August 30 - Pentecost

Genesis 1:1 - In the beginning God. This is the foundation upon which everything else is built. We can't really even fathom how this is so. The inquisitive child in each of us wants to ask, "Who made God?" The answer in Genesis, and in all of Scripture, is that God just is. To Moses God says, "I am who I am." But all of this leads us nowhere if we keep it in the abstract, and indeed God is not concerned with the abstract. He's concerned with the concrete. So the very next words are words of His concrete action, "created the heavens and the earth." It all starts with God whether we can grasp it or not. This has huge implications for us as we look around at our world, and as we seek to understand the most fundamental questions of life.

August 25 - Pentecost

Revelation 5:7-14 -

⁷And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. ⁸And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. ⁹And they sang a new song, saying,

"Worthy are you to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation,
¹⁰and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on the earth."

¹¹Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, ¹²saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!" ¹³And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!" ¹⁴And the four living creatures said, "Amen!" and the elders fell down and worshiped.

August 23 - Pentecost

Revelation 4:1-6 - It is very significant that the first thing John sees in his vision is a throne. The throne is a symbol of sovereignty and kingly rule. The throne is at the center of it all. This would have been an especially comforting picture to the churches John had written too. They were small and struggling and feared that at any time the might of Rome could come down on them and destroy. But John sees the truth. God alone has the power and glory and might. The is the positive view of the way things are and will be. Often, our view is too negative. We focus on no more hunger or thirst; no more pain or tears; no more sin death or curse. It would be more biblical, however, to focus not so much on the absences, but on the cause, the central dominating presence of God's throne and the Lamb who is worthy.

August 9 - Pentecost

Revelation 1:1-20 - We see in the opening words of Revelation what it's all about. Jesus Christ, the one who is, who was, and who is to come. It's important to remember this whenever we read through the entire book. We often try to make it about revelations of various scary things that will happen at the end. In truth, this is the Revelation of Jesus Christ, and a comfort to his followers who face persecution and suffering until he returns to make all things new.

Revelation 2:1-7 - Revelation continues with addresses to seven different churches in Asia Minor (modern day Turkey). In each, John speaks to particular gifts and failings. The church in Ephesus is commended for being pure in their teaching, and rebuked for lacking in their first love. They have lost the zeal and steadfastness that they had at first. Jesus doesn't want them to stay in a position of "going through the motions." He wants them to recapture the love and excitement they had when they were called.

August 6 - Pentecost

1 John 5:1-21 - John concludes this letter with two major concerns: first, that his readers may know the truth about Jesus, second, that they may have assurance of eternal life. How do John and the rest of Scripture direct us to find such assurance?

2 John 1-13 - Truth and love, love and obedience, these things are inseparable for the Christian. The life of the Christian is summarized by Jesus as loving God and loving your neighbor. But summarizing doesn't equal simplifying. This is why John reminds us of the connections between truth, love and obedience. We often try to separate these things, as if loving someone means ignoring the truth, or obedience equals coercion. But John reminds us that Jesus is the truth, Jesus is love, and by Jesus' obedience we are no longer separated from God by our sin. Following Jesus means living for God and our neighbor in obedience, truth and love.

August 2 - Pentecost

James 1:16-27 - It's easy to take this passage of James (an indeed his entire letter) and come away with some wise and helpful tips for living. But that would do a disservice to the depth of his thought. For example, James instructs us to be slow to speak and quick to hear. This is of course great advice, but for James this is the connection to "every good and perfect gift from God." Our life comes from God's Word, so be quiet and listen. Only in hearing what God has to say can our tongues produce anything good. What at first sounds like general rules for living is in fact an invitation to receive the grace of God.

1 Peter 2:18-25 - The powerful message of this text is even more meaningful when we consider Peter's initial reaction to the cross. When Jesus explains to the disciples that he must suffer and die, Peter steps up and says, "No!" Years later, writing this letter to fellow Christians who are suffering, Peter affirms the necessity of the cross, and even the necessity of suffering for God's people. This is not some ideal we can just claim intellectually. Like Peter God is forming us through faith to accept such things trusting in the resurrection of Jesus.