David Bahn – Reflections

David Bahn-Reflections Podcast

 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, ¹³ bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. ¹⁴ And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. ¹⁵ And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

¹⁸ Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. ¹⁹ Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. ²⁰ Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. ²¹ Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. ²² Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. ²³ Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,  ²⁴ knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. ²⁵ For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality. – Colossians 3:12-25 [ESV]

I’m not a big fan of “One Size Fits All” clothing. I’m not sure they have people like me in mind when they make those clothing items. Perhaps not the very small person either. When it comes to the Christian faith, it’s not a “One Size Fits All” proposition – except  for the faith itself. For the foundation of our faith is our great need for Christ and God’s grace and mercy toward those who acknowledge that need. That applies to all of us who have been saved, no exceptions.

Beyond that, however, for each of us who believe there is a unique way by which we live out that faith.  Paul begins here to speak of the unique ways we are each to live out our faith. Wives, husbands, children, slaves, masters, parents, fathers: we each have a calling unique to our identity and life station. Children, obey. Husbands, love. Wives, submit (more on that later this week, I promise). Servants: obey from the heart. 

Notice here what he does not say. There’s no, “Masters, be sure your servants obey you.” He does not say, “Husbands make certain your wives submit to you.” Nor does he say, “Wives, see to it that your husbands love you.” We each must take God’s word to heart for ourselves. We may receive blessings by the actions of others. That’s good. But our focus must be on our own behavior and the blessings that brings to others. And that’s true no matter who we are. 

What is your station in life? Are you husband, wife, child, mother, worker, employer, teacher, student, customer or vendor? You will likely have an opportunity to express the unique manner in which Jesus’ love and calling takes shape in your life. And no matter who you are, Jesus’ command to love God first and love your neighbor as yourself is perfectly fitting.

As you pray these psalms today praise our Heavenly Father who is good, faithful, and just.

Psalm 19:1-4

David Bahn-Reflections Podcast

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. ³ For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

⁵ Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. ⁶ On account of these the wrath of God is coming. ⁷ In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. ⁸ But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. ⁹ Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices ¹⁰ and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. ¹¹ Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. Colossians 3:1-11 [ESV]

Did you see the unusual bicycle seat? [Check it out below.] It was featured years ago in a video about paradigm shifts. A paradigm shift occurs when you think about things in a totally different way. Google defines it this way: A paradigm shift, a concept identified by the American physicist and philosopher Thomas Kuhn, is a fundamental change in the basic concepts and experimental practices of a scientific discipline. 

But experimental practices in scientific disciplines are not the only places where paradigm shifts are needed. We need them in life. We need them every day. That is we need them every day if we are to take seriously these words: If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

We are surrounded by bicycle seats, desk chairs, cell phones, cars, shopping habits, perceptions of beauty and value that the world is constantly throwing in our face. Sometimes it’s through advertising where we sell the sizzle, not the steak. Other times it’s social media where we see only the best of our friends dinner cooking attempts, a fully cleaned-up house, or learn only about their children’s stellar successes.

We too easily get hooked on those values and pursuits. We learn too late – if at all – of the terrible price to be paid for our friends’ successes. We can be led to despair. 

Here we are commanded to lift our eyes and keep the eternal blessings of God in view and in mind. In another place we are to focus our hearts on those things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, or worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8). 

There are many troubling things in the world. They vie for our attention, concern, and even prayers. We are not to close our eyes to others’ suffering. Nor are we to shut our hearts to the pain we feel in the face of loss. But we do not grieve without hope. We do not despair of God’s goodness in the face of evil. Sometimes, however, we do need to shift our focus to the eternal blessings of God. Even as we live, and move, and have our being in this broken and fallen world we can look to Jesus and rejoice in his love and salvation.

A paradigm shift will mean we are brutally honest with the troubles we face, while being eternally hopeful for the goodness of God to sustain us and those we love. 

David Bahn-Reflections Podcast

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. ³ For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

⁵ Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. ⁶ On account of these the wrath of God is coming. ⁷ In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. ⁸ But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. ⁹ Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices ¹⁰ and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. ¹¹ Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. Colossians 3:1-11 [ESV]

I’m not sure anyone has anything to hide anymore these days. A trip to the beach reveals more than I want to see. A walk downtown confronts my senses in ways too many to count. A perusal through social media posts brings new encounters with people’s leanings of all kinds. Everyone seems to let it all hang out. Dirty laundry. Politically-incorrect ideas. Politically-correct opinions. Announcements of deviant lifestyles. Pronouncements of all kinds. Displays of every sort. Everyone seems to say, “This is me! Deal with it.” 

But there is a potential lie behind all these expressions. Seems to me that none of them come from a humble spirit, born of accountability to God. So many in-your-face comments are godless at best, and  blasphemous at worst. The lie is that we have nothing to be proud of and if we act otherwise, we’re on perilously dangerous ground. Confession is one thing. Appropriate. Godly. Born of humility. Pride is quite another. 

I’m not certain what the people of Colossae were lying about. In the context of these verses it might have been their connection to certain groups or classes of people. Paul says none of that matters. If we’re in Christ human distinctions are no more. So don’t put on airs. It could also be that they were lying about secret associations with certain of those people. 

In any case – for them 2000 years ago, and for us today – we’re called to truth-telling, and truth living. We need never pretend. We must not deceive ourselves, but confess our sins, and acknowledge our need for our Savior. When we do confess, God promises to forgive our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. That’s why we must never boast in anything other than the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Cf. Galatians 6:14) And that’s no lie.

David Bahn-Reflections Podcast

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. ³ For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

⁵ Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. ⁶ On account of these the wrath of God is coming. ⁷ In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. ⁸ But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. ⁹ Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices ¹⁰ and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. ¹¹ Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. Colossians 3:1-11 [ESV]

I took the title of this post from a book by Carole Mayhall. The back cover says, “If we need proof of the tongue’s impact, we need look no further than our own lives and the hurts and wounds our callous speech has caused. The Bible tells us that our mouths are to be fountains of life, but our day-to-day interactions prove otherwise. So how do we address our hearts as well as our words?” 

There is no truth to the children’s saying about words’ inability to hurt us. I think of my 6th grade teacher calling me dumb, or an angry man telling me I had gravely mistreated the church of which he was a member and I was pastor. I won’t even repeat his words. Sad. And hurtful. Maybe you’ve heard words of anger, bitterness, resentment, or judgment aimed at your heart. That is not the work of the Holy Spirit. 

God’s word is clear here, “But now you must put…obscene talk from your mouth.” Likewise Paul says in Ephesians 4:29, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” Jesus counsels, “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak.” (Matthew 12:36) God cares about our words. 

Our words grow, moreover, not from a dictionary or thesaurus. Our words grow from our hearts. Evil speaks as evil thinks. And because we have died to the things of this world. Our hearts and minds are fixed on Christ. Out of that will come words of grace, kindness, mercy, love, truth, and hope. We will speak to each other in an attitude of gentleness and humility. In that we will honor God and express our identity as children of God.

But what if we don’t? What if we slip and speak unkind and hurtful words to our spouse or child? What if your best friend ends up hearing you berate her? What if your subordinate at work is the recipient of your verbal tirade? This ought not be. But sometimes we are reminded that although we’ve died to the passions of the flesh and the world’s ways, our sinful flesh remains. And once in a while it gets the better of us. 

That’s when the pure goodness of God, his unwavering love for you and me, and his gracious kindness is such a comfort. For his words to those who realize their sin, and turn to him in repentance are words of mercy and grace that heal sin-sick souls. He says, “I do not condemn you. I forgive you. You are mine. Now, go and speak truth to your neighbor in kindness, gentleness, humility, and love. Those are words that heal.

David Bahn-Reflections Podcast

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. ³ For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

⁵ Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. ⁶ On account of these the wrath of God is coming. ⁷ In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. ⁸ But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. ⁹ Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices ¹⁰ and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. ¹¹ Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. Colossians 3:1-11 [ESV]

We taught our children about telling the truth and used the children’s book, Jimmy and the White Lie. When his baseball goes through a neighbor’s window, Jimmy learns the importance of telling the truth, and the awful consequences of not doing so. The lie grows bigger and bigger because Jimmy has to make up more and more stories (lies) to support the first little lie that he had told. 

I love to make the point that we are really lousy gods. We don’t do well trying to create a world that doesn’t exist. But that’s exactly what we try to do whenever we tell a lie. We try to create a world that doesn’t exist. And the only way we can sustain it is by adding words to it. Propping up one untruth after another with further untruths. Eventually all lies will crumble under their own weight. We just cannot sustain them forever. 

Jesus put it this way, “There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed.” (Luke 8:17) Truth will always win out. 

When God created the world, he did so by speaking. And when he spoke, light happened. Then came seas, sky, fish, land animals, flowers and trees. When it came to man, God created us in his own image. And he did that by forming us from the dust of the earth. Breathing into us the breath of life, we became living beings. That was true especially and specifically for Adam and Eve. It is also true for us. We are fearfully and wonderfully made by God, knit together in our mother’s wombs. 

As creatures of God, and especially as his children, we are to reflect his character – even to the point of creating things. But we are not God, so we cannot do this by speaking. And certainly by speaking things that are untrue we are not reflecting God’s character. Jesus is the embodiment of truth. He is the way, the truth, and the life. 

So when Paul says we are not to lie to one another, that is because we are dead to sin, and called to reflect God’s character. That certainly applies also to slander, and obscene talk. 

Diane and I have grown weary of the latter on all too many TV shows and movies. Even BBC broadcasts throw obscene talk at us. And just recently I was made all too aware of how far down the path of vulgarity the music industry has gone. Bombs of too many letters to count are lobbed through our TV speakers. And don’t even get me started about the way the name of Jesus is used and abused. In fact, that is more commonly accepted by TV and entertainment executives than the other language bombs thrown our way. 

Our language is a powerful tool to bless and heal, or to hurt and offend others. God’s calling is not just a matter of being polite, but a matter of giving witness to his character. How will you honor him today with your words? Don’t lie about that!

Hello Friends,

Diane and I are hosting a trip to Ireland in 2023. We would love for you to learn more about this trip and we’re hosting an information meeting in our home on Sunday, July 17th at 7:00 PM. Please let us know if you’re coming by commenting below. If you provide your email address, we’ll keep you in the loop as further details develop.

July 17th, 7:00 pm

If you are interested, please comment below and we will provide further information.

We will have some light snacks and beverages and if you desire, you are welcome to bring a sweet or savory snack to share and a favorite beverage. Together we will watch an informational video about this specific trip. Please invite others who might be interested–family, friends, neighbors. We will have printed brochures available.

“Shades of Ireland” tour information:

Dates: April 16-25, 2023  (Easter is Apr. 9, 2023)

Optional 3-night pre-tour extension to London 

Optional 3-night post-tour extension to Edinburgh, Scotland

Some highlights:

Dublin, Kilkenny, Waterford, Blarney Castle, Killarney, Ring of Kerry, Limerick, Cliffs of Moher, Galway, and more

Per person rates: Double $3799 ; Single $4399 (in 2020 the rates were $4049 and $4749!)

Rates include airport transfers and airfare. 

Land and air travel protection plan insurance is available.  

Optional activities include a Medieval Banquet ($115) in Limerick and a Guinness Storehouse Pub Dinner in Dublin ($105). 

Here is a link to the specifics of our tour on the Collette website:

Shades of Ireland with Pastor David & Diane Bahn & Friends

David Bahn-Reflections Podcast

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. ³ For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

⁵ Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. ⁶ On account of these the wrath of God is coming. ⁷ In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. ⁸ But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. ⁹ Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices ¹⁰ and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. ¹¹ Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. Colossians 3:1-11 [ESV]

Maybe you’ve been the brunt of someone’s anger and ire. Blazing hot angry words cascade all over your soul. You are reduced to a non-person by someone else’s bitterness and rage. But anger is not always the opposite of love. Sometimes love kindles anger – or at least a strong reaction against things in us that have offended or hurt another. Where there’s anger, at least in a way, there’s hope. When there is silence – cold, unmoved, and careless withdrawal – there is no hope. 

Some see God’s wrath as the white hot blitz of retribution and active punishment. But there is another way to look at it. What if God simply withdrew. No more providential supply. No more patient waiting. No more ears open to our prayers. No angels sent to protect us. No friends coming by to offer kindness. Just darkness. Cold. Empty. Silence. 

When Jesus hung on the cross he cried out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” This is the cry of anguish when we experience the wrath of God. His abandonment creates a void that absorbs our very soul. This is wrath of the worst kind: God takes his hands off of us. If he is chastising us, and his hand is heavy on us, there is hope of his presence, kindness, goodness, and grace. His hand may be heavy, but it’s there. But what if there is no hand. No goodness. No love. No grace. Just the utter black hole of a godless eternity. I do not want to face that.

Paul warns here, that the wrath of God will come on account of sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. This is the same point that he makes in Romans 2 where the terrible phrase “he gave them over…” appears again and again, as he speaks of people who abandon his ways. So whether it’s sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, or covetousness, God will let us have our way if we insist. And it will be our doom. Our utter doom. Our eternal doom.

So we put to death those things that feed the sinful flesh. Sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness are always temptations for us as long as we are in this world. But we put them to death daily. And we return to our compassionate, good, faithful, kind, and gracious God. And, thanks be to God, he receives us. Forgives us. Puts us back on the path. Gives us hope and a future. 

This is the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. We need not experience the wrath of God. We need not have him take his hands off of us. In fact we look for the nail-scarred hands of Jesus and long for his touch. He heals, forgives, and blesses.

For that we can be truly thankful as we set our minds on the things above, where Christ is. We look forward to his appearing and to that time when we will appear with him in glory. 

As you pray these psalms today praise our God: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Psalm 12:6-7

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. ³ For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

⁵ Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. ⁶ On account of these the wrath of God is coming. ⁷ In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. ⁸ But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. ⁹ Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices ¹⁰ and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. ¹¹ Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. Colossians 3:1-11 [ESV]

Call me cruel or sadistic, but I get a certain pleasure out of killing wasps. I’m sure they serve some  positive environmental/ecological function. But they kill the caterpillars in our yards that would otherwise become butterflies. Butterflies: who would ever want to kill one of those? Plus the wasps strike terror in our granddaughters whenever they see one while visiting our house. So…wasp…DIE! Maybe you can enlighten me about wasps’ positive contribution to the good of the world.

Sin, on the other hand, is a bit more illusive. The lure of the sinful flesh, and the deceit of Satan conspire with the world’s glitzy appeal. They team up to make sinful choices pleasing to the eye, good for food, and desirable for wisdom (cf. Genesis 3:6). Why not give in? Why not take the bait? Why not let this pet hang out for a while. The bottle of booze that mocks your willpower. The credit card bill too easily hidden from your spouse. The stop on the way home that you can blame on a traffic snarl. The secret bank account that you dip into from time to time. No big deal. You can hang out with them, right?

Wrong. Every forbidden fruit is poisonous. Every juicy bait hides a sharp barb. Every pet demands to be fed. Sometimes you just have to put things to death. You have to shred the credit cards. You have to move the computer out of the out-of-the-way office. You have to tell the guys you won’t be stopping by. You have to kill the sin. You have to put to death the deeds of the flesh. 

Some would would have you move into a monastery. Some say abandon all worldly pleasures. But that’s not really a solution. Paul makes that clear (cf. Colossians 2:20-23). These, he says, may have the appearance of godliness, but they don’t really deal with the inner self. 

To die to sin is an act of repentance. It’s contrition for the things done wrong, or the things left undone. It’s faith in Jesus’ love and God’s goodness. And it is a daily practice. It’s what Martin Luther offers in his explanation of the significance being baptized with water. He asks, What then is the significance of such a baptism with water? His answer speaks to us today:

It signifies that the old person in us with all sins and evil desires is to be drowned and die through daily sorrow for sin and through repentance, and on the other hand that daily a new person is to come forth and rise up to live before God in righteousness and purity forever.