Wilderness Wanderings

A Christian devotional for the wandering journey of the Christian life. New devotionals Monday, Wednesday & Friday, created by pastor Michael Bootsma of Immanuel Christian Reformed Church of Hamilton, occasionally featuring guests. The Sunday sermon at Immanuel is also downloaded. Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Humble Hearts 01/28/2026

Humble Hearts I trust in you with all my heart. Don’t let me wander away from your commands (Psalm 119:10). “A man after my own heart”, God said of David. Is your heart healthy? Do our hearts align with God’s? A week ago, we explored one answer, David’s desire to be obedient to God’s law. On its surface, Psalm 119 is boring. It’s repetitive. But I think we miss the point. Its goal is not content but enchantment with the Word of God. It’s a carefully crafted poem which oozes with delight in how God has created and ordered the world. There is nothing better for the psalmist than to follow this God. Here is an invitation to catch the joy of obedience. If obedience is one aspect of a person after God’s own heart, close on its heels is humility. The delight in this psalm can only come from a place of willing submission to God. In our reflections on obedience, it was mentioned that David waited for God to put him on the throne of Israel. He would not claim it by force as his right. This was an act of humility towards God. In 1 Samuel 25, David is slighted by Nabal and sets out to get vengeance. On the way, he is intercepted by Nabal’s wife who begs her husband’s pardon. David recognizes that God has sent her to keep him from doing wrong and he let’s go of his desire for vengeance. Humility. There is the sordid tale of David sleeping with Uriah’s wife followed by a murderous cover up. When Nathan confronts him regarding this sin, David responds, “I have sinned against the Lord” (2 Samuel 12:13). Humility. Later, David counts his fighting men. This displeases God, who forces him to choose which punishment Israel will endure. When David makes his choice he says, “I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is great…” (2 Samuel 24:14). Humility. In each case of disobedience, David responded with an admission of guilt and a turning back to the Lord, something Saul refused to do. He made excuses (cf. 1 Sam 15:24-25). Humility before the Lord acknowledges our disobedience and then turns back towards obedience. Disobedience never has to be the last word. With God there is mercy, forgiveness. We do not need to approach God with fear in our disobedience, but rather, we may “enter boldly because of the blood of Jesus” (Hebrews 10:19). Our identity is formed by being God’s children, not by our disobedience. We are daughters and sons of the King. If you have wandered far from God, turn back. Humble yourself before him. God’s mercy is great. He loves you and wants nothing more than your face to be turned towards him. As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: “May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he’ll do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39901970

An Invitation to the Depleted 01/26/2026

An Invitation to the Depleted “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live (Isaiah 55:1-3). Many things are expected and demanded of us. We have family obligations. Many of us are required to work for a living; this makes significant demands on us. When we don’t have such work, the demands are different but certainly not less stressful. Some of us volunteer in Thrift Stores, at service agencies and even for the congregations that we are part of. These things are good. It is good to be part of a family and contribute to its well being. Having a job that provides income as well as a means of contributing to the flourishing of society is also good. Being available to serve others reflects the mercy of our God. Contributing to the life of the church is one way in which we participate in the growth of God’s kingdom. These spaces also provide community for us and that too was declared by God to be good. All these good things can put strain on us. They become burdens that we become unable to lay down. They can sap our energy, control our emotions, dominate our lives. They can begin to act as idols that constantly demand increasingly more from us. They become irritants that cause resentment, anger, jealousy, and other fruits of the flesh to grow in our hearts, sometimes bursting forth in the most inopportune times. The world demands more of us, always more. And often, it gives very little back. We end up depleted and empty, hungering for something that will nourish us; fill us; satisfy. Into those demands, God speaks. No, God invites. He invites us to come. He invites those who have nothing, who are thirsty, poor, hungry, depleted from work that offers nothing in return. God offers us something the world cannot give: life, meaning, fulfilment. Jesus gave greater depth to these words when he said, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me…rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirit…” (John 7:37-39). God does not take us away from the demands of family or work or volunteering or church. Rather, he fills us with his life so that we can give life to others. He desires for the fruit of the Spirit to develop in us so that they can adorn the places we work and live and volunteer. He would fill us so that we can contribute not from our emptiness but from his fullness. With his filling, we discover that we are able and even eager to enter our spaces. We can contribute from his resources not our own; with his filling something supernatural is truly at work. Wherever God takes you this week, ask and he will fill you. Go then and bring his life into those places and communities. As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: Wherever God takes you today, may He fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit and that you may live carefully—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity. /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39854040

Be Free! 01/25/2026

Sabbath Fruit 01/23/2026

Sabbath Fruit When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening. Your hands are full of blood! Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow (Isaiah 1:15-17). Do you know who made the clothes you are wearing? Do you know how much the server makes at your favourite restaurant? Do you know where the components of your cellphone come from? Do you know any of the people who were involved in assembling that wonderful little device? Do you know the farmers who produced the food you eat? Do you know if they were paid adequately for their produce or if they provided sufficiently for their workers? In our integrated economy there are many things we simple do not know. A century ago, such ignorance would have been unimaginable. But this is the world we live in – a world of unceasing productivity and commerce in which producer and consumer are severely separated. Many are exploited in the process. Thus, reading Isaiah 1 ought to make all Christians deeply uncomfortable. Israel was keeping Sabbath. Isaiah offers a grand list of liturgical practices that God’s people were faithfully participating in – offerings, incense, new moons, convocations, solemn assemblies, prayer and Sabbaths. But God was not happy with any of it. He was, in fact, utterly repulsed by it, wearied. Sabbath and all its liturgical practices were not having any effect on his people. It was all fake. Oh, they stopped working all right. At least with their bodies. But their minds were still fully engaged in profit making. Along with the unending meditation on the accumulation of goods, came anxiety. If the profits were not as high as anticipated, it might crimp the size of the new house. That anxiety produced plans for coercion and exploitation. Those with money and power often find ways to make more at the expense of others. The great festival of rest had become simply another venue for restlessness. Sabbath was meant to be a return to the covenant: dependence on God and concern for neighbour. But they had created a false dichotomy between the sacred and the secular. Sabbath was for paying attention to God, the rest of the week for making money. As a result, liturgical practices were cut off from the well-being of the neighbourhood and the protection of the vulnerable. God’s covenant with Israel insisted that those with resources cared for those who had less. They had lost this connection. In our society, with the distance between those who produce and those who buy it is easy for us to fall into a similar problem. Spiritual rest is about me and God. But if we truly pay attention to God, and not just ourselves, the Spirit will point us towards concern for our neighbour. As Paul once wrote, “The only thing that counts is faith working itself out in love” (Galatians 5:6). We can’t change the system. But we can ask God to show us how to have greater concern for our neighbour. We can expect Sabbath to change us. As you journey on, hear Jesus’ invitation: Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:28-29). /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39829445

Obedience as Thanksgiving 01/21/2026

Obedience as Thanksgiving My heart is filled with longing for your laws at all times (Psalm 119:20). I remember a group exercise, probably some ice breaker, in which we were asked what we would like on our tombstone. How is that a good icebreaker? Probably, to get into a conversation about legacy. I didn’t like it then and I still don’t. A more interesting question to ask is “What do people say about me right now?” but not as an icebreaker. David, the shepherd boy turned king, is introduced in the Bible not by name, but by what God says about him, ‘a man after my own heart’ or ‘a man who is dear to my heart’ (1 Samuel 13:14). That’s high honour. But no one defines what that means. So, let’s consider what it might mean, beginning with what seems like the most obvious: obedience. As that famous phrase from Psalm 119 puts it, “I have hidden your word in my heart”. In 2 Chronicles 16:9, we find this, “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” When David sings the glory of God displayed in both the creation and in God’s law, he ends with this prayer, “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight” (Psalm 19). That great psalm about God’s powerful and tender presence concludes with a prayer that God remove wrong from David’s heart (Psalm 139). We see David’s obedience clearly in the years before he becomes king. He does not grab the throne. God says, “You will be the next king.” But David recognizes that God needs to remove the current king before he can take the throne. Even though Saul has been rejected because he disobeyed God, David continues to honour him as king. David’s obedience foreshadows a central characteristic of Jesus himself. He claimed to have come to do the Father’s will (John 6:38). When on the cross he called out, “it is finished”, he was declaring that he had been obedient to the end. The pertinent question for us is, “How do we grow in obedience?” How do we become fully committed to God? Is it even possible to hum with the psalmist, “My heart is filled with longing for your laws at all times” (Psalm 119:20)? When we get started on this path, we often look to ourselves to get there. I don’t think that is what David did. In Psalm 19, David spends the bulk of the Psalm looking at what God has made and said. It is only when he has composed his praise, does he ask for a pure heart. We don’t get a longing for obedience by looking to ourselves. When we see God and who he is, our heart’s get stirred. So, where does your gaze linger? Is it time to look up again? As the writer of Hebrews once wrote, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus…” (12:2). See him on the cross. See him alive, emerging from the tomb. See him enthroned in heaven. Then obedience is not to gain favour with God but becomes an act of thanksgiving. As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: “May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he’ll do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39803115

Who are God's Missionaries? 01/19/2026

Who are God's Missionaries? But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light (1 Peter 2:9). There is hymn that begins with: “The church is not a building; the church is not a steeple; the church is not a resting place; the church is a people.” And the refrain: “I am the church! You are the church! We are the church together! All who follow Jesus, all around the world! Yes, we're the church together!” Intuitively, many Christians recognize that these lyrics are true. But we struggle with putting them into practice. Let’s reflect on this challenge from the perspective of God’s mission of reconciling the world to himself. Let’s first think about the people who carry out God’s mission. I suspect that at least a few listeners will immediately think of pastors and missionaries as the agents of this mission. After all, these are the folks the church has set aside for God’s work. We send missionaries to the mission filed and appoint pastors to lead congregations. Its as if these people are the most important in the work of God. But this does not do justice to the Biblical story of God’s mission. We need to change are understanding. Anne Rowthron wrote, “Through its laity the church is present in every area of human activity. It is in offices, in schools and universities, in hospitals, in stores, in factories and hotels” (The Liberation of the Laity). We are all part of the priesthood of all believers. As such we have all been set apart, called by God and given a priestly authority to intercede on behalf of others and the world before him. Faithful people are living sacrifices holy and pleasing to God. Our skillful and worn hands praise God. Our priestly bodies, both in the sanctuary and on the factory floor, glorify God. We can be involved in God’s mission when we speak up and advocate for truth and justice in our daily work. As people reconciled to Christ we can work towards reconciliation in our spheres of influence. This usually begins with prayers of intercession. Our churches are often pastor centric, program centric, and building centric. This gives the impression that the focus of God’s work is in the building we label a church. Somehow, we need to broaden our perception of the church and God’s mission to include every Christian wherever they are. Not pastors, but the laity, are the primary agents of a church’s mission in the community. In Leviticus, God is described as breathing in the aromas of the sacrifices Israel offered (2:9; 3:5,16). God is still hovering over his priests breathing into his nostrils the pleasing aroma of their worshipful work. God does not simply mandate human work; God delights in human work. God accepts it with joy, not as mere obedience but as worship. The spaces which Christians spend their time are the primary spaces of a church’s mission. Where you spend your week is the mission field of God. As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: Wherever God takes you today, may He fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit and that you may live carefully—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity. /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39749735

A Sabbath Keepers Welcome 01/16/2026

A Sabbath Keepers Welcome The Sovereign Lord declares—he who gathers the exiles of Israel: “I will gather still others to them besides those already gathered” (Isaiah 56:8). In Deuteronomy, Moses prepares Israel to enter the land of promise. As they settle in, they will finally be able to develop the habits enabling them to be God’s holy people. Part of the preparation is defining who is in and who is out. Access to this holy people, and consequently to their God, is quite limited. All folks with mutilated genitalia and many foreigners are excluded (cf. Deuteronomy 23:1-8). Interactions with non-Israelites were strongly regulated to minimize the temptation to worship other gods. This history lies in the background of our text dealing with Israel settling back into the land after the Babylonian exile. Isaiah 56 has to do with who is in and who is out. It reads very differently than Deuteronomy. Here are a few verses, “To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths…And foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord to minister to him…all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant—these I will bring to my holy mountain” (4,6,7). Wow. God specifically mentions those kept out in Deuteronomy. There is only one condition spelled out…keep Sabbath! This is the mark of membership, an act of generous incorporation that was previously unheard of. It allows the life of God’s Israel to spill over among those who have been excluded but are now to be welcomed. Sabbath becomes the requirement for membership because it represents a disengagement from the producer-consumer rat race of the empire, then and now. It demonstrates a visible trust in God rather than self. Members of any race or nation, any gender or social condition are welcomed so long as that person is defined by justice, mercy, and compassion, and not by competition, achievement, production or acquisition. Sabbath keeping is the link between loving God with our whole beings and loving our neighbours as ourselves. Jesus’ cousin, John, worked this out with those who thought they had an automatic in because of their heritage. He told them not to count on their lineage, instead they ought to concern themselves with fruit that comes from repentance (Matthew 3:8-10). What kind of fences do we put around church membership? How far are we willing to invite people in? Do we keep certain people at arms length? How long do people need to show up before they are no longer newcomers? Isaiah 56 prompts these kinds of questions. Further, John’s comment about fruit leads us to Galatians 5 where Paul gives an extensive list of sour grapes. These things, wrath, violence, lusts, envy are the product of the rat race. This is what grows in those who refuse Sabbath. In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit has room to grow in Sabbath keepers. What practices and habits do you have that enable you to step out of the rat race for the sake of Sabbath? There is great pressure to ignore Sabbath, even in the church. Isaiah calls us back to rest not as a burden but as a gift, as a means to joy in the Lord (7). As you journey on, hear Jesus’ invitation: Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:28-29). /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39731995

Ending Evil 01/14/2026

Ending Evil Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse…Don’t pay back evil with evil…Don’t let evil overcome you. Overcome evil by doing good (Romans 12:14, 17, 21). What do we do in the face of evil? This is the question that ends Romans 12. Its not theoretical; its personal. “How should Christians respond when evil is done to us”? The answer is: “Don’t let evil overcome you. Overcome evil by doing good.” Evil is insidious. It begins small, a trickle, which, if not stopped, becomes a flood that fills us. In the end, it will overcome us. Evil works that way. It grows. It begins with a thought, a flash of anger and builds until it bursts out of us. It will grow and poison everything it touches. It is said that Eric and Dylan, perpetrators of the Columbine High School massacre, were motivated by revenge. They felt mistreated, rejected, and abused, and this was a way of taking revenge and getting back—evil responding to evil, hate responding to hate. It was reported that, as they entered the building, they shouted, "This is for all the people who made fun of us all these years," and then they laughed and opened fire. They allowed hate to take root in their hearts, and it grew until the fruit of it erupted in violence. This idea lies at the heart of the epic fantasies The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. Both stories also contain the Biblical antidote: love. How do we counter evil? By overcoming it with good. Paul has written about love, the agape of God towards us. We don’t deserve it, yet he gives it to us. God comes to us in the blood of Jesus and forgives all the evil we have done. He overcomes our evil with his goodness. This is God’s master plan of salvation. His purpose is to reclaim His creation from the control of evil, transform it, and bring it back under the sway of His righteousness. In other words, He will overcome the world’s evil with His good. In following the command of Christ to “bless and not curse” (Matt. 5:44; Luke 6:28) and by returning good for evil, we do as God does, and we become active participants in His great plan for the world. Jesus experienced all the hatred and injustice and violence that the leaders of this world could pour out on him. He was victim of the mindless hate and the violence of the crowd and the Roman soldiers, who used him as an excuse to vent the hatred in their hearts. But Jesus did not take on and return their hate, and He did not let it change Him from His course of revealing the Father's love, His love even for God's enemies. Love is stronger than hate because hate enslaves, while love brings freedom. He forgave His enemies. Christ, when he died by submitting himself to the hatred of his accusers, offered us a solution to the hatred and injustice of the world. Without him, it is eye for an eye and tooth for tooth. But now there is a new way. This does not mean that justice has been abolished. But it means that we are relieved of the burden of justice. We can leave that to God. And we can love our enemies because God loves us. As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: “May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he’ll do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39719355

Free to Work 01/12/2026

Free to Work For in [Christ] all things were created…all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together…For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross (Colossians 1:16-17, 19-20) Again, I want to address the question, “Why produce a weekly podcast on the subject of work?” Work must be understood here as more than what we do to earn a paycheck. It includes that, of course, but also other regular things we do to live in this world. Things like the laundry, the dishes, mowing the grass or shoveling snow. It includes driving our children or grandchildren to school or dance lessons. Often, we preachers make it sound like these are irrelevant to the mission of God in the world. That is wrong. Dorothy Sayers once advised preachers, When you find a [person] who is a Christian praising God by the excellence of their work—do not distract them and take them away from their proper vocation to address religious meetings... Let them serve God in the way to which God has called them... [Do] not take them away from it, so that they may do ecclesiastical work for you. But, if you have any power, see that [they] are set free to do their own work as well as it may be done. They are not there to serve you; they are there to serve God by serving their work (Creed or Chaos?). In these weekly podcasts addressing work, I hope to “set you free to do your work as well as it may be done…to serve God by serving your work”. I hope you come to understand more deeply that the mission of God includes your whole life. This mission includes the Great commission to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20) and the Great Commandment to love God and neighbour (Matthew 22:36-40). But it also includes the Cultural Mandate to explore, name, develop and cultivate the creation (Genesis 1:28). Neither the arrival of sin, nor the arrival of Jesus to redeem creation nullified that mandate. The Great Commission and the Great Commandment do not lessen the value of our work. What better way to participate in this mandate then to do our everyday, mundane, ordinary work well, offering it to God for his glory and for the good of humanity? When you are at work you are in a context where pastors and missionaries rarely if ever show up. It is in that place that God has called you to cultivate creation, love your neighbour and bear witness to the goodness of the gospel. The mission of God includes the renewal, restoration, and reformation of all things. All Christian, in all industries, are invited to participate in this comprehensive mission. Our workplaces are the critical spaces where we will either learn to follow Christ faithfully or walk away from him. Our workspaces are integral to the mission of God, no sideshow. There, you are at the leading edge of God’s reconciling work. As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: Wherever God takes you today, may He fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit and that you may live carefully—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity. /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39683115

Be Free! 01/11/2026

What Kind of Rest? 01/09/2026

What Kind of Rest? For day after day, they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God (Isaiah 58:2). This is a difficult chapter to read. God is angry with is covenant people. Very angry. They show up for the appointed worship services and other religious festivals. They ask God for direction. They appear eager to come near to him. They love the Sabbath day. They do all the right things. There is just one problem. A rather large one. When they return to non-Sabbath activities, its as if the Sabbath never happened. Its as if they did not hear God’s direction. Its as if they never sought God or came near him. Going back to non-Sabbath matters, they exploit their workers and fight with each other. Not just verbal sparring, also fist fights. They refuse to share their food with the hungry or their homes with the poor wanderer. They think that God ought to be happy that they showed up for worship, that they took the day off to fast and pray. They cannot figure out why God is so unhappy with them. They are doing all the right religious things, but their hearts are far from God. They do not really care about what he says. They have forgotten that they are God’s light in the world. The way they are living is spreading darkness rather then light. Here is the point: their Sabbath keeping has had no effect on their hearts, or their minds or their bodies. It has not changed how they live or interact with others. They are not bringing any good into the world. It is left full of evil. So, what are your plans for this weekend? Party time, family time, alone time? None of these things are necessarily bad in and of themselves. Let me ask the question differently: when you have time off from the “work” of making a living, when you take time to rest in God, what is the point? Why do you do it? Somewhere along the way, the prayer that ends Psalm 139, should play a role. “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting” (23,24). God wants to change the way we think, react, and act. Let the Spirit loose when you meet with God. As you journey on, hear Jesus’ invitation: Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:28-29). /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39664020

Staying on the Altar 01/07/2026

Staying on the Altar Don’t pay back evil with evil…My dear friends, don’t try to get even. Leave room for God to show his anger…Scripture says, “If your enemies are hungry, give them food to eat. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. By doing those things, you will pile up burning coals on their heads.” Don’t let evil overcome you. Overcome evil by doing good (17-21). The Heidelberg Catechism teaches us that we have a natural tendency to hate God and our neighbor (A 5). That seems about right. To repay evil with good seems overly optimistic. Getting even is our natural bent. Have you ever seen a three-year-old, when another child takes his toy, offer a second as well? Hardly. The child immediately works to retrieve said toy, often violently. Whether its children playing in the park or adults striving to get ahead, we do not tolerate others doing us harm. Our immediate reaction is to seek retaliation. But God calls Christians to be different. This is one of the unique qualities of the followers of Jesus. Romans 12 begins with a view of God’s mercy, we offer ourselves as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to him. This conclusion, “overcome evil by doing good”, is where we keep crawling off the alter! God wants us to return good for evil and we say, ‘fat chance’, we want justice, in other words, vengeance. In life, we encounter truly difficult people–individuals who wound us, wrong us, betray us, making us want to strike back. Justice, we think, demands that they know the harm they’ve caused and receive punishment. We believe that this is our right. Yet, as gospel people, a sincere, forgiving love should be our response. This is how we embody the gospel of our God in Christ: “overcoming evil with good.” This is what Jesus did in his ministry and, ultimately, in his death. Jesus met the evil of this world head on with love and grace, not balled-up fists and merciless judgment. Living in love and harmony with difficult and evil people is what it means to be caught up in the rhythms of the gospel. That’s who we are as Christian people. It’s wrong to get the greatest gift of God’s grace and then turn right around and take revenge on others. “My dear friends” could be translated, “my dear agape people”. Agape is that special, divine love that we get by grace alone. People who have been graced with God’s agape can’t turn around and live vengeful lives. Bad things happen. That is an unhappy fact of life in this world. The gospel calls us to absorb such evil, to show Christ to the world not just when doing that is easy but to display the grace of Jesus precisely when it is most difficult. Others will say we have a right to justice; to see the evil doer punished. The gospel demands something else. The only way into this life is to keep God’s mercy towards me clearly in view; to remain submitted to God’s way instead of the world’s system. We can’t do this on our own. But that has been Paul’s contention all along, “in view of God’s mercy.” We have received; therefore, we can give. As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: “May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he’ll do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39634300

Finding Rest 01/05/2026

Finding Rest Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress; I will not be shaken (Psalm 62:5-6). Well, Advent and Christmas are behind us again. Our wall calendars have been exchanged for fresh ones (if we still use those). This means that Wilderness Wanderings returns to its Avodah series. A refresher is likely needed. What is this series about? Why return to it? Here is why: the rhythm of work and rest was established by God in the beginning. It was part of his declaration: “It is very good”. Since the fall, it has been especially important to maintain this rhythm. It keeps reminding us that we are creatures and not gods. As such, we are finite, limited. We need replenishing: physically and spiritually. Regular rest times put us in a place of dependence on God. Rest also puts our work in context. We are created to be productive, but not dependent on our productivity. When Israel was freed from Egypt, she was freed from endless work. All through the wilderness years, she learned to depend on God for sustenance. Certainly, we need to work to live in this world. But it is God who gives “the ability to produce wealth” (Deuteronomy 8:18). Sabbath reminds us of this. Almost everything in our culture wars against this. There is massive pressure to work ourselves to death. Our culture says: you don’t have enough, work harder, buy more stuff, work harder to maintain your stuff, to enjoy your stuff, and to upgrade your stuff. Work even harder so you can leave a pot for your descendants, if you have had time to produce any. That’s crude. But it makes the point. Christians do well to be counter cultural on this. To delightfully rest for refreshment’s sake; resting so God can renew us. Many in our culture hate their work because they never rest. Work is only a means towards pleasure that in the end, disappoints and leaves one fatigued. Tired people do not enjoy life. We are constantly pressured to be busy, busy, busy. When we are not busy, we binge watch and doom scroll. In God’s invitation to rest, God wants us to join him in enjoying life, remembering that all of it is his gift to us. We teach children to be thankful for gifts received. Adults regularly need to relearn this. Thus, we return to Avodah, which is the Hebrew work translated both as work and as worship. On Mondays, I will give a meditation encouraging all of us to offer our ordinary weekly activities as sacrifices to God. As Paul once wrote, “whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). On Fridays, I will give a meditation encouraging us to take rest seriously, rest that refreshes. We all need to instruct ourselves, “Yes, my soul, find rest in God”; and remind ourselves, “my hope comes from him”. Some of us need to work on Sundays. This makes it even more important to build rest into schedules. Each Wednesday, a meditation from our Wilderness Wanderings archive will be published. As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: “May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he’ll do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39592170

Growing Small 01/04/2026

The Mountains 01/02/2026

The Mountains Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved and will endure forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people, now and forevermore. Evil people will not always rule the land the Lord gave to those who do right. If they did, those who do right might do what is evil (Psalm 125:1-3). Jerusalem was a walled city on the top of a mountain surrounded by other mountains. Standing on top of those walls, looking out at those mountains, an Israelite could feel secure. From those walls the psalmist declares: like the mountains surrounding this city, so the Lord surrounds His people. Even today, many Christians have ‘holy spaces’—places and/or times where they regularly encounter God. There we look to our Lord to surround us. The Songs of the Ascents remind us that holy spaces are an important part of our faith—they provide focal points for our relationship with God. They aren’t necessary, but they are helpful. In his covenant with Israel, God promised to be their God and called them to follow His ways. If they reject His ways, they cannot count on His protection. He will be against them if they persist in rebellion. How do we use this psalm to strengthen our own faith? One way is to consider Jesus’ beatitude, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). Meek does not refer to someone who gets walked over, but rather, to someone who has trained to do what is right. They do it even when it is difficult. They are the righteous, those who trust in the Lord and are not shaken. Such folks will inherit the earth, a promise that will be completely fulfilled with Christ’s return. This psalm concerns the refugees who came back from Babylon and struggled to establish a righteous Israelite society in the land. They were opposed by various stronger nations, and by many fellow Israelites who gave up on righteous living to pursue dishonest gain. The righteous were often left in the economic dust of these two groups. They wondered where God’s protection for them was. It was tempting to abandon their vision of an obedient nation. ‘Don’t give up,’ says the psalmist, ‘evil folks will not endure. In the end, the righteous will dwell securely in the land.’ God will see to it. As they gathered in Jerusalem, the holy city, and worshipped together at the temple, some measure of confidence was restored. In our holy spaces, we call on God to surround us like the mountains and keep us safe from the wicked ones and those who turn aside to crookedness. May we all find our ‘holy spaces’ in which we gain new strength for the days of our journeys. Life in God's church is not much different from that of Israel of old. It is not easy to live righteously before God, to love him and neighbour. May this psalm fire our imaginations to hear with new ears Jesus’ solemn assurance, "In this world you will have trouble. But be encouraged! I have won the battle over the world" (John 16:33). May this psalm encourage us to live faithfully before him in the year 2026. As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: “May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he’ll do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39569035

Lost 12/31/2025

Lost After three days [Jesus’ parents] found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers (Luke 2:46-47). Of all the stories about Jesus’ childhood, why would Luke choose to tell this story? Certainly, there were more interesting ones; stories that would give us a flavour of what his youth was like. This story fills in the portrait of Jesus being painted. In Philippians 3, Paul details how he had been the perfect Jew. Luke is picturing Jesus with similar colours. He was born to and raised by pious Jewish parents. Only men were required to attend the religious festivals, so Mary’s going shows deep family piety. With this family setting, Luke invites us to consider the kinds of things our children learn from us. Do our words and actions match the faith teaching that our children and grandchildren receive? Is our piety mostly showy, as Jesus decries in Matthew 6, or does it reveal a deep faith in God’s activity in this world? Can those around us notice our growing faith? Jesus and his parents were well integrated into their community. This three-day trip was traveled in caravans for protection. That Jesus’ parents did not worry about him for the first day, indicates that they expected others to be looking out for him. They were likely looking out for other children and youth. Jesus’ family seems very ordinary. In that day, it was not unusual for students to gather at the feet of the rabbis to discuss the Jewish faith and how to live faithfully with God. This was usually in a group question-and-answer format, as Luke indicates. Thus, Jesus’ interaction with the rabbis was not unusual. That he didn’t leave Jerusalem with his parents was unusual, but the focus not here. Luke wants us to recognize that even at this young age, Jesus has amazing knowledge of the things of God. Those listening to him are astonished at his understanding, a reaction that will occur later to Jesus’ miraculous work (8:56). Already early in life Jesus values the pursuit of comprehending God. Jesus’ interest in God was not a product of his unique divine sonship. Rather, it was the outcome of a life lived among those who walked with God. It pictures how all of us should prioritize our lives before God. The way he lived his life and pursued God faithfully reflects how we should seek God’s face. When David was dying, he counselled his son with these words, “If you seek [the Lord], he will be found by you” (1 Chronicles 28:9). Luke is illustrating this truth. Finally, this story illustrates something that one of Jesus’ brothers would later write, “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere” (James 3:17). Jesus and the religious leaders would come to logger heads, but that was because they were threatened by him, refusing to believe that he was the Son of God. They pursued their own power rather than submitting to the Lord. Jesus began by submitting to them. As you ponder the year that was, consider these things. As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: May the God who gives hope fill you with great joy. May you have perfect peace as you trust in him. May the power of the Holy Spirit fill you with hope. /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39557475

Doegishness 12/29/2025

Doegishness “Why do you boast of evil, you mighty hero? Why do you boast all day long, you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God? Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin: He will snatch you up and pluck you from your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living. But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever (Psalm 52:1,5,8). David is hiding from King Saul and his murderous paranoia. When the priest Ahimelech gives David refuge, Doeg tattles on him. Having volunteered to kill the priest, Doeg kills Ahimelech and 83 of his clan. When he’s done, he feels macho: a warrior to be reckoned with. This prompts David's sarcastic line, "Why do you boast of evil, you mighty hero?" (Psalm 52:1). The Bible traces this "Big Lie" from the Garden of Eden in Genesis to the Lake of Fire in Revelation. The "Big Lie" can be understood in various ways. It is the lie that says, “I have created myself; I am like a god; I command my own destiny; I am self sufficient and autonomous; the meaning of life is pleasure, self fulfilment, or independence.” When we live out of the "Big Lie”, we deceive and manipulate people for our own ends. We make ourselves the centre of our universe. One question becomes most important: "What's in it for me?" Cut off from God's goodness, we become evil in our intentions, feeding our own selfishness. God comes to shatter the "Big Lie" that started in the Garden. When Adam and Eve fell, they did not become like gods, as Satan promised. Instead, they simply found themselves naked and jumped into the bushes. There, God confronted them, showed them their sin, executed His judgment by throwing them out of the Garden to wander across the earth. We are still tempted, however, to live without God, but He doesn't leave us alone. He comes with a gracious warning to show us our choices: to live with Him in the truth or live without Him in the "Big Lie." This Psalm addresses these choices. The psalm exposes the stupidity of the "mighty person" who trusts in herself or in his money, choosing evil rather than God's goodness. Such a person loves lying and has a "deceitful tongue" to cover up their evil. God will bring such people to ruin. The righteous will be in awe and laugh at such stupidity. The psalmist will be among them in God's house, worshipping and waiting on the Lord. Rather than finding life's meaning in himself, he finds it in the mercy of God and the goodness of His name. But doesn’t a little of Doeg live in all of us? Jesus has the cure for doegishness: “Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:4-5). As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: May the God who gives hope fill you with great joy. May you have perfect peace as you trust in him. May the power of the Holy Spirit fill you with hope. /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39529665

What Do You Want? 12/26/2025

What Do You Want? "How lovely is your dwelling place O Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God” (Psalm 84:1-2). Let’s begin with a simple question, “What do you want?” Some of you may be looking in the refrigerator to get some breakfast. I’m not interested in your breakfast. This is one of those annoyingly profound questions like what you want your legacy to be. What do you want for your life? or from your life? I get irritated with stories in which a character immediately knows the answer to such a question. I find it depends on the day and the things happening around me. I'm not always sure if there is one thing that I really want. We all have appetites and longings: a bigger house; a faster car; better make-up; successful children; political position. We want many things. But getting these things doesn't satisfy. In fact, they tend to kill us. We humans have an infernal habit of mistaking the things God gives for the God who gives them. We tend to worship the things God gives, rather than God himself. As Paul once wrote, "They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator-who is forever praised! Amen" (Romans 1:25). God made everything for His glory, to reveal His greatness. The things He created all point back to Him. They remind us that He is our true home, our destination. Sin makes creatures our home rather than God to whom they point. Worshipping God's creation will be our death. The psalmist knew this. He was away from Jerusalem and longed to be home. Not because he worshipped that city but because in Jerusalem was God's temple, God's presence on earth. That is where he encountered God. That was joy. This is even truer for us, followers of Jesus. We are his temple. God is right here, where we are. But do we want him? is he our joy? We can take either of two roads. On the one road, we focus on all the things that we can’t enjoy right now and feed our longing for them. The other road is the one the psalmist took. Rather, than feeding his longings for stuff, he fed his longing for God. We can take that road too. We can ask the Spirit to sift our desires so that we increasingly desire him. Then, when someone asks us that irritating question, “What do you want out of life?” we know our answer. As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: May the God who gives hope fill you with great joy. May you have perfect peace as you trust in him. May the power of the Holy Spirit fill you with hope. /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39519965

Flickering Lights 12/24/2025

Flickering Lights And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near (Hebrews 10:24-25). There is a scene in the sixth Harry Potter movie that offers an image of the church. Harry’s guardian, mentor, friend, and father/grandfather type figure, Albus Dumbledore, has just been murdered by a trusted friend. Dumbledore was the leader of those fighting against the rise of evil. Now he lies dead, at the foot of the Hogwart’s walls. Thus far in the story, Hogwarts was the only truly safe place against Voldemort’s encroaching evil regime. It is a scene of despair and hopelessness. Horror-stricken people are gathering around the fallen body. Eventually, one of them raises her wand in the air: the tip glows with light, as if it were a candle. It’s a statement of defiance against evil. One by one others raise their glowing wands. Soon there is a small halo of light above those who will continue to resist the forces of evil. Hope is still alive. In Monday’s devotion, I reflected on the opening words of Hebrews which introduces the grand themes about Jesus which are worked out in the rest of the book. But Hebrews can be summarized in these four words: Jesus is the greatest. The thing is though, at Christmas, Jesus is little more than a flickering candle: he lies with little fanfare in a feed trough. After his resurrection, when he returns to the glory of heaven, he leaves behind a group of disciples who have no idea what they are up against. They don’t know what they are supposed to do or how to get started. They don’t even really understand what Jesus was doing. Yet, they are the ones whom he leaves behind to continue his work. Those of us who call ourselves Christians are the descendants of those first disciples. 2000 years later the church is now an international organization, and one would think she would have her act together. But truth be told, she still seems to flounder, not quite sure what she is supposed to do or how to do it. Christmas reminds us of our humble beginnings. It also reminds us that Jesus told us to remain humble. The mission of the church is accomplished through acts of service. It was when Jesus got down on his knees to wash his disciples’ feet that he told them to follow his example. Jesus is present with us through these simple acts. Hebrews is a heady book, picking up grand themes from the Old Testament, arguing how Jesus is far superior to anything that took place back then. It’s often a slog for people to get through the book. When it finally gets to the application the author simply tells us to spur one another on to good deeds and to keep meeting together. On our own, the flickering candle of our faith and love tends to get snuffed out by the winds of evil and selfishness. But together our combined faith and love, fanned into flame by the Holy Spirit, dispels the darkness, at least a bit of it. That is why that scene from Harry Potter reminds me of the church. We need each other. As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn. /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39510330

What Can We Say? 12/22/2025

What Can We Say? Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high (Hebrews 1:1-3). Human words muddy the beauty of this profound text. How can we convey the intensity with which God desires to communicate with his people? At many times and in many ways! Adam and Eve in the garden in the cool of the day, God calls out, "Where are you?" God leads Israel out of Egypt with fire and cloud and chisels his intentions for them on stone tablets with his own finger. God calls Israel back to himself with fire by burning up Elijah’s alter. And in a quiet whisper he asks Elijah, “What are you doing here?” All these communications pale in comparison to His Son. He now speaks to us through His own Son. What can we say about Him? This is the Son who will inherit all things. When the history of this age comes to its grand conclusion, this Son will reign overall. What can we say about this Son? This is the Son through whom God created the world. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made" (John 1). What can we say about this Son? He is the radiance of God's glory, the exact imprint of his nature. If we care to see God, all we need to do is look at this Son. What Jesus does and says is what God does and says. What can we say about this Son? Not only will the world be his in the end, not only was the cosmos created through him, this Son continues to hold the universe together by his powerful Word. Because we can see the smallest details through microscopes and far away galaxies through telescopes, we might forget that if it wasn't for this Son, the entire universe would disintegrate. And this magnificent Son, he became flesh through the womb of the Virgin Mary. He made the journey from heaven's glory to die on a cruel cross thereby reconciling us to God. This Son who lay helpless in Mary's arms, who lay exhausted in a tempest tossed fishing boat, who lay dead in the tomb is now seated at the right hand of God in glory. There is a mystery in this grandeur. God speaks to us through his son, a babe. The light of the world voluntarily reduced his splendour to that of a candle. He is the radiance of the glory of God. He is the exact imprint of God’s nature. He is a babe in his mother’s arms, as vulnerable as a flickering wick. These are the kinds of words we take to the top of a mountain (or the roof of our houses), look at the stars and ponder. To these words there can be only one response -- falling on our knees in amazement. As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn. /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39470165

The Doctor is In! 12/21/2025

Possibilities 12/19/2025

Possibilities Walking down the street, Jesus saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked, “Rabbi, who sinned: this man or his parents, causing him to be born blind?” Jesus said, “You’re asking the wrong question. You’re looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do (John 9:1-3). We are exploring what it means that Jesus is Immanuel, “God with us.” In the Old Testament, light is an image that gets attached to Immanuel. In John’s gospel, this image explodes onto the page like a light bulb given power in a dark room. Our text is one of those detonations. The disciple’s understanding of the world is turned on its head. The disciples ask, “Why is this man blind? Who sinned causing this blindness?” They are trying to understand the condition, meaning, and purpose of this man’s life. If he is blind, if he is disabled, isn’t it because he or someone has sinned? Why would he be this way if no one had sinned? In their way of looking at the world, a problem like blindness was always the direct effect of someone’s sin. Today, we think such ideas are old fashioned. We are too educated for such simplicity. But just hold on. What is our gut reaction when someone is homeless or a refugee? For many of us, our first response is to ask why. To step back and analyze the situation. And isn’t that exactly what the disciples were doing? Analyzing the situation, making it fit into their worldview. They don’t see a man in need of healing, do they? They’re blind to his pain. They want an answer to a theological question. Likewise, we try to explain what we see as unfortunate, lamentable, regrettable. But in doing this we place ourselves at the centre of our questions; God is put on the sidelines. In our text, Jesus flips the disciples’ thinking on its head, as he so often does. In responding to their question, Jesus shifts their focus from the blind man to God and to Himself as the Light of the World. He says to them, “Don’t look for someone to blame. Look instead for what God can do. This man needs light and I am the light of the world.” Jesus intends to point us beyond the problem to the possibilities it presents. When we see an afflicted individual, we should not start with blame, but rather how can peace, comfort, and healing for this person show the glory of the God. We should be about the business of bringing wholeness to them. Jesus continues to rebuke his disciples when he says, "While it is still day, we must do the works of the one who sent me. Night is coming. Then no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” In other words, don’t let your opinions deflect you from the task that God has put you here to do. How often do we analyse and dissect rather than act to bring God’s light into the world? How often do we apply our theological minds to working out why something is the way it is, rather than doing what we can to right the wrongs we see? In being the hands and feet of Jesus, others discover through us that Jesus is Immanuel, God with us. To paraphrase Jesus, “Whoever has eyes to see, let them see!” As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn. /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39444535

Peace, Joy, Mercy 12/17/2025

Peace, Joy, Mercy When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me” (John 5:6-7). Jesus loved to ask questions. Some were innocent enough, like “Will you get me some water?” (4:7). Some were asked to encourage people to leave him alone, like the time he asked the Jewish establishment, “Where did John get his authority, from man or from God?” (Matthew 21). Others helped a listener probe deeper into Jesus’ identity, like when he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” Still others, like the one in our text, are a set up. The question does seem a bit strange, but the setting helps us get a handle on it. Jesus went up to Jerusalem, the city of peace. He went to celebrate one of the Jewish feasts, a joyful event praising God for his work of deliverance. The scene is the pool named Bethesda, which means ‘house of mercy.’ So, the location is peace, joy, mercy. We are expecting a happy story. Instead, we are told that this pool is surrounded by a great number of disabled people, but we focus on one person. He has been lying there for 38 years. That’s a long time by anyone’s reckoning. We might want to know about the magical nature of this pool. How is it that only the first person who touches the pool after it is stirred gets healed? Was it really an angel of the Lord who stirred the pool? But Jesus does not oblige our curiosity. He wants us to focus on this person lying here for 38 years. How many times has he seen the water stirred and he has not been able to touch it because someone else was always faster? Has he given up hope? Has he given in to his condition and expects to live out his life begging for scraps from passing feast goers? Jesus asks, “Do you want to get well?” Some suggest that Jesus wanted to know if the man had any hope left; it being a requirement for healing. Others suggest that Jesus was exposing that the man had become comfortable in his paralysis and did not want to get better. He needed to start taking responsibility for himself. These issues are not part of this story. The man doesn’t answer Jesus’ question. He just says, “Hey man, what I want doesn’t really matter. I can’t get to the pool. I won’t get healed.” The man’s got nothing. Jesus heals him. His mercy is free. He comes to bring it to those who are without hope. He comes to bring it to those who don’t expect it anymore. He comes in mercy to bring peace and joy. Are you looking for God’s mercy? Are you trying to figure out how to answer Jesus’ question? The answer is not important; Jesus brings mercy wherever he goes. You don’t need to look elsewhere. Look to Jesus. As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn. /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39424615

A Joy Filled Kingdom 12/15/2025

A Joy Filled Kingdom What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him (John 2:11). This Advent, we are focussing on Immanuel, God with us. Let’s head deeper into the gospels to see what there is regarding this theme in the life of Jesus. Today, a wedding in Cana. There is significant mystery in this story. There is no mention of who the happy couple are or why Jesus and his disciples and his mother are even there. There is no explanation as to why Jesus tells his mother it’s not his time but then does a miracle anyway. Everything focuses on the problem and its solution. The problem is that the wine has run out. This was simply not allowed. Hospitality was paramount in Jewish culture and a wedding with out wine…that was the worst of the worst. It would be the story of the town for generations. But Jesus intervenes and provides an abundance of excellent wine. And I do mean an abundance. The six stone jars that are suddenly filled with wine have a combined capacity of over 700 litres. John tells us why he included this story in his gospel. It was the first of the signs through which Jesus revealed his glory. The glory of God’s kingdom revealed in an abundance of wine. “Is that wise?” you might ask. Well yes, it is. It says two things about God’s kingdom. First, it is a kingdom of plenty. Many Christians in North America wonder, if we ought to feel guilty about the abundance of wealth we possess, compared to most of the residents of this globe. It’s good to ask such a question. But the answer is that we do not need to feel guilty. Everywhere in the Bible, God’s kingdom is shown to be a kingdom of plenty. Guilt should not be our reaction to our wealth. Rather, a true understanding of God’s kingdom causes us to become generous. If God has plenty, then we can share what we have because God can replenish our bank accounts. That, I think, is, at least in part, what Paul communicates in 2 Corinthians 8 & 9. It’s worth the read. The second thing this story tells us about God’s kingdom is that it is characterized by joy. Years ago, I was walking alongside some colleagues who were struggling with their churches. They just couldn’t get on the same page as the leadership. It was painful to watch. I remember wondering if it was alright for me to be enjoying ministry so much, because I really was. Then a retired pastor told me that it was permitted to enjoy ministry. He reminded me that the kingdom of God is one of joy. Jesus brought joy with him. The angels said as much to the shepherds. So, when you receive a gift this Christmas, receive it with joy, recognizing that God is inviting you to enjoy a taste of his kingdom. As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn. /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39369630

Building Permit Denied! 12/14/2025

The God who has Time 12/12/2025

The God who has Time The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14). Recently, I suggested that there were frequently two things involved in God’s appearances in the Old Testament. He showed his glory here on this earth and he came to call his people back. In that podcast, I reflected on God’s glory; today, I want to spend some time on the second element. Imagine God and his angels sitting under the tree having lunch with Abraham. God had important stuff to do further on, but he took the time to linger with Abraham. Many of us cannot imagine God having such time for us; but consider Jesus drawing the little children to himself when his disciples tried to shoo them away. God has time for us. He is Immanuel. John 1 is a complex chapter drawing in several Old Testament references. This might cause us to miss the main point, which, as Peterson paraphrases, is that God has moved into the neighbourhood. Why has he come? He has come to find the lost. He came to arrange for our adoption. He wants to be able to call us his children. In Luke 15, Jesus paints three pictures of God on the hunt for us. In the first, he compares God to a shepherd who has lost one of his 100 sheep. He ends the story with this, “And when he (the shepherd) finds it (his sheep), he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, “Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep…I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent” (Luke 15:5-7). So, if you are listening and don’t follow Jesus, know that God is looking for you. He wants to find you and name you his child. He wants to give you a brand-new identity and a brand-new family, the church. Get in touch with us if you’d like to have a conversation about this. Many of you who are listening have family and friends who do not follow Jesus. Our text has a word of encouragement for you. We wonder how on earth we are going to get them to follow God. Know this, God has his eye on them, he is out searching for your child, your spouse, your relative, your friend. We try to figure out how to connect people to God. The thing is, God is better at arranging that connection than we are. When people find God, its usually not in the expected manner. God tends to surprise us in the way he finds his lost sheep. Throughout the stories of Jesus birth, the gospel writers emphasize that Jesus came to save. So, let’s have confidence that God can connect with people. We don’t have to make it happen, rather let’s pray that God will do his stuff and let’s tell stories of God’s love in our lives. As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn. /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39369860

The King's Children 12/10/2025

The King's Children The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God (John 1:9-13). As he begins his gospel, John draws together the story of creation and redemption – our story. The very light through which the world had been made came into the world, but it did not recognize him. Jesus, born at Christmas, was there at the very beginning of all things with the Father and the Spirit as together, they formed this world. Creation. We humans were created then too. The crown of the Creation, formed in the image of God to steward his rule on this Earth. But we abandoned our royal heritage to strike out on our own, creating our own kingdom where we make the rules. We did not want to follow those set out by God. The fall. John introduces the agent of Redemption. Again, Jesus is here, together with the Father and Spirit to do a creating work. This time creating a restoration, a redemption, a right to come home to the royal family as children of God once again. This theme of homecoming as children of the royal family echoes all through the New Testament. Yet, it’s rarely the way we think of ourselves. Maybe we get distracted by other forms of our identity, loosing track of the most important one. We are busy being a “student” or “employee” or “employer.” Being “attractive” or “successful.” Being a “parent” or “friend” or any number of other things. We spend so much time with these identities that we forget who we truly are. Underneath all these identities, there is one more durable than any of the ones we create for ourselves or are given. It’s more permanent than even the identity of our own family and surname. Because unlike all these other identities we carry, our eternal identity did not come “through any human decision.” This identity was given us by God Himself. Our permanent identity is who Christ has made us: the children of God. Christian is the identity that counts in our lives. It is who we are. Royalty. Those who Belong. Those who will rule and reign with Christ. Never forget who we are in Christ. We are children of God, children of the King. As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn. /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39343950

The Glory Settled Down 12/08/2025

The Glory Settled Down Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle (Exodus 40:34-35). Returning to the Old Testament, Exodus concludes with an important Immanuel moment. Israel has spent considerable time in the wilderness around Mount Sinai. God has spoken to his people, given his law, but also been very angry because they rebelled against him. God and Israel would have parted ways if Moses had not interceded for the people. Yet, in the last scene of the book God comes to his people in glory, filling the tabernacle so full of himself that even Moses could not enter. In this episode, we see the heart of what Immanuel means. God coming to his people. Many religions are concerned with how we as humans, can find the gods. And granted, many Christians live the same way. But our God finds us. “Where are you?” he asks. It is important for us to pay attention to this. God comes to us. That is Immanuel. That does not mean that we always experience God’s nearness. For many reasons, God may seem distant. Even Jesus experienced that on the cross, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” These very real experiences of not feeling God’s closeness, do not negate the profound truth of the Christian religion that God comes to us. That is at the heart of Immanuel. We don’t need to search for God; he searches for us. This story also portrays that God finding us presents us with a problem. We can’t get near God. If God shows up, we can’t survive. We can’t see God and live as he once told Moses. There is always the problem of God’s holiness, or is it the problem of our unholiness? Our sinfulness? And thus, it is important to take time to explore Immanuel, God with us. We must keep digging into this theme that runs throughout the Bible. God searches for us because it is our sin that drives us away from him. More will be said about this later. For now, I want to leave you with two things. First, Immanuel, God with us, is not a new theme in the New Testament. It wasn’t something God came up with after a few unsuccessful ideas. It always was and still is his plan and desire to dwell among humanity. Second, Jesus is not with us anymore! Does that matter? Well, yes it does. Jesus is not physically with us right now. He sent us His Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit he is spiritually with us. As he told his disciples, “I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you” (John 14:14). The Holy Spirit’s presence in us, makes Jesus as near to us as if he were here physically. So be not afraid. Wherever you go, your God is with you. As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn. /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39294100

Twitchy Ears 12/07/2025

Look for His Glory 12/05/2025

Look for His Glory The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14). In The Message, we find this paraphrase, “The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, generous inside and out, true from start to finish.” In the Old Testament, there are stories of God visiting humans: Adam and Eve, Moses, Elijah. God came and he kept coming. Through the centuries, he appeared among his people. Two things were often part of those visits: his glory was revealed, and he called his people back to holiness. These things come to fullness in the story of Christ’s birth: Immanuel – God with us, come to save his people from their sins. Matthew tells it most plainly. Eugene Peterson writes concerning John 1, “the Word (that Creative and Powerful force by which the cosmos was formed and fashioned) became flesh and blood and moved into the neighbourhood.” Hebrews picks up these themes and spends considerable time punctuating the fact that Jesus is the final and grandest Word of God, THE Immanuel. He is God with us, forever. End of story! This is the glory and beauty Christ’s arrival. When we Christians talk about dwelling with God and seeing his glory, we often think about life after physical death. We like to say that when a Christian dies, she enters glory. This is alright after a fashion. However, it can cause us to miss one of the truths of Immanuel. What did John say, “we have beheld the glory of God.” Jesus reveals the glory of God. And before he left his disciples, he promised to send them his Spirit. Let me say this plainly, the Spirit connects us to God’s glory, now, today. This is Paul’s teaching in 2 Corinthians 3 which ends with, “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (18). Dwelling in the glory of God is not reserved for after death. It begins now. It’s true that “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face” (1 Cor. 13:12). So yes, there is a difference between then and now, but only one of decree. Sometimes we see the glory in the gathering of God’s people at worship; sometimes we see it in the face of a fellow Christian; sometimes we see it in someone that we serve or someone who serves us. But see it we do, if we have eyes to see. Look for him. Look for his glory. Jesus is Immanuel. He is God with us. He is here with us now. As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn. /episode/index/show/icrchww/id/39278730

Wilderness Wanderings

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