David Bahn - Reflections

God wanted to be in the places of abandoned hope, lost dreams, distressed fears, abject disappointment, and crushed pride. For that is where we all are. Some people hide that well - at least from other people - but never from God. Some people refuse to believe God would come to them in their brokenness and shame - but he does. Some people yearn to know his grace and mercy - and God yearns for them...

I hope you had the opportunity to ponder the wonders of Christmas yesterday. And...Good news: Christmas lasts for 12 days. The celebration by church calendar timing runs until January 6, Epiphany Sunday, the Christmas of the Gentiles.  NOTE: I'll be taking a break from Acts for these 12 days, pondering with Mary the meaning of the incarnation. Then, as is so appropriate to the season of Epipha...

You may or may not love ballet. But there is a beautiful dance between grace and truth that centers in the birth of Jesus, the Word made Flesh. This will be the point of my message today at St. John Lutheran Church. You are welcome to join in person or via St. John's website.

Blue Christmas Image Link My  Blue Christmas image is two images in one. One is of our Willow Tree nativity set's Mary and her child. The other is the exterior of a downtown Houston skyscraper. It reflected the beautiful blue sky on the day I took the photo. By putting it as an overlay (with the lines of the windows becoming a sort of cage, keeping Jesus from us) I was trying to convey the ide...

Sometimes I wish I would get what I deserve. A pat on the back. Fair treatment from a merchant. Value for what I've paid. Promises kept. A word of kindness. None of that is wrong in itself. But if, before God, we were to receive what we deserve, we would have no hope. We're all broken, sinful, rebellious creatures. We deserve to be abandoned by God.  Let us then with confidence draw near t...

  Barnabas, Peter, and John Mark will engage each other in these dynamics in the years to come. They will set out for mission trips. There will come a time when Barnabas and Paul challenge each other about what it takes to be in mission. Barnabas will take John Mark and Paul will take Silas at that point. This iron-sharpening-iron moment will give way to the balm of brotherly love some time later....

Elijah had Elisha. David had Jonathan. Jesus sent his disciples out two-by-two. Even Jesus himself had Peter, James, and John; John being especially close. Do you have a partner in mission? Is there someone who is allied with you in sharing the message of Jesus, living under Christ in his kingdom, loving God and neighbor to the fullest? You are blessed if you do. If you don't you can make that...

While I might know many more people than 12, the most important name to know is Jesus' name. It's vital, also, that he knows me. I never want to hear Jesus say, "I never knew you." That is reserved for those who try to hide their true identity from him. It doesn't really work, and it has horrific consequences. Knowing Jesus and being known by him is by far the greatest knowle...

Thankfully we're not struck dead when we puff ourselves up with pride. But hopefully we will be brought down a notch or two when we venture too far into self-worship, self-righteousness, and self-aggrandizement. For "whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." (Matthew 23:12) I think of how this is played out so obviously in the Christmas eve...

But sometimes - not often but sometimes - our prayers do change things and God acts in a manner he otherwise would not have, had we not prayed. This seems to have been one of those occasions. We cannot get into the mind of God to discern how his omniscience impacts his answers to our prayers. But we can pray urgently, fervently, persistently, faithfully, and humbly. And while never telling God wha...

Whether it’s too little faith, too small expectations, or too many distractions, we all need to awaken to God’s goodness, power, and faithfulness, and see how he answers our prayers in ways we would never see if we’re not looking. All this (Peter’s miraculous escape, et. al.)  is happening so that more people will hear the message of Jesus and receive the gift of eternal salvation. Peter will go o...

  Wake, Awake! For Night is Flying! This is the call of God for his people. Isaiah has it this way: Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you." (Isaiah 60:1) And that's just one example. There are many others . God would have us fully awake and aware of his work in our world and our lives. His angels are watching over us. His servants are providin...

Once in a while angels are sent to protect God’s people. Some we may not even recognize. We may have entertained many angels and have been completely unaware of it (cf.  Hebrews 13:1-2 ). They are ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation ( Hebrews 1:13-14 ). That’s you and me. Thank God for his holy angels – recognized or not!

We might want to spiritualize this great escape, drawing the parallel between that escape and God’s freeing grace at work in our hearts. We could talk about being freed from guilt and shame. We could think about being rescued from addictions and hopeless futures. Certainly Jesus does that. But this is about a real escape from a real prison. Sometimes we need earth-bound relief. Sometimes we need a...

  Saul will take the name Paul when he begins to evangelize the Gentiles. He would write the profound and powerful book of Romans in which he says, "Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more" (Romans 5:20). He would also speak about the grace of God in connection with offerings made by other believers in 2 Corinthians 8 and 9.  Paul knew all about grace. He recognized that he need...

The Bible speaks of the fruit of the Spirit as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control (Galatians 5:22-23). The Holy Spirit moves us to see evidence of God’s grace in others and to do acts of grace for others. We need the ever-gracious influence of the Holy Spirit in our world, and in our own lives as well.

Grace is freely given, foundational to God's character, a gift of God to man which is received by faith, and not contingent on human merit. How do you see that?  There are plenty of things to look for and see these days. We can get distracted from God's goodness, grace, faithfulness, holiness, truth, and love. But to look for God's grace will bring great blessings, for  we may just rec...

The disciples in Antioch were first called Christians. The term Christian may hold the same place of dishonor in the minds of many today. Those Christians are a bunch of judgmental hypocrites. They are inflexible on social issues, resistant to scientific consensus, and religiously exclusive. Rather than trying to disprove those accusations here, I find it important to embody the qualities of Chris...

When it came to the message of Jesus, his suffering, death, and resurrection, there is need for people to encourage and help others understand and believe the message. And while it was initially a message kept for the Jews, Gentiles soon heard the message. They learned from the new followers of Jesus about his kingdom and the salvation he brought to the world. They believed and turned to the Lord.

Repentance happens in the heart of a person when the Holy Spirit moves us to acknowledge our need for forgiveness and salvation, and to believe that Jesus has provided that for us by his grace. Repentance is a gift of God.  Next time you feel sorry for your sins, thank God for the Holy Spirit's work in your heart to recognize your sins. But don't stop there. Believe the good news of Jesus...

I've been blessed to have been silenced on a few occasions. I was blessed partly because I fell silent. I stopped trying to make excuses. I didn't offer a defense of the indefensible. I was blessed more so because God was offering me grace. And grace is a precious thing.  Next time you are tempted to prattle on ask yourself the question, "Why Am I Talking?" Silence might prove to...

Peter's simple word of grace had an outsized impact. Luke tells us, "When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, 'Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.'” This is God's gift - sending Jesus to save us, and sending messengers to bring his word to us. Add to that the gift of the Holy Spirit who moves our hearts...

That whole being saved thing must be important. It is a biblical term. So back to the question, "Saved from what?" It just might be that we are being saved from ourselves and our own short-sighted ideas of good and evil, right and wrong, truth and lies. We get it so wrong. Want proof? How often do you check your foundational belief system against the Bible? How often do you look for a lo...

Peter is not one I would think of as patient - based on his track record as a disciple of Jesus during his  three year ministry tour. He was more prone to brash declarations, self-confident pronouncements, and talk-now-think-later speeches. But he seems to have learned something from his time with Jesus, the on-going spiritual formation in the days following Jesus' resurrection, and his experi...

Next time someone new sits in your pew, or a new worship song is introduced, or a new group of leaders comes forward, welcome them. We have been grafted into the vine. Neither they nor we are entitled to this. But there is room for more. And God wants all people to be saved. We're all welcome in Christ's church. The proof of this is in the cross of Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit in...