November 13, 2025
But When?
“I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more.”
Isaiah 65:19
This morning’s devotional verse is from our first reading for this Sunday’s worship service. This section of Isaiah is entitled, “New Heavens and New Earth” in my desk Bible. This passage comes at the end of Isaiah’s extensive works. Biblical scholars would note that the later part of Isaiah was probably not authored by Isaiah himself. It is thought that one or more of Isaiah’s disciples wrote the section our verse comes from. Regardless of the identity of the author, there are influences of Isaiah found in these words.
When I read these words about new heavens (especially the NEW Jerusalem) my mind draws a line to Revelation. Specifically, the words, “I saw the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God…” (Rev. 21:2a) It is easy to imagine that the author of Revelation, thought to be John, was influenced in his description of “the new Jerusalem” found in Isaiah. But this section of Isaiah also has hints of what life for the Jewish people would be like following the exile.
Isaiah states that people will build houses and live in them and eat of the fruit of their own vineyards. Others will not live in their homes and eat the produce of their land. This is a clear reference to the events of the exile. But there are also promises of long life and healthy children woven into this declaration as well.
When we, as modern students of Scripture, read these words we might ponder the how, when, and where this new Jerusalem might come into being. That is one of the great challenges found in the belief systems of many Christians. We read of this new Jerusalem, which sounds much like a merging of heaven and earth, and wonder when will it happen. Did it already occur? Did we miss it? If it is something we should be looking forward to, why do many people seem to live in fear of its occurrence? Is there something we need to do to be ready for it?
Some of these questions may seem a bit light-hearted but for some people these are serious considerations. My mind goes back to Jesus’ words found in the Gospel of Matthew, “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Matt. 24:36) So, I guess that settles that, if Jesus does not know, who am I to get all bound up in trying to read the signs in the heavens. Perhaps it is best that we instead simply do our best to follow Jesus’ direction about loving God and each other and let the Lord do the rest. As we begin to dust off the Advent wreath and consider our Christmas celebration may we set aside our fear and wonderings and seek to live in our faith for a time!
Peace,
Pastor Chuck
November 12, 2025
Motivation!
“The laborer’s appetite works for him; his hunger drives him on.”
Proverbs 16:26
This morning’s Proverbs Wednesday verse concerns a person’s motivation. In particular, the author of this Proverb proposes the idea that a laborer’s hunger motivates him to continue to work. This seems to be rather simplistic. If the laborer’s only motivation to continue working is his hunger, what happens when his hunger is satiated? Does he go home after a good lunch? What about coffee breaks, how quickly does he return to his tasks when the catering cart pulls away?
The source of these questions arises from my memories of my first job. When I was 16 my father arranged for me to have a summer job on the grounds crew at the factory where he worked. This was somewhat challenging as I tried to understand the rhythm of how the factory worked. Each morning at 10 AM everyone had a 15-minute coffee break. At 9:45 a designated person for each department would take their co-workers orders and go to the catering truck that came each day. They would return with the order and everyone would have their break. The amusing aspect of this was everyone would start their break at 9:45 and usually not return to work until 10:20 or so. After all, you had to return to your department, wash up, have a cigarette (I think I was the only person who worked there that did not smoke) and so on. There did not seem to be a whole lot of motivation on behalf of much of the workforce there.
I am not sure what I learned from my three summers at the Bleachery, other then I did not want to work there when I “grew up,” perhaps that was a type of motivation. When you consider the complex relationships, we have with the Lord and with each other, motivation has much to do with our actions. What causes to act the way we do, both in a positive and negative sense? In the Proverb we consider this morning a negative entity, hunger, creates a positive outcome, a strong work ethic. This is not usually how we consider hunger, but the author has a point here, identifying and building on our motivations can drive us on.
What are the motivations we consider when we reflect on our faith and our involvement in a faith community? Are we considering what we can offer to the larger community? Are we also factoring into our thinking what the benefits are of being part of the church? If our driving force as a congregation is serving the Lord and serving each other, as well as our community, then we can never get too far off track!
Peace,
Pastor Chuck
November 10, 2025
Something Worse?
“Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.”
John 5:14
The above verse is part of the larger story of Jesus healing a man at the pool at Bethesda near the temple. Jesus encounters a man who was unable to walk. We learn that this man had been in this condition for thirty-eight years. He would sit by the pool as it was thought that the angels would come and stir the pool. If one were to enter the pool at that time, their ills would be cured. When Jesus asks the man if he wants to, “get well?” the man instead responds with the reasons why he cannot get into the pool when the water is stirred. Jesus must consider his answer to be “yes” as he instructs the man to take up his mat and walk. He is cured!
This story may not have been of great importance but for the fact that it took place on a Sabbath. When the Jewish authorities saw the man carrying his mat, they remind him that carrying anything like that was prohibited on the Sabbath (it was considered work). The newly healed man replies that the man who healed him said it was OK. When the authorities ask him to identify this stranger the man shrugs and moves on. Later, Jesus encounters him in the Temple and warns him to stop sinning or something worse will happen to him.
There is a lot happening here. There is the controversy about healing on the Sabbath which is more egregious than carrying your mat I suppose. There is the question of how sin was or is involved in the man’s condition. And there is also the fact that following this healing, Jesus speaks to the Jewish leaders and refers to the Lord as, “My Father.”
For the sake of this forum, I want to briefly reflect on the idea of sin being a factor in this man’s disability. What sin or multitude of sins might have caused this man to be unable to walk for thirty-eight years? Also, what might cause Jesus to go out of his way to warn the man that things could get worse if continued to be a sinner? So, was the miracle story about Jesus’ ability to heal or was about his ability to forgive sin? Or was it both?
Faith-healers are not a modern-day phenomenon. They existed back in the time of Jesus as well. The fact that Jesus healed this man was notable but not to the point that it would arouse the hatred in the Jewish leadership. But if you factor in the timing, the Sabbath and the fact that Jesus effectively forgave the man’s sins, then something greater is in play here.
Whether or not you believe that sin and illness and disability are related in some way or not, we should take notice that the Jewish leadership did not rejoice in the man’s healing. They instead sought to focus on the negatives at play in this miracle. So many of the stories and parables we find in Scripture point out that compassion was not a reason for rejoicing unless that event complied to the leader’s strict code of conduct. We, as followers of Christ need to remember that Christ chose to heal first, and discuss the motivation and consequences later. The call to relieve people of their pain, their restrictions, and the chains that held them down was his first consideration. May it be so for us today!
Peace,
Pastor Chuck
A Faith Like Job’s!
“I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.”
Job 19:25
This morning’s devotional verse comes from the story of Job in the Old Testament. Job was a faithful and upright fellow. In fact, he was so righteous that the Lord would brag about Job to the angels. Satan happened to hear the Lord’s praise of Job and suggested to the Lord that Job was only righteous because he was so successful. Satan asked for permission to test Job by bringing tragedy upon him. This resulted in Job losing his family, his home, and his possessions. Yet, Job still refused to reject the Lord. Thus, Satan proposed that Job would be shaken if he were personally afflicted. Job then was beset with a horrible skin disease. At that point even Job’s wife suggested Job should be angry at the Lord.
The story continues as Job’s friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar come to “comfort” him. They too question Job’s continuing faithfulness in the face of the disasters that have befallen him. The dialogue between these four ebbs and flows for many chapters. The verse quoted above are the words of Job as he begins to be worn down by his friend’s logic. Even now though, he doggedly claims that his “Redeemer” exists and that Job will one day view the Lord.
Eventually Job does give in to the cynical cries of his friends and openly questions the Lord about his circumstances. The Lord rebukes Job and finally Job admits that the Lord is all powerful and Job has no right to question either the good or the bad events in his life. Eventually Job is restored to good health and prosperity once again.
I imagine most of us have had times where we have questioned the Lord’s care for us when we face difficult times. Illness, loneliness, grief, along with so many other issues we face as humans can challenge our ability to remain faithful. After all, even an incredibly righteous man like Job faced a crisis in faith. The message in the story of Job can be found in the way in which Job’ loss of belief was not the end of the story. If we have times when our faith seems to be hard for us to access, we must remember that the Lord will not turn away from us. May we remember the faithfulness of Job in those times when we struggle so that we might to find redemption!
Peace,
Pastor Chuck
November 5, 2025
I Wonder!
“Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud.”
Proverbs 16:19
This morning’s verse for Proverbs Wednesday is a bit of head scratcher for me. I understand the larger concept here, it is better to be humble than to be haughty, but there are still several questions that come to mind. First, the idea of being lowly in spirit. When the author of this Proverb, thought to be King Solomon, mentions spirit, does he mean faith? Or is he speaking about the human emotion of pride or even self-worth? Another factor is the viewpoint of the author himself. If King Soloman did author this, what does he know about being oppressed? He is a king and a descendant of kings, I seriously doubt he has ever been oppressed in his life.
If we were to look at the larger context of the verses around this one, we will find that this section deals with pride versus humility. Verse 18 reads, “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.” So, with those words in mind, it seems that the spirit that is referred to here is not faith but instead is about self-worth. A person who thinks too highly of themselves is going to be taken down a notch at some point. It is wiser to think consider yourself humbly so as not to let your pridefulness trip you up.
With that message in mind, the admonition against sharing in the plunder of the proud makes more sense. There are several other verses in Proverbs that address this concept through different references. An example of that can be found in Proverbs 20:17, “Food gained by fraud tastes sweet, but one ends up with a mouth full of gravel.” Essentially the message here is that, while it may seem tempting to take advantage of the oppressed, eventually you will have to face the consequences.
So, it seems the message here is not so muddy as I originally imagined. The Lord expects us to live humbly, act ethically, and be respectful of each other. We may watch as the prideful share in the plunder derived from their behavior, but the Lord will most assuredly dispense justice at the time of judgement, In the meantime, may it be enough for us to seek to glorify the Lord through our words, thoughts, and actions on this day!
Peace,
Pastor Chuck