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).

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.

A Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings! The text is Galatians 5:1, 13-14. Dive In discussion questions are below for further reflection!

To see this sermon in the context of the worship service it comes from, find it here on YouTube. Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC: immanuelministries.ca.

Dive In!

1. What does freedom mean to you? What kind of things would you like to be free from?
2. What does it mean to be human? How would you describe the best human? How can we become like that?
3. Give some examples of good laws (not the ones Pastor Michael mentioned). What laws are you afraid of breaking? Are you afraid of God? What does it mean to be under the 'curse of the law'?
4. How is the curse of the law broken? What do we have to do to help break it? What does it mean that Jesus set us free?
5. When we are free in Christ, how will we live? What will be our desire and goal? Where will the Spirit lead us?

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).

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).

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).

A Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings! The text is 1 Peter 5:1-11. Dive In discussion questions are below for further reflection!

To see this sermon in the context of the worship service it comes from, find it here on YouTube. Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC: immanuelministries.ca

1. Why the title "Growing Small"?
2. What are the three "Ts" mentioned in the sermon?
3. What two things does the word "mighty" refer too?
4. What is the difference between worry and humility?
5. What should we know about God that helps us trust him? How do we grow in this trust?
6. What were some of the examples given from the Bible in which we see God's timing?
7. Why is it so difficult to trust in God's timing? How long may we need to wait?

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).