Brian Paulson Daily Lectionary

Consider the Outcome

2011-07-28T09:04:00.000-07:00

In today's reading from the Gospel of Mark, Jesus places a spiritual emphasis on the hardest discipline of faith - generating a holy life - our spiritual outcome. In Mark 7:1-23, Jesus is confronted by leaders who attack the lack of ritual purity amongst his followers. By the end of the exchange, the challenge is put to those who would hang their hat on tradition alone.

Speaking to the crowd, he says, "Listen to me, all of you, and understand there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile." He places the burden of faith on the human heart and its outcome. It is too easy to focus on external circumstance and custom when the genuine and productive work of faith begins in the heart.

As an example, Jesus points his accusers toward the fifth commandment, to honor father and mother. How might our heart be moved to bear good fruit in light of that commandment? The Larger Catechism suggests this commandment even affects our relationship to a stranger on the street, "to regard the dignity and worth of each other, in giving honor to go one before another, and to rejoice in each other’s gifts and advancement as their own." (Q.131)

How might our lives and our world change if we mastered the affections of our hearts and employed that change in daily life?

How Often They Put God to the Test!

2009-11-06T06:54:00.000-08:00

The reading from the 78th Psalm this morning recounts the consequence of putting God to the test. Time and again people forget the power and righteousness of God. Time and again, God proves to be faithful despite our failings.

The reading from Matthew shows the priority Jesus places upon sabbath refreshment from the labors of life and ministry. Yet the people follow him. He instructs the disciples to get something to eat. They are only aware of their limited resources. Jesus, by contrast, is aware of all that we have which so often we neglect. Jesus took what they had, and gave thanks to God.

In giving thanks to God, Jesus demonstrated a contrast to the testing nature of humans. With the meager supply the disciples had, all the people were filled to satisfaction.

Would that I could turn to God with thanksgiving more than testing.

Friday morning prayers in my Company of Pastors discipline makes this petition: "let our concern for others reflect Christ's self-giving love, not only in our prayers, but in our practice." A-men.

They Begged Him to Leave Them Alone

2009-10-09T10:42:00.000-07:00

Today the daily lectionary offered a reading from Matthew about the demons who were cast out of two dangerous men that lived in the cemetery. Apparently the demons found such behavior by Jesus to be torture and complained that he was breaking the groundrules for the inbreaking of God's new world. The villagers had restricted these afflicted men to the cemetery but Jesus liberated them from their demons so they could be amongst the living. Of course, the demons never go quietly. They wanted to escape into a herd of pigs. Jesus in effect said, "if you feel you belong amongst the pigs - have at it!" Off to the pigs they went and off a cliff into the water went the pigs. News of these events were brought to the villagers - by the pigherders. The people begged Jesus to go away and leave them alone. I wonder. If we see through the eyes of Christ and bring life to those we meet, will the consequence of our vision make others beg us to leave them alone? Could it be, that we might prefer to keep our demons in the dead places of our lives rather than risk the change that may come if we embrace new life in all our being? Do we sometimes wish Jesus would leave us alone? What a tragedy.

Open my eyes

2009-09-22T06:31:00.000-07:00

Today's Psalm 119:1-24 reading spoke to me as it offered the prayer, "I live as an alien in the land; do not hide your commandments from me." So often I fear that the praise of God's law expressed in this psalm would come out as self-righteousness off of my lips. I back away from expressing delight in the commandments for fear that I will be misunderstood. Perhaps this is because there is another language that does not understand my devotion - "I live as an alien in the land." In all my effort to interpret the goodness of God, I learn to speak other languages. Yet the primary language is that a spiritual vision - "open my eyes" (v. 18). I pray that my facility with the ways of the world will not cause the gift of God's law to be hidden from me.

People are walking like trees!

2009-08-04T07:36:00.000-07:00

As a boy I can remember travelling to Northern California on an expedition to the Redwood Forests that Arlo Guthrie sang about. One tree had a cut through which cars could drive - and it was still alive and soaring to the heavens. The reading from Mark 8:22-33 causes me to wonder about the first healing of the blind man when people are seen walking around like trees. (Sounds like a Tolkien story, right?) Then the second healing gives the blind man the whole picture. I wonder, could his first healing offer an impressionist view of God's purpose for us? Are we to be growing, as a blessing for others - like the mustard seed that grows into a cedar tree?

Fountains and Cisterns

2009-03-10T08:02:00.000-07:00

My heart was drawn to the image of Jeremiah this morning. He spoke the Word of God to a people that had forgotten how to trust in God's saving grace. They turned from the living fountain, preferring instead to dig cisterns. As a former desert dweller I want to say a good word about cisterns. They are the desert dwellers life insurance for times of extended drought. Yet I suppose the problem with cisterns is our reliance upon them. As with anything we build and rely upon, cisterns are subject to decay. If we forget how to travel with God and keep alert for fountains along our path, then we forget the source of life and its purpose.

The Almond Branch

2009-03-09T14:13:00.001-07:00

Sometimes rank does not have it's privileges. I needed to make a photocopy of my sermon an hour before worship and asked to interrupt a member's last minute large run to copy my few pages. I was refused and sent to the CE resource room's copier. As I grumbled at the second copier, a friend of the congregation walked in and said, "look at those branches!" There, right before my eyes were necklaces of water beads hanging from delicate branches outside the window just a few feet from my eyes. I had not seen it. Today's reading in Jeremiah shows God posing the question, "what do you see?" Jeremiah saw an almond branch - known as the first to waken in Spring. What a wonderful gift for the world today. Gloom and doom abound, but if we look, we may see the first wakening signs of Spring.

Teach to the children

2009-03-07T07:56:00.000-08:00

Verse 19 from Deuteronomy caught my eye this morning. I was reflecting upon the way that we teach, even as we lie down and rise. This coincides with reflecting I have been doing on the concept of "regeneration." How does the Holy Spirit regenerate our lives. Perhaps it is through this kind of constant attention outlined in the Deuteronomy passage.