Scolded

 "He turned and scolded them," Luke 9:55.

He who? Jesus. Them who? James and John. Apostles of Jesus. The same followers that wanted to rule with Jesus thunderously, right and left. So, why did Jesus rebuke them? Because they thought torching an obstinate village in a lightning show was a great idea. They thought the kingdom's economy equaled that of the world's powers. But they learned better, later, when they saw their Lord lifted up. They learned how to follow Jesus from the foot of the cross. The young man, James, received the thrust of a sword, first apostle killed for Jesus' kingdom. And old man John, now the last apostle, death nearby, thunderbolts long passed by, told who that scolding taught him to be: our brother, our fellow partner in the distress, and in the kingdom, and in the patient endurance found in Jesus. Not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of armies.

We visit with a brother or sister today and remind each other that the kingdom hangs on Jesus' sacrifice and not on our cleverness. And, together, we praise God for having secured us in Christ the only kingdom that will last into forever.

Path

"Walk by the Spirit," Galatians 5:16.

Freedom. Free in Christ. Free to serve one another through love. Through the Spirit, by faith, expect to be made right with God. Faith: at work through love. Law: Love your neighbor as yourself. Led by the Spirit, not under law's curse. Belong to Christ Jesus. Crucify flesh-lusts. No slavery to flesh-works: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, witchcraft, grudges, fights, jealousy, rage, rivalries, quarrels, feuds, envy, crapulence, wasted parties - these hinder heritage in God's kingdom. Live by the Spirit. Fruit of the Spirit: love. joy. peace. patience. kindness. goodness. faithfulness. self-control. Walk. by. the. Spirit. Sky kingdom.

We visit with a brother or sister today and see God's Spirit empowering fellow strugglers through this world. And, together, we give thanks to God for laying out the path worth walking to life.

Dusty

"Jehovah God, you are my portion and my cup of blessing, you hold my future," Psalm 16:5.

Yes. Apart from you, O God, we don't have anything worthwhile. You've promised a beautiful inheritance. Your good counsel leads us, even in the darkest night our hearts point the path to you. We have chosen to set you in front, and because you have become our strong hand nothing shakes us. O, Yes! Throughout our beings our hearts sing your joys, our very bodies rest assured. You won't abandon us, ever. Not even when we've turned to dusty ashes, you won't leave us there. No. You didn't leave Jesus in the grave! And we know your path to life, we know the joy of your presence, we know your strong arm's eternal delights!

When we part from a brother or sister today, we anticipate tomorrow's sure gathering at the banquet with Jesus. Meanwhile, together, we give thanks to God with joy for his path home.

Compass

"What are you doing here?" 1 Kings 19:9.

Unwelcome events may cascade relentlessly such that we lose our sense of direction. Sometimes we must go back to the place where things first made sense. Where we first got our compass. Where we first saw the clear path ahead. We hope to regain composure in that place. The place? Maybe it was a hometown. Or family. Or friend. A quiet valley. A mountaintop. And in that anchoring place we review the early dreams and the late chaos. In the quiet pilgrimage from despair, we hear the guiding Word once again. Just so, Elijah went back to the mountain where his people got their start so long ago. And there, God asked Elijah the question above, twice, so that Elijah could completely unburden his broken life. Then, in the Word he heard there, renewed, he finished out the path laid out for him.

We meet with a brother or sister so that, in eating the bread and drinking the cup together, we remember where we're going. And, together, thankfully remembering God's love and sacrifice, regaining direction, we follow Jesus on to path's end.

Devastated

"Who are these?" Revelation 7:13.

Who's asking? One of the 24 crowned elders who fell on their faces before the throne to worship God. Who's he asking about? Ah. Well. There's this vast, numberless crowd, millions and millions of people from every nation, tribe, peoples, languages, all standing there at the throne and in front of the Lamb. So, yeah! Who are all these people? They are: All the ones coming out of the great tribulation. (What tribulation? Don't let anybody's best sellers fool you in this - it's the great tribulation of having followed Jesus in the now time - just ask anyone belittled for believing in, or, riddled with cancer pressing on to death in the faith of, or, devastated by bad fates continued to trust in, or, perhaps, lately beheaded for, Jesus.) What sets these people apart? They washed their robes. Bleached them white in the scarlet blood of the Lamb. And that's why they're there at the throne sheltered forever by God. The Lamb, their Shepherd, leads them to springs of living water.

As we meet with a brother or sister today at a grave, we remember the empty one. And, together, through tears, we wait for the Living One who promised shelter, and bowed, we give thanks.

Given

"The glory that you have given to me I have given to them," John 17:22.

Who's giving it? Jesus. To whom? His followers. What glory? This one:

Jesus said to his followers about his deathly sick friend: It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.

Jesus said to Martha just before raising his dead friend to life: Didn't I tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?

Jesus said to God hours before his crucifixion: Glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.

Jesus said to God about his followers: I desire that they also may be with me to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of this world.

Jesus' friends said to us: We have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

What glory does Jesus give? That glory.

We meet with a brother or sister today, stunned. Amazed. And, giving thanks together, we, too, glorify God and his Christ.

Slain

"Your glory, O Israel, is slain," 2 Samuel 1:19.

So David, deeply moved by news of the king's death, opened his heart's lament. Despite the hardships brought on by his king, David yet mourned unconsolably. A double mourning: David's closest friend, Jonathan, died in the same battle. How the mighty have fallen ... David called on the mountains, on the meadows to join in the sorrow. He called for weeping over the deaths of the heroes. The nation's glory lay slain. When people we love die, that's how we feel. A lump in the throat replaces laughter. Joy gives way to lament. The heart breaks. Bright eyes blur into tearful shadows. Yes. And. Just so. Friends at the foot of the cross knew. Jesus' last breath left. Expired. The glory is gone.

And that's why, when we speak with a brother or sister today, we believe that God returned our Glory alive. And, together, we thank God for the living hope that tomorrow, tomorrow really will shine.

Bedazzling

"The glory that will be given to us," Romans 8:18.

Glory: shining. brightness. blazing. dazzling. flashing. bedazzling. Yeah, the radiance to come. To come? Right - not yet, we don't see it yet. But it's coming. No question! Well, what of that future blazing brightness? The dread sorrows of the now age don't hold a candle to it. It will fade away today's deaths into faint outlines. The size of present suffering just cannot compare with the overwhelming, lighting, bedazzling, shine to come. The glory to be revealed. Yeah. Every light in the universe, every star, galaxy, whatever's out there, will explode with freedom from its constraints. When? When God's children receive the redemption of their bodies. Glory!

So, as we meet with a brother or sister today, we glimpse Christ through each other even in the dearth of the hour. And, together, we give thanks to God in assured hope of his glory. Sky kingdom.

Reaping

"Then the good people will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father," Matthew 13:43.

And who are these good people? The people planted by the Son of Man. Who's he? Jesus. And how do they get planted by Jesus? By hearing what Jesus has to say. Listening to his Word. Obeying it. Coming to him. Receiving his rest. Taking his easy yoke. Learning from him. Following his gentleness, his humility. Lifting his light burden. These will shine. But not yet. God's kingdom in this world, with the world's troubles, does not yet present the way it will. But comes the last reaping of the present order, and then. It's gonna shine! They're gonna shine! Sky kingdom.

Calling on a brother or sister today, we hear Jesus' call to persevere to the end. And, together, we give thanks to God for the sure hope of glory Jesus secured for us.

Shall

"The wise ones shall shine like the brightness of the sky above," Daniel 12:3.

There's a possible future (it maybe will happen). There's an inevitable future (it shall happen without failure). So, what makes the difference between possible futures and inevitable futures? God. God's fiat. God's Word. If God says a thing will happen ... well, it's as sure a thing as facts of history. (Yeah, yeah, I know, I know; people tell the history they want to tell - but we're not talking about that - we're talking about what actually happened, whether you knew it or not.) Whatever happened, happened. And when God says a thing shall happen in the future, bank on it. Be all in with it. All in. It's gonna happen. Shine like the stars forever and ever. Shine! Who? Not just anybody, the wise ones. Why? God. Sky kingdom.

When we visit with a brother or sister today, we count on God's love in Christ, his wisdom, for eternal resurrection. And, together, we give thanks to God who makes happen whatever he wants.

Raised

"Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstruits of those who have fallen asleep."

"We don't want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who have fallen asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope."

"Stephen fell asleep."

"Some have fallen asleep."

"Our friend has fallen asleep, but I'm going to wake him up ... (Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought he meant taking rest in sleep.)"

"Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."

"Since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep."

"Our Lord Jesus Christ died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him."

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I leave with you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."

(1 Corinthians 15:20; 1 Thessalonians 4:13; Acts 7:60; 1 Corinthians 15:6;  John 11:11,13;  Ephesians 5:14; 1 Thessalonians 4:14; 1 Thessalonians 5:10; John 17:27.)

Hidden

"God's hidden wisdom in mystery," 1 Corinthians 2:7.

Not the mystery about God himself, as the eternal, sovereign God is beyond human capacity to understand. Not that kind of mystery. But the mystery in God's mind way before the ages got started. But who can know God's mysterious thoughts? (None of us ever even dreamed God's mystery, or we wouldn't have crucified the Lord of glory!) It's like this - nobody knows our own thoughts except our own spirits within us. Like that, nobody knows God's mysterious thoughts except his own Spirit within him. And here's the deal: God has given his Spirit to us. And God's Spirit opens up to us God's mysterious thoughts. And what are they? Preaching Jesus Christ crucified, buried, and resurrected: the gospel is God's power for salvation to all who believe it. For our glory. Sky kingdom.

So, we meet up with a brother or sister today and declare the Spirit's revelation to us: Christ, the wisdom of God, the power of God. And, together, we give thanks for the hope of glory shown to us by his Spirit.

Keep

"Who do you think you are?" John 8:53.

Yeah, right. So. Question, Jesus: Just what do you make of yourself? Here's the answer bank - (1) You lack full humanity. Or, (2) You lack clear thinking. Or, (3) You lack legitimate birth. Or, (4) You lack real truth. Choose your answer! So. Jesus witnesses: (a) I do not have a demon. And, (b) I do not seek my own glory. And, (c) God seeks my glory. And, (d) Whoever keeps my word will not die. And, (e) I know God. And, (f) I do not lie to say I know God. And, (g) I tell the truth. And, (h) I keep God's word. And, (i) I was alive before ancestor Abraham existed. So. Jesus' question to us: Shall we throw stones at this pretender? Or. Shall we keep his word?

We meet today with a brother or sister exactly because we have chosen to keep his word faithfully for life. And, together, we give thanks to God for Jesus who kept his word faithfully to death.

Duff

"God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus," Acts 2:36.

Which Jesus? (common enough name in the day, so, again, which Jesus?) This Jesus. The Jesus you crucified. That one. And what did God do with this Jesus? God made him Lord. God did it. God made him Christ. God did. God himself decreed that from that moment onward his kingdom, the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of the skies, would be ruled by this Jesus until every last enemy of the kingdom found himself completely brought down below Jesus' feet. (how do we know that God made Jesus all that? O, silly dude! wake up!) God raised this Jesus up alive from the dead. Alive from the dead! From the dead, to designate him Son of the living God! So, get up off your duff and bow down before him while you may yet choose.

As we visit with a brother or sister today, we confess with one voice, Jesus is Lord. And, together, we give honor and praise and glory and thanksgiving to the One seated on the throne, and to the Lamb.

Grabbing

"Why is man important to you?" Psalm 8:4.

Except for disturbed moments of barren arrogance, people admit their tiny place among the galaxies of the cosmos. While philosophers talk of grabbing the best seats on a bus to oblivion, theologians tell of God's rage. News currents numb with the interminable story: troubled human beings, unbearable responsibility, deludedly powerless. But this poet, the psalmist, sees a Redeemer. God. A Redeemer God. Sees God who teaches babies to persevarate in praise to the hushing of foes. A God who touches every star in place. A God who places humans carefully in charge. The poet asks, Why? Why does God care? The poem gives no answer. It's just the way God is. O Jehovah God, our Lord - all praise to you!

But when a brother or sister sees us today, we recognize our falling short of God's designs. Yet, we do see Jesus, our flesh and blood brother, gaining place for us and graciously inviting us to join him. So, together, we give thanks to our Redeemer in hope of eternal placement with him. Sky kingdom.

Before

"Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before earth's beginning," Proverbs 8:23.

So, before the beginning. Before time started. Before there was sky. Before there was earth. Before in the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth. It was there with God. It was the very first creation of all. God had it right beside his very person from the dawn of his creation. Delight ran rampant with it. So, what was this thing? This first of all thing, before anything else thing? Wisdom. Lady Wisdom calls out to people for them to understand and live in deepest harmony with the very foundations of the universe. Wisdom is better than silver, gold, jewels, any other thing. Wisdom grants the good life. Wisdom declares it itself to begin with deep honor to God. Respect of God. The fear of God.

When we meet up with a brother or sister today, we bow our hearts with respect for our God. And, together, we give thanks that God provides wisdom to live out our days worth their while.

Shook

"I wait patiently for God. Only he can save me," Psalm 61:1.

God is our only rock. God alone is our salvation. No other fortress but God. We wait for God alone - our hope is in him. (We say it again.) God is our only rock. God alone is our salvation. No other fortress but God. Our glory rests in God. He, our mighty rock, our refuge. Plain people are just a breath. Great, powerful people are a lie, less than a breath. Wealth fails to deliver. Power belongs to God alone. And love. Steadfast love. Yes. Therefore: We shall not be at all shook up.

We meet with a brother or sister today and remind each other of God's faithfulness and love. And, together, we keep waiting for our Redeemer and Friend.

Rules

"The law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus," Romans 8:2.

The law? Yes, the law. But not just any old law. The law of the Spirit of life in Jesus. Compared to what? To another law - the one of sin and death. That law of commandments and rules had curses built into it. (Like, if you fail this thing, you cursed person, die!). The law of the Spirit is different from that one. It brings life. Freedom from the curse. So what are its rules? The first rule: Jesus died for your fail. (For all our fails.) The second rule: in Christ there is no condemnation. The third rule: people in Christ set their minds on life in the Spirit. On things of the Spirit. Putting to death things of the flesh. That's pretty much it. More details obviously, but that's the big idea. And what results? Freedom. Life. Peace. Assurance. Hope. Resurrection. Adoption by God. Inheritance. Glory. Yeah, sky kingdom.

When we chat with a brother or sister today, we joy in the life God's Spirit assures for us in Jesus. And, together, we give grateful thanks (what other kind of thanks is there?) to God for adopting us into his freedom.

Temporal

"The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things," John 14:26.

OK. Who's talking? Jesus. Who's he talking to? His 12 apostles. (Well, not 12 right now, only 11; one's out betraying him). What's he talking about? That God would send them a Helper, a Comforter, a Counselor. Yes, the Holy Spirit. And how would this Spirit counsel? To remind them everything Jesus ever said. To make them know. To drill Jesus' words into their hearts: to know his peace in the midst of storm. And, this helper would help them know other things that Jesus wanted them to know. So, why's Jesus saying these things? Because he's about to die. Why? Because he does what God wants him to do. Why? So that the world can know, too. Know what? that he loves God.

Empowered by the Spirit of God today, we know Jesus' love and word in communion with one another, brothers or sisters. And, together, we give thanks for peace rooted deeply in Jesus' faith, not in temporal circumstance.

Wrested

"This is that which," Acts 2:16.

This? this what? This event, the event that currently unfolded in the hearing and sight of the gathered crowd. This. This is that. That what? That thing the prophet Joel had talked about 8 centuries earlier (or maybe a mere 5 centuries earlier). He had said the thing would happen in those coming days. This, that, those? This event, unfolding right then, is that thing Joel prophesied about centuries ago. These days are Joel's those days. Woah! Wait a minute. Messy! Back up. Who's talking? Peter. When's he talking? About 7 weeks after Jesus had been killed. And then raised back up to life. From the dead. By God. OK. So, what's the event of such interest? The outpouring of God's Holy Spirit on his people: opening the gates into Christ's kingdom. This Jesus, God has made Lord and Christ. And he is become king of the kingdom. This was that. This is it. Sky kingdom.

That we have a brother or sister to visit with today shows Jesus' two-millennial long (so far) reign. And, together, we give thanks to God for the eternal kingdom he wrested out of a lamb's death.

Compare

"No one alive is right before you," Psalm 143:2.

How to compare a human with God? Can't be done. Well, not with the human coming out looking good. Yes, true, people do some good, of course (!) - who's disputing that? But that's not the problem. The problem is that we've gotten off trajectory, the farther we go, the further off target we get into looming darkness. Two ways this can end. God's judgment and our consequent oblivion (but we just said that). Or. We stretch out our hands to God. For God's mercy and life. Why should God give mercy? Because he's faithful. He's righteous. He hears. He's here. He teaches. He delivers. He's a refuge. His Spirit is the good one. He preserves. He loves. That's why. because he does not abandon to oblivion whoever calls to him.

In the visiting of a brother or sister today, we recognize God's merciful kindness to receive us into life. And, together, we give God thanks for the Lamb for sinners slain.

Babble

"The Lord confused the language of all the earth," Genesis 11:9.

Everybody gets misunderstood. Everybody misunderstands. Can you count the times when you thought you spoke your clear intent, but the other person just didn't get it? And you didn't even know they didn't get it until some mishap? A fog sits between the word getting out of one mind and getting into another mind. The fog? Language. Babbling. Even when we speak the same tongue. Words don't always convey the same meaning from one mind to another, from one heart to the next. That challenge results from God's deliberate, intentional effect to frustrate human endeavor. So, when God speaks his mind, yes, even his heart, he puts his word not merely into language, but turns it into a human being. And by that, he effects sharp, unclouded communication. We see Jesus' glory, glory as of the only one begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

As we babble on with a brother or sister today, our real intent to love one another through Jesus shines through. And, together, we give thanks to God for making his Word manifest.

Fiery

"I must lie down among fiery lions," Psalm 57:4.

What to do when surrounded by fierce foes? Like when an enemy's teeth are spears and arrows, and tongues piercing swords? Like when a cat readies to pounce on a bird? If we're like David, hiding in a dark cave, exit blocked by an army ... we call out for God's mercy until the hurricane passes by. We trust God to send help down from the skies. Trust God to fulfill his purpose he had already set out for us. Trust God to shame the foe's plan. Trust God to dispatch his love, his loyalty. And then. We praise God above the skies! We give thanks for God's glory. We sing! We call for music! We call for the dawn. We sing of God's steadfast love, of his faithfulness.

We talk with a brother or sister today and share with each other the marvel of our God's deliverance. And, together, we give thanks for his shining over the whole earth!

Marred

"Walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called," Ephesians 4:1.

What does that mean? Just this: live the way God's people should live. That's it. No big secret. Live the way you know you should. Not rocket science to figure it out. Yeah. So. (but what if we're not exactly sure how to do it?). Spelled out for us: live humble. Gentle. Patient. Tolerant. United. Peacefully bound. One body. One Spirit. One hope. One Lord. One faith. One baptism. One God. One. Sky kingdom.

We visit each other today, brother or sister, by Christ's call on our lives. And, together, together, we give thanks to God who showed us what reflecting Jesus' pristine character in this marred world means.

Prayed

"May they all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you," John 17:21.

So prayed Jesus. To God. But about whom? About the human beings who believed what Jesus' eye-witnesses had to say about Jesus. And what about them did Jesus pray to God? That these believers would belong to each other. Just like God belonged to Jesus, and Jesus belonged to God. That they would belong to God and to Jesus. Why? So that the world would believe, indeed, that God sent Jesus to us all. That the shine God gave Jesus would shine in them ever so brightly, too. So that the world would know. Know what? That God sent Jesus and loved them just like God loved Jesus. That the Jesus-believers would be with Jesus where Jesus is, to see the shine God gave Jesus before time. Because Jesus has moved the love God has for Jesus into these believers. (yeah - that's why we bow in humble amazement.)

Today, when we visit with a brother or sister, we see God shining through the world's darkness. And, together, we reflect God's love back to him through each other.

Invitation

"The Spirit and the Bride say, Come!" Revelation 22:17.

The invitation. Come! Who? You! (remember middle school grammar? of course we do. verb: second person, singular, imperative) Who? Whoever hears it. Whoever's thirsty. Whoever wants to drink from life's water. Priceless! So, what are we coming to, if we come? To life's water's river. To life's tree. Its fruit. Its leaves' healing powers. To the holy city. To God's throne. and the Lamb's. Come! to see his face. Where the Lord God is the light. To reign with, into the ages of the ages. Who's making the announcement? The Spirit (of God). The Bride (of Christ). Whose invitation is it? Jesus'. The Alpha and the Omega. The first and the last. The beginning and the end. David's root and descendant. The bright morning star. He's coming. Soon. Come!

When we see a brother or sister today, we invite another too to join with us in anticipation of life. And, together, in one voice, we give thankful praise to God, may he be blessed forever!