The Reign of God as rising. If you have any comments - adebelak@redeemerluth.com . The Reign of God as rising takes place when we seem to have made the decisions about life and what it possible. The Reign of God as rising takes place without listening to our evaluations and the great knowledge that we think puts us in the place of God. The rising takes place to confound all our fine notions of what can happen and what should happen. The Reign of God as rising does that despite how things look. This Reign is revealed in the brave and wonder-filled and gracious statement made by the parents of the journalist that was kidnapped and then yesterday, beheaded by the group that has been called ISIS. In the middle of brutal and demonic acts a word of grace and peace and hope is lifted up. Brutality does not rule here - something else rises up and always will. The Reign of God as rising up may not appear to win the day, but the vision and the wonder and the peace will always show itself - endlessly rising. O God of love and new life, take us up into the character of your Reign this day. Amen. |
 | | | | Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions |
| | | | | The Reign of God as rising. If you have any comments - adebelak@redeemerluth.com . The Reign of God as rising is like the morning of the Resurrection. Nothing was expected. Everyone seemed to know how the day would go. Hearts were sinking along with great expectations. And then, not only does Jesus appear as the risen one, there is a message about how God's Reign will become an adventure in rising up into new life. That will be the story telling of the early church. Among them, God will cause a new kind of life to rise up and encounter the reigning power of the world with the life of God's Reign. The witness of the followers of Jesus become a part of that rising. When evil attempts to prevail and lies seem to win the hearts of those in the world, we rise up within a life of promise that calls into question even the power of death itself. The Reign of God as rising is a show of the power of love and forgiveness that will not stop coming up into all the days of our lives. Rise up, O Saints of God. O God of love and new life, lead us into this day as part of the rising power of your love that will always bring new life to all the world. Amen. |
 | | | | Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions |
| | | | | The Reign of God as rising. If you have any comments - adebelak@redeemerluth.com . The Reign of God as rising is a word of hope because right when we are not seeing any evidence to the in-breaking of God's Reign, there it is. Sometimes it is rising out of all the junk within our lives - the stuff we want to leave behind and forget. And yet, even there is the Reign of God rising up to reveal the life it brings. Quite often, out of that which is the refuse of our lives comes a view of how this Reign appears. We can be so much in pursuit of the things of the world around us that we simply miss how the power of God to bring new life is rising up all around us. It is very easy to notice and dwell on the absence of God's Reign. With that, we are also missing the opportunity to what is rising even when we can only feel and see absence. O God of love and new life, help us to pause and look again at what we so often drive by or move through without noticing your presence. Amen. |
 | | | | Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions |
| | | | | The Reign of God as rising. If you have any comments - adebelak@redeemerluth.com . The Reign of God as rising is always coming into view. There can be no place and no time in which the Reign of God is not making itself known among us. It is rising in the midst of us. It is rising between us. It is rising and bringing into view that which is not yet in sight. The Reign of God as rising never stays out of sight - it will show itself. Much like the rising of the sun or the moon, we can expect that it will be a part of our lives. Some days I want to simply stay in bed and not let the day enter into the bedroom. And yet, there it is and I cannot stop that movement. Such is this life that comes as the Reign of God erupts among us and seems to rise up even when it is unexpected. With this comes the notion that this Reign also comes in places most folks would not associate with the God's Reign. That is simply because we do not want to associate this Reign with what is ordinary - plain - and even broken. And yet, it is rising. O God of love and new life, rise up among us and take hold of our vision. Amen. |
 | | | | Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions |
| | | | | The Reign of God as sinking down. If you have any comments - adebelak@redeemerluth.com . The Reign of God as sinking down always has a face to it. It is never a faceless being or dream or vision. There is always a face that leads us to others. Too often we may find that we like to be with the ones who are like us or the ones who simply look like us or the ones who look at life just as we do. As we are so involved in adventures of this kind, we miss out on the expansiveness of God's Reign. For as we walk past others - as we do not sink down to be with others - as we live by labels that only serve to separate and create fear, we will keep losing the precious time we could be having within God's Reign. The Reign of God as sinking down is the opportunity to see more and more of the character of that Reign. When we are content to stay in our place or are anxious about moving toward others and meeting them in their space, we not only lose the opportunity to see the wideness of God's love for all, we also are greatly tempted to separate ourselves from those others. That is a great loss to everyone. The Reign of God as sinking down is the reminder that there can always be more who are invited to the table - people we may have to uncover. Also, we may even be the ones to whom some sink down to greet and share a bit of God's graciousness that we may be missing as we stay in our own shell of a life. O God of love and new life, as we experience your love that knows no end and moves into all of life, remind us to take the leap and follow you as you sink down for the sake of all. Amen. |
 | | | | Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions |
| | | | | The Reign of God as sinking down. If you have any comments - adebelak@redeemerluth.com . The Reign of God as sinking down has that movement to it so that no experience within the world will be one in which God is not present and available. It is present for those who need support and encouragement and also available to offer a way to live in the world even when it is in broken and trying to consume us. The Reign of God as sinking down becomes a place of refuge that is put in front of those who need such a place. Too often, when folks are sinking down or have reached the bottom of their lives they are alone. Yet even there when all seems lost, the Good News of the Reign of God is one that says I am here and We are here. The we by the way - are all the followers of this God who also make themselves available to sink down and be that living presence of God to all - no matter what has brought them down. The Reign of God as sinking down is a life-project for the followers of Jesus - a life-character might be a better way to say that. We are the way folks begin to have an understanding of the power of God to rescue and heal and save and protect and honor all people no matter what their status may be in there world. We are sinking down because we are always standing with the beloved of God - our sisters and brothers. O God of love and new life, strengthen us to abide with all whose lives feel ass though they are being lost and left behind. Nurture in us the vision of your Reign of Hopefulness. Amen. |
 | | | | Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions |
| | | | | The Reign of God as sinking down. If you have any comments - adebelak@redeemerluth.com . The Reign of God as sinking down appears with and alongside the lowest ones for within this Reign, they are not lower than others - they are beloved. So, God is there sinking down to all the levels of life that are often discarded by others. The Reign of God as sinking down makes sure that there will always be room for all God's beloved. A wonderful vision that may not even be seen by those who have always been sinking down beneath the power of the day. Therefore, the Reign of God as sinking down is at work going down and down and down to awaken hearts and give people new vision and a new day. There is never a reason for the power and glory of this Reign not sinking down to be with anyone. Leaving people behind or down and out is not a part of the ethic of this Reigning power. God keeps sinking down to find us - if not today then God keeps bringing God's Reign again tomorrow. Be hopeful - you are never forgotten. O God of love and new life, thank you for always being available and present even when the world will no join us. Amen. |
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