Tag: darkness

Want

Exodus 20:1–21; 1 Kings 3:16–28; 1 Corinthians 13:1–13

The tale of envy and spite in the story relayed in 1 Kings is abominable to most of us. How could any person ever do that, even if it is not their child?

Yet, there are far too many tragic stories of people treating their children—their legacy—with something beyond contempt. The children don’t meet a “need”, or even worse, the death of the child meets the “need”.

The amazing depravity of humanity is often overwhelming.

In the story in 1 Kings, there is probably much more than the visible story. Why it was significant to the writer that the women were prostitutes was significant is a matter of conjecture. With something like that we can only guess what else might have been going on.

One possibility is that the “wise men” didn’t want to deal with the “dirty” prostitutes on a case with no evidence or witnesses (like those who might have been present at the birth or circumcision). So, they handed it off to the new king to test him. This would be well within the norm even today when new figures come into power, they are tested by ally and enemy alike.

To our ears, Solomon’s solution is over the top. Kill the child? However, some commentators believe that Solomon had discerned who the real mother was and was looking for a justifiable pretext of giving her son to her.

The story also shines a light on one of the big human issues: envy. There is a reason that this was on the list of Commandments. It can often be one of the most destructive emotions in human relationships.

Envy drove a grieving woman to grasp for another’s baby and then be open to the child’s death instead of “losing”. Envy drove a person to sacrifice a child to hurt another person.

Envy drives people to do things that are often not rational. Sometimes people will put themselves into so much debt so that they can be just like others. Other times they will hurt themselves, as long as they can hurt others.

No one is immune to the pull of envy. We often think envy is only for big things, but envy is even more dangerous regarding small things. It is easy to excuse or justify the envy of little things. However, once we succumb, envy gains momentum, and our hearts turn toward darkness, and away from love.

—prayer—

Holy Spirit, guard our hearts against envy. If the shadow of envy had taken hold, we ask for your saving work to preserve your love in our hearts. Amen.

—questions—

1) What is the first “don’t” of love, according to Paul? Why do you think Paul mentioned that first?

2) What was the strongest feeling of envy you’ve ever had? What happened?

3) What is the “flip” side of envy? Or, how is one driven to envy? (hint: see Paul’s list)

2020-07-27
Releasing Darkness

2 Kings 25:1–12; Ezekiel 33:21–33 (read online ⧉)

The fall of God’s City. The first taking of people had happened 9 years prior to the verses in 2 Kings. Then almost 1-1/2 years of a siege. The so-called People of God were people in misery.

The warriors fled. Let that sink in. This is not COVID-19. This is war. Those that fight the wars and defend the people…they fled. It is likely some of them were paid, foreign soldiers. However, the army was still mostly Israelite. They fled their own blood. They left their own blood behind. Abandoned.

King Zedekiah then compounded the problem and tried to flee with his soldiers that remained. They abandoned him. The King abandoned his people and was abandoned in turn. As a result, all but a very few were taken away.

The very poor remained. These were the people that were likely oppressed by the other Israelites. They could have well been the remnants of the non-Israelite tribes (Anakites and Gibeonites, for example) who were the ones who stayed. Likely the thought process would be that they would grateful for the departure of the Israelites and be loyal.

Poor Ezekiel then had to deliver the news to the exiles. Jerusalem had fallen.

Ezekiel delivered the message. The people heard but didn’t really listen. Then the messenger came (note that the timeline of this passage is not straight) and affirmed Ezekiel’s words.

Sadly, despite the confirmation of Ezekiel’s prophetic ministry, he was still ignored. Despite all the prophetic words spoken to them (those of Ezekiel and others), they still would not believe.

A number of modern music artists (and it really is nothing new) have songs of darkness and pain (sometimes theirs, sometimes that of the writer). These songs often have a cathartic effect, and it would seem that the exiles took Ezekiel’s words that way. What is also interesting is that Ezekiel is compared to a great singer/musician. It is known that many prophets did prophesy to music, and that could be the context.

Even when faced with all of this, Ezekiel remained faithful, and the Israelites remained faithless. God wasn’t done with redemption. The Israelites were done with God.

※Prayer※

Father God, help us be the light to those that are done with you. Help us be your ambassadors that draw them to your love. Amen.

※Questions※

1) Have you ever listened to a sad or dark song, and felt release after it? What was it like?

2) Ezekiel was popular. He was attended to. He wasn’t listened to. Can you think of anything similar in your life?

2020-06-26
What’s in the back?

Matthew 6:5–9; Mark 9:43–50; 1 Corinthians 5:9–13 (read online ⧉)

Prayer closets are a thing for some people. They have taken Jesus’ words in such a way to step into a private and personal space to pray to God. This is not a bad thing. Most do not pray solely in a prayer closet. If they do, that means it is quite difficult to pray with and over others, which we are called to do.

Jesus’ words were primarily a counterpoint to the ritualistic attention gathering prayer performed by so-called pious people. Their piety was merely a mask for the selfish desire for human acclaim. By providing a very private alternative to the public activities, Jesus was making the point that prayer is a relational activity between a person and God, rather than an act to be seen. One thing to keep in mind though is that in First Century housing a private room was unlikely for poorer people, who primarily shared communal spaces, so Jesus’ words aren’t inherently what we often interpret them to mean.

The other aspect of this is the other stuff we keep in that “prayer” closet. The prayer closet we should be using to bring requests, needs, praises, gratitude and so on is often contaminated by the darkness of our hearts.

Jesus’ harsh words about cutting off your hand or plucking out your eye or cutting off your foot aren’t really about the hand, the eye, or the foot. It is about the heart. What is in our hearts that we try to hide in our closets?

Another way to think of this is our “Christian” walk. We look good on the outside, but perhaps we are merely whitewashed tombs who look clean and fresh but are filled with death and decay. This may seem harsh. However, each of us has certain things that we try to contain that come out of the darkness and wounds of our lives.

Perhaps, if we used the closet for prayer rather than unmentionables, and put our unmentionables out on the streets, we might not have to cut off our hands or feet or pluck out our eyes.

The real question is what are the things that are in our closets. Paul’s list seems pretty straightforward, yet it is a list with a spirit, rather than a list of crimes. The list is more about the heart of the sinner, rather than the act itself. Yes, the act is bad. It comes from the heart.

We are not immune to any of these crimes. How they are expressed may be different in each of our lives. It could be the manner of speech we have with our interested gender. It could be how we treat and interact with others. It could be just how we look at another as a step toward our goal, rather than a child of God.

※Prayer※

Lord, break our hearts for what breaks yours. Break our hearts for the darkness in them. Heal our hearts from the wounds the bind. Let us be your free and holy children. Amen.

※Questions※

1) [This is a private and personal question] What has God brought to mind about yourself in this? How will we confront and redeem it?

2) How does hiding the bad stuff in our prayer closet affect our relationship with God, especially our prayer life? How might this affect our lives with others?

3) Submission to Jesus Christ (yesterday’s, 11 June 2020, devotional) includes the stuff in the closet. Why do we often not want to submit it to Jesus Christ?

2020-06-13
Despairing Flames of Joy

Ecclesiastes 3:16–4:3; Job 3:1–26 (read online ⧉)

Let’s be honest, Ecclesiastes is not the most uplifting book of the bible. In many respects, it can be a bigger downer than the story of Job. Both books are generally put under (along with Proverbs) the category of wisdom literature.

Wisdom literature often doesn’t seek answers (though people search wisdom literature for it). Wisdom literature seeks understanding. That would seem to be the same thing, yet if we look at all the clicks a person makes on their computers or on Facebook, we know things about them, but it does not mean we understand them.

The hard thing about Ecclesiastes is that the writer (“the Teacher”) is quite willing to confront the darkness of the world, facing it head-on. Most of us would prefer to avoid the darkness of the world, and so such writers make us uncomfortable. This is a good thing.

It is for times such as this, that wisdom literature may help us. Wisdom literature won’t hand us the cure (whether for disease or human depravity). Wisdom literature can help us step back from our immediate responses and reactions, and help us to develop a framework with which to handle reality.

Ecclesiastes 3:16 begins with the presence of wickedness where justice and righteousness are supposed to prevail. It is not just with police brutality. It is not just with racism. It is not just with the distribution of wealth. It is not just with misogyny. It is with humanity.

This is not a paean to make us feel better about ourselves or to deaden anyone’s anger, frustration, pain, or fear in the drama that is 2020. This might, might, be the straw that finally breaks the camels back, and brings Christianity where it needs to be, united on our knees in prayer, supplication, confession, remorse, celebration, and reverence.

Seems to be an odd mix? That is the beauty of wisdom literature. Conclusions drawn from it, just like in life, are not always easy to put in a box.

As the Teacher seems to envy the dead and the neverborn, Job wishes that the day of his birth had never come. Similar to George in It’s a Wonderful Life, Job believed that it would have been better were he never to have been born. This is often the voice of despair in our lives, as it was in Job’s.

“When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: fear God and keep his commands, because this is for all humanity.” —Ecclesiastes 12:13

“There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.” —Acts 4:12

Often, it is these two verses that can keep despair at bay. The passage from Ecclesiastes is the conclusion of this book of wisdom. The passage from Acts was Peter’s first public sermon and strong proclamation of the Gospel.

When lost in despair, or tending toward despair, God remains steadfast.

※Prayer※

God, thank you for your steadfast love for all Creation. Help us rely and trust in that. May we look at our fellow humans as people who are looking (whether they know it or not) for the wisdom that only you can provide. Amen.

※Questions※

1) How is your soul in this turmoil?

2) How do you view your fellow humans at this point?

3) How do you attempt to redeem the darkness of yourself and your fellow humans?

2020-06-04
Not Them Anymore

Matthew 15:17–28; Ephesians 4:17–24 (read online ⧉)

For I am the LORD, who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God, so you must be holy because I am holy. —Leviticus 11:45

When the Israelites were brought out of the land of Egypt, it wasn’t going to be things as usual. We often focus on the slavery and the misery, for this was the reality of the Israelites in Egypt by the time Moses was born, and very much so after his return from Midian.

Today, we would say that this was in the rearview mirror. That was their life. It was to be their life no longer. However, that also meant that practices that they copied from Egyptian culture had to be culled. Other than their bloodline, there were only three things that otherwise tied them together, their story, circumcision, and a promised land that was not in Egypt. That’s it.

We look back at them and say, YES! Many would argue that the United States couldn’t keep the “dream” of the Founding Fathers alive, and it hasn’t been 300 years! They waited over 400 years! How tightly they must have held onto those 3 things. Yet, there would have been a lot of other stuff that they took with them. They needed to understand that a line has been drawn. They are now called to be holy, for God is holy. The key (oversimplified) part is that God defined what is holy.

The first piece (again, oversimplified) was don’t be an Egyptian (don’t even walk like one). That extended to other tribes and nations, too. The Promised Land contained the Canaanites. They were the people that the Israelites were supposed to drive out for they would cause the Israelites to fall away from God (so said God). They didn’t drive them out. So, down the timeline we have one of these Canaanite women come to Jesus so that he will heal her daughter.

Here, as in other times with Jesus, that while he is first called to the Jews, to those that pursue, he would still respond. That Jesus would still respond to a generational enemy tells us much about Jesus. It also tells us that being “called out of Egypt” is more than the story of Exodus. It can be our story, too.

Paul sets this story forward in Ephesians, too. This letter was likely a circular letter passed among the churches of Asia Minor and found a permanent home in Ephesus (hence the name). Historians come to that conclusion for a number of reasons, but one of the more interesting points is that this letter is not addressed to anyone specifically (see other letters of Paul). Paul intended or expected this letter to have a life of its own (kind of like those forwarded emails and now Facebook messages that keep coming back year-after-year).

That makes this particular passage from Ephesians even more interesting. He makes the statement that the hearers/receivers of the letters should not be like Gentiles. Sounds pretty straightforward, except that many (if not most) of them were Gentiles! Paul, so to speak, was telling them that they were now called out of Egypt.

Gentiles are, to these Christians, a different people from themselves. They, who were once Gentiles, were called to be Gentiles no longer!

※ Prayer ※
God, you called us out of the darkness of our souls to be something greater than we could be on our own. As we look with hopeful expectations for the returning to some sort of normal, help us to remember that we are daily called out of Egypt to be your holy people. Amen.

※ Questions ※
1) Swap Gentiles with American (or whatever nationality is your “heart” nationality). How do Paul’s words feel now?

2) Those of the so-called Western Civilization are often blind to the differences between the general culture and the Christian culture, often because we fail to understand what it means to be Christian. What is one thing you can think of that conflicts?

3) Life as usual is not (really) the Christian life. What is unusually Christian about your life? Do any non-Christians practice the same? If so, now what?

2020-05-28
Holy Night

29 April 2020 Devotional

Genesis 1:1–19; Genesis 22:17–18; Psalm 134 (read online ⧉)

I try to settle, but I just pass through
A rain dog, gypsy
A wandering Jew
All those homes were not ours
Then I slept one night
In Abraham’s field
And dreamt there was no moon
The night he died
Counting stars
from The Orphan by the Newsboys

One of the interesting conflicts in the Scriptures is the human tendency to fear the dark (because of bad people and wild animals). Yet, on the other hand, God did not make the dark to be bad. God called it good.

We want to conquer the darkness. As our cities become fuller (or at least were pre-COVID), the “light pollution” was significant. If Abraham was, for example, a homeless person in Seattle, there would be very few stars to count. It wouldn’t be much of a promise.

If you’ve had any experience away from cities, you’ll understand the magnificence of God’s night sky as created. If you’ve been someplace really remote on a moonless night (i.e., “new moon”), it is even more spectacular.

As the “church” aged, the simplicity of day=good and night=bad developed into a theology that worship happened in the day, especially in the morning to go with the day or morning star (the sun being a symbol of Jesus). Modern churches did develop night worship to a degree, but it has been far and away diminished in comparison to daytime worship.

The psalmist’s very short homage to the night workers at the House of God brings to point the many people behind the scenes of churches, schools, hospitals, and many institutions that do not get the recognition for they are behind the scenes. The night workers at the House of God were not any less important than the ones assigned in the day. It was just that they were not as visible. Did they get the accolades? Probably not. Did they fulfill their calling? Yes. Without them, worship couldn’t happen during the day. The night was just as essential to daytime worship as those who were there during the day.

There is one thing that the night can bring us that day often doesn’t…stillness. Under the night sky, there is often a greater willingness to just sit (or lay down) and stare at the jewels that God placed in the heavens. In that place of stillness and of sparkling jewels, God can speak in that still small voice…and we might actually hear.

Prayer

Father God, through the Word, Jesus, you made the moon and the stars, and all the heavenly bodies. Help us to recognize your glory and love in them. May your Holy Spirit guide us today to stop and just gaze in wonder at what you have made. Amen.

Questions

1) What do you think of when gazing at the stars? What is the strongest memory you have of the night sky?

2) Who are some of the people behind the scenes that you can think of, that glorify God by their humble and hidden service?

3) We often call on people to be humble. On the other hand, there is often this desire to have a superstar leader who is charismatic and often needs some lessons in humility. How do we get to this point?

2020-04-29
At His Word

Psalm 19; Proverbs 1:1–8; Romans 15:4–13 (read online ⧉)

When you read the Scriptures, are you reading words or are you reading the Word?

If you have been a Christian for any length of time you know what the “right” answer is. That doesn’t mean that for you it is the true answer. Many people read the Bible because it is the “right” thing to do, or they’ve developed habits (which is good, too).

The saddest situation is those that read the Bible but have lost the joy and wonder with reading. If you’ve never had any joy or wonder, then the opening question applies. If you’ve lost the joy and wonder…it might be time to pause and reflect.

There are a lot of ways and methods and suggestions on how to read the Scriptures. It’s not that they don’t matter, they aren’t the first step. You need to know your reason for reading the Scriptures. One could say that the most you get out of it will be based on what you put into it. Yet, that really doesn’t fit with the Scriptures, at least not as a whole. What you might get out of Deuteronomy will likely be different then you get out of the Psalms which will be different than Proverbs.

The closest description one can probably use regarding all of the Scriptures (other than “the Word of God”) is a love letter. Yes, it is a very long love letter. It also is filled with many hard things. We look around us, and the world is much the same. It is filled with beauty and love. It is filled with darkness.

There are a few absolutes in the Scriptures about the Scriptures. The psalmist writes about the instructions. Solomon writes about God’s wisdom. Paul talks about how the past speaks to the now and the future.

Prayer

Jesus, somehow you are the Word of God and so are the Scriptures we have been given. Thank you for this mystery, for it shows us time and time again the unfathomableness of God. Holy Spirit, guide as we read the Word. Help us to see the Father’s love written to us. Amen

Questions

1) What is your favorite book of the Bible (if it is a Psalm, which one)? Why? How does it tell you about God, and about you?

2) How would you describe the Scriptures to another believer? How would describe them to a non-believer?

3) If you were stuck on an island (or in your house), would the bible be enough for you? Would it be sufficient?

2020-04-25
What’s At The End?

Mark 8:27–38; Mark 9:30–34; Mark 10:32–40 (read online ⧉)

There were 3 ages that I looked to: 13, 18, 25. Prior to achieving each of these birthdays, I expected to die before each of them. That’s a pretty morbid thought, isn’t it? This wasn’t only my depression or suicidal thoughts that brought me there, but an almost fatalistic anticipation of my end.

I don’t know how much my friends during those times understood my thoughts or expectations. I wasn’t open to sharing it. They may (or not) have noticed an underlying darkness that was part of my existence. We (including me) can look back on these thoughts and think…oh, what drama! And it possibly was.

So, imagine what Jesus’ disciples thought? There were plenty of charismatic people leading people astray. Some seemed like death cults. Others pursued aims (overthrowing the Roman Empire) that were suicidal. Did they really mean to follow this guy? They were in deep already (hey, Peter declared him the Messiah, of all things). Were they sure about this?What made the difference between my fatalism of youth, and Jesus’ expectation and looking toward (not looking forward to) death? The end.

What was the end? For me, I don’t know that I thought about it. For Jesus? Glorifying God and salvation for everyone. While the end does make the dying easier, it does make it easier to walk toward.

In all three declarations of his expectations of death, there were very human responses within verses of the Scriptures. The first declaration resolves with each person who follows Christ having to bear the cross (a symbol of torture, humiliation, and death). The second declaration resolves with being a servant of others. The third declaration resolves with both the cross and service. Jesus resolved each declaration in a way that doesn’t necessarily encourage the hearer…unless the end is kept in mind.

1) Death is the end of this life. What is your view of death? How would you respond if a friend or family member told you they expected to die (not due to health or reasons of conflict)?

2) The cross has lost much of its horror. What can you think of in modern times that might approach the cruelty of the cross?

3) In the 3 times that Jesus spoke of his death, the world’s agenda was not the same as God’s agenda. There are plenty of horrors around us. How can we embrace those horrors and point to Jesus?

2020-04-03
Redemption in the Darkness

Psalm 107:1–16; Isaiah 60:15-22; John 8:12-20 (read online ⧉)

Psalm 107:2–3
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
those he redeemed from trouble
and gathered in from the lands,
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.

Isaiah’s stirring vision for Jerusalem is that not only of restoration but also claiming a prominent and dominant role in the world. The nations that dominated Jerusalem would then nourish and protect it. This revitalized and restored Jerusalem would have the lost and exiled returning. A city full of woe and misery would become full of life and joy.

Isaiah’s vision continued where the basics, bronze, and iron, would be replaced by gold and silver. This is not just a sign of wealth, but where what was once the sign of wealth would be commonplace. In the midst of all of this is God. This new vision of Jerusalem has God at the center, and not just as the center of worship, but the center of all life, replacing the sun and the moon. The ebb and flow of life would be fully guided by God. The ultimate crown of success, children, would be so numerous that even the smallest family group would become a clan. This is hope to a people lost. This is hope to a people who feel that they have nothing left.”I am the light of the world,” Jesus said.Often we can find ourselves stuck in darkness. The gift of darkness is being able to see the smallest light. The spark of faith, in the darkness, can feel as if the sun is there.

1) Have you ever experienced an inescapable (real/physical) darkness? What happened when you saw a light?

2) How does Christ fit into your idea and/or experience of darkness?

2020-03-24
Glorious Cleanliness

Exodus 19:1-9; 1 Peter 2:4-10; Psalm 19 (read online ⧉)

Have you ever had a period of life that seemed completely crazy and unbelievable? The Israelites were living it! It was a hard life in Egypt, but it was still home for generations. They left. This big sea to cross to freedom, and a powerful nation’s army coming after them. The sea splits open and they cross on dry ground. And a powerful nation’s army disappears forever. They have their first military battle and unbelievably win! They have a weird food that just appears with the morning dew, then disappears.

Then they take a breath.

Moses meets with God, and God explains. God is calling these people to be his priestly kingdom. They are his treasured possession, above the rest of the earth, which is God’s, too.

God’s requirements are simple, obey God’s voice and keep the covenant. This is foundational to relationship between God and the Israelites. Their lives are to be aligned to the covenant, and the relationship it represents. In the same way, Peter calls believers in Jesus to have Jesus as their cornerstone, so that they (we) become the spiritual home of the Holy Spirit, and become a holy priesthood.

Just like the Israelites, followers of Jesus have a task. Theirs (ours) is to proclaim the acts of God who called them (us) out of the darkness we were in.

As the psalmist writes, all of Creation pronounces the glory of God. We, too, have our part in declaring and showing the glory of God and being the light (reflectors of God) in the world.

1) What has kept you from believing you are called to and capable of declaring God’s glory?

2) The covenant represents a type of cleanliness. You house the Holy Spirit. How do you keep the Holy Spirit’s home in you clean?

3) What more can you do to keep it clean, or get it cleaner?

4) How does this cleanliness help to declare God’s glory?

2020-03-12