Change

My apologies; there is no new post for Sunday, April 25. In addition, I want to announce that I am moving the daily devotional thoughts to www.theostory.wordpress.com, asking those of you who have been kind enough to follow this blog to move to that site with me. I have had too many little but annoying problems on this site to continue on a regular basis, including such things as posts appearing on the wrong date (like Saturday, which appears under Friday). Please feel free to comment, which I believe is more easily done on the other site. Thanks again for your interest; if you have enjoyed or benefitted from the devotions or thoughts, please pass the word along to a friend or enemy. And drop me a note while you're at it. Thanks again, and best wishes in Christ.

Ken

Living in the Real World

Text: Colossians 3:1-17

How often have we been encouraged to remember the things that really matter? We hear people who have undergone substantial loss of property to fire or storm damage say such things when they note that every person survived the incident. We might hear it when someone has died, and perhaps even in a sermon. Paul says it, too, by telling us to keep on seeking the things "above," where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

So what are the things that really matter? What are the things above? And could it be that finding and pursuing these things is the same as finding and living in the real world? Is this what truth means?

The reason we are not to focus on either special exercises on one hand or on restraining from meeting certain bodily needs on the other is that either option puts the attention on things which have no intrinsic meaning in and of themselves. Their "telos"--their goal, purpose, end--is entirely for and in this space-time world we live in. Christ did not come to make us more successful or fulfilled in the satisfying of any such needs, much less any wants related to the same bodily desires. Instead, he came to free us from being so caught up in the pursuit of these things that we lose sight of our true telos. So he opens the way to things above the satisfaction of everyday needs, to things that we are intended to seek and express--truth, love, justice, goodness, righteousness, joy, knowledge of God.

It is in this light that things such as anger, malice, slander, abusive speech, sexual immorality, etc., must be removed from our lives. Each one of them is a denial of the things which belong to our true end and purpose. Conversely, those things which contribute to the learning and practice of our telos are to be fostered in our lives together as God's people--compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience. It's hard to live that way in a culture obsessed with self-indulgence. So we are to encourage one another in the new, Christlike way, the way that is the truth, and is life, and prepares us for the real world.

Philosophy, Christ, and Living Free

Text: Colossians 2:8-23

We begin today with an easily (and often) misunderstood verse of Scripture. We are warned against being taken captive by or through philosophy and empty deception, ideas that arise out of humanity rather than out of Christ. And this is frequently taken as a warning against the study of philosophy due to a fear that it will turn on us and lead us astray. Certainly, it is possible that the study of philosophy could have this effect. But it seems far more likely that the philosophies we are to beware are not the ones we study, but the ones we don't. There are hidden philosophies or worldviews in any culture; they underlie the way things are done on a daily basis and are usually unexamined because they are so familiar yet unspoken and unnamed. And they are often quite in conflict with the truth that is in Christ.

Paul seems to be offering a brief reprise of his earlier statements about who Christ is (vv. 8-10), a more specific accounting of how we come to be "in him" (11-15), and a "therefore" statement concerning the futility of relying on someone's visions, special practices, and deprivations of the body' needs (16-23). Let's flesh out what this might mean in our own culture.

Perhaps we mistakenly believe that our culture is neutral regarding its outlook on the world and on the place of humanity therein. I beg to differ, and offer just one simple example. There are "elementary principles" which inform us of who we are and what our role in the world is. In America we are consumers; our role is to buy things and keep the economy moving. We order our lives accordingly, so that we will be positioned to consume not just homes, cars, clothing, sports equipment, and restaurants, but the best of these we can possibly attain. Christ, on the other hand, has something far better to say about us--we are valuable not because we contribute to economic growth, but because he loves us and gives himself for us. On one hand we are told how good we are by culture, only to find that we're only as valued as far as our spending will take us; on the other, we're told in Christ that God loves us and gave himself for us, to free us from bondage to any other thought system. For all the competitors fall short of giving the worth that God already holds us in.

What do the people in your life, the voices influential in your world say about you and what's expected of you? What have they done to prove themselves worthy of your allegiance? Then compare this to Christ, whose yoke is easy and burden light.

Where is Truth?

Text: Colossians 1:24-2:7

Personal truth. That is, truth which is the person of Jesus Christ. What kind of "truth" is this, and where can it be found?

What do we mean when we speak of knowing the truth? Does it mean getting the right description of the way the world really is? But how can we know whether we've got it right unless we already know the way it is? Do our statements match the way things really are, as demonstrated by scientific verification? Is truth determined by how well our entire view holds together with logical consistency? Or is truth a matter of going with what works, whether or not it can be improved upon or even shown to be false? Do we give up and allow multiple views to all count as truth, in spite of direct contradictions of one another? Oh, isn't epistemology fun?

It's in the context of this confused and confusing (postmodern?) backdrop that we should consider anew the claims of Christianity in texts such as Colossians. What if we begin with the premise that, indeed, everything has its origin in Christ? What if we drop for the moment any preconceptions of what truth is and focus on him, and accept his invitation to know him as he is revealed in the life, death, resurrection, and ascension? This is the beginning of wisdom. The rest of our knowledge proceeds from this premise.

Let's take the argument one step farther. To "know" the truth, we must engage ourselves in the reflection and imitation of what we have come to accept as truth. That means believing hearts knit together in love, and thereby attaining understanding (2:2-3). To know the truth we must do the truth; facts and propositions are necessary, but insufficient. Nothing less than this commitment of faith in the truth that is Christ will do. It's far more than a claim of forgiveness of sins and heaven when we die; it's the determination that all things exist by and for him. If Jesus is who the Christianity has always said he is, and did what it claims he did, then to know him is to know truth, no matter how many facts we hold in our minds.

Comments?

Personal Truth

Text: Colossians 1:15-23

As my students will testify, there are a few phrases that draw a reaction from this professor more readily than this one in the title. The idea that we each get to have a truth that is personally drawn undercuts the very concept of truth, which deals with the way things really are, independent of how we might choose to see them. So what's the phrase doing in the title?

Glad you asked. No, the universe hasn't yet tilted to the point where I affirm the notion of relative truth, which remains an oxymoron. But it is also a mistake to think that our perspective on the truth is the truth itself. More importantly, what does any of this have to do with Colossians 1? Everything.

Jesus Christ is spoken of in terms which can only be understood as the sum total of truth--all things created by and for him, before all things, in whom all things hold together. This must mean that he is more fundamental than any criterion of truth we could possibly conceive. And there's more, as we read that all the fullness of deity was alive in and through him, and that he reconciles us to God by his death and resurrection. If there is a better synopsis of God's narrative of the world, I can't imagine where it would be found (other than John 1:1-18). And one point which stands out is that this One is a person; the truth, indeed is personal, albeit in a far different sense from the way such a phrase is commonly used. We are redeemed, made whole, fulfilled, given hope, purpose, and God's own blessing by our relationship to the one who is himself truth. Not our relationship with statements about him, but with him.

How many of the secrets of the physical universe we may uncover and how many of those we will observe and categorize correctly remain to be seen. But we can know truth because the God who made us came to us and continues to do so in this one, Jesus. No other religion or faith makes such a claim about its key figure. There is only one. And because he is truth, he judges all other competing systems of thought, secular or religious. That's quite a claim. He died to make it and to bring us knowledge of truth.

Driven

Text: Colossians 1:1-14

What drives people? What motivations account for their successes and their failures? Do we know more about people when we know their attainments, or when we know the driving force behind what we see? What drives you and me?

It might be too easy a target, but today let's think about what seems to have driven the people involved in some of the financial collapses on Wall Street. But we'll do so not to single these people out as the most despicable, but as far more like most of us than not. They may have been more successful in manipulating and attaining certain market outcomes, but perhaps no more or less indicative of a world that has lost its story, and therefore its best motivations.

For some reason, we despise greed when it is blatantly displayed; yet the dominant worldview operating in the public square has no resources from which to tell us why. Our secular culture has set matters of truth firmly within the confines of those things which can be enumerated. If something is quantifiable, it is open to true/false categories; if not, it is a matter for personal opinion and nothing more. Financial success is quantifiable; values such as fairness, equity, and justice are not. To say that people want to succeed and are promised continually that it is within their reach is to state the obvious. Many people have despaired of succeeding in such terms; others play the lottery. In reality, when the lights are out and one's own thoughts are the only noise, darkness prevails over mind and spirit.

In the beginning of the epistle before us, Paul sounds a different theme. He writes to those who have hope not of financial success, but of a richness in this world that is funded by confidence in a future beyond it. It is the message of Christ, who holds the real story of our world and our lives, our prospects and our purpose. It's like a turning on of the lights when we've lost everything we need in a dark place, only to find that those things are not unattainable after all. They simply look far different when the light is on.

As we follow Paul through this epistle, let's do so with an awareness that we are usually caught between degrees of darkness and light, too often holding on to the values from which Christ has redeemed us, too seldom walking in the light we know he gives.

Leading without Weapons

Text: 1 Peter 5:1-14

Holiness in leadership; leading in holiness. What can it possibly mean? In a day of equality and independent judgment of virtually all things, is it possible for one to perform the functions of leading a congregation in an honorable, biblically and spiritually consistent fashion?

In this era of equality of all opinions, what right have any of us to declare what another person should or should not do or think in regard to spiritual matters? Our culture, often with the full agreement of believers, has separated matters of faith from anything that may be left of truth. Truth might be an appropriate category for scientific, mathematical, or financial matters; but it has nothing to do, so the story goes, with matters of faith, where we are left to form our own opinions since these issues lie outside the canons of verification. And since each of of has the Bible and the Holy Spirit to guide, what need have we of another authority?

Peter appeals to a different source of authority. Rather than standing on expertise with the Scripture, he stands on his first hand experience with the Lord himself--not just in in living and ministering with him, but in his death and resurrection. And he wears this experience with a great deal of humility, undoubtedly remembering his own inglorious failure during Jesus' trial. Proving to be an example of the kind of holy living in an unholy world provides a credential which does not need to be trumpeted; it has been declared already, and accepted by those truly under the Spirit's guidance.

We have all kinds of seminars and leadership summits available to the church today. Frankly, few of them tell the paying faithful to clothe themselves with humility, not to worry about if, when, and by whom they will be recognized for their work. Anxieties about such things are out of place, quite unnecessary, and potentially detrimental, as they may open the ambitious ones to succumb to another way of doing things. We've seen more than enough of this in ministry. God's way just might make one unpopular for a time; suffering might be involved. But honor from God will come.

Give it Up

Text: 1 Peter 4:1-19

Hedonism. Some people have never heard of it, but are nonetheless deeply immersed in it. Some have heard of it and recognize it as one of those terms in an ethics class somewhere in the past, but could not define it very well. Others have no clue what it is. What it refers to is something incompatible with Christian holiness. And it is so thoroughly engrained in much of our culture that we do not recognize it.

it refers to the idea that the highest good is maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain. Hedonism does not ask questions such as whether a given action or attitude is right or wrong in itself; it does not evaluate the actions of other people, other than to the extent they may cause pain to one affected by the action. While more sophisticated versions may give a nod toward long-term consequences, it is only with the anticipation of future pleasure to be enhanced or pain to be curtailed. It's a good fit for a world in which we are unsure of what truth is, especially when related to things that ought and ought not to be done. It is made even more attractive when the means of attaining pleasure are being marketed perpetually, sold at a discount.

We are, in fact counter-cultural when we do not play along with the hedonists, particularly if we once ran at the head of the pack. Taking on the attitude that Christ had--one of holiness--means many things, but close to the top of the list is a different mindset toward pain and pleasure. Peter does not tell us that everyone who is a Christian is going to have a hard time with suffering. But he does tell us to arm ourselves, and to do so by changing our attitude if that attitude is dominated by the idea that we must avoid suffering, especially at the hand of our peers and associates in life. If that idea still drives us, we'll never be prepared to follow Jesus. Relatedly, the "deep love" we are to show for each other means that we will undoubtedly be called upon to forego pleasures in order to make that love real, giving what might have been spent on ourselves for the needs of others. And we will spend our energies and abilities in their service, rather than to gain more for our consumption.

Holiness is very much a this-world phenomenon. It has eyes toward the next, with full knowledge that the Lord has gone before us to lead us there. But it must begin in the mind and heart, now.

Suffering--Not the Last Word

Text: 1 Peter 3:13-22

All who enjoy suffering, raise your hands! The very concept of suffering precludes enjoyment, at least in the moment; otherwise, it is not truly suffering, which means to undergo that which is painful, distressing, or debilitating. We avoid it whenever possible at all cost--even a lower level of suffering.

For the third time in three chapters, Peter mentions the possibility of suffering, each time followed by a reminder that Christ underwent suffering to provide our redemption. In this instance, he begins by acknowledging that suffering isn't something we go looking for; sometimes, however, it finds us, even if in an unjust fashion, such that we find ourselves suffering not as punishment for ill-advised action, but for actually doing the right thing. Rather than ranting and raving about the unfairness, we are encouraged to allow the holiness--the difference in us because of God--to prevail. The truth about the circumstances will speak for itself; our Christlike character will speak for us. But we'll only be ready to do this if we have already submitted to the Lordship of Christ. The time for saintly heroics is in the preparation, not in the heat of the moment.

The second half of the text has occasioned many comments regarding the preaching of Christ to spirits in prison. Many of these are far so removed from one another as to be irreconcilable. But let us assume that the writer is continuing his parallel between the sufferings of Christ and those we may be called upon to endure. In this reading, there was a saving result of the suffering Christ endured; that is, suffering had far from the last word. Our identification with him (in baptism) guarantees two things: first, that his suffering has resulted in our salvation; second, that our suffering for his word can also have a redemptive purpose for someone else.

Suffering, especially unjust, undeserved instances, solidifies our connection with Christ and his purposes. It doesn't mean that we go looking for such occasions or relish them when they happen. But knowing ahead of time that they can occur should encourage us to see to it that our holiness, our God-infested way of looking at things, is well prepared for whatever may come.

Holiness at Home

Text: 1 Peter 3:1-12

Can't we just skip this passage, especially the first six verses? In today's cultural climate in just seems so much easier to move past such texts than to comment on them.

Yet here it is, in the epistle we are considering as the description of holy living, as unto God in community rather than for self. Perhaps that even includes portions of God's word which embarrass us at times. Without making this text into a sort of litmus test, however, let us make a couple of observations. For one, holiness is demonstrated in the closest of human relationships--even when one partner in the relationship is not a believer. And it is demonstrated by a peaceful spirit, not an air of superiority. To reiterate, we are holy in difference from the world and its ways of thinking.

Secondly, there is a mutuality here that is often missed. V.7 tells husbands to honor their wives "in the same way," i.e. with gentleness and respect, not iron fisted rule. Thirdly, the goal is to have the unbelieving husband recognize Christ through the behavior of the wife who is part of God's holy people, not to establish her rights and independence. Lastly, and most astonishingly, there is a connection made between how we conduct ourselves in marriage with how much of an ear God lends to our prayers. I'd never think to say such a thing; but God Himself indicates it is so.

These relationships are then extended to the wider church family; we learn humility, gentleness, and sympathy in way we speak to one another in that community, where holy ways of living are fleshed out in such mundane activities as speaking to one another truthfully, considering them as more important than ourselves, and speaking well of them when they are not in the room with us, refusing to engage in anything smacking of deception, gossip, or rumor.

Our world is very conscious of the horrendous evil of spousal abuse; we are often afraid to speak of texts such as this because some read them as endorsements of living with violence without a whimper. But rather than offering my take on why this is not so, I am asking any women who follow this blog to offer their perspective on vv. 1-7. Please?

Holy Foreigners?

Text: 1 Peter 2:11-25

Have you ever been in a place you did not belong? Not only was the scenery different, but the people surrounding you did not think of those surroundings in terms you recognized. Things were valued differently; expectations were miles apart; fitting in was not an option because you didn't know the rules. It's an experience many in our immigrant communities know very well.

Holiness, Peter tells us, is very much like that. Being set apart as citizens of a holy nation--God's people--makes us aliens in the one we presently occupy, even though it is the one we have physically lived in all of our lives. We have a new highest authority. The challenge is not how to be like those around us, but how to live among them. And if we're doing it well, there will be occasional or perhaps constant opposition to our presence, because the residents also recognize that we don't belong there. It makes them uncomfortable, and they may very well do what resident cultures so often do to immigrants. They malign them, make false accusations, create negative stereotypes, and dismiss their values as irrelevant. Living respectfully and honorably among them is hard work. It's holy work. It's our calling.

Just how all-encompassing this different way of being in the world really is begins to be fleshed out in the text which follows, all the way through the remainder of the epistle. First for mention is the political question. Does being a citizen of God's holy nation mean that we have no obligations to the governing authorities of the world, especially of the place we live? Does it mean we overthrow the latter and replace them? A resounding negative on that one. Instead, the quick guide to living in foreign territory: "Show respect for everyone. Love your Christian brothers. Fear God. Honor the king (president? congressmen? mayor?)." How hard is that to comprehend? How are we doing at it?

Peter then moves to another area of life which is very much in the center of what shapes our lives--employment. Few of us have ever been threatened with physical violence by our employers (thankfully!), but Peter uses even this extreme as an example of endurance of unjust suffering; we can find in it an identification with Christ, whose undeserved treatment provides a model for us to follow. Holiness is not for the faint of heart; nor is it for the proud.

Learning to live as aliens is difficult. Perhaps we should learn a few lessons in doing so from brothers and sisters in Christ who live among us in immigrant communities. It might move us toward holiness to do so.

It's Us, Not I

Text: 1 Peter 2:1-10

Everyone for him/herself. Have it your way. Forge your own path. March to the beat of a different drum. Be your own person, the captain of your ship, master of your fate. You've got to please yourself. If it feels good, do it. If you think it's true, go for it. The list of phrases could go on and on. And all too often Christians are little different. We are surrounded by people who believe that personal satisfaction is the highest, if not the only good in life. Our Supreme Court has declared that the right to define one's own existence is the most fundamental of all rights. Apparently, this includes the prerogative of defining truth, not least moral truth. Few even question this any longer; it has become part of the air we breathe.

One of the most difficult ideas for us to grasp as American Christians is that the focus of holiness is more corporate than individual in Peter's writing. It is partially a language issue--we do not have separate English words for "you" (singular and plural) as do most languages, including New Testament Greek. What is addressed to the whole group as a unit is too easily read as addressed primarily to each person, which fits so comfortably with our individualistic culture. When God tells His people to be holy, it is as a corporate entity. Thinking in those terms requires a shift we will have to work at.

This becomes most obvious as the passage for today moves forward: individually we are stones in a building, priests in a priesthood, citizens in a nation. The change begins with how we see one another. Malicious behavior, deception, hypocrisy, jealousy, backstabbing, etc., are the inevitable results of individualism as each person is in competition with every other for the right to define how life will be when we have to deal with one another. It should not be surprising that these are the first things which will have to go in order for us to be holy--different, characterized by the kind of self-giving love that is God Himself. For this to happen we will need to receive truth rather than define it; it is our basic nourishment (v.2).

As this takes place--i.e., as God's truth fills our minds and we shed the patterns of thought and interactions inherited from the world around us--we are transformed into a purposive, different, holy body in which God dwells and through which He appeals to all people to be made anew, to come out of the darkness that is the loneliness of individual living. Yes, we have a long way to go. Yes, it's well worth the journey.

The Four-Letter Word

Text: 1 Peter 1:13-25

There are a lot of words we don't wish to hear in common usage, if ever. But one four-letter word which is critical to Christian faith is one which heard less often than it should be rather than more often. When we do use it, we often limit its application to God Himself, somehow overlooking the fact that God wants it to be characteristic of all of His people. Yes, we're speaking of that word: HOLY.

Theologically, we find two uses of the term when it is applied to God's people. On one hand, we are are set apart, made fitting for His purpose; we are holy by our position, our standing in Christ. But Peter is writing about a second usage of the term, one which refers to our actual behavior, attitudes, dreams, and desires. In vv. 14-15, there is a contrast between the old ways of doing evil and the necessity of being holy in everything we do. He continues by stressing the basis of the hope we share because of Christ; that hope itself is to be a motivation toward this holiness.

For some reason, many believers become nervous about such texts. Perhaps this is due to a fear of working for our salvation, which we know we cannot do. Perhaps it is because of how woefully short we come when assessing ourselves very closely at all. And let us be clear: the writer of this piece is very far from meeting the goal. But I also believe that we misconstrue what it means to be holy, making it unnecessarily vague, removed from everyday life--as though it is something done off in a corner, isolated from not only the world, but cordoned off from even one another.

The text, which continues the theme for most of the epistle, has a quite different view of holiness. It begins by recognizing and realizing a new attitude toward one another, characterized by love. Peter goes so far as to claim that we can have love for one another only because sin has been taken away by Christ. It is sin which makes love difficult, if not impossible. But things are different for those in Christ.

To be God's holy people, we must demonstrate that we know what loving relationships look like. I can't imagine a more needed demonstration for a world in which hatred and violence are so commonly seen and suffered. God in His holiness did not withdraw from it but entered into it. We must be holy because He is; we must enter in as well.

Chasing the Right Dream

Text: 1 Peter 1:1-12

We just can't escape it; nor should we want to. Here again we have a piece of the New Testament which will base its argument on the resurrection of Jesus (v.3). It seems that this most unbelievable event is necessary to make sense of faith, if not of life itself. The remainder of the epistle will be concerned with the difference this event is to make for how we conduct ourselves in the world.

Today is the beginning of a short series in the first epistle of Peter. The theme is familiar but not old, as Christians are encouraged to persevere in all kinds of difficult trials and circumstances, having confidence that this world is not the final end of life. What will be advised, however, is a way of living in this world, not a way of escaping it. Unlike mystical or gnostic cults, believers in Christ are not told to ignore the trials and tribulations they encounter, but to live in and through them in a transformed way. The faithful are not advised to engage in secret rituals, ascetic practices, or mystical chants; they are told instead to endure in such a way as to convince the watching world that their way of living is to be preferred for all people.

The letter begins by pointing out that the salvation we have in Christ has ben assured and is our highest treasure. It closes by telling us that this salvation is something God has been working toward from the very beginning, not as an afterthought. He even used people in the past to point us in the right direction, even when they did not understand the things they were writing and did not see them come to pass. They had a purpose beyond themselves.

It is that example of faithfulness which we are all the more encouraged to follow. Yes, we have the record of what God has done in Christ, and the Holy Spirit's guidance. But we also share in a certain ignorance of just how God may use our lives and witness, our sufferings and our losses for a greater purpose. We have the resurrection of Christ as the evidence we need to trust that God does bring life from death, joy from sorrow, food for the soul from the barrenness of the world. As a week and a series begin, let us build our confidence so that we can face life with hope that is infectious.

Wisdom Starts Here

Psalm 111

The closing verse of today's psalm makes a simple yet far reaching statement. After giving another litany of reasons for which God is to be praised, the writer assesses what he has just declared. And in its light, he concludes that the fear or reverence of this God is where wisdom has its beginning or foundation.

That conclusion is familiar to Christians and to Jewish believers as well; it recurs in several psalms, in the proverbs, and in Job's ode to wisdom. And it stands as a challenge to a segment of today's culture which fashions itself as the "Brights." This group consists of the so-called New Atheists, whose published works have multiplied significantly over the past decade. The name, of course, is a declaration that those who have the intelligence to grasp the truth of atheism and the hopelessness and desperation of belief in God are the bright ones of the world. By comparison, those of us who have celebrated the mighty acts of God, and the resurrection of Jesus in particular, are "dull" by virtue of that very belief.

Reading the works just mentioned does not offer evidence to support the claim of intellectual high ground, but that is not the point to be made here. Instead, let us think of the claim the psalmist is making, which is that we cannot make sense of morality, of history, or of the physical universe itself without starting with God. There is no glory or majesty in a cosmos which just happens to be; there is no point of recounting history, for what will be will be and nothing moves toward a conclusion or a vindication; the very terms of justice and righteousness--so central to the understanding of God as described in the last few days--are meaningless, not only in terms of God's actions, but of our own as well. It is not a case of wish fulfillment, except to the extent that God has made us to wish, or rather to hope, for the very things He has prepared.

How much better the world looks when seen from God's perspective; how much more meaningful our actions and our decisions become; and how much more hopeful we can be when we share the in psalmist's expectations that God will complete His works. If we agree, the only response appropriate to make is to praise God.

Vision Check-Up

Text: Psalm 145

Isn't it striking that some of the most outrageous complaints about God's apparent silence originated from the same heart which expresses some of the most compelling calls to praise for God's gracious interventions? Such were the life and experiences of David; such can ours be as well.

The past couple of entries here have drawn attention to the character of God more than to the power of God--because that is the focus of the psalms we have read. Today's echoes yet again the value of taking note of how God has provided what is needful in our lives. By telling whomever will listen the stories of how God has continually proven faithful, David is clearing his own occasionally clouded vision and assisting them to do the same.

It is insufficient to voice one's praise to God alone. V. 4 has a time tested yet simple principle: "Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts." (NLT) There's something about stories being told of one's own childhood that captures the imagination and fascination of our children and grandchildren; it is rare that there is not a request for more when this happens. Children want to know not just any stories, but those which in some small way tell them who we are, and by consequence who they are. When that story is centered in God's working in our lives, on our behalf, and in the larger world, we accomplish something important.

We learn all over again, even in the telling, that when all of life is considered, God has indeed proven faithful. We learn that setbacks, even tragedies that occur in this world, have not separated us from the love of God (see Rom. 8:31ff.), and that staying the course through these events has proven far better than any alternative we could have taken. And we teach another generation to use the lenses of Scripture's God to make sense of their own place in the world, so that they might look for His appearances and tell the next generation as well. Surely the litany of God's loving actions (vv. 8-20) will resonate with those who know where to find Him because His story has been told, and we have learned to tell ours in its light.

Nothing Lasts Forever?

Text: Psalm 136

Most Christians have at some time participated in an antiphonal reading of today's text. The refrain, variously translated as "His love/lovingkindness/faithfulness/faithful love endures forever/is everlasting," forms the second half of each of the twenty-six verses.

Several ideas are striking in thinking about this psalm of praise to God. First of all, if as easily supposed this writing was used in worship, why do we not have more like it? There are certainly other attributes of God worthy of repetition in the minds of those who worship. Secondly, all of the remembrances for which God is to be praised have to do with His mighty acts of both creation and salvation. Though the Book of Psalms includes many very personal requests, complaints, and thankful utterances, this one is primarily concerning the people of God as a whole, and secondarily the rest of humanity. Thirdly, both creation and salvation are ongoing, in the sense that there is a sustaining interest of God in the well being of His creatures.

And, of course, there is that refrain. Yesterday's comments concerned what characteristic most fully and adequately identifies God; the conclusion was that it was not His power, though this is affirmed, but His personal care for those He loves. Similarly, the refrain in Ps. 136, the piece which surely was taken home firmly implanted in the mind of the worshipper was that God's faithful love (NLT) will never cease.

There are many things we count on in the world we live in. For as much as we relish the thought of personal autonomy and independence, we nonetheless also want to be able to place confidence in certain things happening and in certain persons performing in predictable, consistent fashion. Today we are reminded that such unchanging character and performance is finally characteristic of God and God alone. He has demonstrated this faithful love repeatedly, in ways which could add thousands of verses to the psalm. The conclusion would be the same in each verse, as yet again we recite together: "His faithful love lasts forever." Nothing else does. Nothing else needs to.

A Godly God

Text: Psalm 146

What makes God God? It's not exactly a trick question. It concerns one of the day's most talked about theological concepts.

There are many today who want to point out the dependence of Christian theology on philosophy, some approvingly so and others attempting to demonstrate deficiencies in doctrinal statements owing from this dependence. While all of this may seem a bit complicated, the purpose of theology is to make God known in distinction from any and all competing ideas. What this means is that we must allow God to be understood as He has revealed Himself, and not to a preconceived idea.

Let's be more specific. We are often deceived into thinking of a concept of God, into which the God of the Bible is place. The categories come from somewhere other than scripture, then the biblical God is molded to shape in order to fit the description. So ideas like omnipotence, omniscience, immutability, etc., are posed as the necessary "qualifications for a being to possess if He/She/It is worthy of the name "God." Now, let's be clear: the God of the Bible does fit this bill so far; but it's not enough to give us the God who actually exists.

The God we worship and are called upon to praise is an acting, living, loving, and personal God. So while there are sufficient reminders of His creative and world-sustaining power, we are more frequently introduced to Him by a very different set of descriptors. This God Executes justice, gives food to the hungry, sets prisoners free, opens the eyes of the blind, raises up those who are bowed down, loves the righteous, protects strangers, supports the fatherless and widow. And this God seems to glory in being known for these deeds rather than for displays of power in the natural world.

Having this God allows us to make sense of our duty to faithfulness and godliness--the quality of actions which mimmic those of God as He is. We cannot comprehend, much less imitate omnipotence. But we can do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God as He is known in His acting. It's what makes Him the godliest of Gods.

Sigh of Relief

Text: Psalm 97

What seems to have the upper hand in today's world? Injustice? Terrorists? Rogue nations with nuclear weapons capabilities? Computer hackers ready to destroy the financial infrastructure and/or the nation's power grid? Maybe something more mundane, like cancer, or just plain greed?

To be sure, these things do pose threats to life as we currently know it and expect to live it. In particular places these and other powers have assumed control for a time. And we should not be so confident that it cannot happen to us. How's that for a cheerful thought in the morning?

Believers, however, recognize that nothing can wrest final authority from the God who made the worlds and all that exists. And the smugness of those who pretend to control destinies will eventually be brought down to its rightful place. Nothing can stop Him from doing what He decides to do. Not even death, the final enemy. Not any of the things we will hear and read about when news is broadcast to cover the major events of the day, things which can create considerable anxiety if we forget that none of it can trump the purposes of God.

As we go about our various callings in society it is easy to see things through the eyes of the small piece of the world we regularly inhabit at work or in the communities we are part of. The eyes of faith, however, see the broader view of God's work in history, as we move from the redemption brought in Christ toward the climax of all things, when He is indeed all in all. What we do until then is worship and work. We worship to renew our hope as God meets with us; we work by hating evil where we find it, not just to turn away from it, but to bring the light of God in such a way as to chase evil from the very places that now seem so imposing due to the presence of false power.

As we participate, we can indeed be glad in the Lord, even when the news is foreboding; evil will not win.

It's All New

Text: Psalm 103

How rich the Psalms become when viewed from a resurrection perspective! The mighty acts of God were indeed celebrated in the literature of the Hebrew Bible. How much more the very words and phrases jump out with the reality of Easter brought afresh to our awareness, particularly after the Lenten period of reflection and repentance.

In the words of the psalm for today, hear these phrases from this side of the empty tomb: "Bless the Lord . . . who redeems your life from the pit, . . . has not dealt with us according to our sins, . . . knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust."

These words, now renewed yet again, are given to us in a call for God's praise to be brought forth from all quarters. Unlike so many of our present day summons to praise, it is not for granting us good homes, good jobs, political freedom, healthy children, or any of the blessings we may or may not experience in this life. Perhaps we have unwittingly become victims of the very consumerism we hope to escape in our culture, when our praise is a matter of giving God the credit for our possessing of the very same goods the rest of the world is chasing. We're often somewhat puzzled when we don't share in them.

But the call to praise is for so much more than these things, all of which perish with us or even before us. It is for the crowning achievement of God's grace--the provision of redemption from the very decay which claims soul, body, and all of the goods we attach so closely and carefully therewith. And it frees us to live with an eye to God and how we might reflect that glory in whatever circumstances we find ourselves caught up in.

With so many asking why God, if He exists, does not do something about our many troubles, the word must come from His praising people: Oh, but He has and He is! He has answered evil in Christ by taking it onto Himself; and He is in the process of making the redemption effective through the most unlikely of assistants--us, with all of our brokenness, now made to be partakers of and witnesses to so great a salvation!

Yes, bless the Lord, oh my soul.

It's All Being Taken Care Of

Author's Note: Readings on this site will be chosen from the Daily Office readings from the Book of Common Prayer. Readers are encouraged to follow as many of those texts as possible, though only one will be selected for comment. Reading the selected text is assumed in the writing.

Text: Psalm 98

Never more than the day after Easter should we be aware of the wonderful things the Lord has done. He has, indeed, gained the victory and made His salvation known. Christ is risen!

It is likely that all of us need this reminder from time to time. We so easily find ourselves in a time of joyful worship on Sunday--particularly on Easter--and then back into a setting in which the victory of God has not yet been made known. This very experience is a major reason that each Sunday is a celebration of the resurrection; each week's worship should in some fashion point to the redeeming work of God in Christ, with the promise of completion in the days to come.

When the psalmist tells us to shout joyfully and sing, it is because of something that has changed and is changing. When God's salvation comes, things are different from what they were before. For salvation to have any meaning, there must be some condition from which to be saved. And it is a condition from which the saving work could not be accomplished on our own. Sin and death certainly qualify for such a condition. I suspect that while this psalm was written in celebration of a particular time in which God delivered His people from a hopeless situation and is worthy of our repeating when we experience such victory, the fullness points to an eschatological victory. It will only then be true that all the ends of the earth will indeed see His salvation.

Until that occurs, we will continue to see places in our everyday world where God has not yet won the victory in a visible sense; greed, frustration, despair, anger, jealousy, violence, etc., are all too much an active part of that world. Inequality, injustice among the nations are very real. War continues to tear apart communities and families. Christians sing and praise God not only, not even primarily, because of individual lives being transformed; they do so in anticipation of what God will yet accomplish on a much grander scale, inclusive of nations now at war.

I am especially encouraged by the closing words of Psalm 98. They assure us that it will not be a human decision as to who is judged and on what basis. Our world seems so intent on assigning blame and praise to people and nations based on so limited a perspective of what is really true, right, and just. Knowing that God Himself will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with equity takes it out of our hands so that we may live before Him in humility and in the steps of Jesus, whose resurrection is our guarantee that he can be trusted. So, yes, sing!

Something New

Text: Luke 24:1-12

Yes, it was unexpected. Yes, it was unbelievable. Yes, it took a lot of convincing before those who had not seen the events unfolding. That's because nothing like it had occurred before; so we read, in v.11, "but the story sounded like nonsense, so they didn't believe it." (NLT)

It's easy for us to overlook this too readily. We tend to think that it was easier for people in the first century to believe a report of the resurrection of Jesus than it is today. Without a doubt, such sentiments exist today, even within the walls of the church--it's just too incredible to be real. No one in their right mind would believe such a thing could actually take place. It's just too unbelievable.

First century people had no more experience with people rising from the dead than does ours. The story was just hard then as it would be now for anyone to believe the gospel accounts. And that's the point. This report of a resurrected Christ was not something which could easily be foisted upon an uncritical crowd. That wouldn't work at all, unless it were true. The reluctance to believe on the part of those closest to Jesus confirms one thing: they had no more expectation that dead people rise than we do.

It is still quite commonplace to come across the occasional skeptic who proclaims that the whole resurrection idea can't be taken very seriously. So the attempts are made to come up with a "better" or more "sophisticated" way of saying that it is only a spiritual sense in which Jesus rose from the dead. But it is only the resurrection which can adequately explain why anyone would want to spread the faith at all.

And because of its truth, the resurrection is what assures us that things buried yesterday are recoverable and usable in the Lord's hands, whether they were things we have done or things other people have done to us. May today be the day of resurrection of new hope in your life in an area that was cluttered with all manor of junk. There will be no better time.

Christ is risen. The Lord is risen indeed!

Buried

AUTHOR'S NOTE: These devotional thoughts are scheduled to end with Easter tomorrow. If there is sufficient interest, they will be continued. Please give indication of such a desire either in the comment section below or via facebook. Thanks.

Text: Luke 23:50-56

"Crucified, dead, and buried . . .." So we recite in the Apostles' Creed concerning the end of pre-resurrection life of our Lord. Today's text is Luke's giving flesh and bone to the line in the creed, including mention of those who saw to it that the burial be done with customary dignity.

Rather than the details, however significant they may be to other concerns, let us fix our attention for today on the fact of Jesus' burial and what it means to believers through the ages. The day between crucifixion and resurrection gives due time to think of the meaning of both what has died and what is yet to come. It is, in the words of a great hymn, "death of death and hell's destruction," accompanied by the prayer to "land us safe on heaven's shore."

Through the past week the reflections have centered around the experiences of various kinds of suffering which we are prone to encounter in life. We noted that Jesus Christ, the man, walked the very same path, and is very much our brother in times of great distress because he has been down that road. When we dare to believe that he bore our burdens of sin and sadness, we can see these burdens in only one place--the tomb of Jesus. The pain of abandonment, betrayal, rejection, and physical, psychological, and emotional trauma is laid in the tomb with Christ for those who are "in Him." They no longer define us or identify us; they have lost their power to control us as we await new life.

Before Easter dawns anew, we are encouraged to allow the things which bind us to die their death in Christ. He has already borne them. Imagine what it would be like to have that old feud or grudge, that nagging sense of unforgiveness, the rocky relationship, the abandonment of a once-trusted friend no longer tell you who you are. Now imagine that it does not depend on that other person because Christ has borne it all. Let death come, let the sin and sadness be buried.

Jesus Knows Pain and Death

Text: Luke 23:26-49

If there were ever a time and place for silence, it is now, before this text. Paul affirmed that the only thing worth knowing and proclaiming is Christ crucified. Without it, we have nothing to offer; with it, everything changes.

Remember to see and hear a human Jesus, even as we affirm his divinity, on the cross. See him there, and wonder.

Jesus Knows Irrationality

Text: Luke 23:13-25

Sometimes there is just no explanation. Logic is inactive or ineffective in all too many cases of human decision, particularly when mob psychology is in play. Sin is of that sort. In the final analysis, it can't really be explained because it is irrational, and therefor not subject to analysis via the laws of logic. Blaise Pascal said as much more than 300 years ago.

Yes, Pilate was a weak if beleaguered leader. But how different he was from the majority of the human race is much more open to question. A recent recounting of 1960's television game show experiments showed that contestants would administer serious electric jolts to a victim when urged on by an excitable audience (all staged, but not known to the trigger man). What people will do when a crowd is not only watching, but demanding a certain course of action will appall them at any other point. So, I suspect with Pilate.

It was not only the governor who acted against better judgment. The crowd itself was manipulated into shouting things that flew in the face of their own opinions just days earlier. What did they think about when they went home to sleep over the next couple of days? What do college kids or sports fans recall regarding incited behavior from a major loss or victory (it doesn't seem to matter which way the game is actually decided) coupled with a supply of alcohol? We get caught up in the prevailing mood so easily, only to ask later, "What was I thinking?"

The sentencing of our Lord took place in such an atmosphere. Perhaps it is fitting, maybe even inevitable, that sin be dealt with in such fashion--that irrational rebellion against God in which we have all participated coming to a head with a mob of "normal" people whipped into a frenzy and demanding the irrational response from one who knew it to be so, and acquiesced anyway, against his own reason.

Oh God! Have mercy.

Jesus Knows Misunderstanding

Text: Luke:23:1-12

Are you old enough to remember a band known as The Animals singing, "I'm just a soul whose intentions are good--O, Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood!" Being in a position in which others just don't get it with regard to who and what we are is not a comfortable feeling. When those "others" hold our fate in their hands, the feeling is truly despairing.

Is that what Jesus was experiencing as he was unceremoniously shuttled from the Jewish council to Pilate, to Herod, then back again to Pilate? And at the end of the day, having the latter person without any greater clue to Jesus' identity than he had at the beginning surely did not make things easier. Then again, how could he have understood? Pilate's concern was political stability; Jesus had been delivered to him because of an alleged insurrectionist intent, fostered by a claim to be a king. On one hand, the charge was true; yet Pilate saw enough to know that this was not any kind of kingship that might pose the sort of political threat any Roman governor needed to fear.

Then there was Herod, who ruled over a mere third of the territory his father had once claimed. He, too, was fascinated by what he had heard of Jesus; he wanted a magic show. He, likewise, saw no political trouble brewing from Jesus. When no show was forthcoming, he joined his lowlife mockery of a militia in taunting the misconstrued Son of Man.

Our lives can be turned upside down for short or long periods of time when the perception of who we are does not match what we know to be true of ourselves. It happens in school, at work, in public life, even in our churches. Most of the time we have enough opportunity to have the truth emerge; sometimes we do not and fail to realize certain goals and possibilities because of it. For younger people in our culture, for whom identity formation is a real issue, the results of being misunderstood can be devastating. Once again, the one who bore our sorrows has been to this lonely, tenuous place in life. When we fail to see the humanity of Jesus in the days immediately prior to his death, we fail to find the one who longs to walk beside us in all circumstances with a knowing, comforting, and even sustaining way. Regardless of what others mistakenly think they know about us.

Jesus Knows Rejection

Text: Luke 22:63-71

There are times in life in which everything we have invested in a given endeavor just plain fails. It's not a matter of being misunderstood; those who rejected us knew full well what we were doing and either didn't care about or rejected the entire project. Perhaps they were firmly and actively opposed to it.

Jesus had known the acceptance and approval of the crowds for much of his public life. Yes, there had been a few confrontations along the way, but in the writing of the gospel accounts we have a generally favorable attitude toward Jesus from most of the people who had gone out of their way to see and hear him.

It was one thing for Jesus to know that the events of his last week in Jerusalem would happen; it must have been quite another to actually, as a complete human being, experience the physical, psychological, and emotional turmoil those events would bring. Once he was out of the sight of any of his close followers, the abuse began in earnest. It started with the guards. A hardened bunch, calloused as a needed defense for their psychological survival, they beat him and had a joking time while doing it.

Then came the decisive rejection. The ones in charge of the people he came to redeem--his own beloved people--soundly denied his mission and his very being. When he affirmed his identity as the one who would sit at the right hand of God, the case against him was closed, even though, of course, he was speaking the truth.

Being in the right and knowing it to be so is not a guarantee of acceptance in our fallen world. This is especially so in regard to the contemporary culture's attitude toward Christian truth claims, but it occurs in other areas of life as well. It could be legal, relational, or work related; in any of these areas we could be righteous and be rejected nonetheless, perhaps at great cost. When this occurs, pray to the Christ who once stood where you now stand, in confidence that you will stand one day where he now reigns and where he awaits with full acceptance.

Jesus Knows Betrayal

Text: Luke 22:47-65

Two betrayals in one night--talk about having trouble with faithful friends. The first was overt; the second was betrayal by denial. Both had been predicted by Jesus himself.

In the words of an old gospel hymn, "He bore our sins and our sorrows; he made them his very own." Yes, our sorrows, of many hues of faded color. Sorrows inevitably find their way into our lives, usually uninvited, always at inopportune moments; sometimes they stay but a while, but others threaten to take up permanent residence, with the capacity to destroy a life.

The feeling of betrayal is a particularly intense form of sorrow for many people. It goes a step beyond abandonment, in that someone not only deprives us of their expected presence, but actively, deliberately contributes to our harm. For those who have been made to walk its path, betrayal opens the way to bitterness, skepticism, and an inability to trust, which has the further result of closing one's mind and spirit, trapping all manor of thoughts within.

From the side of the betrayer, there is the possibility of shame, guilt, remorse, and withdrawal. Often, the guilty party recognizes the terrible nature of what has been done, but the shame is so heavy there is insufficient strength to face the betrayed to seek forgiveness. So many times, both lives are seriously fractured.

The one thing we cannot say to Christ is, "You don't know what it's like." And because he does know what it's like he was, in all his suffering, made to be perfectly fitting to be our advocate a well as our example. He is also there with an invitation to restoration when we are the guilty party. Both Judas and Peter were told before their acts were committed what would take place. To Peter he even gave a signal to listen for; and when he heard it, it was the sound of grace, inviting him to repentance even in the moment of his sin. The question to consider today is who in our lives may need to know the sound of grace from us? How will we let them hear it?

Jesus Knows Abandonment

Text: Luke 22:39-46

Today begins a look at the final week of Jesus' life before the crucifixion. During these days the focus of the thoughts in this series will turn to the theme of Jesus knowing our pain--because he has experienced. Heb, 2:14-18 tells us that he was made like us in all things. These final days will highlight the extent to which is true.

No one likes the feeling of being abandoned--left alone with none to share either burden or responsibility. Tragically, we see all too many examples of this in today's world as parents abandon children or one another, as companies leave communities which relied upon them for employment and vitality, and as trusted friends walk away when they are most needed. Some people feel that the church has abandoned them.

These are very difficult times of life to experience. Things which were counted on have to be rethought; people we believed in may not be present at all, meaning either something will remain undone or we will need to find another to take on the role or responsibility. When we hear someone tell us they will pray for us, but we find that this has never happened, we are distraught. Jesus himself knew very well what abandonment feels like.

Imagine Jesus, knowing that there was a horrible death awaiting him. Then imagine finding the ones he trusted most to pray with him, for him, and finding them asleep. There would be no dramatic rescue operation; he was going to suffer and die. "Couldn't you guys pray for an hour?" Some burden bearing!

Has there been an abandonment in your life that causes great suffering, even though it may have happened many years ago? One thing we can be sure of is that Christ knows what it is like. He had every reason to expect the support of his closest friends. Yet that support did not come. When we tell him about our experiences, he will cry and share that pain because he's known it first hand. So regardless of how old the wound may be, or how it continues to plague ongoing relationships, our Lord was prepared to hear about them by the things he suffered.

Here's Looking at You (and Me)

Text: Luke 22:34-38

The text for today says some of the most amazing things about the disciples of Jesus; it says some very unflattering things as well.

The Passover meal had concluded in an unceremonious fashion--the announcement of a traitor in their midst. The conversation moved from who it might be to betray Jesus to who among the group was the most important of them. Quite a turnaround. From a concern not over the fate of the one who was going to be betrayed but over who the betrayer might be, to a concern over which of them might take over the mantel of leadership.

One might well suppose that in the role of Jesus, the normal response to such behavior would be to scream, "What about me?! Does anyone care what's going to happen to me?!" Instead of this, however, he used the occasion to underscore the difference between his kingdom and those kingdoms we're familiar with under human ideals. He then lauded them for standing by him while he engaged in so many contentious incidents with all manor of leadership. In fact, he continued, they would be the ones to be served when the fullness of the kingdom arrived. No sooner had he affirmed them, however, than he turned to Simon Peter and announced over his protests the denial he was about to utter just hours hence.

We inherit so much along with the original followers of Jesus. We are prone to look after our standing relative to others, even in the context of doing God's work. We are subject to conditions under which we will deny our Lord. We lose sight of him at times in the interest of these and other matters. At the same time, Jesus affirms our status and our share in the inheritance; he prays for us even as we fail so that we, like Peter, will be sifted through success and failure in such a way as to strengthen our brothers and sisters. He reminds us of where he has already taken us and of the way he provided for us there.

It is good for us to be reminded of what we are, as well as of what he is making us to become.

So Much to Say

Text: Luke 22:14-23

It would be difficult to say something about today's text that hasn't been said before. It is not my intent to do so. What strikes me most as I reread the passage yet again is how unspectacular the occasion is as presented.

It seems to pass very quickly, though of course it unfolded over more time than is represented by Luke. But here we have a report that tells us merely that Jesus opened the evening observance of Passover by expressing that it was important to him to celebrate the meal with his disciples, then gave them a cup of wine with a few words spoken confirming that he would not do so again; he broke bread, said something about it being (or representing?) his body. From there he again offered a cup of wine, this time adding the words indicating that it represented a new covenant.

Those last words are momentous, to say the very least. We have heard them repeated virtually every time we have observed Holy Communion. Yet in the context of the chapter, he has no sooner spoken these words than Jesus refers to a betrayal by one of the gathered members. Immediately, they begin a discussion about who that betrayer might be. No reflection on the words spoken, no questions regarding how the bread and wine specifically related to the body broken and blood shed. And certainly no impact on the gathered friends.

The words of Christ to us are often like that. The immediate impact may be relatively minor; but in the course of time, we reflect on them and take them to heart. I'm sure this event was recalled by the disciples with far more profound effect after all the events of the crucifixion and resurrection had occurred. It is good for us as well, though we come to this scene knowing the full outcome, to take the words of the Last Supper with us. His body broken; His blood poured out. These are realities which never lose their power to impact people who come to his table, if we will allow them to. Just as the disciples returned to them in the ensuing years, we should also go back regularly to understand our Lord, and in that light to understand ourselves the better--and our need for his gracious act explained that night.

Get Ready for What?

Text: Luke 22:7-13

Throughout this series we have encountered people very much like us. In spite of the years, the knowledge of the world, the many generations that have passed, the basic questions about our relationship to God and to other persons have not substantially changed. Nor have the need for faith or the difficulty of maintaining it.

It was apparently not unusual for Jesus to give instructions to an advance team from his entourage. It is likely that Peter and John had gone on numerous such assignments, most of which were probably mundane; some, like the one to prepare the Passover in an "upper room," had enough of the unusual to keep things interesting. But little could they imagine all that would transpire in the next couple of days, beginning with the observance with which they were immediately concerned.

It is all too commonplace for Christians through the ages to view the disciples prior to the resurrection, except for rare occasions, as just a step or two above the Keystone Cops of silent movie days. They always seemed to miss what we think should have been obvious, often seemed to ask the wrong questions, and generally be oblivious to Jesus' person and purpose. Such as assessment, of course, is terribly wrong. Even before their experience at Pentecost, these were men cherished by their Lord, under training the intensity of which would only later be seen.

Go and prepare the Passover. Do it in this way; do it in this place; speak to this person; say this. Instructions given; instructions followed. Without question, without the need to know the role this assignment would play in any larger drama. They simply obeyed the Lord. There is a timely lesson in this for all of us. Today we want to know just what piece of the action we are participating in; then we deem it our prerogative to accept or decline what's been given for us to do, perhaps even having the audacity to propose an alternative to accomplish what the Lord is "really" after. Not so the disciples. And not so for those who purpose to follow Jesus today or any day. He who is faithful in the little will be faithful in much. May each of us be included among the faithful and obedient.

Gone to the Dark Side

Text: Luke 22:1-6

Do people generally turn away from a chosen path all of a sudden, or is there a pathway which, though clearly discernible in hindsight, was faintly manifesting itself over a period of time?

The motives of Judas have been speculated upon frequently. He might have grown weary of the pace with which Jesus was going about this kingdom business, or may have concluded that it wasn't going to happen after all and Judas would force his hand. Or maybe he had been found out by Jesus in his theft from the money box. But it seems unlikely that he made a sudden turn against Jesus which did not have a history to it.

Most, if not all of us, have had experiences in which we found ourselves to have denied our knowledge of Jesus in an insufficiently guarded moment. It's an awful feeling when we recognize what has happened. This, however, was not of that kind. This was premeditated and deliberate turning against the Lord for his downfall. He took risk himself in approaching the council; he plotted with them, knowing they would take him into custody. Perhaps he had no notion that they intended to kill Jesus. But he accepted payment for his plan and later carried it out. This sort of sequence does not result from a spur of the moment disappointment.

Scholars and pastors, lay leaders and average Christians alike have been known to deny the faith and turn against Christ. They provide what they believe to be valuable information to discredit the faith and the Lord in whom it is centered. Seldom, if ever, do they intend such a course in the beginning. But something changes, maybe a disappointment in they way God does or does not order the affairs and circumstances of life, maybe a refusal to disavow a sinful habit or attitude. And instead of choosing to confide in the Lord himself or one of the brothers in whose company we serve and worship, one takes the frustrations to those all too eager to receive the news that faith has failed. When we cannot comprehend the work of God we must not conclude in anger that He is not in fact at work. We can and must take all doubts to him directly before they grow into the bitterness which does not ruin Jesus but may destroy our own souls.

The One Sure Thing

Text: Luke 21:25-38

While some scholars move the meaning of Jesus' words here from the near future of Jerusalem to a much later apocalyptic reference, it seems most likely to others that the time frame does not change. The difficulties then regard the meaning of the tossing seas and shaking heavenly bodies and the manner of the Son of Man's appearing. But on either interpretation the coming of a new order of things is assured by Jesus.

The words which follow are to be heeded by every generation of believers and seekers. "Be careful." The danger of hearts being weighed down either by careless living or by the pressing concerns of life in the world is ever with us. We all need the reminders that there is a redemption from this world, that our final fulfillment is not to be found here and now. We draw ultimate conclusions from less than ultimate things and events. It is all too often the case that the things which are most certainly temporal elicit the strongest emotional response, betraying the true orientation of our hearts and minds.

Be watching; be praying. We've heard it all before. Yet sometimes even our praying can be focused far too much on the very things by which we should not be weighed down. Yes, God cares about our family events, our business decisions, our purchases, our living quarters, our . . .. Before we know it our prayer list can show that we are looking up not for our redemption, but for our comfort or success in this life. And there is no sure thing to be found therein.

There may be a partial solution referenced in the closing portions of today's text. Coming to him daily, not to address him as much as to be addressed and taught by him, to be re-oriented in our thinking by the truth about the world and about ourselves and our true end. These can only be found in listening to him daily in the temple of the Holy Spirit. He is the only sure thing we can know in this life, with all the possibilities for joy and pain, beauty and tragedy, gain and loss that comprise it affords. Let us focus today and tomorrow on that one sure thing and allow our coming redemption in Christ to redirect our use of all the bane and blessing this world has to offer.

"What's Going to Happen?"

Text: Luke 21:5-24

It seems our age is not unique in its fascination with apocalyptic scenarios. It has happened throughout history, and now there is significant interest in ancient Mayan lore, centering on predictions of the year 2012 as the end of the world.

Christians have always been especially prone to speculation, not least because of what Jesus himself had to say about the time when judgment would come and God's rule would be established forever. The disciples themselves had such interest, in great measure because Jesus had been making predictions of the destruction of the Temple, which for them was certainly a signal that the eschaton would be arriving in short order.

When Jesus responded to their questions concerning the timing of events, he answered in a way that is difficult to separate from the events at the end of the seventh decade. History looks back on those events, noting that most of what Jesus predicted was recorded 35-40 years later. Jerusalem was indeed trampled by the Gentiles (Romans); the Temple itself had been destroyed. The picture Jesus paints of life in those days is not a pretty one.

What is in this passage for us? We're far removed from that time and place. But not from the fact that God does bring judgment to bear, does call peoples to account, does allow great suffering to occur in the process. As a culture we have allowed ourselves to believe that God's role, if He even exists, is to protect and bless, not to judge and leave people to the consequences of their choices. In the process, there are repeated warnings to stand firm, to pray, to be careful of how we act in moments of crisis because there is a very real danger of being dissuaded from the kingdom under threat.

We can make no mistake in this: God is to be feared. Yes, he loves those who are His own; but some may walk through the fire on their way to His rest, even while others find griefs of all kinds. Remain close enough to Him to be ablse to reach out should the day of trouble and affliction land upon us.

A Gift

Text: Luke 21:1-4

Maybe it can be blamed on the division of the text into chapters and verses. Maybe it's because of the familiarity of the story. I confess that, for whatever reason, I had previously missed the obvious connection between the end of Luke 20 and the beginning of Chapter 21. The teachers of the law who loved being the public spectacle were hiding their true nature, so that it would not be noticed that they were cheating widows out of their property. Next scene: an impoverished widow. Is she one who had been victimized by the very practice just described?

We don't know the answer to that. Yet the point was probably not lost on the disciples as they did a bit of observation of people presenting their gifts at the Temple; nor should it be lost on us. We do not know what the circumstances are of the giver behind the gift. Nor do we always know the source of the gift which looks the larger. Though involuntarily, the widow may well have "given" when her property was confiscated.

People today give in so many ways which never find reward in the form of plaques and namesake buildings. They give of their labor to some wealthy business owners who then make a show of turning a portion over to the church of what should have gone as further compensation. They give with their hours to the work of the kingdom, feeding, comforting, caring, clothing, and guiding the steps of many an otherwise wayward soul. Though poor, or at least not wealthy, they give everything they have. And Jesus takes note.

There are two thoughts to carry with us as Lent's soul-searching time moves slowly toward its climax. One has to do with our assessments of what someone else gives--and the need to abandon them. The other has to do with our own honest appraisal of what we actually contribute, financially and otherwise, to the ongoing work of the kingdom of God. How is it that we put resource to our prayer that God's will be done--on earth? A poor widow knew her answer.

Cover Up

Text: Luke 20:41-47

Time to change places. The present chapter of Luke began by relating the encounters that occurred one day while Jesus was teaching in the Temple (v.1). It consists of a series of questions designed to entrap Jesus in the presence of the many who had begun to follow him. Consistently he turned the questions to the exposure of the interrogator. After no one dared to ask him any more (v.40), Jesus began with his own question.

At first it may seem odd that Jesus would challenge the Davidic descent of the Messiah; it is quite well established in the Hebrew Scriptures, and even pointed to in the birth narratives in the gospel accounts. I suspect that this was a veiled reference to his claim that God was his true Father, not someone from David's line. The larger point is that the teachers before him did not know the Scriptures as well as they might--quite a jolting statement, especially after the embarrassment they had already endure.

This point itself, however, may have been made to serve the larger purpose of revealing the hearts of those who prided themselves in their position, using it as a means of personal gain. It seems there were some among the teachers who used their roles in such a way as to exalt the importance of their standing, cover themselves with the most impressive use of religious language and appearance, all the while cheating widows out of their property.

Do we recognize the pattern anywhere? Oh, perhaps not to the extent of theft from defenseless ones. But becoming so enamored of our positions in church and world that we can hide behind them, drawing the focus to the role that is played, how important it is, yet knowing full well in the quiet moments that these things are all we have--the buffed shell of a spiritual life that not only suffers from emptiness, but takes hold of others as useful only to the maintenance of the image. In the name of the Lord. The epitome of such behavior is present in those who end up denying and actually defying the gospel of Christ. But I doubt anyone reaches that point but by small increment. Let all who lead take time to check for any hint of these tendencies lest they lead us away.

Questions and Answers

Text: Luke 20: 27-40

Collaboration between enemies only goes so far. The Pharisees and Sadducees had not liked each other for generations. They were representative of two approaches to Jewish Law and contemporary life--the liberals and the conservatives of the day. They could make common cause in their mutual dislike of Jesus. But cracks in the mortar were beginning to appear. The questioning of Jesus continues form one side and then the other, each applauding when Jesus would silence the other party with his wisdom.

Now it is the Sadducees' turn. Not believing in the resurrection from the dead, they presented a hypothetical case to Jesus which they thought would show the difficulties in holding to hope of life after death. The story is familiar. Of course, Jesus points out the mistaken assumptions upon which the case was built, and turns instead to the clear implications of what they know to be contained in the Scriptures. This incident again closes with words of approval from the opposite camp from those posing the question--but with the added note that no one dared to question the Lord further.

But we do, don't we? God's ability to turn away questions in a way which shows human folly and disbelief for what it is continues through all ages. The specifics of the questions change, the shape does not. Why is there evil in the world, why do some people always seem to be treated unfairly, what happens when we die, why isn't prayer answered more directly, who can be saved . . .? All of these occur in one form or another in the gospel accounts. Jesus answers them, but in the process questions us. The redirected question often centers not on what God is doing, but on what we are doing. God can be trusted to be true to His nature and character; have we learned to act in the same way?

Perhaps there's even a tie-in to the question of the day, that of the resurrection. No less than the Sadducees, contemporary people, including believers, have difficulty with the concept because life--as far as we can see it--always ends. We want to believe the promise; but to truly do so, that is, to actually and meaningfully believe it, entails the entrusting of all of our best efforts and energies to it, without hedging just in case it isn't so after all. Can we so invest? Today? In sure and certain hope?

Trick Answer?

Text: Luke 20:20-26

Many of us have found ourselves cornered by questions asked more for their "squirm value" than for any information. The desire is to put one in a situation such that any answer will alienate people on one side or another of the matter at hand. Sometimes it's a fun game; other times we call it political reporting.

Politics of a sort were certainly on the minds of those who asked Jesus about the appropriateness of paying taxes to the Roman government. The thought was that a positive answer would alienate the populace which had come to adore him; a negative answer would raise the attention of the Roman consulate itself. Immediately perceiving the intent of the question, he turned the occasion directly to his advantage by pointing out that anything with Caesar's image must belong to him. Coins bear Caesar's image, but people bear God's image and are to be devoted to Him.

On one hand, this response might at first appear to be nothing more than a clever retort to a mischievous question. On the other hand, they were stunned by it--never saw it coming, left speechless in its wake. I have a strong feeling that God continues to have answers that would do the same to today's best attempts at cornering Him and His people. As Luke's text continues (tomorrow) another question is raised in the same spirit. The response is direct, but not delivered in anger; it does not accept the false dichotomies offered. It changes the terms of engagement so that the questioner is questioned.

Our world will always attempt to paint us into corners. If we would be like Jesus, we must be close enough to him to know his mind through the Spirit-directed study, not only of the Word of God, but of the minds of the people who bring the challenges and the cultural and political landscape that form them as well. And we seek to deliver the answers in a gentle way which turns away wrath. Trite responses will not do; wisdom must prevail.

A Direct Hit

Text: Luke 20:9-19

The relationship between Jesus and the Judaic leadership was reaching a critical point. Any hope, humanly speaking, of coming to a meeting of the minds gave way after the story Jesus told to the gathered crowd. The tale of the tenants of a certain vineyard incited the sense of justice in everyone in the crowd. No one should behave so poorly as those tenants and get away with it. The punch line was the last straw, as Jesus quoted Scripture to clearly indicate that the leaders before him and those for whom they spoke constituted the tenants of his story--the ones whose actions brought outrage to the listeners.

Stewardship of the things of God, and particularly of the mysteries of God, is always a high and awesome calling. They must always be held as trusts for someone else, even while He sometimes lavishly allows us to enjoy their benefits. The landowner of the parable never asked for the entire harvest; he only sent emissaries to collect what had been already stipulated as his share. God seldom exacts the return of His gifts; but He does look for a return, as this and other parables indicate.

No one enjoys being "called on the carpet." When it happens to us we usually react defensively, as did the teachers who heard the story. Far better it is to deliver as promised in the first place. But we do become lax, we become possessive of the things we've been given, resentful of reminders that they are ours only for another. And as each progressive rejection of the owner's requests follows another, the character of our lives slowly changes. The evil we would never consider or even think possible grows to the point where the unthinkable becomes the inevitable. The teacher-tenants became murderers.

Individuals, congregations, denominations all are capable of following the same pattern. We are here, entrusted with divine mysteries that have to do with participating with God in the overcoming of evil through His redemptive love; yet it is all of grace that we hold these gifts, grace without which we are prone to practice evil rather than oppose it. Let us give the Lord His due portion of our waking hours, thoughts, and strength; and may we receive the grace to repent when we act otherwise.

"Who Do You Think You Are?"

Text: Luke 20:1-8

We can safely assume that this exchange between Jesus the upper echelon of priests and teachers was more than a simple tit-for-tat game. It wasn't primarily about showing up the leaders, regardless of how deserving they may have ben of such treatment. So what was the point?

First of all, we should note what was taking place when the question was posed to Jesus: who gave you the right to do what you did to those merchants the other day? Let's review the scene. Jesus is teaching in the Temple, speaking the "good news" to people who were hanging on every word. What HAD they been hearing in the Temple if it wasn't good news? And the ones who were set apart to do the teaching weren't teaching--they were interrupting the preaching of the good news of the kingdom in order to ask about protocol. They were more concerned with silencing the one whose words were life than they were with the people given into their spiritual care.

Secondly, by pointing to John as one who had been sent by God Jesus again implied their own failure as teachers. John, too, was one whom people went out of their way to hear a message worthy of their response. And by refusing to answer Jesus' question, the teachers proved themselves incapable of discerning and stating where God was acting in their world.

Have we ever been more interested in whether protocol is followed than in whether the truth is being spoken, or so caught up in the trappings and procedures that we attempt to silence the good news, without even hearing it ourselves? Have we left people longing for the Word, and at the same time cast doubt upon those who provide it? Not everyone who draws a crowd is speaking truly for and of God; but we must be willing to listen first. God speaks in surprising places when the voices He first provides have been unfaithful in proclamation.

What Would Jesus . . . Destroy?

Luke 19:45-48

How did it happen in the first place?

As Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple, he was immediately confronted with the business aspect of Passover commemoration. Merchants were at their stalls--apparently an established practice. Why is this taking place in the Temple? Granted that we do not know everything about first century Temple law, it is hard to imagine that such arrangements were commanded. Nonetheless, they seem to be well established. And they angered Jesus.

It is not difficult to imagine that such a custom arose gradually, and probably with motives which seemed reasonable. Wouldn't it make sense to facilitate transactions required for the observance for the convenience of those who had traveled considerable distances to be in Jerusalem at all? Wouldn't it be unreasonable to deny such opportunity? And if there is a bit of a profit accruing to the Temple maintenance fund, why would anyone object? But it angered Jesus.

Any and every day and age has those practices which build over time. Sometimes they take on a life of their own; occasionally, they build to the point where they are perceived as untouchable, as sure and certain as the existence of the church itself. In the New Testament, both the church and the Christian are portrayed as the Temple of the Holy Spirit. And both would do well to use the penitential period of Lent as a time to question what there is in customary practice which compromises the character of that temple as a house of prayer. Have the things which were once simply expedient become untouchable, no longer open to question? Has the necessary business become the driving force, eclipsing first things? Has something driven prayer the ministry of the word to second or third status? Are there things which anger Jesus?

When Jesus returned to the cleansed temple, he taught daily, with people hanging on his words. It was life to the people at large, but conflicted harshly with the leaders. At times we might expect the same. That is,unless we're satisfied with less than the life that flows from His word into the lives and actions of His people. What will he overturn in us?

The Weeping King

Luke 19:41-44

Are there more poignant words in the Bible than these: "But as they came closer to Jerusalem and Jesus saw the city ahead, he began to cry" (NLT)? The Son of God, moved to tears over the pending destruction of the city of His Father's favor is so insightful a statement about who He is, what He longs for, and what His work in the world is all about.

Though he is looking toward events more than thirty years away, he sees very clearly the devastation of the city and its inhabitants at the hand of Rome. He longs for another outcome, but this is the one chosen by the people themselves. In their rejection of God's ways, not just once but repeatedly over generations, they would receive what that rejection must bring, namely the absence of His guiding, sustaining, protective hand. His tears demonstrate that the pending disaster was not a cause for God to declare "I told you so," with a note of vindication; it was from his knowledge that the evil of the world will overtake any without divine protection.

I cringe at the thought of how many times the exalted Lord has wept over His church in different places, in different times over the past 2,000 years? It must be many, beginning before the Bible itself was completed. The churches of Asia Minor addressed by John were, sorrowfully, only the beginning of a long list of those Jesus could see falling, their place left desolate, their surroundings void of vital Christian witness.

"I wish you would find the way of peace," are words directed toward all of us. That way is not missed because it has not been given, just as it was not missing in first century Jerusalem. But like its residents, we are so prone to balking at the way of life in favor of ways of living that seem to us to offer better prospects, even better avenues for the advance of the kingdom. They usually seem attractive at first, justifiable exceptions to what has been revealed. But ineffectiveness should tell us something; compromise should tell us something. Our prayer should be that we hear the warnings before the next words of the text are uttered bythe Lord regarding our congregations: "But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from you."

An Odd Inaugural Parade

Text: Luke 19:28-40

There is much upon which to comment in even the most well known biblical accounts. The scene from what we remember as Palm Sunday is like that. We can focus, for example, on the continuity from the previous verses; we can look at the following of instructions by the disciples, weird as they must have seemed; we could speculate about the owner of the animal confiscated by the two disciples; or look at the start of the parade, the exclamations of the crowd, the protesting by some Pharisees, etc.

Today, let us think about what odd juxtapositions were laid before the watching world as Jesus came into Jerusalem. A colt which had never been ridden; a 30-something civilian perched on the back of the colt; people spreading their coats on the ground for this almost comical figure; others dancing and singing some words about miracles. Then a chant about this man being a king. It's small wonder that the leaders asked him to stop the proceedings.

Kings do not make entries like this. Their enthronement is a grand, orchestrated affair, with the finest of stallions upon which to ride, the most impressive armor dressing the body, with lesser but important aides to his regime preparing the way. Many of our Bibles have the heading "Triumphal Entry" prior to this passage; but it really doesn't seem all that triumphal--where were the defeated foes, the prisoners of war such a designation would generally entail?

On the other hand, maybe the designation does make sense once we remove from our thinking that triumph means conquest and the vanquishing of foes who could be seen and identified. And his "courtiers" were indeed with him--the disciples and others among the crowd; and his subjects were praising him, even if with incomplete comprehension of his current purpose. All of this illustrates yet again that when we come to Jesus we must often leave preconceptions behind, particularly when it comes to what power looks like and how it is displayed. The way of Jesus--King of Kings and Lord of Lords--is the way of self-giving service, humility, and truth which will show its power over all foes in the days ahead now that he had arrived in Jerusalem. Lord, forgive us for seeking any other kind of power.

When He Comes

Text: Luke 19:11-27

The familiar passage begins with the note that Jesus was now nearing Jerusalem. The growing crowd noticed this as well, and we are told that Jesus spoke in order to correct their expectations. Messianic fervor was increasing with the size of the crowd; anticipation that Jesus could be the one to take control and lead the jubilant throng into political liberation was gaining headway.

Jesus responded with a story which must have sounded familiar to many in the audience. Years earlier, following the death of King Herod, there was significant political intrigue and posturing among his three sons vying for the stamp of Rome as his successor. Archelaus, one of the three, made a trip to Rome to plead his case and curry favor with those in power. While none of the three were especially likable fellows, this son was probably the most ruthless of the three. Gone for quite some time, he returned with only Judea and Samaria designated as his territory. He also returned in a foul mood, and executed a number of operatives known to have opposed his designs on power. Jesus' journey now had him near the boundary between Judea and Samaria.

The point of the story is both similarity and contrast, much as with the parable of the unrighteous judge. Like Archelaus, the one who will reign will come in his own time, probably when he is no longer widely expected. There would be no fanfare such that everyone would know and specifically prepare for his arrival at the last instant. There will be those diligently at the king's business; yes, the king. For while he was not king when he left, he will be upon his return, just as the former nobleman in the story--whether or not it was a reference to the real events of a not-so-distant past.

There is great reward for those who are diligent in doing kingdom business. One wonders what the third servant might have been doing with his time and effort while the master's money lay in the ground. Or need we look no further than our own use of the riches of our master to find the answer? Let's invest wisely in the days ahead and repent of those gone by. The five will be better than the empty return and will still be commended.

Coming Up Short

Text: Luke 19:1-10

How many times did Jesus turn the tables on the common consensus? It seems to be something he delighted in doing in the encounters we have been reading and reflecting on--not just for the sake of confounding people, but for the sake of lifting up the lowly and lowering the lofty. Our sense of who is worthy of the Lord's attention is what is most challenged, at least to the extent we share the general consensus of our day, which is not so unlike the ones in which Jesus ministered.

Enter Zacchaeus, a despised man if ever there was one. Think Scrooge here, the character timelessly brought to us by Charles Dickens. He is the one no one wanted to deal with but could not be easily avoided; the one who would exact everything possible and sneer at the misery left behind. Zacchaeus, like Ebenezer Scrooge, was not a nice man.

Nor was he a happy man. His desperation to see Jesus nearly matched that of the blind beggar of yesterday's text. Not his eyes but his lack of height stood in the way; instead of crying out, he climbed a tree. He needed to see, not in the literal sense, but in the search of a better perspective on life. Wealth he had; contentment was far removed. But, frankly, maybe he deserved to be miserable; look at how he had gained his wealth--cheating his own people in the name of a hated occupying power.

As he always seems to do, Jesus saw things differently when he looked at Zacchaeus. Instead of a traitor he saw a lost son of Israel; instead of a cheater he saw a need for grace; instead of a cold heart he saw a broken man; instead of a shipwreck he saw a rescued soul; instead of an extortionist he saw a benefactor in the making. It's difficult to assess people from God's perspective when we are so accustomed to finding them at their daily business of being what they are in the world. Our judgments so easily come up short when it comes to seeing what people can be and are made to be, rather than on what they currently seem to be. Reflecting on what redemption can do here and now is a good antidote.

"I Want to See!"

Text: Luke 18:35-43

The disciples wanted to keep children away from Jesus. In a parable a judge wanted to keep a needy widow outside the reach of justice. In today's text the crowd wanted to keep a blind man from an audience with Jesus. One way to deal with human need and weakness is to pretend it is not there. But that's not the way of our Lord. "Bring him here."

I doubt many of us can imagine the impact of those words on the spirit of a blind beggar. He was quite accustomed, one would suppose, to the dismissiveness of the crowd. Perhaps their attitude was understandable, even while obviously deficient. It doesn't require total heartlessness to pass him by; it only requires that helpless feeling of having nothing to offer, and then allowing the focus on what one does not have to dominate any thoughts of what could be done. Over time, the calloused soul atrophies.

This time, however, the man would not be dissuaded from seeking one he believed could help him. And when invited into the center of Jesus' attention, he heard even more encouraging words: "What do you want me to do for you?" Men said, "Hush!" The Son of Man asked what he could do. What a contrast! It would not have been realized had he not been desperately persistent about his need. When we come to Jesus, we too must not be easily turned aside.

Today, however, I would like to focus on our call to imitate the Lord's manner. That manner is summarized very simply by two phrases: Bring him to me; What do you want me to do for you? As the body of Christ in this world, these phrases should be expressed wherever the church is found. In a broken world, the church says to the ones on the margins, come; and when they come, what is it that Jesus can do for them? Then, instead of telling them their need, we invite them to express it themselves, that they may own what healing may come. When people are set free, transformed, cured of blindness, and reminded lovingly that they matter to their Creator, they and the watching world will praise God.