Devotion.al

Tag: word

  • Good Friday

    Psalm 22; John 18:1-19:42; Philippians 2:8–9 (read online ⧉)

    This is the day that the Lord has made;
    let us rejoice and be glad in it.
    Psalm 118:24

    It seems strange to rejoice. It seems strange to today Good Friday. Yet, we do rejoice that went through horrible shaming, abuse, disgrace, and agony…then was crucified. We do not rejoice what Jesus went through. We rejoice that he went through it.

    As Jesus quoted Psalm 22:1 on the cross, many have claimed that God could not bear to look upon the sin and shame that Jesus bore, so God turned away. Yet, Mary, Jesus’ mother, did not turn away. She stayed to the . That being the case, can we really think that God would turn away?

    We try to avoid the cross. We wear little cross necklaces. We decorate the walls of our homes and churches with them. Some of us even have tattoos of crosses. We soften the cross with our familiarity with it. As much as in our daily lives we surround ourselves with crosses, nothing, absolutely nothing, can erase the brutality of the cross.

    Yes, we rejoice on .

    Christmas and () are nice joyful days. They are easy to make warm and -friendly. Good Friday, not so much.

    Yet, we rejoice on Good Friday.

    Christmas was the proof that God was moving, and that God’s was being fulfilled.

    Easter is often the “candy” that initially attracts people to think about, “what’s next?”

    Good Friday is what holds it : the body and blood of Jesus Christ.

    1. Have you ever thought about rejoicing on Good Friday?

    2. Have you ever hammered a nail? Think about that noise echoing in your mind.

  • Palm Sunday

    Psalm 31:9-16; Isaiah 40:4-8; John 12:12-16 (read online ⧉)

    the wandering teacher comes to Jerusalem. The crowds are building around Jerusalem with Passover coming. Foreigners, wanderers, believers, and scoffers make for a very busy time in Jerusalem. What’s one more?

    This one more has a crowd following him. This one more has a crowd in front of him. The crowd in front makes a scene and a mess. Palm branches thrown on the ground. Clothes tossed on the ground (a precious thing to those who had few).

    !

    Hosanna is a used for . Yet its Aramaic root was, “ us”! While this is praise and adoration, it is also the for the descendent of David to take his rightful place.

    Restore us!

    The Jesus crowd talked about Lazarus. I’m sure the blind man told his story. Stories and gossip were flowing! Maybe this really is the Messiah! The Pharisees even seemed to have become fatalistic (momentarily), knowing there was nothing they could do.

    Yet, Jesus still had teaching to do. Setting his face like flint? In other words, he would teach as the told him regardless of the conditions, whether the praise and adoration of now or the scorn soon to come.

    1. When the flush/rush of first being saved went away, how did you ? Did you set your face like flint?
    2. Do you think there is a difference between, “save us,” and “restore us”? Which describes your /walk better?

  • Knowledge and Knowing

    Psalm 119:9–16; Isaiah 43:8–13; 2 Corinthians 3:4–16 (read online ⧉)

    The predominant view in the Old Testament is that human holiness can only be obtained by thoroughly understanding and internalizing God’s ways can walk in concert with God. The psalmist discusses guarding one’s way, treasuring God’s word in one’s , seeking God whole-heartedly, meditating on God’s precepts, and delighting in his statues. While all of this is good, it still falls short, as it relies on our efforts and will.

    It is human tendency to look side-to-side for a savior. It also often the case that people will pursue over claiming some sort of savior role. Both have been common throughout human history. However, sometimes a nation or people claim power over the way of the world. Today’s passage in Isaiah is an answer to those nations.

    Prior to today’s passage, God (through Isaiah) had called the Israelites to task (as if on trial) for not being the spouse of God as they were called to be. Yet, now the Gentile nations were called before the judge (God), and Israel was now the against the Gentile nations. Called to witness against the other nations who the true power is in the world and in history.

    What makes this passage particularly interesting is that the Israelites are being called to be witnesses not to judge the , but so that they (the Israelites) know and believe God, and that God is their true savior. Here, God’s motivation isn’t to judge but to be known.

    When Paul writes to the Corinthians, there is an echo of Isaiah’s blind and deaf comment. According to Paul, the non- Jews have a over their minds. The law makes them, in a way, blind and deaf. Yet when they know God through Christ, the savior, they are no longer blind and deaf.

    1. Why is it, do you think, that hearing the law caused “a veil” to be over the Jews of Paul’s day?
    2. During , group meetings (Sunday School, small group, group), conversations in the world-at-large, do you ever experience “a veil”, shutting out others and even God?
    3. How does Jesus’ death on the cross change “the veils” we wear?

  • Separation Anxiety

    Psalm 19; Acts 7:30-40; Exodus 19:9-15 (read online ⧉)

    When we talk about holiness or being holy, we have to start with God. We talk about each of us being unique, yet God is even more so. God was not created. God did the creating. All of us are created.
    The Hebrew for Holy can be interpreted as sanctify and consecrate. Ultimately, though, the pervading feeling of the word is separateness. This is not a bad separation. In the case of the separation between God and man, it is the natural separation between created and creator. In the case of the world and the Israelites (and later Christians), it is the separation from the world that does not know or follow God.

    God, through Moses, is preparing the Israelites for the separation from the world, and even from their past (especially their time in Egypt). Symbolically, they are physically clean (bathing), their clothes are clean, abstaining from certain relations, and staying away from the mountain. This is all to set the stage for what is to come.

    Similarly, in some wedding traditions on the day of their wedding, the and don’t see each other before the ceremony (or sometimes longer). They also dress differently than . It is a preparation for what is to come.

    Holiness—or being set apart for God’s work—can happen slowly and subtly, or it can happen in a huge way. There are people whose experience is so quiet that it takes others to tell they have changed. Others have experiences that are amazingly (sometimes unbelievable) huge: instantly (and successfully) up or cigarettes; instant in appropriate language or behavior.

    God works on us differently, just as we are different people. The first step is to prepare ourselves. The second step is to be and willing.

    1) Using our passage in Exodus and our reading above as a guide, have you ever had a spiritual experience where you felt “set aside” for something?

    2) If you had such an experience, what was the thing that was different?

    3) If you haven’t had such an experience, would you God to guide to it?

  • Grateful In Ashes

    Joel 2:12-17, Psalm 51:1-17, 2 Corinthians 4:21-6:10 (read online ⧉)

    Through the prophet Joel, God sought to realign the life of the Israelites to Him. God was calling them to live a life oriented to Him. God didn’t want them to miss out on the life they were meant for. As we begin the Lenten season, it is a time for each of us to reflect upon what in our life is keeping us from being oriented on Him.

    From the early days of our , Christians have observed the remembrance of Christ’s passion () and resurrection () with great reverence. It became the custom to prepare for that observance by a season of prayer and fasting, and the reconciliation of those who had been separated from the community of faith. When keeping the season of Lent, we take to heart God’s to repentance and the assurance of forgiveness proclaimed in the , and practice in our daily lives the work of reconciliation. You are invited to the observance of Lent through self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s Holy Word.

    On Ash Wednesday, many people to receive the mark of ashes, which is a reminder of our mortal nature and of God’s invitation to receive Christ’s redeeming work. The ashes are a sign of repentance, that one’s life is not as God-focused as it ought to be. It is a declaration that all is not well, that something needs to change.

    As we walk through Lent, through our paths of reflection, self-denial, and repentance, this is all part of our of to God who sent Jesus Christ, the ultimate love letter, to us that we can see that God wants us as His Children.

    1) Giving up something (self-denial and/or fasting) is often practiced during Lent. The purpose is to grow closer to God. If you choose to do this, what will you up? We challenge you to share whatever this is with someone who will hold you accountable.

    2) Other practices for Lent are focused prayer, self-examination, deeper scripture reading, all of which are intended to draw us deeper and to slow us down. What will you focus on this Lent to grow your walk?

    3) One of the newer trends is to give up something you know you need to give up already. Do you think that could be effective as a spiritual discipline? Why or why not?

  • Learn Deeply

    Mark 9:2–13, Mark 9:30–32 (read online ⧉)

    School could bring happiness to some, and great misery to . Often the refrain of children is, “what’s the point.” “This is useless.” “I’ll never use this.” Perhaps you’ve said it yourself. Learning can often be hard. Learning new concepts can be even harder. Learning things that shatter your self-perception or perception of the world are the hardest of all.

    With ‘ fame as extensive as it was and growing, he and the disciples were probably not often alone, although we don’t really know. Only 3 of the disciples witnessed the . Did the 3 really not tell the others? Can you imagine witnessing such a and having to keep quiet? Apparently, they did. Was it possibly just one of those amazing things among other amazing things that they experienced.

    Perhaps it was time to process all those events. Jesus seems to have set some focused time with the disciples. They experienced yet something else that didn’t fit. They had to understand at some point. What is interesting is that this particular time is framed in reference to the coming cross. The implication is that Jesus did some more extensive teaching of his disciples to understand what would happen. Based on responses, it is likely that Jesus was setting the foundation/groundwork for them to be able to understand in the future, even while they didn’t understand at that point.

    Was it frustrating to Jesus? Many would say, “of course not! He’s Jesus!” On the other hand, Jesus is man, so it makes sense that he would be quite frustrated with their thick-headedness. Teachers deal with this on a constant basis. Parents deal with this on a constant basis. Trying to pass on requires them the framework to build on future knowledge. In an often desperate attempt for the “them” to get it, though, there is this push to get information into them. Yet, that often results in frustration and setbacks.

    Jesus provides us a small example. Give space to process. However, in today’s world, everything is pushing information to us. We often don’t have time—and don’t make time—to process information. This means that the information we are given becomes a confused mess, and often our responses are the same. This leads to hard feelings and wall-building, which is not the intent at all.

    1) What is God calling on you to and process? What is one big thing/goal/learning that God has brought into your that you need God’s help to work through?

    2) Who do you have in your life do you have to help you process things, especially “God” sorts of things?

    3) How do you process things? Do you have another for “process”?

  • Full Sanctuary, Empty Hearts

    Ezekiel 33:30–33, Matthew 15:1–9 (read online ⧉)

    Let’s be honest with ourselves. Let’s look at ourselves. Let’s look at the lives we lead, the lives we live. Is it us that God is talking to Ezekiel about?

    Reading only the surface of the , of course not. The Israelites had turned prophets into spectacles. Perhaps the merchants and peddlers followed the prophets hawking their wares. Perhaps the people’s hearts were so calloused that even the words of God—sharper than any sword—could not carve the hardness away. Pastors, preachers, teachers, prophets, evangelists, apostles all speaking the of God, and no one listens. Truly listens.

    When hearing the word of God, do the people even with a heartbeat, or does it just go in one ear and out the other? God’s word never returns void, but the human often wants nothing to do with feeling the Creator of the universe actually them. Sound crazy when said that way, yet we look at the world and come to no other conclusion. The sad part is much of that same lack of occurs in the pews on Sundays. Yes, it’s true. People are concerned about others falling asleep or being on their devices, but the is that sometimes sitting there “listening” is a more deceptive behavior than anything else.

    The words in Ezekiel continue with empty and pointless . Jesus’ words in Matthew while echoing Isaiah also echoing Ezekiel. How many people don’t worship God when singing the songs? How many even listen to the songs?

    As Jesus continues on about traditions, are Sundays or Saturdays the “right” tradition for a day for God and (Sabbath)? Is it which songs are song, or which words of God are repeated?

    1) If you are concerned about other people worshiping or listening to the word when you should be, what might be the problem?

    2) How do worship traditions strengthen your faith? How could they weaken it?

    3) How are the essentials for worship defined? Who defines them?

  • Smite Me or Hug Me

    2 Kings 17:34–41, Psalm 27 (read online ⧉)

    This passage in 2 Kings is a little odd. To make sense in English, is not used in a manner consistent with the Hebrew. In the opening (v34) and closing (v41) verses, fear is actually a descriptor (adjective) of the Israelites. In the of the verses, “fear” is something you out. Now, the trouble is that fear has many layers to it. Another way to think of this passage is, “The Israelites did not fear, , or God enough to solely obey God’s ways, disregarding the covenants made between God and their ancestors. Instead, Israelites feared the false gods of other nations and tribes that did not them mightily and definitively from slavery in the land of Egypt. They feared those gods and viewed them as being at least equal to God. While they feared God, they did not honor or respect God exclusively as they were called to do.” This is not a perfect translation. It isn’t even really a good one. It does help to better understand what is going one when fear was involved.

    Fearing God as the punishing master was never the point. While obedience was required, it was to be out of devotion, admiration, awe, and . This is one of those cultural pieces that often get lost for us, especially when using the fear. The other one is the perception of many believers that God is capricious and vicious. What is truly sad is that the gods of the surrounding nations were truly capricious and vicious. How God ended up being cast in that is a peculiarity of human nature.

    We know that by this point that the descendants of Israel had walked away from God in their hearts if not solely in their actions. This is an important concept to understand as when we read Psalm 27 we get a completely different image of God. If one was truly afraid, why would one view God as a protector? In addition, the psalmist says that his will not be afraid. So, fearing (as in terror) God is not a solid image of God.

    Where does this come from? Sure, some of it comes from the Israelites. However, much of it comes from Christianity. There are many old (centuries) and new sermons that abused the concept of fearing (awe) God, turning it into something truly terrifying. You may be one of those who was terrified by sermons delivering a concept of an angry God who was looking for some reason to smite you.

    1) Why would fear and awe get confused? How do you differentiate them when it comes to God?

    2) Why is the concept of overly fearing other gods still relevant today?