David Bahn – Reflections

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But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Now those who belong to Christ Jesus crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. – Galatians 5:22-24

[Jesus says,] “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” – John 14:27

• The weather
• My neighbor’s dog
• The Stock Market
• Inflation
• My readers
• Other’s feelings and thoughts
• Death
• Taxes

All these things I cannot control. You might be able to add a number of other things to that list. But as I reflected on Jesus’ words in John 14, I was challenged to think differently about at least one thing that might have been put on the list: my heart’s worry – or even its joy. Unless this is one of those reminders of our inability to keep perfectly the laws and commands of God. 

It seems, however, not to be the case. Jesus, here, is seeking to comfort his disciples. He’s not laying down laws and commands at this point. He will do that, as he gives the new commandment: Love one another. But here, he is preparing his disciples for his death. He is assuring them of their place in the Father’s house. He is telling them of his plans to go and prepare a place for them. He is promising that they will be with him forever. 

So these words, “Let not your hearts be troubled,” are an invitation. An encouragement. A call to courage. A reminder of true hope. An invitation to peace. 

I’ve struggled recently with worry. The reasons are not important. In fact they have no eternal weight at all. Either they will simply dissolve over time, or they will be resolved justly. Even so, I worry. That means I am not experiencing the peace which is the fruit of the Spirit. And to some extent I have been captive to the idea that I cannot stop. I have no control. 

And therein lies the solution: giving up the illusion of control, and giving it all to God. Or, it may be taking control of those things I can, and making decisions that need to be made. A phone call to set a thorny financial issue to rest. A decision that simply needs to be made. A plan that needs to be settled. It can be as simple as that. 

And where I have no control, letting go of the illusion that I should be able to. Praying the serenity prayer for real:

Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

O Holy Spirit, fall afresh on me, and grant me the fruit of your presence: peace!

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But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Now those who belong to Christ Jesus crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. – Galatians 5:22-24

What do you think of this quote?

Peace is more important than all justice; and peace was not made for the sake of justice, but justice for the sake of peace. – Martin Luther

I’m not quite certain I understand it. But my mind is no match for that of Martin Luther! He saw things so very clearly, expressed truth so powerfully, and impacted the world. Or, better put, God impacted the world through him. He is quoted as saying, “I simply taught, preached, and wrote God’s Word; otherwise I did nothing. … I did nothing; the Word did everything.” So, perhaps you can vet out the meaning of this quote about peace. Perhaps it is just a reminder that peace is not a “Can’t we all just get along?” feeling. But a gift of God founded on justice. 

And there’s the rub. Justice seems so far removed from us. Drug lords, human traffickers, Hollywood moguls, sports stars, and political hacks all seem to get a larger piece of the pie in any arena. I don’t begrudge the money or even the fame. But All too often the justice of their cause is more self-serving or image-propping than a quest for justice. 

No justice…No peace! is the cry of the oppressed. And while I seldom join their chorus, I must agree. Peace without justice is simply denial. And that is not good. 

So it is vital that we understand the foundation of true peace is God’s justice seen in Christ. 

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. – Romans 5:1

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. ¹⁴ For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility ¹⁵ by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, ¹⁶ and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. ¹⁷ And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. ¹⁸ For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. – Ephesians 2:13-18

Justice has been established in the foundations of reality through Jesus’ death on the cross. His resurrection proves this to be so. And his first word to his disciples on that Eater morning was, “Peace.” More than a greeting it was a blessing, a gift, a legacy that followers of Jesus are to treasure and embody. 

The Holy Spirit’s work is to bring glory to Jesus (John 16:14). Certainly when we are reminded of Jesus as the Prince of Peace, and the One who has made peace between us and God, Jesus is glorified. I hope somehow to embody that in my life today. How might we do that…together?

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But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Now those who belong to Christ Jesus crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. – Galatians 5:22-24

He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. – 2 Corinthians 5:15

These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. – John 15:11

Our family had a unique Advent calendar. It was a felt banner with pockets on it. One for each day of December until Christmas Day. In each of the felt pockets was a symbol of some sort: a sheep, a manger, a star, an angel, and the like. There was a brief devotion for each of those days. We all enjoyed seeing the next symbol and counting down the days until Christmas.

One of the inserts had the letters JOY glued onto it. Tiny alphabet soup letters formed the word joy. The devotion was simple. Joy comes when we put Jesus first, others second, and ourselves last. This is an important teaching of Jesus and the Christian faith. It’s not easy to teach young boys. Nor is it easy to live out. But it is a vital Christian truth. Jesus, Others. Yourself. Equals true joy.

I worked with a congregation recently to help them identify their mission statement. They came up with a clear and simple statement: Helping People Put Jesus First. They saw that their community was populated with people who had all the wrong priorities. And they wanted to help people get things back in order. Putting Jesus first was a clear indication of the proper order of things. It is also the first step to true joy – the joy of the Spirit.

When we put Jesus first we will then look toward the needs of others more readily. That calling is highlighted in Philippians 2:1-4

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy,² complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. ³ Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.⁴ Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Paul’s joy will be completed not when he gets the latest tent-making equipment, or even by getting out of jail, but when the people he evangelized put others ahead of themselves.

Doing this is not easy. It is not the exercise of an immature Christian. We had to teach this to our children again and again. We, too, fail to put others before ourselves. We put Jesus on the back burner, or relegate him to occasional importance in our lives. By this we forfeit true joy.

I do not pretend to have this fully squared away in my life. But I am willing to say it, and even be reminded of it by others. Jesus is first. Others are second. I am last. And Jesus promises that whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for his sake and the gospel’s will save it (Mark 8:35). The most miserable people in the world are those consumed with their own happiness, rights, and blessings. Jesus offers joy of a completely different kind. 

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Now those who belong to Christ Jesus crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. – Galatians 5:22-24

I’m sure Simon, Andrew, Matthew, James, or John none knew the kinds of adventures would be theirs as they began to follow Jesus. Could they ever have imagined seeing Jesus take the little girl by the hand and restore her to life and her parents? Would they ever have dreamed of taking up 12 baskets full of leftovers after Jesus fed the multitude with 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread? Could they have predicted the joy of the wedding party at Cana when Jesus changed water into wine? Each time they would have to conclude, “God did that!”

Such is the wellspring of joy: Seeing God at work. That being the case we might expect to be filled with joy every day. For God is at work every day. Not a breath is taken apart from his providential care. No sunrise or sunset unfolds apart from his will and word. We awake each morning at his command. We look upon nature, landscape, flower, and beauty of a thousand kinds at his good pleasure. God is at work all around us. Every moment. Ought we not be filled with joy in all these things and times?

There is, however, a dark cloud over all these things. Hurricane, earthquake, illness, and troubles intrude. Three children are discovered in an abandoned apartment with the decaying remains of their sibling (CBS News). Cancer treatments become suddenly necessary, and too often don’t work. Marriages fail. Friendships fracture. Moments of weakness give way to hours of regret. 

This is the seedbed, however, of a greater joy. For God shows up. Police rescue the children because someone finally decided to act to let them know of the situation. God’s mercy reaches into the hearts of estranged couples and they find delight once again in each other. A Sunday message, a Bible passage, a blog post, a podcast, or a Christian song opens up a heart to God’s mercy. Forgiveness brings unspeakable relief and great joy. 

When the situation is dire and God shows up we find the strongest expressions of joy. The dark hours of deep contrition give way to the glory of sin’s weight lifted. The restrictive bonds of worry are loosed by the peace of God in a moment of prayer and Scripture. The gloom of despair is cleared by the revelation of God’s goodness. These come as the Holy Spirit has his way in us. Moving us to repentance. Opening our eyes to a path of blessing. Reminding us of the hope we have because of Jesus’ resurrection. Rescuing us from disease. 

Several years ago I was feeling quite ill. I had chills, fever, headache, and an overall miserable feeling. It got so bad that I asked Diane to lay hands on me and pray for me. In less than 5 minutes after that prayer, the fever was lifted. I was physically revived. And I was filled with joy. God did that. I wonder whether we might see God’s hand in our lives in such a dramatic way that we, too, are filled with joy. If so, then, in the refrain of the hymn, “Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice, be glad, and sing!” 

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Now those who belong to Christ Jesus crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. – Galatians 5:22-24

When I think of joy, several things come to mind…

• Joy to the world, the Lord has come!
• The joy of the Lord is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10)
• I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart.
• Count it all joy when you face trials of various kinds (James 1:2)
• For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame and sat down at the right hand of God. (Hebrews 12:2)

Beyond all those quotes is the fact that joy is a fruit of the Spirit. While the works of the flesh are things people do, the fruit of the Spirit is the result of the Spirit’s presence in a believer’s life. These are not things we do, but blessings given by God. These are not feelings we gin up, but gifts from the Holy Spirit. 

But it’s a battle. Joy reigns in the believer’s heart insofar as he has crucified the sinful flesh. When we’re consumed by sexual immorality, excessive indulgence in sinful pleasure, anger, envy or drunkenness, joy is far away. And although these do not bring joy, they appeal to a side of us that will never be satisfied by their pursuit. Drunkenness of any kind is never satisfied and yields only the rue of hangover or the disappointment of poor choices’ outcomes. 

Experiencing joy of this kind is a two-fold process. First is to crucify the sinful flesh. Denying the impulses to self-service, cheap thrills, and emotions’ reign. Second is to lean into the Holy Spirit’s presence in our hearts, through the word of God and prayer. All this is a matter of faith. Looking beyond the glitter and glory of the world’s lure, we attach our hearts to God’s promises, goodness, grace, and faithfulness. And his love.

This takes me back to the first of the joy thoughts above. The Lord has come to us. He has come to teach us the truth about God. He has come to bring God’s grace to us. He has come to forgive our sins. He has come to give us abundant life. And when he came he looked beyond even his suffering and death to the joy that God gives to his own in his presence. Jesus has taught us the truth about God so that his joy may be in us and our joy may be complete. This is God’s gift.

The closer we remain to Jesus and his word, and the more resolute in prayer we are for his blessing and grace the deeper and more true will be our joy. Come, Holy Spirit! Enlighten the hearts of your people and bring us true joy! Amen

For your personal reflection, meditation, and edification…

Psalm 24:1-6
The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof,
the world and those who dwell therein,
for he has founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to what is false
and does not swear deceitfully.
He will receive blessing from the LORD
and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah

Psalm 54:6
With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you;
I will give thanks to your name, O LORD, for it is good.

Psalm 84:1-4
How lovely is your dwelling place,
O LORD of hosts!
My soul longs, yes, faints
for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
to the living God.
Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O LORD of hosts,
my King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in your house,
ever singing your praise! Selah

Psalm 114
When Israel went out from Egypt,
the house of Jacob from a people of strange language,
Judah became his sanctuary,
Israel his dominion.
The sea looked and fled;
Jordan turned back.
The mountains skipped like rams,
the hills like lambs.
What ails you, O sea, that you flee?
O Jordan, that you turn back?
O mountains, that you skip like rams?
O hills, like lambs?
Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
at the presence of the God of Jacob,
who turns the rock into a pool of water,
the flint into a spring of water.

Psalm 144:1-2
Blessed be the LORD, my rock,
who trains my hands for war,
and my fingers for battle;
he is my steadfast love and my fortress,
my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield and he in whom I take refuge,
who subdues peoples under me.
O LORD, what is man that you regard him,
or the son of man that you think of him?
Man is like a breath;
his days are like a passing shadow.

[No audio version of the blog posts this week]

The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! – Galatians 5:22-23

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.¹⁰ If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.¹¹ These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. – John 15:9-11

“I would judge the gathering to be successful if there was joy.” The observation by a fellow pastor struck me in a very positive way. We were discussing “Circuit Winkels” (The German word, “Winkel” means corner, angle, place, or spot; and in the early days of the LCMS, the circuit pastors’ meetings were called Winkel Conferences.) There were many other answers offered to the question of what a successful Circuit Winkel would look like. But I remember only his. That was memorable, in part, because it was simple and unambiguous. It was memorable because it struck a deep cord of truth in my spirit. And it aligns with the second mentioned fruit of the Spirit.

The judgment also reminded me of a book he had recently shared with me, The Other Half of Church by Jim Wilder and Michael Hendricks. In that book the authors outline four characteristics of a spiritually-healthy and transforming community. They leverage the latest insights of the brain’s left and right sides and how they’re both critical to experience lasting, full-brain transformation. They ground that understanding on four scriptural characteristics:

[No audio version of the blog posts this week.]

The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! – Galatians 5:22-23

[Jesus says,] “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love.¹⁰ When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.¹¹ I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! ¹² This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.” – John 15:9-12

Hang around Jesus and you’ll learn some things. Things about religion without love. Things about compassion, forgiveness, and mercy. Zeal for God’s house. And patience. I think of patience as essential to love. Think of how many times Jesus surely had to sigh when Peter made one of his faux pas. And from his heart must have issued grace, compassion, and long-suffering (another and very apt synonym for patience). Else the sighs would have turned to bitter words of frustration: Again! Don’t you get it?!?!

This is the need in order to love people close to us. My wife will do something that annoys me, and I find it difficult to be patient. Just ask her about times she seeks help on her computer. It’s not pretty. (Of course, I never do anything to annoy her!) But patience calls forth a different response. It springs from a humility about our own place in the universe. People don’t have to conform to my standard of righteousness. I am not The Final Judge of all things. A humble spirit will stand me in good stead when patience is called for. 

A friend might annoy you. The longer you get to know him, the more irritating his peccadilloes become. The longer your friendship the less you are able to put up with her pettiness. Or her nosiness. Or his rudeness. Take your pick. We all have our hot buttons. And most of all it’s because we believe we alone have the true perspective on right and wrong and how that should be played out in the lives of others. We forget that we don’t know the whole story. 

This is a challenge for humble people; especially for those who vow never to be arrogant. For when we vow not to do something we blind ourselves to the very ways we are arrogant, judgmental, and impatient.

This is where Jesus comes in. He is without sin. He is not blind. He has faced temptation and won the battle. And he knows us fully. This may be a frightening prospect: he knows all about me?!? Yes. And he loves the real you. The very real you. And he has patience toward you. And me. And this is love. It will culminate in his death on the cross. There he lays down his life for our sake. He refuses to demand his way. He allows himself to be completely misunderstood. He embraces the sin of the world.

That is the greatest love of all. It may not mean a literal cross. But it will mean taking up our cross in the figurative sense. Letting go of our need to justify ourselves. Refusing to judge others. Letting ourselves be misunderstood. Graciously forgiving those who have offended us. Trusting in God through it all. Because we have been loved. Perfectly. Truly. Eternally. I hope that love will shape my heart more and more each day. You???

[Note: There is no audio version of this blog post today.]

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. – Galatians 5:22-23

It can be counterfeit. It can be confused with feelings. It can be twisted into something that feels good but is not. It may not be recognized as such. But love is the purest expression of the character and nature of God. It is the greatest – even greater than hope and faith. And, although it’s not all you need it is essential to our relationship with God and with one another (sorry, John Lennon). 

When Paul writes to the church in Corinth, he must take on a number of issues in the church. They were a troubled church. He takes on issues about marriage, incest, division, schism, worship, spiritual gifts, the role of women, his authority as an apostle, and the Lord’s Supper. These are no small matters. Any one of them would be worth a serious treatment and discussion. They all come up in this letter. And toward the climax of the letter’s exhortations, he shows them “a more excellent way.” 

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. ² And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. ³ If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned,^[a] but have not love, I gain nothing.

⁴ Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant ⁵ or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;^{[b] 6} it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

⁸ Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part,¹⁰ but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.¹¹ When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. ¹² For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

¹³ So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. – 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

I like to share at weddings the idea of putting one’s name in place of the word love in this chapter. Then I ask if that describes either of those before me – or anyone in the congregation at that point. If anyone says it does, I would invite them to take my place. For on a good day, I might embody patience, kindness, no record-keeping of wrongs and the like. But not every day is good. And even on the best days I don’t always manage to keep the characteristics of love evident in my actions, word, or heart. Sigh… I cannot claim to be perfectly loving.

But Jesus can make that claim! Substitute Jesus’ name for the word love in Chapter 13 and you get a description of Jesus’ true character. He is patient, kind, does not boast, is not arrogant or rude. Ever. He is the embodiment of love itself. After all, “God is love (1 John 4:8). And Jesus is God in the flesh. And he keeps no record of wrongs. Read that again, he keeps no record of wrongs.

If I want to express more love to my wife, family, friends, and brothers and sisters in Christ, I need to hang around Jesus more. Abiding in him. Looking to him. Allowing his love to define my relationship with God. Allowing his love to shape my heart. 

That means looking away from the things of this world. Rejecting the idea that the newest lens, fastest computer, coolest car, most desirable vacation, or most alluring flight to fantasy will fill my heart. They won’t. I’m thankful for God’s love in Jesus. I need it, and need for it to shape my heart, mind, and actions more and more. Starting with those closest to me. But not stopping there. 

O Holy Spirit, bring forth that fruit in me today! Amen. 

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The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. – Galatians 5:22-23

I knew I needed an excursus. Yesterday’s offering was almost a throw-away. Not personal. True. But not passionate. Edifying, I hope. But I doubt it was deeply insightful. So just today in the car as we were on the second day of our road trip, it struck me: I need to focus on the Fruit of the Spirit this week in an effort to cultivate that in my heart and life. Two observations might be helpful. First of all, the word “fruit” is singular. This is the result of being connected to Christ, the True Vine. Jesus says, “I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). I notice also that the fruit of the Spirit is laid out in this chapter of Galatians in contrast to the works of the flesh. I love the thought of one commentator in this regard. He points out that the singular fruit of the Spirit “isn’t achieved by working, but is birthed by abiding” in Jesus. 

He further notes that

• Fruit is fragile.
• Fruit reproduces itself.
• Fruit is attractive.
• Fruit nourishes.

Second, the construction of the verse leads us to think of this singular fruit of love to express itself in the eight that follow. Martin Luther says, “It would have been enough to mention only the single fruit of love, for love embraces all the fruits of the Spirit.” 

So this week I’ll be reflecting on love. It is the essential fruit of the Spirit. Love is of God’s essence. Love is greater than faith and hope. God is the source of love. So I want to pay particular attention to being close to Jesus, abiding in him, and bearing fruit by abiding. So hang on. I need this. And we preach (write) best what we need most.