David Bahn – Reflections

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.

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

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.

Today’s readings are Romans 13; 2 Samuel 21; Daniel 2;4; Proverbs 24. I’ll be away for the next few weeks. I will, however, attempt to post a link to the readings for the 49 Week Bible Challenge so you can follow the plan easily. During this time there will be no audio versions of these blog posts.

Romans 13:8-12

Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. ⁹ For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁰ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

¹¹ Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. ¹² The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.

A church member years ago said that this verse – among others – effectively forbade Christians from going into any kind of debt whatsoever. He and his (large) family took that literally and did not even have a mortgage. They rented. Without debating the validity of the wisdom of not being in debt, there can be no doubt about the continuing debt we have to love one another.

Some will define love in terms of the so-called 5 love languages: Meaningful and Appropriate Touch, Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Gifts, and Acts of Service. Those are beautiful ways to express love, and each of us has a different love language.

But Paul shows that love is not simply a matter of meeting emotional needs; it is about living in the light of Christ’s coming. The motivating force behind Christian love is not personal style but the dawning of a new day – the nearness of salvation. This love is a reflection of Christ’s love for us. It shaped by urgency, hope, and holiness.

Furthermore, Romans 13 invites us to see every act of love – even the small, everyday expressions – as part of a much larger transformation. Loving our neighbor is part of putting on Christ Himself, a way of life shaped not merely by preference but by His redeeming presence at work in us.

Today’s readings are Romans 12:17-21; Deuteronomy 32; Proverbs 25; 1 Samuel 26. I’ll be away for the next few weeks. I will, however, attempt to post a link to the readings for the 49 Week Bible Challenge so you can follow the plan easily. During this time there will be no audio versions of these blog posts.

Romans 12:17-21

Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. ¹⁸ If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. ¹⁹ Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” ²⁰ To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” ²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Evil intent is cloaked in many different disguises. A smile can hide a vengeful heart. A soft voice can mascarade a prideful spirit. A kiss can distract from spiteful plans. So when Paul says do not overcome evil with evil, overcome evil with good, we must look beyond outward actions to the intent of our hearts.

We can never have perfectly pure motives. There will always be some sort of ulterior motives in our best actions. Whether it’s hoping God will notice our good deeds and reward us, or that our acts of kindness will endear us to our neighbor, or extra miles will gain us recognition by the boss: we will struggle with all of these as long as we are on earth. I’m remembering a classic Lutheran book, The Quest for Holiness: A Biblical, Historical, and Systematic Investigation in which the author Adolf Köberle emphasized that true Christian holiness flows from God’s grace in Christ, not human striving. Our striving will always sully any effort at living godly lives.

Yet here we have a calling that requires a quest: overcome evil with good. It’s right up there with Paul’s message earlier in this chapter that we live at peace with all people insofar as it is possible with you. We will never do it perfectly this side of heaven. But we are to reflect the love, grace, and truth of Christ.

Overcoming evil may mean that we struggle within ourselves against the temptation to take matters into our own hands. That’s when the grace of Christ becomes even more precious and powerful. Jesus overcame the fiercest evil by his goodness and grace, faithfulness and obedience to God – entrusting himself to God against all odds. By doing so he not only overcame evil, but won salvation for all who believe in him.

Today’s readings are Romans 11; Isaiah 50; Job 35; 41; Ecclesiastes 8. I’ll be away for the next few weeks. I will, however, attempt to post a link to the readings for the 49 Week Bible Challenge so you can follow the plan easily. During this time there will be no audio versions of these blog posts.

Romans 11:22

Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. 

It’s been a wonderful experience these past 16 days. I never thought I’d sail around the southern tip of South America – to be precise, around Cape Horn and then through the Magellan Passage toward Valparaiso, Chile. But we’ve done it. A remarkable experience of God’s favor and grace: his kindness.

Paul’s words about the plight of the Jews here is in the context of how God used the Gentile converts to stir up the Jewish people toward the hope that they would believe and be saved. Sadly most seemed not to repent and believe. Hence the severity of God for those who have fallen from his favor because they did not receive Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Paul’s calling here is not to be arrogant about being saved. We have been brought into God’s family without any proper birthright. We’ve no claim on God for we are not of the nation of Israel (the spiritual family, not the modern day nation). But we claim God’s favor because of his kindness in calling us to repentance and faith.

We must never take this for granted. Nor must we ever presume upon God’s kindness. It’s a gift of his mercy and grace – his kindness. Shown in Jesus. Given to all who believe.

There is a word in the Old Testament: חֶסֶד (ḥesed) that means lovingkindness. It is rich in meaning. It describes God’s faithful, covenant-keeping love — not just affection, but steadfast, committed love expressed in mercy and faithfulness. Many scholars consider ḥesed one of the most important theological words in the Old Testament.

It is certainly important to all who believe. We must continue in God’s lovingkindness – such a joyous pathway to follow!