Category Archives: Daily Devotion

Dealing with Dispare

Lent

March 25, 2023

Scripture Reading: John 11:1-45

When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ Martha said to him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’ She said to him, ‘Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.’ –John 11:17-27

Did you catch the twist of a phrase in the last sentence above? The one coming into the world is the person Martha speaks to.  Martha was reared in the Jewish tradition; the one coming is referred to in the Hebrew Bible 41 times as the Messiah, translated in Greek as Christ. The one coming is to bring unification among the tribes of Israel plus universal peace and to announce what the world to come would be like. Martha acknowledged who Jesus really was. She also demonstrates her faith in him regarding her brother Lazarus. She was confident Jesus could have healed Lazarus. Her trust in Jesus and her faith said she would recognize as right whatever his actions would beknow that Lazarus was dead.

In the direst of situations, Martha’s faith remains. I must confess I get discouraged with the world today and wonder what more I can do to foster the love God commands us to share with all. Lent is a good time to rekindle our faith and renew our trust in the God of Love. William Wordsworth may have said it best; the irony of our despair in giving up on the God of Love is that we turn to the powerless pagan gods of the world.

The World Is Too Much With Us

BY WILLIAM WORDSWORTH

The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;—
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
his Sea that bares her bosom to the moon;
The winds that will be howling at all hours,
And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers;
For this, for everything, we are out of tune;
It moves us not. Great God! I’d rather be
A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathèd horn.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we allow the world’s ills to encroach upon our trust in you. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

By Faith–Love Wins

Lent

March 26, 2023

Scripture Reading: John 11:1-45

Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone.’ Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, ‘Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead for four days.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?’ So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upwards and said, ‘Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.’ When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go.’

Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. –John 11:28-45

How much do we still expect the Lord to prove that he is who he says he is? In Luke 4, Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:16 Do not put the Lord your God to the test. This is in the story of Jesus’s wilderness quest, where the devil presented Jesus with three temptations.  The final one essentially asked Jesus to prove that he was the Son of God by throwing himself off the mountainside and seeing if God would send angels to save him. From the very beginning of his ministry, Jesus knew by faith his calling and accepted the challenges of his assignment, perhaps not the details but the possible consequences of achieving his mission.

Hebrews 11:1-3 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.

We are called to continue that mission and vision to this day, and it is, by faith, that we will accomplish God’s vision of a world ruled by love.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we let the world’s challenges try to redirect our mission. Grant us the courage that faith requires. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Loving Self

Lent

March 24, 2023

Scripture Reading: Romans 8:6-11
To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law—indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.

I read an article yesterday about the physical signs of depression. I had never realized that depression had physical symptoms. I wondered which came first the depression or the physical symptoms.  As one who has had osteoarthritis since I was 24, random physical pain is just a part of my life. I have a close relationship with capsaicin. None of us knows when we are going to be infected with Strep A which will impact the rest of our lives. Paul talks about the thorn in his flesh and there is a lot of speculation about what it was. One thing about thorns in our flesh, they serve as a constant reminder that we are all human.

Our relationship with the Spirit is a choice.  We choose to be righteous and just; we choose to love God and our neighbor as we love ourselves. Indeed, we choose to love ourselves. I think many of the problems in our world today are that people do not love themselves and thus they cannot love their neighbors. The cultural wars we are experiencing now are a very strong expression of people not being comfortable in their own selves.  Many apparently have not understood that we are all created in the image of God and that we are all good. My guess is all of us eventually experience a thorn in our flesh that at times disrupts our lives, but it does not remove us from the love of God and it may provide us with more empathy for others if we allow the Spirit to guide.

Prayer: God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. (Reinhold Niebuhr) Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Out of Sync with God

Lent

March 23, 2023

Scripture Reading: Romans 8:6-11
To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law—indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.

 I wanted to share the expanded definition of this word because I do not think I have given it enough attention. It is used throughout the Bible. 171 times in the Hebrew Bible and 117 in the New Testament. The Hebrew uses relate to our bodies and primarily that the flesh results in death.

The Greek word for flesh used in the New Testament is “sárks”.

4561 sárks properly, flesh (“carnal”), merely of human origin or empowerment.

[4561 /sárks (“flesh”) is not always evil in Scripture. Indeed, it is used positively in relation to sexual intercourse in marriage (Eph 5:31) – as well as for the sinless human body of Jesus (Jn 1:14; 1 Jn 4:2,3). Indeed, flesh (what is physical) is necessary for the body to live out the faith the Lord works in (Gal 2:20).]

4561 (sarks) is generally negative, referring to making decisions (actions) according to self – i.e. done apart from faith (independent from God’s inworking). Thus what is “of the flesh (carnal)” is by definition displeasing to the Lord – even things that seem “respectable!” In short, flesh generally relates to unaided human effort, i.e. decisions (actions) that originate from self or are empowered by self. This is carnal (“of the flesh”) and proceeds out of the untouched (unchanged) part of us – i.e. what is not transformed by God*.

The word flesh is used primarily in the New Testament to describe that which is not in sync with God or is done outside the guidance of God.  The story that comes to mind is in Luke 12:16-21, Then [Jesus] told them a parable: ‘The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, “What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?” Then he said, “I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich towards God.’

Prayer: Lord, as we move ever closer to Holy Week, let us examine ourselves to measure where we might not be in sync with God and work to restore that relationship. Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/greek/4561.htm

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

In God’s Hands

Lent

March 22, 2023

Scripture Reading: Psalm 130
Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.
   Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
   to the voice of my supplications!

If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
   Lord, who could stand?
But there is forgiveness with you,
   so that you may be revered.

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
   and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord
   more than those who watch for the morning,
   more than those who watch for the morning.

O Israel, hope in the Lord!
   For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
  and with him is great power to redeem.
It is he who will redeem Israel
   from all its iniquities.

A few weeks ago, I talked to my cousin, who lives in California, concerning the fires and floods that are assaulting that state. I had just watched a news report about mudslides that were getting nearer to her home. She assured me their home was on solid ground and inland enough not to be bothered by the mudslides.  Last week the floods were getting worse, and I emailed her. Have not heard back. I hope she and her husband are safe. They may not have electricity or an internet connection. She would say they are in God’s hands.

I thought of her when I read the above Psalm, and although I would like to hear it from her, I, too, trust that they are in God’s hands no matter what happens with the weather and share that hope with all people as we face the challenges of our world today.

Prayer:  Lord, I pray today for all the people caught in weather, war, disaster, and pandemic and pray these words for each and all:
Precious Lord, take my hand,
Lead me on, let me stand,
I am tired, I am weak, I am worn;
Through the storm, through the night,
Lead me on to the light:

Take my hand, precious Lord,
Lead me home*. Amen.

*Take My Hand, Precious Lord, by Thomas A. Dorsey, See at http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/p/l/t/m/pltmhand.htm

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Unbound

Lent

March 21, 2023

Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 37:1-14

Then he said to me, ‘Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, “Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.” Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act, says the Lord.’ –Ezekiel 37:11-14

Now is the time to let God lift us from the graves of depression and hopelessness and step forward to assume our job assignment of building the Beloved Community. Many years ago, a church class I attended studied a book that asks and explores the answer to the question, am I, Lazarus? That is the Lazarus, brother of Mary and Martha (see John 11), not the Lazarus who was welcomed into the bosom of Abraham (see Luke 13-16).

Lazarus was dead and wrapped in grave clothing that would not allow him to move even if he were alive until Jesus called him out of the tomb and instructed those present to unbind him and let him go. How much do we bind ourselves by the world’s challenges, which limits our ability to be the Body of Christ in our world today? How much do we bind others by our attitudes and fears? How can we unbind ourselves and step out in faith to build the Kingdom of God? How can we enable all those around us to fully be the person God created them to be in God’s service?

The story of Lazarus was recorded as happening on Jesus’s trek to the cross and his resurrection. As we observe Lent on our way to Easter, let us examine ourselves and ask for God’s help in removing what is limiting our ability to fully engage in completing our assignments in building the Beloved Community and do our part in enabling others to find their niche in serving the Lord with gladness.

Prayer: Lord, unbind us from what keeps us from serving you more nearly. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Dry Bones

Lent

March 20, 2023

Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 37:1-14

The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me all round them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. He said to me, ‘Mortal, can these bones live?’ I answered, ‘O Lord God, you know.’ Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord.’

So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.’ I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude. –Ezekiel 37:1-10

We are surrounded by death. Within the span of the COVID outbreak, 6,819,378 worldwide have died from COVID, 1,151,279 of them from the United States. More are added every day. Over 50,000 bodies have been found in the Turkey/Syria earthquake, and there may be more to find. Just over 9,000 civilians were killed in the first year of the Ukraine War, not counting the lost soldiers. Mass shootings are reported routinely now in the USA.

This plague of deaths that surrounds us has taken a toll on our mental health, just as the valley of dry bones Ezekiel describes in his vision was taking a toll on Israel. These dry bones are a vivid measure of our challenges as we strive to serve God more nearly. Ezekiel’s goal was to remind the Hebrews and us today that God is still God and is still working God’s purpose out, and we remain the workforce to implement our role in God’s plan.

God is working this purpose out
as year succeeds to year;
God is working this purpose out,
and the time is drawing near;
nearer and nearer draws the time,
the time that shall surely be:
when the earth shall be filled with the glory of God
as the waters cover the sea*.  

Prayer: God, please help us see how we fit in working your purpose out and guide us in carrying out our calling.   Amen.

*The first verse of the hymn God is Working His Purpose Out  by Arthur Campbell Ainger see at https://hymnary.org/text/god_is_working_his_purpose_out#Author

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Our Worldview vs the Beloved Community’s Way

Lent

March 19, 2023

Scripture Reading: John 9:1-41

Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’ He answered, ‘And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.’ Jesus said to him, ‘You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.’ He said, ‘Lord, I believe.’ And he worshipped him. Jesus said, ‘I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.’ Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, ‘Surely we are not blind, are we?’ Jesus said to them, ‘If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, “We see”, your sin remains. –John 9:35-41

Are we turning people away from church because we practice our worldview rather than Christ’s?  Jesus called us to a new worldview, the Kingdom of God, or what is also referred to today as the Beloved Community. The Pharisees chose the parts of their faith tradition that met their worldview and ignored others. Thus, they judged other people based on their worldviews. In the first century, having any kind of disability was often viewed as a punishment for sin, for example, being blind.

I was appalled this week when the news showed a segment of debate in our state legislature regarding a bill that would legalize corporal punishment in our public schools for children with disabilities. The bill’s legislator quoted scripture saying spare the rod, spoil the child.  Those exact words are not in scripture; they are derived from Proverbs 13:24, Those who spare the rod hate their children, but those who love them are diligent to discipline them. Another legislator challenged the bill by asking if we were going to make state laws from all the rules in the Bible. The example that came to my mind was Deuteronomy 21:18, 21 as an example, If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother … all the men of the city shall stone him with stones, that he die.  There were not enough legislators present to act on the bill. It will be reconsidered next week. 

How many of our faith expressions are we sifting through our worldviews?  How much of the loss of interest in being a Christ follower relates to how we live God’s love, picking and choosing what is acceptable and good and what is not?     

Jesus said it best as quoted in Matthew 7:5, 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.  Our public schools have been grossly underfunded for years, there are not enough counselors, and there are many better ways of disciplining children that do not require corporal punishment.  Poor education is directly related to adult criminal behavior. When I was in school, I routinely watched many, particularly boys who were disrupting class, got called to the front of the room, were told to grab their ankles, and got several licks with a paddle. It never stopped their hijinks. They did not want to be there in the first place, and being rowdy usually opened the way to dropping out of school, often leading to a life of crime.

Prayer: Lord, open our eyes to discern how others see Christ in our behavior and grant us the courage to change our worldview today to bring us into sync with your Beloved Community vision. Amen.

N.T. Wright has a good study regarding worldviews and our faith views, Worldviews, the Bible, and the Believer. For more information, see https://www.udemy.com/course/worldviews-the-bible-and-the-believer/

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Seeing the Whole Picture

March 18, 2023

Scripture Reading: John 9:1-41

As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’ When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, saying to him, ‘Go, wash in the pool of Siloam’ (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, ‘Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?’ Some were saying, ‘It is he.’ Others were saying, ‘No, but it is someone like him.’ He kept saying, ‘I am the man.’ But they kept asking him, ‘Then how were your eyes opened?’ He answered, ‘The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, “Go to Siloam and wash.” Then I went and washed and received my sight.’ They said to him, ‘Where is he?’ He said, ‘I do not know.’ –John 9:1-12

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus healed a man who was blind on the Sabbath, by the Pharisees’ interpretation, Jesus had broken the Jewish law about not working on the Sabbath, and they were outraged. Everyone involved, it seemed, got in a dither, and a review of the whole event followed to determine where sin had been committed. No one seemed to pay much attention to the rather miraculous healing of a blind man. I fear we, too, get so caught up in the right behavior of others that we lose our purpose to fulfill Jesus’ call to actualize the Kingdom of God on Earth. I wonder how much energy those Pharisees burned in trying to correct Jesus for healing the blind man on the Sabbath compared to how much energy they had ever invested in helping him themselves.

Prayer: Forgive us, Lord, when we get too wrapped up in self-righteousness rather than caring for our neighbors.  Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Opening Paths to Understanding

Lent

March 17, 2023

Scripture Reading: Ephesians 5:8-14
For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light— for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly; but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,
‘Sleeper, awake!
   Rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.’

People in the USA, the world probably, seem to be bogged down in unfruitful works of darkness. There is so much need in our country and in the world that calls to be addressed, but we seem to be caught as a nation and state in issues that are really none of our business as we strive to address the Common Good, for example, Making private health decisions outside of medical advice.

Also, much time and energy are being invested in what books children should read in school with the concern that some sinister group is trying to indoctrinate students into a defined way of being. It appears to me that the only people trying to indoctrinate anyone are those complaining–teach their way or ban the books. School librarians have been selecting age-appropriate books for children to read for years. One of my aunts dedicated her life to that. She nor none of her co-workers would ever have done anything to bring harm to a child. She did work hard at doing things to encourage children to read, which is particularly important for disadvantaged students whose primary opportunity to learn more about the world is from books.

As advocates for justice, we are called to protect the rights of children to fulfill their potential, as God created them, not to fulfill our personal belief systems.

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth. –2 Timothy 2:15

Prayer:

Dear Lord and Father of mankind,
Forgive our foolish ways!
Reclothe us in our rightful mind,
In purer lives Thy service find,
In deeper reverence, praise*. Amen.

First verse of Hymn Dear Lord and Father of Mankind by John Greenleaf Whittier see at https://hymnary.org/text/dear_lord_and_father_of_mankind#Author

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.