Our Potion and Cup

'Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;

you make my lot secure.

The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;

surely I have a delightful inheritance."

(from Psalm 16)

As I sat at the breakfast table this morning enjoying my cup of coffee, I watched two blue birds, several sparrows, a Downey woodpecker, and the usual band of deer make their appearances."

Just as a cup holds what sustains us, I choose the Lord to fill my life with meaning and strength each day."

When I am looking for a closer, more intimate connection, I read from the Psalms because

    “the Lord is my chosen portion and cup”

Some Psalms I read over and over, while others I return to less frequently, but each time I reflect on them, my relationship with the Lord deepens.

For example, Psalm 16 has comforted me during difficult times, reminding me that I am never alone

This has been true for centuries, as the psalms describe the Lords actions in people’s lives, especially in troubled times

While the Psalms offer a vision of fulfillment rooted in spiritual connection, our society often defines the “cup of good life” through material desires and temptations, such as greed and lust.

The Psalms gentle and heartfelt intimacy has encouraged me to trust, even when I feel uncertain or afraid.

The Psalms language—along with the thoughts and emotions guiding the Psalms—fosters a unique sense of closeness, a gentle and heartfelt intimacy that invites us to experience God's presence more deeply

Gradually letting go of material possessions and worldly desires until nothing remains but a connection with God is the fullness of life, the experience of complete joy."

"Many of great saints of the church have found that as they release attachments to material things, their lives become richer in meaning and happiness."

The Psalms tell us that “when the Lord is our chosen cup” God always meets our needs.

Resurrection Moments

 To trap Jesus, the Sadducees who don’t believe in resurrection, asked complicated question about a widow who’d   been married seven times according to Moses Law.

Sadducees ask, “Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?”

Jesus states they are wrong because they do not know the Scriptures or God's power.

He explains that in the resurrection, people neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.

Earthly marriage systems, Jesus says, don’t apply to the resurrected state.

The Sadducees basically asked an uninformed question.

Over the years I preached on the Resurrection that as a Christian you must believe it

 Resurrection is something you conveniently declare during worship.

Jesus’ resurrection isn’t something we completely understand.

Caroline Lewis tells of the time, after a lecture a woman spoke to her saying, “My cup was empty. Today was my road to Emmaus.”

The “empty cup”, I think, refers to believing, declaring, and understanding.

The Road to Emmaus” she referred to, I feel is a story of the beginning of her journey.

It was her experience, her resurrection moment.

Resurrection moments change life.

 Samaritan woman at the well, the healing of the man born blind, the raising of Lazarus, change one from death to life, darkness to light.

Resurrection means encountering Jesus, being called out of darkness, and sharing a meal with him.

When we are experiencing darkness or an “empty cup”, Jesus calls us into the light to walk and dine with him, to have a resurrection moment.

What Is Salvation?

John Wesley

 

 And first let us inquire,

"What is salvation?"

The salvation which is here spoken of is not what is frequently understood by that word, the going to heaven, eternal happiness. 

It is not the soul’s going to paradise, termed by our Lord, ‘Abraham’s bosom.’

 It is not a blessing which lies on the other side death, or (as we usually speak) in the other world. 

The very words of the text itself put this beyond all question. 

‘Ye are saved.’ It is not something at a distance: it is a present thing, a blessing which, through the free mercy of God, ye are now in possession of. 

Nay, the words may be rendered, and that with equal propriety, ‘Ye have been saved.’ 

So that the salvation which is here spoken of might be extended to the entire work of God, from the first dawning of grace in the soul till it is consummated in glory.” 

~ John Wesley (The Scripture Way of Salvation)

Sin, Suffering, and Jesus

“Never since the world began

has it been heard that anyone opened

the eyes of a person born blind”

(from John 9:1-41).

Otto, a fish in the children’s book, A Fish Out of Water, is overfed even after careful feeding instructions.

"When you feed a fish, never feed him a lot. So much and no more! Never more than a spot, or something may happen! You never know what."

What happened was Otto outgrew every container until he finally became too large for the town swimming pool.

The man born blind story appears to have undergone similar development, as much of the discussion centers on the story of his healing.

This is a typical pattern in John. Jesus performs a miracle; people try finding the meaning and usually miss the mark.

In the parable, Jesus is asked, “Who sinned?”

The question comes from the ancient people’s belief that a sin was committed since there is suffering and sickness.

Jesus questions that kind of theological thinking creating a complex answer: “Neither this man nor his parents sinned.”

In other words, he may have been born blind due to an infection or some other natural causes.

Jesus heals the man, but the Pharisees miss don’t see God acting among them.

The healing from the suffering of blindness happened because of Jesus’ intervention.

Sin, suffering, and healing are all connected in the story, but it is Jesus’ actions that transform these realities.

This sin, suffering, and healing distinguishes our spiritual needs and physical ailments.

Jesus’ healing touch does more than address physical ailments.

Jesus also meets deeper spiritual needs, such as forgiveness.

When Jesus enters someone’s life, both physical issues and deeper spiritual needs are met which restores a relationship to God offering hope and peace.

The Well, the Woman, and Jesus

  

Pozzo, Andrea, 1642-1709

Many of the Samaritans from that town 

believed in him because

 of the woman’s testimony,

 “He told me everything I ever did.”

(from John 4:5-42)

The Well

Back in Jesus’ day a wells were used for more than drinking water.

A man would go to a new place, meet a woman at the well, and chat about water.

The man and woman drink water together, she tells her community about him, the community welcomes him.

 This usually results in a wedding.

This explains why Jesus talks to the woman about her marriage situation, expecting some kind of marriage story to follow.

Remember the well is a well with running water so when Jesus mentions living water, it’s confusing.

The Woman

The woman shows up around noon probably pushed aside by her community.

 She’s unmarried to the one she’s living with and had five husbands.

Probably, her marriages ended due to circumstances beyond her control.

Yet she’s someone people listen to because others want to go and hear Jesus.

She talks to Jesus about deep questions of faith.

Later, she helps others find their way to Jesus

THIS IS THE POINT OF THE STORY.

Jesus

As Jesus and the woman talk, he uses word play contrasting living water and running water.

The woman doesn’t quite get what he’s talking about, so Jesus keeps explaining until finally she gets in her own way.

The Gospel Message

The story’s message describes responding to Jesus is like being a source of living water, offering limitless relief from spiritual thirst.

No matter how thirsty, there’s an endless supply available to quench one’s thirst.

This is the message of hope we need to recall ourselves and share with others.

Nicodemus: A Spirit-filled Story

“The wind blows where it chooses,

and you hear the sound of it,

but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes.

So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Nicodemus' story is more than sorting out Jesus and the Pharisees differences.

It’s more than figuring out how Jesus gets the authority to do many “signs”.

The Nicodemus story is really about people coming to see and understand the amazing things Jesus does.

It’s all about understanding God’s Spirit, following Jesus and wanting to change to see God's kingdom in a new way.

Since the Spirit works mysteriously, it’s compared to the wind blowing wherever it wants.

It’s about God and people working together, so followers of Jesus notice and experience God’s work through him.

The “signs” Jesus does are meant to show God getting involved in the world God made and loved enough to send his Son.

Nicodemus’s story is a great example the Spirit’s work.

Nicodemus, story makes it clear something’s happening: he gets braver and acts more fairly because God’s Spirit is moving in his life.

Looking at Nicodemus’s whole journey you see something bigger.

You see Nicodemus’ story inviting everyone to see themselves in the narrative: starting out with questions, moving to standing up for what’s right, and eventually saying “yes” to Jesus, even when it’s risky.

The Spirit shows how God is always at work in the world getting people to respond.

Belief is how we see what God’s doing and get to be a part of it: “So must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life”.

Safe in God's Hands

 Then the devil took him to the holy city and

placed him on the pinnacle of the temple saying to him,

“If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,

‘He will command his angels concerning you,’

and ‘On their hands they will bear you up,

so that you will not dash your foot against a stone

What sort of place comes to mind when you imagine a wilderness? 

A dry and weary place, an inner, personal space of hardship?

It's comforting to imagine a wilderness this way because we can then place our trust and hope in Jesus who experienced this type of wilderness.

Living in the Poconos as I do, the wilderness is more for recreation so placing hope and trust in Jesus is far from the need for placing hope and trust in the Israelite wilderness.

The Israelites’ wilderness was a place of survival testing.

As their journey went from generation to generation, they had to continue to build on their hope and trust.

It is this same trust and hope that is tested in Jesus’s own wilderness story.

Jesus is tempted by food, by who to worship, and by the power of the nations and shows the path to righteousness as he resists Satan’s temptations.

Jesus’ trust and hope came from the scriptures based on God’s promises in Deuteronomy.

As followers of Jesus, we can expect temptations to distract us from doing the work of a disciple.

Our trust and hope are anchored in the promises of God, especially as we navigate moments of suffering and trials.

Just as Jesus confronted temptation, we too are invited to place our confidence in God’s faithfulness.

Its is God’s Word that sustains as we wait for the fulfillment of God, s kingdom.

God's Got Your Back

 

And he was transfigured before them,

and his face shone like the sun,

and his clothes became bright as light.

(From Matthew 17:1-9)

For years, Elaine and I made a pilgrimage to Southwest Harbor, a little village in Acadia National Park.

We “soaked in God” in quiet moments: sitting on sun-warmed rocks, awe inspired watching sunlight glitter across the breaking waves, and the endless blue.

We “soaked in God” hiking, walking Carriage Roads and climbing mountains with awe views of the harbors and coastline.

During our stay at our cottage, we made friends with a lobsterman, housekeeping staff, and manager so We visited together, shared meals, of fresh lobster rolls or fish chowder.

As time passed travel became difficult, our routine changed, because we could no longer travel that distance to Acadia.

Understanding Matthew’s Gospel means knowing what was going on at the time.

The synagogues were experiencing arguments about membership and worries about the Roman Empire: A sort of “fighting’s and fears, within, without,” as the old hymn says.

People were losing confidence in the coming of Christ and drifting away.

 Matthew’s transfiguration story is meant as an assurance that Jesus will return and complete the work he has started.

Peter’s declaration that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God even when you doubt, hold on God’s promises are real and a new beginning coming.

God’s got your back.

Just as God was faithful to Jesus along the rough road to the cross, God is faithful to us no matter what we face, on our journey.

Maybe it's job loss, health, doubting our faith, feeling alone. or hope feeling distant.

Listen to Jesus, trust that God keeps promises, and don’t stop, even if the journey is tough.

There’s a reason to hope and a light ahead, no matter how rough the road feels right now.

Liam, Micah and Me

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.

    And what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy

    and to walk humbly[a] with your God.

(from Micah 6:1-8)

The image of 5-year-old Liam Ramos and his bunny hat surrounded by ICE soldiers still haunts me.

Recognizing he was walking home from preschool, taken from his dad, transferred to a detention facility, and gets sick while confined, doesn’t help.

What kind of experience of loneliness and darkness is this poor child having?

How terrified is this boy being transferred from one place to another by soldiers?

I find this blog difficult to write because I have been through my own “terrors of the night” (PS 91:5) some as a child, some as a teen, some as a young adult, now some as an elder.

This phrase comes from Psalm 91:5, which speaks to finding comfort in faith during times of fear.

What creates the difficulty is the apparent lack of hope in a “terror of the night.”

My hope for Liam Ramos and anyone experiencing loneliness and darkness comes from the Word of the Lord through Micah’s ancient wisdom offering guidance for responding to suffering with justice and compassion."

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
    And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly with your God.

For me, this a vision of Jesus’s peaceable kingdom where God’s love defeats the enemies of loneliness and abandonment.

It is a hopeful vision of healing in the dark and broken places of our world.

God's Mountain of Blessings

 "I waited patiently for the Lord;

he turned to me and heard my cry.

He lifted me out of the slimy pit

out of the mud and mire;

he set my feet on a rock

and gave me a firm place to stand."

(from Psalm 40)

Wilson Bentley, also known as Snowflake Bentley, a farmer, American meteorologist, photographer, was the first known person capturing and documenting detailed snowflake photographs.

With his camera he developed a method to photograph snowflakes on black velvet before they melted, discovering that each one has a distinct shape.

A major scientific contribution of his time was the theory that no two snowflakes were identical.

Reflecting on the belief of God as Creator leads me to meditate on the snowflake as a blessing of God’s creation.

Looking at a huge, plowed heap of snow at my driveway’s end, I can either see a pile of snow or a mountain of God’s blessings.

With continuing media coverage of violence, I feel like I’m in the “slimy pit with mud and mire.” described at the beginning of Psalm 40.

So, like the Psalm, “I am waiting patiently for the Lord; knowing he will turn to me and hear my cry.
    he turned to me and heard my cry. “

Amid violence, God's hope surrounds us with blessings, much like snow in my driveway’s end strengthening and encouraging us.

God’s hope and love Psalm 40 and in the mountain of snow is a reminder that God constantly surrounding us and as Psalm 40 concludes:

He set our feet on a rock
    and gave us a firm place to stand.

In the thick of discouraging media images of violence, there’ the mountain of hope in a driveway’s pile of God’s blessings.

Ride on, 3 Kings, Ride On

I hardly know what to write.

One horrifying video after another surfaces revealing a shocking act of shooting by ICE officers.

As I watch the videos, I realize that I’m seeing the forces of evil overpower, however briefly, the power of God.

I realize though that there is hope coming from the east in the story of the Three Magi.

The hope for me is their following the star, God's direction for them in their searching.

As the story goes, The Magi have ridden from the East, they arrive, give gifts and, under the direction of God return to their hometowns by a different route.

In other words, I seem as protectors of Jesus.

And here is my hope, no matter how disastrous the situation, no matter how much evil may seem to be overpowering God, there is a holy protection. 

As I pray each morning, as I read the scripture God reminds me of the protection and hope given through Jesus Christ.

The Way of Righteousness

Charlotte Rhodes Butterfly Park
Southwest Harbor, ME

For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous:

but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Psalm 1:6

As one year ends and another begins, I feel a strong need to strengthen my righteous grounding. 

 I define the way of the righteous as happiness coming from having a right relationship with God and have chosen Psalm 1 as my biblical bases.

The Righteous according to Psalm 1 have three things to avoid.

Walking in the counsel of the ungodly (following their advice/worldview).

Standing in the path of sinners (adopting their lifestyle).

Sitting in the seat of mockers (identifying fully with those who ridicule truth).

Characteristics of the Righteous

Rootedness: Like a tree planted by streams of water, the righteous remain steady and fruitful even in difficult seasons.

Integrity: Their conduct reflects honesty, kindness, and adherence to moral principles.

Divine Oversight: Scripture promises that the Lord "watches over" or "knows" the way of the righteous, offering protection and intimate care.

Spiritual Practices

Scriptural Meditation: Engaging deeply with the Bible to inform daily decisions.

Intentional Fellowship: Choosing associations that encourage ethical living and spiritual health.

Justice and Compassion: Actively seeking to uphold the rights of the vulnerable and acting with fairness in all dealings.