Devotion.al

  • Hearts of Innocence

    Jeremiah 31:15–20, Matthew 2:13–23, Hebrews 2:11–18 (read online ⧉)

    In the Evangelical , and even in the so-called mainstream American Denominations, the day of Innocents is often skipped over. It’s uncomfortable. It’s weird. To our sensibilities, it just makes no sense. Like so many of the stories in the , we have a hard time wrapping our heads around it.

    When spoken in Jeremiah, it is the of the people of Israel to exile and the loss of the Promised Land. In times of war and exile, children were often the first victims, just as it in many cases today. Lamenting wasn’t just sorrow. It was God-led , a ripping of the fabric of those that God had called. It was tinged with horror at what was lost, and how far away God seemed to be.

    As with many other Old Testament passages, this was called up by ‘ followers as a foreshadowing of Herod’s great crime…sacrificing the future (children) for the sake of his and pride. While Herod’s Jewish ancestors were condemned for killing their children to appease demonic gods, Herod went so far as to kill God’s children to prevent anyone, including God’s Messiah, from taking “his” power.
    As an innocent baby, God became one of us. God dared, and the world dared bigger.

    With every political cycle, there is a cynical pulling of our heartstrings for the future (the children). Whether the issue is abortion, adoption, food, education, healthcare, politicians use our hearts to pull our votes. This is not to deny the importance of the issues. In fact, it is quite the opposite. By making political hay using children, the politicians belittle our hearts, our future, and our children.

    The sad part is that our culture has place children in this odd place. While we may not be Herod, children and the satisfaction of political, cultural, and personal power remains an issue. If one analyzes the political, cultural, and religious language often used, one can (not God) language used with and for children (through no fault or initiative of their own). Children are therefore set up to fail as they are not gods. Children, to this day, are used for power and pride. They are still Holy Innocents.

    1) We often compare our childhood to the “current” childhood. How does that cause us to miss bad (i.e., “god”) language spoken of us when we were children? Why is it both bad and good to compare language used about children?

    2) Why do you think children end up in discussions of power?

    3) Holy Innocents is a recognition that children often have no say, yet bear the consequences. How should that affect about the Next Generation?

  • Christmas Poured Out

    Exodus 33:12–27, John 6:35–40, John 17:6–24, John 18:8 (read online ⧉)

    Judas Iscariot—‘ betrayer—is often one of those characters that we just “go with the flow.” It is easier to just see him as the betrayer, rather than see him as what he was, . When we wrestle with the person that was Judas Iscariot, we often have to wrestle with the aspects of ourselves which may seem similar. Behaving in such a way that seems best and is ultimately still is something we have all struggled with. If you believe that you have never betrayed someone, think again. Betrayal often is our selfishness conflicting with the selfishness of another. Betrayal can seem to be opposing the dominant social theme (whether personal, tribal, or something larger).

    In the midst of the Christmas season (which it still is), it is easy to get caught up in the warm “fuzziness” of “good cheer”, fun, and gatherings. Sometimes, we get caught up in behaving that way because it is easier (or less painful) than being caught up in our own and trials. Going with the flow often seems the best (or at least easiest), yet the strains and trials are often what cause us to actually grown and strengthen in our lives. When we don’t behave in such a manner, some perceive us as “betraying” the “ of the season.” On the other hand, if we blindly follow the cultural flow we may be “betraying” ourselves.

    This all comes into play when we reflect on Jesus’ words about not losing one. He lost Judas, didn’t he? Or, did he? If one takes the predestination , Judas was “predestined” to Jesus. This, of course, denies Judas’ free will in making a choice. And, this is also why wrestling with our concept of Judas is so important. In the midst of being betrayed, or betraying , we have a choice. Jesus gave Judas a choice, and that is the real tragedy. Judas took a different path. Even knowing this, do you think Jesus mourned? Did Jesus feel betrayed? Despite all of this, Jesus still poured into Judas.

    1) What does Jesus pouring into Judas tell us about how we are to pour into others?

    2) What does betrayal mean to you? What “counts” as betrayal to you? Do others define betrayal differently?

    3) How do betrayal, forgiveness, and the go (or not) with each other?

  • Back To The Dark

    2 Chronicles 24:17–22, Matthew 10:17–22, Acts 6:8–15, Acts 7:51–59 (read online ⧉)

    Yesterday was only Christmas and here we are back into the darkness of the world. How true to life that is. A baby is born and a feels joy. In the midst of that joy, there are concerns about food, shelter, . There can even be future concerns such as disease or college. While a new life begins, other lives continue. In some respects, it is dishonest to always talk about the baby, because everyone else is just as important. When we are talking about Jesus, things are a little different, but the reality is that Mary and Joseph still had their lives to deal with. For example, the whole reason they were in Bethlehem was to be registered. Once they were registered, the Roman government was going to tax them accordingly. Sounds great, doesn’t it? It does sound like real life. That doesn’t mean we have to enjoy the darkness, nor does it mean we have to accept it as inevitable. It is however reality.

    Joash had been a good king with a singularly great and God-honoring advisor, Chief Priest Jehoida. Despite Joash’s obedience and Jehoida’s piety, the followers of other gods jumped into an advisory role with Jehoida’s death. As with much of Scripture, we don’t have the entire story. There was likely family and in the midst of it. There was also some hopeful and blind optimism which lead to thinking that all would be well. It wasn’t. Who knows how quickly Judah fell back into apostasy: days, months, years. God sent prophets to guide the people (especially the king) back to the right road, but they all failed. That God sent Zechariah—who would have likely had a significant place in Joash’s life—as a prophet tells us how serious God was. Joash, for whatever reason, sealed his apostasy and the fate of Judah by stoning him at the of God. The that was to be used upon those opposed to God was instead used by them against a man of God.

    Jesus knowing his future and knowing the past history of Judah wasn’t really predicting much. If Jesus’ disciples were faithful, they would be persecuted. When Jesus talks about the fracturing of the family perhaps he had in mind Jehoida, Joash, and Zechariah, who were (from our ) . At least, they should have been, and that is what the Scriptures guide us to concluding. The framily of king and prophet that should have been , were divided and ultimately destroyed.

    Not too much later, Stephen was killed. As he was in his community, it is possible that some of those who stoned him had been Jewish friends or family. For what was he brought to trial? Performing signs and winning arguments. So, he was falsely accused of blasphemy. Why was he killed? Because he claimed to see Jesus sitting at the right hand of God. The right and wrong lines between Joash and Zechariah are much firmer and better defined than those between Stephen and his accusers. We know that the Jewish (especially at that time) understanding of what it meant to follow God was wrong. However, unlike Joash they were not advocating for a different God. It was an understanding of God that was the issue.

    This difference of understanding applies to us today. The Western is going through a series of upheavals. Sadly, the world watches and laughs. These upheavals are necessary, though. The church needs to discover (in some cases) and rediscover (in other ones) what it means to be a Christian in a non-Christian world. Much of these upheavals will allow us to understand ourselves better. The reason this is critical for the church is that we will be returning to the times of persecution in the Western world. No, we are not quite there, but it will come. The church needs to be ready, and a lot of being ready will require the shedding of a lot of ancient weight. It also will probably require us to pick-up ancient ways long discarded. Lastly, it will require us to learn a new language with which to share the Gospel. The message doesn’t , just the method and the language.

    1) Do you think Joseph and Mary were concerned the day after Jesus’ birth, or were they still enjoying the moment? Why?

    2) Today’s passages are actually historical church decision (i.e., the lectionary). Why do you think the observation of Stephen’s martyrdom follows Christmas Day?

    3) Family and framily squabbles and fights are usually the ones that hurt the most. Why is that? How does impact the Gospel?

  • Christmas

    Micah 4:1–8, Micah 5:1–4, Matthew 1:1–25, Luke 2:1–20 (read online ⧉)

    Long before doctors and hospitals, women gave birth at home. There has been a resurgence of interest in this, as society (specifically mothers) realizes that “home” provides that a hospital room just can’t. The sterile, bland, cold, and noisy hospital room just sounds so cozy to welcome a new into the world. Mothers will choose where they are most comfortable to birth, whether it is at home or at a hospital or someplace else. It comes time for to be born, and neither is an option, so on to that someplace else…Bethlehem.

    Perhaps Bethlehem wasn’t too bad for Mary. Nazareth was home for her (and ultimately they returned there). However, those were the same people who saw a pregnant woman and knew that her husband wasn’t the . The birth of her might have been an absolute circus. Instead, along with many other strangers, she was in Bethlehem. Instead of being “that” Mary, she was just another face in a crowd of people.

    Micah’s seeming foretelling of where the Messiah would be born tell a tale. The first passage talks about Migdal Eder (or “the watchtower of the flock”), which is associated with Bethlehem. This place of becomes very interesting as it is possible that was the place the shepherds were at when visited by the angels, and it would be near Bethlehem for a “quick” visit to the Messiah.

    1) Have you ever had the experience of the coming for the firstborn of the next generation? What was it like?

    2) What if instead of a nice clean family it was the worst and the least that came to rejoice with you? What then?

    3) Who do you think had the greater , the shepherds or the families of Mary and Joseph? Who would it be easier to celebrate with? Why?

  • Loved Before We Were Born

    1 John 2:15–17, 1 John 3:1–3, 1 John 4:7–12 (read online ⧉)

    Don’t the world or the things of it. That seems to be a strange statement in of John 3:16-18. On the other hand, it can make a lot of sense. There are two kinds of world, the one of , and the one of earthly /. The world to not love is the one of earthly power/weakness. This frees us to love those trapped in that world and to work to break the chains that bind them to it. The other point being made is that world of earthly power/weakness will disappear someday (and that someday comes closer moment-by-moment). The underlying question for the reader and us, is why allow ourselves to be bound to that which will disappear, rather than be tied to the one that is ?

    Of course, many of those bound to the worldly power/weakness would why anyone would want to be bound at all? This denies being bound to the world, but it also calls into question the one we bind ourselves to…God. Why would we do that? Love. God is love. We bind ourselves to those that love us, and we love them. Why not be bound to the one who loves us eternally, and whose very nature encompasses love?

    What did God do for me, it is often asked. God us before time even began. God loved us before we were born. God loves us so much, and knew us so well, that God came down to restore right because we were incapable of it. God loves us so that we can love each other.

    1) How does Godly love differ from worldly love?

    2) Can worldly love be Godly love if all love comes from God? Why or why not?

    3) If anyone loves, are they born of God? Why or why not?

  • Love Between

    John 13:31–35, John 15:12–17, Ephesians 4:25–5:2, James 3:13–4:6 (read online ⧉)

    like . That’s a pretty tall order, so it seems. Part of the problem is that we are often so focused on the big things. We become overwhelmed. There are those that think they need to die like Jesus to love like Jesus. Some people believe that they have to heal like Jesus to love like Jesus. Some people believe they have to like Jesus to love like Jesus. Some people believe they have to feed like Jesus to love like Jesus. Some people believe they have to or sound like anything but Jesus to love like Jesus. Some people believe they have the lecture or condemn or condone to love like Jesus.
    We are each guilty of some of that (unless you’re very rare).

    The reality is that love came down from Heaven as an infant boy. As the boy grew up, he . He loved his parents. He loved his brothers (an aside: do you think he always liked and liked being around his brothers?). He loved each where he was in life. We have a skewed version of Jesus’ love because we only get 3 years of Jesus. Jesus didn’t love for only 3 years.

    We get so caught up in sweet baby Jesus, then awesome Messiah Jesus. We miss the in-between. That’s where love happens. It is between the highs and the lows that love becomes firmly established. When the highs and the lows happen, we have love to keep us .

    When and James talk about love and loving each other, it is really living life together (the in-between) that creates the bonds of love. Barring most parental love, love doesn’t just happen. It grows. Sometimes it grows , sometimes it grows slow. We cannot rush love. When we rush love, it often isn’t love.

    1) Have you ever rushed “love” or a ? What happened?

    2) Why are the in-betweens almost more important than the highs and lows when it comes to love?

    3) How can you love like Jesus in-between?

  • Unmade To Become Whole

    Deuteronomy 7:7–12, Deuteronomy 8:5–6, 2 Samuel 7:11–16, Hebrews 12:3–11 (read
    online ⧉    )

    The way Deuteronomy 7:10 is often interpreted is as “…[God]…destroys those who hate him…” However, אָבַד (“awbad”) is also translated elsewhere in the as broken or unmade. The concept of unmade or broken, so as to be re-made or “fixed”, is much more consistent in the continuing context of Deuteronomy. It is a matter of being disciplined (and discipled), not or annihilation. Why is this important?

    Disciplining (not punishing) and discipling are acts of . The intent is to remake or reform into something new. As God is doing the remaking and reform, it is into God’s own image (unmarred by ) that Israel would be shaped. However, for disciplining and discipling to be truly effective the person (or people) being reformed and reshaped must be willing and responsive. Israel, as a whole, often was neither.

    When God tells David that Solomon will be God’s , we see a foreshadowing of the adoption that we all receive through Christ. As a son, God promised that Solomon would be disciplined when he walks out of bounds. This is not God seeking to punish, but to form. This also becomes part of the Messianic lineage that is part of Jesus. Jesus a descendant of David, whose “throne” is established forever.

    When today is when we the candle representing love, why are we talking about and discipling? The world’s concept of love cannot take into account God’s intense desire to restore us to the way we were intended to be. God knows that even at our best we will still and fall. When the author of Hebrews wrote his letter, he understood this deeply. God’s love is so deep and true that he loves us just as we are. God also loves us so much that he doesn’t want us to stay as we are.

    God’s love isn’t some weak romantic love. God’s love is deep and strong. Through Christ, we see how strong and how sacrificial God’s love is. When it is God’s love that lights the candle, no amount of will quench it.

    1) Why is it important to acknowledge discipline and discipling as part of love, especially God’s love?

    2) What is discipline? What is discipling?

    3) What are your thoughts on the concept of transformative love?

  • Bridal Restoration

    Psalm 51, John 3:27–29 (read online ⧉)

    This Psalm is the result of a person’s . This is not to say that the Psalm is about the sin per se, but about a person standing before God after being confronted about the sin. While there is a lot of symbolism in the Psalm the symbols reflect a heart that recognizes the wrong done. Note there are no excuses. It is what it is. How many times have you confessed a sin and then surrounded it with excuses? What is interesting here is that a request to hear is made. This is not a request to be able to make a joyful noise. This is a request—a plea—to hear God’s joy in life, and the joy of those who surround God. The Psalm makes a turn from repentance and sorrow to, basically, asking to not be cast away from God’s .

    While there is a penalty that goes along with what was done, was still completed. There was joy again. Often we cannot find joy because there is something in our hearts that keeps out of the presence of God. Whether that something resulted in shame or sin or what have you, something may indeed be keeping you from even going toward the presence of God.

    John the Baptist alludes to and his bride in this short passage from the of John. Who is Jesus’ bride? The . Who is the church? We all are. John is filled with joy that the (whom John calls his friend) gets the bride! Jesus’ marriage as the joyful culmination of his ministry. What makes this interesting, too, is that the marriage is a “not yet” scenario. That means that while John the Baptist is speaking in the present, John (the writer of the Gospel) is looking toward the future, when Jesus returns.

    1) Why does John the Baptist tie joy to the marriage of the groom (Jesus)?

    2) How can we say that joy is or complete in marriage in the of the tensions in our own marriages, and the divorces that ravage the church and the world?

    3) How could being or not being in God’s presence affect your joy?

Devotion.al

Hearts of Innocence

Jeremiah 31:15–20, Matthew 2:13–23, Hebrews 2:11–18 (read online ⧉)

In the Evangelical Church, and even in the so-called mainstream American Denominations, the day of Innocents is often skipped over. It’s uncomfortable. It’s weird. To our sensibilities, it just makes no sense. Like so many of the stories in the , we have a hard time wrapping our heads around it.

When spoken in Jeremiah, it is the of the people of Israel to exile and the loss of the Promised Land. In times of war and exile, children were often the first victims, just as it in many cases today. Lamenting wasn’t just sorrow. It was God-led , a ripping of the fabric of those that God had called. It was tinged with horror at what was lost, and how far away God seemed to be.

As with many other Old Testament passages, this was called up by ‘ followers as a foreshadowing of Herod’s great crime…sacrificing the future (children) for the sake of his and pride. While Herod’s Jewish ancestors were condemned for killing their children to appease demonic gods, Herod went so far as to kill God’s children to prevent anyone, including God’s Messiah, from taking “his” power.
As an innocent baby, God became one of us. God dared, and the world dared bigger.

With every political cycle, there is a cynical pulling of our heartstrings for the future (the children). Whether the issue is abortion, adoption, food, education, healthcare, politicians use our hearts to pull our votes. This is not to deny the importance of the issues. In fact, it is quite the opposite. By making political hay using children, the politicians belittle our hearts, our future, and our children.

The sad part is that our culture has place children in this odd place. While we may not be Herod, children and the satisfaction of political, cultural, and personal power remains an issue. If one analyzes the political, cultural, and religious language often used, one can (not God) language used with and for children (through no fault or initiative of their own). Children are therefore set up to fail as they are not gods. Children, to this day, are used for power and pride. They are still Holy Innocents.

1) We often compare our childhood to the “current” childhood. How does that cause us to miss bad (i.e., “god”) language spoken of us when we were children? Why is it both bad and good to compare language used about children?

2) Why do you think children up in discussions of power?

3) Holy Innocents is a recognition that children often have no say, yet bear the consequences. How should that affect about the Next Generation?