Devotion.al

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  • An Abomination

    An Abomination

    2 Kings 25:8–21; Matthew 24:1–22

    The fall of the First Temple had far-reaching consequences. It was the of the of Jerusalem. Granted, the Temple had long been stripped of its gold, yet the Temple was still central to Jerusalem

    With the burning of the Temple, the cultural center was gone. The religious center was gone. Even though they were unfaithful the Temple was still the religious center; it was just used to honor other gods.

    While the King’s palace was administratively important, and the homes were individually important, the of the temple was a loss of identity, even if they did not faithfully follow God. This is a conqueror mentality. Break down their identity, and build them a new one (military basic or boot camp has the same principle).

    As the Jews came back, they established a God-honoring . No, it didn’t last long. It did, for a time, re-form them around God in a good way. However, over time human power and authority threw their earthly weight around, and there were a lot of overthrowing and wars.

    Eventually, the drama surrounding the Maccabean “revolt” and recovery of “right” worship in the Temple occurred. However, all the interplay amongst various Jewish actors and other parties (i.e., Romans, Syrians, etc.) eventually led to Roman rule.

    Finally, predicts another fall, with the implication of it being more permanent (though that could easily be being read into it). When Jesus talks about the abomination of the desolation, there was one before the Maccabean “revolt”, and there was one after the of Jesus.

    Some Christians and Jews believe that the “true” desolation was when the Dome of the Rock (as Muslim mosque) was built on the site. It could be a third or fourth desolation or none at all.

    Regardless, after each desolation a significant occurred. Historians and theologians may argue whether these changes were good or bad or just were.

    The “hidden” reality is that the desolations were merely signs of a preexisting problem…an ineffective or nonexistent relationship with God. This might seem overreach, especially to modern ears and hearts. Yet, both the Old Testament and Jesus (at least for the two desolations of which they ) tie that in.

    If any subsequent “desolations” were that, we don’t have a revelation about that, but it seems to fit.

    Perhaps we should also draw parallels between this temple history and the . The church—especially in the US, yet also in early 20th Century Europe—has been comfortable for too long.

    Familiarity, as the saying goes, breeds contempt. Contempt toward and in the church is running rampant. It’s not new. The tipping point is coming, it seems.

    Yet familiarity can also breed safety, security, and love. These are not something the church and Christians are stereotyped as. Right or wrong, this is the reality of the church.

    The abomination of the desolation is not (yet) the buildings. It is that the world does not know the church by its love.

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, you have called us to be known by our love. Lord, help us love as you love. Amen.

    ※Questions※

    1) Besides the snow one, what do you think of regarding “abominable”? How about “desolation”?

    2) How else might an “abomination of the desolation” look today? Would it be country, state, church?

    3) How do familiarity and comfort play out in our lives: family, professionally, , church? What are the positive and negative results of familiarity?

  • Under Yoke

    Under Yoke

    Jeremiah 27:1–11; Jeremiah 28:1–17; Matthew 11:28–30

    One of the ongoing themes of contemporary Christianity is to look at stories such as Jeremiah, and say, “of course he’s God’s prophet!” Looking back it is obvious to us. We’ve had a lot of history since then.

    We know that Jeremiah was one of the 66 books of the Bible that was affirmed. We know that Jewish tradition also upholds Jeremiah. It’s obvious to us.

    For the Jews, it wasn’t so clear. Sure, the “real” prophets usually were not full of good news. However, the thought of submitting to Babylon felt like a bad joke. God wouldn’t allow that, would he?

    The cultural concept of American Exceptionalism and founding documents invoking God (honestly, though, more in a Deistic fashion, rather than a one) and individuality, a yoke is an awful thing to contemplate.

    A yoke means that one is not choosing the way. Another is choosing the way for you.

    A yoke is usually pairing two or more . So, not only is the way not of your choosing, but neither is your companion.

    If a yoke is born by a single person, they are carrying a very heavy load, and often the load would not be their own.

    This doesn’t fit into the thinking of many Americans raised and taught a particular “brand” of individual freedom. While contemporary American thinking and Jewish thinking have differing perspectives of the yoke (individual freedom versus Babylon), the conclusion is the same.

    The yoke must be broken!

    The “prophet” Hananiah admonished Jeremiah. Hananiah, just like everyone else (even Jeremiah), didn’t want the yoke of Babylon.

    What they wanted, however, wasn’t what was necessary. Why was the yoke of Babylon necessary? Pride.

    Israel was quite prideful. Americans are quite prideful. Often that is what really hurts when we are confronted by yokes…our pride.

    Hananiah responded to Jeremiah (and God) in pride (and blind ). He broke the symbol of shame, and received a different yoke (), and gave (through the example Israel followed) a heavier yoke for Israel.

    promises a lighter yoke. The heaviness of Jeremiah’s yoke (and subsequently Hananiah’s) is ultimately based upon our pride. Jesus’ yoke is his pride.

    This means that the yoke that Jesus offers us allows us to cast aside our concerns of our pride, for Jesus will take care of his own pride. Jesus’ pride was so humble and , that it lead to his death on the cross.

    Another way to think of it is that if Jesus is paired with us, Jesus bears his and our weight. That is a very yoke indeed.

    ※Prayer※

    Jesus, may we look for the lighter burden you seek to give us. Help us to relinquish the yoke of our pride, so that we are paired with you. Amen.

    ※※

    1) In what areas do you feel pride? What might the “yokes” be in those areas?

    2) Why is it often easier to bear our burdens and not the burdens of ? How does Jesus turn that upside down?

    3) Can a burden be so light that it doesn’t weigh you down? Does a burden always need to be compared to another burden?

  • Time Alone

    Time Alone

    Matthew 14:1–23

    Jesus’ cousin and herald was dead. He was murdered. Why was he murdered? He called the powerful to account.

    Herod’s marriage to Herodias had some issues. Herod had visited Herodias while she was still married to Herod’s brother, Philip. They decided they like each other, so they decided to be married.

    However, Herodias didn’t want to the house with Herod’s current wife who wisely read the writing on the wall and fled to her ‘s house. As a historical aside, this created bad feelings and ultimately led to the military defeat of Herod, eventual downfall and exile.

    So, Herod wasn’t really divorced or a widower. His brother was still alive. Yet Herod married his brother’s wife. The only time in Jewish law that was appropriate was when the brother had died with no son.

    John the Baptist condemned it. Herod, probably more to please Herodias than anything, put John in jail. Herodias wasn’t satisfied, and we read the rest of the story.

    Jesus’ first response wasn’t to call Herod to account. Jesus made no public declaration at all. How different than our current age.

    Jesus’ first response was to withdraw. Just like the rest of us at times, Jesus was not going to just on. It is easy to infer that Jesus needed time to grieve and spend time with God the Father, even though the do not give a full explanation.

    Not that it’s bad to step away and grieve. It’s healthy, and there is a Jewish practice that goes with that (something that the church needs to approach). 

    Even more so for Jesus, John was his herald, his baptizer, his cousin, and probably the one person that Jesus felt a spiritual kinship due to their tied-together callings.

    What happened next is sad, but we see it today. A famous person has a bad (or good) event, and people clamor around them. Famous people today have PR people deliver a statement that often asks for personal and private space to grieve. How sad that it isn’t given automatically.

    Jesus may have intended such, but then see how he them. Jesus set aside his needs for .

    However, there are a couple of pieces that need to be addressed. First, the amount of time spent was actually minimal. It also had an . Then once the people were satisfied, he sent the disciples away, the people away, and he had time between himself and God.

    Often the focus is that Jesus set his needs aside for others. He did. Jesus also still made sure his needs were met.

    In times of trial and trouble, such as caring for that are ill, it is easy to set one’s needs aside. In the end, that breaks us unnecessarily. Not only are we hurt, but often we hurt others as our internal limits are broken.

    We are not machines that can go and go. Honestly, machines can’t either. Machines need maintenance. So do we. Make sure that you are finding time for yourself and finding time for God. This is not a waste of time. It is what makes the rest of the time sustainable.

    ※Prayer※

    Jesus, as we live in a high-performance culture, help us to keep the vital rhythm of care for ourselves and fellowship with you. Amen.

    ※※

    1) What practices do you have to “maintain” yourself? Do you have any that involve doing nothing?

    2) Have you ever experience relief of anguish or because you were distracted by other needs? What happened to the anguish or pain?

  • Money Change

    Money Change

    Luke 7:36–8:3; Luke 24:1–12 (read online ⧉)

    In Jesus’ day, women held a “lesser” societal role. It’s not that they held no role. In Roman culture, women’s roles were actually in somewhat of a cultural disarray as “free” marriage was opposed by Augustus Caesar who wanted a “traditional” male-dominant marriage. Marriage differed between “noble” and “common” people, too.

    In Jewish culture, women did have a lesser role, but today rabbinical tradition holds to matrilineal which is estimated to have begun in Jesus’ lifetime! In other words, “the fathers” that were held in apparent esteem, would no longer be the “line”.

    This means that in the time of Jesus’ ministry, there was likely a lot of turmoil regarding women’s roles in both Roman and Jewish societies. Having named (versus anonymous) women listed as Jesus’ followers could either have been a cultural shock or no great surprise.

    Currently, the general consensus has been that the women’s presence with Jesus would have been a shocking thing. Yet, even the words of the Sadducees and Pharisees don’t mention the women as followers. In the first of today’s verses, the scandalous (“sinner”) woman was pointed to. Jesus was questioned for pardoning her sins. Her presence didn’t seem overly surprising.

    As Jesus continues his story of the debtor, the gender is irrelevant to God’s and mercy. We go from hair being used to wipe feet, a parable of the debtors (money), then the jump to the financing of the of Jesus. We that women appeared to be the financial backers (or at least the mentioned ones) of the mission. Judas Iscariot may have “held” the purse strings (John 12:6), but he obviously was not the fundraiser.

    These women had all had (apparently) miraculous healing encounters with Jesus, so they supported Jesus’ ministry. Joanna is culturally the most interesting, as her husband was Herod’s household manager. In some respects, her presence may have caused some to be more hesitant when it came to dealing with Jesus, for who knew what Joanna could have had happen. Perhaps not in reality, but people will invent large stories in their , to justify their inaction.

    According to Luke, Mary Magdalene and Joanna were two of the women (Mary at the grave of Jesus on the Day of Resurrection. That these two women showed up, which means that they viewed Jesus as , for they were taking on the role of family caring for the dead.

    The transformation of these 2 women, in particular, is a good lesson. Jesus saved them. They responded in gratitude (giving) and following (). Then they became family (possibly ).  What their role was after that is, sadly, unclear. It may not matter in the . That they allowed Jesus to continue to upend their life is what matters.

    ※Prayer※

    God of our transformation, help us to have hearts of peace as you upend our lives. May our lives be continually transformed so that they can display your light. Amen.

    ※※

    1) Other than COVID-19 itself and the general upending of all our lives, what is the biggest thing being challenged and changed in your life?

    2) How have you experienced the Spirit initiate, transform, and sustain life change?

  • Domination

    Domination

    Ecclesiastes 3:16–4:3; Psalm 148; Revelation 5:13 (read online ⧉)

    Long has human pride (and bad interpretation) taught humanity that we were to dominate Creation. Even when this interpretation came to the forefront in thinking, Creation was pretty brutal: typhoons, hurricanes, floods, droughts, pestilence, insect swarms, disease, and so on.

    Humanity has, for far too long, focused on dominance. The domination of other humans, especially through war, has been one example. The other is the attempt to contain Creation. Our forms of agriculture are predominately formed as an attempt to mitigate the disasters of Creation, with some success. Other attempts such as damn and levees don’t work as planned.

    Humanity’s attempt to control has been somewhat successful. Then again, the regular summer fires show that things aren’t really under control.

    Ecclesiastes puts us into . While humanity does have the Imago Dei (Image of God) imprinted in us, this doesn’t mean that domination is the way. We became obsessed with power over others, rather than God’s overwhelming .

    While talking about the reality that we all pass away, just as the animals do, isn’t all bad. Often, it is our mortality that drives us .

    Fantasy writers long understood the danger of not fearing . They wrote about “elves”. These magical long-life creatures would become…bored. They could live almost forever (from a human point of view). Mortality just wasn’t there. Our mortality helps us live.

    “Man’s chief is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever.” —Westminster Shorter Catechism

    If Ecclesiastes is correct, and the Westminster Shorter Catechism is correct (in larger concept, at least), then Creation’s purpose is also to glorify God.

    As we read in Psalm 148, this isn’t a stretch. The list of non-human worshippers of God is impressive. Even that which we do not consider alive praises God. In Revelation, it cannot be ignored that all of Creation bows down to Jesus on the throne.

    What does this have to do with you? Pride. Jesus submitted to death. We are called to live similarly. While we have the Imago Dei, that does not us license to do as we wish. It means we have a responsibility to serve.

    ※Prayer※

    , convict us of our pride. Convict us of our desire to put others down. Convict us of our desire to raise ourselves over others. Give us the conviction to lay down at your feet. Amen.

    ※※

    1) Why might serving Creation be important?

    2) What does serving Creation look like?

    3) How does or did God serve Creation?

  • Dividing Teaching

    Dividing Teaching

    Galatians 4:12–20; 2 Peter 1:16–2:3; 1 John 4:1–6 (read online ⧉)

    While yesterday’s devotional was about the doctrine (and reality) of the Trinity, this isn’t the only issues that face Christians as they try to discern True teaching versus false. While many divisions in the church have been over interpretation and out of certain pieces of the Christian life, most (over time) have been discovered to not be heretical. While there are heretical tendencies in some denominations, by-and-large there are core beliefs that we hold in common.

    While the Trinity certainly is a crucial one, it is a doctrinal one, meaning that for most people it is not part of the rubber-meets-the-road of their daily life. It is usually the daily life parts that will affect a person’s Christian walk more than other things.

    In his letter to the Galatians, is addressing the constant battle going on with people trying to bring into force the Law of the Jews. This is not a fight against teaching and helpful traditions, but the thought that only proper execution of the Law will result in salvation. In other words, the free and grace-filled gift of Jesus’ and resurrection was null-and-void. Paul didn’t want the Galatians to fall into that trap.

    Except they did. It was so bad that the Galatians who used to honor (or “bless”) Paul now—according to Paul—viewed Paul as an enemy. What a ! A man they honored was now an adversary in their hearts.

    Peter knew that this was an issue, and not just with the Galatians. He warned the church that there have always been and will continue to be false teachers. Amazingly and similarly to Paul’s concerns, one of the concerns is that Christians would begin to deny Jesus Christ. As Peter continues, I’m sure many of us have seen things that would seem to fall within his list.

    This leads us to John, who urges us to test the spirits. First and foremost, we have God (the Father), Jesus, and the Holy [all 3 being the Trinity]. Then Jesus died for all on the cross and was resurrected, to free us from (including the Law). There is also the spirit of love and . Truly, when we are confronted with someone whose path is in opposition to these (and a few others excluded for simplicity and brevity), we are indeed able to discern where the false teachers are.

    We are blessed that those that went before us went through the and division of false teachers, for we can from them. As the church begins to head (very slowly) toward a form of reunification, there will continue to be people that will seek to divide the church further and try to keep it separated. Jesus calls us to be one.

    ※Prayer※

    God, you gifted us the Holy Spirit, so that we would not be led astray. Lord, help us to trust your Word over our desires, that we might finish strong to the . Amen.

    ※Questions※

    1) Why is unity hard? What is your responsibility in maintain and seeking unity?

    2) Why is unity significant in regard to false teachers and prophets?

    3) Have you ever met or dealt with people whose teachings divided the Body over either false doctrine or teachings that are not essential for salvation?

  • Worship Space

    Exodus 35:21–36:7; 1 Chronicles 28:9–21; 2 Kings 12:4–16 (read online ⧉)

    When things return to normal, well, they probably won’t return to the past normal. In fact, who knows what the new normal will look like. Will places such as churches have to remodel to the new “ separation” expectation? Really. While we may return to the building this year, there will likely be an extended expectation of physical separation. There are some people who already have a 6-foot bubble of separation (or larger) and are looking forward to everyone being like them (truly).

    The rest of us will also need to adapt. Grocery stores that currently have aisles designed (on purpose) to keep as much of the product in your eyesight as possible may have a cultural impetus to remodel. How this will affect tight spaces such as the arena in Everett (where one gets to watch hockey, for example) or the baseball fields or the football fields, or the gyms of schools, and so on. All these spaces originally designed to fit the maximum number of people in the smallest amount of space may very well find themselves having to change their maximized seating to fit the new reality (our knees will be grateful).

    The will have to adapt, too. Not just Generations, but the whole concept of church, too. The facility we have, for example, was going to start to get some major work done. Some of it has moved forward. Most of it (obviously) stopped. Now what? Do we remove every other pew? Do we hand 6-foot rulers? Does it matter anymore?

    Here’s the harsh reality, the churches will likely be empty for a long time. It isn’t that everyone got used to meeting online (though it will that for some). It won’t be because people got used to having a mostly free Sunday (though that will be the case for some). It will because people will have become trained through fear (back to that, again) to avoid public places and tight gatherings. The culture may well have trained many of our people to stay away.

    There is no doubt that renewal and remodeling often revitalize and grow a church. People are attracted (understandably) to something that is obviously growing (why numbers are often more important than spiritual growth). When the building is changed to reduce the number of people who can participate at a time, rather than increase, what then?

    Now, the church is not a/the building. However, a sense of place creates a sense of identity. The Israelites gave large amounts until it was no longer needed. In Exodus, it almost seems, “Stop! No more! We have no place to put it!” The Israelites laid claim to “their” . Yes, it was God’s. It was also core to their identity.

    Like many of us, we don’t recognize how a physical building becomes part of who we are. It may actually explain why people connect to certain places (including church buildings) and not others. What also is of concern is what happens to spaces when they are changed (for no matter the reason), and how people will respond.

    Space deeply affects our worship and fellowship, too. How people fill a space affects behaviors and responses, too. All of the outpouring of support to our churches would be great, and the plans that are made will be the best we are able. In the , it is the people…it is you…that will make the difference in the new church in the new space…that was the old church in the old space. Be !

    God, you have gifted us the ability to not fear in the face of such uncertainty. Strengthen our and resolve to face the world as it is and to present your love and to the world. Amen.

    Questions

    1) When you imagine the “perfect” church space, what is it like?

    2) Before all of this, did you sit in the middle, the back, or even (dare we say) the front of a church? Do you think where you sit and with whom you might sit (other than your immediate ) might change?

    3) How does a church building shape you? If you think it doesn’t, go back to question 1.

  • Wholesome Speech

    Wholesome Speech

    Leviticus 19:11–18; 2 Corinthians 12:19–21; 1 Peter 2:1–5 (read online ⧉)

    Slander is one of the biggest things that divide people whether it be in families, churches, the internet, the world. Slander can be small things, it can be large things. The reality is that it often hurts the innocent and the guilty the same. Slander and gossip can be very destructive. However, while we often focus on the person who is being slandered or gossiped about, we often miss the larger picture.

    Let’s take any . If you heard them slandering or gossiping about someone else, it should make you pause. If they are willing to say that about a person who isn’t present, what are they saying about you when you are not present? Slander and gossip can undermine leadership, discipleship, , and most of all .

    This does not mean that we cannot vent or share our struggles or feelings regarding another person. That can be bad, too. What we share about needs to be considered carefully. Often we don’t carefully and prayerfully consider what we say about others. It is when we react with our responses that the greatest damage can occur. In our anger or pain, we often attribute characteristics to others that are more a reflection of our feelings than the other person.

    In fact, there is no simple way to do any of this. Human relationships are often a struggle. While we struggle to relate to one another, we are hurt by one another, and hurt one another. Some of the pains we experience and have yet to identify or process will come out in ways we do not understand or anticipate. Celebrate Recovery (a 12-step Christian recovery program) has a great and very useful saying for when we deal with other people:

    “Hurt people, hurt people.”

    It is simple. If we think about it, though, we can see the truth in it. Humankind has fallen from God’s intent. Out of our sin, and as a consequence of the sins of others, we hurt that which bears God’s image…each other.

    Prayer

    God, you show such grace, , and patience with us your wayward children. Thank you for the gift of , us a way to our frailties that does not depend on us. Spirit, sharpen and heal us into a Christlike image that seeks to restore and heal others and ourselves. Amen.

    Questions

    1) Can you think of a time when you believe someone slandered you or gossiped about you? What was that like?

    2) What is wholesome speech? What should the characteristics of wholesome speech be? What should the end results of wholesome speech be?

    3) How do you heal relationships torn apart by gossip or slander?