Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Daily Devotion for Lent 2024, Day 30

“Enter through the narrow gate, for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it.  For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it."

                                                    Matthew 7:13-14 (NRSVue)

 

On my first youth ministry job after college, I worked for Rev. Ken Tobler at New Haven UMC.  He used to say in a pressure situation, "Just remember what Jesus used to tell the disciples."  When you would look expectantly for the answer, Ken would say with a wry smile, "Don't screw up!"

It was ridiculous enough to ease the pressure.

But as I think about today's verses, it could be this silly phrase captures more of what Jesus indicated for his disciples than we might think!

I think about my reactions to life's difficulties and sometimes I get it right.  I respond in a way that is centered in love rather than fear or anxiety.  I create more peace, hope and joy instead of adding to the world more conflict, despair and gloom.  

But not every time.  

Sometimes I am afraid.  Sometimes I'm angry.  Sometimes I'm grieving a loss.

And during these times, someone else may come along as a catalyst for taking the easy road to destruction. 

When I'm already at a low, what happens when someone antagonizes me?  The easy thing to do is to turn it up a notch.

At these moments, when someone cuts me off in traffic, hitting the horn a little longer than necessary is a wide gate.

And when someone actually harms me in some fashion, do I offer grace or do I mull over revenge?  Or maybe the easiest of all - I just cut off the relationship.

If we read the first part of the Sermon on the Mount, it appears that much of the way by which Jesus would have us live seems counterintuitive or counterproductive.  This could be why he calls it narrow.  But in the frustrating instances of life, if I can reach beyond my own capacity, could it be that I might pause and take a breath and find a better way?  This is what it means to be "in Christ."

I'm reminded of the end of the poem, "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost when he writes, 

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

May you be one of the few who finds it today.

Prayer for the day: God of grace and God of mercy, we must confess that we are often in need of both.  We move through life, often without thinking, following the people in front of us.  Where they go, we go and what they do, we do.  Help us to look further down the path.  Give us the wisdom that will overcome our immediate reactions.  And heal us from those places that might cause us to bite first a hand that is really reaching out to help.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

 

Photo by Simon Hayhurst via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license. 

New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Monday, March 18, 2024

Daily Devotion for Lent 2024, Day 29

“In everything do to others as you would have them do to you, for this is the Law and the Prophets."

                                                                        Matthew 7:12 (NRSVue)

I believe that I may have first learned about the Golden Rule in Kindergarten rather than church.  It could have been either and was likely enhanced by learning it in both places.

Understanding the Golden Rule is important for moral development across our society.  I've heard that our educational system in the United States used to do more with moral development but has moved away from this through the years - possibly because this is seen as less objective knowledge.  We don't want our children to be "indoctrinated."  

Being kind to one another and seeing things from another's perspective should be universal.

Norman Rockwell seemed to think so.  His painting shown here was on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post on April 1, 1961.

You'll notice the variety of people represented.  This was because he saw the Golden Rule or something very like it spanning the world's religions.  In a scratch pad, he had written the following:

Buddhism: Hurt not others with that which pains yourself.
Hinduism: Do naught to others which if done to thee would cause thee pain.
Taoism: Regard your neighbor’s gain as your own gain and regard your neighbor’s loss as your own loss.
Judaism: What is hurtful to yourself do not to your fellow man.
Islam: No one of you is a believer until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.
Christianity: So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them.

As we pursue interfaith relations, the Golden Rule could possibly be a wonderful starting point.  As Wesleyans, we would say that God's preceding or prevenient grace, active throughout the world, inspired people in different regions, in different faiths, to come to this truth.   

It is interesting that Matthew identifies this summarizing the work of the Law and the Prophets.  He does this again in 22:40 after Jesus reveals the Great Commandment of loving God and loving our neighbors as we love ourselves.  Jesus then states here, "On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."

Love, perspective, respect.  

Those sound like ideals that we should not only retain but pass along to the next generation.  

Prayer for the day:  Gracious God, help me to first see others.  Let me see them not as I would look at first glance with my biases.  But help me to see them as you would see them.  And as I find this new sight, may this color my response as well.  Help me to have the strength to offer dignity to all I meet.  I pray these things in the name of the Christ who was scourged.  Amen.


Photo of "Golden Rule" by Norman Rockwell, 1961 by Helena via Flickr.com.   Used under the Creative Commons license.

New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Saturday, March 16, 2024

Daily Devotion for Lent 2024, Day 28

“Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.  For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.  Is there anyone among you who, if your child asked for bread, would give a stone?  Or if the child asked for a fish, would give a snake?  If you, then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!"

                                                                Matthew 7:7-11 (NRSVue)

This passage initially sounds like good news but I think it can also be perplexing.  There are plenty of times we have prayed for things that didn't happen.  I think we can understand if we prayed for something self-serving and didn't get it - we need to align ourselves with God's will.  But what about the times we prayed for something selfless?

Healing comes to mind.  We would say that health and wholeness align with God's will for people.  There have been people with ailments that seemed certainly lethal.  Somehow they overcame illness and found renewed health.  They may have an instant of faith or prayer that stands out or they may speak of the countless numbers of notices received that people were praying for them.  They often point to God for the miraculous healing and are grateful for the extra days of life they now cherish.

But what about the person that died?  Maybe this was a younger adult or even a child.  They were also bathed in prayer but their illness led to death.  Wouldn't these prayers for healing seemingly align with God's will?

In these instances, it may seem to the parents that they did ask for a fish and received a snake.

They may feel that they've been knocking until their hands are bloody.

I find that the mysteries of life return at these moments and, like Job, we are forced to take an extreme balcony view.  All life eventually ends, whether it spans moments or decades.  If we remain at the cross, the end is all we know.  But we are people of the resurrection.  Our hope is that the end of life is only a transition.  And as we eventually reach acceptance in our grief, maybe this is where we find the door opening to us at last.

Prayer for the day: Beneficent God, we believe that you want good things for all your children.  Help us to ask for that which will help the largest number of people.  Guide us to seek for those things which provide hope for those around us.  And as we knock, may we do so more out of trust than desperation.  We pray these things in Jesus' name.  Amen.

 

Photo by Bart Heird via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Friday, March 15, 2024

Daily Devotion for Lent 2024, Day 27

“Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under foot and turn and maul you."

                                            Matthew 7:6 (NRSVue)

I really appreciate that this passage comes right on the heels of the admonishment not to judge others!  I don't know if placing these together was Matthew's decision as he recorded the sermon or if Jesus preached it in this sequence, but I find it brilliant however it comes to us.

We look at these animals differently today!
There is an acknowledgement that we shouldn't judge others too harshly (from verses 1-5) and at the same time, we recognize that we do encounter difficult people throughout our lives.  Dogs and swine were definitely derogatory in that culture and so we are seeing that holiness and wisdom are often disregarded by people all around us.  

I'm reminded of the Fred Craddock story where he told of a man who worked with what we would now identify as autistic children.  He had quit his job because it was so emotionally exhausting.  He was trying to engage with a girl he was working with about what her Thanksgiving had been like over the weekend and her response was, "my shoes are red."

Fred then told about visiting a worship service that was just perfect and someone after the service turned to him in that sacred moment and asked about the upcoming NFL season.  Fred said he felt like the man was saying to him in the moment, "my shoes are red."

Sometimes we experience something sacred while those around us seem to go about their lives as if the status quo is permanent.  How do we witness to God in our life to people who may not appreciate it?  Who may even call you to doubt your own experience?  I've felt mauled and I've felt trampled under foot from time to time.

This passage is to be held in tension with the previous passage - "do not judge" - by caring for us and saying, "don't let yourself be dragged through the mud either."

So this seems to be saying to us, "do not judge and do not be naive."

During this Lenten season, it is important that we care for ourselves too.  Because sometimes dogs bite and pigs do more than squeal.

Prayer for the day:  Loving God, we give praise to you for who you are in the midst of our lives.  Those times when you break through and it is so obvious, we do want to shout it from the rooftop.  But we also understand that not everyone sees what we see.  Give us the wisdom to share what we know in ways that can be heard.  Protect us from those who are threatened by a word of comfort.  And let us have insight into how they see.  We pray these things in Jesus' name.  Amen.


Photo by dr.ōzda via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Daily Devotion for Lent 2024, Day 26

“Do not judge, so that you may not be judged.  For the judgment you give will be the judgment you get, and the measure you give will be the measure you get.  Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye but do not notice the log in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye?  You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye."

                                                                    Matthew 7:1-5 (NRSVue)

This may be the most oft-quoted part of the Sermon on the Mount!  Most people like to quote, "Do not judge" if they are being held accountable.  Unfortunately for the frequent users, it is not a ticket for libertine behavior!  Rather, it reminds us to approach accountability first with ourselves and then with others.  We should always approach any of these conversations with humility.

I'm reminded of the 4th Century monk, Abba Moses, who lived in the Egyptian desert.  He was invited to take part in the trial of one of the brothers in their order who had crossed a line.  On his way, he filled a cracked jug with water and let it dribble out as they walked to where the court was gathered.  When his other brothers asked him why he carried the leaky jug, Abba Moses replied, "My sins run out behind me, and I do not see them, but today I am coming to judge the errors of another."

They forgave the brother.

Out of over 31,000 verses in the Bible, this is the one you want to display?
 

If we are to stay in community, from time to time, there are certain unhelpful behaviors to which we call attention.

Otherwise, community begins to break down.  We used to say at church camp, respect the three p's - people, place and process.  Respecting people is primary.  Respecting the place meant that we shouldn't trash our temporary home.  This advice goes farther than our campgrounds.  Finally, respect the process means that we are to show up on time, participate fully, and observe the covenant that we make together as a small group. 

The small groups that I've seen bond well through the years have been able to respect one another through a sense of humility that kept them from judging one another.  

During this season of Lent, how do we give the benefit of the doubt to people more often?  If we were to do this, would we be able to improve the communities with which we are a part?  With our families, it sometimes feels like a tightrope.  At times, there are behaviors which cross a line that we need to call on the carpet but there are plenty of things that we need to overlook if we are to stay in relationship.

Maybe Jesus is calling us to be grateful for all the people who have overlooked the times we have crossed the line.  Maybe we need to keep a cracked jug of our own in the kitchen.

Prayer for the day: Gracious God, we give thanks for the people we love and are appreciative of the relationships which give us life.  We recognize that just as we've had to forgive to keep them from breaking, we have also had our friends and family overlook plenty of things we've done.  Help us to walk the tightrope of accountability and forgiveness with the grace we receive from you every day.  In the name of the Christ we pray.  Amen.

 

Photo by istolethetv via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

 

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Daily Devotion for Lent 2024, Day 25

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?  And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to your span of life?  And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.  But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?  Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’  For it is the gentiles who seek all these things, and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today."

                                                                            Matthew 6:25-34 (NRSVue) 


As we think about salvation today, what is one of our biggest problems?  What separates us from God?

Each age may have their own issues and sin within the human condition takes many forms.  Is it possible in today's culture that anxiety may be at the forefront of what ails us?

How does being in Christ lead us to diffuse our stress and allow us to be fully who God is calling us to be?

Some birds and flowers are friends
If we look at today's piece of the Sermon on the Mount, we can see that Jesus is advising us not to project our fears into the future.  Notice that some of what he lifts up may seem superficial as today's crowd might ask, "What in the world am I going to wear?" or "Where shall we eat?"

This is not that we don't have anything to wear or eat but that the variety is overwhelming us.  As I think about the context of Jesus' preaching, the worries from his original congregation may have been, "Will we have anything to eat tomorrow?" or "My clothing is falling apart and I'm wearing my only clothes to work in."

The worries were closer to the subsistence side of things.

Does the advice on worry seem a bit tone deaf upon this second look?

It can except that Jesus didn't have any more than they did.  He was a traveling preacher/healer who told his disciples not to take any supplies with them when they went out from town to town working.  And they all came back!

How does this knowledge impact the things we worry about?  I believe that the anxieties we face seem just as real to us today.  But the advice of Jesus' doesn't really change.

What would it be like to take a breath and watch the birds for a moment?  Or smell the roses?

As we think of worry or anxiety as fear, it is important to note that the first words out of the mouths of any of God's messengers in the Bible is "do not fear."

Maybe worry is something we could give up for the remainder of Lent.

Prayer for the day: Loving God, we seek to trust in you for the everyday.  We must confess that our fears get the best of us at times and we do worry about the future.  Help us to remember that you will walk with us through thick and thin.  And may this give us a lightness of being.  We pray this in the name of the Lord of Light.  Amen.


Photo by Dennis Church via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.


 

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Daily Devotion for Lent 2024, Day 24

“No one can serve two masters, for a slave will either hate the one and love the other or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth."

                                                            Matthew 6:24 (NRSVue)

Here, Jesus is asking us to examine our priorities again.  What do we value more?  Where do we lay our trust?  Practically, in the 21st century, with pension accounts the most efficient way for investing for a future after retirement, we may watch them fluctuate with some anxiety.  Does this mean we are giving this more value than we give to God?

Maybe.  

I think it has to do with the amount of time we devote to each.

There are lots of places in the Bible that talk about wealth and money.  Ecclesiastes 5:10 (NIV) states, "Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income.  This too is meaningless."

For those caught in this trap, how does one get out?

The English Progressive Rock band, Pink Floyd, skewered the love of money in their 1973 song by the same title with the closing lyrics, "Money, it's a crime.  Share it fairly, but don't take a slice of my pie.  Money, so they say, is the root of all evil today.  But if you ask for a rise (pay raise) it's no surprise that they're giving none away."

The "root of evil" quote comes from 1 Timothy 6:10 which actually reads, "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil..." but the point they make is that even when we recognize it, we still have trouble with greed.  I think Jesus would appreciate the hypocrisy exposed by the lyrics.

Of course, as the band really took off and they all became multi-millionaires, I would think they could only play this song with a severe amount of irony.

So how do we not allow our earnings to displace God?  This may be a question that we need to keep at the forefront for a periodic review to make sure we haven't done just that.

Can we trust God enough to be generous with what we have?

It is said that on average, people who earn less money are more willing to help a person in need.  Those who earn more may also adopt the philosophy that their wealth is due to them through their hard work.  They are less likely to see it as a life of blessing that should be widely shared.

As we move through Lent, how do we develop our generosity toward God?  Which in essence becomes, how do we develop our generosity toward others?

Prayer for the day:  Blessed God, thank you for the resources we have at our disposal.  We realize that we have less than some but more than many.  Help us to develop an attitude of generosity and remind us to cultivate gratitude for what we do have.  And as we pray this prayer from a device of some kind, it becomes apparent that we do have it pretty good compared to many of your children in the world.  Thank you.  Amen.

 

Photo by Pictures of Money via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. 

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"Money" lyrics copyright © Pink Floyd Music Publishers Ltd.