Daily Devotions

New Blog Site

2009-01-07T06:49:00.001-08:00

I have moved the Daily Devotions to a new site. Why? It seems to work better and it integrates better with the new and improved website for Covenant Lutheran Church.

The new site for the Daily Devotions can be found at http://revkerry.wordpress.com.

Once there, you can re-subscribe to the Daily Devotions by email or by RSS feed. The buttons for subscribing are on the right side of the blog. Just follow the easy instructions and we're back in daily conversation.

Pastor Kerry Nelson

December 22nd

2008-12-22T14:01:00.000-08:00

Greetings everyone,

I have two pieces of news to share.

First, this will be my last post to this site. I'm moving my daily devotions blog to www.revkerry.wordpress.com Check it out. Add a bookmark to your browser or subscribe to the RSS feed for the new blog.

Second, I'm making this switch to better incorporate the daily devotions into the newly updated website for Covenant Lutheran Church. Go to covenantlutheran.org to see more about the congregation crazy enough to have called me as their pastor. You can also click on the new "media" button to hear (or subscribe to podcasts) weekly sermons by me and Pastor Brad Otto.

Thank you and I look forward to spending a little time each day with you in the days to come.

Pastor Kerry

Friday, December 19th

2008-12-19T07:44:00.001-08:00

As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” John 9:1-5

“Dear Pastor, I would love to know more about how God works in this world. Why do some people lose their children in car accidents or to cancer and others ‘get miracles’ and healed or the car accidents are ‘near misses’?”

This question, the “why do bad things happen to good people?”, question, is, along with a few others, one of the universal questions of all time. If it had a simple answer, it would long ago have been answered.

People tend to answer it from two different ends of a spectrum. On the far left, people say, “Bad things happen to good people because bad things happen to all people.” And on the far right, people say, “What seems bad isn’t really bad because everything that happens is ordained by God and is part of God’s larger plan for a really good purpose.”

Neither answer is sufficient for the parent grieving the untimely death of their daughter.

Normally, when that question comes up in real life, I try to reframe it. What sounds like an intellectual question really is an emotional/spiritual question – it isn’t so much an answer the parent wants as it is their daughter back or some tiny ray of hope that will help them through the overwhelming weight of their grief.

But yesterday morning, when I was quiet in the back yard, praying about what is going on in the lives of some folks from my congregation, including my own family, I got a different answer. It was as if God said to me, “Why does everyone think I am in the prevention business? I’m in the redemption business, not the prevention business.”

And then I tried to think of Bible stories where God prevented bad things from happening…and the only ones that came to me were trivial and temporary. Most of the Bible stories are about God redeeming events, working good out of bad, transforming people and their perspectives on and purposes for living life.

I thought especially about this story from John and the disciples’ question, “Who sinned that he was born blind?” What is the cause? Who is to blame? Questions that ultimately take God off the hook by putting the responsibility elsewhere. But then Jesus goes into action, not to answer questions, but to restore a blind man to sight. Jesus redeems the moment by rescuing the man from his slavery to blindness; he doesn’t merely offer an intellectual answer. He springs into action.

I think of the millions of prayers said every single day by millions of people seeking understanding in the midst of unexplainable tragedy or imploring God to prevent bad things from happening in the first place. Clearly, there is power in such prayers. They are not a waste of our time, nor are they unwelcomed prayers to God. We can ask for anything, like children speaking to a loving parent. But few are the children who see the whole picture or the parents who can prevent every bad thing from happening to their children.

In other words, the big question remains unanswered. “Why” goes unanswered but “What can God do with it?” remains to be lived out, one day at a time.

Let us pray: Gracious Lord, you hear the prayers of people begging to be protecting from the bad things that can happen in our lives. You hear those seeking understanding in the midst of the mysteries of life. Sustain us in our prayers, work new life out of the daily deaths of tragedy and loss, and continue to do among us what we cannot do ourselves. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Thursday, December 18th

2008-12-18T07:11:00.001-08:00

“Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— for they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.” Mark 3:28-30

“Dear Pastor, I was wondering what the unforgiveable sin is? I believe it is when you die and haven’t accepted Christ. I have read the scriptures about this, but are there any others that will back this up? I have gotten several different answers from other Ministers, but it seems to me that as long as you are alive, anything is forgiven by Christ if we ask in sincerity. But, to do without Christ would obviously not be forgiven (no 2^nd chances there.)”

Thank you for asking this question. It is a popular one. Lots of people are puzzled, not to mention highly anxious, about these verses. And I know that every pastor in the world has been asked about this…several times. We all end up arriving at our same stock answers. Maybe the most common cliché response says: “If you are worries that you have committed the unforgiveable sin, you probably haven’t.”

I love that “probably” part…it is the loophole that reduces a non-answer to non-comfort.

I’ll share where I now see this issue of the “unforgiveable sin” because I have changed my mind over the years. But before I talk about this question, I want to show you how the writer of Matthew (who was fully aware of Mark’s words) dealt with these verses:

“Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. Therefore I tell you, people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.” Matthew 12:30-32

In both Matthew and Mark, Jesus has been unjustly accused by the religious leaders of being a henchman of the devil. The argument against him: Only a person working with/for the devil has the power to cast out demons. It was a classic attempt at creating guilt by association, divide and conquer. The Pharisees attack the “means” by which Jesus operates. They ignore, because they can’t do, the good that Jesus is doing.

Jesus makes broken people whole again. The Pharisees care only about themselves and their positions of power. People, for the Pharisees, are pawns for their own self advancement. People, for Jesus, are blessed children of God to be loved.

Now you can see more clearly the thrust of Jesus’ answer – in the verses immediately before those listed above, Jesus attacks the logic of the Pharisees. The “learned” ones are actually defending the power of the devil with the suggestion that the devil would go against the devil’s best interests in allowing Jesus to help people. That doesn’t make any sense.

And then in these verses, Jesus refuses to allow the “divide and conquer” tactic to work. Jesus does the will of the Father through the power of the Spirit. Later John would show Jesus attesting, “The Father and I are one.” One in person, one in purpose – and the purpose is for the good, the restoration, the re-creation of broken people like you and me.

“Blasphemy” in the Greek means to “injure the reputation of.” It means to speak with disrespect or evil intentions about God. It means using language to debase, dishonor, deny or disrespect God. However it is defined, that is exactly what the religious leaders were doing to Jesus that day – and it is exactly what the religious leaders would later accuse Jesus of doing.

So, when I put all of this together, my understanding is that Jesus said these words while engaging in an argument against the religious leaders who opposed him. He was not slipping a little legal clause into the New Testament intended to make people fearful for the rest of time. So I frankly don’t worry about the “unforgiveable sin.”

Grace is grace is grace is grace. Nothing in our human brokenness is unforgiveable. Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. We don’t have to understand that, explain it, or justify it – we just bear witness to it. We tell the old old story of Jesus and his love.

Let us pray: Dear Lord, many people have been very fearful through the ages that they have somehow done or said something that is outside of your loving capacity to forgive. Use us, as ambassadors and agents of your love, to hear the confession in such fears and to speak the words of forgiveness which you have given us to speak. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Wednesday, December 17th

2008-12-17T07:27:00.001-08:00

Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” Mark 8:31-38

“Dear Pastor, I’m embarrassed to even ask this question because I feel ignorant in not knowing, but I will ask anyway. I believe that Jesus was the Son of God. I believe that Jesus came into the world to save us from our sins. What I don’t understand is how his death saved us? Why did God require such a sacrifice? And why hasn’t humanity improved (become less sinful) because of it?”

Theologically, this question falls between Christology (the study of the person of Jesus) and soteriology (the study of salvation.) Practically, this question lies at the heart of our understanding and practice of the Christian faith.

How does the death of Jesus have anything to do with us? How is Jesus connected to our “atonement” – that is, the healing of the broken relationship between God and humanity. How is it that Jesus enables us to be “at-one-with” God?

Through the years this question has been answered in several ways. The top four answers, all of which can be supported by verses from the Bible, include:

1) “The Ransom Theory” Humanity gave itself to the devil in the fall from grace in the garden. Jesus “paid the debt” of our sins, from God to the devil, so that we could be returned to God’s ownership.

2) “The Satisfaction Theory” God’s justice demands a punishment. Jesus was punished on our behalf to satisfy this demand for justice.

3) “The Moral Theory” Jesus’ death was an act of supreme obedience. Those who come to understand that act of obedience are then morally persuaded to live out this same radical obedience to God.

4) “The Christus Victor Theory” Jesus waged war against all the forces opposed to God (the world, the devil and our sinful selves) and won victory over all of them, with us being the spoils of war.

My problem with all such “theories of the atonement” is that they are all about what happens “out there” in the realm of God…and I pretty much think that is quite beside the point. They are about changing God, changing God’s relationship with us, changing God’s attitude toward us, changing the realities of our separation and distance from God.

What I think is actually the point of the Christian faith is changing US, not changing God. The faith isn’t about buying God off, it is about how we SEE ourselves and God and our place in God’s world. Jesus was far more concerned about justice and right relationships between people than he was about effecting some cosmic marketplace transaction in the sky.

Look at Peter’s response to Jesus announcing his impending death – Peter wants nothing to do with death. Peter wants Jesus to succeed…maybe so that Peter could succeed him. But Jesus knows what Peter doesn’t know, sees what Peter doesn’t see, and the answer will feel much more like surrender than victory.

The problem is that we HAVE a problem – our separation from God and others – that we can’t solve on our own, try though we might. And the Bible’s answer to that is that we have to die. Jesus as Jesus died, so we must die. Die so that a new self can be reborn. Jesus died so that we might live, but first, as Jesus told Nicodemus, we have to die. In baptism, we are joined to that death and then, day after day, we return to that same beginning.

Which is why, for me anyway, Christian salvation looks a whole lot more like a group of alcoholics meeting together to seek God’s power in living one day at a time in recovery than it does to a country club where people gather to enjoy one another knowing that someone else paid the tab for their membership dues. People slip in recovery but are always welcomed back to the fellowship to try again. People can be kicked out of a club.

We have practiced Country Club Christianity far too long. The world is better served by those Christians seeking recovery from all that separates them from God and one another.

Let us pray: Dear Jesus, you have done for us what we cannot do for ourselves. Continue to guide and inspire us to do what we can only do for you and those you love. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Tuesday, December 16th

2008-12-16T05:45:00.001-08:00

Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” Luke 23:42-43

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of God’s trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

“Dear Pastor, I am a 69 year old Christian. However I still do not understand; when one dies, we pray and often say they are with God but then we say ‘he will come again to judge the living and the dead.’ It’s easy to get the living part but I don’t get the dead part. I have been bothered by this for years…”

Lots of people wrote to me with variations on this same question. What happens when we die?

The short, quick and honest answer is, “I don’t know.” No one knows absolutely for sure. But what we do know for sure is that people have been asking that question ever since people have been around to ask questions. Fundamentally, it is a mystery.

We’ve all heard and read stories about near death experiences and “90 Minutes in Heaven” and we’ve been intrigued or scared by all of them. There are those who investigate such experiences seeking to expose them as frauds or illusions and others who do the same thing seeking to add to their Christian witness. Sometimes they comfort, sometimes they confuse.

As you can see from the two Bible passages above, the Bible doesn’t give one simple answer to the question either. We can talk about death as the gateway to eternal life (as John does) and rest on Jesus’ words to the thief on the cross (as Luke does) – we die and go immediately to heaven. Or we can talk about death as “falling asleep” (as Paul does) – we die and then we wait for the final resurrection. The plain words of scripture teach two different things, what holds them together is the purposes for which they were written. They are written to bring comfort and hope.

The Christian faith in the resurrection of Jesus and the promise of eternal life with God is intended to comfort the dying AND the living. Whether we go directly to God’s presence or sleep through the waiting, the next thing a person knows after dying is being in the presence of God. That Jesus embraced a common thief on the cross is good news for all of us sinners who trust in Jesus for our hope. That Paul told the Thessalonians to “encourage one another with these words” reminds us of the power of Christian community as we comfort those who grieve.

The bottom line for our faith is ultimately not about the HOW of what happens after we die but about the WHO into whose presence we come. We rest not in empty arguments about things we do not know but in the promises of the One who has gone before us and has promised to make a place for us, to come again for us, to receive us unto himself.

Regardless of our shifting feelings about our own deaths, we know it will come someday. Until that day, we make the most of the lives we have been given. Because Jesus has secured our future, we are free to live our lives here and now.

Let us pray: Dear Lord, we have many different thoughts and feelings about death and what happens to us after we die. Help us to live with those questions but set us free from being caught in them. Set us free to live our lives fully and make the most of every moment you give to us. And at the last, bring us home. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

December 15th

2008-12-15T06:39:00.000-08:00

Moses writes concerning the righteousness that comes from the law, that “the person who does these things will live by them.” But the righteousness that comes from faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. The scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:5-13

“Dear Pastor, “How do I get faith? This is something I constantly think about and I think my faith isn’t very strong. How can I feel the Heavenly Father’s love? God tells us of the Heavenly Father’s unending love and how much he loves me, but I struggle to feel this love….I had been praying hard to feel this love when we received a phone call that our son had died in a car accident. Now I struggle with so many emotions and my faith and feeling God’s love seem further away than ever. I hear people say that their faith had brought them through a tragedy but I’m not feeling this…”

When I first read this question I probably had the same experience as you did just now. It began with what appeared to be an intellectual question, “How do I get faith?” but then suddenly everything changed with the realization that this was a question spoken by a parent still full of grief at the untimely death of a son.

Welcome to the real world where questions of faith become something more than questions. Welcome to the place where dry and windy theology gives way to flesh and blood, to death and pain, to the battleground between hopelessness and hope.

I’m not afraid of taking faith to the real world – I’m far more afraid of those who would “protect” faith behind brick walls of dogma and decorum. In the real world, a faith which works is a faith we work at, and we can never adequately work at it alone.

Paul tells us that “faith comes by hearing” in Romans 10:17. In the verses above, leading up to that great statement, Paul says that faith is a matter of confessing with our lips and believing in our heart. That is where we get faith – we confess our brokenness and need for faith, we confess our desire for faith, and we believe in our heart that Jesus is Lord. Or, as the old hymn says, “Trust and obey, there’s no other way.”

The Holy Spirit works in us to give us faith when we confess and believe. We can do that part by ourselves – I know that is what happened to me when I finally surrendered to God – but that only happened after hearing the witness of another and then sharing my desire for faith with friends. This isn’t about “making a decision for Christ” but about surrendering to the decision that Jesus has already made for us, and doing that within a network of relationships, those who shared with me and those I shared myself with afterwards.

Here’s what I wish and here’s what I believe. I wish every Christian or every person who wanted to grow in their faith would finally quit pretending that they have it all together and find one or two other trusted friends and finally get honest about their desire to be faithful. And I believe that if that would happen, if people would finally get real about their faith lives and their faith hungers, the Holy Spirit would explode with power in their lives.

Along the way, they would know a faith that would indeed see them through heartache and suffering and anxiety and change and every other piece of brokenness a fall creation can dish out.

Let us pray: Dear Lord, there are many who follow you with their lips but their hearts are far from you – not because they don’t want to know you but because they don’t know any other way. Bring good people into lives such as these. Free lips to tell the truth. Soften hearts to be open to your power. Birth new faith which sets us free. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Friday, December 12th

2008-12-12T07:15:00.001-08:00

“They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.” Acts 2:42-47

I’ve been a parish pastor for twenty years. Throughout those years, there has been a parade of people who have encouraged me along the way - not by their words, not by any particularly heroic deeds, but merely by their presence. Most of them have no idea of this, but, when the doors of the church open on Sunday morning, and they walk in to their seats, I am more than grateful. Their presence feeds my faith and helps me trust in the promises of God.

I call such people “somebodies.” A somebody to me is a person who makes an impact on my life, often without realizing it. Think about your own life - who are the people whose very being helped sustain you? It might have been a middle school teacher who always called you by name even if you hardly knew them. A person behind the counter where you stop for morning coffee. A neighbor across the street or down the hall who never misses an opportunity to smile. “Somebodies” are those people who build your trust in humanity, and even build your trust in God.

I firmly believe that everyone is someone else’s somebody. Every person who reads this devotion this morning HAS somebodies out there in the world, and every person who reads this IS a somebody to someone else. There are people who consider YOU special, important and helpful, whether or not you know it.

The final reason why I believe we ought to be in worship every Sunday is that worship gives us a chance to be someone else’s somebody.

It has never bothered me before that people tend to sit in the same section of the worship space week after week. I like ritual so who am I to complain about creatures of habit? But more than that, I know that others notice your presence. When you are there, they are encouraged. When you aren’t there, they wonder where you are. And you might never know who they are!

Faithful worship, each and every week, is a way for you to encourage your brothers and sisters in the faith - not only by what happens but by your very presence. Just being there is a gift to someone. It’s no secret that the earliest Christians were strengthened by growing bonds of brotherhood. The church grew because people experienced love and community in the gathering of the faithful - that still happens today which is why it is so important that the faithful actually gather.

And there you have it - five good reasons to be in worship every week. 1) God commands your presence; 2) your relationship with God grows; 3) you can “unload” the burden of sin and begin life anew; 4) worship is good for your personal and relational health; and 5) other people count on your presence.

Let us pray: Gracious Lord, it is fashionable for us to say and believe that we can worship you anywhere - and even if that is true, we also know that when we aren’t in worship on Sunday mornings we are probably worshiping someone or something else. Cut through our rationalizations and justifications and help us to realize how crucial the weekly gathering of your people is to what you want to accomplish in the world. Help us center our lives on you by centering our time around worship. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Thursday, December 11th

2008-12-11T05:59:00.000-08:00

“O Lord, by these things people live, and in all these is the life of my spirit. Oh, restore me to health and make me live! Surely it was for my welfare that I had great bitterness; but you have held back my life from the pit of destruction, for you have cast all my sins behind your back. For Sheol cannot thank you, death cannot praise you; those who go down to the Pit cannot hope for your faithfulness. The living, the living, they thank you, as I do this day; fathers make known to children your faithfulness. The LORD will save me, and we will sing to stringed instruments all the days of our lives, at the house of the LORD.” Isaiah 38:16-20

Back in the fall of 1988, I attended a seminar here in Houston in which the speaker, talking about the keys to a successful marriage, quoted some amazing statistics on the impact of weekly worship. He said that 50% of all marriages end in divorce. 50% of all marriages in which both partners belong to the same congregation end in divorce. 50% of all marriages in which both partners occasionally attend worship end in divorce. But, in those marriages in which the partners are together in worship at least three out of four weeks a month, only 2% ended in divorce.

He went on to make some suggestions about why that might be - the same consistency and values that lead a couple to worship together every week also lead them to be more intentional in working on their marriage. The habit of regularly being cleansed from sin and given a second chance instills in couples a greater willingness to be forgiving of one another. A shared spirituality is closely linked to a deeper intimacy.

I have no idea where that speaker got those numbers - but I know from practical experience that it might be true. Few of the troubled couples I know are both faithful in worship. She might be, or he might be, but they aren’t.

Faithful, regular, weekly worship doesn’t just strengthen your relationship with God, it can also strengthen your personal relationships.

Children today spend a lot of time waiting for their parents. They wait for them to pick them up from day care, wait for them to come home from work. Children need life anchors, trustworthy rituals and routines. The Sunday morning schedule of worship and learning gives them a time they can count on when they will be together as a family. Participation and connection to a Christian community provides for the needs we have for extended family as many children live hundreds of miles from grandpas, grandpas and other relatives.

What is good for your emotional health can also be good for your physical health. Worship teaches you to let go and let God. It relieves stress. It puts songs in your heart that you carry into the week.

Regular worship can also convict you regarding those areas of your life that you know, and God knows, are not healthy. Often people who do not worship regularly will say they have good reasons, but what they really know deep down inside is that they are sealing off certain areas of their life from God and staying away from church helps them pretend that they are getting away with it. That too might be good, if it leads a person to return to God and make positive changes in their lives.

Regular worship is good for your relational, physical and spiritual health. I guess you would have to try it to see if it works for you.

Let us pray: Gracious Lord, your love has the power to heal us. We pray for healing in those wounded parts of our lives. As we worship you, we trust that you are healing us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Wednesday, December 10th

2008-12-10T07:10:00.000-08:00

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. Deliver me from bloodshed, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.” Psalm 51:10-15

There is a page in our local newspaper called “Earth Watch.” I seldom read it. I think it comes out once a week. I assume that Hollywood producers read it each week looking for plots for their next disaster movie as it lists earthquakes, typhoons, floods and body counts. Such disasters happen somewhere, every day.

I don’t know if it is still on but there used to be a morning radio show here in Houston featuring something called “The War of the Roses.” People who suspected their spouses of cheating would write in. The suspect spouse was given an opportunity to send roses to someone special – when the someone special turned out to be someone other than their spouse they got caught and the commuting spouses got to listen to lies, betrayals and heart ache on their drive into work. Such betrayal happens somewhere, every day.

Every week our email prayer chain at Covenant includes prayers for a list of soldiers now serving in Europe and the Middle East. Every day that I read of another bombing or fire fight, another soldier or civilian killed, I realize that someone has been praying for the health and well-being and their prayers will not be answered as they wanted. Bloodshed happens somewhere, every day.

I do most of my driving around the Houston area. When you drive in a big city you discover that your car remains clean for a long time. That isn’t the case out in the country – you know what your windshield and bumper look like after a long drive on vacation. Covered with sticky remains.

That is how it feels to me to be a human being, a child of God, living in a broken world. We travel through this life of pain, sin and sadness and we accumulate the sticky remains. We get dirty as the victims of the sin of our neighbor and we dirty others with our own complicity and sinfulness.

Yet every day, and in a very special way every week when Christians gather before God’s throne of grace, we get to “unload” and “dump” the brokenness we have accumulated along the way. We receive the fresh reminder of the grace of baptism in words of confession and absolution. We hear again of God’s saving presence in the past and strong power in the present. We eat the food which brings eternal life as a foretaste of the feast to come. It’s all good. It is a fresh start. A new beginning. A resurrection.

Worship is our “soul wash.” When Monday morning swings back around, we greet the new week as new people.

Let us pray: Great is your faithfulness, O God our Savior and our Rock. As we come before you carrying the stains of sin, wash us clean from the inside out, that we more freely live, more fully serve and may finally be gathered together with you in eternity. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Wednesday, December 9th

2008-12-09T06:07:00.000-08:00

“O come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and the dry land, which his hands have formed. O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. O that today you would listen to his voice!” Psalm 95:1-7

Why worship God every week? Reason number two is: He is our God and we are his people. Building relationships requires spending time together.

When I teach parents about the promises they make in the baptism of their children, I often compare them to the promises they make in their own marriage.

I ask people to imagine two young people who fall in love and decide to get married. They spend months preparing for their marriage ceremony and the grand reception which follows. After a wonderful honeymoon, they move into their little one bedroom apartment. On her first night in her new home, the wife prepares a nice dinner and waits for her husband to come home. He doesn’t show.

One week passes, two weeks, three weeks...and still he doesn’t show. Then, suddenly, a month later, he comes into the apartment at 5:30, sits down at the table and calls out, “Hi honey! What’s for dinner, I’m starving!” How is the wife going to react? She screams at him, unloading a month worth of hurt and anger.

He, seemingly surprised, says, “What’s your problem? I married you, didn’t I? I said, ‘I do’ didn’t I? I don’t understand why you’re so angry.”

We know what the problem is with that picture. While the husband might be technically right, showing up once a month is no way to build a relationship.

In the same way, since God has chosen to use the Word and the sacraments within the gatherings of his people to reveal his love for the world, it is important in building our relationship with God that we be present in worship.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, we pray that you might open our spirits to your presence as we gather each week in worship. Ground our identity in you and encourage us to make that identity visible through our active participation in worship. Help everyone who bears responsibility for leading worship to do so with an awareness of the relational nurturing that can happen as we gather in your name. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

2008-12-08T06:55:00.000-08:00

“Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God; you shall not do any work‑‑you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.” Exodus 20:8-11

It’s the holiday season. I sometimes question my memory on this issue, but it seems to me that one of the organizing traditions of my grade school years was participating in a Sunday School Christmas program. While we were never members of Immanuel Lutheran Church, my sisters and I were in at least three Christmas programs during this time of year. We might not have been very faithful in worship for the rest of the year but we were there for the holidays.

It seems to me that when the 3^rd commandment was first spoken, the intention behind it was not to encourage people to set time aside for worshiping God only during the months of October, November and December. And yet it seems that many folks do just that.

I can come up with countless reasons why people might not want to go to church on Sundays. Some of them are simply excuses; others are good reasons. What is more difficult is coming up with reasons why people ought to make weekly worship a part of their lives. I want to use the daily devotions this week to go after that question, “Why ought we be in worship every week?”

The first answer is probably the only correct answer there is. But that isn’t to say that it will be very effective in encouraging people to change their lives, reorganizing them around weekly worship. The first answer is - God commands our presence. While our observance as Christians is different than the worship patterns of Israel, the principle still remains that God is pleased with our worship and has organized time in such a way that one day is especially set aside for that purpose.

There is an old criticism of the church that says that “Jesus intended on building a people but then the disciples got a hold of that vision and built a church.” The meat of that criticism suggests that there is something inauthentic and unhelpful about constructing buildings intended to house worship services, and creating religious structures to see that worship happens. Personally, I think that criticism is just an excuse. I believe that regardless of the limitations and problems that will always exist in organized religion, there is something about the trustworthiness that, come what may, Christians will be gathering together at 11:00 on Sunday morning that is a reflection of the steadfastness of God.

God is always there. So is the church. So are Sunday morning worship services. The question is, will you be there?

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, we know ourselves well enough to know that we will always find ways to rationalize our behavior and look for loopholes in the boundaries you place around our lives. We know you invite us to set time aside every week to worship you. Help us to fend off the temptation to organize our time in different ways, to allow other priorities to determine our lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Friday, December 5th

2008-12-05T07:28:00.001-08:00

“Train children in the right way, and when old, they will not stray.” Proverbs 22:6

“Dear Pastor, my kids fight going to church almost every week. My daughter (15) is confirmed and our pastor told her that it is now her choice whether or not to go to church. My son (12) is more likely to go, but every other week or so, he decides he will not go. We struggle with whether or not to force them to go. The middle ground is that if they don’t go, they don’t get our help to do anything that day (no rides to the mall, no money for movies, etc.) Is there something different we should be doing?”

Parenting is a challenge, no question about it. No sooner do you figure out how to ride the waves of a particular stage of development (either theirs or yours), and the wind suddenly changes and you have to learn all over again. While I am far more comfortable being Pastor Kerry than being Dr. Phil, I am also a Dad and I know that parenting teenagers is a challenge.

I want you to realize that this question really isn’t about your children, it is about your parenting. God covers children in other places (like the 4^th commandment to honor your mother and your father), but here in the wisdom of Proverbs, the expectation is placed on the parents – train children in the right way.

My sense is that pastors who read your question will inwardly cringe to hear that your pastor said it is now your daughter’s choice about whether or not to attend worship. I know I did. I’ve never said that to a teenager and I never will. As far as I am concerned, a teenager becomes an adult when they drive their own car and live in their own apartment, paying the bills for both. Until then, parents are in charge.

I also know this question is greatly complicated when one parent faithfully attends worship, hoping to bring the kids along, while the other parent stays home. That is a tough situation. As a pastor, I understand that one – I was always “at work” on Sunday morning, seldom did I get to sit in worship with my children, and their Mom was alone in getting them ready for worship and Sunday School.

My suggestion to the “one parent worships” family is that the parents have a serious conversation about their family values and schedule. Teenagers delight in rifts and division between parents. “But DAD said…” remains a ready arrow in their quiver. If one parent is training their children in the right way and the other isn’t, you will have far more problems down the road than getting the kids to Sunday School.

I don’t know if this next paragraph adequately captures your feelings and values but I think it fits every Christian family. Let’s pretend that it is spoken on Saturda night:

“Tomorrow morning we are all going to get up, have breakfast, and go to worship and Sunday School. We’re not making this decision tonight; it is a decision we made a long time ago that we will continue to honor. When you were baptized, your mother and I promised that we would bring you to worship. We take promises seriously in this family and I’m not going to break that one. We also have people at church who count on us being there, even people like your Sunday School teachers, and we are not going to disappoint them. In our family, our week begins together in worship and that is a non-negotiable.”

This speech – and following through – is best not spoken in anger or with any hint of sarcasm or shame. But it needs to be authentic and the father, or mother, who gives it better be willing to stick to it.

As for consequences for not going to worship…while there is a bit of a logical consequence to no rides to the mall or money for movies if you didn’t accept a ride to church or money for the offering plate…I’m thinking you can do a little better on that one. You’re setting yourself up for the flipside – “But I WENT to church today so you HAVE to bring me to the mall and give me $67 so I can afford a movie!”

Don’t play games with worship. Bring your children to worship. Without shame or physical pain, force your kids to go with you to worship. There are a lot worse things that parents do to their kids that force them to go to church.

PS. And I also suggest that you start talking to your pastor and other church leaders about working harder to create worship opportunities that teenagers want to attend in the same way their parents want to attend. If your congregation is still largely doing worship and learning like they did in 1956, it makes it harder to be a parent. At that point, something needs to change.

Let us pray: Dear Jesus, we remember the story of you getting in trouble when you were 12. So we know you understand something of the difficulty in parenting teenagers. We want to raise our kids to know you and follow you, in many ways it is that very desire that keeps us on track. But it can be hard and we need whatever help you can give us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Thursday, December 4th

2008-12-04T05:19:00.000-08:00

“Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified of God that he raised Christ—whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have died in Christ have perished. If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.” 1 Corinthians 15:12-19

“Dear Pastor, what if there is no Heaven out there for us to go to after we die? What if the only heaven is the one we find on earth as the “foretaste”? How can I reconcile the possibility (likelihood?) that there is not such a heaven with the need to believe, and to assure my children, that when people we love die they go to Heaven with God?”

I love this question. In part I love this question because I can well imagine, if the person who asked it would ask it to a roomful of Christians they didn’t know, jaws would hit the floor – What do you MEAN???? You doubt there could be a HEAVEN???? The very idea that someone could question what many would consider the “ultimate goal” of the Christian faith would be like the reaction Bill Gates would get if he quit his job at Microsoft, gave all his money to the Mexican government and got a job driving a garbage truck.

And I love the question because it really touches the oldest questions human beings have ever had – questions about the meaning of life, our destiny and our purpose.

In Jesus’ day the argument raged between the two powerful Jewish schools of thought. The Sadducees had no conception of life after death. They argued that we merely returned to the earth out of which we were born. The Pharisees believed in a resurrection of the dead and subsequent judgment toward eternal destiny. When Jesus got caught up in this argument (Mark 12) Jesus clearly affirms there is life after death…but it won’t be “life as we’ve known it.”

Paul doesn’t say a whole lot about heaven but he certainly says much about resurrection. In the verses above, Paul is very clear about what is at stake, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have died in Christ have perished. If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.” In effect, if Christ is not raised, then there is no heaven and we are wasting our time and fooling ourselves and our children with the grandest Easter bunny story of all times.

But Paul couldn’t go there. His life proved otherwise. His life on THIS earth proved otherwise. One day, Paul encountered Jesus and it absolutely turned his life around. He realized, on being blinded, that he had been blind all along. He believed, was baptized, and began telling the story of the power and purpose of the resurrection.

Paul’s experience has been echoed in the experience of millions of believers. He came to believe there was something there to believe. And he came to believe, and hence to live, with an eternal purpose and goal to his life.

I know some Christians would argue that, even if there is no heaven or life after death, there are good reasons to believe in God and live a Christian life. There are benefits to “clean living,” real earthly benefits to being honest in business, in taking care of the needy, in being grateful for life, in enjoying the love of family and friends. Such people would argue, “Even if there is no heaven, this is still the best way to live.”

I’m not satisfied with that answer. Nothing can take us out of the necessity that the Christian faith is just that…faith. It is, as written in Hebrews, “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” I’ve never seen heaven. I’m not interested in getting a set of wings and a harp. I think “streets paved with gold” is a human projection of earthly desires and it does nothing for me.

But I trust, with every fiber of my being, that there is more to reality than our brief span of years, that death is a gate to eternal life that passes through Jesus, and that it will be good to be in the company of God. And just as the questioner uses this faith to bring comfort and hope to his children, I use this faith to share the good news of God’s love and God’s purpose with the people I serve.

Let us pray: Gracious Lord, at the end of our lives, by your loving mercies, we pray that you might bring us home to be with you forever in that place where there is no more pain, no more tears, no more longing, and no more struggle. Bring us, at the last, to be with you forever. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Wednesday, December 3rd

2008-12-03T06:27:00.000-08:00

“And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. “Pray then in this way: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one. Matthew 6:5-13

“Dear Pastor, is it possible to be in such a ‘state of despair’ that you just can’t find the words to pray? I know I am to lean on the Holy Spirit to pray on my behalf, but then I allow guilt to enter in and I feel even worse.”

I hear two things in that question that qualify as “prayer life killers.” The first is the illusion of “terminal uniqueness” – the fear that no one else in the world has ever gone through or suffered as much as I have, I’m different than everybody else. And the second is being driven into a corner with your back against the wall of “should” and “guilt.” We’ll deal with those two before listening to Jesus teach us about our prayer lives.

There is no such thing as terminal uniqueness. While we are all uniquely and wonderfully made individuals, human beings have been around a long time and there are a lot of us. Somewhere, someone, has dealt with exactly what we are dealing with and many of them came out intact on the other side. So yes, it is possible to be in a place of despair where you can’t find the words to pray – millions of Christians would nod their heads in agreement that they have been there too.

“Should” and “guilt” are both rooted in what Lutherans consider to be the “law” or the accusing voice of God. The purpose of the law is to guide our behavior and to drive us to Christ, that is, to drive us to seeking and receiving God’s forgiveness. Whenever you find yourself there, you are free to do two things. You are free to trust God’s forgiving love more deeply than you are your own guilt (which lets you off the hook) AND you are free to start doing something differently.

Now we listen to Jesus. Jesus isn’t into showy, fancy sounding prayer designed to impress God or the other people in your Sunday School class. Jesus wants the same thing from you in prayer that you want from your spouse or your children – honesty and the courage to be real. He doesn’t encourage you to pray privately because prayer is shameful, but to pray privately so that you are free to be yourself, your true all mixed up good bad ugly and beautiful self.

Then he gives you the words for your prayer so you don’t even have to make anything up for yourself. It is OK, authentic and real to pray prayers that have been prepared beforehand by you or someone else. It is OK to pray the Lord’s Prayer over and over and over again. It is OK to use prayerbooks, prayers in the front of hymnals, daily devotional booklets. It is OK to use any aid at your disposal that gives you the blessing of joining another pilgrim in prayer which is exactly what you do when you pray such prayers.

The real crucial element is that you take the time to do it. Jesus says, “Go…and do it.” Quiet rooms don’t work for everybody and they don’t work all the time. Some people’s prayer lives get jumpstarted when they start writing things down in a prayer journal. Others learn that it is OK to take a “prayer walk” and pray while walking. You can take “prayer” with you to the gym and pray while exercising.

That’s the best part of our prayer lives! Sometimes it is hard to find time to reconnect with a friend, to have a quiet hour with your spouse, to get your kids away from the TV or the computer or home from their activities – but God is ALWAYS there to talk to and God will ALWAYS hear our prayers. The key? Let go of the guilt and go and do it.

Let us pray: Thank you, dear Lord, for being so available to us and for relieving us of the performance anxiety that we often take with us into our prayer lives. Thank you for hearing us, for forgiving us, for inspiring us, for giving us another chance to come back home to you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Tuesday, December 2nd

2008-12-02T05:59:00.001-08:00

Then Jesus cried aloud: “Whoever believes in me believes not in me but in him who sent me. And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in the darkness. I do not judge anyone who hears my words and does not keep them, for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. The one who rejects me and does not receive my word has a judge; on the last day the word that I have spoken will serve as judge, for I have not spoken on my own, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment about what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I speak, therefore, I speak just as the Father has told me.” John 12:44-50

“Do people who don’t believe in Jesus, or people of other faiths (Jews, Muslims, Hindus) go to hell when they die?”

This was pretty much the most popular question I received yesterday and I am going to address it in three ways.

First, we might all have varying opinions and responses to this question but ultimately, it is not our call. God decides what happens to us after we die. All people are, at that point, just along for the ride.

Second, Christians disagree on the answer to this question. Even the Bible seems to say more than one thing.

Jesus tells us he came not to judge but to save the world. Later in John Jesus says that when he is lifted up he will draw all people to himself. John 3:16 says God so loved the “world.” The Greek word for “world” there is “cosmos”; Jesus came to save the entire created order. Jesus came to complete the blessing entrusted to Abraham in Genesis 12, that through him “all the nations (peoples) of the world would be blessed.” This argues for an inclusive, all encompassing grace that captures everyone. Universal salvation.

But at the same time, Jesus talks of those being judged by his word, separated at the end. In John 3 it says that God so loved the world but then recognizes those who love the darkness rather than the light. There are lots of places in the New Testament that speak of such separation, not the least of which is Revelation 21 where the list of those to be cast into the lake of fire included idolaters. Turn or burn.

The problem with people who hold a “universal salvation” position is that they end up content with themselves and the world, losing their drive to follow Jesus’ command to make disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching them. Jesus would hardly matter. The problem with “turn or burn” people is that they can come off as judgmental and self-righteous as Christian Pharisees. Everything hinges on saying the right words. The meekest humanly whispered “no” trumps the Creator of the world’s YES. Who wants a part of that?

So third, and perhaps most importantly, why do you care? You care because God cares. We love because God first loved us. Do you know people who don’t believe in God? Do you know people of other faith traditions? When you talk to them, are you willing to share your faith, your trust in the goodness and love of God? What if we let God worry about the “cosmic consequences” of Jesus while we focus on living our lives in relationship with the other people we can actually touch, or we can reach out to through our support of mission work at home and around the world?

My sense is that the world is well served when Christians pay attention first to the log in their own eyes, when they treat strangers with respect and hospitality, when they surrender to lives of faithfulness and devotion, when they walk humbly and work for justice, when they are ready and willing to share their faith, when they witness to a faith based on love rather than fear.

Let us pray: Dear Jesus, many people are torn by the question of what happens to people who don’t know or follow you when they die. We pray that you use that question to drive us to ever more faithfully follow you and witness to the faith which you have instilled and inspired in us. May we be ambassadors of your love before trying to be arbiters of the end. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Monday, December 1st

2008-12-01T06:47:00.000-08:00

“For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” Psalm 30:5

I received a great question from a reader early this morning that asked me about feeling joy as a Christian. I offered my responses and decided that I would try something new for this week’s devotions – Questions & Responses. Here’s my invitation – if you have things you have long wondered about the faith, write your questions back to me today at revkerry@gmail.com and I’ll choose some to respond to for this week’s devotions.

“Dear Pastor, I have three questions that I have been struggling with for some time now. Although several years ago, I gave myself to Christ and have believed on him, I have lost the joy I once had. My questions are these:”

“As Christians, are we supposed to be joyful all the time?”

I'm always a bit taken aback by the words "supposed to" when applied to the faith. I prefer "set free to" because, for me at least, the entire faith is about responding to what Jesus has already done for us. Joy is a feeling that comes and goes. Feelings just "are" and they can't be legislated. We are free to feel the full range of human emotions.

“If I go through long periods without joy in my heart, Can I really be a child of God?”

A recent book about Mother Theresa demonstrated how she lived her entire life with an absence of joy, an overwhelming absence of the feeling the presence of God in her life. I can appreciate that as my own personal faith is constantly under attack by my own insecurities and continuing guilt over stupid things I have done along the way. But I hang in there and wake up to each new day with a willingness to be faithful. I try to remember that children don't choose their parents - that I am a child of God is God's choice, not mine. My only choice is living as that child on a daily basis, whether I want to or not, whether I feel like it or not, whether I am successful at it or not.

“If joy is to be mine, how do I attain it?”

My short answer is - figure out what works and doesn't work for you and do what is helpful.

I have long fought depression. It is a part of me. It gets triggered by certain situations that life keeps pulling me through. There have been times that I have used counselors and medicine; I was even hospitalized for several weeks back in 1997. As a matter of fact, once I got back to church again, writing the daily devotions became a source of therapy for me by insuring that I start each day thinking more deeply about God and sharing my thoughts with others.

What I have learned through all of that is to pay attention to what lifts me up and what brings me down. There are things that seem natural for me to do that always prove unhealthy and unhelpful - when I stay away from those behaviors or thought patterns, I am far more likely to feel joyful about life. There are other things in my life that always bring joy to me - when I'm feeling down, I can go to those behaviors and always get picked up. We would all do well to figure out what works and doesn't work, writing in a journal or talking with others helps us identify those things that work or don't work for us.

Joy, for me at least, isn't "self generated" but a gift of the Spirit in my life. Being joyful is possible because I can choose to do things that increase the possibilities of feeling joy and being a joyful person.

Let us pray: Dear Lord, help us identify those behaviors that increase joy in our lives – talking honestly with our spouses or friends, taking care of our bodies, coming to you in prayer and worship, helping others on a daily basis, doing well in our jobs – help us identify what works for us. And then, by the power of your Spirit, set us free to regularly incorporate those behaviors into our lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Friday, November 28th

2008-11-28T06:30:00.000-08:00

“Now it is not necessary for me to write you about the ministry to the saints, for I know your eagerness, which is the subject of my boasting about you to the people of Macedonia, saying that Achaia has been ready since last year; and your zeal has stirred up most of them. But I am sending the brothers in order that our boasting about you may not prove to have been empty in this case, so that you may be ready, as I said you would be; otherwise, if some Macedonians come with me and find that you are not ready, we would be humiliated—to say nothing of you—in this undertaking. So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to go on ahead to you, and arrange in advance for this bountiful gift that you have promised, so that it may be ready as a voluntary gift and not as an extortion.” 2 Corinthians 9:1-5

“Now concerning the collection for the saints: you should follow the directions I gave to the churches of Galatia. On the first day of every week, each of you is to put aside and save whatever extra you earn, so that collections need not be taken when I come.” 1 Corinthians 16:1-2

In both of his letters to the Corinthians, Paul asks that they prepare their gifts ahead of time, that they be intentional about setting aside their gifts on a weekly basis so that they are ready when it is time to give. Whether or not Paul knows anything about “budgeting” as we understand it, that is exactly what he is asking the Corinthians to do.

When we establish a family budget we are acknowledging what my mother always told my sisters and I, “Money doesn’t grow on trees.” (And we, or at least I, would counter, under my breath, discretion being the better part of valor even when making jokes, “Yes it does because it is made out of paper.”) But Mom was right. As a single mother raising four kids, she needed a spending plan to stretch her meager income as far as it would go.

Establishing a family budget is also an exercise in establishing priorities. The bills at the top of the list are the most essential; those at the bottom are the extras we might or might not be able to afford this year. Where we put our giving says much – as Jesus taught – about where we put our hearts.

Investment gurus teach us, “Pay yourself first.” The Bible, with its assumption of “first fruits” giving, would argue that giving comes first. Each of us, when setting up our family budgets (in and of itself a crucial aspect of faithful stewardship and wise money management) must, as Paul has told us, make up our minds, “not reluctantly or under compulsion” about the place we will give to our giving.

The fourth question of 24 Stewardship is: Is my giving intentional and consistent?

Most charitable organizations, from public television to congregations, conduct annual “pledge drives.” These are efforts to encourage supporters to do what Paul is asking, to plan their charitable giving ahead of time by making an estimate of giving. They have learned that people are able to be far more generous in their giving than they initially think if their giving is budgeted, regular and consistently given.

I’m suggesting, in 24 Stewardship, that Christians include their congregational family in their thinking as they consider their own family budgeting – their congregational family is an extension of their nuclear family, the mission of their congregation is an extension of their own personal and family callings to make a positive difference in the world. 24 Stewardship asks us to consider the place our giving fits in our lives on purpose rather than picking a number out of the blue, or giving out of what is left, or reaching for the checkbook as the plates come down the aisle. “Mindfulness” and discipline are aspects of our spirituality in every area of our lives, including our giving.

Two numbers (what do we bring home and what do we give?) and four questions: What percentage of our income are we giving away? Is that current level of giving truly sacrificial or is it trivial? Do we feel good, joyful, about what we give? Are we planning our giving ahead of time in our family budgets and are we consistent in our giving?

An honest assessment of those questions can remove the guilt from our giving and unleash our God-given potential as faithful and generous stewards. Maybe a family discovers they have been giving 1% or 2% of their income and they don’t feel good about that – they might consider doubling that in a year, growing toward tithing a few more years down the road. Another family might discover that the budgeting necessary to get their giving lives in order actually helps them set the priorities that get their general financial lives in order.

And in all of this, remember that Paul’s teaching would ultimately find its place in a great effort of relief to the saints in Jerusalem – just as our financial giving brings blessings far beyond ourselves.

Let us pray: Gracious Lord, guide us in looking more intentionally at our own personal patterns of giving and spending. Help us, even in the face of financial difficulties and seasons of hardship, to look beyond ourselves and our own needs and desires to the ministry we share through our local communities of faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Thursday, November 27th

2008-11-27T07:32:00.001-08:00

The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:6-8

I’m writing this on Thanksgiving Day, a day set aside each year in the United States to remember two of our most cherished values as a nation – gratitude and determination. As children we were taught about the courage of the Pilgrims who came to this land seeking freedom and a new life. After a year of desperate hardship, greatly aided by the native people who taught them various means for sustaining their lives (including planting corn), the immigrants celebrated a harvest feast to give thanks.

That is the story we were taught as children. Since then, more historically responsible details, not all of them pretty, have been added to flesh out what probably happened. But the heart of the story remains – gratitude and determination in the face of a grueling challenge to build a new life.

Today we face a new set of challenges and the real possibility of hardship for people as we all walk into yet another version of the New World – an interconnected global world dancing through a minefield of chaotic change. And again, gratitude and determination will be among the values and attitudes that will see us through.

I’ve been writing this week about a very simple way to think about Christian financial stewardship – 24 Stewardship. Two numbers and four questions. It is fitting that today, Thanksgiving Day, we consider the 3^rd of these questions:

Do we feel joyful about what we give?

When we consider the two numbers (the amounts we bring home and give), asking ourselves what percentage we give back, whether or not it represents a real sacrifice on our part, then we ask if we feel good about what we are giving. Do we give cheerfully, joyfully – or reluctantly or under compulsion?

The sacrificial aspect of giving is what makes it holy, what connects it to the sacrificial love of Jesus who sacrificed himself for us. The “joyful” aspect of giving is what reveals the underlying spiritual foundation of our lives. Those living under the weight of the faith “as law” are most apt to give reluctantly or under compulsion; those living within the freedom of faith as “gift” are most apt to experience giving as a joyful response.

Related to this idea of faith as “law” or faith as “gift” is another kind of deeper sense of life – life as a battle waged our personal share of scarce resources or life as a shared experience lived within a surplus of abundant resources. You can even call this a “theology of scarcity” or a “theology of abundance” given that both ways of looking at life grow out of a sense of what God is up to.

Do we struggle in faith to follow a God who only scarcely provides barely enough to get by (the harsh winter faced by the Pilgrims) or do we in faith follow a God who provides more than what we need so that there is always something to share (the Thanksgiving feast shared even with strangers)?

It is pretty clear where the Apostle Paul comes down on this question as he teaches the Corinthians how to give, and why it is important that we give at a level about which we can honestly feel joyful: “And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work.”

Let us pray: Dear Lord, we know that you walk with us through good times and hard times because we trust that you walk with us all the time. Fill our hearts with joy and gratitude for all the gifts you have given us, today and every day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Wednesday, November 26th

2008-11-26T06:52:00.000-08:00

“I do not say this as a command, but I am testing the genuineness of your love against the earnestness of others. For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. And in this matter I am giving my advice: it is appropriate for you who began last year not only to do something but even to desire to do something—now finish doing it, so that your eagerness may be matched by completing it according to your means.” 2 Corinthians 8:8-11

24 stewardship. Two numbers and four questions. The numbers are: How much do we bring home and how much do we give? The first question: What percentage of the money we receive do we give away?

And now for the second question: Does our giving represent a sacrifice on our part?

Paul lifts up Jesus as an example to the Corinthians – but notice what it was about Jesus that Paul found noteworthy. It wasn’t his identity but his example. Not his words or his teaching but his actions. We are always quick to point out that Jesus WAS a sacrifice but here Paul emphasizes the way that Jesus MADE sacrifices for our sake. Jesus gave himself away.

Paul says, “For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.”

Paul also says the same thing about the Macedonians whom he lifts up as examples to the Corinthians: “We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of God that has been granted to the churches of Macedonia; for during a severe ordeal of affliction, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For, as I can testify, they voluntarily gave according to their means, and even beyond their means…”

Out of a “severe ordeal of affliction” they gave “even beyond their means.” This is sacrificial giving. “Sacrifice” is derived from the Latin root, “sacrificium” – the same root as the word “sacred” which means “holy.”

The Macedonians didn’t share when times were good, they sacrificed when times were hard.

Sacrificial giving means giving at a level that requires giving something else up or going without acquiring something else. It means letting go of something valuable to us for the sake of something much more valuable. So we ask ourselves, “Does whatever we give represent a real sacrifice?”

Today’s question about sacrificial giving often raises a question of its own, “But what if I can’t give money but I give a lot of my time?” The answer there is simple: if we have money to live, we have money to give. Giving of our time is wonderful but holding back from giving financially limits us spiritually.

Again, the point of these questions is not to raise guilt or drive us to justifying ourselves. We are justified by grace through faith in Jesus, not by writing large checks on Sunday morning!

Two numbers and so far, two simple questions. What percentage of what we receive do we give? And is our giving sacrificial or is it trivial?

Let us pray: Dear Lord, you never took the easy way. You didn’t run from your calling or hide behind your fear. You were bold, courageous, and humble. You gave everything for us, you loved us to the end. May we your people evidence that same devotion and dedication in our following. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Tuesday, November 25th

2008-11-25T07:04:00.000-08:00

For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has—not according to what one does not have. I do not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure on you, but it is a question of a fair balance between your present abundance and their need, so that their abundance may be for your need, in order that there may be a fair balance. As it is written, “The one who had much did not have too much, and the one who had little did not have too little.” 2 Corinthians 8:12-15

Paul is encouraging the Christians in Corinth to participate in the collection of money for the relief of the struggling Christian community in Jerusalem. He is asking that they provide the funds that will further the mission of the church. He is teaching about financial giving.

Yesterday I suggested a way of thinking about the spiritual discipline of giving by using a simple formula – 24. Two numbers (how much money do I bring home and how much of it do I give away) and four questions. Today we ask the first question:

What percentage of my income do I give away?

At first that seems to be a simple math equation. But, as with so many other things, it isn’t as simple as it sounds. Lots of people don’t really know exactly what they make. For some, like many self employed people or people paid primarily by commissions or people whose income is received seasonally, their income is extremely volatile. For others, their weekly or monthly paychecks don’t vary. For still others, they don’t really pay attention.

I’ll never forget the time I heard Michael Dell interviewed on the Charlie Rose show. When asked what drove Dell, “It is making more money?”, Dell replied, “You know, Charlie, money for me lost its meaning a long time ago. I never really even think about money.” Most of us are obviously not at that place in life.

Here is also the point where the question comes up – am I supposed to figure out the percentage I give according to my gross income or my net income? And then the argument rages about the percentage of our taxes that accomplish what used to be the work of charity, etc. I’m not really interested in that argument. Today I would just say – start with the two numbers, what do you make and what do you give, and then ask yourself what percentage of what you make do you give.

You see, I don’t think there is a “supposed to” about it. Paul’s whole point to the Corinthians seems to be to encourage their giving, not to apply some kind of law. When he writes, “the gift is acceptable according to what one has—not according to what one does not have” he is taking “supposed to” out of the equation and replacing it with “what do you have” and “what do you give.”

A tithe represents 10% of our income. That’s the amount. “First fruits” giving means the first 10% - that isn’t about the amount but about the priority of giving. People who decide to tithe answer the percentage question of giving with 10%.

Many people, looking at their giving patterns, would discover they give 0%-3% of their income. Others might discover they give well beyond 10%. The point here is that I believe it is spiritually significant that we know what we make, what we give and what percentage of our income is represented by our giving. If we don’t know that number, we aren’t ready to answer the rest of the three questions we’ll be looking at this week.

Let us pray: Dear Lord, if following you is about math at all then the only number that counts is 100. Because, just as you invest 100% of yourself in us, we know you care about 100% of us and 100% about our lives. We want to be faithful to you and we need your guidance to light a path of faithfulness for us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Monday, November 24th

2008-11-24T06:36:00.000-08:00

“We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of God that has been granted to the churches of Macedonia; for during a severe ordeal of affliction, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For, as I can testify, they voluntarily gave according to their means, and even beyond their means, begging us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in this ministry to the saints…” 2 Corinthians 8:1-4

Talking about and teaching financial giving at church is a minefield. On the one hand, if you bring the subject up you run the risk of alienating 80% of your hearers, opening yourself to the scary charge of being “just like those TV preachers”, being told the blatant untruth that “all you talk about is money” or resorting to leaving the gospel in the dust and teaching only law.

On the other hand, if you don’t talk about and teach financial giving then you leave your people at the mercy of a culture that has been subtly teaching the idolatry of money and material possessions since people drew their first breath – pay yourself first, you are what you earn, more is better, bigger is better, keep up with the Jones’, you can never have enough.

The Church as an institution is not immune from these cultural ideas. Ask anyone about the most “impressive” ministries in town and you will hear about the ones with the largest buildings and the most members/attenders. Which is quite odd given that we follow Jesus who told us that the Son of Man “has no place to lay his head,” who didn’t build a single building and never once marveled at the size of the crowds he drew…”Wow, Peter, check out that crowd! We’re really packing them in this Sabbath!”

Instead Jesus warned us about the danger of our love of money crowding out the love of God. About the danger of our possessions possessing us.

So it is that we need to take the risk and teach about giving, or else we take the risk of leaving our people at the mercy of their anxieties, kneeling down to the god of the dollar or leading them in singing, “I Surrender All…Except….”

I was thinking about this last week, thinking about how to cut through the fog of discussions about annual budgets and giving shortfalls and challenge appeals and the other stuff we end up talking about behind the scenes of congregational ministry. I thought again about the way that the Apostle Paul taught the Corinthians about financial giving. And I had a very simple idea – 24.

24 – This stands for two numbers and four questions. That is what I want to talk about in our devotions this week, Thanksgiving week and all. I want each of us reading these devotions to take time to personally look at our own financial giving to our congregations or other charitable causes beyond ourselves. 24 – two numbers and four questions.

Before I invite you to consider two numbers, I want to remind you that Paul says that the Macedonians “first gave themselves to the Lord.” Financial giving is a spiritual discipline, returning to God what God has given to us. “Giving” is really a shorthand term for “giving back” because nothing is really ours to begin with. We are simply stewards, caretakers. So the two numbers have nothing to do with church budgets or United Way appeals or any of the other numbers that worthy charitable causes lift up. The two numbers have only to do with you as a person or you as a family. They are personal numbers. But they are the numbers we need to begin with.

You can fill in the blanks. How much money do you take home each week or month? And how much of that money do you give away each week or month? Those two numbers are the reality of our giving, and they are the place we need to start in talking about the spirituality of our giving.

Let us pray: Gracious Lord, this week is a special week in our lives. We set aside time this week to be with our families and friends, to share food and time, all in a spirit of thanksgiving for the good gifts you have given us. As we move through this week, we will do so looking more closely at our response to your goodness, looking more closely at what we give back. Open our hearts and minds to your guidance. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Friday, November 21st.

2008-11-21T07:21:00.000-08:00

Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.” And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added.

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved. Acts 2:37-47

Here in Hurricane Recovering Houston/Galveston (and elsewhere in Flood Recovering Iowa or Fire Recovering California or War Ravaged Middle East…) the question is often asked “What can the church do about it?” What role does the church play? Are we a spiritual resource center offering hope and strength and encouragement? Or are we all local centers for social ministry meeting the physical needs of those around us?

Last night a very thoughtful member of my congregation posed that question to me from the perspective of “how it used to be.” Although acknowledging that he wasn’t there to see it himself, his sense is that churches used to be the refuge of the poor and physically needy but now the government seems to have stepped into that role. My sense in listening to him is that he is genuinely concerned that our congregation remembers who we are and Who we represent, and that our concern not be limited only to paying our bills and doing our little local church thing with no thought to anyone else beyond us.

The twin concerns of the mission of the church are righteousness (restoration to a whole relationship with God) and justice (life enhancing relationships among people with particular concern for the poor, the stranger, the children, the widows and the outcasts.) We can talk about saving the world and serving the world, of creating Christian community and caring deeply for the surrounding community.

These twin poles of the same mission keep us honest….when we pay attention to both. It is always a both/and.

Here in the 2^nd chapter of Acts, those questions seem to work themselves out. Peter preaches the Gospel, he digs deeply into the spiritual memory banks of his listeners and then he lays claim to how Jesus transforms their reality. Through Peter’s preaching, the Holy Spirit creates faith in many of the listeners. They believe, are baptized, and then join in the shared spiritual life of the new community of which they have become a part. Righteousness happens.

Then they share what they have with others. None are hungry or homeless. Recognizing that God owns everything, they respond to God’s love by sharing what God has given them to manage. Physical needs are met. Justice happens.

This is the road walked by the faithful. In one ditch drops those who are so spiritual they are no earthly good. In the other ditch drops those like who are so focused on earthly need-meeting that they forget about attending to people’s spirituality. Between those ditches walks the Church that remembers that its power is derived from God and its purpose lies both within and beyond the doors of its house of worship.

Let us pray: Dear Lord, in times such as these, times of change, high anxiety, loss and fear, help us as your people to remember that our calling is to bind up the broken, on the inside and the outside. Help us lay claim to the voice you have given us, to speak words of forgiving love and to speak up for those with no voice. Use us as instruments of healing in a broken world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Thursday, November 20th

2008-11-20T06:43:00.000-08:00

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.” Acts 2:1-13

There’s an old Zen proverb we have all heard – and probably all experienced – “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” That seems to be at least part of what is happening here in the opening scene from the 2^nd chapter of Acts.

Peter and the others have gathered together, surrounded now by strangers from all over the place. They have heard from Jesus himself both their purpose – to be witnesses to the ends of the earth – and his promise – you will receive power from the Holy Spirit. They have gathered regularly. They have been praying together. They have their leadership structure in order. The students are ready.

Suddenly, the teacher appears.

There are three themes in this story that will always speak to us in fresh ways as we continue to be the church in our day. First, it is a gathering of strangers. Clearly they were strangers to one another in that room, but we also gather with strangers when we come together as the church. Even within small groups in most congregational gatherings, people know much less about each other than they realize. Coming together as strangers is not a knock against intimacy at church, it is a recognition of the need to pay attention to each other.

Second, the miracle in the Acts story is that everyone is able to hear and understand what everybody else is saying. The inspired speech in the Pentecost story is not unintelligible gibberish but real words spoken in different languages and yet everyone understands everyone else. The willingness to speak our minds, to communicate clearly, to listen intently, to seek understanding over verbal victory – these are the communication skills that allow our church gatherings to transform strangers into fellow disciples and friends.

And third, the sum is greater than the parts of the whole. Peter isn’t in charge of the events of that day. God is. God is showing up among them. It is the work of the Spirit that makes Pentecost happen. Clearly the characters are cooperating with God – they have prepared themselves, they have shown up for one another, but the story truly is about God’s power unleashed in their midst, empowering them for the work that lies ahead.

They used to call it “revival.” Powerful waves of fervent faith would sweep through Christian communities. Certainly there are times when people’s hopes for revival can be manipulated by savvy con men working the crowd. And certainly sheer emotionalism seldom carries the day for long. But even our skepticism has to take a back seat to the reality that the Church is God’s work, not ours alone, and sometimes God decides to shake things up a bit.

When we’ve prepared ourselves. When we’ve been people of prayer. When we are working hard to develop communities of mutuality and understanding. When we clearly focus on our purpose and on God’s promise. Then, our boards are waxed and we are ready to surf the waves of what God wants to do among us. We revive and we thrive.

Let us pray: Dear Jesus, we pray today for your church, for the men and women who carry your name in the world, for the health and well-being of their communities of faith, for the willingness to speak clearly and listen intently, and for openness to the power of your Spirit among them. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Wednesday, November 19th

2008-11-19T07:00:00.000-08:00

So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness with us to his resurrection.” So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias. Then they prayed and said, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles. Acts 1:21-26

John Maxwell, well established as a pastor-turned-leadership-guru, is quick to point out, whether talking about the Christian world or the business world, “Everything rises and falls with leadership.” His definition of leadership is “influence”, as in, a leader is a person who influences others toward accomplishing the mission and purpose of the organization.

The earliest church didn’t even have to read any books by John Maxwell before they figured that out on their own. And, with the loss of Judas (who forever will remind us that, just because you’re on the team, it doesn’t mean you’re playing the same game), they were a man short. Notice how they replace him.

First, they prayed. Then, they flipped a coin. Actually they “cast lots” which isn’t much different than “eenie, meeny, miny, mo…” Matthias got the spot.

I once heard of a congregation in Washington, DC, that held a special congregational meeting once a year. First, they prayed together about the life and mission of the congregation. Then they put all of the volunteer and leadership spots necessary for running the congregation on little slips of paper and put them all in a grocery bag. The members of the congregation at the meeting then came forward, one at a time, and picked out a slip of paper. If it said, “Usher Coordinator” or “Congregational President” or “6^th Grade Sunday School Teacher”, that would be your job for the following year.

Most congregations operate like we do at Covenant. We make it known for a couple of months that we need new leaders on our governing council. No one volunteers. So people take it upon themselves to twist some arms and cajole some folks and eventually some names come trickling in. Last year, we went into the congregational meeting still short one person. This year we have five people for five spots.

Maybe we should learn a thing or two from the congregation in Washington, DC, given that they have learned a thing or two about how elections don’t always lead to leadership.

Because the fact remains…everything rises and falls on leadership. But it gets tricky because leadership has to do with vision, with power, with authority, with responsibility and with accountability. Far too often in the church, we don’t handle those issues very well. It is much easier to go along to get along, it is risky to exercise authority in a voluntary organization where people can just get miffed, pick up their marbles and go home.

Very quickly it becomes apparent that “leadership” can only work in an atmosphere that puts an equal emphasis on “followership.” And that happens best when both leaders and followers, again looking at the model of the earliest church, both play their roles under the lordship of Christ. Under Jesus, we are all both leaders in our particular spheres of influence, and followers under the authority of others. We are all responsible for the mission of the Church and we are all accountable to one another and to God.

The bottom line – until we take our baptismal identity as children of God more seriously than we do the various ways we organize our lives as Christian congregations, we will never free those gifted or selected to lead to lead, and we will never follow with the devotion, discipline and dedication that brings out the best in us.

Let us pray: Gracious Lord, you took a risk in entrusting your mission in the world to those first disciples. We know they made mistakes and were often short-sighted along the way but they have modeled for us a willingness to try and an openness to the power of your Spirit among them. Bring that same power to bear on us in our leadership and followership as managers of your mission today. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Tuesday, November 18th

2008-11-18T06:15:00.001-08:00

Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away. When they had entered the city, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying, Peter, and John, and James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers. Acts 1:12-14

A church for others certainly needs time together. The question is, how do they spend that time?

Entering into the story of Acts 1 is pretty breath-taking. They have experienced the chaos of Holy Week, the devastation of Good Friday, the terror of Easter Sunday afternoon, the elation of the resurrection, the joy of extra time with Jesus, and then the shock of Jesus’ sudden disappearance and the equally sudden appearance of two angels who tell them that, one day, Jesus will return just as they saw him go.

And you think WE have seen some weird things in our lifetimes!

So they go back. They go back to the place they know. They go back to the upper room, where they shared Passover with Jesus, where they hid out after the crucifixion. They went back to their clubhouse.

Notice what they did…they devoted themselves to prayer. They reached up to God, that God might reach into them, that they might reach out to others.

We don’t get to hear the content of their prayers. We can imagine them reading Psalms together, singing the old songs of the faith. We can certainly imagine them praying the prayer that Jesus taught them. Can’t you also hear them asking God what comes next? What, O Lord, would you have us do next? Can you hear the fear in their voices as they pray with and for one another?

Maybe the content of their prayers doesn’t matter. Maybe the words don’t matter, only the breath which drives them. Maybe there isn’t a right way to pray but it is right that they are praying together.

Most Christians spend only an hour or two a week in public worship. Isn’t it sad to think, when we get together outside of worship, that we reduce God to a “Capital letter and a period.” That is, we offer a quick prayer at the beginning of the meeting and, if we remember, we might pray the Lord’s Prayer at the end. But in the middle, whether a committee meeting or a Bible study, we largely leave God out of the equation.

I wonder what would happen if we turned that around. If our devotion when together was to God, praying for knowledge of God’s will and the willingness to carry it out. If we did less planning and more praying, less gossiping and more glorifying, less complaining and more confessing, less business and more being filled by the power of the Spirit.

I wonder what would happen if we took God more seriously than we do the Church.

Let us pray: Dear Lord you have poured your life into people since you first gave us the breath of life. Yet in our brokenness, the power of your Spirit seems to leak right out of us when we need it the most. Come to us when we come together, that we too might be reawakened to your purpose for our lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Monday, November 17th

2008-11-17T07:43:00.001-08:00

So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. Acts 1:6-9

What, Church, are we here for? What is our purpose, what is our role in God’s larger plan?

Amazing, isn’t it, that congregations can go for years on end and never really address that question? We so easily get caught up in the weekly routines of worship and learning and potluck dinners and weeding the flower beds and attending committee meetings. We bounce around from program to program, get bombarded with brainstorms and are regularly reminded of what First Church Down The Block seems to be doing so much better than we do.

But how often do we slow down to ask….why?

Or more precisely, what is my personal role in the mission of the whole?

Isn’t it also amazing, in the New Testament’s telling of the story, that the disciples, after all that has happened leading up to this precise moment in the 1^st chapter of Acts, still don’t get it? They still think that Jesus is going to “restore the kingdom to Israel.” They still expect him to build a palace, take his place on the throne, pick his closest friends for Cabinet positions, raise an army, kick out the Romans and put a sheep in every pot.

They are still primarily worried about what is in it for them. But all Jesus leaves behind is a purpose and a promise. The promise? You will receive the power of the Holy Spirit, I will be with you always. The purpose? You will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth. (To that I would add the obvious…the “ends” refers the farthest reaches of Planet Earth and to the very end of time.)

Yet here we find ourselves today. Far too often just going through the motions and the family dynamics of congregational life. Majoring in minors, we forget the underlying purpose of the whole. We are called to be witnesses on the stand of life and we are reassured that we aren’t there alone.

I have long taught (and occasionally practiced) that a faithful congregation makes every decision in the best interests of, and on behalf of, those who are not yet here. That value is a reflection of our shared purpose to be witnesses to the love, the goodness and the claims of God upon our lives. We aren’t in the Church for our own selfish (conscious or unconscious) purposes.

We are here to be there for those who are not yet here.

I call this first purpose of the church “compassion” as a reminder that what we each carry into the world is the heart of Jesus who looked at the crowds with compassion. We aren’t about judging others or condemning others or even looking down our noses at others, we are about engaging, listening, serving, inviting and welcoming others. We don’t do this perfectly, frankly there are times I wonder if we do it often, but we understand it as the first purpose because we realize that this is the purpose that continually draws us out of ourselves.

The disciples couldn’t stand around waiting on that mountain for Jesus to come back. There was work to do, so they headed back into the city.

Let us pray: Dear Lord, draw us our of ourselves. You have given us a purpose in life, to be your witnesses in what we think, say and do. Forgive us for our fears and our selfishness and open our hearts to the world around us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Friday, November 14th

2008-11-14T05:39:00.000-08:00

“I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.” John 17:20-24

Most New Testament scholars believe the Gospel of John was the last of the four gospels to have been written down, somewhere between 90 and 100 CE. Some argue for an even later date and a few argue that, with its intimate knowledge of Jerusalem and its festivals, it was the first gospel written.

No one would argue that Jesus prayed this prayer in John 17 aloud with the writer of the gospel sitting next to him taking notes.

Basically what this tells me is that Jesus’ prayer that his people be “completely one” might be an expression of Jesus’ values but it was most definitely a hope of the writer of the Gospel of John. It was a hope further expressed in the letters of John where love is the glue that holds Christian community together.

But history has shown that such unity remains elusive. From the very beginning, as early as the disciples of John the Baptist arguing with the disciples of Jesus and the disciples of Peter, Christian unity has been troublesome. Out of the fog of the earliest church what does seem clear is that Christianity, at best, has been an ever evolving conversation. Truth has emerged from that conversation but it has always been truth-in-progress rather than truth codified and written down.

That might be scary. The reminder of the lack of Christian unity might run counter to our heart-felt idea that, at least at some point in history, people got it “right” and now we are either living in that “rightness” or still struggling to get back to it. Yet what is clear is that Christians have never arrived at unanimity or complete agreement about all that much.

So it is that we began this week with the reminder that authority within the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem is shared by six different Christian tribes and a Muslim family holds the keys to the front door. Like it or not, that is the reality.

And I, for one, like it.

The one lesson I’ve learned about myself and other people over the years is that God builds an incredible amount of diversity into creation. Billions of stars, all similar yet all distinct. Billions of people, not a single one a carbon copy of any other person who ever was or ever will be. Billions of plants and animals and birds and bugs and rocks. The only “unity” that exists in creation is the reality that we co-exist and the faith that tells us that we are created by a loving God rather than a jumble of cosmic accidents.

Diversity is scary. Differences are hard to negotiate. The temptation is always to overcome the anxiety of diversity by collapsing people together into groups and teams and tribes and denominations. But none of that can erase the underlying diversity. We sing differently, pray differently, think differently. Given this, it seems highly unlikely that any kind of goal of “sameness” will ever be accomplished, nor should it probably even be attempted.

What we CAN share is a unity of purpose and a common willingness not to degrade or destroy one another. We can fight with words rather than fists. We can unite around common goals of sharing and preserving life. We can learn from one another. We can love one another in our shared humanity. We can realize that, while we might be different, we’re all in this short thing called “life” together.

Let us pray: Dear Jesus, your prayer for unity echoes through history and convicts us of our stubbornness and our all too common unwillingness to play well with others. Help us one of us do what we can to embrace the diversity of creation with a common purpose to make the world a better place for all. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Thursday, November 13th

2008-11-13T03:43:00.000-08:00

“Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.” Matthew 7:1-5

Sometimes…OK…it is ALWAYS easier to talk about problems “out there” than it is to come to grips with problems “in here”. Even more difficult to come to grips with our personal stake and participation in those problems. I think that is exactly where Jesus is sticking his finger into with this passage from the Sermon on the Mount.

All this week, prompted by this past weekend’s FightFest in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, I’ve been writing about “Christians Behaving Badly.” Today I want to cut a bit closer to the bone with the on-going family feud among Lutherans that has been doing on almost since good old Martin Luther hung up his quill pen.

I thought about it while beginning prayer time at the end of a training session for our newest lay chaplains on Tuesday night. I opened the old green Lutheran Book of Worship and saw, among those churches who developed it, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS).

“Ah…the cousins,” I thought. For those of you who don’t know (and, quite frankly those of you who don’t care), there has long been a great divide among Lutherans in the United States. In large part, the fact is that the LCMS has maintained in incredible kind of unity as they have stood apart while most of the other Lutheran Alphabet Bodies have merged and divided through the years.

What do I mean by Alphabet Bodies? Well, my denomination is the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) which formed in 1998 with the merger of the American Lutheran Church (ALC), the Lutheran Church in America (LCA) and the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches (AELC), this last one having formed following a earlier split from the LCMS. See? ALC+LCA+AELC-LCMS seemed a bit ungainly so they settled on the ELCA.

And now you know.

Anyway, I picked up the hymnal, saw LCMS, and I had an immediate flashback to a couple who came into my office one day many years ago. They were looking for a new church and had visited another Lutheran congregation not terribly far from us. After worshipping one Sunday, they made an appointment with their pastor. During the appointment the pastor produced a sheet of paper with a chart on it documenting the reasons why THEIRS was the authentic, faithful, biblical Lutheran tribe and they listed the various failings of…and this is what I found ironic…BOTH the LCMS and the ELCA.

Now I realize that theologians, pastors and a very tiny small minority of actual church members of both the LCMS and the ELCA will get screaming red-faced angry when I say what I’m not about to say but I’m going to say it anyway – we can argue all we want about the differences in history, theology and practice that divide us but the bottom line is it all goes back to protecting our power and our positions and in that is as silly as Armenian and Greek Orthodox monks having a fist fight over an interrupted liturgical prance through the narthex.

And yet, I am grateful to say, that even though there is much to divide us, we do come together for the sake of the weak and the powerless. Our combined social service ministry, under the umbrella of Lutheran Services in America, is the largest non-profit social service ministry in the United States. Larger than Catholic Charities. Larger than the Salvation Army. The six million people served every year means that the various ministries of Lutheran Services touch the lives of one in 50 Americans. Not bad for two church bodies often maligned as “old time, declining, dying, mainline (or sideline) denominations.”

In other words, when we finally look past the logs and the splinters that cause our blindness, we can see our way to doing very good things in the world in Jesus’ name. That is a good thing indeed.

Let us pray: Dear Jesus, your disciples argued amongst themselves as they followed behind you on the road. We continue to argue among ourselves today. But those same disciples continued to follow and then they took up your purposes for the good of the world. May we continue to do the same. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Wednesday, November 12th

2008-11-12T07:12:00.001-08:00

“And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it.” 1 Thessalonians 1:6-8

We had an interesting time in worship this past Sunday at Covenant. We recently changed our middle worship service – we shortened our time in worship by 15 minutes so that we could have 15 minutes of question/answer time at the end for those interested. I had just started our study of 1 Thessalonians that day so I had opened with some observations of the struggles involved in the “dual citizenship status” of people of faith.

For those in Thessalonica during Paul’s ministry, their status as a city under Roman protection and benefaction mattered greatly. Roman citizenship opened many doors. But for the new Christians, surrendering allegiance to a new King raised questions. Big questions. The pagan/secular people were suspicious. The new Christians were walking a thin line. It is no surprise that Paul encourages them for keeping the faith despite persecutions.

Having opened that door, the Q&A time revolved around those questions we live with that cause great tension between and among, not only people of faith, but all people. The folks immediately raised the questions of prayer in public schools, capital punishment and abortion. I knew, if we only had 15 more minutes, someone would probably have brought up homosexual unions, posting the 10 Commandments, stem cell research, and school vouchers.

(As a brief aside…to those pastors reading this…you haven’t lived until you have participated in a conversation about such controversial matters knowing you only have 15 minutes to do it.)

But now I’m going to ask you to re-read the paragraph immediately before that attempt at comic relief.

Prayer in public schools, capital punishment, abortion, homosexual unions, posting the 10 Commandments, stem cell research, and school vouchers. Certainly some of these questions reach deeply into people’s lives…but do you see anything fishy about this list?

Where are the questions about the modern day cult of celebrity, the idolatry of money, the struggle to both (willingly) pay taxes and generously give 10% and more of our income away, justice for the poor both at home and abroad, health care as a human right, or the relational acid of the commercialization of sex?

Doesn’t it seem to you that Jesus would have had a whole lot more to say to those questions, not to mention that they would have also been precisely the behaviors and issues that set the Thessalonian Christians apart from everybody else in the neighborhood?

So why is it that the so-called “Big Christian Issues” that seem to live so close to the surface of our consciousness are limited to the ones that were raised in our little Q&A time? Maybe it is because, for at least the last 40 years, these lightning rod issues have been reduced to scare tactics used to manipulate millions of Christians to donate untold millions of dollars to…fund high priced ministries…entrench right wing Christianity on television and radio…elect and lobby politicians on each side of these questions who say the right words while running for office and then maintain the status quo once elected.

At what point will we have had enough and be willing to change the conversation?

The Thessalonians were different. Not because they were powerful but because they were weak. Not because they were rich but because they were generous. Not because they won the arguments of the day but because they won people’s hearts with the love of God. Not because they were filled with hate but because they had been captivated by hope.

Let us pray: Gracious Lord, open our hearts and minds that we might more effectively be your people in the world. Open our eyes to the hurting people and places in the world where justice is denied, that we might be ambassadors of your love. Help us see beyond divisions to the Spirit that unites us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Tuesday, November 11th

2008-11-11T06:25:00.000-08:00

The Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test Jesus they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red. And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” Then he left them and went away. Matthew 16:1-4

I received a note from a reader last week that is still bothering me. This person was preparing to receive out of town guests, including her brother who was steadfastly convinced the Barak Obama was evil according to some prophetic passages from the book of Ezekiel.

My advice was short, simple and to the point. I suggested: Listen. Smile. Say "I hear you saying things you really believe in, I simply don't agree." And then talk about the kids. There is no reasoning with people like that.

Both her question and my response have bothered me for a week now. I know we have Christian cousins out there who, Sunday after Sunday, get a steady dose of “reading the signs of this sinful and adulterous generation.” I know there are pastors, and at least one long running show on Christian television, who see biblical prophecy coming true in every tidbit of political current events. And I don’t buy any of it.

I find it crass, manipulative and abusive of the scriptures. Worse than that, I find it abusive of the people sitting in the pews who are subjected to the kind of scare tactics employed by people called to do the same thing as I do every week.

That’s where my response also bothers me. Is it true that there is “no reasoning with people like that”? Frankly, I hope it isn’t true, for the good of all. But if it is, then I hope that people whose spirituality has been shaped along the lines of such apocalyptic thinking do not rise to positions of power where their visions might become self-fulfilling prophecies.

Jesus smelled a rat every time that people came to him to test him. Their demands for signs were purely self-serving. The Pharisees and Sadducees could barely stand each other, their theologies were different, their positions of religious power had different foundations – but they became united against Jesus. Jesus was a threat to them because, if all he said was true, then they stood condemned. So, to protect their own turf, they needed to rid themselves of their common threat. Jesus knew it and he chose not to play their sign game.

Except for the sign of Jonah. Remember that story? The reluctant prophet who didn’t want to proclaim God’s love to the Ninevites whom Jonah despised? The one who ran from God’s instructions only to find himself puked up on the shore after God rescued him from a shipwreck?

That’s the sign – but this time, Jesus would be crucified for running TOWARD God’s saving intentions. And three days later, emerging from a tomb, he would lift up a new community and send them forth to love as he loved, to serve as he served, to make disciples as he had made disciples. Not with fear but with love and a gracious invitation – Come and follow me.

Maybe that calling and that invitation are just too simple. Or maybe that is the exact promise. Maybe we’re not satisfied with a simple calling to follow because that means we can’t be in charge. We don’t get to be kings of the hill. Maybe we are as interested in retaining our power base over others as the Pharisees and Sadducees were. Maybe that is the allure of “Bible Code Christianity.” If so, maybe all we can do is smile, listen, and talk about the kids.

Because, at the end of the day, the ones at stake are the kids.

Let us pray: Dear Lord, you know that those who follow you are all over the board regarding how we interpret scripture. Such differences have now led to painful and prolonged divisions. We pray, that divided though we be over what we think, we might yet be united by the love we show through lives of service and care. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Monday, November 10th

2008-11-10T07:05:00.001-08:00

John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” But Jesus said, “Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us. For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.” Mark 9:38-41

Well, they’re at it again.

Monks representing the Armenian and Greek Orthodox tribes of the Christian movement got into a fistfight this Sunday inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. You can Google the “he said – he said” details of the fracas, you can even catch the action on YouTube but basically, the Armenians were angry that the Greeks interrupted a ceremony and placed one of their Greek monks where such monks are expected to fear to tread.

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is the traditional (read: ancient tourist trap) site of the crucifixion, preparation for burial and burial of Jesus. All the more reason that police officers ought not to have to come in and break up a bar room brawl between Christians.

Honestly, any Christian who isn’t significantly embarrassed by the ridiculousness of this event should have their pectoral crosses examined!

Unfortunately, such clashes are not uncommon or even all that rare. The Church of the Holy Spectacle (as my band of fellow pilgrims renamed it last spring) is literally divided between six different branches of the Christian faith. The divisions run so deep that the Muslim leaders of the Ottoman Empire finally intervened and gave the keys to the church to a Muslim family who now, every single day since, unlock the doors in the morning and lock them back up at night.

There is a ladder over a doorway in that building that hasn’t been moved since the 18^th century because people can’t agree who is responsible for it.

If I’ve left my personal sentiments about this fight too thinly veiled thus far in my Monday morning reactions to it, let me be perfectly clear: Since day one, the primary impediment to the cause of the Christian faith movement has been the Christian faith movement.

Jesus, according to the 9^th chapter of Mark, didn’t seem terribly bothered that people were doing good in his name even if they weren’t on his personal team. But the disciples were clearly miffed. Sorry to say, but when Christians attack other Christians we aren’t following Jesus but his turf-protecting, “Look at me, I’M an INSIDER” disciples at their very worst.

The reports I read said that two of the Macho Monks were arrested. I’m sure they will sort it all out and, other than the odd sensationalism of the story, maybe we should just skip it. Turn the other cheek on this little “boys will be boys” nonsense. But I’m not sure that helps. It seems to me that that is what we have largely been doing for 2000 years now.

Will the day ever come when we learn which battles are worth fighting – recognizing that the only battles that matter are the battles inside each of us?

Let us pray: Dear Lord, it is embarrassing to see the crazy sorts of things that we do, often believing them to be the right things without realizing how short-sighted we are being. Will healing ever come to your fractured Body on this earth? What part can we play? In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Friday, November 7th

2008-11-07T07:21:00.000-08:00

All the people said to Samuel, “Pray to the LORD your God for your servants, so that we may not die; for we have added to all our sins the evil of demanding a king for ourselves.” And Samuel said to the people, “Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil, yet do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart; and do not turn aside after useless things that cannot profit or save, for they are useless. For the LORD will not cast away his people, for his great name’s sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you a people for himself. Moreover as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you; and I will instruct you in the good and the right way. Only fear the LORD, and serve him faithfully with all your heart; for consider what great things he has done for you. But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king.” 1 Samuel 12:19-25

And so we come now to the end of an amazing week. Some in leadership positions are breathing sighs of relief as they return to their offices to get back to work. Others are still breathless as they prepare to transition into new arenas of responsibility. And one is preparing to become the first black president of the United States of America.

They have their work cut out for them.

As we moved toward and past election day, the rest of the world churned on. Our troops are still fighting in two war zones. More people will be laid off this week as the unemployment numbers grow. More people will lose their homes as the mortgage crisis continues. Owners and leaders of businesses, large and small, are torn by decisions they realize will affect the lives of their workers and their families. Leaders around the world continue to wrestle with plans to reinvigorate their economies in the face of massive change. Teenagers with machine guns still ride around in pickup trucks in places like Darfur. Thousands of children will die today from malaria, malnutrition, and HIV related illnesses. People are still digging out from under earthquakes and hurricanes.

I’ve re-read the story of Saul’s ascension to king this past week and both the similarities and differences have struck me. The vast cultural divide between today and the days when 1 Samuel was written are immense, yet the human dimensions remain. I’m convinced that the sin of which the people confess today isn’t about the king but about their demands.

Once again, some kind of organization is required for human community to thrive. The darkest sides of our character “team up” with others out of fear of conquest and desire for conquest. But the light side does so to mutually improve the possibilities of the best life for all. That is the battle for the ages – not about Saul taking office and immediately raising an army to kill millions but both Saul and the people remembering who they are, whose they are, and how best to do life together.

Central to the great American experience of democracy is the recognition of the dark side of our character. The whole system of checks and balances are predicated on the need for restraint of power. But there is also recognition in our system of the possibilities of our light side that is seen in the separation of church and state.

Early on, our founders had the wisdom to aim for the center of a great divide. On the one hand, having already seen the danger of collusion between the Church and the government, they could have ignored the role of faith in life. On the other hand, they could have solved the problem of religious diversity by naming and allowing only one state church. They chose another path, a path of freedom, which allows for another kind of check and balance.

In the verses above, as Samuel speaks to a fearful and confused people, he reminds them that the king cannot do for them what only they can do for themselves – to listen to the Lord, to listen for guidance in doing the next right thing, under the promise that God will not abandon them. He reminds them as well, “But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king.”

As a Christian, my understanding is that Jesus was put on the cross for the sake of all people. Thus those words of blessing, and the danger of such wickedness, apply to all of us. Our role is to resist the urge to ignore our faith when it comes to questions of public and common life, to resist the urge to force a kind of “Christian Taliban” on others, but to find another way. A way that honors the calling to share good news of a God who calls us to justice, integrity, honor, hospitality to strangers, release to captives, health to the sick, and food for the hungry.

Let us pray: Dear Lord, you have the power to give life and to take it away. You give each of us a measure of life, a measure of freedom, and a call to live in love for you and others. We pray for those who are also given the power to affect the lives of many others. Protect, guide and bless those in positions of public trust. Thank you for seeing us safely through this week. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Thursday, October 6th

2008-11-06T06:52:00.000-08:00

“Samuel took a vial of oil and poured it on Saul’s head, and kissed him; he said, “The LORD has anointed you ruler over his people Israel. You shall reign over the people of the LORD and you will save them from the hand of their enemies all around.” 1 Samuel 10:1a

(Today’s devotion was written by and borrowed from Pastor Melvin Swoyer. I thought it is very good and decided to use it this morning.)

How do we treat those in authority? We respect, honor, and trust our leaders. We obey the laws of our country, as well as the Commandments of God. We do not slander, or bear false witness against our leaders. We put the best construction on their actions and speak kindly of them.

More than that, we pray for the President of the United States of America and for the leaders of all nations on Earth. We lift up holy hands in prayer sincerely, without anger or secret agendas on our part, and pray for those in authority over us. God's Word tells us to pray for those in authority and to live peaceful lives full of godliness and holiness. We pray today for the next President, Senator Barack Obama, who will take office on January 20, 2009. We pray for a smooth transition in our government's leaders.

"I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone -- for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness." 1 Timothy 2:1-2

These instructions from the apostle Paul are good advice for all of us. The election is over and the people have voted; it is time to work together for peace in our land. It is our calling to pray for the world, the church, and our nation.

Prayer: LORD GOD, You have called Your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that Your hand is leading us and Your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Lutheran Book of Worship, prayer, page 137).

Wednesday, October 5th

2008-11-05T05:42:00.000-08:00

But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel; they said, “No! but we are determined to have a king over us, so that we also may be like other nations, and that our king may govern us and go out before us and fight our battles.” When Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the LORD. The LORD said to Samuel, “Listen to their voice and set a king over them.” Samuel then said to the people of Israel, “Each of you return home.” 1 Samuel 8:19-22

Thus started the monarchy of Israel. First Saul, then David, then Solomon, and then the whole enterprise fell apart. If you listened closely, it was doomed from the start.

The people expected too little – and too much – from their new king. Too little in the failure to reign in the excesses of those who would reign over them, and too much in the key words “to go out before us and fight our battles.” In short, getting a king is one thing. BEING a king and LIVING IN a kingdom is something else.

To say that yesterday was an historic day in the United States is the understatement that will live in infamy. Other than a few reports of crack ots and goof balls who tried to interfere in the voting process, it truly was a massive display of democracy in action. The people got their say and today we have a new President in the on-deck circle.

Now the work of being “we the people” continues.

Israel clamored for a king and immediately, unconsciously, sought to hand over their own personal responsibilities to that king – let HIM fight OUR battles. We need to learn the lesson of their mistake – just to say that we elect politicians to office is not the end of our responsibilities as citizens but only one step in the process. Staying active and informed with the willingness to shoulder our own part doesn’t end on November 5^th.

Israel ignored God’s warning that there will be a price to pay for having earthly government. We can learn a lesson there as well. We all understand the reasons why politicians will promise to give us more while asking less from us in return but we are foolish to fall for it. Shared community means shared sacrifice, it always has and it always will. Character is an issue for all of us, not merely the characters we elect to office.

There is a great mood of hopefulness today for many people, and a great sense of uncertainty for all of us. We’re sailing into uncharted waters. We’ve crossed a boundary that many thought would never come. The occupants of the White House are about to change – and we the people, one nation under God, have spoken that it be so.

Let us pray: Gracious Lord, thank you for giving voice to the voiceless. Thank you for the grand experiment of life together in a democratic nation. May we be ever mindful that, however it is that common life is organized in the various nations of the world, that we all live under you, under the banner of your care and keeping, under your calling and challenge to walk humbly and to do justice. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Tuesday, November 4th

2008-11-04T06:26:00.001-08:00

So Samuel reported all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king. He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen, and to run before his chariots; and he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his courtiers. He will take one-tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and his courtiers. He will take your male and female slaves, and the best of your cattle and donkeys, and put them to his work. He will take one-tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves; but the LORD will not answer you in that day.” 1 Samuel 8:10-18

Today is the big day, the last day of campaign commercials and the trivia writ large of the daily news cycle. The odds are good that, by the time we go to bed tonight, we’ll know who our elected leaders will be, from local races to the presidency. Up to and through today it is expected that we pull for our own; after today, we’re all in this together.

Jesus said that “where two or three are gathered” he would be there in their midst. But it doesn’t take that many more gathered before we need a little more organization. Once you get to dozens, hundreds, thousands and millions of people sharing the same land, they need to work out ways to live together.

That is the purpose of government. To provide leadership as we come together in the gift of God that Luther called “orderly community.”

We all pray that today happens in an orderly fashion. That people are safe at polling stations, that votes are cast and counted fairly and honestly, that the decisions we arrive at our accepted and that together, we move forward with life and continue to deal with the real challenges that we face as a human community.

The above passage from 1 Samuel is…well, just what is it? God warns the people that their desire for a king will mean that the people will be required to make sacrifices. The king will get the best, the people will make do with the rest. The king will raise an army and the people will provide the troops and all that is necessary to care for them. The king will have a circle of insiders who will benefit from their connection to the king and the people will provide for them. The king will get the first ten percent of everything, no questions asked, and if you have questions, that newly raised army will answer them for you.

In the world of 1 Samuel, the people want security, identity and power – the very things God wants to provide for them – but they don’t want to get them from God, they want a king because “come one, EVERYBODY ELSE has a king!”

So God gives them a king. Today we will elect a president and a bunch of other people as well. We’re not electing a god. We’re not electing someone who will swoop in and right all the wrongs of life. We’re electing a leader but leaders are only capable of leading as well as the “led” are willing to follow.

We have the responsibility of voting today but our responsibilities don’t end there. Whether or not “our person” wins, once elected they become ours and we become theirs. And together, we build the world.

Let us pray: Dear Lord, we’re not so different from your people down through the ages – we’re stubborn and hard-headed and prone to selfishness. But we are also courageous and generous and we can be fiercely loyal. Today the best and the worst of who we are will be projected to the world through the leaders we choose. We pray that today, as we head to the polls together, we might truly come together as a people, to your glory and the good of all. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Monday, November 3rd

2008-11-03T07:05:00.000-08:00

Now the day before Saul came, the LORD had revealed to Samuel: “Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be ruler over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines; for I have seen the suffering of my people, because their outcry has come to me.” When Samuel saw Saul, the LORD told him, “Here is the man of whom I spoke to you. He it is who shall rule over my people.” 1 Samuel 9:15-17

This is a big week for the United States of America. Given the length of our shadow, it is a big week for the world. By sometime late Tuesday night – barring unforetold problems with hanging chads – we will know who has been elected President and Vice President of the country. And, for the first time in history, that selection will either include a woman or an African American man.

Who could have seen this coming?

In the above passage from 1 Samuel, coming to us from a radically different place and time, the selection of a national leader seems so simple. Israel – still a “people” rather than a “state” – has been clamoring for a king. As we will see tomorrow, God smells a rat in this desire. But God decides to play along.

God handpicks Saul to be the first king. Other than being tall and handsome, there is no indication of the qualifications he brings to the office. That doesn’t seem to matter; Saul is simply God’s choice. And it is Samuel’s job, as chief spokesperson for God, to make that decision known.

What do we, on the eve of an historic election, do with this story? Do we choose to simply suspend our disbelief and say, “Wow, that must have been a great way to do it.” Or do we look at it with a bit more critical distance?

As a pastor and as a person, I have a hard time sometimes reconciling the various worldviews represented in scripture with the way we organize our public life in a modern democracy. I don’t buy the “God’s chosen one” argument for selecting political leaders. As it turns out, even Saul wasn’t such a great choice.

My sense is that this passage from 1 Samuel wasn’t written ahead of time as an explanation of the choice of Saul – it really was written long after the fact as a piece of the justification of the later historical twists in the development of Israel.

Further, my sense is that God doesn’t pick favorites or candidates – God loves all people regardless of the color of their states.

So, somewhere between “God’s chosen one” and “eeny meeny miny mo” lies the messy realities of modern political choice making. The current reality that all people aged 18 and over get one vote on the matter and that no one but that “one voter at a time” gets to decide which way to go.

Let us pray: Gracious Lord, you know what is happening in our world today. You know the challenges we face and the choices we are free to make. Thank you for the willingness of some to endure the rigors of standing for elected office. We pray for their safety. We pray as well for the millions who will be exercising their rights in casting their votes. We ask your blessings on us, for the good of all. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Friday, October 31st

2008-10-31T06:55:00.000-07:00

“Then certain individuals came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved." And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to discuss this question with the apostles and the elders....When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them. But some believers who belonged to the sect of the Pharisees stood up and said, "It is necessary for them to be circumcised and ordered to keep the law of Moses." The apostles and the elders met together to consider this matter.” Acts 15:1-2, 4-6

I don’t know about you, but I know that my mind can play tricks on me. Like the old story of the three blind men each describing an elephant (its like a rope, a tree or a wall), I often find myself getting stuck on a certain way of thinking and lose the ability to see other options. People who know about such stuff call it “living in our heads” and I do it an awful lot of the time.

I have a friend who has often reminded me that thinking through things by oneself can be a trap. We can’t see the forest for the trees.

When the early church had to make a decision about what to do with the new Gentile converts, there wasn’t one person making the decision. They met together. They debated among themselves. Out of their conversation, a decision bubbled to the surface. It wasn’t the last word on the matter but it solved their immediate issue in a way that served the purposes of both love of God and neighbor.

I have spent this week wondering how it is that God helps us make decisions in our lives. It was an interesting week for me in that I don’t believe I have ever asked myself that question. It was helpful to have to search the scriptures for models of God has helped others. I’m mindful now, at the end of the week, that I haven’t included the miraculous dialogues between God and people (Moses and the burning bush, the angel visiting Mary and Joseph, the blinding light on Paul’s road to Damascus, or the vision of John in Revelation.)

There’s a reason for that. If God chooses to give us a similar miraculous intervention, that is God’s choice. I don’t experience God that way. What I believe is that it is equally miraculous - especially in our “I’ll do it my way without any help from anyone else”, individualistic culture - if we simply reach out to trusted friends, important mentors, experienced professionals, and ask for help. Along with trust that God wants what is best for us, the determination to use our gifts of reason and clear thinking, a commitment to faithfulness, a willingness to surrender ourselves for the good of others, it never hurts to ask for someone else’s help. Through it all, God helps us make decisions.

Let us pray: Gracious Lord, it is not good that we be alone - and you don’t leave us alone. You bless us with others around us, with friends, family, caring people we can turn to for help, support and guidance. Open our eyes so that we might see you working, for our good, in, with and under people you bring into our lives. May your will be done in all things. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Thursday, October 30th

2008-10-30T08:31:00.000-07:00

“And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, ‘Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want.’” Matthew 26:39

Love of God and love of neighbor - is that really a very helpful way to begin making decisions in our lives? I think it is. But more needs to be said.

I don’t think God really cares about whether I put on my blue Docker’s or my khaki Dockers this morning when I got dressed. (That I wear pants rather than exposing my puny pastor’s legs to the world is a different issue...) My choice of pants doesn’t matter because it really has no impact whatsoever on anyone’s life. Love of God and love of neighbor isn’t an issue.

But there are many other issues in life that really do matter. Many other choices we make and decisions that lie before us DO have an impact on others. Those are normally our most difficult decisions because we easily recognize the cost. So what do we do then?

The prayer of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane holds two keys. First, he prayed. That is always an appropriate way to begin. Ask God for help. Ask God for guidance. Turn to God with the issue before you even begin to think through options and alternatives. Along with developing a familiarity with the Bible and the stories of God’s interactions with his people, prayer is the most powerful and readily available means of connecting with God.

How does God help us make decisions? He invites us to pray.

Second, Jesus recognized that the most painful, difficult, choice before him was to faithful to the end, regardless of the cost to himself.

God helps us make decisions by forcing us to face something we don’t like to face - while our instincts always lead to self protection, self preservation, God calls us to self giving and service. In Jesus, God models a lifestyle of giving and service.

In other words, faced with a dilemna, our faith leads us to ask, “Who will be served by this decision?” “Who will be hurt by this decision?” “What is the most loving thing I could do, regardless of the personal cost to myself?”

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, seeking your will often leads us into points of conflict. We pray that your will be done, but there are lots of time when the only will we want to follow is our own. We want to do our thing. We think of no one but ourselves. Forgive us for this sinful tendency and teach us to ask ourselves how we can best contribute to the lives of those around us, regardless of the personal price we might have to pay. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Wednesday, October 29th

2008-10-29T05:40:00.000-07:00

“Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15

How does God help us make decisions? The question begins with an awareness that God always wants what is best for us and the world around us. Our ability to take responsibility for ourselves, to make our own choices, is an aspect of our partnership with God - we have our part to do. We decide that we will use our abilities to reason. Joshua points out where we go next.

Joshua was the leader of the people of Israel after Moses. Joshua was chosen by God to finish the task begun under Moses - to lead the people of God into the land which God had promised them. Joshua understood, after seeing his people turn away from God again and again during their time in the wilderness, that the Promised Land was more than a piece of dirt. It was a place where God could live in relationship with his people. Joshua understood that a commitment to faithfulness was the first step in securing God’s promise.

“As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” That rock solid declaration of allegiance covers every aspect of our lives. Before we make choices, before we make decisions, before we turn to God for help and guidance, we have to begin with the same commitment to faithfulness and service to God.

Like marriage or parenting, faithfulness to God isn’t a “sometimes” thing. It is an all the time thing!

Having made that commitment, we are well on the way to understanding the choices God would have us make in our lives. How do we serve the Lord? We listen to what he has revealed to us through his written Word, the Bible, and through his Living Word, Jesus.

We serve the Lord by making our commitment to him the only priority in our lives. We serve him by turning to him in prayer, by worshiping him, and by living with integrity, honesty, justice and love toward our neighbors. The Ten Commandments are more than dusty old sheets of paper that once hung on the schoolhouse wall - they are living guides teaching us how to follow the two great commandments - love of God and love of neighbor.

Have you made a rock solid commitment to serve the Lord, all the time, in every aspect of your life? While you will never be perfect in living out that commitment, you CAN be perfect in making it.

Let us pray: Gracious Lord, like Joshua, I want to make a commitment that I will serve you all the time. I don’t want to treat you like a “sometimes” God - I want to be open to your guidance in every aspect of my life, at all times. I know that in my baptism, you have claimed me as your own, now I want to live in such a way that demonstrates that I truly believe that to be so. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Tuesday, October 28th

2008-10-28T05:36:00.000-07:00

“The human mind plans the way, but the Lord directs the steps.” Proverbs 16:9

Making decisions means assuming responsibility. Perhaps part of our reluctance to make decisions, and the difficulty we face in doing so, is that we are going to become vulnerable to making mistakes. Inappropriate choices...and we’ll have no one to blame but ourselves.

In most business organizations, the most important, strategic, decisions are made by the folks “on top.” The closer you are to the decision making process, the more mentally stressful your responsibilities are - because the effects of a bad decision are magnified.

The satisfaction of sitting back and letting others make decisions isn’t something we can have in our daily lives. In our personal and professional lives, we all have to make choices all the time. We can try to deny that reality but we can’t pretend it away.

Which brings us back to the question for the week, “How does God help us make decisions?”

The verse from Proverbs highlights an important reality - we live our lives in partnership with God. We have our part to do. We cannot evade responsibility for how we live our lives. We can’t simply sit back and say “God will take care of it” when something is calling for action on our part, nor can we say “the devil made me buy this dress” as an excuse for a bad decision.

Just as many people live with the “scatter gun desperation” approach when it comes to turning to God for guidance and direction, so others live with a misguided, magical conception of God...”I drove into the crowded parking lot, prayed for a parking spot, opened my eyes and there it was!” Both of these types are a not so subtle means of evading responsibility and denying a sense of partnership with God.

Let us pray: Gracious Lord, we want to learn how you help us make decisions in our lives. It is clear that we have our part to play, that you have given us minds to use. Maybe the first decision is simply to decide to make a decision - in other words, to truly trust that as we use our minds in weighing alternatives, your Spirit works with us in directing our steps. Help us make good decisions. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Monday, October 27th

2008-10-27T06:22:00.001-07:00

“For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me...” Jeremiah 29:11-14a

We can trust that God’s intentions for our lives are always ultimately good. We can also trust that God wants only what is best for us. But how do we get there from here? How does God help us find his will for us on a daily basis? How does God help us make decisions?

I want to spend some time with you this week seeking an answer to those questions. Since I write these devotions daily, I don’t where we will find ourselves by Friday, but I hope we move beyond the “scatter gun in desperation” approach to seeking God’s will.

Do you know what the “scatter gun in desperation” approach is?

It’s like the time that a guy, whose life was in utter turmoil, found himself late at night in a lonely hotel room. He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know where to turn. He was at the end of his rope. Only then, in total desperation, was he ready to turn to God. He opened the night stand, took out the Gideon Bible, flipped it open and stabbed his finger onto the page. He had found Matthew 27:5b, “And he departed and went and hanged himself.” Not satisfied with that answer, the guy tries again. He closes the Bible, whips it open and stabs another verse. This time he finds Judges 7:17b, “Look at me and do the same.”

Obviously, there has to be another way. But I know that there have been times in my life, and probably in yours as well, where we have done precisely what the guy in the hotel room did - waited until the absolute last second and then expected that God would somehow magically bale us out.

God, it seems to me, wants to be more than our “celestial fireman” who comes running whenever we sound the alarm in desperation. God has identified himself to us as “Father,” has revealed himself so we can get hold of him, in order that we might truly have a relationship with him. More like a loving Father than a celestial fireman.

Let’s begin our week, seeking after answers to how God helps us make decisions, with the firm assurance that God is here for us. That God is available to us. That God wants to be helpful in our lives. That God really does respond to our heartfelt cries for help and guidance.

Let us pray: We pray that your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Help us, Lord God, to seek and find your will, that the decisions we make in our lives might lead us down paths pleasing to you, and useful for the sake of our neighbors. In Jesus’ name. Amen.