Devotion.al

Tag: living

  • A Movement: Of Priest and Temple

    A Movement: Of Priest and Temple

    1 Peter 2:1–12

    We, self-included, often focus on “…But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood…” (1 Peter 2:9). This is a very Protestant focus. However, it is not solely one, as both the Roman Catholic church and Eastern Orthodox also focus on it.

    Much of the focus is from the “pulpit”. In other words, the pastor/priest is talking to the believers listening that they, too, are part of the priesthood of all believers. Hence, why the second half of verse 9 is as important as the first half, “…that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous …”

    There is a reason for the “priesthood of all believers.” It is to be the priesthood for the world. In a number of traditions, the pastor/priest has a certain role, and that is to equip the priesthood of all believers to “…proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

    What is helpful here is to go back a few verses to “…you also, as stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Christ.” (1 Peter 2:5, NKJV)

    In 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, Paul tells the Corinthians that they are a to God. With Peter’s words, too, we come away with this strange duality. We are both temple and priest. Yes, it is symbolism.

    On the other hand, for a people far more reverent and religious than ours, this is significant.

    As a temple, first, we are to be clean. Unless your house, for example, is miraculous, you have to clean it regularly. We “track” the world into our physical house. Whether it’s sweeping, vacuuming, scrubbing, or something more, we must clean our homes.

    How much more so do we track the world into ourselves, a temple of God? So, therefore, we must clean ourselves as befitting a temple of God. There are plenty of ways that clean the temple. Personally, I have found the practice of Bible reading, prayer, and small group (in my case, 3 other guys spread across the country) to be the best cleansing (doesn’t make it easy). You may find other practices to be better. Just make sure the cleaning gets done regularly.

    This isn’t just an “inside” job, either. The outside aspect of the temple is important, too. The world sees the outside of the temple. The peculiarity of being the temple is that we are very aware of the crevices that aren’t clean on the inside. If we focus too much on the inside, however, the outside is a mess. However, if we (like so many of us do) focus too much on the outside, the temple comes crumbling down, for the internal structure cannot hold up the facade (or false front) shown to the world, and we then dishonor God by our fallen temple.

    This is not about tattoos, piercings, dyed hair, or something like that. This is about how we treat others, care for others, or even others. This is about the behaviors we allow ourselves to do, and allow others to do. As the culture has made us all too aware, we have not done a particularly good job regarding the behaviors of others.

    Nor can we forget about being “the priest”. You may have experienced this, too, where someone says that all they need to do is God in their car or online or even at church and that’s all that matters. It’s as if the priestly aspect of worshipping God with song is the “goal” of being a priest.

    If we were to look at one of the tasks of priests (the ones in the temple), we could draw that conclusion. Except…they weren’t the only priests. The majority of priests (from an Old Testament point of view) didn’t work at the temple. They were among the people.

    Much of the Christian view has been twisted (with significant reason) to view that the entirety of the priestly class was the leadership that as described in the New Testament that followed and harassed and challenged Jesus. Yet, while the Scribes and the Pharisees were the loud obnoxious ones we read about, we know that they weren’t the only ones out there (think of John the Baptist’s dad).

    The priestly isn’t only the roles and tasks at temple that need doing. It is the healing and guiding of the world. With even a little bit of introspection, we know that we need the of, and to be changed by, God to do either of those well.

    ※Reflection※

    • What does it mean for you to be a priest?
    • What are some of the ways that you are a temple to and of God?
    • How does you being a priest affect your understanding of also being a temple?

    ※Prayer※

    God, grant us the lamp of love that never grows dim,
    that it may shine in us and warm our hearts,
    giving light to others through our love for them,
    by its brightness provide a vision of the holy city where the true and inextinguishable light of Jesus Christ our Lord shines. Amen.
    — a modified prayer of Columbanus

  • Be Our Guest

    Be Our Guest

    Psalm 111; Exodus 24:1–11; Romans 15:22–33

    If you were invited to a US presidential affair, you might be surprised. Unless you roam such circles or are connected to them, usually you won’t have any expectation of being invited to at the table with the president, unless, of course, you decide to contribute to their presidential campaign and pay a lot of money to eat mediocre food. It just isn’t going to happen.

    ? ┤If you were invited and accepted that invitation, how would you react to those seated with you? Would you be on “good” behavior? Would you be yourself? Would you be absolutely frozen? What if, the president came to your table and spoke with you? ├ ?

    Most of us think that we would react just fine. Depending on which president or former president, we might even believe that we would correct them and “tell them the way it is.” We might.

    The 70 elders ate with God. They saw the floor of God’s abode. We could just write it off as some religious experience, but that sounds pretty significant to just “write off”. In fact, writing it off is just like writing off because Jesus isn’t right there. Yes, people do belittle Communion when they don’t recognize the of God. However, based upon how this verse is often overlooked, perhaps we’re writing off the presence of God altogether.

    Yeah, I said “ouch” to myself, too.

    One doesn’t “just” have a meal with God. Culturally, a meal is a safe place; it can even be a place of transparency. Eating with God. What an amazing experience!

    ? ┤Can you imagine eating with God? ├ ?

    If you can’t, then think back to Communion. While our theology doesn’t have us literally eating the body and blood of Jesus, we are still eating with God. You eat a meal with God! Those 70 elders, and even Moses (!), will never experience what you—as a follower of Jesus—get to do regularly.

    ? ┤ Have you ever thought of Communion as eating a meal with God? ├ ?

    At Communion, we will phrases as, “you are welcome” or “a guest at the table” or “God’s feast”, but do we really recognize that means that the master of ceremonies, the Creator of the Universe, the through whom all things were made, and for who all things were made, and the Spirit of God that gives us a unlike any other…is eating with us?

    ※Prayer※

    Gracious Father, we You praise and thanks for Holy Communion of the body and blood of Your , Jesus Christ our Lord, the means of our redemption. We pray that the mercies of God may produce in us a grateful that finds expression through holy and perfect love to God and to people. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. [The Eucharistic ending prayer for the Eucharist Under Special Circumstances, The Church Rituals Handbook, 2nd Edition, Jesse Middendorf]

  • Burning Call

    Burning Call

    Psalm 145:10–18; 1 Kings 19:19–21; Colossians 1:9–14

    One of the issues that has come up in the last year in church-ish circles is the ordination of women. Saddleback took a bold step and ordained women which went against the predominant grain of their partner body (SBC). There was an unexpected explosion in certain circles against Beth Moore. Along with misogynistic proclamations and male misconduct issues in the SBC, Moore left that body that she had grown up in.

    One of the claims against women being ordained are some contextually misused verses and the traditions of the Israelites. The Church of the Nazarene has ordained women since its founding, but over the years has struggled to fulfill that . It’s on the right track, but there is work to be done, still.

    There is often a wringing of hands in Christian Complementarianism (where only men can be leaders/pastors/elders) circles that there aren’t enough faithful men to fulfill empty roles. The Roman Catholic church, on top of its complementarian issues also requires celibacy, is also experiencing this problem. Some churches in both groups are finding creative ways around their limitations, but the reality is that there aren’t the faithful men needed.

    For me, there were two transformative experiences in this regard. The first was experiencing the preaching of Dr. Nina Gunter. Any person with any spiritual sense and without theological blinders could experience her spirit-led preaching. The second was during my “Discovery” weekend of my pastoral journey, where I had to preach to my peers, senior pastor, and District Superintendent. I preached from Luke 19:38–40, where Jesus was told to rebuke his disciples. He responded, then the rocks will cry out. When I was praying over the words to preach, it came to me; God will not for us to proclaim God’s .

    In other words, in the tradition of the Church of the Nazarene (and our sibling Holiness denominations) already assumed there were faithful women (and, yes, there are deeper theological reasons). I came to realize that complementarianism may actually already have its answer. If the men won’t rise, perhaps the women will (see Judges 4:4–9). Not the most Nazarene answer, at the time, but it resonated with my (and its implications went far beyond the ordination of women).

    Faithfully responding to God has long been an issue. It goes beyond gender. It goes beyond status. It goes beyond wealth. It is a reflection of sin.

    To understand, Elisha was, at minimum, plowing in a community, where people worked fields (theirs and each others’). Some commentators believe that Elisha owned (or was the son of the owner of) all the oxen. That would be 24 oxen, so that would have been a lot of wealth (kind of like having 24 Jaguar cars). Elisha (and/or his family) owning 2 seems much more likely. That would still put him (in modern terms) in a very comfortable middle class.

    Then some famous guy comes and puts his mantle (Elijah’s symbol of the prophetic office) on Elisha’s shoulders. Elisha understands that Elijah is declaring him the heir of the prophetic office, which was an unusual example in the Scriptures. Elisha’s response was (basically), “let me show and to my parents.” Done. Then Elisha burns the equipment required for a yoke of oxen, then kills same oxen for a celebration.

    Elisha opening, publically, severs himself from his old life. That is a lot of money to just be burning. It’s a great party, but there is no financial way of coming back from it easily. It’s similar to “burning the ships”. Hernán Cortés was famously said to have done this (he really just sank them) to keep his men from trying to home or mutiny (there is a lot more to the story, and much of it not so positive). Elisha did it for himself.

    One of the challenges that the Western Church faces is trying to return. This isn’t just buildings (So, let’s not burn them or just sell them). Actually, it’s more of a way of thinking. Looking back for guidance and encouragement? Yes. Looking back for the plan to navigate this new world? No.

    You, too, have a call on your life. You, too, have oxen to burn and ships to sink.

    ※Reflection※

    • What items/events/fears of your past or present are keeping you from living an on fire life for God? (Yes, that is a question asking daily)
    • If there was one “thing” in your life that would indicate that your are moving on, what would it be?
    • Why are we so attracted to stories like that of Cortés or Elisaha, but don’t put it into practice? What other cultural icons (generic or specific) are similar to Cortés and Elisha?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, there is no question that we are called to live for you. Let our lives be the bonfires that bring people into your . Amen.

  • Servant Life

    Servant Life

    Psalm 123; Ezekiel 2:1–5; 2 Corinthians 12:2–10; Mark 6:1–13

    In certain cultures, and in certain times, it was not dishonorable to be a . In fact, being a servant could well lead to a different path than what could else be accomplished. One of the most famous servants in US culture is a man named Alfred Pennyworth. He is the butler of Bruce Wayne, whose alter ego is The Batman. Yes, he’s merely a fictional . And, yes, he is one of the few positive US depictions of a servant.

    When working through the Scriptures, we often try to “soften” the imagery around servants, indentured servants, and slaves. Part of it is our US ethos of rugged individualism. The other part is our darker history of exploitation through both indentured servitude and slavery.

    To add insult to injury, or misunderstanding to the Scriptures, US culture diminishes waitstaff (a respectable path elsewhere), cooks, or anyone who doesn’t fit certain narratives.

    This becomes crucial when we read passages such as Psalm 123:3. As a servant waits for their master, so our eyes upon the of God. Our cultural baggage with both master and servant removes our ‘s ability to see this verse as it is intended. The servant of which the psalmist writes loves their master. They love their master so much that it isn’t a burden; it is an honor. Their life orbits the master. They wait to do the master’s bidding so that the master is satisfied. The servant’s satisfaction comes from the master’s.

    In our context, we usually then , what about the needs of the servant or our needs (if we read ourselves into the role of the servant)? Then, are we really any different than the hardheaded and hardhearted descendants of Israel and Judah that God points to in Ezekiel 2: 4? Or are we more like the braggart that Paul tries not to be in 2 Corinthians 12:6, yet still think that we are greater than being a servant (which Paul didn’t)?

    The cultural shift that would make servants (and the service “industry”) more respectable or honorable may never come. Or, if Gen Z can become effective in many of its ideals, It may dovetail into the conversations around the minimum wage, livable wage, and permanent income.

    As a result of a recent conversation with a Gen-Z-er (~born 1995–2015), I realized that perhaps we are more servants than we realize. As employees, we serve our organization. An organization serves its stakeholders. That’s a little oversimplified, but you get the idea.

    However, most of us will immediately respond negatively to this imagery. We don’t want to serve. That should probably us pause when we think of living our lives for God.

    ※Reflection※

    • What is your response to being a servant (not serving)? Why? What is the difference between serving and being a servant?
    • Jesus called himself a servant. If God calls himself a servant, and we are his followers, why do we have problems with this concept when it comes to living the life?

    ※Prayer※

    Servant of the World who stepped down into . That you for your servant’s heart and sacrifice which brings us into the light. Amen.

  • The God of Where

    The God of Where

    Psalm 123; Jeremiah 7:1–15; 1 Corinthians 4:8–13

    The change between Jeremiah and Corinthians cannot be overstated. The clash between law and is right there before us.

    The CEB (the primary translation currently being used to write and to read for this devotional) and NRSV translated Jeremiah 7:7 as, “…only then will I dwell with you in this place, in the land that I gave long ago to your ancestors for all time.” The NIV and CSB translate more like, “… then I will let you live in this place…”These different translations would seem to add something else to this , yet, the understanding from a Jewish standpoint was God was present in the place, thus being allowed to live in this space (NIV/CSB) is very much along the lines of living with them (CEB/NRSV).“With” is very particular though. Living with a person is specific. One lives with a spouse. Children (for a time) live with their parents.

    The “with” sounds awesome, but as you look at the verses surrounding it, you can see a lot of requirements. We look at these, and we say, “of course!” Truly reform your ways and actions. Treat each other justly. Don’t take advantage of the immigrant or the orphan or the wide. Don’t shed innocent blood. Don’t follow other gods.

    The last few years have seen Christians, as a whole and around the world, fail each one of these. Many of these failures were very visible in the eyes of the world, and each damaged the of the . In other words, Christians of all types, nations, political leanings, and so on would have failed to these “easy” requirements outlined in Jeremiah.

    In contrast, “You’ve been filled already!” Filled with what? Filled with the Spirit. Filled with God! God isn’t with. God is in! Perhaps we might better combine the ways of the Jews “with” and the way “in” to “within”, for God is both with us and in us. That is a great blessing as we Christians have not been the givers of cold water (refreshing, live-giving) as we should be, as we are called to be.

    Unlike the list in Jeremiah (which is a very short version of the Law, with much removed), God within calls for a change of , rather than obedience to rules. This does not spare us from obedience. It changes (or should change) our perception and motivation from to love.

    Much of what has occurred over the last few years, but really over history, is that fear often motivates us far more than love. The fear that the orphan may lie, cheat and steal. In my history, there was an adoption that indeed went horribly wrong in exactly that way. It was used as a lesson to fear the orphan. The stories of witches (the classic, not the modern neo-pagan) often revolved around the widow, who became maligned, unknown, and eventually feared. Immigration, especially during the era of the modern state (last 300 years or so), has also grown to a place of fear.

    Fear over love.

    When we fear, we become powerless. When we love (with God’s love), only God’s is greater.

    ※Reflection※

    • How do you see God “with”, “in” and “within” your life, both in the past and today?
    • How does fear impact who you love and how you love them? (It may not be fear of them, FWIW)
    • How does love become interpreted as fear?
    • How might (or should) the “with”, “in”, and “within” of God affect your fears and love?

    ※Prayer※

    God, may we deepen our awareness of you being with us, in us, and within us. Amen.

  • Our Warring Hearts

    Our Warring Hearts

    Psalm 30; Lamentations 2:18–22; Luke 4:31–37

    In the science fiction series, Babylon 5, we learn about the “great” war. The great war was between two sides fighting for the benefit (or the evolution) of the “lesser” species. Each side has a different method to initiate and improvement. One side (“the ”) seeks to change people through peaceful means. The other side (“the shadows”) seeks to change people through fear, , and, most importantly, war. The sad part about this is the ultimate conclusion from the series is that both sides are right and wrong. It really does echo human history.

    For those who have grown up in these last few decades and for those who seek the of God, passages of destruction and penalty are often emotionally hard to read and more difficult to understand the seeming conflict between the God of love and the apparent God of wrath.

    When we read Lamentations it should, if we have our empathy intact, lead our hearts to ache for the and pain of Israel. It’s not that we do not understand that this is a consequence of Israel’s abandonment of God. We are human. We are called to empathize with others, even while we understand that these were consequences. Part of the struggle is that we long for comfort and security. We want our God to protect our understanding of our comfort and security. Whenever God even appears to challenge our comfort and security (even if it is for our own good), we cry out to and at God.

    We will often sound like that man in Capernaum. “What have you do with us, of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?”

    Our earthly minds will often disregard the man either because of his possession, or (if we don’t believe in literal possession) because he is a mentally ill man (the modern view). Regardless of which choice, the man still sounds like many of us. “Don’t change us. We like the way we are living.”

    Change often ends up being a little and a little mourning. We either have the courage to face and embrace it, or we respond in fear and anger when it comes upon us.

    ※Reflection※

    • Have you ever had a personal change that felt a little like death (not talking about the death of a one)?
    • Why do we often reject war (of many kinds) and pain, pursue and desire change, and yet often only change when thrust into the middle of war and pain?

    ※Prayer※

    Help pursue a life of change. Train our hearts to see you and not the trials that temper us. Amen.

  • Port Wise

    Port Wise

    Psalm 107:1–3, 23–32; Job 29:1–20; Acts 20:1–16

    “Any port in a storm!”

    From a strictly practical standpoint, that sailor quip makes sense. Yet, the port may have dangers of its own that were unexpected. If, for example, naval ships from opposing sides set anchor in the same bay due to a storm, once the storm abated, a different storm might begin.

    Security is a multi-faceted need. We recognize our need for security in realms like jobs, health, food, protection. We have become so accustomed to increased safety that new “security” items are released into the market every year.

    Security, though, is a double-edged sword, especially if you are not practicing wisdom and spiritual discernment. In certain places in the world, people place themselves under the protection of strong men and gangs. They know that the person or people they are being “protected” by are as bad, or worse, than , but some protection is better than none.

    People will place their security in the hands of politicians (this is pretty universal across the spectrum, except for anarchists and somewhat libertarians). Much of the political rancor that we are dealing with is how people feel most protected or safe. Even those saying we are protecting your freedom imply that they are protecting your freedom from “them”.

    While this is relatively easy to point to in (though often not easy), it may well be a bigger issue in the church and within the faith context of Christianity.

    Of course, there is the easy to identify, “all religions are equal,” safe port that provides zero to most religions, as most claim to have some sort of ultimate truth. That ultimate truth is usually not the same as other religions. Thus, all religions are not equal.

    The slightly harder “safe ports” are religions dressed up in clothes, but have significantly different starting, middle, and ending points. The primary two are the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Church of Latter-Day (Mormons). At least, in the beginning, the Jehovah’s Witnesses were successful because they pulled at many people’s desires to be like others. The Mormons are often successful because they really help others in ways that we need to .

    The harder safe ports are things like prosperity and the health & wealth “gospels” which attribute success in health and/or wealth to one’s faith (and usually one’s ). This actually has echoes in the Jewish tradition, too (and teachings that Jesus opposed).

    Those were all the easy ones. In reality, the hard ones are beyond the scope of this. They include righteous acts with cold hearts, loving words empty of loving acts, giving financially without giving of oneself, giving of oneself without giving financially (though this one is not so clear cut), calling oneself a or Jesus Follower and not living (or even pursuing) a .

    ※Reflection※

    • What “safe” things or ways of thinking have drawn you away from Jesus?
    • What “safe” things or ways of thinking that were originally good changed to capture you, inhibiting your life with Christ?
    • What are some of the safe things or thoughts that you currently have? Have you looked at them through the lens of Jesus Christ?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, be the Lord of our heart and the keeper of our souls that we be safe from the trials, tribulations, and temptations of the world. Amen.

  • The Fruit We Yield

    The Fruit We Yield

    Psalm 52; Jeremiah 22:1–9; Luke 6:43–45

    Have you ever been somewhere with a beautiful bowl filled with fruit, then picked up a piece of fruit, and realized that it was fake? It looks pretty and improves the ambiance, but beyond that, it is useless for living.

    Christians have a discrepancy (okay, we have many). We understand the “” of following . We also have a general understanding that we cannot earn our way into Heaven (i.e., “works righteousness).

    Yet, here we are stuck in words of actions. There is the reality that actions can form us. This is why the ancient church focused so much on disciplines of behavior (bible reading, confession, etc), not because they, in and of themselves, reformed us, but so that the pattern of lives became set. Through that setting, we are more and willing to let the Holy Spirit transform us.

    Despite those intentions—we see this in Jewish and traditions—the rules intended to guide the heart became rules to follow. By following the rules, people were able to appear transformed, but their hearts were anything but.

    Jeremiah’s to live a just continues from yesterday’s scriptures (Jeremiah 21:11–14). The battle being waged upon the hearts of Judah is about living life versus following rules. When we only follow rules, rather than live, we are only going to die unfulfilled (Romans 7:5, Romans 8:2). We also will be no better than the fake fruit in the bowl.

    When Jesus talks about “good” fruit—kalos—there is actually a play on words that our translations miss and thus we do not connect other phrasings. Kalos (the Anglicization of καλός) has a focus on the outward appearance, which is similar to Jesus’ accusation of the teachers and Pharisees about being whitewashed tombs (Matthew 23:27). At the same time, there is also the implied meaning that there is still some use for the fruit despite the focus on outward appearance. A lot of big supermarkets have buyers who view the outside of the fruit, because they know what will sell at the market, and it is pretty fruit. That doesn’t mean that the fruit is necessarily really tasty, nor does that mean that there are not hidden issues. You, too, may have experienced buying a “nice to look at” piece of fruit, and then found something less than appealing after a bite or two.

    We have to be careful when we draw too much on the good/bad dichotomy as (for example) good fruit goes rotten, too (thus becoming bad). The agricultural aspect of the “bad” fruit is more along the lines of being grown from a seedling (or volunteer) rather than controlled grafting.

    The fruit from such trees is often inedible and so good for nothing but fertilizer. These trees will always produce fruit that is not edible. There is nothing to be done about it. A good tree will not always produce good fruit. The bad tree will always produce bad fruit.

    Another way to think of this is ornamental fruit trees. They are beautiful. Their fruit is often beautiful to look at (weeping cherry comes to mind). The fruit, though, is not good, nor is there much fruit to go with the seed and skin. The tree is good as an ornament. It is not good for life- food.

    ※Reflection※

    • What challenges you regarding good fruit and good trees versus bad fruit and bad trees?
    • How is the appearance of good fruit similar to a whitewashed tomb? How is it different?
    • How does living a strictly law-abiding life lead to “” (as Paul calls it)? On the other hand, how can it lead to life?

    ※Prayer※

    Holy Spirit, only you can transform us from bad trees to good. We give you permission and we for your aid to become good trees producing good fruit beyond measure. Amen.