| | | | Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions | | | | | | Well, sometimes a surgery needs to be put off because of the greater needs of others. Therefore, I out here for another day - surgery will be Wednesday. So continuing: 1 Peter 3:13-15 Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, but in your hearts sanctify the Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect. We all know that the day will come when - well - it is all over. We don't like to think about that day as we look at others and as we consider our own mortality. With that understood, we come to this day. In the middle of this day there is a promise that surrounds us and coaches us. The promise is that in and through all things our God loves us and that love will be a healing presence that makes us ready to face all things. Yes, things around us will fall a part and we may even fall apart - but then we have this voice deep within our hearts that encourages us to consider what is next. Yes - what is next! In the dumps and we look and wonder - what is next! Unsure of the future and anxious about what might jump into our way to make us stumble and grumble and fumble and yet there it is - what is next! Since we know that in the end of all things we are the beloved of God - because that is what our God calls us - that means that even as we lay exposed and vulnerable and in the hands of others, we can rest in God alone and say: What is next! We live in hope. The day at hand does not control because outside of the day at hand our God has already assured us of who we are - the beloved. That is what points the way into and through whatever is ahead of us. This way is a simple movement. We get us and look out and are able to wonder and expect - what is next! Life! Connection: There is a part of a setting to one of the psalms that I love. I cannot remember all the words but the ones I do remember are easy: Rest in God alone my soul, O rest in God my soul. Those are words of hope - a treasure ready for the way no matter where the way takes us. Once they serve you the first dose of that 'twilight' juice in the pre-op area, all any of us can do is Rest in God. That is a overwhelming leap and yet it is a leap into a promised place - the heart of our God. In the middle of what is so common, O God, you heal and deliver and liberate and we your people come alive again. Amen. |
| | | | Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions | | | | | | Tomorrow I go in for surgery and I'm not sure when I will get back to these devotions. Today I want to comment on the following verse - they are not complete but the stopping point spoke to me: 1 Peter 3:13-15a Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, but in your hearts sanctify the Christ as Lord. Since people will be meddling with my heart this part of 1 Peter stopped me in my tracks as I read this and planned to move into a few more verses. From the very center of our lives - from the core of life that activates all things, we are each invited to be ones whose very presence opens up the view of the Lord of love who is the one we follow in and through all things. It is my prayer that as the hospital staff opens me up and does their work and then closes me up to send me on my way - my life will be sanctified - transformed by their touch. In and through all things, I find that this Lord of Love is the operative power in the healing of all things. Therefore, yes, the staff that cares for my body and sees to my recovery becomes the face of God that brings peace, healing, and transformation. No matter what goes on, blessed are we - all of us. That is all that comes from the one we call Lord. Death does not come from this Lord - life comes - always transformative life - even life as we never expected it. How we get from here to there is a mystery to me - but it is also a promise. I'm not good at solving mysteries. I am able to trust a promise because even promises by our God are nurtured among us by the very God who promise life. That is pretty wild if you ask me. Connection: Remember that even as we walk in the valley of death - or darkness - or fear - or great anxiety, God is working to change us - in the twinkling of a eye - and to sanctify our lives in the face of the whole world. That is quite powerful In the middle of what is so common, O God, your image resides and we are thankful. Amen. |
| | | | Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions | | | | | | Today we will continue with 1 Peter 3:8-12 Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse; but, on the contrary, repay with a blessing. For "Those who desire life and desire to see good days, let them keep their tongues from evil and their lips from speaking deceit; let them turn away from evil and do good; let them seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." The way of this peaceable Reign is older than the stories of Jesus and Jesus' followers. It is the way of the God who call all God's beloved into a new life. We are invited, along with Jesus, into this 'contrary' life that has a history of turning people's heads - not just to see it, but to also turn around and go along this 'contrary' path. From the beginning, God's loving creative power was building into all of humankind the face of God's loving self. It is not only a possible life into which we can live, it is also a life that we know is manifest in Jesus - the truly human one. The face of the Lord is the life that comes as this unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another.... It is no pipe-dream. It is a part of the life that is handed to us. This is where we throw water in our faces to remind us - again - whose we are and what face is now our face before all the powers of the world. Connection: Toto often - even among religious folk - we live for differences rather than within a spirit of unity. Divisiveness is the agent of 'the way things are' and it must always be shown to be a part of what is evil among us. We are to be people of a contrary peacefulness that will at times cause division as the world's ways try to run away from us or attempt to put us away. In the middle of what is so common, O God, you are already making us into an uncommon people. That makes us a blessing in and through all our days. Amen. |
| | | | Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions | | | | | | Now onto something other than wives and husbands - 1 Peter 3:8-12 Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse; but, on the contrary, repay with a blessing. This is only the open lines of the passage I cited above. I think it is bountiful. The 'contrary' way - that is to 'repay with a blessing' - is the power of life that transforms the world. Rather than retaliation or retribution or tribal 'eye for an eye', the followers of Jesus bless those who are perpetrators of evil and abuse. I know, that doesn't sound right and it would be easy to argue that too many people are abused because they do nothing back or they love rather than hate. Yes, that is true. At the same time, the Christ of God still calls us into a contrary life that does not put on the life of the world but rather the life of the radical Reigning power of God - love. The risk in being a part of this power of love is that the world will not abide by it. We all know what happens when love is rejected. There is humiliation and rejection and even death. But - the Reigning power of our God is persistent - never-ending - eternal - beyond our control. The way sounds simple: a unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Each one of these qualities is enough to break the cycle of violence. Each one of these qualities is enough to get a person rejected and put out. In the face of such different ways to go, we are encouraged to be those contrary people - those followers of Jesus - those blessed one who become for the world a blessing. Connection: The question always walking with us as followers of Jesus is simple - Is there a contrary way to be here in this place and time? We may be disrupter - but it is as people who heal and make whole. To act in such a way does disrupt the fabric of the world. We are the blessed disrupters. In the middle of what is so common, O God, we are gifted to Amen. |
| | | | Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions | | | | | | .Alright, let's do the husbands (1 Peter 3:7) Husbands, in the same way, show consideration for your wives in your life together, paying honor to the woman as the weaker sex, since they too are also heirs of the gracious gift of life - so that nothing may hinder your prayers. Again, think about this as letting your light shine. Yes, it is - for us - as sexist sounding as some may say. But, it an ancient culture, the woman was considered 'weaker' ( although it is a very limited understanding of weak). I find the key words being "honor" and "heirs". This is not a lesser person. This is one who may have less physical strength and has to live in a 'restricted' tribe or culture, but this one - this woman - is of the same place as all of the followers of Jesus. We are heirs - all of us. That is, we have all been handed this gift of new life. None of it is earned - none of it is based on our ability to be someone different from who we are. No where in this passage is the man put in a position above the woman in regard to worth. I would like to suggest that men are called to gracefully extend ourselves to women as servants who can see and deeply believe in the worth of all - even when it is counter to the culture or tribe. In that way, our lives will reflect the wide open expectation that the Christ of God gives shape to all of us. The shape is servanthood without condition - or games - or paybacks. Connection: The power for life in all this writing about wives and husbands comes from In the middle of what is so common, O God, we come as you common, everyday people whose hearts have been grasped by your love. Encourage us again to let that love be the shape of our presence in the world. Amen. |
| | | | Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions | | | | | | I was planning on leaving the next section of this letter out - but hey, I may as well not avoid and do s bit of something. Wives, in the same way, accept the authority of your husbands, so that, even if soe of them do not obey the word, they may be won over without a word by their wives' conduct, when they see the purity an reverence of your lives. Do not adorn yourselves outwardly by braiding your hair, and by wearing gold ornaments or fine clothing; rather, let your adornment be the inner self with the lastying beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, whick is very precious in God's sight. It was in this way long ago that the hholy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves by accepting the authority of their husbands. Thus Sarah obeyed Abraham and called him lord. You have become her daughter as long as you do what is good and never let fears alarm you I didn't even get to the part about husbands. AHHHHH! But for what is printed here, keep thinking ancient - and tribal - and another world. And yet, do not simply dismiss this passage. There is to be a consistent theme about 'authority' that has to do with order and 'fitting in' and yet - we tend to lose that here. For the literalists, this is meant to tell women how to dress and look and present themselves. Well, they would then be living accordng to another time. Shall we also say women need to follow the rules around menstrual cycles - you know, unclean? No. We must set aside the ancient ideas and rules and glean from this passage the wonderful piece about the character of ones inner self. This is a self that shine through as grace and love and justice and peace. That is what 'dresses up' a woman of character within the followers of Jesus. In reading some comment by a amuslim female writer, she noted how the traditional variety of head scarfs among Muslims is a pre-Islamic notion. It takes people back to a tribalism that has nothing to do with the depth of the Muslim faith and she would even say the argument for modesty fails in that one can be 'modest' today in popular dress without having to cover the head or the face in any way. I find these comments to be ones that Christian literalist need to hear. Too often, we box ourselves in by what is not essential. We make much over that which is not vital to the display of our transformed lives. Connection: I really like the image of letting our inner selves shine. No matter what we wear or how we speak or who we are in society, it is the shining of the love of God that demonstrates a new way of life. When we can get by all the 'garnishments' that lock us up unnecessarily our witness to the peaceable Reign of God may become more and more powerful In the middle of what is so common, O God, we come as you common, everyday people whose hearts have been grasped by your love. Encourage us again to let that love be the shape of our presence in the world. Amen. |
| | | | Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions | | | | | | There is a form of this life that becomes real in Jesus and then is handed to us. The last verses of this passage go there. This was to go out last Friday - but my day
was a bit dazed and confused. Slaves, accept the authority of your masters with all deference, not only those who are kind and gentle but also those who are harsh. For it is a credit to you if, being aware of God, you endure pain while suffering unjustly. If you endure when you are beating for doing wrong, what credit is that? But if you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God's approval. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps. "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls Jesus acted differently from the ways of the world around him. This was no 'act', it was a deliberate life inspired by the vision of God's Reign. It was and is a life that refuses the violence of the world in all of it many forms. In this section of the letter we hear about abuse and threat. It is quite normal in the world to act out as the examples of life around us. We mimic such life. Often it is to fit in - often it is just the way we react to the world. Before we have a chance to 'prayerfully consider' what is taking place and how we have the power to act in a different way than reacting, boom - we do it. In Jesus we do not see some kind of magic here. We also do not see a robot who is incapable of any life outside of a 'mandated pattern.' Rather, Jesus is fully human and could - like any of us - return abuse when abused or threaten when he suffers. What we are gifted to see is that Jesus does break the cycle of violence in everyday, real life ways. I find that encouraging. We can be out in the world engaging life as it is and also be people who live within another set of expectations and patterns that honor the loving Reign of God of which we are a part. I also find that to be encouraging even when I know I will stumble and fall and be as broken as the world. Connection: There can be a difference. The new being in Christ is one that comes alive and is a part of the transformation of the day. We may not think we can be a part of that - but, it is a promise. It is the life that is called eternal - available now and forever. In the middle of what is so common, O God, your way of an embracing love is indeed embracing us and empowering us to embrace the day in that same graceful manner. Amen. |
| | | | Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions | | | | | | Today's piece is the same one from yesterday where 1 Peter deals with slaves. I often have trouble making sense of this. I cannot promise I will. 2:18ff. Slaves, accept the authority of your masters with all deference, not only those who are kind and gentle but also those who are harsh. For it is a credit to you if, being aware of God, you endure pain while suffering unjustly. If you endure when you are beating for doing wrong, what credit is that? But if you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God's approval. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps. "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls Well I thought I needed to look at the whole notion of 'an example.' An example is out there for us to look at. Jesus as the Christ of God is part of a promise of a presence that abides with us - through us - around us. It is always so easy to walk down another way - too easy in my case. But for all of us, there is this loving nature made manifest - that is it is real, concrete, not merely poetry or storytelling or a good meditative exercise. No, this one who suffered as one who lived as the Beloved of God becomes the way we live - by the power of the Spirit of God. Whenever I read that 'he committed no sin' I have to remember that this doesn't mean he was not fully human. When we are human, we are a part of the brokenness of the world. I would say even Jesus. He lived within the dynamics of violence, gossip, finger-pointing, and all the rest of the ways people either seek more power or try to fold-up their lives into something worthless (both a part of our sinfulness). Having said that, in our story telling of Jesus, we hear that he - in an ordinary life - as an ordinary human - within an ordinary historical setting - walked down a different path. He would not participate in the brokenness of the world (any of it) because he already knew whose he was and that name - being the beloved - had the power to inform his life. The Christ of God did not do what is expected. He breaks the cycle within the normal and ordinary cycle of our humanity. Connection: Yes, it is amazing. Like Grace - amazing in its power to transform and redirect our actions. We can be amazed at the gracious presence of Jesus because it is truly extraordinary - and yet a part of the essence of ordinary. Therefore, the day at hand becomes a moment ready for the unveiling of the love of God's beloved among us and as us. In the middle of what is so common, O God, you continue to make us into the amazing witness to your Reigning love. We long to have that love shape our every step and every act. Come, Gracious God. Come and empower us again. Amen. |
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