Daily Devotions July 2 thru July 31, 2023
July 2 – Inspired by God -2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.
Many scholars believe that this letter was written during Paul’s last imprisonment in Rome, shortly before his execution. Others argue it was written earlier during his first imprisonment. In either case, Paul is writing to a beloved friend and colleague, Timothy, from dire circumstances. Even so, this letter is filled with love, compassion, encouragement and wisdom for a younger colleague that he loves like a son, and who is trying to faithfully minister in troubled times. The context is poignant as both men are facing hardship in different ways and yet Paul’s prescription is the same. When hard times come, turn to the scriptures and linger there. Of course when Paul wrote, the scriptures available to him were the Old Testament. We are blessed now to also have the scriptures of the New Testament which contain four gospels of Jesus’ life, the Acts of the Apostles and a rich treasure of letters and sermons written to early congregations, and even one long visionary book of the coming perfection (Revelation.) Paul knows that no matter what is happening in our lives and world that scripture will provide us with wisdom, instruction for course correction when we stray from the path of God, and all we need to know about how to live loving, just and grace filled lives. Notice the word reproof. In Greek this word refers not just to a charge against someone who has done wrong. It implies a manifestation of that charge and the agreement of the truth of it. I think of this word as the experience of awakening suddenly to the truth of destructive behavior in such a way that change is deep and lasting. In other words, scripture helps us see ourselves clearly and know how we are to behave accordingly. As you go about your day today, think about what scripture has taught you, how it has called you to change, how it helps you become a better person and give thanks!
Prayer: O Gracious God, we thank you for the scriptures in which you show us your love and help us see ourselves. Thank you for leading us into right paths by your word. In Jesus’ holy name we pray. Amen.
July 3 – God’s Gift of Love– The Ten Commandments Exodus 20:1-17:
1 And God spoke all these words:
2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
3 “You shall have no other gods before me.
4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
7 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
13 “You shall not murder.
14 “You shall not commit adultery.
15 “You shall not steal.
16 “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
Many of us know the Ten Commandments, if not by heart, then in practice. What we may not know, however, is their purpose. The Ten Commandments are not only a list of laws telling us what to do and what not to do in order to please God. That would be enough, but that is not nearly all there is. These words are a love letter from God in which God shows us clearly how we are intended to live in joy, safety, respect and within divine embrace. God begins these words by declaring God’s love to us much as a lover might do. “I am yours” God says. “And this is what our life together can look like.” God also reminds us that God is the one who brings us out of all bondage so that we are free to live fruitful, joyful lives with God and in safe and sacred communities. Spend some time today thinking about the Ten Commandments as a personal love letter to you. The first three commandments are all about our love story with God. Like a parent to a child, like a lover to the beloved, God wants only to protect, free and be loved in return. Are there times in your life when you struggle to put God first? Do you ever trivialize your relationship with God, or serve other things before God? If so, now is the perfect time to apologize and reflect on that. Ask God to help you see where your love is shallow and where other things take over God’s place in your life. Ask God for strength and insight, trusting completely that it will come!
Prayer: O Gracious God, your love for us is complete. Your desire for us is joyful freedom from every bondage. We thank you! Help us today to see where we fall short in our commitment to you. Allow the strength of your Love to draw us home. In Jesus’ holy name we pray. Amen.
July 4 – God’s Values – The Ten Commandments – In your own Bible read Deuteronomy 5:1-21
5 Moses summoned all Israel and said: Hear, Israel, the decrees and laws I declare in your hearing today. Learn them and be sure to follow them. 2 The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. 3 It was not with our ancestors[a] that the Lord made this covenant, but with us, with all of us who are alive here today. 4 The Lord spoke to you face to face out of the fire on the mountain. 5 (At that time I stood between the Lord and you to declare to you the word of the Lord, because you were afraid of the fire and did not go up the mountain.) And he said:
6 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
7 “You shall have no other gods before me.
8 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 9 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 10 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
11 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
12 “Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do. 15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.
16 “Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
17 “You shall not murder.
18 “You shall not commit adultery.
19 “You shall not steal.
20 “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
21 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. You shall not set your desire on your neighbor’s house or land, his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
The Ten Commandments are recorded for us in the Bible in two similar passages. Yesterday we read the Exodus version. Today we turn to Deuteronomy. Yesterday we pondered the love that motivates these words and saturates the first three. Today think about the values that lie beneath God’s vision for human community in the remaining words. God’s vision for you is that you regularly rest and worship, honor those who bring you to life, refuse to take life in any way, keep holy boundaries in relationships, refuse to steal from another that which makes a life of dignity possible, refuse to lie and pervert the system of justice, and refuse to let desire for things you don’t have wreck your life and blind you to the wonder of what you do have. This picture of community shows us God’s deepest values: rest, worship, honor, dignity and joyful safe human communities. Think today about ways that you can manifest these values in your choices. If you realize that you struggle in certain areas, do not despair. Each time you turn to God and ask for healing and strength, your prayer will always be answered.
Prayer: Dear God, we thank and praise you for the gift of your values that you offer us in the Ten Commandments. Help us today to be formed in every way by what you hold most dear. In Jesus’ holy name we pray. Amen.
July 5 – Personal Inspiration – Luke 24:32 They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?”
Jesus has been crucified. Now on the third day, the tomb has been found empty and some of the woman who followed Jesus claim that they have seen him risen and walking in the garden. They say they have talked to him, that he knew them personally and gave them instructions. Two of his followers are now on their way home to Emmaus from their time in Jerusalem. They did not see Jesus. They do not know what to think. They are full of grief and confusion, when Jesus himself comes up to them on the road and talks to them. They do not recognize him at first. He uses the scriptures to explain to them all that has happened. They then invite him home with them for supper where they finally recognize him and he suddenly disappears. At that moment it all becomes clear to them and they rush back to Jerusalem to tell the others. What touches me so in this story is that Jesus uses the scripture itself to prepare his friends to recognize him, accept him into their homes, and draw inspiration even when he departs. When we invite Jesus to walk with us, to enter our homes we too can expect a similar astounding, loving, life changing encounter. Jesus meets us, even in grief and confusion and offers us hope in the scripture. When that happens the scripture becomes personal. We are in the story. It is now our story with him. Can you think of a time when you read the scripture and felt a personal connection to Jesus as you learned to see things in a new way? Have you ever found your heart warmed by the words of scripture and somehow known that Jesus was with you, close at hand? If so you have lived out the scripture and you can do so more and more and more.
Prayer: Oh gracious God, we thank you for the stories of scripture that are not just long ago and far away. We thank you that Jesus with us explains the texts to us, warms our hearts when we are sad and weary and always fills us with new hope and energy. Thank you for this gift! In Jesus’ holy name we pray. Amen.
July 6 – Story-full – Matthew 13:24 Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables; without a parable he told them nothing.
Jesus is a master story teller. He realizes that human beings learn best when we enter into a story, especially one with elements to which we can relate from daily life. A fig tree. A woman sweeping a house. A father welcoming a wayward child home. A garden with weeds. An outcast showing us how to live. A sheep. A goat. A mustard seed. In Jesus’ parables he invites us to find him and learn his lessons in the ordinary events of our lives. The parables are not intended to be taken literally. Nor is all of their meaning allegorical. The parables are invitations to find our way to truth through the stories and our own. They are rich, evocative and full of layers of symbolic meaning. So are our own lives. Many of us have stood weeping at the window, praying for a child in trouble to come home. Jesus tells us that when we do that we look a lot like God. Many of us have seen that someone we thought was ‘other’ was closer to God than we were. Many of us have seen a tiny bit of hope filled faith grow into a might bush in which others can find shelter. Jesus doesn’t just tell us what to think. He shows us truth in the stories of the scripture and in our own lives. Do you have a favorite parable? If so, think about that today. What does it teach you? How do you relate it to your own life? I suspect as you do that reflection, Spirit will give you some surprises!
Prayer: Gracious God, we thank you for Jesus the master storyteller of our lives. In Jesus’ holy name we pray. Amen.
July 7 – Vehicle for faith – Romans 10:17 – So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.
In this glorious section of Romans, Paul is telling us that salvation through Christ is for all people. The old limits we used to put on God’s love have no place in the heart or ethics of a Christian. He impresses on his friends how important it is to tell the story of Jesus so that people can awaken to their salvation (this word means wholeness, restoration, fullness, both now and eternally)by hearing the word of Christ. In other words, when we hear the story, Christ infuses it with presence and we come to trust and rely upon his grace more and more and more. In Paul’s day few had access to the written scriptures or stories of Jesus. People had to tell each other the stories. In the telling of the story faith is aroused and life is transformed. This is one of the reasons that the scriptures are still read aloud in Christian worship services. It is one of the reasons that preachers still preach to congregations. In some mysterious sacred way, the words come alive with Christ in those moments, and kindle a life changing and durable faith. Can you think of a time when you heard the scriptures read aloud, or preached, and you felt your faith blossom or strengthen? Do you have a favorite passage of scripture? Today, try reading it aloud. Has it been awhile since you listened to a sermon preached? If you have time, go to our YouTube channel or website and listen to one from our archives. Ask God to awaken your trust through what you hear.
Prayer: Gracious God, we thank you for the miracle of hearing the word, for your presence in our hearing, and for the faith that awakens inside of us. In Jesus’ holy name we pray. Amen.
July 8 – Sets priorities – Mark 12:28-34
28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” 29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[a] 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’[b] 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[c] There is no commandment greater than these.” 32 “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.
This beautiful passage comes from a time when Jesus’ opponents are trying to trip him up. Some are just trying to find our who he is and what he stands for. Others want to trick him into saying something that could get him arrested or peel away some of his followers. One of them asks him which was the most important commandment. He tells them that loving God with one’s whole being is the most important thing. A close second is loving others as we love ourselves. Nothing is more important to Jesus than those two things. Everything in the spiritual life flows from them. Even his opponents are convinced. If we look carefully we will see that from beginning to end the Bible is a love story. Like every love story, there are times of turmoil, moments of pulling away, joyous reunions and deepening devotion. Sometimes we may get distracted by details in the scriptures that we do not understand or take too literally. That can frighten, disgust, or even run us away from God. What is important to remember in approaching all scripture is that, even if the characters did not see it at the time and did heinous things, like we all do when we don’t understand, it is all and only about love. It is about God’s vast endless love for all of creation. And it is about how we respond in love to God’s love, and reflect it to all others. Remember that love is not always an emotion. Sometimes it is something that we choose. Even if we do not feel it, we can always choose the good and loving action for others and even ourselves. That is Jesus’ first priority for us!
Prayer: O God of love, we thank you for your transforming love. We love you with all that we are. Help us to reflect your love to all around us. In Jesus’ holy name we pray. Amen.
Week of July 9 Covenant Life and Responsibility
July 9 – God’s Covenant with Noah – Genesis 6:18 But I will establish my covenant with you; and you shall come into the ark, you, yours sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. And of every living thing, of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you.
In the Hebrew scriptures there is little that is as important and the concept of covenant. A covenant is a binding agreement between two parties, a bit like a contract but more important even than that. The vast majority of instances of covenant are between God and human beings, either individuals or peoples. In those covenants all parties take on special responsibilities. Covenants are sacred and not to be breached by either party. Sadly, humans are not as dependable as God, so we do breach covenants with dire consequences sometimes, but God never does. In today’s verse we see the first example of God making a binding agreement. In this extraordinary case, Noah doesn’t even have to sign on! You may remember the story. Human beings have made a mess of things. They have become selfish and evil. God’s heart breaks at this to the point that God decides to start over with us. God tells the faithful Noah that there will be a flood and asks him to make a huge boat for his family and two of each type of animal. Then the rain waters come. I think of the waters as God’s tears washing the earth clean from all that is hateful and harmful, and saving all that is faithful and beautiful. Whether you view the flood story as an actual historical event, or as a sacred mythic story that teaches us that God will not tolerate evil forever but will always salvage what is good and faithful, the point is the same. Once God’s tears are spent, God makes a covenant not to destroy the earth in a flood ever again and gives the sign of a rainbow to remind us that God will find new ways to deal with evil from now on. Sometimes it feels like God needs to start over with us too. Like in the days of Noah, humans are a mess and make a mess of even the great gift of the created order. Still, God’s covenant is everlasting. God will find a way to deal with evil and save the good. Today, when you see the beauty of creation, notice an animal, a bird, or an insect, pause what you are doing, take a deep breath and thank God for God’s own faithfulness to creation even if we make a mess of things.
Prayer: Great God of the Everlasting Covenant, we thank you that you promise to deal with evil and sin while saving and protecting faithfulness and beauty. Help us today to act for you in faithful and beautiful ways. In Jesus’ holy name we pray. Amen.
July 10 – God’s Covenant with Abraham – Genesis 17:2 And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous.
Perhaps the most important covenant in the Old Testament is the covenant made between God and Abraham. Earlier in Chapter 15 of Genesis, God takes Abraham aside and enters into a rather spooky ritual to seal God’s covenant promise to Abraham and his descendants. The provisions of the covenant are that God will give Abraham and his descendants a homeland and a never ending line of descendants. God will make them God’s own people and will protect them and give them a beautiful future. At this point in the story of our family of faith, eternity was understood as a never ending line of descendants, as many as the stars. For Abraham’s part, he is to be joined with God and live a life of loving and just service. At the heart of God’s desire for human beings is that we live in safety, that we have a place where we can rest that is free from the threat of violence, and filled with the sweetness of intimacy with God. That place, our own version of a land of milk and honey, is to provide us with all we need in order to survive and thrive. God desires that we have a future that is everlasting, that we come to understand that we have a role to play in the unfolding beauty of God’s plan, and that we will live on forever. Those are mighty promises indeed! Today, look around your home and thank God for a place of safety and for food to eat today. If you do not yet have a place of safety in which to rest and find provision, or if you do not have enough to eat today, know that God wants that for you and has a plan to help you. If you have more than you need today, ask yourself how you might use your bounty to help others who are struggling. As you do that, you become covenant partners with God in fulfilling the promise of safety, blessing and a future.
Prayer: God of Covenant Promise, we thank you for your deep love for us that desires a place of safety, plenty and a future for all of your children. Help each one of us today to make choices on your behalf that further your loving desires. In Jesus’ holy name we pray. Amen.
July 11 – God’s Covenant Loyalty – Deuteronomy 7:9 – Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who maintains covenant loyalty with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations.
By the time we reach the book of Deuteronomy, hundreds of years have passed. The Hebrew people have known hard times of slavery and oppression. God, in loyalty to God’s covenant, freed them from slavery in Egypt and set them on a decades long path of learning God’s ways as they journey home to their own land. In the time of wilderness wandering, the people began to despair. Even though God loyally provided for their escape and gave them miraculous provision, they feel lost and dissatisfied. Moses, their leader, is at the end of his rope. So he goes up the holy mountain to get some guidance from God. That guidance comes in the form of the Ten Commandments, known as the covenant of the Law. On those stone tablets, God writes down what God desires both in covenant love and in moral behavior in the community. Finally, the people think they know what is expected of them and that God has not abandoned them. But knowing what is expected and doing it are two different things. The book of Deuteronomy find the people poised to enter their promised homeland. As they prepare, the words of the Covenant of the Law are repeated to them. They form the heart of who they are and all they do. Even after returning to the homeland and making a place for themselves there, they struggle. They struggle to keep God first in their lives and they struggle to care for each other with dignity and accountability. The struggle leads to some horrendous defeats and also to beautiful moments of learning and reconciliation. It is the same with us, isn’t it? We too sometimes struggle to keep God first and treat all others with love and dignity. We too know painful defeats and the joy of learning from our mistakes. Throughout it all, as for Israel, God is faithful to God’s promises for us. Think for a moment today about how you keep your end of the covenant? How do you put God first in your life? How might you do that more? How do you treat all with dignity? How could you do that more?
Prayer: God of Covenant Faithfulness, we thank you for your never ending love and loyalty. Help us to respond today with love and loving moral choices. In Jesus’ holy name we pray. Amen.
July 12 – Obedience to the Covenant – Micah 6:8 He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
The prophet Micah writes during the last third of the 8th century BCE. He primarily addresses his words to the southern kingdom of Judah. (There had been a civil war and Israel was divided into the northern kingdom called Israel and the southern kingdom called Judah.) The problems in national life during his time were immense! The rich were oppressing the poor. Religious and judicial leaders were corrupt. Many people took their faith so lightly and literally that they became insensitive to the problems around them, convinced that they were so special that they could do anything they wanted and God would protect them from consequences. When those consequences begin to happen, they feel desperate. They have forgotten how to live moral lives and to put God first. So they think that the way to do that is to find more and more costly sacrifices. The problem is that those sacrifices do not come from the heart or transform the heart. In today’s verse, God has taken Israel to court for breach of covenant. God makes God’s case and Israel tries to negotiate an elaborate fine to appease God. At that point God speaks today’s verse. It is exquisite and many Biblical scholars consider it to be the high point of Old Testament religion. God states simply what is important: justice, loving kindness, and a life walked out with God. If you ever have times when you feel confused about what God wants from you, read this verse. As a matter of fact, I encourage you to memorize it and repeat it often. God wants you to be a part of ensuring that all of God’s people have a fair shot and access to what is necessary for a life of dignity (justice.) God wants you to live with steadfast devotion, kindness and
mercy (loving kindness) and God wants your life to marked by staying close and walking in God’s footsteps (walk humbly.) Today take time to notice how those three aspects show themselves in your choices and priorities. If God took you to court, could you make a case for acquittal based on your choices in these areas? If not, then today is time to start again!
Prayer: Insistent God, we thank you that you never give up on us, even if we get confused or distracted away from you and your ways. Help us today to live up to our covenant with you, to walk humbly with you, do justice for all, and act with faithful kindness along the way. In Jesus’ holy name we pray. Amen.
July 13 – A New Covenant – 1 Corinthians 11:25 In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
This verse comes from Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth in which he is telling them how to celebrate the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. (More on the sacraments coming in two weeks.) Today, I want to focus on the phrase ‘new covenant’ and an interesting construction in the Greek of this verse. This word ‘new’ means qualitatively new, or dramatically renewed, or even the last or ultimate in a numerical list. The verse is usually translated as above. However, Biblical scholar William Barclay makes an interesting point. The word we translate as ‘in’ can also be translated ‘at the cost, or price of.’ It is often translated that way especially when translating from the Hebrew. He translates the verse, “This cup is the new covenant, and it cost my blood.” That may seem like a subtle distinction but it is not. In the ancient world blood was the most powerful substance there was. It was where life resided. There were elaborate rules to protect people from contamination by the power of blood. God’s covenant with Abraham included a blood sacrifice. Blood sacrifices were common in the temple as a way of restoring relationship with God after breaches of covenant. In the Old Testament, our role in the covenant was to keep the law. We were terrible at it sometimes. It seemed then, and often seems now, that we are just not able to be consistently good enough, moral enough or faithful enough to live up to our end of the bargain. Like God promised to find another way to Noah, God chooses another way for us. That way is through Jesus and it is an even more costly way. In this New Covenant, God has realized that we are not able to keep our part so God does it all. God in Jesus, and through Jesus, makes holy sacrifice so that we do not have to do that ourselves. As Jesus told his friends on the night of his betrayal, we too are asked to remember the cost of the New Covenant and to live lives of joyful thanksgiving (eucharist)in response. Today, take some time to thank God for doing for you what you could not do for yourself. Thank God for a love that powerful and strong. Ask God to fill you with the warm wonder of being loved so very much!
Prayer: God of Mighty Newness, we thank you for your love that saves us and allows us to remember with joy, and live with gratitude. In Jesus’ holy name we pray. Amen.
July 14 – Children of the Covenant – Hebrews 9:15 For this reason he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, because a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions under the first covenant. The author of Hebrews is steeped in the language, priorities and imagery of the Old Testament. At this point, he is explaining the meaning of Jesus’ death and how that is both new and yet consistent with Hebrew scriptures and prophecies. Not only is Jesus’ death described as the cost of redemption from the servitude to sin, it is also a covenant renewal ceremony in which a broken covenant is reinstated. The author is thinking of the prophecy of Jeremiah in which the prophet predicted a new covenant that would be an inward and spiritual one in which sins are forgiven. (Jer. 8:10-12)He realizes that that prophecy has been fulfilled in Jesus, and that that fulfillment is complete and everlasting. Jesus has acted as mediator in forming a new agreement so that the penalty of sin is completely expunged. How remarkable is that? Grace is free but it is not cheap. Remember that in the Bible, all sin is committed directly to God. If we lie, cheat or steal, God is the one who is the victim. If we assault another person we are also assaulting God directly, not indirectly. God suffers the
harm and pays the penalty so that our relationship of love and trust is not damaged, at least not from God’s side. It is a stunning thing, perhaps only explained by vast parental love. Take a moment today to confess your sin to God. God longs for you to see yourself honestly and to take what you see to God so that you can feel the freedom of forgiveness and learn to do better. Do not fear or cringe as you tell God the truth. God has already dealt with any penalty. All that lies before you is grace, grace and more grace.
Prayer: God of Grace, your love overwhelms us. The cost of your grace humbles us. Help us today to deepen our fellowship with you, to release our hurts and sins to you, so that we may live in newness of life as you so profoundly desire. In Jesus’ holy name we pray. Amen.
July 15 – Ministers of the New Covenant – 2 Corinthians 3:4-6 Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are competent of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us; our competence is from God, who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of letter but of spirit; for the letter kills, but Spirit gives life.
Paul has just been praising the Corinthians as living examples of Christ. Now he seems to be a bit afraid that, because he founded and nurtured that church, that it might sound like he is bragging that he did something great or was the reason for their excellence. So he hastens to say that any good thing that is accomplished is accomplished by Christ working through us. When we are competent it is God being competent through us. If we are successful in our discipleship and ministry, that is completely down to God alone. Notice that in this argument he describes us as ministers of the new covenant. Again he uses the same word that Jesus uses for ‘new.’ It is not new as opposed to old, like a baby as opposed to a grandparent. This word means qualitatively new, fresh, different in kind. Paul saw the Old Covenant of the Law as a prescription for a life of failure. It was like a beautiful path with land mines that could not be avoided. It would kill a person. For that reason, he believed that God sought and found a new path that was not based on our spiritual and moral dexterity, but was only based on relationship and love. Remember that creating a new covenant did not mean that God somehow abandoned the Old one or that it’s moral values no longer have sacred meaning. In no way! What it means is that, as God always does, God met our weakness with new and life giving grace. The moral values of the Old Covenant are still our guiding values. It is just that the mine field has been cleared and we can walk, and even trip up, with confidence that we are forgiven and can start again. We walk life out, hand and hand with God no matter what happens and no matter how many times we mess up. It is that walking with God, confident in Christ’s competence, that makes us ministers of the new covenant. Today as you walk about at home, work or school, I invite you to imagine that God is holding your hand. If you are unsure where to step, lean more heavily on God’s presence. If you release your grip and make a misstep, pick yourself up, thank God for the grace of new starts and take God’s hand again and continue.
Prayer: God of the Eternal Covenant of Grace, we thank you that you find a way where there is no way, that you pick us up and walk with us in the newness of life. You are our all in all and we are supremely grateful. In Jesus’ holy name we pray. Amen.
Week of July 16 – The Church
July 16 – Built on the Rock – Matthew 16:18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.
Sometimes we think of our church as the building in which we, and our community of faith, worship. We say, “Oh, my church is the big brick one on Main Street, by the Court House.” Our church buildings are important to us. They are sanctuaries, schools, hospitals for the soul, and launch pads for mission. In today’s verse, Jesus makes clear that the church is not the same as its properties. Rather, it is alive and full inside, and through, the believers who awaken to God’s presence in Christ and listen as the Father in heaven deepens their understanding. In the Bible, profound changes and insights are often accompanied by a change of name. In today’s verse just such a revelation has occurred. Simon has recognized Jesus as Messiah and, with that realization, everything in his life changes. Jesus gives him the knew name Peter, which means rock, and tells him that he (Jesus) will build his church on him. This church, built on faith and obedience, is powerful indeed. Not even Hades has any power over someone who has come to faith in Jesus and decided to be used by him for the sake of others. Remember that Hades in the Bible is not the same as Hell as we think of it. It is a shadowy place of between times, in which people feel powerless to either go back or forward. I think of it as the place of half-life and indecision. It is the space of being useless. The miracle in this verse is that not even our stuckness, grief and indecision is more powerful than the church built on the strong foundation of faith. Think for a moment today about what it means to be church. What is the strong foundation of faith that allows you to prevail against opposition? Do you feel that your foundation is a little shaky? If so, stop. Take a deep breath. Ask God to strengthen your faith. Throughout the day, remind yourself that you are the rock upon which Christ builds the church and be thankful.
Prayer: O Gracious God, our hope and defender, we thank you for the gift of faith itself. Help us today to live up to our calling as your church. Show us how we can be a stable place of refuge and safety in our scattered and scared world. In Jesus’ holy name we pray. Amen.
July 17 – The Body of Christ – 1 Corinthians 12:27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
In this section of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian church, he is trying to help them to value each other. They are struggling with that. Some feel that certain gifts are better or deeper than others. Some have become so blinded by their own experiences that they can’t see the gifts at the heart of the experiences of others. So what do they do? They argue and judge each other. We know how to do that too! Paul’s point here is that we each need each other. No one is expendable in Christ’s church. Without even one of us, all of us suffer. We are only completely whole when we are valuing the unique and God given wonder of each member. Paul uses the image of a body to help them see his point. As any of us that have ever dealt with sickness or injury knows, when one part of our body is in distress, the whole body is affected. That is a powerful enough image, but Paul takes it farther. Not only are we indispensable to each other, the church as a whole (that is in all times and places) is the Body of Christ. We could spend a year unpacking all of what that means. In a nutshell, it means that we as church move through the world as Jesus did. We are his body continuing his work, shedding his love, ensuring his justice, embracing all people with the heady mystery of salvation and eternal life. Paul wants the Corinthians who are fighting and judging each other to remember that when people see Christians, when people see ‘the church,’ that is who they think that Jesus is. What we value is what others think Jesus values. We are Christ loving, Christ supporting, Christ including. Wow! Take a moment today to consider what others might think about Jesus if they observed you today. How do you desire to embody Christ more profoundly today? Think about what your church displays about Christ’s love and justice? What can you celebrate in that witness? Are there areas in need of reform? Do not despair if you see things you want to change. Take it to God in prayer. After all, God is in the transformation business!
Prayer: O Gracious God, how is it that you trust us so much? How is it that you love us so much that you make us into walking pictures of Christ? It is overwhelming to contemplate! Help us today in every action and thought, to think with the mind of Christ and be grateful. In Jesus’ holy name we pray. Amen.
July 18 – Christ the Head – Colossians 1:18 He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the first born from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything.
The author of Colossians is trying to help a struggling church come to terms with a number of misunderstandings that the church later calls heresies. Those misunderstandings were tearing at the fabric of the church’s faith and unity. The author does not directly address each of the misunderstandings individually. Rather, he spends the bulk of the letter shoring up people’s concept of Christ Jesus. It is rich, rich, rich in insights! In today’s verse the author gives us an important truth about the church itself. It is ruled by Christ alone. Sometimes we confuse governance and leadership with rule. If our pastors or church counsels make a decision, or set a policy, we can tend to think that they are the head of the church. It is important to remember, however, that all of their actions are done under the headship of Christ after careful prayer and study. Church leaders may certainly err in judgment or discernment, but that does not mean that Christ does so. Christ will always move to address our errors even if we move forward kicking and screaming. Just as the head of your physical body is necessary for life, Christ is necessary for the life of the church. One of the problems the author of Colossians sees in the church is that they were letting things other than Christ make their decisions about ethics and inclusion. Churches throughout the ages have needed to be reminded from time to time that the life and model of Jesus is the rule when engaging in any decision or action. There are some simple diagnostic questions we can ask. Does what we are considering display the love of Christ for all? Is the action we are considering consistent with what we learn about and hear from Jesus’ life and ministry? Are we considering anything that we cannot imagine Jesus doing? If Christ is the head of the church, then our choices must always be consistent with his two basic rules: Love God, and love neighbor as self. When we honestly answer yes to those questions, we can be assured that Christ is ruling our lives and churches.
Prayer: O Gracious God, we thank you once again for the gift of Jesus with us, within us and among us. Help us today to listen for his nudges and to submit to his rule. In Jesus’ holy name we pray. Amen.
July 19 – Living God – 1 Timothy 3:15 – If I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth.
In this advice filled letter to a colleague in ministry, Paul offers guidance for how to organize the church for efficiency and order. He mentions the qualities of dignity, faithfulness, and respect that are needed for the various officers of the church. He hopes that some of this organizational work can be done before he returns to help them further. In this lovely verse he reminds Timothy that the church is not simply his responsibility. It is not just a mishmash of people no more open to being herded than cats. The church is the household of the living God. Tomorrow we will consider the notion of household of God. Today I invite you to consider what it means to be a part of the community of the living God. The word Paul uses is a form of the Greek word zoe. This word does not refer to biological life. Rather, it refers to the principle of life. This life principle is the powerful, energizing, eternal force of life that constantly brings more and more life into being. The church, then is not based on trust in a God who was made known in ancient times and is somehow only contained in our sacred book. It is not based on a God who is remote, angry, petty and spiteful. The church comes into being, and remains contained, in the powerful, loving, creative eternal reality that is God. In the words of the old prayer, the living God is “the one in whom we live, move and have our being.” What does it mean to you to consider that you live and move and have your whole being inside the creative, living, eternal God? It is mind boggling and hard to grasp, isn’t it? Today as you go about you tasks, remind yourself that you are walking to work, working at your desk, cooking your meals, doing your homework, helping others ‘in God.’ Of course, you are not God. Yet everything you do, you do as a part of the community of the living God. I invite you today to open your heart to the amazement of that truth. You are a part of the household of the living God!
Prayer: O Eternally Living God, we thank you for enfolding us in your own creative life. As we more and more live into that reality, help us to rely on your truth and rest in its safety. In Jesus’ holy name we pray. Amen.
July 20 – The Family of God – Ephesians 2:19- 20 – So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.
The letter to the Ephesian church is a companion letter to Colossians. Where Colossians focuses of the beauty and majesty of Christ, Ephesians focuses on the grandeur of the church as the mystical body of Christ, the household of God. The word the author uses in Greek comes from the root for home or dwelling place. It carries a powerful sense of belonging and permanence. There is stability, love, kinship and safety in the household of God. The house is sturdy and protects one from harm. It gives each member a sense of value, of being chosen and loved. It is the safe space in which all members are encouraged to become all that they are ever meant to be. With God as parent and provider, God’s household is a place of unwavering respect and potentiality. When one enters into the household of God, one is finally and truly home. Two years ago, Robbie and I adopted a rescue dog, Bonnie. She had been a stray and was picked up and taken to the shelter where she lived for several months before we adopted her. She was a wild thing when we brought her home. She did not know the rules or who to trust. Within days, however, she figured out that our house was where love, safety, fun and purpose resided. She developed her natural ability as a protector and seemed to relax because she knew her place and purpose. She is now fully at home here and we never feel completely at home when she is not with us. That is a bit of how it is when we are adopted into God’s household. We find a sense of safety, purpose and permanence that allows us to relax into the joyfulness of daily living. We are no longer strangers or strays, we are at home in Christ and valued members of the household of God. Today take a few minutes to try to remember times when you felt truly at home in the household of God. Thank God for those precious times. Things may shift and change in the church and the world, but that sense of at-home-ness is permanent. Ask God how you might welcome others into God’s household with the promise of safety and purpose. Give thanks for your now and eternal home today!
Prayer: O Householder God, we thank you for your provision, purpose and promises of acceptance and eternal life. Help us today to see the world through your loving eyes. Show us those who you desire to find their home with you through us. In Jesus’ holy name we pray. Amen.
July 21 – Universal and One– Galatians 3:28 There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.
Sometimes it seems that the divisions in the church are more powerful than our unity. They can certainly take up more energy in our lives than the sweet wonder of our equity and oneness. Paul is disturbed by the factions that are taking shape in the Galatian church. The factions are not just about preferences. They are about doctrine. In this letter Paul must deal not only with the destructiveness of divisions, but also with the dangers at the heart of these doctrinal disputes. The theme of Galatians is freedom. Some believe that it takes law and grace to be saved, and therefore Gentile believers must be circumcised before they are baptized. Paul is horrified by this. For him grace has no strings attached at all. In this verse he is making the case for how radical God’s grace is. We do not receive it because we are worthy. We receive it because we need it. When we receive grace (the unmerited love and favor of God) all hierarchies become moot. They are erased. Love no longer sees them. No one is second class. No one is rejected due to either worldly status and norms, or inability to live life perfectly. This beautiful verse gives us a picture of how God views the church. There are no hierarchies of holiness or power. The radical egalitarianism of the early church movement was one of the factors that led to the church’s disrepute in the larger community. People could not understand that a woman was equal to a man in the church. They could not tolerate the notion of sitting in worship next to their household slaves as equals. Yet that is exactly the way grace works. It is all God, all love, all equality. It did not take long for the church to lose this vision of grace-filled oneness in its practice. Hierarchies returned. Women were excluded and slaves were relegated to the
margins. But just because the church did, and does those things, does not make them the will of God. Paul wanted the Galatians to understand that God and God’s church is far bigger and more inclusive than humanity’s insight and comfort zones might indicate. Think today about what it means to be a part of a grace based community of equality and unity. Are there ways that you can help bring that vision into greater clarity in your church? Are there those in your community who have been wounded or excluded from full participation in your church? How might you address that effectively?
Prayer: O Universal God, you are one and you make us one. Help us today to remember that your love and acceptance are not a result of our actions or competence. Help us to remember that all are your children, equally lavished with your love, and to behave accordingly. In Jesus’ holy name we pray. Amen.
July 22 – Gifted and Diverse – 1 Corinthians chapter 12. Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,[a] and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.
Remember that oneness and equality are not sameness. We are not the same. Not even in the church. We are each unique and our differences are necessary, God given and celebrated. We each grew up when and where God planted us and we carry the gifts of our experiences all our lives. It is important to remember that, exactly who you are is neither accidental nor incidental to God’s vision for the church. The scriptures tell us that each of us has at least one special and necessary gift from the Spirit to be used to further the church’s mission. Without that gift used in our own unique way, the church is not whole. It may be wonderful, but it will always limp a little. God carefully chooses the gifts most needed for the church in any given moment, and best suited to the one who receives them. Sometimes our gifts seem natural and flow without much thought from our hearts and personalities. Sometimes God gifts us with a spiritual ability that we think we don’t want or will hate using. Be assured that whatever gift is given to you and whatever calling comes with it, it will be exactly what you need as well as what the church and world need. Our gifts are always medicine for our souls and churches. How could they be otherwise since the Spirit is their author and power? Today think for a bit about what unique gift you have to offer God through the church? Do you have an eye for beauty that can be used in worship? Do you have special insights into scripture? Is prayer your gift, or missions, or generosity, or encouragement? Whatever fills you with joy and seems to flow through you, that is a gift the church can use. Today spend some time alone with God welcoming your unique giftedness. Ask how your gifts are most needed in this time and be joyful!
Prayer: Gifting God, we thank you that you give us all we need to serve you exactly as you most desire. Awaken us today to the gifts within us and among us. Fill us with the joy of your diverse world and church. Help us to welcome all with expectation and confidence. In Jesus’ holy name we pray. Amen.
Week of July 23 – The Sacraments
July 23 –- Institution of the Lord’s Supper – Luke 22:19-20 Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to then, saying, “This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.”
In the early days when Christian communities were first forming, the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper was a scandal. People outside the community, often prone to horrifying literalism, accused believers of cannibalism. That, coupled with misunderstanding the ‘kiss of peace’ in worship as describing orgies, led to widening persecution of the faithful who were just trying to do what Jesus told them to do. So what is really going on here? An outward physical manifestation of something profound that happens inside a believer spiritually, is what many Christians call a sacrament. It is a holy, concrete and mysterious experience that accomplishes something through the pure grace of God. Different communities practice the sacraments differently, and call different experiences sacraments of sacramental. What is so lovely in Luke’s telling of Jesus’ supper with his friends on the night of his betrayal is the word remembrance. This word literally means ‘to give something flesh again, to make something concretely real again.’ It is not simply to recall what once happened, even with gratitude. When Jesus’ tells his friends to break the bread and take the cup in remembrance, he is telling them that, as they do that, his real and sacred presence will be with them. His presence will feed and nurture them for whatever trials may follow. The 16th century theologian John Calvin called the Lord’s Supper, the mother’s milk of the church. It is with this regular feeding on the real presence of Christ that the church grows and matures. Today, take a moment to ponder what it means to you for Jesus to give himself to you in order to feed and strengthen you. What practices help you to ‘give Jesus flesh again?’ If you are a part of a Christian community that regularly celebrates the Lord’s Supper, set an intention today that the next time you approach the Communion Table, you will acknowledge that you are entering into an experience that is spiritually filled with the very presence of Jesus and be thankful.
Prayer: God of Every Grace, we thank you for the many ways you come to us. Help us to welcome your real presence in our lives and communities and to give thanks. In Jesus’ holy name we pray. Amen.
July 24 – Paul’s Pattern – 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 – For I have received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This is the cup of the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
The Apostle Paul is writing to a church that is fighting about nearly everything, including the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. In the previous verses he has pointed out the selfishness of how they are celebrating the sacrament. In a decision that truly boggles the mind, the church decided that rich people will be served first and get as much bread and wine as they can pay for, leaving little or nothing for the poorer members, while getting staggeringly drunk in the process. Paul is scandalized by what he sees as a perversion of something he holds to be so sacred. Sacraments are for all equally. How could it be otherwise since Jesus was for all equally, and in the sacraments we experience his real presence? In these verses, the insights of which he claims came straight from the Lord, he reminds them of the importance of the sacrament for ‘remembrance,’ and as a declaration of faith in what Jesus will yet do. The Lord’s Supper is an experience of Jesus’ presence in the here and now, and an experience of the joyful hope of what is yet to come on earth and for all eternity. To proclaim Jesus’ death is to declare that the cross changes everything. To share in the sacrament is to receive strength and assurance that no matter what our circumstances may be, the best is always yet to come! Today take a moment to think about the gift of sacramental hope for the future. If you have access to the sacrament in the community of faith today, partake with joy! If not, when you eat and drink today, proclaim in your heart the life and death of Jesus, knowing that he is with you and always on the way with more and more grace!
Prayer: O God of the Generous heart, we thank you for the gift of remembrance and the hope of your constant coming to us. Strengthen our faith with your presence and encourage our hearts with your promises. In Jesus’ holy name we pray. Amen.
July 25 – The Joyful Feast – Acts 2:46-47 Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God, and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.
Today’s verses do not refer specifically to the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper (also called Holy Communion and Eucharist,) and yet they give us a picture of what the sacrament can do in us as a community of faith. The sacrament binds us together and fills our lives with joy, generosity and praise. When we regularly partake of the bread and cup, and experience, whether we feel it or not, the strengthening of Jesus’ presence and oneness with us in the common meal, our lives change. We no longer move through our days as little blobs of neediness and discontent. Rather, we find that a spontaneous joy erupts, especially when we are together with other believers. It is a heady and winsome feeling of excitement and wonderment. Love grows. Gratitude grows. Wisdom grows. Desire for more of Christ grows. An awareness of walking daily with the Lord overshadows our loneliness and the drudgery of our plodding ordinary lives. It is like even the clouds are seeded with golden sparkles. One of the amazing aspects of the early church is that not only did they experience the wonderment of divine presence, their wonderment was obvious to all around. Sacramental life changed them and people saw that change and were powerfully drawn to it. People thought well of them because, more and more, they embodied Jesus himself. Joy is often contagious isn’t it? In churches we talk about the Lord’s Supper as the joyful feast of the people of God, and it is! Today spend some time praying about the joy of the sacrament and, indeed, of a sacramental way of life in which we feed on Jesus and our hearts become bigger and bigger and bigger. How can you open yourself today to the Lord’s presence and desire to make your life a true love feast? Begin today to pray with joy and look forward to the next time you can share the feast with your church community!
Prayer: O God of the Joyful Feast, we thank you that your real presence changes us and that when those changes take hold, they are obvious to all around. Help us to live today with such joy that we will enjoy the goodwill of all people and more and more people will come to you. In Jesus’ holy name we pray. Amen.
July 26 – The Thin Place – Heavenly Banquet – Revelation 7:11-12 And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, singing, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen!”
The book of Revelation has been controversial from the beginning. As the church grew and became both a body of believers and an institution dedicated to preserving and transmitting the faith, leaders argued that it not be included in the Bible at all. At the very least they argued that it should not be read in worship for fear of overly literal interpretations that would scare the faithful to death. Revelation, I would submit, was never intended to be taken literally. It is much too powerful a vision for that. It’s intent is to carry deep truth to us in the mystical forms of symbol and poetry. With careful study it offers us a way to understand our world today and a passionate, hope filled vision of what our future in Christ always holds. In today’s verses we see a picture of the beauty of heavenly intimacy with God. What a glorious image it is! Why, then, did I choose this text as we think about the sacrament of Holy Communion? Well, obviously it is a picture of the most glorious of communions with God in the heavenly realms, but that is not the primary reason I chose it. One of the often ignored gifts of the sacrament of Holy Communion is that it transcends time and space. Or perhaps more accurately, in includes all time and space. When we gather at the table of grace we do not only gather with the believers in our church. We also gather with all believers of all times and places, those who have gone before, and those who will come after. Time disappears at the Table. The celts talk about Thin Places as spaces where heaven and earth intersect. The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is just such a thin place. Because Christ is eternal, Christ’s Table is also eternal and all who gather there are living in eternity already. We are not all living it in this physical world, but we are living it at God’s eternal banquet. The next time you celebrate the sacrament, as you walk forward or as the gifts are handed to you, open your heart to all of those who share the feast with you in the mystery of the eternal now. Thank those who have gone before you and welcome those who will come after you. Praise the Ever Living God for the gifts of eternal community. Amen!
Prayer: God of All and Eternity, we thank you for the mystery of faith and presence that we share with all those of all times and places. When we gather at your table we gather with the saints in light, the saints in the room, and the saints yet to be born. What a glorious moment! Thank you! In Jesus’ holy name we pray. Amen.
July 27 – Baptism of Repentance – Mark 1:4 – John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
In the Reformed Protestant tradition which is my faith family, we acknowledge two sacraments, Holy Communion and Baptism. Today we turn our attention to baptism. By the time that John the Baptist, Jesus’ slightly older cousin, came to prominence is Israel, baptism was largely a ritual of inclusion reserved for those who converted to Israel’s faith. Even so, washing and cleansing rituals designed to make a believer fit to be in God’s presence were also common. God’s people have always been aware that we fall short of God’s ethical and moral standards and need ways to be made right again. John saw a great need in the people for God’s presence. He also saw the obstacle that sin was to meeting that need. So he combined the common understanding of cleansing and inclusion rituals with the need to repent and start again. Repentance is not the same as feeling sorry for our behavior, or even feeling shame for it. It is not the same as being scared of being caught. Repentance is much more radical than that. It means to turn and go in a different direction. It means to have such a primal awakening to our moral choices and their consequences that our entire world view changes and we both see and do things differently. For John, baptism sealed that change. When spiritually hungry people flocked to him at the Jordan river, his baptism declared their inclusion in the community of faith, as well as their forgiveness as a result of true repentance. To undergo baptism, one emerged from the waters newly equipped for a different way of life. In our churches baptism still includes those elements, incorporation into the community of God, cleansing from the stain of sin, and emergence into a new and changed way of life that goes in a different direction from the old way.
Prayer: O Great God of new beginnings, we thank you today for the grace of every new start. We especially thank you for the grace of baptism. In Jesus’ holy name we pray. Amen.
July 28 – Buried with Christ – Colossians 2:12 – When you were buried with him in baptism, you were raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.
In the early days of Christianity, the rituals of baptism were dramatic and powerful. Each person desiring baptism was assigned a mentor who met with them for a year in order to train them in the stories of faith and the demands of discipleship. In the wee hours of the morning while it was still dark, usually on Easter, the members gathered together at the place of baptism. Those to be baptized were stripped of their clothes, submerged in water and held down until they began to struggle. Then they were raised from the water gasping in the air of their new life. Their old clothes were burned and they were given new white robes that the community had made for them. They were in no way the same so they would never wear their old clothes again. They were new creatures now in Christ. Prayers asking the Spirit to confirm the promises of faith in their ongoing lives were said and they were given Communion to strengthen them for new life. They had died and risen with Christ and nothing would ever be the same again. Whether our experience of baptism today is a font, a baptistry, a river or a lake, it is the same experience. We die to the old and rise new in Christ. Because we have sacramentally died with him, we now live eternally with him. Death has no power to hold us because, with Christ, it has already been overcome. Think today about what it means to live a new life in Christ. Are there ‘old clothes’ that you need to burn and release? Are there fears or habits that need to go? If so, take a moment today to touch some water and remind yourself of the power of your baptism. Know that the worst is over and that healing has already begun. If you have not been baptized but would like to be, we can help connect you with a church in your area that can help you.
Prayer: Gracious God of New Life, we thank you that in dying and rising with you we can live a new life every day without fear or shame. In Jesus’ holy name we pray. Amen.
July 29 – First Ordination – Matthew 3:16-17 And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
The baptism of Jesus was an early church scandal. If baptism is for repentance and Jesus was free from sin, why did he need to be baptized? If only a personal spiritually superior could baptize, as was then believed, wouldn’t that mean that John was superior to Jesus? Believers throughout the centuries have wrestled with those questions and come up with a number of interesting answers. Two things seem obvious. Jesus entered into the waters of the Jordan in baptism as an act of solidarity with the whole human family and as a role model for us. It is at heart his ordination into his ministry. From the waters of baptism, Jesus goes out into his mission. Today’s verse shows us not only what Jesus did and the Father’s response. It also show us what happens to each of us in our own baptism. When we are baptized we rise with a mission to complete for the sake of God’s deep desiring in the world. It can seem daunting to realize that we have a role to play in God’s unfolding love. The wonder is that as we rise to meet our life’s callings, we also rise with the same words in our ears that Jesus heard in his when he rose from the Jordan. Because you are in Christ, each day God says these words to you: “You are my child, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” What does it mean to you to consider that you are God’s beloved child? Listen now to God say, “I am well pleased with you.” How does that feel? Take time today to remind yourself that you are loved wildly and there is a unique purpose for your life. No one else on earth can do what you were uniquely created to do. You are so important!
Prayer: Gracious God, we thank you for your great love and for the blessing of our callings to serve you. Equip us today with the power of our baptism to rise and serve you knowing that we are beloved in your sight. In Jesus’ holy name we pray. Amen.
July 30 – Sin? What is it? Genesis 3:1-13 - Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” 4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. 8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?” 10He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” 11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” 12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” 13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.
When I was in seminary, more than forty years ago, there was a popular book called What Ever Happened to Sin? As I recall, the author’s point was that as a society we were normalizing self-serving behaviors that previous generations called sinful. I suppose in some instances that may be true. Still, the experience of sin and its corrosive consequences has certainly not vanished from the earth, or our own daily lives. In the Old Testament there are at least eight different words that we translate as sin. At the heart of the concept of sin in the Old Testament is a turbulent restlessness that perverts the course of one’s life. One of those words, chatta’t, carries the sense of missing the road intended and therefore getting lost in an alien territory. That is certainly what happened to Adam and Eve in the Garden. In their story, it was their desire to be their own little gods, with no boundaries or limitations, that led them on the wrong road to the wrong tree. The problem was not the snake. The snake was just the trigger. The problem was the ego, that false self in each of us that wants what it wants when it wants it and will do nearly anything to get it, or to defend against the pain of not getting it. God’s original intention for us is a state of harmony, plenty and safety. Yet often even that does not seem like enough. Enough is a moving target for us, as it was for Adam and Eve, and our choices can become increasingly deadly as we chase each new target. Sin is not restricted to a list of particular behaviors, although God’s Law is a wonderful road map that can help us not get lost in our own egos. Sin is a state of ego rule instead of God rule. Just about any behavior that springs from that root is a wrong turn indeed. Today pause and think for a moment about what most motivates your moral and ethical choices. Ask God to help you see when you are following egos distorted road signs and when you are following God’s instruction instead. Be humble with this. A part of sin’s wiliness is that it can lie and tell us that what is wrong is right and vice versa. If you see new sinful behaviors that you have not looked at before, do not wallow. Simply acknowledge the truth, ask for forgiveness and direction to the right road.
Prayer: O God of Mercy, thank you for opening my eyes today to see deeper levels of the truth. Surround me with your mercy as you lead me to true repentance. In Jesus’ holy name I pray. Amen.
July 31 – Oppression and bondage- Romans 7:15 I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.
In the New Testament, there is only one word we translate as sin. It is a word that comes from the sport of archery and it means to have a skewed aim and miss the mark. It is not just that our aim is off some of the time. Sometimes we aim at the wrong thing to begin with. When we habitually aim at wrong things, or right things in a wrong way, we will, of course, never hit the mark. What is the mark toward which we are to aim? That is simple: love of God, neighbor and self with every iber of our being and every choice that we make. In today’s verse Paul is bemoaning how pesky and intractable the ego truly is. We may deeply desire to do right and good things and ind that fear, laziness or apathy stop us from even making a start. We may deeply desire to stop doing things that are repugnant to us like lashing out in anger at family members, or over eating or drinking, or seeking to win at any cost, and ind that those behaviors cling to us and rule us no matter how hard we try. Sin is not something that we remedy by wit or willpower. Its remedy is God. God alone can tame our egos, put us back on a right path, and help us ind our way to the lives for which we were created. Still, we know, and Paul would agree I think, that God uses our daily cooperation of honesty, repentance and renewed commitment to strengthen us and help us make new choices that are consistent with our forgiven status and the gratitude that bursts forth from it. Today pause to consider anything in your life and choices that seems like bondage or oppression. Do you have destructive habits you can’t seem to shake? Do you have trouble speaking with kindness or living with generosity? Do you ind that a judgmental spirit skews the way you see your neighbors? If so, notice the weight and pressures that these things place on you. Tell God you are sorry and need help to improve your aim and address these issues. You may be conident that help is being brought to bear even if you do not immediately feel it.
Prayer: God of Mercy, I thank you that you offer daily to open my eyes to that which is damaging me, my life and those I love. Forgive me for the selish choices I too often make, and ill me with the wonder of new starts. In Jesus’ holy name I pray. Amen.