March 2021 – PastorBlueJeans Musings

Getting Ready

March 31, 2021

I have tried every system that there is that ensures that I get things done. I have tried paper to-do lists. I have set reminders on my calendar on my phone. I have tried various apps as well. Some of them have been more helpful than others however, none of the systems are perfect. They all have one design flaw, and that is requiring me to accomplish the things on my to-do list.

There is one to-do list that I have found I am very good at accomplishing; that is the week before vacation to-do list. This list is often the biggest one of the year but it is the one that I am most committed to finishing. I know for me to go away on vacation and to relax, I need to feel as if I have done all that I am supposed to leading up to leaving.

I thought about lists and getting ready when reading today’s scripture. Jesus is sharing with the disciples the things to look out for when the last days are upon us. Then Jesus sends them a reminder, “Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware, like a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth. Keep alert at all times.”

The disciples are told to be aware of what is going on in the world and to be ready and alert. When I read that it is a reminder to me that being ready and alert is more than writing words on a page of things that we need to do. It is accomplishing those things. It is being about the world of love, faith, and hope. This is what our priority needs to be.

As we move into Holy Week together, let us be people not of lists but of faith, hope, and love.

Take one

Daily Reading – March 30, 2021

Luke 21: 5-18

In my sophomore year of high school, I was part of a drama night. It was a series of one-act plays that we performed. It was the first and only time that I have ever attempted to act on stage. I was given a very small role in one of the plays. My character was a rock drummer that only cared about the music. It was his obsession.

I only had one line, and I do not even remember what it was; however, I remember my entrance. This character burst onto the scene with a pair of drumsticks and made every prop on set into a drum. I walked from one end of the stage to the other hitting things with my drumsticks. I was told to just feel the music in my head, and I did. I felt like a star!

I wasn’t.

I wasn’t a star, but I was part of a team that worked together to put on this play. For that night we were actors, directors, and stagehands all working together to perform a play that someone had written for us. The lines and the actions were already produced, and we just needed to do our part.

In today’s scripture reading, Jesus reassures the disciples that there may be trouble coming but that God is with them. God will give them what they need to do what they are called to do. They just needed to be faithful. Isn’t that reassuring?

We don’t have to be a star art do it all on our own. God has called us all to share in the journey of life together. We are called to share god’s light with the world and we are given what we need to get that job done. We just need to be faithful. Listen to God’s song playing in your heart and your head. Be faithful to God.

Finding the spot

Daily Reading – March 29, 2021

Luke 19:45-48

A little less than a year ago, my wife and I moved. Let’s be honest moving is never fun. It is a process and a chore that I do not believe anyone truly likes. Yet, moving into this house has allowed us to do a couple of things that will be good for us both long term. My wife has turned one room into a craft room and I am working in the basement to create another space that we can use to relax and have some fun.

Having space where you live to recharge, refresh, and renew is very beneficial if you can create it. We all need to remove ourselves from stress and busyness at times. It is good for our soul. In today’s scripture, Jesus sees that the temple that was a place for people to be connected to God, during their hectic lives, was being misused by many people.

“It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be a house of prayer; but you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’ “

Jesus removed the people who were causing the problems. For us, it might not be a matter of removing people but just forcing ourselves to find a spot and to use it.

Where is your comfort zone?

I can only imagine

Daily Reading – March 26, 2021

Luke 20:27-40

I am going to be honest there are quite a few passages in the Bible that make me scratch my head. I truly believe that God speaks to us through the Bible and that it is important for us to honor God, but it can get tricky. Several times in the last few weeks, I have had conversations about the passage that is today’s scripture reading. I am. not going to copy any of the scripture into this devotional, but I encourage you to click the link and read it for yourself.

Today’s devotional is about not only this passage but all the other passages that make us scratch our heads as well. What do we do when we don’t like what we are reading; or do not completely understand what we are reading in the Bible. I think it is vital for us to study the word of God, and we can do that in Sunday School, bible study, small group, church, with friends, and so many other ways. Yet, sometimes good people can’t agree and other times we just can’t wrap our heads around things. When that happens, what do we do?

Relax. Take a deep breath. Trust God.

It truly is that simple. I know that what God has in store for us is better than anything that I can imagine. God has created us for relationship and to be in community. I can take comfort in that fact and know that our God will not abandon us. I know that God’s plan is better than anything that I can dream of or hope for. In the meantime, I will keep worshipping, studying, and praising. When things get confusing, I know the remedy.

Relax. Take a deep breath. Trust God.

It’s really that easy.

What is the answer?

Daily Reading – March 25, 2021

Luke 20:20-26

It is easy to get caught up in living that we forget what life is all about. Many of us spend our days working because we have bills to pay and other responsibilities. We can go through our day from morning to night and be so focused on what we are doing that we forget why we are doing it. Even if we are not out there working there is still so many responsibilities that we carry that it can overwhelm us. What’s the solution?

In the daily reading, we are reminded by Jesus of something that may help. In a conversation with a group of people, Jesus answers a question about taxes. He answers them by saying, “Well then,” he said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.” I know the reason for the question and why Jesus answered it, but today I want to focus on giving to God what belongs to God.

What belongs to God? Everything. When we live with that in mind it can help us understand the motivation for doing what we do. If we know that life is more than a bunch of stuff we have accumulated, then we can work towards the important things in our life. We can work to give it all to God. We can use one of the greatest gifts that we have been given time, and learn to enjoy it and to also use the time to help others.

Don’t let yourself get overwhelmed today with the pressure of the now. Look around at all God has done and take a moment and say thank you to God for the gift of time. God is with you.

Enough is enough

Luke 20:9-19

Is it okay to give up? Is it okay to decide that things have to change? I have had these questions pop up in my head over the years. We each face obstacles in our life, but I think what separates us is how we respond in those moments. It is important to remember that we have autonomy in so many facets of our lives. We can typically choose where we live, where we work, and how we spend our time. Life is truly a series of choices, yet so often we choose things that are not beneficial to us.

In today’s reading, we see the result of bad choices continually being made. Jesus shares a parable that talks about a man who planted a vineyard and had to deal with the tenants who responded to his kindness with violence. Time after time, their response was the same to the man’s generosity, more violence.

“But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. ¹¹He sent another servant, but that one also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed. ¹²He sent still a third, and they wounded him and threw him out.“

I think many of our problems in the world today stem from us choosing wrong. We choose individualism over community. We choose things over people. We choose greed over generosity. Today is the day that we should decide to give up. Give up on isolation and choose connection. Give up on fear and choose love. Give up on despair and choose joy. It is time for a change.

I don’t know

Daily Reading – March 23, 2021

Luke 20:1-8

“I don’t know.” It is a simple phrase, and it can be used to hide from a problem or a confrontation that needs to happen. Using that phrase puts the attention back on whomever you are speaking to. It also can be an attempt to deflect responsibility to someone else. In other words, it a verbal way to hide out from sharing what’s going on in your mind.

In today’s reading, the chief priests and teachers of the law were asked a question by Jesus, and they knew that the answer they gave could be used against them so they decided to simply say, “We don’t know.” Have you ever tried to hide from Jesus like that? What’s the point? God knows everything about us. We can’t and don’t need to try and hide. Instead, Jesus is inviting us into the light. We don’t have to be ashamed. We don’t have to be worried. Jesus loves us and wants the best for us. Instead of hiding, take some time today and be with Jesus. In prayer and in reading God’s word. There is no shame in God there is only belonging. You don’t have to hide anymore

No time like the present

Daily Reading – March 22, 2021

Luke 19:11-27

In high school and college, I learned something about myself. I was able to wait until the last possible moment to work on an assignment and more often than not, I would get a good grade. I seemingly worked well under self-imposed pressure. Years later, I realize that this was not the best strategy. I wasted lots of time, and I also did not learn what I could have learned. My strategy changed in seminary, and I spent the time I needed to learn the material and not just get a good grade.

Time is a gift. Today’s reading is a reminder that we should take advantage of the gift that we have been given. God has given us time and given us gifts to use in the world. What are we going to do with these gifts? The words that I want to hear from Jesus one day are “Well done, my good servant!” Don’t you? How can we hear them one day?

Appreciate the time that you have been given.

Use the gifts that God has blessed you with.

Be generous.

Be thankful.

When should you start? Now. Right now. It is time.

Yea, but…

Daily Reading – March 20, 2021

Luke 18:18-30

I had a conversation recently with a person who was really struggling in a particular area in their life. This person told me that it made them feel guilty, and they wondered why things seemed impossible at times. As I listened to this person, I had to fight myself from smiling. We have all been there, right? We have all felt as if the world is overwhelming us, and we just can’t do “it” anymore. The feeling of helplessness or ineptitude becomes a normal and every moment thing it seems. Why do we allow ourselves to feel this way?

I think it is because we have been taught that we need to be self-reliant. We are told stories of heroes that have accomplished great things seemingly on their own. We begin to believe that asking for help is a sign of weakness. The Bible paints us a different picture, however. In today’s reading, we see the disciples struggling with understanding what Jesus is saying. They are told how incredibly difficult it is for a rich person to be saved, and they react by wondering if anyone has a chance. Jesus fills them in on something important, *“What is impossible with man is possible with God.”*

The message for me in this passage is for all of our life. We don’t have to figure it all out or know how to do it all on our own. God will always be with us. If we succeed or we fail, we can rest in the truth that our God is involved and engaged in our life. God is at work, and nothing is impossible with God.

Have faith in that, and rest easy, my friend. God is with you.

Childlike

Daily Reading – March 19, 2021

Luke 18:15-17

When I was in elementary school, we would spend our recess out at the schoolyard. There were so many different things that we ended up playing. Whether it was hopscotch, football, keep-away, soccer, tag, or even occasionally “pitching pennies, we were limited by only our imaginations. The truth was that when we were children our imaginations were endless. My how things change.

]As we get older it seems as if our imaginations are not nearly as vivid as they used to be. We get weighed down by responsibilities and other realities that take our focus away from imagining what could be. Today’s scripture reading is a reminder to us that this is not how it should be. This is not how we have been created.

“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”

Jesus’ invitation is to dream again. Being like a child means to imagine what the world can be and then go participate in the work of making it happen. When we dream Jesus-sized dreams, our life can seem as vast as it did when we were children at recess. Don’t you want to live like that again?