Devotion.al

Tag: redemption

  • Childless Futurism

    Genesis 18:1–11, Luke 1:5–25, Luke 1:36–56 (read online ⧉)

    We are now in a time where having children is no longer an assumed item on the checkboxes of . As people, especially women, become more educated the birth rate drops. The practical reality is that because women are educated they too can provide for the in ways other than housework and childbearing. This is a cultural (actually across many cultures) reality. It does not mean it should be, only that it is. As women are increasingly joining the workforce, having children becomes less of a priority (for both husband and wife), for careers prominence.

    There is something else that is occurring, and that is the rise of anti-natalists. These are people who believe that having children is immoral, because of ecological reasons or because of the condition of suffering. In many respects, they have a point. What’s interesting is that this is not an abortion thing, so the pro-live versus abortion debate doesn’t really have a place (generally) with anti-natalists.

    These reasons, along with advances in medical science, start to affect how we look at the stories of Sarah and Elizabeth. In our , either there is no excuse to not have children (other than ), or there is no good reason to have children.

    This is not to disparage anyone’s choices, but to help peel back the layers of yet another thing that the world no longer understands: the of a woman who had lost to have children, but now God would gift her with one.
    Mary’s visit to Elizabeth ties the messenger and the message together. God has come! God is here! While it is called Mary’s Magnificat, how could Elizabeth have not worshiped and rejoiced with Mary in this wonderful redemptive movement of God. Through old and barren Elizabeth’s pregnancy to Mary’s impossible -made pregnancy, God was doing something new! REJOICE!

    1) Why is redemption tied to joy? How are they different?

    2) If you were to decide to not have children, what is another way you might express or show an example of that kind of joy?

    3) Whose joy was better/greater, Elizabeth’s or Mary’s? Why?

  • Seeking Reliably

    Psalm 24, Isaiah 55:1–13, Romans 11:33–36

    Many folks are obsessed with picking apart the to find any issues or incongruities. Some do this out honest inquiry, some do it in an attempt to discredit the Scriptures. The reality is that we have to look at the Scriptures as the writers intended (which can be difficult) and literary type. Often people view the Scriptures as something they are not.

    This is an important concept to understand, especially in light of the last couple of days discussing the Holy Spirit and Jesus. The Scriptures are the starting point to understand God and our relationship with God.

    Psalm 24 is a victorious Psalm. Yet, God is no mere victorious general entering the city of Jerusalem. God is so much more. Tucked in the Psalm is “Such is the generation of those who inquire of him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob.” This seeking is the next step. We are called to seek God and we start with the Scriptures. As we seek God and read the Scriptures, only then can begin to grasp just what it means to know the “King of .”

    Isaiah’s is the of God to each and every one to seek Him. In the midst of trials, exile, and destruction, God is still calling people to turn to Him. Will they all escape the judgement? No. That isn’t the point, and never was. The purpose of seeking God—to have our hearts turned to Him—is not to escape the , misery, and fallenness of this world, it is to place it all into the redeeming of God.

    and reconciliation are very much a part of ‘s message. When Paul speaks about the depth of the riches, it is not—again—to escape, but to put into our experiences in the world. In comparison to God, what we think is small. In comparison to God, we are insignificant; from a human perspective, that is. God cares for us all. It is not that God diminishes our troubles or joys. It is that while what revolves around us is hugely important, there is still a larger picture.

    Knowing God means not just the Holy Spirit or Jesus or God the , but seeking God fully and doing our best to understand God. We have the tools and gifts: the Scriptures, the church ( and tradition), our minds, our experience.

    1) What is one area of the 4 (Scriptures, church, mind, experience) that you rely or focus most on? Why? How might that be disadvantageous?

    2) What is the one area you are the weakest in? Why? How could you strengthen that area?

    3) As inheritors of the Protestant tradition, we often hold the Scriptures extraordinarily high to the detriment of the other 3. Yes, holding the Scriptures highly is a good thing. However, balance is required, so why is that a bad thing?

  • What God’s Will?

    Genesis 37:16–27, Deuteronomy 30:15–20, Matthew 12:46–50

    One of the most heartbreaking things taught by certain Christian traditions is that God wills bad things to happen to people. One of the reasons they draw that conclusion is that we are able to look back at stories like Joseph’s and say, “God knew/planned/designed this to happen.” For people who have no or have believed themselves betrayed by God, how could such a perspective bring them or joy? In fact, it is not surprising that they would never such a God.

    One of the other presumptions often followed is blind faith. Blind faith often means “following your ” without any . This is not Joseph’s faith, or at least scripture doesn’t provide that description. Part of the other problem with our looking back and imposing our own stories is that we forget or neglect a basic reality—and it certainly was Joseph’s— is hard. What Joseph experienced is probably not that different than others experienced in the same era. We can draw that conclusion fairly easily, for selling into slavery is still a story being experienced today in many parts of the world. It doesn’t make it easy, though.

    When Moses sends off the Israelites to the promised land, he presents a choice: life or . One would think that was an easy and simple choice. As the story of the Israelites unfolds, however, we can see that it isn’t the case. Yet, again, the conclusion could be drawn that God planned that the Israelites would not choose life. Yet, that isn’t God’s intent, purpose, or God’s heart (as revealed by his prophets). Yes, God knew, and God loved them anyway. God knew, and he loved everyone so much that he permitted awful things, even while he cried out to them to return.

    God did not seek to send Joseph to death or slavery. Joseph’s brothers had a choice. There were plenty of choices that could have been made differently, Israel (or Jacob) could have made different decisions, as could have Leah and Rachel. Joseph definitely could have made different decisions. It’s not what God directs or allows, it’s what God redeems that is the real story.

    What is God’s will for us? Well, God’s will for Joseph was that Joseph interpret dreams that God gifted him the ability to interpret. God’s will for Moses that he guide the people to the Promised Land. They both did it, but not fully and in the best way.

    God’s will for Jesus’ family was that they raise and the Messiah. They did, but as the “blooming” of the Messiah occurred, they weren’t so happy. What was God’s will for them? They partially succeeded but had a slight of heart. Did they fully oppose God’s will? No. They just made things a little more difficult for the Messiah. Being true to form, Jesus redeemed it, teaching us what it means to be Jesus’ family.

    1) Why is “being in God’s will” so attractive? Why is the view of God controlling everything the opposite of “being in God’s will”?

    2) What is the difference between being in “God’s will” and blind faith? What are the similarities?

    3) Why is redemption such an important piece of understanding “God’s plan” versus God redeeming our choices?

  • Hearing Truth

    Psalm 25, Jeremiah 7:21–34, John 16:7–15, Ephesians 4:15–16

    The wounds of a friend are trustworthy,
    but the kisses of an are excessive.
    Proverbs 27:6

    Truth can be a painful thing. If delivered in the context of true friendship, the pain of the truth is shared by both. One of the hardest things to do is to be honest with truth, and to be humble and trusting to accept it.
    Jeremiah delivered God’s message to the Israelites. It was Truth. In their pride and arrogance, they disregarded it. Instead of properly viewing Jeremiah as God’s prophet—the messenger of God’s seeking of their redemption—they viewed him as an irritant, and someone not to be listened to. Of course, they really chose to not listen to God. It’s not as if God hadn’t already tried. It wasn’t as if God hadn’t already set the expectations. It is not as if God didn’t, even now, continue to try convincing them to . Raise a sad song of mourning (a dirge). God wasn’t happy. God was mourning. The Truth delivered caused at least as much pain to God, as to God’s people.

    We have been called to Truth. We have to unwind ourselves from the lies, however, and the number of lies are overwhelming. Perhaps we shouldn’t call them lies. Many are truth and facts. However, throwing truths and facts out in an attempt to bury the Truth, makes them all lies. While Christianity feels as if it is against the world (and it is to some degree), the world instinctively understands that it opposes the Truth. As the Holy fills all of , one cannot help but wonder if the struggles of the world are not sin, per se, but that the Holy Spirit has been very successful in convicting hearts.

    We are called to Truth, not just truth. We are to use to convey Truth. The concept of God as gentleman fits here. God isn’t beating on them to their ways. The Holy Spirit is alive in them quickening their hearts to the truth, but as humans often do, when confronted by a look in the mirror, they break the mirror, hide the mirror, cover the mirror, anything but look into the mirror. One of the hardest parts about is the Truth. We need to be in the kind of where truth can be shared in love, and accepted in . Sadly, far too many of our relationships—parental, child, sibling, spouse, friend—do not allow for that kind of truth.

    1) What are some reasons, you think, that sharing truth is so hard?

    2) What are some reasons—other than pride—why people don’t want to hear or hurt when hearing truth? What are God-related reasons? What are human-related reasons?

    3) When sharing what we think is the truth, why is it so important to use Ephesians 4:15 as a litmus test for your words?

  • Stones Alive

    Psalm 148, Acts 7:37-53, Hebrews 2:9-13

    …[Jesus’] followers began to shout and sing…”Blessings on the King who comes in the of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and in highest heaven!” But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, “Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!” [Jesus] replied, “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!” (Luke 19:37-40, NLT)

    All of knew and knows the Creator (Psalm 148). Jesus’ walk upon the earth was even transformational for the non- aspects of Creation. Creation has its own part to fulfill, and that was to second what humanity was crying out. In the law, a testimony wasn’t true without at least two witnesses. As a whole, Jesus’ followers were witnesses, and Creation wasn’t going to be silent either!

    In the story of Israel, piles of stones or a single large stone were memorials (i.e., witnesses) of what God had done. When Jesus says the stones would cry out it was reminiscent of the stones of .

    Stephen (Acts 7:37-53) reminds the Jews of what God had done, sending witnesses (prophets) to remind them of who God is. While they were alive, sometimes the Israelites would listen, but after they died, their hearts were dead stone. In other words, their hearts of stone were unable to proclaim God’s glory, unlike the stones that were on the road that Jesus walked.

    Jesus, who for a time was slightly lower than the angels (Hebrews 2:9), brought the world to , so that Creation (that man too often thinks of as mute) wanted to sing out the of the world.

    • 1/KD) What would you do if a stone started singing (or shouting), “Great is the Lord!”?
    • 2) Does thinking that all of Creation celebrates redemption through Christ how you celebrate?
    • 3) What symbols (e.g., stones) do you use/have that remind you of God’s faithfulness and ?
  • Joy in Redemption

    Joy in Redemption

    Genesis 25:25-34, Exodus 15:12-18, Psalm 23

    The of Isaac and Jacob—the patriarchs of the tribes of Israel—is not ideal. Favoritism of is shown. Despising of family and property is displayed through hunger. This is not a family form to follow. God’s Word often shows that the people that God chose to carry his and blessing weren’t perfect. In fact, some of them seem to have very few redeeming qualities. In other words, God chose to carry his name and blessing through people just like us.

    Moses’ exultation of God in Exodus can seem overbearing toward people who don’t follow God. The entire purpose of that overbearingness is to show God’s and through a people despised and rejected. In fact, this is an echo of the passage in Genesis, for some of the people who are opposing of the Israelites return (coming into their inheritance) are the descendants of Esau who despised his inheritance. God leads and loves those on the outside.

    Psalm 23 is probably the best-known Psalm, even outside of Christian and Jewish circles. In it, God’s care of his people is first presented in the role of a . As the shepherd, God makes the lie down and rest. When the shepherd (God) does lead the sheep, they are so confident and in God, that they followed through darkness and fear.

    The Psalm then transforms from sheep to a person for whom the table is set. In other words, the sheep has now become the guest. That is not a small transformation, to go from stubborn (won’t rest), to following (through fear and death), to guest.

    1) The family in Genesis is not great. How are the relationships shown between people: Isaac, Rebekah, Esau, Jacob? Think of how scripture shows and doesn’t show those relationships.

    2) is one of the biggest ways God shows his love. How is redemption shown in each of today’s passages?

    3) What imagery attracts you most in Psalm 23? What do you think that shows you about a need in your life that should be filled by God, rather than the world?

    KD) Why do you think that God uses the image of sheep when he talks about his people?

  • The Family Story

    The Family Story

    Psalm 25:1-10, Nehemiah 9:26-31, Luke 21:20-24

    “All the Lord’s ways show love and truth to those who keep his and decrees.” (Psalm 25:10)

    “But they were disobedient and rebelled against you. They flung your law behind their backs and killed your prophets who warned them.” (Nehemiah 9:26)

    “…Jerusalem will be trampled by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” (Luke 21:24)

    It not a new thing that people God and then turn their backs on God later.
    Nehemiah recalls that people were inconsistent, following a Godly-ish leader, then falling away, falling to sin and oppression, then being restored. Could Nehemiah be wondering if the Israelites—finally returning home from Babylonian captivity—will last in their , or if they will fall away…again. Throughout the bible there is an optimism that God is gracious and compassionate, and as bad as things get, God is still there.

    God also never intended the story to be just about the Israelites. Through , the whole world (the Gentiles) has the opportunity to be part of God’s and part of God’s redemptive story. So much of the story of God is about God seeking to restore right relationship between him and his chosen people, including us today.

    1) Christmas is culturally a family time of celebration. Who are some people who don’t have family around, that you could invite to be part of your family this Christmas season? Or, do you need a family, just for a short time this season? Do we need ?

    2) God’s story is and family. Is there a family relationship that needs to be restored? Is there a friendship than needs ?

    3/KD) We are called to be like Christ. How can we show , especially during Advent, what a redeemed life and a life with family (or framily) looks like?