Daily Devotion for Lent 2021 - Day 10

Scripture Reading: Galatians 5 (NRSV)

There are many times when I've preached about greed or hypocrisy or love or forgiveness and then have failed to live up to the standards I proclaim.  But I don't quit preaching them because they are true regardless of our abilities to fulfill them daily.  

Like an Olympic high jumper, we are raising the bar past our ability to easily leap over it so that we push ourselves to greater heights.  But an athlete in training knocks the bar off so many times before they are able to make the new mark.  They don't stop trying and continue to have a goal they are working toward.

With this in mind, we see Paul continue to share with the churches of Galatia concerning the Christians from Jerusalem who believe that they should conform to Jewish religious custom such as circumcision.  Paul is disregarding this ancient sign not because he thinks it is evil but rather because he doesn't want it prioritized over Christ.  It is in Christ that we embody the discipline of love.  

Just as the prophets of old despised the outward appearance of religious adoration (when it was false or self-serving), this teaching was epitomized within what it means to live "in Christ."  

So Paul lists today what is to be avoided and he lists what is to be followed.  I find that I try to emulate the Fruit of the Spirit through daily prayer to begin my day.  I don't always get them right but when I set the bar higher, I make strides to get there.

So as Paul continues in his arguments against those teaching the Galatians to capitulate to their traditions, we see his frustration erupt in verse twelve where he states, "I wish those who unsettle you would castrate themselves!"  

Hmm.

It is almost that he recognizes his own slip as he writes in verse 15, "If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another."

He speaks of avoiding the works of the flesh like enmities, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, and envy.  One might say, "Do as I say, not as I do."

Then he speaks of emulating patience, gentleness and self-control.

Rather than see Paul as a hypocrite, I find it helpful.  Paul got frustrated just like I do!  But he still holds to a better way.  He reminds us, "let us be guided by the Spirit."

This is a reminder we may need daily as we seek to be the best Christians we can be.

Prayer for the day:

Gracious God, make me more loving today - in both giving and receiving love. Give me the ability to find and sow joy each day. May I have peace of mind, body and spirit, such that I become a peacemaker to conflict I encounter. Help me to be kinder to my neighbor in my thoughts and deeds. Grant me a more generous spirit in my perceptions of others so that I may be more ready to share the resources you have entrusted to me. May I be faithful in my daily walk with you, O God, as I seek to love you and my neighbor more fully as Christ has bid me. And as I do trod upon this earth, may I do so gently, leaving places and situations better than I found them. And when those things that are adverse to your Spirit rise up in me, give me the self control to pause and find a better path. I pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ, who breathed the Holy Spirit upon us. Amen.

Photo by Paula R. Lively via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

All scripture quoted is from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Daily Devotion for Lent 2021 - Day 5

Scripture Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5 (NRSV)

If you knew your time on this earth were short, would this change the way you act?

I would think that I would try to get everything in order - I wouldn't want to leave burdens for my loved ones.  I would try to allow for closure in my relationships as much as possible so that it would hopefully make the grief easier.

If I had any grievances, I hope that I would forgive those people.

This is the scenario for many in Thessalonica.  They believed that Jesus would return within their lifetime and sought to act as those who would be ready to receive him.

Paul implies that Christians have a
greater social responsibility than most.

Some may have adopted a "why bother?" attitude toward their employment.  There has probably always been a Johnny Paycheck attitude for a portion of the population that would like to tell their bosses, "Take This Job and Shove It."  But Paul encourages them to stick with it because he didn't know (and reminded them they didn't know either) when this return would occur.

Rather, Paul lifts up the Christian way: faith, love, peace, accountability, encouragement, compassion, patience, joy, prayer and gratitude.

I invite you to read this list again.  I'll wait.

Which of these will you focus on today?  

We, too, are waiting but our waiting has more to do with when we can get back to normal.  While we wait, it is good for us to focus on these positive attributes of Christianity.  This will not only make us more pleasant to be around but it will move the world in a direction that is ready to receive Christ (in all of the nuances this can imply).

So as we think about my original question at the beginning, I shared my actions would be:

• Live responsibly
• Stay connected with relationships
• Forgive offense

As I look at this list, I think that maybe we could live that way without receiving a death sentence first.

Maybe that's what Paul is trying to get across to the Thessalonians and the wider church.  

Prayer for the day:

God, we pray for you to increase our faith and grow our love.  Let us know peace.  May we hold others accountable but more importantly, open ourselves up to it as well.  Help us to offer encouragement even if we don't perceive it is needed.  May we find our first response to be compassion when we hear news.  And when we find ourselves irritable, increase our patience.  Allow joy to flourish in our lives and let us always be grateful for all of your gifts.  We pray these things in Jesus Christ who continues to come to us.  Amen.

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

All scripture quoted is from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

I'm Outraged!

Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Year A

Lectionary Reading: Matthew 22:1-14 (NRSV)

Okay, this was a bait and switch.  I'm really writing about joy as one of the Fruit of the Spirit listed by the apostle Paul in Galatians.  But no one wants to click on an article about the things that bring me joy.  It is more satisfying to find out about what has ticked me off.

You may want to know if I share your values on the latest news.  Are we disgusted by the same things?

Outrage has become the American drug of choice.

As we have isolated from one another during the pandemic, we are having more conversations with people with whom we agree and less conversations with those we don't.  This tends to further polarize us as we find ourselves in self-selected echo chambers.  Algorithms in internet platforms such as Facebook or YouTube also tend to show you what you like.  The more clicks you make means the more ads they can sell.  So while we have been unable to socialize normally, we have doubled down on our social media.  Only, we shouldn't pretend that this is the same as physically gathering with our friends.

And the changes we have experienced are stressful.  We are not in our normal patterns or routines.  And while you may appreciate wearing your pajamas to worship on Sunday afternoons, the interaction with people who see the world differently has a value that we may have overlooked.

And so we have unwittingly turned to outrage to calm us.

This sign may make you
feel deficient for remaining calm.

This rather dystopian thought signifies the relief from the stress that we're all seeking.  If I see something that I don't agree with, can I express it in forty characters or less in such a way that will strike a chord with you?  If I word it in just the right way, you'll be outraged too!  And it is equal opportunity outrage.  A political leader can comment and spark the controversy.  We may agree with him or her and be outraged alongside.  Finally, they are telling it like it is!  I'm glad someone finally had the courage to say what everyone was thinking!  Or we may disagree and our emotions may boil just as quickly.  How dare they say this thing?!?  Can you believe a person would actually come right out and say this in the open?

It seems that we're staying in a constant state of being stirred up.  This is not healthy for individuals and it is certainly not healthy for a nation of diverse people.  As Americans, we have more common ground than that which divides us.  We are just not being reminded of it.  As Christians, we have even more common ground because it is shared in the belief that God is the one who helps us realize it.

What does it mean to celebrate joy in the midst of chaos?  This Sunday, I examine Matthew's parable of the wedding banquet.  It may not seem very joyful at first glance and in fact, it may seem to lean more toward outrage.  I do think joy is present and I hope to expose this theme within my sermon on Sunday.  I would invite you to join in - we all need to detox from the outrage for at least a little while!

In Christ,

Sam

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

Kindness

Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost, Year A

Lectionary Reading: Matthew 21:23-32 (NRSV)

Today, it seems the height of hubris for a religious leader to question the authority of Jesus.  We sit with the advantage of hindsight and understand who Jesus is and was.  But in that day and age, rabbis didn't just put out a shingle and start teaching others.  Rabbis were first disciples.  They were students under the tutelage of an established teacher.  

You learned how to be a rabbi by observing the habits, scriptural interpretations and emphases that your master followed.  At some point, if you progressed enough, the rabbi would bless you as a student to become a rabbi of your own.

So when the chief priests and elders question Jesus, they are wanting to know, "Who did you study under?"

As we see the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist, some scholars think that this represented a disciple/rabbi relationship and that the baptism was John's blessing of Jesus as a rabbi.  They point to the timeline that the public ministry of Jesus begins following his baptism.

So Jesus in turn asks them if they would support John's ministry as authoritative.  Jesus must realize that if they wouldn't support John, they wouldn't support him either.  And so when they refuse to answer, he does as well.

Then Jesus tells them a parable of two sons.  This parable basically warns them of their practice of social standing.  The caste of unclean sinners such as tax collectors and prostitutes are moving ahead of them spiritually.  This would have been insulting to any priest or elder who would have placed themselves in God's favor over the likes of these.  

Notice the posture of this omega wolf - lowest

in the hierarchy of the pack.  Humans have their

own pack hierarchies.

 

For a rabbi such as Jesus, he allows social standing to be overturned.  He was a true egalitarian and the American principles of equality were birthed out of this Christian influence.  To allow someone to repent and lift themselves up to a status equal to yourself is a kindness. It is not easy to do and doesn't come naturally.  

How do we offer this kindness to others in today's society?  Social standing is alive and well in the 21st century.  We still have pecking orders.  How do we allow the kindness of ignoring social strata become a Christian virtue that helps us navigate these chaotic waters?

We'll continue to explore this on Sunday - I hope you'll join us either online or in person!

In Christ,

Sam

Photo by The Wasp Factory via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

Gentleness

Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Year A

Lectionary Reading: Matthew 20:1-16 (NRSV)

Gentleness is described by Paul as a Fruit of the Spirit.  It is a valuable trait to have.  Anyone dealing with horses or dogs understands the need for a gentle hand in working with them.  Are people so different?

By contrast, we seem to value aggressiveness in our society over gentleness.  Aggressiveness is what wins the day in sports.  Now that football season has started, we would never want to encourage our team to be too gentle.  In fact, the opposite is true.  If a team is seen as too "soft" the coach may have some work to do in toughening them up.  In the old days, a coach might keep the team from drinking water in practice to help them learn discipline over the needs of the body.  We have since recognized that to condition players in this manner is actually dangerous and not worth dying over.

Still, there are those who may consider this an unfortunate loss.

Aggression can lead to leadership.  Sometimes we follow the person who "takes" the job.  We may admire their tenacity and willingness to put themselves out there.  These people are sometimes seen as "go-getters."  After all, we don't want to follow someone who's not willing to lead!

Dominating another human being sometimes leads to hurt feelings.  I've stepped on people's feelings many times as a leader - most of the time it was unintentional.  I confess that sometimes in the heat of the moment, it wasn't.  

What does a gentle leader look like?

This dog could easily take this
child in a fight.  His assurance
that there is no threat allows him to be gentle.

I think a gentle leader is respectful of the crowd.  A gentle leader isn't swayed by the majority if he or she believes that they are in the right.  A gentle leader has a quiet assurance that we will all move forward together.

The parable in today's reading shows, I believe, gentle leadership by the owner of the vineyard.  He is willing to risk his reputation among those whom he hired to make sure everyone has enough.  These late arrivals had mouths at home to feed just like everyone else.  The owner is willing to take a stand but he does so without disrespecting those complaining.  

Gentleness is probably needed at home more than usual because we are kind of stuck with one another right now.  There is less getting out and so we are getting to know each other better.  Unfortunately, sometimes our worst traits emerge when we are stressed.  If you have teenagers, they are still jockeying for position and maybe more so as the isolation time stretches on.  Are you allowing them to grow into maturity or freezing them in time while all this is going on?

How do we speak to one another?  Is it respectful?

Would you categorize it as gentle?

To be gentle is not to be weak.  It is acting with an assurance that you can handle yourself.  There is no need to be aggressive because there is most likely not a threat in real life situations.  As we stay connected with God, we recognize that gentleness is a by-product of that connection.  Maybe that's all the reason we need to re-assess its value.

In Christ,

Sam

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

  

Generosity

Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Year A 

Lectionary Reading: Matthew 18:21-35 (NRSV)

How quick are we to forgive today?  I think when we have stress in our lives (such is the norm today), then we may be more likely to take a slight from someone than to imagine they are on our side or at least give them the benefit of the doubt.

We may be more likely to build a case against a person than to imagine all of the things we hold in common.  When we start to make the list of the things we like about this person, it is harder to hold that grudge!  It is much more satisfying in the short-term to list their short-comings.  But this is not the Christian example that we have in today's lectionary scripture.

Peter thinks he's going the extra mile by asking Jesus if we should forgive seven times.  He's beginning to get it.  He thinks this will earn him a "Well, done, Peter!  You got this straight from God."

But Jesus surprises him by declaring he's off by a magnitude of at least ten!

It may be that Jesus is giving us a reversal of Lamech's vengeance from Genesis 4:23-24:  

Lamech said to his wives:  

“Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;

    you wives of Lamech, listen to what I say:

I have killed a man for wounding me,

    a young man for striking me.

If Cain is avenged sevenfold,

    truly Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”

Between Jesus and Lamech, which one do we find ourselves following more often?  We name ourselves Christian rather than Lamechian so how do develop this generosity of spirit that we see on display in Matthew's reading?   

This may be a popular justification
but it doesn't help us follow Jesus.

If we are more likely to show generosity when we are in connection with God (as a Fruit of the Holy Spirit), does this mean that when we are working against someone that we are disconnected with God?

I find that if I am outside of the Holy Spirit - or at least not paying attention to it - I am more likely to be a follower of Lamech.  I want to lean into my wrath (and dole it out) rather than to find understanding and common ground.  When we follow the way of vengeance, we begin to draw our circle smaller and smaller - excluding this person and that person.  Pretty soon it is just you and me and I'm not so sure about you!  

This Sunday, we'll be continuing to explore the Fruit of the Spirit as seen through the lens of this particular scripture.  If you find yourself plagued by a lack of generosity of spirit lately, you are not alone.  But as we join together in worship, we may just re-discover it.  That's my prayer for us this week!  I hope to see you in person or online!

In Christ,

Sam

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

All scripture quoted is from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Patience

Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Year A

Lectionary Reading: Matthew 18:15-20 (NRSV)

As I assigned various Fruit of the Holy Spirit to the lectionary passages, I decided that this particular scripture was a good one to talk about patience.  You can look at it from both sides.  It would be difficult to be patient with someone who was obstinate in their wrong beliefs or behaviors.  Likewise, it would be difficult to be patient if you thought you were in the right and a group of people from the church were trying to correct you!  I'm not sure which would be more annoying!

Dictionary.com defines patience as "the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like."  While I'm old school and don't like it when you use the root word to explain the meaning, I thought they recovered pretty well!  I think we can be taught to bear provocation.  I think we can also be influenced to be too sensitive to irritants.  I believe stress has something to do with our ability to show patience with a person or situation.  In other words, when I'm stressed out or afraid, I have much less patience with people.

As Christians, our example should be Jesus Christ.  I believe his response to his own suffering and crucifixion showed an immense amount of patience as per the above definition.  The phrase, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing" from Luke 23:34 reminds us of the composure Jesus showed on the cross.  How many of us when confronted unjustly in this manner from our enemies (you can picture them) would rather respond, "Father, get them; they're killing me!"

When this is the case, we are setting our minds on human things rather than divine things.

Sometimes rubbing a rock with the word on it
can actually be a good reminder for us!

So how can we show more patience with one another?  I think it is crucial during this time with everything that is occurring.  Since patience is a Fruit of the Holy Spirit, we must immerse ourselves in the Holy Spirit to show the world we are connected with God.  How do we do this?  I think that each person may do this differently.  All of us connect with God in a unique way.  But I also think that today's reading gives us a hint when Jesus says, "For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them."  

When we gather together, we are going to disagree on some things.  It should be expected.  But we also recognize that if we begin to focus on disagreement, we will soon be standing alone.  It is better to focus on that with which we recognize and agree.  The love of Jesus Christ as our witness to the world becomes our focus.  If this was not true, it is much easier to send an offender packing than seeking to work with them in love.

We'll continue to explore this on Sunday - join us online or in person!

In Christ,

Sam

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

All scripture quoted is from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Self-Control

Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Year A

Lectionary Reading: Matthew 16:21-28 (NRSV)

Self-Control is one of the Fruits of the Spirit according to Paul.  It seems to be on display here by Jesus who is successfully resisting temptation set before him by one of his disciples.  In fact, he had just praised Simon Peter for successfully identifying Jesus as the Messiah.  He was going to found the church on this rock.

How quickly things can turn around for us!  Now Peter is compared to Satan who tempted Jesus in the wilderness when he was fasting.  Of course, the temptation to avoid "great suffering...and be killed" would be prominent, I would think.  Jesus does later pray to avoid this very fate.  When he goes off by himself before his betrayal, we see this scene:

Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”  He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and agitated.  Then he said to them, “I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and stay awake with me.”  And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want.”  Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, “So, could you not stay awake with me one hour?  Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”                        Matthew 26:36-41 (NRSV)

So we see the humanity of Jesus on display in that any of us facing the kind of suffering that was coming to Jesus would be upset about it.  Yet, he is able to move forward and doesn't run from impending captivity.  He could have easily left Judas behind and taken the disciples and fled to many of the surrounding towns where he performed his miraculous healing.  Any of those places would have been glad to hide him from the authorities.

But Jesus practices self-control.  He avoids giving into fear or anxiety and moves past it.  

How do we do better?  Too often, I feel like I'm Peter, trying to talk Jesus out of all the suffering and wanting everything to be okay.  Or worse yet, falling asleep when Jesus needs him for some moral support.  It is harder to be disciplined if we think it involves things we don't like or enjoy.  

For example, I hear that it is much easier to avoid the temptations of snacking if you don't keep a lot of snacks around the house.  Of course, this is theoretical for me.

How do we have self-control to read the Bible rather than the latest article from the web?  How do we have self-control that moves us to prayer rather than streaming another show on our device?

It may be that we have to associate these things with reward rather than tasks or chores to be accomplished.  

We'll continue to pursue this theme in worship on Sunday - join us in person or online and we'll at least exhibit some self-control together for 45 minutes!

In Christ,

Sam

Photo by Blink O'fanaye via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

All scripture quoted is from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Faithfulness

Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost, Year A

Lectionary Reading: Matthew 16:13-20 (NRSV)

Sometimes we hear of great loyalty by our pets.  Specifically, I remember the story of Tommy, a 7 year old German Shepherd dog who accompanied his owner, Maria Margherita Lochi to mass in Italy and was allowed to sit at her feet.  After she died, he apparently showed up for mass every day for two months.  The priest said that he didn't ever cause any trouble and he couldn't bring himself to evict the dog.

We admire this kind of devotion and often speak of it as great faithfulness.  When someone honors their marriage vows in chastity, we speak of them as being faithful to their spouse.  So we may often think of faithfulness as follow-through as if we were staying true to what we said we would do or to a task at hand.  

In today's reading, we see Peter being placed at the head of the church.  Was he being rewarded for his faithfulness?  He is certainly enthusiastic.  He tries hard.  But he goofs up quite a bit in the gospels.  I think that this shows us that faithfulness may also be about good intentions.  We often hear the saying, "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions."  I think this adage may be telling us that follow-through may be more important than intention.  But from a Christian perspective, I think Peter shows us that intention and action don't always align as we would like.  And so, we remember that mercy is also a part of the Christian walk.  We are forgiven and allowed to start anew.

As we see Peter placed at the head of the church, it comes after his correctly naming Jesus as the Messiah.  Maybe faithfulness is also about spiritual insight - knowing what Jesus would want from us.  This requires faithfulness to studying the things Jesus said and did.  It is only as we deepen our relationship with Christ that we discover the things that Jesus would ask of us.  Otherwise, we may only pretend to follow Jesus as we actually disguise what we wanted to do all along.

This Sunday, we'll continue to explore the theme of faithfulness as it relates to the Gospel reading.  Over the next nine weeks, we'll remain in Matthew's Gospel and look at one of the Fruits of the Spirit.  For review they are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control but we won't necessarily explore them in that order.

These are the higher characteristics that we need to display to the world right now.  It won't hurt for us to think on them for a while!  I hope you'll join us on the journey!

In Christ,

Sam

Photo used under the fair use doctrine.