Devotion.al

Tag: mystery

  • A Busy In Between

    Psalm 30; Luke 11:29–32; 1 Corinthians 15:50–58; 1 Peter 3:18–22 (read online ⧉)

    This is the day the LORD has made;
    let us rejoice and be glad in it.
    Psalm 118:24

    I believe in Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
    He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.
    He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
    He descended to the dead.
    On the third day he rose again.
    He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the .
    He will come again to judge the and the dead.
    From the Apostle’s Creed

    Easter has happened. Cries of, “He is Risen!” and “He is Risen, Indeed!” abounded. Yet, there is a mystery between and . was a day of uneasiness, , morning, and shock, but what about Jesus? Jesus was very busy, apparently.

    Unlike those who had died and came back to life (such as, Lazarus), who knows what their time was after their death and before Jesus or the prophets brought them back to life. That is, curiously, not discussed in the Scriptures. Curiously, because such a death-defying moment must have had something share. There are thoughts, of course, that their mouths were sealed from talking about, or the experience was so profound it was impossible to explain (though that one would still mean stories). It could even be that they experienced no passage of time at all, so the whole question was moot.

    Jesus, on the other hand, was certainly not quiet in that time. Peter describes him as (basically) bringing the Gospel to the dead and setting them free from the bondage of ( and) death. No rest for Jesus!

    One of the biggest arguments against Jesus and the Resurrection and the love of God is the whole concept that people were condemned to separation from God before Jesus became incarnate, lived, died, buried, and resurrected. However, Peter tells us that this isn’t the case at all! The first thing Jesus did…go save some people. Jesus went to the dead people first.

    Jesus said, “Now concerning the resurrection of the dead, haven’t you read what was spoken to you by God: I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob?, He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” (Matthew 22:31–32)

    Our concept of death is not God’s. Death overhangs our lives. The entirety of the COVID crisis is the fear of death of our bodies, and also all the little deaths (e.g., physical distancing) that appear to be going along with it. Death is not something that we can overcome. Only God can do that. What happens to us when we die is one thing, what Jesus did when he died is another thing completely. However, when God chooses to die for us, to liberate us from sin and death, where might the sting of death truly be?

    Gracious God, give us wisdom and guidance as we try to understand the mysteries of who you are. Allow us, Lord, to hear of your love and in your Word and apply these first to our minds as we seek to read and understand. Amen.

    1) Paul’s death-defying words are inspiring, however, we have all felt the sting of death. Does Paul lie, do we misunderstand, or is there something else going on?

    2) Do you think that Jesus’ words (Matthew 22:31–32) mean that people don’t really die, or what else might it mean?

    3) What does it mean to you that Jesus first went to the dead, rather than his disciples and friends?

  • Holy Wednesday

    Psalm 94; Zechariah 13:7-9; Hebrews 12:1-4; John 16:1-15 (read online ⧉)

    The psalmist declares that the Lord’s people will not be forsaken, and will . He continues with the steadfast love of God holding him up when he slips. The beginning of this psalm is harsh in tone but quickly turns to praise of God.

    The hour draws near. From a human (and God’s), what is about to happen is harsh indeed. What is about to come is almost like the very vengeance that the psalmist opens up with. Except, all of that will be poured out onto one person!

    There is a sense that , with the time drawing near, has turned on the fire hose, trying to fill the disciples (even the one who betrays him) with everything he can before he is gone. This passage in John is often cited on Sunday, the day set aside to focus on an essential of the Christian faith. This short passage is given toward the end, conveying a mystery still not completely understood.

    “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.”
    John 16:12

    The clock is ticking. Jesus promises that the disciples will not be alone. Imagine them trying to understand that this Advocate might be better than Jesus? Better for them at least. How could that be? They had to have been so very confused. Despite wanting to it all to them, Jesus moved .

    He was coming around the final lap. In his case, there was a crowd of earthly witnesses. Some waiting for him to fall. waiting for him to take an earthly throne. Some just wanting him to go away.

    1. Much of Week is just waiting. What are you waiting for?

    2. If you gave up something for Lent, are you anticipating getting it back?

    3. If you didn’t give up something, what do you think the anticipation does to a person’s anticipation of Good Friday and Sunday?

  • Holy Tuesday

    Isaiah 49:1-7; Psalm 71:1-14; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31; John 15:1-16 (read online ⧉)

    Isaiah’s lament is that of a lover of God who cannot the hardened hearts of . Isaiah knows what his anointed purpose is. He also is experiencing some difficulties in getting the people to respond to God. He has not lost . His hope and trust are in God, not in the people of Israel actually responding. His value is in his obedience, not his success.

    Paul’s words to the Corinthians while not as heavy-hearted as Isaiah’s lament still carries in it the reality that God’s message will not always be heard. God is supposed to be the stone upon which Israel was built, so Paul described the of the cross a stumbling block. The treasured (or hoarded) and knowledge, so Paul called the mystery of the cross foolishness.

    When we begin to draw upon the true vine, the mystery of the cross becomes a stepping stone and foundation, and not a stumbling block. The mystery of the cross becomes our wisdom as we draw on God’s wisdom, rather than the world’s.

    As we all draw upon the vine, we become more “of one mind”. Our way of thinking transforms from selfishness to selflessness. That doesn’t mean we all don’t have more transforming to do, but it is by drawing on the True Vine that we can do it.

    As we become of one mind with each other, we become (ever so slowly, it seems) of one mind with Christ. We no longer have to be directed for each step, but through the transforming of the , we act as would.

    1. Much of the world looks at Christianity as foolishness, if not downright dangerous. Are you able to see what they see when they look at Christianity? If not, how can you relate Christianity (and therefore the Gospel) to them?

    2. Selflessness can grow without Christ. How does it do so?

    3. Can you be selfish and a Christian? How do you reconcile that with the growth of selflessness in the Christian?

  • Holy Monday

    Isaiah 42:1-9; Psalm 36:5-11; Hebrews 9:11-15; Mark 14:3-9 (read online ⧉)

    was given as a to us (Isaiah 42:6b; Hebrews 9:14-15). Can any of us truly understand just what that means? We get glimpses of it in our lives, but to truly understand it, we will have to have been resurrected. The width, length, height, and depth of it truly is beyond our comprehension.

    That Jesus stoutheartedly continued on this path, knowing the coming afflictions, should amaze us all. Some are quick to dismiss it, as Jesus is God, but the of being fully must not be ignored. His full humanity was going to an inglorious and painful . Knowing that part of the human condition is trying to find “the silver lining”, one can imagine Jesus’ when the perfume was poured upon him.
    She probably didn’t understand Jesus’ heart, but that simple (and costly) seemed to have touched Jesus. Jesus was quite correct. Her story has been told, along with his, since the . A simple act of , a simple act of doing something in empathy, lives forever.

    Anointing the anointed. People are set apart for certain tasks. There is a need for the and individuals to recognize those set apart, by anointing those who have been anointed by God.

    1. Do you know of someone who has been set apart? Have you anointed them?

    2. Anointing isn’t always oils or perfumes. What other forms do you think it could be?

    3. It can be hard to embrace the dual natures of Jesus—God and Man. Do you ever struggle reconciling that in your heart and/or mind?

    4. How would you, or could you, explain it to someone who does not know Jesus?

  • Control or Trust?

    Psalm 107:1–3, 17–22; Daniel 12:5–13; Ephesians 1:7–14 (read online ⧉)

    Many of Daniel’s visions are held up in the church today as applying to today. There are fundamental truths in Daniel’s visions (and the visions of other prophets), but we all must be very cautious when trying to apply them to today. Daniel, himself, didn’t know how to interpret his visions, so he had to for assistance, in the middle of his . The vision was interpreting the vision.

    Daniel 12:10 reads, “Many shall be purified, cleansed, and refined, but the wicked shall continue to act wickedly. None of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand.” This is as true today as the day Daniel had the vision, as it is today. The words (vision) of Daniel were to be, “…secret and sealed until the time of the .” Daniel was told to, “…go your way, and rest….”

    provides much the same guidance, “…he has made known to us the of his will…as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.”

    We yearn to know all the answers and have a fixed understanding. We yearn to know what will happen today and tomorrow. We want a safe and predictable life. We also want “the right” answers. The day-to-day is always full of pieces of chaos and unpredictability. Yet the assurance that it is all in God’s hands, and that we can fully rely on him, should us the ability to not be tossed about in our anxieties and .

    As the time was approaching for his final walk, , too, had questions and concerns. It is not wrong to and be concerned. If we allow our lack of confidence in God to ground us, the winds and waves of the world will continue to overtake us.

    1) Do you ever let your concerns and/or worries overtake your confidence in God?

    2) Have you ever tried to someone or yourself by saying God has it all under control?

    3) How did that work? Did it really bring comfort?

  • Trust and Temptation

    Genesis 3:1–20, James 1:12–16, Hebrews 2:13–18 (read online ⧉)

    The reality is that humanity has a hard time trusting God. The story of Adam and Eve is a great allegory of humanity and trust. Adam, especially, should have trusted God wholeheartedly. Eve, too, should have trusted God and should have trusted Adam. However, Eve listened to the serpent. Adam, in turn, listened to Eve. They who had access to God as they did still trusted someone else over God. Part of this, it seems, is immediacy. The serpent was in their immediate surroundings. This is why the world can be dangerous to our spiritual well-being. We are in it. It has immediacy in our lives. It can pull us away from God. Even when we fully believe that we trust God, the world can still pull us away. Sometimes it will be little things. Sometimes it will be big things.

    This awareness becomes important as we go through . One of our big temptations, as we saw in the story of Adam and Eve is to blame other people. However, if we do that too much, people begin to avoid us. We, needing affection, will often turn to something else to blame. Sometimes we’ll blame political parties or government (yes, it involves people, but generally people who are disconnected from our daily lives). Sometimes we’ll blame chance. As James points out, however, we also blame God. People have blamed God for the of Adam and Eve. “God should have known and prevented it,” they’ll say. “And, since God didn’t prevent it, God cannot be good, and must be …” Yes, it goes downhill quickly. James is making that exact point. For once it is God’s fault that we are tempted, the slippery slope down to God is evil comes into play. It’s not that you couldn’t stop there, but that many can’t. There are certain Christian traditions that say (in effect) that while God perfectly controls all things, and while God is not evil, there is still evil, so it’s a .

    That doesn’t, let’s be honest, work very well. It also put into doubt as shown by the passage in Hebrews. None of us want to be tempted. So, if Jesus (the Son of God, and part of the Triune God) is tempted, that would mean that God wants God to be tempted. If we, who are fallen and sinful, don’t want to be tempted, why would God want to be tempted? It is here that we have to make a turn. God’s isn’t diminished by temptation, it would be diminished if temptation was succumbed to. As Jesus didn’t succumb to temptation, Jesus’ holiness wasn’t diminished. So, what does this have to do with trust? Jesus, as a man, trusted God’s plan, and leaned on that and his love of God and his that God loved him. Jesus was tempted in alignment with God’s plan, not because God wanted the temptation to occur, but to show that Jesus was both God and man, showing people that God loved the and was willing to die for it.

    1) How do your own temptations inhibit your trust of other people? How about your trust of God?

    2) How does temptation and blame go ? Why do you think that is?

    3) Other than the basic, “God is not evil,” why is it a dangerous practice spiritually to blame God?

    : Decide on one (and only one) temptation to place before God. it. Pray about it and surrender it every day.

  • To Flourish

    Psalm 52, Colossians 1:3–14, 2 Peter 1:3–15 (read online ⧉)

    “But I am like a flourishing olive tree in the house of God…” Psalm 52:8 (CSB)

    Being and becoming a flourishing olive tree should be our goal. We, of course, are not trees. We are, however, treasured creations of God that God helps to nurture into Christ-like human beings. There is that tension, though, about what God to us. The Wesleyan holds that God does not force us, yet without the Holy working in us, we are doomed to be the same. How it works is a . The theologians of many traditions (not just the Wesleyan) continue to robustly discuss this. This is not bad. It is often distracting though.

    The tree…

    …is in the house of God.
    …quests for water
    …strains against the wind, and grows stronger.
    …reaches for the sun.
    …produces fruit.

    It seems obvious what the house of God is. It’s church. Except that is an incomplete understanding. We often think of house as a building. בַּיִת [bayith /bah·yith/] is also used to describe household, home, , within, descendants. What if instead of “flourishing in the house of God” we were to read it as “flourishing in the family of God?” If we were to do so, that would mean praying together, life groups, , and other related activities that we do together are covered, as long as that draws us closer to God.

    Water is always life (especially from a wilderness and livestock point of view). With Jesus referring to himself as the Water of Life it takes on an important , and it is one that we should take very seriously. Pursuing the Water of Life means that we follow Jesus, and do our best to cast off the world to become more like Jesus, and less like the world. Pursuing the Water (another title) would also cover reading the and praying.

    The wind aspect is a little different. The wind is both the world trying to knock us down and the Holy Spirit. We couldn’t escape some tension here. That would be too easy. The storms (the wind) of the world seek to uproot us from the solid ground that is God. The Holy Spirit pushes and shapes us to be stronger so that we can stand firmer against the world.

    Reaching for the sun would seem to be automatically related to the Son, yet the sun provides warmth (like love) and nourishment (trees need the sun to breathe and produce energy). The sun and its attributes can be found in things like families and friends.

    Lastly, though, the tree produces fruit which can take many forms (the list is far too long).

    All of this falls under the huge umbrella of spiritual growth. The two passages from ‘s letter to the Colossians and the second letter Peter are deeply concerned about spiritual growth. Spiritual growth is not optional. In fact, to be a Christ-follower, we are (by definition) seeking to spiritually grow to be closer and closer to Christ. If you are not pursuing spiritual growth the question of being a Christ-followers rears its head.

    1) Looking at the list in Colossians 1:9–12 of spiritual growth, what pops out for you? Which area are you growing in? Which one are you weakest in?

    2) 2 Peter 1:5–7 is a list often used as a list of spiritual fruit. Where do you fall within the list? Do you think the list is exhaustive? Why do you think Peter ties the “fruit” together?

    3) How important do you view your spiritual growth? How about the spiritual growth of ? Why is that your view?

  • Why of Baptism

    John 1:19–28, John 3:22–28, Acts 19:1–7 (read online ⧉)

    Baptism holds a central place in the Christian from its very beginning. The only other act that is of equal or perhaps greater importance is the Eucharist (i.e., Communion). Today, it is the ceremony/event by which people are welcomed into the church universal. Over the generations, when and how it is performed changes. The underlying of it, however, has not changed.

    John’s “Baptism of Repentance” was in the spirit of what was already occurring. Baptism (in different forms) was performed after a vow was completed or could be seen in ritual cleansing that the Jews practiced. The general practice and theology of the larger Christian church (of which Generations Community Church, and its denomination the Church of the Nazarene, is a part) is that we baptize once. This baptism is a of a repentant and that the person seeks to join (and does so by being baptized) the Body of Christ. The transformation from cleansing and repentance (John the Baptist’s baptism and Jewish practice) to re-birth and a new family was probably unexpected. We cannot forget we know “the end of the story,” meaning we cannot put our understanding on those that came before.

    The interesting thing is that what John’s baptism meant was even in question when he was alive. Apparently, there was an argument over John’s baptism and purification (probably related to the vows and ritual cleansing already mentioned). John wasn’t worried about any of that. His concern was making way for the Messiah. His disciples were the ones having a (perhaps pointless) argument with a fellow Jew. Even as we look at this part of the story in wonder, how baptism works (and doesn’t) and changes people (and doesn’t) is still a point of contention for some. Like many things of God, we wonder (and develop complicated theology) about how it works. The point is that it works because God said so.

    It does make it more curious as we get to Paul and the people of Ephesus. Somehow the story and redemption of Christ made it to them, but not then entirety. How the baptism that Paul performed (granted, in the name of ) differed from the so-called “John’s baptism” is another mystery. Many great answers could be given. However, it is the result of this baptism that can cause a little heartburn in many of today’s Christians, and that is the gifts of the Spirit that manifested ( and prophesying). There are certain traditions that state that a baptism is only valid if some sort of manifestation occurs. If so, that means there are many baptisms that are invalid (which is their point).

    The true evidence of baptism is the act itself. If a person is willing to publicly that Jesus is their Lord and Savior, saving them from their sin and that Jesus is the of God, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit as God, then the church confesses that this baptism is true.

    The one thing that perhaps the church at large has lost is the remembrance of baptism. Something that is pivotal in the of a believer (even if, perhaps especially, it happened as an infant). While a person may only be baptized once, we are all called to remember ours.

    1) Who “created” baptism? Why is that important?

    2) Do you do anything to remember your baptism? Why or why not?

    3) When you have witnessed a baptism of another, which one was the most powerful to you? Why?