Monday, 4 November, 2002

Alan E. Lewis in Between Cross & Resurrection



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



The reality of the life behind the Risen Christ give substance to the power and reality of the Risen Christ for our lives today. That is why the message - the Good News - is an invitation. When God raised Jesus from the dead, God was restoring everything that the powers of the world had tried to end. That is the victory of the cross that leads to new life for those who are called the followers of Jesus. We are invited into a reality that is not dream life or dreamed up. We don't need to ask "what would Jesus do," for in our baptism, we are already a part of "what Jesus did do" and we can share in the justice, reconciliation and forgiveness that is already ours for life.



Connection: We continue to go back to the story to gain insight into how our lives are to unfold. Obviously we do not want to go back in time to ancient Palestine, but we do want to share in the life of our Lord even now in what we will encounter today. The bold themes of life spelled out in today's quote are already the building blocks of this day.



Lead us Lord along the path you have already walked. Remind us of the glorious life that is yours within the mundane and common events of this day. Amen

Friday, 1 November, 2002

Pastor Al is out of town today, so we are re-posting a devotion from June, 2000. He will return on Monday.



Text: Matthew 5:43-48

You have heard that it was said, "You shall love your neighbor and hate youre enemy" But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing that others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as you heavenly Father is perfect.



That you may be children of God. I use the children of God language quite a bit to remind us of this neverending always filling love of God for us. Here, the fullness of that love is exposed. This is the more unpleasant part of this neverending and always filling love of God. As unconditionally and as universally as God loves....love. Each time we put conditions on our loving ( and we all do ) we take the world as our model. Sure it is love...but not as the children of God are invited to love. Our infatuation with "family values" always comes into this discussion of love - at least for me. It remains my opinion that family values are not some kind of life saving discipline. Why? When we hold our "family" as our center and the defining aspect of our lives it does not always bring "God-like" loving into the world. It is too often limited and resticted...to my own kind. Though teaching children the values one holds as a family is good, remember that it is often family values that create tyrants and oppressive regimes. Adolf Hitler loved the Arian race and would do anything to build it and anything to remove any threat to that family system. On all people the rain falls and the sun shines - on all. Much easier said that done. Any yet, this radical call to love is enough to turn our heads...our lives...in order to consider another way.



Connection: Just once today can we embrace the "other side" in some shape or form. Not in a "point getting" way...like someone earning a badge. More like how can God' love make a difference in this moment in the life of one of "God's beloved children" - both the giver and the receiver.



Loving God. What can we say - be present at our table Lord...be present at our working Lord...be present in our loving Lord...be present in our conficts Lord....be present and shape us into your Children. Teach us the values of your Reign and they life they cause to unfold before us. Amen.

Thursday, 31 October, 2002

From the second lesson for All Saints Sunday



See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. 1 John 3:1-3



Knowing this God...s life. I read this a second time and was simply stunned by this simple proclamation. For no other reason than the fact that God calls us children of God...are we children of God. We are not people who have made ourselves into God's children. It is not like a costume we put on. It is not merely a designation we can carry around...like a title. We are...we are...our very being is wrapped up in the reality God has declared is the truth of all things...we are children of God and that comes out of God's love for us. That's the truth.



Connection: What does that have to do with our life this day? What does it bring to life among us? What else rules among us when the only thing that counts is what God has called us...made us...? All of life looks fresh and new as we are transformed by such a proclamation.



Lord of New Life, let you word of life pull us into this day that all things will be shaped by such love that is known only in you. Amen.

Wednesday, 30 October, 2002

The Prayer of the Day for All Saints Sunday



Almighty God, whose people are knit together in one holy Church, the body of Christ our Lord: Grant us grace to follow your blessed saints in lives of faith and commitment, and to know the inexpressible joys you have prepared for those who love you; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.



We follow..."in lives of faith and commitment." In our weekly confirmation class, we are reading the stories of the unfolding of the people of Israel as they emerge from the lives of Abraham and Sarah to their children. The storytelling keeps circling around the faith of Abraham. Was he better than other people of the day...was he more upright...did he live the most commendable life? No. He trusted...he lived by faith and he and Sarah were committed to the promise made by God. We walk by faith into the moment at hand and we are open to the "inexpressible joys" that crack open before us as we trust in the one who calls us and forms us and promises to be for us the very breath of our lives. I really appreciate and honor the remembrance of the saints who have gone before us and those who are a living witness of faithfulness as they enter our lives even now. It is as though I am drawn up into a new life...molded...shaped...encouraged...supported...by those who are also stumbling and yet call upon our God for all things. Saints are not isolated individuals. They are members of communities of saints who prayerfully engage life within the blessed assurance of God's graceful love for us.



Connection: Sometimes we need to take the time to remember how has given us this day. The saints of God help one another stay focused and leaning on the everlasting arms of our God.



O God, for all the many witnesses who have pointed to the new life you bring to all your children, we give you thanks. Continue to be present as our paths cross the ways of others so that we may all be a part of the blessed event call the community of saints each day. Amen.

Tuesday, 29 October, 2002

Continuing the text from Romans for Reformation Sunday:



Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For "no human being will be justified in his sight" by the deeds prescribed by the law for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.(3:19-20)

But now, apart from the law the righteousness of God has been disclosed and is attested by the law and the prophets, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith. He did this to show his righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed; it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies the one who has faith in Jesus. (3:21-26)



"Justified by his grace as a gift." Free...without any action on our part. Free. Many people do not receive "gifts" well. Very often we either think we must do something in order to receive a gift...or when we receive a gift we must give a gift back. Can a gift be free...free from any strings...free and clear? YES! We are told that we are made right before God through Jesus' life, death & resurrection - nothing on our part puts us there. Our side of this story is to trust that it is so...without condition. Nothing from the past can negate this gift. Nothing in the present or to come can pull the rug out from under God's promise in Christ. Therefore, we live today in faith....that is, trusting whose we are and living as though it is true. The grace and love of God shapes life more richly than any list of laws.



Connection: Before you do anything today and after you have finished the day and are resting in bed, remember the gift that is for us all. Trust it...and live.



Lord God you lift us up and set us down within the domain of your loving kindness. Keep us mindful of your gracious will and how you never change your mind about us even as we are blown about by the winds of the day that tempt us to follow other word than your promises. Amen.

Monday, 28 October, 2002

As we just celebrated Reformation Sunday a few days on the lesson from Romans.



After Paul has built his argument to the point of saying "...all, both Jews and Greeks, are under the power of sin..." he writes:

Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For "no human being will be justified in his sight" by the deeds prescribed by the law for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.



The law sets boundaries. The law is constantly reminding us of our brokenness. In some ways we could say that the voice of the law never ends...it will continue to hound us...pointing our our shortcomings. This is what the law does. In the case of Paul's letter, the law is the law of the Jews of his day...many laws both written within scripture and those a part of the tradition of the elders. Once our lives are being lived according to such an accounting, there is no other way to see life because we are always being reminded of how we fall short of the reach of the law. As much as we try to keep within the law...we all, in one shape or form, step over its boundaries. Krister Stendahl writes that for Paul, "it is grace that showed him how the law condemns...not the law that drove him to grace." Tomorrow we will spend some time with how grace plays into the picture for all of us.



Connection: Within the context of our lives as people of faith, it is very easy to be enticed into the world of religious laws that attempt to guarantee that if we follow the right way of living (as defined in a certain set of laws) we will have good lives and God will be pleased with us. Remember to say "baloney" each time you hear that religious rubbish (it is much more polite to say it quietly to yourself). We are a people invited to live by grace...and that demand a singular focus that will reveal how living by the law always bring death and always condemns.



Lord of the Good News of the Reign of God, let your mercy and grace reign among us so that we can see our lives within a new perspective and become a witness to the power of your love and faithfulness. Amen.

Friday, 25 October, 2002

From the Book of Jeremiah

Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me, "Now I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant. (Jeremiah 1:9-10)



The Lord God gives the gift of speech to Jeremiah. Not just speech as speech, but speech as putting out before a called people the vision of God's reign in the midst of a people who may be living quite contrary to such a calling. It is always in conversation that we define ourselves. The task of a prophet is to bring a word that must be heard to a people who have been listening only to their own ideas and words. That is not an easy task. Most often, we would prefer to listen to our own voices and expect that our own voices will shape us and guide us into new life. Not. When all we listen to is our own voice, we are most likely to become a self-centered people who find it impossible to be transformed or to be transforming. The words of the prophet Jeremiah would be harsh and demanding. They would be revealing and carry with them the potential for renewal and reformation. Unfortunately, it doesn't take much to avoid the word of the Lord brought by prophets. We can simply turn our backs and walk away. Or...if the voice is too loud and too persistent, we can find ways to justify silencing it. Then, the word can be put onto paper and read or not read as we choose. We hate to let anyone or any other voice have a say in our lives.



Connection: Sometime, we must halt what we are doing and where we are going and how we are trying to have control of everything in our lives and listen to the voices that keep calling us to look beyond ourselves to the renewing of our lives in the midst of a community of conversation.



Lord send your word among us with power so that we may hear it even as we do not want to hear it. May our hearts be receptive to your word and our lives transformed in its hearing. Amen