Devotion - Tuesday, September 30

I hit the snooze button on my alarm this morning.  It is never a good thing, when I do that.  The nine minutes I have between the first alarm and the next are fitful; I have really anxious dreams, or I lie there thinking about what needs to be done when I do get out of bed.

The latter was my experience this morning.  And the list is longer than I like it to be.  Lying there allowed me to delay making the coffee, taking the dog out, putting the trash and recycling on the curb, and checking my messages to see if any crisis had arisen during the night.

Then came the second alarm.

It was as I was putting the recycling out that I cried out to the Lord for some sense of balance.  I firmly believe that God is as much in the ground as in the sky, but I looked up as I uttered this prayer.  And there I saw what a clear and star-filled night it has been.  Immediately I recognized two constellations.  Other stars twinkled and winked (maybe I imaged the winking.)   I remembered our discussion in Sunday Church School this past week as we discussed Genesis and God's care in creation.

By the time I opened my Bible and began to say my prayers I was in a different place.  The nine minutes spent in bed were of no help to me; the few minutes I spent standing in the street looking to the heavens had rejuvenated me.  

I pray that this humble offering might bring some of that twinkle and wink into your morning.  I pray that these words might be a reminder to you of the peace which comes from God and through God.  When I was a child, every Sunday sermon ended with these words, "May the peace which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."  That is the peace that will remain with me this day, and hopefully will find root in your busy and sometimes anxious lives.

Devotion - Monday, September 29

It is always a question of how quickly a community moves beyond a tragedy and gets back to "live as before."  The death last week of a Clemson student sent shock waves through the community.  I can't tell where that stands with all of you, but it remains very much on my mind and in my prayers.

Perhaps in part due to the assigned texts for these days.  I am reading the Book of Job, whose content is an attempt to try to understand how an all powerful and all loving God could allow bad things to happen to those whom He loves.  

Maybe God doesn't really care?

Maybe God isn't all that powerful?

Maybe God doesn't love everyone the same?

Without spoiling the ending, let me tell you that Job doesn't answer the question - at least in a way most of us would prefer an answer.  But along the way he does touch on the typical responses given.  This morning's section (Chapter 12), includes Job's fear that because of the hardships that have fallen on him he has become "a laughingstock to my friends;  I, who called upon God and he answered me, a just and blameless man, am a laughingstock.  In the thought of one who is at ease there is contempt for misfortune.;  it is ready for those whose feet slip."  (emphasis mine)

One of ways we move beyond tragedy (not a healthy way I would insert) is to find a way to blame or account for the misfortune.  "Surely there was a misstep taken by the one who is suffering" we want to believe.  We find an explanation for what has happened.  We develop a "contempt" for the one who suffers.  

I keep reading the press releases and listening to the gossip about last week's death.  I keep looking for some way to make sense of it all; some way to explain how this could have happened; some angle which will allow me to cling to the thought that none of you (our LCM flock) are likely to fall prey to such a horrible chain of events.  

Do I so desperately want to return to my preferred state as "one who is at ease" that I have developed a "contempt... ready for (the one) whose feet slip"?

My prayer is in keeping with the closing chapters of the Book of Job - that God would give me the wisdom not to blame those who suffer; and that God would give me the courage to believe and hope and trust even in the face of things that make no sense and cause great pain.

Devotion - Thursday, September 25

In John 7, the argument between Jesus and the religious leaders of his day is over observing the Sabbath.  There were (and remain in Orthodox communities) some rather clear and demanding stipulations on how the Sabbath is to be observed.  There are similar expectations among some of the communities of the Christian Church.

"No work on the Sabbath" has been in place since the very beginning.  It is in Genesis that we learn that God rested on the Sabbath, and that we are likewise to abstain from work on that day.

Maybe it is the arguments (like the one in John 7), in which Jesus points out that the Sabbath was made for us, not us for the Sabbath.  Maybe it is the rigid nature of Sabbath customs which forsake the intention of God giving us this day of rest.  I am not sure what it is, but somewhere along the way we have lost - and I mean totally lost - any notion of a day of rest.

I hope you remember your Small Catechism.  Martin Luther taught that it isn't so much the setting aside of labors that makes our observance of the Sabbath holy, it is our using that time of leisure to study God's Word, gladly hear it and obey yet.

Even so, it is difficult to do this, unless we have set aside some time.

The practicalities of the modern world make it difficult (some would say impossible) to observe Sabbath.  These same "practicalities" have been spoken of in studies about stress induced disorders, high rates of untimely deaths, and violent outbursts in our homes.  How practical is it to work and work and work and continue to ignore the beauty of God's creation and the companionship of God's created ones?

Jesus disagreed with the Sabbath rules of his day which made it impossible to help the paralyzed man being carried on a cot by his friends.  I oppose such rules, too.  But I hear in Jesus' words an invitation to observe Sabbath as a time to  rest, relax, and ask questions about what makes life worth living.

Find some Sabbath time in your life.  If that isn't Sunday, find it on another day.  And make it longer than a couple of hours.  You need at least eight hours to be renewed and refreshed.

Devotion - Wednesday, September 24

"Remember that my life is a breath."  Job 7:7.

These words were part of the assigned text for this day.  I read them this morning, already disturbed at the death of yet another of your classmates.  

We too often assume that death is for the old, as it should be.  We too often assume that we can shield ourselves, which we cannot not always do.  We fail to remember that life is a breath.

If you are unfamiliar with the Book of Job, it is a long and sometimes confusing attempt to ask the question of why there is suffering.  The particulars of how Job came to suffer distract us from careful study of the attempts to answer the underlying question.  

We have faced multiple deaths already this school year.  The randomness of an infection undetected till it was too late; accidents; risky behaviors; inattention to the status of another - whatever the cause the loss remains.  And we look for answers; we seek some opportunity to  believe "This won't happen to me."

But life is a breath.  We breath without even thinking about it.  But we cannot grasp in our hand the air needed for that next breath.  It can simply not be available.

The arguments in the Book of Job do not satisfy the speakers nor do they answer the questions. In the end, we are left with a statement that trusting and clinging to God, we endure the fickleness of our plight and we find assurance that God is not the one who removes our breath.  It seems, at times, to not be enough.  But it has been, and will continue to be, for those who turn to God for wisdom rather than accept the simple answers put forward.

Your life is a breath.  Protect it; cherish it; and give thanks for it.  Use the breath within you to form words of comfort and to share wisdom.  Do not become distracted by the chatter nor participate in the idle accusations.  Give thanks for the breath which is your life and to the God who comes to you each time you inhale.

Devotion - Tueday, September 23

I write these morning devotions for the students, but there are a number of folks on the recipient list who are closer to my age.  A reading in my devotional guide was too insightful to fail to share.  It is attributed to a 17th century Mother Superior.  Her words are wise; even for those who are still in their second decade of life:

Lord, you know better than myself that I am growing older and will some day be old.  Keep me from getting talkative and particularly for the fatal habit of thinking that I mush say something on every subject on every occasion.

Release me from craving to straighten out everybody's affairs.  Keep my mind from the recital of endless details - give me wings to come to the point.

I ask for grace enough to listen to the tales of other's pains.  But seal my lips on my own aches and pains - they are increasing and my love of rehearsing them is becoming sweeter as the years go by.  Help me to endure them with patience.

I dare not ask for improved memory, but for a growing humility and lessening cocksureness when my memory seems to clash with the memories of others.  Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally it is possible that I may be mistaken.

Keep me reasonably sweet.  I do not want to be a saint - some of them are so hard to live with - but a sour old woman is one of crowning works of the devil.

Give me the ability to see good things in unexpected places, and talents in unexpected people.  And give me, O Lord, the grace to tell them so.

Make me thoughtful - but not moody; helpful, but not bossy.   With my vast store of wisdom it seems a pity not to use it all, but thou knowest Lord, that I want a few friends at the end.

Amen.

Devotion - Monday, September 22

John 6 raises an issue that remained an issue into the early history of the Church.  Verse 52 reads: "The Jew disputed among themselves, saying, 'How can this man give us his flesh to eat?'"

In another eighty years, the Christians would be accused of cannibalism.  

There are still questions about this practice.  During our drive to the Tubing Outing, the student sitting in the front seat struck up a conversation about transubstantiation and consubstantiation.  (Roman Catholic theology speaks of the substance of the bread being transformed; Protestants tend to consider it still bread but when combined with the Word it is Christ's body for us.)

This is the mystery of the sacrament.  There are many worthy discussions of these topics and I encourage you to acquaint yourself with them.  This is not the place for us to delve into such arguments.

For the sake of devotion, what I want to lift up from John 6 is the acknowledgement that we do receive the body of Christ.  How it happens; how theology explains its happening; nothing matters as much as us believing it happens.  Jesus does not come among us as some wise teacher; even to refer to him as a "divinely inspired teacher" does not give full meaning to his presence.  In him, we take into ourselves the very presence of God.

Luther insisted (and some of continue to agree) that doubt robs us of the assurance that Christ has taken notice of us.  We worry that we haven't sufficiently confessed or repented or shown our commitment.  Christ's body is given, for us to eat, every time we come to the altar.  We ought to be prepared for this gift, but even if we are not, Christ is still there, coming to us.

I might take a different bend to that 52nd verse.  "How can this man" do this?  How can Jesus die for us, even when are not ready to receive?  How can Jesus love us, even as we abandon him and condemn him to death?  I don't know.  But I have been taught (and will continue to teach) that this is what happens.  That Christ comes to me, whether I am fully prepared or not.

"Take and eat.  This is my body; this is my blood."  It is the assurance that Christ comes to me, even when I fail to go to him.

Sermon - Pentecost 15, Year A

Matthew 20:1-16
 

                                     Equal Pay for Unequal Work 

 

I have never been in a position to negotiate for salaries for a large group of people.  But I am pretty sure that those asked to perform such a task, are expected to be more knowledgeable about wage distribution and cost of living than Christian scriptures.  Would you want your representative to have spent their weekend brushing up on labor contract, or sitting in worship listening to this Gospel text?  

How would like your next contract to be hammered out by someone who had taken to heart Jesus’ words: "Take what belongs to you and go. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me?"

 

Interesting thought at least, isn't it?

 

Of course the point Jesus is making in the parable is quite different.  He isn't talking about labor practices at all.  He uses an example which his audience would have understood in order help them realize something they don't understand.  He uses this story as a means for illustrating God's abundant grace.  He uses this story in order to illustrate our inability to comprehend the depth of God's grace.

 

The owner of the vineyard turns to the laborers and asks them, "Do you begrudge my generosity?" He speaks the voice of God as he asks, "Am I not allowed to do as I choose with what belongs to me?" And we realize that Jesus isn't talking about a few denarii.  He is talking about salvation - about the gift which is God's - and God's prerogative to bestow it in any manner God so chooses.

 

Look at the parable with me again.  The way in which the story is beautifully crafted helps us to understand Jesus' point.  Some of the fine points are subtle and must be gleaned for meaning.

 

The householder goes out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.  While the opening verses don't tell us, we can assume he has gone to the market place.  Those without permanent jobs would come to the market and there await the opportunity to work.  He finds a group of them and sets about the task of agreeing upon an appropriate wage.  After they agree to a denarius a day, they are sent into the vineyard.

 

The owner of the vineyard goes back to the market at 9:00, encounters another group of workers, and agrees to hire them. This time there is no final settlement on what they are to be paid.  He only promises to pay them what is right.  He goes back to the market place at noon and again at 3:00.  We get few details but we can assume it follows the pattern established at 9:00.  He makes one more trip to the market, at 5:00, and finds other workers, standing idle.  Upon questioning them, he finds no one has offered them work, so he sends them into the vineyard.

 

And how good it was, to be asked to come and work.  They had gone out to the market, early in the morning, in the hopes of being asked to work.  These laborers lived in a world that had never heard of unemployment checks. Their only hope of providing for their families was if they were to be hired on, as laborers, by some landowner.  They had every right to expect their pay, they earned it.  But they could never forget that the opportunity to work was itself a gift.  To be hired by an honest landowner, by someone who agreed ahead of time to pay the going wage, a denarius a day, was truly a blessing. The invitation to work in such a vineyard provided the needed assurance that their family would have what it needed.  They would have been happy.  Being paid a denarius a day should have made them content.  But then something happens that they do not expect.  Their joy, at being asked to work this day is disrupted.

 

The story is very careful.  The householder instructs the steward on the method to be used for paying the workers.  'Call those who were hired last and pay them first.  Work your way up to the first who were hired.'  If he had paid the workers in the order in which they were hired, no one would have known what he had planned and everyone would have gone home happy:  those who worked one hour because they got paid a lot for a little bit of work, those who worked all day because they had gotten the wage agreed to.  It is as if the householder wanted them to see, as if he were trying to tease or test them.  It's as if the master is deliberately trying to goad them into exposing their inability to understand.

 

When they protest, he rebuffs them easily.   “Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? ... I choose to give to this last as I give to you.  Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me?"

 

The laborers did not understand their master.  He was not concerned about treating his workers justly or equally.  His attitude toward them was marked not with fairness but with grace.  His ways are not their ways and he deliberately sets it all up so as to expose just how true this is.

 

And let’s not forget that Jesus isn't talking about a few denarii.  He is talking about salvation - about the gift which is God's - and God's prerog­ative to bestow it in any manner God so chooses.

 

   It would be difficult enough to accept if Jesus were to stop there.  We would find it tough enough if Jesus were merely making it clear that no one should expect special treatment in the Kingdom of heaven.  If this were all that Jesus is saying, it would be tough enough.  But there is more.

 

See that last line of verse 15.  The one our translation gives as "Do you begrudge my generosity?" A more literal translation would read, "Is your eye evil because I am generous?" The usage here is similar to Matthew 6.23 where Jesus instructs us, "The lamp of the body is the eye...if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness."   The eye not only serves as a window to the heart which lies within, it is also the organ which determines whether the light will pass through and illuminate the soul.

 

An "evil eye" looks to the darkness and does not allow the light access to the soul.  The laborers possessed such an "evil eye."  This evil organ had become so attached to the darkness that it would not allow any light to shine through.  Thus, they could not see their master's acts as gracious; they could only express outrage at the way they were treated. 

 

Jesus tells us that God's ways are not our ways.  He also warns us that sometimes our eye becomes so evil we can never comprehend the difference and come to appreciate the approach which is God's.  We are lost, not merely because our heart lives in darkness but also because our eye has become so clouded that no light can penetrate to our soul.

 

Jesus isn't talking about a few denarii.  He is talking about salvation - about the gift which is God's - and God's prerogative to bestow it in any manner God so chooses.  He reminds us we don't get to decide who gets this opportunity and how much each should receive.  It is God's gift, and if God chooses to be reckless in spreading it around, then what are we to say?

 

"Friend," the master begins, "you have been done no wrong.  Be grateful for the fact that you have been invited to come to the vineyard.  You have been promised a fair wage, all that you will need to provide for yourself and for your family.   Don't let the evilness of your eye shut out the light of my grace."

 

Jesus isn't talking about a few denarii.  He is talking about salvation - about the gift which is God's - and God's prerogative is to bestow it in any manner God so chooses.

 

Amen.

Devotion - Wednesday, September 17

The progression of the Christian community continues in Samaria.  When the people accept the teachings of Phillip, Peter and John make a visit there, to complete their inclusion in "The Way."

This included the bestowing of the Holy Spirit upon the believers.  For many, one's inclusion in the community of faith isn't complete until one shows evidence of the presence of the Spirit.  For them, this might include speaking in tongues or acts of healing.  We tend, in our communities, not to insist that such indicators be present.

However, in setting aside the need for such "signs," might we have forsaken the insistence that becoming a member of The Way is more than accepting particular teachings or thoughts?  Ought being a follower of Jesus mean an awareness of the presence and the working of the Spirit in our lives and in our world?

I am not yet prepared to expect or demand that we speak in tongues or handle snakes in worship - but I do hear the stores of Acts 8 and realize that all too often we do allow our portion of the Christian Church to be devoid of signs that the Spirit is alive and active in our midst.

Devotion - Tuesday, September 16

After the martyrdom of Stephen, the church was "scattered."  Because of the attacks on the church, it was no longer safe for them to be together, in one place.  And so they were disbursed throughout the region.

One of those who fled was Philip.  He goes to the region of the Samaritans.  There, he finds a village open to his testimony and to his witness.  The story of the church being disbursed, as painful as it is in the beginning, leads to a joy filled celebration by the end.

Not all disbursements end this way.  Sometimes, they are painful from start to finish.  The difference surely has to do with the cause of the split and the reactions of those who are torn apart.

Sometimes our separations come from profound differences of philosophy.  I think of the wedge some insist on pressing between denominations.  These remain forever painful.

Sometimes our separations are a result of misunderstandings.  When we hear and apply this week's multiple lessons about forgiving and praying for our enemies these separations ought to be easily set aside.

Sometimes our separations arise out of necessity.  In order for me to reach my potential, I cannot remain where I have been.  This is the liturgy of farewell and God-speed offered at LCM at the end of each semester.

When we find ourselves being disbursed from those with whom we had previously been fully united, it is helpful to look beyond the immediate separation to the cause of the divide.  It can be helpful to look at the opportunity the divide has created.  And as always, it is good to remember that what starts as a painful event doesn't have to end that way.  Good things can come; reconciliation can occur; and new possibilities emerge.

The death of Stephen is in no way an acceptable thing.  But in the midst of it, God continues to be present and to work.  And God's grace covers all things.

Devotion - Monday, September 15

The martyrdom of Stephen is recorded in the seventh chapter of the Book of Acts.  Stephen had been selected to "wait tables," ensuring that the daily distribution of food was fair and equitable.  

The final words, spoken by Stephen, were not aimed at those throwing stones at him; they were spoken to God on behalf of those casting rocks.  He cried out "Lord, do not hold this sin against them."

Yesterday's Gospel lesson, on extending forgiveness, dealt primarily with setting things right between the two parties.  The verses in Acts 7 speak of how transgressions may alter one's relationship with God.  Stephen does not want the misunderstanding (to call it a misunderstanding is to understate the situation) to stand between his accusers and God.  Since Stephen will not have opportunity to resolve this earthly conflict, he does not want it to follow him into the heavenly court.

God is more ready to forgive than we could ever hope to be.  This is most certainly true.  At issue here is whether our forgiveness is given with the notion that God will require the retribution which we are (seemingly) willing to set aside.  Do we "forgive," thinking that God will make them pay for what they have done?  

Surely our forgiveness - if it is truly forgiveness - ought to extend to a request that God also "not hold this against them."

I am assuming this is what Jesus meant when he taught his disciples to pray for one's enemies.

Devotion - Thursday, September 11

I spoke last evening of the courage it takes to follow Jesus.  It was in the context of a "Vocationally Directed Life."  Living out our baptismal covenant requires us to have the courage that doing what Jesus did (what Jesus would do) will prove to be the way.

Living as Jesus lived takes a lot of courage.  It takes more courage than most of us can muster.

Living without that courage brings on a tremendous fear.  More fear than any of us should be asked to bear.

It is not insignificant that on the 9/11 anniversary we are again embroiled in a debate about what to do to protect the innocent and bring an end to tyranny.  Thirteen years ago we were uninformed of the brewing storm which finally broke over the skies of New York, Washington, D.C., and the fields of Pennsylvania.

Those who rattle their sabers are too often seen as those who are courageous.  But such courage achieves its end when it leads to fear in the other.  The courage of Jesus did not create fear in his enemies, rather it brought an awareness of genuine strength.

I don't want to be afraid.  And I don't want to live in world where fear is the weapon I use (or is used on my behalf) in order to accomplish justice and peace.  I have thrown my lot with Jesus.  And while I don't know the particular steps that this will mean, I know it begins with prayers for those who oppose me and it means refusing to allow their actions to detract me from the vision God has given me of His Kingdom.

It takes a lot of courage to follow Jesus.  More courage than too many among us can muster.  But let encourage one another to be courageous and to follow where Jesus has lead.

Devotion- Wednesday, September 9

The story of Stephen is in Acts 6.  Stephen is sometimes referred to as "the first martyr of the Church."  He is brought before the Council, tried and condemned, and stoned to death.

He emerges from among the congregation because the twelve disciples asked for someone else to take over the task of feeding the hungry.  They were looking for someone to "wait tables."

When candidates are put forward, they are described as being "of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom."  These are wonderful attributes, but hardly the ones we might identify as essential in those whom we are asking to be wait staff.

But Stephen possesses these qualities.  And they show through in everything that he does.  And in rather short order Stephen is hauled away from his appointed task to become the focus point of the Council's distrust and suspicions of Jesus' followers.

Some of you may find yourself waiting tables.  Or you might find yourself designing car parts.  Or running a dairy business.  Or designing packaging for shipping glass bowls.  Remain prepared, in whatever task you are called, to be the one (like Stephen) who finds yourself being the spokesperson for Jesus and the community which follows Jesus' words.  In Acts 6 it isn't one of the preachers or the teachers or the Apostles who are called upon to bear witness - it is the one who waited tables.

The opportunities to share the Good News of Jesus Christ certainly include Sunday morning worship services and those 12 minute sermons so carefully prepared.  Those moments prepare us for the 167 hours in the week where God's Word becomes active in the world.  Make the most of them.  They happen in your lives more often than in mine.

Devotion - Monday, September 8

Last night's "Draft" for our first ever "LCM NFL Fantasy Football League" was something to behold.  There were no less than eight "owners" spread around the LCM Lounge (many with their trusty assistants) picking players and constructing their "teams."

Does that guy still make it to NFL games who sits in the end zone and waves the sign which simply reads "John 3:16"?  He was quite a fixture during my young adult years.  Interviews with him suggested that he believed his witness to be his calling from God.  I never doubt one's sense of calling, but I do wonder if this man was justifying spending his family's cash on plane and game tickets.

John 3:16 is today's appointed Gospel Lesson.  It is a powerful, and moving passage of scripture.  I am also extremely fond of verses 17-21.  Here we are reminded that the love of God, which sent the Son in to the world, does not give up on us and continually reaches out to us.  It is God's hope that we would all turn to the light and see our harmful and hurtful actions for what they are.

But something in us (to use John 3 language) prefers darkness to light.  The writer suggests it is because our deeds are evil, so we remain in the dark so they won't be exposed.

The light provides the opportunity for us to realize the consequences (intended as well as unintended) of our behaviors and thoughts.  The light exposes our short-sightedness, and our self-centered tendencies.

It is only in a fantasy world that everything we do is perfect.  We will (sometimes knowingly but mostly unknowingly) act in ways which are not helpful to God's hope for the world.  The light exposes these to us.  With God's Light illuminating our world, we are able to see our actions for what they are and when necessary alter our behaviors, our comments, and even our thoughts.

Devotion - Thursday, September 4

Like most of you, I have been horrified by the reports of the beheading of the American journalists.  I ask myself, "How can someone be so cruel?"  Like many of you, I have a desire for justice.  And, perhaps like some of you, I have my ideas as to what that "justice" might look like.

Then I come back to my daily reading of scripture.  As fate or luck or divine intervention would have it, I am reading the portion of the Book of Judges where the story of Gideon is being told (Chapter 7).  Gideon has opportunity to lead the people of Israel against the Midianites.  There is a massive army assembled - 22,000.  God helps Gideon turn away and turn away till only 300 remain.  The other 21,700 are told to "return" to their homes and fields.  "If too many are in your army," God tells Gideon, "they will think they won the battler rather than God."  The 300 go to battle and they win.

The people want to make Gideon their king.  He refuses.  "The LORD will rule over you."  he insists.

Lutheran Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) lead the "Confessing Church" in Germany in the Hitler years.  He plotted against Hitler and died in a concentration camp.  The first Sunday after Hitler's take over, he preached in Trinity, Church, Berlin:

Perhaps Gideon's fighters heard the command to return with shuddering and astonishment.  With this same fear and trembling the church perceives the voice of One who commands her to renounce might and honor, to abandon all of her calculations, and to let God alone do his  work.  With head shaking and with anger we see many a good Gideon among us go his way-but can this confound us who see the Cross in the middle of the church, the sign of powerlessness, of dishonor, of defenselessness, of hopelessness, of senselessness and yet the source of godly strength, honor, protection, hope, meaning, glory, life, victory?  Do we see now the line which leads from Gideon to the Cross?  Do we understand that this line says one thing - "faith"?

Gideon is victorious, the church is victorious, because faith alone is victorious.  But Gideon does not overcome, the church does not overcome, we do not overcome, but God shall overcome.

The danger posed by those who take up the sword is real.  It may kill that which is most precious to us - i.e. our confidence and trust in a Messiah who took up the cross (not a sword) in order that we might know the will of God.

I am very upset by what I read of the events of these past weeks.  My fear is that I will allow the actions of others to detract me from the Way, from the Faith which has carried me thus far and which promises to carry me home to the loving arms of my Heavenly Father.

Devotion - Wednesday, Sept 3

I too often forget and are always grateful for the reminders that church professionals have their own particular vocabulary and collection of references.  When I refer to a concept or person and you don't know the reference I have fallen short in my attempt to illumine the faith traditions of the Church.  

You are invited to call me on such references or words.  If you don't know what I am talking about, chances are pretty good others don't either.  

With this in mind, I read today's appointed Gospel lesson (John 1:29-42) with an eye on what is assumed as we read the story.  The part that struck me the most is baptism itself.

In this story, John baptizes Jesus.  This was the style of ministry John had taken on.  This is why he is often referred to as "John the Baptist," though it would be better to call him "John the Baptizer."  The shorter reference leads some to think that John was the founder of the modern Christian denomination.   

John did not invent baptism.  There were many engaged in this practice.  It was a ritual cleansing, an outward symbol of an inward conversion or re-commitment to following God.

The early Christian Church would pick up the practice of baptism; having been instructed by Jesus to "go into all the world, baptizing and teaching them all that I (Jesus) have commanded."  But this baptism was not one of repentance and re-commitment.  This baptism was into the death and resurrection of our Christ.

There continue to be other faith traditions in which a ritual washing is part of religious life.  Christians are not the only ones who "baptize."  It isn't the water or the act which makes it a sacrament for us.  Our baptism is sacred because it unites us to Jesus and to his invitation to follow.

Devotion - Monday, September 1

Today is Labor Day, and while Clemson and TriCounty are in full operation, much of the rest of our world will be shut down or closed.  The Church Office is closed today, so I will be lying low myself.

Labor Day came about as an attempt to acknowledge the contributions made by those who do the jobs which are all too often overlooked or taken for granted.  Labor Day was intended as an opportunity to acknowledge their contributions.

I was as responsible as any for yesterday's liturgy at UniLu, but I realized too late that we failed to acknowledge this holiday.  In so doing, we may have continued the mistaken notion that what we do the rest of the week is separated from what occurs on a Sunday morning.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

We live out our vocation (as a baptized child of God) in our occupation (the means for making a living and contributing to the needs of our community.)  Our vocational covenant takes on practical expression in the occupational choices we make.  This doesn't simply mean we are "nice" or "considerate" as we design ground water run-off retention pools; it means we approach our work as an opportunity to mold the world to God's desires.  This doesn't mean we are "honest" in our accounting procedures as we manage a local business; it means we see the connections between our business practices and the over-arching goals of a caring society.  We live out our baptismal commitment in the jobs we have accepted.  There is no disconnect.

I visited yesterday with a friend who for decades wore on his lapel a button which simply read "On Mission from God."  It was his way of reminding himself (and announcing to the world) that every interaction he had was an opportunity to act in accordance with God's hope - or to ignore it.   Would that we all realized that we are "On Mission from God."

For most of you, your "job" is that of a student.  This job has its own set of requirements and opportunities.  Being serious about your studies and genuinely applying yourself in mastering the material is where your Godly labor begins.  These years are more than a training ground for what comes after, and they are years in which your commitment to Christ is to be clearly visible.  That commitment is greater than merely a strong code of ethics.  God is very interested in veterinary science and how caring for animals reflects His care for creation.  God loves physics and hopes you will see it in the marvels and mysteries of the beauty of creation.

While you will not have the leisure of resting and reflecting this day on your labors, do make time to think of how you integrate the work that you do with the prayers you offer.  Know that I am offering prayers for that integration, and stand ready to assist you in making even more clear connections between the worlds in which you live.