Devotion.al

Tag: dust

  • So Say The Skies

    So Say The Skies

    Psalm 107:1–3, 23–32; Job 37:1–13; Luke 21:25–28

    One of the most useful tools invented, and also one of the most irritating is the clock. Humanity has long felt the need to measure time. Multiple cultures used some iteration of a sundial to divide the day. The Egyptians invented a “clock” that used water drops to measure time (both day and night). Even in the beginning, God marked the boundary of day and night with the sun and moon (and stars). The Jewish calendar was built around the cycle of the moon, and the sun set the day. The Jews were not unique in that.

    Looking to the skies was also important, since having an idea of weather (even if only a few hours ahead) provide some idea of which tasks needed to be done immediately. Rain, snow, hail, lightning, all come from the skies. The dreaded locusts came by sky, too (granted, by flying). There were dust and sand storms. When everything is subsistence, and even now, watching the skies is important.

    Then, there were the astrological signs. We’re not talking about the “signs of the Zodiac”, per se. We’re talking about comets, eclipses (solar and lunar), the planets (as they appeared and disappeared based upon their respective orbits). We admire eclipses, for example, because they are pretty cool. We also understand them. In ancient days, most people didn’t have the to understand them, and those that did often used it for their and advantage.

    Thus, when we read the Scriptures with all their weather and astrological signs, we have to understand this is about awareness of how much they didn’t know and understanding that there was a bigger picture beyond them (a lesson many more highly “learned” people need to re-). We may think it strange that ancient cultures attributed to God (or gods) weather and astrological signs that we “know” are “merely” systems with a structure, rules, and logic.

    For Job, these were signs of God’s majesty and control. They showed that God was in control. This is also Job’s acknowledgment that God has a plan and that he (Job) doesn’t understand it. Job actually points to all the signs as proof of God’s existence, and that he (Job) is merely a finite person in the eyes of the infinite God.

    Even Jesus points to astrological signs. Yes, Jesus also points to more “earthly” signs, which are equally out of the hands of humanity. Jesus then combines the Godly with the earthly to make the point of unification between God and Creation.

    Will Jesus really come back on a cloud, or is this just a figure of ? Depends on who you ask. The underlying point isn’t how Jesus comes back. The point is that Jesus does come back. Even in the ancient creeds, the important part was that Jesus was coming back, not how.

    ※Reflection※

    • Do you believe that Jesus is coming back? Why or why not?
    • Do you think that the return to Jesus an important part of being a ? Why or why not?
    • Is Jesus’ return an important part of your Christian life? If so, how is that expressed through your life? If not, how do you understand Jesus’ return as being part of your faith, if it is?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord Jesus, many of us long for your return to the of the world. Many of us want your return delayed to assure we can bring more into your . Help us to grasp emotionally, mentally, and spiritually that there is an end that is coming, and that you will be there. Amen.

  • Natural Freedom

    Natural Freedom

    Psalm 29; Isaiah 1:1–4, 16–20; Romans 8:1–8

    Psalm 29, without question, is a of God. It observes God’s , strength, and presence. Almost the entire Psalm is about who God is. The last verse, though, is different. It is more of a plea to God about the people of Israel.

    A cynical person could infer that the whole Psalm was intended to curry favor with God. A more joyful person could infer that the Psalmist did an add-on along the lines of, “if you would be so kind.” A more balanced view could infer that the last verse is a statement of trust, because of who God is, which had just been declared. Regardless, the Psalm was neither a simple praise nor a simple .

    What should become startling, but really isn’t when it comes to nature, is that at the same time they would recite a Psalm such as this, the Israelites were abandoning God. Isaiah’s opening words for today include abandon, despise, and turning their backs. In regards to abandon and despise, the Hebrew implies something as strong as blasphemy. It wasn’t just ignorance or turning away, it was something far deeper.

    The Hebrew for turning their backs is a combination phrase of stranger and back. In other words, the Israelites are no longer (from their hearts’ point of view) God’s people. They might have claimed and proclaimed that they were, but Isaiah’s words say it was so much more. A more poetic way of thinking of it, God was left in a cloud of in a rearview mirror, and the Israelites did what they could to speed away faster and look back in disgust.

    Yet, the verses from Isaiah don’t end there (mercifully). We often try to skip over the ugly verses. It is the ugly verses that the and forgiveness of the last phrases of Isaiah the deepness that they have.

    The verses of Romans explain the why. To some theologians, they explain the how. The truth is that God could never (per God’s nature and character) look in the rearview mirror at his people, and speed away.

    ※Reflection※

    • When you read the Psalm, which kind of person were you (cynical, joyful, balanced)? Why? Is it learned or natural?
    • Why is understanding God’s character crucial to our to those who turn their backs on God?
    • How might the selfishness of the Israelite (and mentioned in Romans) be reflected in us?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, you gave us so much and yet we give so little in . Thank you for your faithful . Amen.

  • Enter In

    Enter In

    Psalm 80; Isaiah 65:17–25: John 14:18–31

    I might be a nerd (okay, “might” should be replaced by “am”). When I was young I was fascinated by the stories of elves. In particular, I grew up with the Pinis’ Elf Quest. As I got older, I learned about the “real” elves of The Silmarillion (Tolkien’s Elves). I was fascinated by their mythic slowness. Life, death, marriage, war, and all those things that define much of life changed in such strange ways.

    This came to mind as I read the passage of Isaiah. A person who dies at a hundred will be as if cursed. These days, we celebrate those who live beyond one hundred, trying to learn their secret (there doesn’t seem to be one).

    As Isaiah continues, he shares how God will provide the life essentials to everyone. God will provide a way where everyone need not for their well-being. The implication of no orphans or widows (the weakest and most vulnerable) is there too.

    How these verses is also interesting. The serpent is definitely an allusion to the serpent in the Garden of Eden, whose food continues to be . On the other hand, the life and death (and the taking of life to live) of and its creatures ends, too. It indeed would be a new creation, or perhaps Creation as intended before the Fall.

    The totality of this of warmth and belonging won’t be experienced on this side of life. The does still love us, however, and that is ours to hold onto.

    Remaining “in” the Father and “in” Jesus though is a little more than just sitting. It is an active pursuit of a relationship with God, through the of the . It is the Holy Spirit that remains to teach and guide us, even today.

    Yet, just because the Holy Spirit is here and present, does not mean that we do nothing. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would teach us. Teaching, though, requires students. Until we die (and maybe even after), we are all, to be constantly learning about God.

    ※Reflection※

    • How can the finite (us) not continue to learn more about God (infinite) day-by-day?
    • What are you doing to learn more about God?
    • Who are you bringing with you as you learn?
    • Is anyone bring you along with them as they learn?

    ※Prayer※

    Holy Spirit, nudge our hearts and minds to pursue relationship with you that we know God better than we did yesterday. Amen.

  • Roads of Dust

    Roads of Dust

    Psalm 135; Isaiah 26:1–15; Mark 12:18–27

    As one of the wealthy nations in the world, passages like this in Isaiah should cause us to reflect. Will all our stuff be crushed to dust and be walked upon by the poor? If you’re reading this, you may well say, “I am poor.” Truly a lot of us are poor compared to Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Jack Ma Yun, and far too many of our political leaders.

    Compared to the world at large, however, we are (by and large) rich. Not (by any means) to minimize their experiences or circumstances, many even of our homeless live better than many in the world. This is not to say the of a homeless person is easy, nor that ours are.

    Are we like the people being alluded to in Isaiah? If we take our wealth for granted and disregard God’s blessings…yes. If we don’t take our wealth for granted and continue to look for and be grateful for God’s blessings, we are much less likely to be those “ on high.”

    Yet, while haughtiness, pride, and greed may not be our particular vices, a lack of righteousness may well be. Righteousness, not wealth, not , is what we are to focus on. It could almost be said that righteousness is second only to love, though love without righteousness may not be love at all.

    Godly righteousness results in the (Shalom) that is being in right relationship with the Living God.

    The Living God concept is of course to be the counterpoint to the dead idols that the people surrounding Israel (and even Israel) worshiped. One cannot have a relationship with a dead . then adds to this by saying that God is not a god of the dead. God is the God of the Living.

    There is the surface aspect of this being about the Resurrection and life. There is also a not-so-subtle dig at the gods of the dead: power, wealth, stuff. The dead being both those who had died not knowing God, but even those who were breathing, but were dead because they did not know God.

    ※Reflection※

    • What are some other ways that Isaiah’s words to you? Do any cause to reflect on changes that you need to make?
    • How does God being a “God of the Living” affect your understanding of the words from Isaiah?
    • Where in your life (immediate circle of influence) can you be a better witness and for God’s righteousness?

    ※Prayer※

    Living God and God of the Living, quicken our hearts, minds, and spirits to approach your throne of grace, mercy, and love, so that we are able to the spark of the Creator with all of those around us. 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 ”). 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 , 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 discipline that is usually a “ 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 Christian-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 change 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 love.

    ※※

    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.

  • Storms of Dust

    Storms of Dust

    Psalm 19; Exodus 19:16–25; Mark 9:2–8

    Heaven is declaring God’s ;
    the sky is proclaiming his handiwork.
    One day gushes the news to the next,
    and one night informs another what needs to be known.
    Of course, there’s no , no words—
    their voices can’t be heard—
    but their sound extends throughout the world;
    their words reach the ends of the earth.

    Whether the story of God meeting the Israelites or the of , all of Creation proclaims the handiwork of God. While we look at Psalm 19 (or Psalm 148) and see the work of God celebrating God, there is quite a dark side to it. The bittersweet is that all the Creation that praises God today will die.

    Part of Ash Wednesday includes, “From dust you came and to dust you return,” from Genesis 3:19. It also includes a small phrase spoken during many graveside funerals, “ to ashes; dust to dust.” Our mortality is central to , because sin is what led to , and sin was what Jesus’ death on the cross was to absolve.

    Sin leads to the death of Creation. Yes, Revelation expresses the concept of a new Heaven and a new Earth. New, however, indicates that the old is gone. The “old” Creation (the one in which we live) will go away.

    From an absolute sense, this isn’t a bad thing. No one in their right mind would want to bring into something new all the tattered, worn out, bloody, hateful stuff into something beautifully new. It’s good that the old will be gone.

    This long view of is unusual for the world. It is needed by the world. It is easy to conclude that much of the angst and anxiety of the world is that it does not have the hope that looks beyond the now and . The world knows it’s dying.

    ※Reflection※

    Scripture has humanity starting as dust. Why is it important to humanity’s humility to understand that, regardless of what science might say different?

    ※Prayer※

    You are the Lord of Life, Jesus. Help us to keep that in mind while we recall that we are dust. Amen.

  • Ever Cleaning

    Ever Cleaning

    Matthew 12:43–45

    Have you ever had a guest (or guests) coming, and all of a sudden you realize your house is a mess? Maybe you go a little crazy cleaning the house up-and-down. You might even draft the spouse or kids to “help”.

    The guest(s) then come. The event/time comes and probably went just fine. Then you don’t clean the house until the next guest. You just leave it. The toilets and sinks turn foul. The and hair build on every surface and in every crevice. Food crumbs are being walked out of the house by ant trails. You just let it all go until the next guest, right?

    Of course not! Granted, you may not clean as minutely as when a guest comes. You won’t let it all go, though.

    This passage of Jesus is not quite the same as cleaning the house for the guest. It’s cleaning the house to get rid of the bad guest. It also about why one cleans the house.

    The “ generation” wanted the Messiah to come and make everything better…without changing what they were doing. They wanted the Messiah to refresh, but they really didn’t want renewal.

    On the other hand, there are aspects to this parable that apply to our own lives.

    Often, when we first come to Jesus it seems as if a huge burden (the bad guest) had gone away. Yet, for many people what ends up happening is that for a short time things are great, but all of a sudden all the habits or addictions or struggles that appeared to be conquered all come back with a vengeance. Kind of like the 7 new spirits.

    The house in the parable is empty of . No spirits. No Jesus. No Spirit. That means an unHoly party is quite possible.

    Once we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we still need to keep the house somewhat clean. Yes, with Jesus and the present we don’t get a complete unHoly party, but we certainly don’t have a peace-filled house if we allow the evil spirits to still live there.

    There is no “one time” cleansing of the house of our soul. There is passing the deed from the world to us, then to God. That doesn’t mean we can stop cleaning the house.

    Reading the helps to fill the space with God’s . Confessing our sins helps to fill the house with . At all times, God wants to fill the house with …we just need to accept it.

    ※Questions※

    1) What do you do to regularly “clean” the house that is your soul?

    2) Have you ever been told that once you know Jesus, everything will be fine? What is the problem with that? What is the in that?

    3) Why is it important to recognize that all Christians need to be regularly “cleaning” their soul?

    ※Prayer※

    Holy Spirit, guide us to the corners and even the closets of our lives that need to be cleaned. Help us to regularly look to you and your people for guidance in that. Amen.

  • Cryptic Inheritor

    Cryptic Inheritor

    Genesis 29:16–30; Genesis 49:29–33; Galatians 3:27–29

    Having been to many cemeteries over the years, whether in the US or abroad, it can be amazing to see what people do as monuments. A war or emperor may have one. Rich and noble families would often have such a monument, collecting the remains throughout history. It isn’t new, by any stretch. David and many of his descendants were buried near one another.

    Abraham may or may not have intended to buy a family burial plot, but it ended up being such for a few generations. What is peculiar about Jacob’s time is that his favorite wife, Rachael, was not buried there. His first wife, Leah, who wasn’t the preferred one, was the one buried there, and where Jacob would be buried alongside.

    Family land has been fought over long before Jesus walked the earth. Even today, families fight over land and property fraying (if not destroying) family ties and loyalties. In some places, the national lines that divide governments attempt to divide families, yet instead, the family ties override the national .

    The bitter part of all of this is that people often fight over that which is dead and gone. Other times, their plans (buried with Rachael the favorite) are overridden by circumstances (buried with second best).

    All the battles and all the woes are only for a time. As much as an inheritance (even the simple family burial plot) may seem important at the time, it more often magnifies the pettiness of worldly affairs. -to-Dust.

    That has long been one of the hallmarks of the …this world is not your home. Or, said another way, your true inheritance is not here.

    Paul calls out this inheritance as something that crosses blood, and culture, and , and class, and gender. This imperishable seed of Abraham is not just something to grasp, it has already been given.

    ※Questions※

    1) When you hear “inheritance” what is the first thing that comes to mind?

    2) Why do Christians often fight over earthly inheritance or money when they have the imperishable inheritance?

    3) How might a daily reminder of your inheritance how you interact with others in the world? What can you do to put that reminder front-and-center in your life?

    ※Prayer※

    God, may we keep our eternal home perpetually in mind, along with all those with whom we want to it. Amen.