Mark1:14-20

Jan 26th

Mark1:14-20

 14 Later on, after John was arrested, Jesus went into Galilee, where he preached God’s Good News.[a] 15 “The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!”

The First Disciples

16 One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon[b] and his brother Andrew throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. 17 Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” 18 And they left their nets at once and followed him.

19 A little farther up the shore Jesus saw Zebedee’s sons, James and John, in a boat repairing their nets. 20 He called them at once, and they also followed him, leaving their father, Zebedee, in the boat with the hi

Navy Seal and motivational speaker Jocko Willink was asked when he diets. He was asked when he starts his program. He replies aggressively, “Now! The program starts NOW!”

I love that aggression and perspective. (I also love softer perspectives). But maybe that’s why I don’t really think about Jesus’ last days. I am not a big fan of end times theology or even scaring people with “Jesus is coming back” stories.

When Jesus says “The time has come,” I hear Jocko’s voice. Heaven, judgement, the kingdom of God, is not something that we wait upon. It’s something that is already upon us. The time is now... Or as I like to say “It’s time!!!”

If you have ever thought about pursuing a dream, or starting a new goal, or a new diet, or changing your life. The time has come.

Don’t wait for anything, thinking that you have all the time in the world. Do something now for your future goals, and do something now for your short term goals. Paul in 1 Corinthians reminds us that life is short.

Start now.

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1 Corinthians 7:29-31

Jan 25th

1 Corinthians 7:29-31

 29 But let me say this, dear brothers and sisters: The time that remains is very short. So from now on, those with wives should not focus only on their marriage. 30 Those who weep or who rejoice or who buy things should not be absorbed by their weeping or their joy or their possessions. 31 Those who use the things of the world should not become attached to them. For this world as we know it will soon pass away.

Part of the Christians life is about learning how to disconnect from the material world. I’m not sure how I feel about the part in this scripture where it calls those who have wives to lives as if they do not. But I can def connect with the last part of the scripture.

I’ll have to dig a little more to see what Paul means about the wife part.

But back to our disconnect from the material world. Christians should operate with a different mentality. They should operate by a different set of rules, by a different set of patterns, while still understanding the rules that exist to create social norms. One day I would love to further explain the following, but for now bear with me.

I’ve noticed that a lot of us are just patterns. We have been given patterns all of our lives. We go to school, we graduate, we go to college, we get married, we buy a house, we retire. When we work out we follow a pattern, a prescribed formula. Our style of dress is just a pattern given to us by a trend that we connect with. Even our language. So we are all just a bunch of patterns that we choose consciously and subconsciously. Even in our faith.

Christians follow a certain pattern of thinking, or what is called group think. And any time that we divert from those patterns or when we create our own patterns we are viewed as different from those who find comfort in patterns. But the scriptures shows us over and over again that God does not fit any particular pattern.

In the book of Ecclesiastes we learn that God is not about war because sometimes God is about peace. God is not about planting because sometimes God is about uprooting.I believe that today’s scripture shows us that we cannot be controlled by any one way of thinking or limit ourselves ever to

1. What God wants from us

2. Where God is leading us

3. and…What we believe about God

Whenever we disconnect from the material world we find ourselves. But when we are too connected to anything material, or when we are too connected to any one idea, we tend to actually be controlled by it.

My favorite artist David Ramirez puts it this way,

“I’ve been holding on so long it seems, what I’m holding is holding me.”

Paul teaches us that in order to please God we must free ourselves from anything in this world that prevents us from seeing God in a new way, constantly.When we open up ourselves to God, and anything God wants for us, we find ourselves. It’s quite hard to explain. But the connection to the material world is just a metaphor that Paul is using to describe how addicted we are to patterns.

What Ecclesiastes says in Chapter 2, and what Paul says in today’s reading is the same thing Paul says in Romans 12:2

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Check out this video of one of my favorite movement specialist creating his own patterns. In his video he is Freeing himself from the patterns of exercise philosophy, while at the same time using the philosophy, to create his own patterns. Warning. It’s a little weird. But it’s only weird because many of us have not experienced a paradigm shift. We still operate under comfortable patterns.

Love you guys.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8w-6vJt_a78

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Psalm 62:5-12

Jan 24th

Psalm 62:5-12

 Let all that I am wait quietly before God,
    for my hope is in him.
6 He alone is my rock and my salvation,
    my fortress where I will not be shaken.
7 My victory and honor come from God alone.
    He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.
8 O my people, trust in him at all times.
    Pour out your heart to him,
    for God is our refuge. Interlude

9 Common people are as worthless as a puff of wind,
    and the powerful are not what they appear to be.
If you weigh them on the scales,
    together they are lighter than a breath of air.

10 Don’t make your living by extortion
    or put your hope in stealing.
And if your wealth increases,
    don’t make it the center of your life.

11 God has spoken plainly,
    and I have heard it many times:
Power, O God, belongs to you;
12     unfailing love, O Lord, is yours.
Surely you repay all people
    according to what they have done.

If you read throughout the entire Bible a couple of times you will notice that once in a while the scriptures reveal a sort of works-righteousness. It’s contrary to orthodox belief but it’s also in the scriptures. It’s in there today in verse 12. It seems as though Christians have a hard time making the claim that you will be saved not by your faith in Christ but by your good works.

Part of reason tradition has rejected works-righteousness theology is because to be saved by your works emphasizes salvation comes from you, and not Christ. So, I totally get it. But what about the millions of people who never hear the gospel? What about them? This is a question that gets so often asked. Or at least it use to when I first started pastoring.

Well, that’s where this work-righteousness theology may actually be helpful. There are instances in the Bible where people and nations are judged not on their faith in a particular God, but in their behavior, or in their repentance. Part of the reason I feel comfortable with works-righteousness is because of prevenient grace.

Prevenient grace is the idea that God’s grace is working in our lives before we notice it, but it’s more than that.It’s more than grace that leads to faith, it’s also grace that leads to good works. Whenever someone does something good, just, encouraging, life changing, for themselves and others, that’s God working through them. Or if you have been following my devotionals, it’s the greatest “good” working through them. So there you have it.

I believe that all of us will be judged by our works.

Many of us will be included because of our faith. But all will be judged by actions .As we should. Actions speak louder than words.

Faith without works is dead.

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Jonah 3:1-5

Jan 23rd

Jonah 3:1-5

 Then the Lord spoke to Jonah a second time: 2 “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh, and deliver the message I have given you.”

3 This time Jonah obeyed the Lord’s command and went to Nineveh, a city so large that it took three days to see it all.[a] 4 On the day Jonah entered the city, he shouted to the crowds: “Forty days from now Nineveh will be destroyed!” 5 The people of Nineveh believed God’s message, and from the greatest to the least, they declared a fast and put on burlap to show their sorrow.

I was listening to NPR the other day. It was an interview with a Paleontologist. The paleontologist was talking about how dinosaurs had super lungs. (Link at the end.) During the Triassic period the air was so bad that a human being would not last two seconds. Our lungs are too weak. This is why dinosaurs had the competitive advantage over other animals. Because their lungs were stronger.

Stay with me.

I saw a lot of correlation between dinosaurs in the Triassic period and us in the corona period. It seems more and more that our air is getting more and more polluted with viruses and just poor care of our earth. And then there’s the fact that Covid attacks the lungs and the breathing. So it helps to keep your lungs strong. So what does this mean for us? What does this have to do with today’s scripture?

Well because the Ninevites listened to Jonah they lived an extra 150 years according to history. All they had to do was listen to Jonah. See the correlation? I am seeing people die from covid who could have easily lived 10-30 more years. Some because they aren’t listening to the advice of the experts. (To play devils advocate, some have passed even though they have worn masked. Either way, the point is to protect yourself and others.) Some people are damaging their lungs, living through covid, but who is to say that there’s not going to be another virus, or that we won’t pollute our air even more?

Stay safe guys. Listen to the experts. It may prolong your life, the way that it did for Ninevah.

Be like dinosaurs.

https://www.gpb.org/news/2021/01/15/emma-schachner-how-did-dinosaurs-lungs-help-them-dominate-the-earth-for-so-long

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John 1:43-51

Jan 22nd

John 1:43-51

 43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Come, follow me.” 44 Philip was from Bethsaida, Andrew and Peter’s hometown.

45 Philip went to look for Nathanael and told him, “We have found the very person Moses[a] and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.”

46 “Nazareth!” exclaimed Nathanael. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”

“Come and see for yourself,” Philip replied.

47 As they approached, Jesus said, “Now here is a genuine son of Israel—a man of complete integrity.”

48 “How do you know about me?” Nathanael asked.

Jesus replied, “I could see you under the fig tree before Philip found you.”

49 Then Nathanael exclaimed, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God—the King of Israel!”

50 Jesus asked him, “Do you believe this just because I told you I had seen you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.” 51 Then he said, “I tell you the truth, you will all see heaven open and the angels of God going up and down on the Son of Man, the one who is the stairway between heaven and earth.

Jesus didn’t ask for Nathanael to come. But Philip invited him anyway. Then when Nathanael shows up to the scene it seems as though Jesus is more interested in him than Philip who he invited in the first place.

I gotta admit I feel this way every time you invite someone new to Wesley. Yeah you’re cool but who’s your friend? A newbie!!! Yay! I hope they get connected! The more the merrier. But it’s deeper than that. I pray that the Christian life has been good to you. I pray that church life has been good to you. I pray that your time at Wesley has been good to you. Good to you in the way that Jesus wants life to be good for Nathanael.

Nathanael goes from being invited, to responding to the request half assuming that Jesus being from Nazareth was worthless, to having the Lord Christ bless him with visions of God. So when you invite someone it’s about hoping that they experience an amazing life in Christ, with or without Wesley. But really with Wesley.

At the same time I don’t hope that their life is so bad that they can only find joy at Wesley. Maybe it’s another church. See for me the Christian life is the best adventure I have ever been in. From visiting the world to help others, to helping people experience joy, God and such goodness, to playing president with you all last week.

I pray that your friends, visitors, and everyone can come to Wesley and experience the kingdom of God. Or that it would be starting point to a beautiful life with Christ. I pray that they can experience that at Wesley or somewhere else.

So invite your friends and don’t get mad when we seem especially interested in them ;) You know we love you too.

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1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Jan 21st

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

 Avoiding Sexual Sin

12 You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything. 13 You say, “Food was made for the stomach, and the stomach for food.” (This is true, though someday God will do away with both of them.) But you can’t say that our bodies were made for sexual immorality. They were made for the Lord, and the Lord cares about our bodies. 14 And God will raise us from the dead by his power, just as he raised our Lord from the dead.

15 Don’t you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? Should a man take his body, which is part of Christ, and join it to a prostitute? Never! 16 And don’t you realize that if a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her? For the Scriptures say, “The two are united into one.”[a] 17 But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him.

18 Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. 19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

OOOOhhhh the scriptures are getting spicy.

So let’s talk about sex…. :plays salt n pepa:

I like how Paul says, “I can do what I want.” And he’s right. Technically God has given us enough
free will to do whatever we want. But just because we can do what we want doesn’t mean we should. We should especially avoid the things that will cause us harm.

For example. You work out every single day and not take a day off. You can overdo it.
You can over supplement, you can overtrain, you can over-think.
You can take something good and overdo it making it bad.Sex is the same way.

Technically you could have sex however you want and with whoever you want. But is that wise? Is that a wise use of your body? When you follow God you make a commitment to give your body to God and to take care of it. Maybe this is why traditionally the church has taught abstinence.

Because (using recent terminology) this represents an “abundance of caution,” “great care” of the body.

(Side Bar: Truth is that even when you have sex with someone within marriage it can still be unsafe. So there’s levels to this. But I digress.)

When I was 22 the church I attended, and gave my life to Christ in, taught abstinence - Even though most of us weren’t virgins. We were young wild college students.

So, while I am progressive in many ways, I am not ready to condemn abstinence. But I do think that the church can also teach about safe sex.

Why pretend like everyone who goes to church is a virgin who is waiting to be abstinent? That’s not even found in the super super conservative churches. I think the Christian culture went wrong with shaming people who had sex and they went wrong by not teaching safe sex. And they made people teach one or the other.

What do you think? What should be added to the sex conversation within the Church? I’m still growing and learning.

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Psalm 139: 1-6, 13-18

Jan 20th

Psalm 139: 1-6, 13-18

 O Lord, you have examined my heart
and know everything about me.
2 You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
3 You see me when I travel
and when I rest at home.
You know everything I do.
4 You know what I am going to say
even before I say it, Lord.
5 You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too great for me to understand!

13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
    and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
    Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
    as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
16 You saw me before I was born.
    Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
    before a single day had passed.

17 How precious are your thoughts about me,[a] O God.
    They cannot be numbered!
18 I can’t even count them;
    they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up,
    you are still with me!

I got a funny and sad story to share. It reminded me of today’s scripture where God says he knitted us in our mother’s womb.

Also, thank God for Mom’s right? Dads too, but moms carried us and sacrificed their bodies in ways men cannot.

My mom told me recently that when I told her I wanted to be a Pastor she took a shower and cried. She wanted me to be an engineer. She also told me a story a while ago about how when she was pregnant with me my dad told her to abort me, she didn’t want to, and they kept fighting back and forth. She told me in desperation she went to the local catholic church, and prayed in front of one of those statues of Mary and Jesus. In that prayer she told God to “protect me, keep me, and take care of me.” So like….why the heck is she surprised that I became a Pastor. Right?

So when I read today’s scripture I think that God must have wanted this from me since I was in the womb. So “don’t mess it up,” I say to myself. What does it mean to you that God knows you in and out? That God may ultimately know how it all ends? That God has an active role in shaping your life? How is God trying to mold you? Who is God trying to mold you into?

Whoever that person it, God has been trying to mold that person since you were in the womb. Are you running away from it? Are you running towards this person? I sure hope you are.

Love God. Love neighbor. Love self.

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1 Samuel 3:1-10

Jan 19th

1 Samuel 3:1-10

 Meanwhile, the boy Samuel served the Lord by assisting Eli. Now in those days messages from the Lord were very rare, and visions were quite uncommon.

2 One night Eli, who was almost blind by now, had gone to bed. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was sleeping in the Tabernacle[a] near the Ark of God. 4 Suddenly the Lord called out, “Samuel!”

“Yes?” Samuel replied. “What is it?” 5 He got up and ran to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?”

“I didn’t call you,” Eli replied. “Go back to bed.” So he did.

6 Then the Lord called out again, “Samuel!”

Again Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?”

“I didn’t call you, my son,” Eli said. “Go back to bed.”

7 Samuel did not yet know the Lord because he had never had a message from the Lord before. 8 So the Lord called a third time, and once more Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?”

Then Eli realized it was the Lord who was calling the boy. 9 So he said to Samuel, “Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, ‘Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went back to bed.

10 And the Lord came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!”

And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.”

Did you notice that Samuel ministered before the Lord before actually knowing the Lord?

Wild.

It reminds me of Science Mike who talked about leading his daughter to Christ when he himself didn’t believe in God in his autobiography. He was struggling with his faith but has since returned to the Christian life.

I don’t know what’s more interesting. The fact that Samuel was so faithful even though he didn’t know God or the fact that God picked Samuel even though he didn’t know God.It automatically makes me think of young people. Perhaps the reason why we struggle so much with our faith is because we have only known God through the stories of other people and we have not come to know God for ourselves. It’s interesting also how God calls Samuel, and Eli cannot hear the same voice as Samuel. That must mean that Samuel knows God differently than the way Eli knows God. But Eli knows enough about God that he knows God is talking to Samuel. But Eli doesn’t know what he’s saying to Samuel. A lot of twists and turns.

Either way, all of these topics are wildly interesting to me and I am likely going to preach about it on Tuesday. For today, reflect on these questions:

“Are you serving God without knowing God?”
“Is the God you know only known through the stories of others?”
“Have you heard God’s voice for yourself?”
“Have you decided who God is as your self? Using what you have learned for others of course.”

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Mark 1:4-11

Jan 18th

Mark 1:4-11

This messenger was John the Baptist. He was in the wilderness and preached that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven. 5 All of Judea, including all the people of Jerusalem, went out to see and hear John. And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River. 6 His clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey.

7 John announced: “Someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to stoop down like a slave and untie the straps of his sandals. 8 I baptize you with[a] water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit!”

The Baptism and Temptation of Jesus

9 One day Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and John baptized him in the Jordan River. 10 As Jesus came up out of the water, he saw the heavens splitting apart and the Holy Spirit descending on him[b] like a dove. 11 And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.”

In today’s scripture we learn details about the day that Jesus was baptized. John was there, others were likely there, there was a vision of the Holy Spirit, and an audible voice from God.

Have you ever had a vision of a spirit descending on you? Or on another person? If so, what happened to the person? Did they change? Did they speak differently?

To expand this metaphor, “Have you ever seen someone transformed by the HS? Have you ever been transformed by the HS? What happened?”

Another question to consider is “Have you ever heard God’s voice?” If you have what did God say?

To expand this metaphor, “If God were to speak audibly to you today, what would God say?”

Well, we can learn a lot from this scripture about what God may say.The scriptures helps us understand God’s relationship with humanity. Jesus shows us the way. So it’s likely that God would say the same thing to you that he said to Jesus. It is important to also note that this scripture was written so that you can study the details and then integrate them into your own life. With that said let’s dive in a little bit.

John tells the people that there was a baptism of repentance. But when Jesus comes there will be a baptism of the Holy Spirit. And so automatically we learn that there is a transition that happens in the individual from a believer who is focused on repenting from their sin and one who follows Jesus with joyful obedience. So what God may be trying to teach us comes in the form of a question, “Have we lived a Christian life only focused on repentance and neglected the part about imitating Jesus? Have we really not made faith “our own,” and have focused only on the logistics of faith?

Our faith is more than just repenting. Our faith is about being led by a spirit that does and experiences things that are other worldly. Our faith is about dedicating yourself to repenting from sin and living joyfully with God and others.

Final lesson that we learn from this scripture is that God is pleased with Jesus. Even before he starts his ministry. Even before he changes the world. Even as a young whipper snapper who if he was fully human did some fully human type things. This is a lesson for us too. A lesson that helps us deal with shame.

God, the greatest good in the world, the only one who should judge, the creator of the universe, the sustainer of your life, loves you as you are. Keep repenting, keep serving, keep encouraging, and don’t let shame get in the way.

You are his child, who God loves and who God is well pleased with.

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Acts 19:1-7

Jan 17th

Acts 19:1-7

While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior regions until he reached Ephesus, on the coast, where he found several believers.[a] 2 “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” he asked them.

“No,” they replied, “we haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

3 “Then what baptism did you experience?” he asked.

And they replied, “The baptism of John.”

4 Paul said, “John’s baptism called for repentance from sin. But John himself told the people to believe in the one who would come later, meaning Jesus.”

5 As soon as they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 Then when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in other tongues[b] and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all.

Today’s scripture teaches us something that is against what they taught me in seminary. At least I think so.

In seminary we learned that there was no such thing as being “re-baptized.” Because to say that means that God wasn’t present in your first baptism making you the main contributor of the baptism act. To say that your first baptism didn’t count was to say that God wasn’t there. And because baptism is not about you, it’s about God, seminary teaches that your first baptism counts. Even if you were a baby. You can then “re-affirm” your baptism later in life but you are not being baptized.

Theologically it’s very complicated.

In today’s scripture we see that there are two kinds of baptism. John’s baptism and Jesus’ baptism. John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. Jesus’ was a baptism where you received the Holy Spirit. Without delving into the theologically complications I came up with this idea.

First, it doesn’t matter how many times you have been baptized. It’s fine if you are baptized every day. Especially if you really mean it each time. We can talk about this later if you’d like.

Second, and lastly, when we are baptized (or re-affirm our baptism) we should keep in mind the two different kinds of baptism in today’s scripture.

When we are baptized it’s about repentance. When we are baptized we look at all the mistakes we have made in the past, all the people we have hurt, all of the ways we have sinned and we turn from it all and make a promise to do better.

It’s also very important to know that when we are baptized is not just about repentance it’s also about receiving the Holy Spirit.

What does that mean?

Well for me it can be summed up by the common phrase, “joyful obedience.”When we are baptized not only should we repent but we should have this deep feeling of wanting to serve God, love people, and bring hope into the world, with the church universal.
It’s a feeling that the Holy Spirit can only give you. It’s like a well that springs up in you to commit yourself to the church and to a live of servitude. That’s what it means to receive the Holy Spirit to me. So this is why we re-affirm our baptism and I don’t think it matter how many times we are baptized. We tend to lose track. We forget to repent. We lose joyful obedience. Then something hits us that we have been stagnant, and we experience a revival after the initial conviction. That revival needs a party, a ceremony, a celebration, and a community to share that transformation.

That’s baptism.

So pray about being baptized if that’s what God is calling you to do. Or re-affirming your baptism. Our sacraments are just the way that our culture, and people we call Christians, enhances your life. Sacraments are little parties that celebrates new life.

We need more parties!!!

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Psalm 29

Jan 16th

Psalm 29

A psalm of David.

1 Honor the Lord, you heavenly beings[a];

honor the Lord for his glory and strength.

2 Honor the Lord for the glory of his name.

Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.

3 The voice of the Lord echoes above the sea.

The God of glory thunders.

The Lord thunders over the mighty sea.

4 The voice of the Lord is powerful;

the voice of the Lord is majestic.

5 The voice of the Lord splits the mighty cedars;

the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon.

6 He makes Lebanon’s mountains skip like a calf;

he makes Mount Hermon[b] leap like a young wild ox.

7 The voice of the Lord strikes

with bolts of lightning.

8 The voice of the Lord makes the barren wilderness quake;

the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

9 The voice of the Lord twists mighty oaks[c]

and strips the forests bare.

In his Temple everyone shouts, “Glory!”

10 The Lord rules over the floodwaters.

The Lord reigns as king forever.

11 The Lord gives his people strength.

The Lord blesses them with peace.

It is interesting to me the way that David wishes evil upon his enemies in this Psalm. Or the way that he sees God impacting his enemies to make them weaker than David’s army.

In verse 9 he says that the Lord makes David’s enemies like “young wild ox.” When you picture a young wild ox what do you see? I think of a Tasmanian devil, or someone who is rambunctious, someone who is all emotion and lacks thoughtfulness. I picture someone who is sporadic, who doesn’t think about the consequences, someone who reacts without thinking.

I’m like a young wild ox sometimes. (also shout out to Madison who is a taurus and who was BORN ON THE SAME DAY as me!!!!

Essentially, it’s a bad trait. Something we should all avoid. To be like a young wild ox is to lack intention, to want to speed through life too quickly, and to not think deeply about what you’re doing, the people around you, and even the impact your actions can have on others.

I hope that I (and we) are less like young wild oxes and more like….sloths? Or something in between.

This is why this season at Wesley I want us to move slower. I pray that as a leadership team we can move with even more intention. I pray that we can move with more mindfulness. It’s the season to not take things for granted and enjoy every step of the way.

Take your time. Take deep breaths. Think about your words and actions. Slow down. Love people. Love God. Love self.

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Genesis 1: 1-5

Jan 14th

Genesis 1:1-5

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.[a] 2 The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

3 Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.”

And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day.

The Bishop of the Florida Conference of the UMC referenced this scripture when he made a video reflecting on the events that happened at the capitol. If you want to watch it let me know. I’ll send you a link.

He talked about how God separated light from darkness and how as Christians we also have that responsibility. As much as I don’t like it, eventually we have to choose sides.

I enjoy playing both sides, learning from each other, keeping an open mind, but I also know the truth.

The truth is that there are situations where it is black and white. There are times when you have to separate the light from the darkness. Sometimes you have to call out evil when you see it. Sometimes you have to pick a side and stand up for what you believe. That doesn’t always mean you’re right. So keep an open mind.

You know what changed my perspective forever? The movie “Us.”

Spoiler Alert

The premise of the movie is that you are rooting for the wrong person the entire time and you have no idea that’s the case until the end of the movie. That thought is always lingering in my mind. Even when I am convinced that I am right. Even when I make public statements about politics. It’s a lingering thought. Because truth is, that we don’t know the full truth. But that’s the difficulty of life. We must choose sides. Sometimes it is black and white. We must separate light from darkness.

At the same time what do we do with the possibility that we could be wrong? Take the election for example. We have no idea if it was stolen. My money is on that it wasn’t. But why? Because I think another administration is better for our country? Or because I trust our democracy? I share that just to say that even though I made that statement about Trump, that doesn’t mean that I could not be wrong.

That’s why we listen to each other. That’s why we talk. That’s why we keep learning. And at the same time we stand up for what we believe is right. And I believe that what’s right is non-violence, anti-racism, inclusion, love, acceptance, and a whole list of other views we can talk about some time.

Long story short-We must separate light from darkness. But we are not God.

So keep learning.

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Matthew 2:1-12

Jan 12th

Matthew 2:1-12

Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men[a] from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose,[b] and we have come to worship him.”

3 King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. 4 He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”

5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:

6 ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,

are not least among the ruling cities[c] of Judah,

for a ruler will come from you

who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’[d]”

7 Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. 8 Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”

9 After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! 11 They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.

Jesus came at the wrong time for King Herod.

Herod was at his peak. King Herod was the baddest of them all. He ruled part of the known world. He was powerful. He had homes throughout the world. He was rich. But he was arrogant. He ruled with fear. He was violent. He had little remorse for innocent lives. Even children.

So his time came.

Jesus was born. Somehow he knew his time was over. So what did he do? He revolted with violence.

But listen. We can all learn from King Herod.

Not only in viewing him from the perspective of him as King and us as citizens. But in putting ourselves in his shoes.

In some ways I want Jesus to come for me the same way he came for Herod. I pray that if I ever get to the point where I lead by abusing my power, not caring for people’s lives, and being full of arrogance, I want Jesus to come for me too.

And don’t get me wrong, I want Jesus to come to end all of King Herod’s plans.

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Ephesians 4:1-12

Jan 11th

Ephesians 4:1-12

4 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.

5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

6 one God and Father of all,

who is over all, in all, and living through all.

7 However, he has given each one of us a special gift[a] through the generosity of Christ. 8 That is why the Scriptures say,

“When he ascended to the heights,

he led a crowd of captives

and gave gifts to his people.”[b]

9 Notice that it says “he ascended.” This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world.[c] 10 And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself.

11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.

I wonder how the Jews must have treated Paul.

Paul’s entire mission was to preach to the Gentiles. His entire mission was to tell those who were excluded from the common and respected culture/religion/social class, whatever you may want to call it.

Think about it.

How did a nation that was accustomed to beheading and crucifying people treat a man who they were against? There are so many layers to this idea.

Whether you’re fighting racism, or whether you are inclusive to lgbtq community or if you disagree with a corrupt government, you have felt this pain. People talk about you, they judge you, look down on you, fire you, and in the worst cases they spit on you or kill you. More recently I have become more and more inclusive in my theology, as well as more outspoken about Anti-Racism and politics, and it’s affected the way people treat me.

I was talking today to some campus ministers and told them how I am becoming more progressive in my theology and you should have seen the looks I got. I laugh about it now. But it definitely was a new feeling. One person straight up told me I made him feel uncomfortable when I used the word “progressive.” Just for using the word.

I’ve been on the other side to be honest. I’m evolving. And I don’t think it’s a bad thing. I hope you evolve.

I want to be like Jesus, like Paul, like MLK, like all those who included the excluded. Those who fought for the least of these. Those leaders who loved everyone, welcomed everyone, were non-violent, and who fought for human rights.

Perhaps Paul’s biggest struggle was his disdain for his own kind. This is what I believe can be the biggest struggle in our world.

Sometimes we fall into the sin of hating our own brothers and sisters in the faith.

That was never the intention. Failing to love those in the faith who you disagree with is the same failure of those who exclude in their theology.

I have a lot more to say, but this was vulnerable enough. For the record I’m not getting these ideas from just anywhere. Read today’s scripture, study it, and you will see where I get these ideas from.

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Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14

Jan 8th

Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14

A psalm of Solomon.

1 Give your love of justice to the king, O God,

and righteousness to the king’s son.

2 Help him judge your people in the right way;

let the poor always be treated fairly.

3 May the mountains yield prosperity for all,

and may the hills be fruitful.

4 Help him to defend the poor,

to rescue the children of the needy,

and to crush their oppressors.

5 May they fear you[a] as long as the sun shines,

as long as the moon remains in the sky.

Yes, forever!

6 May the king’s rule be refreshing like spring rain on freshly cut grass,

like the showers that water the earth.

7 May all the godly flourish during his reign.

May there be abundant prosperity until the moon is no more.

I just found today that one of my good friends was diagnosed with Leukemia. He is set to start chemotherapy soon and has a bone marrow transplant on his spine next Friday. He asked me to share it with you all so that we can be praying for him.

You probably have met him if you have helped me with the mobile home park on Colonial road. His name is Jonathan. He preached at Wesley before. He’s also on my real estate advisory board because he is a general contractor.

Pray for him.

I immediately thought of him as I read today’s scripture. King Solomon seems to be the writer of today’s Psalm. He is praying to God in this Psalm. Most Psalms are prayers. Also, remember King Solomon? Known as the Wisest man to ever live? Well we have a peek into his journaled prayers.

Solomon is asking God to help him rule with wisdom for a long time. Solomon has a desire to defend the afflicted, save children, and crush the oppressor. He also wishes for prosperity for the people and for an abundance of righteousness. Then he ends his prayer with a request for a long life. Then I thought, “People like Solomon should live a long life. We need people who care about the poor, who help children and who devote their life to other people’s prosperity. We need people whose deepest desire is to lead well.”

That’s why I immediately thought of Jonathan. He’s this kind of person. He has spearheaded “Justice for our Neighbors,” an organization that helps undocumented immigrants with legal help. He has devoted his life to ministry in low-income settings. He actually has a blog that you can read about the work that he is doing.

Caminandoenjusticia.com

He’s inspiring. He deserves to live a long life.That’s my prayer and devotional today.

I pray that we would be people who desire the same desires of King Solomon. And that we would all live a long healthy life to help the afflicted, children in need, and crush (non-violently) the oppressors.

Blessings to you all.

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Epiphany Sunday - Isaiah 60:1-6

Epiphany Sunday

Isaiah 60:1-6

Future Glory for Jerusalem

60 “Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see.

For the glory of the Lord rises to shine on you.

2 Darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth,

but the glory of the Lord rises and appears over you.

3 All nations will come to your light;

mighty kings will come to see your radiance.

4 “Look and see, for everyone is coming home!

Your sons are coming from distant lands;

your little daughters will be carried home.

5 Your eyes will shine,

and your heart will thrill with joy,

for merchants from around the world will come to you.

They will bring you the wealth of many lands.

6 Vast caravans of camels will converge on you,

the camels of Midian and Ephah.

The people of Sheba will bring gold and frankincense

and will come worshiping the Lord.

This is the week of Epiphany Sunday.

Epiphany Sunday is the week where we celebrate the day that it was revealed to us that Baby Jesus is God incarnate. It’s the celebration of the revelation of the incarnation. I was reading that in wales every year on Jan 6th, they have this festival with cake, special gifts to surprise people and it’s a huge deal.

I want to do that!

Well, if this week is to be focused on revelation I wanted to share a revelation that I had this week that inspires the way that I read Isaiah. I walked into Emmaus Ministries which is located right across the hallway from me, to say hello. Emmaus Ministries teaches the Bible, the history of the Bible, and all things Bible, to any and everyone who is interested. They have a saying, “Know your Bible, Change your life.” They are really nice people so I walked in to their offices to say hello.

I looked at their library and they have a large collection of commentaries and dictionaries on the Bible. Right away I could tell that they only had books written by white males. Not one Latinx, or African American, or African, or Asian, or even Jewish.

So I told them, “You guys need more commentaries from non-white people.” They said, “Well if you can give us some that would be great. They are expensive.” I immediately replied, “They are hard to find and a little pricey.” Then I remembered I had a commentary from Willie Jennings in my office. So I told them I’ll be right back and I returned with the commentary. It was my baby. But I gave it to them any way. They appreciated it.

As I reflected on that day I had a revelation.I realized that (part of) my purpose is to help the church learn, experience and know Christ from a diverse perspective. What does that have to do with today’s scripture? Besides the fact that this year my word is clarity? And this revelation brought some clarity to my calling?

Well…When we read Isaiah 60 (and any other scripture) we must try to read this scripture from the lens of our context and from the lens of others.

We have to ask ourselves these ,and many more, questions:

How do the poor read this text?
How do the rich read this text?
How do our brothers and sisters in Asia, Africa, Latin America read this text?
How do the Jews read this text?
How do children read this text? College Students?
Young Adults? Married? Single? LGBT?.....etc

We cannot ever think that one group of people in the United States has a monopoly on the interpretation of the Bible. I think that’s blasphemy. Yet, at the same time scripture is contextual. It can mean different things in different places. So there’s that dynamic that we must also take into consideration.

But for today’s devo read Isaiah 60 and begin to ask yourself if you are only interpreting this verse with your perspective only? Or only from one culture?

Seek diversity.If you need help finding diverse voices ask me, I’m here to help.

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Matthew 25:31-46 PART 2

PART 2
Here’s the scripture passage again if you need a refresher.

Matthew 25:31-46

The Sheep and the Goats

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Part 2
Another interesting thought that I had in this scripture is how the righteous are the ones who are confused. They never knew when they were helping the poor. They ask Jesus “When did we see you hungry?” Almost as to innocently ask because they have treated everyone the same.

They did not know the difference between helping the least of these and helping Jesus.

This to me shows the kind of witness that Christians must have. We should have the kind of vision and love that is not affected negatively by the hierarchies that the world bestows upon us.

We have a group of neighbors across the street who my “cool” neighbors constantly treat differently. It’s because they are a little different. They are introverted, struggle with mental health and not the prototype neighbors. But you know what? They are my friends. And it’s everyone else’s loss to miss out on what my neighbors have to offer. They gave Cruz a cupcake yesterday for their sons birthday and the dad is an engineer for the Navy. Super smart and very kind people. We made him a card. Check out the artistry.

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They are big Minecraft fans so I drew a picture of Cruz and Xander as Minecraft characters.

Cruz drew his own picture inside.

I pray that we can be the kind of Christians who don’t treat people as though they are on the bottom of the totem pole. Let’s treat people like “little Christ’s.” That’s what Mother Teresa use to say about the people she interacted with on a daily basis. She would say that she would treat everyone she saw like they were a “little Christ.” And that’s what the scripture teaches today.

Whatever you do for the least of these you do for Christ.

Matthew 25:31-46 PART 1

Matthew 25:31-46

The Sheep and the Goats

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

We cannot talk about Christianity without talking about Hell. In today’s scripture Jesus reminds us of that.

What do we make of Hell? Is it a real place? Is it a place of eternal punishment? Is it a place of eternal fire?Another important question to ask about hell is, “What do I need to do to make it to heaven?”

These are all tough questions that are impossible to pin down to one answer. Don’t let any tradition fool you. No one knows the answer. We have all been shaped by culture and tradition within the church and outside of the church. The idea of heaven and hell have also been shaped by pop culture and great literature books like Dante’s Inferno.

Today what I want to focus on is the requirements Jesus uses to allow some people into hell and some people into the kingdom of God. Notice what the scripture points to. For Jesus (in this scripture) it’s about your actions to the least of these that determines whether or not you enter heaven. It’s not the faith of the goats or the sheeps in this story. It’s their action towards the poor.

It reminds me again of Jon Sobrinos book “No Salvation outside the poor,” where he argues that the only way to salvation is to help the poor. He uses the story of Lazarus but you can even use today’s scripture as another affirmation of that theology. I have some more thoughts on this scripture. You can stop reading here if you’d like and just focus on the idea “If my entrance into heaven is dependent on my actions to the least of these, will I enter heaven?”

To be continued…

Revelation 21:1-6

Revelation 21:1-6

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”[a] for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’[b] or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.

There it is again, “the good” pursuing us like a husband or a bride pursues their lover, their friend, their son, their child…

John of Patmos has a vision of God in the final days revealing the Glory of God like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

I don’t know your marital status but there’s a special moment when the Bride is presented to the congregation and to the groom. It’s a moment of tears, happiness, sadness (the mom and dad of the bride has to feel bitter sweet), and other intense emotions. What a beautiful picture of how much God, the good, goodness, good news, and love is pursuing us. And each moment that we recognize the beauty of God in this world it feels like this moment. It’s not identical to this moment but it’s similar.

That’s what happens when one experiences revival in their life. You have “a moment.” A movie I highly encourage you to watch is Disney’s new film “Soul.” It talks all about finding purpose, finding your “moment,” passions and dreams. It’s beautiful. Really take your time to watch it!

For me lesson number 1 in the scripture is that “goodness is pursuing us like love pursues love.” You ever pursued someone? It’s beautiful and hard when that person doesn’t love you back. But it’s amazing when your pursuit bears fruit.

Lesson number 2 is in the idea that God, the good, goodness, love, peace, heaven….all the things of God, feels a lot like healing. Because healing makes things new.

I’m no Physiologist but I know that once a body is healed it is on it’s way from life to death. It’s on it’s way from weakness to strength. It’s on it’s way from sickness to health. So what God wants to do in us, and in this world, sometimes feels a lot like healing. How can we take the things in us and in the world and find healing from it? The healing feels like changing the meaning of the word “cry.”

The Bible says that in the end times “all” things will be made new. When I read the idea that God wipes every tear I think that God will not stop the crying. God will wipe the tear. What a beautiful image. The image of a child crying in the arms of their parent and the parent wiping the tear from their eyes. God does something beautiful, something new, something healing in the crying. God will not take away the reason why we cry, God will wipe the tears. Beautiful.

For me I see this as a new way of seeing death, mourning, crying and pain. We will experience a new kind of it all.

Because there is a difference between crying when you lose someone and crying when you are laughing.

There’s a difference between the pain you experience from someone attacking you and the pain you experience from helping others and sacrifice.

There’s a difference between mourning the loss of someone who has not a good person in your life and mourning someone who was extra special.

In the end times…..(Which the “end times,” deserves time for another devotional.)

In the end times we will experience a new kind of crying. A good crying.

Blessings to you this week and may God turn the pain of 2020 into a new way of being in this world.

Love you guys.

Psalm 8

Psalm 8

Lord, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory

in the heavens.

2 Through the praise of children and infants

you have established a stronghold against your enemies,

to silence the foe and the avenger.

3 When I consider your heavens,

the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars,

which you have set in place,

4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them,

human beings that you care for them?[c]

5 You have made them[d] a little lower than the angels[e]

and crowned them[f] with glory and honor.

6 You made them rulers over the works of your hands;

you put everything under their[g] feet:

7 all flocks and herds,

and the animals of the wild,

8 the birds in the sky,

and the fish in the sea,

all that swim the paths of the seas.

9 Lord, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!

One of the ways that I have been seeing God lately is in the idea of what is “good.” Sometimes I like to joke around and say that we misspelled God. We were missing an o. We often say it though. “God is good,” we say.
Yes, God is Good. All the time. We also believe that all good things come from God.
We also believe God is love.
And love is good.
Right?

Stay with me.

So, God is good. What if God represents everything that is good, in some beautiful, magical way? Well, then it changes the way we see today’s scripture. In verse 3 of today’s scripture it talks about God, (who I will now refer to by the word goodness, or good, or love), loves us so much. Let me rephrase that. Goodness, the good, everything that is good loves us. It desires nothing but goodness for us, through us and even in spite of us.That’s a nice thought.

It’s nice to think that love desires us so much that it promises to chase and care for us with as much intention as the care of the entire world and universe. This gives me hope. It gives me hope to believe that no matter how much bad I believe is out there or after me, that good always wins.

Good always wins. Love wins.

So start today or end the night with that positive thought. No matter how bad things are, goodness wins in the end. Because God is good. God is love.

Peace to you my friends.