Confirming Your Election and Calling - 2 Peter 1

     

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be reflecting on Peter’s second letter. We’re not sure exactly which church Peter is writing to, but since he was martyred during the reign of Nero which was from 54-68 AD, and Peter’s ministry occurred mostly in the western part of Asia Minor, it’s likely a circular letter written to a number of churches in the area. Peter’s letter is not just applicable for his time; it’s still applicable today. In his letter, Peter teaches us how to think about God, ourselves, sin, obedience, worship, suffering, community, and hope. His letter invites us to come close to Jesus to understand and respond to him. It’s a letter written to warn about false teachers, and to stir us out of spiritual laziness. Peter reminds us that God’s working with real people in real places; his letter’s not about throwing ideas about who Jesus is out to everyone, he points us to Jesus who acts, speaks, judges, saves, and guides his people.

Peter begins by acknowledging himself as both a slave to, and an apostle of, Jesus Christ. He greets the people, reminding them of the gift of faith they’ve been given; a faith rooted in God’s and Jesus’ righteousness. I always appreciate how the letter writers in the New Testament greet the people by offering them both grace and peace through Jesus. Both are powerful blessings to offer someone. A dear Jewish friend always greeted me with “Shalom my brother, Yahweh’s grace to you today.” There’s something centering and soothing to your soul when you receive this kind of greeting from a friend, creating trust.

One of Peter’s main themes, especially in chapter 1, is spiritual growth. Growth comes through our choices and consequences, through prayer, God’s promises, and in how God deals with his people. A second big theme is truth and what truth looks like when God speaks to his people. Truth is rooted in our relationship God and his trustworthiness; this is why Jesus says that he is the way, the truth, and the life. For Christians, faith in Jesus Christ forms the foundation of our spiritual life. Paul expresses this clearly: salvation comes “by grace...through faith,” which is God’s gift rather than anything we do. Biblical faith means believing in God’s character and His promises; grounded in God’s nature as revealed in Scripture. Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen,” a deep confidence that transforms future promises into present reality. Unlike everyday human trust based on experience, biblical faith trusts in what stays unseen, resting completely on confidence in God.

Peter writes in verses 3-4, that Jesus calls us to a godly life, “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” Jesus gives us everything we need for a godly life through the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives. Our knowledge comes through knowing Jesus; his life and teaching, his death, and resurrection. Knowing in the Scriptures is not so much about head knowledge like the Greeks, it’s more about knowing through relationship. Peter doesn’t let us off the hook of our sinful desires and ways easily with a simple, “Just try harder.” Rather than a passive gaining of information, biblical knowing involves actively participating in the covenant relationship. If you know Jesus, you know and have the power to say “no” to temptation and our evil desires because through his promises, we participate in his divine nature. This becomes powerfully true through the Holy Spirit. Doesn’t mean it’s easy, but that we can.

For Peter, faith is rooted in our relationship with Jesus which is then lived out in our daily lives. This is how we live into sanctification. Sanctification is living our salvation out, becoming more and more like Jesus. This is where Peter goes now in verse 5-7, “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.” Sanctification is about responding to Jesus and the cross.

Change is God’s call to us, telling us that he loves us too much to not change us through his Spirit; we’re able to say “no” to ungodliness and sin because of the strength of the Holy Spirit. It’s not like we have to figure this out on our own. Jesus knows our weaknesses and temptations, he gives us his help to resist, his help is personal to each of us; Hebrews 4:14-16 “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” 2 Peter 1 is about our identity as found in Christ, shaped by Christ, and for Christ.

Faith is our relationship with Jesus lived out with those around us. This is why Peter focuses here on both our relationship with Jesus in goodness, knowledge, and godliness; focusing on self-control and perseverance; and living well with others within the body of Christ through mutual affection and love. We hear echoes of this in Titus 2:11-12, “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.”

Peter now commands his readers, “Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” Verse 10 was previously translated, “be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure.” A more literal reading of the Greek is, “rather, be zealous to put into force your calling and election.” This sentence is an imperative and clear in its intent, even if the translations vary a little, it’s a command: we’re called to live out our faith and calling as a child of God. We are called to produce good fruit, “confirming our election;” living in the abundance of being in Christ. The word used “to confirm,” is a call to show our calling to follow Jesus is true, and that through how they’ve embraced Jesus’ call and teaching in their lives, they’re not likely to fall away as they live out what they believe in Jesus. 

Peter’s not calling us to earn our salvation or election; he’s calling us to actually live what we believe. The Heidelberg Catechism, after its teaching on the Apostle’s Creed asks in Q & A 60, “How are you righteous before God?” The answer is so comforting, “Only by true faith in Jesus Christ. Even though my conscience accuses me of having grievously sinned against all God’s commandments, of never having kept any of them, and of still being inclined toward all evil, nevertheless, without any merit of my own, out of sheer grace, God grants and credits to me the perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ, as if I had never sinned nor been a sinner, and as if I had been as perfectly obedient as Christ was obedient for me. All I need to do is accept this gift with a believing heart.” Sanctification and confirming our election are all about responding to Jesus and the cross, to being changed through the gift of his new life. We go back to 2 Peter 1:4, “Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”

We’re saved to do good works, to show God we are thankful and to praise him, we do good works so that we can be assured of our faith through its fruit, and we do good works so that others might be won over to Christ. James writes in 2:14–16 “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?” Jesus tells his disciples in John 15:8, “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

We’re chosen, elected to bear fruit, so that through our lives, others can see our belief and trust in Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, and are transformed through the Holy Spirit. We reveal what the kingdom of heaven is like through how we live our lives Jesus’ way. The world needs the kingdom of heaven now, needs people shaped and inspired by the kingdom to build the kingdom values and ways into our community here so that the world can be given a glimpse and example of hope, of grace, and of the new life found in Jesus, working with the Holy Spirit in stirring a desire and need to be part of God’s family too.

Walking in the Truth - 3 John

                                   

We live in a very different culture than when John writes this letter, and yet people are not really all that different, no matter when or where we live. The early church historian Eusebius dates this letter from John to after John’s exile to the island of Patmos, where John wrote the last letter of the Bible Revelation. After his exile, John went on a missionary journey, visiting various churches and even went into areas not yet evangelized, offering encouragement and wisdom to the churches already established and sharing the gospel of Jesus with those who hadn’t heard about Jesus yet. This was a time of travelling missionaries; John himself is one of these travelling missionaries.

John likely writes this letter from Ephesus, where he spent some time with the church there. Both this letter and 2 John are about travelling missionaries, but for different reasons. In 2 John, John warns the churches about false teachers. These false teachers may respect Jesus as a great prophet, but they don’t recognize him as the Son of God and promised Messiah. John’s warning them against supporting Gnostic teachers. In John’s time, Gnosticism was just beginning to develop as a belief system. Gnostic teachers believed that people could only be saved through revealed knowledge, or γνῶσις. Gnostics held a negative view of the physical world; salvation was only about the soul. Early church fathers, such as Irenaeus, considered Gnosticism heretical because only those who had access to special knowledge were saved. John urges wisdom about supporting these teachers who taught heresy rather than the gospel of Jesus. He even tells them that anyone who welcomes these false teachers’ is sharing in their work. In a culture where hospitality was extremely important, this is a powerful call to the churches about the extreme danger false teachers were. That danger is still present today, especially with the growth of social media.

A recent study shows that approximately 50% of Christians today turn to social media for spiritual growth; the study also acknowledges many people today no longer have the ability to discern truth from falsehood. Satan often disguises himself as an angel of light; this is why it’s becoming important in the church and our homes today to teach Scripture and learn how to recognize what’s true and what’s false. If someone is making Jesus less and humanity more, be careful. Satan often uses a little bit of truth to entice us into beliefs that are false, leading us away from Jesus rather than towards Jesus. This is why faith formation is so important, why we focus on Scripture reading, prayer, and worship as a church family to equip our homes, not social media. The center of forming our faith comes through reading the Bible as a family, praying together, and worshipping the Lord in everything we do: our work, our play, our rest are all shaped by who God is and our relationship with him. Discipling our children in Jesus is the first and most important job we have.

In 3 John, John encourages the church, through Gaius, to welcome in travelling teachers and missionaries who have dedicated themselves to teaching the gospel news of Jesus and helping the churches grow deeper in their faith. John’s older now, which you hear in the tone of his letters. He sees Gaius as a dear friend, calling him ‘beloved.” John mentions how he received a wonderful report about Gaius’ faithfulness to the truth, how he walks in the truth; how Gaius is walking in the way of Jesus, faithfully following the guidance of the Holy Spirit. This flows into his joy in hearing how Gaius is taking care of the visiting teachers and evangelists who were travelling through, and staying to do ministry in the city and area. These brothers in the faith were so impressed by Gaius’ hospitality that they made special mention of it when they reported their experiences at a church where John was attending.

Hospitality, the willingness to invite people into your life, making sure that the foreigner and stranger are looked after, was important during this time in history. The Old Testament presents hospitality as both a practical necessity and a religious command rooted in God’s character. In a world without inns or hostels, hospitality was crucial for travellers, business people, prophets, and the vulnerable; providing food, a place to stay, and protection. Yet hospitality was about more than just survival; at its core are both religious and social features; hospitality serves as a response to God’s own kindness toward Israel. Most travellers relied on the hospitality and generosity of strangers when travelling. This was especially true for the early missionaries and teachers that John’s talking about here who’ve dedicated themselves to sharing the gospel news of Jesus without a church or structure in place to support them financially. Many of these missionaries would receive some help from already established home churches, but it was often limited and sporadic. They needed to rely on local support wherever the Lord led them. John’s main point here is that Gaius and the church should help and support those who are working for Jesus, working together for the truth. Even today, as we share the truth of who is Jesus locally, we’re fellow workers with those who are called to share the gospel of Jesus elsewhere.

Hospitality has always been one of the key marks of the Jewish people and their faith. Its roots lie in the experience of how Abraham and Sarah act with generosity in their hospitality, reflecting an early expectation that once a traveller made himself known, generous hospitality was expected, with the hosts offering rest, refreshment, and a meal. The importance of hospitality appears latter on again in Lot’s welcome of visitors in Sodom and Gomorrah and how this led to his family being spared the destruction of the cities. The writer of Hebrews is thinking of these stories when he writes, Hebrews 13:2, “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”

Hospitality isn’t just a way of life for followers of Jesus; it’s commanded by God. Leviticus 19:33–34, “‘When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.” God gives this command because the people of Israel were foreigners themselves in Egypt, and at least at first, were treated with hospitality and grace in the time of Joseph. Later on, Israel was commanded to leave grain and grapes for the poor and foreigners so they could eat. Hospitality is not just for the stranger, it’s also to be extended to your neighbour.

Israel is commanded to show hospitality to foreigners because God loves them too. God clearly commanded Israel to care for the widow, orphan, and stranger and sent prophets to remind Israel over and over again of the importance of hospitality. Jesus shows how hospitality is central to who God is when he tells his followers in Matthew 25, that those who extend radical hospitality by giving water to the thirsty, feeding the hungry, visiting the sick and prisoner, are actually serving him. How a person received guests, by providing water for dusty feet, think of Jesus washing his disciple’s feet, revealed the host’s character and commitment to honouring God. As one commentary writes, “From a social perspective, hospitality created networks of human interdependence designed to secure basic necessities for those at disadvantage, especially the poor and landless. Ultimately, hospitality represented Israel’s response to both divine love and human need.” Through the early church’s hospitality, the gospel news spread to all corners of the Roman empire, including the heart of the empire, the palace of the emperor himself.

Yet, the church’s history is filled with those who’ve loved power over servanthood; at the heart of hospitality is a generous servant heart. We don’t know what Diotrephes’ beliefs were, whether he was gnostic or simply power-hungry, but he was willing to use his power to deny hosting travelling missionaries, and even kicking those who did help them out of the church. This is such a departure from Jesus’ teaching on servanthood for leaders.

So how does John’s letter to Gaius fit for today? We support our missionaries both on the field and during their home service; servants like Selena, Margaret, the VanderMeers, and other missionaries we’ve committed to helping. We support local missionaries such as Nikki and CAYU, in a similar way, the Broomtree serves a mission field with mission workers. Supporting these workers and organizations are ways of living out the call to hospitality as we work together for the truth.

But it’s even applicable closer to home, pastors and all those working full-time in the church trust that God will encourage his people to provide for their needs as they do their work for Jesus and the church. It’s better that we err on the side of generosity than on the side of stinginess so that those who work for the church to equip us to grow deeper in our faith, our love of Jesus, and to invite our community to repent and believe in Jesus, can do their work without worrying about how to provide for their families. Hospitality is more than financial support; it’s also about relationship. Often within a church, staff are known for what they do, not for who they are. We have an interesting staff, some chuckle if you mention 42 or the importance of a towel, some are old souls who love old devotionals, some like quadding and camping, others love learning new things, while some enjoy sports and Taco Tuesdays. Hospitality’s about inviting people into your lives and hearts, what do you know about our staff as people?

Jesus reveals the kingdom of heaven as a place of generous hospitality, where the king’s servants go into the hi-ways and byways to bring people into the banquet, where those who are last shall be first, where the unseen are seen, the broken find healing, where the hopeless find hope because our God is more generous and hospitable than we could ever imagine, welcoming sinners into his family at his own cost, even the cost of his only beloved son Jesus. Go, shaped by the generosity of God; supporting his kingdom’s workers.

 

 

The End of the Matter - Ecclesiastes 12:1–14

We've come to the end of Solomon's search for meaning under the sun and he's discovered that he was searching in all the wrong places; his search has led him back to his Creator, the God of heaven and earth, the one who sits over the sun. It's been a long journey for Solomon, you do have to wonder why since he was given wisdom by God, but when you keep God out of the picture, you will need to look in a lot of different places only to discover that each place you look to for meaning will all fail you. This is why I enjoyed our Profession of Faith classes, deliberately reflecting on who we are as Jesus followers in our community.

Finally, Solomon turns to God and calls to the people, "Remember your Creator." When we hear the word remember, we look back and bring memories back into our consciousness again. There's no need to do anything with the memory except appreciate the moment that it evokes. For the Jews, the word “remember” means something more, "to act decisively on behalf of someone, to commit yourself to someone." We often hear in the Scriptures about God remembering his people. It doesn't mean that God forgot his people or dug up a memory and thought, "Yah, there’s the people I chose, I should reconnect with them and see how they’re doing." When the Bible talks about God remembering his people, it’s about how God begins again to act in significant ways that Israel could recognize. These were the times when Israel was once again reminded of how committed God is to them. It doesn't mean that God wasn't acting on behalf of his people before this, but that he was acting in ways that the people didn't always recognise. It’s much the same with us; we confess that God works all things for our good, but often can't see how God’s working. This is where faith comes in. 

When Solomon calls you to "Remember your Creator," he's calling you to commit yourself to God. This is about taking God seriously, not simply playing around with faith when it suits you, waiting for when it fits better in your life, after you've experienced all the things you want to do. That's why I'm not surprised that Solomon immediately follows his call to remember the Creator with a call to follow him from the time you’re young and not wait until times get hard or you're old.

The problem is that many of us act like Augustine, "Hey, wait a minute, let's first have some fun in life, sow a few wild oats before getting so serious about God." We've believed the world that tells us that God takes away our fun and replaces it with nothing but rules to follow. We're told to focus on gaining knowledge, seeking pleasure, investing in our careers, and building wealth first, and afterwards we'll fit God into our lives. When I was a youth pastor in Allendale, a young woman asked what I thought of her desire to go into missions. I encouraged her, knowing her commitment to Jesus. Her parents were furious, saying I had no business giving their daughter career advice. They wanted her to go to university and do something useful, meaning something that makes a lot of money. They believed she could do the faith stuff for God after she graduates and gets a good job; a way so many Christians think today. Without even realizing it, they walked the same journey Solomon did, believing meaning comes from what they do, accomplish, or gather for themselves. Is this what you unconsciously believe as well? Meaninglessness.

Solomon describes getting old like skies filled with clouds and rain; our thinking getting cloudy. The loss of our physical strength as the keepers of the house, our legs, tremble and the bend in our back grows. Our grinders fall out and we’re no longer able to eat foods like steak, taking away the enjoyment of eating. Our hearing goes, we wake up early in the morning, but can’t hear the birds singing as clearly outdoors. Our heads become covered in white like the blossoms of an almond tree; then death comes. Solomon doesn't want you to take the same meaningless journey he took, he’s encouraging us to choose God in our youth and strong times.

Solomon concludes, "Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind." This sounds so basic, and yet this is where Solomon guides us to find meaning in life. Fear God. This is repeated often in Scripture; especially the Psalms and Proverbs, but also in the New Testament; in Matthew 10, Jesus warns us, "Don't be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell." Later on, Paul calls us to "work toward complete holiness because we fear God." Tim Keller writes that ‘Fear’ in the Bible means to be overwhelmed, to be controlled by something. To fear the Lord is to be overwhelmed with wonder before the greatness of God and his love. It means that, because of his bright holiness and magnificent love, you find him ‘fearfully beautiful.’ That is why the more we experience God’s grace and forgiveness, the more we experience a trembling awe and wonder before the greatness of all that he is and has done for us. Fearing him means bowing before him out of amazement at his glory and beauty."

God's love and holiness is fully revealed in Jesus. Jesus leaves heaven, a place where there’s no evil, and comes to earth to live with us. It's more than a prince leaving his palace to live in the slums, because Jesus came not just to live with us, but he also came to take our punishment on himself so that we can be in the presence of God our Father. This punishment is no slap on the wrist; Jesus comes and takes all the sin of the world onto himself to the cross where he submits to death in our place. He does this for you and me because he loves us that much even though we’re not always so loveable and continually walk away from him.

We see God's love in Jesus as he relates to the people. The gospels are filled with stories of how Jesus reached out to people with grace, forgiveness, mercy, and love. These were people who had experienced little of these things from the religious leaders or from the Roman overlords, and didn't expect to experience them in their relationship with God either. While we too often take grace, forgiveness, mercy and love for granted, the people in Jesus' time had grown used to not expecting anything. They were hoping for the Messiah and freedom from the Romans, but I wonder if they hoped for much more than that. Today, where do the people at our workplaces, school, neighbourhoods and other places see real hope offered in their own lives; are they hoping to just get by, maybe having a few nice things, to be comfortable, have a few friends to share life with, and hopefully not get sick or lose what they have.

Imagine how their lives might be different if they knew God’s love for them; how they could be free from worry and fear, how important they are to God, and how God can use them to completely change another person's life by inviting them to follow and know Jesus with you. Can you imagine how free some of your friends might feel if they only knew that they can experience forgiveness and release from anger, fear, hopelessness and more because God loves them and sent Jesus to show us the way to himself. As they begin to follow Jesus with you, as they get overwhelmed with Jesus, as they give over control of their lives to Jesus, they’re 'fearing the Lord' as Solomon calls us to. Fearing God is the source of our strength to resist the attraction of sin and Satan. Paul says in Romans 3:18 that our main sin is that we "have no fear of God at all," no sense of awe and wonder at who God is and how much he loves us.

Solomon doesn't stop with fearing God; fearing God means keeping God's commandments, having a deep wonder and awe at who God is, being filled with God's love. We show our love to God by being the people God calls us to be. Jesus himself said that "if you love me, you will keep my commands." God gave us his commandments to shape us, mold us into people who reflect who he is. Because God is a God of love, Jesus summarises the commandments by calling us to, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself." This means that loving God with everything you are and have, is how you’ll find meaning in your life. Yet Jesus knows we can’t keep the commandments the way we should, but that doesn’t mean we give up. Do the best you can today, and then tomorrow try to do a little better; this is the journey of sanctification. Meaning doesn't come from finding yourself or by focusing on yourself, it comes from focusing on God and others.

Jesus is our example in this. He came to call us back to God, he died for us, was raised from the dead, and now sits at the right hand of God interceding for us still. This is all rooted in his love for you. Jesus is the source for our meaning in life. Jesus says of himself, "I am the way, the truth and the life." Trust and follow Jesus, and you’ll find meaning and purpose by loving and obeying God and loving others as your life is shaped by service towards him and them. This love for others should be the driving force to inviting others to join you in your walk with God in following Jesus and working out who he’s calling you to become. Jesus' last command to go and make disciples is rooted in his love for all people and his desire that all people will come to know him and hear his invitation to follow him. Jesus is calling you to be his presence and voice. While you may search for happiness and meaning elsewhere, you’ll only find lasting happiness and meaning in Jesus.

 

The Work of God - Ecclesiastes 11:1–10

As Solomon draws to the end of his taking stock of the world through the lens of “under the sun,” he comes to the topic of work. God created Adam and Eve to care for the garden and creation, and he walked with them in the evening after a day of work. The first gift God gave Adam and Eve after creating them was the gift of sabbath, the gift of resting and enjoying the creation we live in, and the beautiful garden they were to manage. But when they disobeyed God, they hid from him in fear; work became filled with thorns and sweat. Yet our work is part of God’s work as stewards of his creation, and part of his plan of redemption.

Solomon speaks to the wisdom of hard work and to developing different talents and opportunities within your work. He advises us to “ship your grain across the sea,” to seek out markets for your products, even if they’re not where you first considered. In verse 2 he writes, “Invest in seven ventures, yes in eight; you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.” In an agricultural society, it’s wise to make sure you’re not completely dependent on only one crop or type of farming. Some crops handle drought better than others, some crops do better in poor soil, different livestock need different types of pasture and feed, and there’s no control over the weather and a multitude of other variables that can impact you. Businesses were regularly impacted by conflicts, trade barriers, bandits, or other problems.

Diversification allows the family to get by, no matter the circumstances. This is more difficult in today’s society, this wisdom may look a little different; it may look like learning a number of skills, or continual learning as most people today will hold a number of jobs, and even very different types of jobs over their life. Flexibility is important and wise today, and diversifying your income and investment as a protection against bad yields in one area of the economy or another may also be wise; Solomon’s emphasis is on our not knowing what the future holds

We know a lot of how creation works: when clouds are full it rains, and trees that fall will lie on the ground, and yet our knowledge isn’t perfect, creation is still in God’s hands and he directs it so that the rain doesn’t always fall when expected. We still need to go out and do our work, even if the conditions aren’t perfect because otherwise, you won’t have enough food on your table. Today this wisdom may look like taking a job you don’t really want, but will feed you and your family. This is practical wisdom, but it challenges our world’s teaching that you can be whoever you want and that work has to be enjoyable. Eating is also enjoyable.

There’s so much we don’t know: the path of the wind, which often changes direction, to the mystery of life and how a child’s formed in a mother’s womb. We know the biology of making babies, but the forming of the soul and the image of God in each child is still a mystery to us. It’s God-work that’s more than biology. Yet even though there’s so much we don’t understand, we work with what we do know; we do the work set before us because there will never be perfect conditions, and idle hands have a tendency to get into trouble.   

There are many unable to work, as our society defines work. We look at work with a pay-cheque as real work, yet work is about contributing to the flourishing of our families and community. A stay-at-home mom or dad’s work provides a solid foundation for the family, building strong families, creating a flexibility to ensure that the family is able to adapt to all kinds of unexpected situations. Families where there’s a stay-at-home parent are ensured that their family’s faith and moral foundations are solidly part of their children’s life foundations. This is valuable work. It builds deeper relationships within the family and strong feelings of connectedness, safety, and opportunities to communicate, quantity of time provides for moments of quality time as a family. This builds strong families which builds strong communities, blessing our society as a whole. It’s a weakness in our society today that too many families need to have both parents work outside the home simply to pay the bills.

Many are unable to do paid work for health or other reasons, yet many volunteer as they’re able. Unfortunately, their work’s often under-valued and under-appreciated. Many of our non-profits benefit greatly from their work. Age is often a factor in being able to work. I’ve experienced the value of older people’s quiet work like prayer, notes of encouragement, visiting shut-ins and the lonely, calling others, and sharing their wisdom. All these community building acts of service bring huge value to our community. For those who struggle with their health, engaging in this kind of work helps you to look past your own situation by focusing on blessing others and bringing joy and community into their lives.

God not only created us to work; he’s also a God who’s at work. Our work is part of the work he’s doing in his work of redemption and restoration of creation, leading history and the present forward to the return of Jesus and the full establishment of the kingdom of heaven here on earth. There’s Jesus’ finished work: he became human, calling us to repentance and belief, going to the cross, and taking our sin and punishment on himself, returning to heaven after his resurrection, where he now mediates on our behalf with his Father. Jesus sees work in the context of the kingdom of God, “I will make you fishers of men,” urging his followers to do the work of God. Our work flows out of God and the Holy Spirit’s work in us, shaping us, guiding us as followers of Jesus.

God gives us our work, knowing our abilities and gifts. Our work is part of his plans for us, our families, and communities. Paul refers to this in Romans 12:6a, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us,” and goes on to encourage us to use them. In whatever work God calls us to, we work with and for God to discover how he wants us to use our gifts in everyday situations at home, work, church, and community. We often underestimate the gifts God has given us, and sometimes it simply needs someone to recognize them in us and encourage us to develop them. This can lead to some exciting opportunities that we would never have imagined without that encouragement. God loves surprising us gently, or not so gently, pushing us to become or do more than we ever saw in ourselves.

Our work is part of our worship of God. We work as if we’re doing everything for Jesus, doing our best; even if it’s hard or when we encounter obstacles or opposition. When we do our work as if for Jesus, we’re better able to see, value, and encourage the work others do. We begin to see how the work we do deeply connects us to others in our community and the world. Think of a chicken farm. You buy your chicks from someone who hatched them and nurtured them, you buy feed from someone else who used the harvest from yet another farmer, you use equipment made by someone else, perhaps in another country, then you sell your chickens and they’re taken to a factory where they’re processed and then brought to a store where someone buys them to feed their family. How many people are connected together in this simple chain of work, how many people are blessed and able to support their families in this interconnected chain that your farm’s a part of? Our work is part of a cycle of blessing that helps our communities to flourish.

When we seek God’s righteousness through our work, we track justice and virtue in our work. The decisions you make as a business should think about things like fairness and value to employees and customers, keeping our word, and adding value to the local economy. Our work should bless, and not, as the Old Testament prophets remind us, trample the poor or ignore the needy. Paul writes in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” As Professor Jonathan Haidt from New York University’s Stern School of Business writes, “When your heart is open, then your mind is open.” And good works are one of the primary means God uses to open hearts.” We are the body of Christ given as a gift for the life of the world; our work is part of being God’s gift.

Solomon goes on to remind us that light is sweet and to enjoy the years God gives us because there will be dark years too. Solomon encourages the young to enjoy their youth, while also reminding them that their choices will have consequences, so make sure your choices are good ones. Youth is a good time to experiment with many types of work and experiences; they’ll help you gain wisdom, develop skills and talents, and learn the values of family, community, and work.

Solomon calls us to not worry, even if you’re not young anymore, even if your body isn’t the same as when you were younger and stronger; with age comes wisdom. Don’t place so much value on your youth that you miss out on the joy of maturing and growing old, of being able to see life through the eyes of experience, having learned what’s important, of learning the value of both work and relationship, of the importance of seeing the joy in the simple things of life, experiencing the satisfaction of a good day’s work followed by a meal and family, as Solomon has repeated over and over again. May you find joy in your work, paid or unpaid, whether on a jobsite, at home, or in the community as we seek to do it all for the Lord.

The End is the Same for All - Ecclesiastes 9:1–12

Last week we reflected on how Solomon sees injustice and how it impacts us when justice is slow to come. Living under the sun is often difficult and unpredictable, Solomon confesses that we really have no idea of what lies ahead of us, whether love or hate; echoing back to what he’s just written about how the righteous often experience what the wicked deserve and vice versa. Solomon acknowledges that both the righteous and the wicked and everything that happens under the sun is in God’s hands; he’s in control and directs history. Solomon knows that we all share the same end; we’ll all die one day; even Jesus died. This should lead us to hold the things of our lives lightly, easy to let go of to bless others.

It’s good to acknowledge that we’ll all die one day. It doesn’t matter who you are, righteous or wicked, good or bad, clean or unclean, those who sacrifice or those who don’t, we’ll all be held accountable for what we choose to believe, who or what we choose to place our faith in, and for the way we’ve lived our lives and treated God and others. Solomon calls the fact that we all face the same destiny an “evil in everything that happens under the sun.” He goes on to say that “the hearts of people, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live.” These are hard, depressing, hopeless thoughts, and yet there’s truth in his words.

Since the fall in the garden of Eden, sin’s grown and become normal, impacting all of creation. God warned Adam in Genesis 2, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” Adam and Eve disobeyed and death followed, Genesis 3, “To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” This quickly culminates in the flood and a restart with Noah and his family, but history has shown us how wickedness and humanity live together in close relationship. Often, our wickedness is only a matter of degree. 

Solomon now injects a little hope into his reflections on our destinies and death, “Anyone who is among the living has hope—even a live dog is better off than a dead lion! For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even their name is forgotten. Their love, their hate and their jealousy have long since vanished; never again will they have a part in anything that happens under the sun.” The living have hope because after we die, according to Solomon’s knowledge, there’s no further reward, no knowledge, passions, and even their names will be forgotten, a huge fear in the middle eastern culture. “A living dog is better off than a dead lion,” is similar to saying, “The living still hope;” the living can still experience the joy and hope he moves into talking about next.

We see how early in God’s story of redemption that Solomon’s in; and how little knowledge and hope those who only live under the sun really have. If there’s little or nothing after death, as Solomon describes, then this life is all there is, and the reality is that, while many people have good lives, just as many, or even more people live lives of struggle and even quiet desperation. Yet while we’re still living, we still have hope; we have the opportunity to choose Jesus, to accepting him as our Lord and Saviour, repenting and believing in God, choosing wisdom over folly, offering and seeking forgiveness, participating through faith in Jesus in his death and resurrection, taking away the fear and meaninglessness of death, the sting of evil. Jesus dies to take our punishment on himself so that death now is a doorway into God’s presence and mansion forever. Jesus tells his disciples in John 14, “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

Solomon knows Hades as a place of shadow, loneliness, wandering, disconnection, and separation from God. Jonah 2, “He said: “In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry. You hurled me into the depths, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me. I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.’ The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you, Lord my God, brought my life up from the pit.”

This is why Solomon returns to his favourite response to living under the sun, “Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do. Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil.  Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun—all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.” This isn’t bad wisdom, but it is limited wisdom. He knows it doesn’t matter how gifted, strong, wise, or learned you are, life will throw you curveballs and death lies at the end of it all; so, enjoy life when you can, is all the under the sun living can offer you. Many never succeed, as the world understands success, even though they work hard, are gifted and talented, or strong, or even wise and educated. Life and circumstances can humble us. Solomon doesn’t yet understand resurrection and renewal, the restoration of even our physical bodies.

Solomon’s solution is just a small glimpse of what actually lies before us. Jesus spoke often of what the kingdom of heaven is like; like a banquet held by the king, like a wedding feast full of family and friends, good food and company, like a farmer’s field or vineyard full and lush, ready for harvest in order to be enjoyed. Life’s short and often difficult, but the joys we experience now in food, wine, and relationships are but a small taste of what lies before us. This is why we’re called to live into that joy, to share that joy with each other. The work we put our hands to helps our communities to flourish and blesses others. The church is the body of Christ given as a gift for the life of the world.

Jesus shows that how we live now leads to the blessings of belonging in the kingdom of heaven: Matthew 25, “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’  “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’  “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness.” …  “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

Life’s a gift and death’s no longer to be feared. Bobby Jamieson writes in his book on Ecclesiastes: “If you believe that life is good because life is a gift, and life is a gift because God gives it, and life is full of good things because the creator is constantly flinging gifts at you faster than you can catch them, then any meaning you discover is catching up with the meaning that God has already built in. Any goodness you enjoy is scratching the surface of the goodness that life is. Any happiness you experience is a glimpse of the one who is happiness himself.”

Paul states it well in Colossians 3 on how to live in response to the blessings that flow out of the kingdom of heaven, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” This is kingdom living, this is hope-filled, meaningful living. We’re called to build each other up, encourage each other, to be a blessing, undoing the ways of evil and brokenness in our world; so go and live in the joy and hope of Jesus.

The King and Obedience - Ecclesiastes 8:2–17

Solomon knows that the world and people can be dangerous and that we need wisdom to guide us. Yet he also realizes that God’s so much greater than we are and his plans are often hard for us to understand, especially during difficult times and he seems to be quiet. Wisdom’s often in short supply today, just look at our culture. There’s a lot of finger-pointing and talking down people who disagree with each other. There’s little patience for engaging in meaningful conversations with those we disagree with, there’s little careful reflection, or the willingness to learn and change. It’s “us” or “them.” This leaves us unable to learn from people we disagree with. Wisdom looks like building relationships with people who see the world differently and be humble enough to admit that they may know things we don’t.

Our culture values youth and beauty over wisdom. We honour people who become wealthy and successful while still young. We’re obsessed with beauty. But the young haven’t always learned wisdom yet, and beauty fades quickly. Meanwhile, those who’ve lived many years and bear scars often have deep wisdom to offer, if we’re willing to listen. Wisdom looks like building friendships and relationships with older members of our congregation. They may not be able to tell you how to navigate social media, but they can share how to be kind and grace-filled and live in a healthy way that builds your souls. How we communicate may change, but people don’t, whether we relate through a screen or face-to-face.

In verses 2-5, Solomon urges his readers to use wisdom when in dangerous situations, especially when serving in the king’s court. In middle eastern courts, kings were seen as God-like, but were very unpredictable because of their immense power. Solomon calls his readers to obey the king because of the oaths they made before God. He tells his readers to not be in a hurry to leave the king’s presence. Another translation of the Hebrew is “do not be terrified to walk from the king’s presence.” Fear can cause us to react in foolish ways, when things get unpleasant, because the king’s going to do what he wants anyway, don’t argue with the king, quietly leave. The wise person will know the proper time to speak up and when to be silent, and how to speak into unfairness and injustice. Solomon calls us to use wisdom to survive in a dangerous world. This echoes the wisdom of Daniel and his three friends later in Babylon, as well as Queen Esther.

Jesus used such wisdom to get himself out of tricky, and even dangerous situations. The Pharisees often tried to trap Jesus into saying things that would turn the people against him. The Jews hated paying taxes to Rome, so one time the Pharisees asked Jesus, “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” No matter what Jesus answered, he’d get in trouble, if he said “Pay your taxes,” then the Jews would hate him, and if he said “No,” the Romans would charge him with rebellion. Matthew 22, ^“Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”  “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

 When things would get tense, Jesus would avoid confrontation by going back to Galilee or into the mountains with his disciples for a time. Jesus often warned his disciples that things would get dangerous for them because they chose to follow him, telling them in Matthew 10, “See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” In Acts, Luke shares stories of the apostles being arrested, being persecuted and beaten, and even dying like Stephen for their faith in Jesus. Persecution and injustice still happen today; the call of Jesus is still for us to “be wise.”

Solomon writes that “the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure,” and yet our wisdom and knowledge is limited because we don’t always understand God’s ways. Verses 6-8 remind us that we don’t know the future; there’s a proper time and way for everything, but no one has power over the time of their death, or every event in their lives, it’s all in God’s hands and timing. Isaiah 55:8–9 says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Ultimately, God’s in control, not us, or even the most powerful ruler. Solomon knew that God’s the king of Israel, Solomon and all the other kings were only representatives of God, called to be obedient to the High King. The kings of Israel were called to protect and to provide for the people, representing God’s relationship and commitments to his people.

In verses 9-14, Solomon talks about injustice, wickedness, and how some wicked prosper while righteous people suffer; it seems unfair and meaningless, and hard to understand. If there’s no God, no one to hold the wicked accountable, then life’s meaningless and there’s no reason not to be wicked and selfish and take whatever you want. From our perspective under the sun, justice often doesn’t come quickly or easily, or even when we look at it from God’s perspective. As Solomon writes, “All this I saw, as I applied my mind to everything done under the sun. There is a time when a man lords it over others to his own hurt. Then too, I saw the wicked buried—those who used to come and go from the holy place and receive praise in the city where they did this. This too is meaningless.” Solomon’s successor was his son Rehoboam who didn’t take his older advisor’s advice on how to treat the people, 1 Kings 12:10–11, “The young men who had grown up with him replied, “These people have said to you, ‘Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but make our yoke lighter.’ Now tell them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist. My father laid on you a heavy yoke; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.’” This advice tore Israel apart.

What Solomon knows goes against what he sees. Solomon sees how wicked people can be part of the temple, and in their death be honoured by the people. A person’s wickedness will come to an end one day when they die, but there are always other wicked people who will rise up in their place. Injustice undealt with, creates more trouble; at some point, even good people become self-centered and scheme to get what they believe is their fair share. Injustice leads to a desire for vengeance, for taking justice into their own hands. This allows wicked people to become even more wicked. Jesus comes to satisfy God’s justice by taking our sin on himself to the cross, this is part of what the Lord’s Supper reminds us of, but under the sun, we still experience much injustice.

Wickedness can gain wealth and power for the sinner, but can’t deliver him from death. Even if wicked people live long lives, they still have to stand before God’s judgment. This gives those who have suffered injustice hope knowing that the wicked will be held to account. God’s a God of justice, but we don’t understand why it takes so long for some to face justice. Solomon sees all that God has done, but acknowledges that our understanding is limited. As God tells Job, Job 11, “Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty? They are higher than the heavens above—what can you do? They are deeper than the depths below—what can you know?” It takes faith and trust that God is true to his people, that he hears our cries.

Those who experience injustice with no accountability find it impacts their relationship with the Lord, tempting them to reject the Lord, or to allow bitterness to settle into their heart and soul. I’ve walked alongside those who’ve been abused and seen the justice system fail them, whether in the courts, or even within the church, creating doubt about God’s justice and compassion. The pain of their abuse settles in deep when justice isn’t carried out. Wisdom calls us to not stand up for a bad cause, to call our leaders and each other to honesty, justice, and good ruling. Embrace God’s values and morals, strive after justice and righteousness, speak out against wickedness, and stand with those impacted by injustice. But we do so with respect, with persistence, with reason, and with wisdom rather than shouting in fear and anger.

God patiently waits until death when the wicked move from being under the power and protection of Satan into God’s hands and accountability. The wicked may live a long time here, yet we have eternity in our hearts, the days here under the sun are limited. We need to look past the days under the sun to the days that are coming when Jesus returns, and death is defeated, and eternity with God stretches out before us. We will face justice before Jesus who is the King of kings. Belief in God’s judgement is the ultimate grounds for hope. Every false charge will be dropped and every wrongful conviction will be overturned. Meaninglessness will come to an end. This is never spelled out in Ecclesiastes; it’s in the rest of Scripture where we see how God’s plan of redemption and restoration play out in the coming of Jesus.

The best Solomon can offer under the sun is to keep going back to his advice to enjoy life, to eat, drink, and be glad. Paul understands where Solomon’s coming from, without Jesus, we have nothing left, in 1 Corinthians 15:32 he writes, “If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus with no more than human hopes, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” Our hope lies in knowing that in a dangerous and often unjust world, that Jesus is coming to bring new life, hope, and the kingdom of heaven marked by justice and righteousness, a place of safety where we can live into our potential with a joy that rests in a God of eternity who truly loves you.

The Holy Spirit Renews Us - Ezekiel 37:1–14

Today we’re celebrating Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit on God’s people. We often refer to the first Pentecost as the birth of the church as we know it today, a multicultural, multi-ethnic body of Christ equipped by the Holy Spirit to share the good news of Jesus in the world, bringing new life to the world. The Holy Spirit’s given to us as a gift, reminding us of who Jesus is, pointing us to God and Jesus, and how our salvation rests in the work of Jesus and not in our own works.

This vision of Ezekiel foreshadows the coming of the Holy Spirit and the new life the Holy Spirit brings. It comes right after the Lord speaks against the nations that have plundered Israel and speaks words of restoration, renewal, and blessing to his people. The Lord holds the nations accountable for their actions against Israel, even though he used the nations as his tool to punish Israel for their sin. Just because the Lord uses them, they’re still responsible for how they treat others, even if they’re enemies.

Israel would often forget God, ignore his ways, and find themselves slaves to other gods, living in spiritual deadness and hopelessness. This time their ignoring God has led them into exile in Babylon. The Lord speaks to Israel and tells them that they’ll remember their evil ways and wicked deeds and loath them. Israel’s called to be ashamed and disgraced for their conduct, but the Lord, in his grace, promises to cleanse them from their sins and resettle them in their land again. Grace is also found in Israel’s punishment; the Lord holds them accountable for their acts so that they’ll change and come back to the Lord. The Lord shows his grace to them so that they’ll know that he is the Lord.

The Lord gives Ezekiel this vision of a valley of dry bones, a message of hope coming shortly after a message of judgment. The Lord takes Ezekiel to the middle of a valley filled with bones that are very dry with absolutely no life in them, bleached by the sun. As Ezekiel looks out at this scene, he’s likely remembering his vision in chapter 3 on the plain, probably by the Chebar River in Mesopotamia, representing Israel’s defeat at the hands of the Babylonian empire. The bones represent the hopelessness Israel’s experiencing in exile. This is a battlefield scene, the bones representing the fallen dead, the loss of life, and the loss of hope. The Lord now asks Ezekiel a really challenging question, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

Ezekiel’s wise enough to be cautious in his answer. He knows that humanly speaking there’s no chance of these bones coming back to life. Yet Ezekiel’s already been given some fantastical visions, realizing that the Lord is giving him an opportunity to practice trust and faith, knowing that with God all things are possible as he is the creator of the universe and life, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” Then the Lord says to Ezekiel, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’” Everything that’s about to happen is so that God’s people will once again acknowledge the Lord, once again worship him over all other gods and idols.

Ezekiel obeys and prophesies as the Lord tells him to. Prophesy is more forth-telling than fore-telling; prophesy is about speaking God’s word into the present situation rather than speaking into the future. As Ezekiel’s prophesying, a rattling noise happens, and bones begin moving towards each other and joining together. As the bones form skeletons, tendons and flesh begin to appear on them, and then finally skin covers each of the bodies. As the bodies lie there, they’re still lifeless. It echoes God creating Adam from the earth. At this point they’re still dead. They may look good on the outside, but there’s no life in them. Another step, a major step of creation is still needed; life needs to be poured into these still dead bodies.

Now the Lord commands Ezekiel to prophesy again, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come breath, from the four winds and breath into these slain, that they may live.” There’s so much in this simple sentence. The Hebrew word for breath is the same word for both wind and spirit. The Lord’s commanding Ezekiel to speak to the Spirit and to bring life into the bodies, as life comes from God and God’s Spirit is called to bring life to the bodies lying there. The picture of the four winds echoes references to Zechariah and Revelation and the world-wide presence of the Spirit.

This is a “WOW!” God moment happening here, even if it’s in a vision. As Ezekiel prophesies, breath enters the bodies and they come to life and stand up on their feet—a vast army. This echoes the creation of Adam, showing that we’re more than skin and bones, our life comes from God, and we’re both flesh and spirit. This is prophecy in action. We hear an echo forward, to the opening of the graves and the dead coming back to life at the death of Jesus and the tearing of the curtain separating the Holy of Holies from the rest of the world and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit into the world, bringing life to those who’ve died.

This vision’s all about Israel stripped of hope. The Sovereign Lord, the name God uses here is significant as it reminds Ezekiel and Israel that he’s in control, sovereign over all creation, including death and life. This is all about hope and restoration; “Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.’” The Lord ends this vision with the promise of restoration in their own land again, a national restoration that points to individual resurrection and new life for all God’s people.

There are so many people seeking new life and hope today. Life can be cruel and hard; people get beat down. Sin’s not just things that we do that are wrong morally, ethically, or religiously; sin is a direction of our heart that rejects God for ourselves. The impact of sin, both our own and others, has created a world where great things are promised, where we’re told that we can be anything we want, but than the forces in our culture quietly tear us down. The weight of sin can overwhelm us, we can begin to believe that Jesus could never forgive us, that we’re unforgiveable.

Idols slither into our ears and eyes and we’re seduced into following their promises of influence, wealth, power, physical love, and whatever our hearts can conceive of. We’re so confident in our own ability to build our own world on our own terms and then when disaster or loss comes and the idols prove false and our world falls apart and our hearts and souls begin to whither away. The chains of slavery to our idols weigh heavier and heavier, we’re unable to get out from under them and we begin to shrivel up and our hearts and souls begin to dry up. We get side-tracked in life, following paths that look so promising at first: wide open and smooth, but then find ourselves in sloughs of despair and hopelessness, wondering how we ended up there, unable to see a way out or forward. There’s a great need for new life today.

If you’re struggling, if your soul has withered and you’re seeking hope and new life, you can find it in Jesus. When his disciples were hiding away after his death, Jesus appeared to them, John 20, “Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.  Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

Jesus offers us his peace, he gives us his Spirit of life, the same Spirit that poured over the valley bringing life, the Spirit that poured out from the temple and raised the dead to life. The Spirit is given to us when we choose to follow Jesus; when we turn to Jesus for new life. This new life brings forgiveness and new beginnings; it gives us a new identity that’s rooted in Jesus. Through the Spirit, we’re called to extend forgiveness, to be people of grace as we’ve received grace from the Lord through Jesus’ death and resurrection.

The Spirit works through Scripture and the call to walk in Jesus’ way; through prayer, and meditation, taking time with God, through worship with other Jesus followers, through reflection on creation and seeing God’s fingerprints all around us, through fellowship, and service. As we engage with the Spirit, Jesus’ peace fills and shapes us, and we become witnesses to the world of Jesus and the good news of forgiveness and grace he offers. Shape your life around Jesus and experience his life in you, remembering that Jesus can use you to bring new life in Jesus, offering his forgiveness and renewal to a world quietly, and not so quietly hurting and struggling today.