Daily Devotions

Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eye wastes away from grief, my soul and body also. For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my misery, and my bones waste away.

I am the scorn of all my adversaries, a horror to my neighbors, an object of dread to my acquaintances; those who see me in the street flee from me. I have passed out of mind like one who is dead; I have become like a broken vessel. For I hear the whispering of many— terror all around!— as they scheme together against me, as they plot to take my life.

But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors. Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your steadfast love.

Do not let me be put to shame, O Lord, for I call on you; let the wicked be put to shame; let them go dumbfounded to Sheol. Let the lying lips be stilled that speak insolently against the righteous with pride and contempt. Psalm 31:9-18

Last night I spoke at a memorial service for the brother of a friend who has become part of the Faith Lutheran community. It was a different kind of memorial service and, as I prepared for my part, I found myself choosing a Bible reading that I have never used before. And as I spoke, I said some things that I have never said before at such a service.

There are two things that I have always heard people say about funerals. People appreciate when funerals are very personal. And people can sense a difference if the pastor really knows, or seems to know, the person around which everyone has gathered.

I can appreciate those thoughts and I don’t disparage them. However, regardless of how personal we attempt to make memorial services, the reality is that death is the great equalizer. Death shows no preference for gender, class, race, religion, region, or any of the other humanly created illusions of difference. As a Christian I can only believe that when anyone dies, anywhere, I have lost a brother or a sister and I trust that God has prepared a place for us to meet again. A place without tears in eyes or tears in the fabric of God’s beautiful creation.

As for “knowing the person”, I get that. It is one of the most emotionally wrenching aspects of my job. I can’t win at that one. Sometimes it is hard to contain my own grief, either because of my relationship with the person who died or my love for those left behind. And when I don’t know anyone in the room, let’s say the funeral home just called looking for someone to help a family because “they think their loved one used to be Lutheran or something at some time”, I feel a different sort of pain. It hurts to know that a funeral is just a moment in time – that real grief is a community endeavor and I know that the conversation that needs to happen might not happen as this might be my only time to be with that particular family before everyone goes their separate ways.

So last night I talked about how much more important it is, not that I know the man who we have gathered to remember, but that God knows him. Not only do I believe God knows him, I believe God knows him far better than any of you knows him, better even that he knew himself. And that God loves him, not for HOW he was, but for WHO he was. Another broken, sinful, beautiful, complex, work of human art wrought by the loving creative hands of the Author of the Universe.

So no, I didn’t know the people we are praying for this week. The police officers and the men whose lives were taken far too cruelly and far too soon. I don’t know their families, their children, and their friends. But God does and they are my brothers and sisters.

The great equalizer has reminded us all again that life on this planet does not last forever. So how will we use this time, so often marked by a sense that “my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my misery, and my bones waste away.”?

Could we do any better than speaking the truth in love? In seeking first to understand rather than be understood? In asking for the grace to love our enemies, to pray for those who persecute us, in forgiving others and in that in finding ourselves forgiven? Is there a better, more hopeful, way to live than that?

Rest in peace, my sisters and brothers. And the rest of us? Could we do better than loving God and loving our neighbor?

Let us pray: Gracious Lord, today we pray for wisdom and discernment, for truth and integrity, for hope and for hopefulness. We pray that the lost not be forgotten and that our hearts not turn to stone. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

In you, O Lord, I seek refuge; do not let me ever be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me.

Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily. Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me.

You are indeed my rock and my fortress; for your name’s sake lead me and guide me, take me out of the net that is hidden for me, for you are my refuge.

Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.

You hate those who pay regard to worthless idols, but I trust in the Lord.

I will exult and rejoice in your steadfast love, because you have seen my affliction; you have taken heed of my adversities, and have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy; you have set my feet in a broad place. Psalm 31:1-8

On June 16, 1858, Abraham Lincoln gave his acceptance speech at his party’s state convention upon being nominated to run for the United States Senate. In that speech he said these words:

A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently, half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved — I do not expect the house to fall — but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other. Either the opponents of slavery will arrest the further spread of it, and place it where the public mind shall rest in the belief that it is in the course of ultimate extinction; or its advocates will push it forward, till it shall become lawful in all the States, old as well as new — North as well as South.

As we pray this week for the victims and families of the law enforcement officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge, as well as the victims and families of those killed by law enforcement officers, I thought of those words. Then the driving force behind the spirit of division within our country revolved around race. Aren’t we in much the same place today?

At some point, the book of Psalms was gathered together, each psalm numbered and placed in the order they now appear in our Bibles. This wasn’t a matter of coherence and careful topical arrangement. As a book of poetry it isn’t arranged by poetic genre. But many psalms are set together, they flow together, as they offer words to accompany the chances and changes of our lives.

Both Psalms 30 and 31 are written as pleas for help and mercy in times of trouble. Psalm 30 expresses the hopefulness of deliverance. Psalm 31 expresses the pain of yearning for deliverance. We all sense that yearning in our country today.

Many voices, commenting on the role that race plays in community relationships between people and police, say that we have moved far beyond where we used to be. That we are far beyond the time of racial division, or at least we ought to be. They say that race has little or nothing to do with these events. They express disappointment that, having elected our first black President, we seem to be moving backwards into old divisions.

Other voices say that such divisions have continued to exist, but largely out of sight and out of mind of the wider society. Racial divisions are not being exploited, stoked, or fanned today, they are being exposed. Coming to the light is painful for those who have so long walked in darkness.

In such an atmosphere, President Lincoln reached for the words of the Bible, from Mark 3: “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”

In another moment, a man of peace who spoke of the vastness of God’s mercy in the Kingdom of God, was crucified by the government as a subversive troublemaker. He too reached into the Bible, to today’s verses from Psalm 31, for words, “Into your hand I commit my spirit.”

Mutual commitment to the love and mercy of God will be our path toward healing. Out-shouting and out-shooting each other will never get us to where God wants us to be.

Let us pray: Dear Lord, we are a stubborn and stiff-necked people. We are driven by thoughts and ideas which have long possessed us, consciously and unconsciously. Then things happen and people suffer and we are shocked out of our complacency and feel set adrift. Continue to bring hope to those grieving the loss of loved ones. Continue to bring us to that point where we yield our wills and our spirits to your will and your Spirit. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

As for me, I said in my prosperity, “I shall never be moved.”

By your favor, O Lord, you had established me as a strong mountain; you hid your face; I was dismayed. To you, O Lord, I cried, and to the Lord I made supplication:

“What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the Pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness? Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me! O Lord, be my helper!”

You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, so that my soul may praise you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever. Psalm 30:6-12

The first line in this portion of Psalm 30 is quite revealing. It captures two potentially dangerous aspects of how we tend to think about God, and respond to God, in our lives. First, we (like pretty much all people down through the ages) tend to equate personal prosperity with God’s gracious favor. The danger here is that we run the risk of reducing our gratitude to God for all times to only crediting God with the good times. If we add our own hard work and intelligence to the formula then we end up with the prosperity gospel and we’ve shaken the dust of Jesus off of our feet and gone our own way.

And second, we fail to see the potential idolatry of our prosperity.

The Psalmist understands how we think and resists our efforts to go there. The reality is that hard times come, prosperity isn’t our salvation, and the bigger we are (in our own minds), the harder we fall (when things no longer go our way.) The Psalmist describes such moments in several ways, here he says that God “hid your face.”

And how do we respond? Our prayer becomes a negotiation with God. What good does it do if we fail? What profit is there in your cause, O God, if I die?

Again today we pray for the men and women who will leave their houses and apartments, drive to the station house, suit up, meet with their supervisors, and then head out to the street for the purpose of serving and protecting society. Some of those they serve will greet them with respect, feeling the comfort of their presence. Others will cringe inside when they see those cars turn down their street. Many will worry that today will be another day that God hides God’s face.

I once asked the patrol sergeant who I rode with through the night, “How do you handle the idea that something bad might happen to you on duty?” Not surprisingly, his response was both fatalistic and faithful, “I figure, if its my time, then its my time, and there isn’t much that I can do about it. That’s all up to God.”

There is no negotiation in that. There is no relying on “God will show me special favor because I’ve been a good boy.” This is not the prosperity gospel – look at my many blessings and see there how God has rewarded me. No, this is good old fashioned “take up your cross and follow me” discipleship. Doing what you do for the sake of the world with the willingness to suffer whatever might come your way along the way.

There are times when it feels like God has hidden God’s face from our sight…but looking back, isn’t it far more likely that we no longer see God’s face because WE have turned our backs on God? God is still there, always ready to turn our mourning into dancing; taking off our sackclothes and clothing us with joy, so that our souls may praise you and not be silent.”

Let us pray: Today, Lord, is a new day. It is another day. May today be a day when we submit our wills to your will, that we might do our part in the world for the common good of all. Protect those who serve and protect others. Draw near to the grieving, to those in despair, to those struggling with fear, with anger, with regret. May we not, even when times are good, turn our backs on you. May we, in all things and all times, know your presence and the redemptive power of your love. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up, and did not let my foes rejoice over me.

O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me.

O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol, restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit.

Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name.

For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning. Psalm 30:1-5

Several police officers and their families were members of the first congregation that I served. One allowed me to ride along with him several times as he worked the night shift in the district that included our church building. I watched him and others handle instances of domestic violence, reports of gun shots from a large party, recover stolen vehicles, and rush to homes to thwart break-ins.

I just got a taste of what police officers like him do, night after night after night, all over our country. They form a tight community because they have to. Everyone needs the support of others. No one else understands the demands of a job like that. No one else understands the pressure their families feel as their loved ones leave every day for a job that always includes the danger that they might not come back home.

I just came home from a long motorcycle trip. Kelley cried the night before I left. She fears for my safety every time I go away on another adventure; she worries that I might not come home. And I honor that by checking in with her, riding as safely as possible, but I too realize that I’m not in control of a deer dashing across the highway or some piece of road junk suddenly appearing in front of me.

So I am mindful today of the added stress being felt by every police officer in our country in the aftermath of the senseless and tragic shootings in Dallas and Baton Rouge. Let’s pray for them today and every day this week.

I am mindful of their families, the families grieving the loss of their loved ones, and the families fearful of what might happen today or any day. Let’s pray for them as well.

And yes, I am also very mindful of people with black and brown skin who have long had very different experiences with police officers than what I have known. People who report being singled out, hassled, and treated with disrespect. Here I am not just praying for them, I am also praying for myself – that I remain open-minded and open-hearted so that I can hear their stories without defensiveness or reactivity.

The Psalmist turns always to God for help and healing. The Psalmist never sugar coats the realities of life. The realities of enemies and foes and sickness and death. Yet he also never leaves us there but always drives us back to the promises of God. That “weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.”

Let us pray: Gracious Lord, this morning we pray for the families of the police officers whose lives were taken in Dallas and Baton Rouge. We pray for healing for the wounded and healing in the hearts of all of their families. We pray for each and every officer that faithfully shows up to duty with the added burden of fear and stress. We pray for all of those now gathering this week in Cleveland. And we pray for the black men and boys who have been killed by police officers, for their families, and for their communities. Take us all through a time of weeping, restore our joy, let justice roll down like waters, and bless those who would call us together rather than driving us apart. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

I wrote the following earlier today and posted it on Facebook. I decided to use this platform as well. At some point, I believe that people of good will need to do whatever it takes to transform the idolatry of the gun culture that has overtaken our country. For better or worse, here are my thoughts today in the aftermath of the Orlando massacre.

In my sermon on Sunday – having heard nothing about the shooting in Orlando either when I wrote or preached the sermon – I mentioned Martin Luther’s definition of the operative “gods” in our lives – our “god” is whatever we look to for meaning, purpose, status, and security. Further I said that the most insidious idolatry in our lives is recasting the God of the Bible into a new god of our own imaginations. We project ourselves onto our conception of “god” and then follow our own creation.

I don’t know all that prompted the killer in Orlando. What I have read thus far today is that his ex-wife left him because he was physically abusive, bipolar, with a terrible temper. He was disgusted by LGBT people. He had EASY access to purchase an AR-15 assault rifle. He created his own version of “god” in alignment with other misguided terroristic men who wreak havoc on the lives of innocents, apologizing for it because of their conception of “god” – a conception that is roundly denied by millions of other Muslims. (In the same way that I denounce the Christian faith of a man who shoots people at a Planned Parenthood facility.)

I look at all of that and the various challenges posed and they seem nearly impossible to address. Except one. EASY access to purchase an AR-15 assault rifle.

What stands in the way of eliminating legal access to assault rifles to anyone but law enforcement? What stands in the way of adding previously investigated people with the potential to commit terroristic acts from the “no you can’t buy a gun” list in the same way as they can be added to the “no you can’t board an airplane” list?

The idolatrous, fanatically religious, notion that guns protect us. And it is a fanatically religious notion in that the facts, real numbers, real life experience, simply do not support it.

Dr. King said that he couldn’t make a man love him but he could see that laws were passed so that he couldn’t lynch him. That is common sense. That is the purpose of government.

If anything can redeem the insanity of Orlando it is this.

1. To recognize that marginalized people will always be easy targets for hatred. LBGT, and every other minority community, have long suffered, and will continue to suffer, even as they have striven so long to gain a voice, an identity, and claim their civil rights. No one in that club did a damn thing to deserve what happened and that couple in Miami had every right to kiss in public. That’s what people do in Miami! The problem existed ONLY in the shooter’s mind and his failure to process his own thoughts and feelings.
2. To enact and enforce common sense federal laws that restrict, reduce, and eliminate the on-going proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in our country. Australia and others have done it. We can too. We have to replace common $en$e with common sense.
3. Religious communities have to continue to name and reject idolatry within our own ranks. As a Christian, I have to give that the “What would Jesus have me do?” test. That begins for me by looking at what Jesus actually did. He didn’t criticize the religion of the woman at the well although his own faith wouldn’t have allowed him to even have a conversation with her. And yes, Peter had a sword when Jesus was arrested. Jesus told Peter to put the sword away and he healed the ear of the man Peter lashed out at. As a follower of Jesus, I am against civilians using weapons to do violence against others. I am against promoting hate, mistrust, and mischaracterization of other religions.

Full disclosure: I have a concealed handgun permit issued by the state of Texas. I got it anticipating a motorcycle trip to Alaska and I was afraid of animals. I bought a handgun. Then I bought another. Because of Canada’s seriously restrictive laws against bringing guns across the border, I left my gun at home.

Even as I took the class to get the permit, I already knew the statistics. If I brought a hand gun into my home the overwhelming facts say that the people most in danger from that gun would be my family or myself.

Then came the slaughter at Sandy Hook and I had enough. I announced to my congregation that I would getting out of the gun culture. I brought my guns to a local gun shop and left them on the counter. The guy behind the counter asked what I was doing and I told him, “I’m not leaving with these. You can do whatever you want with them.”

What did that cost me? Personally it cost me nothing. Kelley was very relieved that we no longer had access to guns. Professionally, I had families leave the church I serve because I am too “liberal.”

I did what I thought Jesus would have me do. I’m doing it here again with post.

As for the people who would leave our congregation because of my response to the tragic deaths of FIFTY people and the wounding of FIFTY+ more, in a culture where such tragedies have become COMMON, so be it. I hate to see and I grieve their leaving.

And should they then find another congregation that blesses the idolatry of gun ownership for purposes other than hunting and target practice, then that just goes to show that Christianity has its own dangerous extremists that need to be exposed and opposed as every other religion.

Christianity is not a religion of blind faith. Jesus opened the eyes of the blind. Seeing reality for what it is in central to Christianity. Facts and actual lived human experience matters to Christianity. “How will this ACTUALLY AFFECT real human lives?” is a question embraced by Christianity.

Only idolatrous fanaticism is based on blind faith, on ignorance and fear, on the quest for power rather than humility and the will to love.

I pray that God leads us – each of us, our elected leadership, our country, people around the world – down right pathways for his name’s sake. That we fear no evil, trusting that God will protect us, and that those chosen to lead us will do the right thing.

During the season of Lent our devotions have been written by members of Faith Lutheran Church.  Today’s writer is Pastor Kerry.

It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, while the sun’s light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Having said this, he breathed his last.

When the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God and said, “Certainly this man was innocent.” And when all the crowds who had gathered there for this spectacle saw what had taken place, they returned home, beating their breasts. But all his acquaintances, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things. Luke 23:44-49

And now we come to the end. Jesus is alone on his cross, doing what he alone can do.

He commends his spirit to the Father and he breathes his last. He has finished his work.

As Isaiah wrote, he was “despised and rejected by others; a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity; and as one from whom others hide their faces he was despised, and we held him of no account.”

He gave his best and he was rejected. This divine drama is not a play we watch from the wings. It isn’t a story from long ago and far away. It is instead a story that is played out day to day in our lives.

We are the ones who have rejected him and his ways. We are the ones who have turned our backs on God, but we are also the centurion. We are the most surprising of people to look upon the crucified Jesus and recognize there, as we hear his cry, the cry of a God who will love us to the very end.

As we look upon his innocence, we see our guilt, and we watch both die together.

Christian sanctuaries are full on Christmas Eve, but largely empty on Good Friday. Why is that? What does that reveal, not about God, but about us?

Let us pray:  Dear Lord, on the cross we see most starkly our own complicity in the sin that divides your world apart, and the depth of your suffering love. You accept us even in our rejection. For when we reject you, we reject the beauty in ourselves. Draw us into your cross, into your suffering, into your self, that we might more fully be drawn into the world where you have planted us. The world which you love. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

During the season of Lent our devotions have been written by members of Faith Lutheran Church.  Today’s writer is Pastor Tan.

When the hour came, he took his place at the table, and the apostles with him. He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I tell you, I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”

Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

But see, the one who betrays me is with me, and his hand is on the table. For the Son of Man is going as it has been determined, but woe to that one by whom he is betrayed!” Then they began to ask one another, which one of them it could be who would do this. Luke 22:14-23

Today is Maundy Thursday. The word Maundy is derived from the Latin word for “command.” It refers to the command Jesus gave to the disciples, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 33:34).

How did Jesus demonstrate his love for his disciples on the day when he was betrayed and arrested?  He washed his disciple’s feet. He also shared the last meal with them and said to them, “Take and eat, this is my body.” and “Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

Tonight, as you come to the Lord’s Table, remember that the bread is Jesus’ body and the wine is his blood. Jesus’ body was broken so that we may be made whole. He shed his blood so that we can live and live abundantly. That is love in its highest form.

My boys go to Herod Elementary School. The school is named after Texas Air National Guard Captain Gary L. Herod. There are two bronze plaques that tell the story of Capt. Herod.

On the night of March 15, 1961, shortly after takeoff from Ellington Field, Herod experienced complete engine failure. Although he could have ejected safely, he remained with the plane to “guide it through an overcast sky to crash beyond densely populated Houston, and in so doing he heroically sacrificed his life”.

On the top of one plaque is engraved Jesus’ words, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” – John 15:13

Prayer: Holy Jesus, you died for me and for the whole humanity to show us what love is and what love does. Help me to live a life worthy of your sacrificial love. Amen.

During the season of Lent our devotions have been written by members of Faith Lutheran Church.  Today’s writer is Wendy Farner.

“When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.”

Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven. “But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name.

This will give you an opportunity to testify. So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance; for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls. Luke 21:9-19

I have always read this passage as portending great tumult and destruction upon the earth by outside forces. Evil influences (“they”) will wreak havoc upon “you” (Christians), as a prelude to the end times.

But recently, I read these words much more personally. Maybe “they” are not so much cataclysmic evil forces that will come at some future time. Maybe “they” are instead the daily struggles we all endure in our lives. The cancer that steals a beloved mother. The addiction that drives son against father. The inner torment that causes one to take his own life. The child born too soon.

For those of us who have experienced any of these types of tragedies, it can feel like we have been seized and persecuted, like we have been through earthquakes and pestilences.

Suddenly, the words of Jesus do not sound so distant, but instead draw near. Yes, this daily struggle against sin and evil is real, and not relegated to those living in the end times, but so is the promise of Jesus.

Read through to the end of the verse – and know that Jesus remains with us through it all, and ultimately brings us to the other side.

Let us pray: Lord, help us to feel your presence in the midst of darkness, and to know that you are here to protect us. Help us not to feel afraid, and to trust in you to bring us through our trials. Carry our burden when it becomes too heavy, and see us through to a better place. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

During the season of Lent our devotions have been written by members of Faith Lutheran Church.  Today’s writer is Andy Allen.

He looked up and saw rich people putting their gifts into the treasury; he also saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. He said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them; for all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.” Luke 21:1-4

It is hard to donate when you are poor. Why did the widow give anything at all? She had no husband to support her and very little money.  Nobody would notice if one poor woman did not donate to the church.

I think she tried her best because she loved God.

It seems like the rich man donated because people would see what he did and then like him. When you are rich, it is easier to give some.

Don’t donate just because others are watching or you think it will make you popular. Charity is not a competition. Try your best. Give because you believe in the results. It sounds like God will be pleased if you try, not necessarily on the actual amount you put in the collection plate.

I try to donate a part of my allowance to the church. I contribute my time as an acolyte for about one service per month, make sandwiches to the poor during learning group time, participate in my church community activities, and work to become more attached to God through confirmation.

All these things together are a few hours a week. It is a small amount of time compared to all the time I have. I do it out of love, not just because Mom drags me to church. It is a small amount compared to what grownups can give, and a small amount compared to what I wish I could give.

I should try to remember that all the little things from me and everyone else can add up to big things.

Even though sometimes it seems like I don’t have much to give, it is surprising that some days it is still really hard to give my time and money. Sometimes it is hard to do the right thing. You can ask God to be with you and give you strength to do the right thing.

Let us pray: Lord, help me to give with a generous heart and with thankfulness for all that you gave me. Compared to you, I have so little to give, but help me to give my very best. I know you can use it to your glory. Amen.

During the season of Lent our devotions have been written by members of Faith Lutheran Church.  Today’s writer is Elaine Gabriel.

He began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, and leased it to tenants, and went to another country for a long time. When the season came, he sent a slave to the tenants in order that they might give him his share of the produce of the vineyard; but the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Next he sent another slave; that one also they beat and insulted and sent away empty-handed. And he sent still a third; this one also they wounded and threw out.

Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ But when the tenants saw him, they discussed it among themselves and said, ‘This is the heir; let us kill him so that the inheritance may be ours.’ So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.” When they heard this, they said, “Heaven forbid!” But he looked at them and said, “What then does this text mean: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’? Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.”

When the scribes and chief priests realized that he had told this parable against them, they wanted to lay hands on him at that very hour, but they feared the people. Luke 20:9-19

I really struggled with understanding Jesus’ Parable of the Tenants and finally I called my mom. Then I consulted Goggle, which suggests that there is a key to Jesus’ Parable of the Tenants.

Each piece signifies a different aspect of our role in the kingdom of God. So what does this mean to me today?

The vineyards represent the work of the church in God’s world and we are His servants.  As God’s servants living in the United States at this time, we have it pretty cushy.  We don’t have to fight a government or an oppressive society to be His servant.   We should be eager to do God’s work.  We also need to keep those His servants in the world who don’t have it so easy in our prayers.

Then there is that corner stone.  One could build their world on God’s corner stone or trip all over it.  God has a way of creating situations for us to learn important lessons.  That lesson also seems to reoccur over and over until His learning objective is met.

I try to learn the first time so that I don’t have to trip on that corner stone over and over.

Be mindful to respect the stone since it can even come flying to crush anything in its way.

Let us pray: Lord, help us to be your servants, to be eager to do the work of the Kingdom. Amen.