Daily Devotions

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul.  He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff— they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD my whole life long. Psalm 23

What is it about this psalm that sets it head and shoulders above the rest?  As familiar as any other famous passage in the Bible, what is it about this psalm that strikes me as fresh and anew this morning?

Is it the poetry, the “must be painted in watercolors” beauty of green pastures, still waters, dark valleys? 

Is it the personal character of the language – my shepherd, leads me, with me, comfort me, follow me, I shall dwell?

Perhaps it is the memories we associate with this psalm.  Especially for me at this stage in my life, these words evoke memories of family after family sitting in my office planning a loved one’s funeral.  “He always loved the 23rd psalm.”

I’m sure it is all of these for me.  But this particular morning, what strikes me is the irony.

From earliest childhood we are taught that our deepest values are freedom and individualism.  We’re taught to stand on our own feet, to depend only on ourselves, to chart our own course in life.  Frankly, while all of that is good, it doesn’t make for much of a life.

It isn’t a very far walk from freedom and individualism to loneliness, emptiness, and purposelessness.  While separateness is important, togetherness is required if we are to truly have a life.  The 23rd psalm, although written in personal terms, is very much about togetherness.

It is about the promise of One leading, guiding, protecting and keeping us literally through all the days of our lives.  Through the peaceful times and the darkest times.  Now and forever.  It is a song of hope and promise.

We need both.  And the One who knows our every need has given us language for the journey.

Let us pray:  Gracious and loving God, be our shepherd today.  Guide us, protect us, keep us safe from anything that would separate us from you and those with whom we share our lives.  Bring peace into strife, hope into despair, plenty where there is want.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

And from the throne came a voice saying, “Praise our God, all you his servants, and all who fear him, small and great.”

Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty thunderpeals, crying out,

      “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.

      Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory,

      for the marriage of the Lamb has come,

      and his bride has made herself ready;

      to her it has been granted to be clothed

      with fine linen, bright and pure”—

         for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are true words of God.” Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your comrades who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Revelation 19:5-10

I got a phone call last night that a former parishioner had suddenly passed away.  She was a woman who had had more than her fair share of difficulties during her life.  I talked with her, with no clue that it would be the last time, at an event at our church last month.  Now, with no warning, she is gone.

I understand that millions of people have long ago let go of any faith or trust in God.  They’ve given up or simply moved on, perhaps looking at people of faith as misguided or foolish.  I suppose such people view death close to what Steve Jobs meant when he said “Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent.”

I guess there is something more light-hearted about viewing death as the “single best invention of life” as opposed to something more along the lines of “the wages of sin is death” but, frankly, both experientially and theologically, light-hearted talk about death is like wall-papering over a burned up kitchen.  You might try to cover it with something pretty but it still stinks.  And no amount of money or wishes or positive thinking or scientific technology can change a thing about it.  It is finished.

But I believe there is more.  I haven’t been there.  I haven’t had “90 Minutes in Heaven” but I don’t need it.  I follow Jesus who attacked death face on and swallowed it up.  He was resurrected on Easter Sunday morning and immediately appeared to his disciples – those fearful, too smart sometimes for their own britches, “just like us” disciples – and he breathed new life into them too.  That’s the story I live by and it doesn’t end with dust in the ground.

It ends with a chorus of voices raised in song.  It ends without tears of pain and sorrow, without hungry bellies or heart disease.  It ends in a better place that never ends.  I can’t explain it.  I don’t even try.  I trust it and it brings both hope and purpose.

I’m thankful to Steve Jobs for the computer that I’m writing this devotion on.  But I’m thankful to Jesus that my friend is in a better place.

Let us pray:  Gracious Lord, for the promise of life everlasting, for the victory over sin and death, for the hope that you give to the suffering, we give you thanks this morning.  Fill our imaginations with the sound of a heavenly chorus, with a vision of the communion of saints cheering us on as we continue to run our race.  Draw near to those who live in fear and bring hope to those who mourn.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen. 

O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you, I will praise your name; for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure. For you have made the city a heap, the fortified city a ruin; the palace of aliens is a city no more, it will never be rebuilt.  Therefore strong peoples will glorify you; cities of ruthless nations will fear you. For you have been a refuge to the poor, a refuge to the needy in their distress, a shelter from the rainstorm and a shade from the heat. When the blast of the ruthless was like a winter rainstorm, the noise of aliens like heat in a dry place, you subdued the heat with the shade of clouds; the song of the ruthless was stilled.

On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear.  And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; he will swallow up death forever. Then the Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken. Isaiah 25:1-8

Kennon Callahan has long been one of my favorite congregational ministry consultants.  He was the first person I heard point out how many great Christian hymns of hope were written out of the depth of poverty of Appalachia.  Suffering people find hope in the promises of God calling them into a good future.  That is precisely what is going on here in the 25th chapter of Isaiah.

While life now is hard, God is preparing a new future.  Count on it.  Live in it.

Way back in 1989 we began using Callahan’s “12 Keys to an Effective Church” as a diagnostic and planning tool for congregational ministry.  Many good things happened and many lives were touched because of the influence of his thoughts on the congregations I have served.

He was also the first one to point out to me the difference between the four worst missional questions and the four best missional questions that congregational leaders can ask.

The four worst?

1.  What are our problems?

2.  What are our needs?

3.  What are our concerns?

4.  What are our weaknesses and shortcomings?

He said these are the worst questions because every congregation has them and you can spend all night talking about them without getting anywhere.

The four best missional questions?

1.  Where are we headed?

2.  What kind of future are we building?

3.  What are our gifts, strengths and competencies?

4.  What is God calling us to accomplish in mission for the sake of families, the community, the world and our congregation?

These are the best questions because they are rooted in God’s faithfulness.  They lean into a future full of godly hopefulness.  They draw forth our best as we follow the one who has promised us eternal life, now and in the world to come.

Let us pray:  Dear Lord, brighten our vision into the world to come, that we might bring the light of your love into the world today.  Thank you for the promise of a good future and help us live today in the light of where you are leading us.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen. 

On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king’s palace, opposite the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne inside the palace opposite the entrance to the palace. As soon as the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she won his favor and he held out to her the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther approached and touched the top of the scepter. The king said to her, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you, even to the half of my kingdom.” Then Esther said, “If it pleases the king, let the king and Haman come today to a banquet that I have prepared for the king.” Then the king said, “Bring Haman quickly, so that we may do as Esther desires.” So the king and Haman came to the banquet that Esther had prepared. While they were drinking wine, the king said to Esther, “What is your petition? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.” Then Esther said, “This is my petition and request: If I have won the king’s favor, and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come tomorrow to the banquet that I will prepare for them, and then I will do as the king has said.” Esther 5:1-8

Every Sunday at Faith Lutheran we all get an insert in our worship folder from Vibrant Faith Ministries called “Taking Faith Home“.  Along with suggestions for faith based family activities, it includes a list of suggested daily Bible readings.  I’m using that list for our daily devotions.

Imagine my surprise to look at today’s reading and see a selection from Esther.  I’m assuming it was chosen because it continues the theme of the banquet we read yesterday from Luke.  But Esther is planning an utterly different kind of dinner.

Esther is an often ignored book of the Bible.  (OK, completely ignored.)  Voices from the past, including Martin Luther, questioned Esther’s place in scripture.  It seemed, to Luther anyway, more of a celebration of “Jewishness” as a national identity than it did as the Word of God.  Luther was wrong in that and Esther is firmly rooted in the canon.

All I really want to say about Esther this morning is READ THE WHOLE BOOK. It is a great story of intrigue and ingenuity.  Esther is one of the true heroines of the Bible.  The story reads like a Shakespearian comedy.  I think everyone should know this story, especially girls who wonder why it seems that boys always get top billing in the Bible.

This reading from the 5th chapter marks a sneaky little turning point in the story.  Esther has a plan to rescue her people from the evil intentions of Haman.  But that is all I’m going to tell you.  READ THE WHOLE BOOK.

Let us pray:  Dear Lord, thank you for the gift of wonderful stories.  Thank you for the heroes and heroines who teach us about life, about honor, about sacrifice, about using our wits, and about relying on you.  Thank you for the encouragement that comes to us in the stories of those who have gone before us.  May we live well in the legacy that is ours.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

One of the dinner guests, on hearing this, said to him, “Blessed is anyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” Then Jesus said to him, “Someone gave a great dinner and invited many. At the time for the dinner he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come; for everything is ready now.’ But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of land, and I must go out and see it; please accept my regrets.’ Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please accept my regrets.’ Another said, ‘I have just been married, and therefore I cannot come.’ So the slave returned and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and said to his slave, ‘Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ And the slave said, ‘Sir, what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.’ Then the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the roads and lanes, and compel people to come in, so that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those who were invited will taste my dinner.’” Luke 14:15-24

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Luke’s version of this banquet story is significantly different than Matthew’s version of the same story (Matthew 22:1-14).  In Luke, “someone” (probably not a king) throws a dinner party (rather than a wedding banquet).  When those invited prove to busy to attend, the host sends his slaves out to the streets to find anyone willing to come.  Luke skips the king’s swift punishment to those who ignore the invitation to attend.

This “softening” of the story actually makes it more compelling.  We can more clearly see ourselves in it without the emotional reaction that Matthew elicits.  We’ve been there.

We’ve been the ones to issue an invitation only to find that those we wanted to come were too busy.  We’ve been the “too busy” ones who have missed significant events in our lives…only later to discover that we should have made a different choice.  We are the ones who gather in worship, often as aware of the empty seats in the room as we are those who are around us. 

And we’re far more likely at such times to wonder “where are they?” rather than look at ourselves and ask “when is the last time I have invited someone to worship?”

We hear all that.  And yes, we are too busy today.  Life often feels like we live at the very brink of our capacity to juggle all of the demands placed upon us.  Yup, we plead guilty to that one.  But that still leaves us feeling powerless to do anything about it.

The real kicker in this story – from Luke’s point of view – is the social distinctions built into it.  “Someone” is wealthy enough to throw a big party.  Others have a lot going on in their lives because they literally have a lot (land, oxen, newlyweds).  But the rest?  Those hanging out on the side of the road, the poor, the lame, the blind, the crippled, they have plenty of time for a free meal.  They don’t have much clamoring for their attention – except for the daily grind of finding just enough of what they need to live for another day.

But “someone” doesn’t care about their social class or whether or not they have anything to bring to the table – “someone” just wants to throw a party.

In my ears, this parable challenges my notion that there isn’t anything we can do about being “too busy” for what is truly important in life.  But in the ears of those without, in the ears of those on the side of the road, the poor, the blind, the crippled and the lame, this parable would sound like music.  Someone noticed them.  Someone invited them.  Someone fed them.

Let us pray:  Gracious Lord, we come to you now at the beginning of yet another busy week.  Help us use our time wisely.  While we are very grateful for all that we have and all that we are able to do, help us keep first things first.  Above all, open our eyes to those we far too often ignore, that we might invite them to your table with us.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

“The same thing occurred in Iconium, where Paul and Barnabas went into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks became believers. But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who testified to the word of his grace by granting signs and wonders to be done through them. But the residents of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews, and some with the apostles. And when an attempt was made by both Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to mistreat them and to stone them, the apostles learned of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding country; and there they continued proclaiming the good news.”  Acts 14:1-7

The first thing about this story that we might have missed by reading too quickly is that Paul and Barnabas went into the “Jewish synagogue” to talk about Jesus.  This sounds weird in our ears.  We just don’t do that these days. Polite mainstream middle class Christians don’t try to proselytize Jews. 

Then, if we read closely, we are also surprised to see that the results of their efforts in speaking of Jesus within the synagogue include the conversion of both Jews and Greeks.  That too is weird – what are Gentile Greeks doing in the synagogue in the first place?

Again we are surprised to read that, though they faced extreme opposition, including the “unbelieving Jews” stirring up the Gentiles, Paul and Barnabas stayed in Iconium “for a long time.”  Eventually it says the whole city was stirred up.  Only later, when it appeared that divided opinion might become a serious physical threat, did Paul and Barnabas beat feet to Lystra and Derbe.

What do we make of this?

First we remember that Paul often went first to a local synagogue when he traveled to a new town.  That is a long held tradition.  Rabbi Daniel Lapin in his book “Thou Shall Prosper” says that one of the keys to business success among Jews is the social networking available when a minimum of ten Jewish men (non-Orthodox Jews count women too) gather for daily prayers at a synagogue.  A traveling businessman would be welcomed into the “minyan”.  Prayers would later lead to conversations and introductions and perhaps, partnerships.  It is a pretty good idea.

In the first century, the local synagogue would be a gathering place for Jews who were convinced that Jesus was the Messiah – Paul went to the synagogue to find the local Christians.  But Paul went beyond social networking, and he and Barnabas didn’t seem to care who they talked with.  They also weren’t terribly interested in being polite.  Too much was at stake!

They told the story of how Jesus had changed their lives, and in the process, they brought hope and promise into the lives of others.  Their story was compelling.  The results of people coming to faith, of people being healed and restored, were amazing. 

We read these accounts and then compare them to so much of what we experience in church.  How often did Paul worry about who was going to pick up the styrofoam cups at Costco and who was going to vote for a budget increase for extra coffee?  It makes what we see and do in local congregations seem trite, mundane, silly.  But that is never the whole story.

Pay attention.  Look closely.  You will still see turbulence going on.  Many of the little squabbles that congregations get into are really only the outward signs of God working emotional and psychological transformation within the lives of the participants as they work through what “growing up” means for them.  Many family and friendship networks get strained over differing understandings of the faith.  We might not risk public beatings, but there is plenty of “opposing the gospel” going on in our world.

The real driver behind Paul and Barnabas wasn’t social networking, it was the Holy Spirit doing the God thing in the world.  That hasn’t changed.  Thank God for that!

Let us pray:  Dear Jesus, continue to stir up our hearts and minds as you work in and around and through us.  Give us courage in the face of difficulty and give us appreciation for the little signs and wonders that happen among us.  Thank you for the privilege of joining in the work of Paul and Barnabas.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

When they heard these words, some in the crowd said, “This is really the prophet.” Others said, “This is the Messiah.” But some asked, “Surely the Messiah does not come from Galilee, does he? Has not the scripture said that the Messiah is descended from David and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?” So there was a division in the crowd because of him. Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.

Then the temple police went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why did you not arrest him?” The police answered, “Never has anyone spoken like this!” Then the Pharisees replied, “Surely you have not been deceived too, have you? Has any one of the authorities or of the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd, which does not know the law—they are accursed.” Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus before, and who was one of them, asked, “Our law does not judge people without first giving them a hearing to find out what they are doing, does it?” They replied, “Surely you are not also from Galilee, are you? Search and you will see that no prophet is to arise from Galilee.”  John 7:40-52

“When they heard these words…”  What were these words that so angered the chief priests and Pharisees?

“On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.'”

Jesus was in Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Booths (otherwise called “Sukkot” or the feast of Tabernacles).  This was a time for remembering the wilderness wandering of the people of Israel.  Not just the wandering but the care that God showed to his people – daily food, the gift of the law, water from the rock.  It is in the midst of this remembering God’s grace in the past that Jesus offers a very present invitation, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me.” 

Much like his redefinition of the Passover feast (This is MY body, this is MY blood, given and shed for YOU), Jesus transforms a remembrance into a present and available reality.  This is a blessing to the people…and a challenge to the religious authorities who were no longer “in charge”.

If you can’t attack the message, attack the messenger.  So, like modern day muckrakers now digging for any available dirt on the people running for president, the religious leaders start looking for “proof” that Jesus couldn’t possibly be who he seems to be.  Ironically, especially given the lack of a Christmas story in John’s gospel, they point out the scriptural promise that the Messiah would be a descendant of David born in Bethlehem, thinking they can use that against Jesus.

So they argue and plot and look for anything they can find against Jesus.  But one of them, Nicodemus, reminds them that even their law requires evidence.  Nicodemus, still remembering how Jesus’ words cut into him during their brief conversation in the night, takes on more subtle step toward following Jesus.

People will always look for ways to squirm out from under God’s claims on their lives.  People will attack the faith by attacking the faithful.  They will reject Jesus by rejecting those who follow him.  But they will thrust and parry into the wind. At the end of the day, it won’t be rational arguments or biblical proof texts that convince the unconvinced of the identity, purpose and love of Jesus.  It will instead be the lives of people like us, people whose lives have been and continue to be, transformed by the love of a crucified and risen Galilean carpenter, that will be the hope of the world.

Let us pray:  Gracious Lord, we hear the stories of those who attacked you, who rejected you, who conspired against you.  We pray that we might not be among them.  Give us courage to stand and walk and follow as you lead the way.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?’ He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’” Luke 13:6-9

Mary (not her real name) was tormented by this parable.

Of all the passages in scripture, this is the one that stuck in her mind.  This is the passage that she remembered from her childhood.  From the first time she heard it, she just knew that she was that unproductive fig tree.  She was the one who wasn’t good enough.  She was the child that didn’t and couldn’t and wouldn’t ever please her parents.

She told me that she had once heard in a Bible study that fig trees only produced fruit every seven years.  She said that helped her a little bit.  (The Bible study leader was wrong.  Fig trees produce fruit every year, even twice a year.)  She also said, when I pointed out the patience of the owner, the story of Jesus cursing the empty fig tree near Jerusalem which shriveled up and died overnight.

Mary was clearly troubled and bore the weight of years of pain.  It was clear that her pain wasn’t caused by the parable of the fig tree.  Her life experience, her family of origin, issues in her current life, all of that burdened her.  She lived in fear that God was going to “cut her down” because she was unproductive.

As I think about Mary this morning, I’m thinking about all of the people (myself included) for whom our inner lives are so often conflicted by the various struggles of life.  Memories come and go, healing comes and goes.  Good days and hard days and worries and fears.  This is all part of what it is to be a human being.  Some days are harder than others.

For those who care about God, who are curious about God, even devoted to God, we expect respite and relief on the way.  We expect that God will make our lives better but far too often God’s best attempts are blocked by our own memories and struggles and unwillingness to let go.  And sometimes, we wonder if we are wasting the soil.

But then comes the voice of the gardener.  Again we hear the voice of patience, the voice of hope, the voice of the unflagging optimist of one whose calling is to nurture growth – “Sir, let it alone for one more year.”  Give it a chance.  Let me work with it.  I think it is going to be OK.  And in that voice we discover hope for yet one more day.

Let us pray:  Dear Lord, be with those who struggle with a sense of their own self worth and value.  Bless them with patient voices in their lives which offer encouragement.  Thank you for all of the second chances that you give us.  May we be fruitful in the vineyards you have entrusted to our care.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

“On that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen, and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old; in order that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by my name, says the LORD who does this. The time is surely coming, says the LORD, when the one who plows shall overtake the one who reaps, and the treader of grapes the one who sows the seed; the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it. I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant them upon their land, and they shall never again be plucked up out of the land that I have given them, says the LORD your God.”  Amos 9:11-15

Yes, the beautiful poetry of Amos promises a time of restoration for Israel.  Yes, it says that the land will see peace, the walls will be rebuilt, and they will once again live in the promised land.

Such words were for those in Amos’s day…signs of a hope to a broken people.

Such words are for us today….reminders of the goodness of God, God’s willingness to remember his people, the hope that is ours in Christ.

But…

Amos wrote during a time of both peace and prosperity.  The two kingdoms in Israel (Israel in the north, Judah in the south) were doing well.  The Assyrians were busy with other battles and were leaving Israel alone.  The people of Israel were living well, and forgetting about God. Good times can be as spiritually detrimental as bad times.  We forget the One who gives us our daily bread…and we forget about those who still have no bread. 

Within a generation of Amos’ writing, the Assyrians would attack, conquer and absorb the northern kingdom.  Israel would be reduced to the small southern kingdom of Judah.

One day Alexander the Great’s army would come to town and they would be the big bully on the block for a season.  Once again Israel would be ruled by a foreign power.  Then the Greek empire would fall (as empires always do).  But rather than ushering in a new era of peace, internal in-fighting would soil Israel.  And then the Romans would come.  Then the Muslims.  And so it goes…

What do we do when times get hard?  Look for a scapegoat?  Blame God for failing to keep God’s promises?  It is God’s fault that the land knows no peace? Or do we take a good hard look inside – what have we done with our hearts?  In what have we trusted for status and security?  Whose heads were we stepping on while climbing to the top?

Let us pray:  Dear Lord, open our ears to the words of your prophets who warn us against the folly of finding our lives in material gain, in seeking peace by making war.  Give us a vision of living in your loving will for all people, and then guide us as we walk down that path.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.