Devotion.al

Tag: worship

  • In The Fold

    In The Fold

    Psalm 100; Zechariah 9:14–10:2; Acts 20:17–38

    Psalm 100 is used in some churches as a to . There have been a number of songs that have pulled their chorus and even the lyrics from this Psalm. It sounds so straightforward, but is it really?

    We are God’s people and his . While we really don’t like being compared to sheep, this is the imagery that the people of the time understood. By being his sheep, there is the implication of belonging and being cared for. In this context, however, the next verse has some implications that we often miss.

    The “gate” of the sheepfold (where the sheep slept protected at night) was often the himself. So much so that the shepherd would often sleep in the entrance of the sheepfold to keep the sheep gathered, and to protect them from predators. As part of their entrance into the sheepfold, the shepherd would check them over.

    First, of course, confirm that the sheep entering are his. While the sheep knew the of “their” shepherd, it didn’t stop the wayward sheep (as they do wander) from joining the flock, especially if it got lost. Second, the shepherd would look for wounds or other signs of poor health. Lastly, the shepherd counted to make sure that all the sheep were there.

    Entering the gates, therefore, is not so simple.

    The sheep have to , recognize, and follow the voice of the shepherd. This can be quite difficult, especially in our day and of so much noise. Definitely through , worship, and God’s word (the Bible) we can hear the voice of the shepherd. Sometimes it can be something else. Regardless, if we are struggling hearing the voice of the shepherd, we need to work on that.

    The sheep also enter the gates with praise. Now, some artistic license may be here, but I imagine the sheep being not much different than cattle. Most cattle will low as they approach “home”. I imaging the sheep are bleating as the approach the sheepfold and as they enter. They are glad and relieved to be home and secure.

    In his translation of the Scriptures, The Message, Eugene Peterson phrases it this way, “Enter with the password: ‘Thank you!’ Make yourselves at home, talking praise. Thank him. Worship him.” (Psalm 100:4, The Message)

    The concept of “Thank You” as a password through the gates is intriguing. It may imply that if we enter the gates without thanks, maybe we didn’t really enter in at all. Physically, maybe, but not in our hearts, where it truly matters.

    As much as it might seem wrong for there to be a password, at the same time we have all experienced a time of lackluster praise and/or worship because our hearts just weren’t there. Peterson’s words may not be so wrong.

    ※Reflection※

    • How often do you enter the “gates of praise” (whether , car, home, wherever) with “Thank you”? Why does “thank you” matter for your ‘s orientation?
    • How do you think God “checks” you as you enter the gates of praise? What report was God’s last check on you? How about last month?
    • What is your Godly health like? What are you doing to improve it?

    ※Prayer※

    Be our shepherd,  O Lord, and bless us with all good things that we may be refreshed with your overflowing cup and dwell in your house forever; through Jesus Christ our Lord. [Amen]

    Ludolph of Saxony, d. 1378
  • And Now We Worship

    And Now We Worship

    Psalm 142; Amos 9:11–15; Luke 7:31–35

    As mentioned previously, Amos’ prophetic was to the Israelites, the of the 10 tribes that separated from Judah and Benjamin. As part of the “rebellion” the of the Israelites, Jeroboam, made 2 golden calves for local worship to protect his “kingship” from reverting to Judah and Jerusalem should the people of Israel choose to faithfully worship at the in Jerusalem (1 Kings 12:26–33). He was quite successful.

    As the Temple had remained in Jerusalem, and the false worship at Bethel (gold calf), it seems strange to mentions the “tent of David”. The original Tent of Meeting was replaced by the Temple. The Temple in Jerusalem wasn’t destroyed. The temple of false worship in Bethel would fall in a few years due to an earthquake. The people of Israel no longer claimed David as one of their own (1 Kings 12:16–17).

    The best way to explain this is to understand the underlying message of Amos: false worship was separating the people of Israel permanently (by their actions, not God’s) from God. True/pure/heartfelt worship would reunite the people of Israel with God. In other words, the false temple won’t help you (and the implication that even the Temple in Jerusalem wouldn’t). Only being someone “after” God’s own heart would restore things as they ought to be. The message to the Israelites was, be David, a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14).

    However, no matter how we slice it or define it, we will often worship that which isn’t God, thinking that it will bring us closer to God. Quite often it is behavior. And, while certain behaviors (repentance, love of God, worship of God) will, we all too often confuse which behaviors.

    Take ‘ words as shared by Luke. John the Baptist and Jesus the Prophet (yes, the Messiah, but for this point, we’ll leave it as prophet) didn’t fit into idealized behaviors that were expected. John wore uncomfortable clothing (a type worn by ascetics as a form of penance or self-denial), and ate “cakes” of dried honey and locusts (yum?). They said he had a demon. John the Baptist, for the record, was unique in his ministry, not his “taste” in clothing and food.

    The same people that questioned John the Baptist’s sanity, purity, and holiness, used a completely different measurement tool for Jesus. Jesus dared to drink a lot (whether it was high alcohol or not was never the argument of his contemporaries), eat a lot (he was probably a popular guest), and spend time with the less socially advantaged.

    Bluntly, these almost word-for-word statements have been used by far too many Evangelicals (even the demon-one) against Christians of other traditions (and sometimes even within). Far too many worship (yes, worship) forms of worship and obedience far more than they worship God.

    There is, of course, a slippery slope. That, too, is an issue worth pointing out. If everything is allowed, then the holiness and of God are impinged upon. The to do “whatever” is also often worshiped and causes its own troubles (Romans 5:20–6:14).

    Who, what, how we worship are all critical considerations for our lives of . We just need to be careful that which we unrighteous (or otherwise inappropriate) worship is not because of the way we see it, rather than how God sees it.

    ※Reflection※

    • What does worshiping as a person after God’s own heart look like? How might it be different than your current practices? How might it be the same?
    • Why do we often overcomplicate the worship of God? What kind of actions have you experienced that have hampered your worship of God? Have those same actions been a vital part of another’s worship experience?
    • How does the worship in our hearts work with or against the worship of our actions (i.e., body)?

    ※Prayer※

    Glory to God, who is able to do far beyond all that we could ask or imagine by his power at work within us; glory to him in the and in Christ Jesus for all generations, forever and always. Amen. [Ephesians 3:20–21]

  • Rubble and Ruin

    Rubble and Ruin

    Psalm 142; Amos 9:1–4; Acts 23:12–35

    I don’t know about you, but I’m a little jaundiced about earthquakes. I grew up in Northern California. Earthquakes were…normal isn’t the …to be expected. So much so, that the first earthquake my wife experiences was in the middle of the night. She woke me up in a panic, “Was that an earthquake!?” “Yes,” I responded sleepily and went back to sleep. The biggest earthquake I experienced was the Loma Prieta one. It was big. Things fell off shelves, but it was just an earthquake. Finally, my mom convinced me to turn on the radio. Then I figured it out. It was big.

    The coming earthquake in Amos was big. Unlike us who have a larger grasp of earthquakes and their reasons, ancient peoples had no such framework. Earthquakes were generational memories (and they didn’t live on the Rim of , either). An earthquake was a momentous, God-sized event. According to scholars, the earthquake predicted in Amos happened around 2 years later and is mentioned in literature elsewhere in the region. The earthquake leveled a temple dedicated to gods other than God.

    The Israelites by this point were the 10 tribes of Israel that had separated from Judah and Benjamin. They had developed their own . While maintaining some concept of their original identity, during this particular era, they were a power of their own. The lowly southern tribes were nothing to them.

    Many years before near Bethel, a man had a dream. He dreamed of a “ladder of angels.” He had received a vision from God and a of descendants. He called the place Bethel. God called the man Israel (granted, that happened later). Where Jacob had the vision and received a promise to become a of nations, now his descendants turned away from God. The dream was broken.

    The vision (that came true) of the destruction of the temple at Bethel sounds pretty severe. It was. That Amos’ call was to this showed that God was not truly done with Israel. God still wanted these descendants of Israel and Abraham. Abandoning of the dream, the covenant, and the .

    Paul was no Amos. For the Jews, he was something far worse. He destined change within the confines of their faith. Paul had no plan to be part of some new religion, but to be part of the ultimate fulfillment of the faith in which he was raised and trained. an assassination is the move of people who do not wish to be seen, or fear the of someone stronger (the Roman empire). The sad truth is that, yet again, the religious leaders were knowingly allowing, abetting, and therefore approving the murder of another. They could claim that they did not murder (and be truthful), but they could have stopped it. They chose not to.

    Whether Amos or Paul, speaking the words of God to people who don’t want to hear them (especially those that say they believe in the word of God) can be dangerous. Our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world deal with that very issue on a daily basis. While we dispute the (un) of a political party, president, or even nation, there are people that truly suffer for Jesus. This is not to say that our woes are minor, it is just a matter of perspective.

    ※Reflection※

    • What “earthquakes” (life shattering events) have you experienced? These can be both good and bad.
    • Why do “bad things” happen to believing people? What makes Amos’ Israelites similar to the church (Christians)? What makes them different (besides Jesus)?
    • What actions (or inactions) have you committed (or omitted) that resembles the religious leaders who countenanced Paul’s assassination?

    ※Prayer※

    God, you move mountains. Often it is easier to move mountains than the hearts of humanity. Forgive our hearts of stone. Give us, day by day, new hearts that beat only for you. Amen.

  • Faithfully Wise

    Faithfully Wise

    Psalm 92:1–4, 12–15; 1 Kings 10:26–11:8; Hebrews 11:4–13

    We often will use the word in regards to King Solomon. He was granted the of wisdom for the benefit of the people, and they greatly benefited. With the being built, on the surface, it would seem that they were benefiting spiritually (or at least religiously) too. Except that all the benefits were short-lived. Eternally, they were of minimal or no value.

    While calling the US a nation (whether from the beginning or up until now) is really a mischaracterization, it is helpful to think of the US as Solomon.

    Through the inheritance of conquest (Israel took the land, right or wrong, as the US took it from the previous inhabitants) and also hard work, there was financial, societal, and personal security. Everything was going well. Then certain things pulled the US away from its origins. The US, for example, went from a nation needing outside help, to be being one of the dominant (and at times the only dominant) countries that “gave” support (with the general expectation of benefits, even if only figurative).

    The US has chased after TV, space, the moon, computers, the internet, and you can probably add more to the list. Each of these things, for a time, became more important than the country itself.

    The (and thus us) fell into this same trap. We had the worship “wars”, attractional, missional, Sunday School, , and even digital. Churches chased after these things. Could they serve the ? Yes. Did they server the kingdom? Not always. Where this gets really messy is that some of these may have been beneficial for the kingdom for a time and place (and perhaps still), but at the same time, many churches have stuck to their models rather than their mission.

    And in case you think that I want the “good old days”, I can easily add “fire and brimstone sermons”, liturgy (which I do ), rural, urban, poor, rich. Anything can inhibit the church—and the people called the church—from fulfilling its mission. Then we are no better than old Solomon.

    Solomon had wisdom, but his had waned. Contrast this with the faithful listed in Hebrews. Some of them may not have had wisdom, but they had faith.

    Often this is where the church and its people can sidetrack. When we lose faith and trust only in wisdom (particularly worldly wisdom), we will often make decisions that we believe are correct (they certainly may be wise), and yet do not align with faith or trust in the will of God.

    ※Reflection※

    • What kind of things/thoughts/“wisdom” have you had/experienced that led you away from God?
    • How do you when something good is taking you away from God?
    • What do you think is the mission of the church and the people of the church? How will you use that to filter your actions and the actions of your church?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, may we grow in wisdom AND faith, that we are your faithful people on your mission. Amen.

  • Skies and Hearts Aflame

    Skies and Hearts Aflame

    Psalm 74; 1 Kings 18:17–40; Revelation 20:7–15

    Being made a fool of for Christ is something that Christians have had to deal with through the ages. Whether it’s because of beliefs and practices that go against the norm, or the reality that Christians are just as fallen as the rest of humanity. There is, however, the question of making a fool of Christ by our actions. Bluntly, do you have the of Elijah?

    Do you have the strength, resolve, and faith to believe that God will down fires from Heaven to burn up an offering? You could quickly dissemble this question by saying, we don’t do sacrifices anymore. Except, that isn’t the point.

    We say things such as, “lighting strike me…” or “…catch on …” (literally, not spiritually) when we say or do things against God. We don’t really believe it, though. If we did, then being more like Elijah would actually be possible.

    However, we often mock people as Elijah did. Yes, there is a contextual part to Elijah’s mocking, but there often isn’t for us. We just try to make people beneath us by our responses.

    Often we view ourselves as the ones that are suffering the wrath of Gog and Magog, when in fact we are the ones acting like it. We think we are like Elijah, when in fact we are the priests of Baal.

    Just so we’re clear, I put myself in that same place. I recognize my own tendencies and failures. I recognize when I put on the clothes of , but behave in ways that are unrighteous.

    We have two paths before us. We can be Elijah, or we can be those deceived (Gog and Magog) and/or destroyed.

    Elijah did have a unique relationship with God, and a unique responsibility given to him by God. We cannot, theoretically, call down fires from Heaven. God does not seem to work that way anymore. This also doesn’t mean that God won’t. God does work in many ways far more mysterious and wonderful (think of the Holy Spirit).

    Calling upon God for of people, hearts, and nations will more than a few hearts for a short time (the Israelites, unsurprisingly, returned to their old ways). We are indeed to be this era’s Elijah. Instead of the fire of (which is really what Elijah called for), we are called to bring the fire of the Holy Spirit to first ourselves, then through the furnace of , bring the fire of God into the lives of others…not to burn them.

    ※Reflection※

    • What other responses do you have to the story of Elijah? Where else do you see yourself in it?
    • What are your thoughts regarding the fiery lake in Revelation? How does that fire contrast (if it does) to the fire of Elijah?

    ※※

    Lord, you have refined us through the fire of the Holy Spirit. Help us to carry that refinement into our lives and into the world. Amen.

  • Loving Presence

    Loving Presence

    Psalm 20; Exodus 25:1–22; 1 Corinthians 2:1–10

    “…so that I am present among them.” (Exodus 25:8)

    It seems like a strange statement to us as Christians. Our theology talks about God’s omnipresence (God is everywhere), so a tent doesn’t really that. The tent was, however, the place for meeting God. As part of the rhythm of the post-Egypt for the Israelites, the Tent of Meeting was the center of movement of the entire for 40 years.

    After the clearing of the Promised Land, the Tent had a semi-permanent place, and still remained the primary place of . The aspect of being present may have been more along the lines of the focal point. Many years later, there were seers and prophets that didn’t necessarily reside near the Tent. They met with God in their own way. Ultimately, they too had to go to the Tent of Meeting for the annual worship events.

    It reflects the reality that humanity needs that kind of physical center. As our lives become more digital, it is still to be determined whether humanity can really its psyche from the physical reality of existence.

    The , its digital relatives, its predecessors (TV, radio, telegraph) were not the first extended form of communication. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians was also extended communication. From the ancient perspective, the letter was considered representative of the person themselves. The barriers in the ancient world (education, distance, cost) actually increased the “presence” of a mere letter. Not quite an ancient Zoom meeting.

    Diplomatic letters didn’t always have a physical meeting before. A personal letter, such as Paul’s, usually did, and we can see that it certainly did. Paul’s words to the Corinthians would be treated more seriously and intimately than an email, tweet, or Facebook post.

    Paul doesn’t shy away from his insecurities in this letter. We Christians often think of Paul as some great person (he was), but avoid his statements regarding his weaknesses. Without question, Paul would have been a champion blogger and writer of our day. He would not have likely been a convention speaker or YouTuber. Based upon his own declarations of his weaknesses, regardless of his writings, he may have never qualified to be a lead pastor of a church.

    Lead Pastor doesn’t seem to have been his gifting, so this is not a bad thing. Through his presence, though, churches and communities were launched. Through his letters, churches were built up, disciplined, and discipled. Through his life, he brought up the next generation (Timothy) to lead. We often evaluate our ministry and giftings through the lives and gifts of others. Perhaps we ought to just evaluate them on whether we were present in others’ times of trouble when we had the opportunity to them.

    ※Reflection※

    • Who is one that you wish your ministry or Christian life resembled? Why? How does your life resemble theirs? Are your spiritual giftings the same as theirs?
    • Who has made the biggest difference in your life? A famous Christian, or someone who loved you through your darkest times?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord Christ, helps our lives to be one of presence to others that they can sense your love coming from us and pouring into them. Amen.

  • Worship Even Here

    Worship Even Here

    Psalm 20; Numbers 9:15–23; Revelation 4:1–8

    God is hard. Trusting that all things work for good is hard. How can COVID be good? How can a bad economy be good? How can not being able to be with our ones be good? A lot of this hasn’t been good.

    For the psalmist, that isn’t the question. For the psalmist, it is that God hears, answers, and remembers. This doesn’t mean that everything will be easy going forward. It means that God is with you.

    Assuming that this written by or about David, note that there really isn’t a mention of . Not really. David had experienced many hard times (some as a consequence of his own actions). God didn’t spare him hard times. God was with David and responded to David in the hard times. Much of this would seem to come from David’s rhythm of and with God. From what we can gather (which is, granted, limited), David had a regular practice of seeking God.

    The pattern that the Israelites had wandering in the wilderness was different. Most of us cannot imagine being wanderers, whether the Bedouins of the Arabian Peninsula or the homeless around the corner. The Israelites had a wandering pattern for 40 years.

    The pattern wasn’t fully predictable. For those of you have traveled with children, or been in the military, the ability to gather everyone and their stuff in a short amount of time is trying. Imagine trying to do that every day. Most nomadic cultures about seasonally, but the Scriptures imply that more than once they got settled down for the night, and had to pack the next day.

    During pauses between travel time, the Tabernacle (or The Tent of Meeting) would be assembled, and worship would begin. While we can read the takedown and set up, what we miss is the worship that goes along with it. The cloud was the presence of God. We can that on the that they would not travel (it’s a safe , at least).

    While this seems strange to us—especially for those that worship at the same building week after week—we can read in Revelation worship that is beyond our comprehension. 24 people praising God day and night, and saying the same thing. While this is really a vision, thus not necessarily exactly how it will work, the difference between the Israelites wandering and the people praising would seem to be stark.

    It is. It is, that is, only if you focus on the how. Worship of God is not limited to a building one day a week. Communion with God is not necessarily in that perfect time. Both can happen at any time. We just need to be looking for it.

    ※Reflection※

    • What do you think these different visions of worship and life rhythms tell us about God?
    • What do you think these different visions of worship and life rhythms tell us about ourselves?
    • Do any of these cause to reflect on any changes that are possible for you worship rhythms?

    ※Prayer※

    Holy , guide the worship rhythm’s of our hearts. Help us to find ways and places to worship God in the face of all circumstances. Amen.

  • Unity of Three

    Unity of Three

    Isaiah 6:1–8; Psalm 29; Romans 8:12–17; John 3:1–17

    In the current , the concept of the Trinity has been attempted to be explained by books such as “The Shack” (which acknowledges itself as an allegory and not as doctrine, a key response to those who decry it), or an egg (shell, white, yolk), water (which, under special circumstances, can exist as solid, liquid, and gas at the same time).

    In older ages, the three-leaf clover, the sun (sun, light, heat), and the Triquetra and triples circles (the symbol on the featured image) were used in an attempt to explain the Trinity. All of these are allegorical (whether current or older). While, if used wrongly, they may lead to false theology, there is no adequate way to really describe the Trinity.

    The Athanasian Creed is an attempt to define the Trinity, but honestly is a theologian’s way to describe and cover all the bases and is really (overly) complicated. It is traditional in liturgical churches to read it today, as today is Trinity Sunday. It is long, so I will not include it in the devotion itself (you can read it here). While it is complicated, it is essential. Even in its complication and desire to cover the entirety of the Trinity, it cannot explain the Trinity fully.

    The reality is that the Trinity is indeed one of the hardest things to understand, and on this side of life barring perhaps someone at the theoretical physics level and higher plane theological level (there’s an interesting combination), none of us will fully get it. It is truly a matter of faith.

    It is also an important one. If you have been baptized, the baptizer should have said, “I baptize you in the of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.” Though in some churches they may eschew “the Father” for “the Mother” (which is an issue, but probably not one that is salvational, though that is up for discussion), or use “God” (which is definitely an issue, as is God, and the is God), the Trinitarian form is still followed.

    Much of the theology of the (and thus orthodox Christianity) is built upon the Trinity. We can see glimpses of the Trinity in the Scriptures, but it is (when we’re honest) threads woven through the tapestry of and the Scriptures that we, as humans, try to codify and define in our constant attempt to understand God, Creation, and ourselves.

    Even devotionals (like today) get stuck in theology when talking about the Trinity, for we just want to understand.

    ※Reflection※

    • How would you explain the Trinity to others?
    • How do you explain to yourself, or understand for yourself, the Trinity?
    • Why do you think it could be an important part of your faith?

    ※Prayer※

    Almighty and everlasting God, you have given to us your servants , by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the Trinity, and in the power of your divine Majesty to worship the Unity: Keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to see you in your one and eternal glory, O Father; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. —Book of Common Prayer, 2019