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Devotion.al

Tag: resurrection

  • Resurrecting Perspective

    Matthew 28:1–8, 1 Corinthians 15:12–23

    HE IS RISEN!

    “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his great mercy, he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.” 1 Peter 1:3–4

    The cross is the threshold between the fallen life and the Kingdom life. Once we have accepted all that comes with the cross, we step across the threshold. In many ways, we are now in a long state of waiting, yet…He is Risen!

    We have the ending. We know the ending. Yet, we wait.

    The wait between crossing the threshold and our own resurrection experience can be mere moments (e.g., deathbed salvation) or a really long time (e.g., a child’s salvation until they die). It is not just this day and age that looks at this wait as a very long time. When Paul was writing, they were expecting the end to come soon. Much of what Paul wrote was with the (short) end in mind. There was soon a need to revise their expectations.

    Today we still have people who claim the end of the world and Christ’s return is imminent. To God, it is imminent. It is just that God’s time frame is a bit longer than ours. Just like in simpler things (jobs, children, saving), we can get a bit impatient. Many people’s bodies and hearts hurt to such a degree that they would accelerate Christ’s return. Yet, to do so is to deny our responsibility in the waiting.

    We are called to walk with the world. They are waiting, too. They are just not aware of what they are waiting for. Just as we get impatient with waiting, so do they. The difference is the power of Christ in us. The power and hope of the resurrection may often be the only things that differentiate us from others. The power and hope of the resurrection may be the only thing that can keep us patient and maintain a positive outlook in this life. The power and hope of the resurrection call to those who wait, but know not what they are waiting for.

    1) Does the resurrection really affect how you view this life and the lives of others? If so, how? If not, should it?

    2) For the last few generations, the church has used the stick of Hell and the carrot of eternal life to call people into a life with Christ. How does this work with and against the power and hope of the Resurrection?

    3) Why is it important to understand that Kingdom life is now, rather than past or future? How does the Resurrection empower the Kingdom life?

  • Sacred Mourning

    Psalm 25, Lamentations 3:22–27, Matthew 27:62–66

    Are your clothes in 1 piece? One of the traditional Jewish responses of extreme grief or anguish is the tearing of their clothes. Yesterday was Good Friday. Jesus died on the cross. Are your clothes torn?
    While they were able to put Jesus’ body in the tomb in time, nothing else happened. Everything just stopped. On top of their world being disrupted by Jesus’ death, now they had to wait to honor the body of their friend, master, brother, son. In our day and age, we don’t have this waiting period. We just get it done.

    Today, people will have Easter egg hunts, parties, family gatherings, trips, and so on. This is not to knock such, after all, often they are a way we (as Christians) get to share the good news.

    However, perhaps it is time for us to come up with a new tradition, a Sabbath unlike any other that we hold (if we actually observe any). It is probably too late for you this year but put this as something to think about. Perhaps we too busy preparing for Resurrection Sunday that we stop waiting. Why is this important, you may ask? It is a symptom of our lives and even our religious practices. Hurry up and get it done. When this is how we live our lives, how do we ever have the ability to wait for and on God?

    In the movie, the Passion of the Christ, there is a raindrop from the sky, implying that God the Father mourns. Let us mourn with God the Father, and with all those who lived beside Jesus. Below is the Mourner’s Kaddish, a Jewish prayer usually spoken in Aramaic (not Hebrew, interestingly). While there may be no “leader” (L) to lead you the people (P), think of a congregation together saying this in an annual (for it is done annually in honor of those who have died) service.

    L: May His great Name grow exalted and sanctified…
    P: Amen
    L: …in the world that He created as He willed. May He give reign to His kingship in your lifetimes and in your days, and in the lifetimes of the entire Family of Israel, swiftly and soon. Now say:
    P: Amen. May His great Name be blessed forever and ever.
    L: Blessed, praised, glorified, exalted, extolled, mighty, upraised, and lauded be the Name of the Holy One.
    P: Blessed is He…
    L: …praise and consolation that are uttered in the world. Now say:
    P: Amen
    L: May there be abundant peace from Heaven and life upon us and upon all Israel. Now say:
    P: Amen
    L: He Who makes peace in His heights, may He make peace, upon us and upon all Israel. Now say:
    P: Amen

  • Bringing Gifts

    Matthew 2:1–12, John 12:1–11

    The Magi’s visiting Jesus presented 3 gifts: gold, frankincense, myrrh. Often they are respectively tied to Jesus’ roles as king, prophet/priest, sacrifice/savior. How accurate that is may be questioned. That they were costly and significant gifts is not questionable. Gold is gold. We all have a pretty good idea about it. Frankincense is an aromatic plant often used in incense, including Jewish temple incense (Exodus 30:34-38). It is also used in perfumes. The fact that it was a key component of the temple incense is what leads many to conclude that its gifting is symbolic of Jesus’ priestly and prophetic role. Myrrh is another plant. It was used as a perfume and incense (too), stimulant, anointing oil, and embalming. The last two uses are where the sacrifice/savior symbology is assumed. Whether this was intended symbology is not the issue at hand. These magi would have had important positions at home. They would have not brought a small amount of any of these things. Providing these gifts was expected, and being stingy in those gifts was not culturally or politically practiced. We should think of the magi as representatives (or ambassadors). Put on a good show to increase the prestige of your home country.

    Why the focus on the magi and their gifts? To show just how significant Mary’s action was. We don’t know a lot about Lazarus and his sisters, other than Jesus was likely a more common visitor than the scriptures convey. We also know that Lazarus—due to his rising from the dead—was a person of concern (John 12:9–11) for the religious leaders, as his continued presence was apparently adding to Jesus’ stature as prophet and Messiah.

    Let’s look at Judas, too. John gives him a good poke, but let’s be honest with ourselves, we have a bit of Judas in us, especially when it comes to “church” money. The expectation that the church does not spend frivolously is a strong tendency in us all, with the Puritan expectation ingrained in us of financially barebones ministry. The “wastefulness” of Mary’s “gift” would definitely cause some trouble in today’s churches.

    Mary wasn’t worried about the wastefulness. What motivated her is her love of Jesus. Her love was reflected in Jesus’ response. Jesus’ followers made sure that her story is still told after almost 2000 years. Maybe that gift wasn’t a waste?

    1) Thinking about what is to come (Holy Week), what aspects in this story do you see played out?

    2) Poking the bear…what are your thoughts of Judas versus Mary (taking Judas’ betrayal out of it) and how churches and ministries spend money?

    3) We often don’t think of the ongoing presence of those touched by Jesus’ miracles (e.g., Lazarus) as adding to the validation of his ministry, and what the impact was on their lives. What do you think their lives were like during Jesus’ ministry and after his death/resurrection?

  • Cup of Blessing

    Psalm 16, Luke 24:13–35

    Psalm 16 is considered by many to be a Messianic Psalm. Peter and Paul both seemed to have some agreement on this as they appear to have referenced as it appears to be referenced to by them in a number of places. One of the contrasts is the cup of blood (v4) and the cup of blessing (v5). The cup of blood is what is used to pour out the drink offering. This is a play on the “right” drink offering before God, which was the fruit of the vine. Instead, this blood offering is an unrighteous offering, not only because of the conflict of the drink offering but also—and primarily—the offering was to a god other than God. In other words, those who were making these blood offerings had chosen to follow false gods for their security.

    On the contrary, the cup of blessing is a Godly portion which holds promise and blessing. The cup of blessing comes with an inheritance. The cup of blessing comes with Godly fortitude (not false fortitude). The cup of blessing comes with security. And, lastly, the cup of blessing comes with the path of eternal life. With all of that, one can easily see why Messianic is applied to this psalm, especially in the context of communion.

    In the context of scripture (and yesterday’s sermon), we have talked about the institution of communion, which was Jesus’ Last Supper with his disciples, and was observed within the context of Passover. One could say that Cleopas and the other disciple (some believe it was his wife) experienced the first “true” communion. In many ways, it is the exclamation point on Paul’s words, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes”(1 Corinthians 11:26). Seeing is believing. They saw their Lord alive after he was dead, and declared alive again. They became witnesses to his bodily resurrection. What a way to know in your heart what the new covenant included!

    1) Do you remember your first communion? If not, that’s okay. If you do, what do you remember? Do you remember the last communion you took? If so, what do you remember?

    2) In certain church communities communion is taken individually Why do you think that is? Generations Community this coming Sunday, will take communion in framily groups? Why is this important?

    3) Why is the individual and group taking of communion important? What does this tell us about church-, faith-, and community-life?

  • Out of Line Annunciation

    Job 28:12–28, Luke 1:24–45, Hebrews 10:4–10

    It is often the case that humanity has to confront reality. Humanity is quite foolish. When confronted by its own folly, humanity tries to hide it in so many ways. While searching for knowledge and wisdom, it analyzes and categorizes. Humanity can only be so knowledgeable and so wise. True knowledge and wisdom come from the one who created everything, including us. Part of the issue may be that we expect God to be predictable. Somehow, we seem to think that we are capable of understanding God. Perhaps that is the legacy of the decision made in the Garden of Eden. Faith is often not understanding, but accepting anyway.

    Elizabeth and Mary were in that exact situation. They didn’t completely understand, but they trusted God anyway. It probably seems strange that in the midst of Lent to talk about the Announcement of Jesus’ birth, but timing is pretty close (though not exact). While on the journey to the cross, we include the beginning. There is indeed an echo of a beginning in the end. Lent is the journey to the cross, which is basically the end of Jesus’ ministry on earth. On the other hand, the cross along with the Resurrection is the beginning of a completely new chapter in regards to a relationship with God. Why not talk about the announcement of the coming Messiah. Oh, right, God moved (again) in a way that humanity couldn’t just categorize and analyze. The announcement of Jesus, along with his birth was not “how it was supposed to be”. God broke the rules, again. The rules? Human understanding and wisdom that is far short of God.

    The author Hebrews recognizes that humanity often doesn’t get it. The author reflects on the sacrificial system that is so superficial that it ignores the whole point: relationship with God. The sacrificial system was never intended to be a “check this as done” system, but an orientation to God that was really to recognize the distance that man had put between itself and God. In its quest to categorize and analyze, humanity destroyed the wisdom that God had presented.

    1) When was the first time that you recognized that God did not respond the way you expected or were taught to expect?

    2) Why is it important to remember that our wisdom is not God’s wisdom?

    3) What does the announcement of Jesus’ coming and the journey to the cross teach you about God’s wisdom

  • Spirit of Ashes

    Spirit of Ashes

    Isaiah 58:1–12, Psalm 51:1–17, Matthew 6:19–21

    Ash Wednesday is the start of Lent, the reflective Christian journey to the cross. One of the symbolic pieces are the ashes themselves. The “official” tradition is that the ashes are from last year’s Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday is the day that observes Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem with the pomp and circumstance of a ruler. This jubilation is crushed that same week with his crucifixion. The ashes, therefore, are a somber reminder of earthly pride, joy, and power crushed. Often they are a reminder of our own prides and joys and their short-term nature.

    In the “spirit” of ashes, the following is a modified form of the Book of Common Prayer’s Burial liturgy:
    In sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, we commend to Almighty God oursleves—our very beings; and we commit our bodies and lives to serve your kingdom on earth; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. The Lord bless us and keep us, the Lord make his face to shine upon us and be gracious to us, the Lord lift up his countenance upon us and give us peace.

    It seems strange and morbid to share a passage from a burial rite, yet an integral part of Ash Wednesday is our mortality. Another part, the part which we often focus on during Lent, is our frailty. By frailty, we mean sin and the weaknesses inherent to the human condition. What we may “give up” during Lent is a reflection upon what we believe is one of our biggest “frailties” at the moment, meaning it can change.
    The importance of understanding our finiteness, our mortality, is summed up in Jesus’ words regarding the storage of treasures. The earthly stuff is stolen or rots. It doesn’t last. Only treasures that we store in Heaven last forever. Those treasures are people.

    1) We are all “given” treasures that we are responsible for that are not our children, grandchildren, or other family members. Who are those treasures in your life?

    2) Why is important to remember the quickness of life when as we approach the cross in our spiritual journey?

    3) What do you value: time, money, things, people? All of these have value. Which has priority?

    FD) On Ash Wednesday a cross of ashes is put on our forehead. Why ashes? Why a cross?

  • Beyond Hope

    Beyond Hope

    Luke:1:46b-55, James 5:7-10, Hebrews 12:1-2

    Mary’s song/poem of praise is often called the Magnificat in the Protestant/Roman Catholic tradition, or the Ode of the Theotokos (Bearer of God) in the Eastern Orthodox tradition. It is a joy-filled response to God by Mary that appears to be a response to Elizabeth’s joy-filled pronouncement of the Sprit-filled joy of John the Baptist (in utero, of all things) to hearing the voice of the Mother of God (Jesus).

    The double-meaning of Mary’s praise of “…my spirit rejoices in God my savior…” is the Jewish understanding of God (the Father) as the savior of their people, along side the coming salvation of Jew and Gentile through the death of Jesus (God the Son). There is the reality of God as past, present and future savior.

    The Jews knew many experiences of God as savior. The expectation for the coming Messiah was built upon an understanding of a God that was faithful and would fulfill promises made.

    As a Jew, James had the same Jewish understanding as pregnant Mary, and he had seen fulfillment of the Messiah’s coming and salvation. Now James is passing the hope on. It is the expectation based upon God’s faithfulness that the Messiah will come again and the hope that remains strong in the face of adversity.

    In Hebrews, the author notes that Jesus went to the cross joyfully, not because Jesus was looking forward to the pain, anguish, betrayal and death. Jesus was looking beyond the cross, beyond the grave, and even beyond the Resurrection. The author notes that Jesus’ prize was the throne of God. Though the author doesn’t say it here, the other prize was you and me before the throne of God, not in fear of judgement, but as Children of the Most High God.

    Elsewhere, the author of Hebrews notes that Jesus, our Savior, is continually interceding on our behalf and for all eternity. No matter how you feel about yourself being worthy, it doesn’t matter. As shirts and bumper stickers read, “I may not be perfect, but Jesus thinks I’m to die for.” That is our hope and joy.

    1) Are hope and joy the same thing?

    2) Why are having hope and joy important for a Christian?

    3) Why is it important to look at the Old Testament in regards to salvation?

    KD) Why does the author of Hebrews compare faith to running a race?

  • Secured Hope

    Secured Hope

    Job 8:13-18, Psalm 62:5-8, 2 Peter 3:1-18

    “…the hope of the godless will perish.”
    Job 8:13

    “Rest in God alone…for my hope comes from him.”
    Psalm 62:5

    “The Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.”
    2 Peter 3:9

    While many might consider me patient, I know my own impatience. While I wait for something, I still want it now. Yet, I wait.

    1) Do you think of yourself as impatient? Do others think of you as impatient?

    2) Can you think of someone you feel is impatient?

    Yesterday, hope was the focus, just as it is today. In fact, hope is part of the foundation of the Christian faith. Faith is trust. Hope and faith are tied together. They really cannot be separated. While Job’s friends had questionable motives and an unclear understanding of God, there is still truth in them. Bildad reminds Job that hope not founded on God is useless. In the Psalm, David reminds himself and us that unshakable hope can only come from God. In other words, true hope is based upon faith (trust) in God.

    The birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus, the Son of God, was (and remains) fulfilled hope. Peter reminds the church that this is not the end of hope. Jesus will come again. In Peter’s day, people were already losing hope because God had not yet come back. Around 2000 years later, Jesus has still not returned! If our hope is based on our understanding, how easy it is to lose hope. When our hope is based upon God, trusting God, and relying on God’s nature, our hope remains secure!

    3) Do you lose hope quickly? Why?

    4) If you trust God today, why would you not trust God with tomorrow?

    5) How does being impatient undermine trusting God?

  • Hope Fulfilled and Hope to Come

    Hope Fulfilled and Hope to Come

    Psalm 25:1-10, Jeremiah 33:14-16, Luke 21:25-36

    “…for you are the God of my salvation…” Psalm 51:5

    “In those days and at that time, I will cause a Righteous Branch to sprout up for David, and he will administer justice and righteousness in the land.
    Jeremiah 33:15

    “…they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”
    Luke 21:27

    Hope. It’s a big word for how small it looks. The Psalmist knows God is the source of his salvation, despite current circumstances. God’s words to Jeremiah provide for a hope that Jeremiah can guess he will not see, but they are still hope for the Israelites.

    Christmas is about hope. It is about Emmanuel, which means God with us. It is about God sending the Son down to us. Advent, however, is not just about Christmas, and the singular time that God became man. Advent also looks forward to the next time God returns…at the end of the story.

    Advent, therefore, is about both the hope fulfilled for both Israelites and the rest of the world, and it is about the hope to come when Jesus returns. Hope is to desire with expectation of obtainment or fulfillment. Hope was fulfilled when Jesus was born in a manger. We obtained hope through his death on the cross and his resurrection. Then there is the expectation of the return of Jesus…more hope!

    1/KD) Why is hope important?

    2) Why do we easily think of the hope of Christmas, but not of the hope of Jesus’ return?

    3/KD) What is your hope this Christmas?

    4/KD) What is your hope a year from now?