Pit

"The person who makes himself humble will be great," Luke 14:11.

Jesus healed a seriously diseased man. Certain (self-)righteous men watched to see if Jesus broke religious rules in the healing. Jesus noted that even they would break a religious rule to save their child who fell into a pit. Then he noted that these same righteous men had tried to get the best places at a banquet. Jesus told them that humility served much better than pride. So, we see Jesus. He lowered himself even to breaking of himself against our religious traditions in order to heal us. So, God raised him from the pit to his throne.

When we meet a brother or sister today and shake hands, we recognize Jesus who reached down to give us his nail-pierced hands. And, together, we lift praises and thanksgivings to God for having received us with Jesus at the throne.

Gate

"Jesus suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people," Hebrews 13:12.

The Place of the Skull, where the Gentiles nailed Jesus to a cross, rose as a hill outside the city not far from the city garbage dump. Jesus suffered and died out there, so that by his defilement his blood might make the people holy, pure before God. So. In thankfulness to him, we shall live out our lives serving him. We shall love each other. We shall show hospitality. We shall extend compassion. We shall keep sexually pure. We shall be satisfied with what we have. We shall keep true to Jesus' teaching - he is the same yesterday as today as forever. Our home isn't here. Through Jesus, we shall offer sacrifices of praise, of speaking his name, of doing good, and of sharing what we have. Sky kingdom.

In visiting with a brother or sister today, we acknowledge Jesus as the one for whom we now live. And, together, we give thankful praise to God, our helper who never will forsake us outside the gate.

Great

"Don't act as if you are a great man," Proverbs 25:6.

Humility stands at the heart of Jesus' character. The gospels speak of Jesus quite clearly as the son of God, yet Jesus most often, by far, spoke of himself as son of man. Jesus went around doing good, but when someone addressed him as a good person, Jesus pointed to God, instead, as the only good one. When someone wanted him to settle a family matter, he said he had no plans to judge between them. When his apostles tried to stop children from annoying him, Jesus scolded the men to say his kingdom consisted of such people. When his people rejected him, he wept heartbroken for them. When his world came after him with hammers and nails, he placed his hands on a crossbeam. Though he was in the form of God he became obedient to death.

We meet up with a brother or sister today in humility recognizing our kinship through confession to God of sin. And, together, we give thanks for the Christ who humbled himself so for our forgiveness.

Savior

"Every animal in the forest is mine, cattle on a thousand hills are mine; I know every bird on the mountains, every living thing in the fields," Psalm 50:10.

Dear God: If you were hungry you would have no need of our food. The whole world, the entire universe (!) belongs to you. You, O Lord God, Jehovah, are the Mighty One. You call out to the earth. You shine from your beautiful city. You come in devastating power to judge your people. You call every faithful person who made an agreement with you. The skies shout out your right way of being. You are our God. We will not presume to think our offerings of food, clothing, shelter, money, whatever, somehow give what you need. No. We offer to you our thanksgivings, we offer to you our spoken need, we offer to you our pleas for help. You, O God, will deliver us in your awesome power.

When we visit with a brother or sister today, we confess our weakness and need. And, together, we offer thanks to God for having presented Jesus to us, our Savior.

Thrown

 "Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire," Revelation 20:14.

Whoa, Nellie! What does that mean? Yeah, that's a big deal, but it's a future (to us) thing. It's the aftermath of the Great Day of Judgment when every person ever to have lived, no matter when, where, or how they died, shall have been brought back to life and God shall have judged them in their accounting for the way they had lived. The deepest sea, death itself, the very place where the dead are dead, all these gave up the dead people in them. (It sort of repeats itself to make sure we get it, that everybody's at judgment.) The lake of fire is the place where God destroys for ever. People whose names are in the book of life (that is, covered by Jesus' sacrifice) have transferred to life. Everything else - into the lake! Death, too, dies forever. Jesus shall have reigned through it all until every last enemy has been put down - including death itself.

So, when we meet with a brother or sister today, we encourage each other to keep walking in the light of Jesus' life, bypassing that lake. And, together, we give thanks for the hope of resurrection to forever life!

Graves

"The dead will hear the voice of the Son of God," John 5:25.

On a day sure to come, everybody, that is, every body (if we're not catching on to it: every dead body) in graves will hear Jesus' voice and these bodies will come out of their graves. The people who did good will rise to a great life forever, and the people who did evil will rise to be judged guilty. That's what Jesus said, anyway. And, too, Jesus said God gave him, Jesus, power to make this judging decision. And, too, Jesus said that any person (we're all dead people walking, right?) who hears his word, and believes in him, in Jesus, has forever life. No further judgment. They have already left death for life. Sky kingdom.

Today, when we visit with a brother or sister, we're excited that in listening to Jesus' voice, he has given life. And, together, amazed, we tell him, Thank You!, for such assurance of life.

Outcasts

"People will come from the east, west, north, and south, and they will sit at the table in the kingdom of God," Luke 13:29.

Words, in part, Jesus answered to the question: Will only a few people be saved? Jesus pointed out that people from all over the world would respond to God's banquet invitation. And he also pointed out that many people who thought themselves privileged would find themselves unknowns, outcasts - indeed, as doers of evil. While Jesus journeyed to Jerusalem (that is, to his death) he gave hope to all sorts of people who had thought themselves outcasts from God's glory. Jesus encouraged all to enter the narrow door. The door of repentance and faith in his sacrifice for them (for us), and yielding their (our) wills to his.

We meet up with a brother or sister today to encourage each other in the faith of Jesus, outcasts no longer. And, together, we give thanks for the sure hope of sharing at the kingdom banquet, finally home with God.

Judge

"You have come to God, the judge of all," Hebrews 12:23.

So why do we fear? It's not like we've come to the foot of the terrible mountain king, where lighting blasts and thunders roar and darkness and gloom reign! We've not come to the mountain where if even an animal touches it it should be killed. Where strongest of men shake in their boots. No. Not at all. We have come to God's sky mountain, to the sky city of the living God! Where mighty angel armies in their dress regalia extend from the throne as far as the eye can see. Yes! To the spirits of matured good people. Oh, Yes: To Jesus, who mediates a new agreement between us and God. The agreement in his own blood that speaks of grace. Not of vengeance. Not of death. No fear. We have come to life.

We meet with a brother or sister today at the throne of God to find grace and help in time of need. And, together, fearless by the blood of Christ, we give thanks for God's love and mercy.

Survivors

"I will make new heavens and the new earth," Isaiah 66:22.

Who plans to craft this new universe? God. Creator God will surely do it. But first: this line holds wonders, both of a glorious future as well as of a severe judgment against the present universal order. God will cleanse all hypocrisy out of those claiming to follow God. God will send survivors of the cleansing out into the world to tell God's glory. Indeed, God declared that he would come to gather every nation and language to witness that glory. Those survivors would then collect all Jehovah's scattered people back into God's house. These people who followed God will never forget the devastating judgment that birthed them into their present future. God himself will guarantee their eternal life. Sky kingdom.

When we visit with a brother or sister today, we bow in humble awe of the Creator who created wonderful plans for his people. And, together, we confess thanksgivings for grace that forgives sin and creates for his own a new cosmos.

Rules

"When will you comfort me?" Psalm 119:82.

Dear God - I've grown weak from waiting for you to save me! It feels like leather smoldering away into air. How long do I have to endure? Remember, O God, I'm just your servant! Lies and persecution and contempt and suffering keep chasing me down. I need your help as these have just about made an end of me! But know this, dear God: I still hope in your word. I remember your demands. Your commandments are trustworthy. I have not forgotten your orders. As you give me life through your persevering love, I am then able to live out the life rules you gave me. O Yes!

As we meet with a brother or sister today, we judge our God trustworthy to his promises. And, together, we express thanksgiving for his comforting and sure word.

Win

"May you win when you are judged," Romans 3:4.

Who's the You that's being judged? (Now, this really gets weird here.) It's talking about God. That God's being judged. God's under judgment? Yes. Well, for pity's sake, who's the judge? Who dares pass judgment over God? Humans. We do it all the time. Yeah, every time we complain about the state of the world. When we say, How could a loving God let such rot happen? that's us passing judgment on God. When we say, Why doesn't God do something about things? that's us passing judgment. We're saying God's not loving enough or powerful enough or true enough or smart enough. But the Good Book says that God will vindicate himself indeed. To our satisfaction. His Word will prevail over our judgment. And we will freely agree that God's own judgment of, and covenant with, us humans stands right. Always did. Does yet. And ever more will do.

When we visit with our brother or sister today, we speak grace with each other. And, together, we will thank God who overcame our judgement in his grace to all of us through Christ's cross.

Swallow

"We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ," 2 Corinthians 5:10.

So, the Good Book's been talking about death and dying. About troubled life in this world with its attendant sufferings. About our bodies wearing out tiresomely. About the disappointments and burdens of mortality. And, then, suddenly, it's talking about hope. Yes, hope! Hope that life, immortal life, would swallow up our mortality. That life would consume death and dying! That God's preparing us exactly for that! His Spirit guarantees it. So, whether in this world or the next, our goal focuses on pleasing God. Yep. Because every person will appear before Jesus to receive their just deserts. So it says.

We meet with a brother or sister today encouraged by the Holy Spirit to stand confidently before Christ. And, together, we give thanks that we may walk out our living faith into eternity with him.

Judgmental

"Do you think I came to bring peace to the world?" Luke 12:51.

Jesus asked that. Sometimes, Jesus asked questions that he answered boldly. This is one of them. He asked. He answered. Here, he answered, No. Not world peace, but division. Wait a minute! What about peace on earth and all that? People find peace when they seek the sky kingdom above all else. But worldly rebels just find conflict. Preaching the Good News does one of two things: people repent, believe it, take sides for, and receive peace with God; or, they reject it, take sides against, and receive God's judgment. Jesus separates his own out from the world. This brings them peace with God. Sky kingdom.

When we speak with a brother or sister today, we tell of the peace we have with God through Christ. And, together, we give him thanks for delivering us from the world's judgmental strife.

Dust

"He thought it was better to suffer for the Christ than to have all the treasures of Egypt," Hebrews 11:26.

Who thought this? Moses. To suffer what? To suffer the Christ's reproach. Wait - when did he visit with Christ? He didn't. Moses lived and died about a millennium and half before Jesus was born. So what's the deal here? Moses suffered the same type of rejection that Jesus did in his time. It's the world's rejection of God's purposes for people. Yeah, it's the fundamental rejection of God. Don't want God messing in our stuff. Don't want God spoiling our fun. But Moses believed that God's promised rewards left the world's shabby hoard in the dust. Sky kingdom. Not about this world.

We look forward to visiting with a brother or sister today, grateful that they cast their lot with us. And, together, we give thanks to God for the reward of Christ. Word.

Counsel

"Who among them has stood in the council of Jehovah?" Jeremiah 23:18.

Well, as it turns out, none of them. None of them saw God's word. None heard it. None paid attention to it. None listened to it. Nonetheless, they scurried around to tell their dreams when God did not send them. They announced visions that God did not show them. They told people who ignored God's word that everything would work out OK. They ignored God's coming hurricane and told hard-hearted people they were safe. Rather, God's true people receive godly counsel from God's true word. These hear the God who is here. Who is there. And throughout the cosmos. And beyond it. Word.

When we visit with a brother or sister today, chastened, we listen to God's word reverently. And, together, we give thanks to God who shares his counsel richly with his listening people.

Name

"The people God chose for his very own are happy," Psalm 33:12.

Here's the story: From his throne in the sky, God looks down and sees all peoples everywhere. God had formed their hearts so he pays careful attention to what they choose to believe. The people who trust him, who believe him, who fear him, these are those whose souls God delivers from death. They do not hope in the armed might of man. They know instruments of war cannot rescue. They know such worldly powers offer only false hope. God's people trust his steadfast love to keep them alive during famine. O Jehovah God! Our souls wait for you! You are our help and shield. Our hearts are glad in you. We trust in your holy name.

With a brother or sister today, joyfully, we affirm God's love. And, together, we give thanks that he chose to call his own people good enough by such faith.

Unburdensome

"This is the victory that has won against the world," 1 John 5:4.

Right! Yeah! Ah! but ... wait ... what won, exactly? Looks like it's both a who and a what: Who wins? and, What did the winning? Well, the who is the person who believes that Jesus is God's son. That's who has won. The person who's been born from God - that's who has won. Who's born from God? The person who believes that Jesus is the Christ. Who loves the father. The person who keeps God's unburdensome commands. That's who's won. (What commands? to love God's children.) To say it out loud: The person who loves God's children. That's who's won. OK. So, what's the what that has won over the world? Our faith. Believing that Jesus is the Son of God. Believing that Jesus is the Christ. God called that faith good enough.

God has made us good enough, so we meet victoriously with a brother or sister today! And, together, we praise God for having wrapped us up with Jesus in his win against all our odds.

Beyond

"Those who do right because they trust in God will live," Habakkuk 2:4.

What to do when the bad guys are winning? When thugs and their violence root the land? When law and order have fled? When might makes right? When ravenous wolves skulk? That's exactly the question of the ancient prophet: How can worse men devour lesser sinners? Indeed. What do you do when you look up and see the righteous nailed to a cross? Do this (said the prophet): Keep on trusting God, doing right. Why?! because God deems faithfulness good enough. Even if it seems like life forever is taking forever to get here. Wait for it. It will surely come. It will not delay. Yeah. Whoever is made right with God by faith will live forever.

We press on with a brother or sister today believing the gospel triumphs in God's power over evil. And, together, we keep on giving thanks for the victory we can see beyond the cross.

Outfit

"Those servants will be blessed when their master comes home," Luke 12:37.

So, where's their master been? Celebrating big wedding festivities, and the party's gone on late into the wee hours. And what of his servants? Watching for him to get home. Everything at the ready - shining lamps. Alert. Anticipating. Readied for any moment he and his entourage might show up. And how will these poised servants find blessing? This is where a familiar story leaves the track: The master will change out of his wedding clothes, put on his waiter outfit, will have his servants sit at the table they had prepped, and he will serve them the banquet! Sky kingdom.

We speak courage with a brother or sister today to keep serving in hope of Christ's blessing. And, together, we give thanks to God for making such faith good enough.

Accepted

"Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain," Hebrews 11:4.

Ok. Wow. This goes back a long, long way. Practically to the beginnings of human civilization of earth. The story: Two brothers, Cain and Abel, offered God sacrifices. God accepted Abel's but rejected Cain's. So Cain murdered Abel. Now, what made Abel's accepted? His faith. The problem was not the nature of the sacrifice, whether animals or plants. (The Bible records nothing of God's prior directions to them.) It had to do with Abel's faith. Abel's belief in God. God commended Abel's faith as good enough. His hope in God gave him assurance, things he could not see (God) convicted him. Abel believed God was there. Abel believed that if he drew near to God, God would bless him. But he died. But his faith still speaks loudly, made good by God.

When we serve kindly with a brother or sister today, we act in faith of the God we don't see. And, together, we draw near offering sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving trusting God's promises.

Enough

"Number the stars, if you are able to number them," Genesis 15:5.

People who like to look at the stars and count how many there are, finally get tired after a while and just try to count how many galaxies there are. And whenever these folks use a new telescope to look deeper into the (bottomless?) cosmos they just find more and more countless galaxies. Amazing! The God who created all of it told an old, old childless man: Count the stars, you'll have that many descendants. More amazing yet, the old man believed God. And, most amazing of all, God counted his faith good enough!

When we visit a brother or sister today, counting on God's promise, we see some of those blessed descendants. And, together, we give thanks to Creator God for his promised for-ever-after in Christ.

Serve

"Serve the Lord with joy," Psalm 100:2.

O Lord, God! From earth to you: We shout with joy! We serve you willingly. With gladness. We come singing into your presence. We know that you, Jehovah God, are Lord! You made us! We belong to you. We are your people. Your wealth is us, your sheep, across your green pastures! So, giving you deepest thanksgivings, we cross through your gates. We enter your vast courts giving all praise to you. O, Yes! We give thanks to you. We bless your name! Because (Yes!), you are good. Your love keeps on keeping on forever. Your loyalty to our generations goes on and on.

With a brother or sister today we serve our God gladly. And, together, we say Thank You to the Lord God for joy itself.

Secular

"I am holy," 1 Peter 1:16.

That's God. God's talking. Who's he talking to? He's talking to humans. God's telling humans about his fundamental character. He's holy. Holy - what's that mean? It means not common. Not like everything else. Extraordinary. Out of the ordinary. Unique. Nothing like it. Singular. Exceptional. Outstanding. Unusual. Everything else - every last other thing - however spectacular it seems to humans - remains secular. Common. Profane. Seen one seen 'em all. God is holy. Different. So. God is love. That's what holiness means. Not your everyday love. Consequently, God says, you be holy. Why? because he's holy. Live different. Live hearing and doing what the holy God says he created humans to do. To be. Any example of this? Oh, yeah. Jesus. Live like Jesus did. Be holy.

Today, when we see a brother or sister, we recognize Jesus' truth in their actions, their personal integrity, their compassion. And, together, we give thanks to our holy God who likewise sanctifies us in Jesus.

Ponder

"He alone has immortality," 1 Timothy 6:16.

Who? God. Alone. The only One. Nobody else. Not you. Not me. God alone holds immortality. Life! And the living God alone graces life to whom he wills. So, we ponder: If God isn't there, then no one can ever know that there is no God. The dead know nothing. And earth's short-timers know even less - we just fool around debating God's existence, thirsting fruitlessly to find a tree that brings endless life, a magical spring of eternal youth. Fools all. But believe this: when the right time gets here, God, the Blessed One, the only Sovereign One, the King of kings, the Lord of lords, Who lives in unapproachable light, Whom no one has seen, Whom no one can see, the One to whom honor and eternal reign belongs, this God will give sight to faith. Meanwhile, God calls all to trust and obey the only One who has seen God: Jesus. Sky kingdom.

In visiting with a brother or sister today we confess Jesus as Lord, God's Chosen man, God's Son. And, together, we offer our short lives in the trust of the only Immortal One.

Plant

"God feeds them," Luke 12:24.

They don't plant seeds. They don't bring in the harvest. They don't have barns. They don't have stores. So how do they manage to eat and feed their little ones? God feeds them. Them who? birds, of course. Yeah, God designed nature's ecology - good grief! he designed nature itself, right? - but anyway, God's ecosystem in the cosmos that he created manages for all creatures great and small to have their niches to supply their needs for life. (Put that last line in your pipe and smoke it.) God set up the known and unknown webs of life to sustain life. Springtime wildflowers blooming profusely determining ecological parameters become the envy of royalty. And you (you!), Jesus said, are of more value than all these. So don't worry. Don't be scared. Share all good things. God really plans to give you his kingdom.

We're happy to share with a brother or sister today since God's unimaginable wealth is ours. And, together, we give thanks to Christ who shares his eternal kingdom with us.

Bang

"The things we see came from things that cannot be seen," Hebrews 11:3.

Practically everybody has heard about the Big Bang. (Nobody actually heard the bang itself, of course - it's a faith matter.) You know, there was a Big Bang, and then, suddenly, here we are and the rest of the universe. About a gazillion years ago. And that explains everything that can be known. So they say. So when somebody asks, What was there before that? Hmm. Or easier maybe, What made the Big Bang bang? Nobody's got a clue. Not. a. clue. I mean, very smart people say things like, 2+2=4 (obviously, a little fancier than that), but it just means we'll do the best math we've only had 13.5 billion years to develop to make it look good because: Nobody's got a clue. The Good Book says, here's the deal to believe about that, guys: God spoke a word (can't be seen) and the cosmos (things seen) spun out.

We meet with a brother or sister today looking forward to the land of promise built and founded by God's design. And, together, we give thanks to him who makes out of lifeless remains a living people. Sky kingdom.

Ageless

"This is trying so hard to chase the wind," Ecclesiastes 2:26.

So, the conversation is about God. It's about meaning and despair, about what's the point of it all. Because the wise man concluded that life's end remains vanity. Pointless. Life ends on empty. A person works hard (or not) all life long but what have they gained from all that work? Folks tell us, Ya can't take it with you. Indeed, heirs (and others) get all the stuff that the dead left behind. Whoever dies with the most toys ... well, they just die. Life for this world alone is pretty depressing. Yet. Hope rests in one alone: God. God grants purpose and meaning that cuts across this mortal age into an eternal age ahead. Hope arises outside this dying age, inside the ageless heart of God's eternal plan.

We visit with a brother or sister today in the gentle leading of the Holy Spirit. And, together, we bow in thanksgiving for the anchoring hope of Jesus' resurrection.