Paul's first defense

Good afternoon friends,
As we celebrate this holiday, I'd invite you to be in prayer for workers, especially those who are under unfair pressure at work and those who are either out of work or worried about their jobs. I'd also encourage you to pray for a better culture of management and labor in this country based on mutual respect and kindness.

In today's reading we see Paul ask the Roman official for permission to speak to the crowd. We'll skip much of Paul's address, since we already know the story he is going to tell, which is about his conversion. Notice how Paul wants to be heard and speaks honestly about what God is doing through him.

God bless,
Sam

Acts 21:37- 22:3, 22:17-29

37 Just as Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the tribune, ‘May I say something to you?’ The tribune replied, ‘Do you know Greek? ³⁸Then you are not the Egyptian who recently stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand assassins out into the wilderness?’ ³⁹Paul replied, ‘I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of an important city; I beg you, let me speak to the people.’ ⁴⁰When he had given him permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the people for silence; and when there was a great hush, he addressed them in the Hebrew language, saying:

‘Brothers and fathers, listen to the defence that I now make before you.’

2 When they heard him addressing them in Hebrew, they became even more quiet. Then he said:

3 ‘I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, educated strictly according to our ancestral law, being zealous for God, just as all of you are today....

17 ‘After I had returned to Jerusalem and while I was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance ¹⁸and saw Jesus saying to me, “Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.” ¹⁹And I said, “Lord, they themselves know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you. ²⁰And while the blood of your witness Stephen was shed, I myself was standing by, approving and keeping the coats of those who killed him.” ²¹Then he said to me, “Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.” ’ 22 Up to this point they listened to him, but then they shouted, ‘Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live.’

²³And while they were shouting, throwing off their cloaks, and tossing dust into the air, ²⁴the tribune directed that he was to be brought into the barracks, and ordered him to be examined by flogging, to find out the reason for this outcry against him. ²⁵But when they had tied him up with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, ‘Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who is uncondemned?’ ²⁶When the centurion heard that, he went to the tribune and said to him, ‘What are you about to do? This man is a Roman citizen.’ ²⁷The tribune came and asked Paul, ‘Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?’ And he said, ‘Yes.’ ²⁸The tribune answered, ‘It cost me a large sum of money to get my citizenship.’ Paul said, ‘But I was born a citizen.’ ²⁹Immediately those who were about to examine him drew back from him; and the tribune also was afraid, for he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had bound him.

pain to joy

Good evening friends,
In today's passage Jesus lets his disciples know that he is going to God and that he will return to them. His point is that there is a hard time ahead for the disciples because they will face persecution for following him. In the end, though, Jesus will be victorious over the evil powers in the world. After their hardship will come joy, and that joy will last forever. I take comfort in knowing that. Even though the end hasn't come as soon as Jesus and the disciples expected, one day God's love and justice will make everything right. There are plenty of problems now, but God's story has a happy ending.

God bless,
Sam

John 16:16-33

¹⁶”A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me.” ¹⁷Then some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying to us, ‘A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” ¹⁸They said, “What does he mean by this ‘a little while’? We do not know what he is talking about.” ¹⁹Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Are you discussing among yourselves what I meant when I said, ‘A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’? ²⁰Very truly, I tell you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice; you will have pain, but your pain will turn into joy. ²¹When a woman is in labor, she has pain, because her hour has come. But when her child is born, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy of having brought a human being into the world. ²²So you have pain now; but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.

²³On that day you will ask nothing of me. Very truly, I tell you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. ²⁴Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete. ²⁵“I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures, but will tell you plainly of the Father. ²⁶On that day you will ask in my name. I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; ²⁷for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.

²⁸I came from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and am going to the Father.” ²⁹His disciples said, “Yes, now you are speaking plainly, not in any figure of speech! ³⁰Now we know that you know all things, and do not need to have anyone question you; by this we believe that you came from God.” ³¹Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? ³²The hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each one to his home, and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. ³³I have said this to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!”

legacy and disapointment

Good morning sisters and brothers,
This is a hard part of the story of Moses because Moses has this incredibly intimate relationship with God and has devoted his life to leading the people out of slavery into the Promised Land, but he does not get to enter the land himself. I'm grateful he got to see it, and I'm sure that meant a lot to him. Still, I'm also sure he was sad not to complete the journey. The word this passage has for us, and one we'll explore in more depth on Sunday, is that most of us are in a similar situation.

We won't see the completion of most of the things we care most about. We probably won't see poverty and injustice eliminated in our lifetime, though we may see progress in that direction. We probably won't see everyone come to know Christ. We often won't see our children or grandchildren develop their gifts to the fullest before we die. We are still called to commit our life and work and prayer to making the world better, to share the gospel and to raising our children well. We are called to trust that God's purposes continue beyond our lifetime and that our work and legacy are in good hands when we are called home.

God bless,
Sam

Deuteronomy 34:1-12

1Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho, and the LORD showed him the whole land: Gilead as far as Dan, 2all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, 3the Negeb, and the Plain — that is, the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees — as far as Zoar. 4The LORD said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants’; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.” 5Then Moses, the servant of the LORD, died there in the land of Moab, at the Lord’s command. 6He was buried in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor, but no one knows his burial place to this day. 7Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; his sight was unimpaired and his vigor had not abated. 8The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; then the period of mourning for Moses was ended.



9Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him; and the Israelites obeyed him, doing as the LORD had commanded Moses.

10Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face. 11He was unequaled for all the signs and wonders that the LORD sent him to perform in the land of Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants and his entire land, 12and for all the mighty deeds and all the terrifying displays of power that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.

Sabbath rest

Good morning friends,
Today's ordinances begin with a focus on the Sabbath. Notice that sabbath rest is not only the seventh day, but also the seventh year. Also, the Sabbath is partly about worship, but also is a gift to allow us the rest we need, but often won't take. As usual, there is a special focus on the need of the vulnerable to rest as well. The other rules talk about more "religious" matters: celebrations, worship and dietary law. These laws give us a picture of how God wanted Israel's life to be. I think a little focus on Sabbath rest would be good for us as well in our crazy, constantly running culture. This is the Commandment I have the most trouble following, but I try to remind myself that it is one of the Ten Commandments for a reason.

Blessings,
Sam

Exodus 23:10-19

10For six years you shall sow your land and gather in its yield; 11but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, so that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave the wild animals may eat. You shall do the same with your vineyard, and with your olive orchard. 12Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest, so that your ox and your donkey may have relief, and your homeborn slave and the resident alien may be refreshed.



13Be attentive to all that I have said to you. Do not invoke the names of other gods; do not let them be heard on your lips. 14Three times in the year you shall hold a festival for me. 15You shall observe the festival of unleavened bread; as I commanded you, you shall eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. No one shall appear before me empty-handed. 16You shall observe the festival of harvest, of the first fruits of your labor, of what you sow in the field. You shall observe the festival of ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in from the field the fruit of your labor. 17Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord God. 18You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with anything leavened, or let the fat of my festival remain until the morning. 19The choicest of the first fruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God. You shall not boil a kid in its mother’s milk.

food and work

Good morning friends,
Our reading from Exodus is one of many episodes where the people complain about their situation in freedom and long for the comfort of Egypt and slavery. Moses and God are annoyed about this complaining and lack of trust, but God provides for the people.

Jesus' parable of the workers in the field is a favorite of mine for reminding us that God's economy is not like ours. We worry a lot about getting what we deserve. God gives to everyone fairly, but does not need to give some people more to make us feel special or better than others. It's also true that being in God's field is its own reward; the workers who started earlier may have worked longer, but they didn't have to carry the burden of not being hired. We know to whom we belong and that is a huge comfort.

God bless,
Sam

Exodus 16:2-15

2The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”



4Then the Lord said to Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not. 5On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on other days.“ 6So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, 7and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your complaining against the Lord. For what are we, that you complain against us?” 8And Moses said, “When the Lord gives you meat to eat in the evening and your fill of bread in the morning, because the Lord has heard the complaining that you utter against him — what are we? Your complaining is not against us but against the Lord.”



9Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the Israelites, ‘Draw near to the Lord, for he has heard your complaining.’” 10And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the Israelites, they looked toward the wilderness, and the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. 11The Lord spoke to Moses and said, 12“I have heard the complaining of the Israelites; say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’”



13In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. 15When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.”





*Sunday

Matthew 20:1-16

1“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. 3When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace; 4and he said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. 5When he went out again about noon and about three o’clock, he did the same. 6And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, ‘Why are you standing here idle all day?’ 7They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard.’



8When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.’ 9When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage. 10Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. 11And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, 12saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ 13But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? 14Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. 15Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ 16So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

work and enjoyment

Good morning sisters and brothers,
Today's reading continues yesterday's passage from Ecclesiastes. The author has seen that everything has its season and has seen the busyness God has given everyone to be busy with. Furthermore, he has seen that for people there is nothing better to eat and drink and enjoy life. Ecclesiastes wrestles with life's impermanence and the fact that often it feels pointless. A lot of the time we don't feel like we're getting anywhere. The reality is that in life, nothing is perfect. Even in the parts of life where things should be most righteous, there is still wickedness. As hard as we try, we will never be perfect and neither will any one else.

That doesn't mean we should give up, but it means we should take life with a grain of salt. God will judge and set everything right in the end. In the meantime we are called to seek God's will, to work hard and enjoy our labor, and to enjoy the blessings of life God has given us.

Happy New Year, be safe, and God bless,
Sam

Ecclesiastes 3:12-17

12I know that there is nothing better for them than to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live; 13moreover, it is God’s gift that all should eat and drink and take pleasure in all their toil. 14I know that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it; God has done this, so that all should stand in awe before him. 15That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already is; and God seeks out what has gone by.


16Moreover I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, wickedness was there, and in the place of righteousness, wickedness was there as well. 17I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for he has appointed a time for every matter, and for every work.