Romans 5:18 Therefore just as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to justification ...

... and life for all.

The first man, Adam, led the human family into the mire of sin and sorrow, even death. “It wasn’t really my fault,” I say, “I wasn’t even there.” I wasn’t there on Good Friday either, but I still receive the unspeakable benefit of Jesus—the second Adam.

Romans 5:8 But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.

Christ did not wait for his followers to become worthy of a great sacrifice, or for them to stop their sinful behavior before he went ahead and gave it his all. No, while we still lost and disobedient he went to the cross and beyond because of love. No other reason—just love.

Jeremiah 7:25 I have persistently sent all my servants, the prophets, to them day after day.

In the next sentence, God goes on to say that it didn’t do much good to keep on sending prophets, nobody really wanted to listen to them anyway. Are we any different? When we hear the voice that we KNOW is speaking a word of truth, do we listen with a whole and receptive heart?

John 7:33 Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little while longer, and then I am going to him who sent me.”

Things would be different for the disciples after Jesus returned to the Father, and he needed to warn them ahead of time. Later, after he had been raised from the dead, he told them that he would be with them always, to the end of the age. He is with us and he is with the Father, and the Spirit keeps us all One.

Psalm 93:1 The Lord has established the world; it shall never be moved.

I wonder what the psalmist would have thought if he or she had gotten to see the view from Apollo 11??! As the astronauts attest, there’s quite a lot of movement going on with regard to our world. The planet never stops moving, but the WORLD of God is still. Still, and in motion.

Romans 3:23 All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

The great Apostle Paul never forgot that he had sinned himself, and in a big way. He also knew that falling short of the Glory of God is what we do best, even after we have been born again in the waters of baptism. Is there any hope for us? Yes--Jesus Christ!

John 5:35 John the Baptist was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.

I wonder what made people quit rejoicing after a while? He went away and the power of his sermons faded? Maybe they got tired of living in a new, more disciplined way. Maybe they just got busy, or discouraged, or began to forget what he had said. Jesus calls John a burning and shining lamp. We know some lamps, too, don’t we? May we always rejoice in their light. Like John’s, it’s really the light of Jesus.

John 5:25 Very truly I tell you, the hour is coming and is now here when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God—and those who hear will live.

There are lots of ways to be dead. And the process of dying can stretch out for a whole lifetime. I think that Jesus, here, was talking about dead people in the grave. They were certainly in for a big surprise. But he was also talking about the spiritually dead, the emotionally dead, the walking dead from among his own people. He still speaks to the dead, and the result is that THEY LIVE.

Jeremiah 3:15 I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.

Now this is an amazing thought for a shepherd looking after his or her flock. We assume that food and water and a safe shelter go along with the job description. But God assumes that the shepherds of his beloved people will teach them as well. Knowledge and understanding are right up there with food and water. The shepherd must be a teacher.

Psalm 61:2 From the end of the earth I call to you, when my heart is faint.

No matter where we happen to be when our heart grows faint, it seems like the end of the earth, doesn’t it? Even we, who mostly know that the earth is round, know what this feels like. We have come to the end of our resources, the end of our rope, the end of our strength. Not to worry—God is there, at the very end of the earth.

Romans 1:1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an Apostle, set apart for the Gospel of God.

“Gospel” can also be translated as “Good News.” In this passage, “Servant” can also be translated as “Slave.” Is it possible to be a slave to the good news of God? Paul would say yes, he just did! He forsook all other plans, all other goals, all other priorities in his life for the one priority that owned him: the Gospel of God. He writes to the Romans so that each one of them will want to do the same thing, become a slave.

Jeremiah 1:5 Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you appointed you a prophet to the nations.

No matter what the economic, political or international issues are, one thing is sure: being a prophet to the nations is hard. They always draw fire from one side or another, they are always the target. What keeps them strong and solid, we might ask? The knowledge of their call, the confidence they all share in the one who called them and set them apart. On this day, let us pray for all those in our own day who witness to the nations.

Psalm 55:17 Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he will hear my voice.

The psalmist wants to be sure that we understand: He is not just whining to God once a day but all day long! He has a lot to complain about, more than a simple Morning Offering can handle. Sometimes, so do we. What a comfort that He hears my voice.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only son.

This might be the most often quoted and memorized verse in all of scripture. God loves us, he loves the whole world. He loves us enough to send us his son, so that all who believe in him can live—really live. God longs for our return to him, and his son is the way back home, the way we take for the return journey. Thanks be to God.

Psalm 50:2 Out of Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth.

Zion can mean the name of an actual place, or it can be symbol for the realm where God is in charge. We long for Zion in both senses of the word. A great thrill of my entire life was stepping off the El Al aircraft on the tarmac of Ben Gurian airport in Tel Aviv. The moon shining over Jerusalem made me have palpitations: Zion, at last!! Home, at last!!

John 3:1-2 Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night.

Nicodemus was afraid of what people would say if he was seen in public with Jesus, so he snuck around. He wanted to be really, really sure before he took a chance on Jesus. He was, finally, sure—really, really sure. But I think there is a blessing in store for all who stand up for and with Jesus, in broad daylight, even before they actually have the proof.

Deuteronomy 9:4 Do not say to yourself, “It is because of my righteousness that the Lord has brought me in to occupy this land.”

These words of advice come from Moses—warning the people of Israel not get too proud of themselves. We should hear them as well. How often do we receive the awesome gifts of God and then chalk it up to our own vast righteousness and faithfulness???

Hebrews 2:17 Therefore Jesus had to be like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest.

Jesus could have been many, many things WITHOUT becoming one of us—but he could not have become a merciful and faithful high priest. As we imagine him before the throne of God, interceding on our behalf, we give thanks that he knows us and he knows what our lives are like. He can be merciful because he knows.

1 Corinthians 1:23 But we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles.

Whatever the Jews and Gentiles of Paul’s day had to say about the crucifixion of Christ, Paul understood it to mean power and wisdom and salvation. Christ crucified is our life and strength—today and in the days of the great apostle who was writing to Corinth.

Titus 3:15 All who are with me send greetings to you. Greet those who love us in the faith.

Letter writing, and the long wait for a reply, and the great joy of seeing the mailman approaching, are rapidly becoming a thing of the past. In the early days of our faith, written letters and greetings were a treasured event and a community possession. In our own day, what will take the place of those treasured possessions? Can we imagine a whole church full of people waiting to hear a letter read out loud? “Greetings, my beloved in the Lord…”

Psalm 95:7 For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.

When Jesus announced to a whole crowd of people that he himself was the Good Shepherd, I think he had this verse on his mind! The shepherd, God, is the one who seeks after the lost sheep, binds up their wounds, leads them to clear water and cool green pasture land. Jesus was calling himself our God, our shepherd.

John 1:29 Here is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”

The Jewish people, in the days of Jesus, were well acquainted with the Passover lamb that was killed every year in every household. It was a remembrance of the lamb of God—the lamb that was killed in every household in the land of Egypt, and whose blood marked their doorposts as a sign to the angel of death: pass over this house. They were saved by the blood of the lamb. WE are also saved by the blood of Jesus, the second Lamb of God.

(Ash Wednesday) Luke 18:13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying: ...

... “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”

It was an ancient custom for a notorious sinner to cover himself or herself with ashes as a sign for all to see that they were sorry. They had repented. Somewhere along the line, the Christian community came to understand that all have sinned, and that all are in need of repentance. So, we all come forward to wear ashes in the shape of a small cross on our forehead. We are sorry. Thank God for the life-giving sign of the cross.

Psalm 26:12 My foot stands on level ground, in the great congregation I will bless the Lord.

Unlevel ground has its place in our lives—a place of climbing up or climbing down or climbing around. Level ground seems to be the place of rest, of security. The level ground is where we live and move and have our being. From that solid place comes the confidence to join the great assembly and let our praises rise up.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the word was with God, and the word was God.

As the 4 Gospel writers gathered their thoughts, each began their story at the beginning. For Mark, it began with the ministry of John the Baptist in the wilderness. For Matthew and Luke, the good news began with the birth of Jesus, under amazing circumstances. For John, it begins in the beginning, before all time and all creation. It is a new creation, a new Genesis, in which the Word already WAS.

Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord alone.

Around the world, the Jews repeat this creed every day, from ancient days until now. They, and we, proclaim the one true God. On this Sunday morning, at least 5 people will be baptized into the faith of the one true God, and of his Son Jesus Christ. They will be born again and raised to a whole new life in Christ. Alleluia.

2 Corinthians 13:9 For we rejoice when we are weak and you are strong.

What a gift we give to all those around us when we really do rejoice in their success, their victory, their influence, their prize. When we lead from that second chair, that second place, we witness in a whole new way to the power of the good news.

Psalm 16:6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a goodly heritage.

Maybe the psalmist was talking about his property lines, and the acreage that he would be leaving to his children after him. These words could just as well point to the other boundaries that fall for us: limits that God has set on our behaviors and resources and relationships. They are also a priceless heritage.

Matthew 7:1 Do not judge, so that you may not be judged.

We are all the very best at figuring out when someone else has behaved poorly. How hard it is to keep that observation quiet, and simply name them in prayer. How lovely it is when we behave badly and the other person lets us off the hook is such a gracious way!

Deuteronomy 4:29 From there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find him if you seek after him with all your heart and soul.

In this case, “From there” means from a place of rebellion and disobedience. God knows that when his people get all settled into the land he has given them, they will forget his ways and the things they have promised to do for him. We are the same—we get comfortable and happy and forget how we cried out to him in our distress and clung to him in our sorrow. No matter—seek him out again and you will find him.

Matthew 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

We recognize the truth of this—if somebody wants to see the priorities of our life, look at the bank account. Where did all that money go??! I find that sometimes, if the priorities are out of alignment, a heart is hard to pick up and move. It’s actually easier to move some treasure from one place to another, then watch our heart follow.