Daily Devotions

Throughout the season of Lent our daily devotions have been written by members of the Faith Lutheran community. Our theme this Lent is “Jesus Our Healer.” Today’s devotion comes from Jason Houlihan.

Praise the Lord! How good it is to sing praises to our God; for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.

The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel.

He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:1-3

In the Psalms the heartaches of humankind are lifted up, but also the praise for a God who is still dealing in restoration.

Contextually, this Psalm is believed to have been written after the exile and is a psalm of praise, much like Psalm 145. Behind these words in an acknowledgement that we live in a difficult world, a broken world, and we live with pain, and all of us live with some degree of questions. We all wake to the human condition, some of us still in exile, and others singing praise.

Homes all over Houston and our world are filled with questions and cycles that seep into life and aim to stay. God, and the Israelites, knew pain is real. They had spent decades in exile but it was their privilege here in the Psalms to suggest that hope and help are also real.

Beyond the scope of the text is a vision for community, hope, and help that would replace secrets and silence. The vision is of people putting down violent political conviction, blades, and bottles to instead intentionally open the door to healing. Healing is a process with a vision toward better stories.

Let us pray: Healer, open us up to get the help we need. Let us call upon you and our community in the lows of life that will certainly come. God walk with us and lead us into the best days we know are ahead. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Throughout the season of Lent our daily devotions have been written by members of the Faith Lutheran community. Our theme this Lent is “Jesus Our Healer.” Today’s devotion comes from Jason Houlihan.

“…if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

Christians, especially those who believe in American exceptionalism, take this verse to mean that if believers in this nation would humble themselves and pray then God will fix our nation. Before you get upset at the newest staff member for implying that this is not what this verse is about, ask yourself, “What is the context of this verse?” We’ve got about 150 words left to check this out, so let’s take a quick glance at context.

The first temple in Jerusalem had just been completed. King Solomon led a massive weeklong celebration (basically Solomon knew how to party), to dedicate the temple. As per tradition, the walk of shame often proceeds intense partying, so that’s how we get to this verse. God, then speaks to Solomon, the king of Israel, and promises Solomon that if the people of God; humble themselves, pray and ask forgiveness, seek God continually and repent, then God would hear those prayers and heal their land. Those are the principles by which we Christians live.

Repentance is little more than returning our hearts to God. We too walk in shame, we too deny our true self and this Lenten Season, God is saying rest my beloved and return to me.

Let us pray: Abba, let us see that we cannot do everything, and feel the liberation of that statement in our bones. Let us give our hearts back to you as our minds wonder throughout the day. God, give us the strength, to be open to resting in this season and find healing in trusting your embrace. Amen.

Throughout the season of Lent our daily devotions have been written by members of the Faith Lutheran community.  Our theme this Lent is “Jesus Our Healer.”  Today’s devotion comes from Pastor Junfeng Tan.

He said, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in his sight, and give heed to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will not bring upon you any of the diseases that I brought upon the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you.” Exodus 15:26

“I am the Lord who heals you.” The story behind the saying is the miracle of the bitter water. Israelites wandered in the wilderness of Shur for three days and found no water. Finally they saw a pool of water when they got to Marah. But they could not drink the water because it was bitter. The people complained to Moses, who then cried out in prayer to God.

God pointed him to a stick of wood. Moses threw it into the water. Lo and behold, the water became sweet.

This miracle story was used by God as a teaching tool. God told Israelites then and us today that the roadmap to health and healing is trusting God and obeying God’s commandments. Jesus says that the two most important commandments that God gives us are: first, “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength”; second, love one’s neighbor as oneself (Mark 12:30-31). Therefore, love is the best medicine.

When love of God and love of one’s neighbors are absent in life, diseases and illness will move in and take control of our mind, body and spirit. Egypt was inflicted with diseases because there was too much violence, injustice, and oppression going on in that country. Israelites left the disease-ravaged land of Egypt and were led by Moses to the Promised Land of milk and honey. If the Promised Land was to remain clean and prosperous, Israelites had to dedicate themselves to the love of God and love of neighbors.

The same principle applies to our land and every land in the world.

Let us pray, Lord, you are the living water that makes life healthy, sweet, and beautiful. “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, My God.” (Psalm 42:1).

“Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good things, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person brings good things out of a good treasure, and the evil person brings evil things out of an evil treasure. I tell you, on the day of judgment you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:33-37

Who comes to mind when I say “evil person”?

For many years, Adolph Hitler was our embodiment of evil. More recently, Osama Bin Laden became evil’s poster boy. Drug kingpins, gangsters, human traffickers, pedophiles, mass murderers…they and many more obviously make the list.

And yet something tells me that these were not the people that Jesus had in mind when he spoke these words. In fact, he was talking to a group of Pharisees who had already decided amongst themselves that Jesus himself was the embodiment of evil. As Matthew says, they were already conspiring about how to get rid of Jesus.

What was Jesus’ most recent offense? He had cured a demoniac who had been unable to speak or see. The Pharisees were convinced that “It is only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons, that this fellow casts out the demons.”

To accuse Jesus, the Son of God, of being in league with the devil is about as low as it gets. Jesus responded with language that would live forever – a house divided against itself will not stand, the unforgivable sin against the Holy Spirit – both of these phrases come from this chapter.

Yet these words are directed, not at our list above, but at a group of well intended religious leaders who clearly thought themselves among the good guys of the day. They knew they had the best interests of the people at heart. They weren’t violent like Roman soldiers or hedonistic like Roman rulers. They were the good guys. Jesus was the problem.

So it goes. To listen well to Jesus’ warnings against the evil that flows from our hearts through our words we do well to resist the temptation to project evil “out there”, locating it “in them”. The truth is, there is a little evil in the best of us and a lot of good in the worst of us. The cosmic battle between good and evil rages inside of us, all of us.

To all of this Jesus says, “I tell you, on the day of judgment you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Let us pray: Dear Lord, words matter. Your Word slices into us, revealing our sin and our complicity with evils small and large, reminding us of your love which heals and forgives. Our own words can cut and slice into others, and they can offer comfort, encouragement, and support. Words matter. Open our eyes that we might see, heal our tongues that we might speak the truth in love. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, “I am not the Messiah.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the prophet?” He answered, “No.” Then they said to him, “Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’” as the prophet Isaiah said.

Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him, “Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.” This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing. John 1:19-28

“It’s not about you, it’s about Jesus.”

John the Baptizer was clear about that principle. He did what he did because he knew it was what God called him to do.

A long-time reader of these devotions, a retired pastor named George Truett Moore, wrote a book about John the Baptizer entitled “The Scrolls: John’s Voice in the Wilderness.” In that book, partly based on scripture and partly imaginative fiction, John has a deep sense that God is up to something in his life, but he doesn’t fully understand what it is. It isn’t so much that he blunders into his calling, it is more that God continues to reveal it one small step at a time. With a few surprising side steps thrown in to keep the dance interesting.

John points beyond himself. Yes, he drew crowds. Yes, people showed up to hear what he had to say. Yes, he faced opposition. Yes, he paid the ultimate price for his devotion to God’s purposes in the world. The whole time, he knew it wasn’t about him. It was about Jesus.

This is a good lesson for all of us, especially at this time of the year. Various voices in the church get all up in arms in December. People fight about manger scenes in public spaces or the appropriate greetings to share with one another. Congregations pull out all the marketing stops, make preparations for the big Christmas Eve crowd. It is a good time to remember that John the Baptizer pointed to Jesus – thus the focus is not on his finger as the tool that did the pointing, but on the powerful One who was to come.

I get this but sometimes I forget it along the way. Physically, I’m a big guy with a loud voice. Every time I turn around it seems that someone is expecting me to know what to say. This past weekend I wrote five sermons and preached six times. Three funerals and three different Sunday worship services. Over and over again I kept reminding myself, “It’s not about you, it’s about Jesus. Point the people to Jesus.”

We’re not perfect in that. We’re not perfect in anything. We’ll never be Jesus. But we will always be our own god-given versions of John the Baptizer.

Let us pray: Lord, we are so prone to looking for love in all the wrong places. We pin so many of our hopes and aspirations on people, places, and things that can never deliver what we really need. You alone are our hope, our deliverer, our redeemer, our guide, our Savior. May we so clearly keep our focus on you that we are free to point to you in what we think, say, and do. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.

A voice cries out: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” A voice says, “Cry out!” And I said, “What shall I cry?” All people are grass, their constancy is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever. Isaiah 40:1-8

In the old days, when we were in the car, running late to get wherever we were going, it was almost inevitable that an argument would ensue.

“Why don’t you just stop and ask directions?”

“I don’t need to ask for directions, I know where I’m going. (unspoken thought….I just don’t know exactly how the road we are currently on will get us there but I am certainly not going to admit that to you!”)

And so it would go, back and forth, until you finally got where you were going or gave up and just went home in a huff.

Thus the old joke that the children of Israel wandered in the desert for 40 years because Moses refused to stop and ask for directions.

Today, we just plug the address into the GPS and follow the yellow brick road.

Here in Isaiah, the promise of the new freeway through the desert, valleys lifted up, and mountains brought low, is spoken as a word of comfort to Israel. It is speaking, of course, of the promise that the exiled community will be released from bondage and allowed to return home. We tend to forget that.

When these words come to us through the voice of John the Baptizer, we assume that God is going to make a way for us to get to some place new. But I think the promise remains what it is – that God will take us back home down a road that makes the low spots bearable and the high spots surmountable.

We will get there, not by feats of marvelous engineering, but by trusting the God Positioning Spirit that whispers directions and invites us to courageously follow.

Or, as T.S. Eliot put it:

“We shall not cease from exploration

And the end of all our exploring

Will be to arrive where we started

And know the place for the first time.”

Let us pray: Dear Lord, light the path before us, that we might walk as you lead the way, bringing us back to a place of freedom, justice, and the beloved community you would create among us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The desire of the righteous ends only in good; the expectation of the wicked in wrath.


Some give freely, yet grow all the richer; 
others withhold what is due, and only suffer want. A generous person will be enriched, and one who gives water will get water. 
The people curse those who hold back grain,
but a blessing is on the head of those who sell it.

Whoever diligently seeks good seeks favor, but evil comes to the one who searches for it.
 Those who trust in their riches will wither, but the righteous will flourish like green leaves.
 Proverbs 11:23-28

I don’t know how it is in your life but here is how things have worked out thus far for me. I always, always, always, have a list. The list is comprised of “what would I do with a bunch of money that suddenly grew on the limbs of the tree in my backyard?”

If that turned out to be lottery-sized money (which is quite unlikely to happen because I never purchase a ticket), I would pay off the mortgage on our church. Just so we don’t have to worry about it anymore.

But if it was normal-sized money, I would check the list of the stuff I want to buy or the places I want to take Kelley or things that would help our kids. (I just did it. I put my selfishness right out there on display. I got to be first on the list and the church didn’t show up on that one at all. This isn’t good and I’m not proud to say it.)

Here’s what else I know. No matter what shows up on my list of what I want to buy next, even if it is the sort of thing that comes with “if I only get this, I will never want another thing for the rest of my life”, once I get it, I check it off and the next thing moves right to the top of the list.

Honesty, I do consider myself a generous person. Frankly, most people do. Seldom have I sat with a family preparing a funeral without someone saying that the deceased would “give the shirt off his back to someone in need.” That ranks right up there with “he really loved to hunt and fish.” (Which is always more romantic than my list. He really loved to read and watch TV.)

My problem isn’t a lack of generosity. My problem is wishful, magical, thinking around money and possessions. I don’t care much about money so I am careless with my money. I know wanting another “thing” creates anxiety, getting another “thing” provides only momentary pleasure, and life isn’t about “things” in the first place.

Some give freely, yet grow all the richer; 
others withhold what is due, and only suffer want. A generous person will be enriched, and one who gives water will get water.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. T. Carlos Anderson calls it “Black Friday Eve.” It is a crazy season for all of us, all the more crazy the farther our focus drifts from giving to getting, from gratitude to great deals, from holy days to holidays.

Let us pray: Gracious Lord, giving Lord, gifting Lord, open our eyes as we open our wallets. Help us see the realities of our lives, what matters and what doesn’t. Give us wisdom, discernment, discretion, and compassion as we move into this next season of our lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” No, “if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:13-21

This past weekend I had the privilege of attending an Eagle Scout Court of Honor as two young men, including a member of my congregation, received their Eagle Scout badges. The culmination of years of faithful participation, a modicum of parental badgering, a bit of procrastination, and lots of hard work brought them to the point of joining a select group of men who have shared very similar journeys. The high point of the event for me was shared between watching the boys give a special pin to their mothers and witnessing all the Eagle Scouts in the room stand together.

He is such a Boy Scout!

There was a time when that felt much more like a compliment than it does today. Today, if anyone is so characterized, it almost feels like a put down. That is tragic.

To read the list of behaviors that Paul includes here in Romans 12 is to be reminded of the very virtues and actions that make for a great life, a hospitable community, and a refuge of safety in a broken world that is spinning out of control. Generosity, hospitality, compassion, and restraint are the glue that holds us together.

The foundation of Boy Scouts is much more than the adventure of camping in the rain, tying knots, and wearing a patch covered shirt. It is rooted in values like honesty, integrity, courage, faith, service, and leadership.

But, of course, there is a dark side. There always is. I quit scouting precisely at the point where – back in my day – fathers were required to attend events with their sons. I doubt that my parents gave much thought about one of the after affects of their divorce and my father’s disappearance would be the shame I would later feel to miss the fishing trip because I didn’t have a Dad to go with me. But I didn’t. I missed the trip and never went back. Thank God that scouting is so much more inclusive today.

Scouting continues to struggle with their definition of family and who is acceptable as leaders and role models. It is a struggle well worth waging. Because the values that they espouse are universal values, rooted in reality, not in the secret handshakes and time worn rituals and distinctive dress of a private club.

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Let us pray: Lord, you made it very simple for us. You call us to love others as we love ourselves, to do unto others as we would have them do unto us. From the smallest personal interactions to grand national policies, and everything in between, may we continue to learn and to practice what love looks like in real life. Thank you for all who model that for us, and for those who lead the way. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. Acts 4:32-35

I’m going to come right out and say it. I am suspicious about this text. There are two things that cause this suspicion. I am worried that it is hyperbole. Selective memory. Another example of “Back in my day, things were really great…” And I’m worried because it is the sort of thing that might actually work if people had the guts to try it.

This little paragraph is a snapshot example of an entire community, so deeply committed to their common purpose of carrying the good news of Jesus into the world, that they literally were willing to sell their own land and homes to support the lives of others. They did so as an act of faith and love, without consulting their financial advisors or even considering the tax implications of such a generous charitable contribution.

Now, it isn’t that this kind of behavior is impossible. I’ve known people who sold vacation homes, farmland, or other valuable assets in order to make significant leading gifts for the sake of the church or other charities. People do things like that when buildings are being built or foundations established. But this is about sharing a common life. Supporting the daily needs of others. Literally depending on God and one another for the very basics of life.

I’ve heard of congregations that have decided to tackle one another’s debt burdens. Several families decide to team up to attack debt. They take turns all pitching in, based on their ability to contribute, until every family is debt free. That too could work if people were committed to working together selflessly and honestly.

When is the last time that you were asked to make a significant sacrifice of your own time, talents or treasures for a cause greater than yourself? If asked, are you willing to go there?

Let us pray: Gracious Lord, we read this account of a community that was truly a community and it both attracts and frightens us. We long for that kind of connectedness in our lives but we so seldom see or experience it. Selfishness, competitiveness, and fear seem such strong forces within and around us that we can’t imagine such willingness to sacrifice and risk for the sake of others. But today, you show us once again that what seems impossible to us is always possible for you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses. 1 Corinthians 12:7-11

A few years ago I was playing golf with an old friend of mine, Tim Anderson, pastor of St. John’s/San Juan Lutheran Church in Austin, TX, when he told me that he was working on a book. He said that it wasn’t a book about religion or spirituality, it was about economics. I was impressed.

“Just A Little Bit More”, written under the name T. Carlos Anderson, is now available on Amazon in print or via Kindle. It is an absolute must read. Read it yourself or get a group and read it together. It will open your eyes to how the power of the shifting sands of commerce, materialism, and consumerism have come to define our lives.

I thought of that book immediately when reading the opening sentence in our text for today: To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

Central to Anderson’s concern is the idea of “the common good.” At one point he says something I have never heard nor thought of before. Reflecting on his own work as a pastor, he says that “I don’t work as a pastor to ‘save souls’ and help populate heaven. That type of thinking hit its high water mark (within recent context) for American Christianity in the 1950’s and is no longer persuasive in the twenty-first century. The reason I work as a pastor is to promote the common good…”

Paul tells the Corinthians that they have been given gifts of the Spirit for the sake of the common good. What does he mean by that? Is he just locating the “common good” in that particular community, among that small group of people alone, or does his call to the common good reach far beyond that little group to the world at large?

Given God’s love for the whole world, I think a more expansive view is more appropriate. Selfishness asks “What’s in it for me?” Group identity asks “What’s in it for us?” Christianity asks, “What’s in it for the world?”

How often do we think of our lives, our daily work, our own gifts, not only as gifts to us from the Spirit of God, but also as a means to promote the common good? Doesn’t such a perspective bring much more purpose and meaning into our lives than just working for a paycheck in order to buy a new flatscreen for the guest bedroom?

Let us pray: Dear Lord, you have gifted us with all we need to make a positive difference in the world today. You have placed us within communities, occupations, and relationships which hold the potential for either good or evil, for fulfillment or futility. May we use your gifts this day to work toward the common good. May we see the implications of our lives far beyond what we can see. May we do our part. In Jesus’ name. Amen.