Engaging with God

The Bible takes this idea of vocation very seriously. From the very beginning, you and I were created for a very important vocation: to be image-bearers of God.

Anyone who is in Christ is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come. We are restored to our place as image-bearers, with the more specific vocation now of ambassadors.

God is reconciling the world to himself through Jesus Christ. This is a message that we have experienced first-hand – we know that we are loved by God, that we are forgiven through Jesus, that we are invited into relationship with God through Jesus. Having experienced this, we now have as part of our vocation the mission of sharing it with others.

Ambassadors for Christ, representing Jesus in everything we do , in all of our roles and relationships, and bringing with us the amazing good news.

– indeed, I feel like he doesn't even see me . Now as much as this hurts my pride and raises my sense of insecurity about myself, as I think about this and am honest with myself, there are many times (probably far more than I am aware of) when I have treated others in the same way –

Jesus is more than a prophet who is pointing the way to God. Jesus himself is the way to God .

To describe an attitude that is devoid of God's Spirit and God's values.

Sees each person as someone who has immeasurable value, someone who is created in God's image, who is deeply loved by God, and who Jesus died on the cross to save . 

Let's focus on this simple – yet huge – idea that we are called to see people as Jesus sees them .

When I was in the third grade I got in big trouble . 

As eager as Peter was to be close to Jesus , the issue of his denial still had to be addressed. 

The separation between us and Jesus still needs to be dealt with, and Jesus loves us too much to not deal with it.

God is forgiving our sins through Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. Through Jesus' resurrection God is making all things new, and God is calling us to join with Jesus in his ministry of reconciliation. 

Jesus concludes his conversation with Peter with the same words that drew Peter to him in the first place: " Follow me ."

Issues of faith and doubt and who Jesus is and how we should respond to him are not new – they go back to the beginning, in fact to the first day after Jesus' resurrection.

Thomas was a somewhat dour character, from the few lines he speaks in John's gospel, and he seems to be a practical realist. When the other disciples excitedly tell him about their encounter with the risen Jesus, he is unwilling to reengage his disappointed hopes .

There is a form of doubt that seems to only seek a reason not to believe, to justify not ever making any sort of commitment of faith. But integrity calls us to engage with the truth claims of Jesus Christ, to search and to understand as best we can.

The purpose of John's entire gospel is that we would come to believe. As the final verse of this chapter goes on to say, this is "written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name."

We cannot separate being Christlike from being a Christian, we cannot divorce being like Jesus from believing in him. True belief is what the gospel is all about, because true belief means entering into a relationship with Jesus; it means proclaiming Jesus as Lord and God; and it means entrusting our lives to him – both our lives in this world as well as our eternal lives.

Their teacher, the one they had finally come to recognize as the Messiah, was dead. Their hopes, plans, expectations were not only disappointed – they were crushed . What would they do now? This may have been the longest, darkest day of their lives.

What is so memorable about it is the expressions in the eyes of the two men: in both, we sense that they have been weeping; John, the younger of the two, clasps his hands together and his eyes convey a sense of worry and continued sorrow; while Peter's care-worn face and haunting expression tell us that many thoughts are coursing through his mind.

Life triumphed over death! And now this new life of God was on the loose. Who could imagine what God would do next? The despair of the previous day was overturned, and hope was born again.

Easter Sunday April 4 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again."   Luke 24:1-7 Christ is risen! Christ is risen, indeed! The tomb could not contain him. Death does not have the last word. Jesus rose from the dead just as he said he would, and in doing so he won the victory over sin and death. Light overcame darkness, love overcame hate, and life overcame death. We serve a risen Jesus, the one wh

Day 40 - Saturday April 3 They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.   John 19:40-42 Jesus died. The executioners knew their business and they did their job. The lifeless body was removed from the cross by sympathetic men and placed into the cold, dark tomb. Saturday, the sabbath, was the day of hopelessness and despair. The story appears to be over, and death as usual has had the last word.  To Do Spend some time in silence today and reflect on what it would be like to be without hope. 

Day 39 - Good Friday  April 2 So they took Jesus; and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews."   John 19:17-19 Jesus was executed between two bandits, or revolutionaries - this public display of suffering and death was how Rome dealt with anyone who defied its power. Jesus was on that cross, as the sign mockingly stated, for being proclaimed "King of the Jews." The cross was the ultimate symbol of naked power and death used to crush and humiliate anyone who stood in the way of the empire. And yet, so much more was happening on that sad and amazing day: the horrific symbol was being transformed into an icon of love, forgiveness, and healing.  To Do Take and hold a cross in your hand.

Day 38 - Maundy Thursday  April 1 "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."   John 13:34-35 Maundy Thursday takes its name from the Latin word mandatum , which means commandment. On this night Jesus met with his disciples in the upper room, and in the middle of supper he got up, wrapped a towel around his waist, and began to wash their feet. In doing this he not only demonstrated that he was the great Servant, but he also set an example for his disciples - as the teacher does, so must the followers. The great commandment to love one another wasn't so much a new idea as it was freshly exemplified in Jesus' life and actions. This is the love that would lead Jesus to the cross the next day. And this same humble, self-sacrificial love will be the defining trait of anyone who seeks to be a follower of Jesus. T

Day 37 - Wednesday  March 31 Surely he has borne our infirmities     and carried our diseases; yet we accounted him stricken,     struck down by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions,     crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole,     and by his bruises we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray;     we have all turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on him     the iniquity of us all.   Isaiah 53:4-6 Writing six hundred years before the time of Jesus, the prophet Isaiah foretold that one would come who would save Israel by taking upon himself the sins and suffering of the people. This "Suffering Servant" would represent all of the people, and by his own suffering and death he would bring healing and new life to them. It is nearly impossible to read these ancient passages without seeing a prediction of Jesus and his suffering. There is a great mystery here - the scriptures don't tell us exactly how this

Day 36 - Tuesday  March 30 Then they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling and those who were buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves; and he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. He was teaching and saying, "Is it not written,'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations'? But you have made it a den of robbers."   Mark 11:15-17 One of the first things that Jesus does after his "Triumphal Entry" into Jerusalem is to enter the temple and begin driving out the moneychangers and those selling the sacrificial animals. Some gospel accounts indicate that Jesus is offended by the corruption of the system, while elsewhere it seems that he is disturbed by the intrusion of the commercial activity into the sacred place of worship. But in any case, this scene has historically been described as the "clea

Day 35 - Monday March 29 The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting,"Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord—the King of Israel!"   John 12:12-13 What we call "Holy Week" began with Jesus' dramatic entry into Jerusalem. His reputation preceded him and a large crowd gathered to welcome him with royal honors, hoping he was the Messiah who would restore their kingdom. Jesus goes along with the crowd, receiving their honors and accolades while at the same time challenging their expectations. Yes - he is the Messiah sent by God to save Israel and the world. No - he will not lead an armed mob and take the city by force. Jesus is the humble Messiah who saves the world by laying down his life for us. By coming in peace and rejecting violence, Jesus defied the expectations of the people. How does Jesus continue to surprise

The secret of dealing with a riptide, as signs posted at the beaches will tell you, is to relax and let it carry you outward; once you're out a bit from shore, you can swim sideways, parallel to the beach, for a short distance, and the same tide will actually bring you back into shore .

The crowd that so enthusiastically welcomed Jesus into the city either melted away or turned against him. He was apparently just one more failed Messiah. 

The largest and most long-lived things in our world – think of the giant sequoias – are born from the tiniest of seeds. But the seed itself will not do anything on its own if it remains what it is, just a seed. It is only by dying to what it is that it becomes something more, what it is intended to become. It was only through death, and being "buried" like a seed, that Jesus burst forth from the tomb with the power of new life.

Numerous statements throughout Jesus' teachings challenge our natural understanding about the way that life works . "Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all." "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." Just as Jesus had to die in order for resurrection and life to take place, so also must we.

If we are to truly be not only believers but followers of Jesus: the servants must be like the master, loving and serving as he did, and trusting that it is in the laying down of our lives that the life of God is born within us. 

Dear PBPC Friends, Blessings to you as we continue through this season of Lent.  Please  CLICK HERE  for  Week 7  of our PBPC Lenten Devotional, in case you want to print out the daily readings for the coming week. I will also email the readings to you each day. In Christ, Pastor Chris

Day 34 - Saturday March 27 Whom have I in heaven but you?     And there is nothing on earth that I desire other than you. My flesh and my heart may fail,     but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Indeed, those who are far from you will perish;     you put an end to those who are false to you. But for me it is good to be near God;     I have made the Lord God my refuge,     to tell of all your works.   Psalm 73:25-28 In the midst of challenges, trials, and the storms of life, God is our refuge. We are promised that even when everything around us is lost and even our own strength fails, our relationship with God will last forever. This is more than a great insurance plan; the Lord who promises us eternity also promises to be with us throughout our life on this earth, and in fact, eternal life is described in scripture as knowing God . God invites us right now to come near to him and to make him our refuge for all time.  To Do Take time today to rest in the refuge of

Day 33 - Friday  March 26 I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.   John 15:5-6 Again in this passage we see the theme of life and its source. Jesus has already told his disciples that he is the way, the truth, and the life. Now he illustrates how we can share in this life that he offers us: by being connected to Jesus as a branch is connected to the main trunk of a grapevine. Jesus is the source of the everlasting life that God wants to give us; it flows from Jesus into us. Branches that are not connected to the vine whither away because they are not connected to the source of life; they are thrown into the fire because they are dead. The good fruit that God wants to produce in our lives comes directly from our connection to the vine. To Do Reflect: How are you ma

Day 32 - Thursday  March 25 Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.   Hebrews 4:14-16 The role of the high priest of Israel was to represent the people before God, to offer prayers for forgiveness and blessing to God on behalf of God's people. Jesus Christ fulfills this role as mediator in a way that no other human being ever could because he is the only person who is without sin. Rather than being set apart from us, Jesus' humanity draws him closer to us; he has experienced what we experience and he has been tempted as we are tempted. Jesus understands what it is like to be human, and he sympath

Day 31 - Wednesday  March 24 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the Lord swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.   Deuteronomy 30:19-20 From the very beginning, the story of the Bible presents us with the choice between life and death. God is the Creator and the Lord of life. Death entered into the story because of the pride and disobedience of Adam and Eve, who decided that they wanted to be the masters of their own destiny. Death is the natural and inevitable result of a life lived apart from God. Yet this is not what God wants for human beings to experience; God desires that we should have life, and have it abundantly. The choice is before us: will we receive God's gif