Devotion.al

Tag: Lent

  • In the Shadows of Triumph

    In the Shadows of Triumph

    Isaiah 42:1–9; Psalm 36:5–11; Hebrews 9:11–15; John 12:1–11

    Yesterday, we celebrated Palm Sunday. The Messiah, no, the King, no, God (!) entered Jerusalem! At churches around the world, children paraded waving palm branches. The triumphant entry is a big thing!

    I remember being part of a multi- parade on Palm Sunday. We walked from one church to another. It was different. It provided some emotional and experiential context, but just as we read yesterday, the triumphal resulted in a quiet departure.

    Traditionally, there are a couple of events that are “assigned” to Holy Monday. One of them is the anointing of Jesus by Mary. As Judas so kindly (sarcasm) pointed out, what she did was expensive. It could be seen as a waste. It was something used with a dead body, and Jesus wasn’t dead.

    It was, however, a foreshadowing of what would happen in a few days (granted, no one understood that). It was a beautiful teaching point. In the midst of the smell of death (for the perfume was associated with that), Jesus lived!

    This not-so-insignificant event was at the home of Lazarus, Martha, and Mary. A household that was already a place of significant events. This household seemed to have a pretty significant with Jesus. The anointing of Jesus is also very intimate (which is telling, too) for only the immediate family would anoint the dead.

    That Jesus went from the triumphal entry to quiet to the home of this family probably has lessons for us if we knew more. We can only presume and . As Jesus understood his time was short, he wanted to spend some extra time with this family that was significant to him.

    Perhaps that is the lesson for us. We have spent the last year in a strange “space”. Time with others was limited. Extend family was discouraged. We have learned some valuable lessons. Others are important, even for us introverts. As our times and interactions became limited, they became more valuable, and we began to choose which was the most significant to us.

    It’s probably a good time to contemplate the quiet, the time before the darkness; the contrast between the triumph and the quiet. The time to celebrate, and the time to take a breath…and the of the Holy .

    ※Reflection※

    • Where do you “meet” Jesus most, in the triumph or in the quiet? Why do you think that is?
    • What do you see happening this week that will echo the emotional ups and downs of Holy Week?

    ※Prayer※

    Almighty God, whose most dear went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the Cross, may find it none other than the way of and ; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. [Monday of Holy Week Collect, Book of Common , 2019]

  • Acclaim or Quiet

    Acclaim or Quiet

    Psalm 118:1–2, 19–29; Mark 11:1–11; John 12:12–16

    ! The cry of the people before the gates of Jerusalem was filled with this word. Hosanna is a Hebrew contraction meaning, “save, we pray,” which you just read in Psalm 118:25. Hosanna is used as part of the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles, which was a commemoration of Israel’s 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. Part of the commemoration even involves going around the altar waving palm branches.

    ‘ entry into Jerusalem was more than the coming King sitting on a donkey, which represented conquering in . By using hosanna, the people were putting Jesus where we understand he belongs (as God), but the religious leaders saw it as blasphemous. The palm leaves were part of a celebration. From the of those in the religious seats of and influence, this was completely wrong.

    John was a little harsh on the Disciples, John described them as clueless. They seemed unable to see all the symbolism that Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem included, and what it portended.

    We could dismiss the disciples as ignorant. They were. John notes something significant, though, once they witnessed Jesus glorified, the pieces came . The difference between the well-educated and those who were not is very apparent. Those that had the education saw the signs, put the puzzle together, and denied the in front of them, and then denied the greater Truth. Those that had the lesser education (if any at all), saw the signs, couldn’t put the puzzle together, yet, in the end believed the Truth.

    This is not about the education, but the blindness of that often goes along with it. There is a dark reality to the internet, and that is an answer is only a search away. Similar to education, the internet often blinds us to the Truth, even Christians. Savior and King (and God) entered Jerusalem. The Truth would set them free, eventually, if they accepted it. That’s where this story continues to be told with imagery. Entering on a donkey, meant that Jesus was coming in as the King in peace. Jesus then left the city. There was a mass celebration, but no similar acceptance. Jesus came in but left in quiet.

    ※Reflection※

    • Palm Sunday (Liturgy of the Palms) usually focuses on the triumphant entry. Why do we not talk about Jesus’ much quieter exit that same day?
    • How does education and/or knowledge often blind us to the and handiwork of God?
    • Do you think Jesus’ loud entry contradicts Jesus’ quiet departure?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, we are drawn to the dramatic. Help us to be sensitive to your quiet workings that we all too often are blind to. Amen.

  • Star Light Star Bright

    Star Light Star Bright

    Psalm 118:1–2, 19–29; Jeremiah 33:1–9; Philippians 2:12–18

    I’m guilty. I’m guilty of not seeing God’s many blessings. God’s blessings have been more than I could count, granted, but I should count more of them. I was convicted by Jeremiah 33:9, “They will be in total awe at all the good and prosperity I provide for them.”

    ※ When was the last time you were awed by all the good and prosperity that God has provided? ※

    If you’re like me, you could look at all our troubles and disagreements on race, (any) immigration, political party, president, COVID practices, and ask, “Good? Prosperity?” This is where we humans tend to get ourselves in trouble, especially when we evaluate God. Just saying “evaluate God” sounds unwise, doesn’t it? Yet, when we ask God, “why,” and don’t keep in mind the blessings, this is often exactly what we do.

    ※ Is your tendency to ask God, “Why”, before praising God?※

    Paul wrote to the Philippians, “Do everything without grumbling and arguing.” We’ve been pretty awful at that lately, as a . People of all political stripes and persuasion have developed a habit of ad hominem attacks (attacking individuals, not policy). The “gridlock” of Washington, D.C., will get far worse because of it. That, brothers and sisters, is where we come in.

    ※ Imagine responding to attacks on people with a grace-filled commentary on a policy. What would the response be? ※

    This is not a blind hope that a “gentle answer will turn away wrath” (Proverbs 15:1). There actually isn’t much that Christians will the tenor of (although we’ve been some of the most guilty). Changing the general tenor isn’t our job, nor is it our responsibility. It is our tenor that is our responsibility.

    The reason for keeping the blessings and prosperity in mind is that is a good way to cultivate our hearts to be warm and full of love, which allows us to respond in a Christ-honoring way. As they are God’s blessings and prosperity, they are not ours. Another way of saying it is that since it is God’s, we shouldn’t be holding onto what isn’t ours so tightly. Our responses to need to be inspired and driven by the generosity and grace of God.

    Before someone asks, “I’m to be a doormat?” No. Turning the other cheek refers to being insulted. Going the extra mile is acting above and beyond the requirements. As Paul phrased it, “Among these people you shine like stars in the world because you hold on to the of life.”

    ※ If someone with whom you have strongly disagreed were asked, would you be described as gasoline on a or as a star in the world? ※

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, when you called Abraham to look at the stars, he saw a of children. Help us, Lord, to not just to be a number amongst the stars, but to embody the of the stars into a world darkened by . Amen.

  • Love Surrendered

    Love Surrendered

    Psalm 118:1–2, 19–29; Deuteronomy 16:1–8; Philippians 2:1–11

    Passover begins very shortly. In fact, there is a great symmetry in this. Passover starts with Israel’s rescue from Egypt (), passing through the Red Sea (), and in more modern understandings of Passover, the last day (or the last 2, depending on nation), is the “future looking” meal with the Messiah as the center (the Eucharist/).

    Confused, yet? Amazed? The Jewish aspects of Christian theology and symbolism are there in plain .

    One of the interesting pieces is that there remains an expectation that the Messiah will come in power, , and might. This was the expectation of any person claiming to be the Messiah in ‘ day. Thus, when Jesus didn’t fulfill that, most Jews disregarded Jesus as Messiah.

    It is this quest for earthly presence which continues to haunt all of humanity. The constant pursuit of power, glory, wealth, continually seems to be against following God. It isn’t that power, glory, wealth, and gain are against God, but that the means and hearts of people are. Much of this is the desire to be above , so that others look up to you, and you have those you can look down upon.

    ‘s observation that Jesus total divinity and became man is one of the linchpins of Christian theology and faith. That Jesus did this shows two things, that God loves those Created, and this love is so profound that God became not just identified with humanity, but actually became human. That is not a quest for power, glory, wealth, or gain, at least in the normal sense.

    Only God could turn becoming nothing into something beyond understanding.

    ※Reflection※

    • What else does this tell you about God?
    • What does this make you reflect on when comparing your actions to God’s?
    • Who has the harder comparison, a person of Christ or a person of the world?

    ※Prayer※

    God, you have called us to follow your example, and it’s hard. Help us, in our pride, to yield our will to yours. Amen.

  • Beyond Sight/Site

    Beyond Sight/Site

    Psalm 119:9–16; Haggai 2:1–9, 20–23; John 12:34–50

    Haggai and Zechariah were the two prophets that accompanied the Israelites from exile to home. Their primary focus was the restoration of Israel, not so much as a powerhouse, but as a people and of God, including both temple and the Davidic kingly line. Later on down the chronological line (beyond today’s readings), the temple is completed. However, the temple that was completed did not have the of the old one in status.

    As Haggai’s words are considered canonical (i.e., verified as the action of God), then the Jews saw something much different than the literal word (often our temptation when we are reading). From a Jewish standpoint (especially Haggai’s traditionalist perspective), the temple isn’t so much the point as a people faithfully pursuing God with one of the signs being faithful worship as prescribed in the Old Testament. What does it matter what it looked like today ( the original Temple was David’s plan, inspired by God, but not prescribed) when faithful worship and a God-fearing king were what was required?

    That Haggai was seeing beyond the immediate temple and even beyond the immediate kingly line tells us that Jesus’ words were not without historical precedence (as some have claimed). As we look beyond Jesus’ time on earth, we can see the fulfillment of Haggai’s words, as in Jesus Christ has changed the world. Though, sadly, many of those who cried, “Lord, Lord,” were liars, murderers, and -grabbers beyond the average struggling .

    Haggai’s understanding of a God-honoring revolved around the temple. That is what tradition and the Scriptures taught. Haggai understood quite well, as he was coming from exile, that empty actions were not what was needed. It was actions that were firmly grounded in who God is, and that the Israelites were God’s chosen people.

    While Jesus’ words may have seemed revolutionary at the time, Jesus did answer the “Christ will be with us forever” in a way unexpected, though by pure reason, it probably should have been an idea. The Christ was with the Children of God forever…in their souls, their temple to God. Thus a relationship through the temple was now very personal, and the Christ was with them.

    Would Haggai have been able to recognize that Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of his prophecy in only a way that God could make it happen? Perhaps. We can only look at Haggai’s words and see Christ in retrospect.

    ※Reflection※

    • What practices do you fulfill in relationship with God? How about in regards to the temple, both body and church?
    • What do you think is comparable to the Davidic kingly line in regards to lively rightly before God?
    • When was the last time you evaluated your habits through the lens of habit or “because you need to”? Why is it important?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, guide us ever deeper into meaningful and -changing relationship with you. Amen.

  • Depths of Lent

    Depths of Lent

    Psalm 119:9–16; Isaiah 44:1–8; Acts 2:14–24

    Lent has various aspects. The first is our mortality (“from you came; to dust you ”). The second is sin. Mortality and sin are connected. Without the original sin, there would be no death. Sin brought death to Creation.

    From there, to some degree, sin is broken into original sin (that which brought death into Creation), and personal sin. Personal sin is often what we confront when it comes to Lent. This that sin which personally maintains separation from ourselves and God. More importantly, it is us through our sin that maintains that gap. The known end of Lent is Good Friday, the commemoration of when God died to bridge the chasm of between God and man. This makes our personal sin all the more tragic.

    Lent will often include some sort of spiritual that is usually a “ up” of something. There was a time when it was primarily meat (still is in Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic communities). As that was in a time where meat was in short supply already, there is some question as to how “sacrificial” it was. Now we think in terms of news, social media, phones (that would nice), internet, alcohol (for those who drink), a meal (not just meat). All this with the intent, though rarely practices, to instead use that time to approach the throne of God.

    Lent is really a time of pretend. That’s not mean in a bad way. In many respects, we blessed so much that it is hard to lament or mourn because we know what’s on the other side of Good Friday. Many of us have such a life of ease, that we don’t understand just how important God’s words are to the broken.

    We are not just talking about the -ese of the “lost” or the “wayward” or the “not-yet Christian” or the “cold to Christ”. We are talking about people abandoned and lost. As much as this may grate on you, this includes people fleeing to the US from their native country. While there are some who are truly not doing this to become a part of the US people, the majority are giving up (and gave up) everything for a sliver of a to become something new.

    That hope, as small as it often is, is that same sort of redemptive hope and life hope that God had promised to the Israelites for generations. That is the hope in the darkness that Lent exemplifies. Unless we have been in a dark place, any understanding of hope in the face of is an intellectual exercise lacking depth.

    To not take this as dismissive. This is coming from the depths of my own heart’s darkness these last few weeks. Certainly, not the darkest, but only by a few shades. As I look at that, I understand even then how much I cannot comprehend the depth and breadth and length of the despair of Israel, that was answered by the depth and breadth and length of God’s redemptive love.

    ※※

    What life experience can you use to relate to the hope in despair of Israel?

    ※Prayer※

    Jesus, thank you for walking the road of the cross for us. May we pick up our cross and follow you. Amen.

  • Found and Find

    Found and Find

    Psalm 119:9–16; Isaiah 43:8–13; 2 Corinthians 3:4–11

    God said, “I announced, I saved, I proclaimed…”

    says, “…our qualification is from God.”

    As much as the “world” tries to keep these two concepts in mind when out our lives, we really struggle with it. There is a constant desire to perform and prove. Many of those who gave in their general lives did so because they believed they could not perform and prove. It is often even more difficult in our spiritual lives.

    The tricky balance of a spiritual life is that it should pour out of us naturally. It is often hard (if not impossible) to determine if the life displayed of authentic pouring out or if it is by will and effort alone. We can be tricked into thinking that effort will produce spiritual life . We can also be tricked into thinking that our spiritual life is strictly an internal thing. A spiritual life will pour out something.

    ※Reflection※

    ※Does your spiritual life pour something positive into the lives of , just lost amongst other lives, or does it hurt the lives of others? ※

    In our quest to not shame people (including ourselves) regarding our spiritual journey, we often disregard effort and work. This was often covered under the term, spiritual disciplines. Spiritual Disciplines weren’t (and aren’t) checkboxes to completed. They are ongoing forming, reforming, and reconciling actions. While the performance of them has been used unspiritually to abuse and shame people into outward conformance, the spiritual disciplines are no less important.

    Paul notes that the gives life. Spiritual disciplines are to be the same. There is a big caveat there, however. The spiritual life often goes against the physical life (i.e., “spirit of the flesh” or “worldly”). This means that the physical life is crying, “I’m ,” while the spiritual life is crying, “I’m gaining life.”

    ※Further ※
    • Have you experienced your physical/worldly life dying while your spiritual life was growing? What was that like?
    • Why do you think we often believe our spiritual life is supposed to be easier than the worldly life to grow?
    • How do the opening words (from Isaiah and 2 Corinthians) affect or influence (or should) both worldly and spiritual lives?
    ※※

    Lord, often we make spiritual living too hard, but more often we think it should be easy, and thus it is all hard. Help us to submit our hearts and spirits to you, so that we may live lives fully committed to you. Amen.

  • Look and See

    Look and See

    Jeremiah 31:31–34; Psalm 51:1–12; Psalm 119:9–16; Hebrews 5:5–10; John 12:20–33

    In circles and theology, we talk about the New Covenant. When we read about the New Covenant from Jeremiah, the honest person might question which New Covenant Jeremiah was talking about. “They will no longer need to teach each other to know the Lord.”

    One of the primary ways the has understood this over the years is the of the Holy in believers. That’s a good way of thinking. When we add the instructions, we may begin to see a problem. Based upon the words of , we could simplify the instructions (which makes sense in light of the New Covenant) to God and love .
    It is, however, this combination that can cause a person (especially a non-believer) to if the New Covenant has actually come. Depending on your circles (whether of happenstance or decision), we have seen our brothers and sisters behaving in ways that do not seem to be motivated by the love of God or others.
    As we say we are Bible-believing people, the Bible is going to be one of the first places that non-believers (in particular, those who seek to not believe) go to check what Christians are supposed to be. This is what we should be thinking about as we read the .
    ※※
    • According to today’s passages (not just Jeremiah), what should a Christian display?
    • What happens when an apparent non-believer shows all the signs of a believer as an act of nature versus an act of will?
    ※Prayer※
    Lord, we hold onto the promise that we are indeed New Covenant people. Guild us and strengthen us to live New Covenant lives. Amen.