Sunday, April 27, 2008

“Confirm to your servant your promise, which is for those who fear you.” Psalm 119:38

Today is a day for which 39 of our ninth-graders, their parents and their baptismal sponsors have been waiting for three years. Today is the day of their confirmation. In matching white gowns adorned with flowers, these young women and men of faith will stand in front of this congregation to hear once again the promises of love, grace, and forgiveness that were poured out upon their heads and into their hearts years ago, when their parents and sponsors stood proudly by God’s font. And on this day, they will make their own promises, before God and before God’s people. When I ask students what confirmation means for them, the most common response is that it’s about becoming a “full” member of the church, or about claiming their faith as their own. And both of these answers are correct. But more important are the words of promise that God again speaks to them, as we pray over each of them: “Father in heaven, for Jesus’ sake, stir up in your sons and daughters the gift of your Holy Spirit; confirm their faith, guide their lives, empower them in their serving, give them patience in suffering, and bring them to everlasting life.” In baptism, these children were too young to understand the promises God made to them. As youth on the verge of adulthood, they have been preparing their hearts and minds to hear God’s promises anew. And on this day they do; 39 young men and women of faith who are – and always will remain – children of God forever.

Monday, April 28, 2008

“You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I am coming to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I.” John 14:28

It’s never easy to part with a loved one. Whether going off to college, moving away, or simply leaving family after celebrating a holiday together, saying goodbye can be difficult. We like to be near the ones we love. So it’s not surprising that the disciples take it pretty hard when Jesus tells them he’s going to leave them to return to his Father. And yet, just as parting ways for a while is good for us (after all, leaving for college or returning home after the holidays are usually good things) so is Jesus’ departure good news for the disciples. And it’s good news for us, too. Our way home to the Father had become confused. We in our sin had become lost. And there was no way for us to find our way back. Jesus’ departure from us is necessary so that he can become a trailblazer. Jesus returns home to the Father in his death, resurrection, and ascension not to get away from us, but to make it possible for us to be with him and his Father. Saying goodbye is hard, but as Jesus returns to his Father he goes with the promise that this is not the end, but the way to a new and eternal beginning, so that we can be together with him and with one another forever.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

“It is necessary to boast; nothing is to be gained by it, but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 12:1

Today the church recalls the life and ministry of Catherine of Siena, a teacher of the church. Catherine was a member of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans), and among Roman Catholics she was the first woman to receive the title Doctor of the Church. This 14^th-century woman was well known for her mystical visions of Jesus. Catherine was a humanitarian who strove to alleviate the suffering of the poor and imprisoned. She also was a renewer of church and society, advising popes, as well as those who came to her to tell her their problems. Like many great mystics through the centuries, Catherine did not boast in her visions, in her access to the spiritual realm. Instead, her deep connection to her Lord Jesus drove her to humility and service, shown through love to all those around her. Her life is a reminder of God’s revelations to us, for these drive us, too, to prayer and activism; and that these two always belong together. Without prayer, we cannot serve those around us. Without activism, we fall short of God’s calling. But in prayer and service we see God revealed to us.

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.” 1 John 4:18

I’m not a mathematician, but I am related to a number of them. I enjoyed the math courses I took in high school and college and once in a while I like to read up on these things. So it was that I recently came across something about probability theory, the branch of mathematics that is concerned with analyzing random phenomena. An important concept in probability theory is that of mutual exclusivity, which tells us that once a certain event happens, certain other events become impossible. That is, if A, then not B. The one makes the other impossible. This is true beyond the realm of the archaic and it is a dictum that John applies in his first epistle. The theological rule might be stated, if love, then not fear. Fear and love cannot exist. Each makes the other impossible. And God is only calling us to one: love. In Christ, God’s perfect love has been established and shown forth. In Christ, our future is made secure. In Christ, there is nothing left for us to fear. There is only the love that God shows us and the love that God calls us to have for one another. The next time you’re tempted to be afraid, remember that God’s love has been established in you for all time. There’s no room anymore for fear. It’s impossible. In Christ’s name, tell it to go away. Love has taken up the only room you had.

Thursday, May 1, 2008

“While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried into heaven. And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and they were continually in the temple blessing God.” Luke 24:51-53

Today is the celebration of the Ascension of Our Lord, the day when the resurrected Christ was carried up into heaven, away from the disciples gathered around him. He departed while he was giving them his blessing. Before Good Friday, as Jesus was telling them that he was soon to be taken from them, the disciples could not imagine life without Jesus. Yet when he leaves them this time, they are filled with joy and inspired to worship. What makes the difference? Resurrection. Before Easter, separation meant finality. Under the rule of death, to be apart from someone, even Jesus, meant the reality of being apart from that person forever, of never seeing them again. Easter changes everything. It is the thing that gives us hope that no goodbye is forever. It is the event that lets us stand in our grief and look to a future. For Christ is risen, and he has blessed us with the promise of life. As we turn soon from the season of Easter to the day of Pentecost, we remember that although Jesus is not with us bodily any longer, he lives with us when we gather together to worship and bless our God. Because Jesus lives, there is joy even in our goodbyes, for there is really no such thing. Jesus has gone to the Father, and, so shall we.

Friday, May 2, 2008

“And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’” Matthew 14:33

In the year 325, the Christian Church gathered itself for the Council of Nicea, in large part to sort out a controversy concerning the identity of Jesus Christ. Although the church had believed since the beginning that Jesus was both God and man, it had struggled to find words to comprehend such a mysterious piece of good news. One of the men in attendance was a deacon and secretary named Athanasius. He would eventually serve as bishop of Alexandria, but his career was not without controversy. At Nicea and in the years that followed, Athanasius was one of the strongest proponents of the full divinity of Jesus; that even though Jesus was most certainly a man, he was also fully God. This was in contrast to the popular Arian position, which was eventually declared heretical. Athanasius was expelled from Alexandria on five separate occasions for his views, but he clung to them tenaciously as the core of his faith. His witness to the true faith is a reminder to us all, and it’s appropriate that we remember him during the Easter season. His name means “deathless one.” Though he himself lived in fear of punishment and even death, he maintained his faith, knowing that in Christ Jesus, the truly divine Son of God, his death had already been defeated by the victory of the resurrection.

Saturday, May 3, 2008

“Let me live that I may praise you, and let your ordinances help me.” Psalm 119:175

What does it mean to truly live? There are all kinds of answers to that question. Life should be an adventure. Life should be lived to the fullest. Life should be marked by loving relationships. These aren’t bad answers, but I think we would do well to root ourselves deeply in the Biblical concept of praise. We were made to be in relationship with our maker, and that relationship is designed to be one of loving praise. God has called us into being. God has granted us salvation. God takes care of our daily needs and our eternal concerns. God is the beginning and the end of all things, including us. How can we not give our thanks and praise on a continual basis? There are many things that demand our attention, yet all of our time and energy can be used in praise of God. He has shown us through his ordinances and through his Son how to live the life he imagines for us. We can choose in the freedom of Christ to live this way each day. And in doing so we praise him. How can our lives be anything less than this? Let us live, Lord! And in living, let our lives be a cry of praise to you.

Devotions – Year Five – Week Seventeen

Pastor Dave Lyle