Devotion - Monday, October 14

I hope you are enjoying your Fall Break!  If you do happen to turn on your email today, I wanted you to know that I am thinking of you, and praying for you.

This morning I was reading from I Corinthians 10:14-11:1.  There is a verse in here we all need to remember.  

Paul writes:  "'All things are lawful,' but not all things are helpful. 'All things are lawful,' but not all things build up.  Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor."

The issue for Paul and the Corinthians was food offered to idols.  Paul knew it didn't matter that the followers of Jesus took advantage of one of the most available sources of protein by eating such meat.  It would not affect them - because they knew the gods to which it was sacrificed were not gods.  BUT, Paul worried that others might see them eating and get the wrong idea.  So Paul tells them that how others might be affected is the greater concern.

The way we behave, the things we do, all should be done with an eye to how they will affect others.  As Jesus' disciples in the world, we are the Jesus that others will see.  Our first thought should always be "How will this affect my neighbor?"

We tease about Lutherans and our non-prohibition of alcohol.  Let us hope this never becomes a bragging point and thus a stumbling block for others.  We sometimes choose to use four-letter words for emphasis.  An ear needs to be trained to how use of such words will affect others.

What Jesus will allow - and what we ought to do - may fall into two categories.  Let us seek to do that which will help those around us - rather than simply doing what it is that would show off our freedoms.

Friday Devotion

Today's devotion is offered by Callie Heyne:

The hardest, lowest moments of our lives can bring us joy, self-discovery, and growth in the most positive of ways.

I was talking to an older, more experienced woman this week, and she gave me the true honor of letting me into her life.  She told me a lot about her past: an ended marriage, relocations, family, loss, and forgiveness.   All I kept thinking while she was telling her story was how hard of life she had lived.  What she said at the end blew me away.  She said, “ I wouldn’t be nearly as happy as I am now without learning all those lessons.  My mind and heart would be too small.”

She didn’t face the challenges and the hardship in her life with disdain.  She faced them not only with the will to grow and overcome, but also with joy and forgiveness.
I do not know of a better example of this in the bible than Paul while he was in jail.  He was joyful about his imprisonment and its role in establishing the Christian faith.
In fact, while in jail he said, “Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:9).   Paul was a cheerleader of the people while in jail.  He was able to see the bigger picture of his imprisonment, and see the positive role he could still play in people’s lives.   

My conversation with this lovely, courageous woman helped me realize that the hardest moments in life are the ones that are shaping and molding you into the person God knows you can be, and that’s something to be joyful about. 

Have a joyful and safe fall break! 
Callie

Devotion - Friday, October 10

This morning we conclude our reading from the Sermon on the Mount.  Jesus has made a rather thorough presentation of his message and of how he hopes his disciples will live their lives.

Just before he ends, he makes use of one more analogy.  He speaks of the wise person who builds their house upon a foundation of stone; contrasted with the person who builds their house on shifting sands.

We don't often enough stop to think about the foundations upon which we are building our lives.  Too frequently, we go about the task of building, without giving thought to that which underpins all we do.

Without critiquing alternative foundations, I would point out the wisdom of a life built upon God and God's Word.  Caring for others, being thoughtful of others, seeking ways to help the neighbor, building meaningful relationships in which neither are exploited - these are but some of the traits of such a life.  And the fruits of such a life include knowing how much we are appreciated and loved, realizing that our lives have meaning and purpose, and watching as the world becomes more joy-filled.

Jesus ends the Sermon on the Mount by asking us to take a look at that which lies at the base of the life which we have so carefully crafted.  What is there?  Is it equal to the task?  There is a foundation which is.

Devotion - Wednesday, October 9

I continue to make my way through Matthew's presentation of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.  Today I read 7:13-21.  Here Jesus speaks of the "narrow gate."

The concluding verse in this section ("Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord.' shall enter the kingdom of heaven.") is often lifted out as a latter addition to Jesus' words.  When Jesus speaks of the "narrow gate," he surely didn't mean to imply that God intentionally makes it difficult for persons to be of the way.  Rather, he realizes that the wolves in sheep's clothing will lure us away from the path which leads to God.

It is a narrow way.  And it is way too easy to become distracted and take an alternative path.

The narrow way involves consistently and continually interpreting my neighbor's actions in the kindest of ways.  There is an endless number of alternative paths which would have me look upon my neighbors' actions as justification for dismissing him/her.

The narrow way involves consistently and continually reaching out to help those in distress.  There is an endless number of alternative paths which would have me proclaim "God helps those who help themselves."

 

The narrow way involves consistently and continually forgiving the injuries inflicted upon me by those around me.  There is an endless number of alternative paths which would have me harbor grudges and hate the one who did me wrong.

The narrow gate is not set up by God in order to turn away those who seek to enter His kingdom.  The narrow gate is an image for how differently those who love and follow Jesus make their way through the world.

Tuesday Devotion

Campus ministry devotional by Bishop Herman R. Yoos, SC Synod, ELCA

  

Isaiah 43:1-3

But now thus says the LORD,
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
²When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
³For I am the LORD your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

 

When have you recently gone through some fiery times of conflict or raging waters that you have no control over? It is difficult in the midst of these moments to hear God saying to us, “Fear Not, I have called you by name and you are mine!”  Yet it is precisely in the midst of these challenging experiences that God invites us to remember our deepest identity as baptismal children of God.

 

This scripture recently came to my mind as I learned about the flooding and mud slides that were occurring in Colorado. For those living in Boulder, these were not figurative but literal experiences of overflowing streams and rivers that swept away cars, homes and some lives as well. My nephew, Mark Changaris, was one of those who had his rented home flooded with muddy water. After a stressful day of salvaging personal belongings, while checking on their neighbors and friends, my nephew sat down at the piano and played a haunting melody called “Mad World.” His roommate captured this moment of tranquility in the midst of chaos and uploaded a brief video of Mark’s piano playing onto You Tube. It went viral with over 1,000,000 views which led to an interview of my nephew with some reporters from CNN. Here is a link to his playing and to the brief interview http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoMZ7qkmRGM.

 

 

Now if you keep in mind how God spoke through the prophet Isaiah saying, “when you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you…” doesn’t it seem likely that God was sending a similar message through my nephew playing the piano? It was a message of hope for the future. It was the same promise that God gave to the Israelites as they were feeling afraid and overwhelmed about the prospects of leaving Babylon and crossing a dangerous wilderness. It is the same promise God offers to us in the midst of the uncertainties and challenges that threaten us today, whether it involves a government shutdown over ideological differences and the inability to compromise, or the ups and downs of an uncertain job market. Notice that God doesn’t promise to eliminate the external threats that cause the fear, so much as God promises to be with us in the midst of these situations, always reminding us that God’s love is deeper, stronger, and wider than the fiery times and raging waters. That is the promise of hope that our world still desperately needs to hear and know.

 

 

Let us pray

 

God,

 

Give us moments of clarity and peace in the midst of the everyday challenges we face. Help us to remember when we are most anxious that you are present with us and that you call each of us by our names. Be with all those in our world who live every day in the midst of fearful and threatening dangers, and speak to them words that bring hope and new life.

Devotion - Monday, October 7

I continue to read from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.  Today's verses are Matthew 6:25-34.

These verses are instructions from Jesus to "not be anxious about your life."  "Let today's troubles be sufficient for today."  In my prayers, I realized how differently I hear this message than you.

I am winding down my professional life - I have had 30 years of work; during these final 10-12 I will be determining which of the projects I have begun merit the effort to sustain. 

You spend your days in classrooms preparing for the opportunity to develop new discoveries.

I look at my checkbook and think about retirement plans.

Your finances are centered on accumulating books and paying for temporary housing.

But we all need to hear Jesus' words about anxiety.  Regardless of what it is that runs through our minds, we can either allow those thoughts to dominate our lives, or choose to relegate them to passing concerns.  We can deceive ourselves into thinking we can control what happens, or trust that the future lies in God's hands.

These words from Jesus are not meant to tell you to ignore that paper due next Tuesday.  But these words do remind you that many of the most important things in life are things over which God has the greater control - so let Him.  Set aside your anxiety.  Identify the troubles that are the troubles for this day.  Remember that God clothes the fields with lilies and feeds the birds of the air.  Surely, God will also care for you.

Friday Devotion

“For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” 

 

This 20^th verse of Matthew 18 is followed in chapter 25 with the Parable of the Final Judgment, which includes the well-known line “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me”.

 

These passages have become favorites of mine in the past year or so.  Their message is clear:  God is present in our interactions with one another.  I pair this idea with Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s assertion that “every human You is an image of the divine You” which he makes in Communion of the Saints. 

 

These ideas help me to see more clearly that I am not self-sufficient.  They help me see that if I want to be open to the presence of God then I must first be open to the presence of those around me.

 

I like this because it is such a challenge to me.  It challenges my introverted nature which wants to continuously look inward for solutions.  And it challenges my desire to shut out the people who get under my skin.  The people who I judge from just a glance at their clothes and the people who never seem to get that I find conversation with them extremely annoying. 

 

“As you did it to the least of these…you did it to me”

 

How differently would we behave if we truly believed that every person we meet was created in God’s image and is a window into the heart of God?

 

Hope you all have a great weekend.  God’s peace be with you.