Tag: speak

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 living.”
Matthew 22:32

‌“[Jesus] will come again to judge the living and the dead”
The Apostle’s Creed

‌”I believe in…the resurrection of the body, and the life 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 gain 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 Church (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 set aside 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 saints 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 death well. The Dying with Dignity movement, hospice, and other things are a shadowing of this, too (not to disparage either).

‌We fear 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 pain, 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.

2024 11 02
Hallowed and Halos

‌📖 Read

‌Matthew 10:32–39; Matthew 28:16–20; Hebrews 11:33–12:2

‌🔎 Focus

“Everyone, therefore, who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven, but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven.”
‌Matthew 10:32–33 NRSVue

‌

“I believe in…the communion of saints”
The Apostle’s Creed

‌

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us,”
Hebrews 12:1

‌‌✟ Devotion

‌In my tradition, we may speak the Apostle’s Creed every so often, but we don’t really process the communion of saints. Part of that (if not almost all of that) is an ignorance and disregard for traditions because too much is tied (in our minds) to the Roman Catholic Church.

‌Another significant part is the way that life after death is considered. Many traditions and thinking have a clear divide between life on earth and life beyond this one.

‌Both of these lead us to conclude a more philosophical understanding of the communion of saints than the writers of the Apostle’s Creed understood. Many (if not most) don’t really see, understand, or even believe that the saints are among us. There is no question that some traditions invoke the saints as if they are gods, but the general disregard of the saints is throwing away everything because of a flaw.

‌Some traditions hold that when we (especially as a church body) worship in the power of the Holy Spirit that we are indeed worshiping with the saints who have died before, because they are with and in Christ. There are some traditions that believe that we are worshiping with the saints to come, as well, for the same reason.

‌This is not some call to fully transform or change your thinking in regard to saints, but to understand how often saints are not part of our thinking. I’m sure there are one or two churches in my tradition that have a name such as Saint Matthew’s, but generally that is left to the Orthodox, Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Presbyterians, and the Anglicans.

‌Rather than think of a church (for example) named after a saint as something weird, perhaps think of it as a statue of a person. We all know that the statue is not the actual person, but that the statue represents a particular life of impact. So, too, are the saints. Lives of impact.

‌We often do not see the impact our lives have, from the smile at a stranger, to a laugh with a friend. Yet, there is no person on earth who does not have impact upon the life of another.

‌When we read some of the stories of saints, we can become overwhelmed by their story, thinking we could never be that way. Yet, saints never called themselves saints and were also overwhelmed by the lives of the saints before them.

‌Some of the stories seem mystical or magical or even miraculous. Yet, none of these people saw themselves as great, they saw themselves living in the grace of Jesus Christ.

‌‌🤔 Reflection

‌Do you believe that you are living in the grace of Jesus Christ? Why or why not? If so, how? If not, how might your thinking change?

‌What makes a person a saint to you? How might you develop one or more of those traits in your life?

‌‌⏏️ Act

‌Take some time and search for info on the life of a saint. As many saints have “feast days”, look up the saint for your birthday, or the day you gave your heart to Jesus.

‌🙏 Prayer

‌Jesus, through your example and life, you inspired saints to follow you. Holy Spirit, thank you for emboldening the saints of the past, today, and the future. Father God, thank you for your loving embrace of all who are broken in this world, including ourselves. Amen.

2024 11 01
Walking With Saints

Read: Psalm 34:1–10, 22; 1 John 3:1-3; Revelation 7:9-17; Matthew 5:1-12

‌🔎 Focus

‌After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands.
Revelation 7:9 (NRSVue)

‌Saints are often viewed as legendary characters, with lives almost impossible to duplicate. Many of those same Saints looked at themselves and saw nothing but their own flaws. They pursued purity (or holiness) to the degree we often pursue wealth, accolades, status, and self-esteem. As Western Christianity wonders what its place is in the current context, perhaps the Saints can advise us.

‌‌✟Devotion

‌Western Christianity is in turmoil. The so-called Progressive wing seems to find new things to toss out, while the so-called Conservative (or Reactionary) wing finds new restrictions to add. So many things have been tied to what it means to be a so-called real Christian that everyday Christians can find it hard to find stability in the one place that had been stable for generations.

‌While certain traditions regularly hold certain Saints highly, many regular church members don’t know them, or their traditions, denomination, or local church just ignore the Saints. This, sadly, even includes many of the churches that have been named after Saints.

‌This is not about the veneration of Saints (which most Western Protestants struggle with), but looking to the examples of the people whose lives were recognized by others (rather than self-promotion) as reflecting aspects of Jesus Christ.

‌Even Protestants have Saints, though they’d probably never call them such. My tradition, the Church of the Nazarene, had strong ties with Methodism, which was founded by John and Charles Wesley. The Wesleys are often spoken of in the same ways as other traditions speak of the Saints. The Church of the Nazarene has long held Phineas Bresee up, too, in almost the same ways as the Saints. Yet, neither the Wesleys nor Bresee were flawless. For the broader US church, Hudson Taylor is read and spoken of in similar ways.

‌As we look back on Bresee, the Wesleys, or Taylor we often focus on their flaws, especially in regard to where their cultural sensitivities do not match ours. Yet, these men do indeed provide valuable insight into living lives as faithful followers of Jesus.

‌One of the advantages of the Saints is that while we are usually provided glimpses into their lives through overly optimistic lenses, their stories are still ones of encouragement. Many of them became Saints, not through some huge single life event, but walking step-by-step to become more like Jesus. This is especially true when the saints our outside our personal tradition; this might be the most important thing.

‌You’ll note that I mentioned 4 men. Inside Protestant tradition, there is an extreme emphasis on men. Many of the Saints were women. In the Church of the Nazarene, we have Mildred Wynkoop (a huge presence in holiness theology), who we should have feelings for as the Wesleys, and perhaps more so than Bresee. I’m not calling her, the Wesleys, Bresee, or Taylor, Saints, and, yet, they are towering presences of Christian history which sort of makes them Saints.

‌While certain traditions have miracles assigned to Saints, that hasn’t always been the case. In fact, many of the Saints were so-called Doctors of the Church, meaning that their writings profoundly shaped theology and/or Christian living. Some were bishops. Some were abbots/abbesses. Some were monks/nuns. Some were teachers. There were even a couple of lawyers in there.

‌What makes a Saint? THAT is a very good question. Some traditions use miracles as the divider for canonized saints, at least in more recent era. Yet, there have been many Saints, and many have no attributed miracles. Perhaps we can only figure out who the Saints are after they have died.

‌Perhaps the test is, does this person’s life (and words) draw me more deeply into following Jesus?

‌🤔 Reflection

‌Who are people, living or dead, that have drawn you to follow Jesus better? Why do you think draw (or drawn) is used rather than pull or push? Do you think that this is a good or bad way to identify Saints? Why?

‌‌⏏️ Act

‌If you know of someone living who is a Saint (to you), let them know that they have drawn you closer to Jesus. This, of course, assumes you agree with drawn. If you have another or additional factors to determine a Saint, follow that, but still let them know.

‌🙏⁜ Prayer ⁜

‌Lord Jesus, thank you for all the Saints that have come before us and have provided influence, known or unknown, in regard to a walk with you. Help me, Lord, to walk closer to you, not to become a Saint, but to live out my love for you. Amen.

2023 11 01
Know Yourself. Know Your Idol.

The two latest tragedies that are in front of me are the school shooting in Texas, and the abuse scandal unraveling in another Christian denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention. Both are incredibly painful. They should be. They are another example of how humanity has fallen and how determined, it seems, humanity is to stay mired there.

Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.
1 John 5:21, New Living Translation

It was this verse, however, that strikes me as the core issue…idols. Whether one is a Christian, in a Christian community, or not a Christian at all, we each have idols or, more importantly, something that is so close to being an idol that it may not be one spiritually (though that may be debatable), but functionally is.

I speak from ignorance regarding the shooter at the school tragedy, and deliberately so. Reading what pundits and talking heads have to say, even first-person testimonies aren’t particularly helpful and may be more damaging in regard to a solution. From a shepherd‘s standpoint, I see pain. Whether it is generational pain, cultural pain, and/or personal pain, it seems to me that someone was in such spiritual and emotional pain that they reacted in a seemingly inhumane way.

He responded inhumanely, but he responded far too humanly.

One of the words I’ve seen applied to him, the accused SBC abusers, and the abuse enablers (in the cases of both shooter and abusers) is inhumane. That can be a misleading term. Humane is a moral stance that is, in the US at least, based upon cultural and supposedly Judeo-Christian frameworks. Humane from a Christian standpoint can best be framed by using Charles Sheldon’s words (culturally popularized in the ’90s), What Would Jesus Do?

On the other hand, human (i.e., less the “e”) is different. Frankly, both tragedies are emblematic of human-ness. Yes, both were inhumane, as are we. I bring this forward, as we often respond to inhumane as if it were the same as being inhuman, or not human. This is a grave danger for us, as when we remove the “e”, we tend to make others out to be less than we are. This leads to tirades against others and the hardening of hearts.

I’m convinced that the Gospel has not lost its power. I’m equally convinced that we have lost the power of the Gospel. We are agents, it seems, of becoming more human and less humane.

In What’s Wrong with the World, G.K. Chesterton wrote, “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.” I might amend Chesterton and say, “it was found difficult and abandoned.”

Each of us has an issue that ignites us. Each of us has a pain that motivates or chains us. These can be our idols. Pray with me that God frees us from them all and that we become more like Jesus (humane) and less a sinner (human).

2022 05 30
Movie About a Christian

Read: Luke 9:18–50

One of the reasons I love and appreciate the concept of the “church year” is that we are often confronted by the hard passages, especially those that often make no sense to our post-enlightenment (i.e., science- and data-driven) minds. This is, as you probably inferred, one of those days.

Today is Transfiguration Sunday. It is this strange day that we “witness” a strange experience that defies our everyday experience.

Luke’s “bookends” of the Transfiguration are: before, Peter’s declaration of Jesus as Messiah, Jesus’s subsequent command to be silent, and Jesus’ prophesy of his suffering road, and his prophesy of sacrifice for and by those that follow him; after, a healing and Jesus’ rhetorical question of the unbelieving character of the Jews (and, honestly, most of humanity). With what most of us believe about God (God has a plan) and the Scriptures (the Scriptures help us interpret the Scriptures), these seemingly unrelated events before and after the Transfiguration should affect how we view the Transfiguration.

If we view the Transfiguration and its bookends as a “movie” of the Christian life, it disturbingly makes sense. “Who do YOU say I am,” Jesus asks. Peter responds, “the Messiah.” Sounds like a person accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior (salvation).

Jesus then says, “deny yourself. Daily sacrifice yourself. The world will demand you deny me and be ashamed of me.” One of the first struggles of a new believer (and long-time believers, too) is the realization that accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior is only the beginning. Life-giving hardship is the Christian life.

The Transfiguration is (in the context of our “movie”), then, like the Holiness Movement concept of the Second Work of Grace (i.e., Entire Sanctification in Church of the Nazarene verbiage). We are “transfigured”—not by our will (other than a will to self-sacrifice and submission to the will of God)—by the will and work of God to be “transfigured” into the likeness of our holy God, and particularly in the likeness of Jesus Christ.

In A Plain Account of Christian Perfection, John Wesley (who “codified” the conception of Entire Sanctification) noted, we are to rarely, if ever, to speak of our experience of this “transfiguration”. This is similar to the actions of Peter, James, and John who kept silent about their experience. They shared it later, at the right time and to the right people, to reinforce the place of Jesus Christ in their experience of and with God.

After this life-changing experience, then we come back to the real world (coming down the mountain) and face demands for miracles, healings, along with the unbelief of the world, and often even our own disbelief at the miracles of God. This disbelief is often not merely about “miracles”, but our transformation by God that we didn’t “earn”. We could even go so far as to say that the “unbelieving” performers of miracles (Luke 9:49–50) are like our scientists and doctors who perform “miracles” that could not possibly be imagined in the days of Jesus.

We also have the sad, but real, argument between those who claim to follow Jesus about who is better (Luke 9:46–48). Those arguments can follow theological lines, church formation lines (ecclesiology), spiritual formation lines (holiness), political lines, gifting lines, and so on. This is the object lesson for denominations (even the earliest split resulting in Orthodox and Roman Catholic, long before Protestants), church splits, and church departures.

When we read the Scriptures and find passages that we feel conflict with other Scriptures, or our experiences and understandings, perhaps it is times like that when we can best view ourselves through the lens of God.

May God who Transfigures us poor and needy people into those that glow and reflect the glorious and holy light of Jesus Christ. Amen.

2022 02 27
Road Inheritance
Psalm 23; Jeremiah 10:1–16; Colossians 1:15–23

Psalm 23:3 reads, in effect, “God helps and guides me along the paths that are best for me.” Note that it doesn’t say, “God will make me…” We choose to follow the guide, or we choose not to. That isn’t all that comforting, especially as we look around us. Free will is the ability to choose the wrong path.

Jesus said, “Go in through the narrow gate. The gate that leads to destruction is broad and the road wide, so many people enter through it. 14 But the gate that leads to life is narrow and the road difficult, so few people find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14) In today’s plethora of choice, it might be rewritten to say, “there are plenty of roads to choose, many of which are attractive, fun, enjoyable, and scratch our itches. However, the road to True Life is hard to find among all the options, and there is very little on the road that makes it attractive for the world to follow.” Or you could say that the “narrow road” is a one-lane road, and the broad road is an 8-billion+ lane one.

The Church and its people, however, still remain too attracted to the “ways of the nations” and the “signs in the sky” (Jeremiah 10:2). Regardless of political affiliation or social justice issues or a myriad of other things, the Church gets distracted very easily. Now, this is not to say that the issues that the world face are not our concern. Quite the contrary. We are to look to Christ first so that we are equipped to bring light, hope, love, and reconciliation. Instead, we look to politics and the talking heads that speak of the issues of the world to guide us. This crosses (pun intended) all political and other ideological lines.

What also comes of this is our inheritance. There just might be a reason why God speaks through Jeremiah of the unique inheritance of the descendants of Jacob. We are those spiritual descendants (not necessarily of blood), so we should be paying attention, too. Our inheritance is not the world’s, and for that, we should be thankful! If our inheritance is from God, it seems reasonable to not want any other inheritance.

The deception is that in the world we see a “shadow” of Jesus. All of Creation was made through him and for him (Colossians 1:16). This means that it is easy to be deceived, or deceive ourselves, that we are following the right path for even the wrong paths have a shadow of Jesus. The skeptic (or the hopeful) might suggest this means that all paths lead to Jesus. Your shadow is an imperfect image of you that changes depending on the direction of the light source and the type of light source. It isn’t really you, just as the shadows of the world might look at times like Jesus, they really aren’t.

※Reflection※
- What tensions do you see with Jesus loving the world, and the shadows of the world that may appear to look like Jesus?
- What are some current issues/concerns of the world that appear to look like Jesus? How might those same issues not be like Jesus?
※Prayer※

Jesus, stir in our hearts to claim and to share the inheritance that rust and moths cannot destroy. Amen.
2021 07 15
God of Boxes
Psalm 85:8–13; Amos 4:6–13; Luke 1:57–80

God speaks shalom to his people [who follow him] and to his faithful [where he is the core] ones (a very loose paraphrase of Psalm 85:8)

Salvation is close to those that honor God (Psalm 85:9).

Then…we get Amos. When we first read Amos, we are tempted to think, “This is a loving God?” As with most prophetic speech, being too literal can be problematic. This is more of the arc of the story of Israel. In other words, it wasn’t one thing after another. It was one thing…time passed (even generations)…they didn’t return…another thing, and so forth. When it’s all tied together seemingly in a short time span as we read it, it can leave us breathless and/or anxious.

Which…it should.

The symmetry of these issues goes along with Egypt, who would not “see” the power of God as worth listening to until the death of the firstborn (see Exodus 4:8–12:33). Then there is the addition of Sodom and Gomorrah (still used today as a prophetic whip). This also builds on Moses’ warnings which promised that the curses on Egypt would be inflicted on Israel if they did not choose God (see Deuteronomy 28:15–61).

This is where we who focus heavily on the love of God and the nature of God loving all need to pay attention ourselves. God is love. That doesn’t mean permissiveness. It often means discipline.

“Know then in your heart that as a parent disciplines a child so the LORD your God disciplines you.” —Deuteronomy 8:5

We don’t like this. The fact that our emotional response to discipline is, “you don’t love me,” is one of the greatest struggles for our modern sensitivities. We struggle (and that’s fine) with the concept that God would discipline through pestilence, famine, war, etcetera. We will often use the language of “God allows”, or explain things as “an ‘old world’ understanding”. While this is understandable, there is a fundamental soteriological (theology dealing with the nature and means of salvation) flaw in it. When we diminish God’s acts to solely “natural” consequences, we remove God’s movement (including that of the Holy Spirit) in our lives, even the concept of prevenient grace (the grace that goes before us).

Removing Godly discipline is removing God.

Zechariah (the father of John the Baptist) was muted (disciplined) by God (through an angel) when he questioned how he and Elizabeth in their advanced years could have a child. Want to see a preaching/teaching pastor freak out? Mute them. Zechariah’s duties may not have been preaching as we understand it, but in an oral culture (most people couldn’t read) not being able to speak was a severe handicap. Instead, when Zechariah confirmed that his son‘s name was John and he was no longer mute, he praised God. After his discipline, he praised God. Being that praise was Zechariah’s first response (and praise not being, “thank you for healing me.”), it is quite probable that Zechariah was praising God even while mute. Praising God while being disciplined; that is hard.

It isn’t impossible. Yet we want to put God in a box. The box of the God of love is often the one where God doesn’t punish or discipline. God doesn’t fit into our boxes.

※Reflection※
- In your life, what boxes have you put God into? How do these boxes deal with punishment, discipline, and/or love?
- Why might a God of discipline also be a God of love? How do we often confuse these?
- What do we lose when we remove discipline form the nature and/or character of God? Is that important?
※Prayer※

Lord, there are things in life and in the Scriptures we just don’t understand. Grant us your grace to see you in and through it all. Amen.
2021 07 10
Hear the Roar
Psalm 85:8–13; Amos 3:1–12; Colossians 4:2–18

The Psalm speaks of the land of Israel having God’s blessings. It needed it. God’s blessing was both a protection and a source of bounty. The gist is that if Israel’s people were being blessed by the land, including peace from war, bountiful crops, and growing families, then God should be at the forefront of the list of giving thanks.

The US has long held itself (with some rationale) as a blessed and fertile land. Yes, there were blips (droughts—including the blight that was part of the Great Depression, blights, pests, etc). As a whole, however, the US continues to have bountifully producing lands. Historically, we have been relatively free from war and conflict. Our families could grow large if we wanted.

Yet, a common refrain, especially during any so-call culture wars/battles, is that things would get better if we returned to God wholeheartedly. The problem with that is that people see all the blessings, so are confused as to why they should be looking to God. That may have well the same issue with the Israelites.

The refrain of returning to God is rising again. Most of us think only of the political “right” when it comes to that. It is true that many of the religious folks that are calling for a “return to God” are aligned to the “right” politically. However, there are voices on the political “left” that are also speaking prophetic language. Words such as “reckoning” are coming out. That’s a very Biblical concept. Those aligned politically on the “left” don’t use much religious language because the “right” appears to own it (they don’t), and will delegitimize those on the “left” who use religious language. However, for both “sides”, they actually have a similar vision…things will not work the way they have been.

The political jostling distracts from the prophetic words coming from both “sides” of the political divide. That both agree (in different words, granted) that this is not as God intended should be something that everyone should be paying attention to…especially in the church. In an era that is becoming more politically rigidly divided, every prophetic bone in every Christian, along with the Holy Spirit present in each one of us is screaming, “LOOK AT THIS!”

In Amos, we see a picture of Israel that is so loved by God it had been—up to this point—able to avoid the natural punishment that had come to those around it. God’s love had kept them from the consequences. That protection was on its last legs. This is the roaring lion of Judah in Amos. It isn’t the lion that protects. It is the lion that warns.

The lion is roaring, church! Are you listening?

Once we listen, if we choose to, what then?

Paul tells the church to act wisely and to make the most of every opportunity to share about Jesus and the Gospel. If you read that passage, verses 5 and 6 almost don’t seem to fit. In my imagination, I see Paul writing this letter from jail, and one of his jailers comes in and it clicks with Paul as he has been sharing with his jailers about Jesus that the Colossians should, too. That Paul seems to interrupt his chain of thought to mention this should wrap this in neon lights and glitter. All our sharp rhetoric and political bludgeoning aren’t how this is supposed to work…not for the church, at least. Sharp rhetoric and political bludgeoning are the way of the world.

The lion is roaring, and we claim it’s at the culture, the system, etcetera. The lion is roaring at the church to say, “get to the work of the kingdom!”

※Reflection※
- What do you see with your heart when you read the Scriptures? Do you take away something different?
- How can prophetic voices from different political poles still speak prophetically to the church and the world and both be authentic?
- Is there a particular issue that the lion roars for you? What is the human (not political) person like on the “opposite” side? Is it really opposition rather than perspective? (Advice: don’t let the politics deceive you about people)
※Prayer※

Lord, we of your church have lost our prophetic voice with far more issues than we have retained. Guide our hearts to seek your will, to be your witnesses, and to be the needed prophetic voice to your bride—the church—and then to the world. Amen.
2021 07 09