Devotion.al

Tag: wait

  • Work-Out Regimen

    Work-Out Regimen

    Luke 7:36–50; Philippians 2:12–16

    The scorn of the Pharisees toward Jesus was pretty easy to see. They were effectively declaring that Jesus could not be an actual true prophet, because he dared to accept the anointing by the woman. “If he only knew what she was like,” they said.

    Jesus did and her anyway. He didn’t love her any less or any more because of her “unclean” state or status. He loved her because she was a person made in the image of God.

    A more recent way of that exact same thinking is, “when you get yourself cleaned up, come to , and get to know Jesus.” Or (even sadder), “I’ll come to church when my act is cleaned up.” That was not Jesus’ attitude. THANKS, BE TO GOD!

    The woman came to Jesus. Jesus declared her sins pardoned. She never sinned after that. Oh, wait…

    For the vast majority of people, “getting clean” is a lifelong process. For a drug addict, “getting clean” from the drug is only step one. They then need to “get clean” from friend circles, ways of thinking, and sometimes the physical place they are at. It is not an easy road.

    Oddly enough, Jesus seems to forgive sins pretty easily. It’s not that the sins are minor. They are acts that us from God. The problem isn’t God, it’s us.

    We want to keep doing what we did because it is comfortable. Even those who seek and desire change (and are even change-agents) like comfortable.

    Paul calls on the Philippians not just to declare Jesus as Lord. Paul calls on the Philippians to be changed. Just like us, they needed to change their habits. They need to change thought processes. None of these things change . They change us.

    “…by holding firm to the of life.” There is a play on words here, for the word is the message (salvation through Jesus), the word is the , and Jesus is the word.

    The easy answer is to hold onto Jesus for dear life. The life answer is that holding onto Jesus allows us to him so that we are free in our hearts and minds to remove all in our life that separates us from wholeness in him.

    ※Questions※

    1) When was the last time you were like the Pharisees? Why is that the issue that causes this response?

    2) When was the last time you were like the woman? With what did you anoint Jesus’ feet (this can be a symbol)?

    3) How and with whom are you working through your salvation? How can you deepen that?

    ※Prayer※

    Jesus, as you have brought us into the , help us to release our so that we can draw to you. Amen.

  • 3 Greats

    3 Greats

    Luke 11:9–13; 1 Corinthians 12:31–14:1

    It’s a little presumptuous to talk about Christmas. However, it is likely that Christmas will be very interesting this year. Either the traveling will breakout to overwhelm the system (which is suffering from abandonment, at this point), or everyone will stay home. Regardless, children will still eagerly await to see what the wrapped presents contain.

    Parents don’t wait for Christmas to gifts, or even until birthdays. Often the unthought present is a favorite meal or just a hug on a bad day. Little gifts of love are generally just lived out. We actually don’t think of them…and that’s a good thing.

    Love is the best four-letter word. It is also one of the most confusing words. When uses it here, it is a deep affection and . In other words, looking to the benefit of the other.

    His famous words are often used in wedding ceremonies. It’s not wrong (For, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in …” 2 Tim 3:16). It’s just part of a bigger picture.

    Paul’s real focus is the “greater” gifts: , hope, love. In the context of these words, though, it is about the spiritual gifts given to the people of God. Going back to Jesus’ words, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly give the Spirit to those who ask him?” (Luke 11:13)

    Our constant focus on love (though worthwhile) misses the point Paul is trying to make. The three greater gifts are what make the spiritual gifts powerful and effective.

    Great! You can argue a fish into believing it’s allergic to water! You obviously don’t love it.

    Fantastic! You know the and the original languages! You have lost all hope with your knowledge.

    Wonderful! You are a talented medical worker through whom bodies thought gone can heal. You have left the soul (including your own) to wither and die.

    What should be the most interesting thing here is that Paul brings up three (faith, hope, love) and only speaks of one (love). Paul felt, it seems, that faith and hope were sufficient on their own, and needed no further explanation. Love, however, needed something more.

    In an era where “faith” and “hope” seem to be faded (if not gone) in the wider culture, and love has generally become a saccharine-sweet noxious feeling that is stuck in a romantic byway, the (that is, you) must relearn, regain, reteach, and rejoice in the 3 greatest gifts: faith, hope, love.

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, may we not take the lesser or greater gifts for granted. May we actually use them for your and to fulfill your will for our lives. Amen.

  • What a Feast!

    What a Feast!

    Matthew 22:1–14; John 6:53–58

    When you’ve been invited to a party or some sort of celebration, have you ever received a little card that had you select from entree and/or other options? Or have you been to a buffet and been overwhelmed by the selection (or underwhelmed)?

    Over the years there have been many tales of what the feasts in Heaven would look like. Some have used it to recruit people to their church or . For many, a gathering of family barbecues every day would be fantastic. So, of course, that’s would be what Heaven would be like (all the social introverts just shuddered)!

    Making assumptions about things like that is often unwise, as it can lead to weird thoughts and even bad theology. The more serious part of that is that the primacy of feasts in the Scriptures is not to be diminished. This is especially true when we remember the feast that Jesus left to fill the gap while we wait for his .

    The feast that we have, though, is peculiar. Those who have been long in the church have been inured to the strangeness that is the Eucharist. As we read in John…eating flesh and drinking human blood? If someone came to you and said that…how would you respond?

    We read this and we immediately translate it into Christian language and thinking. If someone like Jeffrey Dahmer (real- cannibal) or Hannibal Lecter (fictional cannibal) said something like this, we would not have such a Christianized . That is the horror and revulsion that his hearers and likely even his disciples felt when they heard these words.

    The Christian side of it is that we see the “spiritual” side of this as perfectly reasonable. We do have to keep in mind that for years Christians were accused of cannibalism because of the words of Jesus, and the regular Feast.

    The Christian side of it also continues in two ways. First, by associated with blood, Jesus was associating with the Jewish belief of life was in the blood (from Levitical law). Second, by associating with the bread, Jesus was tying himself to the daily necessity (and often only food) of bread.

    Lastly, though not often talked about, is the Jewish concept of eating the of God. This was the Jewish practice of licking (literally) off a slate upon which Scripture was (the Shema would make the most sense) with honey poured on it. There is some historical question if this was a 1st Century thing or if it developed later. However, there is some precedence from Ezekiel 3:3 who ate the word of God on a scroll.

    Also, we understand that Jesus was the incarnate word of God (John 1:1–4). Thus, eating the word of God takes on a completely different understanding.

    Especially now, when we are not taking (Eucharist/Love Feast) in the communal way we have in the recent past, it is even more important to understand the gravitas of it. It isn’t just a little juice and a wafer (or bread)…it is the Word of God.

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, John Wesley taught us that your feast is a means by which you deliver your to us. Let us not take it for granted and approach your banquet table with thanksgiving [eucharistia]. Amen.

    ※Questions※

    1) How would you explain the why of Communion to a non-believer? How do you explain “eating flesh and drinking blood” without it sounding weirder than it already does?

    2) Thinking of the king’s feast (Matthew 22:1–14), what does this tell you about coming to “the table” for communion?

  • A Different Desert Journey

    A Different Desert Journey

    Numbers 14:28–35; Numbers 21:1–4; Numbers 21:21–26; Numbers 21:31–35 (read online ⧉)

    We often think of the Israelites wandering in the desert for 40 years in kind of a nebulous way. There was indeed follow the cloud of smoke by day, and by night. They would settle where pillar did, and then move again when the pillar moved.

    Yet, the problem with assumptions is that they are often wrong. We have all been repeatedly told that the Israelites wandered the desert for 40 years. From a certain theological and spiritual point of view, they did.

    The wandering really was a time of waiting. This was the time of waiting between the failure to go into the Promised Land initially, and the ultimate entry into the Promised Land. It was a time of waiting for the rebellious generation to die so that a generation would take its place.

    Some of the Israelites did settle down for a time. As we read, they captured cities that were not in the Promised Land. They settled in them. This is where some of Israel did settle down, beginning the separation of the tribes to their ultimate demise.

    Some were settling in. Some were waiting. Even those who settled-in were still waiting. There was still the next big thing.

    When we wander the spiritual desert of our lives, sometimes things of permanence or stability seem to be there. Just like the Israelites who settled in the non-Promised Land conquered cities, we may be in places that seem as if they are permanent, yet the spiritual desert tells us things are not as they seem.

    As we currently, and for the next thing in the world, whether it be COVID-19, the flu (that’s coming), the economy, the US election, political upheaval and tensions elsewhere, there are signs of permanence (homes, , community, church, jobs) that are not quite as stable or secure as we want them to be.

    One of the darkest temptations in the spiritual desert is to latch onto the wrong thing. Then we hold onto that wrong thing (sometimes even knowing it’s the wrong thing) rather than taking hold of the good thing that God wants for us.

    ※※

    , as we and wander our spiritual desert, gently guide us (even unaware) from that which is not good for our journey with you. While we wander and seek, gather us into your loving embrace. Amen.

    ※※

    1) What is a spiritual desert for you? Does this concept even make sense to you?

    2) Why is stability not necessarily good for our journey with God?

    3) If confronted with the choice of good land that you have now, versus the supposed and unpossessed land of the , which would you choose? Be honest with yourself.

  • Waiting in Trust

    Waiting in Trust

    John 16:5–15; Acts 1:1–8 (read online ⧉)

    for the to be .

    directed his disciples to wait. They couldn’t even wait when Jesus was with them after the . “Hey, Jesus, are we going to take over the world, now?”

    Of course, they really didn’t say that. Not even close. However, restoring the of Israel was, from a Jewish perspective, much the same thing. The Kingdom of Israel wasn’t just a . It was a God-blessed nation.

    When they thought of a God-blessed nation, they were thinking that power and wealth would be restored to the Jews. The Romans would no longer be the occupiers. The Jews would once again occupy the place the belonged on the world stage.

    Except, Jesus poked that balloon. “Sorry, the Father’s got something planned, and…you don’t get to know the entirety of the plan.” Can you imagine that? They don’t get to know the whole plan.
    Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Right now we are in the midst of trying to make plans while being undeniably confronted with the reality that all our plans are…fluid. We know that we don’t know what is going to happen. We still plan and dream, however.

    The disciples weren’t even really trying to plan. God was writing a new page, and they didn’t know what to expect. They had to .

    In a few weeks (May 31st), the (the whole church, the of Christ) will have a birthday…Pentecost. That promised counselor would change everything. In the meantime, they had to wait.

    Sometimes we’re a little hard on them. We see what happened. These people, by and large, were the out-of-the-loop kind of folks. Nothing earth-shattering would happen with them. They were barely educated. They were not from the heart of Judah. They weren’t tied to the powerful. In fact, the powerful didn’t want much to do with them.

    We do know that there had been a false Messiah from the region prior to Jesus. So, there was also the likely weight of the false Messiah, plus this guy who rose from the dead. Everything was new.

    Just wait. Just trust. Be willing to trust and wait. Our world could use a lot of that now.

    ※ Prayer ※
    Lord, as the world twists itself in an anxious circle, help us to be the unanxious ones. Guide our hearts and minds to not be anxious and trust in your timing and your plan, not of which is ours. Amen.

    ※ Questions ※
    1) What are you waiting for?
    2) Does your waiting require trust? If so, how’s that trust doing?
    3) What are you doing in your wait? Are you preparing and making plans for when the brakes are loosed?

  • Serving Service

    Serving Service

    Acts 6:1–7; 1 Corinthians 12:4–11; 2 Corinthians 9:1–15 (read online ⧉)

    One of the struggles that the church as in this day (without COVID-19) is people to . The seven that were chosen by the people and deputized by the Apostles had a particular service to the widows of the .

    The Apostles set out some expectations. They would not wait on tables. We, probably, think that it’s obvious that the Apostles wouldn’t be waiting on tables. However, that they used that wording tells us that at least some of the people had that exact .

    Once we all return to “church” (as in the building), all the patterns that make for a worshiping and serving community will be for a change. This is not because anything in particular was bad, but because it is a time for renewal, and all the habits that were built up have been destroyed.

    Each person has a particular calling or two for the church. It doesn’t mean that we can’t or won’t do multiple things, it just means that there are one or two that are our sweet spot between God’s call on our lives and our talents and our gifts.

    Caring for one another, however, is very important, and for many, it is quite difficult. This is not necessarily because they are bad people (or even introverts), it is because they have developed habits that are less gregarious than . The whole COVID-19 for them is probably making these habits worse. They may well be the ones that struggle the most when we get back .

    The other interesting and frustrating part about COVID-19 and physical distancing is that creates an uncomfortable, and almost irreconcilability to the call to serve one another and to stay away from each other. Many people need service, but yet to be responsible we are to stay away.

    Some have found a balance. Some haven’t. Yet, it is something we all need to wrestle with, and this will still be the case when we come back together. When we come back together may indeed be the hardest to find a way to serve each other and yet maintain our distance.

    ※  ※
    Lord , you commanded us to love one another. Help us to figure out what that means when we are torn between things that seem to be opposed. Let the guide our hearts and minds so that we are able to share and experience the loving grace and mercy of God the Father. Amen.

    ※  ※
    1) What is a new thing you could do to serve others? What is a new thing you could do to serve the church?
    2) Are any of the above something you could do now? Why or why not?
    3) When you think of church, are you primarily serving, or are you primarily being served? What can you do to “flip the script”?

  • In the Meantime

    Exodus 28:39–29:9; Exodus 32:1–21; Romans 5:1–11 (read online ⧉)
     
    The pomp, display, mystery, pageantry (and ) that surrounds the elevation of a cardinal (or, per rule, any Roman Catholic male) to the position of pope is pretty amazing and can be quite stirring. It should not be lost on anyone that there are “liturgical” steps that are followed for every pope.

    The Old Testament is filled with many “liturgical” steps itself, particularly for the priests. Aaron was going to be anointed and appointed High Priest of the entire nation of Israel. His sons would also receive the same. For a people that escaped and left Egypt through the miraculous works of God, this should have been a sure personal coup for Aaron.

    God was talking to Moses about this, in the meantime, Aaron was definitely acting as a high priest, just not of God. One could even see a foreshadow of the priests (High and other) during the time Jesus. No courage of conviction (or perhaps no real conviction) when confronted by the people.

    Aaron’s place as Moses’ second (we always have to keep in mind that Aaron was the mouthpiece of Moses) couldn’t be ignored. The people are too impatient to wait (What’s waiting 40 days in comparison to 430 years?) and are quick to abandon their God and their leader.

    That whole thunder on a mountain, pillar of smoke by day, pillar of fire by night, annihilation of the world’s biggest army,…meh, too much time. And then, eventually, there was a new nation, a bunch of prophets, exile, ,…and silence for another 400 years.

    Another 400 year period of silence, then John the Baptist showed up. The time of silence was over. Jesus, the Son of God, walked on the Earth…

    …in the meantime, people lived. People died. People sinned, and sinned, and sinned. Jesus died.

    It was “finished” on the cross that day. Jesus Christ died for people who were sinning right up to that very moment, and Jesus Christ died for all those who sinned afterward.
    Aaron’s call had very little to do with Aaron, and everything to do with God. Jesus’ death on the cross had little to do with us, and everything to do with God.

    That last sentence probably jarred you a bit. We are taught (and the state, such as this passage in Romans) that God died for our sins. Yet, in many respects, God died to be true to God’s self…self-sacrificing for . In other words, while our sins were the trigger, God’s very nature was the reason.

    O God, whose Son Jesus is the good of your people; Grant that when we hear his voice we may know him who calls us each by , and follow where he leads; who, with you and the Holy , lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. [BCP]

    1) In the case of Aaron and us, God is doing something great for us, while we are often doing something against God. What does that tell us about God and ourselves?

    2) Why is it critical to understand that Jesus Christ died for all sins through all time?

    3) How does Romans 5:1 relate to Aaron’s consecration?

  • Die to Resurrect

    Psalm 98; Micah 7:7–9, 18–20; 1 Timothy 6:11–20 (read online ⧉)

    Micah’s unwavering loyalty and in God can be hard to swallow for many. Micah believes that he can wait for and trust in God.

    What is fascinating with Micah’s words is that he admonishes his enemy who is gloating over Micah’s fallen state. Micah doesn’t defend himself. In fact, he openly and forthrightly acknowledges that he has sinned against God. What a fantastic pattern that we should all follow! When we hide our sins in the dark, they can fester and rot deep within us. Yet, when we shine the light on them, they cease to rot. The consequences may be awful and shameful, but the light cleanses them.

    Micah owned his transgressions. Micah owned the consequences.

    Micah believed that God would redeem and rescue him. He had decided to wait upon God’s timing for his . That is often courageous for us when we are in the midst of trials and tribulations. Micah was in the middle of them, too.

    The redemptive expectation that Micah had of God was immense. He understood that God’s grace and mercy were beyond comprehension. In addition to his own , he looked to the redemption of his people…of God’s people. Micah understood that the people were far off from God. Micah also understood that God’s faithful and unfailing love was always waiting to Resurrect the repentant heart.

    While the Jews had the Law to define the particulars of their holy calling, gentiles (non-Jews) still had the (the Image of God) in them telling them deep down what they were doing was not in line with the Creator of the universe, even when they didn’t understand. Hence that is why Paul talks to Timothy about fleeing from much of what is common to the temptation of humankind. Timothy was both Greek and Jew (thus dirty to both “sides” of the ). He probably has some awareness of the Jewish Law, but he would have also been quite familiar with what was common (and considered acceptable) in Greek/Roman circles.

    Thus Paul was calling Timothy to something greater than either bloodline or culture. He was calling Timothy to Jesus Christ. When Paul recalls Timothy’s “good” confession. Instead of confession, a better (and longer) way of saying it would be a strong, firm, public declaration of allegiance. Timothy had (effectively) declared that Jesus Christ was more important than all of that, and Paul was holding him to it. Timothy, as the “successor” to Paul and a in his own right, was to hold on tight to what he “confessed” he believed, and to not let others draw him away.

    Paul reminded Timothy that all that was going on now was in preparation and was before the to come, the age of Resurrection. The underlying truth being that if Timothy let go of the faith in the here and now, the age of Resurrection might very well not come to him.

    Timothy may not have had the depths of pain that Micah did, though it’s likely that his heart was broken at the (martyr’s) of Paul and other Christians. For Timothy, the Resurrection held in the midst of pain. The Resurrection life that Micah was expect was, without question, different in scope than Timothy was expecting. Both, however, were dependent upon a relationship with God.

    God, may we continue to place our sins and failures before you in hopeful expectation, not to avoid the consequences of our actions, but to restore and maintain right relationship with you. May your father’s heart continue to be gracious to us. May the sacrifice of you, Jesus, continue to remind us of the cost, drawing us closer to you through the counsel of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

    1) How do you balance the fear of and concern for punishing or consequences with hope and faith with God?

    2) The life of a Christian is full of many little deaths. What is the latest death that you have experienced that has drawn you (or is drawing you) closer to God?

    3) There is an old saying that a coward dies a thousand deaths, and a hero only one. What is the difference between that and the deaths that a Christian experiences?