Tag: freedom

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 Christian 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 together. 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 end 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 hope). He broke the symbol of shame, and received a different yoke (death), and gave (through the example Israel followed) a heavier yoke for Israel.

Jesus 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 faithful, 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 light 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.

※Questions※

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 others? 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?

2020-07-06
Following Further

Acts 18:24–19:5; 1 Corinthians 3:5–15; 1 Corinthians 3:18–23 (read online ⧉)

Continuing from yesterday, Peter and Paul were, and remain, worthy examples to follow. In particular, it is their faithful following of Jesus Christ and their wrestling with the faith for themselves and others.

Not too long into things, however, already following fell into camps. Peter and Paul were the “original” camps and later, that of Apollos. The separation of camps was certainly not the intent of Peter, Paul, or Apollos.

The primary concern of the Corinthians was Paul and Apollos. Paul did note that Peter (Cephas) was tied into this as well. One can imagine that the 3 camps were broken into apparently ideological categories: old/Apostolic guard (Peter), Jewish guard (Apollos), Gentile/revolutionary guard (Paul).

Was this really the case for these 3 men? Neither the Scriptures nor Church histories provide any evidence of it. This was something that likely started with relationships and attraction.

We see this today, as people will follow a particular pastor. If that pastor moves on, so do they. We also often seen this camp development as a precursor to church family splits.

People will settle into camps over many issues: political party, environment, race, taxation, “freedoms”, immigration, world events, and so on. People will often find and focus on more that divides, rather than unites.

In this environment of being divided and then further subdivided, and then divided again, followers of Jesus should buck the trend and figure out how to unite. Currently, we are on the same path as the rest of the world in that regard and that does not.

We also know from the Scriptures and Church history that the early leaders did not all agree on everything at all times. Yet, their paramount allegiance was to Jesus Christ.

One could dismiss their agreement on the reality that they were oppressed or at least strongly opposed. If that’s the case, perhaps instead of greater freedom, we should pray for further difficulty (dark humor).

It wasn’t easy to stay unified. It also isn’t as if they were unified on everything. They were being unified over Jesus, which is all we can really ask of one another. That isn’t happening today.

As we always look for and at those who are one step ahead of us, we must still keep our eyes upon Jesus. The person we follow may turn away, and if we blindly follow, we too will walk away from Jesus. Keeping our eyes upon Jesus will help keep us going toward him, and not away.

※Prayer※

Jesus, while we look at others to help us in our Christian walk, help us to keep our eyes on you. Amen.

※Questions※

1) Which people are you watching or following right now? How do they lead you to Jesus?

2) Is Jesus (not “being Christian”) your lens when looking at and listening to others?

3) How do you converse generously in love, grace, and mercy with others whose understanding of following Jesus is different than yours?

2020-06-30
A Little Prophesying

Deuteronomy 13:1–5; Deuteronomy 18:20–22; Jeremiah 28:1–9

Doomsday prophets are certainly a thing. There are a lot of them, and of varying kinds: epidemiologist (disease), environment, morality, political, sexuality, education, freedom, financial, and so on and on.

Doom sells. Doomsayers may also be helpful to guide us toward some sort of preparation or change. At this point, however, there are so many doomsayers that there are only two logical conclusions: we’re doomed or they’re wrong. That is really the two paths regardless of which or all the “dooms”.

What is interesting about “prophesying” in the Scriptures is that not all prophesying is alike. Some prophesying is more akin to teaching, lecturing, discipling. That generally would fall under church categories as preaching, pastoring, and life groups.

Other prophesying is more like visions, dreams, and euphoric states. This is what we, as a tradition (versus language), understand as foretelling or forewarning that is spiritually driven, and is our default interpretation when reading the word in the Scriptures.

The struggle is discerning whether the prophecy or “prophetic word” is from God, from other spiritual forces, or is it of self appearing to be “spiritual”. Especially (but not exclusively) with the internet, there are plenty of videos, blog posts, web sites all claiming some sort of divine connection.

Sadly, there is no way to tag “fake prophesy”. That takes wisdom, discernment, and positive Christian relationships.

※Prayer※

Holy Spirit, strengthen your discerning gift in us. Father God, help us to look through your word so that we can see when someone is using your word falsely. Jesus, help us to keep in mind that you told us that there would be many false prophets before your return. Amen.

※Questions※

1) Have you had someone deliver a prophecy or “prophetic word” to/about you? How about as part of a public declaration (with or without you being the focus)?

2) What are you actively doing to protect yourself from false prophesy or “prophetic word”?

2020-06-28
Who Makes You

Romans 9:14–33 (read online ⧉)

A vignette from a family life…

“It’s your fault,” said the child.

“How so,” asked the parent.

“You knew, and you didn’t stop me,” responded the child.

“Except I warned you before,” the parent replied.

“So, what,” retorted the child. “What’s that got to do with stopping me?”

Or, a different vignette…

“It’s your fault.”
“You were warned.”
“You made me so mad, though, that I wasn’t thinking, and I did it. So, it’s your fault.”

Paul’s use of Old/First Testament imagery causes many modern people to struggle with these verses. In the Wesley/Arminian tradition, these words are a particular struggle, as they appear to not to be free will, a core belief in the tradition.

However, what we miss is the rhetorical questioning that is going on in the Greek. A rhetorically adequate translation would be more along the lines of, “Yes, while God can make you, that does not make it God’s fault that you still chose your path.” One theologian argues, with some decent reasoning, that even when God hardens hearts (sometimes called judicial hardening), it’s not that the hearts weren’t already hardened. It is that God firms their already stubborn and ungodly hearts so that their immediate action will result in the display of God’s glory.

In other words, God helps them be more firmly where they have already decided to be. Their decision was made first.

Now, unlike some other Christian traditions, this is not a one-way road. God is in the redemption business! Even when God hardens the heart for one action, there is often a redemptive action waiting in the wings. It is here that a person will choose to continue to harden their own heart or not.

The potter and the clay? An analogy, not a description. This passage, too, is often confused as that Israel (and thus the rest of us) are lifeless clay. Paul asks, what if? Paul is not concluding that God made some people for wrath and some are not.

God did not make us that way. Just as the passage of the Potter’s House, Paul is not saying that God did it so that people are separated from God. God made is so people choose to be separated from God.

This, too, is hard. For those of us who know God, and have a saving relationship with God, it is beyond our comprehension that people would choose anything other than God. Be grateful that you have chosen.

Paul’s ultimate conclusion is that God set out works for the people of Israel to do. They believe that is was the works (the tasks) they did to fulfill the Law that made them righteous. This was all while the lesson of Abraham was right there in the Scriptures…following and choosing God through faith.

※Prayer※

Gracious God, we thank you that we have been gifted the freedom to choose you in love. May you shape our hearts and guide our lives that we can help others also choose you. Amen.

※Questions※

1) Do you think you have ever experienced a time when God “hardened” your heart? Why or why not?

2) Why do you think people believe that God designs people and plans for people to be inflicted by God’s wrath?

3) What is the hardest thing to realize and feel about knowing that you have to daily choose God?

2020-06-22
On the Other Side of This

Matthew 18:15–20; 1 Peter 1:13–24 (read online ⧉)

Once, an old warrior told a young man that the young man’s father was killed by a certain individual. The young man later confronted the certain individual and learned that the certain individual was actually his father. The young man then confronted the old warrior said that it wasn’t a lie, it was the truth told from a certain point of view.

There are many perspectives floating around at the moment. Most are carried with verve and vigor. Many are carried with pain. Many are carried with anger. Many are carried with fear. Many are carried in vengeance.

In the midst of chaos and strife, it is easy to get caught up in the emotions, especially the negative ones. People will often watch or other otherwise consume media that reinforces their viewpoint. This further entrenches the hearts of people, making the divides wider.

Right now, there are many paths being laid, and the sad truth is that each will walk a path, and there is little likelihood of reconciliation. It is not just our country, it is our cities, our state, our world. The saddest place of division is in our churches.

While we are going through the COVID-19 situation, to have the additional stress and strain of societal disruption (regardless of right or wrong) will result in hearts that harder then they were already.

There are cultural and societal sins at play. Individuals are not guilty of these sins, but they are responsible for them. We as ambassadors of the Heavenly Kingdom—where our citizenship rests—are called to be of one mind.

Being of one mind is hard, especially when we focus on all that separates us. If we were, for example, to focus on Jesus Christ, what Jesus has done for us, the freedom that he has given us, our ability to move beyond our earthly desires should improve.

This does not mean that sorrow, grieving, repentance, and reconciliation don’t need to happen. They, in fact, do need to happen. It is through these that the human walls between us are broken down and we can truly be united.

※Prayer※

Lord, as our hearts ache and our tempers flare, grant us peace. As we look to the world in disarray and fear, give us peace. As the world seeks answers and healing, make us peace. Amen.

※Questions※

1) What do you plan to do to heal the rifts between fellow Christians?

2) As barriers grow, how will you lovingly break them down?

2020-06-18
Shear Time

Psalm 122; Isaiah 61:1–9; John 15:1–8 (read online ⧉)

The year of the Lord’s favor is probably not this year. The ever-changing nature of this year, and all the odd and bad things that are going on would in no way seem to be the harbinger of the Lord’s favor.

What if, however, we are looking at it wrong? Perhaps instead of looking at the disasters and troubles, we should be looking for God. Who or what is God stirring around us? If we become too obsessed with the world, we could miss God.

This is not to say don’t pay attention to the world. In fact, part of the words of Isaiah is exactly why we should be looking for God in action: good news, heal, liberty, freedom, (even) vengeance, comfort, crown, festive.

This is not to say that God desires bad things. God will use the bad things (whether natural or human depravity) to mold and shape if we seek God. If we are not seeking God in these things and through these things, we are far more likely to have hearts that become harder and more resistant to love, whether it is being loved or loving others.

Isaiah’s words aren’t necessarily comfortable, either, especially to those who are in power or who have advantages (even if they are unaware). God doesn’t seek, necessarily, to make us comfortable (though God will comfort us). God seeks to change us from the inside out. Often, though, we only change (or seek change) under stress. Well, there’s plenty of stress now.

Rejoice in suffering because God is with us. Not because it’s fun.

When we are part of the vine (Jesus Christ), we’re going to be pruned. Whether it’s our biases, our fears, our (non-Godly) allegiances, God will prune them. We will often try to graft them back on, and in so doing we are susceptible to diseases of the soul. A diseased branch will be tossed into the fire.

It is beyond our capabilities to see what fruit we could bear once God is done pruning us. God, though, is the great vinedresser and will seek the maximization of fruit, not our destruction. We just feel that way sometimes.

There is a running joke out there…what was the worst purchase in 2019? A 2020 planner. There is so much going on that is unexpected, and for which we are unprepared. Instead of groaning or burying our head in the sand, let us embrace the opportunity to be formed by God into his image of us (our unique expression of the Imago Dei).

※Prayer [Billy Graham]※

Lord, whatever I have to face, through it let me learn more of Your love and compassion. Amen.

※Questions※

1) Is anything new being added to God’s pruning list for you? If not, why do you think that is?

2) What is the best side-effect when looking for God’s movement in times of suffering and trial?

3) How does suffering lead to a “Year of the Lord’s Favor”?

2020-06-05
Opprobrium

Matthew 9:18–26; Mark 5:21–43; Luke 8:40–56 (read online ⧉)

People often use scripture to justify certain things, or at least state that whatever “this” is, it is nothing new. One of those is a thought that the woman in today’s Scriptures had been bleeding due to a botched abortion. This, of course, is conjecture. There are several other medical conditions which this could fall under, so making this kind of conjecture is often not helpful. This is especially the case when such conjecture takes away from the mystery that is already present in the Scripture.

Think about the other healings that Jesus performed. In the other healings, he was approached then would act. He was just on his way to heal someone else, and this women surreptitiously approaches him and just touches his clothes to be healed.

The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) have slightly different tellings of the story. Yet, the woman’s initiative to approach Jesus and touching his clothing to be healed is consistent. Both Mark and Luke talk about the crowds surrounding Jesus. This took courage for this woman.

The primary thought that this bleeding was similar to menstrual bleeding (hence the aforementioned piece about abortion). If that is so, while the woman would not have to declare “unclean” as a leper, should would be ceremonially unclean, and probably unwelcome, if anyone knew. She, probably some sort of outcast, would have to go among those who likely mocked and scorned her. If she was successful, for 12 years, to keep her condition secret, then she would have likely been overwhelmed by guilt and inadequacy.

In Mark and Luke, this story takes on another interesting twist. She approached; she touched; she was healed. There was no “action” by Jesus. This unique aspect should be one of those moments where we stop and wonder, what is different?

Anything is conjecture, as the Bible does not directly say anything. One possibility is that in this story we see God and Man. The Godly power left Jesus. Jesus the Man was surprised. Both aspects of Jesus were in full display. There is even this odd hint of the Water of Life being spent, which would then be refilled by God.

On the other hand, there is an echo of the time in Eden after Adam and Eve had eaten the Fruit of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Adam and Eve had heard God walking in the Garden and hid because they were naked. God asked where they were. Adam and Eve revealed themselves in shame. Sounds somewhat like the woman who revealed herself.

There is also the beauty of trust that this woman has. It isn’t just trust of being healed, but when she reveals herself and tells her story, there is a vulnerability that requires an explicit trust in Jesus.

This woman has no name in the Scriptures (outlined here). Her cured affliction has been noted for history, but the shame of her condition is not tied to her name. Just as the shame that once weighed her down was gone, so was what needed healing. She left it behind. Her gift was that her legacy was not her condition. She moved forward in freedom.

※ Prayer ※

Lord, we thank you for taking our shame. Though we may still bear the scars and pain of it, the shame is gone. May this freedom that you have given us, not be misused or unused for your glory. Amen.

※ Questions ※

1) Why do you think each of the Gospel writers (especially Matthew), chose to tell the story the way they did? What do you think of the additional piece that Mark and Luke have?

2) What is your biggest takeaway regarding the woman of our story?

3) What do you think the response was of those who were acting on Jairus’ behalf?

2020-05-30
Glorious Cleanliness

Exodus 19:1-9; 1 Peter 2:4-10; Psalm 19 (read online ⧉)

Have you ever had a period of life that seemed completely crazy and unbelievable? The Israelites were living it! It was a hard life in Egypt, but it was still home for generations. They left. This big sea to cross to freedom, and a powerful nation’s army coming after them. The sea splits open and they cross on dry ground. And a powerful nation’s army disappears forever. They have their first military battle and unbelievably win! They have a weird food that just appears with the morning dew, then disappears.

Then they take a breath.

Moses meets with God, and God explains. God is calling these people to be his priestly kingdom. They are his treasured possession, above the rest of the earth, which is God’s, too.

God’s requirements are simple, obey God’s voice and keep the covenant. This is foundational to relationship between God and the Israelites. Their lives are to be aligned to the covenant, and the relationship it represents. In the same way, Peter calls believers in Jesus to have Jesus as their cornerstone, so that they (we) become the spiritual home of the Holy Spirit, and become a holy priesthood.

Just like the Israelites, followers of Jesus have a task. Theirs (ours) is to proclaim the acts of God who called them (us) out of the darkness we were in.

As the psalmist writes, all of Creation pronounces the glory of God. We, too, have our part in declaring and showing the glory of God and being the light (reflectors of God) in the world.

1) What has kept you from believing you are called to and capable of declaring God’s glory?

2) The covenant represents a type of cleanliness. You house the Holy Spirit. How do you keep the Holy Spirit’s home in you clean?

3) What more can you do to keep it clean, or get it cleaner?

4) How does this cleanliness help to declare God’s glory?

2020-03-12
Do You See What God Sees?

Genesis 1:26–28, Genesis 4:1–2, Genesis 5:1–3, 2 Corinthians 3:16–18, James 1:22–25 (read online ⧉)

When we are born we may, or may not, be an image of our parents. As we get older, the comparisons become easier, and especially as we tend toward the end of our lives, we really resemble our parents. “Spitting image” was an old phrase used to indicate that there was an almost identical image of child to parent, or “could be twins” is another. How we look is very much part of our self-identification. Often we are dissatisfied with the genes we were given and how our lives have played into or against those genes.

If you read the 3 vignettes is Genesis you might have recognized that something was missing in the second one. In the first story, humankind (Adam and Eve) is made in the image of God. In the third story, Seth is in the image of Adam. In the second story, there is no mention of image. Once you see it, you can’t unsee it. Cain and Able were not stated as being the image of Adam or Eve. They were in the image of God as all humankind was, but not their biological parents. Were we the parents, would we not have questions if “our” children were not in our image (barring adoption, of course)? Is there some deep theological meaning here? Probably not. Yet, it is something that should cause us to question what exactly is occurring here. We will probably never know.

Image still remains important, as image does have an important place in all of the Scriptures. There were all the mentions of images of gods and creatures for worship, and how bad this was, and how it contributed to the Israelites walking away from God.

Paul takes image a new direction. Here he uses a mirror as the medium for us to see the glory of God inside each of us. Think of that! We can see the image of God inside of us! Yes, it is a figurative thing. At the same time, it should be a way of thinking about ourselves and seeing ourselves. We are often overly concerned about what we have done wrong, while not living in the freedom that we have in Christ. We ourselves try to put a barrier (the veil) between ourselves and seeing the image of God in us.

James alludes to this in his words, talking about looking at ourselves then “forgetting” what we look like. It does appear that James is thinking more that people are deliberately forgetting what they look like. As we tie this into Paul’s words, when we do not operate in the faith that God is loving and merciful, we forget who we are in Christ, which goes right back to Paul’s example of putting a veil back on.

The world doesn’t want us to think in the way Paul and James want us to think. The world wants us to forget who we are in Christ. The biggest issue, and the one we fall prey to, is that they try to tell us that we are not a child (or children) of God when we fail. This is Paul’s real message of grace to and for us. Not only are we the children of God, we are also becoming the children of God, and it is only by willingly and lovingly looking at the image of God in each of us (and each other) that we continually are transformed into the purified expression and image of God that is in us, and that God sees in us.

1) Why do you think neither Cain nor Able were not noted as being in the image of a parent, while their brother was? There is no right or wrong answer that we know of, but it is a question to ponder.

2) Why do you think people put a “veil” on? What do you think Paul is referring to in your life?

3) Why is it important to remember that we are and are yet becoming children of God?

2020-01-17
Tuesday after the First Sunday of Advent

Lamentations 3:16–18, Zechariah 8:18–23, Nahum 1:15 (read online ⧉)

In the United States, peace is often perceived as having plenty. Peace, as many of the saints who walked before us learned, is not found in the plenty. It is found in the lacking. This does not mean that lacking, in and of itself, is a spiritual discipline. Not seeking more often is a spiritual discipline, however. In a country filled with plenty, there is far more than we seem to be able to acknowledge. Yes, there are those that have less than you…sometimes incredibly less than you. As many of us grew up hearing, “if you don’t eat this food, we’ll send it to…” This is an oversimplification, and (really) somewhat offensive. However, there are countries that will take the clothing that our charities (such as Goodwill and St. Vincent De Paul) won’t take because it is far better than what they have.

This perspective becomes important when we do lose nice things when we realize that the prosperity we had is gone. The writer of Lamentations ties in this loss with peace. The writer also ties in their future and hope to this loss. The peace they lost, however, had more to do with the loss of a relationship, rather than food, clothing, wealth, or freedom.

Often (again, as the saints that went before us learned), the first lacking that is the most useful is food. In Zechariah, we read that the fasts will become a time of joy, again. They had become an onerous task that served no value. Yet, here the place of fasting as a time of connection with God, and setting aside comfort for God’s will is restored. Imagine having people come to you because of the success of your fasting! It would not be because of your better figure (having lost weight), but it would be because of the peace you found when setting aside one of your most basic needs.

This like all things becomes what it was intended to be when living in the presence of God. At the feet of peace’s herald, at the feet of God, celebration and joy. The ultimate enemy of peace—sin—is destroyed.

1) Why do you think lacking helps us get closer to God?

2) During the Christmas season, there are plenty of parties and food. Think of that in light of our passages and reading. Where does that lead you?

3) We are often attracted to the success of others, and thus try to emulate their practices and disciplines. How can that be helpful? How can that be hurtful? How could it affect your relationship with God?

2019-12-03