Devotion.al

Tag: relationships

  • 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 servant 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 hope 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 relationship with them to define their relationships with .

    ‌There is truth and 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 that he indirectly did). Would Jesus still forgive him despite his betrayal? Jesus washed his feet.‌

    🤔 Reflection

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

    ‌🙏

    ‌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 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.

  • Dead and gone. Dead and here.

    Dead and gone. Dead and here.

    ‌📖 Read

    ‌Matthew 22:31-32; Hebrews 11:33–12:2

    ‌🔎 Focus

    ‌

    “‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is God not of the dead but of the .”

    Matthew 22:32

    ‌“[] will come again to judge the living and the dead”

    The Apostle’s Creed

    ‌”I believe in…the resurrection of the body, and the everlasting”

    The Apostle’s Creed

    ‌‌✟ Devotion

    ‌The Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos in Spanish) has become a cross-cultural celebration/observation in the US, as the holidays south of the border prevalence due to population changes. There is a belief that the Conquistadors brought the Day of the Dead to the New World with them, and because the Black Plague was their backdrop, it became a more morbid observation of All Souls Day.

    ‌In many cultures, there is a belief that for a time period (from a day to a week), the “veil” between the dead and the living is “thinned”, so that the two “sides” of the veil can interact. It probably was over varying times, but as the Western (particularly the Roman Catholic Church) spread, it likely coalesced to today (and yesterday for some).

    ‌Is the thinning of the veil true? Perhaps. It could also be, because its a day for that belief, that we become aware of the separation between the living and dead. Then there was an older Christian belief that the communion of was such that the thinning was irrelevant, because believers were already unified.

    ‌The spreading of the Day of the Dead across cultures might be something more that an excuse to party or to eat or display Calavera (edible or cast skull-shaped items). The modern culture, particularly in the US, does not do well. The Dying with Dignity movement, hospice, and other things are a shadowing of this, too (not to disparage either).

    ‌We death. The Day of the Dead and even Halloween (with its macabre and scary themes) are signs of it. They are a play, so-to-speak, that we “cheated” death. Yet, death comes for us all.

    ‌All Souls Day is a day set aside to recognized, grieve, mourn, those who had died. We don’t mourn those we’ve lost very well. “They’ve gone to a better place,” is a common refrain. However, their death still impacts our being, and All Souls Day is a good day to recognize that.

    ‌🤔 Reflection

    ‌Have you lost anyone this year? If so, thank God (as you are able) for their life and their impact upon your life? If they harmed you, ask God to be released from the burden of the , and to heal the wounds.

    ‌Whose death do you forget (on purpose or accidently)? What can you do to remember them?

    ‌Why is it important to remember the dead in our lives as relationships, rather than historical fact?

    ‌🙏 Prayer

    ‌Thank you, God, for the reminder of those you have placed in our lives for good. May we recall the blessings of the people. Amen.

  • Greater or Lesser Than Evils

    Greater or Lesser Than Evils

    Read: Psalm 119:41–48, Deuteronomy 10:10–22, James 2:14–26

    ‌🔎 Focus

    ‌No one ever accomplishes good by means of evil, because they are themselves conquered by the evil. On the contrary, evil is corrected by good.

    St. Barsanuphius the Great

    You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder.

    James 2:19 (NRSVue)

    It is a good exercise to ask, what is evil? Why do we categorize certain perspectives, actions, or even people as evil? Often, what we judge as evil is really about what we view as normative, as if normal was automatically good (or evil, for that matter).

    ‌‌✟ Devotion

    ‌In the US, today is . It is a combination of many traditions, and always comes with a plethora of arguments as to whether Christians should observe it, participate in any type of recognition of it (Truck ‘n’ Treat, Harvest Party, and the like), or stay in a holy huddle.

    ‌In Christian circles, 31 October has some Western Christian specific applications. In a few traditions, this (though really beginning at sunset) is the beginning of The Allhallowtide season, which is a time in the year for first, observation of the (known & unknown, martyred and not) who have gone before us to their Heavenly Reward. It concludes with All Souls Day, which is an observation of all Christians who have gone before (and we won’t talk about Saints and saints).

    ‌For those of us of the Protestant traditions (in other words, not Roman Catholic or a myriad of Orthodox), 31 October is also Reformation Day, the general agreement that the Reformation began with Martin Luther starting an argument about the sufficiency of Christ by nailing his proposals (theses) to the gate of churches in the German city of Wittenberg. To be clear, the undercurrents of the Reformation were already moving (from an historical viewpoint) in Europe (with martyrs, too). Luther’s dramatic postings (though in course with cultural expectations) created a great story.

    ‌The secular and non-Christian aspects that we are experiencing for Halloween are, truly, a perversion and syncreticism of pre-Christian, Christian, and post-Christian belief structures. Just a side not, perhaps instead of assaulting Halloween, we do something different (and I’m not talking about Harvest Parties and Trunk ‘n’ Treats). Not that I necessarily have an idea, but much of the angst and outrage borders on evil, which St. Barsanuphius was warning us about.

    ‌As we watch functionally innocent children walk around asking for candy—who are dressed up as ghosts, stereotypical witches, super heroes, and what have you—we need to ask ourselves why we perceive a particular costume as good or evil. It’s not that I, for example, don’t have opinions, but I have had to spend time pondering why a particular costume is “evil” versus “good”. This is not about relativism. This is about my perspective of normal masked with what is “good”.

    ‌If there were two kids, one dressed up like a vampire and one dressed up as Knight Templar (a knight order during the Crusades in the Near East), my automatic emotional would be vampire=bad, and Templar=good. However, if I were born and raised from the Near East (regardless of ), I might be very hard pressed to figure out which is evil, because the Templars were not good from a Near East perspective, because they came in conquest (motives aside) for generations.

    ‌If I, as a parent, knew that my neighbor was from the Near East, and dressed my child up as a Knight Templar (assuming my child wanted that), am I doing evil to my neighbor? Am I loving my neighbor?

    ‌This is not about incidental errors, but actions performed despite knowledge. Which brings us to the words of James. The demons James refers to know who God is. They know God’s holiness. It is arguable that they might even be more aware of who God is than any of the Saints or saints that have gone before us.

    ‌Yet, they shudder. I’ve heard many people ask, how could one know God (not bad or evil people, that’s different) and be against God? James doesn’t answer that question, but the implication is bigger than we think. Demons, who likely know God on a divine level beyond us, still oppose God. If the demons, who know God in ways beyond us, can oppose God, why not humans?

    ‌We can conclude that evil is opposing God. The implication with James, though, is that (perhaps) true evil is knowing God and opposing God anyway.

    ‌🤔 Reflection

    ‌What recently has evoked “that is evil” from you? Did you spend time evaluating why it was evil? When you declare something evil, do you ever check against the to see what the Scriptures say?

    ‌‌⏏️ Act

    ‌As you observe (and maybe even candy to) children as they walk your neighborhood tonight, look at their costumes. Ask yourself why that child chose that costume, and why they thought it was “good”? Then ask yourself why you thought it was good or evil and why?

    ‌🙏 Prayer

    ‌God, as we look about the world, we often conclude what is evil and what is good without asking you. Help us to look to you to define these terms, rather than how the world and our personal tell us to. Help us to as filled with grace toward others in our perception of their wrong-ness, as you were while we were in our sin. Amen.

  • Know Justice. Know Peace.

    Know Justice. Know Peace.

    Psalm 85:8–13; Amos 2:6–16; Colossians 2:1–5

    Speaking to people often seems to be a lost cause. First, many people don’t want peace. Actually, many people don’t want peace. Oh, they want peace from war (most). That often is the most common form of “peace” we use in everyday language. There is another one that is often used in circles, usually used in the context of “being at peace.” Contented may be more accurate, but not always. However, peace is far more than no war.

    In Psalm 85:8 it is the Hebrew . The above English uses of peace fit into shalom. Shalom is far broader than that. Shalom includes: peace, well, peaceably, welfare, prosperity, safe, health, peaceable, completeness, soundness (in body), quiet, tranquillity, contentment, friendship, of human relationships with God especially in covenant , peace (from war). Many of the protests over the last year (and more) there were signs and shouted words of, “no , no peace.” There is in that. Yet, because of the context where these words are spoken peace becomes something far less. The implication is that there will be protests (i.e., disruption, anger, more protests) until justice is done. When justice is done, there will be peace (i.e., no disruption, no anger, no protests).

    Except, for Christians and their Jewish “relatives”, the better phrasing should probably be, “know justice; know peace.” Or in more Godly language, “know justice; know shalom.” This is not a small distinction.

    Shalom implies a unified around God (and often not our pet issues), where harmony and care for one another prevails. As alluded to in the opening paragraph, people often don’t want it. In particular, this is about getting our way and our stuff. Capitalism, Marxism, (Marxism’s altered sibling) Communism, bartering all involve people. Therefore, any of them have issues. There is no perfect economy.

    Abuse and oppression within an economy and community are definitely in contrast to shalom. It is also contrary to God’s intent.

    Amos’ words are an attack on the rich and powerful. They are on an attack on those who are overly comfortable and reliant upon the desecration of the image of God in the poor. There are varying arguments one could have regarding the differences of today and in Amos’ time and what that means in regard to oppression and abuse. It’s that very argument that is the problem.

    We seek our peace and not Shalom.

    In a weekly group that discusses one of the devotionals over the previous week, one of the big discussion points has been the concept of justice. What justice is…is nebulous. We think we know what justice is (and in some circumstances we do). However, what justice is and how it works changes as the group grows larger. Justice between individuals is relatively simple (not easy). When one increases the number of people justice is no longer that way. Then, especially in the context of seeking justice for past harms, justice may actually be diminished into vengeance.

    Thus, when we seek justice, first we must seek shalom.

    ※Reflection※

    • How does shalom affect justice? Why is shalom the critical missing factor in our modern conversations about justice?
    • How and why is “know” an important part of both shalom and peace?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, let shalom inside us and fill us. May we be instruments of your shalom in the world. Amen.

  • Knowing Limits

    Knowing Limits

    Psalm 88; Leviticus 21:1–15; 2 Corinthians 8:16–24

    What is your limit? Or, perhaps, who is your limit? Republicans? Democrats? Communists? Libertarians? Capitalists? Roman Catholics? The homeless? The hungry? A different skin color? A different nationality? A different religion? Neighbors? Friends? Family? Children? Spouse?

    Relations and are some of the biggest variables in human existence. One child may everything to take care of their parent. Another child may do nothing at all. The driver of the car in front of you may to a panhandler, and you may not (a description, not a judgment).

    For early and non-Western cultures, the family was a critical relationship. Not having a family was risky. The family was what defined and supported you. Unless that is, you were the High Priest of Israel.

    Commentators come to different conclusions about what was meant by leaving the temple. Some commentators interpret verse 12 as only apply when family died to keep them safe from defilement. Other commentators propose that the High Priest never left, though none of those commentators could figure out ultimately how that worked.

    Regardless, the COVID-era gave us an idea of the kind of sacrifice required by the High Priest. People lost loved ones they could never visit. Loved ones died and funerals and memorial services didn’t happen. Many people were angry, sad, and hurting for they lost the opportunity for closure. A taste of the High Priest’s sacrifice for us all.

    It may be a stretch, but there is a similarity between the passage of Leviticus and 2 Corinthians; doing right in the eyes of God.

    definitely was concerned about “doing right” in the eyes of others. It was, though, secondary to doing right in the eyes of God. What is the point of being right in the eyes of men, if you will be wrong in the eyes of God? Of course, one has to be careful about that.

    In our era, a person such as the High Priest would be looked down upon for abandoning his family to God in such a way. Granted, our understanding of things has somewhat changed, both in regards to family, priests, and ritual . If we were to meet such a man today, we would probably think there was something wrong with him.

    ※Reflection※

    • Where have you found conflict in your in pursuing God’s glory versus the acclaim of man?
    • Have you experienced what you thought was following God’s plan and then discovered it was not?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, help us to know your will. Holy , guide us to the right things before you and our fellow humanity. Amen.

  • Defining Justice

    Defining Justice

    Psalm 52; Jeremiah 21:11–14; Revelation 21:22–22:5

    “This then is how you should live, begin your morning by administering . All those who know and follow the will of God will people from their oppressor, particularly for those whose God promised has been stolen from them.” [A paraphrase by Ian]

    There is no question that oppression, justice, and theft are phrases that are repeatedly thrown around right now. How they from place to place and culture to culture also cannot be ignored. There is also a historical aspect to this as the time of Judah and Israel what was meant by this was pretty clear cut.

    Today, it isn’t so clear-cut. There are several possible reasons: (1) we’ve made it too complicated, (2) our understanding has matured, (3) we are applying worldly concepts and understandings to Biblical ones. There are probably a couple of more.

    In almost all societies in history, there is a gap between those who “have” and those who “have not”. How “having” is just or not is part of the question. For many, medical care is a matter of justice (and they have a lot of unjust things to point to). For others, medical care is a personal matter of responsibility (and they can point to a lot of unjust things, too).

    Matters of justice include (depending on ) skin color, national origin, first language, career, order, social standing, economics. From the standpoint of the Law, what was oppression and stealing was very clear cut. That doesn’t mean that the Law was followed, hence Jeremiah’s statement about starting the morning with justice. Where it gets really difficult for many of us is beyond the Law version of justice. A great many Christians from the early church to today believe that went beyond the Law to Love God and Love Others. Yes, that is the summation of the Law and the Prophets provided by Jesus. Yet, Jesus also commands to not sin, and he expanded (yes, expanded) the concept of sin from actions to relations.

    Administering justice is easy when it is down and defined sharply, though some of the gymnastics lawyers and judges go to redefine things gets interesting at times. So, what happens when it is ? If you want a simple answer, I’m sure someone sells a book on it.

    Justice is not the same across all situations. It would be nice. Different people, different contexts, different histories, create different justice. Yep, there. A different justice.

    ※Reflection※

    • How do you emotionally respond to different justice issues?
    • How do you think through the Law and Jesus when you think about justice issues?
    • Why is it worth, and why is it essential, to wrestle with justice, especially in the of the City of God from Revelation?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, help us to live, love, , heal, and reconcile all things and peoples justly; where you define just. Amen.

  • Pridefully Divine

    Pridefully Divine

    Psalm 29; Isaiah 5:15–24; John 15:18–20, 15:26–27

    When we read about “divine beings” we, understandably, think about angels. What, however, makes a divine being…divine? Apart from God, there is no divine being that isn’t of God. Which becomes a little daunting theologically when we recognize we have the in us.

    To be clear, we are not gods (except, perhaps in our deluded fallen minds). We a created beings with the spark of divinity inside of us. It may be a fine line to some. It is a line as large as Creation itself to others. Yet, part of the divine spark responds to God, and God completes us. So, it’s not wrong (totally) to think in terms of the divine beings in Psalm 29:1. Just like those divine beings, we are called and made to glorify God.

    This seems contrary, in some ways, to the initial verses of Isaiah. Humanity will be brought low. Yet, it is often the arrogance of humanity that results in wars, animosity, and the general inability of getting along. It is also that particular thing, that when brought low, places humanity in the position of accepting God. One cannot truly accept God through arrogance.

    Even as we read further, the arrogance continues with demanding that God hurry up and accomplish God’s work. This all merely so humanity can understand it. Perhaps arrogance is the wrong . Self-absorbed is probably closer, while arrogance remains part of it.

    There there is a lot of doom.

    The last of today’s verses in Isaiah though starts with purifying. If you catch the wording, “ of ”, might it remind you of when tongues of fire appeared? In this case, the tongues of fire are more of purification rather than empowerment. But that God and the “holy one” are tied into the same verse as “tongues of fire” really do seem to be somehow tied to Pentecost. Then again, that very well be reading too much into it (but it’s fun).

    And, while it doesn’t seem to be related when we understand the pride and arrogance of humanity as observed in Isaiah, ‘ words to his disciples (and thus to us) make more sense. The fallen nature of humanity has striven against God. For far too many, it evolved into hate. To be, once again, more along the lines of a divine being rather than fallen creation would indeed cause striving fallen humanity to hate and lash out at those who have been touched by God in such a way.

    If we take all of today’s into the picture, it makes perfect sense why Jesus warns the disciples that no matter how much they now have (or will have after Pentecost), they are still not greater than God. A good warning, as not too long after Pentecost, Peter performed his first miracle. The Companion (Comforter, Counselor) would come, and they would be tempted to think more of themselves, and even be called gods ( and Barnabas).

    ※Reflection※

    • When has your pride hampered your relationships with others?
    • When has your pride hampered your with God?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, guard our hearts against the pride of the world. Let our pride be that you us and that you work through us recognizing that it is for you and for ourselves that we move about the world. Amen.

  • Sharpening Together

    Sharpening Together

    Psalm 98; Deuteronomy 32:44–47; Mark 10:42–45

    What are your two pet sins? Or, what of sets you off (lying, adultery, etc.)? And, what sin of yours do you just try to brush off as not being that significant?

    Most of us have these. It may be severe, and it may be mild. Regardless, we rarely appreciate either our response to others’ sins or our own sins being confronted.

    The of Moses’ speech (the entire book of Deuteronomy) is all about a disciplined with God. Yes, disciplined. All of our have some sort of . Moses helped provide the guidelines of the discipline.

    Discipline, in this sense, means to control oneself. Control oneself so that one doesn’t walk away from God and toward all the things of the world that can pull us away.

    As hard as the law was to fulfill, it was also filled with and forgiveness when people failed. There were ways out.

    Yet, in Moses’ words, there is a foreboding sense that he knows that his words (and God’s) will be tested. From Moses’ and experience, following God is . For him, the Israelites choosing to follow God or not would determine whether all the trials were worth it.

    Moses didn’t have much trust in the discipline of the Israelites.

    In the Christian life, discipline is not a solo initiative. We need people around us, while they too need us. The real struggle, of course, is being willing to put ourselves in both the place of being held accountable and truly holding others accountable. Both places are uncomfortable.

    Jesus’ words to his disciples provide some limits—discipline—to what this relationship is supposed to look like. We are not to hold things over one another, for that is a relationship of . When we hold one another accountable, it is as a servant, meaning we look to the improvement or betterment of the other. Of course, there is a trick to this, which is also what Moses was addressing. The improvement and betterment is toward God not automatically “improving” ourselves. Theoretically, they should be the same, yet much of the world’s self-improvement is not toward becoming more Christ-like, but becoming what Jesus warned his disciples against.

    ※Reflection※

    Who are you helping to be disciplined, and who is helping you do be disciplined?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, help our hearts to follow your words that we can build each other up. Amen.