Tag: glory

Storms of Dust

Psalm 19; Exodus 19:16–25; Mark 9:2–8

Heaven is declaring God’s glory;
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 speech, 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 Transfiguration of Jesus, 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 truth 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, “Ashes to ashes; dust to dust.” Our mortality is central to Lent, because sin is what led to death, 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 hope 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 dying. 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.

2021-03-06
Just the Right Size
Psalm 77; Proverbs 30:1–9; Matthew 4:1–11

In Through the Looking Glass, Alice comes to a mushroom. Eating from one part of the mushroom causes her to turn into a giant. Eating from a different part she turns smaller than normal. She finally ate from the “right” part and returned to her normal size. Often our image of ourselves is too big or too small, and far too rarely (or for long enough) just right.

The proper perspective of God and man is critical to our Christian walk. The improper perspective of God and man all too often leads to misunderstandings and walking (or running) from a saving relationship with God.

The rhetorical questions asked in Psalm 77:7–9 are often asked by people in trouble. They may not put “God” in the equation, but the question remains the same. God does not reject forever. God does not forget to be gracious. God’s faithful love never ends.

Sometimes we ask these questions because we have lost perspective of ourselves in comparison to God. In such cases, we have also lost perspective of ourselves in comparison to the world. This does not mean that we are not allowed to have feelings. It is just that we must keep them in perspective.

Then there is the other version of out of perspective. Agur calls himself the most stupid (or foolish) person in the world. Agur then also belittled himself. This view of being so little is just as bad as being too big.

There is a balance, though we all vacillate from one extreme to another. It is part of our emotional condition. We just need to aim for the center (the balance), but accept that we will not maintain it, and to give ourselves grace when we can’t.

Temptation often comes when we think too much or too little of ourselves. It is usually in those times of weakness (that we sometimes wrongly view as strength) that we have the greatest likelihood to succumb.

As we read the Temptations of Jesus (which were not the only ones; they were just significant as it was the Tempter, the Enemy, who was doing it directly), we can see that if Jesus had had an out of balance perspective on his view of himself, he could have fallen. It could be argued that as Jesus is God, Jesus wouldn’t, but that doesn’t deny the reality of temptation.

※Reflection※
- In whose words do you see more of yourself, the Psalmist or Agur?
- Balance is a powerful and yet dangerous word. How do you pursue balance without the pursuit harming or even destroying you?
- What do you think of temptation being strongest when your perspective of yourself is wrong?
※Prayer※

Holy Spirit, guide our minds and hearts to keep ourselves “just the right size” as we look at your majesty, glory, and creations. Amen.
2021-02-24
Wait and See
Psalm 110:1–4; Exodus 19:7–25; Hebrews 2:1–4

God tells the “master” (king) to “sit”. It is quite common today for rulers to sit while the armies go forth to wage war or defend the nation. When the Psalm was written, it was normal that kings/rulers went to war with the armies. So, for the ruler/master/king to sit was to say that the war/battle would be won without their presence. As it is God saying it, it’s more along the lines of, “I’ve got this.”

In our American thinking, we often think we have to do it ourselves. There is a reason why we think of “good” businesspeople having “pulled themselves up by their bootstraps.” If we analyze that phrase, we can see that it may have not been a positive statement, but a tongue-in-cheek quip that someone was quite arrogant in thinking they did by themselves.

As we read the Scriptures, it becomes apparent that often the call on God’s people is not to do great things, but to witness and testify to the great things that God has done. When God has done great things, the pressure is often taken off of us, because it is not by our strength of will. When we testify, often we have to testify to our weakness and testify to God’s strength in the face of our weakness.

When the people meet God at Mount Sinai, their actions are minimal. They are to prepare, listen and respond. You might think that “obey” would be part of that, but obedience would be lived out, and obedience would be part of their testimony to the world of what God has done.

The story of Exodus may have a lot of anecdotal stories of Moses, Aaron, and the people of Israel. However, most of the stories are witnesses of God’s glory and might. Even during the plagues, while Moses had his part, it was God who was the major actor.

Exodus was, along with the other books of the Pentateuch (Genesis, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) are formational to what it meant to be an Israelite. The books were not only a witness of God, they were also the witness to and for the Israelites.

As they were formational, they were core to being Israelite. Yet, it is amazing how people can be formed by something they do not know. We’d say that this couldn’t be, yet even being an “American” is often based upon far too many things we only think we know.

The author of Hebrews speaks of drifting away. Often, especially in a country as blessed as ours, it is very easy to quickly forget our salvation. Our lives are (despite a bad economy, COVID, and grace-less politics) blessed. This is not to diminish the hardships that people experience here. In fact, because of the blessedness, it makes such hardships an even greater travesty.

Drifting away is subtle. It takes time. A quick divergence (or apostasy) is easy to grasp. It is when it happens over time (years, decades, centuries) that it becomes the hardest to recognize. When it happens over time, it also becomes hard to determine Truth versus fact.

We are in such a time as this, if we’ve ever left it all. Perhaps this should be our greatest fear as the church…we have lost what should make us different than the world.

The deepest, darkest, and saddest aspect of this drifting away is that we cease being witnesses of God, and our lives ceasing being witnesses to God. While we are called to wait and see what will do, we are called to say what God has done.

※Reflection※
- What ways have you been tempted to “drift away” from faith?
- What kinds of “drifting away” damages our witness the most?
- What is the danger in not “waiting and see” what God does? What is the danger in “waiting and see”? How does discern when to be still and when to act?
※Prayer※

God, you have called us to witness what you have done, and to be witnesses. Help us to be faithful to that call. Amen.
2021-02-15
So Bright
Psalm 50:1–6; 2 Kings 2:1–12; 2 Corinthians 4:3–6; Mark 9:2–9

“From the rising of the sun to where it sets,
God, the Lord God, speaks,
calling out to the earth.”
—Psalm 50:1 [CEB]

God has never stopped calling out to the earth. Even after humanity’s exile from Eden, God has continually sought humanity.

There are unique stories in the Scriptures for certain unique people. Elijah was one of them. He had done many miraculous things under God’s auspices. Even his exit from this mortal coil was a miraculous event.

While we often get “caught up” with Elijah’s being whisked away, it is all that is happening with Elisha that should, perhaps, catch our attention. If you read the story well, you can see that God had let Elijah and Elisha know that “today” was the day.

Then to make it undeniable, some other prophets were also told (based upon the phrasing, separately from Elijah and Elisha), and they told Elisha. This story may really be less about Elijah than about Elisha. Despite the miraculous, Elijah seems more of the forefather character, rather than the main character.

When Elisha asks for a double portion of the spirit, he is requesting to become Elijah’s inheritor. As Elijah’s “inheritance” is God-imbued and not that of man, it’s hard for Elijah to make that decision. As the story progresses, it becomes abundantly clear that this story is about Elisha’s inheritance from Elijah.

It may seem that God is not calling out or seeking, yet there is plenty of God moving both from telling Elijah and Elisha that the day is here, to a number of other prophets who also hear the same thing. We are often blind to God moving because we have expectations of how God is to move. We can see this in our Sunday Services with the varying traditions from church to church, from Pentecostal to Eastern Orthodox. We box-in the movement of God…God will break out.

Much of Jesus’ ministry was God breaking out of the box that Jewish worship had turned into. The trip up the mountain turned into another “break out” moment.

For the 3 disciples, they had their own “Moses” moment. Instead of a burning bush, they were next to a cloud filled with God’s glory. It might have even reminded them of the story of God’s glory filling the Tent of Meeting in the time between leaving Egypt and entering the Promised Land. It might have reminded them of the story of God’s glory filling the (at the time, newly consecrated) Temple after Solomon’s opening prayer.

The 3 disciples had plenty that they could associate with this experience. While we might consider them naive in their response, at the same time, they understood that this was not the “same old” experience. They were blessed to “pierce through” the veil, as Paul calls the “gap” between God and humanity’s perception of God.

“…He is the same one who shone in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ.” — 2 Corinthians 4:6 [CEB]

※Reflection※
- When are you guilty of “putting God in a box”?
- What is (or would be) your response were someone to say to you, “God does not move that way”? Have you ever said something similar to someone else?
※Prayer※

Lord, may we be ready and willing to meet you where you choose to meet us. Amen.
2021-02-14
Willing to be Sharpened
Proverbs 27:17; Acts 15:36–41

I’m sure you’ve never fought. Ever. With anyone. I’m sure that you’ve never raised your voice or yelled in anger or frustration. Ever. At anyone.

Paul was strong-willed and opinionated. Barnabas was a person who seemed to always be the forgiving type. He was known as an encourager.

Paul and Barnabas had been on mission together. They had been in trouble together. They had seen God’s glory together. They had seen the Holy Spirit move people. By all accounts, they were successful missionary partners.

From Paul’s letters, we know that he really cared about the people gathered into the churches. There was probably a strong motivation to make sure they were okay and hadn’t fallen prey (again) to non-Christians (both Jew and Gentile).

Then we come to Mark. It is unclear why Mark had left them in Pamphylia. Based on context, some commentators believe that Mark left Paul (going to Jerusalem) because Mark didn’t believe that Gentiles should not have ties to Judaism. The thought process was that Paul would not have been so opposed to Mark if it had not been something serious (versus being young and unaccustomed to travel, as other commentators have said).

Here is where we see the division. Barnabas and Paul were not opposing each other regarding the mission (i.e., they were united). One could even say their disagreement proved that they both believed in the mission. What they disagreed on was Mark’s part in the mission.

They couldn’t agree. They parted ways.

Paul’s character was sharp and straightforward (one might say similar to an oncoming train). Barnabas was the type who sought to lift others up. What is interesting here is that Barnabas chose to “lift up” Mark, despite Paul’s insistence.

Whether in church, work, or home, there will be times where people do not agree in approach. All too often, the only option seems to be separation. Yet, when two such “opposites” sharpen each other, that which comes from it will often be greater than the only one. The trick is how to make it happen.

We do know this, though. Mark and Paul were reconciled. Mark and Timothy (Paul’s protege) became ministry partners.

※Reflection※
- Have you ever seen two people whose goal is the same, but their methods are different? How did that go?
- What does it take for two people of significantly different approaches to try to work together?
- If you’ve found yourself in such a situation, are you more like Paul or like Barnabas?
※Prayer※

Lord, we can quickly fall apart on our differences. Help us to take these differences to make a symphony for you. Amen.
2021-02-09
Mud or Glory

Jeremiah 29:1–14

Bittersweet seems to be the sentiment of these verses. Sweet for God “sees” the Israelites in exile, and provides them a promise. Bitter for the reason that the promise will only be fulfilled after a long time in exile.

From the end of Genesis to the beginning of Exodus is around 400 years, with the 430 years being the final tally of Israel’s time in Egypt. During this time there is no mention of God and the Israelites. The Israelites’ time in Egypt started well, but by the time of Exodus, it was a life of slavery.

There is a huge difference between the two situations. Many commentators posit that the reason for Israel’s time in Egypt was to ween them from the Canaanite religions, especially as a precursor to claiming the Promised Land (where the Canaanites lived).

This time their exile was shorted, but perhaps it was more dangerous; dangerous to the restoration of their relationship with God. There was a warning about not listening to false prophets. In particular, these false prophets were promising that everything would be fine, and all would be restored.

(I’m not sure if they were asking for political donations, but sure sounds like far too many campaign promises.)

One would hope that the promise of God would forestall such people and would keep people from following them. Humans are weak, however. They will fall prey to many.

The message of hope that Christians ought to be wearing proudly as cloaks of glory have been muddied and stained over the years. The last four were the culmination of it. It was never that all of a sudden we chose the mud over the hope; it was that the mud became our hope. The cloaks lost their brilliance. The world lost a lot of hope.

You may feel that the last four years were a mess of misery. You may feel that the next four will be as bad, or even worse. That’s the mud.

Let’s let God clean off our mud again. Amen.

2021-02-02
What A Sight
Numbers 22:1–35

Moab feared Israel. Israel “just” had a military victory against major forces around Moab. Israel had marched around Moab and yet hadn’t done anything directly against Moab. Moab was deeply concerned that they were next.

According to Moses (in Deuteronomy 2:9), God had directed him to leave Moab alone. There is no record of “official” interaction between the Moabites and Israel, so it would seem that Moab’s fears were based on assumptions rather than experience. Which leads us to Balaam.

The King of Moab called upon Balaam to curse the Israelites. Accusing the Israelites of being, basically, locusts seems to be a case of hyperbole. Yet, there was unsurety in Moab. It’s safer to wipe out the “other” than to communicate with them.

At first, it seems that Balaam was a righteous God-follower. As we continue the story, it seems that perhaps it was not quite so. There is an implication that God condescends to Balaam going to prophesy on King Balak’s behalf. The “go” seems to be more along the lines of, “You can go. You’re going to anyway. So, I will use your human desires to bring glory to me (God).”

And then we come to the famous part of the story, which recently came up in a conversation. The entirety of the conversation was about a talking animal. Which I get it. None of us have had an animal speak to us in human speech.

While human speech is important, our dog communicates just fine: whines, stares, growls, barks, licks, gnaws, pounces on, and so forth. She generally is successful in communicating her needs without human speech. A human baby communicates. It’s usually the parents who get the subtle differences between, “I’m hungry” cry, and “my stomach hurts” cry.

We could blame children’s Sunday School for the emphasis on a talking beast of burden. The adults are just as nonplussed as the children, though. The talking animal wasn’t the point of the story, not even close.

The talking animal was more along the lines of, “Yes, you (Balaam) said you heard me (God), but you need to understand how important it is that you actually listen to me!”

In the church, preachers/pastors/teachers will often say something along the lines of, “Yes, this hard, but the Scriptures say…” Part of this is the reality that preachers/pastors/teachers don’t want to deliver hard truth. It’s hard, and we all want to be liked. In a community that respects the Word of God, that can work.

Balaam probably doesn’t have that particular protection. Like many people of power, and especially with the gods of that era and place, they thought with the right amount of money or right sacrifice they could “move” gods to do their will. God doesn’t work that way, and Balak would likely have little joy in being thwarted.

However, that talking donkey and then the vision of the sword-bearing angel? That imagery was probably quite strong in Balaam’s eyes and heart. Likely, it was that which gave him the strength to deliver the oracles for Israel despite Barak’s insistence on curses.

A vision/experience like that would give many of us the strength to face the world.

※Reflection※
- When you recall the talking donkey, what else do you recall? Do recall the rest of the story?
- Why is important, especially with stories like this, to understand that the Scriptures use imagery?
※Prayer※

Lord, may we have the strength of your vision as we navigate the chaotic waters of this world. Amen.
2021-01-31
Promises of Grace

Psalm 111; Romans 9:6–18

Promises hold a significant place within the stories in the Scriptures. Much of this has to do with having to trust the fulfillment of a promise that people would not see.

Abraham is one such example. He was given a short (one year) promise as a “down payment” for the long term one. God had made large promises, and had definitely taken care of him, but the promise of not “just” a son of the woman he loved, but also countless descendents.

While Paul, understandably, focuses on Isaac, Ishmael is a different kind of promise. While Isaac is the promised line of love, God still promises Abraham that Ishmael will live and have descendents, too.

God didn’t have to make this commitment to Abraham, yet chose to. This speaks to God’s character. God understood that while Isaac was the “child of the promise”, Abraham still loved Ishmael and wanted him to do well and be well. Abraham, just as Paul, would not have questioned the wisdom of God’s will, neither would have Abraham.

Unquestionably, God’s commitment towards Ishmael reassured Abraham that he (Abraham) had made the right decision. Decisions are part of the struggle that the church has a problem with this passage. As has been preached on (at Generations) and addressed here in the devotionals, is that the ancient world understood God differently than we do.

Paul’s words prompt many to reflect upon God’s mightiness and glory. In the face of such, how could any person not believe, follow, and trust God? That’s Paul’s assumption. How could anyone not believe in God and God’s promises?

That same logic is carried forth to today within certain strains of Christianity. Those strains of Christianity, understandably, are of the same mindset as Paul. It’s not that they are wrong, per se, but as theology as aged and matured, the understanding of God’s grace has transformed thinking from the “chess player” God who chooses certain pieces to die or live to the guiding hand of God, which still allows humanity the ability to choose their path.

Jesus promised to be with disciples and us by extension. If God is as capricious as many modern theologians presume, then a promise from God is cold comfort. On the other hand, if God makes promises through guidance and love, then the comfort of a promise warms the soul.

2021-01-28
Flame Bright in the Dark
Matthew 25:1–13

The Nicene Creed (one of the statements of belief that cross all Christian denominations) is as follows (maybe even read it aloud):
```
 We believe in one God,
        the Father, the Almighty,
        maker of heaven and earth,
        of all that is, seen and unseen.
 We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
        the only Son of God,
        eternally begotten of the Father,
        God from God, Light from Light,
        true God from true God,
        begotten, not made,
        of one Being with the Father;
        through him all things were made.
        For us and for our salvation
                he came down from heaven,
                was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary
                and became truly human.
                For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
                he suffered death and was buried.
                On the third day he rose again
                in accordance with the Scriptures;
                he ascended into heaven
                and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
                He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
                and his kingdom will have no end.
 We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
        who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
        who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
        who has spoken through the prophets.
        We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
        We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
        We look for the resurrection of the dead,
                and the life of the world to come. Amen.
```
In the Church of the Nazarene, we don’t say this creed much. Which really is too bad. It is the basics of the universal Christian faith.

In the light of today’s Scripture, it is “He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end” that is our focus.

Today’s Scripture is a warning to be ready for the return of Jesus. We lose a lot of this story because so much of it is cultural. The bridesmaids are to escort the bride (and essentially the groom) to the groom’s home for the marriage ceremony.

There would be dancing and singing along the way. Sleeping was wise. However, part of the situation is that there was often last-minute negotiations between the families of the bride and groom.

So, the announcement of “the groom comes” could be done, and then something else would come up, and the whole thing would begin again. The reality was that “the groom comes” could be said many times without a groom actually coming.

The coming of Christ has been that way for 2000 years. “He’s coming…oh, wait…He’s coming…oh, wait…” That cycle has been repeated for generations. Many of us recall multiple times in our lives when people have been convinced that Jesus was coming back.

We are the bridesmaids. We are the bride (the church). It’s weird, I know. We are both bridesmaids and bride and yet still ourselves.

Christmas wasn’t that long ago. Part of the story is the glory of Heaven that shined down and declared the birth of the Savior. Epiphany (less than 2 weeks ago, and still the church season) is about a star that led unbelievers to venerate the new King.

Whether a thief in the night, a baby in a manger, a choir from Heaven, somehow Christ will come in glory. We are called to be prepared.

※Prayer※

Christ has died. Christ has risen. Christ will come again. May we be continually preparing for his return. Amen.
2021-01-15
Mighty

Judges 2:6–15; 2 Corinthians 10:1–11

At this point, there are a lot of stirred up people. You might even be one of them. The question is, what really is stirring you?

Is it a belief that the current president is a lunatic and must be destroyed (metaphorically or in reality)? Is it a belief that the current president is the righteous leader that will lead the country to some sort of glory?

In the middle of this mess are Christians. Some are confused. Many are disgusted. Some champion the president. Some champion the president-elect. Theoretically, all treasure Jesus Christ as Lord.

That’s the rub.

One of the constant mutterings of the church (on myriad “sides” of many issues) is about a Christian nation. A real Christian nation wouldn’t [fill in the blank]. What if we never knew what a Christian nation was? What if, there has never been a “true” Christian nation in history?

When we look at what happens after the death of Joshua, it’s easy (and understandable) to put much of the blame on Joshua and that’s generations’ leaders. On the other hand, no one forced the Israelites to pick up the patterns of the defeated people, especially the Baal and Astarte’s worship.

In far too many respects, the mythos of a Christian nation is as spiritually deadly as the mythos of an Israelite nation upon the death of Joshua (and his peers). “We are a/the [religion] nation.” It can become a great deceit.

Thus, God’s word is sharper than any sword. Paul’s words in letters were far sharper than his presence. Why? Often a letter is missing so much of the feeling and emotion of presence.

There is a reason why emojis and emoticons have become such a part of the digital world…text only goes so far. However, sometimes the lack of emotion in the text makes it the very thing we need.

Just as Paul’s letter to the Corinthians was one of love, his previous letter(s) had apparently earned him a reputation.

God’s letter, the Bible, is much the same. It is God’s story to us. We do miss a lot of God’s emotions. Yet perhaps we need a lot of sharpening.

It was my hope that we would be beyond this. It was my hope that we would be stepping toward healing. That is not the case.

While it will be easy to point at one president or one political party, the truth is that we are as much the issue as anyone else. The truth is that we are in as great a need of God’s word shaping and sharpening us as anyone else.

※Reflection※

What is something in your life that needs sharpening by God’s word?

※Prayer※

Lord, let your word shape us, and your love strengthen to be your hands, feet, and words in this world. Amen.

2021-01-13