Devotional 6-12-20

Responding to God’s Love

 

Genesis 18:1-15, 21:1-7
Psalm 100
Romans 5:1-8
Matthew 9:35-10:23

 What could these four seemingly disjointed passages of scripture possibly have as their common thread?  Is there some connection between God’s appearance to Abraham in the form of three visitors, the Divine who promises a son to Abraham and Sarah; the Psalmist who proclaims, “Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth…Worship, sing, know, give thanks, bless His name.” In the Romans passage, Paul addresses the challenges new Christians are facing, their suffering, yet assures them that God is working to do a new thing, even in their difficulties; and in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus visits cities and villages, teaching in the synagogues, sharing the Good News, healing the sick, showing compassion for the poor and downtrodden.  He then sends out the 12 to do the same because “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.”

In answer to the question first posed, I believe we can see that God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit tend to show up at the most unexpected times.  And our response should be one of wonder, hospitality, reverence, appreciation, and asking what we might do to further the goodness of God’s Kingdom, share the Good News - with our actions – not merely our words, and listen with our hearts to those we encounter.

Where might we find Jesus today, amid our current turmoil and strife?  Where, indeed?  I believe He will be found wherever the poor, disenfranchised, cast aside, “least of these” are found.  Look for Him!  Draw hope and courage from Him!  He surely will fill the empty, show compassion to the broken, offer words of encouragement and loving welcome to all who step out in faith to follow His words spoken so long ago, but still resonate today with power, purpose, and steadfast love and understanding. May our journey with Him continue.
 
Loving God, hold us and steady us to keep us walking with You on the paths You open for us.  Keep us noticing signs of Your Presence, working for good in our fearful, anxious world. Give us patience, persistence, and a willing, loving heart as we respond to those we encounter along our journey with You. In the name of Christ, our LORD, we pray, Amen    
 

Linda Summers

Devotional 4-8-20

“A Severe Mercy”

Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm 70
Hebrews 12:1-3
John 13:21-32

Wednesday, the eve of the three most despairing and sorrowful days for the followers of Jesus; those who love Him, believe Him, look to Him for hope, for truth, for encouragement to strengthen their infant faith. They believe their faith in God has been solid; Jesus has shown them a new faith.  A faith which is personal, actionable, with love of God and neighbor as the foundation.  Over the next three days, they will experience what author Sheldon Vanauken calls “A Severe Mercy.”

The Old Testament readings reveal the extreme physical and emotional cost for those who hear and follow God’s call to faithful service with commitment and determination:

• “Therefore, I set my face like flint.”  (Isaiah 50:7b)
• “Let those who seek my life be ashamed and humiliated!” (Psalm 70:2a) 

Both readings also reveal the faithful servants’ trusting belief that God will not only help, but will also deliver them from the perils they face:

• “Look!  The LORD God will help me.  Who will condemn me?” (Isaiah 50:9a)
• “But let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in your saving help say again and again, ‘God is great!’”  (Psalm 70:4) 

The reading from Hebrews calls to mind “a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us.”  As Easter people, we are told to “fix our eyes on Jesus, faith’s pioneer and perfecter.  He endured the cross, ignoring the shame, for the sake of the joy that was laid out in front of him, and sat down at the right side of God’s throne.”  (Hebrews 3:1b, 2)

The disciples, however, were not Easter people – yet.  John’s Gospel reading describes the beginning of the sorrow and despair soon to befall Jesus and His followers:

• “After he said these things, Jesus was deeply disturbed and testified, ‘I assure you, one of you will betray me.’  His disciples looked at each other, confused about which of them he was talking about.  One of the disciples, the one whom Jesus loved was at Jesus’ side.  Simon Peter nodded at him to get him to ask Jesus who he was talking about.  Leaning back toward Jesus, this disciple asked, ‘Lord, who is it?’ 

Jesus answered, ‘It’s the one to whom I will give this piece of bread once I have dipped it into the bowl.’  Then he dipped the piece of bread and gave it to Judas, Simon Iscariot’s son.  After Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.  Jesus told him, ‘What you are about to do, do quickly.’  No one sitting at the table understood why Jesus said this to him.  Some thought that since Judas kept the money bag, Jesus told him, ‘Go, buy what we need for the feast,’ or that he should give something to the poor.  So when Judas took the bread, he left immediately.  And it was night.”  (John 13:21-30)

“And it was night.”  That simple sentence has stayed with me, disturbing me. John offers no light in this passage to offset the darkness about to overtake Jesus and His followers. There is no parable to take the edge off.   There is no “I am…” passage to tamp down the foreboding feeling.  Only “And it was night.”

• “When Judas was gone, Jesus said, ‘Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him.  If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify the Son of Man in himself and will glorify him immediately.’”  (John 13:31-32) 

How very thankful I am that we are Easter people. The despair and sorrow of those three days must give special meaning to how we respond to them. The mercy was indeed severe, but the followers were strengthened through their devotion to our Lord.  We should cherish the words of these Scriptures, which demonstrate the devotion, commitment, and love each and every faithful servant had for God and serving His purpose in their lives.  Every passage tells us we are never alone in serving our God.  We have “a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us” and a glorified Savior, Who intercedes on our behalf.  “Look, the LORD God will help me.  Who will condemn me?”

Loving God,
We offer our prayer to be faithful in completing the journey with courage, demonstrating the love of Christ for everyone, the determination of Christ to endure the hardships, and the strength of Christ to carry us forward when we fall. Please accept our willingness to be faithful servants, especially during this time of grave uncertainty.    Strengthen our faith, remove our excuses, and may we know Your loving presence always.  Amen.

Linda Summers

Devotional 8-16-19

Discipleship Disturbs Our Peace
Isaiah 5: I-7
Psalm 80: 1-2, 8- I 9
Hebrews I I :29-12:2 Luke 12:49-56

The Old Testament readings offer an allegory of the loving, nurturing Gardener. He has worked tirelessly to prepare the soil for the tender plantings, believing his care will result in a grape harvest worthy of a priceless wine. The time of harvest reveals just the opposite; a grape that is sour, wild, unworthy of the care and precautions he worked tirelessly to provide. Rather than ripping up the vines our Gardener instead removes his protections and destroys the watchtower and winepress.

The Psalmist adds to this allegory the grieving laments of the people, people who have known peace and prosperity, but now are experiencing injustice, vulnerability, and brokenness. They beseech God to restore them; to make His face shine on them again.

The passages from Luke and Hebrews have given me a different perspective, reading them together in light of our current social climate, than I used to think they meant. Have we Christians become, over many years and generations, the bitter, sour fruit so lovingly planted by the Gardener? The change has taken place slowly at times, more quickly at others; but we do find ourselves living in a time when poverty, injustice, lack of compassion, lack of love for humanity, acquiescence, and lethargy have put out the glowing embers of our own Christianity.

The author of Hebrews tells us of many heroes of the faith, but some died gruesome deaths, and many did not receive what was promised in their lifetimes. These are the heroes making up the great cloud of witnesses, cheering us on to the finish line. But what must we be willing to endure, what path must we take, to reach this finish line? Jesus speaks to us in Luke, "I came to bring fire to the earth...Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!  From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three...You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time? And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?"

Jesus tells us the life of faith is risky and arduous. Discipleship does not guarantee health, longevity, power or wealth. The great cloud of witnesses stands ready to cheer us on to the finish line of faithful discipleship. The journey to that finish line is compelling, offering some of us pain and loss along the way. The peace Jesus offers is deep life-changing peace that may disrupt our relationships; break in order to mend; upset what we used to believe discipleship means, because His peace is worth the risk.

Gracious loving Father,
We offer our prayer to be faithful in completing the journey with courage, demonstrating the love of Christ for everyone, the outrage of Christ at injustice and inhumanity, and the strength of Christ to carry us forward when we fall. Amen.

Linda Summers

Devotional 7-10-15

WAIT A MINUTE…WHAT???

 

This week's lectionary readings ranged from King David's exuberant joy in returning the ark of the covenant (the presence of God) to the city of Jerusalem; to David's Psalm proclaiming God's holiness and sovereignty over all creation; to Paul's letter to the church at Ephesus, exhorting them to remain strong in their faith because they have been adopted as children of God; to Mark's Gospel which records people's responses to the miracles and healings performed by Jesus and His disciples. I'm sure there is a common thread in this mix of Scripture… I just can't seem to grasp it… try as I might.  As a consequence, I've chosen to focus on one portion of the Gospel reading, which is quite jolting after reading the first 16 verses of Mark 6.

 

Mark tells of some people saying, "'John the baptizer has been raised from the dead, and for this reason these powers are at work in him.'  But others said, 'It is Elijah.' And others said, 'It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.'  But when Herod heard of it, he said, 'John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.'" (Mark 6:14b-16).

 

"For Herod himself had sent men who arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because Herod had married her.  For John had been telling Herod, 'It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife.' And Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him.  But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him.  When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he liked to listen to him." (Mark 6:17-20)

 

Wait a minute…what???  Herod recognized John's righteousness, his holiness, feared him, imprisoned him, and liked listening to him. Yet Herod let his own self-importance, reputation, and power overcome that small piece of light beginning to appear in his dark soul ("and yet he liked to listen to him."), and allowed himself to be manipulated to the point of having John beheaded!

 

I believe God, through Jesus Christ, and the indwelling Holy Spirit, has given each of us that wonderfully amazing small piece of light to help us during those dark seasons we all have at one time or another. The causes of the darkness run the entire spectrum of human emotions and human circumstances.  Our response to the darkness is our choice.  Sadly, being human, it is often much easier to indulge in the seductive power of the darkness, which requires no effort to sustain.

 

Because we have all been adopted into the family of God, we must do everything possible to encourage and enable our little pieces of light to become brighter, so they may help eliminate the dimming of others' pieces of light.  As Jesus reminds us, "Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me." (Matthew 25:40).

 

My prayer is for us all to be aware of each member of our holy family – of each other's little piece of light. When there is a dimming, offer a piece of your light, and, in the giving, I'm sure your light and my light will burn a little brighter. 

     

Linda Summers

Devotional 5-17-13

GLADDEN YOUR HEART; BREATHE HIS AIR

(Lectionary Readings:  Acts 2:1-21; Psalm 104:24-34, 35b; Romans 8:14-17; John 14:8-27)

Is anything more disturbing than having to release preconceived notions, beliefs, traditions?  What could be worse than having to admit to ourselves the possibility, however slight it may be, that our attitudes are just not what Jesus had in mind when He asked us to "go therefore and make disciples of all nations?”

Nothing upsets me more than having to move outside my comfort zone when I’m trying to be my most Christ-like!  I’d love to share His love with everyone, except maybe those really weird folks who bought the house around the corner.  And what about them; those folks just look a little shifty, always walking their dogs in our neighborhood, smiling and waving like they’re my friends.  The nerve of some people!  Surely God had others more like me in mind when He asked me to share the Good News of His Kingdom.  I prefer to have my Christianity tucked neatly in my purse, ready to be offered at the appropriate time to the appropriate people.

If any of this sounds familiar, do I have an incredibly fantastic update for you!  We don’t need to pre-screen people before we share the love of Christ with them!  Everyone is eligible!  Everyone is included!  There are no pre-existing conditions; no prerequisites; no references required!  How amazing is that?  Can this possibly be true?  We no longer belong to a world divided?  How could this have happened?  Why did no one tell us sooner?

Just imagine how unnerving this news must have been to those hearing it for the first time?  How unnerving is this news for us to hear today?  Scripture says we live in the midst of “US”---  no longer may we view folks as "THEM."  "Them" is no longer valid.  “Us" is who we are.  All thanks to the gift of the Holy Spirit, given freely to everyone by the grace of God through the love of Jesus Christ.

The Psalmist tells us to gladden our hearts because, “when you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground.” The Apostle Peter tells us to breathe His air when he quotes the prophet Joel in Acts,  "…I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh…Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

What could be better news than this?  Just gladden and breathe!  We don't need to share our message through pushing folks to be like us, screaming at them, or using catch-phrase slogans.  Christ's message can only be heard through actions of love in small ways – every day – for everyone.

Parker Palmer shared a poem by Linder Unders, which expresses one of the best ways to celebrate Pentecost and share God's love:

ARE YOU SAVED?
All this talk of saving souls,
Souls weren't meant to save,
Like Sunday clothes that
give out at the seams.

They're made for wear;
they come with a lifetime guarantee.
Don't save your soul.
 Pour it out like rain
 on cracked, parched earth.
                      
Give your soul away,
or pass it like a candle flame.
Sing it out,
or laugh it up the wind.
                      
Souls were meant for hearing
breaking hearts, for puzzling dreams,
remembering August flowers,
forgetting hurts.
                      
These folk who talk of saving souls!
They have the look of bullies
who blow out candles before you
sing happy birthday,
and want the world to be in alphabetical order.
 
I will spend my soul,
playing it out like sticky string
into the world
so I can catch every last thing I touch.

Next time someone asks, "Is your soul saved?"
Say, "No, it's spent, spent, spent!"    

Gracious and Loving Father,
Thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Keep us mindful of our vision, that we may truly be a covenant community, transformed by Your grace, to share the love of Christ with the world.   Amen.

Linda Summers

Devotional 9/14/07

Alone or connected to the divine?

Lectionary Readings: Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28; Psalm 14; Luke 15:1-10; and I Timothy 1:12-17 (All scripture quotations are from The Message).

The lectionary readings this week offer a vision of life for the “lost” and of life or the “found.” The tone goes from grim darkness to celebratory light.

Jeremiah tells us of “foolish people who don’t know God, stupid children who have no understanding but are skilled in doing evil, not knowing how to do good.”

The Psalmist speaks of those who say, “God is gone.”

“God sticks his head out of heaven,
He looks around.
He’s looking for someone not stupid –

He comes up empty. A string of zeros. Useless, unshepherded
Sheep, taking turns pretending to be Shepherd.
The ninety and nine follow their fellow.

Don’t they know anything, all these impostors?
Don’t they know they can’t get away with this-
Treating people like a fast-food meal
over which they’re too busy to pray?

Night is coming for them, and nightmares,
for God takes the side of victims.
Do you think you can mess with the dreams of the poor?
You can’t, for God makes their dreams come true.”

Luke’s passage offers the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin. When the “lost” are found, the “finders” invite their neighbors to join in a joyous celebration. Jesus tells us of the great joy in heaven “over one rescued life…the kind of party God’s angels throw every time one lost soul turns to God.”

The reading from I Timothy gives us a glimpse of Paul’s “dark side.” In this letter he states, “I’m so grateful to Christ Jesus for making me adequate to do this work. He went out on a limb, you know, in trusting me with this ministry. The only credentials I brought to it were invective and witch hunts and arrogance. But I was treated mercifully because I didn’t know what I was doing – didn’t know Who I was doing it against! Grace mixed with faith and love poured over me and into me. And all because of Jesus. Here’s a word you can take to heart and depend on: Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners.”

All these passages offer insights into the incredible importance of relationship with God, made possible through faith in Jesus Christ. When we turn away from Him, we make the world our friend, our confidante, our conscience. We work hard to fit in, to measure up, to be right, to achieve success and power. And too often all that working, measuring, being, achieving, is done at the expense of someone else – our spouse, our children, our friends, our community – and our eyes are blinded, our ears deafened, our hearts numbed, to the needs of those around us.

It’s extraordinary to know that Jesus looks for us, even when we don’t have a clue we’re lost! And when He finds us, we realize our lives have only been lived in black and white and shades of gray. He gives us Himself – not soft pastel colors, all warm and fuzzy, but vibrantly alive, with sharp-edged honesty, in magnificent color.

How could we have been so blind to the beauty/desolation all around us? How could we have been so deaf to the music/misery of the masses? How could we have been so numb to the abundance/poverty which continues to thrive in this land?

Shane Claiborne writes in The Irresistible Revolution, “Christianity can be built around isolating ourselves from evildoers and sinners, creating a community of religious piety and moral purity. That’s the Christianity I grew up with. Christianity can also be built around joining with the broken sinners and evildoers of our world crying out to God, groaning for grace. That’s the Christianity I’ve fallen in love with…Community [relationship] is what we are created for. We are made in the image of a God who is community, a plurality of oneness…The biblical story is the story of community, from beginning to end. Jesus lived and modeled community with his little band of disciples…and the early church is the story of a people who were together and were of one heart and mind, sharing all in common…But that doesn’t mean community is easy. For everything in this world tries to pull us away from community, pushes us to choose ourselves over others, to choose independence over interdependence, to choose great things over small things, to choose going fast alone over going far together. The simple way is not the easy way. No one ever promised us that community or Christian discipleship would be easy…My life was pretty easy before I met Jesus…This love is not sentimental but heart-wrenching, the most difficult and the most beautiful thing in the world.”

Jesus gives us the opportunity of walking with Him throughout life – He offers us relationship with the Divine. All we need to do is allow ourselves to be found - He promises to do the rest.


Loving God,
Give us the courage to be “found.” Open us to receive the love of Christ. Allow us to experience His heart – the joys and the sorrows. May our relationship with You empower us to live in community. To love fearlessly, to follow faithfully, to serve humbly, as we share the hope and Gospel of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen

Thanks to Jeff Taylor for our Holy Spirit Prayer.

Dear God, by the Power of Your Holy Spirit, create us anew.
Give us the breath to sing your praises and the faith to soar with you.
Give us power to discern what you call us to be and to do.
Come Holy Spirit, come! Amen.