DEVOTIONS - PENTECOST - WEEK TWENTY-TWO - 2006
Sunday, November 5, 2006
“Holy,
holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.” Isaiah 6:3b
The letter
H brings us to the 6th chapter of Isaiah, which recounts the story of God
calling Isaiah to the prophetic ministry.
This calling culminates with God’s question, “Whom shall I send?” Isaiah responds with those classic words of
faith, “Here am I; send me!” But notice
how it begins, not with Isaiah but with the Lord of hosts. Isaiah 6 is a rare biblical glimpse into the
realm wherein God dwells. Isaiah sees a
vision of the Lord on his throne, surrounded by winged seraphs singing praises
and calling God holy. To be holy means
to be set apart in purity, something that belongs only to God. But this glory fills us as well. Reading these verses I think of our Seraphim
choir, whose young voices fill our worship services with songs of praise to our
God. Listening to such music draws us
into God’s presence, helping us transcend our mundane world. God alone is holy, but through our praises
God draws us into his glory. In the love
of our Lord we are called into God’s glory through worship and then sent out to
serve God’s people. Listen to the
music. Then answer your God like Isaiah:
“Here am I; send me!”
Monday, November 6, 2006
“Do not
put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help.” Psalm 146:3
Tomorrow is
Election Day, both in our community and across the country. As I mentioned in a recent sermon, the
current campaign cycle has been one of the ugliest in recent memory. I can’t help thinking that part of the reason
for the attack ads is that some people really believe that one candidate or
another is going to make everything better.
But it’s not true. We need
committed, talented women and men to serve in public leadership, but it is not
up to them to save the world. As
Christians, we believe that this has already been accomplished on our behalf
through Christ Jesus our Lord; now God is working out the details of that salvation,
which will be made full at his appointed time.
In the meantime, our task as God’s people is to show love to those
around us and to create communities of peace, justice and mercy. I encourage you to go to the polls tomorrow
and to vote with your faith in mind. But
remember from whom that faith comes, and to whom that faith is directed: the
Lord God of heaven and earth. It is not
to be placed in the princes, in whom there is no ultimate help. And whoever is elected, pray for them that
they may lead with wisdom, not for power.
Tuesday, November 7, 2006
“Always
be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for
the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence.” 1 Peter
3:15b-16a
Wednesday, November 8, 2006
“The jar of meal was not emptied, neither did the jar of oil fail, according to the
word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.”
1 Kings 17:16
As far as last meals go, I’m not
sure this one would top my list. The
widow at Zarephath and her son are preparing to die,
and they’re going to celebrate by eating a meal made from flour and oil, a few
little cakes that won’t even fill them up.
I’m pretty sure that I would have a big porterhouse, but that’s just me. The widow, however, has it all wrong. Not about the meal, but about dying – she’s
not about to. It’s not part of God’s
plan at this point in her story. The
prophet Elijah comes to the widow and asks to be included in their meal. She acquiesces, and find
that there is no shortage of flour and oil; that there was more than enough of
both for many meals to come. In the face
of the widow’s hopelessness, God brings hope.
Not in a big juicy meal, but in her basic needs. In bread. Speaking of last meals, this is exactly what
we eat every Sunday in worship: the last supper of our Lord. It’s not a feast in any earthly sense. Simple bread, unleavened. Simple wine. But in these seemingly meager gifts we find
the fulness of God, given to us. In the simplicity of the food, we find hope
against all odds; a jar of God’s hope that will not fail.
Thursday, November 9, 2006
“For Christ did not enter a
sanctuary made by human hands, a mere copy of the true one, but he entered into
heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.” Hebrews 9:24
At First English, we blessed with
two beautiful sanctuaries. Like many of
you, I also have had powerful moments in other church sanctuaries: at Waypost and Pine Lake Camps; at Good Shepherd Lutheran in
Plover; at Central Lutheran in
Friday, November 10, 2006
“So Christ,
having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time,
not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.”
Hebrews 9:28
In a recent confirmation class, I
was attempting to explain to my ninth-graders why Jesus died on the cross. I asked them, and they of course responded,
“To forgive our sins.” Exactly
right. But why does this work? There are lots of theories regarding the
subject of atonement. As Christians we
talk about Jesus making a sacrifice to satisfy God’s holiness. Sometimes we talk about Jesus entering into
death to conquer the demonic forces of evil.
And we also speak about Jesus’ death as being a model of the godly
life. All of these things are true. But I find the power of forgiveness in the
cross by thinking about it this way: The
Father sends his Son into the world, knowing that we will put him to
death. But God raises Jesus to show that
our judgment on his life is not final, and that God forgives us for the killing
of Jesus. Jesus himself prays for this
when he says, “Father, forgive them; they know not what they do.” The point is this: if God is willing to
forgive us even for killing his only Son, what can we do for which God will not
grant forgiveness? Nothing. In the resurrection of the Son, God proves
that our sin is not final, and in showing us this, God proves his
forgiveness. Christ bears the sins of
all, that they may be forgiven.
Saturday, November 11, 2006
“I know your works; you have a name
of being alive, but you are dead. Wake
up, and strengthen what remains and is on the point of death, for I have not
found your works perfect in the sight of my God.” Revelation 3:1b-2
Today the church remembers one of
its most brilliant and difficult thinkers, the 19th-century Danish
theologian and philosopher Soren Kierkegaard. Kierkegaard fell in love with
a women he loved deeply and became engaged to marry her. But he ended the relationship, feeling that
he was called by God to search out the hidden aspects of life through his
philosophical work. Through he was
haunted by this decision for the remainder of his life, Kierkegaard did not
regret it, and threw himself into the creation of an impressive array of
work. In works like Fear and
Trembling and The Sickness unto Death, Kierkegaard explores the
nature of faith and human identity, delving deeply into what it means to live
with both faith and doubt. As such, he
is considered the founder of modern existentialism. Kierkegaard was also a prophetic voice in a
time of ecclesiastical complacency. One
of his most famous books, Attack upon Christendom, is a startlingly
frank analysis of the state of the church in his native
Devotions - Year Three - Week Forty-two
Pastor Lyle