Devotion.al

Tag: individual

  • Dancing Fools

    Psalm 148, 2 Samuel 6:12–22, Matthew 6:1–8

    Do or do not before others?

    David danced in all his power during a massive 10 mile parade, taking the Ark from Obed-edom’s land to Jerusalem. He was the king. There were many sacrifices happening. There were all the musicians, followers and soldiers that would have been a part of this. What a spectacle that must have been! We see that the Bible specifically says that David was dancing before the Lord.

    His first wife, Micah, watched the parade from the city. His disgraceful behavior (from her ) tainted her views of David, and forever destroyed their . There is a strong sense that she feels that a “royal” person (especially the king) should more dignified before the people (and this would have political ramifications with any so-called nobility or courtiers). David’s is classic. He’s okay being undignified before God, because the people will recognize his “poor” behavior for what it is…worship of God. It would seem he was right.

    , on the other hand, was dealing with something that superficially the same. The rich and powerful trumpeted their successes, power, wealth, and pretend generosity. The people got on board and praised them for it all. The differences are heart deep. The rich and powerful really didn’t care as much about God, as they did about the wagging tongues of people. They cared about their power and influence, and what they could do with it. The people did what they did to survive culturally, socially, financially, and live. There was no or toward the rich and powerful.

    Often the words of Jesus are spoken to chide people from taking false pride and putting it on display. As Jesus said, that is their reward, with the implication being that they get the reward in this life, and there will be no reward for them in next. Yet, it is not bad to take pride in public actions. If Generations Church were to help a working mother put a down payment on a house of her own, yes, it would be good to be public about it, but not to brag on it, or expect a reward for it. Now, notice that this applies to the Framily, not to the . That would be a different story, maybe. Taking this working mother story further, it would be dishonoring of the woman to brag on the story, for then it becomes more about Generations than the of a woman.

    1) How does one praise and parade in front of God, publically, without being seen as one seeking the adoration of people?

    2) While you may not seem rich and powerful, how do behave like those like Michal, and like those that Jesus spoke against?

    3) Would you be willing to dance like a crazy person (before God) down the middle of Main Street?

  • Surrender the Pain

    Isaiah 52:13-53:11, Luke 22:39–23:56

    You might wear a cross. You might have one on a wall in your home. You probably have one on your bible. Today the cross has lost much of its brutality and disgrace. Movies like the “Passion of the Christ” attempt to convey the brutality, but it is so very hard to convey and understand the disgrace of the cross. Especially on this day, you need to see the cross not as what it became, but see it as the people of 2000 years ago saw it. The day they saw it on Good Friday. It was disgraceful. It was ugly. It was the ruling powers’ symbol of might, conquest, and oppression. There was nothing, absolutely nothing that could be remotely good or positive about, and there could be nothing good or positive about the one on it. We are often tempted to diminish the cross, lightly saying we have a cross to bear. The cross is no light burden.

    The disciples had a light burden. Accompany Jesus to the garden. And the succumbed to temptation. The world is full of temptation. There are many things which seem good, and are, but become bad, as we follow them away from God. Especially in the States, we have a, “I can do it myself” mentality. There is also the ladder, of ever-increasing hours spent working. There are all the things that we are told we just have to have. Sometimes the temptation is to simply sleep, when God has told us to be praying, as what happened here with the disciples. Jesus wasn’t chiding the disciples for falling asleep, but for not praying when he asked. Temptation takes on many guises. Judas and Peter were tempted.

    Judas Iscariot will forever be known as the traitor. Peter will be ever known as one of Jesus’ closest followers. Yet, Peter denied Jesus to others. One of the biggest differences between Judas Iscariot and Peter is not their respective , for they both betrayed Christ, but that Peter’s heart was open to correction. Judas Iscariot took things, including his self-condemnation, without . Peter understood and accepted the unmerited grace of Jesus, but Judas Iscariot did not believe it applied to him. Instead of being forever the traitor, he could have repented, and been redeemed. Betrayal is not just turning Jesus over, or denying Jesus, but saying that Jesus offer of unmerited grace does not apply to you or others. Grace is the key to healing the world and reconciling it to God. However, the fallen heart turns to violence instead.

    Violence is a cruel part of this world. Wars, robbery, school violence, abuse, bullying, anger, disrespect are all acts of violence. When we hear the word violence, we generally think of acts. However, Jesus tells us that violence is as much against the soul and well-being of the (both the perpetrator and the recipient), as it is the body. In fact, much, if not all of the violence that is physical done, at the root, is caused by the violence done to the soul and mind.

    Jesus spoke while on the cross, in the midst of pain, and the climax of abuse, “Father, forgive them. They know not what they do.” The victim of violence, while being violated, asked for them to be forgiven.

    We hold our griefs, our pains, our anguish often so close to our hearts that God doesn’t come near. Not because God can’t, for nothing is impossible for God, but because God doesn’t want to be violent toward us. When we release these things, God steps in, joyfully, desiring to help us the pain that we hold onto keeping God away from us.

    1) What are your temptations that pull you away from God and God’s of ? Can you be honest with yourself and God that those temptations have been nailed to the cross, and that you will leave them there?

    2) Who has shown you grace? If you can’t think of anyone, then you have work to do. At some point in your life, someone gave you a lot of grace. What does God’s grace mean to you? What could God’s grace lived out in the world actually do?

    3) What pain keeps your heart from being fully yielded to God, and being God’s willing aide? Will you look at the nails of the cross, and leave that pain nailed there?

    May Jesus Christ, who for our sake became obedient unto death, even death on a cross, keep you and strengthen you, now and forever.

  • Welcomed To The Table

    Genesis 12:1-7, Ruth 2:13–19, Job 31:24–32

    For many of us (if not most), the call of Abram (who would become Abraham) doesn’t seem that significant from a strictly human . Yes, any of us would find being called by God significant, but the calling away from relatives and land is not so strange. This is not the case here. There is a relationship with the land. The land of one’s ancestors. There is also the concept of leaving one’s .

    American culture, especially Western American culture, has some significant breaks with the culture of Abram. The settler and/or explorer mentality which underlies much of American founding is not conducive to family roots, or least always staying near home. America celebrates individuality and individual to culturally understand what God is having Abram do. The only exception to this break had been agricultural families, but with the increasing transformation from family to corporate farms, even that is going away.

    Abram was separated from his family and land by choice. Yes, it was God’s direction, but in his culture, leaving was a big break. While he had his household, he was now a household of wanderers. Where is home for such wandering group? By leaving the ties of the land, Abram would now effectively be a guest wherever he went.

    Ruth was the same. Yes, she had married an Israelite, but he was dead. She didn’t have to leave her homeland. However, in her heart she had made a decision that her husband’s family was truly her own, breaking her family ties. What made her decision even more significant was that all that was left of her husband’s immediate family was his widowed mother. Not much of a family structure for support. Now that Ruth and Naomi were back in Israelite land, Ruth was now responsible for both. By the of God, she fell into the care of Boaz, a distant relative. Boaz welcomed her above and beyond a . He truly welcomed her to his table to eat. She had no functional value to him, yet he welcomed her.

    And welcoming to the table is what Job did, too. He was in this. It wasn’t that he had a long line of people that would take advantage of this ( strong cultural taboo against it), so turning people away likely didn’t happen. He welcomed people to the table.

    1) Abram was a guest. Why would other landowners welcome him to their table? Why might they not?

    2) Culturally, much of American culture has turned away from welcoming strangers (hospitality). Why do you think that is? When do you think it started to ?

    3) Generations Community (along with the Church of the Nazarene) practices “Open .” How does that apply to Abram, Ruth, and Job? How do Abram, Ruth, and Job apply to “Open Communion?”

  • Cup of Blessing

    Psalm 16, Luke 24:13–35

    Psalm 16 is considered by many to be a Messianic Psalm. Peter and both seemed to have some agreement on this as they appear to have referenced as it appears to be referenced to by them in a number of places. One of the contrasts is the cup of blood (v4) and the cup of (v5). The cup of blood is what is used to pour out the drink offering. This is a play on the “right” drink offering before God, which was the fruit of the vine. Instead, this blood offering is an unrighteous offering, not only because of the conflict of the drink offering but also—and primarily—the offering was to a god other than God. In other words, those who were making these blood offerings had to follow false gods for their security.

    On the contrary, the cup of blessing is a Godly portion which holds and blessing. The cup of blessing comes with an inheritance. The cup of blessing comes with Godly fortitude (not false fortitude). The cup of blessing comes with security. And, lastly, the cup of blessing comes with the path of . With all of that, one can easily see why Messianic is applied to this psalm, especially in the context of communion.

    In the context of scripture (and yesterday’s sermon), we have talked about the institution of communion, which was ‘ Last Supper with his disciples, and was observed within the context of Passover. One could say that Cleopas and the other disciple (some believe it was his wife) experienced the first “true” communion. In many ways, it is the exclamation point on Paul’s words, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes”(1 Corinthians 11:26). Seeing is believing. They saw their Lord alive after he was dead, and declared alive again. They became witnesses to his bodily resurrection. What a way to know in your heart what the new included!

    1) Do you remember your first communion? If not, that’s okay. If you do, what do you remember? Do you remember the last communion you took? If so, what do you remember?

    2) In certain church communities communion is taken individually Why do you think that is? Generations Community this coming Sunday, will take communion in framily groups? Why is this important?

    3) Why is the and group taking of communion important? What does this tell us about church-, -, and community-life?

  • Legacy of Faith

    Psalm 27, Genesis 13:14-18, Philippians 3:2-12

    David was no saint insofar as not always being a good example to follow: thuggery, adultery, murder, failure to lead and/or protect his family. On the other hand, David wrote God-inspired psalms, designed the Great Temple, outline the rules and families for (who did what), and was—by and large—a faithful follower of and champion for God. When we read Psalm 27, we see a person’s open to God. In the psalm, David declares that God is pretty much everything. David’s statement regarding his parents abandoning him (something that would be especially painful and cruel in a family driven culture), but that God would still be there is also an identifying thing. David was declaring that without his family, his identity would still be found in God. It was a to pass on, but as noted earlier, David didn’t do so well with his family. Other than Solomon, we know nothing about the of David’s children, and Solomon’s faith became troubled as he got older. Is it David’s fault that his legacy was not passed on well? To some degree it was. However, at some point, those who follow have to keep nourishing the flame of faith they were given.

    While even most non- folks recognize Adam and Eve, and Noah (who are important characters), from a religious standpoint none may be more important than Abram (Abraham). In this passage, Abram gives Lot the choice of direction. Lot chooses what seems to be the better land. Yet, after he made that choice, God tells Abram that his offspring will equal the amount of in the world. Is that an overstatement? Perhaps, however, we have to look at how the Israelites viewed it as a promise fulfilled. They would know. Then look and Christianity, a child faith of Abraham. They (we) are also the progeny of Abram. Abram’s legacy of faith has been passed down to us. And it is the legacy of faith that truly matters.

    Paul, until his conversion, had received a legacy of duties, tasks, rituals, that did not give , or at least no full life. While Christians may be quick to accuse the Jews of lifeless rituals that they though saved them, many of those same rituals developed a deep and ground faith in God. It all really depended on the and what they did with the flame of faith pass on to them.

    1) Who passed on the flame of faith to you? What are you doing to make sure that the flame of faith you pass on will be as strong or stronger?

    2) Paul states that he cares more about knowing (God) than doing stuff, and relying on stuff. Can you say the same of yourself?

    3) The beauty of David’s life is that it is honest. David’s life was not perfect, just as yours or mine are not. Why does acknowledging not having a perfect life important when passing on the faith?

    FD) Did you know that you have a responsibility to accept faith and nourish (feed) it?

  • Relating Loss

    Genesis 2:20–3:20, Proverbs 3:19–35, Isaiah 3:1–14

    When telling a story it is often best to start at the beginning. Sometimes authors don’t for they feel it might ruin the tension of the story. Other times, the story does start at the beginning for the main , but that main character is in the middle of a much bigger story which affects the main character. All of us are in the midst of our story. Our life story takes place among the myriad of life stories of . Genesis isn’t that way. It’s the beginning. We often become overly concerned of things beyond, “God made it.” We become concerned with how, when, how long, etc. God did make it. That’s the answer. Genesis is and yet isn’t about and God’s making of it. Really it’s about God’s story of God and humankind. The first part of Genesis is more like setting the stage for what is to come…humankind.

    God’s story of humankind is one of relationship. Even the naming of the creatures is relational (if you question that, think of how labeling words spoken can damage ). However, God only made one human. God made Adam out of , yet chose to make Eve out of Adam. This reinforces not just an emotional relationship, but one to the depths of their bones.

    God didn’t just leave it at that. Based on Genesis 3:8, we can infer that God regularly walked in the garden. Whether that was a poetic license or not, it means that there was an active and ongoing relationship between God and humankind. God didn’t just create and go. God stayed in relationship. And yet, humankind allowed an other than God to enter into their relationship with God, and humankind stepped away from relationship with God.

    God “founded the earth by ,” and yet here is humankind walking (sometimes running away) from it. Sadly, there are many who call themselves Christians who are doing it faster than those who don’t. And before you think it is over certain issues of the day, it is so much more than that, and so much deeper. Humankind cannot get along with itself. When we rely on human understanding and wisdom, we will always up short. In Proverbs, we read about maintaining sound wisdom and discretion. The soundness is based upon God and a relationship with God. Imagine if all of humankind, including us, followed these well. What an amazing place we would live in.

    The consequences of ignoring this God-filled wisdom is . Isaiah talks about what is about to happen to Judah’s leaders, but read the list of those to be removed. In all likelihood, you can quickly start tying names and positions to the leaders called out. While Isaiah quotes God as saying, “I will,” if we are honest with ourselves, and about ourselves, cultures and country, we have done a pretty good job at placing unstable and immature people as leaders at many levels (local, county, state, national). Are we at the point where people don’t want to be leaders? Not yet, but at the rate we are turning on each other, it won’t be long.

    1) Relationship is a core piece of Christian thought. In particular relationship with God. Many things can damage our relationship with God, especially habits which were once good, but are no longer. Can you think of anything that has been hampering or damaging your relationship with God?

    2) Why are we so quick to allow others to interfere with our relationship with God?

    3) We are often quick to cast our political, religious, cultural, national rivals as fools or unstable. What does that tell us about ourselves?
    FD) Have you ever wanted to create your own place? Would you create that place to be like a god, or for a different reason?

  • Unveiling Transfiguration

    Psalm 99, Exodus 34:29–35, 2 Corinthians 3:12–4:2, Luke 9:28–36

    Sometimes things we are unaware of about ourselves become a separator be us and others. Imagine Moses already feeling the pressure of leading these people. The strain of leadership along with the regular stubbornness of the Israelites would always keep some separation between Moses and the people. In addition, Moses’ history as part of Pharoh’s household would always be an underlying issue. Now Moses presented himself before God, and he was changed. He was physically different in such a way as apparently people avoided looking at his face. Moses then put on clothing (a ) that physically and psychologically separated him from his people. We all want to not have to wear masks. We all want to be able to be ourselves with others. Moses no longer had that option. He had to wear a mask (the veil) so that people would interact with him. Moses was blessed to be able to have such an intimate relationship with God. On the other hand, because of that relationship with God, Moses’ relationship with the people was not so good, as they struggled with it.

    Paul uses this example to help explain the way it was in comparison to the new in Christ. The new life in Christ is where each person, not a single individual, has a relationship with God. In addition, instead of having an outward sign (though still possible), it was now an inward work. As it is now God working inside of us, we are freed from the “veil” that separates our “normal” life from a life with God. However, sometimes we become confused as to how it works (which is easy to do).

    Peter, John, and James accompanied up the mountain. There was obviously an that this would be a time of and especially prayer. A time of confrontation was not expected by Jesus’ followers. They saw Jesus from a man to something more. As men steeped in the lessons of the Jews, they would have understood that this is the glory that people experienced when looking at Moses, and yet it was not just Jesus’ face. His entire being and even his clothes were transformed. Adding to the reality of this, Moses (the venerated first prophet) and Elijah (the prophet that was to precede the Messiah) were present. This was beyond any and all expectation.

    Whether the men wanted this experience to continue, or whether they were trying to be respectful, it doubt strange to build shelters. On the other hand, the expectation of being able to visit the great men of Israel (Jesus included) would have been a transformative thing for the entire , yet it was not to be. The presence of Moses and Elijah accompanying Jesus was not to establish the wise men of Israel but to establish Jesus’ rightful place. the last words to Peter, James, and John, though, was the real lesson. This was the teaching that the prophets and Jesus were handing off the leadership of the new to the next leaders.

    Peter, James, and John were selected. Despite their future failings, there were still the ones that would be leaders of the community that was coming. They would be bearers of God’s grace, truth, , and freedom. Their personal relationship with Jesus showing that anyone can have a personal relationship with God.

    1) What “veils” exist in your spiritual life?

    2) What things, opportunities, habits, people keep you from relating to others and God?

    3/FD) What lessons can you from Peter, James, and John in this event they experienced?

  • Joy Refill

    Joy Refill

    Psalm 47, Psalm 48, Revelation 19:6-9

    “…God ascends among shouts of …”
    Psalm 47:5

    “…[God’s] holy mountain, rising splendidly, is the joy of the whole earth…”
    Psalm 48:1

    “Let us be glad, rejoice, and give him because, the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his bride has prepared herself.”
    Revelation 19:7

    All around God is rejoicing. There is not only and glorifying, there is joy. While God is just, God wants to be surrounded by rejoicing, or joy-filled, . You and I are called to be those joy-filled saints. It is one of those strange things where it is our duty to be joy-filled. Dutifully joy-filled seems contradictory, as if we are being commanded (as in obeying the law or a vengeful dictator) to feel a particular way. It isn’t that. Duty acts as a check and balance. It is our duty to assure that we are joy-filled saints. When doing our duty of checking the joy in the tank (so to ), and we find it empty, we know that we need to refocus on God, thanks to Jesus Christ our Savior and surrendering (again) to the Holy .

    The image of bride has been applied to the church since the beginning. In that image, there is a tension of collective (everyone) and being the bride (not in a gendered way) of Jesus. The bride prepares herself. While she may be crying as she walks down the aisle, the tears should be ones of inescapable joy, of love and thankfulness of an eternal bond. A bride that is not joy-filled walking down the aisle should really be rethinking the marriage.

    That is why it is our calling to be joy-filled. Every day we take one more step down the aisle toward Jesus. When it comes to Jesus, it isn’t good to be a runaway bride.

    Lastly, the populace of Heaven (of Heaven!) is rejoicing at this marriage! How amazing is that? Instead of viewing us as dirty or unworthy, we are the celebrated bride, and everyone is happy for the , Jesus!

    1) check. Are you joy-filled toward God?

    2) What things can people do to refill their tanks of joy?

    3) What practices or habits do you use to refill on your joy?

    KD) What does it mean to refill on joy?