Daily Devotion for Lent 2020 - Day 30

Scripture Reading: Acts 21:37-22:16 (NRSV)

We see that Paul is misunderstood not only by the Jews who seek to do him harm but also the Roman officials who are trying to keep the peace in Jerusalem.  The tribune thinks he is an Egyptian who was a false messiah who was seeking revolution in Jerusalem.  The historian Josephus tells about him in his fifth point of the thirteenth chapter of his "Of the War - Book II."

He gives Paul permission to speak to the crowd and Paul addresses them in Hebrew.  This would begin to soothe their notion that he's a foreigner trying to bring Gentiles into the temple.    Paul also makes reference to studying under Gamaliel who was earlier referenced by Luke in chapter 5 when Gamaliel saves Peter and the apostles by saying that if they weren't from God, then they would fail.  Gamaliel is known by writings outside of the Bible and was famous at the time.

This gives Paul even more credit among those who are listening.  He then tells them about how he did essentially what they were doing except under the authority of the religious elite.  So we can imagine Paul's irony in his addressing them.  He can't really blame them or feel enmity for them for beating him and wanting him dead.  He can't help but see a younger version of himself in them.

Paul can do nothing but relay his experience of the risen Jesus and how he was healed by Ananias.  Note that Paul doesn't relay Ananias's vision from Jesus or that he is a Christian (as contained in Acts 9:1-22).  Rather, he describes him (truthfully but maybe leaving out some details) as a "devout man according to the law and well spoken of by all the Jews living there."  Note that Ananias calls upon Paul to be baptized for a repentance of sin and doesn't mention the Holy Spirit.  This would sound similar to the baptism of John which would have still been familiar to those in Jerusalem.

Sometimes to understand where we are going,
we have to understand where we've been.

Paul is establishing common ground with them.  He is trying to get them to come along with him so that maybe they will be willing to take a similar journey for themselves.

Sometimes when we grow in faith, we deconstruct ideas that we had earlier in life.  Some people deepen their understanding to where they see a broader understanding of God in the world.  For others, they stay locked into a fairly simple cosmology.  Things are more black and white as they were for Paul earlier in his life.  The risen Christ has deconstructed his earlier understandings that would make him want to participate in persecutions. 

Think about your own journey of faith.  Are there things that you believed earlier in your life that you see differently today?  Has your interpretation of certain scriptures changed?  How did you think of God when you were a child?  A teenager?  Today?

Prayer for the day:

Let the healing grace of your love, O Lord,
so transform me that I may play my part
in the transfiguration of the world from a place
of suffering, death and corruption to a realm
of infinite light, joy and love.
Make me so obedient to your Spirit that my life
may become a living prayer,
and a witness to your unfailing presence.
Amen.

Prayer by Martin Israel, Anglican Priest, South Africa, 20th century

Photo by Lawrence OP 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 2020 - Day 29

Scripture Reading: Acts 21:17-36 (NRSV)

Paul may be in trouble.  He's stirred up trouble among Jews all across the Mediterranean because of his liberal views concerning Gentiles.  When he comes back, he visits with James, the brother of Jesus who was the leader of the church in Jerusalem.  James was known for his preservation of Judaism within Christianity and so the critique of Paul's message to the Gentiles may have been closer than Luke indicates in this passage.

Did Paul tell Gentiles to forsake Moses? 

Not exactly.  The preservation of Judaic law was not Paul's mission.  His mission was to introduce people to the living Lord be they Jew or Gentile.

Paul does state in 1 Corinthians 10:23-26:

“All things are lawful,” but not all things are beneficial. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. Do not seek your own advantage, but that of the other. Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience, for “the earth and its fullness are the Lord’s.”

So in this instance, he allows the eating of meat offered to idols and not slaughtered with kosher methods.  He later adds that if you are with someone who has difficulty with this, then you are to refrain from eating.   So technically, while his mission is not to forsake Moses, someone who is committed to the dietary laws could certainly phrase it this way.

Paul has a different mindset.  Earlier in 1 Corinthians (9:19-23), he explains this explicitly:

For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law) so that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some.  I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings. 

Paul begins to live out, "To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews" in following the Jerusalem leadership's instructions to join in the purification rites.  Unfortunately, this was not enough.  When those zealous for the law are stirred up, they seize Paul and begin to beat him.  The violence is contagious as they contend that he has violated the temple by bringing in a Gentile.  Archaeologists have actually discovered an engraving from the time of Herod that forbids the entry of Gentiles to the temple which was punishable by death.

Fortunately for Paul, Roman soldiers intervene.  While they were the executioners of his Lord, they would ironically be his lifeline on this day.

What feelings does this photo engender?

This is a blatant reminder that our views can be misconstrued.  Paul was not interested in tearing down the law for the Jewish population.  He was actually exposing the wider world to quite a bit of it.  But his main reason for doing this was to share the resurrected Christ with all that he could.  If the law got in the way, he was not opposed to laying it aside for his main purpose.  But others saw him as an enemy to God.  This is a great irony because the very people who were beating him were simply a version of his younger self.

How do we come across with our words?  In such a diverse setting as today, would Paul have said, "To the Republicans, I became as a Republican, in order to win Republicans.  To the Democrats, I became as a Democrat, in order to win Democrats"?  While this sounds rather wishy-washy, for Paul, it was about getting his message across effectively. 

When you hear the words of someone and you disagree with their position, do you give the benefit of the doubt or are you more likely to stir the pot?  We must be careful not to misconstrue people's positions or we join in the mob mentality that is unfortunately a part of the human condition.  Sometimes it is good for us to review, "What is my main objective as a follower of Jesus?

Prayer for the day:

Lord, since you exist, we exist.
Since you are beautiful, we are beautiful.
Since you are good, we are good.
By our existence we honor you.
By our beauty we glorify you.
By our goodness we love you.
Lord, through your power all things were made.
Through your wisdom all things are governed.
Through your grace all things are sustained.
Give us power to serve you, wisdom to discern your laws,
and grace to obey those at all times.
Amen.

Prayer by Edmund of Abingdon, Archbishop of Canterbury, 13th century

Photo by Pete Souza, Official White House photo, November 10, 2016. 

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 2020 - Fifth Sunday in Lent

Scripture Reading: Acts 21:1-16 (NRSV)

We model safety as some make different choices. 
When children grow older, we eventually let go of their hands.

Paul is making his way back to Jerusalem.  I find it interesting that he stays at Philip the evangelist's house in Caesarea.  Philip was one of the seven chosen to serve from Acts 6:1-6.  Philip's story is contained in chapter 8 which ends with him coming to Caesarea. 

We see Paul coming full circle as chapter 8 begins with Saul's (Paul's) approval of the killing of Stephen.  Then Luke mentions Paul's persecution of the church before moving into Philip's boundary-breaking stories of preaching in Samaria and the baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch.

Now Paul is a different person and seeks to return to Jerusalem after performing his own boundary-breaking ministry across the Mediterranean.

The prophet Agabus binds his own hands and feet with Paul's belt.  Would this have been difficult for Paul to see?  Did it remind him of when he first bound believers in his early career?  It was meant as a deterrent but it perhaps emboldened Paul as he may still have harbored guilt over his previous actions.

It could be that Paul knew of the words that Jesus said to Peter as contained in John 21:18:

"Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.” 

Paul refuses to be swayed by the believers present and they are silenced.  They conclude with "The Lord's will be done."

Sometimes that's all we can say, isn't it?  There may be a situation in which we have no control.  When a person we love is an adult and we respect their ability to make their own decisions, we may give our opinions and advice but in the end, we must allow them to proceed as they think best.  If we don't allow this, we are binding them with their belt and leading them the way we want them to go.  This is often a painful time for parents of young adults.  We would like for our experience to influence them positively.  We may not want them to make the same mistakes that we made.  But what we sometimes fail to realize is that these mistakes helped to shape us to become who we are today.

Is there an adult in your life that if you had the final say, you would make different choices for them?  Is this affecting your relationship with them?  What if, after we let them know what we think, we remained silent on the subject and concluded with, "The Lord's will be done"?

Prayer for the day:

Gracious God,
I need you more now that I am growing older.
Help me to do less talking and more listening,
less complaining and more exclaiming.
Please, no bossing now, 
just watching over and standing by,
but not telling how.
Keep me from moodiness and self-pity;
from repetitious words set me free.
Keep me in tune with the young,
let me be carefree enough to have fun.
Let me not think the world has changed so much
that I grow bitter and out of touch.
Let me use my experience in much living
as an incentive for more giving.
Gracious God, I need you much more now.
Amen.

Prayer by Charlotte Carpenter, Kansas, 20th Century

Photo by Simply CVR 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 2020 - Day 28

Scripture Reading: Acts 20:1-38 (NRSV)

Paul continues with his missionary journeys in today's reading.  We see that this movement is not his alone.  Lots of other new names surface that remind us that in order for the witness to have spread like it did, others embraced the message and shared it.  It is interesting the Luke resumes using "us" and "we" pronouns in verse five.  Some scholars conclude that Luke was involved personally in these journeys and becomes the biographer of the movement from first-hand experience.

We have the miraculous resurrection of Eutychus by Paul.  It is almost comical how he dies.  Paul's preaching has literally bored him to death!  This is why pews are low to the ground in today's sanctuaries.  I like how Luke understates their response in verse 12 by saying, "they...were not a little comforted."

Paul seems to begin his farewell tour.  He either has received some spiritual insight into his eventual martyrdom (likely beheaded in Rome circa 65 AD) or he realizes that his death is likely considering his recent track record.  This comes to light in verses 24-25:

But I do not count my life of any value to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news of God’s grace.
“And now I know that none of you, among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom, will ever see my face again. 

While Paul is credited for the authorship of the letters to Timothy, many scholars believe that these came a generation after Paul and represent his school of thought.  Regardless, we see a similar sense of his own end recorded in 2 Timothy 4:6-8:

As for me, I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come.  I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

Paul also warns his fellow Christians that they are not going to be spared of their own danger.  His flock metaphor along with wolves in verses 28-29 reminds us of the teachings of Jesus.  It especially sounds like Matthew 7:15 where Jesus states,

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves."

Finally, Paul reminds them that he did not do this for any material gain.  We often quote Paul quoting Jesus in verse 35, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." This reminds us that there would have been a lot of oral tradition from Jesus that was not written down as this particular phrase is not found in the gospels.

Paul's own sense of duty and mission to God in Christ was crucial to the spread of Christianity.  He was not afraid to suffer or sacrifice on behalf of the gospel.  While we experience crisis - especially in isolation - we are tempted to distance ourselves emotionally as well as physically from those neighbors who may be suffering.  While the physical separation is important, it is vital that we remain connected spiritually to one another.  We are reminded from this passage that while Paul was separated physically from his followers, he continued to remain connected by the best means available in his day - letters.  So just as Paul attempted to give instruction and inspiration from a distance, how might we continue to connect from afar to buoy the spirits of others?  What good word would you have for someone today?

Prayer for the day:

O God, who is present to your people in every place,
mercifully hear our prayers for those we love who are now parted from us:
watch over them, we beseech you, and protect them from anxiety, danger and temptation;
and assure both them and us that you are always near,
and that we are one in you forever; 
through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Prayer by Brooke Foss Westcott, Church of England, 19th Century  

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.

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

Daily Devotion for Lent 2020 - Day 27

Scripture Reading: Acts 19:21-41 (NRSV)

At some point Christianity became the dominant religion in the Mediterranean but when it developed, it was a minority.  Within places like Ephesus which is located in modern Turkey, the various gods and goddesses of Greece had major temples erected to them. 

As Christianity began to declare monotheism, it cast into doubt the validity of other forms of worship.  This wouldn't have taken place overnight but rather became an idea that some adopted but the majority at first resisted.  And when the majority resists something, it can get ugly.

Theories can be debated fairly civilly but when you touch on people's livelihood, we may feel threatened.  These feelings are deeply ingrained and seem to go back to prehistoric interactions of providing and protecting one's family.  Violence against a perceived threat was an ever-ready response. 

What popular venues do we have closing today
that would be similar to the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus?

In this section, we see Demetrius seeing the bigger picture.  Monotheism may severely cut into his trade as a silversmith (he couldn't see that Christians would also later buy ornamental and decorative crosses).  He rallies other businessmen and a mob mentality ensues.  The majority resists this change quite openly!

Violence could easily break out but Paul thinks he can calm down the crowd.  His companions disagree and keep him away.  They likely had the better judgment as other officials of Ephesus also urge Paul not to attend!  Maybe they all know that Paul's often dogmatic approach would not be what is needed here!

Fortunately cooler heads prevail and the riot is avoided.

It is easy for us to understand how heated Demetrius must have been when his profits started waning.  With the spread of the COVID-19, we have seen businesses across the country shutting down.  While we hope that this is temporary, it is easy to conceive that many won't be able to re-open when the crisis is over.  Jobs are being disrupted and people are afraid today for their livelihood.  Some politicians such as Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick of Texas have expressed displeasure at the closures and their own fear of the economy crashing.  He would rather let people decide for themselves on whether or not to close their businesses. 

This reminds us that anxieties run high when we our ability to provide and protect our family is threatened.  We have two fears battling here - the fear of the virus and the fear of the loss of our jobs and way of life. 

How do you determine which direction God would have you favor?  There are not good outcomes either way, so it isn't easy.  As a pastor (and follower of the Great Physician), I fall in line with keeping people healthy.  I pray that we can keep cool heads during this crisis and seek to help our neighbors.  But at a distance!

Prayer for the day:

O Lord Jesus Christ, who went about doing good and healing all manner of sickness:
give strength, wisdom and gentleness to all your ministering servants, our physicians, surgeons and nurses; that always bearing your presence with them, they may not only heal but bless, and shine as lamps of hope in the darkest hours of distress and fear; who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever one God world without end.  Amen.

Prayer by the Church Missionary Society

Photo by Russ Allison Loar via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

Daily Devotion for Lent 2020 - Day 26

Scripture Reading: Acts 19:1-20 (NRSV)

It may be surprising to some that John the Baptist still had disciples that were following in his way.  Paul encounters them in Ephesus and they seem very amenable to becoming Christians.   So Paul baptizes them and they receive the Holy Spirit.  Interestingly enough, there were twelve of John's disciples who convert to Christianity.  Could this be allegorical as a reference to the twelve disciples of Jesus?

For United Methodists, we ask the question, "Is this re-baptism?"  We are clear that we do not re-baptize those who have already been baptized as Christians.  Specifically, the 2016 Book of Discipline states in paragraph 341.7:

No pastor shall re-baptize. The practice of re-baptism does not conform with God’s action in baptism and is not consistent with Wesleyan tradition and the historic teaching of the church. Therefore, the pastor should counsel any person seeking re-baptism to participate in a rite of reaffirmation of baptismal vows.

Here I am baptizing a youth at someone's pool.
The rest of the congregation is gathered with the photographer.
The owners of the pool later claimed that they were swimming
in Holy Water!

But what our polity is talking about is Christian baptism that resonates with our theology of the Trinity.  Since John's disciples had no understanding of the Holy Spirit (at least from the perspective of the early church), we would say that they were not really baptized as Christians and so this doesn't count as re-baptism.

Some traditions that emphasize adult baptism may wonder at the United Methodist prohibition on re-baptism.  We do not think that those in other traditions who re-baptize are sinning, we are just putting the emphasis on different things.

Adult baptism or Believer's baptism is where someone makes their own repentance of sin and profession of faith in Jesus Christ.  In infant or children's baptism, this is done by parents or guardians and the newly baptized will complete this for themselves at their confirmation.  For those who re-baptize, the emphasis is on the decision the individual is making publicly for Jesus Christ.  It is a commitment of the individual in faith to God through Jesus Christ.

A United Methodist understanding places the emphasis in baptism on God's commitment to that individual.  If God has committed to us, God remains faithful to us even though we may stray.

Our United Methodist understanding of Baptism, By Water and the Spirit makes this point clearly:

The claim that baptism is unrepeatable rests on the steadfast faithfulness of God. God’s initiative establishes the covenant of grace into which we are incorporated in baptism. By misusing our God-given freedom, we may live in neglect or defiance of that covenant, but we cannot destroy God’s love for us. When we repent and return to God, the covenant does not need to be remade, because God has always remained faithful to it. What is needed is renewal of our commitment and reaffirmation of our side of the covenant.

We also see the sons of Sceva, Jewish itinerant exorcists, using the name of Jesus to cast out demons.  This may remind us of Luke's gospel story in 9:49-50:

John answered, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.” But Jesus said to him, “Do not stop him; for whoever is not against you is for you.”

Moses had similar feelings for those who are doing good things for God.  However, the effectiveness of these would-be exorcists in Acts is less than they would desire.

Both of these stories - the baptism of John's followers and the ineffectiveness of the Jewish exorcists - point toward an authority that is found in the early church.  Luke is making clear that God is working through this new thing and if you want to really be connected with God, you will get on board!

How do we ascribe authority to the church today?  How is our prayer life more effective when we join with other believers?  How does our knowledge and understanding of scripture increase?  I believe that these latter two questions are two of the ways that we see the Holy Spirit at work in our lives today.  And as we pursue these things, we live out our baptismal covenant and try to be as faithful to God as God is to us.

Prayer for the day:

God, with your help, we will proclaim the good news
   and live according to the example of Christ.
God, with your help, we will surround the others in our congregation
    with a community of love and forgiveness,
    that we all may grow in our service to others.
God, with your help, we will pray for the others in our congregation
  that we all may be true disciples who walk in the way that leads to life.
Amen.

Prayer based on the congregational baptismal response of The United Methodist Church.

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 2020 - Day 25

Scripture Reading: Acts 18:1-28 (NRSV)

This quilt hangs in the entryway of the
National Council of Churches USA office in NYC.

We see Paul on the move again and strengthening the church throughout the Mediterranean.  He founds the church at Corinth and we get to see several names of people that Paul mentions in his letters such as Aquila and Priscilla, Crispus who Paul mentions that he baptized, Sosthenes and Apollos.

We see Paul's standard movement to engage Jews in the synagogue to convince them that Jesus was the Messiah.  He also gets fed up as he states in verse six, "Your blood be on your own heads!  I am innocent.  From now on I will go to the Gentiles."

We see Sosthenes beaten for the faith - he must have left at some point with Paul because Paul includes him as writing to the church at Corinth at the beginning of 1 Corinthians.

We also see how there was not necessarily one doctrine of following Jesus in that time period.  It was so new and communication would be so limited that various movements could pop up without the knowledge or consent of the apostles.  Apollos knows of Jesus but had only received the baptism of John which was for repentance but did not include receiving the Holy Spirit.  Luke mentions as much:

As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.                   Luke 3:15-16

This will become more apparent in the next chapter of Acts.  Division over who had the proper teaching would happen soon enough across the church.  When you think about how many different denominations (or non-denominations as if you could somehow move yourself outside of Christian history) there are today, you can see how easily it comes to humanity.  Paul seeks to curb this in the Corinthians when he writes in 1 Corinthians 3:3-4:

For as long as there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving according to human inclinations? For when one says, “I belong to Paul,” and another, “I belong to Apollos,” are you not merely human?

This begs the question that if the Holy Spirit unifies rather than divides, is it a lack of the Holy Spirit within the church or are we merely not paying attention to its witness among us?  When we are divided physically and unable to meet with one another (as has been the case recently), there is often a longing to gather regardless of our differences.  Can arguments or disagreements be put in proper perspective of the greater work of the Holy Spirit?  Does this move us to greater love for our brothers and sisters even when they occupy a different place on a particular interpretation of scripture?

Prayer for the day:

From the cowardice
   that does not face new truths,
from the laziness
   that is content with half-truths,
from the arrogance
   that thinks it knows all the truth,
deliver us today, good Lord.
Amen.

Prayer from the church in Kenya

Photo by Scott Lenger via Fickr.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.