Daily Devotion for Lent 2023 - Day 14

"I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth."

                                         Isaiah 49:6b

Today, I am thankful that I learned to see wider systems in life and in scripture - taught to me at United Methodist seminaries.

It was in my pastoral care class at Candler School of Theology that I was introduced to the text, Generation to Generation: Family Process in Church and Synagogue by Edwin H. Friedman.  His application of Murray Bowen's theory has helped churches and relationships to re-center on their mission when they have become stuck.  A large part of this theory revolves around knowing your identity.

As we see larger systems at work in the world, we can see patterns emerge.  This is also true of scripture.  Within the Bible, we have larger themes at work and we may use these to interpret the rest of the Bible.

One is the theme of holiness.  God's people have been set apart.  Leviticus 20:26 states, 

"You shall be holy to me, for I the Lord am holy, and I have separated you from the other peoples to be mine."

 There are lots of examples of this throughout the Bible.  God's royal priesthood language comes out of this in 1 Peter 2:9,

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."

This notion of holiness is strong in Wesleyan thought within United Methodism and emerges in the doctrine of sanctifying grace.  The root word literally means holy.  It is the grace by which we are to become more holy in our inward and outward lives.  Wesleyans believe that we are all to work with God toward sanctification.

Another overarching theme is "Light to the Nations."  This is the idea that God is not only calling us to be holy for our own salvation but to share this understanding with all creation.

While John's Gospel has Jesus declaring "I am the light of the world," Matthew 5:14a has Jesus advising, "You are the light of the world."  Both are true - the first reminds us of our source.  The second gives us our mission.

Christianity has a strong focus in being a "Light to the Nations."  We see it in probably the most famous verse, John 3:16 which tells us, 

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life."

For Wesleyans, we are reminded of John Wesley's famous quote, "The world is my parish."

This idea is rooted in the doctrine of prevenient (or preceding) grace.  God's love is for all people.  They may not realize it yet but we believe God is working on them.  It is our job to share that love in a variety of ways so that they may come to believe.

Sometimes these two themes clash.  For instance, in Jesus' day, healing someone was thought of as work and was frowned upon on the Sabbath.  This was the theme of holiness - we are to dedicate this day to God and refrain from work - even from healing.  Jesus heals on the Sabbath, reminding us that our mission to be a light to the nations sometimes takes precedence.  

The clash people of faith have over same gender relationships may depend on which theme of the Bible they are utilizing.  Those with a strong holiness approach may see celibacy as the only alternative for someone who is gay.  Those with a strong light to the nations approach may see same-gender marriage as appropriate given the knowledge we have gained in psychology and human physiology.  The desire is to shine the light to all people.

Both holiness and light to the nations are present within The United Methodist Church.  The divide we see over LGBTQ issues is not so great when we understand what ties prevenient and sanctifying grace together.  It is the justification we have in Jesus Christ.  

Ah, and now we have come back around to remind us that knowing our identity helps us when we are stuck!

During this Lent, where do you see holiness at work in your life and where do you need to be more Christ-like?

How is God calling you to be a light to the nations?

Daily Devotion for Lent 2023 - Day 6

 (Jesus) answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.”

                                                            Luke 19:40 (NRSV)

Today, I am grateful that The United Methodist Church allowed me to see God's truth shining from a variety of surprising sources.

Specifically, I have encountered God's Good News from all kinds of music outside of what we normally hear in church.

It was actually at church camp (Egan specifically) that I was exposed to a lot of rock music previously unbeknownst to me.  Of course, this was during our free time.  I remember waking up our cabin one morning to the beginning of Pink Floyd's "Time".  If you've never heard it, a cacophony of clocks go off simultaneously.

Once, I used this tactic on a mission trip where everyone was sleeping on the floor and my wife Sheryl thought it was a fire alarm and didn't see the humor in it after the fact.  It did get everybody up quickly though!

At camp, it seemed that the cabin leaders, rather than be the music police, would turn a deaf ear to what we were listening to as long as it wasn't overtly profane.  Occasionally, we would find a minister that had similar tastes and were amazed that they could converse with us on some pretty cool stuff.

We actually had a song book at camp that while it contained a lot of Christian hymns and other music, it also contained a lot of secular music from the day.  Inside its pages, you will find "Blowin' in the Wind" by Bob Dylan or "Hey Jude" by The Beatles.  These will be found alongside such hymns as "Lord of the Dance" or "Be Thou My Vision".

This was not an endorsement of the lifestyle of rock musicians.  It was not saying that every song they wrote was worthwhile or would be sung at camp.  United Methodist pastors that mentored me respected my intelligence enough to allow me to acknowledge what has Christian value and what doesn't.  

This is very different from the church camp my friend Scott Sharp attended.  It was not United Methodist and he said that one day one of the preachers told the youth, "I can tell who's going to heaven and hell just by what they are wearing."  Evidently, some had rock t-shirts on.

I still listen to a lot of secular music.  I'm fascinated when I find some lyrics that reflect grace and love and goodness.  There are many who will never darken the doors of a church that hear this music.  Maybe we can have a conversation about it.

For instance, a few years ago, we had our modern worship band play "Home" by Phillip Phillips when it came out.  The lyrics include this line:

"The trouble, it might drag you down.  If you get lost, you can always be found."  

That sounds like Good News to me.

Even the Rolling Stones have a gem or two such as "Shine a Light" where the chorus exhorts:

"May the good Lord shine a light on you
Make every song your favorite tune
May the good Lord shine a light on you
Warm like the evening sun"

The verses are a bit darker, lifting up the lives (and death) of street people.  People who need and still somehow manage to find God's grace.

I'm grateful that The United Methodist Church gave me eyes to see and ears to hear.  

What songs have you heard in life beyond church that moved your spirit?

Does anyone else remember singing out of this book?