Devotion.al

Tag: death

  • Joy to Tears

    Joy to Tears

    Psalm 22:25–31; Amos 8:1–7; Acts 8:1b–8

    For many people, singing in worship of God is a significant part of their of faith. They love the -filled worship of God.

    The image provided in Amos takes those joy-filled songs and turns them into songs of pain, sorrow, and lament. The misery of the people of Israel (as conveyed by Amos) is that even their and worship had become crying and wailing. Think of a service where all the joy was gone.

    In many respects, after a number of incidents (9/11, Oklahoma City, and others) people would come to the church and . Their feelings of pride and courage buried in the of . Yet, now, people don’t. We’ve had horrific things happen in our society and people aren’t looking to the church.

    Perhaps we need a Saul. Perhaps COVID or Trump or Biden is our Saul. Perhaps it will be something else.

    Saul persecuted the church. The members of the church left Jerusalem. The faith spread. The number of people who came to Christ grew.

    We are in a state of discomfort. We, the church, are no longer sure of where we belong. We look at ourselves (the church) and what’s wrong. We look at the world and wonder what’s wrong.

    ※Reflection※

    • It can be hard to in the dark, when we want to be in the light of Jesus. Why is part of our purpose to be in (not of) the dark?
    • What can the darkness teach us about the light?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, you called from the darkness into your light. You sent us back into the darkness to your light. May we do your will. Amen.

  • Be Sent

    Be Sent

    Psalm 150; Proverbs 9:1–6; Mark 16:9–18

    One of the great truisms of the is, “Jesus loves me, this I know; for the bible tells me so.” It is that simple. It is, however, much more than that.

    It would be nice were it only that, and it was that simple. As most of us understand, yes, Jesus us loves us, and Jesus showed it through his sinless and his . That isn’t it, though.

    We like to keep our faith simple. Simple is good. Often, though, we keep our faith simply . The foolishness is not presenting the of Christ first. Nor is it foolish to be authentic and transparent about your failings.

    The “woman of wisdom” sends people out to and invite people into a feast. She calls on people to walk in , leaving the simplistic ways they know.

    We could say that the “woman of wisdom” is talking about our faith maturing, and that isn’t a bad thing. However, the biggest danger is making our faith so complicated that we cannot share it, while still make sure that we don’t make it so simple that get a false understanding of what it means to call Jesus Lord and Savior.

    Despite the oddity of the verses in Mark, there is an obvious message of going out into the world, evangelizing, and discipling. This is part of our . This is where we are called to be the servants of the “woman of wisdom” calling and inviting others to the feast at the table.

    ※Reflection※

    • What are your thoughts about the “woman of wisdom”? Who might the “woman of wisdom” be?
    • What does it mean to you to call and invite people to the table? Which table or tables?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, send us. Amen.

  • We Ought To Love

    We Ought To Love

    Psalm 4; Luke 22:24–30; Acts 3:1–10

    The argument that occurred between the disciples is a warning to us all. This is the worldly and fallen condition of man. The worldly/fallen person thinks of self (and even can be self) above .

    There is often a belief that life, , success, are all part of a zero-sum game. In other words, for one to get more, another will get less. God’s ways are not the same, yet we often apply this thinking to our lives, even how we “walk out” our Christian life.

    Many of the discussions and even arguments that are happening even among Christians is based upon “who wins” even while it is dressed up in caring for others, the country, the faith, the world, etcetera. As you read that you may have said to yourself, “God won!” Yes, while that certainly was and remains true. We often don’t that way.

    As we walk in the world, how we treat others (and even ourselves) is very much part of our to who Christ is. There is always the tension within the Scriptures of what the God-ly direction is as they can depending on context. There is, however, absolutely no denial of the motivation of all…self-sacrificing .

    Self-sacrificing love is not a bottomless well, nor is blind endless sacrifice holy. -to-self needs to be embraced, as uncomfortable as it often is. If our first reflection on issues was, “what is the best way to give myself in love,” that would be huge. Yes, it certainly can be tempered by discernment. It’s just been that too much of our language is how we can get the “other” to do something that makes us feel better.

    Peter couldn’t really do much for the beggar financially. He could have just walked on and said nothing. He could have just said that he had nothing and moved on. Maybe even John wouldn’t have said anything had they passed by. Then the man would not have been healed.

    ※Reflection※

    • What reasons may Peter have had to do what he did?
    • How might Peter’s alter our response to the world?
    • If there isn’t a winner or loser, will that change how you interact with others or think about others?
    • How does God’s love influence your thinking?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, guide our walk in the world so that we are worthy bearers of your light. Amen.

  • End of Ends

    End of Ends

    Psalm 4; Daniel 9:1–19; 1 John 2:18–25

    Eschatology. It is a fabulous theological . It means the study of the End Times. You can watch plenty of End Times theology on TV. It usually involves zombies, nuclear weapons, or (my personal favorite) large reptilian creatures that like to stomp cities.

    Less the actual Eschatological part, that was all tongue-in-cheek. Sort of. How we view the End Times says a lot about our perspective of the world, our personal struggles, and even our cultural struggles.

    A number of years ago I read a summary (only the summary) of research regarding End Times (also called the Apocalypse, not the mutant—comic book reference). There was a cross-section of media stories and fiction that would get a bigger depending on the general cultural gestalt. Japan, for example, is still dealing with the cultural scars of the nuclear bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Godzilla, in particular, is a cultural image representing nuclear running amok, and the underlying fear of the results.

    Even as we read about the “Four Horsemen” of the Apocalypse (famine, war, pestilence, ) we can see (with the first 3) some things that were constant companions of fear regarding the end. Death, of course, comes to us all.

    Death is a pretty universal fear. There are very few people in history that do not fear dying (death is “merely” the result). The power of death over the is significant, and when added to an eschatological framework (see, I used it later) those “things” that we fear most in regards to dying and death become part of our End Times thinking.

    Sometimes death of the self is mixed into the perceived death of culture, identity, and other things. In the case of Daniel, the End Times includes the concept of the death of Israel as a people and a .

    Other times death can be overridden.

    As a result of the Resurrection, the sting of death has been removed. It is no longer permanent for the believers in Christ. What this also allows for is the ability (should we so choose) to our fears of death, End Times, and pretty much everything else.

    With the Resurrection before us, the End Times, or more correctly the fear of the End Times, loses much of its weight for the End Times are merely the opening to eternity.

    ※Reflection※

    • What are your thoughts about End Times? Have you thought about them recently?
    • What emotions do End Times thoughts evoke in you?
    • Why might understanding that End Times are not the end times for believers in Christ be important?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, help us to deepen our in you so that the anxieties of the world do not shake our foundation based upon your . Amen.

  • How Far Do We Go

    How Far Do We Go

    Psalm 135; Daniel 3:1–30; 1 John 2:3–11

    The fiery furnace story with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Hebrew names: Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah) is one of those ever-present Sunday School stories. It is a great story of faith, , and most importantly….

    Love. Yes. Faith and trust really only go so far, especially when it comes to one’s . Love conquers all. If we were to use the phrase used to King David, perhaps that will help. “A man [in this case, men] after the Lord’s own .”Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were men after the Lord’s own heart. Their faith and trust in God had transformed into love. This may seem like a stretch, and that is understandable. Love, though, would seem to be the only movement that would the 3 men to say what they said in to the king.

    The letter from John provides some insight into this conclusion, “But the love of God is truly perfected in whoever keeps his .” Keeping God’s word (i.e., “not worshiping other gods”) was definitely what the 3 men did, and in a way that is both legend and example.

    While a miracle did occur, they did not hold a lack of one against God. As many of us are going through hard times and harder losses, there is a strong to hold the lack of miracles against God. We often want our belief to buy us something with God.

    That is not love. That is bargaining. That is not trust. That is exchange. That is not faith.

    ※Reflection※

    • How should this understanding of love affect our interactions with ? How should this affect our understanding of church?
    • What are lessons that you have learned about the fiery furnace in you ? How did you apply them?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, you have have given us the of faith and love. May we continue to deepen our trust in you that we truly able to trust you fully in all things. Amen.

  • Living Speech

    Living Speech

    Psalm 133; Daniel 2:24–49; John 12:44–50

    One of the gifts of being is speech. One of the curses of being human is speech.

    Perhaps the whole reason for the King of Babylon’s test of all the magi and wise men was that they all talked too much. Perhaps (as many paid consultants today) they were more than happy to share all their words (with some being wise, maybe) with the king. Perhaps the king was done with all the words and just wanted an answer.

    Of course, his demand for the wise men and magi to know the dream without being told it was pretty harsh. Yet, perhaps the desire to no longer having to listen to empty words created the opportunity to hear words of weight. Daniel spoke God’s to the King of Babylon. By faithfully delivering God’s word to the King of Babylon, Daniel was obedient. Daniel also used the human of speech as a vector of and blessing. This doesn’t mean that it would be listened to, or that it would be transformative in any long-term way. That wasn’t Daniel’s responsibility.

    Even as the of God—part of the Trinity— spoke as God directed. Jesus spoke with Truth, grace, and love. Jesus’ summary of his words (no judgment, not his words, people won’t necessarily listen).

    What is interesting is how Jesus says all this is really just a result of God’s commanded speech, which is life.

    Eternal life. Jesus’ speaking was eternal life.

    ※Reflection※

    • Is your speech of God? Is your speech produce eternal life?
    • As a follower of Jesus, how do you temper your speech so that is more of God and less of you?
    • What makes human speech of “eternal life”

    ※Prayer※

    Heavenly , you have delivered us from the dominion of sin and death, and brought us into the kingdom of your beloved Son: Grant that, as by his death he has called us to life, so by his love he may raise us to eternal joys; who lives and reigns with you, in the of the Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. [Easter Saturday Collect, Book of Common Prayer 2019]

  • 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 Paul, 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 being is an expression of God.

    Through sin, however, 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 “glory”, 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, love, guidance.

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

    The hope we have is that death’s power has ultimately been broken. Thanks to the cross, we have something beyond to look 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 eternal glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy , be and glory, now and for ever. Amen. [Tuesday of week collect, Book of Common Prayer 2019]

  • The Dead Eat

    The Dead Eat

    Psalm 114; 1 Corinthians 5:6b–8; Luke 24:13–49

    Those guys (and women) didn’t know what they were talking about! Really? The tomb is empty, and you think he’s alive? A vision of an angel? Really? God doesn’t do that anymore.

    The Resurrection just happened mere hours before and the are already flying. Those 2 disciples on their way to Emmaus probably were not the only ones questioning things.

    Why Jesus approached them is a question to ask in Heaven. It’s a good question. The Bible doesn’t say why.

    The two men were convinced that Jesus had been the Messiah, but they felt that the crucifixion showed that Jesus wasn’t.

    There was no question in anyone’s minds that Jesus had been tortured, crucified, died, and was buried. Alive? That’s impossible!

    It is not insignificant that Jesus reinforces his resurrection around meals. First, meals were a cultural gathering time. They were often a time where and history would be reinforced.

    Jesus’ on the road to Emmaus was first teaching, but then through the breaking of the bread, these 2 disciples began to not just understand, but to feel, and believe.

    Yet, again, the remaining 11 had to be told. They weren’t there (again). Then Jesus shows up and eats. Tortured? Yes. Crucified? Yes. Died? Yes. Buried? Yes. Alive? YES!

    ※Prayer※

    Almighty God, who through your only-begotten Jesus Christ overcame death and opened to us the gate of everlasting : Grant that we, who celebrate with the day of the Lord’s resurrection, may, by your life-giving , be delivered from and raised from death; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the , one God, now and for ever. Amen. [ Collect, Book of Common Prayer 2019]