DEVOTIONS – PENTECOST – WEEK TWENTY-FOUR – 2006

Sunday, November 19, 2006

“Judge not, so that you may not be judged.” Matthew 7:1

This week we reach the letter J, and with it come these powerful words for the center of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. When we think of judges, our minds fly immediately to the courthouse, where venerable old men with white hair (so goes the stereotype) sit in judgment of others. Or perhaps to Judge Judy, where hapless plaintiffs and defendants hand over judgment to this “celebrity.” But just as we point our fingers at the Pharisees, we miss Jesus’ point if we think only of black robes and gavels. Ultimately, we all are judges. We constantly pass judgment on others; it’s such strong aspect of who we are that we often do not even realize we are doing it. But in acting as judges, we pass over a very critical step in being the people God calls us to be. We bypass our own problems, our own sin – whatever makes us uncomfortable with ourselves. Jesus reserves the judgment of all people for himself. It is his prerogative as our King and Lord. Don’t worry about the speck in your neighbor’s eye! But Jesus also has come that we need not judge ourselves. For while we were still in our sins, Christ came and died for us. Jesus has declared that while we will be judged, for his sake we will not be found wanting. In this, we find the freedom to stop pointing the finger at others and to live life in its abundance.

Monday, November 20, 2006

“To him was given dominion and glory and kingship, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and his kingship is one that shall never be destroyed.” Daniel 7:14

I recently finished watching the seventh and final season of “The West Wing” on DVD. The series ends with the transition between the administrations of Presidents Bartlet and Santos. Although Bartlet and his staff are thankful that their time in office is done, and proud of what they’ve accomplished, there still is a bittersweet feel to it all. Their time in the spotlight has drawn to an end; it’s time to pass the baton on to someone else, because the U.S. Constitution insists that their be no everlasting dominions. Dominion and glory and “kingship” are entrusted to individuals for a short time only. Our reading from the seventh chapter of Daniel is chosen for our upcoming celebration of Christ the King. As we reach the end of the church year, we celebrate that unlike earthly rulers – both good and bad – our heavenly king will rule for all time. Indeed, even now, as the nations continue to rage, the kingdom of God is coming into our midst. Even now, there are moments when we can see and give glory to our God and king. U.S. presidents come and go, as will the country someday. But God’s dominion is forever, and he has given the kingship to his Son, Jesus Christ our King. In him, there is hope for all of us, for all time.

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

“’I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” Revelation 1:8

Have you ever heard anyone mutter in exasperation, “I can’t tell if I’m coming or going”? Of course – we’ve all heard these words, and most of us probably have muttered them ourselves. It’s a way of saying that life is so confusing that we can’t tell what direction we’re going, or from what direction things are coming toward us. But when we think about God, we tend to think of a static sort of existence. While we scurry around down on earth, God is “out there” somewhere, waiting. When life is done, we are somehow transported to where God is. But this is not the picture of God that the scriptures present to us. Look at our verse for today: God is the one “who is and who was and who is to come.” If God were static, that last part would read “who will be,” not “who is to come.” It seems like such a minor difference, but it speaks volumes about who God is and what God does. God is not out there somewhere waiting for us. God is not some eternal constant. God is the one who is coming to us. The future of God’s reality is oriented toward his people through Christ the Son, our King. It’s true to say that our lives are confusing; it’s even more true to say that God is coming into the midst of that confusion, not waiting for much.

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

“Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-6

Tomorrow the church remembers St. Clement, the third bishop of Rome. Like St. Paul before him, Clement dealt with the many issues that present themselves among the Corinthian Christians. In spite of Paul’s moving letters, the Corinthians continued to have difficulties arising from divisions within the congregation. Clement is best remembered for a letter he wrote to this church, which echoes many of Paul’s sentiments: “Love … has no limits to its endurance, bears everything patiently. Love is neither servile nor arrogant. It does not provoke schisms or form cliques, but always acts in harmony with others.” Clement reminds his readers that there are different offices within God’s ministry, but that through love, all work together for the good of the body of Christ. We sometimes think of the early church with a bit too much nostalgia, but Clement’s letter is a reminder that divisions have always existed within the church, just as they do today. And the answer for the Corinthians is the same answer Clement would give us as we deal with difficult issues: with the enduring love of Christ lived out in our lives, we find unity with our God and with one another.

Thursday, November 23, 2006

“So now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground that you, O Lord, have given me.” Deuteronomy 26:10a

As you read these words on Thanksgiving Day, I’m far away. Erika and I are celebrating the holiday with her brother in Florida. So warm weather and sunshine are among the many things for which I’m thankful today. But the bigger blessing for us – as for many of you – is the chance to be with family and friends today. Most of us will gather around tables laden with food, talking with relatives we see too infrequently. It is a day to count these blessings. But it is also a day to remember that these blessing have been given to us; they are not a given, but a gift. Our words today from Deuteronomy point in this direction. All that we have is a gift from the Lord. Our first response is to give thanks. But our second response, which validates the first, is to give. We give to God to remind ourselves that what we have isn’t really ours at all. And we give because not everyone feels the warmth of food, family, friends and fellowship. Rest today, have fun, and enjoy being with those you love. But remember that with such rich blessing comes a call to return these fruits to God and to create a fellowship around God’s table to which all are invited, at which all are welcomed into the thankful community of Christ.

Friday, November 24, 2006

“The Lord is king, he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed, he is girded with strength. He has established the world; it shall never be moved; your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting.” Psalm 93:1-2

When I was younger, I cared more than I do now about the clothes that I wore. Did they come from the right store? Did they have the right labels on them? The first day of school always was a chance to show off the best of the best from one’s new fall wardrobe. This may just be indicative of the fact that I’m becoming a crotchety old man (at 31, no less!), but it seems like young teenagers are more aware of this today than we were 15 years ago. The right company’s name across a sweatshirt is the difference between $15 and $80, but you can guess which one most kids want. I’m not quite as aware of this as I used to be, but the same thing goes on for us older folks, even if in more nuanced ways. We still care about what we “wear”: the car we drive, the size of our 401k, where we go on vacation. We are “dressed” in so many different things that we can sometimes lose the person underneath. As we celebrate Christ the King this Sunday, we hear these words from the psalmist. He declares that the Lord is robed in majesty. It is dignity and authority that define who Jesus is as our king. His majesty trumps any of our feeble attempts to match it. But he offers us new clothes: himself. In contrast to all worldly goods, how could we deny the offer of majesty that Christ offers us? Christ is robed in majesty; we are robed in him.

Saturday, November 25, 2006

“Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of the faithful.” Psalm 149:1

The great hymnwriter Isaac Watts was born in England in the latter part of the 17th century. This was a time of lingering unrest. The Church of England had been firmly ensconced as the national church, but there were many who felt that reforms had not been radical enough in ridding the faith of Roman tendencies. Young Isaac was born into a group of that refused to conform to official church teaching. As a child, Isaac complained to his father about the quality of the hymns sung in worship. He wrote about 600 hymns, many of them during a two year period beginning when he was 20. A number of these hymns are in the “Lutheran Book of Worship,” including “Jesus Shall Reign,” “O God, Our Help in Ages Past,” and the beloved Christmas hymn, “Joy to the World.” Some of his hymns are based on psalm texts, which was a nonconformist tradition. Watts, however, refused to conform to the nonconformists, and wrote some of his hymns in original language. He was criticized for this, but responded simply that if we can pray prayers that do not come directly from the scriptures, so too can we sing hymns of our own devising. We remember Isaac Watts this day as one who found new ways to help God’s people sing of their joy to all the world.