Daily Devotion for Lent 2024, Wrap-up for Easter Sunday

“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit; for each tree is known by its own fruit. For people do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a bramble bush.  The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil, for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks."

“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I tell you?  I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, hears my words, and acts on them.  That one is like a man building a house who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when a flood arose, the river burst against that house but could not shake it because it had been well built.  But the one who hears and does not act is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river burst against it, it quickly collapsed, and great was the ruin of that house.”

                                                                    Luke 6:43-49 (NRSVue)

 

Can a leopard change its spots?  

Can you teach an old dog new tricks?

Can you make a silk purse out of a sow's ear?

These old adages allow us to stay set in our ways as if change were impossible.  They become easy excuses for us to hold onto when we know we need to make some fundamental shift in the way we are doing things.

Change is difficult.  I've heard it said that when people are told to alter their diets or they will surely eat themselves into the grave, the majority are unable to make a long-lasting adjustment.  So old habits do seem to die hard.  

It would take a miracle to change.

For Christians, we celebrate this miracle in the world through Easter.  The resurrection allows us to see others differently and it allows us to see ourselves in a new light.  It forgives the sins that lead to death and declares that they are not as powerful as we make them out to be.

Easter reveals that you are good fruit today and that we can throw yesterday's thorns in the trash.  

The important part of reading through the Sermon on the Mount and the Sermon on the Plain through Lent will come tomorrow.  How do we integrate these messages into our lives?

What does Easter mean on Monday?  or Tuesday?

Can we develop an Easter foundation for our house?

Jesus believes we can or he wouldn't have wasted his time preaching this message. 

We can turn a new leaf.

We can start from scratch.

We can wipe the slate clean.

But on Easter, we recognize that we don't have to do this of our own accord.  Life and light have won over death and darkness.  That is enough for me and for you.

Prayer for the day: Loving God, we give thanks for the teachings of Jesus that give us life.  When we see them in light of the resurrection, they begin to take a new shape for us.  Help us to live out these sermons of resurrection in the everyday.  May we be more like the saints Jesus declares us to be.  And may our foundation in Christ never waver.  We pray these things in the name of the risen Lord.  Amen.

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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.

Daily Devotion for Lent 2024, Day 40 Holy Saturday

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap, for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”

He also told them a parable: “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit?  A disciple is not above the teacher, but every disciple who is fully qualified will be like the teacher.  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, ‘Friend, let me take out the speck in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log 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."

                                                                        Luke 6:37-42 (NRSVue)

 

This passage also reads a little more somberly on Holy Saturday.  One thing about death is that it usually quells our sense of judgment.  

The old saying, "do not speak ill of the dead" crosses cultures and comes out of such antiquity that its origin is untraceable.  When I am eulogizing someone, I try to paint the deceased in the best light possible.  One person at a funeral thought I was a little too glowing and made the remark that they weren't the saint I painted them to be!

I responded that they were in Christ and that God sees them through this lens in judgment.  We don't stand on our own merits but through the grace of Jesus.  We should try to see our brothers and sisters in the same way God sees them - especially in death.  

If I am too judgmental and this is the measure I share with everyone else, people close to me may begin to wonder, "Does he see me in this way too?"  I can certainly see how this is a pit that is easy to fall into.  

Many times, the difficult thing for us in judging the dead may be that we have some unresolved anger toward them.  Sometimes this anger may revolve around them dying and leaving us.  It can stir up abandonment issues that are often difficult to name.   

I wonder if the disciples were feeling something similar on this day so many years ago.

Did they second-guess Jesus' behavior or did they blame themselves?  Did some think, "We should have tried harder to talk him out of coming to Jerusalem during the Passover."?  Did the anger that comes with grief centralize around the Roman authorities or the Jewish leaders?  This kind of anger can certainly blind us.  We might even fall into a pit.  What kind of measure do you think they allowed for their enemies at this point?

What if this was how we always saw people?

This is helpful for us to realize that our capacity to be gracious often rises and falls depending on our circumstances in life.  We all know what it is to blow up at someone who happened to say the wrong thing at the wrong time.  Overreaction comes when our tank is empty.

The most important thing for us is to be self-aware at these times.  To recognize when we don't have it together.  And to admit it and ask for a little grace.  I believe that in this way, we can have a better chance of avoiding hypocrisy.  And if we've extended the same grace to those around us, we are more likely to receive it when we need it.

Sometimes our own blind spots are difficult for us to identify.  If you had to make a list of your top five places that you have difficulty with in relationships, what would they be?  Sometimes if we name the log, it begins to shrink!

Prayer for the day:  Gracious God, guide us on this day as we revisit the grief the disciples had for our Lord.  Help us to recognize who we are with all of our faults and misgivings but also for all of our strengths and gifts.  Let us be thankful for the totality of our identity and allow your Holy Spirit to shape our negatives that they may actually inform our assets.  May this understanding allow us to live into becoming more grace-filled people who are generous in how we see others.  We pray this in the powerful name of Jesus Christ who pulls us out of the pit.  Amen. 

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 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.

Daily Devotion for Lent 2024, Day 39 Good Friday

“But I say to you who are listening: Love your enemies; do good to those who hate you;  bless those who curse you; pray for those who mistreat you.  If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt.  Give to everyone who asks of you, and if anyone takes away what is yours, do not ask for it back again.  Do to others as you would have them do to you.  “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.  If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.  If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive payment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again.  Instead, love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return.  Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.  Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful."

                                                                    Luke 6:27-36 (NRSVue)

 

On Good Friday, how does this read?  

At the cross, Luke records that the soldiers cast lots to divide his clothing.  This is a somber ratification of "do not withhold even your shirt."

When we are attacked, do we have the ability to respond differently?  Jesus indicates that we do.

In a Hollywood movie, what would the Son of God do to his enemies on the cross?  He would call down fire from heaven and light them up!

Jesus may have been tempted by his own disciples to do this.  In Luke 9:51-56, Jesus is not well-received by a Samaritan village.  James and John ask him, "Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?"  Jesus rebukes them and lives out today's teaching.

We are offered a better way to light up our enemies.

It is only in Luke's Gospel that Jesus offers his enemies forgiveness from the cross.  Luke 23:34 has Jesus utter before his death, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

"Love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return."

Jesus lives this out on Good Friday.

And lest, we deign to think that this is unattainable behavior, Luke shows us that it is absolutely lived out by the early church.  Luke also wrote the "Acts of the Apostles" as a follow-up to the Gospel.

The apostle Stephen was preaching about Jesus and his audience didn't appreciate the light in which he painted them.  They took him outside the city and began to stone him.  In Acts 7:60, it reports that just before Stephen died "... he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, 'Lord, do not hold this sin against them.'”  Today's teaching is not a lofting goal reached only by God but is lived out by the followers of Jesus.  Luke shows us that this expectation may be why the church flourished.

One of the people witnessing the stoning of Stephen was Saul who later became the apostle Paul.  Most of the letters in the New Testament were written by Paul or a school of Paul's thought.  Just before Paul began to start churches throughout the Mediterranean, the church was at a precipice.  Would it live into this teaching?  Saul was on the way to Damascus to arrest more Christians and was struck blind.  In a show of irony, Jesus sends him to a Christian in Damascus named Ananias for healing.  

What would Ananias think about this?  This was the man coming to arrest and harass his family!

When Jesus tells him in a vision to heal Saul, Ananias basically says, "Lord, this guy is our enemy!" As if Jesus wasn't aware of all his faults!  Do we ever wrestle with doing the right thing?

Because Ananias lived out the highlighted teaching from the Sermon on the Plain, the church thrived.

Maybe in a world where enmity comes so easily today, we have an alternate path.

Rather than light up our enemies, we can show them the light of Christ that shines through an act of love on a cross.  An act that gives us the strength to love.

May it be so today of all days.

Prayer for Good Friday: Teach us, good Lord, to serve you as you deserve; to give and not to count the cost; to fight and not to heed the wounds; to toil and not to seek for rest; to labor and not to ask for any reward, except that of knowing that we do your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen. 

 

Prayer by Ignatius of Loyola, Spain, 16th Century.

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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.

Daily Devotion for Lent 2024, Day 38 Maundy Thursday

“But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.  Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry.  Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep.  Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets."

                                                Luke 6:24-26 (NRSVue)

Luke's Gospel is the only one to feature these counter-statements to the Beatitudes.  Matthew tended to spiritualize the sayings (i.e. blessed are the poor in spirit) while Luke was more basic in the characterizing.

What does it mean that Jesus gives these woes?

The Common English Bible translates it as "how terrible for you..." rather than woe.  "Woe" does seem to be a bit archaic in that we don't use it very often in everyday speech.  The Scholar's Version which was made up of Jesus Seminar New Testament professors use the phrase "Damn you" instead of woe in that they wanted to get the intensity of Jesus to come across.  Saying them as a curse is truly opposite of saying them as a blessing.

As I consider my own life, I am not doing very well with regards to today's woes:

I am more well-off financially than the majority of the people in the world.

I am full to the point of needing to shed a few pounds.

I laugh more than I weep.

People do speak well of me (at least to my face).

Maybe this is what Jesus means.

Today, being Maundy Thursday, we also remember the Last Supper.  In Holy Communion, we recognize our need for God's grace.  We confess our sins prior to the meal and hopefully, we take our brokenness seriously.  Dietrich Bonhoeffer labeled Communion without confession as "cheap grace" in his landmark book, The Cost of Discipleship.

When I am woeful to the point of having all of these characteristics, maybe this makes it harder to confess my own brokenness.  When we are well-off, the need for God may not seem as urgent.  So we are more likely to imagine ourselves as self-sufficient.  

I don't believe that we need to apologize if we share in any of today's attributes as some of the Puritans may have done.  I believe that God would like a strong, full life for all people on earth.   But it may be that we need to determine if our wealth is at the expense of someone else's well-being.  Do I find it easy to forget the hunger in my own community?  Am I laughing with or at the object of my mirth?  And is my status of favor with others in conflict with God's role for my life?

These are difficult Lenten questions making this text appropriate for today.  I invite you to linger on them a bit and if you find the opportunity to take Holy Communion, pray on these questions at the kneeling rail.

Prayer for the day:  God, you have given us your word to bring us life.  May we receive it in a way that honors you and our neighbors.  May we also receive it in a way that honors ourselves.  As we remember this night in the life of our Lord, we also remember that this was when he washed our feet.  He then bid us to go forth and do likewise for the world.  May we take the love we have received and pass it along generously.  Amen.

 

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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.

Daily Devotion for Lent 2024, Day 37

“Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man.  Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven, for that is how their ancestors treated the prophets."

                                        Luke 6:22-23 (NRSVue)

This sounds like a good part of my time as a district superintendent during disaffiliation.  There were certain people in authority who were clearly leading others away from The United Methodist Church - some laity and some clergy.  In a denomination as large as ours, outliers can be found on just about any topic and these were often lifted up as normative in order to move people against our church.  

I don't mind healthy discussion but when people have been riled up - it often degrades into slander and harmful rhetoric.  I made the comment (many times), "I am tired of trying to convince people to uphold the vows they took."

I had many people - United Methodists that stayed included - who told me to just let them go.  Why fight it?  I will say that I handled different churches differently.  I would go and present The United Methodist witness and answer questions to the best of my ability.  But where I perceived that it was over 90% in agreement, I didn't stand in the way.  Where there was a significant United Methodist presence that wanted to keep their church, I felt in these instances that I either became their pastor or had to stand in support of the pastor who was trying to hold their church together. 

In these instances, I received hateful words, exclusionary words, reviling words and defaming words.  I was painted in a public court of law as a tyrant who did not order the church fairly.  I felt derision by former church members that I worked with, conducted funerals for family members, and aided personally in moments of natural disaster.  I did not feel blessed but I did feel that I stood in this path for the sake of the Son of Man.

The difficulty of this is when we realize that those seeking to leave - and even those doing the reviling - were also doing so out of a faith position.  Most had a sense of righteousness around the issue of human sexuality that differed from mine.  I believe that many felt persecuted by my wielding authority in a way that tried to call them into accountability.  They likely saw it as an abuse of power.  I recently made the quip at a public gathering that I put the grace into gracious exit.  It got some laughs which indicates that people recognized my difficulty of trying to hold accountability among people who saw things very differently.

As we continue in Holy Week, one thing that's helpful for us to recognize is that our persecutions are not in the same league with what Jesus faced.  It doesn't compare to the way the early disciples were treated.  It wouldn't even be a blip on the radar for how the early church fared against the various government harassment, restrictions and arrests.   

Sometimes we have to stand up for the faith.  My faith begins with loving God and loving neighbor.  I want to do this in a way that provides respect to all.  But I will also ask for the same consideration and when I am in a place of power and authority, I will expect it. 

And while it doesn't feel blessed to do so, it is helpful to see how Jesus considers blessing in the Sermon on the Plain: poor, hungry, weeping.  Hated and reviled.

The outsider is lifted up by God.

I can rest in that.

I will continue to stand for the outsiders and am in solidarity with them.

Prayer for the day:  God, I must confess that I don't want to be hated or reviled.  I would just like to get along with others.  But when we give a voice to the voiceless, people may begin to exclude us as well.  It is easier to let things go.  It is easier to go with the flow and say nothing.  But you call us to be disciples.  Help us to walk this week with Jesus even though we know where he is going.  Give us the strength to carry his cross for a bit.  For Jesus' sake we pray.  Amen.

 

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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.

Daily Devotion for Lent 2024, Day 36

“Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled.  Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh."

                                                        Luke 6:21 (NRSVue)

These Beatitudes continue to differ slightly from the Sermon on the Mount.  Rather than hunger for righteousness, we see the blessed are just hungry.  We also see "weep" instead of "mourn" with the result being laughing which seems a more dramatic turnaround over the comfort offered in Matthew.

These are in the same vein as the poor being favored in Luke.  

For the crowds that Jesus was preaching to, many of them would understand what it is to be hungry.  If a day laborer didn't work, he may not have any savings on which to eat.  It is not likely that they thought of themselves as being blessed by God while in this condition.  It is more likely that they may have been asking, "What's God got against me?"

Certainly, people who have wept in grief have experienced the anger that often comes with loss.  Many times this anger may be directed to God.  I've heard many people say, "Why did God take my loved one now?"  

There's often a lot of theological statements made in the moment that are designed to comfort but really say some awful things about God's character.

"God needed another angel."

"It was just their time to go and we can't understand God's reasons."

"It must have been God's will."

Often these statements are designed to protect God's sovereignty or the idea that God is in complete control of the universe.  Of course, Wesleyans believe in free will which is God's self-limitation on divine control over everything.  

I believe that God weeps with us when we weep.  What does it mean to be blessed in weeping?  

Both of these - hunger and weeping - are conditions that Jesus claims give us favored attention by God.  These would have been a reversal of the common thought of the day.  They are a reversal for us today in how we normally think.

I think what this communicates for Jesus' followers is that God is concerned with those who are hurting.  I think about my grandmother who loved me.  She would sit by her refrigerator during every meal so that she could easily get anything that someone might want.  No matter what time we arrived, she would have something warm on the stove for us (much of the time it was some kind of homemade cobbler). She never wanted any of us to go hungry.  This could have been because she had both of her children during the Great Depression and was widowed while pregnant with my uncle.  She showed her love with offering sustenance - meeting a basic need. 

She was extra concerned with those who were hungry!

I think this is how God operates with the hungry and the despondent.

How do Christians show the hurting world that God cares?  We, like my grandmother, are also interested in feeding hungry people through a great variety of ministries.  We also provide care for those who are grieving.  As we move through Holy Week, we may have special concern because this is the week that Jesus may not have had an appetite.  We know he wept in the garden as he prayed.  

May we be part of someone's blessing this week.

Prayer for the day: Loving God, thank you for showing special favor to those who lack food.  Thank you for sending comfort to those who are weeping, whether it be from grief or fear or pain.  Help us to be attentive for you.  And when we may feel at the end of our rope, give us the strength to be able to offer love and care in any circumstance.  We pray these things in Jesus' name.  Amen.

 

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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.

 

Daily Devotion for Lent 2024, Day 35

Then he (Jesus) looked up at his disciples and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God."

                                                                Luke 6:20 (NRSVue)

Luke gives us the Sermon on the Plain which is named from Jesus coming down to a level place in verse seventeen.  After healing the crowds, he begins to teach them.

The first Beatitude in Luke differs in that Matthew's spiritualizes poverty.  Luke's version is simple.  Blessed are the poor.  It is even more direct in that he is preaching to the masses and those who are poor (and present) are counted among the favored.

This is a bit shocking to our sensibilities.  How in the world are the poor blessed?  The Contemporary English Bible translates it as "Happy are you who are poor, because God's kingdom is yours."  

Some have said that God favors the poor over those who have enough.  This also goes against the grain that God loves everyone equally.  It would be like a parent saying, "Well, this child is my favorite."  That makes us feel bad for the children who are also plying for their parent's love and are coming up short.

I'm reminded of the story of the little girl with the cleft palate who had multiple issues including a crooked nose, lopsided teeth, a misshapen lip, and difficulty hearing out of one ear.  She didn't believe that anyone outside of her family could love her - or even like her.  They had a whisper test in her elementary school and Mrs. Leonard, her teacher, would whisper something to the student that they would have to repeat back.  The little girl who may have been the least popular child in her class waited to go last.  She wondered what her teacher would say to her and she said that God must have surely put the seven words into her mouth that changed her life.  Mrs. Leonard whispered to her, "I wish you were my little girl."

Would you say that it was wrong in that moment that she was favored by her teacher?

When Jesus says, "Blessed are you who are poor," it may be God saying to them, "I know you have a lot of issues.  I know that you are not seen by others.  I know that you are not given dignity or respect much of the time.  But you are important to me.  All that is mine is yours."

We live in a world today that is vastly different than that of Jesus.  But it also has some very fundamental similarities.  I think about how I see others and wonder if I make some of the same mistakes that they did in Jesus day.  I don't do is consciously.  When I consciously think about others, I can apply respect and dignity.  But subconsciously, I'm sure that I fail much of the time.  

Maybe that means I have to make up for that overtly at other times.  Maybe that's what Jesus means by this Beatitude today.  As we move toward the cross this week, that may not be too much to ask.

Prayer for the day: God, I thank you for all of the blessings I have received through my years here on this earth.  I have more than I need and yet, often feel lacking in this or that.  Help me to see that the lack I feel is an illusion.  And as I see other people, let me look beyond the superficial and see them as you do.  May we all share in your kingdom in this way, as they invite me in.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

 

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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.

Daily Devotion for Lent 2024, Day 34

Now when Jesus had finished saying these words, the crowds were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as their scribes.

                                        Matthew 7:29-29 (NRSVue)

This ends Matthew's presentation of the Sermon on the Mount with the crowds (and the listener) being astounded.  There was plenty of material in this sermon to astonish us if you look from the mindset of casual public thinking as opposed to what Jesus is telling us.

It is stated that Jesus teaches with authority and this is the first time in Matthew's gospel that this concept is mentioned.  Jesus is contrasted with the scribes who seem to lack authority.  The dichotomy would have been normal within that time frame as different rabbis vied for the people's consideration with various interpretations of scripture.   

We see further contrast throughout Matthew's Gospel.  In chapter 8, verse 20, Matthew records Jesus speaking about his itinerancy by stating, "the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head."  In Matthew 23:6-7, when speaking about the scribes, Jesus says, "They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to have people call them rabbi."

The authority of Jesus may also come from him being "one of the people" and not holding himself above the crowds.

As I think about authority related to Jesus, I'm also reminded of a passage we often attribute to the character of Jesus from Isaiah.  Chapter 9, verses 6-7b says, "For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders, and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Great will be his authority, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom."

Hopefully, our submission to Jesus is a little less resistant!

So authority from the original context surrounds the likely birth of a king in Isaiah's time.  Some have suggested it refers to Hezekiah but other scholars think it may refer to some other crown prince in the line of David.  Of course, since Handel's "Messiah" was popularized, it is hard for Christians to read it without thinking of Jesus.

Later in Matthew, Jesus gives authority to the disciples to heal and set the world right.

And then, Jesus has his authority questioned by the chief priests (who were authority figures in their own right).  

Finally, Matthew ends his gospel with the Great Commissioning.  Just prior, the risen Christ states, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me."

When I was ordained, the bishop said to me, "Take thou authority as an elder in the Church to preach the Word of God, and to administer the Holy Sacraments."

What authority is Jesus passing to you as a disciple as we continue in Lent?  How does living out the Sermon on the Mount give you the authority to set the world right?  Or at least your corner of it?

Prayer for the day: We thank you, God, for raising up among us faithful servants for ministry in your Church.  Clothe each of us with your righteousness that comes from being in Christ.  Help us to understand that being in Christ means to live more often with the lessons from the Sermon on the Mount as a fundamental part of our identity.  May we each take our authority from this designation to give life to all we meet.  In Christ we pray.  Amen. 

 

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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.

 

Daily Devotion for Lent 2024, Day 33

“Everyone, then, who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.  The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall because it had been founded on rock.  And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand.  The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall!”

                                                        Matthew 7:24-27 (NRSVue)

When I used to be involved in computer programming, there was a phrase commonly uttered, "Garbage in, garbage out."  This was in reference to your ability to write code - if you didn't write it correctly, the program would fail to run.  However, it also referenced the kind of data you entered.  If the data is faulty to begin with, the analysis from the program will be equally unreliable.

From Jesus' sermon today, we see that we are once again looking at behavior.  It is not enough to hear the words.  Are you following through with your actions?

This doesn't mean that faithful people will not encounter problems.  The floods and rain come but the house stands because of its foundation.  If our foundation is built upon the hearing and doing, we will put ourselves in a better position to withstand trials that come our way.

One of the critiques about Sunday school classes is always talking about the faith more than living out the faith.  That's one of the reasons I always advocate for Sunday school classes to get together for local mission projects where they could live out what they've learned.  There's something more concrete about these object lessons that sticks with you longer as well.  

Fred Craddock told a story about visiting a woman who was facing a major surgery.  She was in the hospital and he came to pray with her and she was a nervous wreck.  He said all of the magazines with her were basically fluff like People - no reading material that was really substantial.   She didn't have any reservoir to dip down into for when she needed it that would help her.  And when the waves came, she was unprepared.

As we move through Lent, I appreciate you reading through the Sermon on the Mount with me.  I believe this gives us a good rock to base our foundation upon.  Reading and studying are the first steps to doing.  The next step is to begin to put these attitudes into practice.  

Now that we know this sermon, how can we begin to live it out?

Prayer for the day: Gracious God, we hear quite a bit these days.  We take in so much and we know that many things that influence and impact our behavior do so subconsciously.  Help us to take stock of our actions and may we consider our own motivations more regularly.   Let the words of Jesus soak into our very identities so that we may more clearly exhibit discipleship to the world.  We pray these things in Jesus' name.  Amen.

 

Photo by Salem State University Archives 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.

 

Daily Devotion for Lent 2024, Day 32

"Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.  On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’  Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you who behave lawlessly.’"

                                                Matthew 7:21-23 (NRSVue)

This can be a little difficult in that this teaching may leave us wondering if we are some of the people who think we have it right but really have it wrong.  It would be kind of a bummer to live your life believing that you were doing the will of God but missing the boat.

This idea is repeated in the parable of the ten bridesmaids.  The foolish who have no oil miss the arrival of the groom.  When they show up late to the party, he tells them that he never knew them.

If we look at this in Jesus' day, the message seems pretty clear to be about the Pharisees.  They were the most studious keepers of the Law in Judea.  They were well-respected and most assumed that they would be the first ones into heaven.  But earlier in the Sermon, Jesus tells us that our righteousness must exceed the Pharisees if we are to enter the kingdom of heaven.

The Pharisees were living in a society where they were under a slow cultural assault from Hellenization.  The Roman influence was hard to miss and the Pharisees sought to combat this by doubling down on observing the Law.  Those who wouldn't or couldn't observe it as they did were seen as unclean.  Jesus asks us to offer them a little grace which is also a part of the law.

So as we try to figure out God's will, it seems that Jesus is asking us to prefer people over the rest of the rules.

The hard part of this passage is that it also can pit us against our fellow believers.  We can imagine that we are the ones on the inside while those with whom we disagree are the ones who will be left outside of the party.  This kind of thinking actually goes against the meekness or humility that Jesus refers to in the Beatitudes.  And it actually puts us in the guise of modern-day Pharisees. 

So today's passage doesn't seem to be as much about flashy faithfulness but rather being nice to the people who feel like they are on the outs.  As we move through the Lenten season, how can we extend more kindness to those we meet today?  In this way, we'll be known by God.

Prayer for the day: Gracious God, we give thanks for the life we've been given.  We appreciate the times when we have felt loved and included by friends and family.  We also are grateful for the strangers we've encountered who have made a positive difference in our lives.  We confess that we have not always capitulated.  Help us to see others as you see them and to respond as if we were making a home for Jesus.  It is in his name we pray.  Amen.

Photo by Steve Robbins 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.

Daily Devotion for Lent 2024, Day 31

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.  You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns or figs from thistles?  In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.  Thus you will know them by their fruits."

                                                    Matthew 7:15-20 (NRSVue)

I want to re-emphasize that this chapter started with the stipulation that we should not be judgmental toward others.  So any wolves we encounter must be looked at from the sense of our own lupine behavior.  That being said, we do encounter people that are not good for us and actually harm the community.  We must make choices about leadership and who we choose to follow.

How do we successfully determine who is bearing good fruit and who is bearing bad?  

We must look at the words of Jesus leading up to this point.  Those people who exemplify the Beatitudes, who refrain from judgment, who respect those without power or means - those are the ones more likely to bear good fruit.  

As a quicker way to make this determination, I would turn to the great commandment found in Matthew's twenty-second chapter.  Whosoever loves God with all their being and loves their neighbor as they love themselves is one who will bear good fruit for us.  If the person does not do these things, it is more likely they are sowing thorns.

Fortunately, there is redemption, even for those who bear bad fruit.  This comes from the very lesson in the sermon on judging others with the same measure with which we would want to be judged.  I've made plenty of mistakes in my life and have been fortunate that I've been (mostly) forgiven for them.  The problem is when I encounter someone else's faults, they always seem much worse than my own.  They are worse offenders than I.  Doesn't everyone else see that?

So I could forgive you up to a point, but I can only go so far.  At least that's what Peter assumes, generously allowing for a seven-time offender to receive mercy.  Jesus tells him he hasn't even started yet.  

I'm glad Jesus is the one in charge of judgment!

But in the meantime, I need to watch out for those wolves.  And make sure I'm not howling at the moon myself.

Prayer for the day: Merciful God, thank you for the beauty we find in following your way.  Help us to make good judgments about who we're following.  At the same time, when we are leading others, may we do so with the teachings of Jesus at the forefront.  And when we find that both we and the people we follow are in the wrong, help us to start over with our eye on the fruit you would have us bear.  Amen.

 

Photo by Erich Ferdinand 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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.

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.

 

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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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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Daily Devotion for Lent 2024, Day 23

“The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If, then, the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!"

                                                                            Matthew 6:22-23 (NRSVue)

In the ancient world, people believed that the eye, like a lamp, actually gave light to objects so that they may be seen.  As we think about technology, the lamp was an advanced tool that was needed to bring light into the darkness which would have been much more prevalent at night.

As we think about lamps and light, one of the most famous verses comes from Psalm 119:105 which states, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."

From this perspective, God's word gives us the ability to truly see.

Jesus seems to be taking the ancient view of physiology and utilizing the metaphor of lamp, light and darkness to talk about our worldview.  

If we have a healthy way of looking at things, we can see clearly.  If we are looking at things from a selfish, greedy or territorial perspective, things probably look a lot darker.  When our perspective starts poorly, it may be difficult to see at all!

Anything clouding your vision?

In Malcolm Gladwell's book, Blink, he talks about priming or the psychological characteristic of being influenced in our behavior by the words to which we've been exposed.  In John Bargh's experiment, referenced in the book, subjects that were given a list of rude words were more likely to interrupt a conversation than those who were given patient words to review.

If this is even somewhat true, it should be important for Christians to ask themselves what kind of priming are we doing to start our day?

Are we allowing our eyes to see most clearly?

There are days when all of us feel that the darkness is closing in.  How much of this is happening to us subconsciously from the kind of conversations we're having, the things we're watching and the content that we're reading?  

And from a sense of bringing light to the world from earlier in the Sermon on the Mount, how are we influencing those around us in a positive direction?

Prayer for the day: Luminescent God, we find that the light we shine into the world is simply a reflection of the light you shine to us.  As we look upon your word, may it allow us to see more clearly.  And as we visualize again who you have created us to be, may this dispel any darkness creeping up on us.  We pray this in the name of the Christ.  Amen.

 

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