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Devotion.al

Tag: covenant

  • The First Sunday of Advent

    Psalm 122, Isaiah 32:1–20, Ezekiel 37:26–28 (read online ⧉)

    There was a (awful) Superman movie in the ’80s called the Quest for Peace. In it, Superman takes care of the bad guy (of course) and takes care of (i.e., eliminates) all the nuclear weapons (which the US and USSR were rapidly building up at the time). The superhero movie genre hadn’t broken out, yet. In the movie, there was a kernel of this American (and some would say Christian) optimism that if we get rid of all the weapons, there would be no war or strife.

    That, sadly, is not demonstrated by humanity over the years. Humanity doesn’t seem to do well in peace. Despite the internet and 24-hour news, we currently live in a time when fewer people are dying in wars than ever before, and that even includes terrorism. However, almost as if there is a perverse understanding that this couldn’t possibly be the case, we are deluged with stories about bloody conflict after bloody conflict.

    David’s psalm starts with a focus on rejoicing on praising God. David continues on with the focus on praying for peace within walls and within brothers and friends. We all want peace at home, whether it be in our country, state, city, neighborhood, or behind the doors of our homes. While we all seem to understand this almost unachievable peace, we still pursue it.

    God’s peace has a strong tendency to overthrow the status quo and expectation. Isaiah calls nobles fools and important people scoundrels. Isaiah notes that the Holy Spirit will pour out, and our perspectives will change. Righteousness and justice will spread, and peace will be its fruit.

    The Holy Spirit as the underlying producer of peace makes sense with Ezekiel, as God declares a new covenant of peace. God will establish. God will multiply it. God’s new covenant is by God’s power, not by ours.

    1) What is the difference between God’s peace versus mankind’s peace?

    2) Why is God needed for true peace?

    3) What is one thing you can do to encourage true peace in and for others?

  • Peace By God

    Psalm 122, Isaiah 32:1–20, Ezekiel 37:26–28

    ‌There was a (awful) Superman movie in the ‘80s called the Quest for Peace. In it Superman takes care of the bad guy (of course) and takes care of (i.e., eliminates) all the nuclear weapons (which the US and USSR were rapidly building up at the time). The superhero movie genre hadn’t broken out, yet. In the movie, there was a kernel of this American (and some would say Christian) optimism that if we get rid of all the weapons, there would be no war or strife.

    ‌That, sadly, is not demonstrated by humanity over the years. Humanity doesn’t seem to do well in peace. Despite the internet and 24-hour news, we currently live in a time when fewer people are dying in wars than ever before, and that even includes terrorism. However, almost as if there is a perverse understanding that this couldn’t possibly be the case, we are deluged with stories about bloody conflict after bloody conflict.

    ‌David’s psalm starts with a focus on rejoicing on praising God. David continues on with the focus on praying for peace within walls and within brothers and friends. We all want peace at home, whether it be in our country, state, city, neighborhood, or behind the doors of our homes. While we all seem to understand this almost unachievable peace, we still pursue it.

    ‌God’s peace has a strong tendency to overthrow the status quo and expectation. Isaiah calls nobles fools and important people scoundrels. Isaiah notes that the Holy Spirit will pour out, and our perspectives will change. Righteousness and justice will spread, and peace will be its fruit.

    ‌The Holy Sprit as the underlying producer of peace makes sense with Ezekiel, as God declares a new covenant of peace. God will establish. God will multiply it. God’s new covenant is by God’s power, not by ours.

    • ‌1) What is the different of God’s peace versus mankind’s peace?
    • ‌2) Why is God needed for true peace?
    • ‌3) What is one thing you can do to encourage true peace in and for others?

  • Rules of Mercy

    Exodus 25:16–22, Isaiah 33:17–22, Psalm 118 (read online ⧉)

    So much of the Levitical law was about the dos and don’ts. Israelites and (later) Christians became overly concerned about the blood being shed, and all the sins committed requiring it. Yet, God set out an expectation that was right there for anyone to see, if they were able.

    God talks about the Ark of the Covenant in this passage. The box that carried the 10 Commandments, a sample of mana, and later Aaron’s sprouted staff was capped with the mercy seat. The mercy seat. All of this was covered by mercy. God’s mercy. Then God goes and states that the mercy seat is where God will meet the people.

    Why is this significant? Perhaps if people had focused on mercy, rather than the rules, God’s great commandments (Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Love your neighbor as yourself.) would not have been so lost in rules that were lived out in a way that made God into a horrible vicious creature that so many people feared (the bad kind of fear) and didn’t love.

    When you can “see” God as sitting on the mercy seat, you can better understand Isaiah’s words about the beauty of God. Isaiah continues on about the majesty of God. This passage ends with God being judge (with mercy), lawgiver (in mercy), and king (of mercy).

    1) Having a right understanding of God is essential to having a good relationship with God. Can you have a good relationship with someone seemingly always angry, bitter, belittling, dismissive, judgemental, unforgiving, or harsh?

    2) If we do not start with God seated on the mercy seat, how would we relate to God?

    3) When we read Psalm 118 we read about God being the source of true salvation. How does this fit into the narrative of God being seated on the mercy seat?

  • 25 November 2019

    Zechariah 12:1–8, Revelation 18:1–10, Matthew 20:20–23, Luke 22:14–20 (read online ⧉)

    A cup is a common thing. You probably have a few in your cupboards. You might even have so many you have to get rid of one to fit another. You might have ones for special times (like china for Thanksgiving). You might have Christmas themed ones. You probably have ones that were given to you as a reminder or an advertisement. There is nothing special really special about cups. However, as we read the Scriptures, cups star in a number of places.
    Joseph used his cup (his very special one that only he had) to entrap his brothers. Pharoah and Nebuchadnezzar had their cupbearers. These cupbearers had authority within the courts of the leader. Cups, it seems, were not always so common.

    The prophet Zechariah has a vision of Judah being a cup. Nations would drink of this cup. The consumption part represents well the takeovers, wars, slavery, and exile. The nations around Judah (even their Semitic cousins in Samaria) really did a number on Judah. It’s not that Judah did the right things and was still on the losing end. Judah had continually made the wrong decisions. God wasn’t just going to restore his people once they yielded their hearts. God would use Judah as the source of retribution for all the nations that had (by their actions) treated Judah wrongly.

    This imagery is echoed in Revelation. This time, instead of the small underdog nation being the source of retribution, it would now be the leading city (symbolized as Babylon) that would be the source of its own destruction and the nations that followed it. This symbolic Babylon was completely lost in the depths of unGodly practices. The nations that idolized it or followed its practices would end up with the consequences of their choices.

    In Matthew, Jesus uses similar imagery to hint to James and John that the contents of Jesus’ cup will do the same to them as it will do to him. Of course, they did not yet understand what that meant. Is some ways, while Jesus did not “give” them the seats at his right or left hand, he still symbolically handed his identity to them when he said they would drink from his cup. They probably felt better about not getting their “seats”, at least until they realized the cup’s contents.

    This really comes to a culmination in the Cup of Salvation. The “blood” of the New Covenant shared by Jesus with his disciples and eventually with us. The cup is Christ’s. When we share the cup, we share in the name and identity of Jesus. We also identify ourselves with and by the New Covenant. We also identify ourselves by his death and the freedom we bought. Lastly, though, each of us may have something that needs to be sacrificed to live a life with and for Christ. We have chosen to drink from the cup and by so doing stated that we will accept what it brings.

    1)Do you have a favorite cup? Why is it your favorite? Without knowing the story of if, what could people learn about you from it?

    2) God’s grace and love are often found in “ordinary” things. In what other “ordinary” things do you find God’s grace and love?

    3) Why is it important to look for and see God’s grace and love in ordinary things?

  • Covenantal Bride

    Ezekiel 16:7–22, 2 Corinthians 11:1–4, Revelation 19:6–9

    The image of the church as the bride of Jesus was not a new concept. Israel/Judah was often compared to a wife, though, sadly, often an unfaithful wife. Despite the seeming graphic nature of this passage in Ezekiel, there is a strong implication of innocence, harking back to the Garden of Eden (prior to the Fall), when Adam and Eve were naked and unashamed. The bride (Israel/Judah) found in the wilds was innocent.

    Where it becomes interesting (and disturbing) is after the hinted marriage (covenant). Very quickly the bride wanders away giving all that she has to others that are not her husband. This motif of unfaithfulness covers much of the story in the Old Testament. The Chosen People—the bride of God—did not remain faithful to the one who chose them.

    Despite this being the central theme of the Old Testament, it is not as if God gave up. Paul uses the imagery of a virgin (i.e., innocent) bride being presented to Jesus (God). It is not insignificant that Paul perceived the need to use this imagery. Despite the unfaithfulness to God in the Old Testament and the unfaithfulness to God (Jesus) in the New Testament, there is something significant in this marriage motif.

    Despite the altered state of marriage in our day and age in a myriad of ways, marriage is still very much part of God’s plan for us. While we, the “church”, usually focus on marriage as a societal, cultural, and religious piece, for God it is something far deeper. Paul uses the marriage imagery in a culture that does not, generally, view it as covenant. It is contractual. Yet, Paul maintains its covenant view, even apologizing for being foolish/silly. Imagine trying to convey the depth of the covenantal nature of marriage to people who don’t see God in it.

    Paul wants the Corinthians (and us) to not view our relationship with Jesus as transactional, but relational and covenantal. This covenantal view means that Jesus is at the center and core of the relationship, not just with God, but with others.

    Both Paul (2 Corinthians) and John (Revelation) view the bride as being prepared. Of course, in Revelation, it is at the conclusion of it all. For Paul, it is the ever-present tension of a bride being ready to give all (prepared) and getting ready to give all (preparing). The bride will always be getting more ready, to always be closer to perfection, even if it is at an inch at a time. The question is, does the bride think He is worth it?

    1) When you look at yourself, how do you see yourself prepared for and preparing for Jesus? How do you think the church is prepared and preparing for Jesus?

    2) How have you been transactional in your relationship with Jesus? How do you think the church has been transactional in its relationship with Jesus?

  • Sheltering Wings

    Exodus 37:1–9, Ruth 2:10–3:9, Psalm 61, Luke 13:34–35

    The wings of God are an interesting image, and it is well worth considering. While God may not have literal wings, wings being part of the comprehension of God cannot and should not be ignored.

    The Ark of the Covenant was a physical reminder of God’s presence among the people of Israel. The lid of the Ark of the Covenant was called the Mercy Seat. Think about that. Beneath the seat were the stones of the Commandments, a container of mana, and (later) a blossoming branch. Mercy was the capstone of it all. Surrounding the Mercy Seat were wings. Were they God’s wings? No, but as they were directed by God to be there, they were indeed a manifestation of God’s will.

    In the story of Ruth, wings come up twice in actually a short time, and both have the same concept surrounding their appearance. In the first, Boaz declares that Ruth has placed herself underneath the wings of God as a refuge. As the story progresses, she then places herself under the wings of Boaz for refuge.

    Wings and refuge often go hand-in-hand in the Scriptures. We see it yet again in Psalm 61 (and it is also in other Psalms). God has wings of refuge.

    Jesus’ sad cry against and on behalf of Jerusalem (representing the past and present Israelites and Jews) shows a refusal to be underneath the wings of God, a refusal to be in the refuge of God. Jesus’ words of how a mother hen guards her chicks with her wings, how her wings are the chicks’ refuge from the world…they are nothing short of amazing.

    God wants to shelter us underneath his wings.

    1) Shelter and refuge are things we often seek in things, money, and even people. How are you doing seeking shelter under God’s wings?

    2) What do you feel in your heart, knowing that God wants to gather YOU underneath his wings?

    3) Why would people NOT want to be under God’s refuge? How do you think that might affect how they view, feel, and interact with the world around them?

  • People Needed

    Isaiah 30:8–17, 1 Thessalonians 2:2–12

    “To make Christlike disciples in the nations.”—Church of the Nazarene Mission Statement

    “Iron sharpens iron and one person sharpens another.”—Proverbs 27:17

    Discipleship is not a program, nor is it a class. It is a lifestyle. If we are not careful, Sunday School, Life Groups, Youth Group, Children’s Church, even Sunday Service become mere flattery of our wordly wants and desires, rather than discipleship.

    If you aren’t being challenged by God’s Word and Spirit during or as a result of these (even as the leader), then it is all empty. Will the challenge always occur? No. If it rarely or never occurs, that is the “best” indicator.

    The problem is that we often just want easy, even at Church. Church, sadly, isn’t meant to be easy. Church, as framily, is meant to be transforming. Transformation can often be painful or uncomfortable.

    In Isaiah, we read the consequences of flattery and (pointless/false) positive words, and it isn’t pretty. Paul challenged the Thessalonians to listen for the Gospel, rather than be flattered by the speakers trying to turn them away from the Gospel and probably against Paul himself.

    We are to be challenged, not because our views are true or false, but through the maturing of our faith as it faces the real world is how we show the world the love of Christ, and become the light of the world.

    The hard part for our egos is that we often want people to be nice when we need them to be kind. What’s the difference? Think of someone standing on the railing of a tall skyscraper with a strong wind. Nice: “be careful.” Kind: pull them back, even if it hurts them. One is passive (doormat). One is life. In a true discipleship relationship, we need kind people, and we need to be authentic. That is scary.

    1) What discipleship relationships and patterns do you have?

    2) It’s easy to say prayer, bible reading, and attending church are your patterns. However, plenty of people do those, too, and we don’t call them Christians. What is the difference?

    3) With the new Life Groups in the Fall, what new path will you take? Will you join (or lead) a Life Group? Or will you start a small band with the covenant to sharpen one another? Or will you stagnate?

  • Sign of the Flesh

    Joshua 5:1–9

    You’ve been literally following (cloud by day; fire by night) God for 40 years. In that time, you’ve eaten mysterious white stuff that shows up at dawn and melts by noon. Your clothes and sandals don’t wear out. Water mysteriously appears in the desert. In other words, 40 years of nothing much. Nothing much? Seriously? Isn’t just that short list above enough? Apparently not.

    The covenant of circumcision between God and Abraham was abandoned. Many scholars have concluded that as circumcision was also practiced by the Egyptians, there was some sort of circumcision ban for the Israelites. While the Scriptures do not say that, there was an issue revolving around Moses’ son not being circumcised (Exodus 4:24–26), which would indicate that Moses did not practice it. At the same time, circumcision was part of living out the law.

    Despite the Abrahamic covenantal requirement. Despite its requirement for Passover, being part of the tribe, or participating in the communal religious life, circumcision wasn’t being done. Were the Israelites completely clueless, including Moses? One could argue that the adults were circumcised. They just didn’t circumcise their sons (i.e., pass on the faith and covenant). Is that really any better?

    What was God thinking? Throughout the journey, the Israelites were tested and tried. Yet, circumcision didn’t come up. Other tests of faith occurred, but this still didn’t come up. It almost seems that God wrote them off…not completely, but that they had lost their place as THE people who went into the Promised Land.

    In a blood action (blood representing life), the Israelite males were circumcised. God’s words made it clear that the time of the desert journey was over. There was a new path and a new journey before the Israelites. It was now the next generation’s responsibility to carry things forward, and the did. However…

    “That whole generation was also gathered to their ancestors. After them, another generation rose up who did not know the LORD or the works he had done for Israel.” —Judges 2:10

    1) Traditions and habits intended to develop and trained often get tossed aside because they are the “old way”. What traditions and habits have you dismissed?

    2) We are quick to see our traditions and habits being discarded, but fail to see those that we discarded. Why is that?

    3) New traditions and habits can be just as powerful as old ones. What new ones can you help to build and pass on?

    4) No tradition or habit is any good unless effectively passed on to the next generation of believers. What will you do to pass it on?

  • Circumcised Relationship

    Genesis 17:1–14, Deuteronomy 10:14–22, Luke 1:59–80

    The ritual of circumcision existed before the people of Israel came into being (yes, Abraham was their forefather). This was a ritual the physically made the people of Israel different than those around them. It was (and is) the ceremony that “enters” a boy into the covenant. In the modern ceremony (which, in all likelihood, had similarities to the ceremony John went through), the parents respond with, “As this child has entered into the covenant, so may he enter into Torah, the wedding canopy, and good deeds.” This is also the time when the boy officially receives his Hebrew name.

    While we’re certain that John didn’t get married, he certainly learned (“entered”) the Torah and did “good” deeds. When we recognize the receiving of a name as part of this ceremony, we understand where the family is a bit confused regarding the name that John receives, which isn’t Hebrew. John’s name in and of itself indicates that John is set apart at the tender age of 8 days (plus the whole angel visitation) to be different. The Brit Milah is a big family occasion. What a time to make waves!

    While obeying the (Jewish) Law is good, obeying the Law for the Law’s sake is not. As we talked about a few days ago, the Law was never the point. It was a relationship with God. The event of Brit Milah was both the entering into the covenant community and recognizing the One who created that community…God.

    Often we get sidetracked by the good things: church, Bible reading, Life Groups, even prayer. As we “check-off” the list, we neglect a relationship with the One around whom all these revolve. The tasks overtake the relationship. That being said, there are far too many people who say, “I can worship God better (here) than at (church/life groups).” They might be correct…for a time. However, when we worship God in isolation, we become the only one who holds us accountable. Except in rare cases, that means the worship (let alone the relationship) fades away.

    When Moses talked about circumcising the heart, it wasn’t supposed to be a task to be “checked-off”, it was a relationship to be had.

    1) When we look at the tradition of circumcision, we can see the similarity with infant baptism. What are the similarities? What are the differences? Why do those differences matter?

    2) At the circumcision, there are 3 aspects of life that are addressed. What are they? How do they echo the Christian life?

    3) Age is no barrier to making waves; John’s parents were well advanced in years, and their son was 8 days old. What does this tell you about the age barriers in living the Christian life? What does this tell you about making a difference for God’s kingdom?

  • Cup of Blessing

    Psalm 16, Luke 24:13–35

    Psalm 16 is considered by many to be a Messianic Psalm. Peter and Paul both seemed to have some agreement on this as they appear to have referenced as it appears to be referenced to by them in a number of places. One of the contrasts is the cup of blood (v4) and the cup of blessing (v5). The cup of blood is what is used to pour out the drink offering. This is a play on the “right” drink offering before God, which was the fruit of the vine. Instead, this blood offering is an unrighteous offering, not only because of the conflict of the drink offering but also—and primarily—the offering was to a god other than God. In other words, those who were making these blood offerings had chosen to follow false gods for their security.

    On the contrary, the cup of blessing is a Godly portion which holds promise and blessing. The cup of blessing comes with an inheritance. The cup of blessing comes with Godly fortitude (not false fortitude). The cup of blessing comes with security. And, lastly, the cup of blessing comes with the path of eternal life. With all of that, one can easily see why Messianic is applied to this psalm, especially in the context of communion.

    In the context of scripture (and yesterday’s sermon), we have talked about the institution of communion, which was Jesus’ Last Supper with his disciples, and was observed within the context of Passover. One could say that Cleopas and the other disciple (some believe it was his wife) experienced the first “true” communion. In many ways, it is the exclamation point on Paul’s words, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes”(1 Corinthians 11:26). Seeing is believing. They saw their Lord alive after he was dead, and declared alive again. They became witnesses to his bodily resurrection. What a way to know in your heart what the new covenant included!

    1) Do you remember your first communion? If not, that’s okay. If you do, what do you remember? Do you remember the last communion you took? If so, what do you remember?

    2) In certain church communities communion is taken individually Why do you think that is? Generations Community this coming Sunday, will take communion in framily groups? Why is this important?

    3) Why is the individual and group taking of communion important? What does this tell us about church-, faith-, and community-life?