Pastor Steve Richards

This word – waiting – has appeared in the scripture reading the past few days. The word brought to mind a memory from my childhood when I was told to wait until my dad got home. That instruction almost always had to do with something I had done that day that displeased my mother. I knew that my dad would be home in time for dinner, so I would wait. While I waited I went through a range of thoughts and emotions: how unfair my mother was being; how didn’t deserve this; how I should just run away from home and then they would see I didn’t need them anymore; how I got myself into this predicament and how I could avoid ever being in this spot again; how my dad would respond and whether I would cry. My dad never spanked me, but I can still see the look of disappointment on his face when he came home and discovered the reason I was waiting for him. He would tell me that I was not who I could be. I was acting like other people and I was better than that. I would be ashamed, because deep down I knew he was right. I would resolve to be and to do better – and in that moment I really meant it. But as a child, it was hard to be a repentant sinner. It was easier to be a sinner and wait for the consequences – if I was caught.

My childhood experience keeps coming to mind as I read Isaiah’s warnings to the people. Destruction is now inevitable. God will allow one foreign power to be the instrument of judgment and then that power will be destroyed by another. And for the people hearing the words of Isaiah, their lives would end. But just when it seems God had given up on the people God had chosen, Isaiah announces a Messiah who will bring about a new way and a new world order. The listeners of Isaiah’s message (that includes us) are invited to hang on to a hope greater than themselves, that they will never see in their lifetimes but will be for their descendants. Wait for that. Wait for the coming Messiah.

I have the opportunity to be waiting for something greater than me, greater than my life so that even beyond my life I will rest in what’s eternal. I can wait for God’s plan and purpose to be fulfilled. And even if the final culmination of this new world order does not happen in my lifetime, I can be part of this new way. Waiting is not passive but active.

In Hebrews 9:28 – Jesus who is the Messiah will come again “to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” Isaiah 12:2 – “Surely it is God who saves me. I will trust in him and not be afraid.”

Just as my childhood experience of waiting for my dad to come home became a time for me to assess my life and prepare for what only my dad could give me (a call to be more than I was because he was confident that I could be), my life is an active waiting for Jesus to come. I don’t sit and watch the clock. I live in anticipate of his arrive, living more fully into what I discover it means to be part of his family and prepare the way for those who will come after me.

Today’s readings: Isaiah 11-14; Hebrews 9

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner Jesus has entered on our behalf. Hebrews 6:19

Christian hope is not an optimism that things will probably turn out all right. It is not having faith in faith. It is trusting – and going on trusting no matter what happens – in the God who made unbreakable promises and will certainly keep them. Christian hope is looking ahead to the time when God will make the world over, completing the work begun in Jesus.

Anchor appears a few other times in the New Testament. But this is the only time  anchor is not connected to a boat and is not cast into the sea. This anchor reaches into the sanctuary – the place in the Temple where only the priests were permitted to go, the holiest place which represented the very presence of God.  This anchor is Jesus Christ. It is solid and secure. It is my lifeline to God. It’s up to me to see that I am tied to the other end of that anchor. When I am, hope is unshakable.

To not work, but to find rest. The idea of Sabbath was introduced in the first chapter of Genesis. On the seventh day, God rested. If God could work for six days and rest on the seventh, then surely we can too. Sabbath is the day of rest. The day devoted to resting and renewing our relationship with God.

There comes a point in working where we need rest. In relationships, we long for that time when it takes no work, but we rest from our labor and rest in the relationship.

I am holding two verses from today’s reading. “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (Psalm 73:26) “There remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.” (Hebrews 4:9) It is a future and eternal hope, and I can catch a glimpse each week as I claim a day to rest in the relationship I have with Jesus Christ. It’s why I look forward to every Sunday.

Today’s readings: Hosea 10-12; Psalm 73; Hebrews 4

What is it that gets done today, because it can’t wait until tomorrow? Those tasks where there is a deadline of today. A sale price that expires today. Those things that could be delayed but are tasks we like to do. The crises. The emergencies. The immediate.

I have a set of tires on my car that could be replaced. Up until a week ago, I would have said “should” be replaced. The tread is gone in places. The sort of condition that if the tires belonged to my daughter’s car I would replace in an instant. But two weeks ago, I had the oil changed and the note from the mechanic recommended that the tires be replaced before winter. I guess I have time! Especially if in this ever warmer climate, winter doesn’t come until January. I’ll do something else today – unless I have a flat tire… or worse.

There may be something TODAY that if I don’t do it TODAY will be a source of regret tomorrow. But do we know what that is?

Israel had forgotten the ways of God decades earlier. There had been no consequence. God had been there to help if and when there was a crisis. All the while, the people moved further and further from a God who through the prophet Hosea pleads and cries for a relationship. Until finally in Hosea 9:17, the words “my God will reject them” indicate it is now too late. God was no longer Israel’s God. Where would that leave me if God was no longer my God? The time when I should have done what I could have done that would secure my eternity and a legacy for my grandchildren had passed.

In Hebrews, it is one word that caught my attention – literally grabbed hold of me “TODAY” (Hebrews 3:7). Today…

What am I not doing today that I should do – that I have delayed doing, thinking I will do it when I have time? Have I avoided doing because it seems too hard or I don’t know if I’m ready? Is it forgiveness? Is it reaching out to someone? Is it caring for my soul? If it would also contribute to a relationship with God, why not do it today.

Today’s readings: Hosea 6-9; Hebrews 3

What do you do when you have done everything else and it has not brought about the desired effect? Let’s say it is a child. You have talked and talked and scolded and taught and provided examples. And still no change in behavior. What do you do? You might bring in the expert – that’s is, ask the expert to do what you have been unable to do. Or you might allow the child to suffer the consequences. You’ve done all you can do.

We’ve been reading the history of the people of Israel. In a period of twenty-four years, they had six kings, and four of them came to power through the assassination of their predecessor. Surely, this is not what God had in mind when God called Samuel to annoint the first king of Israel. God has long been forgotten by the kings and the people. So God sends one prophet after another to call the people back to God and to warn of the judgment that will come if they do not have a relationship with God (i.e. a catastrophe is coming and you will need God, but you won’t even know God).

Today, we read of Hosea. He doesn’t just speak for God. His life is the message. God calls him to marry a prostitute and their three children are named “God scatters”, “not loved”, and “not my people”. The Assyrian army is moving ever closer to the capitol city of Samaria. Ultimately, God will not intervene and will allow the destruction to happen.

The writer of Hebrews will say to the people of the first century A.D.: as God spoke through the prophets so God now speaks through the Son. In Jesus, we hear the message of God and see the character of God. How will we respond?

At least once a day, I look in the mirror. It is generally before I leave the house. I want to be sure the image that others will see is the image that I think they will see. Unlike the photo of the cat, I’ve never been surprised to see a better image of myself. (Though I think God can!) What if we could see more than our appearance when we look in the mirror? What if we could see character?

The final verse of the first chapter of Titus, we are given an image of the people of Crete. “They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.” This is a mild assessment compared to what Amos sees when he looks at the people of Israel (“you cows of Bashan” – 4:1). Both Paul (for the people of Crete) and Amos (for the people of Israel) want to see something more than can be seen. The question is whether the people can be changed.

What is the image of God? In Psalm 86:5, 15, God is described as “forgiven and good, abounding in love to all who call” and “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.” But as Amos prophecies, the day is coming when God will no longer intervene on behalf of the people and the Assyrian army will eliminate the entire nation. It is not what God wants. God wants a relationship. God wants the people to reflect the image God has created them to be (remember Genesis 1). The question for the people of Crete is whether the message of the gospel will bring about change. God sends prophets to show us who we truly are. God sends teachers such as Paul and Titus. God sends people into our lives to show us a truer picture of who we are – inside and out. Often others see what we do not.

God even sends us Jesus who can change us from inside to out. So that the image God sees is the image that others see – and is the image that I see.

Today’s readings: Amos 4-6; Psalm 86-87; Titus 1

When am I closest to God – during good times or during bad times? The prophet Amos speaks during a period of prosperity for Israel and Judah. He delivers an angry message of coming judgment because in the midst of growing affluence the people have moved further from God and how God wants them to live. Wouldn’t you think the greater the comfort the closer they would come to God? Not if my life is any indication of the highs and lows of my relationship with God. Somehow it is easier to seek God and follow God’s ways when in distress.

Psalm 80 is a cry for restoration. The people are suffering from the attack of a foreign power. They are now united in their cries to God for help. “Then we will not turn away from you. Revive us and we will call on your name.” (vs 18) And God does, even though God must know their desire for God will only last until prosperity returns. God is patient! Some translations use the words “long suffering”. There will be judgment, often that’s what consequences are, but God never lets go.

Paul senses that the end of his life is near. “I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness… and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:7-8) That’s where I want to be at the end of my life – not in distress, crying for deliverance, but confident that the God have I followed in good times and in bad times has never let go. And I have never let go.

To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (vs 18)

Today’s readings: Amos 1-3; Psalm 80; 2 Timothy 4

What if my relationship with God was central to everything in my life, and my hope of completeness and prosperity was possible only to the extent that my relationship with God was central? In other words, would I say that God is sovereign or truly live with God as sovereign? So that the outcomes that I experience in my life and the other relationships in my life would be dependent on what’s at the center of my life. Isn’t that the way it works?

Reading in the Old Testament that appears to be how it works. One king does what is evil in the sight of God and the outcome is destructive. Another king does what is good in the sight of God and the outcome is prosperity (not necessarily in terms of money, but contentment). Still another king does what is good but not to the extent that David did. In other words, this king allows other religious influences into the nation so that the Lord God is not central. What is true through history for Judah and Israel must have a message for me and how I live today. That’s what makes all scripture “God-breathed” so that “all God’s people may be thoroughly equipped” (2 Timothy 3:16)

In the words of Paul, I don’t want “a form of godliness” while “denying its power”. (vs 5) Therefore, my commitment each and every day is to making my relationship with God central to everything else in my life. For me, that begins with scripture and prayer.

Today’s readings: 2 Kings 13-14; 2 Chronicles 25; 2 Timothy 3

As we read the tangled history of the kings of Judah and Israel, it appears that Jehu finally (and violently) restores the focus of the northern kingdom of Israel on the LORD God. For the next hundred years, life will go well in Israel with Jehu and his descendents on the throne. But if you already know how this story will conclude – that is the eventual total destruction and elimination of the northern kingdom and its people – there is an eary feeling that even with Jehu something is not right.

2 Kings 10:31 – Jehu was not careful to keep the law of the LORD, the God of Israel, with all his heart. I suspect that for Jehu he felt he followed God well enough, certainly better than the leaders before him. But was his motive to serve God’s purposes or Jehu’s purposes? God’s judgment on the house of Ahab put Jehu in power. Why was he not CAREFUL to keep the law of the LORD with all his heart? Could there be another motive in mind that would serve his own self-interest?

It is a question that I am pondering this morning. What is my motive in keeping the commands of God? Am I seeking something that will boost my profile? Am I careful in keeping the commands of God with my whole heart – for God’s benefit?

Today’s readings: 2 Kings 10; 2 Chronicles 22-23; 1 Timothy 5

Each week, my faith group memorizes a verse of scripture. This week’s verse is Proverbs 21:21 – Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor. This verse is an appropriate summary of the readings these past few days from the Old Testament. The point of history should be obvious by now. Seek God, follow God, align your life with God and the outcome (or consequence) will be life, prosperity and honor. Put yourself at the center, follow other gods, ignore God’s purposes, even enter into a treaty with others who do not follow God and the outcome will be destructive. There are natural consequences for the actions that we take. When we are living in the present it can be hard to recognize the consequences, but the perspective of history makes this clear. Pursue righteousness and love (God is love) and you will find life, prosperity and honor. It is a simple formula that I know from experience is not so simple to implement every day of my life.

Now, a few words about 1 Timothy 2 (yesterday’s reading). The comments about women have been used against women, when I don’t think that was Paul’s intent. Paul had not been commissioned to write a book for the Bible. Paul was writing a letter speaking directly to whatever was happening among the Christians in Ephesus. I believe there are essential truths in his writings that allow God to speak to us today, but as I read these verses my first question is “what did the people of Ephesus hear that I am not hearing?”

The main religion in Ephesus was a female-only cult to Artemis (Romans called her Diana). The Temple of Artemis in Ephesus was considered one of the great man-made wonders of the world. The priests were all women. The women were dominant and kept men in their place. As a small Christian community formed in Ephesus, should women be raised up in the Christian community to be the leaders and keep the men in line? In verse 12, Paul said no – but he also did not say that men must be the dominant ones to keep women in line. All must submit to Christ. In verse 8, men must be devoted to prayer and not the stereotype of men at that time, arguing and angry. In verses 9-10, women must be set free from their stereotype to be an influence on the wider society of Ephesus. In verses 12-14, women must be allowed to learn. Remember the story of Adam and Eve. Eve was deceived. Therefore, women must be allowed to learn. Adam’s behavior was also reprehensible. In other words, men and women must be allowed to learn. And what about the comment in verse 15 about childbirth? Genesis mentioned the pain of childbirth as a sign of God’s displeasure. Paul was saying just the opposite. God’s salvation is promised to all.

Today’s readings: 2 Kings 6-7; 2 Chronicles 20; 1 Timothy 3