verseoftheday

Since you really listened to him and you were taught how the truth is in Jesus, change the former way of life that was part of the person you once were, corrupted by deceitful desires.  Ephesians 4:22 CEB The end of the "year", another circuit around the sun, is marked by different cultures at different times, this one we get a day off work (or time+half + another day off). Whether the year end is something to celebrate, be thankful this one is over, perhaps reflect on the wins, losses, ups, downs, or if it's just another day for you and all that reflection is a bit naf, Paul here does encourage us to take stock of what's really important; Since the truth is in Jesus, what have you learned from him, and what needs to go? Paul's focus isn't what needs to go on the outside, but the inside.  What thoughts need to be booted out? What leanings of my heart need to be let go of? What would Jesus want me to be free of? I love the way the FNVNT version puts it: "T...

Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, based on the wise men's report of the star's first appearance.  ... "A cry was heard in Ramah - weeping and great mourning. Rachel weeps for her children, refusing to be comforted, for they are dead." Matthew 2:16-18 NLT This is the heartbreaking part of the Christmas story, a version of which seems to happening this year in Israel and Gaza.  Children paying with their lives for the choices of those with power.  It must've seemed that day, that week, that month, that year, that life for those whose babies had been killed by the forces of Empire, that evil had won.  It must've felt like God had abandoned them, forsaken them, turned his back on them.  In the midst of this horror story, hope is right there.  So small and tucked away that it's easy to miss, easy to lose sight of. And that's ...

After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream.  "Get up!  Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother," the angel said.  "Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him." That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother, and they stayed there until Herods death. Matthew 2:13-15 NLT This is as much a part of the Christmas story as the gifts, the shepherds, no room in the inn.  Joseph has another disturbed sleep and does not hesitate to follow the angel's instruction. He packs up his little family and runs.  They're now refugees.  Perhaps they could only have run because of the gold that had been gifted.  What would've happened if they hadn't run that night?  Would Evil have won? It's no wonder the people were looking for, hoping for, waiting for, a saviour, a Messiah, to rescue them from the world in which they lived.  But that night, the ...

This gave full meaning to the words of Creator spoken long ago by the prophet, "A young virgin will be with child and give birth to a son. They will call his name Immanuel, which in our tribal language means Creator Is with Us. Gift from Creator Tells the Good Story (Matthew) 1:22-23 FNVNT  All these orchestrated events leading up to Jesus birth are meaningful in themselves, in the now of Matthew's time, and meaningful for us today.  And they carry forward meaning from the prophet Isaiah (see Isaiah 7:14) The First Nations version captures something here for us, "Creator is with us". How does this work that the Creator of all we can see and know and discover is now with us? With us as the fulfillment of ancient prophecy, with us as the hoped for Messiah to bring freedom from the oppression of the Romans, to be God-with-us in 2023, and with us as our hope of a new earth, of shalom restored, of every-tear-wiped-away, our hope that the glimpses we have of how things sho...

And Joseph named him Jesus. Matthew 1:25 NLT Joseph could've walked away, and didn't. Yes he had a dream, but even the most vivid of dreams can be dismissed.  Joseph didn't just stay with Mary, he did what today we would call "adopted" Jesus.  He can't have really grasped all that was going on here but he stayed with the people God had placed in his orbit, placed in his care.  Stick with those God has placed in your care, they're part of God's Bigger Story. We all have a part in God's Bigger Story. We can't always see it, understand it, or grasp the significance of today, but we can be assured that our commitment to one another, our smallest acts of care and kindness will echo into eternity, in God's Bigger Story. The thing with Joseph was that he was just asked to be a husband to Mary and Dad to Jesus, he didn't have to save the world, that was Jesus job.  We don't have to save the world either, just love the people who we can, sti...

As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream.  "Joseph, son of David," the angel said, "do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.  And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." Matthew 1:20-21 NLT More angels, but this time not a terrifying "in person" visit, but in a dream.  Lesson: God connects with people in different ways.  The first thing the angel does is remind Joseph of who he is, the ancestors who he belongs to.  Lesson: our whakapapa matters. The angel seems to know Joseph's plan to break up with Mary. What's implied but not said is that Joseph is needed, he's got an important part to play in Mary's life and Jesus' life, and the angel is asking him to change direction, not to walk away as his culture might allow and even expect him to do.  Lesson: sometimes our family is formed in ways ...

That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them.  They were terrified,  but the angel reassured them.  "Don't be afraid!" he said. "I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior - yes, the Messiah, the Lord - has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign:  You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger." Luke 2:8-12 NLT More angels, terrified people, & signs. Not sure why God sent angels to see a handful of shepherds and not wake the whole town! But Luke is sharing with us all these strands, Zechariah the Priest, Joseph of King David's line, shepherds guarding their sheep just like David did, the wise arriving with gifts for a king, Angels giving an unmissable message that the person their people were ...

All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, Davids ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child. And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them. Luke 2:3-7 NLT According to Google Maps the shortest route from Nazareth to Bethlehem is 145km. And it's not flat.  And Mary is pregnant.  And there's no cars.  And why are they making this trip? Because the Romans said they had to.  And when they got there, they didn't know anyone who would put then up even though this was where Joseph's family came from.  I wonder if Mary's pregnancy had anything to do with that.  There's zero ti...

In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary.  She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said,  "Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!" Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.  Luke 1:26-29 NLT  Gabriel is back with more news, this time not to a priest in the sanctuary, a place where if you were going to meet an angel it would seem more likely, but this time to Mary.  Mary who's only qualification that Luke's investigation has noted is that her fiance Joseph is connected to royalty.  I wonder where she was, what she was doing? She was really upset by Gabriel turning up.  The word used is "diatarasso" and this is the only time it's used in the Bible (From Luke's medical training maybe?) It means "acutely distressed" in every part of her, her though...

Friday! Proverbs! A murderer's tormented conscience will drive him into the grave.  Don't protect him Proverbs 28:17 NLT Wow, could Proverbs have thrown up a more inappropriate message at Christmas? Maybe Proverbs is just keeping it real.  There's still war in Ukraine, Gaza, and many other places around the world. The news is full of tragic stories. Christmas doesn't stop violence and abuse in our homes, for some it makes it worse. Christmas doesn't stop our memories of harm, of loss, of grief.  Let's not tinsel over the reality of today, nor that first Christmas. We romanticise a young couple unable to find a place to stay and a baby being born in what may have been a stable.  Reality is that's a really difficult situation.  This proverb is about facing reality, not tinseling over it, the reality we sometimes find in our own hearts, and in the hearts of others.  And Christmas reminds us that Hope entered the story in a whole new way. Love entered the story...

Meanwhile,  the people were waiting for Zechariah to come out of the sanctuary, wondering why he was taking so long. When he finally did come out, he couldn't speak to them. Then they realized from his gestures and his silence that he must have seen a vision in the sanctuary. Luke 1:21-22 NLT The people outside had no idea what was happening with or to Zechariah.  Yet he was having a profound encounter with Gabriel.  Waiting.  Waiting for people is not something we're good at. We're often not patient with ourselves, with others, with the world around us.  Zechariah was going to have to wait and see when the promise made to him would be fulfilled, wait for John to be born, wait for him to speak, to prepare the way for the Messiah, wait for the Messiah, wait for him to act in this world. Waiting. Waiting to get his voice back.  The people were waiting, and now instead if getting an explanation they got some signs.  When we wait on others we don't know wh...

Zechariah said to the angel,  "How can I be sure this will happen?  Im an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years." Then the angel said,  "I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God.  It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! But now, since you didn't believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time." Luke 1:18-20 NLT Nothing in Zechariah's life had prepared him to come face to face with Gabriel.  He was a priest, in the holiest place where God is met, on his own, and an angel has appeared with a prophecy spoken over him and he's having trouble believing it.  Because it would take a miracle. It would take something beyond his comprehension for this old infertile couple to have a baby. And I'm just like Zechariah. I go to church, and here about God entering the world as a baby it's beyond me.  When He says that I am His bel...

"For he will be great in the sight of the Lord and will never drink wine or beer.  He will be filled with the Holy Spirit while still in his mother's womb. He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to make ready for the Lord a prepared people." Luke 1:15-17 CSB The angel Gabriel is telling Zechariah about his future son's. How to bring him up: the discipline of no alcohol. God will already be with him from the womb. He's got a massive task ahead because Gabriel is bringing a stinging indictment on God's people here; They've turned away from God and need to turn back. They're not living in line with God's instruction for people's flourishing, and a key way that is found is that they have become selfish;  Gabriel's task for John is to turn the hearts o...

Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. But the angel said,  "Don't be afraid, Zechariah!  God has heard your prayer.  Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John." Luke 1:12-13 NLT A few things for us to wonder about; When God is giving us a nudge it can be scary. He might be asking us to step outside our comfort zone, towards someone or something that is not what we would choose.  It's OK to be overwhelmed. When what God has seems too much for us.  He also knows us.  The angel didn't say "Don't be stupid" or "toughen up", he said "Don't be afraid". There's no need, God has heard you. How long had Zechariah been praying that prayer? V7 says they were both old and Elizabeth couldn't conceive.  I wonder what it was that kept Zach praying? Or was God responding to a prayer from long ago, a prayer prayed and long ago all hope seemed lost in having an answer, a prayer tha...

Sunday Psalms Please,  God,  rescue me!  Come quickly,  Lord,  and help me. May those who try to kill me be humiliated and put to shame. May those who take delight in my trouble be turned back in disgrace... But may all who search for you be filled with joy and gladness in you. May those who love your salvation repeatedly shout,  "God is great!" But as for me,  I am poor and needy; please hurry to my aid,  O God.  You are my helper  and my savior;  O Lord,  do not delay. Psalm 70 NLT This song starts with David's expression of how things are for him.  He is feeling desperate.  It's OK to express how things really are.  He then turns to those who have harmed him, that he wants consequences, justice, something to be done.  It's OK to want justice. He then turns his mind to God. Even in his distress, he is reminding himself to keep seeking God even in these circumstances. It's OK to remind ourselves of what is ...

One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week. As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying. While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him.  Luke 1:8-12 NLT Zach was going about his normal duties, chosen apparently at random that day to enter the sanctuary.  An ordinary day.  And on that ordinary day, the extraordinary happened. With the noise of the crowd outside praying and the smell of the incense and the smoke swirling, heaven entered earth.  We don't know if it was the surprise, the form of the angel, but this was not subtle, but an act full of drama.  And yet it was personal.  The crowd outside praying had no idea what was going on for Z inside....

Friday! Proverbs! A ruler with no understanding will oppress his people,  but one who hates corruption will have a long life. Proverbs 28:16 NLT So we have a ruler, someone with power, who doesn't understand and so tolerates, uses, promotes corruption, and oppresses those with less power.  As we look around the world we can see people in power like this, and at times it seems in our own country.  But proverbs is about getting to the heart and so I'm wondering where I have power, in the relationships where I have some authority, how well do I understand those affected by my decisions? Where do I move things in my favour? Sometimes it's really tricky to even see where we have power because we're so used to the "way it is". When Jesus turned up he'd already left most of his power behind. At Christmas he was so small he had to be carried around, fed by his parents, held. He grew up a refugee, a tradesman, from a poor place in a country dominated by another Em...

When Herod was king of Judea, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He was a member of the priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron. Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God's eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord's commandments and regulations.  They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old. Luke 1:5-7 NLT This is where Luke starts the story, with a beautiful old couple who have long religious traditions, they love God, serve, and they have no children.  They're both infertile and old.  Luke is setting us up here for a miracle on the edge, one step removed from Jesus.  In fact Jesus isn't even here yet, and is breaking in in an unusual place, an unexpected place.  Zechariah and Elizabeth never gave up serving God even though they lived under Herod's rule, and the one thing they dearly wanted, children of their own, wasn't happening and was now a forlorn hop...

Many people have set out to write accounts about the events that have been fulfilled among us. They used the eyewitness reports circulating among us from the early disciples. Having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I also have decided to write an accurate account for you, most honorable Theophilus, so you can be certain of the truth of everything you were taught. Luke 1:1-4 NLT Luke the analyst, the stand back, take a while to process everything, look from a different perspective, do the research, big picture guy.  It's easy to get caught in this idea that Christmas is the end. There's this big drive in our culture to make it a big thing, it arrives at the end of our year and we (quite rightly) make a big deal of Jesus turning up. And Luke starts with events surrounding Jesus' arrival, but that's not the end of anything (except maybe the end of the beginning of this new story). Jesus arrival is the beginning of something new.  It's the beginni...

All those listed above include fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the Babylonian exile, and fourteen from the Babylonian exile to the Messiah. Matthew 1:17 NLT All those people just living their lives, some famous, powerful, some ordinary, unknown, some who were looked down on, judged, some who parts of their lives are recorded for us, some who are just names in a list.  None of them were perfect. Yet here they are, part of a Bigger Story. Fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen to the exile, and fourteen more to Jesus, the Messiah. This is not an accident, and isn't this the way when we look back we can see where God has been at work, where heaven has broken through, and we can see we're part of a Bigger Story.  But when we're in the middle of it, most of the time we're just living our lives in the best way we can.  Yet we are part of God's Bigger Story.  We are enough.  We are Beloved. #christmas2023

Those who hate me without cause outnumber the hairs on my head. Many enemies try to destroy me with lies, demanding that I give back what I didn't steal. Psalms 69:4 NLT  Do you get the idea that it all seems too much for David? Have you ever been expected to fix something, make something right that wasn't your doing?  Instead of the blame, the shame falling on the perpetrator, somehow it's falling on you? And yet, David keeps coming back to God "But I keep praying to you, Lord,  hoping this time you will show me favor.  In your unfailing love,  O God,  answer my prayer with your sure salvation. Rescue me from the mud;  don't let me sink any deeper!  Save me from those who hate me, and pull me from these deep waters." vv13-15 When it feels like we're walking in mud, when we're sinking, it's OK to express it.  David did.  Even while he was describing his despair, he still cries out to God.  Even in the middle of his situation he sti...

Sunday Psalms Save me,  O God,  for the floodwaters are up to my neck. Deeper and deeper  I sink into the mire;  I can't find a foothold. I am in deep water,  and the floods overwhelm me. I am exhausted  from crying for help;  my throat is parched.  My eyes are swollen with weeping,  waiting  for my God to help me. Psalm 69:1-3 NLT Maybe David's song resonates with you.  I'm reading this listening to Tuis and birds waking to the morning and smelling the coffee brewing.  And the discord between this and David's words are stark.  This time of year when our culture is talking tinsel and gifts and our churches are preaching baby Jesus and the hope of the world arriving, we get David's reality check.  Because for some, this is exactly how they are feeling, and for some it's because of Christmas.  So today if it helps to know that your voice is in the Bible, here it is in this Psalm, this song.  If it helps to kno...

Eliud was the father of Eleazar. Eleazar was the father of Matthan.  Matthan was the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Joseph,  the husband of Mary - of whom Jesus was born, who is called the Christ.   Matthew 1:15-16 CEB There's a long list here at the beginning of the Christmas story.  A long list of people.  The story of Christmas, Jesus entering the world is a human story.  It's couched in his human history.  There's a long list behind me, and there's a long list behind you.  Jesus story is God entering in, and at the same time it's a human story.  Jesus was one of us.  And...this is Joseph's line, the Joseph who was Jesus "adopted" Dad.  It's like Joseph's whole family line and heritage was adopted by Jesus.  Follow Jesus this Christmas, do some adopting, check in on that workmate, classmate, colleague, neighbour, friend... do they need a fam to gather with, a Christmas meal to share? Christmas is a human story...

Here is the record of the ancestry of Creator Sets Free (Jesus) the Chosen One,  a descendant of Much Loved One (David)  and of Father of Many Nations (Abraham). From Father of Many Nations (Abraham) to Much Loved One (David), his ancestors were: Matthew 1:1 FNVNT  Where we come from matters.  Our stories, our whakapapa, matters. The New Testament doesn't open with Jesus birth but with a record of who he came from, who he belongs to, and connects him to the stories of the lives that have gone before him.  Christmas has been captured by a different story, different images, and the heart of the real story is so easily lost in the hollowed out story that our culture promotes. Matthew's gospel doesn't let us get away with that, but anchors us in the story that begins at the beginning.  This new story of Jesus (Creator sets free) started long before.  I wonder what Jesus would make of Christmas in 2023?  Where would he be found? #christmas2023 #whereyo...

Furthermore,  because we are united with Christ,  we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance,  and he makes everything work out according to his plan. Ephesians 1:11 NLT Your inheritance is already in place.  You can't lose it, it's set.  No matter what this world, other people, the spiritual world throws at you, you have an inheritance from God. It's a picture of something, something of value and worth. You're chosen, are in the "royal" line, a child of God, with something of immense worth prepared for you.  God has a plan, and we're part of it. Part of His redemption story.  It's easy to lose sight of that in the everyday, in the ordinary, when chaos seems to reign, when there's despair, when things are not what they should be or how we believe God would want them to be.  Yet, He can still be found in our trouble. And in His Big Story (that we have a small part in) there will be restoration, all will be made new, our in...

Concerning this, I pleaded with the Lord three times that it would leave me. But he said to me,  "My grace is sufficient for you,  for my power is perfected in weakness." Therefore,  I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses,  so that  Christ's power may reside in me.  2 Corinthians 12:8-9 CSB Paul's letter to the church seems to be addressing an issue where people are "boasting" about spiritual experiences and the implication is that there were "better" Christians as a result.  He essentially tells them to stop it.  And to actually stop him "boasting", he has some kind of disability, pain, or what we today might call a mental illness. He doesn't describe it or explain it, but it's debilitating and painful in a significant way.  Jesus said to him that the things people are boasting about, their abilities to speak or teach or lead or play or how much they give or their spiritual experiences, while good things, are a...

Creator Sets Free (Jesus) told them,  "Go back to Gift of Goodwill (John) and tell him about the things you have seen with your own eyes and heard with your own ears. The blind can see again, the lame can walk,  the ones with skin disease have been cleansed! Ears that cannot hear have been opened,  the dead have come back to life again,  and the poor are being told the good story! Creators blessing and goodwill rest on the one who does not stumble and leave the path because of me." Matthew 11:4-6 FNVNT John (Gift of Goodwill) was in prison and was looking for reassurance that Jesus is the real deal.  That he is who he said he is. John who in chapter 3 baptised Jesus, who at the time said it was Jesus who should be baptising him, who must've heard God's voice from heaven, seen the Spirit descending like a dove...and yet here he is questioning. Our circumstances can make us question.  Question God, our faith, who Jesus is.  And Jesus's response is for us...

Sunday Psalms; Father to the fatherless, defender of widows - this is God,  whose dwelling is holy. God places the lonely in families;  he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy. But he makes the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land. Psalm 68:5-6 NLT This Psalm, this song, has some great lines; "But God will smash the heads of his enemies..." Ps 68:21 Not sure if we're going to be singing that in church this morning... There are parts of this song of victory, of enemies being subdued, because of God's power. That's what the writer has valued in the past and wants to see again.  And yet in these verses we see God's heart exposed; Father to the fatherless Defender of widows He places the lonely in families Sets those imprisoned free Jesus did not exercise power the way David visioned it, wanted it to work out. Jesus enemy was death, and the things that separate us.  And he calls us to follow him, to follow his heart, to stand in the gap with those who need...

Happy the person who is never without fear,  but he who hardens his heart will fall into misfortune. Proverbs 28:14 CJB The Jesus we meet in the garden at Gethsemane is someone who is facing their fears, wanting to have a different future, but facing it anyway.  He did not harden his heart. He did not harden his heart towards the Father, or towards us.  This little proverb reminds us that how we stand here matters. Jesus faced death alone, so that we don't have to. The things we're most afraid of, He has gone before us. Hardening our hearts is not the answer, that's one thing this proverb reminds us.  And we can get a glimpse of Jesus, facing his fear, and we can too, but we don't have to do that alone. #proverbs #wisdom #somethingtochewon #inthistogether

Friday! Proverbs! Happy the person who is never without fear,  but he who hardens his heart will fall into misfortune. Proverbs 28:14 CJB This word "fear" is the word "pachad" which has the meaning of dread, or to be in awe.  So happy, or blessed, is the person who has a sense of dread! Or awe! And what is this person compared to? Someone with a hard heart.  Not just someone with a hard heart, but who also trips up, falls into trouble.  This sense of dread, of trouble, and of awe, can do two things.  Keep us from trouble. And keep our heart soft.  Our soft heart knows that we're not in control, that terrible and tragic things happen, that this world can be full of grief and hurt and loss, and at the same time, we are not in this alone, not without hope, not without the One who Saves. This proverb tells us to keep it real about the world, and not to get hard hearted in it. #proverbs #wisdom #somethingtochewon