As a child, I was expected to keep my room tidy, which included making the bed. This task often required folding the blanket. My brother and I often worked together to fold our respective blankets. When no assistant was available, I spread the blanket on the floor and proceeded alone. I marveled at my mother; she could fold a blanket without help and do it while standing. She would grab the corners of the draping cloth, and like magic, a perfectly sculpted blanket appeared in her hands. In my child’s mind I reasoned, she can do that because she is so tall. In my teenage years, I continued to believe, I cannot fold a blanket like my mother. Finally, after being inches taller than my 5’ mother, I realized her ability was not connected to height. For years, I was disillusioned by the false narrative: I am not tall enough to fold a blanket by myself. 

As a young teenager, my brother and I were bestowed with a seemingly simple task: steer the rental boat from the marina to our lakeside campsite. Our dad had rented a small flatbottom boat with a hand-operated outboard motor. With a measure of trepidation, he put us into the rental boat and repeated once again three simple instructions: (1) “Stay near the shoreline;” (2) “Keep the shoreline on left;” and (3) “Look for our campsite.” The plan was fool proof. Our father waved goodbye as our boat sped through the water; he expected to see us again in 15 minutes. “Keep the shoreline on your left.”  The boat glided easily alongside the amoeba-shaped lake. We came to a small cove, which clearly did not contain our campsite. We veered into the lake and scooted along “as the crow flies.” Another cove. Same situation. Same choice. Another cove. Bigger than the others, but we skipped that one too. We were making excellent time – until we were not. Within 15 minutes, we knew something was amiss. The endlessly curvy shoreline coupled with many various-sized islands left us utterly befuddled. We were lost. Everything looked the same. We tried to backtrack, which only exacerbated our lostness.

Does the Bible teach that we are predestined? Let’s consult the scriptures. The Greek word translated “predestined” is προορίζω (proorizo) and it is used six times in the New Testament. On four occasions (Romans 8.29-30 & Ephesians 1.511), the New International Version (NIV) Bible translates the word as “predestined” – a loaded term that evokes strong reactions. Accordingly, our history with the term limits clarity. Thus, as we ponder the biblical meaning of predestination, let’s consider the two biblical examples where προορίζω is used but translated differently.

Recently, I was clearing out some old bicycle parts – useful but not needed items that I acquired over the years. While the parts possessed value, I did not anticipate needing them again. Thus, I could pass them along to someone who could utilize them. (Or equally possible, unintentionally pass them along to a bike part hoarder.) We all know the fear in clearing out useful items: “I might need it someday.” Well, well, well. Less the two weeks after the great clear out, my front fender breaks. And (you already know how this ends), that’s right, I was (key word: was) the proud owner of an unused front fender. I asked myself, “Was I right to discard those items?” As I considered this inevitable question, it reminded me of our faith in God. What seems the right decision is suddenly reevaluated after an expected event follows. For example, we decide to make a significant financial donation, and once the funds exit our account, our washing machine goes caput. Should we have been so generous/reckless with our limited finances?

About a decade ago, I watched a docuseries called “Deadliest Catch.” The show followed numerous boats in the Bering Sea that were trying to catch Alaskan king crab and snow crab. The captains and their crew faced incessant challenges: cold temperatures, erratic weather, broken vessels, insufficient equipment, low morale, inexperienced crew, disappearing bait. and competing boats. More than anything though, the fishers encountered unpredictable crabs: on some days the pots were filled and on other days the pots were empty. In one episode, after a ship’s captain lamented a string of crab-less pots, he looked directly into the camera and summarized his profession: “That’s why they call it fishing and not catching.” Fishing, at least to this vessel’s skipper, implied an aspect of the unknown. Further, fishing included an untamable predictability. The crew could not just take the fish from the sea - the sea first must offer the fish. And as a fisher of king grab knows, the sea does as the sea wants.

Over the summer, I went on a backpacking trip with my wife. We spent a couple of nights on the trail, climbed a mountain with a stunning 360-degree view, and discovered the wonder of packaged Rice Krispie Treats. Upon completing the trip, I unpacked my backpack and confronted an already-known truth: I overpacked. In most cases, overpacking shows preparedness, but not in backpacking. The excess gear and supplies only increased the difficulty – the craggy trail only became more challenging with seven unnecessary pounds heaped upon my body. Without these useless ‘rocks,’ I would have traveled faster and farther.

What is the best gift you ever received? While children and other important people are certainly a gift, I am thinking of something that fits into a box. I am thinking about the kind of gift that arrives at Christmas, a birthday, or sometimes, just because. Of those gifts, which one do you remember? For me, I remember my sister bringing me a novelty wooden bat from the amusement park. I developed a baseball game that utilized that bat and played the games for years - my children even enjoy playing it. Now, have you considered the gift you receive from God - the physical items that fit inside a box that God bestows into your life? How has God tangibly blessed your life?

[Jesus says,] “Come to me, all you 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. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Matthew 11.28-30) 

Have you ever tried to purchase shoes online? I have. While I often found a good financial deal, there remained one – but very significant – problem: I could not try on the shoes. This led to problems. My shoes fit poorly, and then, I was forced to keep uncomfortable shoes or go through the ordeal of returning an online purchase. Neither option delivered a smidge of joy. I eventually realized: appearance and price point told me nothing of the shoe’s fit. Before purchasing a pair of shoes, I needed to try them on. Before owning a pair of shoes, I needed to put them on my feet.

Congratulations to the Boston Celtics on their recent NBA championship! The team battled through an 82-game season and then followed that with four rounds of best-of-seven playoffs. At the end of the long journey, they hoisted the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. As we consider their victory, let’s think about some steps to their success: talented players, quality coaching, and effective training. Now, consider all the details necessary to achieve those steps – almost innumerable. Each detail contributes to the team’s success, and a single missed detail might change the season’s trajectory.

Have you noticed that online advertising seems to match you personally? For example, I do not think a twenty-something receives the same amount of unsolicited advice about saving for retirement. The collective online wisdom about my golden years says essentially the same thing: “Save now - or be broke later.” Well, maybe not the last part, but the implication is there. The question behind the statement is clear: In what do I trust? The advice behind the statement is just as clear: With enough financial reserve, I can trust in my resources. I suspect that you likewise receive unsolicited online advice about what you should trust. And for you, the question behind the statement is just as clear: In what do you trust?

Genesis includes the nomadic accounts of Jacob. After several relocations, his family finally settles in Shechem. For 100 silver pieces, Jacob purchases land from the sons of Hamor – the local ruler. Then, one of the son desires Jacob’s daughter Dinah. The man takes her and rapes her.Jacob must respond to the great injustice inflicted upon his daughter, right? The son of the local ruler has sexually violated his daughter. While the scriptures give no indication to Jacob’s reasoning, the text does describe Jacob’s actions: “He did nothing about it” (Genesis 34.5). Jacob refuses to confront the perpetrator, perhaps given his status as Hamor’s son. So, what is justice in this matter? From this passage, we find what justice is not – doing nothing. Justice requires a response. There must be accountability.

The Book of Ecclesiastes is a meandering book of biblical wisdom. It lacks definitive tenets, but when read from beginning to end, provides an astounding perspective on living wisely for God. In the midst of its keen journey, resides the nugget quoted above. The advice is simple: Sometimes, ignore what others say. The reason for ignoring is equally simple: You, likewise, have spoken against others.

The Book of Exodus (17.8-15) recounts an event when the Israelites are just beginning their trek toward the Promised Land. Fighters from Amalek attacked the people, which prompts Moses to respond: “Joshua, choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.” Joshua followed directions and engaged the Amalekites in battle. Moses watched from a nearby hill. When his hands were raised, the Israelites prevailed, but once they dipped, their enemy became stronger. Needless to say, Moses’ arms grew weary, so a plan was developed: Moses sat upon a rock while Aaron and Hur both supported an arm. Accordingly, Joshua and Israelites, with sword in hand, prevailed in battle.

Here’s a truth … most biblical teaching is forgettable. We hear something, and not long later, we forget it. Perhaps a more appropriate term is consumable. Upon hearing the teaching, we welcome it, but like last Monday’s apples, its usefulness is short-lived. (Aside: The scripture – like a food – is something that we need to regularly consume.) While I have forgotten (or preferably, consumed) most biblical instruction, I do remember something from three decades ago. While while working as a counselor at a Christian summer camp, the director provided a message at the evening campfire. These talks were brief and served more as devotional that actual teaching, but one evening, he said something I continue to remember, “When you tell Jesus to go away, you’ve got problems.”

I think … I think every culture celebrates New Years. While some places celebrate the event at different times, like Lunar New Year in China and some other Asian countries or like Diwali in India, every culture has a special recognition for restarting earth’s circuitous journey. No matter when the annual celebration occurs, there seems something human to mark the end of one season and celebrate the beginning of another. The new year brings conclusion; the new year bring beginning. Essentially, the new year is a reset. Apparently, we humans (just like my computer) need a reset button.

The Gospel of Luke tells of two annunciations. In the first, the angel Gabriel appears to Zechariah, a priest who is married to Elizabeth. When Zecheriah is inside the temple burning incense, Gabriel startles the man with a bold announcement: Elizabth will give birth to a boy, and they should name him John. Further, this child will grow into a man who goes on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord (Luke 1.17). Now we might think that John, being a priest, would greet this proclamation with exceeding jubilation. First, he and his wife will become parents (and given their age, that seemed an abandoned possibility), and second, God will endow this child with the spirit of Elijah. We might think … and we would be wrong. Instead, a doubting Zechariah quips to the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” (Luke 1.18). The angel responds with displeasure, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news” (Luke 1.19).

Are you familiar with the biblical story of Ruth? In four pithy chapters, we learn the story of Ruth – a widowed Moabite woman who shows fierce loyalty to her widowed mother-in-law, Naomi. After some transnational travel, Ruth arrives in Judah. Through some nuances in their law, a kinsman redeemer named Boaz seeks to wed Ruth, but doing so comes at a cost: any children from their relationship will carry on the legacy of Ruth’s first husband. Before Boaz can marry Ruth, though, her closest redeemer must eschew that duty. This would-be redeemer, though, refuses; he fears this action might harm his own inheritance: At this, the guardian-redeemer said, “Then I cannot redeem it because I might endanger my own estate. You redeem it yourself. I cannot do it” (Ruth 4.6). This refusal reveals the ironic nature of this biblical book. An unnamed man refuses to wed Ruth because doing so might harm his estate. Another words, the accomplishments surrounding his name would be lessened. For reasons only of vanity, he refuses the role of kinsman redeemer: the integrity of his name must be protected!

Aw, yes. The wonderful past. We hold a certain nostalgic view of life’s previous decades. Our colloquial phrase is the ‘good ole days.’ How else could you explain a significant increase in musical cassette tapes? In the year 2022, cassette sales increased 28% over the previous year. Do you remember cassettes? Those things were awful: costing an exorbitant sum; offering terrible music quality; forwarding past your preferred song; flipping the cassette over; taping the broken ribbon; etc. Why, of why, in the era of digital, instantaneously available music would someone want to relive the ‘good ole days’ and plop their overpriced cassette into their Sony Walkman that has dying batteries (because the batteries were always dying or dead) and listen to music through those cheap, one-size-fits-none, and uncomfortable foam- cover headphones? Why, indeed? The answer is simple: we are nostalgic about the past. We remember the good, and we forget the bad.

Welcome to September. Despite what the seasonal calendar tells us, summer is unofficially over. And with fall, comes the season of the harvest. For the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, its second-most lucrative crop reaches maturity: the cranberry. The bogs shine red, and come late September, the six weeks of harvest begins. As we consider the Cranberry farmers, what are they doing in early September? I am no agricultural savant, but I suspect that in the first days of September, these farmers are preparing for the harvest. Once the crop reaches maturity, they must be ready for ingathering. They have only six weeks to collect a full-year’s produce.

“If God is so good, then how do you explain evil? Why would a good God allow such terrible things?”

This question summarizes the problem of evil. As Christians, we proclaim an all-powerful God. We also proclaim a God who loves unconditionally. With these two contentions, Christians face the difficult question: Why would an all-powerful God and all-loving God allow terrible things to happen? Why would such a God allow, for example, children to suffer abuse? Or permit a young mother to die from cancer? Is God really that powerful or that loving? These probing questions leave many people doubting God’s existence, power, and nature.