Tag: together

A Promise

Isaiah 44:21–28; Ezekiel 34:25–31; Mark 14:22–26

Remember. We are called on to remember things every day. Some have become so ingrained (putting undergarments, I hope) that we don’t actually remember them; we just do them.

Like many things that are ingrained, relationships aren’t. We might take them for granted, but that doesn’t make them ingrained.

Isaiah’s call to the descendants of Jacob was REMEMBER! Remember God, who formed them, called them and redeemed them. They needed to be reminded…again.

This time, they are called to celebrate. Celebrate freedom. Celebrate redemption. Celebrate a relationship with God.

The unfolding of their redemption, eventually, results in a new covenant of peace. This new covenant was to change the very face of the Promised Land.

The promise of this covenant was delivered while talking about their return from captivity and exile. This makes the promise sure, as they were indeed delivered. So, where was the fulfillment of this new covenant?

We Christians say that of course, it is Jesus. Jesus’ life and death personified the concepts of relationship and redemption. The Resurrection is the exclamation point of the promise in Ezekiel.

In the Kingdom of God, the lion and the lamb lie down together.

※Reflection※

For you, what is the most important fact about God’s promises? Why?

※Prayer※

God, you have been faithful to us, even when we wander. We give you praise, glory, and thanks for your grace-filled love. Amen.

2020-11-20
Moving Stone

Mark 16:1-7; Ephesians 2:11–22

The Resurrection was an event. Obviously. Yet, in many respects, we miss the extending power of the Resurrection. Yes, the Resurrection shows that there is something after. It also shows us that there is something more.

The event itself begins with what cannot be done alone. The stone being rolled away. This is not a one-, two-, or even three-person job. The stone that would go in front were HEAVY.

The first “witness” to the Resurrection event was actually the stone being moved. An obstacle beyond a single human’s ability to bear was removed. Perhaps it is a stretch. Yet, the biggest obstacle for the Marys and Salome to be faithful was removed by God.

This truly might be reading too much into it. At the risk of that, though, think of Paul’s words to the Ephesians, “For he is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility” (Ephesians 2:14).

The dividing wall is not a small obstacle between two very different people groups who view the other as scum or dirty. The grace, mercy, love, and redemption of the Gospel are able to not just remove what separates them; it is able to join them together.

The significance is that while their obedience and work is part of the process, it is Jesus who has done the greater work. The primary effort is not that of humanity; it is of God.

When we are divided by seemingly impossible walls, we either try to stay on “our side”, try to scale the wall, or even try to destroy the wall. We often do this in our own power.

The secular world continues to try to do this by attempting to “adjust” thinking through programs, training, and peer pressure. However, this too is only a work of humanity. It is, as the secular world continues to learn and forget, doomed to fail.

For those of us who claim Jesus as our Lord and Savior, however, we are called to something greater. Regardless of your political leaning, the church is to be an example of how to love. Currently, one of the biggest barriers in the US is political.

※Reflection※

What is one specific thing YOU can do to help heal the divide? Why is it critical to know that the Gospel is the way to remove the divide? How does secular society try to emulate the Gospel?

※Prayer※

Jesus, thank you for removing the wall that separates us from you, and us from each other. Help us to remember the grace, mercy, and love you have shown us, as we engage the world. Amen.

2020-11-14
Circling Vultures

Matthew 24:36–42; Luke 17:11–37

One of the most famous concepts in End Times thinking is those “left behind”. Part of the was the “Left Behind” series. It was also the dramatic portrayals of how two people would walk together, and one would just disappear. As an unbeliever, that always sounded…strange (okay, maybe crazy).

The problem with just that concept was, well, a deliberate misreading of the Scriptures. If you’re feeling a little attacked by this, my apologies. The problem is that the trope of half of the world’s population disappearing became so ingrained, that it became difficult to separate ourselves from it (self included).

Last week in Thieving Glory, we talked about the Day of the Lord. And here we are again. The Day of the Lord is the backdrop to these words of Jesus. In this case, the Day of the Lord is more specifically a day of judgment and destruction.

Contrary to the standard “left behind” thinking, those left behind are those that survived. Those that are gone are those who have died. The words in Matthew imply a lack of salvation by tying it in with the Flood of Noah’s time. The words in Luke are tied to Sodom and Gomorrah. Yet again, no salvation seems to be tied to those that are gone.

There are other verses in the Scriptures about some sort of rapture. They are all in Paul’s writings. Yet, it is these in Matthew and Luke that have garnered the most attention and are the least likely to draw the conclusion of a rapture event…when read in context.

Sometimes God can use our misreading to actually draw deeper insights. We do have to be aware of misreading Scripture. What is often the case is that we get those “aha” moments when we’ve read a verse many times before, and either a different word catches our attention, or we hear it read out loud. It’s times like this that we begin to grasp the truth that God’s word is still alive and still speaking.

※Reflection※

When was the last time you were surprised by the Scriptures? How did it affect your understanding of that passage? Did it affect your understanding of God?

※Prayer※

Jesus, you call us to be ready. Help us to be ready for your return and insights from your Word. Amen.

2020-11-11
Yieldingly Strong

Malachi 1:6–14; 1 Peter 2:1–10

Many years ago, there was a Star Trek show called Voyager. Overall, I don’t remember much about it, but I do recall this scene between Neelix (guest alien onboard) and Tuvok (i.e., Vulcan, humorless, emotionless, kind of like a robot):

NEELIX: These are Keela flowers. Beautiful, and remarkably strong. The stem is flexible, impossible to break. But occasionally on the same plant there’s a bloom whose stem is not so flexible. Ah, here’s one. And when the stem is brittle, it breaks.

TUVOK: You’re saying that the Maquis crew is rigid and inflexible. That they will never adjust to Starfleet rules.

NEELIX: No, Mister Vulcan, I’m saying that you are rigid and inflexible, but maybe if you’d learn to bend a little, you might have better luck with your class. Those Maquis aren’t Starfleet cadets. You can’t treat them the same way. Get to know them, try to find out what they’re like inside. You might discover a better teaching method.
“Learning Curve”, Original Airdate: May 22, 1995 (Stardate -327613). Thanks to www.chakoteya.net for the transcript.

The Maquis were an insurrection/guerilla group. Their methods of instruction and obedience were not the military-style of Starfleet. Tuvok learned one way. He taught one way. Rigidly.

However, the Maquis were just as rigid. It was just that they rigidly didn’t want to be like Starfleet

What on earth (or in space) does this have to do with these passages?

According to Peter, we are the priesthood of all believers. I may have a certain role within that priesthood (as an ordained person). You have one too.

The ultimate purpose of the priests is the be the intercessors between “the people” and God. For Christians, “the people” are the world that does not yet believe in Jesus Christ.

The priests, however, have their own relationship with God. In our case (the collective Christian case), we are called to give of ourselves: money, time, talent, and so on. It’s too rigid to say it is “required”. On the other hand, it is a spiritual discipline.

When we do not give of ourselves, or we do it grudgingly, we are the ones called out by Malachi giving deformed useless sacrifice for the sake of a check box.

In regard to our Christian life, there is a rigidity in sacrifice. That is one of the aspects of a mature Christian, self-sacrifice. It’s odd to say it is not required; on the other hand, it is essential.

The flexibility, however, is in how it works out. You could be gifted with teaching, encouragement, prayer, or something else. Freedom from the Law is how we are free to respond to God and to others through love.

※Reflection※

The question for you isn’t, are you gifted? The question is, what are you gifted in? The next question is like it; how will you use that gift for the community of believers around you?

※Prayer※

Creator, you have made each of us different so that only together can reflect your infinite love. Amen.

2020-11-10
Path Lighting

Joshua 4:1–7; Joshua 8:30–35; Proverbs 27:17

What do you remember? What “traditions” or practices do you remember from your childhood? What did that teach you?

Over the years, the church universal developed many practices to teach the faith to its people. It often had a hard journey, as it had to teach people from varying walks of life to be one with each other. It often had to surmount the lack of general education for centuries.

Many of these practices are no longer used. Many have lost the intent, and even the instruction that went with them. They became empty words. Valuable Truth was lost because people failed to teach well.

As we each go to church, whether online or in person, or whether we only listen to sermons or we add life groups, we each have a responsibility to learn and to teach. Often, we look to experts to train us. However, the experts are, well, experts. Experts often get lost in their expertise and then they can no longer translate their expertise to the non-expert.

In many respects, from a personal perspective, that may be part of the current state of the church. Perhaps we have left too much to the experts and not sharpened ourselves.

Of course, there is danger in such freedom. There is a balance of some sort between expert and non. We may well be in a place and time where we need to discover together what that balance is.

The passages from Joshua are just 2 passages where something was done to teach. The first was the pile of stones from the middle of the Jordan river. Yes, 12 stones pulled from the bottom of spring flood raging river. This pile of stones became a physical place of teaching.

“Look at that river! God made it so our ancestors could cross it on dry land.” Imagine a young child overcome with the vision of the waters being told the story of the stones while seeing that river. That would certainly be formative. This is the kind of thing ideal in the informal settings of Life Groups.

The second passage is Joshua repeating the Law that they had been given. It was a reminder of who they were. The Law wasn’t just rules and regulations, it was their identity. In many respects, this is the more formal aspect of preaching and Sunday School.

The question that we each need to ask ourselves: is our faith important enough to us to learn?

2020-11-05
Saintly Ones

Matthew 5:1–16; Revelation 7:1–17

※ Q: What is a Saint? ※

You would think that this question is easy. However, the meaning of saint depends on the context and even timeframe.

Chasid (חָסִיד) and Kaddish (קַדִּישׁ) are the Hebrew words that are most often translated as saint (not always, though). Chasid (חָסִיד) means faithful or devout ones (with the implication being toward the covenant). Kaddish (קַדִּישׁ) means holy ones or people of the holy ones (yes, we could, but perhaps shouldn’t, infer the Trinity there).

Hagioi (ἅγιος) is first seen in Matthew 27:52 and used to talk about those who rose from the dead upon Jesus’ death. It is most used by Paul to refer to the (what became) Christians in his letters. It became generally used that way by the other New Testament writers and the church. In Revelation, the word becomes expressly tied to those who died as martyrs.

※ Q: What does it mean to be a saint? ※

If you’ve been in the church any length of time, saint can be applied to a person of significant patience. It is also applied to many that have been in the faith for a long time and have gray or white hair (the hair color, of course, is important ????). However, that is probably a bad way of thinking about it.

If we were to tie both the Hebrew and the Greek together, we would probably get an approximation of people whose relationship is with God through faith in Jesus Christ and for whom this is their primary identity.

※ Q: Are you a saint? ※

※Prayer※

Holy Spirit, guide into a relational identity with the Father, through the Son. Amen.

2020-10-31
You|Me and Us

Matthew 18:15–20; Luke 5:23–32

There is nobody beyond God’s redemptive reach. No one. No matter what a person has done or how “unclean” they may be, God is still there waiting.

Tax collectors were not well appreciated. We generally are scornful of the IRS. The tax collectors of the age of Jesus were despised in general. Any Gentile was supposed to be sidelined from a Jewish perspective. The gentile tax collector even more so.

From a cultural, political, power, and wealth standpoint, the Gentile tax collector represented everything the Jewish people feared and hated. The Jewish tax collector, such as Levi (in the reading from Luke), wasn’t much better. Their only redemptive feature was that they were Jewish.

God’s grace extends far beyond our ability to comprehend. This is a good thing, as we are often too petty and malicious to redeem others.

However, Jesus’ words also bring something else to the fore, discipline. The US modern church, as a whole, avoids the concept of church discipline. There are a number of reasons, some of them cultural, some of them missiological, some of them evangelical, some of them just a general lack of training and understanding.

Church discipline requires a balance of individual and community. In white US populations, that is rather difficult. Whites, by and large, idealize individuality. In other US populations, community has a much greater strength and pull.

In most white populations, church discipline as a community is difficult, as the individual will often “go their own way”, severing their ties with the community. On the other hand, in non-white and isolated white communities, the community can be destructive to the individual.

For the church to be the church, we will have to work together to find the balance between individual and community. As the church finds its way in a world that wants to push it aside even more, the church needs to learn and embrace the community and the individual, including the roles and responsibilities of each.

※Questions※

1) What value do you find in being part of a community? What value do you find in being an individual?

2) What are ways you can think of that would allow and encourage people to be part of community and still respect individuality?

3) What do you think God’s perspective on community and individuality is?

※Prayer※

God, you have made us similar to each other…yet different. Help us to embrace what makes us different and embrace what makes us the same. Amen.

2020-10-24
Mindset

Ephesians 1:17–19; Philippians 4:1–9

There is a pernicious thought floating around that if Christians really believed what they say they do; they would all think similarly. Sadly, that often comes from Christians who perceive they are not being heard or perceive that someone with whom they disagree is being heard.

In my immediate family, I am the person who hates tomatoes. Yes, they’re fine as ketchup and pizza sauce. Sometimes they’re okay as salsa (very rarely). Otherwise, no thank you. My wife, on the other hand, love tomatoes. Out of 3 of our kids, 2 like tomatoes, 1 not so much. We’re related! How could we not like the same things?

That is the same thought process required for all Christians to think the same.

Not seeing things the same is quite normal. We are all the culmination of our experiences, the experiences of trusted others, our hurts, our fears, our hopes, and our love. No one person is the same when you total all of that together, even identical twins (though they’re probably the closest).

How we disagree, however, is much bigger. If we could all disagree well, groupthink wouldn’t be an issue. When we disagree well, we each “feel” heard. When we disagree well, the decided path may not be ours, but because trust has been built, we are able to accept it.

That would be a wonderful way to live. Instead, the church is divided. It could be political lines. It could be music styles. It could be preaching styles.

The trick often is not responding out of our emotions and trigger-responses. Often, it is thinking, talking, and working it out together over time. Why do we think one path will work better than another? If we don’t have the answer to our own path, we will often dismiss other perspectives out of unconscious fear.

The other side effect is that our bonds are tested because people feel dismissed or ignored when there is no significant conversation. Without significant conversation, misunderstandings occur, feelings are hurt, and the church’s witness is damaged.

One of the great tests of the Christian community is how they love one another. How we argue with one another and discuss deeper things must be an outpouring of that exact same love.

※Questions※

1) What is something that is bugging you regarding a Christian brother or sister? Have you talked about it with that person, why or why not?

2) How do you dismiss the thoughts and perspectives of others (Christian or otherwise)? Think of the last time you disagreed with someone. Did you talk it through, or did you just do or command your way?

3) How do you reconcile with someone you perceive dismisses you? How will you reconcile with someone whom you dismissed.?

※Prayer※

Lord, you want and direct us to love one another. Help us to do that well, especially when we disagree. Amen.

2020-10-10
Evangel

Evangel

28 September 2020

Luke 1:68–80; Ephesians 4:7–16

Many years ago, there was campaign against man-caused forest fires. The campaign “starred” a little bear cub that, while burned, survived a man-caused forest fire. The tagline for the campaign was, “Only YOU can prevent forest fires.”

From a strict understanding, of course, it’s not just you that can prevent forest fires. It’s you and everyone else around whose behavior contributes to the amount of man-caused forest fires. Of course, you can only prevent forest fires when you are the contributor of the originating fire.

That was the beauty of the campaign. Ultimately, it was just you that can prevent forest fires, it was you and your friends and everyone else working together to prevent man-caused forest fires.

What, you may be asking yourself, have to do with Zechariah’s Holy Spirit-driven prophetic speech over an infant John the Baptist? Re-read it, and where it says, “you, child…” say, “me, [your name]…”

Just like the campaign starring Smokey the Bear, it wasn’t just John the Baptist who was called to go before Jesus. Each and every one of us is called to “go before” Jesus in our daily lives.

How that works in each person’s life will, for most, remain a mystery. However, when we live out a faithful life that witnesses to the power, grace, and love of Jesus Christ, we go before Jesus. Once we are asked a why or how question about our lives, then we get to announce Jesus.

You probably never thought of yourself as John the Baptist. That’s probably a good thing, for none of us can be another person, nor did God call us to be that way. We are not called to be John the Baptist.

You are probably not called to eat wild locusts and honey. Nor are you probably called to wear a hairy coat. We are called to follow in the “spirit of” John the Baptist by proclaiming salvation through Jesus Christ.

When we think of evangelism, we generally think about sharing Jesus with people who don’t know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Perhaps, however, we are just as called to share Jesus with those in the Body of Christ (the church).

Paul wrote to the Ephesians about the varying roles within the body. The overarching goal is, “…unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son…” He wrote that to Christians.

Our (good) desire to reach people who don’t know Jesus may well have obscured something essential. We need to continue to evangelize (i.e., tell the Good News about Jesus) each other.

※Questions※

1) Where and how do you see yourself evangelizing those that do not yet know Jesus? How about those who already declare they know Jesus?

2) What scares you most evangelizing? Does that fear change depending on whether they are already or not yet believers?

3) What are some ways evangelizing is (or should be) performed within the body of believers?

※Prayer※

Holy Spirit, guide our hearts to always be evangelizing one another. Amen.

2020-09-27
Cross Section

Psalm 78; Zechariah 8:1–6; Acts 2:14–21

Ever had an itch. One of those itches you just can quite reach. Maybe you’ve used a pen (or pencil). Maybe you’ve used one of those bamboo scratchers shaped like a hand. Or perhaps you’ve used a wall corner. Or, if push comes to shove, you ask for help.

In many respects, church (or the church service) has been a back-scratcher for years. There have been shifts over the years as how the service is done (from “liturgical” to “modern”, for example) to the musical instruments (no instruments, to organs, to brass and wind, to piano, to guitars, to electric guitars, to full bands) to the style of music (chant, hymns, country, contemporary, hip-hop, rap).

Music is one of the biggest backscratchers, as people will determine which church they will attend depending on the music genre (and then the instrumentation, too). Preaching styles, too, also affect church attendance (3-point sermons, topical, expository).

For the last few decades, though, the bigger one may well be programs, especially programs for youth and children. This isn’t a bad thing, to be clear. It does, however, have some problems. They are the same problems as service styles, music styles, instrumentation, preaching…they scratch an itch.

It was much easier when there was only one style. Then there would be only one expectation. There is also the reality that the lack or presence of any of the above (and this is not an exhaustive list) may be a “barrier” for a new person (whether unbeliever, new believer, or seasoned believer).

It is the whys of it all that matter. There was a quip (a stereotype that is sadly mostly true in the US) that the hour of church on Sunday is the most segregated hour of the week. The context of this quip is race. However, it applies to so much more.

In many churches, maybe even yours, you can look around during the church service and see the segregation of age. Sometimes the children leave at the beginning or in the middle if they’re there at all. Sometimes the youth leave. Sometimes they all sit together. Each church can do it completely differently.

The result, however, is contrary to what the New Testament seems to display…unified worship across age and people groups.

Some are beginning to question if we have lost our biggest opportunity to disciple one another by separating to scratch our itch.

This is not an attack on the way your church “does” church, though it might seem to be. The question we need to be asking ourselves is…how does [youth group, music choice, etc.] affect successful discipleship? How does it inhibit discipleship? How do we scratch our itches and still maintain our fidelity to “telling the next generation” the “great things that God has done”?

2020-09-23