Tag: father

Following

Matthew 10:21–22; Matthew 12:46–50; Luke 11:27–28

Have you ever been in a conversation…and it’s going well…and then it’s really digging in…and then someone interrupts? That feeling of…really? Couldn’t you have held out just a bit longer?

Really? What was so important?

Family. Except, in comparison to the Kingdom of God, what is family? That might sound a bit harsh, yet for those who chose to follow Jesus when he was walking on earth and especially those that followed him after the Resurrection, that was reality. For many, it was Kingdom of Heaven versus family on earth.

In the 2 later passages (Matthew 12 and Luke 11), Jesus is teaching about the Kingdom of God. Then people interrupt with the family on earth. In Matthew 12, it is a combination of those listening and his earthly family that interrupt the teaching about the Kingdom of Heaven.

Jesus’ response to that is to include all those around him as mother and brothers, as long as they do the will of God.

Another time, a stranger interrupts Jesus to bless his mother, Mary. Not that blessing her is a bad thing, but what does this have to do with the Kingdom of God?

His response is similar to before. Blessed are those who follow God.

※Questions※

1) Have you ever had a situation where the path before you appeared to be God or (earthly) family? If so, what regrets do you have for whichever path you chose? If not, why do you think you were spared that choice?

2) How can the Kingdom of God replace our earthly families? What does the Kingdom of God seem to be missing (sometimes?) versus earthly families?

※Prayer※

Father, you have called us to be your children. We are still children in the world, too. Help us to look to you for guidance as we navigate the earthly family around us. Amen.

2020 10 26
Can God Get A Witness?

Deuteronomy 9:25–9:29; Titus 2:1–15

wit·ness: One who can give a firsthand account of something seen, heard, or experienced.

Deuteronomy is, in effect, the “Last Will and Testament of Moses”. Moses provides a contrasting snapshot of the Israelite witness and the Mosaic witness. The Israelite witness was unimpressive at best, worth destroying(?) at worse.

What was their witness? Stubbornness, wickedness, and sin.

The Mosaic witness? Yep, they are stubborn, wicked, and sinful. Please love them, be gracious to them, and have mercy on them anyway. Do this for the glory of your holy name and to fulfill the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Paul admonished Titus to teach those in his care “…so that God’s word will not be slandered.” Paul continues, “Your message is to be sound beyond reproach, so that any opponent will be ashamed, because he doesn’t have anything bad to say about us.” Even slaves were to be “demonstrating utter faithfulness, so that they may adorn the teaching of God our Savior in everything.”

This passage in Titus can be used inappropriately. Paul’s focus isn’t explicitly behavior, but how God’s word, teaching, and message comes across to others. All the behaviors weren’t a list of dos and don’ts so much as a be aware of the witness you are giving to others about God.

※Questions※

What is your witness? How do you witness? Why do you witness?

※Part of the Post-Communion Prayer, 2019 Book of Common Prayer※

And now, Father, send us out to do the work you have given us to do, to love and serve you as faithful witnesses of Christ our Lord. To him, to you, and to the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

2020 10 22
Rooftop Shenanigans

Jeremiah 17:9–11; Luke 12:1–12

If you have a smartphone, you are probably aware of this little program installed on it, which is supposedly an assistant. “Hello, Google, Siri, Bixby, Alexa.” This program can be helpful.

Yet, there is often weirdness associated with it. There have been plenty of experiences where Facebook suddenly shows stuff in a person’s feed that they were just talking about. There have even been acknowledged failures where the microphones sent sounds to headquarters when the devices were not being interacted with by their “owners”.

This was not the way Jesus likely intended, “whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in an ear in private rooms will be proclaimed on housetops.”

People don’t really want their private lives splayed out on anybody’s hard drive, whether it be the government or corporation. This holds true even when they have nothing to hide. There is a feeling of violation.

The implication of Jesus’ words is that those that seek evil and the downfall of others will eventually receive their reward. Whether it is on the tabloids at the supermarket, the internet entertainment blogs, or the roofs of Heaven itself one’s darkest secrets are fair game when in conflict with the Kingdom of Heaven.

It might sound harsh. However, for many proud hearts it was only when their secrets and shames came out did repentant hearts blossom. Others steadfastly continued their ways and made the way for those who followed easier without compensation.

What many people fear is how they look to their fellow humans. They don’t want their secrets out. They don’t want to be belittled. We all have darkness in us, some more than others.

People will sometimes go to stupid extremes to maintain their secrets, for they fear those who can bring death (whether it be death of name, popularity, riches, or life itself). Often, far too often, they do not fear (enough) the one they will see after their time here on earth is done.

A person of integrity, it is said, does the same in the dark as in the light. It’s a good general rule. It’s probably not 100%.

Just like the world, the church is filled with those who lurk in the dark. Sometimes those who have the greatest darkness hide in the places of greatest light, thinking to hid in plain sight. For who would look for them there?

※Prayer※

Father, you know and judge the hearts of all. Holy Spirit, shape and mold us into hearts of light. Amen.

2020 10 15
Monuments to What

Ecclesiastes 1:10–11; Matthew 23:25–32; Luke 11:47–54; Acts 7:44–58

You have probably heard George Santayana’s famous quip, “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Perhaps the writer of Ecclesiastes phrased it differently. The reality is that human behavior (especially, selfishness, greed, and hatred) has a tendency to repeat itself.

Jewish history is full of faithful followers of God being mistreated by their blood relatives. Whether it being cast into cisterns, having to hide in caves, being openly killed, it happened. We have the words and/or lives of some of these followers in Scripture.

Based on the general summary of the Old Testament, it is highly likely that there were many, many more that we don’t know about. The people of God were often more the people of the Enemy. Even with Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, it still seems to be the case.

I have read this passage in Luke many times, contemplating it. The harsh truth was that the Jews decorated and maintained the tombs of the people their ancestors had killed. Instead of feeling shame for what their ancestors had done, they applauded themselves for taking care of the tombs. They celebrated that they cared for the tombs of those their blood had murdered as if it was the honor of the dead to be cared for by them.

This comes to mind as there is a reckoning happening in the US. Statues of famous people are being removed. Buildings named “in honor of” famous people are being renamed. Even a whole university was renamed.

These famous people brought light and/or heroics in US history. All of them had parts that most of us today cannot support. They were, without a doubt, the product of their times. Even celebrated religious leaders in various denominations, including our own, had preferences or opinions that we would not today celebrate or endorse.

I was raised in a “Northern” household and a “Southern” household. Needless to say, the Southern household had a lot to say about the “War Between the States” (i.e., the Civil War). Not all of it was accurate, as I would learn. On the other hand, some of the behavior of the “heroes” was equally abhorrent as the defense of slavery, as I also learned.

All were products of their time. They did what they thought was right or did wrong to uphold a “higher” purpose. Sherman’s destructive march through the South comes to mind. Sherman was a military man. He was there to win the war. That was the higher purpose. Later, he was a leader during the Indian Wars (a horrific wiping out of First Nations peoples). This, despite being named after a famous First Nations chief.

The church too, as a whole, has similar shades of darkness in it. As the nation wrestles with its future, it also wrestles with its past. The church has much of the same work to do.

For the church to be what it called by God to be—a light unto the darkness—its people need to be diligent in cleansing, repenting and reconciling its past and current wrongs so that it can be the spreader of hope for a world that desperately needs it.

※Question※

What people and issues come to mind in this? What will/can you do to be Christ’s light in the darkness?

※Prayer※

Father of justice and mercy, be kind and merciful to us as we learn what justice really means, and how to apply it to our lives. Amen.

2020 10 14
Get To Your Seats

Luke 14:7–14

When I was young, my father insisted on making sure I was appropriately experienced in “high” culture. We went to ballet and opera. My dad said that we were sitting in the Grand Tier (still sounds a bit grandiose). This was the tier above the Opera (i.e.,floor) Seats, and below the Upper Tier, and certainly not the box seats. This would be so we had the best seats to see everything.

He was right. We were just high enough that barring a really tall conductor (I remember one), our view of the stage allowed to see everything from the top of the sets to the artists’ feed (really important for ballet, not so much for opera). Oddly, the Opera seats were more expensive, and the crane-your-neck-uncomfortably-for-hours box seats were even more so.

Which seats were the right seats? That depends on why you were there. For those in the box seats, sure there were those for the arts. There were those that were there to be seen. There were those who were there because it was expected of them.

Depending on the individual and event, what seat a person might choose to sit in changes. For some people, going to a party is a high-stress environment, and they’ll gravitate toward a “safe” person (if there is one) or a dark corner or wall to “hide”.

There’s also that person who will jump to the center of the room because they are the life of the party, or they will be.

When Jesus talks about the seating at the banquet, it about a lot of things. What we often don’t talk about in this parable is the parallel to Gentile life. This may have been less about the “honor” seating, but more about how the “pure” “religious” “sanctified” Jews were emulating the behavior of those they despised and feared.

This a jump for sure from the text to the context. However, when we see the behavior of the powerful or popular there is a strong tendency to emulate it. Romans were in charge. This is how the Romans behaved; therefore, it seems reasonable that the oppressed would copy it, not because they wanted to, but because it’s a natural response to avoid gaining the wrong attention of those in power.

If this is indeed the case (again, which is reasonable), then we have a possible case of syncretism, a combining of two different (often competing) worldviews and/or religions.

When a person was given the seat of honor due to their religious position in a non-religious setting or honor due to their secular position in a religious setting there is a mixing of two different worldviews that should be in tension with one another, and not in harmony.

※Questions※

1) Where do you see your political worldview and your religious worldview in harmony? Where do you see them in conflict?

2) Are you comfortable where your politics influence your religion? Does your religion affect your politics?

3) Do you evaluate people’s religious affections based upon their politics? Do you assume a person’s politics based upon their religion?

※Prayer※

Jesus, help us surrender our will to you, that you are the Lord of our religion and our politics. Amen.

2020 10 13
Are You There Yet?

Romans 7:15-20; Philippians 3:12–21; 1 John 1:6–2:6

If you’ve ever been on a long trip, whether as a parent or a child, “Are we there yet,” is a common question. So common that some people can time when the next time the question will be asked. The “are we there yet” question is an event- and time-based question with an answer.

“Are we there yet,” when asked as a spiritual question is something completely different. In a performance-based culture, such as ours, there are often attempts to assess and evaluation the successfulness of our holiness.

If we are not careful, this can become overwhelming, and even deadly to our spiritual growth. If we are so concerned about how we are evaluated and what the measure is, we are often tempted to meet the “requirement” of action without the heart-change that we seek.

When we perform “holiness” through tasks and checkboxes we become as overburdened as the Jews had been for so long with their Law. Thus our “holiness” becomes an act of will. So, when we are tired, discouraged, down, or something else, our holiness house of cards comes tumbling down.

Paul wasn’t there yet. In Romans, he expresses his grief/frustration/reality that he keeps missing the mark of things. He recognizes a conflict between our human nature bent towards its own gratification, and our God-nature desiring to be in God’s grace, mercy, and love.

He also writes to the Philippians much the same way. He knows he is “there” yet. That doesn’t stop him from reaching toward the “goal” with all his might. In many respects, Paul’s “forgetting” is key to moving forward. We are all inclined to remember our failures (especially when they are painful). It is especially important to have someone to confess to and be held accountable by. Oddly, that seems to help us move on.

Then there is the “confession” that has been used for generations in some traditions regarding confession and redemption. The sin is an issue. The unconfessed, unrepented, and unreconciled (can be read as unforgiven, but not entirely accurate) sin is the bigger issue. When John talks about not being in fellowship, it is the unconfessed, unrepented, and unreconciled sin that “shows” we are walking in darkness.

Paul and John (and others) know full well that we have an advocate who is looking to judge us but to forgive us.

※Prayer of Confession from the Book of Common Prayer (2019)※

Almighty and most merciful Father,
     we have erred and strayed from your ways like lost sheep.
We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts.
We have offended against your holy laws
We have left undone those things which we ought to have done,
     and we have done those things which we ought not to have done;
and apart from your grace, there is no health in us.

O Lord, have mercy upon us.
Spare all those who confess their faults.
Restore all those who are penitent,
     according to your promises declared to all people in Christ Jesus our Lord.
And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake,
     that we may now live a godly, righteous, and sober life,
     to the glory of your holy Name. Amen.

2020 10 12
Can You Relate?

1 Corinthians 3:5–9; Philippians 1:12–21

“It can never happen here.”

“No one respects God here.”

“How could God move in this [horrible] place?”

You can probably think of a number of questions or statements that give an excuse or justification for why you can’t be a missionary where you are. Let’s not devalue those statements. Let’s identify them for what they are…barriers to the Gospel.

Missionaries have gone to foreign countries for generations. The Church of the Nazarene [the “umbrella” denomination for this devotional] has missionaries in “Creative Access” areas. The denomination does not publicly identify them. When they go home, they are not recorded or associated with their missional area. For many of them, martyrdom (killed because of faithfully living the faith) is a real possibility.

In comparison, our hard to reach areas are not so hard.

Paul wrote the letter to the church(es) in Philippi from jail. Through a confluence of circumstances, he was able to share about Jesus, both directly and indirectly. One could think that jail could be a pretty hard place.

Yet, the Gospel is growing (yes, growing) in the prisons even today. Through methods such as Discovery Bible Study, cell groups (pun intended) are growing in the prisons. Some of the hardest prisons where the further separate inmates into pods are establishing groups.

Did Paul start immediately preaching the Gospel to the guards? Probably not. He developed relationships with them over time. Then as the Holy Spirit guided, he shared.

Where you are may be a place where you are called to only plant seeds. Perhaps you are in a place where you are called to water the seeds that others planted. It might even be possible for you to be in a place where you plant and water. Depending on the people, each person may be in a different place.

Relational Evangelism is the new buzz-phrase. It shouldn’t be. This is the most effective way, at this point in history, to reach people for Jesus and deepen their (and our) relationship with Jesus. Even 20 years ago, the most successful churches with the deepest discipleship were built on relationships.

※Questions※

1) What relationship is the hardest for you at the moment? How could/might the Holy Spirit use that to bring Jesus into the picture?

2) What kind of seeds are you planting right now? In whom are you planting them? What are some ways to plant seeds?

3) What seeds/plants are you watering right now? How are you watering them? What are some ways to water the seeds of faith?

4) How’s the weeding going? Are you having to pull some weeds in your or others’ lives? How might weeding work (or not) in the newly planted and/or watered relationships?

※Prayer※

Father, from the beginning you have used the picture of planting and watering to convey deep truths to your Creation. Please guide us into how planting, watering, and weeding needs to be lived out in our lives. Amen.

A quick summary and methodology outline for the Discovery Bible Study can be downloaded here, or you can go to the Discovery Bible Study site (not all views are necessarily the views of this site.)

2020 10 06
Mercifully Faithful

Matthew 9:9–13; Luke 10:25–37; James 2:5–13

“For I desire faithful love and not sacrifice,
the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”
— Hosea 6:6 (CSB)

It’s interesting that the same translation, the CSB, translates Hosea 6:6 with faithful love, while in Matthew 9:13 it’s mercy. What makes it even more interesting is that the same word used for “faithful love” in Hebrew is also used for “mercy”.

In the context of Hosea, “faithful love” makes sense for the wayward Israelites. One of the issues, though, for the Israelites was that they did not show mercy to the orphans and widows (or, it seems, anyone else).

One could then conclude (reasonably) that the issue is that one of the ways that the Israelites did not show “faithful love” by not showing “mercy” to those who desperately needed it. It should not be lost on us that faithful love is mercy, and mercy is faithful love.

The world could use a lot more mercy. Imagine being merciful to your enemies…any of your enemies. They could be political, family, religious, national, tribal, even sports teams. Enemies aren’t just those we perceive as being our opposites.

Sports teams are the perfect example. Some you know probably like a sports team that you don’t (if you’re into sports). There can be times when sports fan blends into tribal then into gang behavior. Football (i.e., soccer) had “hooligan” troubles for many years. Team fans would riot at games and after games, trying to harm each other. Troubling or harming a fan based on their team is certainly not merciful.

As we delve into politics, everyone’s favorite topic, being merciful to people who seem to be on the opposite side of you is a Christian response. They love their families, too. What if they love Jesus? Then it’s even more important in many ways.

These days, being merciful means NOT responding to that social media statement, or too snarky comments made in the same tone that it was delivered. If you must respond (which may be necessary), it should be, “While I love you, we don’t see things in this area the same.” One would hope that this would be taken well. However, it’s not your responsibility for how they take a lovingly gentle response.

※Questions※

1) What are your thoughts and feelings regarding faithful love as mercy, and mercy as faithful love?

2) While it sounds strange, how might we show mercy to God?

3) What are ways that you show and can show mercy to others (hint: think beyond “compassion”)?

※Prayer※

Merciful Father, we thank you for your mercy, personified by the life, death, and resurrection of Your Son Jesus. May we show that same spirit of mercy to the world through our faithful love. Amen.

2020 10 04