Devotion - Thursday, April 30

"Let no one disqualify you."

In his letter to  Colossians (chapter 2), Paul addresses the ways in which some find opportunity to dismiss the witness of others.  Grounds for disqualification seem to include food questions, drink, festivals...  even sabbath observance.  Paul tells the followers of Jesus to stand confident and let no one disqualify you.

We have journeyed together through this academic year (with some of you the journey has been for multiple years.)  We have shared our confidences and acknowledged our remaining questions.  Above all, we have acknowledged the wonderful thing which has happened in our lives - that thing which cannot be denied - that thing which serves as the root of our quest to find a way to speak of our experience of God.  

I encourage you to speak boldly of the faith that resides within you.  Though you may worry it is only a kernel, remember the image of the mustard seed whose size does not affect its ability to become mighty.

Let no one disqualify you.

Witness to what you have seen, to what you have experienced, to what you have been given.  Avoid those who would question your practices regarding new moons or customs or traditions (see Colossians 2).  "You have come to fullness of life in him."

We will be back together in the August.  Till then know that I will hold you in my prayers and that I covet yours for me.  Be safe.  Be thoughtful.  Above all, be prayerful.

Devotion - Wednesday, April 29

Which of God's traits are you glad to note?  Another way of asking this is to ask what characteristics do you trust God has, and will apply to you and your relationship with God?

I am grateful that God is merciful.

I think we all turn to God's graciousness.

Where would we be were God not forgiving.

And surely we hope God will remember Luther's explanation the 8th commandment and "interpret our actions in the kindest of ways."  Right?

We do hope, expect, assume, pray that these attributes will come into play when God looks upon us and when God deals with us.  So isn't it reasonable to turn this back around and say that these are the traits which ought to show forth in our lives?  If we want God to be forgiving, shouldn't his servants be known for that same characteristic?

Following Jesus doesn't mean trailing close enough behind him so as to be first in line should he drop a miracle or hand out a blessing.  Following Jesus means traveling where he traveled, it means going where he goes, it means living as he lived.

Forgiving - gracious - merciful: these are what we have first received from God, and now we are to pass them on to others.  If we want God to have these traits, we ought to apply them in our lives and in our dealings with others.

Devotion - Tuesday, April 28

I heard that of all the Gospel accounts, John was the one preferred by Martin Luther.  Here, I break with Luther.  My preferred account is Luke.

Luke has a tilt toward the forgotten and overlooked.  Luke tells the stories which lift up the outcast and the abandoned.

This morning I read from Luke 6.  This is the parallel story to Matthew 5.  In Matthew it is called "The Sermon on the Mount."  In Luke it is "The Sermon on the Plane."  In Luke, Jesus comes "down" and stood on a "level place."

Subtle.  And perhaps too much should not be read into it.  But here the movement is downward.  The direction we find in Jesus moving is down; down to us, down away from the heights of heaven, down from any position of authority or power.

And the message in Luke also reflects this movement.  Whereas in Matthew the "poor in spirit" are blessed, in Luke we read simply "Blessed are you poor."  Even when I am not as generous with my wealth as I ought to be, I am aware of the need for the poor to be taken care of.

It is probably understandable that this point in my day I would be so appreciative of a God who makes his way down, to the places were we live.  The prayers which I offer are for those who need God to come.  I have remembered this morning those struggling to complete coursework and exams.  I have asked God to be with them.  I have remembered this morning those who are experiencing heartbreak and anxiety.  I have asked God to come into their hearts and spirits.  I have remembered those still in need of finding a summer job.  My prayers are that God will encourage them and prevent them from being discouraged by the "No's" they have already heard.

I appreciate the movement of God in the Gospel of Luke.  I am grateful for a God who comes to the plane, to the level places where life is lived.  There is much to be seen from a mountain top; but there is great need down here.  Thanks be to God who sets aside the heavens in order to be with us.

Devotion - Monday, April 27

The Lectionary has moved past Daniel, but I wanted to make sure that we got a chance to note what is probably the most well known chapter.  Daniel does end up in a den of lions, and is spared.  This is the image or the story of Daniel most widely known.

He ends up there as a result of a decree of that is signed by King Darius (this is the third King who had ruled over Daniel.)  The decree was a trap.  It was written by those who were jealous of Daniel and were looking for some way to have Daniel removed from his position. King Darius signs, without thinking.  He signs without realizing that his actions will mean punishment for Daniel.

Let's finish the story, and I will come back to my thought for the day.......  King Darius is made aware that Daniel is not in accordance with the decree.  Punishment is to be thrown in the lion's den.  King Darius is greatly distressed, and looks for a way to circumvent the proscribed punishment, but cannot. So Daniel is placed in the den.  But, as we all know, the lions do not harm him.  He reports "My God sent his angels and shut the lions' mouths."

Daniel ends up in the den as a result of a decree that King Darius signs.  The decree was clear - anyone who bowed to another god was to be fed to the lions!  Darius knew this.  He just didn't think he knew anyone who would be affected by the decree.  He didn't stop to think that those who would be affected might have faces and names and be of value.

We are sometimes trapped by our "decrees."  They may not involve casting others into a den of lions, but they do include considering them less welcome or desirable or worthy.  One example was a few years back when CU students lobbied for a change in bus routes - making it possible for the buses to travel closer to the student apartment complexes.  This seemed fine.  But the changes meant the buses no longer came close to the homes of the lower income residents - folks who depend on the buses to go to the grocery store or to work.

Let me mention one more - one that might cause greater debate.  The deaths of an American by a drone attack has angered many.  But what of the dozens who are killed by drone attacks who are not holding a US passport?  We don't think about the decree to send them until it affects someone we hold nearer to our hearts.

Be aware of the decrees you sign.  Be thoughtful as to the effect of your rules and stipulations.  God protects Daniel, and God surely is with all those unjustly affected by the senseless decrees.  But would it not be more pleasing to God if His loyal followers were to apply sufficient wisdom as to avoid such needs for intervention?

Unfortunately, the Lectionary will not review the chapters of Daniel which serve as the model for the New Testament book of Revelation. But I encourage you to read it on you own.  See the parallels.  Understand that whether one is in ancient Persia or modern Rome, God's will cannot be overcome - even by the most ruthless or heartless or thoughtless power mongers.

Sermon - April 26, 2015

4^th Sunday of Easter -  Year B                                                                                            

John 10:11-18

                                  Being the “Good Shepherd”

 

One of the difficulties of reading scripture in this culture is our tendency to think of everything in the first person.  “What does this mean in ‘my’ life?”  or “What do these verses have to say to ‘me’?” 

I am NOT on that bandwagon which insists this is an inappropriately narcissistic generation – I think the research on that emerges from a set of false hypothesis.  If go out there looking for abominable snowmen – you will find them, or at least find reasons to ask for more money and time to find them. 

One of the difficulties in reading scripture in this culture is our tendency to read things in the first person.  It was an e-devotion from Richard Rohr about two weeks ago that got me thinking on this.  The biblical reference in that offering comes later in John.  He was reflecting on the same verse Adam Nichols quoted in Friday’s e-devotion.  It is the place where Jesus says, “My peace be upon you.”  Jesus’ words are not spoken to the individuals hiding in that dark upper room;  Jesus’ words are said to the whole of the Church – most likely with an undertone of insisting that this is to be contained in the message that was to spread from Jerusalem to Judea and into the whole world.  It is a gift which comes to the individuals; because it has been given to the whole group.

But, when this scripture is read in this culture, we are too inclined to think it is a promise to “me,” and you, and maybe to “you,” and probably “you,” and maybe “you,” (if you get your life in a bit better order.) 

But that is not the way it comes; Jesus does not speak to us individually so much as he speaks to us as a community.  His promises come to “all of US”; which surely means they come to “us”; but possibly only when they come by way of “all of US.” 

Lest you think I got confused on the appointed Gospel for today – have no fear.  I am going to talk about the Shepherd, about the “Good Shepherd.”  What I intend to suggest is that the widely popular and greatly comforting image of the Good Shepherd also needs a cultural check.  It is a powerful promise that Jesus will be our shepherd; and of all the images this one is the most essential to see as a gift which comes to us as a community rather than to us as lone individuals. 

Let’s start with the obvious:  our culture values the rugged individual and the self-made person – but such an existence comes with a dark side.  Being all alone and out front is a lonely place to be. Being on the top rung of the ladder has its advantages, but too often getting there involves stepping on the fingers of fellow climbers.

The image of a shepherd, particularly of a “good shepherd,” allows us to step away from insistence that being number one is all that matters.  Accepting a shepherd who will watch over us removes the responsibility of being in charge and in control  of all things.  Our culture may value being the lead dog, but something deep in our souls knows how blessed it is to be cared for and watched over – as a good shepherd cares for his sheep. 

The thought that a kind and caring shepherd is watching over us makes the perils we face less frightening. 

There are wonderful stories and images of the Good Shepherd going out to look for the one lost sheep.  How reassuring these stories are to us.  But even those of you who have never set foot on a farm know what the shepherd does once the lost sheep is found – right?  What does the shepherd do?..... This is more of a bible knowledge question than knowledge of herding…..  What does the shepherd do, when he finds the lost sheep?.....   The shepherd brings the sheep back to the herd.  The lost sheep is returned to the cozy and comforting and protective sheep herd.  The other sheep snuggle up close to the one who was lost but now is found.  The sheepfold provides protection from the ravenous wolves.  The shepherd’s goal is to keep the individual sheep in the herd with the other sheep.   

One of the difficulties in reading scripture in this culture is our tendency to hear things as if they are only addressed to us as individuals.  This causes us to lose much of what is most comforting about the images and stories of the “Good Shepherd.”  The Good Shepherd has a herd of well-loved and well-cared for sheep.  The Good Shepherd has a fold where an individual sheep can be at ease and be assured of protection. 

Today is the day that we bid farewell and Godspeed to graduating and/or departing students.  It is an emotional day – for all of us.  Emotional in that those whom we have come to know and to love and to appreciate are about to do precisely what we hoped they would do when we met them four or five or six years ago.  They have accomplished what they came here to do and are ….  well, graduating.  I don’t want to put words in the mouths of these particular individuals, but our LCM-C students and graduates have been part of at least two research projects trying to understand what attracts and retains young adults to Church.  Number one answer:  Being part of a group. 

They come because others are here.  They stay because others also stayed.   

Put this in biblical or theological terms and you get – they love being part of a flock.  They appreciate being a sheep among other sheep. 

I would further add that many of the Clemson alums speak of the importance of a sheep herd which includes sheep with a bit more experience of being under the care of a watchful good shepherd.  They like being in a congregation rather than simply in a student only group.  Of course they would say that – this is the ministry we offer – but it is significant that they lift this up and realize how much this has affected their experience. 

Sheep were never intended to be alone.  A lone sheep is a lost sheep.  A lone sheep is vulnerable to injury and starvation and attack.  Something deep within us knows this.  This is why we respond so emotionally to images of a good shepherd who will watch over us. 

There is a tendency in our culture to think of how this applies to “me.”  We have been schooled to ask how this affects us as individuals.  Maybe that is one of the reasons Church involvement is becoming less popular.  In the Church which bears the names and the marks of Jesus, we are encouraged to think of ourselves as one among others.  Here, we are being schooled to lose ourselves for the sake of the whole. 

It may cut against the grain of so much of what is being taught in other places, but it what a comfort it is to know that there is a good shepherd, searching for us when we are lost, reclaiming us when we are found, and placing us among others who will walk with us to the place with still waters and green pastures. 

Amen.

Devotion - Thursday, April 23

The  "handwriting on the wall", for King Belshazzar, was that he had seen with his own eyes and experienced in his own life the realities and power of God's presence - but he chose to ignore them.  He had seen what happened to his father, Nebuchadnezzar.  He had observed Nebuchadnezzar's conversion.  And yet Belshazzar had taken the sacred vessels and used them as if they were nothing more than the spoils of war.

The handwriting on the wall told him that his reign was over; that the Medes and Persians would soon rule over the Kingdom that had been his.

The handwriting was on the wall.

I make it a point never to threaten non-followers.  I do not want anyone to come to faith out of fear or avoidance of some horrible fate.  But I do speak of opportunities missed.  One of our graduating students shared similar thoughts last week.  "I don't know how they do it," was the comment.  Meaning, how do those who have no faith or community of faith face the challenges of school and relationships and life?  They are missing an opportunity.

The handwriting on the wall is clear:  the way of Jesus brings a contentment and confidence which makes life meaningful.  These things may come through other sources, but we have seen (clearly seen) how they have come into the lives of others.  We have seen with our own eyes and experienced in our own lives the power of God's adoption.  Why would we ignore this and live as if we did not know this to be true?

The handwriting is on the wall.  God is every ready to love us and to support us; God has established a community to make that love and acceptance tangible.  

Devotion - Wednesday, April 22

The Book of Daniel gives rise to another often repeated saying.  "The handwriting is on the wall." implies that the future is set, is seen by all, and cannot be debated.

It is in Daniel 5 that King Belshazzar (son of King Nebuchadnezzar and the one who inherits the throne from his father) asks for the sacred vessels of the Temple in Jerusalem to be brought out and used for a wild and drunken party.  As they are dishonoring these vessels, a hand appears opposite the King and writes something on the wall.  

The King cannot read it, nor can his enchanters, so Daniel is about to be called upon again to interpret the words which have been sent from God.

To say, "The handwriting is on the wall" is to claim the simplicity of the message, even though there is an acknowledgment that not all will be able to read it.  All will see the decree; not all will agree on how it is to be interpreted. 

It is always the challenge of God's people to find a way to open the eyes of others to the words which God has spoken.  It is sometimes a challenge for the people of God to find an interpretation of the words upon which all can agree.  One will claim the words mean this; others will insist the words mean that.

Sometimes the words are difficult to read; more often it is the message of the words which we find objectionable and thus search for some way to pretend that the handwriting is not on the wall.

We know what the word of God is regarding care of creation - but do we listen?

We know what the word of God is regarding loving others - but how often do we harbor grudges or fail to interpret their actions in the kindest of ways?

We know what the word of God is regarding the money being carried in our pockets - but do we return our tithe (the first 10%) and then make an offering?

The handwriting is on the wall.  Join me in reading Daniel 5 to discover what it says.