Exodus chapter 33
What was the last big mistake that you made?
Who was hurt?
What did you learn from it?
Israel made a terrible mistake. God's first commandment is that they have no other gods before Him. Then, they lose patience and make for themselves a golden calf that they bow before and worship. God is hurt, and He is furious. Moses intercedes for Israel in a compassionate prayer to God. God remembers that He isn't finished with Israel yet. They have much to learn, but He has promised to remain faithful to them and to direct them to the promised land. God keeps his promise and returns to gide them to the promised land.
Because of Jesus, God has promised all his baptized children that we will one day enter the eternal kingdom of heaven. We struggle every day with tendencies to make mistakes. Some mistakes we aren't even aware of. We are not worthy of the gift of heaven, yet God promises to give it as a result of Jesus' love for us. God remains faithful with us. He is faithful that we will learn from our mistakes. God is also faithful that, because of Jesus' love for us, we will begin to see how precious we are in God's sight.
God isn't finished with you yet. Remember that!
When you mess things up: "God isn't finished with me yet."
When you hurt others by your sinful actions, and you're down on yourself: "God isn't finished with me yet."
When people try to bring you down with their self-righteous, judgment: "God isn't finished with me yet."
Lord God, your work with me is never finished, and you remain faithful that I will learn and grow from every mistake. Thank you, Lord, for your grace. You do not ask me to be perfect in anything, so make me faithful through everything. Remind me that even though I am a work in progress, I am YOUR work in progress and that's all that matters. In Jesus' name. Amen
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
Morning Devotions: 4/17/10
Exodus chapter 32
Have you ever prayed this prayer: Lord, give me patience, and I give it RIGHT NOW! :-)
I know I have prayed that prayer, many times. We are fast-paced "I need it right now" people. In our world, patience is in short supply, speed is a commodity, and instant gratification is supreme. But, where does this leave us. We are working longer, faster, and devoting more and more of ourselves to the challenge of keeping pace. Once upon a time, we tried to keep up with the Jones', now we are trying to keep pace with everyone. The typical rituals that used to hold a family together, like dinner routines, have been sacrificed on the altar of speed and competitiveness. Things like prayer, and worship are given up in an attempt to gain an hour or two of Sunday morning for necessary chores or just the proverbial "me" time. More and more we are emotionally and physically exhausted, and spiritually bankrupt. We eat fast food; multi-task our friendships friendships with the internet; speed-date; save nothing and buy on credit; consume energy drinks to keep awake. Where does this stop? How do we get off the treadmill? We are moving so fast that we are ill. Speed kills, and we have the disease.
Fortunately, though, there is a vaccine for this disease. It is patience. It seems that there has never been a time when patience was more necessary. Imagine how much better you would feel with just a small dose of this medicine. Imagine being able to sleep better, being able to catch your breath, being able to wait for the right timing with people, being able to save money. What a difference just a small amount of patience can make.
The Israelites lost patience with Moses. He was on the mountain with God, while the words of the covenant were being grafted upon stone. Moses came down with the tablets, but found that the people had lost patience and had already crafted a God of their own making, a golden calf. The resulting consequence of their actions? The covenant between them and God is broken, and they are inflicted with a disease. Sound familiar?
But, God does not desire for any of us to suffer. With faith, God promises that eternity is ours. We may die in this world, but we will rise again in the next. We are promised more time than any of us can count. With this gift of a surplus of time, maybe we don't have to be so desperate for speed. We can be patient with others, with our world, and with ourselves.
Because of Jesus, God is patient with us. He desires that all of us would pursue His will. But, we don't. Nevertheless, he waits. He waits for us to draw near to Him. He waits for us to learn from our mistakes. He waits for us grow in faith. We are impatient with God, but God remains eternally patient with us.
Today, try to be a little more patient, and maybe realize how much better you feel at the end of the day.
Lord God, I am impatient. Forgive me for allowing my own haste to make such a waste of so much of my life. Thank you for your promise of eternity. Help me to remember that I don't have to be in a hurry with everything. I don't have to be so urgent. Encourage me to be as patient with you and others as you are with me. In Jesus' name. Amen
Have you ever prayed this prayer: Lord, give me patience, and I give it RIGHT NOW! :-)
I know I have prayed that prayer, many times. We are fast-paced "I need it right now" people. In our world, patience is in short supply, speed is a commodity, and instant gratification is supreme. But, where does this leave us. We are working longer, faster, and devoting more and more of ourselves to the challenge of keeping pace. Once upon a time, we tried to keep up with the Jones', now we are trying to keep pace with everyone. The typical rituals that used to hold a family together, like dinner routines, have been sacrificed on the altar of speed and competitiveness. Things like prayer, and worship are given up in an attempt to gain an hour or two of Sunday morning for necessary chores or just the proverbial "me" time. More and more we are emotionally and physically exhausted, and spiritually bankrupt. We eat fast food; multi-task our friendships friendships with the internet; speed-date; save nothing and buy on credit; consume energy drinks to keep awake. Where does this stop? How do we get off the treadmill? We are moving so fast that we are ill. Speed kills, and we have the disease.
Fortunately, though, there is a vaccine for this disease. It is patience. It seems that there has never been a time when patience was more necessary. Imagine how much better you would feel with just a small dose of this medicine. Imagine being able to sleep better, being able to catch your breath, being able to wait for the right timing with people, being able to save money. What a difference just a small amount of patience can make.
The Israelites lost patience with Moses. He was on the mountain with God, while the words of the covenant were being grafted upon stone. Moses came down with the tablets, but found that the people had lost patience and had already crafted a God of their own making, a golden calf. The resulting consequence of their actions? The covenant between them and God is broken, and they are inflicted with a disease. Sound familiar?
But, God does not desire for any of us to suffer. With faith, God promises that eternity is ours. We may die in this world, but we will rise again in the next. We are promised more time than any of us can count. With this gift of a surplus of time, maybe we don't have to be so desperate for speed. We can be patient with others, with our world, and with ourselves.
Because of Jesus, God is patient with us. He desires that all of us would pursue His will. But, we don't. Nevertheless, he waits. He waits for us to draw near to Him. He waits for us to learn from our mistakes. He waits for us grow in faith. We are impatient with God, but God remains eternally patient with us.
Today, try to be a little more patient, and maybe realize how much better you feel at the end of the day.
Lord God, I am impatient. Forgive me for allowing my own haste to make such a waste of so much of my life. Thank you for your promise of eternity. Help me to remember that I don't have to be in a hurry with everything. I don't have to be so urgent. Encourage me to be as patient with you and others as you are with me. In Jesus' name. Amen
Morning Devotions: 4/16/10
Exodus chapters 30-31
When's the last time you travelled to visit family?
Fewer of us are fortunate enough these days to have family who live within an hour's drive. To drive two hours or more turns into a travelling event. Travelling, as opposed to just visiting, requires packing and preparing. The distance between me and my family is about 5 hours, so when I make a visit I have to plan and prepare to stay at least one night. It's a lot of work to make quality time with family, but it's necessary and worth it.
Imagine planning and preparing to visit your family. You do what you need to do in order to get yourself into their presence. You do all the work in order to spend a little bit of quality time with them. You leave early in the morning so that you have the entire day to spend with them. You make the trip, you arrive at about 9:30am and you're enthusiastic about spending enjoying quality time with your family. Now, imagine your reaction if when you arrive your family doesn't really share your enthusiasm. Imagine a situation where you've travelled and endured through the preparations, and they act like they really done even care to visit. As a matter of fact, most of them don't even bother to get out of bed to greet you.
If this happened to you, how would you respond? Would you turn, angrily, get back in the car and leave? Would you scold your family for their apathy and lack of appreciation for all the planning and preparations that you endured in order to be with them? What would you do? I dont expect that we would simply forgive everyone and head into the kitchen to prepare breakfast for the family.
What do you think Jesus would do, if it happened to him?
Well, it does....every Sunday.
I think if we're honest about the way we treat our Sunday morning worship service, we would have to confess that we treat Jesus with the same lack luster enthusiasm. We have this church building that we treasure. In it we make a spiritual home for ourselves and we become a part of God's family, Jesus' brothers and sisters. Jesus promises to come and be with us every Sunday for worship. He promises to be with us in our Sabbath. He promises to travel all the way from heaven to spend a little quality time in and through all that we do in worship. The preparations he has endured, the cross he has had to bear, the distance he has had to travel; the man literally had to go through hell in order to be with us in worship. And how to we receive this gift of his presence? Most of us don't even get out of bed to greet him. When we do show up, we are often unenthusiastic at our best, and harbor our personal agendas for even being there. Songs are prepared, the house of worship is decorated with flowers and colors, scriptures and prayers are read all to offer him a spirited welcome, but most of us just go through the motions.
How does Jesus respond? Does he angrily turn and leave? NO. Does he stay and scold his family for their lack of appreciation for all that he has endured to be with us? NO. He does what he has always done, he forgives us, assumes his role in the house as the host, and makes us breakfast (Holy Communion).
In today's text from Exodus, we hear the conclusion of all that God desired for the creation of the tabernacle (church, or house of worship). But, then the final verses remind us that building the church is not an end in itself. It is merely the means toward the end of honoring the Sabbath. Sabbath is not simply a day each week when we do no work. That completely misses the point. Sabbath is the devotion of quality time with God. God built the Tabernacle so that he could spend quality time with his people, Israel. Likewise, Jesus encourages the construction of the church so that he can spend quality time with us.
We understand the importance of spending quality time with our family. But, we forget that we have a spiritual family as well. Worship is the place where Jesus promises to be so that his family may receive him and spend some quality time with him.
When's the last time you really worshiped; not the last time you attended a service and went through the motions. When's the last time you REALLY worshiped? Do you remember how good it felt, how refreshing it was, to spend some REAL quality Sabbath time with Jesus? That is offered to us every week. What a gift!
Lord Jesus, I often forget how far you have travelled to be with us. I often forget how much you have endured to be with us. Forgive me...forgive all of us... for the ambivalence and apathy with which you are greeted on Sunday mornings. May I remember your saving acts of love on the cross and worship you always with an enthusiastic, and thankful heart. In your name. Amen.
When's the last time you travelled to visit family?
Fewer of us are fortunate enough these days to have family who live within an hour's drive. To drive two hours or more turns into a travelling event. Travelling, as opposed to just visiting, requires packing and preparing. The distance between me and my family is about 5 hours, so when I make a visit I have to plan and prepare to stay at least one night. It's a lot of work to make quality time with family, but it's necessary and worth it.
Imagine planning and preparing to visit your family. You do what you need to do in order to get yourself into their presence. You do all the work in order to spend a little bit of quality time with them. You leave early in the morning so that you have the entire day to spend with them. You make the trip, you arrive at about 9:30am and you're enthusiastic about spending enjoying quality time with your family. Now, imagine your reaction if when you arrive your family doesn't really share your enthusiasm. Imagine a situation where you've travelled and endured through the preparations, and they act like they really done even care to visit. As a matter of fact, most of them don't even bother to get out of bed to greet you.
If this happened to you, how would you respond? Would you turn, angrily, get back in the car and leave? Would you scold your family for their apathy and lack of appreciation for all the planning and preparations that you endured in order to be with them? What would you do? I dont expect that we would simply forgive everyone and head into the kitchen to prepare breakfast for the family.
What do you think Jesus would do, if it happened to him?
Well, it does....every Sunday.
I think if we're honest about the way we treat our Sunday morning worship service, we would have to confess that we treat Jesus with the same lack luster enthusiasm. We have this church building that we treasure. In it we make a spiritual home for ourselves and we become a part of God's family, Jesus' brothers and sisters. Jesus promises to come and be with us every Sunday for worship. He promises to be with us in our Sabbath. He promises to travel all the way from heaven to spend a little quality time in and through all that we do in worship. The preparations he has endured, the cross he has had to bear, the distance he has had to travel; the man literally had to go through hell in order to be with us in worship. And how to we receive this gift of his presence? Most of us don't even get out of bed to greet him. When we do show up, we are often unenthusiastic at our best, and harbor our personal agendas for even being there. Songs are prepared, the house of worship is decorated with flowers and colors, scriptures and prayers are read all to offer him a spirited welcome, but most of us just go through the motions.
How does Jesus respond? Does he angrily turn and leave? NO. Does he stay and scold his family for their lack of appreciation for all that he has endured to be with us? NO. He does what he has always done, he forgives us, assumes his role in the house as the host, and makes us breakfast (Holy Communion).
In today's text from Exodus, we hear the conclusion of all that God desired for the creation of the tabernacle (church, or house of worship). But, then the final verses remind us that building the church is not an end in itself. It is merely the means toward the end of honoring the Sabbath. Sabbath is not simply a day each week when we do no work. That completely misses the point. Sabbath is the devotion of quality time with God. God built the Tabernacle so that he could spend quality time with his people, Israel. Likewise, Jesus encourages the construction of the church so that he can spend quality time with us.
We understand the importance of spending quality time with our family. But, we forget that we have a spiritual family as well. Worship is the place where Jesus promises to be so that his family may receive him and spend some quality time with him.
When's the last time you really worshiped; not the last time you attended a service and went through the motions. When's the last time you REALLY worshiped? Do you remember how good it felt, how refreshing it was, to spend some REAL quality Sabbath time with Jesus? That is offered to us every week. What a gift!
Lord Jesus, I often forget how far you have travelled to be with us. I often forget how much you have endured to be with us. Forgive me...forgive all of us... for the ambivalence and apathy with which you are greeted on Sunday mornings. May I remember your saving acts of love on the cross and worship you always with an enthusiastic, and thankful heart. In your name. Amen.
Morning Devotions: 4/15/10
Exodus chapters 28-29
What are you wearing today?
Our clothing says certain things about us. The business man wears a power suit. The teacher wears something casual, conservative. The doctor wears a white lab coat. The construction worker wears boots and jeans. Some of us wear uniforms, clothing that is very specific and according to our employer's request. Some of us have to wear certain credentials like an ID card, a police badge, or some other visual representation of a specific, and professional right of passage.
In today's text, God directs the making of a special uniform for the priesthood. The text goes to great detail about it's beauty, design, and quality. This was to be crafted of the finest materials, woven by the best weaver, sewn by the best seamstress. Anything second-rate was unacceptable. Israel would consider it a blessing just to be permitted to wear it. This uniform would be an outward statement of the honor, glory, and praise of which only God was worthy.
Do we honor God today by what we wear?
Some of us might be picturing the teenager who shows up on Sunday morning with worn out jeans, a t-shirt and flip-flops. Or, the employee with all the tattoos who shows up at work all disheveled from the ride in on his Harley. Or, the woman at work who chooses to "go goth" by coloring her hair, nails and makeup all black. With those images in our mind, some of us at this moment can feel the righteous indignation stir within us. But, before we act on that visceral sensation, let's keep in mind that we wear more than just our clothing. We wear our attitudes as well.
Consider your attitude as if it is an accessory. A self-confident, joyful attitude can change the appearance of whatever we are wearing. A room full of gloomy, cranky, complaining people is still a very dark place no matter how well they're dressed. But, if your attitude is the one that's positive, you're going to light up the entire room. Even more, your attitude is going to be the thing that get's noticed more so than your clothing. With a positive, self-confident, joyful attitude you can get away with wearing just about what ever you want, and people will simply appreciate you for being you.
When we wear self-confidence, or joy, or any of these other positive attributes, we are also giving honor and praise to God. Just like the priestly uniform was designed to be a visible, outward sign of glory and honor to God, our attitude can be the same. God loves to see His children live and demonstrate their faith in Him by way of a cheerful, hopeful, positive attitude. So, what are you wearing today? Is your faith a positive accessory?
Lord God, you once desired that your priests be adorned with garments that gave honor and glory to you. regardless of my clothing or my style, may you be honored and glorified by my attitude, and may I be a positive light for people in darkness. In Jesus' name. Amen
What are you wearing today?
Our clothing says certain things about us. The business man wears a power suit. The teacher wears something casual, conservative. The doctor wears a white lab coat. The construction worker wears boots and jeans. Some of us wear uniforms, clothing that is very specific and according to our employer's request. Some of us have to wear certain credentials like an ID card, a police badge, or some other visual representation of a specific, and professional right of passage.
In today's text, God directs the making of a special uniform for the priesthood. The text goes to great detail about it's beauty, design, and quality. This was to be crafted of the finest materials, woven by the best weaver, sewn by the best seamstress. Anything second-rate was unacceptable. Israel would consider it a blessing just to be permitted to wear it. This uniform would be an outward statement of the honor, glory, and praise of which only God was worthy.
Do we honor God today by what we wear?
Some of us might be picturing the teenager who shows up on Sunday morning with worn out jeans, a t-shirt and flip-flops. Or, the employee with all the tattoos who shows up at work all disheveled from the ride in on his Harley. Or, the woman at work who chooses to "go goth" by coloring her hair, nails and makeup all black. With those images in our mind, some of us at this moment can feel the righteous indignation stir within us. But, before we act on that visceral sensation, let's keep in mind that we wear more than just our clothing. We wear our attitudes as well.
Consider your attitude as if it is an accessory. A self-confident, joyful attitude can change the appearance of whatever we are wearing. A room full of gloomy, cranky, complaining people is still a very dark place no matter how well they're dressed. But, if your attitude is the one that's positive, you're going to light up the entire room. Even more, your attitude is going to be the thing that get's noticed more so than your clothing. With a positive, self-confident, joyful attitude you can get away with wearing just about what ever you want, and people will simply appreciate you for being you.
When we wear self-confidence, or joy, or any of these other positive attributes, we are also giving honor and praise to God. Just like the priestly uniform was designed to be a visible, outward sign of glory and honor to God, our attitude can be the same. God loves to see His children live and demonstrate their faith in Him by way of a cheerful, hopeful, positive attitude. So, what are you wearing today? Is your faith a positive accessory?
Lord God, you once desired that your priests be adorned with garments that gave honor and glory to you. regardless of my clothing or my style, may you be honored and glorified by my attitude, and may I be a positive light for people in darkness. In Jesus' name. Amen
Morning Devotions: 4/14/10
Exodus chapters 25-27
This morning, as I was reading today's selected bible chapters, my son woke up a little earlier than usual. I was sitting in my favorite reading chair, and he came and crawled up into my lap. Yawning and rubbing his eyes he made himself comfortable while asking a long list of questions about what I was doing. What a joyful distraction it was to have him in my lap while I attempted to devote some time to God in prayer.
Today's reading is a long list of rules and limitations that God establishes in an effort to create a safe place for his people to be able to approach Him, and for God to be able to dwell among His people. The tabernacle is essentially a means by which this accomplished. God comes down from heaven to establish His kingdom on earth, among us. However, at this point in the bible story the holiness of God must be kept safely guarded from the ungodliness of people. The Tabernacle allows God to dwell among His people, but only within the Tabernacle, and the people may approach God, but only through the mediation of the priesthood. God cannot actually be among His people, but the Tabernacle is a big step toward that end, and it brings God down from Heaven to be among His people for the first time in a very unique way. The Tabernacle is a major step toward understanding the gift of Holy Communion given to us through Jesus.
With Jesus, we have direct access to God. Jesus' forgiveness of our sins allows us to approach God like my son approached me this morning. This is why Jesus teaches us to pray, "Our Father, who is in Heaven...." Only Jesus can refer to God in such intimate terms. The actual word used in the gospels in the context of the Lord's prayer is Abba. The literal interpretation of Abba is daddy. Our traditional interpretation is "Father", but this is actually a bit more formal than Jesus offered. Abba is more intimate, personal. It's my son climbing into my arms, saying, "Daddy". All of the work and specifics that God put into the building of the Tabernacle is a foreshadowing of the intimacy in Christ which God wants to share with His people. But, for us, we already have Christ, we are privileged to be able to run to God and climb into His arms anytime we wish. Even more, God desires that we do just that.
Has it been a while since you climbed into the arms of God?
Prayer, worship, and even this devotion you're reading now are ways in which you can do just that.
Heavenly Father, Abba, I am just a child in your arms. I need to trust you for everything. When I am vulnerable, shelter me. When I am weak, strengthen me. When I am frightened, comfort me. When I am guilty, forgive me. When I am hungry, feed me. I am yours, Abba, save me. In Jesus' name. Amen
This morning, as I was reading today's selected bible chapters, my son woke up a little earlier than usual. I was sitting in my favorite reading chair, and he came and crawled up into my lap. Yawning and rubbing his eyes he made himself comfortable while asking a long list of questions about what I was doing. What a joyful distraction it was to have him in my lap while I attempted to devote some time to God in prayer.
Today's reading is a long list of rules and limitations that God establishes in an effort to create a safe place for his people to be able to approach Him, and for God to be able to dwell among His people. The tabernacle is essentially a means by which this accomplished. God comes down from heaven to establish His kingdom on earth, among us. However, at this point in the bible story the holiness of God must be kept safely guarded from the ungodliness of people. The Tabernacle allows God to dwell among His people, but only within the Tabernacle, and the people may approach God, but only through the mediation of the priesthood. God cannot actually be among His people, but the Tabernacle is a big step toward that end, and it brings God down from Heaven to be among His people for the first time in a very unique way. The Tabernacle is a major step toward understanding the gift of Holy Communion given to us through Jesus.
With Jesus, we have direct access to God. Jesus' forgiveness of our sins allows us to approach God like my son approached me this morning. This is why Jesus teaches us to pray, "Our Father, who is in Heaven...." Only Jesus can refer to God in such intimate terms. The actual word used in the gospels in the context of the Lord's prayer is Abba. The literal interpretation of Abba is daddy. Our traditional interpretation is "Father", but this is actually a bit more formal than Jesus offered. Abba is more intimate, personal. It's my son climbing into my arms, saying, "Daddy". All of the work and specifics that God put into the building of the Tabernacle is a foreshadowing of the intimacy in Christ which God wants to share with His people. But, for us, we already have Christ, we are privileged to be able to run to God and climb into His arms anytime we wish. Even more, God desires that we do just that.
Has it been a while since you climbed into the arms of God?
Prayer, worship, and even this devotion you're reading now are ways in which you can do just that.
Heavenly Father, Abba, I am just a child in your arms. I need to trust you for everything. When I am vulnerable, shelter me. When I am weak, strengthen me. When I am frightened, comfort me. When I am guilty, forgive me. When I am hungry, feed me. I am yours, Abba, save me. In Jesus' name. Amen
Morning Devotions: 4/13/10
Exodus chapters 23-24
Have you ever been to the Grand Canyon?
I have not, but one of these days I want to get there. I have seen various other canyons, and there is one thing that captivates my attention every time. Standing at the summit of one peak and looking across the canyon to the next side there is an overwhelming sense of distance, an almost impassible distance. Remember when Evil Kenevil attempted to jump the Grand Canyon, and failed? I remember feeling kind of satisfied that he failed. It's as if something inside me interpreted his inability to jump across this great boundary as some sort of validation for the Grand Canyon remaining pure in its refusal to be crossed. It's as if the Grand Canyon were saying to us that God had created a visual reminder that there are boundaries which we humans are simply incapable of passing without God's help. The Grand Canyon is not only an impressive work of nature. I have also heard it described as a spiritual experience. As we stand on one side of the canyon, looking across to the other side, there is a spiritual sense of the distance between us and God. The great chasm of sin, that cuts through rock and humanity scarring everything as it digs deeper and deeper, separates us from God's righteous purpose on the other side.
I have heard the Grand Canyon described as an illustration of one man's distance from his wife and family. His sin, devoting all of his life and time to his work, had become the great chasm that had cut and dug so deep that there seemed to be no way to bridge the gap between he and his family. The canyon illustration is equally demonstrative to other sins as well. Sin causes separation and alienation between people. It isolates and abandons. It leaves us lonely and disconnected. God has created us for community, for love. God does not desire for us to be alienated from him or others, but reconciled. But, we are incapable of reconciling ourselves to God, and therefore we are incapable of reconciling with others. God, however, is capable of this, because God is capable of forgiving our sins.
God can bridge the canyon. Jesus' cross is planted in the ground, picture it planted deep into the chasm of sin. Meanwhile, his arms reach out across the great divide connecting one side to the other. With one hand reaching to God, and the other reaching to us, his death to sin and simultaneous forgiveness of us bridges across the great divide. Jesus' is God's bridge for us, and it is built on love and forgiveness. Today's text from Exodus offers to us a glimpse of what will later be the final sacrifice, the lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. But, keeping with this text alone, we see God's deep desire, not for angry hostile vengeance, but to overcome the great chasm of sin, and create a means by which people can find forgiveness.
God is an amazing bridge builder. His Son, built a bridge across the grandest canyon known to us. He bridged between us and God, by offering forgiveness and love to us in the free gift of his sacrifice. Jesus built this bridge with only two pieces of wood and three nails. :-)
Today, consider the way your sinful actions cut deep into the relationships around you. Consider the way in which you and your spouse, you and your children, you and your ___________________ may be getting further and further apart as a result of sinfulness. Before slipping into the typical tendency of blaming and shaming, which is only more sin in a disguise, consider instead ways in which God's grace, forgiveness, and love, might help you to bridge across these sinful divisions.
Heavenly Father, my sin cuts and digs great chasms between me and those I love the most. Help me today to see this, and encourage me by the sacrificial love of Jesus to be willing to make the necessary sacrifices to my life that I might be a bridge of grace and healing where it is necessary. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Have you ever been to the Grand Canyon?
I have not, but one of these days I want to get there. I have seen various other canyons, and there is one thing that captivates my attention every time. Standing at the summit of one peak and looking across the canyon to the next side there is an overwhelming sense of distance, an almost impassible distance. Remember when Evil Kenevil attempted to jump the Grand Canyon, and failed? I remember feeling kind of satisfied that he failed. It's as if something inside me interpreted his inability to jump across this great boundary as some sort of validation for the Grand Canyon remaining pure in its refusal to be crossed. It's as if the Grand Canyon were saying to us that God had created a visual reminder that there are boundaries which we humans are simply incapable of passing without God's help. The Grand Canyon is not only an impressive work of nature. I have also heard it described as a spiritual experience. As we stand on one side of the canyon, looking across to the other side, there is a spiritual sense of the distance between us and God. The great chasm of sin, that cuts through rock and humanity scarring everything as it digs deeper and deeper, separates us from God's righteous purpose on the other side.
I have heard the Grand Canyon described as an illustration of one man's distance from his wife and family. His sin, devoting all of his life and time to his work, had become the great chasm that had cut and dug so deep that there seemed to be no way to bridge the gap between he and his family. The canyon illustration is equally demonstrative to other sins as well. Sin causes separation and alienation between people. It isolates and abandons. It leaves us lonely and disconnected. God has created us for community, for love. God does not desire for us to be alienated from him or others, but reconciled. But, we are incapable of reconciling ourselves to God, and therefore we are incapable of reconciling with others. God, however, is capable of this, because God is capable of forgiving our sins.
God can bridge the canyon. Jesus' cross is planted in the ground, picture it planted deep into the chasm of sin. Meanwhile, his arms reach out across the great divide connecting one side to the other. With one hand reaching to God, and the other reaching to us, his death to sin and simultaneous forgiveness of us bridges across the great divide. Jesus' is God's bridge for us, and it is built on love and forgiveness. Today's text from Exodus offers to us a glimpse of what will later be the final sacrifice, the lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. But, keeping with this text alone, we see God's deep desire, not for angry hostile vengeance, but to overcome the great chasm of sin, and create a means by which people can find forgiveness.
God is an amazing bridge builder. His Son, built a bridge across the grandest canyon known to us. He bridged between us and God, by offering forgiveness and love to us in the free gift of his sacrifice. Jesus built this bridge with only two pieces of wood and three nails. :-)
Today, consider the way your sinful actions cut deep into the relationships around you. Consider the way in which you and your spouse, you and your children, you and your ___________________ may be getting further and further apart as a result of sinfulness. Before slipping into the typical tendency of blaming and shaming, which is only more sin in a disguise, consider instead ways in which God's grace, forgiveness, and love, might help you to bridge across these sinful divisions.
Heavenly Father, my sin cuts and digs great chasms between me and those I love the most. Help me today to see this, and encourage me by the sacrificial love of Jesus to be willing to make the necessary sacrifices to my life that I might be a bridge of grace and healing where it is necessary. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Morning Devotions: 4/12/10
Exodus 21:1-22:31
Have you ever had to cope with someone who was inconsistent with their expectations of you?
If you have, then you know it is truly exhausting. Like when you were a child, and in the middle of a game, your playmate would try to change the rules to benefit him, and then if you disagreed he would threaten to leave and take his game with him. How are you supposed to play a game when you aren't sure of the rules of the game because they change each time the owner of the game takes his turn? In the game of life, behavior like this, in its subtlest form, results in strained or burnt out relationships. In its most extreme form this behavior results in tyranny. Whether extreme or subtle this is an unjust abuse of power and places people in situations where individual freedom is diminished.
The Israelites had lived for 400+ years as slaves in Egypt. Pharaoh thought of himself as a kind of incarnation of the gods. Therefore, he believed he had the power to change the rules whenever or however he saw fitting for the empire. The Israelites became subjects of tyranny. The laws of the land were the opinion of the sovereign power and authority of Pharaoh, and he was above the law. For the Israelites, slaves to Pharaoh, there was no freedom, because they were not given the authority to govern themselves. They were merely subjects of Pharaoh. This context is a necessity as we look at today's text. Without it, we miss interpreting the gift of God's Law.
In today's text, the underlying message is that God is laying out the law for the people and is giving it to them. God is not tyrannically holding the power to govern them over their heads. God is declaring up front, these are the ways you shall live, and then he commissions them to go and do. God is not holding onto power, He's giving it away. God gives the Law to the people and then empowers them to live freely within it. God wants them to take the Law and learn to govern themselves as a sovereign nation under His care and guidance, not as a tyrannized group of slaves. God uses the Law to enter into a covenant with His people whereby they would be free to self-regulate. He doesn't use the Law to dictate power over them. He gives his power to them in the form of a covenantal agreement. What God does with the Law is the extreme opposite of the tyranny they had experienced in Egypt.
With this in mind, we can hear this text more clearly. For instance, even though today's text speaks of slavery to the point of condoning it, what's more important is that we hear it as God's will in a specific historical context to protect the slaves, to provide laws that allow the people to treat them fairly and humanely. Also, with this understanding in mind, we are free to allow the historical context to speak God's will for slavery then, but not use the bible to contort God's will into condoning slavery today.
God's will---the Law, His expectations (particularly the Ten Commandments)---is made clear, remains steadfast over the generations and is given away with God's covenantal agreement so as to empower His people to live freely within the constraints of the law.
This is a bit more cerebral of a devotional topic than you may have become accustomed to with me, but it's an important one to grasp. It's important because it reminds us that freedom still requires laws that are clear and consistent. Where there are no laws, or where the one who makes the laws is above the law, there can be no freedom. God is sovereign to the law, but covenants with us to remain accountable to them as well. Within this relationship, the laws of God are what guide us in our relationship that are based in love, freedom, joy, and peace.
This is true in any relationship. Consider your most beloved relationships. Now think about all the laws that bind you together. Some are the written down kind, like possibly your marriage certificate, or a birth certificate. These come with obligations and commitments--covenants. Now, think about the unwritten laws that guide your relationships. All those little things that establish routines, boundaries, just simply knowing each other. Without these laws, we have no freedom to love and maintain peace, or find joy. Without these laws we do not know how to love or maintain love.
God gives to us His law, so that we would be free to love; free to prosper, free to just be.
Lord God, thank you for your Law. Like rebellious children we often think we can live without your restraint, but you know us better than we know ourselves. You restrain us by your Law and in doing so you free us to truly live and live abundantly. Help me this day, to recognize how much I depend upon you for guidance and protection from my own sinfully rebellious nature. Bring me to sense the peacefulness that is found only in your covenantal embrace. In Jesus' name. Amen
Have you ever had to cope with someone who was inconsistent with their expectations of you?
If you have, then you know it is truly exhausting. Like when you were a child, and in the middle of a game, your playmate would try to change the rules to benefit him, and then if you disagreed he would threaten to leave and take his game with him. How are you supposed to play a game when you aren't sure of the rules of the game because they change each time the owner of the game takes his turn? In the game of life, behavior like this, in its subtlest form, results in strained or burnt out relationships. In its most extreme form this behavior results in tyranny. Whether extreme or subtle this is an unjust abuse of power and places people in situations where individual freedom is diminished.
The Israelites had lived for 400+ years as slaves in Egypt. Pharaoh thought of himself as a kind of incarnation of the gods. Therefore, he believed he had the power to change the rules whenever or however he saw fitting for the empire. The Israelites became subjects of tyranny. The laws of the land were the opinion of the sovereign power and authority of Pharaoh, and he was above the law. For the Israelites, slaves to Pharaoh, there was no freedom, because they were not given the authority to govern themselves. They were merely subjects of Pharaoh. This context is a necessity as we look at today's text. Without it, we miss interpreting the gift of God's Law.
In today's text, the underlying message is that God is laying out the law for the people and is giving it to them. God is not tyrannically holding the power to govern them over their heads. God is declaring up front, these are the ways you shall live, and then he commissions them to go and do. God is not holding onto power, He's giving it away. God gives the Law to the people and then empowers them to live freely within it. God wants them to take the Law and learn to govern themselves as a sovereign nation under His care and guidance, not as a tyrannized group of slaves. God uses the Law to enter into a covenant with His people whereby they would be free to self-regulate. He doesn't use the Law to dictate power over them. He gives his power to them in the form of a covenantal agreement. What God does with the Law is the extreme opposite of the tyranny they had experienced in Egypt.
With this in mind, we can hear this text more clearly. For instance, even though today's text speaks of slavery to the point of condoning it, what's more important is that we hear it as God's will in a specific historical context to protect the slaves, to provide laws that allow the people to treat them fairly and humanely. Also, with this understanding in mind, we are free to allow the historical context to speak God's will for slavery then, but not use the bible to contort God's will into condoning slavery today.
God's will---the Law, His expectations (particularly the Ten Commandments)---is made clear, remains steadfast over the generations and is given away with God's covenantal agreement so as to empower His people to live freely within the constraints of the law.
This is a bit more cerebral of a devotional topic than you may have become accustomed to with me, but it's an important one to grasp. It's important because it reminds us that freedom still requires laws that are clear and consistent. Where there are no laws, or where the one who makes the laws is above the law, there can be no freedom. God is sovereign to the law, but covenants with us to remain accountable to them as well. Within this relationship, the laws of God are what guide us in our relationship that are based in love, freedom, joy, and peace.
This is true in any relationship. Consider your most beloved relationships. Now think about all the laws that bind you together. Some are the written down kind, like possibly your marriage certificate, or a birth certificate. These come with obligations and commitments--covenants. Now, think about the unwritten laws that guide your relationships. All those little things that establish routines, boundaries, just simply knowing each other. Without these laws, we have no freedom to love and maintain peace, or find joy. Without these laws we do not know how to love or maintain love.
God gives to us His law, so that we would be free to love; free to prosper, free to just be.
Lord God, thank you for your Law. Like rebellious children we often think we can live without your restraint, but you know us better than we know ourselves. You restrain us by your Law and in doing so you free us to truly live and live abundantly. Help me this day, to recognize how much I depend upon you for guidance and protection from my own sinfully rebellious nature. Bring me to sense the peacefulness that is found only in your covenantal embrace. In Jesus' name. Amen
Morning Devotions: 4/11/10
John 20:19-31
2nd Sunday of Easter
Do you have a brain? :-)
How do you know for sure? You can't see it. Those in medical school get to see someone else's, but you can not see your own. Even an MRI is just a magnetic image of the real thing, but not the actual thing. We come to believe that we have a brain because we learn how to recognize the benefit the brain gives to us.
Is there oxygen in the air we're breathing, right now? :-)
How do we know for sure? We can't see it. Again, we come to believe there's oxygen in the air because we learn to recognize the benefit that oxygen gives to us.
Our brains, and oxygen are two examples of things we believe without seeing, because we come to learn how to recognize the benefits they provide us. In today's text, Jesus blesses Thomas with the opportunity to believe by seeing and touching his resurrected body. But, then Jesus immediately turns the attention away from himself and from Thomas toward all of us today who come to believe without the benefit of seeing. Jesus says, "Blessed are those who do not see, and yet believe."
We are those who have come to believe without seeing. It's not easy for us. I think sometimes we would all prefer to have our own personal Thomas experience, where we get the opportunity to actually see the risen body of Jesus. But, Jesus has ascended to the Father. We do not get to see, but Jesus did leave behind the Holy Spirit. His risen body may be in heaven, but his Spirit lives among us. It's the Holy Spirit that we encounter. And, by the Spirit we come to believe in the resurrection of Jesus---something we can not see.
I once worked with a man named Dave. Dave was blind. He was a truly remarkable inspiration to anyone with capable eyes to see. His blindness didn't stop him, or even slow him down from most things. His talent to interpret the world around him was jaw-dropping. He made use of his sense of touch, and hearing in ways that astounded we sighted people. The enhancements made to his other senses in order to compensate for his lack of sight seemed at times unbelievable. Dave could not see, but he became a blessing and an inspiration to everyone around him. "Blessed are those who do not see, and yet believe."
Faith in Jesus makes all of us who believe like Dave. Our faith is blind. We do not get to see Jesus, and yet with enhancements to our other senses we come to believe without seeing. We come to see, without the need for actually seeing. We do not get the privilege of seeing the risen Jesus. But, that does not mean we are incapable of believing in the resurrection. It simply means that our other senses need to be enhanced so that we learn to recognize the resurrection by its benefits.
Let's start with the sense of touch. We do not get to actually touch the body of the risen Jesus. But, that doesn't mean we are incapable of recognizing how we feel when His presence is near to us. Now, let me be clear, I am not referring to feeling some sort of strange movement of air as if the Holy Spirit were to behave merely as some sort of ghost or apparition. While there are stories of these sorts of theophanies in the bible, I'm mainly referring to our emotions. The work of Jesus is the same now as it was when he lived before the resurrection. His work among us is the work of compassion, love, friendship, sacrifice, forgiveness, generosity, etc. The first words the risen Jesus says to the apostles is "Peace be with you." When we feel that sense of peacefulness--shalom--this is the risen Jesus. Also, when we are passionate for justice, for righteous causes we are feeling the risen Lord's passion.
Hearing is enhanced when faith is blind as well. With our ears we hear the Word of God in scripture, worship, and prayer. But, as we grow in faith so grows our hearing. We become capable of hearing Christ's Word in art, music, literature, stories of love, sacrifice, and courage. By studying scripture, growing in faith, we enhance our hearing to compensate for our lack of sight.
Even our sense of taste is enhanced. "Taste and see that the Lord is good" the Psalmist says. Taste and SEE! Our sense of taste receives Holy Communion and believes that here in this moment the very presence of Christ is with me, and our faith is enhanced to believe and even taste a glimpse of the kingdom of heaven.
We may not be able to see the risen Jesus. But, by practicing our faith; studying scripture together, attending worship regularly, prayer, charity, etc., we enhance our other senses to be able to recognize the resurrection without ever seeing it. We come to believe in the resurrected Jesus in the same way we come to believe that we have a brain, or that there is oxygen in the air. We learn to recognize the benefits. In other words, we come to believe in the resurrected Christ, because we learn to recognize the works of the risen Christ.
We learn to recognize what forgiveness looks like,
what love looks like,
what joy looks like,
what grace looks like.
We may not see Jesus, but we know what his work looks like.
Finally, we may not see Jesus, but we know that he was a human like us. Jesus may not have a body that lives among us any more. But, when we come together as the church, we are his body. When the church works together, worships together, prays together, we can see Jesus, alive and well, in the hearts and passions of each other.
Do you have a brain; is there oxygen in this room? Of course!
Has Jesus been raised from the dead? Of course!
And all who believe without seeing are blessed. We are blessed not just for our own spiritual encouragement, but we are blessed like my friend Dave; blessed to be a blessing for others.
Lord God, open the eyes of my heart, that I may see you and believe that you are with me always, and that you are in charge and have secured my future with you eternally. In Jesus' name. Amen
2nd Sunday of Easter
Do you have a brain? :-)
How do you know for sure? You can't see it. Those in medical school get to see someone else's, but you can not see your own. Even an MRI is just a magnetic image of the real thing, but not the actual thing. We come to believe that we have a brain because we learn how to recognize the benefit the brain gives to us.
Is there oxygen in the air we're breathing, right now? :-)
How do we know for sure? We can't see it. Again, we come to believe there's oxygen in the air because we learn to recognize the benefit that oxygen gives to us.
Our brains, and oxygen are two examples of things we believe without seeing, because we come to learn how to recognize the benefits they provide us. In today's text, Jesus blesses Thomas with the opportunity to believe by seeing and touching his resurrected body. But, then Jesus immediately turns the attention away from himself and from Thomas toward all of us today who come to believe without the benefit of seeing. Jesus says, "Blessed are those who do not see, and yet believe."
We are those who have come to believe without seeing. It's not easy for us. I think sometimes we would all prefer to have our own personal Thomas experience, where we get the opportunity to actually see the risen body of Jesus. But, Jesus has ascended to the Father. We do not get to see, but Jesus did leave behind the Holy Spirit. His risen body may be in heaven, but his Spirit lives among us. It's the Holy Spirit that we encounter. And, by the Spirit we come to believe in the resurrection of Jesus---something we can not see.
I once worked with a man named Dave. Dave was blind. He was a truly remarkable inspiration to anyone with capable eyes to see. His blindness didn't stop him, or even slow him down from most things. His talent to interpret the world around him was jaw-dropping. He made use of his sense of touch, and hearing in ways that astounded we sighted people. The enhancements made to his other senses in order to compensate for his lack of sight seemed at times unbelievable. Dave could not see, but he became a blessing and an inspiration to everyone around him. "Blessed are those who do not see, and yet believe."
Faith in Jesus makes all of us who believe like Dave. Our faith is blind. We do not get to see Jesus, and yet with enhancements to our other senses we come to believe without seeing. We come to see, without the need for actually seeing. We do not get the privilege of seeing the risen Jesus. But, that does not mean we are incapable of believing in the resurrection. It simply means that our other senses need to be enhanced so that we learn to recognize the resurrection by its benefits.
Let's start with the sense of touch. We do not get to actually touch the body of the risen Jesus. But, that doesn't mean we are incapable of recognizing how we feel when His presence is near to us. Now, let me be clear, I am not referring to feeling some sort of strange movement of air as if the Holy Spirit were to behave merely as some sort of ghost or apparition. While there are stories of these sorts of theophanies in the bible, I'm mainly referring to our emotions. The work of Jesus is the same now as it was when he lived before the resurrection. His work among us is the work of compassion, love, friendship, sacrifice, forgiveness, generosity, etc. The first words the risen Jesus says to the apostles is "Peace be with you." When we feel that sense of peacefulness--shalom--this is the risen Jesus. Also, when we are passionate for justice, for righteous causes we are feeling the risen Lord's passion.
Hearing is enhanced when faith is blind as well. With our ears we hear the Word of God in scripture, worship, and prayer. But, as we grow in faith so grows our hearing. We become capable of hearing Christ's Word in art, music, literature, stories of love, sacrifice, and courage. By studying scripture, growing in faith, we enhance our hearing to compensate for our lack of sight.
Even our sense of taste is enhanced. "Taste and see that the Lord is good" the Psalmist says. Taste and SEE! Our sense of taste receives Holy Communion and believes that here in this moment the very presence of Christ is with me, and our faith is enhanced to believe and even taste a glimpse of the kingdom of heaven.
We may not be able to see the risen Jesus. But, by practicing our faith; studying scripture together, attending worship regularly, prayer, charity, etc., we enhance our other senses to be able to recognize the resurrection without ever seeing it. We come to believe in the resurrected Jesus in the same way we come to believe that we have a brain, or that there is oxygen in the air. We learn to recognize the benefits. In other words, we come to believe in the resurrected Christ, because we learn to recognize the works of the risen Christ.
We learn to recognize what forgiveness looks like,
what love looks like,
what joy looks like,
what grace looks like.
We may not see Jesus, but we know what his work looks like.
Finally, we may not see Jesus, but we know that he was a human like us. Jesus may not have a body that lives among us any more. But, when we come together as the church, we are his body. When the church works together, worships together, prays together, we can see Jesus, alive and well, in the hearts and passions of each other.
Do you have a brain; is there oxygen in this room? Of course!
Has Jesus been raised from the dead? Of course!
And all who believe without seeing are blessed. We are blessed not just for our own spiritual encouragement, but we are blessed like my friend Dave; blessed to be a blessing for others.
Lord God, open the eyes of my heart, that I may see you and believe that you are with me always, and that you are in charge and have secured my future with you eternally. In Jesus' name. Amen
Morning Devotions: 4/10/10
Exodus 19:1-20:26
The Ten Commandments
Of all the references made to the bible, this one is probably the most widely known. Folks may not know where the Ten Commandments can be found in the bible, but they recognize the list of "thou shall nots". However, being widely recognizable can also lend itself being widely misunderstood. This is most certainly the case with the ten commandments. Also known as the decalogue, the list of ten laws is one of my favorite bible passages to teach, primarily because it is so widely misunderstood.
If you're like most people in our world who can recognize the decalogue with the first "thou shall not...", then you probably share the same commonly accepted understanding of the commandments as well. Ask just about anyone to tell you what they believe to be true about the commandments and they are likely to say that they are a list of things that people are supposed to do if they want to get into heaven. Live your life according to these ten and all will go well for you. Live your life otherwise, and God is likely to punish you. Often when political debates ensue over whether or not it is legal for the decalogue to be displayed or referenced in public places, this belief is what gets thrown up as a "common Judeo-Christian belief" in association with the reasons why non-believers find them a violation of their rights. The tragically comical truth, however, is that this commonly held belief about the ten commandments couldn't be any further from the truth.
Consider the characterization of God that comes from believing this about the decalogue. If this belief were true then God is nothing more than a vindictive tyrant. One who does not love his people at all, but instead holds a very high bar in front of them and demands that they jump over it, or He will punish them, possibly even kill them. This depicts God with no more empathy, compassion, or devotion to His creation than that of other ancient false gods. With this belief as the common understanding of the most commonly associated scripture of our faith, it's truly no wonder non-believers run away as fast they can from Christianity. Who would, or even should, worship a God like this?
The truth about the Ten Commandments is a very different characterization of God. When we look closely at the decalogue, we find that before God speaks any of His laws to the people he claims them as as His own. In verse one, God says "I am the Lord, your God. I brought you up out of Egypt." My favorite way of teaching this text is to refer to the way in which my grandmother would offer her household "commandments". When I was a boy, my grandmother had a very powerful way of enforcing her rules of the house. Particularly when I would misbehave in public, she would, as I call it, snatch me up by the back of the neck. make me face her, and she would say, "Richie, no child of mine behaves like that!" She was swift and forceful, but also very clear whose I was. I was her's, and nothing was ever going to separate her from me.....even if, as a boy, there were times when I wished I could get away. "No child of mine..." She loved me, and wanted what was best for me, therefore she had rules to guide my actions accordingly. Her laws were never merely that of a vindictive tyrant, but rather that of a loving grandmother; one would never let me stray too far from what was best for me.
The same is true of God. God is not the vindictive tyrant depicted by the the common held misunderstanding. God loves us, and wants what is best for us, therefore he offers commandments to us, so that we might live according to His loving intentions for our lives.
Lord God, thank you for guiding my life. Thank you for claiming me as your own. Thank you for never allowing me to stray too far from your loving, and forgiving embrace. Encourage me to see that your laws are good. Enable me to trust that nothing I do can ever separate me from your love. In Jesus' name. Amen
The Ten Commandments
Of all the references made to the bible, this one is probably the most widely known. Folks may not know where the Ten Commandments can be found in the bible, but they recognize the list of "thou shall nots". However, being widely recognizable can also lend itself being widely misunderstood. This is most certainly the case with the ten commandments. Also known as the decalogue, the list of ten laws is one of my favorite bible passages to teach, primarily because it is so widely misunderstood.
If you're like most people in our world who can recognize the decalogue with the first "thou shall not...", then you probably share the same commonly accepted understanding of the commandments as well. Ask just about anyone to tell you what they believe to be true about the commandments and they are likely to say that they are a list of things that people are supposed to do if they want to get into heaven. Live your life according to these ten and all will go well for you. Live your life otherwise, and God is likely to punish you. Often when political debates ensue over whether or not it is legal for the decalogue to be displayed or referenced in public places, this belief is what gets thrown up as a "common Judeo-Christian belief" in association with the reasons why non-believers find them a violation of their rights. The tragically comical truth, however, is that this commonly held belief about the ten commandments couldn't be any further from the truth.
Consider the characterization of God that comes from believing this about the decalogue. If this belief were true then God is nothing more than a vindictive tyrant. One who does not love his people at all, but instead holds a very high bar in front of them and demands that they jump over it, or He will punish them, possibly even kill them. This depicts God with no more empathy, compassion, or devotion to His creation than that of other ancient false gods. With this belief as the common understanding of the most commonly associated scripture of our faith, it's truly no wonder non-believers run away as fast they can from Christianity. Who would, or even should, worship a God like this?
The truth about the Ten Commandments is a very different characterization of God. When we look closely at the decalogue, we find that before God speaks any of His laws to the people he claims them as as His own. In verse one, God says "I am the Lord, your God. I brought you up out of Egypt." My favorite way of teaching this text is to refer to the way in which my grandmother would offer her household "commandments". When I was a boy, my grandmother had a very powerful way of enforcing her rules of the house. Particularly when I would misbehave in public, she would, as I call it, snatch me up by the back of the neck. make me face her, and she would say, "Richie, no child of mine behaves like that!" She was swift and forceful, but also very clear whose I was. I was her's, and nothing was ever going to separate her from me.....even if, as a boy, there were times when I wished I could get away. "No child of mine..." She loved me, and wanted what was best for me, therefore she had rules to guide my actions accordingly. Her laws were never merely that of a vindictive tyrant, but rather that of a loving grandmother; one would never let me stray too far from what was best for me.
The same is true of God. God is not the vindictive tyrant depicted by the the common held misunderstanding. God loves us, and wants what is best for us, therefore he offers commandments to us, so that we might live according to His loving intentions for our lives.
Lord God, thank you for guiding my life. Thank you for claiming me as your own. Thank you for never allowing me to stray too far from your loving, and forgiving embrace. Encourage me to see that your laws are good. Enable me to trust that nothing I do can ever separate me from your love. In Jesus' name. Amen
Morning Devotions: 4/9/10
Exodus chapter 18
When's the last time you attended a family reunion?
Not long ago these were a popular way to maintain the ties that bind within families. But, if your family is like most others, then you have given up on this idea and in it's place have learned to rely on technology to stay connected.
We now have the capability to connect with people, share pictures, daily life stories, etc. and never leave our house. As spread out as families have become, the use of technology has offered a way for us to remain somewhat connected without having to use those valuable vacation days, without the expense of travelling, and without the hassle of organizing around everyone's busy calendars. My family stopped having reunions when I was a boy. Now, we rely upon free long distance cell phone services, Facebook, email, texting, and the obligatory holiday visits to maintain those ties that bind. What do you do? Does anyone sill have an actual annual family reunion?
In today's text, Moses had a family reunion. Jethro, his father-in-law came to visit him, and brought with him his wife and two children. We're a little unsure, at this point in the text, how long it has been since Moses has seen his family, but by the reading we recognize that it has been a long enough time to evoke a very joyous reunion.
Reunions are good for the soul. Of course, if the reunion lingers, the memories of why we left in the first place may indeed begin to creep into the joy of the occasion, but maintaining the ties that bind us to friends and family is important work. I find that every family has at least one person who is really good at this. For me, it's my mother. One hearty phone call to my mother will yield all the information I need to stay abreast of my entire family. Now, that doesn't negate the necessity to still stay in touch with them, but usually by the time I contact my siblings or my neices, I already know what's going on because of my contact with my mom. My family doesn't have annual family reunions, but it is noticeable that the family relies upon my mom and technology to keep everyone connected. There's probably someone in your family who does that. If it's you, recognize the valuable role you play within the family. Do it well, and avoid gossip. If it's not you, then identify who this person is. Today would be a good day to thank him/her for the role he/she plays within the family.
You are part of a spiritual family too. You are an adopted child of God, and personal friend of Jesus, God's son. God's family gathers together for a spiritual reunion every time we share Holy Communion. It's not quite the same as an annual picnic, but there's food and there's a strengthening of the ties that bind us together as one holy church. In this family Jesus is the one who plays the role of holding the family together. We may not find Jesus on Facebook, and he doesn't carry a cell phone, but he has given us the gift of faith and the freedom to pray. When we pray, we are connecting to God, Jesus, and all the saints. It's like one giant, spiritual teleconference. :-)
Sometimes we think of prayer too narrowly. We think of it as something we need to do in order to get God to listen to our needs. God already knows what we need before we even ask. But, when we pray we allow our faith to connect us together. It's like when I call my mom. I may already know most of what she's going to say, and she is probably aware of most of what I'm going to say. But, sharing that moment connected, communicating with each other, is more important for the relationship than the things we actually say. The same is true about prayer. Whether or not God answers our prayers the way we want Him to isn't what is of primary importance. What's important is just that we stay connected. God has given us two very easy ways to do that: prayer, and weekly Holy Communion.
Lord God, thank you for my family. They are a precious glimpse of your love for your Church. Help me to maintain the ties that bind us together. Thank you for adopting me, through baptism, into your holy and eternal family. Thank you as well, for giving me the gift of faith, the freedom to pray, and the reunion of Holy Communion. Encourage me to make good use of these gifts in order remain connected to you. In Jesus' name. Amen
When's the last time you attended a family reunion?
Not long ago these were a popular way to maintain the ties that bind within families. But, if your family is like most others, then you have given up on this idea and in it's place have learned to rely on technology to stay connected.
We now have the capability to connect with people, share pictures, daily life stories, etc. and never leave our house. As spread out as families have become, the use of technology has offered a way for us to remain somewhat connected without having to use those valuable vacation days, without the expense of travelling, and without the hassle of organizing around everyone's busy calendars. My family stopped having reunions when I was a boy. Now, we rely upon free long distance cell phone services, Facebook, email, texting, and the obligatory holiday visits to maintain those ties that bind. What do you do? Does anyone sill have an actual annual family reunion?
In today's text, Moses had a family reunion. Jethro, his father-in-law came to visit him, and brought with him his wife and two children. We're a little unsure, at this point in the text, how long it has been since Moses has seen his family, but by the reading we recognize that it has been a long enough time to evoke a very joyous reunion.
Reunions are good for the soul. Of course, if the reunion lingers, the memories of why we left in the first place may indeed begin to creep into the joy of the occasion, but maintaining the ties that bind us to friends and family is important work. I find that every family has at least one person who is really good at this. For me, it's my mother. One hearty phone call to my mother will yield all the information I need to stay abreast of my entire family. Now, that doesn't negate the necessity to still stay in touch with them, but usually by the time I contact my siblings or my neices, I already know what's going on because of my contact with my mom. My family doesn't have annual family reunions, but it is noticeable that the family relies upon my mom and technology to keep everyone connected. There's probably someone in your family who does that. If it's you, recognize the valuable role you play within the family. Do it well, and avoid gossip. If it's not you, then identify who this person is. Today would be a good day to thank him/her for the role he/she plays within the family.
You are part of a spiritual family too. You are an adopted child of God, and personal friend of Jesus, God's son. God's family gathers together for a spiritual reunion every time we share Holy Communion. It's not quite the same as an annual picnic, but there's food and there's a strengthening of the ties that bind us together as one holy church. In this family Jesus is the one who plays the role of holding the family together. We may not find Jesus on Facebook, and he doesn't carry a cell phone, but he has given us the gift of faith and the freedom to pray. When we pray, we are connecting to God, Jesus, and all the saints. It's like one giant, spiritual teleconference. :-)
Sometimes we think of prayer too narrowly. We think of it as something we need to do in order to get God to listen to our needs. God already knows what we need before we even ask. But, when we pray we allow our faith to connect us together. It's like when I call my mom. I may already know most of what she's going to say, and she is probably aware of most of what I'm going to say. But, sharing that moment connected, communicating with each other, is more important for the relationship than the things we actually say. The same is true about prayer. Whether or not God answers our prayers the way we want Him to isn't what is of primary importance. What's important is just that we stay connected. God has given us two very easy ways to do that: prayer, and weekly Holy Communion.
Lord God, thank you for my family. They are a precious glimpse of your love for your Church. Help me to maintain the ties that bind us together. Thank you for adopting me, through baptism, into your holy and eternal family. Thank you as well, for giving me the gift of faith, the freedom to pray, and the reunion of Holy Communion. Encourage me to make good use of these gifts in order remain connected to you. In Jesus' name. Amen
Morning Devotions: 4/8/10
Exodus 16:1-17:16
Practice makes perfect! So, we should be careful about what we're practicing.
The Israelites have just been freed from Egyptian slavery. They have witnessed God's saving work on their behalf. Just yesterday we read and reflected upon their song of thanksgiving. Now, only days after they sung their thankful song to God, their tune has dramatically changed to that of grumbling and complaining. They complained about the lack of adequate food and water. While those are indeed issues that would cause deep concern among a nation of people, it is their way of dealing with these issues that is becoming a problem. God has proven Himself to be worthy of their faith and trust. Yet, when the people are faced with a lack of food, do they pray to God a prayer of trust that God will provide? No. They complain. Next, when the people are faced with a lack of water, do they pray to God a prayer of trust that God will provide? Again, the answer is no. They complain. The Israelites are beginning to practice a pattern of behavior that is not healthy for them or their relationship with God.
So, if practice makes perfect, then what are you practicing?
If you're practicing the behaviors of complaining and grumbling the way the Israelites did, then be careful, you might get very good at it. We all know people who have perfected the art of complaining. They can't seem to be thankful or appreciative for anything. They are miserable to be around, and it seems as though there is never anything positive to talk about when in their presence.
There are other behaviors like complaining that we should be careful not to practice because we might just get very good at them. Here's a few examples. There are some who just cant resist gossiping. There are others who constantly practice self-righteous judgment of others. Most of us know at least one person who cant seem to show any genuine care or empathy toward others.
Practice makes perfect, so be careful what you practice.
Christ died so that we would come to believe that God does not desire to cause us to suffer. Instead, God desires to forgive us and provide for us the freedom to change. By practicing the disciplines of our faith, (prayer, worship, charity, love, compassion etc.), we get better and better at the behaviors that God uses to mold us into the people that He created us to become.
God doesn't ask us to be perfect, but He does ask us to practice!
Lord God, no matter how good the Israelites became at grumbling, you did not abandon them. You provided for their every basic need, and encouraged them to grow in faith along their journey with you. Today, give me grace sufficient enough to make an honest assessment of what I'm practicing. And, provide for me the clarity and the courage to practice the necessary changes that will allow me to follow more closely behind your Son, Jesus. In his name. Amen
Practice makes perfect! So, we should be careful about what we're practicing.
The Israelites have just been freed from Egyptian slavery. They have witnessed God's saving work on their behalf. Just yesterday we read and reflected upon their song of thanksgiving. Now, only days after they sung their thankful song to God, their tune has dramatically changed to that of grumbling and complaining. They complained about the lack of adequate food and water. While those are indeed issues that would cause deep concern among a nation of people, it is their way of dealing with these issues that is becoming a problem. God has proven Himself to be worthy of their faith and trust. Yet, when the people are faced with a lack of food, do they pray to God a prayer of trust that God will provide? No. They complain. Next, when the people are faced with a lack of water, do they pray to God a prayer of trust that God will provide? Again, the answer is no. They complain. The Israelites are beginning to practice a pattern of behavior that is not healthy for them or their relationship with God.
So, if practice makes perfect, then what are you practicing?
If you're practicing the behaviors of complaining and grumbling the way the Israelites did, then be careful, you might get very good at it. We all know people who have perfected the art of complaining. They can't seem to be thankful or appreciative for anything. They are miserable to be around, and it seems as though there is never anything positive to talk about when in their presence.
There are other behaviors like complaining that we should be careful not to practice because we might just get very good at them. Here's a few examples. There are some who just cant resist gossiping. There are others who constantly practice self-righteous judgment of others. Most of us know at least one person who cant seem to show any genuine care or empathy toward others.
Practice makes perfect, so be careful what you practice.
Christ died so that we would come to believe that God does not desire to cause us to suffer. Instead, God desires to forgive us and provide for us the freedom to change. By practicing the disciplines of our faith, (prayer, worship, charity, love, compassion etc.), we get better and better at the behaviors that God uses to mold us into the people that He created us to become.
God doesn't ask us to be perfect, but He does ask us to practice!
Lord God, no matter how good the Israelites became at grumbling, you did not abandon them. You provided for their every basic need, and encouraged them to grow in faith along their journey with you. Today, give me grace sufficient enough to make an honest assessment of what I'm practicing. And, provide for me the clarity and the courage to practice the necessary changes that will allow me to follow more closely behind your Son, Jesus. In his name. Amen
Morning Devotions: 4/7/10
Exodus chapter 15
I often sing in the car. I also tend to sing when I'm when I'm doing chores around the house. When I'm singing I do so by singing along with some of my favorite music.
When do you sing?
Just as there are lots of different kinds of songs, there are just as many reasons to sing. There are sad songs; songs that help us to lament about loss and grief. There are happy songs; songs that allow us to let out joy and love. What have you been singing lately?
Songs that are sung with God in mind can be all of these, but they differ in one way. No matter whether they are songs of sad times of of happy times, songs about God are always thankful. Think about some of your favorite Christian hymns or songs. They are all thankful to God for something. Amazing grace, for instance, is thankful to God for "saving a wretch like me". Or, How Great Thou Art is a song that literally is about singing to God with thankfulness. Whatever the song, if it's a song directed toward God then its going to be a song that is thankful in substance.
So, what are you thankful for these days? Remember in the story Peter Pan, when Peter taught the kids to fly by telling them to think a happy thought? Well, Make a short list of the things that make you say thank you to God, and you'll have a list of happy thoughts. They may not make you fly, but singing might just allow your soul to defy a little bit of the gravity in your life. Your reasons to be thankful to God are reasons worth singing.
In our reading for today, the Israelites have just made it safely across the Red Sea. God has saved them from Pharaoh's army and has freed them from slavery. With thankful hearts for all that God has done, they sing. Having lived through the miraculous events of their freedom and having received such amazing grace as this, how could they keep from singing.
Likewise, the reasons in which you are thankful to God today; these are the reasons for which Jesus died for you. Jesus died so that you would have life, and have it abundantly both now and into eternity. With Jesus' gift of life and grace given freely to us by faith, how can we keep from singing.
Lord God, when trouble comes my way remind me of the many things for which I am thankful to you. With your grace and promise of eternal life, may I sing with a thankful heart through everything. In Jesus' name. Amen
I often sing in the car. I also tend to sing when I'm when I'm doing chores around the house. When I'm singing I do so by singing along with some of my favorite music.
When do you sing?
Just as there are lots of different kinds of songs, there are just as many reasons to sing. There are sad songs; songs that help us to lament about loss and grief. There are happy songs; songs that allow us to let out joy and love. What have you been singing lately?
Songs that are sung with God in mind can be all of these, but they differ in one way. No matter whether they are songs of sad times of of happy times, songs about God are always thankful. Think about some of your favorite Christian hymns or songs. They are all thankful to God for something. Amazing grace, for instance, is thankful to God for "saving a wretch like me". Or, How Great Thou Art is a song that literally is about singing to God with thankfulness. Whatever the song, if it's a song directed toward God then its going to be a song that is thankful in substance.
So, what are you thankful for these days? Remember in the story Peter Pan, when Peter taught the kids to fly by telling them to think a happy thought? Well, Make a short list of the things that make you say thank you to God, and you'll have a list of happy thoughts. They may not make you fly, but singing might just allow your soul to defy a little bit of the gravity in your life. Your reasons to be thankful to God are reasons worth singing.
In our reading for today, the Israelites have just made it safely across the Red Sea. God has saved them from Pharaoh's army and has freed them from slavery. With thankful hearts for all that God has done, they sing. Having lived through the miraculous events of their freedom and having received such amazing grace as this, how could they keep from singing.
Likewise, the reasons in which you are thankful to God today; these are the reasons for which Jesus died for you. Jesus died so that you would have life, and have it abundantly both now and into eternity. With Jesus' gift of life and grace given freely to us by faith, how can we keep from singing.
Lord God, when trouble comes my way remind me of the many things for which I am thankful to you. With your grace and promise of eternal life, may I sing with a thankful heart through everything. In Jesus' name. Amen
Morning Devotions: 4/6/10
Exodus chapter 14
Is there a more dramatic event in the bible than the parting of the Red Sea?
The drama of this event is heightened in the hindsight of realizing that the Israelites did not see this coming. They saw the trap they were in; the Egyptian army advancing on one side, and the water of the sea on the other. They did not see with eyes of faith. Without eyes of faith the Israelites were only able to see two possibilities: return to slavery in Egypt or death in the wilderness. They did not consider the possibility that God would open a new way; one that would dramatically save them from the trap they were in.
What are the most dramatic events of your life?
In hindsight can you see what God was doing with you? Try to remember back to the moments before God acted on your behalf, were you able to see beyond the trap you were in?
Sometimes the problems we face require eyes of faith to be able to see the possibility of a solution that is beyond the problem itself. To look upon problems with eyes of faith is to look with an attempt to see God's perspective. We are often far too close to the problems we face to be able to see with eyes of faith. God's perspective requires a kind of zoom lens, which allows us to zoom out and view the course that God has kept us on over a long period of time. When we do this, we begin to see the ways in which God has rescued us from ourselves through our past. To see the times in which God has rescued us in the past encourages our faith in the present moment, and opens our eyes to new possibilities for solutions.
With eyes of faith, we find the hope and the courage to look at our problems with less despair and more possibility. With God, there is always a solution, we are never trapped. But, we may need to take a dramatic act of faith to overcome certain things.
Lord God, when my eyes can see only the problems before me, open them to see with eyes of faith; and give me courage to act upon the possibilities you present. In Jesus' name. Amen
Is there a more dramatic event in the bible than the parting of the Red Sea?
The drama of this event is heightened in the hindsight of realizing that the Israelites did not see this coming. They saw the trap they were in; the Egyptian army advancing on one side, and the water of the sea on the other. They did not see with eyes of faith. Without eyes of faith the Israelites were only able to see two possibilities: return to slavery in Egypt or death in the wilderness. They did not consider the possibility that God would open a new way; one that would dramatically save them from the trap they were in.
What are the most dramatic events of your life?
In hindsight can you see what God was doing with you? Try to remember back to the moments before God acted on your behalf, were you able to see beyond the trap you were in?
Sometimes the problems we face require eyes of faith to be able to see the possibility of a solution that is beyond the problem itself. To look upon problems with eyes of faith is to look with an attempt to see God's perspective. We are often far too close to the problems we face to be able to see with eyes of faith. God's perspective requires a kind of zoom lens, which allows us to zoom out and view the course that God has kept us on over a long period of time. When we do this, we begin to see the ways in which God has rescued us from ourselves through our past. To see the times in which God has rescued us in the past encourages our faith in the present moment, and opens our eyes to new possibilities for solutions.
With eyes of faith, we find the hope and the courage to look at our problems with less despair and more possibility. With God, there is always a solution, we are never trapped. But, we may need to take a dramatic act of faith to overcome certain things.
Lord God, when my eyes can see only the problems before me, open them to see with eyes of faith; and give me courage to act upon the possibilities you present. In Jesus' name. Amen
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Morning Devotions: 4/5/10
Exodus chapter 13
When's the last time you set out on an adventure to someplace you've never been before?
Who were your travelling companions?
Adventures to foreign places offer a host of intrigue and excitement. It might be a vacation, or just a day-trip, but whatever the case an adventure is usually an event in which we would we prefer to have a companion or two. When discovering new places, we want to create new memories that we'll share with others, and remember with our travelling companions for years to come. There is also an added sense of security to exploring new places with someone else. Being alone in a strange place can be a bit threatening. By travelling with loved ones we actually find the freedom to explore a bit further because we feel a bit more secure.
God has just freed Israel from slavery in Egypt. They had been held captive in Egypt for more than 400 years. Even though their faith in God is informed by the promise of a land that is their own, they have never travelled outside of Egypt. Now they set off on an adventure to a very foreign place. But, they have one very important travelling companion, God. After witnessing the miracles that God did to free them, they are beginning to realize that God has been with them for a long time, as matter of fact they are beginning to believe that God was always there with them. Now, with Moses as intercessor, God is communicating to the Israelites that he intends to lead them into a very grand adventure that will end in the promised land. God did not only free His people. He now travels with them. God is their traveling companion, and he knows the way to the promised land.
Life can be an adventure. Too often we remain enslaved to the sinful tendencies of treating life as if it is only worth the work we do and the money we make. This kind of lifestyle isolates us by fear from exploring and enjoying all that God puts before us to appreciate and share. God offers His Son's forgiveness to free us from the sins of spending our lives on things that are not eternal, so that we can explore the things which are; love, charity, creativity, peace, joy etc. Life becomes an adventure when we allow Jesus to free us from our sinful lifestyles of slavery, and we begin to appreciate the travelling companions we have on the adventure of life. Spending quality time with loved ones can be an extraordinary adventure, especially if its something you haven't done in a long time. If you already spend good quality time with your loved ones, then try planning something creative, something adventurous.
We are all on an adventure. It leads us through all sorts of peaks and valleys of life. Along the way, we need companions with which to share it. God provides us with loved ones, and then He frees us from our sins by the death and resurrection of Jesus. It is his innocent death that helps us realize that life is precious, and that sin only destroys it and cuts it short of it's Godly intended purpose. The resurrection promises us forgiveness, and gives to us the power to try again. We get a re-do with God. This means we can give ourselves and the ones we love a re-do as well. As long as we have breath in this life, we have a travelling companion in God who continues to put opportunities for a new life adventure before us. Even more, God promises to travel with us our guide.
You have a travelling companion in God. He loves you and will never leave you no matter what you face in life.Who are your other travelling companions? Consider making today the beginning of a new adventure, one in which you will find new ways to enjoy and appreciate your loved ones.
Lord God, thank you for the adventure of life. Thank you for the companions you have given me to enjoy through life. Be my travelling companion and keep me heading in the direction that leads to the fulfillment of your promised land; your intended purpose for my life. In Jesus' name. Amen.
When's the last time you set out on an adventure to someplace you've never been before?
Who were your travelling companions?
Adventures to foreign places offer a host of intrigue and excitement. It might be a vacation, or just a day-trip, but whatever the case an adventure is usually an event in which we would we prefer to have a companion or two. When discovering new places, we want to create new memories that we'll share with others, and remember with our travelling companions for years to come. There is also an added sense of security to exploring new places with someone else. Being alone in a strange place can be a bit threatening. By travelling with loved ones we actually find the freedom to explore a bit further because we feel a bit more secure.
God has just freed Israel from slavery in Egypt. They had been held captive in Egypt for more than 400 years. Even though their faith in God is informed by the promise of a land that is their own, they have never travelled outside of Egypt. Now they set off on an adventure to a very foreign place. But, they have one very important travelling companion, God. After witnessing the miracles that God did to free them, they are beginning to realize that God has been with them for a long time, as matter of fact they are beginning to believe that God was always there with them. Now, with Moses as intercessor, God is communicating to the Israelites that he intends to lead them into a very grand adventure that will end in the promised land. God did not only free His people. He now travels with them. God is their traveling companion, and he knows the way to the promised land.
Life can be an adventure. Too often we remain enslaved to the sinful tendencies of treating life as if it is only worth the work we do and the money we make. This kind of lifestyle isolates us by fear from exploring and enjoying all that God puts before us to appreciate and share. God offers His Son's forgiveness to free us from the sins of spending our lives on things that are not eternal, so that we can explore the things which are; love, charity, creativity, peace, joy etc. Life becomes an adventure when we allow Jesus to free us from our sinful lifestyles of slavery, and we begin to appreciate the travelling companions we have on the adventure of life. Spending quality time with loved ones can be an extraordinary adventure, especially if its something you haven't done in a long time. If you already spend good quality time with your loved ones, then try planning something creative, something adventurous.
We are all on an adventure. It leads us through all sorts of peaks and valleys of life. Along the way, we need companions with which to share it. God provides us with loved ones, and then He frees us from our sins by the death and resurrection of Jesus. It is his innocent death that helps us realize that life is precious, and that sin only destroys it and cuts it short of it's Godly intended purpose. The resurrection promises us forgiveness, and gives to us the power to try again. We get a re-do with God. This means we can give ourselves and the ones we love a re-do as well. As long as we have breath in this life, we have a travelling companion in God who continues to put opportunities for a new life adventure before us. Even more, God promises to travel with us our guide.
You have a travelling companion in God. He loves you and will never leave you no matter what you face in life.Who are your other travelling companions? Consider making today the beginning of a new adventure, one in which you will find new ways to enjoy and appreciate your loved ones.
Lord God, thank you for the adventure of life. Thank you for the companions you have given me to enjoy through life. Be my travelling companion and keep me heading in the direction that leads to the fulfillment of your promised land; your intended purpose for my life. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Morning Devotions: 4/4/10
Luke 24:1-12
Easter Sunday It's too good to be true!
When's the last time you said that?
Chances are, you've said it several times recently. Better yet, chances are that you've said it even a half-dozen times this week. You may not even realize you're saying it. We are inundated with propositions on a daily basis for products and ideas, and whatever else is the latest and greatest. Most of them present to us a proposal that is too good to be true. Ever watch an infomercial? How about most of that junk mail that fills our mail boxes and inboxes daily? So, you may not actually say it, but even without saying it, every time you drop that jump mail in the recycling bin, or turn the channel to something on the infomercial, you're saying it---"That's too good to be true" Such a daily, even constant filtering of information makes us pretty savvy at detecting what is worth paying attention to and what isn't.
On that first Easter morning, the women were presented with a proposition that seemed way too good to be true.They arrive at the tomb and find that the stone has been rolled away, essentially the tomb is standing wide open. They investigate and find not the body of Jesus, but two angels who say that Jesus is not here. He is risen and is alive! The women hear this, but at first they don't believe it. This sounds way too good to be true.
The Easter proclamation, "Christ is risen", means that the consequences of our sinful destructive behavior can no longer destroy us. It means that out of all the ugliness of our world, beauty will still rise again. It means that nothing, truly nothing, not even death, can separate us from the forgiving love of God. "Christ is risen"---not even death can keep God from us. "Christ is risen" means we Christians are never without a living, breathing image of an eternal hope. Too often, though, we fail to believe this proclamation, because it seems just too good to be true.
However, when we do believe it, it changes our world. There are times in life when the only thing we have left that keeps us moving forward is the eternal hope that Christ offers to us.
Steven Curtis Chapman, a very popular Contemporary Christian musician, wrote some of the most honest and beautiful lyrics a couple of years ago that speak about the power of this Easter hope. But, to appreciate the music, you have to know the story behind it. The Chapman's 5-year old daughter was tragically killed in an auto accident. The driver of the car that killed their little girl was their oldest son, he was 17 at the time. In the wake of such a devastating loss, Steven Curtis Chapman composed the music for the album "Beauty Will Rise". Each song on this album is written as a response to his grief, and it is powerfully hopeful. One particular song, entitled "See", is written from the perspective of his 5 year old daughter who is now in Heaven. The refrain echoes his pain as well as his joy and hope, as he sings about his daughter reminding him about the beauty of heaven, "Daddy, it's just the way you said it would be, just you wait and see."
The freedom to lament to God, and know that one day we will rise again, that is the power behind this proclamation, "Christ is risen!" And that message is certainly not junk mail. Its the best news the world could receive, and it is a gift from God to all of us who follow Christ.
Lord God, thank you for raising your Son from the grave so that we would be given the ability to believe that you offer an eternal hope to us. May this hope guide my life, shape my life, and give me a reason to carry on. Lord, you make beauty to rise out of ugliness. Make your beauty rise like your Son out of the ugly tomb of my heart. On this Easter day, let me proclaim and believe, "Christ is risen", and he is alive for me. In Jesus' name. Amen
Easter Sunday It's too good to be true!
When's the last time you said that?
Chances are, you've said it several times recently. Better yet, chances are that you've said it even a half-dozen times this week. You may not even realize you're saying it. We are inundated with propositions on a daily basis for products and ideas, and whatever else is the latest and greatest. Most of them present to us a proposal that is too good to be true. Ever watch an infomercial? How about most of that junk mail that fills our mail boxes and inboxes daily? So, you may not actually say it, but even without saying it, every time you drop that jump mail in the recycling bin, or turn the channel to something on the infomercial, you're saying it---"That's too good to be true" Such a daily, even constant filtering of information makes us pretty savvy at detecting what is worth paying attention to and what isn't.
On that first Easter morning, the women were presented with a proposition that seemed way too good to be true.They arrive at the tomb and find that the stone has been rolled away, essentially the tomb is standing wide open. They investigate and find not the body of Jesus, but two angels who say that Jesus is not here. He is risen and is alive! The women hear this, but at first they don't believe it. This sounds way too good to be true.
The Easter proclamation, "Christ is risen", means that the consequences of our sinful destructive behavior can no longer destroy us. It means that out of all the ugliness of our world, beauty will still rise again. It means that nothing, truly nothing, not even death, can separate us from the forgiving love of God. "Christ is risen"---not even death can keep God from us. "Christ is risen" means we Christians are never without a living, breathing image of an eternal hope. Too often, though, we fail to believe this proclamation, because it seems just too good to be true.
However, when we do believe it, it changes our world. There are times in life when the only thing we have left that keeps us moving forward is the eternal hope that Christ offers to us.
Steven Curtis Chapman, a very popular Contemporary Christian musician, wrote some of the most honest and beautiful lyrics a couple of years ago that speak about the power of this Easter hope. But, to appreciate the music, you have to know the story behind it. The Chapman's 5-year old daughter was tragically killed in an auto accident. The driver of the car that killed their little girl was their oldest son, he was 17 at the time. In the wake of such a devastating loss, Steven Curtis Chapman composed the music for the album "Beauty Will Rise". Each song on this album is written as a response to his grief, and it is powerfully hopeful. One particular song, entitled "See", is written from the perspective of his 5 year old daughter who is now in Heaven. The refrain echoes his pain as well as his joy and hope, as he sings about his daughter reminding him about the beauty of heaven, "Daddy, it's just the way you said it would be, just you wait and see."
The freedom to lament to God, and know that one day we will rise again, that is the power behind this proclamation, "Christ is risen!" And that message is certainly not junk mail. Its the best news the world could receive, and it is a gift from God to all of us who follow Christ.
Lord God, thank you for raising your Son from the grave so that we would be given the ability to believe that you offer an eternal hope to us. May this hope guide my life, shape my life, and give me a reason to carry on. Lord, you make beauty to rise out of ugliness. Make your beauty rise like your Son out of the ugly tomb of my heart. On this Easter day, let me proclaim and believe, "Christ is risen", and he is alive for me. In Jesus' name. Amen
Morning Devotions: 4/3/10
Exodus chapters 11-12
Are you a morning person or a night person?
Science has proven that there are times of the day when we are at our peak, and times when we are off-peak. The tricky thing is that we are all different. I have learned that, even though I enjoy night-time activities, I am not very productive at night. I am at my best somewhere between the hours of 8 and 11am. I also think that I am at my worst between 2 and 5pm. Science suggests that if we were able to schedule our daily activities according to our peak and off-peak times we would become more productive, and generally less stressed about life.
We are made in the image of God. Do you think God has a peak time? It's kind of odd to consider, since we would naturally assume that God's omnipotence would preclude any possibility of a peak or off-peak time. But, if for no other reason than for fun, let's consider it for a moment.
Based upon scripture, I think we would have to say that God is at His peak in the night. Think about it. In Genesis, God creates all things out of darkness. In today's text, God sends the mightiest, and the final plague upon Egypt in the middle of the night. God establishes the tradition of Passover for His people and the Exodus begins in the middle of the night. Fast forward now, to the occasion of this day. Today is Holy Saturday. It is the day in which we remember that Jesus was dead in the darkness of a tomb as all of heaven awaited the miraculous event of his resurrection; witnessed in the dawn of Easter morning. This means that the resurrection of Jesus was also a night-time, or darkness event of God's power. The most significant things that God did, the things that still form the very identity of our faith, all happened when God acted in the darkness of night. God must be a night person. He is at his peak in the darkness of night. :-)
God still makes miracles happen in the darkness. Think about the darkest periods of your life. What kept you going, kept you hoping? It was God, doing His most miraculous work for you in your darkest time. God works through all sorts of ways; a friend, a book, a song, a prayer. Most importantly, so that all who seek Him may know where to find Him, He promises to work through his Word in scripture, and in the bread and wine of Holy Communion. I can tell you from my own personal experience that the darkest periods of my life were also times when I had neglected my own faith; when scripture reading, prayer, and genuine worship were taken for granted. On the other hand, I can tell you with equal experiential reference, that in those times the one thing that always brought me out of the darkness and into the light was when I would stop neglecting my faith; return to God through prayer, confession and most importantly, the disciplines of devotion to the Word and sacrament.
Is there a darkness you're enduring right now?
Here's the greatest news of all....God is at His very best when we give up trying to control the darkness and trust it to Him. God turns the darkness of a lonely painful night into the joy of a friendly morning. God turns the darkness of slavery to sins into the grace or forgiveness in the morning. God turns the darkness of grief and sorrow into the hope of eternal life in the morning. No matter how dark life becomes, with trust in God, the Son will rise to bring about the dawn of new life in our hearts.
Lord God, you reserve your greatest work for the darkness of our lives. Thank you for being present in my darkest times. Thank you for this new day. Thank you for your Son, who is our Passover lamb. Let me never take for granted your desire to guide my steps with your Word and sacrament, for your path is one of light, love and peace. Most of all, give me courage to let go of my darkness, give up control, and let you create a new day for me. Let your Son rise within me as I celebrate Easter. In Jesus' name. Amen
Are you a morning person or a night person?
Science has proven that there are times of the day when we are at our peak, and times when we are off-peak. The tricky thing is that we are all different. I have learned that, even though I enjoy night-time activities, I am not very productive at night. I am at my best somewhere between the hours of 8 and 11am. I also think that I am at my worst between 2 and 5pm. Science suggests that if we were able to schedule our daily activities according to our peak and off-peak times we would become more productive, and generally less stressed about life.
We are made in the image of God. Do you think God has a peak time? It's kind of odd to consider, since we would naturally assume that God's omnipotence would preclude any possibility of a peak or off-peak time. But, if for no other reason than for fun, let's consider it for a moment.
Based upon scripture, I think we would have to say that God is at His peak in the night. Think about it. In Genesis, God creates all things out of darkness. In today's text, God sends the mightiest, and the final plague upon Egypt in the middle of the night. God establishes the tradition of Passover for His people and the Exodus begins in the middle of the night. Fast forward now, to the occasion of this day. Today is Holy Saturday. It is the day in which we remember that Jesus was dead in the darkness of a tomb as all of heaven awaited the miraculous event of his resurrection; witnessed in the dawn of Easter morning. This means that the resurrection of Jesus was also a night-time, or darkness event of God's power. The most significant things that God did, the things that still form the very identity of our faith, all happened when God acted in the darkness of night. God must be a night person. He is at his peak in the darkness of night. :-)
God still makes miracles happen in the darkness. Think about the darkest periods of your life. What kept you going, kept you hoping? It was God, doing His most miraculous work for you in your darkest time. God works through all sorts of ways; a friend, a book, a song, a prayer. Most importantly, so that all who seek Him may know where to find Him, He promises to work through his Word in scripture, and in the bread and wine of Holy Communion. I can tell you from my own personal experience that the darkest periods of my life were also times when I had neglected my own faith; when scripture reading, prayer, and genuine worship were taken for granted. On the other hand, I can tell you with equal experiential reference, that in those times the one thing that always brought me out of the darkness and into the light was when I would stop neglecting my faith; return to God through prayer, confession and most importantly, the disciplines of devotion to the Word and sacrament.
Is there a darkness you're enduring right now?
Here's the greatest news of all....God is at His very best when we give up trying to control the darkness and trust it to Him. God turns the darkness of a lonely painful night into the joy of a friendly morning. God turns the darkness of slavery to sins into the grace or forgiveness in the morning. God turns the darkness of grief and sorrow into the hope of eternal life in the morning. No matter how dark life becomes, with trust in God, the Son will rise to bring about the dawn of new life in our hearts.
Lord God, you reserve your greatest work for the darkness of our lives. Thank you for being present in my darkest times. Thank you for this new day. Thank you for your Son, who is our Passover lamb. Let me never take for granted your desire to guide my steps with your Word and sacrament, for your path is one of light, love and peace. Most of all, give me courage to let go of my darkness, give up control, and let you create a new day for me. Let your Son rise within me as I celebrate Easter. In Jesus' name. Amen
Morning Devotions: 4/2/10
Exodus chapter 10
Have you ever apologized for something when you knew inside that you weren't really sorry for what you did?
If you just said no to that question, go back and think about it a bit more. :-)
Pharaoh comes to Moses and seeks to confess his sinfulness. He wants a reprieve from God's plagues. But, his confession is more of a bargaining tool than a demonstration of sincere contrition. Confession is meant to be from a state of contrition, an honest feeling of remorse and guilt for a sin or a short-coming. A contrite person desires to correct his behaviors, "turn from his sinful ways". Without contrition our confessions are meaningless. Pharaoh makes no effort to change his ways, or to demonstrate any kind of true remorse. If so, he would have come to Moses and said something like this. "You're people can go, I am so sorry for the treatment you've received here in Egypt under my reign. I need to learn to use power without oppressing others." No, he just begs for Moses to ask God to make the plague stop. There are consequences to our sinful actions. Trying to bargain with God through false apologies does not work to remove even a moment of the suffering we cause ourselves. God knows what's in our hearts, and if we're honest, so do we.
We've all seen children, when learning to apologize, say their sorry merely because their parents forced to do so. Then, they often go right back to the same behavior. They confessed, but they weren't contrite about it. Furthermore, the very act of the apology becomes a means by which the child can continue to get his way. Early on, we learn the art of using an apology as a form of bargaining or compromising. As we get older, particularly in our teens, the act of apologizing as a tool for bargaining becomes a perfected craft. We've all seen the teenager apology with grand dramas of remorse; making promise after promise to never do it again...IF mom or dad let her have or do this one thing that she wants. As adults we're supposed to know better, but if we're honest with ourselves we all must confess that we've been rewarded for this little trick far too many times to ever let go of this tool in our bargaining/compromising tool belt.
Today is Good Friday. On this day, through the church, we are called upon to confess our sins. Granted, we are called to do this every day. But, Good Friday is a gift to us in that it is the one day when we are called upon to dig a little deeper, try to be a bit more honest with ourselves and God. The truth is, the ugliness and the sinfulness of the cross is all inside of each of us. It is only by the grace of God that it doesn't come out and destroy us. On this day, we can intentionally approach the cross, and boldly confess the truth. At Living God Church, we are given the opportunity to to physically do this very thing, by writing your sins down on a piece of paper and then literally nailing them into the cross. Each painful thrust of the hammer against the nail is a solemn reminder that Jesus is still willing to accept our piercing agony with the hope that we will leave our destructive sinful ways with him, and strive to sin no more. Today, on this solemn day, confess your sins with a state of contrition, not as a form of bargaining with yourself or God, but with a sincere desire to change and begin a new life, one without those sinful ways.
The first verse of a well known Good Friday hymn, which we will sing tonight is appropriate for this devotion.
"Ah, holy Jesus, how hast thou offended that we to judge thee have in hate pretended?"
Ah, Holy Jesus, how can I thank you? You died so that I may live. Today, I offer my confession. I look upon your suffering, your shame, your agony, your dying, and I know that I am the one who should be up there on the cross....not you. But, you take this, my pain, my shame, my agony, and you put it to death with your dying, and you do this for me. Let my confession be sincere, no more bargaining for my own agenda, let me desire nothing more than to turn from my ways and live as you call me to live....as you call me to live......Lord.....I want to live! Amen
Have you ever apologized for something when you knew inside that you weren't really sorry for what you did?
If you just said no to that question, go back and think about it a bit more. :-)
Pharaoh comes to Moses and seeks to confess his sinfulness. He wants a reprieve from God's plagues. But, his confession is more of a bargaining tool than a demonstration of sincere contrition. Confession is meant to be from a state of contrition, an honest feeling of remorse and guilt for a sin or a short-coming. A contrite person desires to correct his behaviors, "turn from his sinful ways". Without contrition our confessions are meaningless. Pharaoh makes no effort to change his ways, or to demonstrate any kind of true remorse. If so, he would have come to Moses and said something like this. "You're people can go, I am so sorry for the treatment you've received here in Egypt under my reign. I need to learn to use power without oppressing others." No, he just begs for Moses to ask God to make the plague stop. There are consequences to our sinful actions. Trying to bargain with God through false apologies does not work to remove even a moment of the suffering we cause ourselves. God knows what's in our hearts, and if we're honest, so do we.
We've all seen children, when learning to apologize, say their sorry merely because their parents forced to do so. Then, they often go right back to the same behavior. They confessed, but they weren't contrite about it. Furthermore, the very act of the apology becomes a means by which the child can continue to get his way. Early on, we learn the art of using an apology as a form of bargaining or compromising. As we get older, particularly in our teens, the act of apologizing as a tool for bargaining becomes a perfected craft. We've all seen the teenager apology with grand dramas of remorse; making promise after promise to never do it again...IF mom or dad let her have or do this one thing that she wants. As adults we're supposed to know better, but if we're honest with ourselves we all must confess that we've been rewarded for this little trick far too many times to ever let go of this tool in our bargaining/compromising tool belt.
Today is Good Friday. On this day, through the church, we are called upon to confess our sins. Granted, we are called to do this every day. But, Good Friday is a gift to us in that it is the one day when we are called upon to dig a little deeper, try to be a bit more honest with ourselves and God. The truth is, the ugliness and the sinfulness of the cross is all inside of each of us. It is only by the grace of God that it doesn't come out and destroy us. On this day, we can intentionally approach the cross, and boldly confess the truth. At Living God Church, we are given the opportunity to to physically do this very thing, by writing your sins down on a piece of paper and then literally nailing them into the cross. Each painful thrust of the hammer against the nail is a solemn reminder that Jesus is still willing to accept our piercing agony with the hope that we will leave our destructive sinful ways with him, and strive to sin no more. Today, on this solemn day, confess your sins with a state of contrition, not as a form of bargaining with yourself or God, but with a sincere desire to change and begin a new life, one without those sinful ways.
The first verse of a well known Good Friday hymn, which we will sing tonight is appropriate for this devotion.
"Ah, holy Jesus, how hast thou offended that we to judge thee have in hate pretended?"
Ah, Holy Jesus, how can I thank you? You died so that I may live. Today, I offer my confession. I look upon your suffering, your shame, your agony, your dying, and I know that I am the one who should be up there on the cross....not you. But, you take this, my pain, my shame, my agony, and you put it to death with your dying, and you do this for me. Let my confession be sincere, no more bargaining for my own agenda, let me desire nothing more than to turn from my ways and live as you call me to live....as you call me to live......Lord.....I want to live! Amen
Morning Devotions: 4/1/10
Exodus Chapters 8-9
Remember that first time at the public pool when you jumped off the high dive?I remember looking at it from the ground with this deep kind of unavoidable will to do this logic-defying thing. It was as if I knew that one day I would, and the only question was how long could I hold out before I absolutely had to. Then, one hot summer day, I mounted the ladder to make the terrifying climb to the top. I remember how each rung of that ladder intensified my anguish inside. Then, I remember standing on that perilously high board looking out over all the people. It seemed as though all eyes were on me. Suddenly, the fear I felt from the ground, and the anguish that intensified up the ladder turned into something worse---despair. All alone on the high dive; nothing below to catch me (or so it seemed), and nothing but humiliation to pay if I climb back down. Then, in my moment of despair, I remember a kind of calm courage---then I jumped. Looking back I realize that before I came up out of the water, something had washed over me that was more refreshing than the pool, faith.
Despair is the worst. It is what fear and anguish intensify into. Despair is a state of total hopelessness. It's that moment when everything you've tried, all of your best efforts still cant overcome what you face. Its that moment when all you have left to do is pray. So, you do, possibly for the first time in a long time. Despair leads us to faith.
Remember the last time you were in despair?
Remember how your despair caused you to turn towards God and and pray Jesus' Gethsemane Prayer "Not my will, but thine be done"?
That's what is happening with these plagues in Egypt that we are working through for the next few days. Yesterday we read about the Nile turning to blood (plague 1). Today we read about frogs and gnats (plagues 2 and 3). When Moses returned to Egypt and announced to Pharaoh that God is determined to free the Israelites, and that He requests that Pharaoh let His people go, that was the moment of fear, like that of realizing you must go off the high dive. Now, the plagues are coming, and Pharaoh has begun climbing up the ladder. With each plague the anguish of Egypt will intensify as the plagues reach higher and higher into God's authority over all things. The last plague is God's power over death. This one will finally break Pharaoh's heart from anguish into despair. Then, out of despair, Pharaoh will finally find the courage---even faith---to take the jump of believing in the God of Moses and the Israelites. So, while this story is clearly one about the deliverance of God's people. Can we not also see the other side, the untold story, of when Pharaoh first came to believe? There is even a bit of historical proof of this, for there is a brief period of Egyptian history when they turned away from paganism and believed in only one great and mighty God.
On this Holy Thursday, when we remember the way in which Jesus gave himself humbly away in service and sacrifice to us as he did to his disciples, we also remember Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane after sharing his last supper. There in the garden, we remember Jesus' despair as he prayed this most faithful prayer to the Father, "Not my will, but thine be done."
Let Jesus' faith in his moment of despair be an inspiration to you this day, and in every moment of despair that comes to you.
Lord Jesus, you were there when the Israelites cried out for deliverance, and you were also there when Pharaoh was in despair. Finally, you felt despair yourself in the Garden of Gethsemane. When despair brings us to faith, you are the saving arms that catch us when we leap. Thank you! In your name. Amen
Remember that first time at the public pool when you jumped off the high dive?I remember looking at it from the ground with this deep kind of unavoidable will to do this logic-defying thing. It was as if I knew that one day I would, and the only question was how long could I hold out before I absolutely had to. Then, one hot summer day, I mounted the ladder to make the terrifying climb to the top. I remember how each rung of that ladder intensified my anguish inside. Then, I remember standing on that perilously high board looking out over all the people. It seemed as though all eyes were on me. Suddenly, the fear I felt from the ground, and the anguish that intensified up the ladder turned into something worse---despair. All alone on the high dive; nothing below to catch me (or so it seemed), and nothing but humiliation to pay if I climb back down. Then, in my moment of despair, I remember a kind of calm courage---then I jumped. Looking back I realize that before I came up out of the water, something had washed over me that was more refreshing than the pool, faith.
Despair is the worst. It is what fear and anguish intensify into. Despair is a state of total hopelessness. It's that moment when everything you've tried, all of your best efforts still cant overcome what you face. Its that moment when all you have left to do is pray. So, you do, possibly for the first time in a long time. Despair leads us to faith.
Remember the last time you were in despair?
Remember how your despair caused you to turn towards God and and pray Jesus' Gethsemane Prayer "Not my will, but thine be done"?
That's what is happening with these plagues in Egypt that we are working through for the next few days. Yesterday we read about the Nile turning to blood (plague 1). Today we read about frogs and gnats (plagues 2 and 3). When Moses returned to Egypt and announced to Pharaoh that God is determined to free the Israelites, and that He requests that Pharaoh let His people go, that was the moment of fear, like that of realizing you must go off the high dive. Now, the plagues are coming, and Pharaoh has begun climbing up the ladder. With each plague the anguish of Egypt will intensify as the plagues reach higher and higher into God's authority over all things. The last plague is God's power over death. This one will finally break Pharaoh's heart from anguish into despair. Then, out of despair, Pharaoh will finally find the courage---even faith---to take the jump of believing in the God of Moses and the Israelites. So, while this story is clearly one about the deliverance of God's people. Can we not also see the other side, the untold story, of when Pharaoh first came to believe? There is even a bit of historical proof of this, for there is a brief period of Egyptian history when they turned away from paganism and believed in only one great and mighty God.
On this Holy Thursday, when we remember the way in which Jesus gave himself humbly away in service and sacrifice to us as he did to his disciples, we also remember Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane after sharing his last supper. There in the garden, we remember Jesus' despair as he prayed this most faithful prayer to the Father, "Not my will, but thine be done."
Let Jesus' faith in his moment of despair be an inspiration to you this day, and in every moment of despair that comes to you.
Lord Jesus, you were there when the Israelites cried out for deliverance, and you were also there when Pharaoh was in despair. Finally, you felt despair yourself in the Garden of Gethsemane. When despair brings us to faith, you are the saving arms that catch us when we leap. Thank you! In your name. Amen
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Morning Devotions: 3/31/10
Exodus chapter 7
Moses and his miraculous staff.
When the primary mode of transportation was walking, I can imagine people making good use of walking sticks. I enjoy hiking, and I used to have this walking stick that I made myself from a tree branch. After selecting a stick that was just the right length, I used a pocket knife to remove the bark, and carve my initials in the side. It was my staff. It was uniquely mine. I can imagine a similar kind of particularity that would be given to each person's walking stick back in Moses' time. Moses' staff would have been a unique kind of extension of his identity.
When God blesses Moses' staff with various miraculous traits, his staff took on an additional unique identity. It was the identity of God. When Moses would raise his staff or throw it down God's miracles would happen. Moses' identity was intertwined with God's when he used his staff. People learned to recognize the work of God when ever Moses would use his staff.
Today, people don't use walking sticks as much, but neither does God. :-) Today, God has given us different kinds of gifts that help us to intertwine our identity with God's. For instance, Moses didn't have the bible. We do. Bibles are very personalized. Like a walking stick, the more they are used the more they take on the unique particularity of their owners. Consider how your bible communicates your identity. Consider as well how people recognize the work of God when you use it.
There are other staff-like gifts that God has given us as well. There are ways in which each of us are very uniquely equipped with qualities and characteristics that are particular to our identity. When we use them for God's purposes, people begin to recognize the work of God when we do.
How are you uniquely talented?
How do you use this for God's purposes?
Jesus was raised with a unique talent that was part of his identity. He was a carpenter. Interesting, isn't it, that his crowning moment of glory came when he was hung on a cross--the handy work of some unknown carpenter. Like Moses, when he raised his (wooden) staff people recognized the work of God in him, Jesus was raised up on a wooden cross (staff) and people still recognize the work of God in Jesus.
Lord God, thank you for the ways you have uniquely created me. Thank you for the gift of the bible. Motivate me to make use of these special gifts for your purposes that my identity might become more closely intertwined with yours. In Jesus' name. Amen
Moses and his miraculous staff.
When the primary mode of transportation was walking, I can imagine people making good use of walking sticks. I enjoy hiking, and I used to have this walking stick that I made myself from a tree branch. After selecting a stick that was just the right length, I used a pocket knife to remove the bark, and carve my initials in the side. It was my staff. It was uniquely mine. I can imagine a similar kind of particularity that would be given to each person's walking stick back in Moses' time. Moses' staff would have been a unique kind of extension of his identity.
When God blesses Moses' staff with various miraculous traits, his staff took on an additional unique identity. It was the identity of God. When Moses would raise his staff or throw it down God's miracles would happen. Moses' identity was intertwined with God's when he used his staff. People learned to recognize the work of God when ever Moses would use his staff.
Today, people don't use walking sticks as much, but neither does God. :-) Today, God has given us different kinds of gifts that help us to intertwine our identity with God's. For instance, Moses didn't have the bible. We do. Bibles are very personalized. Like a walking stick, the more they are used the more they take on the unique particularity of their owners. Consider how your bible communicates your identity. Consider as well how people recognize the work of God when you use it.
There are other staff-like gifts that God has given us as well. There are ways in which each of us are very uniquely equipped with qualities and characteristics that are particular to our identity. When we use them for God's purposes, people begin to recognize the work of God when we do.
How are you uniquely talented?
How do you use this for God's purposes?
Jesus was raised with a unique talent that was part of his identity. He was a carpenter. Interesting, isn't it, that his crowning moment of glory came when he was hung on a cross--the handy work of some unknown carpenter. Like Moses, when he raised his (wooden) staff people recognized the work of God in him, Jesus was raised up on a wooden cross (staff) and people still recognize the work of God in Jesus.
Lord God, thank you for the ways you have uniquely created me. Thank you for the gift of the bible. Motivate me to make use of these special gifts for your purposes that my identity might become more closely intertwined with yours. In Jesus' name. Amen
Morning Devotions: 3/30/10
Exodus chapter 5-6
Family--they can be our saving grace in times of trouble. Or, they can become an additional source of trouble. They can be our strongest supporters. Or, they can hold us back and give us their fears.
Moses, as a Levite, has deep connections among the Israelites through his family name. But, his family offered no support to him and his brother Aaron. In the end his family did more to hurt the cause of freedom that Moses presented to them. Unable to see beyond their own fears, they actually rallied the Israelites to turn against Moses and Aaron.
Not all of us are born into healthy family systems where good and supportive roles models help to shape our lives positively as we mature. Nevertheless, all of us need to find a healthy support system. Many of us have had to find other role models. Sometimes we find them by learning to rely more heavily on one or two positive ones within our family. Other times we may look outside the family to find the support we need.
Whatever the case, as we grow and mature, we come to understand our families and the systems of support or the lack thereof with a sense of grace. After all, they are our family.
Jesus' connection to God, and his friendships with the disciples provide for us a window through which we might see the hope of heaven for all of our families. Like the way Jesus loves his friends; may our families find long-suffering, joy-filled abiding love. Like the way Jesus gives himself to God the Father's will, even when it means dying on the cross; may our families find true security in loyal, sacrificial, selfless service.
Lord Jesus you are a role model that we can trust. Today, I give thanks for all those positive role models of love and hope that I look to as a source of inspiration. I pray for my family, and for families everywhere. Send your holy angels to watch over the little ones who are born into destructively dysfunctional homes. Awaken my awareness to the destructive things I do, and wash me with your grace to correct my ways. In Jesus' name. Amen
Family--they can be our saving grace in times of trouble. Or, they can become an additional source of trouble. They can be our strongest supporters. Or, they can hold us back and give us their fears.
Moses, as a Levite, has deep connections among the Israelites through his family name. But, his family offered no support to him and his brother Aaron. In the end his family did more to hurt the cause of freedom that Moses presented to them. Unable to see beyond their own fears, they actually rallied the Israelites to turn against Moses and Aaron.
Not all of us are born into healthy family systems where good and supportive roles models help to shape our lives positively as we mature. Nevertheless, all of us need to find a healthy support system. Many of us have had to find other role models. Sometimes we find them by learning to rely more heavily on one or two positive ones within our family. Other times we may look outside the family to find the support we need.
Whatever the case, as we grow and mature, we come to understand our families and the systems of support or the lack thereof with a sense of grace. After all, they are our family.
Jesus' connection to God, and his friendships with the disciples provide for us a window through which we might see the hope of heaven for all of our families. Like the way Jesus loves his friends; may our families find long-suffering, joy-filled abiding love. Like the way Jesus gives himself to God the Father's will, even when it means dying on the cross; may our families find true security in loyal, sacrificial, selfless service.
Lord Jesus you are a role model that we can trust. Today, I give thanks for all those positive role models of love and hope that I look to as a source of inspiration. I pray for my family, and for families everywhere. Send your holy angels to watch over the little ones who are born into destructively dysfunctional homes. Awaken my awareness to the destructive things I do, and wash me with your grace to correct my ways. In Jesus' name. Amen
Morning Devotions: 3/29/10
This morning's bible reading: Exodus chapters 3-4
Moses has a holy ground experience.
For many of us, I think, holy ground refers to a physical, temporal place; a church, or a special place at the ocean or on a mountain top. For some it is possibly even a specific geography such as Jerusalem, or Mt. Sinai. I've come to believe that holy ground has far less to do with locations, and for more to do with spiritual experiences. Today's text confirms that with me. In the holy ground experience of Moses we find far less emphasis on the temporal location than on the spiritual ascent of Moses to God's purpose for him.
Moses begins his day as if it was like any other. He was a shepherd, and essentially he was at work. But, his holy ground experience makes a dramatic change in his life, one that will altar his existence from that of shepherding sheep to shepherding people. He begins the day with certain expectations, but by the end of the day he has a renewed sense of vision and expectation of a challenge before him that he must face. There is a challenging new path before him, but he is inspired and determined to see it through. His motivation comes from his faith that God will provide for him and lead him to the completion of this daunting challenge.
I've had moments like that in my life. They are few, but they are powerful. They are moments of clarity like that of finally finding the missing clue to a puzzle you've worked for a long time. Then, realizing it's that very piece which let's you see where everything else is supposed to go. These are holy ground moments. They are spiritual moments when God's passionate, life sustaining fire intervenes to provide renewed clarity to our very existence. They are often moments that are so profound and empowering that you can remember the details of the location, the weather, even the sounds and smells you were hearing at the moment.
There are a few of life's experiences that are common locations where holy ground often occurs. Falling in love, the birth of children, the loss of loved ones; these are all points within life when we might expect God to intervene with holy ground influence. But, I have found that the holy ground moments that occur when we least expect them can be the most profound.
When's the last time you sensed that you were standing on holy ground?
O God, thank you for intervening in my life over all these years. Thank you for those holy ground moments that leave me speechless at your amazing grace for me. Intervene in my life today, Lord, and set me on the path of your will. In Jesus' name. Amen
Moses has a holy ground experience.
For many of us, I think, holy ground refers to a physical, temporal place; a church, or a special place at the ocean or on a mountain top. For some it is possibly even a specific geography such as Jerusalem, or Mt. Sinai. I've come to believe that holy ground has far less to do with locations, and for more to do with spiritual experiences. Today's text confirms that with me. In the holy ground experience of Moses we find far less emphasis on the temporal location than on the spiritual ascent of Moses to God's purpose for him.
Moses begins his day as if it was like any other. He was a shepherd, and essentially he was at work. But, his holy ground experience makes a dramatic change in his life, one that will altar his existence from that of shepherding sheep to shepherding people. He begins the day with certain expectations, but by the end of the day he has a renewed sense of vision and expectation of a challenge before him that he must face. There is a challenging new path before him, but he is inspired and determined to see it through. His motivation comes from his faith that God will provide for him and lead him to the completion of this daunting challenge.
I've had moments like that in my life. They are few, but they are powerful. They are moments of clarity like that of finally finding the missing clue to a puzzle you've worked for a long time. Then, realizing it's that very piece which let's you see where everything else is supposed to go. These are holy ground moments. They are spiritual moments when God's passionate, life sustaining fire intervenes to provide renewed clarity to our very existence. They are often moments that are so profound and empowering that you can remember the details of the location, the weather, even the sounds and smells you were hearing at the moment.
There are a few of life's experiences that are common locations where holy ground often occurs. Falling in love, the birth of children, the loss of loved ones; these are all points within life when we might expect God to intervene with holy ground influence. But, I have found that the holy ground moments that occur when we least expect them can be the most profound.
When's the last time you sensed that you were standing on holy ground?
O God, thank you for intervening in my life over all these years. Thank you for those holy ground moments that leave me speechless at your amazing grace for me. Intervene in my life today, Lord, and set me on the path of your will. In Jesus' name. Amen
Morning Devotions: 3/28/10
Palm Sunday
Luke 19:28-40
Jesus enters Jerusalem.....on a donkey?
This is certainly not the grand entrance we would have expected.
By this point in Jesus' life he had risen in status to that of a high ranking political figure. The rumors had spread that he was to be crowned the king of the Jews; that he was the long-awaited Messiah. His reputation preceded him to Jerusalem. The people surely would have expected a grand entrance. Pontius Pilate would have been seen traveling to and from Jerusalem on a mighty horse; one that would have been adorned with hints of armor and decorated with images of Caesar, the seal of Roman authority. Pilate would likely have been flanked by fully armed soldiers as security, communicating a sense of untouchable power. Surely if the Jews were anticipating their next king to make his first ever grand entrance into the most important city of all Judea, they would have been expecting some sort of similar show of power or a demonstration of royal stature. They would not have expected a donkey and a band of singing sinners.
Seldom is Jesus who or what we expect him to be.
We expect him to be the right arm of God, power, majesty etc. But then our most profound encounters with him, when we sense that we might just be standing on holy ground, are most often moments of humility, grace, love, peace.
We expect to see him in displays of power over our enemies. Yet, this very power is realized when we are on our knees encountering strength, courage and faith in our weakest moments.
We expect that he would be powerfully present with those "Christians"--you know the ones. They are always way better than everyone else around them because they like to put on air of righteousness. But, then he makes himself present even to the likes of you and me in small and unthreatening ways, like the subtlety of a message heard in church; a friendly greeting, in the water of a baptism, or in the bread and the wine.
Jesus enters on a donkey; humble, graceful, unthreatening; with subtle inward strength, courage, and faith.
Kings, presidents and all sorts of other political figures will come and go with grand displays of power and security for all the world to see. Meanwhile, we will continue to recognize Jesus' presence coming and going from us with subtle demonstrations of humility, grace, peace, love...the kinds of things that make us stronger, and better human beings on the inside where no one can see his profound power. Kings, presidents and others like them demonstrate their power on the outside because it is necessary to save themselves and secure the power of the office they hold.Jesus, on the other hand, isn't interested in saving himself or securing his own authority. He wants to save us, and keep us secure for all eternity.
Lord God, save me and secure me with your authority. Keep me within your humble, loving presence. Encourage me, and strengthen me to grow and change according to your will. In Jesus' name. Amen
Luke 19:28-40
Jesus enters Jerusalem.....on a donkey?
This is certainly not the grand entrance we would have expected.
By this point in Jesus' life he had risen in status to that of a high ranking political figure. The rumors had spread that he was to be crowned the king of the Jews; that he was the long-awaited Messiah. His reputation preceded him to Jerusalem. The people surely would have expected a grand entrance. Pontius Pilate would have been seen traveling to and from Jerusalem on a mighty horse; one that would have been adorned with hints of armor and decorated with images of Caesar, the seal of Roman authority. Pilate would likely have been flanked by fully armed soldiers as security, communicating a sense of untouchable power. Surely if the Jews were anticipating their next king to make his first ever grand entrance into the most important city of all Judea, they would have been expecting some sort of similar show of power or a demonstration of royal stature. They would not have expected a donkey and a band of singing sinners.
Seldom is Jesus who or what we expect him to be.
We expect him to be the right arm of God, power, majesty etc. But then our most profound encounters with him, when we sense that we might just be standing on holy ground, are most often moments of humility, grace, love, peace.
We expect to see him in displays of power over our enemies. Yet, this very power is realized when we are on our knees encountering strength, courage and faith in our weakest moments.
We expect that he would be powerfully present with those "Christians"--you know the ones. They are always way better than everyone else around them because they like to put on air of righteousness. But, then he makes himself present even to the likes of you and me in small and unthreatening ways, like the subtlety of a message heard in church; a friendly greeting, in the water of a baptism, or in the bread and the wine.
Jesus enters on a donkey; humble, graceful, unthreatening; with subtle inward strength, courage, and faith.
Kings, presidents and all sorts of other political figures will come and go with grand displays of power and security for all the world to see. Meanwhile, we will continue to recognize Jesus' presence coming and going from us with subtle demonstrations of humility, grace, peace, love...the kinds of things that make us stronger, and better human beings on the inside where no one can see his profound power. Kings, presidents and others like them demonstrate their power on the outside because it is necessary to save themselves and secure the power of the office they hold.Jesus, on the other hand, isn't interested in saving himself or securing his own authority. He wants to save us, and keep us secure for all eternity.
Lord God, save me and secure me with your authority. Keep me within your humble, loving presence. Encourage me, and strengthen me to grow and change according to your will. In Jesus' name. Amen
Morning Devotions: 3/27/10
Exodus 2
God has invisible hands.
We don't see God's name mentioned anywhere in today's reading until the very end. But, the work of God's hands is very noticeable, because God's fingerprints are all over it.
Fingerprint 1: The text begins just following Pharaoh's orders to kill Hebrew children in an effort to thwart the prosperity of the Israelites. You might expect chapter two to begin with a description of the cries of fear, grief and anger at the death of innocent children. Instead, the chapter begins with the description of a marriage and the birth of a boy. Like a potter, God's hands mold and shape fear, grief and anger into the gifts of faith, hope and love.
Fingerprint 2: The rescue of Moses' from the river and his sister's suggestion of a woman to nurse him is simply miraculous. Such sacrificial love and faithfulness are quite noticeably the handy work of God.
Fingerprint 3: Moses grows up as an entitled, sovereign prince of Egypt. Once he realizes his roots, he takes pity on his people, but he is arrogant and foolish. He kills a man, and then must flee in desperation for his life into the desert. It's from despair that God so often molds his most beautiful work. In Moses' desperation God introduces him to Jethro. Jethro is a Midian priest. As descendants of Abraham, but not Jacob, the Midianites were relatives of the Israelites. They believed in the God of Abraham. Jethro was a priest. Jethro, like Abraham and his descendants, was also a shepherd. It was no coincidence that Moses winds up with Jethro in the desert. It was the work of God's leading and guiding hand. God took this arrogant, entitled Egyptian prince and with Jethro's mentoring, molded Moses into a humble Hebrew shepherd.
God's fingerprints are all over your life too. You may not be able to see Him, but he is there with you. Like a potter, with a loving, gentle touch he has been molding and shaping your life all along. You cant see his hands, but he does leave his fingerprints behind. Can you spot them in your life?
O Lord, my God, you are so awesome! The works of your hands are simply miraculous. Help me to trust you through all the events of my life. Lead me. Guide me. Mold me. Use me. In Jesus' name. Amen.
God has invisible hands.
We don't see God's name mentioned anywhere in today's reading until the very end. But, the work of God's hands is very noticeable, because God's fingerprints are all over it.
Fingerprint 1: The text begins just following Pharaoh's orders to kill Hebrew children in an effort to thwart the prosperity of the Israelites. You might expect chapter two to begin with a description of the cries of fear, grief and anger at the death of innocent children. Instead, the chapter begins with the description of a marriage and the birth of a boy. Like a potter, God's hands mold and shape fear, grief and anger into the gifts of faith, hope and love.
Fingerprint 2: The rescue of Moses' from the river and his sister's suggestion of a woman to nurse him is simply miraculous. Such sacrificial love and faithfulness are quite noticeably the handy work of God.
Fingerprint 3: Moses grows up as an entitled, sovereign prince of Egypt. Once he realizes his roots, he takes pity on his people, but he is arrogant and foolish. He kills a man, and then must flee in desperation for his life into the desert. It's from despair that God so often molds his most beautiful work. In Moses' desperation God introduces him to Jethro. Jethro is a Midian priest. As descendants of Abraham, but not Jacob, the Midianites were relatives of the Israelites. They believed in the God of Abraham. Jethro was a priest. Jethro, like Abraham and his descendants, was also a shepherd. It was no coincidence that Moses winds up with Jethro in the desert. It was the work of God's leading and guiding hand. God took this arrogant, entitled Egyptian prince and with Jethro's mentoring, molded Moses into a humble Hebrew shepherd.
God's fingerprints are all over your life too. You may not be able to see Him, but he is there with you. Like a potter, with a loving, gentle touch he has been molding and shaping your life all along. You cant see his hands, but he does leave his fingerprints behind. Can you spot them in your life?
O Lord, my God, you are so awesome! The works of your hands are simply miraculous. Help me to trust you through all the events of my life. Lead me. Guide me. Mold me. Use me. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Morning Devotions: 3/26/10
Exodus 1
Remember the Boogie-Man?
Who frightens you now?
Pharaoh is frightened by the Israelites. The text says that he was afraid because they have grown too numerous and might over-power Egypt and leave. But, this sounds more like an outward expression of the truth rather than the truth itself. It seems that the truth lies in the statement, "[He] did not know Joseph". What does Pharaoh have to fear if the people of Israel (Joseph's people) are well known and therefore are treated with the same dignity and grace as any other Egyptian? If the Israelites were welcomed, treated kindly, and "known" by the Egyptians would not the scenario of war that Pharaoh fears be a non-issue? Wouldn't the Israelites go to war with Pharaoh's army, not against them? After all, if the Israelites were living with dignity and grace in Egypt a threat of war to Egypt would be a threat to them as well. But, if the truth is that Egypt is not treating the Israelites kindly, then Egypt's very own actions have isolated the Israelites into a people that have become foreign to Egypt. These unknown people, these strangers, these Israelites are now clearly not Egyptians and they threaten Pharaoh's power. But, underneath it all is that same fear we all had when we were children of the Boogie-Man, it's a very basic fear of the unknown---the stranger.
My generation might have been the last to be taught at a very young age by our parents to say hello and be polite to strangers. Our culture has completely changed. Now, we raise our kids to be afraid of strangers. We teach them to never speak to strangers. We find good reason for this all over the news and TV. But, doesn't a question rise from within us as we do this? Is the stranger really dangerous? Or, can we adults say that we have some special talent that helps us determine which strangers are dangerous and which ones aren't? Or, thinking a bit more deeply, what if the stranger we avoid this day is actually someone harmless and lonely who could benefit greatly by a simple act of kindness?
Jesus didn't teach the fear of strangers. As a matter of fact he taught just the opposite. "Do to others what you would have them do to you." In other words, treat others the same way you wish to be treated. I don't think I'm going too far out on a limb here when I assume that none of us wants to be avoided, ignored, or feared by children? Nevertheless the seeds we sow become the harvest we reap. Walk into the grocery store and take notice of how many folks are willing to actually make eye contact with you, or who are willing to offer some sort of friendly greeting. It's funny how a busy grocery store can become such a lonely place. Meanwhile the number of people who are clinically depressed or even suicidal are higher here than any place else in the world.
Pharaoh feared the Israelites because he didn't know them. Had he gotten to know them he would have realized that they were gentle, kind, godly people. Instead, his fear of them turned the Israelites into a threat for him--they became his Boogie-Man. But, what we sow becomes what we reap. As he acted with fear toward them, he turned himself into the Boogie-Man in their eyes. As we treat others with a lack of kindness, as if the stranger is the Boogie-Man, we receive the same lack of kindness in return, and we become the Boogie-Man.
It's risky to reach out with kindness to strangers. It seems even more risky in our world. But, in small ways we can change the world around us. By sowing kindness we reap kindness.
Lord God, because of my sin I was once a stranger to you, and you were once a stranger to me. But you sent Jesus to reach out with kindness and on the cross you reached out with love. You risked everything to welcome me into your kingdom. You brought me in, and I am no longer a stranger to you, nor are you to me. Give me courage today to greet others with warmth and kindness. Protect me, and shield me from danger that by my faith in you I would be free from the fear of others so that I might act kindly to strangers rather than fearfully. Let me sow kindness, that kindness may be what I reap. In Jesus' name. Amen
Remember the Boogie-Man?
Who frightens you now?
Pharaoh is frightened by the Israelites. The text says that he was afraid because they have grown too numerous and might over-power Egypt and leave. But, this sounds more like an outward expression of the truth rather than the truth itself. It seems that the truth lies in the statement, "[He] did not know Joseph". What does Pharaoh have to fear if the people of Israel (Joseph's people) are well known and therefore are treated with the same dignity and grace as any other Egyptian? If the Israelites were welcomed, treated kindly, and "known" by the Egyptians would not the scenario of war that Pharaoh fears be a non-issue? Wouldn't the Israelites go to war with Pharaoh's army, not against them? After all, if the Israelites were living with dignity and grace in Egypt a threat of war to Egypt would be a threat to them as well. But, if the truth is that Egypt is not treating the Israelites kindly, then Egypt's very own actions have isolated the Israelites into a people that have become foreign to Egypt. These unknown people, these strangers, these Israelites are now clearly not Egyptians and they threaten Pharaoh's power. But, underneath it all is that same fear we all had when we were children of the Boogie-Man, it's a very basic fear of the unknown---the stranger.
My generation might have been the last to be taught at a very young age by our parents to say hello and be polite to strangers. Our culture has completely changed. Now, we raise our kids to be afraid of strangers. We teach them to never speak to strangers. We find good reason for this all over the news and TV. But, doesn't a question rise from within us as we do this? Is the stranger really dangerous? Or, can we adults say that we have some special talent that helps us determine which strangers are dangerous and which ones aren't? Or, thinking a bit more deeply, what if the stranger we avoid this day is actually someone harmless and lonely who could benefit greatly by a simple act of kindness?
Jesus didn't teach the fear of strangers. As a matter of fact he taught just the opposite. "Do to others what you would have them do to you." In other words, treat others the same way you wish to be treated. I don't think I'm going too far out on a limb here when I assume that none of us wants to be avoided, ignored, or feared by children? Nevertheless the seeds we sow become the harvest we reap. Walk into the grocery store and take notice of how many folks are willing to actually make eye contact with you, or who are willing to offer some sort of friendly greeting. It's funny how a busy grocery store can become such a lonely place. Meanwhile the number of people who are clinically depressed or even suicidal are higher here than any place else in the world.
Pharaoh feared the Israelites because he didn't know them. Had he gotten to know them he would have realized that they were gentle, kind, godly people. Instead, his fear of them turned the Israelites into a threat for him--they became his Boogie-Man. But, what we sow becomes what we reap. As he acted with fear toward them, he turned himself into the Boogie-Man in their eyes. As we treat others with a lack of kindness, as if the stranger is the Boogie-Man, we receive the same lack of kindness in return, and we become the Boogie-Man.
It's risky to reach out with kindness to strangers. It seems even more risky in our world. But, in small ways we can change the world around us. By sowing kindness we reap kindness.
Lord God, because of my sin I was once a stranger to you, and you were once a stranger to me. But you sent Jesus to reach out with kindness and on the cross you reached out with love. You risked everything to welcome me into your kingdom. You brought me in, and I am no longer a stranger to you, nor are you to me. Give me courage today to greet others with warmth and kindness. Protect me, and shield me from danger that by my faith in you I would be free from the fear of others so that I might act kindly to strangers rather than fearfully. Let me sow kindness, that kindness may be what I reap. In Jesus' name. Amen
Morning Devotions: 3/25/10
Genesis 49-50
Endings are new beginnings.
The book of Genesis ends with a new beginning. Here we read of the death of the two main patriarchal characters at this point in the story, Jacob and Joseph, as well as their burial in the promised land. While those are indeed sad events, the reading of these final two chapters of Genesis are anything but sad. They are actually filled with anticipation and hope for God is about to do next. We don't close the book of Genesis with any sense of closure at all. On the contrary, it seems as though the book of Genesis was only the beginning of the story. Genesis closes with an enthusiasm to open the book of Exodus.
There's a saying: Whenever God closes one door, He'll open another. The book of Genesis closes in such a way that certainly affirms that saying. In times when doors are closing all around us, a statement such as this can help us muster up the faith to remain hopeful in what God has promised to do next. This is important because it is often in these times of transition when we lose patience with God, and wind up behaving unfaithfully.
When doors are closing, we can feel claustrophobic. Feelings of loss, failure, grief, shame, loneliness can close in upon us. Our own personal demons begin to close in and torment us in a way that brings to mind some of our nightmares. When things all around us are closing in like this, it can be very difficult to wait on the Lord to open a new door. We become more vulnerable than ever to giving up our faith and pushing open a door of our own choosing. Times like these are not times to act desperately, hastily. They are not times to bust open a new hole in the wall. They are times to be patient, and wait for the Lord. Rather than trying to force your own new opening, wait, and let God bring the right one to you. He will make a way.
When the book of Genesis ends we are eager to turn to the book of Exodus and find out how God will get Israel out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. But, when we turn the page, the opening words of Exodus remind us that many generations passed before the time of the Exodus. Israel waited on the Lord, and the Lord made a way for them.
Are there doors that have closed around you? If so, wait for the Lord. Times of transition are not times for desperate, life changing decisions. They are times to wait for the Lord. This waiting time is a good time to take on those demons of yours that try to frighten you and make you anxious to behave unfaithfully. The fellowship of believers can be your support. Invite others to pray for you. Devote yourself more regularly to prayer than ever. Then wait, and watch for the new beginning that God will open up. He will make a way. Every ending is indeed a new beginning.
On Good Friday it seemed by all rationality that the doors of Jesus' mission had all been closed. As Jesus' body lay dead in a tomb, the disciples huddled in fear behind the locked doors of a closed room. But, then on that first Easter morning, God opened the tomb, and then Jesus opened the doors on the disciples.
Lord God, thank you for opening doors for me that I might never have dreamed possible. Thank you for opening the tomb on that first Easter morning. When endings come and doors are closed to me, help me gird up my faith so that I might wait patiently for you to make for me a new beginning. In Jesus' name. Amen
Endings are new beginnings.
The book of Genesis ends with a new beginning. Here we read of the death of the two main patriarchal characters at this point in the story, Jacob and Joseph, as well as their burial in the promised land. While those are indeed sad events, the reading of these final two chapters of Genesis are anything but sad. They are actually filled with anticipation and hope for God is about to do next. We don't close the book of Genesis with any sense of closure at all. On the contrary, it seems as though the book of Genesis was only the beginning of the story. Genesis closes with an enthusiasm to open the book of Exodus.
There's a saying: Whenever God closes one door, He'll open another. The book of Genesis closes in such a way that certainly affirms that saying. In times when doors are closing all around us, a statement such as this can help us muster up the faith to remain hopeful in what God has promised to do next. This is important because it is often in these times of transition when we lose patience with God, and wind up behaving unfaithfully.
When doors are closing, we can feel claustrophobic. Feelings of loss, failure, grief, shame, loneliness can close in upon us. Our own personal demons begin to close in and torment us in a way that brings to mind some of our nightmares. When things all around us are closing in like this, it can be very difficult to wait on the Lord to open a new door. We become more vulnerable than ever to giving up our faith and pushing open a door of our own choosing. Times like these are not times to act desperately, hastily. They are not times to bust open a new hole in the wall. They are times to be patient, and wait for the Lord. Rather than trying to force your own new opening, wait, and let God bring the right one to you. He will make a way.
When the book of Genesis ends we are eager to turn to the book of Exodus and find out how God will get Israel out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. But, when we turn the page, the opening words of Exodus remind us that many generations passed before the time of the Exodus. Israel waited on the Lord, and the Lord made a way for them.
Are there doors that have closed around you? If so, wait for the Lord. Times of transition are not times for desperate, life changing decisions. They are times to wait for the Lord. This waiting time is a good time to take on those demons of yours that try to frighten you and make you anxious to behave unfaithfully. The fellowship of believers can be your support. Invite others to pray for you. Devote yourself more regularly to prayer than ever. Then wait, and watch for the new beginning that God will open up. He will make a way. Every ending is indeed a new beginning.
On Good Friday it seemed by all rationality that the doors of Jesus' mission had all been closed. As Jesus' body lay dead in a tomb, the disciples huddled in fear behind the locked doors of a closed room. But, then on that first Easter morning, God opened the tomb, and then Jesus opened the doors on the disciples.
Lord God, thank you for opening doors for me that I might never have dreamed possible. Thank you for opening the tomb on that first Easter morning. When endings come and doors are closed to me, help me gird up my faith so that I might wait patiently for you to make for me a new beginning. In Jesus' name. Amen
Morning Devotions: 3/24/10
Genesis 47-48
Powerful, wealthy Pharaoh humbly receives a blessing from Jacob, a lowly Hebrew shepherd.
This must have been a very moving scene. The ruler of Egypt, the earth's super-power nation, Pharaoh, is humbled by an old man's blessing whose son is responsible for saving Egypt from the famine. What a humbling event for Pharaoh. He is a man of tremendous temporal blessings already. He has massive power, wealth, and thanks to Joseph his kingdom is growing larger and stronger through this share-cropping idea. A man of such stature kneeling to receive a blessing from a lowly Hebrew shepherd demonstrates one thing about Pharaoh that is worth lifting up. He is able to recognize the value of a spiritual blessing over that of all the temporal ones he already has. Spiritual blessings are the gifts of the soul, such as friendship, love, generosity etc. Pharaoh's actions before lowly Jacob is an example of a man who places greater value on spiritual blessings than he does on temporal blessings. The result is humbling.
What humbles you?
Think about that for a moment. Possibly, if you have time, make a list of 10-20 things. For example, you might list certain attributes of children, or possibly an act of charity from someone who is poor. Make your own list and then notice how many are moments in which you have been able to place spiritual blessings in higher regard than the temporal ones.
Like Pharaoh, we should realize that spiritual blessings take precedence over temporal ones. When we put earthly security and temporal blessings first, we end up taking desperate measures to keep things that death will ultimately take from us.
Just as spiritual blessing came to powerful, wealthy Pharaoh through a Hebrew shepherd, so also the Kingdom of God and His righteousness come to us in humble events--an infant in a manger--a man dying on a cross; words, water, bread, wine.
Lord of all, you humble me with your grace and mercy every day. Keep me, this day, from placing too great of an emphasis on temporal blessings. Instead, open my eyes to the many spiritual blessings you have given me, that I may not dread the loss of things temporal, but rejoice in things which are eternal. In Jesus' name. Amen
Powerful, wealthy Pharaoh humbly receives a blessing from Jacob, a lowly Hebrew shepherd.
This must have been a very moving scene. The ruler of Egypt, the earth's super-power nation, Pharaoh, is humbled by an old man's blessing whose son is responsible for saving Egypt from the famine. What a humbling event for Pharaoh. He is a man of tremendous temporal blessings already. He has massive power, wealth, and thanks to Joseph his kingdom is growing larger and stronger through this share-cropping idea. A man of such stature kneeling to receive a blessing from a lowly Hebrew shepherd demonstrates one thing about Pharaoh that is worth lifting up. He is able to recognize the value of a spiritual blessing over that of all the temporal ones he already has. Spiritual blessings are the gifts of the soul, such as friendship, love, generosity etc. Pharaoh's actions before lowly Jacob is an example of a man who places greater value on spiritual blessings than he does on temporal blessings. The result is humbling.
What humbles you?
Think about that for a moment. Possibly, if you have time, make a list of 10-20 things. For example, you might list certain attributes of children, or possibly an act of charity from someone who is poor. Make your own list and then notice how many are moments in which you have been able to place spiritual blessings in higher regard than the temporal ones.
Like Pharaoh, we should realize that spiritual blessings take precedence over temporal ones. When we put earthly security and temporal blessings first, we end up taking desperate measures to keep things that death will ultimately take from us.
Just as spiritual blessing came to powerful, wealthy Pharaoh through a Hebrew shepherd, so also the Kingdom of God and His righteousness come to us in humble events--an infant in a manger--a man dying on a cross; words, water, bread, wine.
Lord of all, you humble me with your grace and mercy every day. Keep me, this day, from placing too great of an emphasis on temporal blessings. Instead, open my eyes to the many spiritual blessings you have given me, that I may not dread the loss of things temporal, but rejoice in things which are eternal. In Jesus' name. Amen
Morning Devotions: 3/23/10
Genesis 45-46
Doing the right thing is often not the popular thing. Have you ever done something that was against the popular opinion, but you just knew in your soul that it was the right thing to do?
Jacob went to Egypt. His entire life he has heard about the blessing which God promised to the descendants of his grandfather, Abraham. This blessing is actually a promise to make from the descendants of Abraham a mighty nation as numerous as the stars that will one day inhabit the land of Canaan--the promised land. God has spoken to Jacob and assured him that this blessing was his. God even sealed it with him by renaming him Israel. God showed his grandfather Abraham a vision of the promised land. His grandparents and his parents are all buried in the promised land as a sign of the family's faith that this dream of God will one day come to fulfillment. All of Jacob's family, his servants, and everyone in his clan; they were all surely aware that they were meant to dwell in the promised land where God would bless them with prosperity and fruitfulness as their numbers grew. When Jacob's son, Joseph, invites him to bring his clan and settle in Egypt where there will be plenty of food and security, this presented a dilemma. Should he leave the promised land, or stay? Surely the popular opinion would have been for him to stay. Everything he has known to be right and proper has been associated with remaining in the land of his father's father. But, on the other hand, his beloved son, Joseph, was in Egypt. In his confusion, Jacob finds the comfort he needs from God's Word. God speaks to Jacob and tells him that He will go with him to Egypt, and that there in Egypt God will make the Israelites prosper until the time is right to leave. Jacob went to Egypt, because God promised to remain with him.
God is not limited by geography. Many people in Jacob's period of time thought that gods' powers were limited to certain locations. God tells Jacob that He is not like these other Gods; He is not limited to certain locations. God is also not bound by the limits of our world. God is not bound by anything that forms our cultural popular popular opinion. God is not a Republican, or a Democrat. He is not a conservative or a liberal. God is not even, dare I say it, a Christian. God is not by any of our popular opinions. God is God.
The blessing for all of us in this, is that God is capable of being with us, "Emmanuel", wherever we are and calling us toward the fulfillment of His dream rather than the fulfillment of the popular dream. Whether we are embroiled in a political dilemma over healthcare, or we're struggling to make sense of our teenager's choice of music, God is able to be with us, and at the same time transcend all of it for us.
When we are faced with difficult decisions, decisions that are not popular, we can cal upon God in prayer, listen for God's Word in Scripture and worship, and find the comfort and shelter we seek from God to do what we believe is right. If you're worn out from trying to satisfy the popular opinions all around you, maybe today is a good day to turn back to God for the comfort to do what is right.
Oh God, you are an awesome God! You are able to be with me in everything, but you are also able to remain above it all so that you might continue to guide me toward you. Thank You for promising to me that I will one day join you in the promised land of your eternal kingdom. Until then, watch over all of my days. Lead me, guide me, and and encourage me to do what is right in your sight. In Jesus' name. Amen
Doing the right thing is often not the popular thing. Have you ever done something that was against the popular opinion, but you just knew in your soul that it was the right thing to do?
Jacob went to Egypt. His entire life he has heard about the blessing which God promised to the descendants of his grandfather, Abraham. This blessing is actually a promise to make from the descendants of Abraham a mighty nation as numerous as the stars that will one day inhabit the land of Canaan--the promised land. God has spoken to Jacob and assured him that this blessing was his. God even sealed it with him by renaming him Israel. God showed his grandfather Abraham a vision of the promised land. His grandparents and his parents are all buried in the promised land as a sign of the family's faith that this dream of God will one day come to fulfillment. All of Jacob's family, his servants, and everyone in his clan; they were all surely aware that they were meant to dwell in the promised land where God would bless them with prosperity and fruitfulness as their numbers grew. When Jacob's son, Joseph, invites him to bring his clan and settle in Egypt where there will be plenty of food and security, this presented a dilemma. Should he leave the promised land, or stay? Surely the popular opinion would have been for him to stay. Everything he has known to be right and proper has been associated with remaining in the land of his father's father. But, on the other hand, his beloved son, Joseph, was in Egypt. In his confusion, Jacob finds the comfort he needs from God's Word. God speaks to Jacob and tells him that He will go with him to Egypt, and that there in Egypt God will make the Israelites prosper until the time is right to leave. Jacob went to Egypt, because God promised to remain with him.
God is not limited by geography. Many people in Jacob's period of time thought that gods' powers were limited to certain locations. God tells Jacob that He is not like these other Gods; He is not limited to certain locations. God is also not bound by the limits of our world. God is not bound by anything that forms our cultural popular popular opinion. God is not a Republican, or a Democrat. He is not a conservative or a liberal. God is not even, dare I say it, a Christian. God is not by any of our popular opinions. God is God.
The blessing for all of us in this, is that God is capable of being with us, "Emmanuel", wherever we are and calling us toward the fulfillment of His dream rather than the fulfillment of the popular dream. Whether we are embroiled in a political dilemma over healthcare, or we're struggling to make sense of our teenager's choice of music, God is able to be with us, and at the same time transcend all of it for us.
When we are faced with difficult decisions, decisions that are not popular, we can cal upon God in prayer, listen for God's Word in Scripture and worship, and find the comfort and shelter we seek from God to do what we believe is right. If you're worn out from trying to satisfy the popular opinions all around you, maybe today is a good day to turn back to God for the comfort to do what is right.
Oh God, you are an awesome God! You are able to be with me in everything, but you are also able to remain above it all so that you might continue to guide me toward you. Thank You for promising to me that I will one day join you in the promised land of your eternal kingdom. Until then, watch over all of my days. Lead me, guide me, and and encourage me to do what is right in your sight. In Jesus' name. Amen
Morning Devotions: 3/22/10
Genesis 42-44
When's the last time you were in one of those "I told you so" moments?
For Joseph, when his brothers bow before him begging for permission to buy food, this is one of those moments. Many years ago, when he was just a boy, he shared a dream with his brothers. The interpretation of his dream was that his brothers would one day bow before him. It was this dream that infuriated his brothers so much so that they sold him into slavery and told their father, Jacob, that his favored son had been killed by a wild animal. Now, after years of struggle, and God's continual divine intervention, Joseph has become the governor of Egypt's financial affairs during a long famine period, and his brothers are bowing before him. It's an "I told you so" moment.
Moments like these are moments when the balance of power is lost between people. If you're the person in the power position it feels really good, even victorious, to be proven right. But, if you're the person in the subordinate position you are powerless, humbled. Situations like these can become critical moments in relationships. How we manage through them can be the difference between making or breaking the bonds that hold us together. It's one thing to be right, but it's an altogether different thing to behave self-righteously. It's one thing to be wrong, even humbled, but its an altogether different thing to be humiliated. How the person in position to say "I told you so" handles this power makes all the difference.
How do you handle those "I told you so" moments?
Joseph handled his particular moment of righteousness with care for his family and with discretion for God's plan. In a climactic conclusion to a long story of justice and reconciliation, Joseph's choices opened up an opportunity for him and his brothers to be reunited. Joseph had faith in God's plan. He was able to see that God was using every event, both good and bad, to bring him and his brothers to this moment when he had the power and they were humbled before him. His faith enabled him to remain humble while in power, and trust in God to ultimately make all things come out right. Had he misused this moment, he would have seized it for his own vindication, and humiliated his brothers. This would have destroyed the chance to reconcile with them. But, in a demonstration of God's love, he remained humble while in power, and trusted God to make things work out right, and they did.
Likewise, on that first Easter morning, Jesus appeared to the disciples and could easily have humiliated them for their lack of faith. He told them numerous times that he would be crucified and on the third day rise again. But, in their unbelief, they were hiding with the door locked. Jesus' first words from his position of power to say "I told you so" was instead, "Peace be with you." His use of power offered peace, not self-righteous vindication, and instead of humiliation, reconciliation is the result.
Does your use of power tend to build up relationships, or do you find that it tends to tear them down?
Lord God, when I am right, keep the temptation to become self-righteous at bay for me. When I am in a position of power or authority use my faith in you to keep me humble that I may trust only in you to make things turn out right. When I am humiliated by others in power over me, be my courage, my patience, and my hope. In Jesus' name. Amen
When's the last time you were in one of those "I told you so" moments?
For Joseph, when his brothers bow before him begging for permission to buy food, this is one of those moments. Many years ago, when he was just a boy, he shared a dream with his brothers. The interpretation of his dream was that his brothers would one day bow before him. It was this dream that infuriated his brothers so much so that they sold him into slavery and told their father, Jacob, that his favored son had been killed by a wild animal. Now, after years of struggle, and God's continual divine intervention, Joseph has become the governor of Egypt's financial affairs during a long famine period, and his brothers are bowing before him. It's an "I told you so" moment.
Moments like these are moments when the balance of power is lost between people. If you're the person in the power position it feels really good, even victorious, to be proven right. But, if you're the person in the subordinate position you are powerless, humbled. Situations like these can become critical moments in relationships. How we manage through them can be the difference between making or breaking the bonds that hold us together. It's one thing to be right, but it's an altogether different thing to behave self-righteously. It's one thing to be wrong, even humbled, but its an altogether different thing to be humiliated. How the person in position to say "I told you so" handles this power makes all the difference.
How do you handle those "I told you so" moments?
Joseph handled his particular moment of righteousness with care for his family and with discretion for God's plan. In a climactic conclusion to a long story of justice and reconciliation, Joseph's choices opened up an opportunity for him and his brothers to be reunited. Joseph had faith in God's plan. He was able to see that God was using every event, both good and bad, to bring him and his brothers to this moment when he had the power and they were humbled before him. His faith enabled him to remain humble while in power, and trust in God to ultimately make all things come out right. Had he misused this moment, he would have seized it for his own vindication, and humiliated his brothers. This would have destroyed the chance to reconcile with them. But, in a demonstration of God's love, he remained humble while in power, and trusted God to make things work out right, and they did.
Likewise, on that first Easter morning, Jesus appeared to the disciples and could easily have humiliated them for their lack of faith. He told them numerous times that he would be crucified and on the third day rise again. But, in their unbelief, they were hiding with the door locked. Jesus' first words from his position of power to say "I told you so" was instead, "Peace be with you." His use of power offered peace, not self-righteous vindication, and instead of humiliation, reconciliation is the result.
Does your use of power tend to build up relationships, or do you find that it tends to tear them down?
Lord God, when I am right, keep the temptation to become self-righteous at bay for me. When I am in a position of power or authority use my faith in you to keep me humble that I may trust only in you to make things turn out right. When I am humiliated by others in power over me, be my courage, my patience, and my hope. In Jesus' name. Amen
Morning Devotions: 3/21/10
Philippians 3:4b-14
New Beginnings
Spring is a time of new beginnings. Everywhere we look God is revealing His true nature, in nature. Winter must come like that of grief, sorrow, shame, and darkness. None of us can avoid the harshness of sin. But, God is a gracious God, full of love and kindness. He does not permit us to remain in the winter of life. As sure as new beginnings are breaking forth all around us in nature, God's Word, and Holy Spirit are working to break forth new beginnings in our hearts and minds.
In the reading for today, Paul envisions a kind of Spring-time event of new beginnings for the Christians in Phillippi. In chapter 1, Paul new life itself. He says in 1:21, "To live is Christ." Consider that for a moment. Paul is not saying that be alive is Christ. But, that to truly live is an expression of the very person of Christ. Are you truly alive? Are you truly living?
If you said no, don't be upset. When Paul brings this up in chapter one, he means to shake up his readers so that they are able to hear his appeal that they make for themselves a new beginning in Christ. Because the truth is, none of us can honestly admit that we are truly living as Christ would have us live. So, this brings us to the third chapter then where Paul encourages us to "forget what lies behind, and strain forward to what lies ahead." What is it that lies ahead?......Truly living, being truly alive, living in such a way that we are living examples of the very person of Christ.
Forgetting what lies behind.
Our past is filled with all sorts of things that hold us back. Like having a giant bungee chord attached to our backs, when we try to run forward our past continues to pull us back with increasing strength to harder we try. The pain and sorrowful events of our past can hold us back with the chords of fear. Our pedigree, or the way in which we were brought up can hold us back with the chords of self-righteousness. Our patterns of behaviors can hold us back with the chords of ignorance. There are lots of things behind us that can act as the chords that hold us back from making a new beginning. What's holding you back?
Straining forward to what lies ahead. Jesus' strained forward to secure for us the promise of new life. He strained forward against all that held him back. Against the fears of cross' pain and suffering he strained for what lies ahead. Against the self-righteousness of claiming his own authority, his own pedigree-earned glory he strained for what lies ahead. Against the poor choices of all humanity, the patterns of generations of destructive behaviors he strained for what lies ahead.
When we were baptized, we were baptized into Christ's death and life. His death was for us, so that His life might be ours. With him, in him, and through him, we can strain forward to seize a new beginning, a new life in Christ.
Our challenge will always be to let go of the past; past experiences, past lifestyles, past expectations. But, with the forgiveness of Christ, we are promised that each moment is secured for us an opportunity for forget what lies behind. With grace, then, each time we strain forward against the past for the life in Christ which lies ahead, we encounter our living Lord. He strains with us, in us, and through us. With Jesus, we never run out of new beginnings.
One day, we will break free of all that holds us back, and our Lord will welcome us home. Until then, we continue to strain forward for the promise of what lies ahead.
Lord Jesus, thank you for straining forward to secure the promise of new beginnings for all of us. Encourage me today to assess what it is of my past that is holding me back from seizing a life that is more like you. And, help me strain forward to the new life in you that lies ahead. In Jesus' name. Amen
New Beginnings
Spring is a time of new beginnings. Everywhere we look God is revealing His true nature, in nature. Winter must come like that of grief, sorrow, shame, and darkness. None of us can avoid the harshness of sin. But, God is a gracious God, full of love and kindness. He does not permit us to remain in the winter of life. As sure as new beginnings are breaking forth all around us in nature, God's Word, and Holy Spirit are working to break forth new beginnings in our hearts and minds.
In the reading for today, Paul envisions a kind of Spring-time event of new beginnings for the Christians in Phillippi. In chapter 1, Paul new life itself. He says in 1:21, "To live is Christ." Consider that for a moment. Paul is not saying that be alive is Christ. But, that to truly live is an expression of the very person of Christ. Are you truly alive? Are you truly living?
If you said no, don't be upset. When Paul brings this up in chapter one, he means to shake up his readers so that they are able to hear his appeal that they make for themselves a new beginning in Christ. Because the truth is, none of us can honestly admit that we are truly living as Christ would have us live. So, this brings us to the third chapter then where Paul encourages us to "forget what lies behind, and strain forward to what lies ahead." What is it that lies ahead?......Truly living, being truly alive, living in such a way that we are living examples of the very person of Christ.
Forgetting what lies behind.
Our past is filled with all sorts of things that hold us back. Like having a giant bungee chord attached to our backs, when we try to run forward our past continues to pull us back with increasing strength to harder we try. The pain and sorrowful events of our past can hold us back with the chords of fear. Our pedigree, or the way in which we were brought up can hold us back with the chords of self-righteousness. Our patterns of behaviors can hold us back with the chords of ignorance. There are lots of things behind us that can act as the chords that hold us back from making a new beginning. What's holding you back?
Straining forward to what lies ahead. Jesus' strained forward to secure for us the promise of new life. He strained forward against all that held him back. Against the fears of cross' pain and suffering he strained for what lies ahead. Against the self-righteousness of claiming his own authority, his own pedigree-earned glory he strained for what lies ahead. Against the poor choices of all humanity, the patterns of generations of destructive behaviors he strained for what lies ahead.
When we were baptized, we were baptized into Christ's death and life. His death was for us, so that His life might be ours. With him, in him, and through him, we can strain forward to seize a new beginning, a new life in Christ.
Our challenge will always be to let go of the past; past experiences, past lifestyles, past expectations. But, with the forgiveness of Christ, we are promised that each moment is secured for us an opportunity for forget what lies behind. With grace, then, each time we strain forward against the past for the life in Christ which lies ahead, we encounter our living Lord. He strains with us, in us, and through us. With Jesus, we never run out of new beginnings.
One day, we will break free of all that holds us back, and our Lord will welcome us home. Until then, we continue to strain forward for the promise of what lies ahead.
Lord Jesus, thank you for straining forward to secure the promise of new beginnings for all of us. Encourage me today to assess what it is of my past that is holding me back from seizing a life that is more like you. And, help me strain forward to the new life in you that lies ahead. In Jesus' name. Amen
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Pastor Rich
