Galatians 1:11-24 A Change of Heart

 

Observation: Paul's ministry is based on a big claim. He retells the story here in his letter to the Galatian church, that he is the only person besides Jesus' original followers to whom the risen Lord personally appeared. According to Paul, this changed his heart and his life, turning him from violently persecuting Christians to enthusiastically sharing their message.

Application: I had a good conversation with our confirmation class via Zoom this past Sunday. We discussed times in our lives when someone really changed our minds. I can only think of a handful of times when one single conversation or moment really made me do a 180 degree turn, as Paul appears to do. But even those big moments didn't arise out of nothing. Looking back, for every moment of major change in my life, there were half a dozen smaller seeds planted along the way, sometimes years before, that led me to that point. It's very rare to have as dramatic of a moment as Paul has with Jesus. Much more often, we change because God has been preparing us for it for a long time. This is helpful for me to remember when I'm dealing with people or systems that seem to be stuck in their ways, and of course for the many times when I'm feeling a little to stuck in my ways. Change is a little at a time, then all at once, and it's Jesus who does it. 

Prayer: Jesus, change my heart today in the way that I need to change. Help me see you in the way that I need to, even if it's not dramatic, and help me remember to look back on my story and give thanks for your faithfulness. Amen. 

Matthew 16:15-19 A Truth that Allows For Change

 

Observation: Today, January 18, commemorates the "Confession of Peter," a crucial moment in the Gospels in which Jesus asks his disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" and Simon Peter speaks up to say, "You are the Messiah." Jesus tells Peter that it is none other than God who has revealed this to him, and on the "rock" of Peter's witness Jesus will build a church. Jesus then promises Peter "the keys to the kingdom of heaven," saying whatever he binds or looses on earth will be bound or loosed in heaven.

Application: A couple of years ago (In those storied pre-pandemic times) I read a book called Canoeing the Mountains, on the subject of adaptive leadership. The principle of adaptive leadership is if you know your own personal values and the values of your community well enough, it makes it easier to change quickly in an unpredictable future. If you don't know what truths are central for you, then it's hard to change anything for fear of losing everything. But if you DO know it, then almost everything can change and you'll still be right at home. 

God has revealed a central truth to Peter--and to us--that Jesus is the Messiah, Son of the Living God. Once Peter gets this right, Jesus actually gives him permission, in the context of his community, to change almost everything else as the situation dictates. If Peter holds fast to the truth of Jesus as Messiah, "whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." 

This is both liberating and terrifying at the same time. As long as we confess Jesus as Lord and Messiah together, literally anything else can and will change, and sometimes it will need to change. What grounds me is the promise that this confession is what makes Peter "a rock". It was strong enough to keep him centered, and it can keep us centered too. As the world changes, the church can change too, with prayer and conversation, if we know the rock on which we stand. 

Prayer: Jesus, thank you for the witness of Peter, and the rock on which he stood: the truth, that you are Lord. Help me to stand firm, too, when I need to, and also to be flexible and change when I need to. I pray this in your name, Messiah, Son of the Living God. Amen.   

Isaiah 6:1-5 God's House

 

Observation: In Isaiah's call story, he is pulled up into God's house: the throne room of the heavenly temple. The hem of God's robe fills the temple, and God is attended by other-worldly beings: Seraphs, with six wings. It is truly an alien environment. Isaiah feels defeated, because there is no way he can be worthy to be in such a holy place. 

Application: It's almost the end of the Christmas season, and in case I was in danger of getting too "cozy" with the Child in the manger, this is a reminder of who I've been hanging out with. The same one whose temple fills with smoke to shield mortal eyes; the same one to whom the seraphim sing "Holy, Holy, Holy," all the time, through eternity, even when mortal ears can't hear; this is the one who took on flesh to be with us. 

Christians have a bad theological habit of reading the entire Old Testament--especially the parts of it where God is "high and lofty", holy, untouchable and apart from human experience--and categorizing it all as "God the Father." Anytime we see God as "larger than life," that must be that "Father" guy. Certainly it can't be our buddy Jesus who took naps on boats, and made fish breakfasts, and was born in a lowly manger. But if we make that hard, fast separation, we're actually emptying the incarnation of its miracle. 

The Christian witness is that God is Triune--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit--and always has been. We can't divide up the Old Testament and try to figure out which "person" showed up for Moses in a burning bush, and which one appeared to Isaiah. The Lord did all those things. And The Lord is Father, Holy Spirit...and Son. The Son of God was there all along. Even in the lofty temple. 

Hate to be the one to remind you: children are born into "mangers", into impermanent housing, into less-than-ideal situations, every single day. The wonder of Christmas is that this happened to God, who dwelt in glory in the heavenly temple, whose praise shook the foundations of the house. This is the one who freely chose solidarity with us. This is the one who makes human life holy with his presence. 

Prayer: Son of God, I am not worthy to have you share the same planet, to inhabit the same type of body and be the same type of creature as you. Yet here you are: God with Us. Pull me deeper into the mystery, not that I might understand it, but that I might continue to live in awe and humility. In your name I pray. Amen.