Tag: reflection

  • Strange People

    Strange People

    Exodus 20:1–17; Psalm 19; 1 Corinthians 1:18–25; John 2:13–24

    ‘ “cleaning” of the is often focused on how the Jews “corrupted” the House of God. There is in it. The scary part is that it often seems to be a, “look at them” moment, rather than what it should be, “look at us”. On top of that, the last 2 verses in this chapter of John are often skipped in the Lectionary (from which each day’s Scriptures are determined). They, too, are “look at me”. In fact, these last 2 verses fit very well with the passage from 1 Corinthians, and even Exodus, so I added them to today’s readings.

    We usually look at the 10 Commandments as a list of don’ts. The 10 Commandments can also be looked at as a list that makes us different. Culturally, the commandments regarding the proper of God set the Israelites apart from those around them.

    This carried . What Jesus did? It was not totally outside of the norm for the Israelites, insofar as the history and heritage of prophets. The prophets were known to do odd and strange things, as we are told the disciples remembered.

    As Paul notes, the oddness of Christianity then goes beyond the oddness of Judaism, to the point where Jews and Gentiles struggle with it. For anyone with a for those who don’t Jesus, this is a hard and brutal truth.

    We US Christians have a particular struggle with this. We were so accustomed to a cultural majority (almost superiority) that we are only slowly beginning to see our “strangeness”.  Many of us are negatively responding to what we believe was “the way” of “our” country.

    We had “all” the cards. We had the opportunity to plant the seeds that would develop into a Christian nation. Instead, we deceived ourselves with a masquerade. As we face our mortality in , perhaps we should face the mortality of the Christian nation that we have held onto for so long.

    Also, it is hard to ignore the mortality of the as we have understood it for so long. The church—the bride of Christ—is just fine. Half of the US church is bedridden. The other half is prepping the fields for planting.

    ※Reflection※

    • What ways have you found being a Christian “strange” in comparison to non-Christians?
    • When you read the Scriptures, do you focus on “them” rather than “us”?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, you have called us to from working in submission to and being the Spirit-infused influencers of the world. Amen.

  • Storms of Dust

    Storms of Dust

    Psalm 19; Exodus 19:16–25; Mark 9:2–8

    Heaven is declaring God’s ;
    the sky is proclaiming his handiwork.
    One day gushes the news to the next,
    and one night informs another what needs to be known.
    Of course, there’s no , no words—
    their voices can’t be heard—
    but their sound extends throughout the world;
    their words reach the ends of the earth.

    Whether the story of God meeting the Israelites or the Transfiguration of Jesus, all of proclaims the handiwork of God. While we look at Psalm 19 (or Psalm 148) and see the work of God celebrating God, there is quite a dark side to it. The bittersweet is that all the Creation that praises God today will die.

    Part of Ash Wednesday includes, “From you came and to dust you return,” from Genesis 3:19. It also includes a small phrase spoken during many graveside funerals, “Ashes to ashes; dust to dust.” Our mortality is central to , because is what led to , and sin was what Jesus’ death on the cross was to absolve.

    Sin leads to the death of Creation. Yes, Revelation expresses the concept of a new Heaven and a new Earth. New, however, indicates that the old is gone. The “old” Creation (the one in which we live) will go away.

    From an absolute sense, this isn’t a bad thing. No one in their right mind would want to bring into something new all the tattered, worn out, bloody, hateful stuff into something beautifully new. It’s good that the old will be gone.

    This long view of hope is unusual for the world. It is needed by the world. It is easy to conclude that much of the angst and anxiety of the world is that it does not have the hope that looks beyond the now and . The world knows it’s dying.

    ※Reflection※

    Scripture has humanity starting as dust. Why is it important to humanity’s humility to understand that, regardless of what science might say different?

    ※Prayer※

    You are the Lord of , Jesus. Help us to keep that in mind while we recall that we are dust. Amen.

  • In God We Trust?

    In God We Trust?

    Psalm 19; Exodus 19:1–9a; 1 Peter 2:4–10

    Trust is a scarce commodity. True trust. You and I trust that the person approaching the intersection will stop, but we’ve all had enough experience to undermine that trust (we even might be the reason we are this way at intersections).

    All our actions operate on trust. In general, we “trust” for two reasons, (1) cultural training, (2) “enlightened” self-interest. We are culturally trained to trust people during transactions, though when lawyers are involved, maybe we don’t (no offense intended if you’re a lawyer). “Enlightened” self-interest really means that most people won’t do majorly wrong things out of of getting caught with the consequences.

    The sad is that often our trust in and of God is the same. We trust God insofar as we think of God’s “enlightened” self-interest. If you read that aloud, you might have detected a note of scorn or sarcasm. It certainly is there, but it is self-aimed rather than God-aimed.

    As we are and much of our interaction, trust, and of the world is based upon our experience, how could we not dangerously put God in the same spot as our fellow humans? Immediately, you might be saying, “not me!” Most of the time indeed it probably isn’t you.

    It is the times that it is you (or me or anyone) that we need to examine openly with . As much as we often want to overlook our weaknesses, it is those weaknesses that make Christ a stumbling block even for his followers.

    “…they refuse to believe in the .” The Word is . Jesus is God. Perhaps the harsher truth is that we trust the Word as much as we trust the world.

    ※Reflection※

    • Whom do you trust? Why? When have they betrayed the trust? How did you (and your with them) beyond the ?
    • Do you trust God more than you trust the world?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, trust is endangered in and by the world. Help our trust in you to be strengthened beyond all measure and exceed our distrust so that it is no more. Amen.

  • Becoming Light

    Becoming Light

    Jeremiah 30:12–22; John 12:36–43

    Perhaps this has been said before, but an important lesson learned through Celebrate Recovery was, “hurt people hurt people.” When people are hurting, they lash out. Sometimes the is stress. Often it is thousands of little things (and sometimes only a few) that pile up all at once. Our emotional and spiritual history is full of small wounds. Most of the time, we function well despite them. Other times, we fall completely apart.

    God relays back to the Israelites all their woe and anguish. God explains how much of, really, is the accumulation of delayed consequences over the years. It is not that God is uncompassionate. It is that God is trying to retrain them to pursue God and not the world.

    We can safely that many Israelites said with their hearts and/or their mouths, “God, if you really loved us…” They judged God by the consequences of their actions. We are often no different, whether we blame God or others.

    God acknowledges and identifies their pain. Many are lashing out at God because of their pain. Many, just like today, lash out at God for they cannot see clearly through their pain. God doesn’t leave it at that. God promises .

    What should catch our attention in the promises is, “You will be my people…” The Israelites were declared God’s people in Exodus, yet here is a future tense. The Israelites were no longer God’s people. It seems obvious, but for the Israelites, it wasn’t obvious that they were no longer God’s people.

    The other implication here is that the can be lost. For those of us in the Wesleyan-Arminian , this isn’t a shock, but we often choose to forget it. The Israelites had lost it. This should not be taken to an antisemitic extreme (“Christians” have done too much of that). It should be viewed as a warning.

    It is not that they didn’t regain the blessing, but one can look at the history that followed, and see that the blessing never returned to the way it had been. The rise and fall of Israel is a lesson for every believer.

    ‘ words are the guidelines to follow. If you have the (Jesus), believe in the light. This is the full-hearted belief and in God. This is not a “statement of belief.” It is a of belief.

    The CEB concludes with “that you might become people whose lives are determined by the light.” Other translations say something more familiar, “that you may become children of light.” Might is not coincidental. Might indicates that…you can lose it, or that you can walk away from it.

    Your trust and relationship with God may be such that you are not able to understand why anyone would “lose” or “walk away” from Jesus. The Israelites wandered away from God. Judas Iscariot (who was with him for nearly 3 years) betrayed Jesus. It can happen.

    ※Reflection※

    • Do you know anyone who “walked in the light” and then stopped? Do you know the pain of their story and/or why?
    • How do you deal with the pain of people who know Jesus? How do you deal with the pain of people who don’t know Jesus?

    ※Prayer※

    Jesus, help us to walk in the light and to call others to your light, too. Amen.

  • To Live As Sacrifice

    To Live As Sacrifice

    Psalm 105:1–11, 37–45 Genesis 22:1–19; Hebrews 11:1–3, 13–19

    Post-traumatic stress is a real thing. There are many sources of trauma. We generally think of violence as the only source of trauma, but damaged are equally the source of trauma for many individuals. Just like other forms of emotional scars, trauma may take years to heal if it ever does.

    Some people have been miraculously cured of the various issues of trauma. They are not the norm. Many of those that still suffer from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) don’t even recognize that they have it as they have not been taught how to perceive it.

    Often, we don’t recognize potential PTSD in the . We often put it aside or dismiss any possibilities because “they were real ‘men’” then. Reminds me of the stories of the ’50s, and how great everything was with families and gatherings. The dark side of that being the mass amount of alcohol that was consumed not so obviously. One could easily conclude that the mass consumption of alcohol was a “tool” to numb the of World War II’s PTSD.

    Imagine Isaac—the recipient of Abraham’s love and expectation —when his father ties him up and puts him on the woodpile intended for the sacrifice. The sole inheritor of Abraham and Sarah must have been shocked. He must have also felt betrayed. We can only imagine the effects that had on Isaac’s and Abraham’s relationship.

    There may well have also been an impact on Isaac’s relationship with God. Many people feel betrayed by God because a loved one died, or because their life isn’t what they want or imagined. Being a literal sacrifice to God didn’t seem to affect Isaac’s faith in God overall, but it’s hard to see how that didn’t color Isaac’s view of God either.

    Walking through life as “the almost sacrifice”. What a strange feeling, even at the end, that must have been.

    As Christians, we continually observe the sacrifice that Christ was for us and for all of humanity (and ). If Jesus Christ sacrificed his life for us, we too are almost a sacrifice.

    The of Almost Sacrifices. What a fabulous ring it has to it! How could anyone not want to be part of that? Right? You just can’t to go there!

    Except the author of Hebrews notes that plenty of people died before the fulfillment of the Messiah. Many of them waited for the Messiah. Many of them were waiting for the first Nation of Israel. were waiting for the next Holy Nation of Israel. Some even today wait for the next Holy Nation of Israel.

    Waiting for God’s timing is indeed often a sacrifice. Sometimes it can be our pride (of nation, gender, profession, race, wealth) that needs to be sacrificed. Other times it is our assumptions that need to be sacrificed.

    The Walk often seems to be one of constant almost sacrifice. However, the almost isn’t one of, “I almost did it.” It is one of, “I surrendered it, and God gave it back.” So, no, we are not to be a nation of almost sacrifices. We are to be a nation that has sacrificed and sacrifices continually. This not a sacrifice of misery, but a sacrifice of response to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords who sacrificed for us.

    ※Reflection※

    • What does sacrifice mean to you?
    • What does it mean to live as an almost sacrifice? What about an actual sacrifice? What about living a life of sacrifice?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, we often don’t know what it means to live sacrificially or to live a life of sacrifice. Help us to know the cross that is ours to pick up. Amen.

  • Before and After

    Before and After

    Psalm 105:1–11, 37–45; Genesis 21:1–7; Hebrews 1:8–12

    “Remember the wondrous works he has done…”

    It would be nice to say that part of the culture and religious practices of the Jews made them different than . Christians don’t have that luxury. We are the spiritual descendants of Abraham. The wondrous works of God did not begin with the Cross, or even ‘ birth in the manger, they began with, “Let there .”

    Christianity, or perhaps we should say the Western European iteration of it (including the US and Canada), has broken much of that lineage. As the evangelical church “discovers” church traditions such as Lent, it is starting to learn a little bit about church history.

    Most Western Christians probably know more about their respective country’s history (and other Western European countries’) history than they know of history except for where the two crossed. The history of the church around the world is as varied as the nations and the peoples it has impacted.

    All of history is filled with the “wondrous works he has done.” Too often, however, we think more about human rather than God. We also forget that so many things (the sun rising, the full moon, the wind, our very ) are wondrous things, no matter how small and simple they appear to be.

    Isaac was Abraham’s and Sarah’s proof of God’s wondrous works (just as any child is). Sarah was held to account when she laughed when God’s messenger promised that Sarah would be pregnant. Abraham probably laughed when Sarah became pregnant and a was born. Maybe, just maybe, they named Isaac (he laughed) because they thought God had “the last laugh.”

    How we look to the past influences the . As the author of Hebrews quoted from Psalms, God is everlasting. The author of Hebrews (I cannot wait to confirm who wrote it) affirms that God is everlasting. Long after our history disappears, God will be there. Yet, that doesn’t absolve us from continually remembering what God has done.

    ※Reflection※

    What has God been doing in your life recently? Are any doors closing? Are any doors opening?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, we don’t know the future, and we are far too tied to the past we think we know, keeping the future bound to misunderstanding. Help us to open our eyes and to the future that you have for us while helping the past. Amen.

  • Passing It Off

    Genesis 17:1–7, 15–16; Romans 4:13–25; Mark 8:31–38

    I grew up with Richard Scarry books. One of my favorite stories was about the Bunny going to bed. As Daddy Bunny put each child to bed, each child shared their “future” dream job. The last child said, “I’ll be what I’ll be,” and he dreamed to be a Daddy Bunny. Of course, my dad that I identified with that last child. One of my greatest honors is the fact that I am a dad.

    My wasn’t that my kids would be my (not the thought pattern of a child), but Abraham’s was. Culturally, a person without a legacy (and the legacy being children than other things) was close to worthless. Ishmael (son with a ) and Isaac (son with the wife) were it (at this point).  Not much of a legacy for the era.

    Yet, Abraham’s imputed was because he believed (trusted) God when God said that Abraham would be the of nations. This is why centers on our inheritance through .

    Paul notes that we are Abraham’s legacy. We are Abraham’s children through faith, not (necessarily) by blood. While Paul is here dealing with the “inheritance” aspect of Jew versus Gentile, there are other aspects that we can examine.

    An inheritance is not “earned”. An inheritance is given. It is given by the person whose it is to the person (or people) whose it isn’t. Even when dealing with the how (blood or faith) of the inheritance, Paul overrides it all with the of the inheritance.

    ※Reflection※

    • Have you ever had an inheritance? Were you surprised by it?
    • What does having an inheritance from God mean to you? How is an inheritance from God different from an inheritance from a family member or someone else?

    ※Prayer※

    Gracious God, may we never view the inheritance we’ve been given as something we’ve earned or deserve. Amen.

  • What’s In A Name?

    What’s In A Name?

    Genesis 16:7–15; Mark 8:27–30

    Relational abuse is not something we should tolerate. This is with the understanding that abuse is the regular, deliberate intent to harm or diminish another. It’s important to address this based on Hagar’s statement to the Lord’s messenger.

    Based upon the , Hagar presumed too much. As the first (Sarah being the other) person to conceive a child of Abraham, Hagar no longer viewed Sarah as deserving her . Culturally, this would be the “second wife” taking over the place of “the first” wife in the . That would have been a of significant dishonor. In a culture that highly values honor, it’s almost like killing Sarah (yes, that would be the significance of dishonoring). Sarah would not have taken that well.

    Hagar, on the other hand, would have likely viewed her (Hagar’s) place as being of greater honor due to conception. From Hagar’s viewpoint (honor and respect being integral), anything that Sarah did that “kept” Hagar in “her place” as second wife (even though a servant) would be insulting and harsh. From her perspective, Hagar “earned” her new place as first wife.

    We have a hard time understanding this, as our enculturation includes monogamy.  It is critical when reading the Scriptures to understand where our culture (and thus understanding) doesn’t mesh with the culture(s) portrayed in the Scriptures.

    From a cultural standpoint, Hagar had betrayed the family. The messenger made no such accusation. The messenger just said, go back. The messenger also gave a name to the to be born…Ishmael (he hears). God heard Hagar and the son was named to bear witness to this .

    Assigning names is not a small thing. Names are both a beginning and an end. Multiple times in the Scriptures, a person gains a new name after a significant (God) event. Thus, when Jesus asks his disciples (his friends) who do they say he is, Jesus is being vulnerable.

    We look at this passage knowing that Jesus is the Messiah, but when we think about it, when Jesus puts this question before the disciples, he is opening himself up to many things. The names/identities that the disciples say are saying would not have the full effect or import.

    One of the things that any of the identities/names that the disciples had put forth would, in some respects, diminish Jesus’ ministry. All of them were those that came before Jesus, so Jesus would have been “just” a repeat. They even brought up John the Baptist! Talk about a misunderstanding of God!

    Jesus’ vulnerability to being misnamed is significant on multiple fronts. It showed his effectiveness. The disciples (or at least Peter) correctly identified Jesus. This provides a greater perspective regarding what Jesus did before, and what he did after.

    “You are the Christ,” is similar to getting a new name. Something happened. In at least one disciple’s eyes, Jesus wasn’t just a good religious man. Jesus went from friend to the hope for and . For Peter, it may have also been one of the hardest things. His friend became someone undeniably more than ordinary.

    ※Reflection※

    • What does your name mean to you? What did your name mean to your parents (if you know)?
    • What nicknames do you have for people you know? How about for people you don’t know (like that driver who encroached or cut you off)? What do these names mean?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, we have many names and titles in this world. Thank you for the one the surpasses them all, Child of God. Amen.