Devotion.al

Tag: redemption

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

  • Sighting Evil

    Sighting Evil

    Psalm 74; 1 Samuel 16:14–23; Revelation 20:1–6

    spirits or the “spirit of evil” has a in culture throughout the ages. Even for those who have no deistic belief, there is an understanding that something is completely evil.

    There was nothing positive about the Holocaust. In fact, most people would state that the men and women (for there were both) who created and perpetuated it were evil. There seems to be no question that there was a “spirit of evil” when it came to the Holocaust. The primary spirit of evil took the form of the other. Jews were the (along with gypsies, we often ignore). Jews were blamed for the punitive consequences of World War I, which destroyed the German economy and culture (in some ways). This allowed a person such as Adolf Hitler to become the leader.

    However, the Christian take on Hitler, as hard as it is, was that there was a possibility of redemption for him (along with all the others). How one could, on earth, beyond what he led takes more than I could comprehend. The spirit of evil takes on many forms. Some of them seem benign. Some of them being obviously harmful. Christians over many years have argued over what makes something evil, or if something is indeed evil. A number of changes in American culture and law in the last few decades have certainly been at the fore.

    The spirit of evil that Saul had sounds similar to a split personality. In many places, we read that Saul cared for, respected, and relied upon David. Yet, Saul would try to kill David in many ways, including by chasing him down with an army. The divergence of thinking certainly sounds like modern mental illness. Which leads us back to evil. If someone is mentally ill, is it a spirit of evil or is it something else?

    Whatever guise or seeming, until all is over and we are at the throne of God, we will be dealing with a spirit of evil (or many spirits). While the Book of Revelation tells us the end (though God’s victory doesn’t really come as a surprise), what it means that evil is bound for a thousand years, but will have to be released for a time after that is beyond us. We can guess, but it would only be a guess.

    This not a suggestion for fatalism. If we believe that God is good, Jesus died for us, and that we have the Holy Spirit in us, then evil’s presence is not pre-determined to lead to evil. It is our own thoughts and actions. Our actions, though, cannot be limited to our circle, but must also be part of our .

    ※※

    • What do you think the difference is between evil, sin, and mistakes? How might understanding these 3 things adjust our interactions with the world?
    • When was the last time you used “evil” in ? Was the context actually that of evil, or was it something different? If it was evil, what made it so? If it wasn’t truly evil, what might have been a better way to phrase it?

    ※※

    Lord, help us to guard our hearts against evil. Help us to understand your view of evil and to be those that bring upon it. Amen.

  • Divided Beauty Multiplied

    Divided Beauty Multiplied

    Psalm 104:24–34; Genesis 11:1–9; 1 Corinthians 12:12–27

    The US is not the biggest country in the world, not by landmass, not by population. Just like other countries our size and bigger, there are some weird things that happen as you states, regions, and sometimes even counties. There is a certain section of Washington that adds an “r” so that Washington becomes Warshington or washing becomes warshing. It’s an oddity that has even of those born and raised in Washington confused.

    There are certain things one can say in the Western states that one avoids saying in the Eastern states. There is definitely a divide between the Northern states and the Southern states in regards to language. Sometimes the differences are functional, sometimes they are just some differences that bubbled up as languages and peoples came or divided.

    Sometimes, even more strangely, is that when a number of people come together and form a new language, that becomes even more confused and nuanced. The internet, and all things connected through it, is like that now. New ways of communicating (emojis and abbreviations) are being used and often very misunderstood. There are even manufactured languages (Esperanto, Klingon, for example). We are constantly looking for new ways to communicate.

    The fall of the Tower of Babel echoes this need but in reverse. Humanity had this universal language. Humanity could communicate apparently quite well. Humanity, however, had lost its praising of God and now wanted to become God. Perhaps, even more than the story of the Fall in the Garden of Eden, this short story of the Tower of Babel illuminates the fallen .

    As with many things in the Scriptures, though, redemption still breaks through. Paul comments that the (the Body and of Christ) is made of many parts. Humanity is made of many parts and many languages. God is not limited by “the many”.

    Arguably, God is actually more glorified by the many differences that make up humanity and its languages. There are a few (sadly, too few) Christian worship songs that can cross language barriers, where one can translate the original language into a different one, and still keep the meter and rhythm. Hearing a song you know sung in a different language and still being able to sing along is a beautiful of what God can do.

    It is humanity that is divided by language, people, skin color, nation, or ideology. The Holy speaks through all of God’s people that they can sing praises to God from the depths of their hearts the best way they know how.

    ※Reflection※

    • Where are places you have seen the division of humanity bring to God?
    • How do you see divided humanity overcome its divisions?
    • Do you think artistic activities are better able to overcome the differences than non-artistic? Why are why not?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, we recognize that we are divided. Through the Holy Spirit we are not called to be united, we are united through. Transform our lives so that they match what the Spirit has done. Amen.

  • Go and (p)Reach

    Go and (p)Reach

    Psalm 4; Luke 24:36b-48; Acts 3:12-19; 1 John 3:1-7

    The disciples are still struggling with the Resurrection. You’d think they’d have accustomed themselves to Jesus being alive, but they were obviously still struggling. As part of this last appearance, Jesus explained the and His place in them. This is not the first time he did this after the Resurrection.

    This time, though, it comes with a command, to preach the Resurrection and a change of heart and life for the forgiveness of sin. This mission doesn’t start immediately. It has to wait until the heavenly power comes (the at ).

    Waiting in Jerusalem, however, does not mean being inactive. Peter’s healing of the lame man (Acts 3:1-10) opened the door (so to ) to begin the mission. Peter tells his listeners what it is all about, “But this is how God fulfilled what he foretold through all the prophets: that his Christ would suffer. Change your hearts and lives! Turn back to God so that your sins may be wiped away.” (Acts 3:18-19, CEB)Much later, John wrote that we have hope in Jesus as we (progressively) purify ourselves (so as to become more Christ-like). This reflects the changing of hearts that Jesus and Peter made known.

    Jesus’ and Peter’s declarations could also be restated as it is in Matthew 28:19–20, “…go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything that I’ve commanded you…” [CEB]While the passage in Matthew could be interpreted as only applying to the disciples, the passage from Luke cannot be (without serious contortions). The changed heart is also consistent across the Scriptures.

    We are all called to tell the world about Jesus, sin, , and the place of changed hearts in all of that. In the current culture, we are having to learn how to do this well. Sadly, we are in the midst of getting rid of the baggage that we’ve been carrying, and that is painfully difficult. So much so, that most of us no longer have effective tools or methods to reach (and “preach to”) .

    In all likelihood, the Western will have to relearn how to live in a true and deep community. We have all become accustomed to the shallow community of the Western Church, not the Christian fellowship as described in the Scriptures.

    This does not excuse any of us from looking for opportunities to talk about the grace of Jesus Christ and the change in our hearts. Perhaps, rather than excuse it, it should drive us more.

    ※※

    • Are you doing anything that resembles telling the world about Jesus in the way Jesus talks about in Luke?
      • If you are, it going?
      • If you aren’t, why not?
    • In regard to telling the world, is it your responsibility or someone else’?

    ※Prayer※

    Almighty God, you gave your only Son to be for us both a sacrifice for sin and an example of godly living: us grace thankfully to receive his inestimable benefits, and daily to follow the blessed steps of his most holy life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. [Third Sunday of Easter Collect, Book of Common Prayer 2019]

  • The Dead Speak

    The Dead Speak

    Isaiah 25:6–9; Psalm 118:1–2, 14–24; John 20:1–18

    The stone. We always talk about the stone on Easter. There was no question it was a big stone so that it was moved without intervention was a big deal. As much as the stone is represented simply, it isn’t simple.

    Mary ran back to inform the disciples. Peter and John raced to the tomb. John entered first, but it is not like simply walking through a doorway. There were actually some gymnastics involved. Whether there was actually coming from the outside (some of the ancient tombs were not configured that way) or if John and Peter brought a lamp isn’t important. However light made it in, there was light to see.

    There are two mentions of cloths. The first refers to the wrappings that were around the body. Bluntly, a grave-robber is not going to leave them behind, for often the wrappings were what contained the expensive spices, and grave-robbing is not the kind of thing where one carefully removes the wrappings and leaves them.

    The other cloth, though, was folded. There is no hurry to leave here. There is care implied with the folding (or rolling) of the cloth. Some commentators interpret this as if Jesus had “left the table” with plans to return (referring to the Second Coming). The facecloth was usually used to tie closed the jaw of the deceased.

    It might be reading too much into it, but bear with me. and death had closed the mouth of God. Sin and death and silenced the of God. The of God removed the cloth. The mouth of God was opened. The Word of God was released to change the world.

    Christ has died! Christ has Risen! Christ will come again!

    ※Prayer※

    O God, who for our gave your only begotten Son to die upon the Cross, and by his glorious delivered us from the devil and the of death: Grant us grace to die daily to sin, that we may live with him in the of his resurrection; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy , now and for ever. Amen. [Easter Collect, Book of Common Prayer 2019]

  • Wood and Metal

    Wood and Metal

    Psalm 22; Isaiah 52:13–53:12; Hebrews 10:16–24; John 19:16–30

    Perhaps instead of , it should be Great Friday. The greatness of God succumbed willingly to the , sin, and hatred of humanity. The purpose was to provide a path for humanity to to God that humanity had abandoned.

    We could talk about all the theology of the cross. We could talk about the theology of atonement. There’s the Justification Theory. There’s the Penal Theory. There’s the Ransom theory. There’s the Relational Theory. There’s the theory.

    They are all great theories. All of them have an aspect of the in them. Until we meet God face-to-face, the of the cross is not something to be understood by the mind of humanity. The mystery of the cross is…a mystery.

    All the theories are about “how” it works as if that really matters. That God did it. That is what matters.

    Good Friday is that time where we have to face the Truth. We are the reason for the cross. We are the reason that the only blameless died on a cross.

    The cross is morbid. It is brutal. It is in the midst of life on earth.

    I used to lead a Good Friday service. As part of the service, I drove 3 big nails into a wooden cross: BANG, BANG, BANG for each nail. Three hits each for 3 nails. The cross was on a hollow wooden floor. Each hit on a nail could be felt by everyone. That I drove the nails into the cross, into the symbolic representation of the sacrifice of my Savior, affected me deeply.

    After I was done with the teaching, each person was invited to write something on a piece of paper and nail it to the cross. I never read any of them. Not even my kids’ or my wife’s. That was their “thing” to nail to the cross.

    Oddly, there was something meaningful to many during that service. It wasn’t publicized, but it grew. I don’t know if it was the Savior Himself that drew them or the act of being rid of a weight that drew them. I do know that people let me know that it was their “favorite” service.

    Sounds weird, doesn’t it? Yet, we all seem to know that there is always something else that we need to leave at the cross.

    ※Reflection※

    • What does Good Friday tell you about God? What does Good Friday tell you about how God feels about you?
    • What is something that you need to put at/on the cross, and leave there with your Savior?

    ※Prayer※

    Almighty God, we beseech you graciously to behold this your family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed and given into the hands of sinners, and to suffer death upon the Cross; who now lives and reigns with you and the , one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

  • Repair and Refine

    Repair and Refine

    Psalm 84; 2 Chronicles 29:1–11, 16–19; Hebrews 9:23–28

    A few days ago, we read about Jesus cleansing the . As noted, then, prophets doing “over-the-top” things weren’t totally unexpected. Generally, it was uncomfortable, but God’s true prophets weren’t known to bring comfort without discomfort.

    Sometimes amid depravity, a person bursts out of the decay and does something unexpected. Hezekiah was one of those. Hezekiah may be one of the few (yet significant) proof-texts for why the and the government should not be as separated as much as it seems to be called for in these modern days.

    Of course, Hezekiah it not the norm. The only time this really would work would be if the church and the government actually respected each other’s place, honored it, and behaved honorably themselves. Neither government nor church has a sterling record. They don’t even have a tin record.

    Hezekiah shaped up the Levites and called them to their heritage and duty. He directed them to get back Temple . As the king, this would also call the populace to also refocus on the Temple. However, part of Hezekiah’s isn’t about the Temple. The important part of Hezekiah’s speech is about God and the place that God should be having in the life of Israel.

    The filth and disrepair of the Temple were symbolic of the place God had in the life of the Israelites. God didn’t really have a place in their lives. The Temple and its rituals had cultural relevance, but there wasn’t much in the way of spiritual relevance. It was also a work of process.

    First, there had to be desire. Then the doors had to be repaired. Then the doors had to be opened. Then the filth had to be removed. Then the artifacts of practice (fire grates, bowls for washing, and so on) had to be made. Then the work began.

    Sometimes it can be easy to dismiss much of the Temple talk. The writer of Hebrews saw the Temple as the foreshadowing of Jesus and the believers becoming the temples of God. The author, along with (1 Corinthians 3:10–23), sees God not doing a new work (as in unknown or unforeseen).

    They saw God as fulfilling what the Temple was promising.

    However, both understood from a historical and experiential view that the temple could be damaged, emptied, and/or corrupted. This is the beauty of a God of . God is at work in the Temple, even when we aren’t.

    ※※

    Where do you see yourself on the Christian walk in regard to getting the Temple ready (the list of things having been or to be done)? Are you at the point of the real work? If so, what does that look like for you?

     

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, we are called to be workers not just in the church. We are also called to be workers in the temples of believers. Help us to continue to work on ourselves and be ready to build each other up as we work. Amen.

  • It Is Written

    It Is Written

    Job’s words of optimism amid the words of anguish provides quite the contrast. The context seems to be that Job wants his words of trust in God to be recorded ( on a scroll). Then he goes further and wants them engraved on stone. The implication being that a scroll is not permanent (or significant enough) to encapsulate the mercy and of God.

    The Book of Job is often thought of in the context of Job’s trials and misery. It might be that these few words of Job here show the heart of Job that every follower of God should also have. Imagine…if you can…how the would be known…how the followers of Christ would be known…if they had the same trust as Job.

    As people of “the Book” (as Christians are known in the Arab world), we speak as if we believe the (the Bible) was engraved in stone. Yet, we often don’t that same way. The way we live out our lives often seems (and is) in conflict with the Word.

    This is Paul’s concern for Timothy and the church in general. While the CEB (the primary translation being used for these devotionals this year) individualizes behavior (e.g., “you”) while other translations are more generic (e.g., “one”). The Greek as neither. Both “you” and “one” are interpretations of the “space” between the words (this really is an English problem).

    I see the phrasing as being more like, “this is the knowledge required to live rightly as part of the household of God.” In the Greek, Paul is making clear that all who are known as/by “” have certain rules and expectations to be part of the household of God.

    In the current secular culture, the church has found itself in an awkward place. It wants to be welcoming to all (as it should be). On the other hand, it is also called to have expectations of behavior and spiritual growth (which it must be).

    The sad reality is that the church may have to suborn the expectations to earn the reputation of being welcoming. Yet, the church cannot keep kicking that can down the road, either.

    Ultimately, our hope is that our Redeemer lives, and our Redeemer seeks to redeem all of humanity.

    ※Reflection※

    • From your , how does the knowledge of permanent redemption (from Job) affect, influence, and guide your understanding of and out the obligations of being part of the household of God?
    • Do you find yourself to be more “welcoming” or more “” oriented? How is that lived out in the faith community? How is that lived out in the wider (i.e., non-faith) community?

    ※Prayer※

    , guide our actions through your example. Thank you for being our Redeemer. Amen.