Devotion.al

Tag: despair

  • Just Breathe

    Just Breathe

    Psalm 104:24–34; Ezekiel 37:1–14; John 20:19–23

    In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, there is a simple practice performed by many, where they say, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God…” while breathing in and then “…have mercy on me, a sinner,” while exhaling.

    The Jesus Prayer (as it is called in the Orthodox tradition) is a prayer practice, of course. However, it is also a practice. As we, in the larger Christian tradition, consider that the Holy was breathed into dirt to make humanity, it makes sense to develop a prayer based upon spiritual and the sacrificial life of Christ.

    This same breath is also the breath that God directs Ezekiel to prophesy to. This vision of breath “breathing” life into the dead makes perfect sense as dead bones are just as empty of spiritual life as dirt.

    This leads us to Jesus. His disciples weren’t dead. Their bones weren’t dry (or in an ossuary). In some ways, though, they were dead. They were dead in fear. They were dead to knowing what was next. They were dead to what God was really doing.

    Then Jesus breathed on them. Some commentators view this as a of sorts. Others more directly tie this to the Spirit as given to humanity to begin with and the Spirit that brought the bones back to life. Within the context, Christians would generally choose the latter (it goes well with Pentecost, after all, and that is how John explains it). Yet, blessing also makes perfect sense, as part of this short passage is about Jesus telling the disciples to be…at peace, which as “” (Hebrew for all-encompassing wholistic peace and ) also makes perfect sense.

    The leads us back to the Jesus Prayer. Breathe in the Breath of Life (the ). Breathe out the deathly breath of , , and alienation.

    ※Reflection※

    • Do you think much about breathing? Why or why not?
    • What would it mean to you if you thought of breathing as breathing in the Holy Spirit, and breathing out all your sin (and the of sin, death)?
    • Why do you think fire (a symbol of Pentecost) and the Holy Spirit (wind) complement each other as a blessing of God for the Church?

    ※Prayer※

    Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior of the World, have mercy on us, we humble sinners. Amen.

  • Sackcloth and Ashes

    Sackcloth and Ashes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    ※Reflection※

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

    ※※

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

  • Can’t Wait to Wait

    Can’t Wait to Wait

    Job 14:1–14; Lamentations 3:1–9, 19–24; Psalm 31:1–4, 15–16

    “Jesus, 33, son of Joseph and Mary, was crucified and died yesterday. Survived by mother Mary. Wandering prophet who proclaimed the Kingdom of God was near. Performed miracles. Challenged the status quo. Caused the leaders heartache.”

    Even in our days, dying in one’s 30s is sad, but doesn’t have the same resonance as dying in one’s 20s or younger. There is something about age that leads us to directly evaluate a person’s death. If they lived to 90 or 100 or beyond, no one really it. As our modern lifespan increases, we may begin to push at that, but not by much.

    By measurements such as children (Jesus had none), wealth (Jesus had none), or influence (he was crucified), Jesus was a failure. It’s jarring to think that way. We look beyond Good Friday and Holy Saturday. We know what is next.

    In many respects, Holy Saturday is the hardest day of waiting in the year. The tragedy and horror of Good Friday. The promise and of Resurrection Sunday. No one wants to in the in-between time and wait. On Holy Saturday, our lives are often filled with activity. It is a “standard” day off from the 5-day work week. It is also the day we prepare for Easter celebrations. We don’t wait very well.

    Even the lectionary (the set of Scripture readings for each day) doesn’t wait very well. In there are 3 readings that were skipped as part of today’s devotional (1 Peter 4:1–8; Matthew 27:57–66; John 19:38–42) as there couldn’t “rest” between Good Friday and Easter when one includes them. In particular, is the shock, grieving, despair, and even the feeling of abandonment that is so central to Holy Saturday.

    I wish that the (and even I) could treat Holy Saturday as a pre-. Saturday for Jesus’ followers was a rest day, no matter how much they had to do to complete Jesus’ burial rites and process. Perhaps it may be time to have a 2-day Holy Day time, each with its own purpose.

    The one unique part of Holy Saturday that I have personally continued to come back to is how much it resembles our lives right now. We have been saved and to God: Good Friday and Salvation (no matter when our salvation occurred). We are in a state of hopeful : Easter, the of the Messiah, our resurrection, and life. Our lives, our very living, are between the two.

    ※Reflection※

    • We are all waiting for something in our lives, often in different aspects. What are you waiting for in regards to career, education, faith, family, or other areas?
    • What your reflections on waiting? Are you good about waiting? What do you do with your waiting time?

    ※Prayer※

    O God, Creator of heaven and earth: Grant that, as the crucified body of your dear Son was laid in the tomb and rested on this holy Sabbath, so we may await with him the coming of the third day, and rise with him to newness of life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.[Holy Saturday Collect, Book of Common Prayer 2019]

  • At The Gates

    At The Gates

    Psalm 118:1–2, 19–29; Jeremiah 33:10–16; Mark 10:32–34, 46–52

    When we read the “barren” in Jeremiah, we often think it is talking about the land, in particular the environment. The barrenness is in regard to people, in particular, God’s people (and their herds). They will soon no longer reside in the Promised Land, praising and worshiping God.

    Poor decisions made by the People of God led to the barrenness and their exile. In to their of exile, God promises them restoration. They have not even repented and God already promises their return. God spoke hope into the . God spoke hope in the face of the people’s .

    Fear is often a response to the unknown. Fear is also a response when we think we know what bad will come to pass. Those that followed Jesus behind the Disciples likely presumed the demise of this Messiah (self-declared Messiahs weren’t unknown, and they all died). They weren’t wrong.

    This particular journey of Jesus to Jerusalem would indeed end in Jesus’ . Those that feared weren’t wrong. Without being too specific (we have to that we often read the end into Jesus’ words, and the Disciples weren’t there, yet), Jesus spoke hope to the fear. Even while describing what would happen to him, Jesus spoke hope into the darkness.

    The story of blind Bartimaeus seems to be just one of those stories of Jesus, but don’t overlook its placement within the context of Jesus’ final journey to Jerusalem. Bartimaeus was physically blind. Bartimaeus, on the other hand, had spiritual vision. We could just dismiss his cries to Jesus as pure desperation. Jesus, though, doesn’t seem to to sole desperation at other points in the Scriptures. Bartimaeus was something more. It seems quite reasonable that Bartimaeus’ place in the was to represent a counterpoint to the physically sighted who were spiritually blind.

    The particularly glaring issue with the spiritually blind was how much vision they thought they had regarding spiritual issues, and definitely someone as significant as the Messiah. The so-called enlightened being compared to the least (a physically impaired person whose only source of income was through begging) would have been quite insulting.

    Mark’s intent likely was that jarring comparison. As Mark wrote after the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, Mark (along with other followers of Jesus) would be striving to confront those that thought they were spiritually enlightened with the world-changing Jesus.

    ※Reflection※

    • Which is your strongest tendency? (1) Seeing the bad that can/will happen and being overwhelmed with your fear of it (i.e., like those who followed the Disciples), (2) So consumed with the spectacle that your are blind to the darkness around or ahead of you (i.e., the Disciples), (3) Are sure you know that bad or darkness ahead but face it with the peace and strength of God (i.e., like Jesus)?
    • Are you quick to assume you have Godly spiritual vision, or do you if you are spiritually blind?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, each of us have different responses to the world and its struggles. Help us to build Godly responses to the darkness. Amen.

  • Depths of Lent

    Depths of Lent

    Psalm 119:9–16; Isaiah 44:1–8; Acts 2:14–24

    Lent has various aspects. The first is our mortality (“from dust you came; to dust you return”). The second is . Mortality and sin are connected. Without the original sin, there would be no death. Sin brought death to Creation.

    From there, to some degree, sin is broken into original sin (that which brought death into Creation), and personal sin. Personal sin is often what we confront when it comes to Lent. This that sin which personally maintains separation from ourselves and God. More importantly, it is us through our sin that maintains that gap. The known end of Lent is Good Friday, the commemoration of when God died to bridge the chasm of between God and man. This makes our personal sin all the more tragic.

    Lent will often include some sort of spiritual that is usually a “giving up” of something. There was a time when it was primarily meat (still is in Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic communities). As that was in a time where meat was in short supply already, there is some question as to how “sacrificial” it was. Now we think in terms of news, social media, phones (that would nice), internet, alcohol (for those who drink), a meal (not just meat). All this with the intent, though rarely practices, to instead use that time to approach the throne of God.

    Lent is really a time of pretend. That’s not mean in a bad way. In many respects, we blessed so much that it is hard to lament or mourn because we know what’s on the other side of Good Friday. Many of us have such a life of ease, that we don’t understand just how important God’s words are to the broken.

    We are not just talking about the -ese of the “lost” or the “wayward” or the “not-yet Christian” or the “cold to Christ”. We are talking about people abandoned and lost. As much as this may grate on you, this includes people fleeing to the US from their native country. While there are some who are truly not doing this to become a part of the US people, the majority are giving up (and gave up) everything for a sliver of a hope to become something new.

    That hope, as small as it often is, is that same sort of redemptive hope and life hope that God had promised to the Israelites for generations. That is the hope in the darkness that Lent exemplifies. Unless we have been in a dark place, any understanding of hope in the face of is an intellectual exercise lacking depth.

    To not take this as dismissive. This is coming from the depths of my own ‘s darkness these last few weeks. Certainly, not the darkest, but only by a few shades. As I look at that, I understand even then how much I cannot comprehend the depth and breadth and length of the despair of Israel, that was answered by the depth and breadth and length of God’s redemptive .

    ※Reflection※

    What life experience can you use to relate to the hope in despair of Israel?

    ※※

    , thank you for walking the road of the cross for us. May we pick up our cross and follow you. Amen.

  • Peace-Filled Traditions

    Matthew 15:1–9; Luke 11:42–46

    Yesterday (or the weeks prior to it), all Americans had the opportunity to participate in a great tradition…voting. Regardless of whether your candidates won or lost, there is something great in this tradition. People choosing their leaders is a great , and should not be squandered.

    As and All Saints’ Day have passed, so to have the traditions that go with them. Next in our list of traditions are Thanksgiving (for Americans; for Canadians, it has passed), Advent, Christmas, and New Year.

    Many of the rules and traditions of the Jews were based upon the lunar calendar, or as observations of past significant events. Their traditions were formational. In other words, part of what made a person into being a Jew were the traditions. In many respects, despite the diaspora of the Jews, that is still the case around the world.

    The US acted, for a time, as if if were of a tradition. However, in the last few decades, the US has discovered that its identity and traditions are no longer what they were. Many are upset about this, and are grieving and angry.

    On the other hand, this is also the opportunity to develop new traditions and a new identity forged through the mutual of discontent, isolation, anger, and even . It doesn’t sound particularly pleasant. It hasn’t been, and probably won’t be for a while.

    For many, some “great” US traditions felt more like oppression and suppression. The traditions also felt disparaging. To they were/are part of a past that they couldn’t support.

    At the time of , many Jews felt that they could not live under the traditions imposed by their leaders. Jesus indeed called the leaders out on this. The leaders had had a tradition passed down by Moses. In an attempt to “perfect” it, they made it worse. They made it unlivable.

    As we move (for that is the only direction we can go), the has a huge opportunity to help the new traditions that are to be formed. Of course, many of our own traditions will have to be challenged, and that will be painful and hard.

     ※Prayer※

    Lord, help us to be healers and peacemakers. Help us to be bearers of peace that passes all understanding. Amen.

  • Summary Path

    Summary Path

    Malachi 4:5–6; Matthew 17:10–13; John 1:19–28

    Jesus said that John was Elijah. John said he wasn’t Elijah. Who was right?

    The question is, who is Elijah? The other question is, who’s asking?

    First of all, let’s talk about Malachi’s words. Malachi prophesied that Elijah would come back to Judah heralding a massive . Malachi spoke to the Jews post-exile.

    Despite the restoration of the temple, the people were overcome with despair and ennui. God didn’t their expectation of restoring everything to the way they perceived it having been before (even if its perfection was figurative). They were walking on the downward slope away from God, again.

    Malachi didn’t let them off the hook. God was coming, in God’s timing. People would come to God, or they wouldn’t, but something momentous would happen. The Day of the Lord was often synonymous with the of the world. It was also used to indicate a God-driven cataclysmic change.

    Malachi’s words had transformed as the precursor to the Messiah. Elijah would come before the Messiah. This not a literal thing, as reincarnation was not part of Jewish thought. This “Elijah” would be “in the spirit of Elijah” meaning a prophet of God, but with a particular focus on restoring the between the people and God.

    So, why did John deny being Elijah? Probably because he didn’t see himself that way. The problem with being compared to a legendary figure is that you know you’re not the legendary figure. There was a lot of weight and expectation, and John probably didn’t want to bear that burden.

    Also, as there was so much build-up regarding the Messiah, there was likely just as much build-up around Elijah, and much of it was probably wrong. Why would John want to be a part of that?

    There is also the last part of it, which is who Elijah was really couldn’t be evaluated until the Messiah completed the return. John was dead before the fulfillment, and without himself seeing the fulfillment, he certainly would have questioned being “Elijah”.

    Jesus, on the other hand, knew what was coming, and knew what had gone before. He had the to be able to call John “Elijah”. In the spirit of Elijah, the Messiah (Jesus) did indeed reset the Day of the Lord. It was only through the life, death, and of Jesus that John could fully be called “Elijah.”

    Often, our own perspective of our lives is twisted and/or minimized, for we (like John) cannot really see what came before and what will come after. We do not know the hearts we’ve changed, the paths we’ve diverted. Only at the end will God let us see it all from an perspective.

    That we are faithful to God. That we pursue God. That we follow God. That we try to help others follow God. This is what God will let us see at the end. For now, we can only put one step in front of the other.

    ※Prayer※

    God, help us to accept that we cannot see the eternal effect of our lives. Lord Jesus, help us to follow you that the eternal effect brings you . Holy Spirit, guard and strengthen our hearts for those times when we are discouraged because we don’t see that we’ve made a difference. Amen.

    ※Questions※

    1) There are 2 kinds of eulogies. One that is written by the deceased for reading at the funeral, and the ones that are written in the hearts of others. Which one matters most? In what ways does the eulogy matter for both?

    2) What concepts and feelings come to mind when you the phrase, “The Day of the Lord”? Why might that be?

  • La, La, La, I Can’t Hear You

    La, La, La, I Can’t Hear You

    Jeremiah 26:1–15; Romans 5:1–10 (read online ⧉)

    The news is filled with doom. Doom, doom, doom. Many of our movies and entertainment are filled with doom. In the middle of doom, hope is a breath of fresh air.

    On the other hand, some times a message of doom in a time of despair isn’t doom upon doom, but a message of God. Granted, the message of God may not seem all that positive. If one is set in their ways, even a message of hope can seem like a message of doom.

    That’s exactly what happens, too. The priests, the (false) prophets, and the people heard the words of Jeremiah. They were very unhappy. “We’re fine.” “The [false] prophets say we’re good.” “The [false] prophets say that God will only bless us.” “God wouldn’t really do that to us. We’re the People of God.”

    Who knows what else they said? We might have a pretty good idea if we were to examine ourselves and the wider community, however. This isn’t about LGBT+. This isn’t about politics. This isn’t even about racial issues. Yes, each of these is a part. None are the whole.

    Perhaps God is allowing COVID-19 to show what is truly important…a deep and meaningful relationship with God. That same relationship in turn would create deep and meaningful relationships with .

    Yet, there are those who still call this God’s curse as a result of sinful behaviors, though as this is global, it is unlikely (based on Biblical examples). Others look at this as a huge cultural shift that will transform behaviors and relations for some time to come. They are probably correct. Others are looking at this as a troubling time, but insist on trying to to pre-COVID-19 ways either too early, or without weighing all the consequences.

    COVID-19 does show a very human tendency. “Hurry up!” God’s timing is not our timing. Yet, in the COVID-19 season, humanity cannot stop being short-sighted. This echoes the people of Israel spoken to by Jeremiah.

    On the other side of COVID-19 (if there is an “other” side), we might look at Paul’s words to the Romans and give God the that God has given us afflictions. Then we might see that we can, did, and will endure to the future. Producing [Godly] character in this time might be the biggest we receive (though there is misery in the training) at this time.

    All of this should be producing an outpouring of hope, according to Paul. Christians are called to be the of hope in all things, though especially in hard and uncertain times.

    ※※

    Hope giving God, fill us with hope. With this hope, may we fill the world in turn with the hope it so desperately needs. May we set aside our desires and wants to be the hope. Amen.

    ※※

    1) How’s your hope? Is your hope (or lack thereof) contagious?

    2) What is the primary tone of the that you are seeing in your social media (e.g., Facebook)? What are you doing to bring hope into that?

    3) What place does hope hold in your life? What purpose does hope hold in your life?