Author: Jerry Wirtley

breathless with anticipation

Jerry Wirtley

18 I believe that the present suffering is nothing compared to the coming glory that is going to be revealed to us. 19 The whole creation waits breathless with anticipation for the revelation of God’s sons and daughters. 20 Creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice—it was the choice of the one who subjected it—but in the hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from slavery to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of God’s children. 22 We know that the whole creation is groaning together and suffering labor pains up until now. 23 And it’s not only the creation. We ourselves who have the Spirit as the first crop of the harvest also groan inside as we wait to be adopted and for our bodies to be set free. 24 We were saved in hope. If we see what we hope for, that isn’t hope. Who hopes for what they already see? 25 But if we hope for what we don’t see, we wait for it with patience. 26 In the same way, the Spirit comes to help our weakness. We don’t know what we should pray, but the Spirit himself pleads our case with unexpressed groans. 27 The one who searches hearts knows how the Spirit thinks, because he pleads for the saints, consistent with God’s will. 28 We know that God works all things together for good for the ones who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 We know this because God knew them in advance, and he decided in advance that they would be conformed to the image of his Son. That way his Son would be the first of many brothers and sisters. 30 Those who God decided in advance would be conformed to his Son, he also called. Those whom he called, he also made righteous. Those whom he made righteous, he also glorified. (Romans 8:18-30, CEB)

Have you ever been there, in that moment where it seems like time is standing still and moving one million miles an hour all at the same time, as you wait for the thing you’ve been waiting for to happen?

It is a breathless moment where you almost need to remind yourself to breathe.

We are so caught up in the anticipation of what is coming we forget to do what needs to be done to live.

That is what Paul says life is like in the already but not yet. We are already sons and daughters of God, we have already experienced the birth of our savior, but we wait for it like it hasn’t happened.

When the fulfillment of the kingdom comes and we take that breath, oh the beauty of the moment.

Know Jesus is with us, even as we wait for him.

Know that we are already with God, as we await the fulfillment of the kingdom.

Know that we are breathless, even as we breathe.

Loving People. Loving God.

everything

Jerry Wirtley

15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the one who is first over all creation, 16 Because all things were created by him: both in the heavens and on the earth, the things that are visible and the things that are invisible. Whether they are thrones or powers, or rulers or authorities, all things were created through him and for him. 17 He existed before all things, and all things are held together in him. 18 He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the one who is firstborn from among the dead so that he might occupy the first place in everything. 19 Because all the fullness of God was pleased to live in him, 20 and he reconciled all things to himself through him—whether things on earth or in the heavens. He brought peace through the blood of his cross. (Colossians 1:15-20, CEB)

Jesus is the image of God, the first over everything.

Everything that was created was created by God. Everything was created for God.

God holds everything together.

As we await the coming baby in the manger, let us remember Jesus came to show us how to live and how to love all of creation.

Let us see the love we have from Jesus and return that to the world around us.

Loving People. Loving God.

Baby lept

Jerry Wirtley

39 Mary got up and hurried to a city in the Judean highlands. 40 She entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 With a loud voice she blurted out, “God has blessed you above all women, and he has blessed the child you carry. 43 Why do I have this honor, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. 45 Happy is she who believed that the Lord would fulfill the promises he made to her.” 46 Mary said, “With all my heart I glorify the Lord! 47 In the depths of who I am I rejoice in God my savior. 48 He has looked with favor on the low status of his servant. Look! From now on, everyone will consider me highly favored 49 because the mighty one has done great things for me. Holy is his name. 50 He shows mercy to everyone, from one generation to the next, who honors him as God. 51 He has shown strength with his arm. He has scattered those with arrogant thoughts and proud inclinations. 52 He has pulled the powerful down from their thrones and lifted up the lowly. 53 He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty-handed.54 He has come to the aid of his servant Israel, remembering his mercy, 55 just as he promised to our ancestors, to Abraham and to Abraham’s descendants forever.” (Luke 1:39-55, CEB)

Mary went to see Elizabeth and John lept when he heard Mary’s voice!

John knew that Mary was the mother of Jesus even before he was born.

This is hard for us to fathom. This is hard for me to believe.

But the Scripture says this. So it must be true, right?

Do you know any of your family’s stories? Are they all 100% true?

Sometimes details are embellished or changed ever so slightly to help make the story better.

John prepared the way for Jesus in many ways and was a great person of faith. John did many things to help many believe in Christ and to be followers of the way. John gave his life for the faith.

And this story tells of cousins who had babies and both were over joyed in the circumstance, one being “too old” and one being “too unwed” for babies, but their lives were changed, as our lives were changed by their babies.

Love the story. Share the story of a baby born in Bethlehem, in a stable, to show the world how to love.

Loving People. Loving God.

Under wing

Jerry Wirtley

31 At that time, some Pharisees approached Jesus and said, “Go! Get away from here, because Herod wants to kill you.” 32 Jesus said to them, “Go, tell that fox, ‘Look, I’m throwing out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will complete my work. 33 However, it’s necessary for me to travel today, tomorrow, and the next day because it’s impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.’ 34 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who were sent to you! How often I have wanted to gather your people just as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. But you didn’t want that. 35 Look, your house is abandoned. I tell you, you won’t see me until the time comes when you say, Blessings on the one who comes in the Lord’s name.” (Luke 13:31-35, CEB)

There is a great image of peace and protection in this section about death and wanting power.

Herod wants to kill Jesus and so do Pharisees because they are losing their power because of Jesus. And Jesus says that he won’t run away and that he wishes he could gather the people of Jerusalem together like a hen gathers her chicks under her wing. They are safe there. Protected from the world.

God wants us under her wing. Protected.

Do we want that?

Do we trust God enough to gather there?

Can we help others see the promises and the love God has for the world?

Can we help others know that they are loved by God?

Loving People. Loving God.

Hold Fast

Jerry Wirtley

32 But remember the earlier days, after you saw the light. You stood your ground while you were suffering from an enormous amount of pressure. 33 Sometimes you were exposed to insults and abuse in public. Other times you became partners with those who were treated that way. 34 You even showed sympathy toward people in prison and accepted the confiscation of your possessions with joy, since you knew that you had better and lasting possessions. 35 So don’t throw away your confidence—it brings a great reward. 36 You need to endure so that you can receive the promises after you do God’s will. 37 In a little while longer, the one who is coming will come and won’t delay; 38 but my righteous one will live by faith, and my whole being won’t be pleased with anyone who shrinks back. 39 But we aren’t the sort of people who timidly draw back and end up being destroyed. We’re the sort of people who have faith so that our whole beings are preserved. (Hebrews 10:32-39, CEB)

As we wait for the promises to be fulfilled it seems we lose heart.

It is easy to hold fast when we first are in the faith, but time wears away and we wonder.

But remember that God is not like us, and we are not like God and the blink of an eye is like 1000 years to God. So time is different to us.

The promises will be fulfilled and God will make good. We just need to have faith and hold fast.

Loving People. Loving God.

Once and for all

Jerry Wirtley

10 We have been made holy by God’s will through the offering of Jesus Christ’s body once for all. 11 Every priest stands every day serving and offering the same sacrifices over and over, sacrifices that can never take away sins. 12 But when this priest offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, he sat down at the right side of God. 13 Since then, he’s waiting until his enemies are made into a footstool for his feet, 14 because he perfected the people who are being made holy with one offering for all time. 15 The Holy Spirit affirms this when saying, 16 This is the covenant that I will make with them. After these days, says the Lord, I will place my laws in their hearts and write them on their minds. 17 And I won’t remember their sins and their lawless behavior anymore. 18 When there is forgiveness for these things, there is no longer an offering for sin. (Hebrews 10:10-18, CEB)

Before Jesus, no matter how many times a priest did a sacrifice it would never have been enough. And even now any priest other than Jesus that offers a sacrifice it is never enough.

But God gave us Jesus to make the one sacrifice that would for all time cover everyone and make the promises true.

Trust in the promises that are fulfilled by Jesus and trust in the baby coming in the manger.

Loving People. Loving God.

Always upset

Jerry Wirtley

31 “To what will I compare the people of this generation?” Jesus asked. “What are they like? 32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace calling out to each other, ‘We played the flute for you and you didn’t dance. We sang a funeral song and you didn’t cry.’ 33 John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ 34 Yet the Human One came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunk, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ 35 But wisdom is proved to be right by all her descendants.” (Luke 7:31-35, CEB)

It seems no matter what we do someone will be upset. That is life, and that is shown here.

John didn’t eat or drink and they said he had a demon and Jesus came eating and drinking and he is a glutton and a drunk. So neither of them made the religious folk happy.

It seems religious folk are really only happy when they get their way which is always, however, they want it at that point in time. And that isn’t how any of this works.

God is in control, not us. We need to love everyone and allow God to be God.

Loving People. Loving God.

Can you hear?

Jerry Wirtley

23 On the day scheduled for this purpose, many people came to the place where he was staying. From morning until evening, he explained and testified concerning God’s kingdom and tried to convince them about Jesus through appealing to the Law from Moses and the Prophets. 24 Some were persuaded by what he said, but others refused to believe. 25 They disagreed with each other and were starting to leave when Paul made one more statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke correctly when he said to your ancestors through Isaiah the prophet, 26 Go to this people and say: You will hear, to be sure, but never understand; and you will certainly see but never recognize what you are seeing. 27 This people’s senses have become calloused, and they’ve become hard of hearing, and they’ve shut their eyes so that they won’t see with their eyes or hear with their ears or understand with their minds, and change their hearts and lives that I may heal them. 28 “Therefore, be certain of this: God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles. They will listen!” 30 Paul lived in his own rented quarters for two full years and welcomed everyone who came to see him. 31 Unhindered and with complete confidence, he continued to preach God’s kingdom and to teach about the Lord Jesus Christ. (Acts 28:23-31, CEB)

Are you ready to hear what God has to say? It seems that it is historic for the church to be the last to be open to the moving of the Holy Spirit and listening to the prophetic word of God.

We need to let out lives be open and our hearts ready to receive what God is sending us even when we think it is not what the church needs or should be doing.

Others will hear and listen are we ready to hear and listen too?

Loving People. Loving God.

Feed your faith

Jerry Wirtley

7 Remember your leaders who spoke God’s word to you. Imitate their faith as you consider the way their lives turned out. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever! 9 Don’t be misled by the many strange teachings out there. It’s a good thing for the heart to be strengthened by grace rather than by food. Food doesn’t help those who live in this context. 10 We have an altar, and those who serve as priests in the meeting tent don’t have the right to eat from it. 11 The blood of the animals is carried into the holy of holies by the high priest as an offering for sin, and their bodies are burned outside the camp. 12 And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy with his own blood. 13 So now, let’s go to him outside the camp, bearing his shame. 14 We don’t have a permanent city here, but rather we are looking for the city that is still to come. 15 So let’s continually offer up a sacrifice of praise through him, which is the fruit from our lips that confess his name. 16 Don’t forget to do good and to share what you have because God is pleased with these kinds of sacrifices. 17 Rely on your leaders and defer to them, because they watch over your whole being as people who are going to be held responsible for you. They need to be able to do this with pleasure and not with complaints about you, because that wouldn’t help you. (Hebrews 13:7-17, CEB)

We need to feed our faith, but it is not with food.

Food doesn’t keep us going, it is our faith, and this is fed and grows by imitating our leaders who showed us who God is and how we follow God.

We are strengthened by grace, and this comes from God.

Follow after those who showed you how to follow God and how to live like Jesus taught us.

Loving People. Loving God.

integrity

Jerry Wirtley

7 Then John said to the crowds who came to be baptized by him, “You children of snakes! Who warned you to escape from the angry judgment that is coming soon? 8 Produce fruit that shows you have changed your hearts and lives. And don’t even think about saying to yourselves, Abraham is our father. I tell you that God is able to raise up Abraham’s children from these stones. 9 The ax is already at the root of the trees. Therefore, every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be chopped down and tossed into the fire.” 10 The crowds asked him, “What then should we do?” 11 He answered, “Whoever has two shirts must share with the one who has none, and whoever has food must do the same.” 12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized. They said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?” 13 He replied, “Collect no more than you are authorized to collect.” 14 Soldiers asked, “What about us? What should we do?” He answered, “Don’t cheat or harass anyone, and be satisfied with your pay.” 15 The people were filled with expectation, and everyone wondered whether John might be the Christ. 16 John replied to them all, “I baptize you with water, but the one who is more powerful than me is coming. I’m not worthy to loosen the strap of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 The shovel he uses to sift the wheat from the husks is in his hands. He will clean out his threshing area and bring the wheat into his barn. But he will burn the husks with a fire that can’t be put out.” 18 With many other words John appealed to them, proclaiming good news to the people. (Luke 3:7-18, CEB)

You brood of vipers who told you to flee from the judgment that is coming! That is the version from the NRSV, a great text to read and preach to a congregation.

We all wonder what we have to do when really there isn’t anything we can do to merit the kingdom. But we all should be people of integrity. Say what we mean, mean what we say and treat all people with honor and justice and hope.

We shouldn’t sheat or harass or do anything for unmerited gain. We need to be above reproach and love all people.

No one is worthy of the kingdom and yet we are all loved by God.

Let us be the light in the dark world that shows others how God is love and loves us where we are.

Loving People. Loving God.