Devotion.al

  • Thieving Glory

    Thieving Glory

    Matthew 24:42–44; 1 Thessalonians 5:2–6; Revelation 16:12–16

    Calling God a thief seems more than just a little ridiculous. Yet, uses the imagery of a thief to talk about the Day of the Lord.

    The Day of the Lord is an ambiguous phrase. Many (perhaps even most) Christians, think of the “Day of the Lord” as the day that Jesus will return. From a Jewish perspective, this is not the case.

    The Day of the Lord is a phrase used to indicate an occasion where/when the earthly way of things (the status quo) will be shaken. There are two primary uses of this phrase. The first is the impending consequences of unfaithful behavior by the Israelites. The second is when God restores Israel by throwing down those that oppressed them.

    This is not to say that the “Day of the Lord” is not Jesus’ return (for that is the penultimate Day of the Lord). It is better to say that there will be many Days of the Lord.

    The comparison between the dramatic Day of the Lord the Jews were expecting at the time of Jesus and the thief in the night is not incidental. In many respects, the impending Day of the Lord was , followed by , followed by Pentecost.

    To Christians, we don’t view these as “thief in the night” moments. General history, however, only finds them important due to Christianity. The death of Jesus was just another day of Roman “” and fearmongering. The was only witnessed by a few.

    Pentecost, by far, was the biggest event (people-wise) of the three, and yet it was relatively insignificant to an Empire, and only “another” sect to deal with for the Jews. Yes, this sect became troublesome for the Jews and the Romans, but it didn’t start that way.

    One of the biggest struggles that Christians have about the “Day of the Lord” is that they continue to look for big signs. They want drama. They want action.

    Jesus’ return may indeed be on clouds of (he says it, but is it literal or imagery), but Jesus didn’t say how many would witness it.

    ※Questions※

    1) In the US, we often look to elections or wars as “the Day of the Lord”. What other events come to mind?

    2) Why is it important to keep the “thief” motif in mind when thinking about Jesus’ return?

    3) Why do you think Paul uses dark and sleep to talk about “the thief” (think beyond the obvious)?

    ※Prayer※

    Father, as we wait for your Son’s return, let your burn inside of us, and keep the of your and glory shining, that we are for such a time as that. Amen.

  • Peace-Filled Traditions

    Matthew 15:1–9; Luke 11:42–46

    Yesterday (or the weeks prior to it), all Americans had the opportunity to participate in a great tradition…voting. Regardless of whether your candidates won or lost, there is something great in this tradition. People choosing their leaders is a great , and should not be squandered.

    As and All Saints’ Day have passed, so to have the traditions that go with them. Next in our list of traditions are Thanksgiving (for Americans; for Canadians, it has passed), , Christmas, and New Year.

    Many of the rules and traditions of the Jews were based upon the lunar calendar, or as observations of past significant events. Their traditions were formational. In other words, part of what made a person into being a Jew were the traditions. In many respects, despite the diaspora of the Jews, that is still the case around the world.

    The US acted, for a time, as if if were of a tradition. However, in the last few decades, the US has discovered that its identity and traditions are no longer what they were. Many are upset about this, and are grieving and angry.

    On the other hand, this is also the opportunity to develop new traditions and a new identity forged through the mutual pain of discontent, isolation, anger, and even . It doesn’t sound particularly pleasant. It hasn’t been, and probably won’t be for a while.

    For many, some “great” US traditions felt more like oppression and suppression. The traditions also felt disparaging. To others they were/are part of a past that they couldn’t support.

    At the time of , many Jews felt that they could not live under the traditions imposed by their leaders. Jesus indeed called the leaders out on this. The leaders had had a tradition passed down by Moses. In an attempt to “perfect” it, they made it worse. They made it unlivable.

    As we move (for that is the only direction we can go), the church has a huge opportunity to help the new traditions that are to be formed. Of course, many of our own traditions will have to be challenged, and that will be painful and hard.

     ※※

    Lord, help us to be healers and peacemakers. Help us to be bearers of that passes all understanding. Amen.

  • The Tax Man Comes

    Mark 2:13–17; Luke 19:1–11

    Zacchaeus has been a staple in Children’s for years…♫♪“Zacchaeus was a wee little man, a wee little man was he.”♪♫ His stature makes him identifiable for children. They understand being too short to see things that all the adults get to see.

    What gets lost for the children is Zacchaeus’ place in society. Most lessons that I am aware of avoid that reality. Oddly enough, we actually have a similar situation today.

    It may be dressed differently, but perhaps in our technological entrepreneurs, we have the new tax collectors. Many people want to be them, if only for the wealth. poke at them saying that they are exploiters. Others say that they must not be paying their fair . Others still feel trapped by them, yet still use the technology that has been developed.

    There is a major difference in that the technological entrepreneurs are not the “scum” of the earth for everyone; not like Zacchaeus and the other tax collectors.

    However, people don’t know what to do with them. Politicians in various capitals (state or national capitals) don’t know how to deal with them. The politicians need them, hate that need, and want to control them.

    “Normal” people appreciate the tech, but now are beginning to question the trade-off. They admire the technologists, but they fear them.

    The tax collectors were just hated; chose one as a follower. Tax collectors were hated; Jesus dined with them. Tax collectors were cast out from the ; Jesus came to them.

    We all now are in an interesting place. We need technology to connect with one another. We are, in many ways, more dependent upon the technologists than we used to be.

    If we are not careful, we will despise them because of our dependence, and because of the control over our lives that we may perceive them to have. This is, in many respects, the same situation as the tax collectors.

    The tax collectors lived well. However, they were the ones that were the first line of defense against the Romans. Give the Romans , and they leave.

    ※Questions※

    1) Who else might be the “tax collectors” in your ?

    2) Are you the “” or the “sinner”? Which do you like?

    ※Prayer※

    Jesus, may we not act like the “righteous” and be humble and thank-filled as the “sinners”. Amen.

  • Dripping Prayer

    Dripping Prayer

    Proverbs 27:15–16; Luke 11:5–14; Luke 18:1–8

    Persistence is often a good thing. However, blind persistence can also be incredibly limiting. As my younger children are about to begin their college journey (yes, still a few months to go), I look back to my time in college. I chose a major I wasn’t skilled at. I chose a major that I would not be successful at.

    I chose the wrong major for a dream. For 4 years I pursued that major. The result? Another school, another (bad) major, and finally dropping out of college.

    But I was persistent, and I was a fool.*

    There is no doubt that some people find great in being persistent. What is often not recognized in that is their innate skill, passion, or support, which can make all the difference.

    Sometimes the persistence can be like a drip on a rainy day. You can’t get the sound out of your head, even though you “know” your roof is good. It beats on your head and in your . Sometimes it tricks you into thinking that your roof really is leaking.

    While the nagging wife could be considered persistent. That kind of persistence (whether it be wife, husband, mother, , whomever) is generally destructive. It destroys hearts, souls, minds, , lives. That’s not good persistence.

    Persistent is different. Whether it’s the story of the friend or the story of the widow, the goal may originate with the self, but there are positive forces at play. In the case of the friend, hospitality is actually center stage. In the case of the widow, is at the center.

    We often focus on the people in the stories, and not the greater “ethos” that the story surrounds.

    Persistent prayer is not nagging prayer. Nagging God to get you a Rolls Royce would not be positive persistence. Persistent prayer for justice for our neighbors? Persistent prayer for their finances and spiritual health?

    Often, we will dress up our persistent prayer in “Godly” language, such as, “ me wealth that I may be more generous.” This can be positive. It is often quite negative, as the person is operating from a scarcity mindset, rather than generosity mindset

    Other times it could be, “Lord, let them get a speeding ticket.” The justice might be correct; the heart motivation might well be revenge or desire for their punishment.

    Persistent prayer may involve the self. Jesus even tells us that we are to bring our cares and needs to the Father.

    ※Questions※

    1) How would you define the difference between stubbornness, nagging, and persistence? How do you know when you are being one or the other?

    2) What are some signs or language that you can use to determine the intent behind our prayer (i.e., justice versus vengeance)?

    3) If God is in answering prayer, why do we not always get what we want?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, may our prayers be full of your – water rather than torrential waters of destruction; to lift up your people and the world to you. Amen.

    *Just for clarity, the fool part is my stubbornness regarding my major pursuit. Without that second college, I wouldn’t have found my wife; so, that part is a win. I did eventually go back to college and complete a degree. It just took a bit longer.

  • Saintly Ones

    Saintly Ones

    Matthew 5:1–16; Revelation 7:1–17

    ※ Q: What is a Saint? ※

    You would think that this question is easy. However, the meaning of depends on the context and even timeframe.

    Chasid (חָסִיד) and Kaddish (קַדִּישׁ) are the Hebrew words that are most often translated as saint (not always, though). Chasid (חָסִיד) means or devout ones (with the implication being toward the covenant).  Kaddish (קַדִּישׁ) means ones or people of the holy ones (yes, we could, but perhaps shouldn’t, infer the there).

    Hagioi (ἅγιος) is first seen in Matthew 27:52 and used to talk about those who rose from the dead upon Jesus’ . It is most used by to refer to the (what became) Christians in his letters. It became generally used that way by the other New Testament writers and the church. In Revelation, the becomes expressly tied to those who died as martyrs.

    ※ Q: What does it mean to be a saint? ※

    If you’ve been in the church any length of time, saint can be applied to a person of significant . It is also applied to many that have been in the faith for a long time and have gray or white hair (the hair color, of course, is important 😉). However, that is probably a bad way of thinking about it.

    If we were to tie both the Hebrew and the Greek together, we would probably get an approximation of people whose is with God through faith in Jesus Christ and for whom this is their primary identity.

    ※ Q: Are you a saint? ※

    ※Prayer※

    Holy , guide into a relational identity with the Father, through the Son. Amen.

  • Cast Off

    Cast Off

    Matthew 23:13-15; Acts 15:1–22; Colossians 2:4–13 

    There is no question about Jesus’ attitude toward the scribes and the Pharisees in this verse. It seems pretty straightforward. What if it isn’t? What if Jesus was instead using their language in a way so as to make a point? 

    The Pharisees, with their belief in the afterlife, would certainly not want to be headed for Hell. They intended to go to Heaven. Jesus told them that while they think they are the bouncers for God, they’re not getting in either. There was probably some dismay there. 

    Jesus piled on with the various traditions (versus Biblical law) that the Pharisees and the scribes held everyone accountable for. Frankly, it was unbearable. That was Jesus’ point. They held onto traditions that made their lives Hell on earth. Jesus made it clear that it also prevented them from Heaven.  

    Jesus knew their hearts were stubborn. His greater concern was not them, but all those they dragged along with them. The concern for people who were now burdened with more than their hearts could bear. What if they decided they would rather be Hell-bound than bound with all the rules and traditions that made the life they were living hellish? 

    Sounds extreme, but this was exactly Peter’s point to the elders of the Jerusalem church. They and their ancestors could not withstand the misery. The people that were being drawn to the freedom and of Jesus Christ were being threatened with rules and traditions! Most of them the same that they (of Jewish descent) wanted to be freed from, and who believed that Jesus had done so! 

    Paul often had to deal with the Judaizers who kept trying to bring Jewish customs into the and imposing them on . It made Paul quite angry at times. 

    You may have run across Christians who try to follow some of the Jewish law (particularly the dietary ones). They were free of the Law before they were born yet seek to be bound by laws that were not theirs to bear. 

    This is also something we need to be careful of ourselves. One of the big lessons of many missionaries was trying to impose Western thinking on non-Westerners. Western thinking got tied into the message of Jesus Christ, often putting burdens (things we would think of as burdens) on people that the did not call them to bear. 

    The church in the Western world is fading. Ultimately, it must rediscover what it means to and be missional. Of course, the biggest group to which we must be missional are the people we are already comfortable with. We do not look at them with missionary eyes. We are too close. Even more than the Jews had to cast of their traditions, we may have to cast off much of what “makes” us Westerners so that we can be the messengers of to our neighbors. 

    ※Questions※

    1) What might be your cultural blind spots that weaken your ability to evangelize? 

    2) How does our Western culture act in ways similar to the Jewish laws of old? 

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, soften our hearts and open our minds. May we feel your for and learn to ourselves for the sake of others’ salvation. Amen. 

  • Wall Repair

    Wall Repair

    Ezekiel 13:1–16; 2 Peter 2:1–3

    If you ever lived in a dorm or rented an apartment (especially a college one), you may have been “enlightened” by friends or acquaintances about tricks to get your deposit back. One of the biggest items has always been holes in the walls, whether nails, tacks, pushpins, or anchors.

    The “great” suggestion is to use toothpaste instead of spackle (because spackle is expensive?). Toothpaste is definitely not spackle. Spackle bonds to drywall, almost (sort of) like new.

    Toothpaste and spackle may seem strange to bring up. Toothpaste holds up for a time, but ultimately it will not last; just like whitewash lasts only for a time on a broken wall.

    Ezekiel’s words to the people of Israel were pointed straight at the prophets and priests. The imagery of a broken wall was specifically not the walls of a house, but the defensive walls of the entire city. In other words, the walls may have looked pretty, but the plaster and whitewash just covered over the cracks and holes.

    The is that the people of the city were deceived by the apparent “protection” of the pristine walls. They thought they were safe from enemies.

    The city’s walls were symbolic of the people’s , understanding, and with God. Perhaps, we ought to say the prophets and priests have done nothing except deceive the people so that they thought they had the “right” faith and that they were following the “right” god.

    God disagreed.

    By the time Peter wrote this letter (2 Peter), the false teachers had already started showing up. He was warning the people that they needed to be aware and . They couldn’t be like the people that Ezekiel spoke to that had already been led astray toward destruction.

    Peter was concerned not just about any kind of false doctrine/teaching. He was concerned about destructive false teaching. Peter seemed to divide between two types of false teaching, the kind that is wrong/unhelpful and the kind that will lead to false gods or false understanding of God.

    What heresies Peter was concerned about exactly is unknown. It may have been a general concern or just a reality of the experience and of the Israelite experience.

    The deepest issue is that the implication in the text is that the false teachers would come in knowingly with false teaching. Most of us would be puzzled were a pastor, for example, were to do that. It has been known to happen. It is where the pastor or other influencer changes their mind/understanding about critical issues. We aren’t just talking about knowingly false doctrine. We are also talking about presumed that is false when it comes to God.

    ※Questions※

    1) Peter wasn’t just talking to leaders. He was talking to everyone. What does this mean for you?

    2) What kind of plaster and whitewash are you seeing around you?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, open our eyes to see your Truth and not ours. Amen.

  • Incomplete Armor

    Incomplete Armor

    Psalm 27; Zechariah 10:12; Ephesians 6:10–18

    This passage from Ephesians is one of those common favorites. Building and putting on the armor of God is still a popular activity for children. As a tool, it was and remains powerful.

    From the point of the Ephesians, they were very familiar with the attire of the Roman soldiers. Ephesus was an important city in the region. The Roman soldiers would be stationed there. With its importance, many military excursions would start and end in Ephesus.

    However, while grasped a powerful visual (and, for modern children, a reinforcing activity), it wasn’t complete. As far as Paul was concerned, he delivered what he needed for conveying deep truths to the Ephesians.

    Yet, there is still something missing. When I was younger, people often thought I was an “Army brat”. Even to this day, some assume I’m ex-military. Most of this is a childhood affection (with, yes, a lot of military tradition in the ). So, when I look at Paul’s list, I’m a bit bothered.

    There are 2 significant pieces that are missing from Paul’s list: the javelin (or bow, depending on the unit) and the kilt. Also, certain Roman ensembles had shin guards, too (that makes 3).

    What does that matter, you might ask? The javelin (again, or bow) was used for long-ranged attack; the javelin could also be used as a defensive tool against cavalry. We could use the long-range aspect as a “look ahead” and “be prepared” for what is coming. In other words, don’t just react to the world; be prepared to confront it.

    Regarding defense, the javelin would need to be set against the ground to be effective. Again, be ready for what is coming toward you.

    The kilt? Other than cultural Scottish attire, it protected the lower area of the body. It may not seem like a kilt could protect much, but much of the of the lower body is centered in that area. Wounds would deeply affect effectiveness. From a modesty sense, well, that’s probably obvious. That could represent purity.

    Purity in this day and is hard. Putting on the armor of purity may be more essential than we realize.

    The shin guards are a little harder. They do keep you from getting kicked, and they would protect you from ramming your leg into a coffee table (you winced, didn’t you?). So, perhaps we could look at the shin guards at that which protects us (somewhat) from our own stumbling.

    There is a fun addition to the helmet. Normally, the helmet was unadorned. However, during parades, the higher one’s rank the crest on the helmet would be brightly colored. Kind of similar to the flames of , perhaps?

    ※Questions※

    1) Which armor piece is most significant for you? Why?

    2) If you were to choose aspects of the spiritual that the 3 additional pieces would represent, what would they be? Why?

    ※Prayer※

    God, thank you for the and of your Paul whose words, inspired by you, guide us today. Amen.

Devotion.al

Thieving Glory

Matthew 24:42–44; 1 Thessalonians 5:2–6; Revelation 16:12–16

Calling God a thief seems more than just a little ridiculous. Yet, Jesus uses the imagery of a thief to talk about the Day of the Lord.

The Day of the Lord is an ambiguous phrase. Many (perhaps even most) Christians, think of the “Day of the Lord” as the day that Jesus will . From a Jewish , this is not the case.

The Day of the Lord is a phrase used to indicate an occasion where/when the earthly way of things (the status quo) will be shaken. There are two primary uses of this phrase. The first is the impending consequences of unfaithful behavior by the Israelites. The second is when God restores Israel by throwing down those that oppressed them.

This is not to say that the “Day of the Lord” is not Jesus’ return (for that is the penultimate Day of the Lord). It is better to say that there will be many Days of the Lord.

The comparison between the dramatic Day of the Lord the Jews were expecting at the time of Jesus and the thief in the night is not incidental. In many respects, the impending Day of the Lord was Good Friday, followed by , followed by Pentecost.

To Christians, we don’t view these as “thief in the night” moments. General history, however, only finds them important due to Christianity. The death of Jesus was just another day of Roman “justice” and fearmongering. The was only witnessed by a few.

Pentecost, by far, was the biggest event (people-wise) of the three, and yet it was relatively insignificant to an Empire, and only “another” sect to deal with for the Jews. Yes, this sect became troublesome for the Jews and the Romans, but it didn’t start that way.

One of the biggest struggles that Christians have about the “Day of the Lord” is that they continue to look for big signs. They want drama. They want .

Jesus’ return may indeed be on clouds of glory (he says it, but is it literal or imagery), but Jesus didn’t say how many would witness it.

※Questions※

1) In the US, we often look to elections or wars as “the Day of the Lord”. What other events come to mind?

2) Why is it important to keep the “thief” motif in mind when thinking about Jesus’ return?

3) Why do you think uses dark and sleep to talk about “the thief” (think beyond the obvious)?

※Prayer※

Father, as we wait for your ‘s return, let your burn inside of us, and keep the light of your and glory shining, that we are for such a time as that. Amen.