This week's devotions are written by Redeemer member Judith Bird.
According to "Exploring Faith Maturity," the fourth indicator of faith maturity is holding life-affirming values. "As Christians, we are challenged to 'choose life.' We do this by caring for our own life, caring for the lives of others and caring for all life in creation.
"Choosing life has many implications. It means living healthy lives and taking care of our bodies, God's temples (I Corinthians 6:19). It also means looking beyond ourselves to the needs and interests of others. Thus we accept others, affirm their right to believe things we don't necessarily accept and work for equality of all people."
Using the following scale, score yourself on the following six statements:
1 = Never true
2 = Rarely true
3 = True once in a while
4 = Sometimes true
5 = Often true
6 = Almost always true
7 = Always true
___ I feel a deep sense of responsibility for reducing pain and suffering in the world.
___ I am spiritually moved by the beauty of God's creation.
___ I speak out for equality for women and minorities.
___ I tend to be accepting of other people.
___ I take excellent care of my physical health.
___ I accept people whose religious beliefs are different from mine.
Add your scores and divide by six. If your average is higher than five, this dimension of faith is well-developed.
The story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37) is the classic example of this dimension of faith.
Connection: Identify one way you can reduce someone's pain and suffering today.
Prayer: O Lord, thank you for the wonderfully diverse world you created. Amen.
Thursday, September 30, 2004
Thuesday, 30 September, 2004
This week's devotions are written by Redeemer member Judith Bird.
According to "Exploring Faith Maturity," the third indicator of faith maturity is integrating faith and life.
"As people mature in their faith, they see more and more ways their faith influences their lives." However, "practicing what you preach" is often difficult. Colossians 3:17 says "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
Using the following scale, score yourself on the following five statements:
1 = Never true
2 = Rarely true
3 = True once in a while
4 = Sometimes true
5 = Often true
6 = Almost always true
7 = Always true
___ I give significant portions of time and money to help other people.
___ My faith helps me know right from wrong.
___ I try to apply my faith to political and social issues.
___ My faith shapes how I think and act each and every day.
___ My life is committed to Jesus Christ.
Add your scores and divide by five. If your average is higher than five, this dimension of faith is well-developed.
Connection: Define what it means to commit your life to Jesus. What does that look like to others?
Prayer: Dear Lord, give me the courage to speak up and live out my faith in you. Amen.
According to "Exploring Faith Maturity," the third indicator of faith maturity is integrating faith and life.
"As people mature in their faith, they see more and more ways their faith influences their lives." However, "practicing what you preach" is often difficult. Colossians 3:17 says "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
Using the following scale, score yourself on the following five statements:
1 = Never true
2 = Rarely true
3 = True once in a while
4 = Sometimes true
5 = Often true
6 = Almost always true
7 = Always true
___ I give significant portions of time and money to help other people.
___ My faith helps me know right from wrong.
___ I try to apply my faith to political and social issues.
___ My faith shapes how I think and act each and every day.
___ My life is committed to Jesus Christ.
Add your scores and divide by five. If your average is higher than five, this dimension of faith is well-developed.
Connection: Define what it means to commit your life to Jesus. What does that look like to others?
Prayer: Dear Lord, give me the courage to speak up and live out my faith in you. Amen.
Tuesday, September 28, 2004
Wednesday, 29 September, 2004
This week's devotions are written by Redeemer member Judith Bird.
According to "Exploring Faith Maturity," the second indicator of faith maturity is seeking spiritual growth. "It takes time and practice to grow in our faith. We have to find time and opportunity to practice. We need to pray and study the Bible."
Using the following scale, score yourself on the following four statements:
1 = Never true
2 = Rarely true
3 = True once in a while
4 = Sometimes true
5 = Often true
6 = Almost always true
7 = Always true
___ I devote time to reading and studying the Bible.
___ I seek out opportunities to help me grow spiritually.
___ I take time for periods of prayer or meditation.
___ As I grow older, my understanding of God changes.
Add your scores and divide by four. If your average is higher than five, this dimension of faith is well-developed.
What are the implications in John 15:1-11, where Jesus compares himself to the vine and his followers to the branches, for spiritual growth?
Connection: For the remainder of the week, commit to spending five minutes more a day to reading the Bible and praying.
Prayer: O Lord, be with me and guide me in this journey of faith as I seek to increase my understanding of your Word. Amen.
According to "Exploring Faith Maturity," the second indicator of faith maturity is seeking spiritual growth. "It takes time and practice to grow in our faith. We have to find time and opportunity to practice. We need to pray and study the Bible."
Using the following scale, score yourself on the following four statements:
1 = Never true
2 = Rarely true
3 = True once in a while
4 = Sometimes true
5 = Often true
6 = Almost always true
7 = Always true
___ I devote time to reading and studying the Bible.
___ I seek out opportunities to help me grow spiritually.
___ I take time for periods of prayer or meditation.
___ As I grow older, my understanding of God changes.
Add your scores and divide by four. If your average is higher than five, this dimension of faith is well-developed.
What are the implications in John 15:1-11, where Jesus compares himself to the vine and his followers to the branches, for spiritual growth?
Connection: For the remainder of the week, commit to spending five minutes more a day to reading the Bible and praying.
Prayer: O Lord, be with me and guide me in this journey of faith as I seek to increase my understanding of your Word. Amen.
Tuesday, 28 September, 2004
This week's devotions are written by Redeemer member Judith Bird.
According to "Exploring Faith Maturity," the first indicator of faith maturity is trusting and believing. Here trust "involves reliance on someone, a readiness to commit one's care or keeping to someone" [God] while belief "involves the confidence in the truth of something." One comes from the heart; the other, the mind. The story of Peter's walking on the water to Jesus recorded in Matthew 14:22-33 illustrates the difficulty of trusting and believing.
"As Christians, we are called to believe in God and to accept on faith some basic truths about who God is and what the world is like." Some of these beliefs appear contradictory:
Using the following scale, score yourself on the following five statements:
___ Every day I see evidence that God is active in the world.
___ I have a real sense that God is guiding me.
___ I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died on a cross and rose again.
___ I understand how there can be both a loving God, and so much pain and suffering in the world.
___ I do not believe my salvation depends on obeying God's rules and commandments.
Add your scores and divide by five. If your average is higher than five, this dimension of faith is well-developed.
Connection: For today, look for evidence of God active in our world. How does that shape your response?
Prayer: Loving God, help me remain steadfast in my belief and trust in you. Amen.
According to "Exploring Faith Maturity," the first indicator of faith maturity is trusting and believing. Here trust "involves reliance on someone, a readiness to commit one's care or keeping to someone" [God] while belief "involves the confidence in the truth of something." One comes from the heart; the other, the mind. The story of Peter's walking on the water to Jesus recorded in Matthew 14:22-33 illustrates the difficulty of trusting and believing.
"As Christians, we are called to believe in God and to accept on faith some basic truths about who God is and what the world is like." Some of these beliefs appear contradictory:
- "God is both beyond us and within us.
- "Jesus Christ is both divine and human.
- "People suffer, yet God undergirds the world with love."
Using the following scale, score yourself on the following five statements:
| 1 = Never true | 5 = Often true |
| 2 = Rarely true | 6 = Almost always true |
| 3 = True once in a while | 7 = Always true |
| 4 = Sometimes true |
___ Every day I see evidence that God is active in the world.
___ I have a real sense that God is guiding me.
___ I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died on a cross and rose again.
___ I understand how there can be both a loving God, and so much pain and suffering in the world.
___ I do not believe my salvation depends on obeying God's rules and commandments.
Add your scores and divide by five. If your average is higher than five, this dimension of faith is well-developed.
Connection: For today, look for evidence of God active in our world. How does that shape your response?
Prayer: Loving God, help me remain steadfast in my belief and trust in you. Amen.
Monday, September 27, 2004
Monday, 27 September, 2004
This week's devotions are written by Redeemer member Judy Bird.
I grew up singing
To help explore these and other questions, we will be using "Exploring Faith Maturity: A Self-Study Guide," by Eugene Roehlkepartain and Dorothy Williams and published by Lutheran Brotherhood (now Thrivent) over the next several days. It lays out a "self assessment" of our own "spiritual fitness" and describes nine dimensions of the Christian faith - a faith that both focuses on a relationship with God and a relationship with our neighbors. As Jesus says in Matthew 22:37, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your mind' … And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"
Connection: Look back over the last day or two: how has your faith shaped your response to others around you? How will it shape what you do today?
Prayer:
I grew up singing
"Faith of our fathers, living stillAnd another:
In spite of dungeon, fire and sword.
Oh, how our hearts beat high with joy
Whene'er we hear that glorious word.
"Faith of our fathers, holy faith,
We will be true to thee till death."
"My faith looks up to thee,But what is faith? How is it lived and demonstrated in every day life? How is it strengthened?
Thou Lamb of Calvary,
Savior divine!
Now hear me while I pray,
Take all my guilt away,
Oh, let me from this day
Be wholly thine."
To help explore these and other questions, we will be using "Exploring Faith Maturity: A Self-Study Guide," by Eugene Roehlkepartain and Dorothy Williams and published by Lutheran Brotherhood (now Thrivent) over the next several days. It lays out a "self assessment" of our own "spiritual fitness" and describes nine dimensions of the Christian faith - a faith that both focuses on a relationship with God and a relationship with our neighbors. As Jesus says in Matthew 22:37, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your mind' … And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"
Connection: Look back over the last day or two: how has your faith shaped your response to others around you? How will it shape what you do today?
Prayer:
O most merciful Redeemer, Friend and Brother:
May I know thee more clearly,
Love thee more dearly,
And follow thee more nearly. Amen
Richard of Chichester, 1197-1253
Thursday, September 23, 2004
Friday, 23 September, 2004
This week's devotions are written by Redeemer member John Caron.
This series of devotions will reflect on the rich material contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW). Some of the texts will be familiar to those in the Lutheran tradition while others will be from infrequently used liturgies.
Holy and righteous God, you created us in your image. Grant us grace to contend fearlessly against evil and to make no peace with oppression. Help us to use our freedom to bring justice among people and nations, to the glory of your name; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
This is a challenging prayer. People with completely opposite points of view can, in good faith, pray this prayer. For instance, those who defend the administration's action in Iraq can pray these words while sitting next to another who prays, with equal fervor, in the context of opposing the war. If we are not careful, such prayers run the risk of justifying any action on our part and enabling one of the oldest sins: idolatry (making God into our own image). Is there a guaranteed solution to this problem? No. There are, however, at least two ways to lessen the risk of slipping into this trap. One is to take seriously the first line's reference to imago Dei (the image of God). We must remember that everyone we meet is created in God's image and borne of the same breath of God as we are. Secondly, we can remind ourselves that, as Christians, we see the image of God, most completely in the life of Jesus. By looking at the whole of Jesus ministry as recorded in the Gospels, we can begin to see a way of being in the world that is justice-making without being co-opted by our own personal agendas.
Connection: Let the Word of God speak to us, not the other way around. Whenever we see Scripture of faith justifying our own viewpoints or agendas, raise a red flag and ask whether we are making God into our own image. Conversely, when we contemplate an action that seems to move us out of our comfort zone, ask if this might be the voice of God calling us "to bring justice among people and nations".
Prayer: Lord, challenge our assumptions and help us all to grow past our own agendas, preferences, and viewpoints. Lead us to see the whole of your message, not just those parts that are comfortable to us.
This series of devotions will reflect on the rich material contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW). Some of the texts will be familiar to those in the Lutheran tradition while others will be from infrequently used liturgies.
Holy and righteous God, you created us in your image. Grant us grace to contend fearlessly against evil and to make no peace with oppression. Help us to use our freedom to bring justice among people and nations, to the glory of your name; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer for Renewers of Society
LBW, p. 37
LBW, p. 37
This is a challenging prayer. People with completely opposite points of view can, in good faith, pray this prayer. For instance, those who defend the administration's action in Iraq can pray these words while sitting next to another who prays, with equal fervor, in the context of opposing the war. If we are not careful, such prayers run the risk of justifying any action on our part and enabling one of the oldest sins: idolatry (making God into our own image). Is there a guaranteed solution to this problem? No. There are, however, at least two ways to lessen the risk of slipping into this trap. One is to take seriously the first line's reference to imago Dei (the image of God). We must remember that everyone we meet is created in God's image and borne of the same breath of God as we are. Secondly, we can remind ourselves that, as Christians, we see the image of God, most completely in the life of Jesus. By looking at the whole of Jesus ministry as recorded in the Gospels, we can begin to see a way of being in the world that is justice-making without being co-opted by our own personal agendas.
Connection: Let the Word of God speak to us, not the other way around. Whenever we see Scripture of faith justifying our own viewpoints or agendas, raise a red flag and ask whether we are making God into our own image. Conversely, when we contemplate an action that seems to move us out of our comfort zone, ask if this might be the voice of God calling us "to bring justice among people and nations".
Prayer: Lord, challenge our assumptions and help us all to grow past our own agendas, preferences, and viewpoints. Lead us to see the whole of your message, not just those parts that are comfortable to us.
Wednesday, September 22, 2004
Thursday, 23 September, 2004
This week's devotions are written by Redeemer member John Caron.
This series of devotions will reflect on the rich material contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW). Some of the texts will be familiar to those in the Lutheran tradition while others will be from infrequently used liturgies.
Send now, we pray, your Holy Spirit, the spirit of our Lord and of his resurrection, that we who receive the Lord's body and blood may live to the praise of your glory and receive our inheritance with all your saints in light.
There is a tradition within the Church that demands that those who receive the Eucharist must prepare themselves beforehand, in order to ensure that they have adequately confessed their sins and are therefore in a state of grace to make them worthy to receive the body and blood of Christ. This pattern of thought is an easy one to get into because there is a daily aspect to Christian repentance. In yesterday's devotion, we discussed that it is important to give ourselves triggers to remind us to keep our perspective beyond the day-to-day cares of life in order to stay open to God's presence. In this portion of the Eucharistic Prayer, we are reminded that in participating in the Lord's Supper, we are not acquiring or earning our inheritance but receiving it instead. The Meal is our most powerful "trigger" in that by participating in the death and resurrection of Christ, all other cares and concerns are put in their proper perspective.
Connection: As we receive the body and blood of Christ, we also receive the inheritance. There are no conditions or caveats to this gift. It is, quite simply, a gift. As we move through the day, we have a choice. We can fight and struggle to be loved by God and others, or we can settle into the knowledge that God loves us precisely because it is God's nature to love us. If we accept that inheritance, that gift, then we see all God's saints (humanity) in light.
Prayer: Give us the courage to let go of the struggle and simply accept the gift freely given, without condition - the gift of your love. Amen.
This series of devotions will reflect on the rich material contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW). Some of the texts will be familiar to those in the Lutheran tradition while others will be from infrequently used liturgies.
Send now, we pray, your Holy Spirit, the spirit of our Lord and of his resurrection, that we who receive the Lord's body and blood may live to the praise of your glory and receive our inheritance with all your saints in light.
Holy Communion
LBW, p. 70
There is a tradition within the Church that demands that those who receive the Eucharist must prepare themselves beforehand, in order to ensure that they have adequately confessed their sins and are therefore in a state of grace to make them worthy to receive the body and blood of Christ. This pattern of thought is an easy one to get into because there is a daily aspect to Christian repentance. In yesterday's devotion, we discussed that it is important to give ourselves triggers to remind us to keep our perspective beyond the day-to-day cares of life in order to stay open to God's presence. In this portion of the Eucharistic Prayer, we are reminded that in participating in the Lord's Supper, we are not acquiring or earning our inheritance but receiving it instead. The Meal is our most powerful "trigger" in that by participating in the death and resurrection of Christ, all other cares and concerns are put in their proper perspective.
Connection: As we receive the body and blood of Christ, we also receive the inheritance. There are no conditions or caveats to this gift. It is, quite simply, a gift. As we move through the day, we have a choice. We can fight and struggle to be loved by God and others, or we can settle into the knowledge that God loves us precisely because it is God's nature to love us. If we accept that inheritance, that gift, then we see all God's saints (humanity) in light.
Prayer: Give us the courage to let go of the struggle and simply accept the gift freely given, without condition - the gift of your love. Amen.
Tuesday, September 21, 2004
Wednesday, 22 September, 2004
This week's devotions are written by Redeemer member John Caron.
This series of devotions will reflect on the rich material contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW). Some of the texts will be familiar to those in the Lutheran tradition while others will be from infrequently used liturgies.
Heavenly Father, in whom we live and move and have our being: We humbly pray you so to guide and govern us by your Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our life we may not forget you, but remember that we are ever walking in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
One definition of sin is to turn inward to oneself - in other words, to perceive reality in ever narrowing concentric circles until, ultimately, the "self" becomes the only reality. We laugh at television and movie characters who are hopelessly self-absorbed, but in reality, such people live a very sad and unfulfilled existence. This prayer reminds us to focus on the present and to be aware of the wider context of our lives. To draw inward and put our ultimate concern on day-to-day cares could be legitimately called idolatry. It is vital that we all find ways to remain in touch with the presence of God in our lives. It could be a reminder e-mail, or a beep on the watch, or a phone call from a friend or family member. Whatever it takes, we need to continually refocus our vision on the Lord that ever abides with us on our journey.
Connection: My work life is crazy. Usually I love what I am doing, but it can be incredibly consuming. One day, in the middle of thirty or forty things, I got a phone call from someone at church. Without knowing it, this person pulled me out of all the distractions long enough to remember that there was so much more to my life than just the activities at hand. We may walk in God's sight, as the prayer says, but that doesn't mean that we are seeing God. Sometimes we need the ministry of one another to wake up and see the Baptism!
Prayer: We are quick to replace you with the distractions of work, school, or personal relationships. Help us to find ways to stay connected to you and to your vision and ministry.
This series of devotions will reflect on the rich material contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW). Some of the texts will be familiar to those in the Lutheran tradition while others will be from infrequently used liturgies.
Heavenly Father, in whom we live and move and have our being: We humbly pray you so to guide and govern us by your Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our life we may not forget you, but remember that we are ever walking in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Responsive Prayer 2
LBW, p. 166
One definition of sin is to turn inward to oneself - in other words, to perceive reality in ever narrowing concentric circles until, ultimately, the "self" becomes the only reality. We laugh at television and movie characters who are hopelessly self-absorbed, but in reality, such people live a very sad and unfulfilled existence. This prayer reminds us to focus on the present and to be aware of the wider context of our lives. To draw inward and put our ultimate concern on day-to-day cares could be legitimately called idolatry. It is vital that we all find ways to remain in touch with the presence of God in our lives. It could be a reminder e-mail, or a beep on the watch, or a phone call from a friend or family member. Whatever it takes, we need to continually refocus our vision on the Lord that ever abides with us on our journey.
Connection: My work life is crazy. Usually I love what I am doing, but it can be incredibly consuming. One day, in the middle of thirty or forty things, I got a phone call from someone at church. Without knowing it, this person pulled me out of all the distractions long enough to remember that there was so much more to my life than just the activities at hand. We may walk in God's sight, as the prayer says, but that doesn't mean that we are seeing God. Sometimes we need the ministry of one another to wake up and see the Baptism!
Prayer: We are quick to replace you with the distractions of work, school, or personal relationships. Help us to find ways to stay connected to you and to your vision and ministry.
Tuesday, 21 September, 2004
This week's devotions are written by Redeemer member John Caron.
This series of devotions will reflect on the rich material contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW). Some of the texts will be familiar to those in the Lutheran tradition while others will be from infrequently used liturgies.
O God, our Father, by the cross of your Son, you reconciled the world to yourself, enabling us to live in love and harmony. We thank and praise you for the forgiveness of sins and the precious gift of peace. Help us to forgive each other and to establish justice and concord throughout the world, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The liturgy of corporate confession and forgiveness is not used frequently in many Lutheran churches… unfortunately. There is rich symbolism in the act of an entire community coming together in order to recognize its own limitations, failings, and (OK, we'll use the word) sins. Notice that this prayer makes a strong link between forgiveness and justice. In popular culture, forgiveness is seen primarily as an interior act, usually followed by either "forgetting something ever happened" or "moving past" whatever the offending issue was. Not so in this prayer! Forgiveness is a visible act, made manifest in establishing justice - both for the forgiven as well as the forgiver!
Connection: When a person forgives another, it is usually because s/he has been wronged in some way. Christian forgiveness demands not only that we make things right with the person who has wronged us, but that we demand justice for that very same person. How different our world would be if, when wronged, we respond by looking at the roots of the evil committed and seek justice, not just for ourselves, but even for the perpetrators of the evil. The results would transform our world forever.
Prayer: Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
This series of devotions will reflect on the rich material contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW). Some of the texts will be familiar to those in the Lutheran tradition while others will be from infrequently used liturgies.
O God, our Father, by the cross of your Son, you reconciled the world to yourself, enabling us to live in love and harmony. We thank and praise you for the forgiveness of sins and the precious gift of peace. Help us to forgive each other and to establish justice and concord throughout the world, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Corporate Confession and Forgiveness
LBW, p.195
The liturgy of corporate confession and forgiveness is not used frequently in many Lutheran churches… unfortunately. There is rich symbolism in the act of an entire community coming together in order to recognize its own limitations, failings, and (OK, we'll use the word) sins. Notice that this prayer makes a strong link between forgiveness and justice. In popular culture, forgiveness is seen primarily as an interior act, usually followed by either "forgetting something ever happened" or "moving past" whatever the offending issue was. Not so in this prayer! Forgiveness is a visible act, made manifest in establishing justice - both for the forgiven as well as the forgiver!
Connection: When a person forgives another, it is usually because s/he has been wronged in some way. Christian forgiveness demands not only that we make things right with the person who has wronged us, but that we demand justice for that very same person. How different our world would be if, when wronged, we respond by looking at the roots of the evil committed and seek justice, not just for ourselves, but even for the perpetrators of the evil. The results would transform our world forever.
Prayer: Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Monday, September 20, 2004
Monday, 20 September, 2004
This week's devotions are written by Redeemer member John Caron.
This series of devotions will reflect on the rich material contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW). Some of the texts will be familiar to those in the Lutheran tradition while others will be from infrequently used liturgies.
And as we are strangers and pilgrims on earth, help us to prepare for the world to come, doing the work which you have given us to do while it is day, before that night comes when no one can work.
Two groups make strange bedfellows: the ones who with their religious zealousness preach a God who abandons the earth and all who are deemed as "unsaved" and the ones who reject any concept of God and who see the world and all in it as raw material for their quest for power and control. Ironically both groups are close in their thinking about our earth and those who live in it. Both quickly count those outside of their sphere of vision as expendable, disposable commodities. This prayer, in contrast to these voices, calls us to be strangers (ones who have their origin elsewhere (Baptism)) and pilgrims (ones who travel and seek out their destination with a sense of mission and calling). The point of the prayer is not that we must "save" everybody before God chooses those who are cast out (as if creation were one giant reality show). Rather the prayer reminds us that we have opportunities to share God's love and grace daily. The "night" is the night of lost opportunities to be the presence of Christ to one another.
Connection: Pilgrim, be the love of Christ each and every day. Opportunities abound to speak of the redemptive reign of God. More importantly, opportunities abound to be the redemptive presence of God. The Holy Spirit is that presence of grace within each of us. Ministry is allowing that presence to be felt by others through us.
Prayer: While it is day, may your Holy Spirit be your presence to those we encounter this day. And in being so open, may we also receive the very same ministry of grace from those we meet on our pilgrimage through your good earth.
This series of devotions will reflect on the rich material contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW). Some of the texts will be familiar to those in the Lutheran tradition while others will be from infrequently used liturgies.
And as we are strangers and pilgrims on earth, help us to prepare for the world to come, doing the work which you have given us to do while it is day, before that night comes when no one can work.
Service of the Word
LBW, p. 129
LBW, p. 129
Two groups make strange bedfellows: the ones who with their religious zealousness preach a God who abandons the earth and all who are deemed as "unsaved" and the ones who reject any concept of God and who see the world and all in it as raw material for their quest for power and control. Ironically both groups are close in their thinking about our earth and those who live in it. Both quickly count those outside of their sphere of vision as expendable, disposable commodities. This prayer, in contrast to these voices, calls us to be strangers (ones who have their origin elsewhere (Baptism)) and pilgrims (ones who travel and seek out their destination with a sense of mission and calling). The point of the prayer is not that we must "save" everybody before God chooses those who are cast out (as if creation were one giant reality show). Rather the prayer reminds us that we have opportunities to share God's love and grace daily. The "night" is the night of lost opportunities to be the presence of Christ to one another.
Connection: Pilgrim, be the love of Christ each and every day. Opportunities abound to speak of the redemptive reign of God. More importantly, opportunities abound to be the redemptive presence of God. The Holy Spirit is that presence of grace within each of us. Ministry is allowing that presence to be felt by others through us.
Prayer: While it is day, may your Holy Spirit be your presence to those we encounter this day. And in being so open, may we also receive the very same ministry of grace from those we meet on our pilgrimage through your good earth.
Thursday, September 16, 2004
Friday, 17 September, 2004
This week's devotions are written by Redeemer member John Caron.
This series of devotions will reflect on the rich material contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW). Some of the texts will be familiar to those in the Lutheran tradition while others will be from infrequently used liturgies.
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
This is the prayer that many Lutherans pray during penitential seasons such as Advent and Lent. One phrase stands out for me in this prayer: "God who is faithful and just". By using the word faithful we are saying that God is constant and that God's covenant of grace is with us always in baptism. By using the word just we are saying that God acts with equity and fairness to all people. …But if that were the case, how can God forgive us? For that matter, how can God forgive those who commit atrocities far worse (by our reckoning) than any act we could conceivably commit? Can we truly say that this reflects "justice"?
Connection: We are comfortable with God being faithful, but can we say the same thing about God being just? How would we feel about a judge who acquits a shoplifter, then the next day, an armed robber, and the next day, a mass murderer? We need to either deny that God is just (which then reverts us to the position of saying we have no sin, thus deceiving ourselves) or we need to accept that God is just, which forces us to reconstruct the entire concept of justice. How would this change the world? How would this change ourselves?
Prayer: Help us to sit before you and learn what justice means. Help us to live out your justice in a world where worth is measured by what we do rather than by who we are as children of God.
This series of devotions will reflect on the rich material contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW). Some of the texts will be familiar to those in the Lutheran tradition while others will be from infrequently used liturgies.
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Brief Order for
Confession and Forgiveness
LBW, p. 56
This is the prayer that many Lutherans pray during penitential seasons such as Advent and Lent. One phrase stands out for me in this prayer: "God who is faithful and just". By using the word faithful we are saying that God is constant and that God's covenant of grace is with us always in baptism. By using the word just we are saying that God acts with equity and fairness to all people. …But if that were the case, how can God forgive us? For that matter, how can God forgive those who commit atrocities far worse (by our reckoning) than any act we could conceivably commit? Can we truly say that this reflects "justice"?
Connection: We are comfortable with God being faithful, but can we say the same thing about God being just? How would we feel about a judge who acquits a shoplifter, then the next day, an armed robber, and the next day, a mass murderer? We need to either deny that God is just (which then reverts us to the position of saying we have no sin, thus deceiving ourselves) or we need to accept that God is just, which forces us to reconstruct the entire concept of justice. How would this change the world? How would this change ourselves?
Prayer: Help us to sit before you and learn what justice means. Help us to live out your justice in a world where worth is measured by what we do rather than by who we are as children of God.
Wednesday, September 15, 2004
Thursday, 16 September, 2004
This week's devotions are written by Redeemer member John Caron.
This series of devotions will reflect on the rich material contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW). Some of the texts will be familiar to those in the Lutheran tradition while others will be from infrequently used liturgies.
[Name], child of God, you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever.
In the fiction series Left Behind, readers are exposed to a theology where God's patience and grace runs out, where the "rapture" takes place, and where all the "good" people are safely sequestered while the rest of humanity quite literally goes to hell. The popularity of this theology is no doubt due in part to the fact that it mirrors so closely the values and economics of our society and the world at large. Salvation is portrayed as a function of good deeds vs. bad deeds and being saved vs. being a sinner. The message of the Gospel, proclaimed through baptism, is that we will never be "left behind" - that we are, in fact, marked with the cross of Christ forever. The theology of quid pro quo is replaced with a theology of mercy and love. A god who kills his people is replaced by a God who dies … for humankind. This God - our God - never leaves us behind.
Connection: Let go of what we think we deserve or what we think others deserve. God certainly has. When we baptize an infant we make the bold statement: "Whoever you will become, however your life unfolds, know that you are sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever."
Prayer: We thank you, O Lord, for your faithfulness and love. It is in your nature to always be present with us and to be our nurturing Parent. May your love shape us to be reflections of that love to a world ruled by the fear of being left behind. Amen.
This series of devotions will reflect on the rich material contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW). Some of the texts will be familiar to those in the Lutheran tradition while others will be from infrequently used liturgies.
[Name], child of God, you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever.
Holy Baptism
LBW, p. 124
In the fiction series Left Behind, readers are exposed to a theology where God's patience and grace runs out, where the "rapture" takes place, and where all the "good" people are safely sequestered while the rest of humanity quite literally goes to hell. The popularity of this theology is no doubt due in part to the fact that it mirrors so closely the values and economics of our society and the world at large. Salvation is portrayed as a function of good deeds vs. bad deeds and being saved vs. being a sinner. The message of the Gospel, proclaimed through baptism, is that we will never be "left behind" - that we are, in fact, marked with the cross of Christ forever. The theology of quid pro quo is replaced with a theology of mercy and love. A god who kills his people is replaced by a God who dies … for humankind. This God - our God - never leaves us behind.
Connection: Let go of what we think we deserve or what we think others deserve. God certainly has. When we baptize an infant we make the bold statement: "Whoever you will become, however your life unfolds, know that you are sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever."
Prayer: We thank you, O Lord, for your faithfulness and love. It is in your nature to always be present with us and to be our nurturing Parent. May your love shape us to be reflections of that love to a world ruled by the fear of being left behind. Amen.
Tuesday, September 14, 2004
Wednesday, 15 September, 1004
This week's devotions are written by Redeemer member John Caron.
This series of devotions will reflect on the rich material contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW). Some of the texts will be familiar to those in the Lutheran tradition while others will be from infrequently used liturgies.
Blessed are you, O Lord our God, maker of all things. Through your goodness you have blessed us with these gifts. With them we offer ourselves to your service and dedicate our lives to the care and redemption of all that you have made, for the sake of him who gave himself for us, Jesus Christ our Lord.
There is a wonderful parallelism in this prayer when seen in the context of the Eucharistic liturgy. In this petition, we give our gifts and even our lives to the care of all creation. Then at the conclusion of this prayer, we move to the Great Thanksgiving where we remember the great act of redemption Christ initiated for the entire world. In one graceful movement, we proclaim that our lives are a reflection of Christ's ministry to humankind and to the entire creation.
Connection: It is more than the money! It is even more than "Time and Talent"! Our offering is no less than our whole lives dedicated to proclaiming God's loving reign. In a world that fears weapons of mass destruction, we bring the witness of mass redemption. May it never be said that this witness cannot be found!
Prayer: Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Amen.
This series of devotions will reflect on the rich material contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW). Some of the texts will be familiar to those in the Lutheran tradition while others will be from infrequently used liturgies.
Blessed are you, O Lord our God, maker of all things. Through your goodness you have blessed us with these gifts. With them we offer ourselves to your service and dedicate our lives to the care and redemption of all that you have made, for the sake of him who gave himself for us, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Holy Communion
LBW, p. 88
There is a wonderful parallelism in this prayer when seen in the context of the Eucharistic liturgy. In this petition, we give our gifts and even our lives to the care of all creation. Then at the conclusion of this prayer, we move to the Great Thanksgiving where we remember the great act of redemption Christ initiated for the entire world. In one graceful movement, we proclaim that our lives are a reflection of Christ's ministry to humankind and to the entire creation.
Connection: It is more than the money! It is even more than "Time and Talent"! Our offering is no less than our whole lives dedicated to proclaiming God's loving reign. In a world that fears weapons of mass destruction, we bring the witness of mass redemption. May it never be said that this witness cannot be found!
Prayer: Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Amen.
Tuesday, 14 September, 2004
This week’s devotions are written by Redeemer member John Caron.
This series of devotions will reflect on the rich material contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW). Some of the texts will be familiar to those in the Lutheran tradition while others will be from infrequently used liturgies.
Lord God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
This series of devotions will reflect on the rich material contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW). Some of the texts will be familiar to those in the Lutheran tradition while others will be from infrequently used liturgies.
Lord God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Evening Prayer
LBW, p. 153
LBW, p. 153
This has always been one of my most favorite prayers in the Lutheran Book of Worship – at least it is when things are going well. When I am in those “ventures of which I cannot see the ending,” I am less enamored with this piece of our liturgy! One gem in this prayer is that it does not ask God for courage but for faith. Courage is faith’s byproduct. Faith is the gift that God gives us to live out the Christian life day by day. We cannot generate faith through mental gymnastics, orthodox theology, or even a “purpose-driven life.” Faith comes to us because it is God’s nature to give faith freely and without any condition or preparation on our part. It is human nature that when we feel vulnerable we often attempt to gain control over our lives so that we can move ourselves past whatever troubles us. With the glut of self-help books out there, it is important to remember that when it comes to faith, self-help is the last thing we need!
Connection: I suspect that this prayer was included in the Evening Prayer liturgy for good reason. We often feel the terrors and fragility of life most acutely during the dark of night. In those times, keep saying “Faith is a gift. Faith is a gift. Faith is a gift!”
Prayer: God, you and only you can give us faith. Remind us that we can never manufacture faith; we can only accept it as your greatest gift of all!
Sunday, September 12, 2004
Monday - 13 September, 2004
This week’s devotions are written by Redeemer member John Caron.
This series of devotions will reflect on the rich material contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW). Some of the texts will be familiar to those in the Lutheran tradition, while others will be from infrequently used liturgies.
Gracious Father, we pray for your holy catholic Church. Fill it with all truth and peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in anything it is amiss, reform it; where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in need, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake of Jesus Christ, your Son our Savior.
This series of devotions will reflect on the rich material contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW). Some of the texts will be familiar to those in the Lutheran tradition, while others will be from infrequently used liturgies.
Gracious Father, we pray for your holy catholic Church. Fill it with all truth and peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in anything it is amiss, reform it; where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in need, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake of Jesus Christ, your Son our Savior.
Prayer titled “The Church”
LBW, p45
Every time I hear this prayer, my mind tends to go to thoughts of the institutional church, its bishops, governing bodies, and councils. While I think this is certainly a valid application of this prayer, the primary definition of “Church” for Lutherans is “the gathered people of God” – not institutions or officials but the baptized in this and every age. With this in mind, the prayer becomes one of growth and renewal for ourselves and not so much of an abstract and detached organization. The prayer becomes immediate, specific, and challenging in that it asks us all to examine every aspect of our lives and to participate in a process of continual renewal and growth.
Connection: We are both a work in progress AND the end product. While we dare to acknowledge our failures and limitations, we do so as “the holy catholic Church.” Our membership in God’s family is a gift that can never be taken away from this. We therefore have the freedom to look unflinchingly at our shortcomings and rather than covering up or trying to justify ourselves to God, we can ask our loving parent to work with us to be more than who we are today.
Prayer: Loving Parent of us all, you will always be with us and for us. We acknowledge all those areas in which we fail to be loving and faithful. Work with us to be the reflection of your grace in our broken and divided world. Amen.
Thursday, September 9, 2004
This week;s devotions are written by Vicar Steve Bond.
Alas, the final installment from Hauerwas’ “Only Theology Overcomes Ethics”…
“It is the gospel that is the agent of the specifi history of God’s people and so enables and shapes…meanings.” It is the Eucharist above all that shapes the habitus of the church’s speech.
If you want to get to know someone, pay attention to how he or she responds when you say, “Tell me your story.” The kinds of events and relationships that people name as having significance in their lives say a great deal about who they are themselves. It is the same with the church—at our center, is not a list of rules, a magic formula for success, or a mystical feeling, but the death and resurrection of Jesus. The story we tell centers around the living remembrance and real presence of Jesus in the bread and the cup—for us. The story of the church is the story of Jesus, who has claimed us and called us to be a cruciform—cross-shaped—people.
Connection: At its heart, ours is a story of a God who is gracious beyond our deserving and good beyond our imagining. It is our firm hope that at the last, the “old old story,” which is also a vision of our future, will be made real. In this day, God is already at work showing us surprises of mercy and offering us the presence of the living Jesus in ways we can only imagine.
Father, let your mercy shape us and let your grace have its way with us. Open our ears to the good news you will speak to us today, and open our mouths and hands to speak and live that news to all.
1 Corinthians 11:23-26—“For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way, he took the cup also, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”
Alas, the final installment from Hauerwas’ “Only Theology Overcomes Ethics”…
“It is the gospel that is the agent of the specifi history of God’s people and so enables and shapes…meanings.” It is the Eucharist above all that shapes the habitus of the church’s speech.
If you want to get to know someone, pay attention to how he or she responds when you say, “Tell me your story.” The kinds of events and relationships that people name as having significance in their lives say a great deal about who they are themselves. It is the same with the church—at our center, is not a list of rules, a magic formula for success, or a mystical feeling, but the death and resurrection of Jesus. The story we tell centers around the living remembrance and real presence of Jesus in the bread and the cup—for us. The story of the church is the story of Jesus, who has claimed us and called us to be a cruciform—cross-shaped—people.
Connection: At its heart, ours is a story of a God who is gracious beyond our deserving and good beyond our imagining. It is our firm hope that at the last, the “old old story,” which is also a vision of our future, will be made real. In this day, God is already at work showing us surprises of mercy and offering us the presence of the living Jesus in ways we can only imagine.
Father, let your mercy shape us and let your grace have its way with us. Open our ears to the good news you will speak to us today, and open our mouths and hands to speak and live that news to all.
1 Corinthians 11:23-26—“For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way, he took the cup also, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”
Thursday - 9 September, 2004
More from Hauerwas’ “Only Theology Overcomes Ethics”…
Christian ethics and politics are not areas to be developed after we have done theology but are constitutive of Christian speech whose form is first and foremost prayer.
Earlier, we said that theology means working out what it means that God matters. All of us as people claimed by God are called to work that out not only in words but in the whole of our lives. That call is a gift of grace in that God offers us wholeness and integrity of life. Ultimately, the questions, “What should we say about God?” and “How should I live?” are specific ways of asking, “How can God’s gracious reign come to fullness in all of who I am?”
Connection: The busy-ness of daily life often feels like it is fragmented and disorienting. Part of the promise of grace is that God’s shalom—God’s peace and wholeness—is offered to us to put our fragile pieces back together. In this day, where will the wholeness God gives be at work in your life?
Lord, we claim your promise that you will restore us in our entirety. Take the shards of who we are and fashion them into one whole, so that we can be vessels filled with your mercy and love for the world and each other.
Romans 6:4—“Therefore we have been buried with [Christ] by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.”
Christian ethics and politics are not areas to be developed after we have done theology but are constitutive of Christian speech whose form is first and foremost prayer.
Earlier, we said that theology means working out what it means that God matters. All of us as people claimed by God are called to work that out not only in words but in the whole of our lives. That call is a gift of grace in that God offers us wholeness and integrity of life. Ultimately, the questions, “What should we say about God?” and “How should I live?” are specific ways of asking, “How can God’s gracious reign come to fullness in all of who I am?”
Connection: The busy-ness of daily life often feels like it is fragmented and disorienting. Part of the promise of grace is that God’s shalom—God’s peace and wholeness—is offered to us to put our fragile pieces back together. In this day, where will the wholeness God gives be at work in your life?
Lord, we claim your promise that you will restore us in our entirety. Take the shards of who we are and fashion them into one whole, so that we can be vessels filled with your mercy and love for the world and each other.
Romans 6:4—“Therefore we have been buried with [Christ] by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.”
Wednesday, September 8, 2004
Wednesday, 8 September, 2004
This week's devotions are written by Vicar Steve Bond.
More from Hauerwas’ “Only Theology Overcomes Ethics”…
To know what it means to be human comes from being made part of the church. In other words, we do not know in general what it means to be human and then discover that being a Christian is but a further specification of that more general way of being. Rather what it means to be human in general is an abstraction from the humanity God has made possible in Christ.
Being a follower of Jesus is not about withdrawing from the world or heaping up special divine merit badges, nor are disciples called to be superhuman. In the end, following Jesus is just about being human, but being fully and truly human at that. Or, as one Christian songwriter puts it, it is a “new way to be human.” Freed from the worries of being good enough or belonging, we are also freed from the things that lead us to treat each other inhumanely. And we are freed for life together in a new community.
Connection: In this day, we can face the world honestly and without pretense. We don’t pretend to be perfect or to have life all figured out; instead, we can freely be what we are—people trying to learn how to be truly human, and partakers of the new humanity made possible by Jesus.
Gracious God, today let us be the people you have made us and claimed us to be. Show us that the chains of all the things which hold us back from love are broken already, and so free us to be present to each other.
Ephesians 2:15—[Christ] has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace.
Monday, September 6, 2004
Monday - 7 September, 2004
This week's Devotions are written by Vicar Steve Bond.
More from Hauerwas’ “Only Theology Overcomes Ethics”, in which the author dialogues with Lutheran theologian Robert Jenson…
A Christian, according to Jenson, is someone whose nation and polity is the church, so the “baptized person must be the only available paradigm of human personhood.”
Before any other entity can claim or label us—as Democrat, Republican, American, old, young, rich, middle class, poor, blue- or white-collar—we are claimed by God and made part of the community of believers, a body that crosses all other barriers. That also means that all other allegiances are subordinated to the our faithfulness to the God who is supremely faithful to us, and that all other hopes offered to us pale in comparison to the hope offered us by God.
Connection: In a time and situation where many forces want to label us (as blue or red states, for example), we can face this day knowing that God has first laid claim to us and that other labels do not have power over us. And what’s more, we are freed and empowered to risk loving, to risk vulnerability, because we are always claimed by God and belong permanently to God’s family.
Gracious God, help us to trust you promise that we belong. And trusting, let us live this day witnessing to your sure promise in action and speech
1 Peter 2:9-10—“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”
More from Hauerwas’ “Only Theology Overcomes Ethics”, in which the author dialogues with Lutheran theologian Robert Jenson…
A Christian, according to Jenson, is someone whose nation and polity is the church, so the “baptized person must be the only available paradigm of human personhood.”
Before any other entity can claim or label us—as Democrat, Republican, American, old, young, rich, middle class, poor, blue- or white-collar—we are claimed by God and made part of the community of believers, a body that crosses all other barriers. That also means that all other allegiances are subordinated to the our faithfulness to the God who is supremely faithful to us, and that all other hopes offered to us pale in comparison to the hope offered us by God.
Connection: In a time and situation where many forces want to label us (as blue or red states, for example), we can face this day knowing that God has first laid claim to us and that other labels do not have power over us. And what’s more, we are freed and empowered to risk loving, to risk vulnerability, because we are always claimed by God and belong permanently to God’s family.
Gracious God, help us to trust you promise that we belong. And trusting, let us live this day witnessing to your sure promise in action and speech
1 Peter 2:9-10—“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”
Friday, September 3, 2004
Friday - 3 September, 2004
This week's Devotions are written by Vicar Steve Bond.
More from Hauerwas’ “Only Theology Overcomes Ethics”…
All are created to live by God’s good commands. Yet God has called the church to participate in his life, so that our justification is “a mode of deification.” We share with God a history through which we become acquainted.
Our identity as the church, as the people of God, is never a claim of sole possession of the Truth. Yet even though we do not possess exhaustive truth, we do lay claim to true truth. Or better still, the Truth has truly claimed us. And so as we witness t to the world, live in the midst of the world, and share God’s love for the world, we live out God’s purposes for us and have fellowship with God. Lutherans tend to be suspicious of deification talk—that we somehow take on divinity—and perhaps with good reason. But we can faithfully say that, as the body of Christ, we are graciously drawn into the very life of God and into the story of God and humanity, and we are made to be the hands and feed of Christ for the world.
Connection: The God who has claimed us doesn’t just label us as “saved” and then leave us where we are. God’s claim on us invites us, draws us, into the very life of God. That means that nothing in the course of this day is mundane or merely routine—everything is an opportunity to live out God’s gracious will for us and to delve deeper into relationship with God.
Lord, breathe new purpose and life into us this day, even as you have first breathed your Spirit into us.
Romans 8:15-16—“For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”
Thursday, September 2, 2004
Friday - 3 September, 2004
This week's Devotions are written by Vicar Steve Bond.
More from Hauerwas’ “Only Theology Overcomes Ethics”…
All are created to live by God’s good commands. Yet God has called the church to participate in his life, so that our justification is “a mode of deification.” We share with God a history through which we become acquainted.
Our identity as the church, as the people of God, is never a claim of sole possession of the Truth. Yet even though we do not possess exhaustive truth, we do lay claim to true truth. Or better still, the Truth has truly claimed us. And so as we witness t to the world, live in the midst of the world, and share God’s love for the world, we live out God’s purposes for us and have fellowship with God. Lutherans tend to be suspicious of deification talk—that we somehow take on divinity—and perhaps with good reason. But we can faithfully say that, as the body of Christ, we are graciously drawn into the very life of God and into the story of God and humanity, and we are made to be the hands and feed of Christ for the world.
Connection: The God who has claimed us doesn’t just label us as “saved” and then leave us where we are. God’s claim on us invites us, draws us, into the very life of God. That means that nothing in the course of this day is mundane or merely routine—everything is an opportunity to live out God’s gracious will for us and to delve deeper into relationship with God.
Lord, breathe new purpose and life into us this day, even as you have first breathed your Spirit into us.
Romans 8:15-16—“For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”
More from Hauerwas’ “Only Theology Overcomes Ethics”…
All are created to live by God’s good commands. Yet God has called the church to participate in his life, so that our justification is “a mode of deification.” We share with God a history through which we become acquainted.
Our identity as the church, as the people of God, is never a claim of sole possession of the Truth. Yet even though we do not possess exhaustive truth, we do lay claim to true truth. Or better still, the Truth has truly claimed us. And so as we witness t to the world, live in the midst of the world, and share God’s love for the world, we live out God’s purposes for us and have fellowship with God. Lutherans tend to be suspicious of deification talk—that we somehow take on divinity—and perhaps with good reason. But we can faithfully say that, as the body of Christ, we are graciously drawn into the very life of God and into the story of God and humanity, and we are made to be the hands and feed of Christ for the world.
Connection: The God who has claimed us doesn’t just label us as “saved” and then leave us where we are. God’s claim on us invites us, draws us, into the very life of God. That means that nothing in the course of this day is mundane or merely routine—everything is an opportunity to live out God’s gracious will for us and to delve deeper into relationship with God.
Lord, breathe new purpose and life into us this day, even as you have first breathed your Spirit into us.
Romans 8:15-16—“For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”
Friday - 3 September, 2004
This week's Devotions are written by Vicar Steve Bond.
More from Hauerwas’ “Only Theology Overcomes Ethics”…
All are created to live by God’s good commands. Yet God has called the church to participate in his life, so that our justification is “a mode of deification.” We share with God a history through which we become acquainted.
Our identity as the church, as the people of God, is never a claim of sole possession of the Truth. Yet even though we do not possess exhaustive truth, we do lay claim to true truth. Or better still, the Truth has truly claimed us. And so as we witness t to the world, live in the midst of the world, and share God’s love for the world, we live out God’s purposes for us and have fellowship with God. Lutherans tend to be suspicious of deification talk—that we somehow take on divinity—and perhaps with good reason. But we can faithfully say that, as the body of Christ, we are graciously drawn into the very life of God and into the story of God and humanity, and we are made to be the hands and feed of Christ for the world.
Connection: The God who has claimed us doesn’t just label us as “saved” and then leave us where we are. God’s claim on us invites us, draws us, into the very life of God. That means that nothing in the course of this day is mundane or merely routine—everything is an opportunity to live out God’s gracious will for us and to delve deeper into relationship with God.
Lord, breathe new purpose and life into us this day, even as you have first breathed your Spirit into us.
Romans 8:15-16—“For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”
More from Hauerwas’ “Only Theology Overcomes Ethics”…
All are created to live by God’s good commands. Yet God has called the church to participate in his life, so that our justification is “a mode of deification.” We share with God a history through which we become acquainted.
Our identity as the church, as the people of God, is never a claim of sole possession of the Truth. Yet even though we do not possess exhaustive truth, we do lay claim to true truth. Or better still, the Truth has truly claimed us. And so as we witness t to the world, live in the midst of the world, and share God’s love for the world, we live out God’s purposes for us and have fellowship with God. Lutherans tend to be suspicious of deification talk—that we somehow take on divinity—and perhaps with good reason. But we can faithfully say that, as the body of Christ, we are graciously drawn into the very life of God and into the story of God and humanity, and we are made to be the hands and feed of Christ for the world.
Connection: The God who has claimed us doesn’t just label us as “saved” and then leave us where we are. God’s claim on us invites us, draws us, into the very life of God. That means that nothing in the course of this day is mundane or merely routine—everything is an opportunity to live out God’s gracious will for us and to delve deeper into relationship with God.
Lord, breathe new purpose and life into us this day, even as you have first breathed your Spirit into us.
Romans 8:15-16—“For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”
Thursday, 2 September, 2004
This week's Devotions are written by Vicar Steve Bond
More from Hauerwas’ “Only Theology Overcomes Ethics”…
The God of Israel and Jesus, the God we find in Scripture, is a storied God. That we learn of God, or more exactly, that we learn who God is through narrative is not accidental but rather indicative of God’s nature.
It is not any old god who has claimed us—it is the God of Abraham and Sarah, the God of Miriam and Moses, the God whom Jesus addressed as Abba—“Papa.” So often, our culture offers us only a generic and abstract deity—a god so transcendent as to be uninterested or unwilling to interact with the world and yet so domesticated that we can hem the divinity into abstract principles of our own design (we assume that our conceptions of justice, truth, and goodness must be God’s). What grace it is to know that the God who has claimed us meets us in our particular stories and draws us into a story bigger than any of us, a story centered on a rough cross in 1st-century Palestine.
Connection: God loves us and knows us even in the details of who we are—God doesn’t just love the idea of us or the people we might become. Moreover, we are invited into relationship with a God who has a story, not just to follow a list of abstract principles. In this day, we can have communion with such a real, storied God.
Abba, take us—take all of us, in every detail, to be your own. Draw us into the mystery of knowing you more deeply this day, and free us to be open enough to know and be known by others.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4—“For I handed onto you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures…”
Wednesday, September 1, 2004
Wednesday, 1 September, 2004
This week's devotions are written by Vicar Steve Bond.
First, a word of introduction about what we’ll be using for devotions. The next week and a half or so worth of material will come from an essay by a Methodist theologian and ethicist named Stanley Hauerwas entitled, “Only Theology Overcomes Ethics,” in which he dialogues with Lutheran theologian Robert Jenson. That may sound like a lot of people’s thoughts packed into one day’s devotions, but it’s got a lot of good stuff, too. Let’s give it a whirl, anyway…
“Theology is thinking what to say to be saying the gospel….” Theology is therefore the ongoing activity of the church to explore the prescriptive grammar required by the presumption that to be known and to know the one God of all requires that the God Christians worship is the decisive fact about all things.”
That’s a mouthful! The point, however, is profoundly simple: God matters. And theology, rather than being solely the task of trained professionals, not to be attempted at home, is the call to all believers to work out in life how it is that God matters. What’s more, the character of the God we know if Jesus Christ re-orients all of how we live, speak, and act. Because we know God’s goodness and mercy in Jesus, and most clearly in his cross and resurrection, we are not bound by fears of being worthy enough to earn God’s favor or worries that God is uninterested in us, nor are we constrained by other people’s judgments about us. God’s claim on us is truer, God’s grace more real, and God’s love for us is fiercer than any other claims the world makes on us.
Connection: The claim that God matters at least means that before my own brokenness or other people’s assertions define me, Jesus has already re-defined me as his own. What would it look like if I lived this day in the freedom of knowing that God’s claims on me truly matter?
Gracious God, you have claimed us as your own before we knew you, and your love holds onto us through each day. Open our eyes this day to live in the freedom of knowing that before all else, you have made us your own daughters and sons. We ask it in the name of your Son, Jesus.
Romans 14:8—“If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.”
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