Monday, September 30, 2002

Tuesday, 1 October, 2002

People who long to embody the love of God and be called the followers of Jesus within our day must be a people who look at life and put names on actions and themes that are vital to our life together. This happens in many ways. We may call an accident or rename a tragedy - a blessing - an opportunity. It has to do with how we see the events of our lives and how we see ourselves within those events. The people of Israel were to see themselves as a light to the nations. When you come right down to it, that is a mission statement . A small group of people are called - named - and sent out with a life script...be a light for life that demonstrates the reign of God. Stanley Hauerwas offers a fine example of how we are a people who must be very intentional about who we are and how we see our life. He writes: For again we are reminded that God's salvation is not simply knowledge, even the knowledge captured by a story, but rather salvation is the creation of a people who have the capacity to be timeful. To be timeful means to be capable of rest, of worship, in a world bent on it own destruction.

The simple definition of terms used to describe our lives is at the very core of how we begin to define the vision of God's reign as it is contrary to the warring ways of our world. Our time is "filled" with the vision of God's love for creation that is merciful, forgiving, and just - to mention a few attributes. To see our time as focused on this character of God's reign, has the power to transform our lives and offer a life that is not the same-old vicious cycle of winners and loser...war and more war.



Connection: We do not need to buy the line that the "special interests" of one country or one family or one group of people is the word that will lead us through our day. That thinking has always resulted in war and destruction. We can re-view the day and see it within the broad domain of God's passion for the welfare of all. That may be a light for us to shine as we journey through the events of our day.



Lord of Light, you bring us into your future by offering us this present moment to begin our lives. Transform us and give us the vision to see the ways of your peaceable reign and thus bring us new life in the midst of all that is old and broken around us. Amen.

Monday, 30 September, 2002

From the Psalm for this past Sunday - St. Michael's and All Angels



Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless the Lord's holy name.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all the Lord's benefits.

The Lord forgives all your sins and heals all your infirmities;

The Lord redeems your life from the grave and crowns you with mercy and loving kindness;

The Lord satisfies you with good things, and your youth is renewed like an eagle's. (Ps.103:1-5)




This is a Lord who does not forget you. We don't know who did the writing or what the conditions of life may have been for the writer...but we know the writer will make sure that the Lord God is placed in the position of being the life-giver and hope-maker. The first thing people of faith do is bless the Lord...give thanks...acknowledge that our God will be with us and will be the source of our begin-again lives. We all face those days and moments within the day when we need to gumption to simply begin-again. To praise our God - as the first thing - sets the framework for the building of the holiness of this day. From that point on, the meeting we are entering, the trip we are about to take, the situation we have trying to avoid...is set upon the creative and redeeming power of the one we say makes all things new. Remember, making all things new does not mean fixing things so that we can go back to what was. Making all thing new...resurrection...starts up without the conditions or biases of what was. The Lord God promises to set us into new life...life that is indeed full of opportunities to be renewed...and fly!



Connection: Sometimes a Monday can be a tough time. It can be difficult to push out into a day that will demand much from us on many fronts. I am always amazed to see people who look at what is ahead and as they move into the day, they are not shy about giving thanks to God for the very breath they take. It is as though they are becoming ready to look at everything in a whole new light. Breathe. Bless the Lord.



Maker of All Things, you awaken us with the wind of your Holy Spirit touching our lives and reminding us of your great kindness and steadfast love. Life up our hearts that we may see you hand touching us throughout this day and bringing us to new life among others. Amen.

Friday, September 27, 2002

Friday, 27 September, 2002

When I am out and about in my daily life and fear or anxiety seems to be pressing in on me I long for a place to rest...a place to steady my stance...a power outside of myself that will fortify me even though I am most convinced that I am about to be overwhelmed. Many times, the place and the power that comes to stand with me is in the form of other people. Not that I want others to try and fix my wavering life, rather I find that the "company of saints" has the ability to remind me of the power that is available from our God...for all the moments of our lives. Again, I will draw from "The Hauerwas Reader" as he quotes Aquinas in regard to courage...or, as Aquinas calls it, fortitude. ...fortitude is about fear and daring, as curbing fear and moderating daring."

We will experience fear and we will become anxious. That's life. We are also given the power to face our fears and respond to them in a way that can be called courageous without being reckless. When we turn to other people in order to re-view what frightens us or what cause our hearts to be anxious, we enter the possibility that we will be transformed...even as we are afraid...into daring people.



Connection: It may two or three people to help us be courageous today. Rather than sit back and be owned by fear, we can dare to reach out for those who will stand with us and encourage us to walk out into the midst of what seems to be threatening our day.



Encourage us, O Lord, so that we find within the breath we share with those around us, the marvelous power of your Holy Spirit whipping around and making this day full of new adventures in grace and peace. Amen.

Wednesday, September 25, 2002

Thursday, 26 September, 2002

We pray ourselves into LIFE. If we are to be people of courage and loving kindness and mercy and peace....etc., we must make that the content of our prayers. In our praying we set the groundwork for our living. Don't think of praying as some formal task. Think of praying as breathing...breathing in air that is full of life that is courageous, loving, merciful, peaceful...etc. Praying in this way is within all of our capabilities. No words are needed...no correct language...no proper sentence structure...simply call upon our God to let loose the Spirit of God's reign and let it reign...let it reign...let it reign. Stanley Hauerwas writes about courage and being virtuous in life. For me he does this with a sense of prayerfulness...deliberate focus that gives birth to the many signs of the reign of God that come through the people of God. He writes:

...being virtuous involves not only having dispositions for appropriate action, but also a right "attitude" that includes having the appropriate emotions and desires. This is one of the reasons virtue requires such training, for we become what we are only through the gradual buildup of the appropriate characteristics.

The training includes the simple exercise of prayer. The training also includes the many ways we stumble and fall and continue on the way....praying. There are no quick fixes...no easy roads...no pills to take. Prayer is like day to day living. Prayer tends the ground of the garden that comes to blossom and bears the names of saints of God like you...and me.



Connection: Take note...you may have just prayed and simply did not put that name to it. Throughout the day, you may be praying and need to name it. Even in the wordless tear that may trickle out of your eye or the deep sigh that passes between two insignificant moments in the day, we utter prayers that help to build us up as God's beloved. Beyond those prayers, also remember to give space and time to deliberate prayerfulness.



Lord be present in our breath and our sighs for we often do not know how to lift up the concerns of our lives and yet they are many. Make us a prayerful people that we may be a people of purpose and deliberate action in our lives. Amen.

Tuesday, September 24, 2002

Wednesday, 25 September, 2002

This Sunday is the feast day of St. Michael and All Angels. It is not often that we in the Lutheran church acknowledge such festival days and as it is on a Sunday this year, we will be giving it some play in Sunday Worship. But how in the world do we deal with angels. I certainly do not want to do it in the way it is handled in "Touched by an Angel." Nor do I want to play with the images from the comic series "Family Circle" in which the grandfather, who is dead, is now an angel swooping down to oversee the lives of his grandkids. The images of angels in scripture are not numerous. In Hebrews, the "Son" is said to be superior to the angels and we are the ones who are inherit the life of the Son...and angels are "sent to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation." We do not become angels! We are inheritors of the reign of God and followers of the One who defeats the power of evil completely. Now...back to angels. One commentator notes that the whole encounter with Michael, the angel in the book of Daniel, takes place in the midst of daily events. Does that mean angels pull us from the pathway of cars or literally guide the hand of a doctor in surgery? I hope not. If that was the case, do some people have lazy angels who don't stop tragic events in our lives? What a horrible thought. Instead, it would do us well to think of angels (if you choose to do that at all) as something more powerful. Carol Dempsey makes this kind of comment about the part angels play in our lives. "Thus divine revelation becomes part of the fabric of ordinary life, helping to inform it and direct its present and future course." Divine revelation takes place each and every time the Good News from scripture and/or the Good News from those in the community of Christ, causes us to turn our heads to the way of the Messiah throughout the ordinary times of life. Is it magical? No. It is inspiring...like the wind that takes our breath away only to give it back to us within an urgent gasp for more air...more wind...more spirit.



Connection: Breathe. The vision of the reign of God whips around us attempting to pull us into its gracious life that has no end and includes all God's beloved. You may not see anything whipping about. It may be the simple Word of love passed on from the most basic story of God's claim on us. It may appear to fly around...just out of reach...and yet...it is here...on our lips...in our hearts...where two or three gather. Breathe.



Lord of all Hopefulness, you bless us with your constant presence in ways we do not yet understand or see fully. Teach us to pray...to be diligent in the ways of your love so that your love will be visible among us.

Tuesday, 24 September, 2002

From The Hauerwas Reader -articles and/or chapters written by Stanley Hauerwas



...our moral language does not just describe what is; it describes how we ought to see and intend the world. ... Our metaphors and stories entice us to find a way to bring into existence the reality that at once should be but will not be except as we act as if it is. Morally the world is always wanting to be created in correspondence to what it is but is not yet.



My first note for today is to simply read this quote again. Pie-in-the-sky morality, that is, a morality that we attempt to feed to one another as though such feeding will make our lives moral, is a lost cause. As followers of Jesus, we are invited to "find a way to bring into existence" the life Jesus led...before us. I love the image Hauerwas sets up when he writes, "Our metaphors and stories entice us..." It is an invitation for each of us to pick up the scriptures and follow the themes and images and vision that continue to bubble up and offer us a way of life...right now. There is a tension between what is and what is "not yet." To be in such a position is to be in the middle of a great gift in life. When I use the phrase "an adventure for life" to describe the life of sharing God's love with all, I want all of us to see each step of our day as being in the middle of the tension that offers us a direction for life that at times will be contrary to the prevailing winds of our culture.The adventure comes into play when we are invited to walk along ways that may not fit in with the self-centeredness and self-interest that is so pervasive in our society. Stories pull us beyond ourselves...and, you could say, pull us into being who God sees in us. Morality need not be a rigid set of rules...it may be a blessed invitation to life that blossoms within the grace of the reign of God.



Connection: Today is an adventure. It is breaking in to our lives in the most mundane and boring avenues along which we may walk. Sometime during the day consider what adventure is unfolding in your life and what it will mean to how you live as a follower of Jesus.



Lift us up, O God, and open our eyes that we will see the vast beauty of your blessed reign. Remind us of the vision of justice, peace, mercy and grace that challenges us to step out into our lives boldly embracing our Lord's command to follow. Amen.

Monday, September 23, 2002

Monday, 23 September, 2002

From The Hauerwas Reader

Morality and virtues are words we hear quite a bit these days.



...moral principles do not serve as the "essence" of stories, as if they might be abstracted from the story and still convey the same meaning. Rather, our principles are but shorthand reminders necessary for moral education and explanation; their moral significance is contained in the stories.



This may seem like a drastic turn from what you might expect in a daily devotion. On the contrary, we are a people who continue to go back to stories. That is what is contained in the scriptures. We read about stories from life. Today we are too often told about how we need to stress morals and teach virtues. I would agree. But then again, we do that teaching best by pointing to stories within life...our lives. To be a follower of Jesus in today's world means we live...and we live out of the story of Jesus that becomes our own story. We can attempt to teach one another about the great virtue of loving one another or caring for one another, but it is really handed down through our communities when those "concepts" are turned into flesh. We build character not by talking about what would make for good character in a person. We build character by walking along the way...daily putting words to life. In some ways, we need to practice...to embody the life of the followers of Jesus...today...and tomorrow...and the next day...



Connection: Never stop putting the "word" to life. It begins with the things within this day no matter how small they might seem.



Lord of all Life, you have brought us to this day and you call us to share the gifts we each have been granted. Inspire us to see the path of new life that is always placed before us at the brink of each day. Amen.

Friday, September 20, 2002

Friday, 20 September, 2002

While Al Debelak is on vacation, we will be re-posting devotions from June of 2000.



Text: Matthew 5:27-30



You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If youright eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into heall. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lost one of youre members than for your whole body to go into hell.



Shades of Jimmy Carter! In light of Bill Clinton's activities, President Carter's statement about lusting in his heart was an honest, forthright and faithful statement. I say faithful because the truth is...haven't we all. Rather than setting up a false notion of "keeping the commandments," Jesus presses all of us to take another look (not lustfully of course) at what all of us do so readily. Obviously, adultery is a lust to have that is carried out no matter what it will do to the relationships at hand. I become like God - along with a consenting partner - and then we act on what we have judged to be appropriate God-like behavior - that is, doing what we please. But what a lie! It is not God-like behavior to have what we want. It is God-like behavior to honor committed relationships. It is God-like behavior to not treat another person as an object for which we can lust. And yet, we all lust like that - to varying degrees. Here we are reminded to keep that notion before us and not to let it go farther. Do not let such lusting lead us into actions that will more deeply break up our present relationships, and make sure that as we remember our "lusting in our hearts" we will not be people who judge others...but we look first at our own part in all the objectifying of people for the use of others. I'm often asked if this means that we are not to look at someone who we view as attractive. Of course not. There are too many cultures and religious movements that so restrict viewing of the opposite sex that the culture then becomes wrapped in legalism that stiffle the wonderful interchange and relationships that can happen between the sexes. The hyperbole used in this text is meant to help us deal with a problem before it becomes one.



Connection: To treat others as a thou to our I. I still find Martin Buber's words powerful images. The person(s) who pass by us are not objects - an "it" - and never will be in God's eyes. An exercise for today. When you have the opportunity, enter into a conversation and attempt to keep focused on the worth of that person. You goal - to help yourself see them as a person - a "thou" and not an "it" in any way.



O God bless our day with the gifts of your people. Enable us to treat those around us as you see them - your beloved. Remind us to honor the relationships of others and use us as intruments us to keep those relationships growing and strong. Amen.



Thursday, September 19, 2002

Thursday, 19 September, 2002

While Al Debelak is on vacation, we will be re-posting devotions from June of 2000.



Text: Matthew 5:21-22

"You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times. 'You shall not murder; and whoever murders shall be liable to judgement.' But I say to you that if you are angry withy a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgement; and if you insulft a brother or sister you will be liable to the council; and it you say, "You Fool,' you will be liable to the hell of fire.



This text goes on about a trip to the altar and being reconciled with those with whom we are at odds before we go an do the "religious" thing. Jesus was stressing that we are different than the world if we are ones who follow him. Murder is terrible to everyone...every society...even the most ruthless regimes. "But I say..." We will go about the day makind reconciliation a priority among us. We will not give room for the anger, insults...and any other actions that break relationship just as murder would. We are always called back into the room to be reconciled. In some ways the "Thou shall not murder" is only the eye-catching part of that commandment. It then goes right to the heart of living together in relationship. Probably all of us can claim that we have never murdered anyone...but as Jesus expands the fullness of this law - no one stand innocent...or in a place to boast. We are being invited into a higher calling...and I know that it is not a place I often want to go. In the Reign of God there is no "losing face" that can restrict us from renewing the day and our relationships. The judgement that is spoken about here seems to have more to do with the fact that we miss out on the fullness of God's Reign each and every time we are not involved in reconciliation. If I go about breaking relationships, I am doomed to be a part of a broken life. And yet, there is always the invitation to make peace and live a wholly holy life.



Connection: How many times can you catch yourself before you pull the trigger today? And then, how many times can you let yourself experience the blessedness of healing and preventing death?



O Lord of life, keep us washed in your loving presence in the times when we are tempted to break up our world. Empower us to hold the biting tongue and to speak words of truth so that we may know the power of your ways among us. Amen

Wednesday, September 18, 2002

Wednesday, 18 September, 2002

While Al Debelak is on vacation, we will be re-posting devotions from June of 2000.



Text: Matthew 5:17-20

Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments , and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.



First of all, the Kingdom of Heaven - or as I call it the Reign of God - is a living reality available now and always. It is life as is lived within God's embrace and as a reflection of the life God wants for God's beloved. With that in mind, even when we stumble and fall and cannot keep every bit of the law...we are still within that embrace - God's Reign and we are still called to live more fully trusting in God's life given for us. Remember, what we often hear as law is not bad. It is life shaping so that we might come to follow the pattern of God's love for one another. Again, today, I shot into a road repair area going much faster than the signs that posted 55. The law calls for 55 for a reason - the welfare of all. It is difficult to see beyond my own wants - speed and speed that will give me what I want...to hell with others! But the law bids me to look beyond myself...to all. The law is not something done to get something. The law is one way we are encouraged to love. Justice/righeousness must be more than a show or a facade - it needs to be our every breath. Just as even the smallest stroke of a hebrew letter makes a difference...so too does my life's smallest stroke bring the Reign of God life to life as I live it.



Connection: The welfare of all - how many times during this day is the command to love pulling you to follow all the way - now. Yes, we often want to follow the law of God's love up to a point...but can we learn to press beyond the points we place in our path and act within the law of love. Even as the least in the Reign of God we are called to be responsible for the fullness of the Reign to come to life. In word...in deed...in presence.



Teaching God and Master of the fullness of life itself, catch our eye, turn our heads, touch our lives so we experience even now the everpresent life within your blessed Reign. Remind us of Jesus' walk within your Reign so we too might walk on in with Jesus at our side. Amen.

Tuesday, September 17, 2002

Tuesday, 17 September, 2002

While Al Debelak is on vacation, we will be re-posting devotions from June of 2000.



Text: Matthew 5:13

You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.



On of the baptismal practices that did not make it into the Lutheran Book of Worship for the rite of Baptism is the use of salt. As many of you have seen, several years ago we started placing salt on the lips of those who were being baptized. "You are the salt of the world." Last night I made a few ears of corn. I dripped on the butter and bit into the first piece....something was not quite right. Salt. Just a few shakes made all the difference in the world. That's it. In the name of Jesus - that is - carrying on through our day in a manner that could bear Jesus name and be identifiable with that name...can make all the difference in the world. Jesus is actually teaching his followers that they have the power and the potential to add a bit of seasoning to life. It is not someone else who can change our daily worlds...it is each and every one of us. WE say it is not simply because we do somethings. It is because we do a specific kind of thing: a God-revealed-in-Jesus kind of thing. We do it...yes, this is telling us that "works" are vital to our presentation to the world. "Works" are not a way to please God, they are the evidence to the world of God's Reign already present among us. Embody the presence of Jesus....salt of the world.



Connection: Acts of mercy...acts...all kinds...how can you add salt to this day?! Look at it this way, our little everyday interactions are held in high regard with God. We take the promises of life and we are invited to start breaking them open in our actions. No action is too small...all are grand events of God's Reign - so...



O God you have given us the ways of your glorious Reign. You turn us away from mere words and hand us the day at hand. You stop our eyes from soaring above the earth so that we can see the ways of your glory as they unfold with each step we take. Bless this day just as you have promised you would. Bless this day through us your beloved and blessed children. Amen.

Monday, September 16, 2002

Monday, 16 September, 2002

While Al Debelak is on vacation, we will be posting devotions from June of 2000.



Text: Matthew 5:10

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven



If you go back over the beatitutes (Matt. 5:3-10) thus far used in these devotions, remember that the condition of those in verses 3-6 were ones of from the underside. That simply means the powerless, the fringe, the outcast - these shall be blessed in that they will not be forgotten by God. Well, there are now those who are blessed for action. Some will be persecuted because they stand on the side of those who have no power or are pushed down by the world. For justice sake - not for profit...not for the prudent path....For justice sake. Blessed are those who are so committed to God's Reign that it offends the world. Why? God's REign will leave no one out and no one will be used for the benefit of others. God's people are not objects to the moved around and positioned so that others can gain the world. Rather, we are people who object to such objectifying. That is not a pleasing activitiy in the eyes of many. Jesus is so invested in the Reign of God being established, that he faces the cross each day that he eats in the wrong homes and touches the wrong people.



Connection: We are not called to look for persecution. We are called to be loving and grace-filled. Justice is not something "way out there." It is a part of all of our relationships. So, expect to be engaged in acts that witness to the righteousness/justice of God today. Don't think big...think now...think each and every situation you enter.



God of vision and hopefulness, make us courageous so we can put the life of your blessed Reign even as we wander through this day. Keep our eyes fixed on the justice of your Reign. Amen

Thursday, September 12, 2002

Friday, 13 September, 2002

From Between Cross & Resurrection by Alan E. Lewis

Due to vacation, the next devotion will not be posted until Monday, September 23.



If the gospel story, is that both kinds of scenarios (ie. we have felt the anguished trauma in the cancer ward and heard the prognosis of no more pain and suffering in the future; we have had to tolerate the gloating of the executioners and have laughed to see the murdered one vindicated and enthroned...) are serious and true,then it is in the very world of sickness, death, and sin that joy and play take place and Christ is Lord; and it is only in the context of injustice, negativity, and despair that we dare to speak of hope.



Hope is a daring action. Hope fly in the face of what may bring us down and it causes us to stand up or straighten up...and move ahead. Sometime we do not know where we are going but we are pulled forward. I like to call that power that pulls us forward in the face of death, and sickness and our brokenness...the promises of God. Traditionally we say it is an Easter message...the final word that is eternally for us no matter what other judgments might be against us. The world is never one side of a coin. We are invited to live outside the bounds of what is the "reality of the moment." Hope lifts our heads and our lives so that we can venture off into the direction of God's promises even when nothing seems to demonstrate that they are true...right now.



Connection: Yes, today may seem like all the other days. But today...today...dare to hope. Dare to trust something more than what you see or want to see or tell yourself you should be seeing.



Lord of All Hopefulness, inspire us to leap into the domain of your eternal rule that is already beginning to come to life among us. Amen.

Wednesday, September 11, 2002

Thursday, 12 September, 2002

From Between Cross & Resurrection by Alan E. Lewis



What faith hears in the Easter narrative, and passes on to a skeptical and mocking world, is that justice, forgiveness, and reconciliation are not ideals or dreams but realities, facts embodied in a person who lives now, who with his words has already been restored to life and reigns in victory. The Risen Christ is what he promises and offers; he is our peace (Eph 2:14), our justification (1 Cor. 1:30), and our hope (1 Tim. 1:1). For itself and for the world, the Easter community which lives with and in him asks for a renewal already given, prays for a peace already accomplished, struggles for freedom already guaranteed.



In preparation for our liturgy in remembrance of the events of 9/11/01 I turned to the Psalms and Isaiah. There in those texts is the image of our God who is available and present in each of our days so that we may be available to others in just such a way. The Easter community, as Lewis calls us, sets its mind on what is already and begin our sojourn within the promised land. Therefore, we are a people who face tragedy and evil and fear and anxiety with the blessed assurance that the Lord who would embraces us and gives us a secure place is the Victorious Lord of All. We live as though it is the "gospel truth."



Connection: The Good News is always taking us out of ourselves and presenting us to the world as a gift. Be that gift of new life and victory and love and compassion today even if you previously have never dared to be there.



Victorious Lord of All, grant us courage, grant us wisdom, grant us the vision to trust in you alone, that we may flourish within the life of your Reign. Amen.

Tuesday, September 10, 2002

Wednesday, 11 September, 2002

From Between Cross & Resurrection by Alan E. Lewis



Lewis writes that the term "gospel truth" is identified as the action of the first disciples who identified the gospel they had to preach with the person who came preaching and teaching and doing good. The "gospel truth" was tied up in the very substance of what Jesus said and did in his life.

The emptiness of the tomb says that if Christ is risen and exalted, his words and deeds are risen and triumphant too, verified and vouched for by the act of God's own power. If was he after all who had spoken the truth about the law of God and human power; his adversaries and accusers, who defeated and destroyed him, have been proven blind and wrong, their triumph penultimate and premature.



What appears to be the end or the worst predicament in the world is redefined. Defeat is now called victory. Death becomes life. Cursed is now blessed. Too often we let the world inform us as to how we are to name things. It is a subtle command of our attention that becomes the only way we let ourselves see all things. The greatest gift we can give to each other is to help one another redefine the stories of our days through the light of the "gospel truth" that is graciously for us...for it is for the whole world. On a day as deep in the mire of death as September 11, we do not have to define this day merely with talk of war and defense and retribution. We can, within the horrible destruction and death of the day that marks the condition of the whole world, define our actions and outlook and movements with the kind of truth that has been available to God's people since the beginning of time and reformed at Easter - Life...peace...justice...mercy...even unto death.



Connection: Do not let your day be ruled by hate and fear. We are a people of peace, mercy, compassion and forgiveness...even 77 times...that is, without end.



Lord of All Life, you call all your children to be one and yet we are at war with one another. Let you Holy Spirit be our guide...our wisdom...our light on the journey of life within your blessed reign. Amen

Monday, September 9, 2002

Tuesday, 10 September, 2002

From Between Cross & Resurrection by Alan E. Lewis



Looking to the first year anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attack I thought this piece brings a strong word to us during times of fear and uncertainty. I am particularly taken by the first sentence.

TODAY MUST BE WORTH LIVING IF TOMORROW IS WORTH TRUSTING. The promise that we too, like the glorified "Man of Sorrows" (Isaiah 53:3), shall be relieved of sin's burden, released from death's fear, have the tears of pain and loneliness wiped from our eyes, must change the way we deal with guilt and fear and suffering today.

We live today within the promise of new life - no matter what may be oppressing us today. Yes, there may be the worst of days around us - but nothing...nothing...can separate us from the promise of God - to be our rock...our foundation...our safe harbor (that is at the very core of the Good News). We are asked to trust that God's justice and mercy and loving kindness and will...ultimately prevails. For the time between here and there we are encouraged to live as though it is true. Therefore, nothing is given the power to destroy that truth...a truth to which we hold firm. Obviously, we all experience those times when we wonder...is tomorrow worth trusting? If it was based on my ability to make things happen...NO. But that is not the case. We are told by the Creator of all things...there will be a tomorrow. The Lord be with you.



Connection: No pain...no fear...no anxiety...is easy to endure. It is difficult to stand for justice and to be merciful when we do not know the outcome of our actions. And yet, we are told to "go for it." Live as thought the promise of the reign of God is being unfolded even now...and yet...we do not see it completely.



O Lord God, be for us the firm foundation upon which we will face all that will come within this day. It is not easy to live in the present and find our way through what is so often the confusion and instability of the day. Hold us and send us, Lord. Amen.

Monday, 9 September, 2002

From Between Cross & Resurrection by Alan E. Lewis



Today's piece is from the beginning of a section that moves into the arena of Easter - the day of the resurrection. Here is how Lewis makes the transition to that day from the darkness of the grave on Saturday.

For all we knew the drama had run its course and reached its tragic denouement - the inaction on the stage indicating not that we should wait expectantly for more, but that the play was ended: it was time to go home.

Yet suddenly the curtain rises and the lights come up again; the brightness dazzles eyes grown accustomed to the dark, making it impossible to see and understand exactly what is happening, yet revealing enough to let us know that a new act is taking place, incredible and stunning in its contrast to all that went before.




We all have those moments in our lives when we think or say out loud, "Let's wait to see if it changes." Like the weather on the day of picnic. There are showers and the sky looks dark....but...it may break and the day may be saved! That was not what it was like between the grave of Easter Saturday and the day of Resurrection. No one expected...even considered...something more. It was over. And yet, it isn't. At concerts, we often applaud and once...maybe twice...on a rare day three times...the band will come back on stage. The day of the resurrection is as though the concert ends...we leave the theater...we go to a bar for a drink and some discussion and the band we paid big bucks to see on stage...is seated at the table next to us...and they are invited to come up front and play a few songs...and they do. The promise we are left with after Easter is the fact that our God will overcome all things in order to demonstrate God's love for us...even when we don't think there is any possibility at all.



Connection: Hope is an odd thing. We cannot see what will come...yet we hope. Against all available information we are called to expect life embraced by God.



Lord of all time, continue to break into our day and lift us up to see the infinite possibilities of life wrapped up in your promises. Keep us mindful of the fact that we can never know how the day will go and yet we can be assured that you will be - in some shape and form - available to us. Amen.



Friday, September 6, 2002

Friday, 6 August, 2002

From Between Cross & Resurrection by Alan E. Lewis



Again a word on what caused the reaction Jesus received from the powers of his day.

Far more than the words of Jesus, it was, of course, his pointed deeds which provoked such fury and retaliation. In the name of gracious law he scandalously acted out his challenge to the harshness of the law, embodying in concrete action his claim that the Sabbath law should serve humanity, not enslave it (Mk. 2:27); that unforgiving judgment on those who broke the moral code simply exposed hypocrisy in the accuser (Jn. 8:3ff.); and , above all, that God's coming kingdom, already inaugurated, would welcome and uplift the insignificant, the downtrodden, the despicable (Mk. 10:14; Lk. 19:1ff.)



The radical word of grace calls forth a radical life. That life, even as it is the life God invites us to share boldly in the world today, will not only bump into the structures of the "way things are" but the power of that structure will not tolerate such gracious living. Each time Jesus does what he does in those many stories we know so well...Jesus eating with the outcast...Jesus touching the untouchable...Jesus defending those who, according to the law, must be punished - even by death, we are given a glimpse of what is called the way of the cross - the coming of God's reign in the flesh....but also, a life lived totally against the way of the religious system. More and more I find this love of the Reign of God - a love we see in the manifestation of Jesus' whole life - like a beacon of light that keeps lifting up a way to live within the midst of all the pressures and pulls of what is generally accepted among us. I also find that there is a great pull in me to stay out of the light for it is a easier to live within the vast domain of what is dark, self centered, self-consumed, judgmental, controlling, unforgiving, and always in need of being right. Jesus kept bringing the light around to all the darkness...simply by being who he was. What a journey that must be.



Connection: Radical grace. It is a reality. It is a way of life. Sometimes we must allow its almost unbelievable power to rule over us...today is another opportunity to enter its rule.



God of Grace and God of Glory, you are the light that brings newness of life to all your beloved children. Empower us that we might walk within the light of your blessed reign and find renewal and refreshing joy in your presence. Amen

Wednesday, September 4, 2002

Thursday, 5 August, 2002

From Between Cross & Resurrection by Alan E. Lewis



...the fate of Jesus was neither an accident nor suicide, but the result of actions against him by others, who had been provoked by actions of his own. In order to obey the God he believed in, he had entered into conflict; and he died both as victim to those who contradicted him, and in consequence of his own opposition to them.



I included this quote in my sermon this past Sunday as we focused on the gospel lesson and Jesus' reprimand of Peter when Peter tries to convince Jesus not to talk about the upcoming conflict in Jerusalem that would lead to Jesus' death. Real actions, real words, real breaking of rules and stepping over boundaries...real love - unlimited and utterly freely given, plays into the fate of Jesus. There are no puppets on strings like we see in those old movies about Greek gods and warriors that once played on TV on Saturday afternoons. Palestine is not that large. The hold that the religious community had on the life of most, if not all the Jews, was very important to the way life was to be lived. Then there was the occupation forces from Rome who worked hard at maintaining peace (peace in their favor of course). Jesus' life actions and words, though we see them as the unfolding of God's Reign, were contrary to the prevailing winds of the culture and the society...and more importantly, the people who were in positions of influence and power in those systems. Someone doesn't merely place a notion in the head of the religious and political leaders that they must kill Jesus. Jesus not only questions the status quo, he lives in opposition to it if it has not been in line with the grace and love of God's reign...that that is how he will live and teach. Picture this happening in, let's say, El Salvador...or any small country in a revolutionary setting. A threat to the powers...means death by the hands of the powers. Death brought about by the actions of the one murdered. I immediately think of Bishop Oscar Romero...at the Communion Table - executed during worship. He said to much and acted to closely to his words.



Connection: The very common and everyday actions and words of this day become a part of the contrary reign of God. No, don't go out today trying to pick a fight. Go out today within the promise of God's love and grace as the bedrock from which we will live. That is "life."



O God of all our days, walk with us and guide our actions so that new life may emerge among us and the world may witness a glimpse of your promised life. All praise to you this day, O God. Amen

Wednesday, 4 September, 2002



From Between Cross & Resurrection by Alan E. Lewis

In many ways, today's piece by Lewis has made me re-view the three days from crucifixion to resurrection.



What do we see if we make the effort and muster the courage to examine the cross of Jesus Christ from the second-day frontier, looking back without knowledge of the future? The sight is melancholy, terminal, disastrous. Yesterday a man suffered hellishly and died; was buried; and is now perhaps in hell. That makes today a day of godlessness and putrefaction. What are we to make of his death after all he did and said and was in life? What does his dying make of us if he was the Life he said he was?



Reading along in Lewis' book I am marking up the pages and highlighting a number of things he writes. Then as I go back to use these pieces as the basis for these daily devotions, I was a bit concerned. My concern was with the fact that Lewis writes his entire book from the perspective of the day in the grave - death at its utmost. Dead and gone. The concern has to do with how many people do not like to hear about death. We like the battle that goes no prior to death for it is a time of heroic actions or accidents or fear and trembling. We also can fix our thoughts on the day of resurrection - everyone likes the image of the beautiful butterfly coming to life in a new form. But what do we do with the nothingness of death. Most often we even paint that with experiences...the tunnel...the light...the encounter with a heavenly being. But Lewis keeps forcing us to acknowledge and spend time within the deafening silence of the tomb. Now what!! For as much as we may not want to be there...all of us will be and have been in just such a place in time. There is no escaping it and there is no need to run from it. The tough part is learning to sit within it. That may be the place in which we will best hear the radical word that will speak of Life when there appears to be no hope at all.



Connection: I love to engage the present and I love to look forward to what will be. Sometimes I find myself at the "second-day frontier"...it can be a hard time. Today, we may want to prayerfully consider how we interact with one another knowing that death has a way of making us run from others and trust no one. How do we stand with people who are in the middle of those death moments in life without rushing them out of them.



Lord of the Living and the Dead, we know that you reign over all time. Keep us confident that you are present with us even as we face the possibility of no longer being who we may be today. In your presence we are able to engage each day and be strengthened for your service and life. Amen.

Tuesday, September 3, 2002

Wednesday, 4 September, 2002

tween Cross & Resurrection by Alan E. Lewis

In many ways, today's piece by Lewis has made me re-view the three days from crucifixion to resurrection.



What do we see if we make the effort and muster the courage to examine the cross of Jesus Christ from the second-day frontier, looking back without knowledge of the future? The sight is melancholy, terminal, disastrous. Yesterday a man suffered hellishly and died; was buried; and is now perhaps in hell. That makes today a day of godlessness and putrefaction. What are we to make of his death after all he did and said and was in life? What does his dying make of us if he was the Life he said he was?



Reading along in Lewis' book I am marking up the pages and highlighting a number of things he writes. Then as I go back to use these pieces as the basis for these daily devotions, I was a bit concerned. My concern was with the fact that Lewis writes his entire book from the perspective of the day in the grave - death at its utmost. Dead and gone. The concern has to do with how many people do not like to hear about death. We like the battle that goes no prior to death for it is a time of heroic actions or accidents or fear and trembling. We also can fix our thoughts on the day of resurrection - everyone likes the image of the beautiful butterfly coming to life in a new form. But what do we do with the nothingness of death. Most often we even paint that with experiences...the tunnel...the light...the encounter with a heavenly being. But Lewis keeps forcing us to acknowledge and spend time within the deafening silence of the tomb. Now what!! For as much as we may not want to be there...all of us will be and have been in just such a place in time. There is no escaping it and there is no need to run from it. The tough part is learning to sit within it. That may be the place in which we will best hear the radical word that will speak of Life when there appears to be no hope at all.



Connection: I love to engage the present and I love to look forward to what will be. Sometimes I find myself at the "second-day frontier"...it can be a hard time. Today, we may want to prayerfully consider how we interact with one another knowing that death has a way of making us run from others and trust no one. How do we stand with people who are in the middle of those death moments in life without rushing them out of them.



Lord of the Living and the Dead, we know that you reign over all time. Keep us confident that you are present with us even as we face the possibility of no longer being who we may be today. In your presence we are able to engage each day and be strengthened for your service and life. Amen.

Tuesday, 3 September, 2002

From Between Cross & Resurrection by Alan E. Lewis



We spoke...of Easter Saturday as a "no-man's-land," and later of the protection it offers to territory on either side. The image thus slowly taking shape can now be recognized: it is a boundary. A boundary, after all, is an invisible line, anonymous and ambiguous, easy to ignore and belonging nowhere. Yet it exists to create identity and to assign belonging. The division it marks - visibly with a wall, invisibly with a map line - actually creates entities on either side, by at once separating and relating them.



In the Church we use the language of being "born again" or having "life after death" etc. There are many ways that we speak of two different places within our faith life. I find it interesting to hear preachers whose main goal is to pull people from where they are (and they would call it sin) to the other side (they often call "being saved'). The move from one place to the next can happen with the repetition of a sentence or a word. Sometimes those words are as simple as getting someone to say, "I believe in Jesus as my personal savior." They are used almost like magical code words. Words that can move us from one life into another. Lewis attempts to make the point that what happens between the Friday of the Cross and the Sunday of the Resurrection is not something that can simply be ignored or belittled. The newness of life does not come with the wave of a wand. It comes through death. New life always does. And life before and after the experience and the abandonment of death makes up two worlds. I recall one writer talking about the land of forgiveness and how we are invited to step into that land and live a new life. But then...that step over the boundary into this new land is a radical shift in character. It involves a death that may seem so frightening and desolate that some will not dare to go there.



Connection: I want to be on one side of the boundary....because the experience of Easter Saturday - the time in the depths of death - can seem never-ending. And yet, there is the promise of new life. Today may be a part of the boundary between one place in your life and the next. We all need to let ourselves take in the experience of cross that boundary line.



Lord of New Life, take us along the pathway of your blessed reign that we may find in all of our days the power and encouragement to continue to face all that comes our way. Remind us of the journey of birthing and dying and living again. Amen.