Daily Liturgy and Scripture

It's hard to use the phrase, "God on our side." Surely, God has love for all of humanity. God is also true to his word, and preserves those whom he loves. Continuing through the battles of Maccabees and the resurrection of Jesus, God proves himself faithful.

Both the martyrs of Maccabees and Jesus on the cross yield their ultimate destiny to God. This was a final measure of faith that Jesus proved was worth the gamble. This behavior isn't limited to martyrs, though. Every day, we must choose to put ourselves in God's hands, in matters that may seem trivial to us.

A lot of talk of martyrdom today, both just before the time of Jesus in Maccabees and the next step of Jesus' own execution. We certainly hope that we never face such an end, but we are in good company if we do. Psalms reminds us that God is faithful, and we must also be faithful in whatever ways are given to us.

Psalm 104 is an extended recognition of God's creative power, but the contrast between Maccabees and Matthew once again reminds us of Jesus' commitment to avoid taking his kingly title by force. It's incredible to think that a savior with the power of the universe refused to unfurl it upon his enemies as they prepared him for death.

The reading from Maccabees is an interesting contrast to Jesus. While Antiochus Epiphanes sought to own and control religion through graphic violence, Jesus rebukes the use of the sword even to save his own life. This is a hard lesson in a world where we often applaud solving conflict with more death. (Readings from Maccabees are from the NRSV.)

We're covering a wide range today: from glory to betrayal. But it is all a part of the life of God. We do our share of each, hopefully the former more than the latter.

We've been learning what it means to be like Jesus, now we're putting it in action. Faith in your head isn't enough. It needs to trickle down to your heart and extend to those around you.

We are in union with Christ, and Christ is in union with God the Father. This is humbling and a little intimidating. It means that we are deeply loved, but it also means that we should start to take on the qualities of those with whom we share union.

God is holy, and Jesus is Lord. It's easy to say these things, but harder to live them. If we believe God is holy, then we don't treat him casually. (Sometimes we might talk to him casually, but we must remember who we're addressing.) If Jesus is Lord, there ought to be evidence of sacrifice in our lives. We can't follow our own way and his, and at some point we ought to feel a tension that can on...

What does it mean to be the people of God? There's a great need to learn to trust God, and sometimes that means remaining faithful in the rough times. Waiting on God can be difficult, but we must allow ourselves to be formed spiritually in both good times and bad.

We want to think of Jesus as the guy who stands and waves everyone through the door, kind of like a cosmic buddy. Today he has harsh words, though. He gives warnings to those who want to look holy but are filled with the stench of death. 

Today I hear God asking, "do you trust me?" For your well-being? For your status? It's a tough question, and we're probably not ready to answer, usually. But he asks just the same.

Today seems to be focused on naming. The Psalm calls God by the name he has called himself throughout Zechariah, "Lord of Heaven's Armies," a response that seems to indicate that Israel has finally embraced it. Jesus touches twice on the particulars of marriage, a time when new identities are taken by both parties. "Husband." "Wife." And in many cultures, a name is also changed. But we wear the na...

God is looking for faithfulness. Not flashiness; Jesus actually preached against that. He is looking for a steadfast follower who takes him seriously in the common things, who stays focused on what God is doing.

In addition to the Old Testament connection of Jesus riding into Jerusalem, there's a lot to think about when it comes to out identity as followers today. How are we different as believers? And how will that look if outsiders start to show up?

The conversation between two people who know one another well is interesting. Sometimes it's cordial, but sometimes it becomes very frank, almost rude. Such conversations are taking place today. From the lament of the Psalmist ending with praise, to God telling his people to get on with their lives, to Jesus helping his disciples understand that they needed to rethink his message; these are not th...

A lot of talk to day about reward, but it is not without sacrifice. This is something we must remember as we try to live Kingdom lives in the here and now.

A lot of what we're reading today is about Godly leadership. Remember that we are called to pray for out leaders (in fact, one of today's Psalms is that very type of prayer!), even when we disagree with them.

Not a lot of close connections between these verses, but the passage from Matthew does remind us that God expects us to show mercy, just as he shows us mercy. We are agents of God's blessing.

Today, God is mighty. This is apparent in both our scripture and throughout history. 

A lot about God's and Jesus' lordship today, including the story of the transfiguration. We've had a lot of hard words through our reading lately, so it's good to remember that God is sovereign and worthy of majesty.

Today is about relationships. God's relationship with his people, and Jesus' relationship with his disciples. And his relationship with us, as he predicts his own death.

Challenging words today. God challenging his people, the people challenging God, Jesus challenging his disciples. Being a disciple isn't about carrying a title, it's about carrying a cross.

Neat connection between the old and new testaments talking about what defiles you and what doesn't. We're not to pursue a purity code, we're meant to follow a Savior.

Lot of ups and downs today. Psalm 51 is an often-quoted Psalm of confession, the product of King David's sorrow. But at the end of the day, Peter gets to (briefly) walk on the water with Jesus.