Devotion.al

Tag: argue

  • Serving Your Judas

    Serving Your Judas

    ‌📖 Read

    ‌John 13:1—9; Romans 5:1–11

    ‌🔎 Focus

    ‌“For he knew who was to betray them…”

    John 13:11 (NRSVue)

    ‌“After he washed their feet…”

    John 13:12 (NRSVue)

    “…Christ died for the ungodly.”

    Romans 5:6 (NRSVue)

    ‌‌✟ Devotion

    ‌ washed feet. The task normally left to a servant or the lowest person (in hierarchy) in the household was performed by the disciples’ teacher, and the person we now understand to be part of the Trinitarian God. Or to put it differently, God took the lowest place and washed feet.

    ‌How often are we about us? Probably too much. For most people, our self is our greatest temptation. Whether it be pride, pleasure, finances, power…we often operate from an, “I am first perspective.”

    ‌Jesus washed feet.

    ‌Let’s note who was in the room. There were Jesus’ 12 disciples. There was this one, named Judas Iscariot, who would betray Jesus to the authorities. John tells us that Jesus knew that Judas Iscariot would betray him.

    ‌Jesus washed his feet.

    ‌Before Judas Iscariot betrayed him, and while Jesus knew he would, Jesus washed his feet.

    ‌Most of us could complete understand regret if Jesus were to have known only afterward. If you knew someone would betray you, would you actually serve them? Jesus did.

    ‌Our world far too often operates from a perspective of, “what have you done for me lately.” There are those that make promises for the and we they might (or won’t) fulfill them, knowing far too well that all such promises fall short. We accept (or hope for) the reality that all will not be accomplished as promised.

    ‌Jesus knew what Judas would do, but he washed his feet.

    ‌Why keep focusing on this? Why keep repeating, “…but he washed his feed?” There is a general feeling of , even of , going on. Families are ripping themselves apart over politics and policies. Families and friends are allowing those who are not in a personal relationship with them to define their with .

    ‌There is and wisdom about not being in relationship with toxic or harmful people, but are we really correctly defining who are toxic and harmful?‌

    Judas Iscariot chose to betray Jesus. Judas could have repented (and some argue that he indirectly did). Would Jesus still forgive him despite his betrayal? Jesus washed his feet.‌

    🤔

    ‌Who are the “Judas Iscariots” in your life? How do Jesus’ actions inform how you could (or should) interact with them? What kind of “wash their feet” might you being called to perform?

    ‌‌⏏️ Act

    ‌Acts of service (i.e., washing feet) can take many forms. Purposefully and prayerfully look for acts of service for a “Judas Iscariot” in your life and do them.

    ‌🙏 Prayer

    ‌Gracious God, help us put the example of Jesus forefront in our thoughts and actions, especially in regard to those by whom we feel betrayed. Help us to be gracious with them, as you have been gracious to us, loving us and dying for us while we were still alienated from you. Guide us into ways of thinking and doing the show loving service so that we might draw them to you. Amen.

  • Evening Recall

    Evening Recall

    “Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; a solemn assembly; gather the people. Consecrate the congregation; assemble the aged; gather the children, even infants at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her canopy. Between the vestibule and the altar, let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep. Let them say, “Spare your people, O Lord, and do not make your heritage a mockery, a byword among the nations. Why should it be said among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’ ”

    Joel 2:15-17 NRSVue

    ‌In Joel, we read about fasting and a solemn assembly. It might seem strange while the culture around us is one of celebration and fun as it celebrates Halloween. Many Christians will hand out candy and have Harvest Parties. Other Christians will do anything to not be tied to the secular day. By our response to the secular (or even pagan and potentially Satanic) aspects of this day, however, we show (again) how we have become unmoored from history.

    ‌The brief passage of Joel is tucked into a retelling of the story of God’s calling of the people of Israel, God’s , their faithlessness, and their trials that were a consequence. It is a upon where the Israelites were, where the Israelites are, and where they are asking God to take them. Amid their pleading for a better than the present, they recalled the past.

    ‌Fasting and were the original purpose behind the Western Church’s All Hallows Eve. As with many things as they spread around the world, and crossed cultures, understandings were changed, cultures were blended. To the point now that there is an annual tradition to over the origins of Halloween (a contraction of All Hallows Eve).

    ‌Yes, there has been a lot of non- (i.e., pagan and Hollywood) influencing Halloween celebrations. However, willfully abandoning church history may have done our witness much harm, and so, too, our lack of fasting and prayer.

    ‌Depending on the historian, the Western Church tradition of fasting and prayer was because (tomorrow, 1 November) was a high holy day. A high holy day was to be a special day that a devout Christian set aside to something a bit more focused. For All Saints Day, it was the witness, lives, deaths of saints.

    ‌We of the Protestant tradition, tend to shy away from saints, for there is a long tradition of antipathy toward many practices of the Roman Catholic Church around saints. The problem then becomes we have fewer people to look up to.

    ‌While many of the Protestant tradition will immediately and rightly proclaim, “look to Jesus,” there is also an understanding that Jesus is a truly special case. This is where the saints come in.

    ‌This is not about the miraculous, as “” has been in the Roman Catholic church. This is about the saints who walked faithfully with Jesus. Those who sacrificed themselves in some way in their Christian walk.

    ‌Today (or tonight) as you watch scary movies, or provide sugar highs to kids, or go to a party, or do nothing different except to make sure your porch light is off, think about the saints (famous or not) who have walk a long and arduous road with Jesus.

    ‌Think upon how their example might help you live better.

    ‌Tonight, especially, pray for those who will become saints by the fact that they will die for their in the coming year. Pray for simple people, who have far fewer freedoms, whose practice and belief in Jesus is life-threatening.

  • Passed The Gates

    Passed The Gates

    Psalm 88; Leviticus 15:19–31; 2 Corinthians 9:1–5

    I have long felt this passage in Leviticus to be unfair to women. No, not because of certain cultural influences of today. Perhaps it was the era I grew up in, or because my mom worked as a school teacher. Or in conjunction with that, my dad was a single who cleaned and cooked great food. Or, as a child, being one of the few with divorced parents (as I grew up, I was no longer alone in that, sadly). Either way, I’ve tended to view men and women as equal, while we are yet neither wired nor designed the same.

    It still seems reasonable to tie this passage back to the Fall and the difficulties of childbirth as part of the (Genesis 3:16). With menstruation being part of the process of childbirth, along with the “shedding” of blood, or in particular, the consumption of blood (Deuteronomy 12:23–24), as blood is life (ancient understanding). It still seems unfair to our modern mind, but this way we can grasp some of the why.

    The last piece of the why is in verse 31, the separation of the Israelites from their uncleanness (part of life after the Fall) from the of being God’s people and the holiness of God’s dwelling (whether Tabernacle or Temple).

    Many people question such a God. The reality though is that if you were ritually clean all the time, would you be in God’s dwelling the entire time? Probably not. So, people who on this, don’t realize what they’re arguing for. They’re arguing to get into God’s dwelling!

    Whether believer or not, we appear to unconsciously recognize that there is something dirty about humanity. We also seem to have an unconscious understanding that this isn’t right (right versus fair). God’s grace that goes before (prevenient grace) gives all of humanity the ability to recognize this.

    So, while we theologically understand that things aren’t right (due to fallen humanity). We also understand that because of that, humanity is “dirty” insofar as being not . We also know that is not the .

    Wesleyan-Holiness theology understands that God’s grace walks the road before us (prevenient grace). This means we (as in all of humanity) are able to know (at least in our souls) that despite our not holiness and despite the mar of sin, God has made a way for us to be not just at the dwelling place (tabernacle, temple, or for today), but to fully live in the of God all the days of our lives and beyond.

    ※Reflection※

    • Do you ever think that you are too dirty for God? Do you ever think that about ?
    • How do you “” your spirit when you get “dirty”?
    • Do you perform regular spiritual checks with others for both yourself and them?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, thank you for your grace that gives us the standing to be in your presence despite what we may have done.

  • All About Me

    All About Me

    Psalm 130: Genesis 3:8–15; 2 Corinthians 4:13–5:1; Mark 3:20–35

    Self-examination is probably one of the hardest practices. It is probably also the one most needed today. When we do our self-examination properly, we are better equipped to recognize some issues we have that inhibit our continued transformation into the likeness of Christ.

    First, the . Paraphrasing the psalmist, God forgives. God forgives a lot. In regard to God’s , that promise was ultimately fulfilled by . Through Jesus, we are gifted a way to approach God that those before did not have. Through Jesus, we are graced with being able to approach God in ways that those around us (that don’t know Jesus) cannot understand.

    From the passage of Genesis, we can see a number of issues that we can also see in ourselves. Only the serpent didn’t point at someone else. You might argue that there was no one else to blame, except that there was. The serpent could have blamed God with blaming God for making the serpent. Humans use that argument all the time.

    While we often use and this particular aspect as blaming others, there is also the aspect of the stance that the others’ sins being greater than our own. This is something of which we are all guilty and thus all the as a whole. Self- allows us to see this in ourselves, and then bring Christ to the fore of our thoughts and reactions, rather than ourselves.

    The situation surrounding Jesus—where his called him crazy and the legal experts accused him of being possessed by or in league with Satan—seems to be (especially for the legal expert) more of a look at him (Jesus), don’t look at me, but look at me being all and concerned. As we about our daily lives, it is easy to be swept up in the emotions of the moment. Unless those emotions are truly of God, they can sweep us into places that lead us away from God. Often they come from a place of self-preservation. This is why establishing a practice of self-reflection is an important practice for us to develop.

    ※Reflection※

    • When was the last time you reviewed your responses through the lens of Christ?
    • Why do you the practice of self-reflection needs to be regular (even daily)?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, help us to be shaped by you. Amen.

  • Sackcloth and Ashes

    Sackcloth and Ashes

    Psalm 115; Ezra 9:5–15; John 16:16–24

    Collective has been on the top of many lists in the last year. Regardless of your political, philosophical, or religious perspective of the collective guilt issues, it does allow us to better understand the pressure that Ezra felt…somewhat.

    Ezra was trying to make up for generations of against God. Granted, with the of slavery, it’s not as if the US doesn’t have its own weight to bear. Yet, it is not the same insofar as the US is not Israel (whether ancient or modern). There were expectations of ancient Israel that they chose not to follow. The Scriptures were clear. They forgot God and disregarded God so much that they followed false gods made of metal and/or wood.

    Ezra knew that there really was no way to “make up” what had occurred. The order of Ezra’s actions should be noted. Ezra “ended” his penitential acts and THEN prayed to God, asking for forgiveness and acknowledging that it would only be by God’s will, grace, , mercy, and grace that the Israelites could be forgiven.

    While many reject the US guilt-debt, the guilt-debts are really quite small in comparison to all the guilt and shame we bear because of our personal, family, and corporate sin (this is not to belittle them). As an overly individualistic culture, we object to being held to account for something we think we have no responsibility for. Perhaps it is not the US collective guilt that will be the big turning point for the US and the . Perhaps it will be the recognition that scripturally we do have corporate responsibilities, and it is our individualistic framework that has led us to ignore them.

    This continues to be a cultural time of learning. We are learning about ourselves (both good and bad). We are learning about others (again, both good and bad). It’s not as if this is particularly different than how it should be. The exception is that the world is holding a mirror to the church, and the church doesn’t like what it sees. One might argue that the world is holding up a distorted mirror, except that much of the church sees the same distortion as the world.

    This that we are feeling is one of death and birth. The old self must die. The new one must come alive.

    Out of pain, despair, and being overwhelmed, many are understandably asking God, “what next?” It could be regarding finances. It could be about loving and serving your neighbor. It could be about what’s next for “the church”. It could be how to be more like Jesus.

    Jesus told his disciples that they wouldn’t ask for anything from God when Jesus left. This is the true of the Spirit. When we are fully in tune with God through the Holy Spirit (rather than wants, desires, and even needs), then we don’t need to ask for anything for we will already be in the midst of God’s will, plan, and .

    The most dangerous thing to both our individualistic notions and our corporate notions is when we pray to be in God’s will. When we ask that in Jesus’ name and mean it from the heart, we begin to surrender our will to God’s…and that truly is only the beginning.

    ※Reflection※

    What is your perspective of collective guilt? What brings you to that?How are collective and personal guilt different? How are they the same?

    ※※

    Lord, our initial turn to you included our repentance. We know that as fallible beings, repentance needs to be a constant companion. Guide us into perseverance and humility to be people who pursue your righteousness in the face of our unrighteousness. Amen.

  • Stingless

    Stingless

    Psalm 118:1–2, 14–24; Genesis 1:20–2:4a; 1 Corinthians 15:50–58

    God created humanity in God’s own image. When we read , it may be easy to conclude that this is only a spiritual image. In many respects, it is indeed a spiritual image. On the other hand, as God made us even our physical being is an expression of God.

    Through sin, however, death and decay were brought into the world. One could argue that Adam and Eve’s sin began the decay and from the decay came death. Decay and death…consequences of sin.

    Yet, before we give decay and death all the “”, let us recall the real issue…sin. Decay and death are symbolic of what occurs with us spiritually in regard to our relationship to God.

    The ways of the world are to draw everything to its decay and death. This includes, and often even focuses upon, our relationship with God. If the innocence of a newborn child was the starting point, then the decay would begin immediately. Just as with all things rates of decay depend on environment, nutrition, , guidance.

    However, if we were to strictly rely on the world to reduce the rate of decay, then there still would be no hope for anything except death. That isn’t much to hope for.

    The hope we have is that death’s has ultimately been broken. Thanks to the cross, we have something beyond to look forward to. While death causes us in the here and now, ultimately we understand that death is merely a stage for us. The pain we feel can be attributed to the “God-shaped” place in our beings that understands that death is not the way things ought to be. It is our reality that we will miss those we love. Our hope is the hope we in the midst of and in the face of what would otherwise be the hopelessness of death.

    ※Prayer※

    O God, who by the glorious of your Son Christ destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light: Grant that we, who have been raised with him, may abide in his presence and rejoice in the hope of glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the , be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen. [Tuesday of Easter week collect, Book of Common Prayer 2019]

  • Cursing Blessings

    Cursing Blessings

    Numbers 21:4–9; Psalm 107:1–3, 17–22; Ephesians 2:1–10; John 3:14–21

    One of the biggest dangers of constant is that we often disdain them. We become so accustomed to them that we become blind to them. Even worse, we then grow to despise them.

    The Israelites were in the middle of the desert. They were being sustained by the hand of God. Instead of looking at the blessing and the miracle that they were experiencing. they instead wanted to go back to slavery. The rejection of the blessing and the rejection of protection.

    The interplay between the Israelites, Moses, and God is interesting. The consequence? Poisonous snakes. The ? We were wrong. The directive? Make a snake statue. The result? Get bit, look at the snake, and live. However, if the Israelites were really sorry, would the snakes have remained?

    One could that the snakes were an ongoing consequence. However, as the snakes were a consequence of bad behavior, it also can be concluded that the Israelite really didn’t have a change of heart, but a desire to avoid the consequences. Yes, it is a stretch assumption from the Scriptures, but it certainly isn’t in regard to human behavior.

    Paul’s notes such about how all of us followed the ways of destruction before coming to Jesus, and that all those who do not yet know Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior still have that tendancy (i.e., ). We all are better than we were (just being aware puts us in a slightly better position), but we all have struggles and issues that we are dealing with as we strive to be more like Jesus.

    The biggest struggle though for Western Christians are the blessings that they despise. One of the biggest has been Christianity. This applies both with those who despised Christianity by doing ill in its name, and for those who took Christianity for granted and did not put the effort in to pass on the faith (or care to learn it). In addition, there has become the human arrogance of blessing where people begin to assume it’s God’s blessing on their ways, rather than God’s blessings so as to be shared with .

    The blessings then become cursed, which is certainly not what God wanted it to be for us. We became sucked into the world’s desire for more and more blessing. That pursuit of blessing becomes -dealing.

    The promise of , and not just a worldly life, has always been part of the pull to follow God. Paul emphasizes that and new life cannot be earned. Only God can grant it. Only God can it.

    Worldly life, such as the the bronze serpant represented, still ends in death. It is the life found in the cross lifted up that is everlasting.

    ※Reflection※

    • Can you, have you, counted your blessings?
    • Have you ever taken any of your blessings for granted?
    • Have you ever looked at a blessing and thought it was actually a ?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, help us to remember your blessings and the life you have given us. Amen.

  • Mindset

    Mindset

    Ephesians 1:17–19; Philippians 4:1–9

    There is a pernicious thought floating around that if Christians really believed what they say they do; they would all think similarly. Sadly, that often comes from Christians who perceive they are not being heard or perceive that someone with whom they is being heard.

    In my immediate , I am the person who hates tomatoes. Yes, they’re fine as ketchup and pizza sauce. Sometimes they’re okay as salsa (very rarely). Otherwise, no thank you. My wife, on the other hand, tomatoes. Out of 3 of our kids, 2 like tomatoes, 1 not so much. We’re related! How could we not like the same things?

    That is the same thought process required for all Christians to think the same.

    Not seeing things the same is quite . We are all the culmination of our experiences, the experiences of trusted , our hurts, our fears, our hopes, and our love. No one person is the same when you total all of that , even identical twins (though they’re probably the closest).

    How we disagree, however, is much bigger. If we could all disagree well, groupthink wouldn’t be an issue. When we disagree well, we each “feel” heard. When we disagree well, the decided path may not be ours, but because has been built, we are able to accept it.

    That would be a wonderful way to live. Instead, the is divided. It could be political lines. It could be music styles. It could be preaching styles.

    The trick often is not responding out of our emotions and trigger-responses. Often, it is thinking, talking, and working it out together over time. Why do we think one path will work better than another? If we don’t have the answer to our own path, we will often dismiss other perspectives out of unconscious fear.

    The other side effect is that our bonds are tested because people feel dismissed or ignored when there is no significant conversation. Without significant conversation, misunderstandings occur, feelings are hurt, and the church’s witness is damaged.

    One of the great tests of the Christian is how they love one another. How we with one another and discuss deeper things must be an outpouring of that exact same love.

    ※Questions※

    1) What is something that is bugging you regarding a Christian brother or sister? Have you talked about it with that person, why or why not?

    2) How do you dismiss the thoughts and perspectives of others (Christian or otherwise)? Think of the last time you disagreed with someone. Did you talk it through, or did you just do or command your way?

    3) How do you reconcile with someone you perceive dismisses you? How will you reconcile with someone whom you dismissed.?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, you want and direct us to love one another. Help us to do that well, especially when we disagree. Amen.