Christ in us the hope of glory

 As the monk Thomas Merton once explained of his own urban wilderness:

In Louisville, at the corner of Fourth and Walnut, in the center of the shopping district, I was suddenly overwhelmed with the realization that I loved all these people, that they were mine and I theirs, that we could not be alien to one another even though we were total strangers. It was like waking from a dream of separateness, of spurious self-isolation in a special world. . . . 

This sense of liberation from an illusory difference was such a relief and such a joy to me that I almost laughed out loud… I have the immense joy of being man, a member of a race in which God Himself became incarnate. As if the sorrows and stupidities of the human condition could overwhelm me, now that I realize what we all are. And if only everybody could realize this! But it cannot be explained. There is no way of telling people that they are all walking around shining like the sun.

Then it was as if I suddenly saw the secret beauty of their hearts, the depths of their hearts where neither sin nor desire nor self-knowledge can reach, the core of their reality, the person that each one is in God’s eyes. If only they could all see themselves as they really are. If only we could see each other that way all the time. There would be no more war, no more hatred, no more cruelty, no more greed. (from Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander)

1 John 4:17-21 If we love others God abides in us!

1 John 4:12 No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. 

We love because He first loved us! In the manner that we judge others is the measure that we will be judged. God help America. We are not called to judge the world but those who claim to be Christ followers but whose lives do not reflect God’s love for the world. John 3:16-17

1 John  4:17-21 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 19 We love Him because He first loved us.

20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? 21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also. 

We are able to love because of God’s love. Let that sink in..this command comes from Jesus  that he who loves God must love his neighbors. Who are our neighbors? Everyone. Remember the parable of the Good Samaritan? Who showed God’s love…the hated Samaritan, not the religious right. Carla

God’s love is made perfect, or complete, among believers when they reflect God’s loving character in their lives (1:5–7; 2:1–6, 28; 3:16–20). Love is not an abstract concept for John; it concerns the outworking of the believers’ faith in ordinary interactions with people.

John further explains why believers can be confident of God’s love on the day of judgment. God’s wrath is reserved for those who unrepentantly dishonor others with their apathy. 

While believers may remain confident of their position on the day of judgment, they should also maintain serious reverence for God (Philippians 2:12; 1 Peter  2:17; Revelations 14:7).

God demonstrates this by offering salvation through Jesus.

A  liar describes anyone who claims knowledge of God but fails to carry out His commandment to love fellow Christians and by extension other people in general (1 John 2:4; Matthew 22:39). 

According to John, this person is a liar because it is impossible to love God without also demonstrating love to other believers. Doing so demonstrates an accurate understanding of the love of God (1 John 4:7–11). The believer’s responsibility to show Christ-like sacrificial love to other Christians is not optional; it is commanded by God as a way of displaying His love to the world (2:3–4, 7–8; 3:22–24; 5:2–3). Faithlife Study Bible

The mature expression of perfected love (verse12) produces confidence as a Christian anticipates Jesus’ judgment of the world. A person who abides in love will not be ashamed when Jesus returns (2:28; John 15:9–17).

A mature understanding of God’s love removes any fear of God’s judgment. 

First John as a whole is clearly founded on the doctrine of the Trinity. From evidence throughout Scripture (Matthew 28:19), it is clear that God is both one and three. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit are one God, but they are also distinct Persons of the Godhead. Throughout his first epistle, John illustrates how each Person of the Godhead works with and through the others to accomplish God’s plan of salvation for us. The NKJV Study Bible

1 John 2:9–11

He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him…

Romans 8:15

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 

1 John 2:4–7

He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him…

1 John 3:14–17

We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him…

“Because whenever people come together to help either another person or another creature, something has happened, and everyone wants to know about it – because we all want to know that there’s a graciousness at the heart of creation.” Fred Rogers told Tom Junod.

I do love that phrase—“graciousness at the heart of creation”. I know what he means. The beauty of humanity, of doing good when we can, of loving our neighbors, of treating one another openhearted, with dignity and respect, welcoming and reconciling.

Here’s the deal: We easily forget that this graciousness is alive and well in each of us; for as Rogers so frequently pointed out, everybody was a child once.

I wonder why we forget. Why do we give way to our lesser selves—to small-mindedness and intolerance? I know that whenever our words demean, humiliate or shame, we cut off the oxygen of hope.

“The more we bump into the folks who are so-called ‘other,’ the more we are stretched and the more we are pulled out of bias. We have new truths, because we have tangible evidence of the beautiful, powerful creativity of our God who made all of this diversity for us to enjoy.” (Thank you, Jacqui Lewis). “Sabbath Moments”

"Our salvation in the time of trouble" (Isaiah 33:2). The Hebrew word for "salvation" here is yeshuah ... from which comes the name of Jesus Himself. He is our salvation! Isaiah was looking for more than just a pretty view. He was looking for the Messiah. And Isaiah could walk the treacherous path of this life because he had hope that one day his "eyes [would] behold the king in his beauty" (Isaiah 33:17), even if he had to wait until eternity.

In the meantime, facing a violent enemy, Isaiah prayed for God's mighty "arm" to save his people (Isaiah 33:2). He declared in faith, like the writer of Lamentations 3:23, that God's strength and mercies are new "every morning." And today we share this fervent belief that brings hope in dark times. When we are trudging through the treacherous terrain of hardship and weakness, our hope is in waiting, expecting, and searching for our King in His beauty, relying on His mighty arm to save us.

We long for the same King who Isaiah longed for. Our waiting, though, is different because now our King has come, and we await His triumphant return. Jesus is "our salvation in the time of trouble" (Isaiah 33:2), and because of His work, we have access to God's throne.There we "receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16). First5

Psalm 145:18-21 Jesus the Name Above All Names!

We cannot call evil good nor good evil!

Psalm 97:10

You who love the LORD, hate evil!

He preserves the souls of His saints;

He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.

Jesus is truth personified. Jesus saves all who call on His name in faith. 

Psalm 145:18-21 

17 The Lord is righteous in all His ways,

      Gracious in all His works.

18 The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,

     To all who call upon Him in truth.

19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;

      He also will hear their cry and save them.

20 The Lord preserves all who love Him,

     But all the wicked He will destroy.

21 My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord,

     And all flesh shall bless His holy name

     Forever and ever.

Because God loves all of His creation He offers the gift of salvation. We live because Jesus died for us. We can love others because He first loved us. Carla

Those who fear him describes a pious reverence for God.

All the wicked he will exterminate God’s kingdom is marked by justice for those loyal to Him and retribution for those who are rebellious toward Him.

The psalmist closes by committing to praise God, and he calls everyone else to do the same. Faithlife Study Bible

David resolved to be faithful in praising the Lord (146:1), but he also saw his praise as one part of the praise of all creation—that is, all flesh. The NKJV Study Bible.

Psalm 31:22–23

For I said in my haste,“I am cut off from before Your eyes”;

Nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications

When I cried out to You.

Oh, love the LORD, all you His saints!

For the LORD preserves the faithful,

And fully repays the proud person.

Psalm 34:18

The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart,

And saves such as have a contrite spirit.

Psalm 150:6

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.

Praise the LORD!

John 4:23–24

But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

I marvel at stories about people with fortitude or stamina. My friend Jinks tells me that it is our place of "bright shadow." Those places of beauty, creativity, resilience, imagination, courage and humor. Those places of unrecognized beauty. Places of healing. And inspiration.

There’s something deep inside: We are fueled by our inherent value. Remembering our endowment, by our Creator, with good.

Can we hear that today?

I hope so. “Sabbath Moments”

Our modern world is full of dangerous and dry places, a landscape of unbelief and unrighteousness. 

But a message of hope: The King is coming. 

We, like the people of Israel, can take comfort. 

Our warfare has ended. Our sins are forgiven. 

Our King has come. Our King will come again.

First5

Matthew 15:29-32 Compassion is a gift from God!

Matthew 9:36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. 

With God nothing is impossible…nothing! Jesus, the embodiment of God, had compassion on all the sons of mankind. God loves all of His creation and no one is beyond His gift of salvation. He knows that we are mere humans. John 3:16 Micah 6:8 He cares for us. Carla

Matthew 15:29-32 Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there. 30 Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus’ feet, and He healed them. 31 So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.

32 Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.”

The scene changes from the region of Tyre and Sidon to a mountain near the Sea of Galilee but still in Gentile territory. Mark 7:31 identifies this region as the Decapolis. The Gentiles believed and glorified Israel’s God, while many in Israel remained blind to their Messiah. This is not the same miracle recorded in 14:14–21. Jesus Himself identified two distinct feedings of multitudes (16:9, 10). The NKJV Study Bible.

Jesus leaves Tyre and Sidon and returns to Galilee. The summary statement of His healing ministry (verse 30) is reminiscent of 4:23–25; 9:35–36; 14:34–35. Wherever Jesus went, He brought physical and spiritual restoration. Matthew does not provide a location, but the parallel account in Mark 8:1–10 appears to be set in the Decapolis, a Gentile (non-Jewish) region (Mark 7:31). Faithlife Study Bible

Matthew 9:8

Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men.

Mark 7:31–8:10

Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee. Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him…

Matthew 14:13–21

When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself. But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities. And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick…

One year, during Passover, Rabbi Ted Falcon reminded me that Jewish tradition translates Mitzrayim, Hebrew for Egypt, as mi tzarim, "from out of the tight places." Yes. We all meet tight places in our lives, where we find ourselves stuck. But the deeper kind of enslavement is stuckness in an “untruthful” ego identity—you know, trying to be someone we are not.

Here’s my confession. I’ve been on a journey to find my way home. Many can relate. And our reasons for being lost vary; fear from uncertainty, life turns left, the shine of public opinion beckons, when a need for approval (or fear of disapproval) rules the roost.

So. I know it’s not Passover, but how do we live out this Passover invitation to "pass over" this identity limitation (our captivity to a limiting self), and embrace the vastly greater wisdom, love, and compassion that is at our very core?

This is not easy, because I tend to see only what is “broken”. And in our world, brokenness never presents well.

A man loses his keys and is on hands and knees searching.
A passerby stops. “I’ll help you,” he says, “Where’d you lose them?”
“Over there,” the man points.
“But why are you looking over here?” the passerby asks. “The light is better over here,” he says.

I am no longer afraid to be broken, and humble, because I know that I am a child of God, imbued with dignity.

It is in these broken places that joy and gratitude and commitment and loving kindness and gentleness and courage come alive.

No longer self-absorbed or afraid, I give way to being “awake”—to a radical openness, curiosity and reverence. “Sabbath Moments”

He will come like last leaf’s fall.

One night when the November wind

has flayed the trees to the bone, and earth

wakes choking on the mould,

the soft shroud’s folding.

He will come like frost.

One morning when the shrinking earth

opens on mist, to find itself

arrested in the net

of alien, sword-set beauty.

He will come like dark.

One evening when the bursting red

December sun draws up the sheet

and penny-masks its eye to yield

the star-snowed fields of sky.

He will come, will come,

will come like crying in the night,

like blood, like breaking,

as the earth writhes to toss him free.

He will come like child.

Rowan Williams