stumbling block

Let us therefore no longer pass judgment on one another, but resolve instead never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother or sister. I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who considers it unclean. If your brother or sister is distressed by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. Do not let what you eat cause the ruin of one for whom Christ died. So do not let your good be slandered. For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. The one who serves Christ in this way is acceptable to God and has human approval. Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong to make someone stumble by what you eat; it is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that makes your brother or sister stumble. Hold the conviction that you have as your own before God. Blessed are those who do not condemn themselves because of what they approve. But those who have doubts are condemned if they eat because they do not act from faith, for whatever does not proceed from faith is sin. We who are strong ought to put up with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us must please our neighbor for the good purpose of building up the neighbor. (Romans 14:13—15:2, NRSVue)

Everything was and is created by God, and according to the creation story in the Hebrew Scripture, it is good. God created everything, and that creation is good. Humanity steps in and takes the good creation to extremes and makes it something that it should not be, and takes good creation and makes it sinful. Taken to extremes, good things can be bad.

We should not allow good things to become bad, or use things to make people do things outside of what God created them to do. Do not be a stumbling block for others, but also do not say that everyone else has to be just like you and do exactly what you do. Everything is good, but do not be a cause for others to question God’s love.

Build each other up and be a positive force for love in the world.

By Faith

By faith Moses was hidden by his parents for three months after his birth, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called a son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to share ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered abuse suffered for the Christ to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, unafraid of the king’s anger, for he persevered as though he saw him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel. By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as if it were dry land, but when the Egyptians attempted to do so they were drowned. (Hebrews 11:23-29, NRSVue)

By faith, Moses was protected at birth, as a child, and into his adulthood. Moses followed God even when it meant danger. It is easy to see this because it is a story of our faith. We see Moses as someone we could never be, but the point of this story is not for us to idolize Moses, but for us to see our lives in Moses’ story.

We could have been Moses, and if we operate under faith, things will not always be sunshine and roses, as we see in many of the lives of biblical heroes, but they make it through, and so will you.

Great! Now I need to do math!

Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if my brother or sister sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him, and, as he could not pay, the lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions and payment to be made. So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him by the throat he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.” (Matthew 18:21-35, NRSVue)

Is the beginning of this passage really about doing math? And keeping track?

Not seven times, but seventy-seven times we need to forgive. So I will let you get away with something seventy-seven times, but on the seventy-eighth, all bets are off, and you had better be ready for retribution. No, that is not it, as the story conveys.

Jesus tells of forgiveness of a debt that could never be repaid only for the one forgiven to go and demand a few cents from a friend. We need to forgive as we have been forgiven, as the Lord’s Prayer says: forgive us as we have forgiven. Do you really want to be forgiven as you have forgiven?

Do not keep track, and forgive freely. And share God’s love in all you do.

In this way…

“When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. “Pray, then, in this way: Our Father in heaven, may your name be revered as holy. May your kingdom come. May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one. “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matthew 6:7-15, NRSVue)

I have always pondered why we repeat this prayer word for word (well, translated word for translated word) every week when Jesus says, “Pray in this way…”

He did not say repeat these words for all time, or say these words when you pray.

He said, Here is a model for how you can pray. These are not empty words, or eloquent words that make an impression. These are true words from the heart.

Parent, please be with me and help me to be with you. Help me to bring your love to fulfillment in this place and to help your reign come to be. Remind me that all I need is given to me by you, and help me to not desire more than that. Help me to forgive as you have already forgiven me. Help me to not walk away or lead others away from you, but in everything help me to love as you love me and to help all creation live into your bountiful love.

Jealousy makes us weird

“The patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him and rescued him from all his afflictions and enabled him to win favor and to show wisdom when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler over Egypt and over all his household. Now there came a famine throughout Egypt and Canaan and great suffering, and our ancestors could find no food. But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our ancestors there on their first visit. On the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became known to Pharaoh. Then Joseph sent and invited his father Jacob and all his relatives to come to him, seventy-five in all; so Jacob went down to Egypt. He himself died there as well as our ancestors, and their bodies were brought back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem. (Acts 7:9-16, NRSVue)

The patriarchs: Joseph’s brothers were jealous of him and sold him into slavery because they did not like the attention he got from their father.

What have you done that was not good for someone else because you were jealous of them?

It is human nature to see someone else’s talent and be jealous that they have it and we do not. I am constantly looking at bass players better than me, comparing myself to them, and saying I do not have enough talent and should give up the instrument. And yet there are those who see me play and think that way about me. We should lift others up and not be jealous of what they have.

Do not make life weird by comparing yourself to others. God made you to be unique and loves you as is.

Be you and don’t be jealous.

love one another

For this is the message you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. We must not be like Cain, who was from the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. Do not be astonished, brothers and sisters, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life because we love the brothers and sisters. Whoever does not love abides in death. All who hate a brother or sister are murderers, and you know that murderers do not have eternal life abiding in them. We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers and sisters. (1 John 3:11-16, NRSVue)

How does the world know our love for God?

By the way we keep resources from those who need them while we pray for God to bless our actions?

By the way we claim to follow Christ while we pass laws that harm God’s children?

The hate we show in our actions shows where our hearts are.

When we actually love and look out for the best for all people, that is when God’s love is shown and known in the world.

Love like Jesus and give up evil.

do not doubt

In the morning, when he returned to the city, he was hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the side of the road, he went to it and found nothing at all on it but leaves. Then he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once. When the disciples saw it, they were amazed, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” Jesus answered them, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will be done. Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive.” (Matthew 21:18-22, NRSVue)

If you have faith and do not doubt…

Is doubt the opposite of faith?

The word in this passage translated as doubt is not really doubt. This is probably what those who were translating this passage thought made the most sense and helped portray the meaning the writer wanted to convey. The word means to separate, for one to make a decision. I would suggest a translation of that line as, “If you have faith and are of one mind on this.”

We need not question, but doubt, and questioning is a part of life. We have all the faith we need. To trust in God and to be who God has called us to be. We do not need to curse fig trees or move mountains. God will do that for us.

We need to trust and not waver in that trust.

Have faith and trust the promises.

Questions and doubts are a part of life. Trust in God to see you through.

What?!

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists authority resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct but to bad. Do you wish to have no fear of the authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive its approval, for it is God’s agent for your good. But if you do what is wrong, you should be afraid, for the authority does not bear the sword in vain! It is the agent of God to execute wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be subject, not only because of wrath but also because of conscience. For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s agents, busy with this very thing. Pay to all what is due them: taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due. (Romans 13:1-7, NRSVue)

As I read this text in 2026 in the United States of America, where the government has been working diligently, it seems, to take away care for the poor and help for the underprivileged, I wonder what Paul would say to this?

The government is doing evil in the name of God and trying to take power away from anyone or any entity that does not bow to them. They look out for those who have and work to line the pockets of the rich while taking resources away from those who need them.

I would think that Paul would tell us to stand against those who are looking out only for themselves and those who have. And to follow Christ, we need to look out for the less fortunate and lift up the downtrodden, not keep them there.

So what do you think Paul would say?

Conduct yourself honorably…

Beloved, I urge you as aliens and exiles to abstain from the desires of the flesh that wage war against the soul. Conduct yourselves honorably among the gentiles, so that, though they malign you as evildoers, they may see your honorable deeds and glorify God when he comes to judge. For the Lord’s sake be subject to every human authority, whether to the emperor as supreme or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing right you should silence the ignorance of the foolish. As servants of God, live as free people, yet do not use your freedom as a pretext for evil. Honor everyone. Love the family of believers. Fear God. Honor the emperor. (1 Peter 2:11-17, NRSVue)

This devotion will post after I have arrived back from a trip I am taking to visit Tanzania and the Morogoro Diocese, which is the companion to the synod I serve in the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America). I was wondering about how I need to conduct myself to honor the culture I was visiting. I wrote this devotion before that trip, and I am preparing to be myself and still conduct myself in ways to honor their culture and learn how we move and live together.

I was advised by a friend who is the liaison to the ELCA for companion synods to be myself and to be prepared to answer questions about my appearance for those who want to ask when they get comfortable with me. I know that I will get questions, but being true to myself is always the right answer. I am who God created me to be, and that is who all of us should be, and not shrink ourselves to fit in others’ boxes, but also honor those who may not understand how we present ourselves in order to not stop unity before it begins.

Strive for unity but never at the expense of who you are in God.

community

“If your brother or sister sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If you are listened to, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If that person refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church, and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a gentile and a tax collector. Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”
(Matthew 18:15-20, NRSVue)

We do not live for ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. We are a community, and when someone in the community is harmed, they need to be told and balance needs to be restored.

We need to let those who have wronged us know. Usually we will not do this because we do not want to tell others of the hurt. But this only strengthens the body and helps us all to be united as one.

God is always with us and helps us be united.

Talk to others and remember we are not ever in this alone.