I would be thrilled. I wouldn’t be angry at the book for having been lost in the first place. I’d just be happy to put it on the shelf where it belongs.
With people, however, we sometimes have competing emotions about those who haven’t found their way. Too often, we spend our mental energy making unhelpful comparisons with other people, building ourselves up by condemning others. “I may not be perfect, but I would never do that,” we think. Because we get a sick pleasure from these comparisons, there’s a part of us that doesn’t really want people to get their lives on track. And if they do, we comfort ourselves with the fact that we never sank to the depths that they previously inhabited.
But this attitude ends up getting us all off track. Because the God of heaven and earth is all about the restoration of lost people. In fact, the most dangerous situation is the one in which we imagine that we ourselves don’t need restoration. When we think we’re not in need of restoration and redemption, we cut ourselves off from the power of the God who longs to find us and heal us.
So may we celebrate with heaven that even people as lost as we are can be found!
Friday, February 12, 2021
Today’s reflection is written by Deacon Karen Katamay.
“Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.” —Proverbs 3:7
Last Sunday, Pastor Dan shared with us some passages from the book of Proverbs and how they are meant as instruction for us and a guide to God’s wisdom. For the verse from Proverbs today, I think it is helpful to look at the adjoining verses as well: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing for your flesh and a refreshment for your body” (Proverbs 3:5-8).
We learn so much through our life experiences and through our educational institutions, and can sometimes become arrogant about what we know or what we think we know. Yet when we seek out wisdom, we sometimes ignore the wisdom from the Bible in both the Old and New Testaments and how that wisdom can guide us to be better people, following God’s path for us. But looking at the verses above, we see that when we trust God and follow in his wisdom, it can be healing for us, easing our stress and giving us the strength and knowledge to deal with everyday life.
We all value wisdom, and I, for one, wish I had more of it. But what a blessing to be able to go to something as near to us as our Bible to gain insight when we need it! So, let us put our trust first in God, and then gain from the wisdom in the Bible. And may that wisdom help us to find peace and healing and insight from our Lord. Amen.
Wednesday, February 10, 2021
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8
Lately I’ve been wondering, at what point does a kid understand that the world existed before they did? Do babies/small children just assume that adults have forever existed at this exact height, age, etc.? Then I wonder, when they do comprehend that fact, is it a mind-blowing experience?
I’m wondering this because as an adult, I regularly get dizzy when I pause and think about the age and scope of the universe. It gets even crazier when I think it in the context of today’s verse. That God has just always…been. That God just always will…be.
The writer of Hebrews has been outlining that Jesus isn’t a new creation or a new addition to God’s plan. He’s a fresh revelation of the same God who promised long ago to conquer sin and put the world back together.
This permanence of God is what allows us to live in the confident hope that there is no struggle we face that can outlast God. Jesus always has been. Jesus always will be.
