Devotion.al

Tag: politics

  • Humble Feasting

    Humble Feasting

    Mark 7:1–8; Mark 12:38–40; Luke 14:7–14 (read online ⧉)

    To some degree, we all have a desire to be needed, acknowledged, valued, and heard. Often these are decried as pride. Yet, research (and ) consistently show that a child who is acknowledged, valued, and heard (and even needed to a degree) will grow up emotionally healthier than those who lack these things. Yet, if they are over-acknowledged, -valued, -heard, -needed (helicopter-parents, anyone?), they also grow up unhealthy emotionally. There is a balance.

    One of the biggest indicators of a healthy measure of need, acknowledgment, value, and being heard is whether a person is satisfied at the cost of others or not. This isn’t a zero-sum game. It is quite possible to be valued and not devalue others.

    When the Pharisees and scribes challenged ‘ disciples’ lack of washing, they were elevating their understanding of the Scriptures and traditions of the elders over God and the people. God had set the boundaries, but the elders put a bigger “fence” around the original Law in an attempt to “protect” the Law and the of God as if either the Law or God needed it. The larger issue was that the fence was a huge burden to people, and wore down their hearts and souls. This was, in effect, bullying of the weak.

    Jesus’ perspective becomes more apparent later on when Jesus’ assault on the behavioral patterns towards widows, and toward others. Their expectations of how they were to be treated were over and above what they should be expecting, especially as their expectations would often happen to the detriment of others, especially those for whom they were supposed to care for. Their desires and expectations were certainly unhealthy for everyone, even themselves.

    In the parable of the feast, Jesus notes that people will often rate themselves higher than they ought. It wasn’t just a matter of wealth or privilege, it was who was valued by their with the host. It was, honestly, also who could do the most for the host. Which is why Jesus addressed that, too.

    The reality is that we are all in places where we could overvalue ourselves, and place ourselves in our own harm’s way. There is also the chance that we do not value ourselves as highly as others (though we have to be careful about false , too).

    In the conversations of today, whether we are talking about race, gender, equality (of varying sorts), politics, humility is where the conversation begins. None of us is the Savior. There is only one person in that role.

    ※Prayer [Cheryce Rampersad]※

    Heavenly , I come before Your throne of grace and to ask that You bring humility into my life. Allow me to not be filled with pride, jealousy, or boastful gestures toward those around me. Let my be filled with love, joy, peace, and happiness for my fellow men. [Amen]

    ※※

    1) Have you ever had the experience of publically being knocked down a peg or two? Was it justified? Does that matter? How did you feel?

    2) Were you ever honored or valued publically beyond what you thought you deserved or expected? What was that like?

    3) Why is it important to be humble (maybe even pray for humility) before having a deep or significant conversation with a person with whom you believe you or have had different experiences than?

  • In the Meantime

    Exodus 28:39–29:9; Exodus 32:1–21; Romans 5:1–11 (read online ⧉)
     
    The pomp, display, , pageantry (and politics) that surrounds the elevation of a cardinal (or, per rule, any Roman Catholic male) to the position of pope is pretty amazing and can be quite stirring. It should not be lost on anyone that there are “liturgical” steps that are followed for every pope.

    The Old Testament is filled with many “liturgical” steps itself, particularly for the priests. Aaron was going to be anointed and appointed High Priest of the entire of Israel. His sons would also receive the same. For a people that escaped and left Egypt through the miraculous works of God, this should have been a sure personal coup for Aaron.

    God was talking to Moses about this, in the meantime, Aaron was definitely acting as a high priest, just not of God. One could even see a foreshadow of the priests (High and other) during the time Jesus. No courage of conviction (or perhaps no real conviction) when confronted by the people.

    Aaron’s place as Moses’ second (we always have to keep in mind that Aaron was the mouthpiece of Moses) couldn’t be ignored. The people are too impatient to (What’s waiting 40 days in comparison to 430 years?) and are quick to abandon their God and their leader.

    That whole thunder on a mountain, pillar of smoke by day, pillar of by night, annihilation of the world’s biggest army,…meh, too much time. And then, eventually, there was a new nation, a bunch of prophets, exile, return,…and silence for another 400 years.

    Another 400 year period of silence, then John the Baptist showed up. The time of silence was over. Jesus, the of God, walked on the Earth…

    …in the meantime, people lived. People died. People sinned, and sinned, and sinned. Jesus died.

    It was “finished” on the cross that day. Jesus Christ died for people who were sinning right up to that very moment, and Jesus Christ died for all those who sinned afterward.
    Aaron’s had very little to do with Aaron, and everything to do with God. Jesus’ death on the cross had little to do with us, and everything to do with God.

    That last sentence probably jarred you a bit. We are taught (and the Scriptures state, such as this passage in Romans) that God died for our sins. Yet, in many respects, God died to be true to God’s self…self-sacrificing love for others. In other words, while our sins were the trigger, God’s very nature was the reason.

    O God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of your people; Grant that when we hear his we may know him who calls us each by , and follow where he leads; who, with you and the , lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. [BCP]

    Questions

    1) In the case of Aaron and us, God is doing something great for us, while we are often doing something against God. What does that tell us about God and ourselves?

    2) Why is it critical to understand that Jesus Christ died for all sins through all time?

    3) How does Romans 5:1 relate to Aaron’s consecration?

  • Blowing Smoke Into Our Own Eyes

    Isaiah 30:8–13 (read online ⧉)

    Hearing the truth about ourselves is often uncomfortable. We like to hear good stuff, but do our best to avoid that feels bad, or might cause us to look at ourselves badly. We are not alone. When Isaiah is sent to confront the Israelites with a bad report, you can imagine how well it was received.

    Who wants to be called a rebellious child, except for those who take pride in being rebelling. Rare is the person who wants to be called deceptive. Yet rebellion and deception can often be attributed to ourselves. It never feels good to confront it. The reality is that rebellion and deception often go hand-in-hand. Where we can lose a little bit of the meaning is that sometimes the deceiving is of ourselves, leading us into a or choice of rebellion. That’s where the words in Isaiah go. People didn’t want to hear the truth. They want to be lied to rather than having to deal with the truth.

    In the current separated world that is the “United” States of America, there are many voices speaking out with the of Christ. However, even they have become blind. Whole swaths of people are challenged for a single point of or policy, while their own politics or policy have their own parts that are not in line with Jesus Christ. In many respects, the Israelites had it easy.

    Christians are called to , starting with one another. Yet, what is love? How is loved lived out? In fact, our understanding of love may very well affect the love of Jesus Christ that comes from us. That is potentially the biggest problem of all. People can disagree on the right (and ) way to help a person get out of poverty (for example). Their perspectives may be very different. That doesn’t mean that one is right and one is wrong. Our world is very much playing the zero-sum game. In other words, somebody loses. All too often, Jesus Christ gets lost in the mix and noise.
    The and its people must begin to focus on Jesus Christ. That’s obvious, you may say, but it really isn’t. If you love Jesus Christ, you can’t support (some person). That’s the way things are currently going. We no longer show and love to those of different politics. We’ve lost our first love.

    1) Think of your least favorite politician. Can you say, I love you (their name)? Do you think Jesus can?

    2) Redemption and love flow through the Scriptures. How should that affect our view of ourselves? How should that affect our views of ?

    3) Why is it important that politics can play a useful role in expanding the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth? What is the (ongoing) danger with that same thing?

  • Gospel Politics

    John 8:31–59, Acts 13:46–52 (read online ⧉)

    One of the biggest struggles we—as Christians in America—continue to face, and will face even more deeply, is the hardness of to the Gospel. This will include people who identify themselves as Christians. As it becomes harder to be a cultural Christian, the pressure to not be a Christian at all will continue to grow. Yes, it is sad. We became complacent and comfortable, which rarely produces a life-giving Gospel. We ought to really read the Gospel accounts, and even Acts and the Epistles where we are the Jews (including Pharisees and Sadducees) and the Judaizers.

    Currently, Jesus’ family is growing most quickly in places where Christianity is often opposed or co-opted by the government (becoming a false Gospel and church in the process). People not part of “the West” are the of which we read. We, “the West”, have become what we thought we overcame. You might immediately protest this. It’s not bad to protest this. However, as we look at how the church family has been split between 2 political parties, we can see that our understanding of following Jesus Christ has become twisted.

    Most politicians are practical with their . They will commit (or at least pretend) to what will get them votes. Theirs is not, by practice, a Gospel of love. There are “planks” in both political parties that Christians should support. However, if it were an all-or-none supporting the entirety of a political party’s platform (and this would even include those outside the two), all Christians would probably—if they remained true to the teachings of Jesus Christ—have to stop voting. This isn’t solely an American thing either. This is the reality in most democracies/republics. No one political party will agree with all the teachings of Jesus. Yet, we have people focusing on political parties and politicians, and not on Jesus Christ.

    We are the Jews. We have become partners with the State. We have even gone so far as to demonize that call themselves Christians as if our own house is clean, as if we are God, being able to judge (more like condemn) the heart of another person.

    John tells us that the Jews, not being able to stand against Jesus, called him a Samaritan (in other words, he wasn’t a “real” Jew) and demon-possessed! Wow! What chuztpah! We are hearing that from Christians that person is not a “real” American, “real” Christian, “evil”, “deluded”, and so on. THE WORLD JUDGES US BY THE WORDS WE USE. Look at the words we are using against each other. These are the same tongues that sing, “blessed be the name of the Lord!”

    As Western “civilization” walks and runs away from Christianity, there are still plenty of people waiting to the of Jesus Christ. Many of them are far away. Many of them are right next door.

    1) What ways can you think of to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world? Look at each of those ways. Will the world actually listen to them? Why or why not?

    2) One of the tendencies of the Jewish leaders was to say, “come to us.” In what ways do modern Christians do the same? In what ways are modern Christians different?

    3) Politics is a very sore and volatile subject these days. How can we still use politics to the and of the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

  • You Can’t Make Me!

    Ephesians 5:19–6:9 (read online ⧉)

    This passage Ephesians, like many other books and verses of the Bible, has often been abused and misconstrued. Of course, the big one is the group of verses about wives. Often abused and misused. Men would use those verses as an attempt to control. They would conveniently disregard the whole husband as Christ who died for the part. Which is really the important part. That made that statement actually elevated women, as they were to be died for. Connect that to the cross and Paul really drives it home. That was ignored. Often men would use the wife verses for their control, but then disregard women as people of value. We’d them hypocrites (yes, and misogynous).

    Though currently one of the big issues is misogyny (with reason), there are other verses that were also used to abuse and control people, and these were the verses regarding slaves. Now, those who used the slave verses were the “masters” or politicians who didn’t want to rock the boat. All disregarding the admonition to the “masters”. It just didn’t apply to them. The irony (sort of) is that women slave owners used the slave verse the same way their husbands used the wives verses. What a mess!

    The bible you read the passage from probably had a little header titled, “Wives and Husbands,” or some such above it. Just as an aside, please start disregarding those. They can be helpful. They can also be very misleading. For example, the verses about wives, husbands, children, parents, slaves, and masters are actually part of the section previous, which is why we started at Ephesians 5:19. Even starting at Ephesians 5:19 is sort of an issue, as it too divides, but hopefully not too much.

    When we start there, we start with hearts oriented toward God. The outpouring of that orientation is . From there it turns into mutual submission. That’s really it. All the of those verses? They were an expansion of an idea. There are certain people that take one concept, trying to use examples to showcase how it works. In Paul’s case, it didn’t happen that way. Part of this has carried on because of “useful” headings. The rest of it is because many times when people are confronted with being wrong, they double-down on whatever it is, even if it is misreading the . We are all guilty of it at some point in our lives.

    Mutual submission is hard. It’s always been hard. Oddly enough, it seems the world might actually be beginning to understand it, just not in a good or healthy way. Many people are obsessed with their “likes” on social media. Really that is a form of submission to . Sadly, it’s been shown to be unhealthy. Yet, seeking approval of others is a form of submission.

    1) What does mutual submission look like in your important ?

    2) How would mutual submission work and look like in a church setting? How about a work setting?

    3) What would it look like if our operated from a point of mutual submission?

    : work on mutual submission in one key relationship

  • Wisdom Somewhere

    Proverbs 1:20–33, Proverbs 9:10, Matthew 7:7–12, James 1:5–8 (read online ⧉)

    Choose a side is the overwhelming discourse in and social issues these days. Without question, social media and the internet, in general, have made the ability to blare one’s opinion throughout the world. Regardless of one’s politics, newspapers (or news companies) seem to feel a need to make their opinion known on which candidate is the “best” choice. For example, the New York Times is currently working on its review of and interviews with all the current candidates from the Democrat Party, so that they can editorially endorse a particular candidate. For some reason, the New York Times (and other “news” organizations, regardless of apparent ideology) feels the need to declare its allegiance to a particular candidate speaks to a loss of neutrality.

    This all speaks to a long-standing culture that “leaders” or leading organizations must declare a right and wrong side. The universal (i.e., not just Generations Church) is struggling with this very thing. So, too, are many people within the church. We have become so polarized that everyone expects to have people declare their stance. This is understandable. This falls well within the right/wrong rules that we all need to have. It also fits our general behavior of who is “in” and who is “out”.

    F. Scott Fitzgerald once said, “The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.” Regardless of “intelligence” (which is subjective in many respects), this is an uncomfortable statement. By holding contradictory ideas, it makes it harder to be put into a , which makes it harder for people to relate to us, doesn’t it? It didn’t use to be this way (or at least to this level); now we have to put ourselves in a box to make it easier for others to deal with us.

    People have been “wise” for years. True wisdom comes from God, yet (sadly) most people are more satisfied by wisdom, and therein lies the problem.

    It is not that worldly wisdom is automatically bad. It is automatically deficient, as it is human not God. The passage in Matthew and James talk about Godly wisdom insofar as asking for it. ‘ focus (in this passage) is more on the wisdom to see and enter the . James is more concerned with maintaining the walk with Jesus (arguably the same thing as Jesus’ concerns). The “problem” with Godly wisdom is that it isn’t worldly wisdom. wisdom (currently) wants us to be in worldly wisdom boxes. Godly wisdom doesn’t fit in worldly wisdom boxes.

    As we interact with the world, we will often be confronted with the obvious contrasts between worldly wisdom and Godly wisdom. However, there will be times where worldly wisdom appears to be in line with Godly wisdom. This is actually when it is the most dangerous for us as followers of Christ. When worldly wisdom appears to be in line with Godly wisdom, it becomes easier to nudge us to continue to follow worldly wisdom and away from Godly wisdom. First, it seems okay, but after a while, we can find ourselves far enough from Godly wisdom that we have to reset. When we reset ourselves, we become discouraged. That is why we must continually God for God’s wisdom. We won’t, unlike Solomon, get it all at once. It is the pursuit of it that will change and form us into the people of Godly wisdom.

    1) What is wisdom? Do the verses from Proverbs help or hinder your understanding of wisdom?

    2) Why is wisdom important? How does, or does it, affect intelligence and knowledge?

    3) How does James’ “double-minded” apply to intelligence and wisdom?

  • Back To The Dark

    2 Chronicles 24:17–22, Matthew 10:17–22, Acts 6:8–15, Acts 7:51–59 (read online ⧉)

    Yesterday was only Christmas and here we are back into the of the world. How true to life that is. A baby is born and a family feels joy. In the midst of that joy, there are concerns about food, shelter, relationships. There can even be concerns such as disease or college. While a new life begins, other lives continue. In some respects, it is dishonest to always talk about the baby, because everyone else is just as important. When we are talking about , things are a little different, but the reality is that Mary and Joseph still had their lives to deal with. For example, the whole reason they were in Bethlehem was to be registered. Once they were registered, the Roman government was going to tax them accordingly. Sounds great, doesn’t it? It does sound like real life. That doesn’t mean we have to enjoy the darkness, nor does it mean we have to accept it as inevitable. It is however reality.

    Joash had been a good king with a singularly great and God-honoring advisor, Chief Priest Jehoida. Despite Joash’s obedience and Jehoida’s piety, the followers of other gods jumped into an advisory role with Jehoida’s death. As with much of Scripture, we don’t have the entire story. There was likely family and politics in the midst of it. There was also some hopeful and blind optimism which lead to thinking that all would be well. It wasn’t. Who knows how quickly Judah fell back into apostasy: days, months, years. God sent prophets to guide the people (especially the king) back to the right road, but they all failed. That God sent Zechariah—who would have likely had a significant place in Joash’s life—as a prophet tells us how serious God was. Joash, for whatever reason, sealed his apostasy and the fate of Judah by stoning him at the temple of God. The act that was to be used upon those opposed to God was instead used by them against a man of God.

    Jesus knowing his future and knowing the past history of Judah wasn’t really predicting much. If Jesus’ disciples were faithful, they would be persecuted. When Jesus talks about the fracturing of the family perhaps he had in mind Jehoida, Joash, and Zechariah, who were (from our perspective) . At least, they should have been, and that is what the Scriptures guide us to concluding. The framily of king and prophet that should have been , were divided and ultimately destroyed.

    Not too much later, Stephen was killed. As he was in his , it is possible that some of those who stoned him had been Jewish friends or family. For what was he brought to trial? Performing signs and winning arguments. So, he was falsely accused of blasphemy. Why was he killed? Because he claimed to see Jesus sitting at the right hand of God. The right and wrong lines between Joash and Zechariah are much firmer and better defined than those between Stephen and his accusers. We know that the Jewish (especially at that time) understanding of what it meant to follow God was wrong. However, unlike Joash they were not advocating for a different God. It was an understanding of God that was the issue.

    This difference of understanding applies to us today. The Western is going through a series of upheavals. Sadly, the world watches and laughs. These upheavals are necessary, though. The church needs to discover (in some cases) and rediscover (in other ones) what it means to be a in a non-Christian world. Much of these upheavals will allow us to understand ourselves better. The reason this is critical for the church is that we will be returning to the times of persecution in the Western world. No, we are not quite there, but it will come. The church needs to be ready, and a lot of being ready will require the shedding of a lot of ancient weight. It also will probably require us to pick-up ancient ways long discarded. Lastly, it will require us to learn a new language with which to the Gospel. The message doesn’t , just the method and the language.

    1) Do you think Joseph and Mary were concerned the day after Jesus’ birth, or were they still enjoying the moment? Why?

    2) Today’s passages are actually historical church decision (i.e., the lectionary). Why do you think the observation of Stephen’s martyrdom follows Christmas Day?

    3) Family and framily squabbles and fights are usually the ones that hurt the most. Why is that? How does impact the Gospel?

  • Right Words Right Choice

    2 Chronicles 18:12-22, Mark 15:1–15 (read online ⧉)

    Ahab was an interesting king. He set himself up against God and the prophets multiple times. His greatest prophetic adversary was Elijah. However, Elijah was by no means his only one. Micaiah was apparently well known to Ahab. As Ahab told Jehoshaphat that Micaiah never says anything good to him (Ahab), we can infer the Micaiah was known to visit Ahab, probably often to chastise him for continue to worship Baal (and encouraging the people too).

    Knowing that Ahab could behave in a weak fashion (see the story about Naboth’s vineyard), it is interesting to reflect on him bringing a known adversary to his court for consultation, especially in the of another king. This is not the behavior of a weak king. On top of it, Ahab is apparently smart enough to recognize that all his other “seers” are blowing hot air, for when Micaiah echoes their words, Ahab challenges that. He’s pretty certain that Micaiah is following the crowd and not his calling.

    Why Micaiah succumbed to echoing the is never answered, but there could be a number of . The likeliest answer of all was that Ahab wouldn’t to the , so why bother with it. People in might people of influence or morals for advice (such as in this case). However, that can be merely a checkbox to show open-mindedness and , when in fact it is just a show. While Ahab took a risk calling in Micaiah, because he sought Jehoshaphat’s military aid, he probably felt that he needed to put on an appropriate show for the God-following Jehoshaphat.

    In ‘ time, Pilate was the theoretical ruler of Jerusalem. He was under and sent with the authority of the Roman Empire. Only by his command could death be imposed. As the Jewish religious leaders needed his approval, they set him up. In many respects, Pilate knew it. He knew that the real issue was that Jesus challenged the influence of the Sanhedrin. Pilate, though, needed the Sanhedrin to control the people without always having to resort to arms. He and the Sanhedrin played a political game of chess, and Pilate gave up. He actually had a winning hand but succumbed to the pressure of the crowd. The Sanhedrin knew the political pitfalls that Pilate had to walk and took advantage of them.

    Ahab and Pilate faced hard choices. For us, we don’t see them as too hard, but both were “political animals”. We see much the same today; people who cannot not be in . Every person has decisions to make. What matters is which direction each one of those steps leads.

    1) Have you ever had to make a political choice that did not feel like it was the correct (e.g., righteous, moral) choice? Why did you make the choice you did? What were the results politically and spiritually?

    2) For “political animals” (no disrespect intended), often the political game blinds them to good or wise decisions. Where do you see that occurring? Is it only that person or people?

    3) People’s wiring for decisions is often different than our own. We may even come to the same decision via a completely different route. How do we work with others whose thought processes (again, not the conclusions) are so different from our own?