John 2:1-11
Wedding at Cana
 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%202%3A1-11&version=NRSVUE
​
Jesus’ first miracle, the advent of his ministry, takes place at a wedding in Cana when he turns water into wine. The NRSV uses the word “become”: “The steward tasted the water that had become wine” (v.9). Become means “to come into being, or to change or grow to be.” The setting of the wedding is a perfect place for becoming. We often say at weddings that “the two become one,” which is repeated many times throughout the Bible. This was also the time when Jesus “becomes” the Son of God. He always was, of course, but people knew him as Jesus of Nazareth, or Mary and Joseph’s son, or the brother of James. This was the turning point, according to John, when he revealed his glory for the first time to his disciples. He becomes who God created him to be.
 
When the water becomes wine, it was a very subtle miracle and goes unnoticed to everyone except the servants and the disciples. The chief steward, and we can assume the wedding guests, all believe it is good wine without knowing about the miracle. Jesus allows the bridegroom to receive all the credit. His intention for the miracle was to fulfill a need, not to demonstrate his glory. He quietly shared that with only those who assisted with the miracle and his closest friends.
 
Water that becomes wine is a miracle, but the real miracle is in the becoming. There are subtle and unnoticed miracles that happen all the time that assist in our becoming who God wants us to be. We may not realize it is happening, or who inspired it, had a hand in it, or nudged it along, but the end result shows that there was a transformation, a turning into, a becoming, that wasn't short of a miracle.
 
We are in a new and challenging time, a time that holds great need. We are in the process of becoming during this time. Maybe we’re becoming someone we don’t want to become. Someone who lashes out in frustration. Someone who loses it on the service worker who makes a mistake. Someone who lives with a short fuse that ignites at every little thing. Someone who withdraws so deep into loneliness that we may not know how to come back out.
 
Or, maybe we are on the right path to becoming who God wants us to be. Maybe this is our turning point too. We had a wake-up call during this pandemic, and we want to re-focus areas of our lives that were checked out or dwindling. “Our wine had run out” and now we want to become good wine, the best wine. We participate with Christ to fill our cups, so we have something to draw out; something that we can give to others in need. And so, we draw near to Christ, listen to his direction, and sometimes without knowing, a miracle happens. We become someone who Christ uses to demonstrate his glory. We become someone who sees a need and helps fulfill it, even though it may not seem the right time for us. We work with Christ behind the scenes, very subtly and without calling attention to ourselves, so that others receive the credit they deserve.
 
Who are you becoming? Do you like who you are becoming? Where in your life does God want you “to come into being, or to change or grow to be?” I invite you to spend some time reflecting and praying on these questions. We don’t have to wait until our cups are empty to be filled with the Good Wine. We can begin at any time by bringing our water jars to Jesus for him to work miracles in our lives.
 
       
Reflection Questions:
What does this miracle tell us about Jesus?
Have you ever had someone nudge you like Mary did to Jesus? How did it turn out?
What was the significance of saving the good wine to last?
What miracles go unnoticed that help us become whom we are meant to be?
 
Pray:
Gracious God, help us become who you have created us to be. Show us where we need to bring you our empty jars for you to work within our lives.
 
Action:
Take a step this week in growing into who you think God wants you to become. 

*New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. 

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
Baptism of the Lord
 
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%203%3A15-17%2C%2021-22&version=NRSVUE
 
Unquenchable is the word that drew my attention in this scripture reading. When I first think of this word, I think of its root, quench, as in something that quenches our thirst. We are so thirsty that we reach for water that quenches or satisfies our thirst. Usually, it is water that satisfies our thirst more than other drinks, particularly sugary drinks. They typically make us thirstier, and so they are unquenchable.
 
With the use of water in this reading, we could easily jump to the conclusion that the water at baptism quenches our thirst for Jesus or satisfies our spiritual longing. If we dig a little deeper, we will see that John the Baptist says he baptizes with water, and he is just a “stagehand” (v.16, MSG). He’s not as worthy as the One who baptizes with fire.
 
Jesus is the one who baptizes with holy fire, and it is unquenchable, meaning the fire cannot be put out. It is inextinguishable. It will never burn up. It will keep burning, a never-ending flame within us.
 
But that’s not quite how John the Baptist used the metaphor of fire. It is interesting that both water and fire are used to describe the spiritual aspects of the Christian life. They are opposites. Water extinguishes fire. Wet wood will not ignite. So, again, we must dig deeper to understand John the Baptist’s message.
 
The tradition that formed me taught that his message was: if you are baptized, you go to heaven, Jesus’ granary, but if you aren’t, you go to hell, an unquenchable fire. It was further taught that Jesus separated the good people from the bad people, rewarding the good and punishing the bad. I find it interesting that this interpretation is considered a literal reading since John the Baptist is clearly using a metaphor. Further, who can prove there is a literal hell with unquenchable fire. No one has seen a literal hell and lived to tell about it.
 
John the Baptist uses a well-known metaphor to his audience, the process of harvesting grain. Many would have understood the message, that Jesus is the harvester who uses the winnowing fork, the tool used in separating the edible or usable parts of the grain from the inedible parts of the outer husk or chaff. John does mean to say that Jesus will perform a separating action, but instead of separating “good and bad people,” he separates or pulls out the goodness in all of us from the unusable parts that might prevent us from living into the person God created us to be.  
 
Eugene Peterson’s The Message translation rewords this teaching in modern language that helps us understand the metaphor’s meaning: “But John intervened: ‘I’m baptizing you here in the river. The main character in this drama, to whom I’m a mere stagehand, will ignite the kingdom life, a fire, the Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out. He’s going to clean house—make a clean sweep of your lives. He’ll place everything true in its proper place before God; everything false he’ll put out with the trash to be burned” (v.16-17). Our false self is removed and burned by an unquenchable fire.
 
The unquenchable fire continues to burn the trash that Jesus removed from us during the act of baptism. It’s not just a ritual or symbol that we go through the motions, because it’s the trendy thing to do, as was John the Baptist’s context for his reading. Baptism is a life-altering action where Jesus takes the goodness within us and makes it better, and he also takes away the things that hold us back from being who God created us to be. Maybe that is sin, temptation, or other “trash” that functions as chaff in our lives, but Jesus takes it away and it never comes back.
 
Baptism is not a “one and done” experience. It is living a life with the fire of the Holy Spirit burning within us and trusting Jesus to keep the chaff burning away from us. Unquenchable speaks to the promise that Jesus will always be with us and helping us with the chaff in our lives. We can see that promise in verse 21 when Jesus was baptized with the people.
 
Reflection Questions:
What chaff do you need to give over to Jesus’ unquenchable fire?
Have you experienced this promise to be true? Has Jesus separated and helped keep the chaff at bay?
Have you been baptized with water and fire?
 
Pray: Holy God, help us to release the chaff that you have separated from us, so we can live vibrantly through your Holy Spirit.

Action:
Remember your baptism in a special way this week.
 
*New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. 

Week 17 Child
Matthew 2:1-12
Epiphany
 
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%202%3A1-12&version=NRSVUE
  
This coming Sunday is Epiphany Sunday, the day that we celebrate the magi following the star to find the child. Scholars say Jesus was probably around two years old when this took place. He was not the newborn baby like is portrayed in all the Christmas plays, cards, and decorations. They were searching for a child. Yes, the child “who has been born king of the Jews,” but their leading question was “Where is the child?” (v.2).
 
The word “child” was used four times in this passage, and “Messiah or Christ” was only used once when Herod inquired where the Messiah was to be born. After that, even Herod referred to Jesus as a child when he told the magi to “go and search carefully for the child” (v.8). King Herod was threatened by this new King of the Jews, as he did not want to lose his power to another king. Ironically, Herod is threatened by a child.
 
Herod would do anything to remove this threat. He schemed and plotted to learn of the whereabouts of the child. When the magi outsmarted him, Herod was so angry he murdered all the children two years old and younger. The power this child held caused grown men to spiral and turn to violence when the threat still loomed.
 
Dietrich Bonhoeffer also understood the power this child held. He wrote in God is in the Manger, “A child has our life in his hands.”[1] The magi traveled a long distance searching for such a child, who has our lives in his hands. Yet, we don’t often think about Jesus as a child who has the power to upturn kingdoms and our lives. We don’t often think children are that powerful. We think children could grow into powerful people, but we don’t view children themselves as powerful, especially powerful enough to hold our lives in their hands.
 
Children are powerful though. They are just as powerful as adults in their own right, and we could learn from children if we listened to them. I’ve learned some wonderful lessons from my own children who have shown me a different perspective from my own. One of my favorite pieces of preschool artwork from one of my son’s is a stick figure of me smelling flowers. One thing he noticed about me on our walks together was that I would always stop to smell the roses when I walked by them. When he gave it to me, it was a great reminder for me to always make time to stop and smell the roses, literally and figuratively. I’m sure he meant this as a literal representation of what he observed about me, but it holds so much more power than that. I still have it framed and hanging in my office fifteen years later as a reminder to always make time to enjoy the things that bring me joy.  
 
Children are powerful, and the Jesus child already holds the power in his tiny hands. As a newborn and as a toddler, he held the power to overturn death, kingdoms, and our lives. He had the power to make grown men fall to their knees in worship and awe. Jesus as a weak, vulnerable child, one who was not considered valuable or important in their society, was [and is] exactly the king we need. The magi understood that and trusted that this child they were searching for was powerful enough to be their king.
 
God became a child. Jesus was not another adult king who would strategize against or compete with the current ruler. He was a child who came to save the weak, the vulnerable, all the ones who are oppressed by the rulers of their society. To truly be saved by our situations and the people who oppress us, and to truly acknowledge that a child holds our lives in his hands, we too must become weak, vulnerable, and child-like. We too must hold the power of Christ’s love in our tiny hands, and offer it to a huge world in need. This is how we will become more like Christ and carry on Christ’s work. It is not by being a tyrant wielding power. We too must become a child to overcome the threats of the world.
 
Reflection Questions:
How do you view children? Do you see them as powerful?
Has a child ever taught you an important lesson?
How can you become weak, vulnerable, and childlike to become more like Jesus? Do you see this as necessary to carry on Christ’s work? Explore this concept in a journal or your own reflection.
 
Pray:
Show us, Jesus, where we need to be more childlike and less tyrant-like.
 
Action:
Show a child how much you appreciate them this week.
 
 
*New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. 
[1] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, God is in the Manger, Westminster, 2010, 56.

1 John 4:7-19
Fourth Sunday of Advent
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20John%204%3A7-19&version=NRSVUE 
 
This coming Sunday is the Fourth Sunday of Advent, a time when many churches light the candle of love to celebrate Christ’s profound and transformative gift. Love is one of Christ’s most extraordinary gifts—not just because it comes from God, but because it is God. As 1 John 4:16 reminds us, “God is love.” Every time we receive or give love, we are experiencing God’s presence. This verse also promises, “Those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.” When Christ gives us the gift of love, it’s not something external we hold or admire—it’s something we take into ourselves.
 
Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote in God is in the Manger, “God became a human being like us, so that we could become divine. God came to us, so that we could come to him.”[1] All because of love! God loved us so deeply that he became human, stepping into our world so we could be united with God in love. And through Jesus’ death and resurrection, we are invited into an eternal story—a love story that binds us together forever.
 
But here’s the challenge: we don’t always see God as love. Many imagine God as angry or punishing, a strict disciplinarian waiting to catch us in a mistake. Yet, if we take an honest look, isn’t it often humanity—not God—that embodies anger, punishment, and division? Anne Lamott puts it perfectly: “You can safely assume you've created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do.”
 
When we understand that God is love, it reshapes not only how we see God but also how we see ourselves. Love is not just something we feel—it’s who we are and who we’re created to be. Yet, fear so often holds us back. Fear of the unknown, fear of change, fear of the other. Fear whispers that love is dangerous or costly, but here’s the truth: fear is the opposite of love. It’s fear that fuels hatred, distrust, and division. But when we let God’s love flood our hearts, fear loses its power. Love shatters the walls fear builds and opens us to something divine.
 
What would our world look like if we truly understood God as love? If our decisions, our actions, even our votes, weren’t rooted in fear but in love—for God and for our neighbors? It would look more like heaven, wouldn’t it? A world transformed by the divine, radiating God’s love in every corner.
The writer of 1 John puts it beautifully: “No one has ever seen God; [but] if we love one another, God abides in us, and his love is perfected in us” (v.12). God’s love becomes visible and tangible when we love one another. Whether it’s the love shared with a spouse, parent, child, or friend—or even the love poured into a calling that serves others—love is the very presence of God among us. Richard Rohr calls this a “Christ-soaked world,” where Christ’s love permeates everything and everyone.
 
So on this Fourth Sunday of Advent, let’s ask ourselves: What fears are keeping us from receiving the love Jesus offers? What walls can we let God’s love break down in our hearts? The love of Jesus is waiting to be born within us, ready to fill every corner of our life. Cast off fear and open your heart to receive the gift of Christ’s love, the love that transforms us and the world.
  
Reflection Questions:
What is your understanding of God? Have you experienced God as love?
What fears prevent you from fully loving like God loves?
How can you allow God/Love to abide in you?
 
Pray:
God of Love, come to us and abide in us, so we can make the world, a Christ-soaked world, where love permeates through everything.
 
Action:
Love someone this week – particularly someone who is hard to love!
 
*New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. 
[1] Dietrich Bonhoffer, God is in the Manger, Westminster, 2010. 

Luke 1:39-45
Third Sunday of Advent
​
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%201%3A39-45&version=NRSVUE
 
What does “leaped for joy” look like? At this time of year, we may recall The Twelve Days of Christmas where ten lords are leaping. Why are lords leaping, and does it look like a dancer leaping through the air? That’s often what I think about when I hear the word “leaping” – a ballerina leaping with pointed toes and outstretched arms. Many of us aren’t lords or ballerinas who can leap like that. The baby in Elizabeth’s womb could not leap like that. So, how did John the Baptist (Elizabeth’s baby) leap in her womb?
 
Movement. The baby moved at the sound of Mary’s greeting. What was Mary’s greeting? What did she say? Scripture doesn’t tell us specifically what she said, but traditional Jewish greetings were “shalom.” Shalom was a greeting of peace, but it was more like a blessing that meant “May God cause all to be well with you.”[1] It was as if this blessing for wholeness and wellness came straight from the baby in Mary’s womb through Mary’s words. Words from Jesus caused a movement of joy. Leaping is an expression of joy.
 
This blessing also caused Elizabeth to be filled with the Holy Spirit. As a response to a greeting of shalom, the child leaped AND Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit” (v.41). Elizabeth’s words give us a deeper understanding of who Jesus is, and the baby’s movement gives us a deeper understanding of what Jesus can do in our lives. Words from Jesus fill us with his holy spirit, and we are moved with joy but also have a revelation of the divine within us. The words spoken and the nearness of presence both cause one to leap for joy AND understand the cause of that joy.
 
Elizabeth’s response to this expression of joy moved her to “exclaim with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb’” (v.42). She returned the blessing with a blessing. Elizabeth felt blessed to receive a visit from Jesus, so she responded with a blessing for Mary, the vessel who is growing Jesus within.
 
Elizabeth did not physically “leap for joy” as her baby within her did. Her expression of joy was to respond with a blessing to acknowledge the divine near her. This was a baby-to-baby connection that indicates that the Holy Spirit goes deeper within us. The power of Jesus’ words and the filling of the Holy Spirit can be felt on a deeper spiritual level that is expressed with a movement of joy from within.
 
Mary and Elizabeth were probably experiencing a lot of fear and sorrow from the scandal and gossip both of their pregnancies caused them, yet at this moment, when they experienced Jesus near them, they responded in joy and blessing. In this divine experience, they exchanged any hesitation for praise for their Lord and for each other.
 
On this third Sunday of Advent, what sorrow or hesitation can you exchange for the joy Jesus brings? Trust the movement within you. The bubbling up of joy comes from Jesus and the Holy Spirit within you. How will you express this joy? In what ways, can you share this joy with others?   
 
Reflection Questions:
What does leaping for joy look like to you?
Do words from Jesus move you to joy? How do you express it?
How do you respond when you receive a blessing from Jesus?
What sorrow or hesitation can you exchange for the joy Jesus brings?   
 
Pray:
Come near us, Lord, and fill us with your Holy Spirit. May we feel your joy leaping within us.
 
Action:
In response to a blessing you have received from Jesus, bless someone else with a kind word, a tangible act, or an act of service.
 
*New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. 
[1] NRSV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, Zondervan, 2019.

Luke 1:69-79
Second Sunday of Advent
 
Peace can mean different things to different people. To some, it could mean the absence of war, conflict or disagreement. To some, it could mean the absence of noise or busyness by enjoying some “peace and quiet.” To some, it could mean, “Could I get a moment of peace?” when one feels bombarded by interruptions or challenges that never seem to let up. The word “peace” in verse 79 is the Greek word εἰρήνη eirēnē which reflects the meaning of the Hebrew word “shalom.” Shalom is a traditional greeting or farewell that means wholeness and wellbeing as when one has peace with God.
 
The gift of peace that Christ brings is one that reflects shalom, a lasting harmony with God instead of a temporary reprieve from strife. This gift of shalom becomes a way of life, or the way to live our lives to become whole and to nurture our wellbeing. This way of peace is the center of John the Baptist’s calling as prophesied by his own father, Zechariah, in this text, upon John’s birth. Zechariah lost his voice when he couldn’t understand Gabriel’s prophetic message about his son, yet he regained it after his son’s birth and this passage was what he said.
 
Zechariah prophesied that his own son had a special purpose: to “go before [Jesus] to prepare his ways, to give his people knowledge…[and] to guide [their] feet into the way of peace” (v.76-77, 79). In other words, John the Baptist’s calling was to prepare the people to receive Christ, and it involves knowledge of who Jesus is but also taking steps to live into Christ’s way of peace.
 
What is Christ’s way of peace and how do we guide our feet toward it? We take active steps toward Christ’s way of life. We confess the times we step away from God or turn away from those in need. We then receive Christ’s forgiveness to realign our steps. We open our hearts to receive the inbreaking of God’s light that shines upon us while we “sit in darkness and in the shadow of death” (v.79). The peace of Christ is not a temporary fix, but a lifelong path that we travel with Christ. This active walking with Christ brings a wholeness and overall wellbeing to our lives.
  
The path to peace is long and jagged where we will encounter many challenges to stay on the path. Anxiety, in particular, paralyzes us, and we feel weighed down no matter how hard we try to take a step on our own. When we feel our anxiety overtaking us, we can exchange it for Christ’s peace. Every time we feel it creeping in, we can make peace with God and our situations and allow the inbreaking of God’s light shine upon us and guide us to receive the help we need. Christ’s peace can settle our spirits as we lean into Christ’s strength.
 
This is quite the prophecy placed on a newly born babe, but it continues on today. John the Baptist was not the only one God used to prepare people to receive Christ’s peace. God uses many people to prepare us in our lives, and once we receive Christ’s peace, God uses us to prepare others. This is the way of peace. God “guides our feet” by sharing it with others along the path (v.79). We do not keep shalom to ourselves. It is meant to be shared. It is meant to be a way of life, for the whole world’s wholeness and wellbeing. For all of us to be truly whole and well, each of us helps one another into the way of peace.     
 
On this second Sunday of Advent, may we exchange our anxiety for Christ’s lasting peace. May we live a life of shalom with every person we meet.
 
Reflection Questions:
What does peace mean to you?
Have you received Christ’s gift of shalom? How would you describe it?
How can you guide your feet into Christ’s way of peace?

Pray:
We pray for the inbreaking of God’s light while we sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.

Action:
Take one active step this week that shares the gift of shalom with someone in need of Christ’s peace.
 
*New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

Luke 21:25-36
First Sunday of Advent
 
Many are feeling a deep sense of despair, a feeling of hopelessness. To see that half of Americans do not hold the same values of inclusiveness and equity and that there is still deep racism and sexism in the hearts of people, it can really become disheartening. These acts of hate cause despair, especially for those who feel called to live the gospel of Jesus Christ. It’s even heavier to see that some Christians voted against policies designed to help the outcast, to welcome the stranger, and to give food and clothing to the poor. Serving the poor and the immigrant are at the core of Jesus’ teachings. Jesus himself was a poor refugee seeking asylum the first part of his life. When we hear messages contrary to our personal understanding of the gospel, it can cause despair.  
 
When we enter into despair and begin to feel a sense of hopelessness, our despair can take a physical manifestation. We feel it in our bodies. We feel a heaviness in our chest, and a sick feeling in our stomach. We withdraw and isolate ourselves. We want to stay in bed and pull the covers over our heads. Despair can curl our bodies over as it literally weighs us down into fetal position.
 
Life has brought many very low, and then now we enter Advent. Advent and Christmas can bring another layer of despair, but in the midst of it, God holds out life-giving gifts of hope, peace, joy, love, and light. This Advent season, as we prepare for gift exchanges with friends and family, let us reflect on the gifts given to us by the greatest giver of all and how we can receive and embrace those gifts even in the most difficult of times.
 
This week, perhaps we exchange our despair for hope. Perhaps we begin by lifting our eyes to the hills. Psalm 121: 1-2 says, “I lift my eyes to the hills – from where will my help come from? My help comes from the Lord.” We need the Lord’s help to exchange despair for hope. We begin by opening our eyes and lifting them up to look for God’s help. We take them off the things that draw our eyes from our pits of despair and lift them up to see God before us.
 
Next, perhaps we then begin looking for the signs of Jesus’ coming. Luke 21:25 says, “There will be signs.” Notice what the earth is showing us. Look for Christ in the heavens and on the earth. The trees show us that promise of hope with its continual growth patterns. Nature assures us that each season is important to its future, so pay attention to the leaves sprouting on the branches. “See for yourselves” (v.30) that Christ is drawing near, and then, perhaps, we “stand up and raise our heads” because we can now see Christ.
 
Our bent-over and low stance previously prevented us from seeing Christ around us. We were once physically weighed down by life, but we exchange our physical posture to one that lifts us up. We now “stand up and raise our heads” as we see for ourselves the signs of redemption (v.28). Now is not the time to succumb or wallow in despair. Now is the time to lift our eyes, raise our heads, and stand up to receive the hope Christ brings. Let us not hang our heads in despair, but raise them in hope. Let us all “stand before the Son of Man,” (v.36) with hearts filled with the gift of hope. Let us all exchange our despair for Christ’s hope.
 
Reflection Questions:
What does your physical posture look like right now? Are you buckled over in a pit of despair or are you beginning to lift your eyes to Jesus?
What or who can help you stand up and raise your head to God?
What sign of redemption do you see?
What causes you despair? How can you exchange that for hope?

Pray:
Lord, we bring you our despair, so we can make room in our hearts to receive your hope. Show us a sign this week of your lasting and eternal hope.

Action:
Write down on a piece of paper something that causes you despair and then destroy it – by ripping it up, shredding it, or burning it. Do some physical act to symbolize that you are exchanging your despair for Christ’s hope. 
 
*New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. 

John 18:33-37
Jesus as King
 
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2018%3A33-37&version=NRSVUE
 
Last week, we explored Jesus’ foretelling of the Temple destruction in 70 AD, and Jesus offered words of wisdom that it was necessary for this era to fall in order for the new era to be ushered in. He called this time “the beginning of the birth pangs” (Mark 13:8). What is Jesus referring to? What is being born? This Sunday is considered “Christ the King Sunday” in liturgical churches when we celebrate Christ’s reign, and so, perhaps it was Christ’s reign that was to be born. Was Jesus born “for this”?
 
Jesus was born into the world during a time when it was dominated by a super power. He was born to people who were continuously crushed by empire. Once enough people learned who Jesus was, some tried to force Jesus to fit into their idea of kingdom. It was all they knew, and that they were at the bottom of the hierarchal structure. Of course, they would try to make Jesus the King of their kingdom, so they could move up. Others, the religious leaders in power, accused Jesus of calling himself “King of the Jews.”

They handed him over to Pilate, hoping the Romans would take care of their Jesus problem without getting their hands dirty. When Pilate asked Jesus, “What have you done?” for his own people to hand him over, Jesus answered, “My kingdom does not belong to this world” (v.36). That’s what he had done. His own people turned against him because Jesus didn’t fit into their idea of a king or a kingdom.

Jesus never called himself king, and taught that his kingdom was not like the world’s kingdoms. Which is ironic, that we celebrate “Christ the King” Sunday! It’s important to note that this feast day was not instituted until 1925 by Pope Pius XI when the world was still navigating the aftermath of WWI and the threat of Hitler and other extreme nationalist movements. He called on the church to claim Christ’s Kingship over all creation.

Yet, Jesus said, “my kingdom is not from here” (v.36). I don’t think Jesus even liked the words “king” and “kingdom,” but it was what the people were used to. There were no other words that he could use that they would understand in their context. When Pilate tried to force the issue, Jesus said, “You say that I am a king” (v.37). Jesus never said he was a king, nor that he came to be King. He did say, he came “for this” (v.37).

What is “this?” What is Jesus referring to when he said, “For this?” He said he was born and came into the world, “for this.” It’s not for a kingdom. It’s not to be a king in an earthly kingdom because those don’t last. All the earthly kingdoms, or empires, eventually fall. Was it “for this” moment when Jesus shares with a gentile, a person in power, the truth.

Perhaps it was “for this” opportunity to share that there are no kingdoms with him. Instead, everyone belongs who listens to his voice no matter what station in life. Perhaps it was to tell the truth when humans try to make Jesus fit into firmly-established kingdoms, and the truth is Jesus is beyond our constrictions and definitions. Perhaps it was “for this” moment when Jesus’ own people would decide his end, but would soon learn that his end is only the beginning.

Perhaps it was “for [all of] this” because it is a necessary process to face the truth before Jesus reigns in our hearts and lives. We have to face our own darkness and our own complicity in the system that tries to make Jesus into an antihero. In order to follow Jesus, we have to acknowledge our part in “this,” and surrender our own part in killing Jesus’ teachings. Before we can truly allow Jesus to reign in our hearts and lives, we must allow our own selfishness and hate to die on the cross. “This” is what Jesus came into the world to do. He came ”for this.”

Jesus said, “For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth” (v.37). The truth is, there are no kingdoms with Jesus. He came to reign in our hearts. He came to testify that everyone belongs if they listen to his voice. There is no using Jesus for our own advantage. There is only giving up our whole lives to Jesus, so that peace and love reign on earth as it does in heaven.   
 
Reflection Questions:
Who do you say Jesus is? Would you use the word “king”?
Do you live under Jesus’ reign?
What do you need to surrender to allow Jesus to reign in your life?
Does Jesus reign in your heart? What does that look like?
 
Pray:
Show me, Jesus, what I need to surrender for you to reign in my life.
 
Action:
Do one act of love to show that Jesus reigns in your heart.
 
*New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. 

Mark 13:1-8
The Destruction of the Temple Foretold
 
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%2013%3A1-8&version=NRSVUE
 
What an interesting image – birth pangs – that Jesus includes in his foretelling of the Temple’s destruction in AD 70. The whole passage is certainly not an uplifting one, that includes warnings to not be led astray by some who will come and pretend to be Jesus or who see themselves as the Messiah – the One who will save people. Nations and kingdoms will rise against one another, even families and friends will war against one another, during this time of uprising and upheaval. It may not be uplifting, but there is wisdom in Jesus’ words as well as a word of hope.
 
Jesus’ word of hope assures them that this fall of the Temple won’t be “the” end. It may seem like the end of the world, but it’s only the end of this era. It’s the beginning of the end, but not the actual end. I’m not sure how that brings hope to those who will be caught in the middle of the war – the women, children, and elderly – and those who will experience great turmoil. Hearing Jesus say, “This must take place” (v.7) offers little hope for those who will lose loved ones and perhaps their own lives.  
 
But it does offer wisdom. What wise word does Jesus offer by saying, “This must take place?” Some have interpreted that to mean that it is a fulfillment of prophecy, and others interpret it to mean that God will bring on suffering to punish people. I have a hard time with that word “must” in Jesus’ statement. I explored how other translations phrased it: The Common English Bible said, “These things must happen,” and The Voice translation said, “These things will have to happen.” The one that really spoke to me was from The Message, “This is routine history.” This is how things work – always have, always will.       
 
When I dove deeper into the Greek words “dei” for the word “must,” the definitions unlocked it for me. It read: “it is necessary.” The other Greek word for birth pangs, “ginomai,” was defined as “to become, to happen, to be born.” Jesus said that it is necessary for these things to happen in order to be born. In other words, something must die before something new takes place. The end is always the beginning of something new. That’s how it has worked throughout history and is the necessary process of rebirth.
 
We cannot be reborn while holding onto the things from the past. We cannot welcome the new things to come if we are not willing to let go of the things that need to die within us and within our broken systems. Something must die before something new is born. That’s the wisdom that Jesus offers.
 
Jesus’ wisdom brings hope by being honest about this process. He shares that the process of new birth is hard work and likens it to birth pangs, childbirth. Childbirth is called labor for a reason. It takes hard work and agony to bring new life, but once new life is born and we stare into the eyes of hope and love, we will realize that the hard work and pain were necessary. We cannot take an easy way out or just be handed new life without the hard work of transformation.
 
As any woman who has experienced pregnancy, childbirth, or motherhood knows, this process transforms us into a new person while also birthing a new generation, a new era. The person prior to childbirth is gone, and we can never go back to being that person. That person dies on the birthing table, but it is necessary, it must happen, it must take place, for the new life to be born. That is Jesus’ words of wisdom and hope to his disciples – this is not the end. Hold on. It will be hard, but new life is coming.  
 
Reflection Questions:
Have you experienced this process – that something must die in order for something to be born? Do you agree with Eugene Peterson that this is routine history? How specifically?
What needs to die within you in order for something new to be born?
Does this passage give you hope? If so, how or in what ways?
What is to be born? (hint hint, next Sunday is Christ the King Sunday when we celebrate Christ’s Reign.)
​
Pray:
Help us, Holy One, to bear down and push through the newness that is to come. Transform us into being who we need to become for you to reign.

Action:
Examine what needs to die in your heart and life, and take one active step in letting it go.
 
*New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

Mark 12:38-44
The Widow’s Offering
 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%2012%3A38-44&version=NRSVUE
 
The image that came to mind when reading this passage was that Jesus was a “People Watcher.” I’m a “people watcher” too. When given the opportunity to sit and observe people in how they conduct themselves and how they interact with others, it’s interesting the things one notices. Jesus was observing how people conducted themselves at the Temple, in particular how they were “putting money into the treasury” (v.41). Jesus noticed more than I do when observing people. He could observe what was in their hearts.
 
Jesus’ observation shows the differences between the rich, the poor, and the scribes. The scribes were the writers, transcribers, and teachers who were not paid for their service but given special favors and honors. Many of them used their position and influence by taking advantage of widows, so it is very interesting that Jesus includes the scribes in his comparison of the rich and poor. The scribes may not have been putting money into the treasury, but Jesus saw what they were seeking in their hearts – honor for themselves instead of for God.
 
The rich put in large sums to the treasury, but as Jesus said, they “contributed out of their abundance” (v.44). They did not practice sacrificial giving like the widow. In fact, the poor widow “put in more than all those who are contributing” (v.43). Even though this was a freewill offering, not the required Temple Tax, the spirit in which the gifts given meant more to Jesus. She gave “everything she had,” he noted (v.44).
 
This phrase is what drew my attention. The NRSV added, “all she had to live on” after this phrase to suggest that the widow truly gave everything. “She gave her all,” as The Message says. This phrase is literally translated as “her whole life.” The widow may not have had much money to give, but she gave all of what she had, which was a symbol that she gave her whole life to God and trusted that God would take care of her.
 
This extravagant generosity is what Jesus observed, and what set her apart from all the others. Some may see her giving as financially irresponsible because who will take care of her now if she has nothing to buy food or to live on. It was barely enough to live on, a tenth of a day’s wage for a man, but instead of holding on to it, she put her whole life in God’s hands. No one else who put money into the treasury this day did so with such extravagant generosity. They held on to a portion of their lives, and as Jesus pointed out with the scribes, they did so for show.
 
I am not suggesting that we should give all our money to God, but I think Jesus is teaching that we should examine our spirits of giving. After all, it wasn’t the amount that meant more to Jesus. It was the willingness to give all and put her whole life in God’s hands. Are we trusting God with our whole lives? Are we holding on to more of our lives than we should? Are we giving extravagantly like the widow…and ironically, like Jesus? The real reason why Jesus probably pointed out the widow’s extravagance was because he will also give his all, his whole life, on the cross. As a Jesus follower, he has shown us how to give with generous hearts and how to put our whole lives in his hands.
 
Reflection Questions:
Are you trusting God with your whole life?
Is there a part of your life you should give up?
Do you give everything you have, or are you holding on to more than you should?
 
Pray:
Show us, Lord, what we need to do to give extravagantly like you.

Action:
Give some of your money to someone who needs it more than you do.  
 
*New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America.