Devotion.al

Tag: church

  • Dead and gone. Dead and here.

    Dead and gone. Dead and here.

    ‌📖 Read

    ‌Matthew 22:31-32; Hebrews 11:33–12:2

    ‌🔎 Focus

    ‌

    “‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is God not of the dead but of the living.”

    Matthew 22:32

    ‌“[Jesus] will come again to judge the living and the dead”

    The Apostle’s Creed

    ‌”I believe in…the of the body, and the everlasting”

    The Apostle’s Creed

    ‌‌✟ Devotion

    ‌The Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos in Spanish) has become a cross-cultural celebration/observation in the US, as the holidays south of the border gain prevalence due to population changes. There is a belief that the Conquistadors brought the Day of the Dead to the New World with them, and because the Black Plague was their backdrop, it became a more morbid observation of .

    ‌In many cultures, there is a belief that for a time period (from a day to a week), the “veil” between the dead and the living is “thinned”, so that the two “sides” of the veil can interact. It probably was over varying times, but as the Western Church (particularly the Roman Catholic Church) spread, it likely coalesced to today (and yesterday for some).

    ‌Is the thinning of the veil true? Perhaps. It could also be, because its a day set aside for that belief, that we become aware of the separation between the living and dead. Then there was an older Christian belief that the of was such that the thinning was irrelevant, because believers were already unified.

    ‌The spreading of the Day of the Dead across cultures might be something more that an excuse to party or to eat or display Calavera (edible or cast skull-shaped items). The modern culture, particularly in the US, does not do death well. The Dying with Dignity movement, hospice, and other things are a shadowing of this, too (not to disparage either).

    ‌We fear death. The Day of the Dead and even (with its macabre and scary themes) are signs of it. They are a play, so-to-, that we “cheated” death. Yet, death comes for us all.

    ‌All Souls Day is a day set aside to recognized, , mourn, those who had died. We don’t mourn those we’ve lost very well. “They’ve gone to a better place,” is a common refrain. However, their death still impacts our being, and All Souls Day is a good day to recognize that.

    ‌🤔 Reflection

    ‌Have you lost anyone this year? If so, thank God (as you are able) for their life and their impact upon your life? If they harmed you, ask God to be released from the burden of the , and to heal the wounds.

    ‌Whose death do you forget (on purpose or accidently)? What can you do to them?

    ‌Why is it important to remember the dead in our lives as relationships, rather than historical fact?

    ‌🙏 Prayer

    ‌Thank you, God, for the reminder of those you have placed in our lives for good. May we recall the blessings of the people. Amen.

  • Hallowed and Halos

    Hallowed and Halos

    ‌📖 Read

    ‌Matthew 10:32–39; Matthew 28:16–20; Hebrews 11:33–12:2

    ‌🔎 Focus

    “Everyone, therefore, who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven, but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven.”

    ‌Matthew 10:32–33 NRSVue

    ‌

    “I believe in…the communion of saints”

    The Apostle’s Creed

    ‌

    “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us,”

    Hebrews 12:1

    ‌‌✟ Devotion

    ‌In my tradition, we may the Apostle’s Creed every so often, but we don’t really process the communion of saints. Part of that (if not almost all of that) is an ignorance and disregard for traditions because too much is tied (in our minds) to the Roman Catholic Church.

    ‌Another significant part is the way that after is considered. Many traditions and thinking have a clear divide between life on earth and life beyond this one.

    ‌Both of these lead us to conclude a more philosophical understanding of the communion of saints than the writers of the Apostle’s Creed understood. Many (if not most) don’t really see, understand, or even believe that the saints are among us. There is no question that some traditions invoke the saints as if they are gods, but the general disregard of the saints is throwing away everything because of a flaw.

    ‌Some traditions hold that when we (especially as a church body) worship in the power of the Holy that we are indeed worshiping with the saints who have died before, because they are with and in Christ. There are some traditions that believe that we are worshiping with the saints to come, as well, for the same reason.

    ‌This is not some call to fully transform or your thinking in regard to saints, but to understand how often saints are not part of our thinking. I’m sure there are one or two churches in my tradition that have a name such as Matthew’s, but generally that is left to the Orthodox, Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Presbyterians, and the Anglicans.

    ‌Rather than think of a church (for example) named after a saint as something weird, perhaps think of it as a statue of a person. We all know that the statue is not the actual person, but that the statue represents a particular life of impact. So, too, are the saints. Lives of impact.

    ‌We often do not see the impact our lives have, from the smile at a stranger, to a laugh with a friend. Yet, there is no person on earth who does not have impact upon the life of another.

    ‌When we read some of the stories of saints, we can become overwhelmed by their story, thinking we could never be that way. Yet, saints never called themselves saints and were also overwhelmed by the lives of the saints before them.

    ‌Some of the stories seem mystical or magical or even miraculous. Yet, none of these people saw themselves as great, they saw themselves living in the of Jesus Christ.

    ‌‌🤔 Reflection

    ‌Do you believe that you are living in the grace of Jesus Christ? Why or why not? If so, how? If not, how might your thinking change?

    ‌What makes a person a saint to you? How might you develop one or more of those traits in your life?

    ‌‌⏏️ Act

    ‌Take some time and search for info on the life of a saint. As many saints have “feast days”, look up the saint for your birthday, or the day you gave your to Jesus.

    ‌🙏 Prayer

    ‌Jesus, through your example and life, you inspired saints to follow you. , thank you for emboldening the saints of the past, today, and the . Father God, thank you for your loving embrace of all who are broken in this world, including ourselves. Amen.

  • Evening Recall

    Evening Recall

    “Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a ; call 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 . 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 faithfulness, 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 prayer 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 All Saints Day (tomorrow, 1 November) was a high day. A high holy day was to be a special day that a devout Christian 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 ,” 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 “Saint” 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.

  • Devoted?

    Devoted?

    🔎 Focus

    ‌“The one who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and the one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you haven’t been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will entrust you with the true riches? And if you haven’t been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you your own? No can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

    Luke 16:10–13 NET

    ‌You cannot serve God and money. Money is the translation for the Aramaic word mammon. Mammon can be defined as an abundance of material possessions and resources. Mammon can also be defined as wealth and riches.

    ‌‌✟ Devotion

    ‌When we read this passage (or its parallel in Matthew 6:24), we tend to get hung up on money. A lot of that has to do with the hard decisions translation teams have to go through balancing equivalency, adequacy, and length. When we expand our understanding to that which is beyond money, we can see a bigger picture.

    ‌For decades, the US (and other so-called first world nations) have sent their cast-offs to other nations.

    You Can Have It

    ‌An example is the standard tongue depressors in a doctor’s office (i.e., those big flat pieces of wood that look like large popsicle sticks). In the US, per government regulations, they have an expiration date, as do beds and other equipment. Depending on the item, and shipping costs, the expired items (perfectly functional) are sent to other nations, where they receive a second .

    ‌This is wasteful. Yet, we often demand the latest and best, so such waste is a result of our demands. If such waste is reused, it can be considered okay in our culture, but such waste is also a love of stuff…the latest and greatest.

    We Want More

    ‌We are deluged with advertisements for the latest smartphone that the mobile operator will give us for free (but we’re really paying for it in 24 monthly installments). Such ads and promos work because we love our stuff.

    ‌However, what if it really isn’t about stuff or even our love of it? What if we tweaked it a bit to recognize that while Jesus is talking about material goods and worldly wealth, it is all about our hearts?

    Not Yours?

    ‌“…if you haven’t been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you your own?”

    ‌The often used parallel is that it is all God’s, and as God gave it to us, we are using God’s property. It’s not just about an employer or shareholder or spouse or family, it’s about God.

    Your True Mammon

    Tomorrow (Ash Wednesday) is the beginning of . It is a time set aside to deliberatively think about where our lives are not in line with God’s and to self-reflect on it. What, you may , does this have to do with mammon? The first resource that God gave you is…you. Your life on this earth is not only what you make of it, but what you give of it to God, and how you serve God with it.

    ‌🤔 Reflection

    ‌Have you ever given something to someone and watched them mistreat it or destroy it? How did that make you feel? How did you ?

    ‌If indeed God gifted you yourself and your stuff, how do you think God feels about the mistreatment and destruction that God’s witnesses?

    ‌‌⏏️ Act

    ‌It has been said by many that your checkbook (or bank transactions) shows where your is. Yet, if you give all your worldly wealth to evangelism, compassionate care, building funds, to a local church, but you don’t give yourself, then are you where God has called you? Where do you shortcut yourself to God, and what small step will you take to fix it?

    ‌As Lent begins, you may or may not be giving up something. Regardless, think through what God gave up and how that applies to your life.

    ‌🙏 Prayer

    ‌‌Gracious God, you have given us so much, and we live in such a blessed state that we are now condemned to only see what we want to keep and what have that we don’t. Help us to see your gifts as you want us to see them. Help us use your gifts as want us to use them. Guide us to see that these gifts are the extension of ourselves and the state of heart and the state of our with you. Amen.

  • People Past

    People Past

    ‌Read: Psalm 25; Isaiah 25:6-9; Philippians 3:20-21; John 6:37-40

    ‌‌🔎 Focus

    ‌“This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the and believe in him may have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day.”

    John 6:40 (NRSVue)

    Those who have died, that have been a direct part of our lives, they still live. Our hearts and memories hold them close (or far). Their good and bad helped shape us, for good and bad.

    ‌‌✟ Devotion

    Today is All Souls Day. The day that is also termed as the Commemoration of the Faithful Departed. However, even those who do not believe that is Lord and Savior have had an impact on those of us who do so believe. It might be a stretch to want to take a and expand it, but the truth is that many of us have that person who is gone, who we miss.

    ‌They may have not been a believer. They may have been baptized as infants or children, but were either not raised in the faith, or lapsed. Depending, of course, on one’s tradition/theology, that may or may not seal them to Christ. Ultimately, it isn’t up to us.

    ‌This is a little personal, I suppose. My stepfather died a number of years ago (my mom has since remarried to a good man). I realized all the conversations we didn’t have, and they are a source of regret. I remember learning that my stepfather had been baptized as a child. That was news to me. I learned it as he was being lowered into his grave.

    ‌Then I looked at his library. He was an avid reader. He read far more broadly than I ever have. What shocked me was the books about the Bible and religion. As an English teacher, they shouldn’t have surprised me. They were read. They had not been ignored or put on a shelf and forgotten (like many of my books), though they may have not been read in quite some time. Who knows where is heart really was with Christ? I could assume. I do .

    ‌Did my stepfather and I have issues? Of course! Yet, he still formed me. It is not unreasonable to that he is gone. He was long part of my life. There is a hole where he was. My mom, dad, stepmom have their own places in my life, so this is not exclusionary, which is also important. No person can ever take the place of another.

    ‌Another can help you heal from the damage of bad history (including abuse), but they cannot replace someone else.

    ‌Perhaps today ought to be the day we set aside in our calendar to remember, mourn, celebrate, reflect, upon the lives of and how they touched us. If you’re reading this, you are likely a believer in Jesus Christ. As such, we who believe also call Jesus the Redeemer. We can take solace, hope, and joy in that. Jesus can redeem both the joys and pains in regard to those who have touched our lives.

    ‌May it be so.

    ‌🤔 Reflection

    ‌Which deceased person has affected your walk with Christ (for good or bad)? How did they affect your walk? How do you imagine their life through the eyes of Jesus?

    ‌‌⏏️ Act

    ‌ another person who the most impactful deceased person has been in their life, and share yours. As you talk together, where can you see the redemptive power of Jesus?

    ‌🙏 Prayer

    ‌God, you have place people in our lives to help guide us into your ways. Some of them have been undisguised blessings, some are so through the redemptive power of your Son. Spirit, guide our hearts and thoughts to see the power and influence of others in our lives. Amen.

  • Walking With Saints

    Walking With Saints

    Read: Psalm 34:1–10, 22; 1 John 3:1-3; Revelation 7:9-17; Matthew 5:1-12

    ‌🔎 Focus

    ‌After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every , from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands.

    Revelation 7:9 (NRSVue)

    ‌ are often viewed as legendary characters, with lives almost impossible to duplicate. Many of those same Saints looked at themselves and saw nothing but their own flaws. They pursued purity (or ) to the degree we often pursue wealth, accolades, status, and self-esteem. As Western Christianity wonders what its place is in the current context, perhaps the Saints can advise us.

    ‌‌✟Devotion

    ‌Western Christianity is in turmoil. The so-called Progressive wing seems to find new things to toss out, while the so-called Conservative (or Reactionary) wing finds new restrictions to add. So many things have been tied to what it means to be a so-called real that everyday Christians can find it hard to find stability in the one place that had been stable for generations.

    ‌While certain traditions regularly hold certain Saints highly, many regular members don’t know them, or their traditions, denomination, or local church just ignore the Saints. This, sadly, even includes many of the churches that have been named after Saints.

    ‌This is not about the veneration of Saints (which most Western Protestants struggle with), but looking to the examples of the people whose lives were recognized by others (rather than self-promotion) as reflecting aspects of Jesus Christ.

    ‌Even Protestants have Saints, though they’d probably never call them such. My , the Church of the Nazarene, had strong ties with Methodism, which was founded by John and Charles Wesley. The Wesleys are often spoken of in the same ways as other traditions speak of the Saints. The Church of the Nazarene has long held Phineas Bresee up, too, in almost the same ways as the Saints. Yet, neither the Wesleys nor Bresee were flawless. For the broader US church, Hudson Taylor is read and spoken of in similar ways.

    ‌As we look back on Bresee, the Wesleys, or Taylor we often focus on their flaws, especially in regard to where their cultural sensitivities do not match ours. Yet, these men do indeed provide valuable insight into lives as followers of Jesus.

    ‌One of the advantages of the Saints is that while we are usually provided glimpses into their lives through overly optimistic lenses, their stories are still ones of encouragement. Many of them became Saints, not through some huge single event, but walking step-by-step to become more like Jesus. This is especially true when the saints our outside our personal tradition; this might be the most important thing.

    ‌You’ll note that I mentioned 4 men. Inside Protestant tradition, there is an extreme emphasis on men. Many of the Saints were women. In the Church of the Nazarene, we have Mildred Wynkoop (a huge presence in holiness theology), who we should have feelings for as the Wesleys, and perhaps more so than Bresee. I’m not calling her, the Wesleys, Bresee, or Taylor, Saints, and, yet, they are towering presences of Christian history which sort of makes them Saints.

    ‌While certain traditions have miracles assigned to Saints, that hasn’t always been the case. In fact, many of the Saints were so-called Doctors of the Church, meaning that their writings profoundly shaped theology and/or Christian living. Some were bishops. Some were abbots/abbesses. Some were monks/nuns. Some were teachers. There were even a couple of lawyers in there.

    ‌What makes a Saint? THAT is a very good question. Some traditions use miracles as the divider for canonized saints, at least in more recent era. Yet, there have been many Saints, and many have no attributed miracles. Perhaps we can only figure out who the Saints are after they have died.

    ‌Perhaps the test is, does this person’s life (and words) draw me more deeply into following Jesus?

    ‌🤔 Reflection

    ‌Who are people, living or dead, that have drawn you to follow Jesus better? Why do you think draw (or drawn) is used rather than pull or push? Do you think that this is a good or bad way to identify Saints? Why?

    ‌‌⏏️ Act

    ‌If you know of someone living who is a Saint (to you), let them know that they have drawn you closer to Jesus. This, of course, assumes you agree with drawn. If you have another or additional factors to determine a Saint, follow that, but still let them know.

    ‌🙏⁜ Prayer ⁜

    ‌Lord Jesus, thank you for all the Saints that have come before us and have provided influence, known or unknown, in regard to a walk with you. Help me, Lord, to walk closer to you, not to become a Saint, but to live out my for you. Amen.

  • Greater or Lesser Than Evils

    Greater or Lesser Than Evils

    Read: Psalm 119:41–48, Deuteronomy 10:10–22, James 2:14–26

    ‌🔎 Focus

    ‌No one ever accomplishes good by means of evil, because they are themselves conquered by the evil. On the contrary, evil is corrected by good.

    St. Barsanuphius the Great

    You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder.

    James 2:19 (NRSVue)

    It is a good exercise to ask, what is evil? Why do we categorize certain perspectives, actions, or even people as evil? Often, what we judge as evil is really about what we view as normative, as if normal was automatically good (or evil, for that matter).

    ‌‌✟ Devotion

    ‌In the US, today is . It is a combination of many traditions, and always comes with a plethora of arguments as to whether Christians should observe it, participate in any type of recognition of it (Truck ‘n’ Treat, Harvest Party, and the like), or stay in a huddle.

    ‌In Christian circles, 31 October has some Western Christian specific applications. In a few traditions, this (though really beginning at sunset) is the beginning of The Allhallowtide season, which is a time in the church year for first, observation of the Saints (known & unknown, martyred and not) who have gone before us to their Heavenly Reward. It concludes with All Souls Day, which is an observation of all Christians who have gone before (and we won’t talk about Saints and saints).

    ‌For those of us of the Protestant traditions (in other words, not Roman Catholic or a myriad of Orthodox), 31 October is also Reformation Day, the general agreement that the Reformation began with Martin Luther starting an argument about the sufficiency of Christ by nailing his proposals (theses) to the gate of churches in the German city of Wittenberg. To be clear, the undercurrents of the Reformation were already moving (from an historical viewpoint) in Europe (with martyrs, too). Luther’s dramatic postings (though in course with cultural expectations) created a great story.

    ‌The secular and non-Christian aspects that we are experiencing for Halloween are, truly, a perversion and syncreticism of pre-Christian, Christian, and post-Christian belief structures. Just a side not, perhaps instead of assaulting Halloween, we do something different (and I’m not talking about Harvest Parties and Trunk ‘n’ Treats). Not that I necessarily have an idea, but much of the angst and outrage borders on evil, which St. Barsanuphius was warning us about.

    ‌As we watch functionally innocent children walk around asking for candy—who are dressed up as ghosts, stereotypical witches, super heroes, and what have you—we need to ask ourselves why we perceive a particular costume as good or evil. It’s not that I, for example, don’t have opinions, but I have had to spend time pondering why a particular costume is “evil” versus “good”. This is not about relativism. This is about my of normal masked with what is “good”.

    ‌If there were two kids, one dressed up like a vampire and one dressed up as Knight Templar (a knight order during the Crusades in the Near East), my automatic emotional response would be vampire=bad, and Templar=good. However, if I were born and raised from the Near East (regardless of faith ), I might be very hard pressed to figure out which is evil, because the Templars were not good from a Near East perspective, because they came in conquest (motives aside) for generations.

    ‌If I, as a parent, knew that my neighbor was from the Near East, and dressed my child up as a Knight Templar (assuming my child wanted that), am I doing evil to my neighbor? Am I loving my neighbor?

    ‌This is not about incidental errors, but actions performed despite knowledge. Which brings us to the words of James. The demons James refers to know who God is. They know God’s . It is arguable that they might even be more aware of who God is than any of the Saints or saints that have gone before us.

    ‌Yet, they shudder. I’ve heard many people ask, how could one know God (not bad or evil people, that’s different) and be against God? James doesn’t answer that question, but the implication is bigger than we think. Demons, who likely know God on a divine level beyond us, still oppose God. If the demons, who know God in ways beyond us, can oppose God, why not humans?

    ‌We can conclude that evil is opposing God. The implication with James, though, is that (perhaps) true evil is knowing God and opposing God anyway.

    ‌🤔 Reflection

    ‌What recently has evoked “that is evil” from you? Did you spend time evaluating why it was evil? When you declare something evil, do you ever check against the to see what the Scriptures say?

    ‌‌⏏️ Act

    ‌As you observe (and maybe even give candy to) children as they walk your neighborhood tonight, look at their costumes. Ask yourself why that child chose that costume, and why they thought it was “good”? Then ask yourself why you thought it was good or evil and why?

    ‌🙏 Prayer

    ‌God, as we look about the world, we often conclude what is evil and what is good without asking you. Help us to look to you to define these terms, rather than how the world and our personal tell us to. Help us to as filled with grace toward in our perception of their wrong-ness, as you were while we were in our . Amen.

  • Happiness and Joy…or Not

    Happiness and Joy…or Not

    Psalm 44; Isaiah 22:8b–14; James 4:4–10

    ‌‌🔎 Focus

    ‌Do you not know that with the world is enmity with God?

    James 4:4 NRSVue

    ‌…you did not look at the One who did it, nor did you see the One who planned it…

    Isaiah 22:11 NRSVue

    We don’t like pain or suffering. We often do anything to avoid it. We can also do anything in an attempt to make it feel better, when we’re suffering from it.

    ‌It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of everyone, and the will lay it to .

    Ecclesiastes 7:2 NRSVue

    Often sitting in our mourning and pain is more honest and healing than living and striving for revelry and happiness. When we do not confront and deal well with our pain, our wrongs, our being wronged, we react in ways that can be unhealthy for us and for .

    ‌‌✟ Devotion

    ‌The full passage in Isaiah talks about how Jerusalem’s vulnerabilities were uncovered (or unhidden) by God. Why? Because of iniquity. What does iniquity have to do with pain and suffering? Well, by this point, the people of Jerusalem (and by extension Judah), had ignored the testing of prophets by the words, and of God by many means.

    ‌Instead, they chose to tear down homes (and likely the homes of the poor and powerless) to fill the holes in their walls. Were they literal holes in the walls, or is this a more figurative imagery indicating that there was a wrong focus? Probably both.

    ‌It would be completely within expectations for Isaiah (as inspired by God) to use a practical and example to examine the spiritual life of the People of God. Instead of doing the hard (and sometimes painful) work of self-, they chose to do the easier, more worldly thing, find something to dull the pain.

    ‌They forgot the One.

    ‌This is James’ starting point with his tirade against Christians who have forgotten whose they are and have reverted to the ways of the world. Instead of putting cooperative and mutually humble care for one another—the called for characteristics of Christians—first, they chose to be no different than behavior in the world. Instead of being God’s light and reflecting God’s , they were reflecting the world’s .

    ‌What ought to catch our attention is that James equates worldly behavior among Christians to adultery. The ultimate betrayal of marital union is equated to worldly behavior.

    ‌We, as Christians, aren’t paragons of what we are supposed to be. Per James, we are adulterers. Perhaps not individually (but how do we contribute), but collectively we are. This is something we need to do the hard work on and not skip it. This covers politics, theology, even pastors and leaders.

    ‌We forget the One.

    ‌‌🤔 Reflection

    ‌What do you think of non-Christian behavior as adultery? Does it change your view of non-Christian behavior? How do you work through disagreements on things, even what defines non-Christian behavior, with other Christians?

    ‌‌⏏️ Act

    ‌Choose a light topic that you know a fellow Christian disagrees with you on. Discuss it with respect and love. The goal is not to change minds, but to understand the other.

    ‌🙏 Prayer

    ‌Gracious God, while we might know intellectually that you are gracious, help us to believe it to the depths of our souls, so that we are gracious to one another. Help us to see our faults, failures, even our love affair with the ways of the world, in light of your gracious love. Guide us to see where we have placed the world and its ways ahead of you and your ways. Amen.