David Bahn – Reflections

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Today’s readings are Acts 27; Numbers 29; Acts 28; Psalm 15; Psalm 119:65-96. I hope you will join me in reading these passages.

Acts 27:16-26

Running under the lee of a small island called Cauda, we managed with difficulty to secure the ship’s boat. ¹⁷ After hoisting it up, they used supports to undergird the ship. Then, fearing that they would run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the gear, and thus they were driven along. ¹⁸ Since we were violently storm-tossed, they began the next day to jettison the cargo. ¹⁹ And on the third day they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. ²⁰ When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned.

²¹ Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss. ²² Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. ²³ For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, ²⁴ and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ ²⁵ So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. ²⁶ But we must run aground on some island.”

There’s an old joke about the man who asked, “God, a thousand days are like a minute with you, right?” God answers: Yes. The young man says, then that means that 1 million dollars would be like 1 dollar, right?” God answers: Yes. The young man says, “Can I have a million dollars?” God answers, “Wait just a minute.”

How do you do with waiting? If you have to wait more than 30 minutes at the doctor’s office do you consider it par for the course, or do you get up and leave? How about the fast food drive through? What’s your time limit?

I thought of these things as I read about Paul’s journey to Rome – especially this portion of it as Luke records: And on the third day they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned. I can’t imagine having to deal with a storm at sea for three days having both the sun and stars obscured from my sight. It must have seemed an eternity.

God operates outside the bonds of time and space. We are firmly held within both. Not only so, we are so very short-sighted. Think of the 400 years in Israel’s history between the time of Malachi the prophet and John the Baptist. No new Word from God was given — no prophet arose to speak with the authority of ‘Thus says the Lord.’ Finally John the Baptist begins his ministry, preparing the way for Christ.

God was not absent nor inactive during these years. Even in the long silence between the prophets, He was at work preserving His people and His Word. The development of the synagogue system, and the careful work of the scribes in copying the Scriptures, helped keep the Scriptures central in the life of Israel. And although the Pharisees often appear in conflict with Jesus in the Gospels, their emphasis on the authority of the Scriptures and the importance of teaching them played a role in keeping the faith alive among God’s people.

Just because God is unseen or unheard does not mean He is absent. What was true in Israel’s silent years was also true on that desperate ship with Paul and the others.

I’m not certain what was going on in the minds and hearts of the men with Paul on that ship. I know I would be pleading for God’s mercy, help, and deliverance. And I do know that deliverance was to come.

Whatever storms swirl in your life do not despair. There will be a deliverance. God is not asleep nor unaware. He hears your prayers. The storms will one day subside. When they do, give him the glory and rejoice in his deliverance.

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Today’s readings are Acts 26; Psalm 119:41-48; Jeremiah 1; 18; 35. I hope you will join me in reading these passages.

Psalm 119:41-43

Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord,
    your salvation according to your promise;
⁴² then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me,
    for I trust in your word.
⁴³ And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth,
    for my hope is in your rules.

I think I’ve had it wrong all these years. Whenever I’ve read Psalm 119, I’ve heard “laws, rules, or decrees” merely as a list of do’s and don’ts. Of course the law of God is a list of things we must do and which we must not do. “Thou shalt not…” and “Thou shalt…” is all over especially the Old Testament. But one who tends toward rule bending (I’m not a deliberate rule-breaker, nor am I a rigid rule-follower), the love for God’s decrees, laws, and statutes has been somewhat muted.

But then I began to think differently. IRS rules: yuck! Bureaucratic paperwork requirements: No thank you! HOA covenants: only when they apply to others in my neighborhood. Same goes for the rules of ruthless dictators, drug lords, or organized crime bosses. No. Thank. You.

But God’s rules are all about justice, truth, love, and mercy. And even when those rules impinge on my own sense of righteousness – self-righteousness to be exact – they are meant to turn me back to God. When I realize I’ve broken God’s laws, decrees, or commandments, I repent, seek forgiveness, and change my way of living.

If true repentance means a change of mind – and that’s literally what the Greek word metanoia means – then I’m repenting of my bad thoughts about God’s decrees, commandments, and laws. I’m learning to love them.

You might be almost shocked to hear my confession in this regard. I’m sorry if that’s the case. But we all can learn new things about God’s word, law, commandments, and decrees. And I’m pretty sure I’m not finished learning.

In fact the laws of God are pure and good because God is not primarily a law-giver. God is a redeemer of sinners, a lover of the lost, abounding in steadfast love. So I say, “Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord, your salvation according to your promise.” Amen.

Today’s 49 week challenge readings are Acts 23; Exodus 22; Psalm 54; 70.

Note: Today’s devotion is not based on these readings, but I encourage you to read them nonetheless.

Luke 2:16-19

And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. ¹⁷ And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. ¹⁸ And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 

I’m imagining the shepherds were very excited when they visited the manger. How they found it, how long it took, and how many people they encountered along the way, I don’t know. What they did with the sheep, the Bible doesn’t tell us. But we know they saw a multitude of the heavenly host. They heard the angel chorus praising God. They determined to go see the Christ Child. And they went.

Over against their excitement Mary treasures these things and ponders them in her heart. She considered the events to be precious. They were valuable to her. And she thought about them. Maybe she thought back to the announcement of Gabriel that she would conceive and bear a son whose name would be Jesus. She may have remembered how Joseph changed his mind and took her as his wife – though the child was not his – and determined that his name should be Jesus. She no doubt took to heart that he would save his people from their sins.

I treasure the music, hymns, and songs of Christmas. I have little use for almost any secular so-called Christmas music. But those which extole Christ, ponder his mercy, and express the mystery of the Word made flesh: those I delight in. Christmas Day worship is my favorite. Family around the dinner table is my happy place. Friends and fellow worshipers of the King who became a baby lift my spirits.

I treasure these things and I’ll ponder them in my heart today. What are yours?

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Today’s readings are Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 2:1-20; John 1:1-14; Galatians 4:4; TItus 2:11; 3:4-5 .

Note: I will be preaching at St. John on Christmas Day – my favorite service of the year. Join us at 9:30.

John 1:14

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us…full of grace and truth.” This verse from John’s gospel has more meaning to me than any other Christmas verse. That is a dangerous thing to say, and perhaps a bit of an overstatement. But it forms me like no other part of the Christmas story. Others may be drawn to Mary treasuring in her heart all the things surrounding Jesus birth. Still others may lay hold of Jesus’ name and it’s meaning, “the Lord saves.” This was told to Joseph in his dream. Some may love the thought of the heavenly host praising God and saying (singing?), “Glory to God in the highest, peace on earth, good will to men.” I love them all. But I consistently come back to the truth that Word became flesh full of grace and truth.

Flesh: real, tangible, accessible, vulnerable, without pretence. When I think of that I find peace in my heart. Serving God is not some hyped-up show. Worship itself is not a performance. Being a reflection of Jesus is all about being real, not pretentious. I don’t have to be other-worldly, or completely aloof when I preach or lead worship. I just want to be real – warts and all. For God loves the real me. He became real for me and you, and all people.

But Jesus is more than just a baby. He is God incarnate – full of grace and truth. Grace is that rich kindness, mercy, goodness, love and undeserved compassion that flows from the heart of God. Jesus is filled with grace. He is also truth incarnate. Truth is that reality of our condition, the brutal facts of our sinful brokenness, fallenness, waywardness, and error. We have completely missed the mark. We are not true. But Jesus is truth incarnate, not to condemn us, but to be for us what we could not be for ourselves.

“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” – 2 Corinthians 5:21

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. – Galatians 4:4-5

That’s the gracious truth of the birth of our Savior, for which we may say, “Thanks be to God!”

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Today’s readings are Romans 16; Psalm 12; Isaiah 48. I hope you will join me in reading these passages.

Romans 16:25-27

Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages ²⁶ but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— ²⁷ to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.

We’re inching ever closer to the celebration of Jesus’ birth. And at that birth a host of angels said (sang?), “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:14). God was doing an extraordinary thing by entering his creation as a baby. The Savior of the world was born, and I like to think that the angels could just not restrain themselves. God’s champion was born. This was truly a Yay God moment!

I first heard that term. – yay God – from a prominent, but now disgraced church leader. I loved the thought. When something good happens, we don’t want to take the credit. We realize every good gift comes from God, and so we praise him: Yay God! It’s much like the first time I heard a pastor say, “I thank God for you,” rather than “thank you.” God gets the glory.

We may be a source of blessing to others as we love and serve our family, friends, and neighbors. And it’s nice to know that our acts of service are appreciated. But God is the author of every good thing. He is at work in and through us for his good pleasure and our neighbor’s good. He deserves the praise.

As Paul ends his letter to the Romans with this doxology – one of two major expressions of praise to God in this letter. There are, in addition, two other acknowledgements of God’s glory in the letter as well.

The major expressions of praise to God.

1. Romans 11:33–36 – “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God… to Him be glory forever. Amen.”
2. Romans 16:25–27 – The closing doxology of the letter.

Paul also includes these brief praise formulas:

• Romans 1:25 – “…the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”
• Romans 9:5 – “…Christ… who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.”

As we listen to the Christmas account and hear the angels praise God at Jesus’ birth, let’s be sure we join in with our “Yay God!” for he is the only wise God and worthy of all honor, glory, and praise.

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

Today’s readings are Romans 16; Psalm 12; Isaiah 48. I hope you will join me in reading these passages.

Romans 16:25-27

Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages ²⁶ but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— ²⁷ to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.

We’re inching ever closer to the celebration of Jesus’ birth. And at that birth a host of angels said (sang?), “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:14). God was doing an extraordinary thing by entering his creation as a baby. The Savior of the world was born, and I like to think that the angels could just not restrain themselves. God’s champion was born. This was truly a Yay God moment!

I first heard that term. – yay God – from a prominent, but now disgraced church leader. I loved the thought. When something good happens, we don’t want to take the credit. We realize every good gift comes from God, and so we praise him: Yay God! It’s much like the first time I heard a pastor say, “I thank God for you,” rather than “thank you.” God gets the glory.

We may be a source of blessing to others as we love and serve our family, friends, and neighbors. And it’s nice to know that our acts of service are appreciated. But God is the author of every good thing. He is at work in and through us for his good pleasure and our neighbor’s good. He deserves the praise.

As Paul ends his letter to the Romans with this doxology – one of two major expressions of praise to God in this letter. There are, in addition, two other acknowledgements of God’s glory in the letter as well.

The major expressions of praise to God.

1. Romans 11:33–36 – “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God… to Him be glory forever. Amen.”
2. Romans 16:25–27 – The closing doxology of the letter.

Paul also includes these brief praise formulas:

• Romans 1:25 – “…the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”
• Romans 9:5 – “…Christ… who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.”

As we listen to the Christmas account and hear the angels praise God at Jesus’ birth, let’s be sure we join in with our “Yay God!” for he is the only wise God and worthy of all honor, glory, and praise.

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

Today’s readings are Romans 15; 2 Samuel 22; Psalm 18; 117; Isaiah 11. I hope you will join me in reading these passages.

Romans 15:12-13

Isaiah says,

“The root of Jesse will come,
    even he who arises to rule the Gentiles;
in him will the Gentiles hope.”

¹³ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Morgan Freeman’s character (Red) in the movie Shawshank Redemption says, “Hope is a dangerous thing.” He’s challenging fellow inmate Andy, who says, “You gotta have hope.” Red has no hope. He’s killed his heart to any possibility of getting out of prison and making a life for himself. Andy has plans to get out and spends his time wisely waiting for the right opportunity. Beyond holding onto hope, Andy is not a good role model for us. But he does hold onto hope.

A better role model for hope is Admiral James Stockdale, famed Vietnam POW, for whom the Stockdale Paradox is named. Stockdale endured incredible hardship while a prisoner of war in Vietnam. Many in his prison camp did not survive. But he urged the people there to face the brutal facts of their dreadful situation, yet hold onto hope for deliverance. That’s the paradox: Face the brutal facts while holding onto hope.

God is the God of fact and hope. There is no whitewashing even the heroes of faith in the Old or New Testaments. Yet God holds out hope to the people before Jesus’ day that a Savior would be born. He holds out hope to us that the resurrection of Jesus will be ours and we will live in glory, bliss, and joy in the life of the world to come.

I’m with Dufresne: you gotta have hope. Hope anchors our souls (Hebrews 6:19). It is the living gift of God’s Holy Spirit who has regenerated us into the hope of the resurrection. and Proverbs 13:12 tell us that “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.”

You don’t just “gotta have hope,” it is God’s gift that gives us also peace and joy, and by his grace by which we abound in hope of God’s good plans for us and our neighbor, fully in realized in Jesus our Savior.

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Today’s readings are Romans 14; Isaiah 45; Obadiah 1. I hope you will join me in reading these passages.

Isaiah 45:5-7

I am the Lord, and there is no other,
    besides me there is no God;
    I equip you, though you do not know me,
⁶ that people may know, from the rising of the sun
    and from the west, that there is none besides me;
    I am the Lord, and there is no other.
⁷ I form light and create darkness;
    I make well-being and create calamity;
    I am the Lord, who does all these things.

Isaiah reminds us that God is the One who created light. God’s first recorded act of creation was light. He said, “let there be light.” And there was light, and God saw that the light was good.

I’ve been thinking recently about Jesus as the light of the world that darkness cannot overcome. And I pray that he does these four things in us – he who is the Light of the World.

1. Light Gives Life

Physically, nothing grows without light. Spiritually, God’s light awakens faith, hope, and renewal. “In him was life, and the life was the light of men.” (John 1)

2. Light Reveals

Light makes things visible. It uncovers what is hidden, clarifies what is unclear, and shows reality as it truly is. “Walk as children of light… and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.” (Eph. 5)

3. Light Guides

Light shows the way forward. It provides direction, helps us avoid danger, and leads us toward safety and purpose. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Ps. 119)

4. Light Dispels Darkness

Where light appears, darkness retreats. Darkness cannot overpower it. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1)

I’m thankful for light. And especially the Light of the World, Jesus Christ.