Sunday, April 20, 2008

“I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me for anything, I will do it.” John 14:13-14

Hardly a day goes by when I don’t hear someone (sometimes me!) expressing disappointment at what God has done, or failed to do. How could God have wanted this for me? Isn’t God good? Why do I have to deal with this disappointment, this heartache, this sorrow? Asking such questions is the most natural thing in the world; to express our disappointment is part of our faith. But it is not faith’s end. Something I often remind myself when I’m disappointed is that I might not have laid out my desires clearly to the Lord. If I’m only talking to God after the fact, I’m missing a great opportunity. But there’s something else here that’s even more important: God doesn’t exist to give us whatever we want. But God, in grace, has promised to do anything we ask in the name of Jesus Christ. In other words, God will give us what we want when the things that we want are the things that God wants to give us. A bit convoluted, perhaps, but really a simple reminder for us to seek the things that are from God and to learn to want these godly things as our own. It is in such giving and receiving that God is glorified in our lives.

Monday, April 21, 2008

“Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith.” Romans 3:24b-25a

On this day the church remembers Anselm, the 11^th-century Benedictine monk who also became archbishop of Canterbury. Anselm stands out as one of the great minds of medieval Europe, and has been called the “Father of Scholasticism,” a widespread movement of theological and philosophical thought during the Middle Ages. The Scholastics were people of deep faith, but also people who tried to probe as far as possible into the logic of the divine. They have left us with questions such as, “How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?” Probing the mind of God is difficult business, but it is not without its rewards. Anselm’s motto was “faith seeking understanding,” and one of his great legacies is his work, “Cur deus homo,” or “Why God Became Man.” Here Anselm outlines one of the great theories of how atonement (our reconciliation to God) through Jesus Christ actually works. His theory is based on the idea of “satisfaction,” in which humanity has built up a great debt toward God by our sin, which we cannot repay. But Jesus, being God, can pay. And because Jesus is also human, he can make payment on behalf of humanity. This is a severely logical way to look at the mysteries of redemption, but it also helps to explain the three days, Good Friday to Easter, that changed the human story. And for that, Anselm’s place in the history of Christian thought is secure and celebrated.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

“Jesus answered them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.’” John 8:34

Today’s verse comes from a debate between Jesus and the crowd in Jerusalem. It is a debate about the nature of slavery and freedom and it is very Jewish in character. Old Testament thinking and history pervade the discussion. But it would be a mistake to think that just because we are not physical descendents of Abraham that this debate does not apply to us. In fact, Jesus himself introduces an axiom here that has points of contact with other modes of thinking in the ancient world. In “Symbolism in the Fourth Gospel,” Craig Koester notes that Socrates, for example, taught that people who were truly free always acted according to what was best while those who followed their passions were slaves. This, of course, flies in the face of our modern notions of freedom. The world tells us that freedom is doing what we want, indulging our passions, pursuing our dreams. But then we become slaves to our wants, our passions, and our dreams. There is no freedom there, only self-interest run amok. Freedom – which comes to us as Christ sets us free from our self-inflicted chains – is that which allows us to do what is best. In Christ you are a slave no more. Drop your bonds and seek that which is best to the glory of God.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” Matthew 10:37-38

In a world in which so many families are torn apart through divorce, violence, or estrangement, it seems odd to hear Jesus claim a higher mandate for love than one’s own family deserves. The point is that one cannot ultimately rely on one’s family for what only God can provide. As such, our primary devotion must be to God, from whom all good family relationships come. Today the church remembers the 20^th-century Japanese Christian Toyohiko Kagawa. Kagawa was orphaned early in life; when he converted to Christianity the remainder of his relatives disowned him. Already without his mother and father, Kagawa was willing to risk the condemnation of his family in pursuit of the only one who can give new life: Jesus Christ. In his Christian life, Kagawa found new family among the poor with whom he lived. He worked ardently for peace in a Japan as the 1940s dawned, along with World War II. He was arrested for his protests of the Japanese attack on China. In celebration of Kagawa, we remember those in our midst who work for peace and against poverty. We also remember our Father God and our brother Jesus, who give us life that we may create good families with those to whom we are related and with all people.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

“Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven.’ They were saying, ‘Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, “I have come down from heaven”?’” John 6:41-42

Even though I returned to Appleton five years ago I still encounter people from this area that I knew before I left for a decade. When the conversation turns to the present and I share that I’m now serving as a pastor, I often witness expressions of incredulity. Little Dave is now a pastor? But wasn’t he the one who used to … well, I won’t tell you all that I used to do. No, nothing too bad – but also nothing that would have led people to think I might have such a calling as a grown up. How often do we burden others with our preconceived notions of what they should be? Even Jesus was not immune for such thinking. It’s hard to blame the people, perhaps; why would they believe that this little Jesus from the old neighborhood is the Savior of the world come down from heaven? And yet, he is. It was hard for people to accept his claim to be the true bread from heaven because they wanted to define who Jesus was, just as we try to define each other. And just as we can surprise one another, so too can God surprise us with who he really is. Jesus is like that. Just when we think we have a handle on him, he slips away to surprise us anew with a grace that we can never quite manage to expect.

Friday, April 25, 2008

“A certain young man was following him, wearing nothing but a linen cloth. They caught hold of him, but he left the linen cloth and ran off naked.” Mark 14:51-52

Scholars have long believed that the Gospel of Mark was the earliest of the four gospels to be written. On this day, the church remembers the life of this early evangelist. But who was St. Mark? According to Acts, Mark was a friend and companion of Paul, working with him in the ministry to the Gentiles. He was, therefore, not an apostle, but he was a member of one of the earliest Christian communities. His gospel is both brief and direct. The early drafts didn’t even include any appearances of the risen Christ. Instead, the gospel ends with the women running away from the empty tomb, too afraid to tell anyone of what they had seen. Mark was familiar with fear. It seems probable that the “certain young man” depicted in these verses was Mark himself. The scene occurs during the arrest of Jesus. All of the disciples ran away from fear. Mark, confronted by the guards, does the same thing. His cowardice leaves him naked. But neither his own fear, nor that of the women at the tomb, could derail the plan that God had in store for the redemption of humanity. Mark’s depiction of salvation is one in which humans fail and falter often, but also one in which the grace of God and the spread of the Good News of Jesus Christ is not to be denied.

Saturday, April 26, 2008

“Long ago I learned from your decrees that you have established them forever.” Psalm 119:152

I know I shouldn’t be surprised, but it always catches me off guard when I’m working with kids and I need to explain to them how to use a Bible. It slips my mind that not everyone knows that there are two testaments; that not everyone knows why some numbers and big and some numbers are small; that not everyone knows that page numbers aren’t the easiest way to find one’s way around the Scriptures. This knowledge has been part of me for so long that I now take it for granted. But someone taught it to me at some point, and if they hadn’t, the Bible would be terribly confusing to me. How much poorer my life would be! Moments like these remind me just how important it is to teach God’s word and God’s ways to one another, especially to children. Once we pass on that knowledge they will have it forever. They’ll be able to look back with the psalmist on a long life of knowing the Lord’s decrees. If we don’t, the world and those in it will be poorer for the fact that we’ve overlooked our duties. God’s decrees stand sure and certain, but it’s up to us to share them with one another and reinforce their power in our communities.

Devotions – Year Five – Week Sixteen

Pastor Dave Lyle