Rules

"The Lord warns them, he terrifies them with his anger," Psalm 2:5.

Whom does the Lord terrify? Kings and rulers and their world counselors. How does the Lord terrify? With his anger. What causes the Lord's anger? Their persistent rebellion against God and his chosen king. Indeed. God has chosen a king for his eternal kingdom. Here's what God said to his king: You are my son; today I have begotten you. (Yes, that's what he told him.) God has given to his messiah king an inheritance: the peoples of earth from beginning to end. So, God warns earth's leaders: Show your loyalty to his son, or else be destroyed. And, God promises, Whoever puts their trust in him for protection will be happy. Sky kingdom rules.

We meet a brother or sister today and encourage each other to keep trust with Christ. And, together, we give thanks for his eternal guidance.

Talking

"Jehovah God is in his holy temple," Habakkuk 2:20.

So. Thus. Ergo. Therefore. World! Talking to you, World! World, keep silence in his presence! World, you're talking too much. Talking too much to your lifeless creations. Talking too much to your made plans. Talking too much to your handicrafts. Talking too much to your factory-built stuff. Trying to talk your artifice into becoming intelligent. Trying to make your machines live. Lining them with pretty rocks to think they're beautiful. But there's no breath in any of it. So, World, hush! Stop the ceaseless chatter! Be silent! God, the God who creates stuff from nothing, God who creates life from dead dust, the one and only, the living God's in his holy temple.

When we see a brother or sister today, we pause in tranquil silence to honor him in whom alone dwells immortality. And, together, we bow quietly in praise to God, unique author of life.

Keeps

"If the son sets you free, you will be free indeed," John 8:36.

Who is this son who sets free? Jesus, God's son. From what does he set free? From slavery to sin. Whom does he set free? You. That is, whoever abides in his word. That is, whoever believes in the son. That is, whoever will know the truth. So, whoever believes in him, abides in him, comes to know the truth, these are they who become Jesus' true followers. The truth? What truth? The truth that Jesus came from God, the truth that God sent Jesus, that Jesus honors God, that Jesus keeps God's word. That before Abraham existed, Jesus is. That's the liberating truth. Jesus sets free, indeed. Free to life. Sky kingdom.

When we see a brother or sister today, we remind each other that the Son of God has set us free. And, together, we give thanks that in keeping Jesus' word we will not experience death forever.

Outflowing

"We have all received from his fullness," John 1:16.

From whose fullness? From the fullness of God's son. Fullness of God's Word. From the Word that became a human being. What was the fullness that filled him? Grace. Yes. And truth. Grace and truth. Who has received? We have. (We who? we who received him.) What did we receive from the fullness of God's son? Grace. What did we receive from the Word that became human? Grace upon grace. Generosity! and more generosity. Moses gave the Law. But grace and truth came by ... Yes, that's the real deal ... grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. God's son. God's Word. Word that became human.

When we meet a brother or sister today, we joy in the overflow of God's generosity. And, together, we give thanks for his immeasurable grace outflowing into the healing of our souls.

Crowned

"In these last days he has spoken to us by his Son," Hebrews 1:2.

Who spoke? God. When? In these days. These last days. To whom did God speak? To us. How did God speak to us? Through his son. Who's his son? The heir of everything. Who's his son? The one through whom he created the world. Who's his son? The brightness of God's glory. Who's his son? The one who bears the exact image of God. Who's his son? The one who holds up everything by his powerful word. Who's his son? The one who cleaned up sins. Who's his son? The one who sat down at God's right hand. Who's his son? The one who's far superior to angels. Who's his son? The one to whom God is father. Who's his son? Jesus. The one crowned with glory and honor.

As we meet with a brother or sister today, we listen with ever greater attention to his message of our salvation. And, together, we give deeply respectful thanksgiving to God who extended to us grace.

Feet

"How beautiful are the feet of him who, over the mountains, brings good news," Isaiah 52:7.

In that age news got from here to there by means of an actual human being, boots on the ground. The messenger walked, ran, traversed, suffered dusty roads over mountain passes. And if the news he brought heralded hope and good news for the eagerly awaiting community, well, then, how beautiful the man's endeavor to put out the good news, how beautiful the pierced feet that carried him! So, for a people in the dark, who despaired of safety, who saw no hope for life, suddenly to hear: Your God reigns! Ah, what joy! What singing! What comfort! What redemption! Everyone on earth will see the salvation of our God.

We visit with a brother or sister today and share the joy of good news: Our God reigns! And, together, we give deepest thanksgiving to God for his messenger, Jesus, his Christ.

Images

"The dragon stood before the woman who was giving birth to a baby so that he might eat her child as soon as he was born," Revelation 12:4.

A lot of images flood our minds concerning the birth of Christ, some of them straight from the Word, others developed over years of acculturation. A favorite image: a golden lit three-sided shed, strewn with hay, mom and dad looking into a manger, a deep-blue starry night sky in the background, words of peace. Quiet moments of wonder. Luke's gospel account of Jesus' birth lends itself easily to that picture. John gives a larger setting for that wondrous event. War in the sky. Life and death struggle. God's mighty angels in pitched battle beating down the dragon out of the sky. In the midst of the war, at the child's birth, that mighty army paused to declare God's glory. They announced peace for people who pleased God. Then battle continues. Sky kingdom.

As we visit with a brother or sister meditatively today, we remember Jesus came to yield his life in redemption for our sins. And, together, we marvel that he should come into this world a baby, so dependent on mom and dad.

Father

"When the time was just right, God sent out his son, born by a woman," Galatians 4:4.

So, the discussion concerned slavery to the elementals of this world. That is, slavery to human passions, to human vengeance, to human fates decreed by arbitrary gods, indeed, to life-long slavery to the fear of death. Slavery to the god of this world. So, the discussion concerned human redemption. God's redemption. Buying back pawned-off junk. Redeeming chattel into children. Children of God. Who call him, Abba. Father. Yes, that's what they were talking about. Redemption from slavery to freedom of the glory of the children of God. God did it. With his son. Jesus. Born from a woman.

We meet with a brother or sister today at the manger in wonder of God's redemption. And, together, we worship God alone, creator of the universe, and father of birthed-again human beings.

Responsible

"Joseph planned to divorce her," Matthew 1:19.

They had to get married. (Remember that old phrase? It implied she, an unmarried woman, got pregnant and that he, the responsible man, must marry her so that their child would have full parental protections. Plus, he made her an honest woman, and, she made him a righteous man.) What a mess! Unmarried mother-to-be. Jilted lover. Troubled nights. Divorce plans. As they wander, the baby finally comes, but they've got no home. And then, in the middle of the night, in their king's wholesale slaughter of little boys, they run for their lives. Strangers in a foreign land. Unsettled. End up unknowns in a backwater town with a passel of kids. Yes. Welcome to our world, baby Jesus! A violent, dangerous, messy one. And God planned to make out these broken humans a peaceable kingdom fit for the heavens.

We visit with a brother or sister today, overjoyed, amazed at God's plan for redemption. And, together, we kneel, humbly thankful for grace in time of our deep need.

Declared

"The Good News is about God's Son, Jesus Christ our Lord," Romans 1:3.

It's weird, but consider: Who can name any one of their many ancestors living a thousand years ago? Well, even a millennium before Jesus was born, God gave prophets his promises of good news to come. They wrote down these promises in the sacred writings (the Bible). In that good news, God promised that a descendant of King David would be his own son. That sacred record lists the descendants' line to Jesus. The good news heralded God's grace to produce in humans faithful obedience to God in Jesus Christ. But how to know he's his son? Accordingly, the Holy Spirit declared it. When? when Jesus rose powerfully alive from the place where dead people rot. Life! Sky kingdom.

We wander with a brother or sister today and wonder at God's amazing purpose in the gospel. And, together, we give awed thanksgiving for that child recipient, on our behalf, of God's great promises.

Immanuel

"The virgin will be pregnant. She will have a son and she will name him Immanuel," Isaiah 7:14.

God gave that message to Ahaz, king of Judah, more than 700 years before Jesus was born. Through Isaiah the prophet, it served as a sign of God's promise that the king's enemies would disappear. How did it work? A maiden, at that moment yet a virgin, would eventually conceive a child (she likely became the prophet's wife). After giving him birth, but before her boy Immanuel matured enough to choose right over wrong, Ahaz' enemies were gone. The mother and her toddler testified to God's faithfulness. (Fast forward seven centuries). Matthew, a Jew, told that the Holy Spirit conceived Jesus in Mary, a virgin, before she had relations with her husband. Matthew said this fully completed what Isaiah had said so long beforehand. God with us.

We meet with a brother or sister today and marvel together at God's patient presence with us through the centuries. And, together, we join God's mighty army in praise for his steadfast love.

Being

"I will sing praises to my God as long as I have my being," Psalm 146:2.

O God, your help becomes our blessing! Hoping in you confirms your blessing! You made the skies and the earth and the sea. You keep faith forever! You bring justice to wronged people. You feed the hungry. You set captives free. You give sight. You lift up. You love people who do right. You watch out for migrants. You support widows and orphans. You bring bad guys to ruin. You reign forever! You reign everlasting. Praise you, O God!

We meet with a brother or sister today, and we praise our Lord in anticipation of his return. Together, we say, Thank you, Lord! Thank you for coming back to bring us home!

Metamorphosis

"Our homeland is in the skies from which we are waiting for the Savior," Philippians 3:20.

We're waiting for the Lord Jesus, the Christ of God, to come from the skies. That's what we're doing right now. Waiting for him. Our home is otherworldly. This world, these human boundaries - not our home. Our commonwealth rests upward. Our citizenship calls upward. Eyes look up into the skies awaiting Jesus. Metamorphosis: He will transform our dull bodies to share in the glorious brightness of his own body. Yes, we wait for him to come and exercise his astonishing power over all nature. Sky kingdom.

When we pray with a brother or sister today, we lift our eyes up expectantly into the skies. And, together, unshaken by earth's passing troubles, we give thanks joyfully for salvation sure to come.

Rejoice

"The Lord is coming soon, don't worry about anything," Philippians 4:5f.

Don't worry. Be happy. But how can we be happy in a world where wars continue mercilessly? How can we not worry when children get abused? How can we sing songs of Zion in a foreign land? How, when families fall apart? How, when black and white boys don't play together well at all? How, when everybody's mad at everybody else who's got it made but they themselves don't get any privileges and have to work hard for what they got? Lord, do you have any idea, any idea at all, what's it like down here?! What Jesus said, when he was down here, when the nails hammered through his hands: Father, forgive them, they don't know. So. Here's how (he said): Set our minds on things above, where Christ is right now. He's our real life. When he appears, we will too. In glory.

We meet with a brother or sister today on our knees at Jesus' feet and yield all our anxiety into his scarred hands. And, together, we rejoice trusting he's coming soon.

Smallest

"No one greater than John the Baptizer has ever lived," Matthew 11:11.

Oh, yeah? Says who? Jesus. Oh. ok. So, what made him so great? All the Prophets and the Law prophesied to this point, that Elijah would come. (Elijah?? apparently, Yes.) The prophet Elijah would come just before the great and awesome Day of the Lord came. Elijah would heal broken relationships in preparation for the Lord's coming. Now, when that Day came all the bad guys would be burned away. All the good guys who feared the Lord would run free and happy. Then, Jesus said: John is the Elijah of those prophecies. (So that's why John's so great.) And then, Jesus said: Yet the smallest person in the sky kingdom is greater than John.

When we see a brother or sister today, we see a commoner made great by Jesus' sacrifice. And, together, we give joyful thanks for our secured inheritance in the kingdom of our Lord, of our Savior.

Hear

"Persevere until the Lord's arrival," James 5:7.

James incontrovertibly asserts the Lord will appear. That's the fundamental fact. A fact not yet realized, but a real fact. In fact, says the Good Book, the Lord keeps getting closer. Indeed, the Maker of the skies and earth has fixed a day on which he will judge the world - and the Judge stands at the door. Right now. That close. So. What do we do as we await his advent? Be patient. Persevere. Endure. Be steadfast. Don't complain about each other. Instead, strengthen each other's hearts. Hear about the suffering and patient endurance of the Lord's bygone prophets. And recognize the Lord has a very tender heart and overflows with mercy.

When we meet today with a brother or sister, we encourage each other to press on in the joy of Jesus' soon appearing. And, together, we give thanks for God's mercy and assurance of forever life with him.

Preached

"Then the blind people will see again and the deaf will hear," Isaiah 35:5.

When? O when, Lord? When crippled people skip like deer. When those who can't talk shout with joy. When? When God comes in glory and majesty and saves. And punishes his enemies. When? When the highway of holiness opens up. When? When that road belongs to the redeemed who walk there. When? When the unclean may not get on it. But when is that? When the message is proclaimed. When the word is preached to those with anxious hearts: Be strong!; Fear not!; God will come! When the singing ransomed walk on that road to forever joy. No sorrow. No sighing. Sky kingdom.

We meet today with a brother or sister looking at Jesus, hearing his word. And, skipping together on the Jesus road, we shout joyfully: Thank you, God, for salvation!

Sate

"I thirst for the living God," Psalm 42:2.

Just like a deer thirsts for a stream of water, we thirst for you, O God! Our tears have flowed. People even asked us if you're there! We speak from broken hearts. We used to sing songs of praise. But now sadness fills us. So many troubles overwhelm. Yet. Yet. Yet, we will remember you, anyway. We choose to put our hope in you. We choose it. We choose to praise you, anyway. You, our savior, our God. Why do we stay sad? Why so upset? You do indeed show your true love daily. So, at night we will, yes, we will sing. We will pray to you, O living God!

As we meet with a brother or sister today in the midst of life's struggles, we turn eyes toward God. And, together, we give thanks for hope that his faithfulness will sate our thirst completely.

Style

"I will build my church," Matthew 16:18.

Who's talking? Jesus. What's he planning to build? His church. So. Walking around some town, we might see a building of a particular style and say: That's a church. Or, see a different structure and say: That's a synagogue. Or, yet again another and say: That's a mosque. Or, one more time, another style and say: That's a pagoda. And so on. That's not what Jesus was talking about. No. Not a church. He spoke of a group of people, of an assembly of human beings, of a gathering of earthlings, of a congregation of congregated persons. These all would have one commonality (and it wasn't what the building looked like!). They had confessed Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God. They had subjected themselves individually and freely to Jesus as his subjects in his kingdom. Sky kingdom.

In hope, we visit today with a brother or sister confessing our common Lord, living parts of his church. And in his kingdom together, we praise our God for his mercy and kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Farmer

"The good seed is the children of the kingdom," Matthew 13:38.

When Jesus spoke of farmers planting seed in fields, he explained different meanings for the seed depending on the particular parable: it might mean the Word, or the Gospel, or the kingdom. Here, the farmer's broadcast seed represented all God's children in his kingdom scattered throughout the world. (Oh! and the farmer is Jesus, right?) Contrasted with what? with the children of the devil also scattered in the world. So, the world of our present age sits a mixed bag with both people of Christ's kingdom and people of the devil in it. (We do not confuse his kingdom with nations of this age!) Christ's kingdom, his planting, that is, his present-day church, does not have its whole context. Yet. But comes a day when the Lord secures the weeding out, and then the righteous will shine like the sun in God's kingdom. So said Jesus, anyway. And so we hope.

When we meet with a brother or sister today, we tell of Jesus' planting and maturing and cleansing in his kingdom. And, together, we confess the sacrifice of thanksgiving that shines his name.

Changed

"Repent, for the kingdom of the skies is coming soon," Matthew 3:2.

Ever see any of those crazies carrying a big poster around town warning of the calamities to come? (Likely we've seen them mostly in cartoon caricature, way seldom in real life.) Well, anyway. The words above got spoken by a man not standing on street corners. Instead, he was out in the boonies, a desert land that, oddly enough, had a stream flowing through it. Yeah. Swarms of people flowed out to the wilderness to listen to him. His name? John. And he dunked people in the river who wanted to show they had changed. So they called him Dunking John. Yes, they did. And he announced that a strong man was coming to dunk people with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Soon. (Spoiler alert: talking about Jesus.) Sky kingdom.

We meet today with a brother or sister in confident hope that yet again Jesus is coming soon in the sky. And, together, we give heartfelt thanks that God receives changing people into his kingdom.

Baptized

"Christ accepted you, so you should accept each other," Romans 15:7.

Who should accept each other? Anybody who claims Christ as lord. That is, both believing Jews and believing non-Jews. That is, both the Hebrews rooted historically as God's particular people and all the rest of disconnected humanity. Both recipients of God's promises to his ancient people and ethnic newbies. Both Jews and Gentiles. Why should all these different peoples, ethnics all, receive each other? Because Christ did receive us all. Because Christ showed God's faithfulness to the Jews by becoming their servant. Because Christ sang praises to God among and with the Gentiles. Because it stands as a categorical imperative from the Lord that Gentiles and Jews should rejoice together, harmonizing praises to God. And when it says Gentiles and Jews, nobody but nobody's left out. Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female: each one baptized into the singular Messiah, Jesus. Sky kingdom.

And so meeting with a brother or sister today, God fills us with his joy and peace. And, together, through faith in Christ, the power of the Holy Spirit steeps us in hope.

Standard

"They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain," Isaiah 11:9.

Who's talking? God. Whose mountain? God's. Who will not destroy? The wicked won't. Why not? because somebody's coming to judge earth's peoples: poor, meek, wicked - all. How will he not judge? Not by appearance. Not by hearsay. So how will he judge? He will judge the poor honestly. He will judge the meek fairly. His word will slay the wicked. What empowers him? The Spirit of God. Of wisdom. Understanding. Counsel. Might. Of knowledge. Yes, the Spirit of the fear of the Lord. So: lambs will live safely with wolves. And leopards with kids. Calves with lions. And cows with bears. Yes, a child will lead their way. A baby will play by the cobra's den. A toddler's hand will cover a viper's nest. So. Who's this righteous judge? Jesus. The standard for all peoples.

We share today with a brother or sister in this passing age as we anticipate God's kingdom yet to be fully realized. And, together through Christ, we give thanks to God in assurance of that coming age. Sky kingdom.

Supreme

"God is King of all the earth," Psalm 47:7.

Yes! God is King over the nations! God sits on his holy throne! Even the leaders of the earth belong to God! He is supreme! We clap our hands for you, O God! We give you shout outs with loud, joyful songs! We respect you, we honor you, we fear you, O Jehovah God, the Most High! You defeated all our enemies, you've controlled them all. You chose our inheritance! We put our lives on hold as we think about your work, as we prepare to praise you. Praise you, God! The nations' leaders gather as yours in Abraham! We sing praises to you! You are our King!

We meet with a brother or sister today to praise God, our king. And, together, we give thanks for his Christ who made us all, Jews or ethnics, children of the promise to Abraham. Sky kingdom.

All

"Then comes the end, when he hands the kingdom over to God," 1 Corinthians 15:24.

Who's doing the delivery? Christ. What's Christ handing over? The kingdom. What kingdom? The one over which he reigns. The kingdom that God made him king over. How long will Christ reign? Until all things come under Christ. Who's making all things subject to him? God. God has put all things (ta panta - look it up) under Jesus' feet. Christ the king reigns over all things until God subdues every last enemy to him. (The last enemy? Yes. Death itself gets wiped out!) Reigns over all things? Yes. Well, No. Not every, every all. Not God himself (like, duh!). All else. And then Christ will hand over the kingdom to God, and even Christ will subject himself to God (to the very one who had given all things to Christ), and God will be all in all. One God and father of all, over all, through all, in all. Sky kingdom.

We anticipate meeting a brother or sister today so as to share confident hope in God's timeless future. And, together, we praise God gratefully, we glorify God eternally for including us in Christ's kingdom.

Surprise

"Look, your king is coming to you, he is gentle, riding on a donkey," Matthew 21:5.

That's Jesus' announcement to the people of his day about his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Riding into town on a donkey hardly met glorious expectations for a conquering hero back from the wars, readying the troops for a final push over the hated foes. And yet, there he was. On a donkey. So. What's our present-day expectation of Jesus appearing in the clouds (that's what the Bible says of his advent coming soon) in his kingdom? Do we want the lion of the tribe of Judah, or do we want a lamb, slain from the foundation of the world? However our hope will actualize, it will surprise us, not quite as we had imagined, (because God always surpasses our wildest imagination), and far better than our plans for his kingdom could ever be. And never disappointing, as that's the way God's love poured into our hearts works.

We meet expectantly with a brother or sister today for God's revealing of Jesus' final triumph, accepting God's version of what it will be, not our own. And, together, we give thanks for Jesus, his Messiah, our Lord.