Devotion.al

Tag: politics

  • Serving Your Judas

    Serving Your Judas

    ‌📖 Read

    ‌John 13:1—9; Romans 5:1–11

    ‌🔎 Focus

    ‌“For he knew who was to betray them…”

    John 13:11 (NRSVue)

    ‌“After he washed their feet…”

    John 13:12 (NRSVue)

    “…Christ died for the ungodly.”

    Romans 5:6 (NRSVue)

    ‌‌✟ Devotion

    ‌Jesus washed feet. The task normally left to a or the lowest person (in hierarchy) in the household was performed by the disciples’ teacher, and the person we now understand to be part of the Trinitarian God. Or to put it differently, God took the lowest place and washed feet.

    ‌How often are we about us? Probably too much. For most people, our self is our greatest . Whether it be pride, pleasure, finances, power…we often operate from an, “I am first perspective.”

    ‌Jesus washed feet.

    ‌Let’s note who was in the room. There were Jesus’ 12 disciples. There was this one, named Judas Iscariot, who would betray Jesus to the authorities. John tells us that Jesus knew that Judas Iscariot would betray him.

    ‌Jesus washed his feet.

    ‌Before Judas Iscariot betrayed him, and while Jesus knew he would, Jesus washed his feet.

    ‌Most of us could complete understand regret if Jesus were to have known only afterward. If you knew someone would betray you, would you actually serve them? Jesus did.

    ‌Our world far too often operates from a perspective of, “what have you done for me lately.” There are those that make promises for the and we they might (or won’t) fulfill them, knowing far too well that all such promises fall short. We accept (or hope for) the reality that all will not be accomplished as promised.

    ‌Jesus knew what Judas would do, but he washed his feet.

    ‌Why keep focusing on this? Why keep repeating, “…but he washed his feed?” There is a general feeling of fear, even of , going on. Families are ripping themselves apart over and policies. Families and friends are allowing those who are not in a personal with them to define their relationships with .

    ‌There is and wisdom about not being in relationship with toxic or harmful people, but are we really correctly defining who are toxic and harmful?‌

    Judas Iscariot chose to betray Jesus. Judas could have repented (and some argue that he indirectly did). Would Jesus still forgive him despite his betrayal? Jesus washed his feet.‌

    🤔 Reflection

    ‌Who are the “Judas Iscariots” in your life? How do Jesus’ actions inform how you could (or should) interact with them? What kind of “wash their feet” might you being called to perform?

    ‌‌⏏️ Act

    ‌Acts of service (i.e., washing feet) can take many forms. Purposefully and prayerfully look for acts of service for a “Judas Iscariot” in your life and do them.

    ‌🙏 Prayer

    ‌Gracious God, help us put the example of Jesus forefront in our thoughts and actions, especially in regard to those by whom we feel betrayed. Help us to be gracious with them, as you have been gracious to us, loving us and dying for us while we were still alienated from you. Guide us into ways of thinking and doing the show loving service so that we might draw them to you. Amen.

  • Hearts and Ashes

    Hearts and Ashes

    📖 Read

    ‌Psalm 32; Isaiah 58:1-12; Hebrews 12:1-14

    ‌‌🔎 Focus

    ‌Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose is covered.

    Psalm 32:1

    ‌The LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your needs in parched places and make your bones strong, and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water whose waters never fail.

    Isaiah 58:11

    In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.‌

    Hebrews 12:4

    ‌‌✟ Devotion

    ‌ Valentine’s was in Christ. He is reported to have said that Jesus Christ brought the only true hope and promise of a better world. That didn’t earn him any friends with the Roman rulers. It seems that converting others to Christianity led to his . Saint Valentine was martyred on 14 February.‌

    Today is also Ash Wednesday, the beginning of . This is a season of repentance and reflection. It would seem to not mesh with the dominant view of Valentine’s Day with its romantic (almost saccharine and vapid) view of love. Love, especially as lived out by Jesus, often doesn’t match the secular view of it, but our measure is Jesus, not the world.‌

    While you might not be called to be a martyr, the author of Hebrews points out that we often up in our fight against sin, even though we have not gotten to the point that our blood was shed. And, yet there is a dominant trend in post-Christendom to throw our hands up, because Christendom has fallen.‌

    In many respects, it seems that we are more inclined to anger and defensiveness, rather than resting in the fact that our transgressions are forgiven, our sins covered; as a result of such, we ought to be happy. Can you imagine how we could the world not just with love, but with the happiness of that love.‌

    We are talking about the love of Jesus Christ for us, and ours of him. We are not talking about the love of the world, its stuff, its powers, its parties, and so on.‌

    When we remember this and also remember that God’s water of love and life never fail, you would think that the world would not shake us. We are human, so it does.‌

    There is a lot for us to reflect on: historical issues, our politics, our lifestyles, the wars, the sicknesses. There is so much in the world that causes us not to reflect, but to react. We react out of our humanness.‌

    We are called to reflect upon ourselves and the world through the lens of Christ’s love, then we are better equipped to react in Christ’s love toward a world that desperately needs it.

    ‌🤔 Reflection

    ‌What are current areas discussed in life (politics, lifestyles, war, immigration, and the like) that you have strong feelings about? Do you default to the comfortable and/or your ? When was the last time you measured your reactions to Christ? Do you ever ask yourself, what would Jesus do?

    ‌‌⏏️ Act

    ‌As you reflected, what came to mind? All of us have earthly perspectives that are not Jesus-like, and likely need work and repentance. Think about the issues that you respond the most strongly about (good or bad). Look in the Bible for some possible perspectives that will bring you more in mind like Jesus.

    ‌🙏 Prayer

    ‌Jesus, help me understand how you view the world and me. Spirit, please guide my transformation from a person of this world to a person of the Kingdom. Amen.

  • Happiness and Joy…or Not

    Happiness and Joy…or Not

    Psalm 44; Isaiah 22:8b–14; James 4:4–10

    ‌‌🔎 Focus

    ‌Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?

    James 4:4 NRSVue

    ‌…you did not look at the One who did it, nor did you see the One who planned it…

    Isaiah 22:11 NRSVue

    We don’t like pain or suffering. We often do anything to avoid it. We can also do anything in an attempt to make it feel better, when we’re suffering from it.

    ‌It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the of everyone, and the will lay it to heart.

    Ecclesiastes 7:2 NRSVue

    Often sitting in our mourning and pain is more honest and than living and striving for revelry and happiness. When we do not confront and deal well with our pain, our wrongs, our being wronged, we react in ways that can be unhealthy for us and for .

    ‌‌✟ Devotion

    ‌The full passage in Isaiah talks about how Jerusalem’s vulnerabilities were uncovered (or unhidden) by God. Why? Because of iniquity. What does iniquity have to do with pain and suffering? Well, by this point, the people of Jerusalem (and by extension Judah), had ignored the testing of prophets by the words, and of God by many means.

    ‌Instead, they chose to tear down homes (and likely the homes of the poor and powerless) to fill the holes in their walls. Were they literal holes in the walls, or is this a more figurative imagery indicating that there was a wrong focus? Probably both.

    ‌It would be completely within expectations for Isaiah (as inspired by God) to use a practical and physical example to examine the spiritual of the People of God. Instead of doing the hard (and sometimes painful) work of self-reflection, they chose to do the easier, more worldly thing, find something to dull the pain.

    ‌They forgot the One.

    ‌This is James’ starting point with his tirade against Christians who have forgotten whose they are and have reverted to the ways of the world. Instead of putting cooperative peace and mutually humble care for one another—the called for characteristics of Christians—first, they chose to be no different than behavior in the world. Instead of being God’s light and reflecting God’s , they were reflecting the world’s .

    ‌What ought to catch our attention is that James equates worldly behavior among Christians to adultery. The ultimate of marital union is equated to worldly behavior.

    ‌We, as Christians, aren’t paragons of what we are supposed to be. Per James, we are adulterers. Perhaps not individually (but how do we contribute), but collectively we are. This is something we need to do the hard work on and not skip it. This covers politics, theology, even pastors and leaders.

    ‌We forget the One.

    ‌‌🤔 Reflection

    ‌What do you think of non-Christian behavior as adultery? Does it change your view of non-Christian behavior? How do you work through disagreements on things, even what defines non-Christian behavior, with other Christians?

    ‌‌⏏️ Act

    ‌Choose a light topic that you know a fellow Christian disagrees with you on. Discuss it with and love. The goal is not to change minds, but to understand the other.

    ‌🙏 Prayer

    ‌Gracious God, while we might know intellectually that you are gracious, help us to believe it to the depths of our souls, so that we are gracious to one another. Help us to see our faults, failures, even our love affair with the ways of the world, in light of your gracious love. Guide us to see where we have placed the world and its ways ahead of you and your ways. Amen.

  • Hanging on by a strand

    Hanging on by a strand

    Seth Godin recently posted the following…

    There are three strands, present for most everyone:

    Power (sometimes seen as status, or the appearance of status)

    Safety (survival and peace of mind)

    Meaning ( and the path )

    The changes in our media structure, public health and economy have pushed some people to overdo one or the other and perhaps ignore a third. When a social network finds your button and presses it over and over, it’s hard to resist.

    New cultural forces catch on because they hit on one or more of these. And politics is understood through this lens as well.

    See the braid and it’s a lot easier to figure out why we might be stressed.

    “The Braid Out of Balance”, Seth Godin

    This brought to mind a passage in Ecclesiastes

    Then I turned to re-examine something else that is pointless on earth: Consider someone who is alone, having neither son nor brother. There is no end to all of his work, and he is never satisfied with wealth. “So for whom do I work,” he asks, “and deprive myself of pleasure?” This, too, is pointless and a terrible tragedy.

    Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. If they stumble, the first will lift up his friend—but woe to anyone who is alone when he falls and there is no one to help him get up. Again, if two lie close , they will keep warm, but how can only one stay warm? If someone attacks one of them, the two of them together will resist. Furthermore, the tri-braided cord is not soon broken.

    Ecclesiastes 4:7–12 (ISV)

    The long-standing “go it alone” mentality of US cultural history is still very much present, despite much of the US culture going through upheavals. The braid (Godin) or cord (Ecclesiastes) is a good image to use when we think of our lives, and the inputs we have, whether power, safety, and meaning (Godin) or friends and companions (Ecclesiastes).

    Bad Math

    One of the things one learns about ropes (or cords or braids), is that it is possible to use them where one strand breaks as it bears the brunt of the load. The other two strands then have to bear an additional 50% that were not planned or expected.

    We may all understand giving 100%. Yet, most of us understand that we are just not capable of doing that all the time (we do have to rest). When that 1 strand is broken, the load is now 150%. Again, do-able for a short amount of time.

    It is when the last strand is broken that we experience a brutal reality of 300%.

    No one can sustain that.

    Strong Strand

    As I look around me, I see people within and without the faith in Jesus Christ1 who are leaning on something other than Jesus. Within the faith, in particular, the concern is those whose faith appears (for I cannot see their ) to be more on a particular iteration of the faith (not-so-essential theology), rather than Jesus. Even more concerning is when their iteration goes hand-in-hand with a particular political perspective (and this is not only those on the so-called right—or extreme right—of the political spectrum).

    As much as I am trying to elevate Jesus, much of our knowledge about Jesus is in the (i.e., The Bible). That, too, may result in another extreme, though, and that is only looking at the Scriptures in isolation. If we (as an ) are the only reader, contemplators, and interpreters of the Scriptures, we will likely (as history repeatedly shows) get ourselves in trouble.

    Not that reading it together often seems much better, for the record.

    If you are looking for a faith community to join in, or have one, always keep hold loosely. I don’t mean waver. I mean don’t hold so tightly onto your tradition that you are unable to hear the other branches of Christianity honestly (rather than listening to debate), and even other faith traditions all together (including secularism and atheism).

    Open Hand

    I know someone will read the above and try to say that the other Christian traditions or other faiths will lead people astray. It might be true. However, if we are unable to engage them, then if person gets one strand of their faith (Christian or not) broken, just as the opening quote, everything may well unravel.

    “I have decided to follow Jesus,” is a refrain from an old hymn, and it is my truth. Following Jesus means that I regularly have to wrestle with my faith, my faith tradition (Wesleyan--Arminian), my political leanings and tendencies, my experiences. It also means I have to welcome the uncomfortableness of wrestling with the faith, (faith and cultural) traditions, political leanings and tendencies, and experiences of others.

    Growth and Strength

    I have one caveat to the strand/cord/rope illustration. Instead of a rope that breaks and frays over time, I would say that what makes up the rope is more like a muscle. If you work it (in harmony with the other strands), it gets stronger. If you don’t work it, it rots in place.

    1For clarity, faith in Jesus Christ as defined via the Apostles’ Creed, Creed of Nicaea, Nicene Creed, Chalcedonian Creed, Athanasian Creed.

  • How to Come Back

    How to Come Back

    1 Corinthians 11:17–33

    It’s almost over it seems. The time of being masked and constrained nears its end. On the other hand, already another strain of COVID is showing up, but the reality is that we, as an entire world, are at our limits.

    It seems great that we’re almost there, except that we really have a lot of things that we need to work through, and many of them may be far harder than COVID, masks, inoculations, and social distancing. The wounds that have opened over the last 2 years are far deeper, far more scarred, and far more gangrenous than many of us were prepared for.

    As we come back, it is far too easy and tempting to attempt to go back to old habits and practices and forget what has just happened and the mirror that we saw ourselves in. We, as Christians…we, as the …cannot just come back.

    Many of us will “come back” to church and be unwilling to be uncomfortable. The world has trained us to be exactly like the Corinthians…divided. And, even worse, we may be more divided than the culture at large, which should terrify and condemn us.

    was speaking on how the rich self-segregated from the poor. Instead of common Communion, it was a separate one. Instead of a “love feast” celebrating , Communion (the memorial of Christ’s death and !) shined the light on the , and it was then unworthy of the grace that had bestowed upon them.

    While we may not take Communion separately in the church, there is no question that the church is divided. Whether it is by culture, country, skin color, language, socio-economic class, or even denomination, the church is divided.

    The community that Jesus granted the world the right to judge regarding love (John 13:35), desperately needs to love one another. As we learn to love each other, looking beyond , borders, skin color, language, , weakness, honor, shame, wealth, it will be hard.

    Learning to love beyond ourselves isn’t optional. For those that follow Jesus, it is an act of loving obedience.

    ※Reflection※

    As you prepare to go/come back to , is the “old” normal really what Jesus wants from you?

    What is one thing that you will do different as the situation settles into the new way of things?

    ※Prayer※

    Jesus, the craziness of these last 2 years may feel like forever, and, yet, in your eyes, it was only a breath. Grant us the grace and peace and love to come together as your disciples to show that your love can truly transform the human , and from the human heart transform the world. Amen.

  • Undivide

    Psalm 23; Jeremiah 23:1–6; Ephesians 2:11–22; Mark 6:30–34, 53–56

    The words from Jeremiah were primarily aimed at the priests and religious leaders. They are hard words for we clergy, as they should be. Yet, they are no longer words solely for the clergy. As a part of the priesthood of believers, they are for you, too. It might seem odd though as you may not be aware of even having a flock.

    First, of course, is your . However, for Christians, it expands far beyond the family. In fact, focusing too much on the family may blind us to our flock. Our flock may consist of coworkers, neighbors, even the staff of the restaurants you patronage.

    The flock of your care is much like the Ephesians that Paul wrote to. He noted that at one point they were alien to the faith and alien to God. They were not in with the Creator of the universe. In the current era, we need to break down the barrier of hatred that has been building up between the church and the world. This is not to say that we have to crucify Christ once more. It does signify the importance of the , and just how important this wall is, along with our responsibility to tear down as far as is in our power and capability.

    Our ability to work through this is similar to how Jesus saw the people who surrounded him. They had no . The world is much the same. Hence the tossing to and fro between this idea and that one.

    We cannot be the True Shepherd, but we can lead people to Him.

    One of the biggest ways is to be the healer. The world needs a lot of . The of politics is a big one. Yet, there is the reckoning with the failures and (yes) sins of those that went before us. There are many things that need to be healed, and many of them are not on the evening news or the 24-hour news channels because they are not dramatically bad.

    It is the little things in everyday lives that build up into large wounds that need healing. We see the big ones, but the reality is that the big ones were usually built on a bunch of little ones. Whether they were wounds in everyday life or wounds made in the church, it doesn’t matter. Because of who the husband of the church is (Jesus), we the church have the ability, perspective, and responsibility to heal the world.

    ※Reflection※

    • Why do you think each person of the church is called to be a shepherd?
    • Why is important for us to recognize our responsibility to help to heal the world?
    • What is one wound that you have that you see in the world, too? How might you help the world heal that wound? Would help through that wound help your own healing?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, we the of you, Our Shepherd. May we obediently follow your voice and your will. Amen.

  • Road Inheritance

    Road Inheritance

    Psalm 23; Jeremiah 10:1–16; Colossians 1:15–23

    Psalm 23:3 reads, in effect, “God helps and guides me along the paths that are best for me.” Note that it doesn’t say, “God will make me…” We choose to follow the guide, or we choose not to. That isn’t all that comforting, especially as we look around us. Free will is the ability to choose the wrong path.

    said, “Go in through the narrow gate. The gate that leads to destruction is broad and the road wide, so many people enter through it. 14 But the gate that leads to is narrow and the road difficult, so few people find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14) In today’s plethora of choice, it might be rewritten to say, “there are plenty of roads to choose, many of which are attractive, fun, enjoyable, and scratch our itches. However, the road to True Life is hard to find among all the options, and there is very little on the road that makes it attractive for the world to follow.” Or you could say that the “narrow road” is a one-lane road, and the broad road is an 8-billion+ lane one.

    The and its people, however, still remain too attracted to the “ways of the nations” and the “signs in the sky” (Jeremiah 10:2). Regardless of political affiliation or social issues or a myriad of other things, the Church gets distracted very easily. Now, this is not to say that the issues that the world face are not our concern. Quite the contrary. We are to look to Christ first so that we are equipped to bring , , , and reconciliation. Instead, we look to politics and the talking heads that of the issues of the world to guide us. This crosses (pun intended) all political and other ideological lines.

    What also comes of this is our inheritance. There just might be a reason why God speaks through Jeremiah of the unique inheritance of the descendants of Jacob. We are those spiritual descendants (not necessarily of blood), so we should be paying attention, too. Our inheritance is not the world’s, and for that, we should be thankful! If our inheritance is from God, it seems reasonable to not want any other inheritance.

    The deception is that in the world we see a “shadow” of Jesus. All of was made through him and for him (Colossians 1:16). This means that it is easy to be deceived, or deceive ourselves, that we are following the right path for even the wrong paths have a shadow of Jesus. The skeptic (or the hopeful) might suggest this means that all paths lead to Jesus. Your shadow is an imperfect image of you that changes depending on the direction of the light source and the type of light source. It isn’t really you, just as the shadows of the world might look at times like Jesus, they really aren’t.

    ※Reflection※

    • What tensions do you see with Jesus loving the world, and the shadows of the world that may appear to look like Jesus?
    • What are some current issues/concerns of the world that appear to look like Jesus? How might those same issues not be like Jesus?

    ※Prayer※

    Jesus, stir in our hearts to claim and to the inheritance that rust and moths cannot destroy. Amen.

  • Hear the Roar

    Hear the Roar

    Psalm 85:8–13; Amos 3:1–12; Colossians 4:2–18

    The Psalm speaks of the land of Israel having God’s blessings. It needed it. God’s was both a protection and a source of bounty. The gist is that if Israel’s people were being blessed by the land, including peace from war, bountiful crops, and growing families, then God should be at the forefront of the list of giving thanks.

    The US has long held itself (with some rationale) as a blessed and fertile land. Yes, there were blips (droughts—including the blight that was part of the Great Depression, blights, pests, etc). As a whole, however, the US continues to have bountifully producing lands. Historically, we have been relatively free from war and conflict. Our families could grow large if we wanted.

    Yet, a common refrain, especially during any so- culture wars/battles, is that things would get better if we returned to God wholeheartedly. The problem with that is that people see all the blessings, so are confused as to why they should be looking to God. That may have well the same issue with the Israelites.

    The refrain of returning to God is rising again. Most of us think only of the political “right” when it comes to that. It is true that many of the religious folks that are calling for a “return to God” are aligned to the “right” politically. However, there are voices on the political “left” that are also speaking language. Words such as “reckoning” are coming out. That’s a very Biblical concept. Those aligned politically on the “left” don’t use much religious language because the “right” appears to own it (they don’t), and will delegitimize those on the “left” who use religious language. However, for both “sides”, they actually have a similar vision…things will not work the way they have been.

    The political jostling distracts from the prophetic words coming from both “sides” of the political divide. That both agree (in different words, granted) that this is not as God intended should be something that everyone should be paying attention to…especially in the church. In an era that is becoming more politically rigidly divided, every prophetic bone in every Christian, along with the present in each one of us is screaming, “LOOK AT THIS!”

    In Amos, we see a picture of Israel that is so loved by God it had been—up to this point—able to avoid the natural punishment that had come to those around it. God’s had kept them from the consequences. That protection was on its last legs. This is the roaring lion of Judah in Amos. It isn’t the lion that protects. It is the lion that warns.

    The lion is roaring, church! Are you listening?

    Once we listen, if we choose to, what then?

    Paul tells the church to act wisely and to make the most of every opportunity to about Jesus and the Gospel. If you read that passage, verses 5 and 6 almost don’t seem to fit. In my imagination, I see Paul writing this letter from jail, and one of his jailers comes in and it clicks with Paul as he has been sharing with his jailers about Jesus that the Colossians should, too. That Paul seems to interrupt his chain of thought to mention this should wrap this in neon lights and glitter. All our sharp rhetoric and political bludgeoning aren’t how this is supposed to work…not for the church, at least. Sharp rhetoric and political bludgeoning are the way of the world.

    The lion is roaring, and we claim it’s at the culture, the system, etcetera. The lion is roaring at the church to say, “get to the work of the !”

    ※Reflection※

    • What do you see with your when you read the Scriptures? Do you take away something different?
    • How can prophetic voices from different political poles still speak prophetically to the church and the world and both be authentic?
    • Is there a particular issue that the lion roars for you? What is the (not political) person like on the “opposite” side? Is it really opposition rather than perspective? (Advice: don’t let the deceive you about people)

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, we of your church have lost our prophetic voice with far more issues than we have retained. Guide our hearts to seek your will, to be your witnesses, and to be the needed prophetic voice to your bride—the church—and then to the world. Amen.