SEEING THE EXTRAORDINARY

Category: Devotion

  • Since it is Over – Day 4

    So what?  What’s it all for?  These are words which can really take on a new life as we move past Christmas.  The trees are down, the lights have been turned off, the presents have been unwrapped, the programs are over, the singing of the carols has ceased.  Is that it?  Are we done?  Was Christmas just a fleeting moment in our lives?  It is just a month of dinner parties, extra food, special songs, beautiful sights, and presents?  Is that all there is?

    This can be a dilemma for so many of us.  Some are tired from the season and just want things to go back to normal.  Some are already planning for next Christmas.  Some are trying to figure out how they will pay for the gifts purchased during the previous season – or seasons.  There’s cleaning and changing – and school will return very soon.  

    But there’s more.  Actually, the more is what the season was really all about.  The more…the more we don’t want to bypass.  The more…the more we don’t want to ignore.  The more…there is more to this season, even with the lights off and the decorations put away.  

    The more is what Jesus came for.  The Advent and Christmas season was a time of celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus.  It was a time to remember Emmanuel, God is with us.  It was a time to reflect on the fact that God sent redemption in the form of a baby to this world because he loves us that much!  This is beautiful and meaningful themes.  But so what?  What do we do with this info now?  What do we do as we begin a new year and try to figure out what’s next?  

    Christ came for a reason.  Christ is here for a reason.  Emmanuel, God is with us, for a reason.  It is so that we might be “in Christ”.  What does it mean when we are “in Christ?”

    According to Ephesians 1:  In Christ, we are given every spiritual blessing… In Christ, we are chosen in love… In Christ, we are adopted into a greater, bigger family than we could ever imagine… In Christ, we are given redemption and forgiveness through HIS grace… In Christ, we are brought together and given an inheritance… In Christ, we have been given the gospel, the truth so that we might live for him.  

    Now that’s some pretty incredible outcomes of Christmas.  Because of Christ, we have been loved, welcomed, redeemed and set free.  We have been called together, brought together, loved together.  I love the idea presented by the writer of Ephesians, how God’s plan includes this gathering, this bringing together of all of his children.  I think of a mother hen gathering all of her chicks beneath her wings.  I think of Psalm 36:7 which reads, “How precious is your steadfast love, O God!  All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.”  There is a protection and a love which comes from begin gathered under his wings, loved as one of his own.

    God did not sent his Son simply so that we might celebrate his birth and then be done.  He sent Jesus so that we might have new life in him.  His birth is OUR life.  His birth is our redemption.  His birth brings the dawn of a new day.  

    In this scripture, and in all of Jesus’ teachings, this is a joy for the family of God.  That means this is so much more than just good news for me or you.  This is an “us” declaration.  This means we are being welcomed into a great big family which has Jews and Gentiles.  It means we are in a great big family which has people who don’t look like us or think like us or have opinions like us.  It means we welcome people who have felt unwelcome, unloved, left out, dismissed, hurt, or forgotten.  It means we are brought together under God’s protective wings with people who we are called to love and we might not have ever found ourselves in the same place with in any other circumstance.  This is the ultimate gathering of folks who truly are living under the commandments of loving the Lord with all we are and all we have…and loving one another.  

    This is why Jesus taught us not to judge and to love our enemies and to make peace with those who we have issue with…this is why Jesus challenged the love people talked about but did not show.  This is what he came for – this bringing together of people in him.  And together, we praise him and offer glory to him.  This is not about us individually.  This is about a collective ingathering of God’s people, adopted and loved by God.  This is about begin “in Christ” together.  

    This wouldn’t make sense in any other economy.  It didn’t make sense before Jesus came and didn’t make sense to those in power.  But Jesus came for something so much bigger.  He was born so that we might have life…together.  We could easily think of the people we wish we didn’t have to be a part of this family gathering with – but, if we are honest, there are people who make think that about us as well.  But that’s not the point.  The point is Jesus.  The point is we are in this together because we are loved together.  We are “in Christ” as one family.  

    What do we do from here?  Maybe we begin by understanding we are included.  Maybe we start with the whisper from God who calls us his child, his beloved.  Maybe we begin with the idea we are called and adored, loved and redeemed.  Maybe, if we can see ourselves in Christ, we can begin to see others as our brothers and sisters in Christ as well.  If we can step back and realize just how loved we are, we might find love for one another.  Maybe, once we feel loved, we begin to see others as our neighbor, not our enemy.  Maybe, just maybe, God begins his gathering of his children, where we find refuge.  Maybe that’s the beginning of Christmas, no lights or trees even needed.

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  • I Would Have Missed It

    It was an hour before the alarm would go off.  My eyes popped open because my brain was in overdrive.  There were so many things to do.  I went through my day over and over.  There was one part I wasn’t sure how it would happen.  It needed to happen, but I couldn’t figure it out.  And so my brain continued to go through all the scenarios.  

    This morning isn’t all that unusual.  Many mornings I wake up with an agenda and a plan.  Sometimes it works out, sometimes not.  This particular morning I was more overwhelmed than usual.  I felt the weight of it all.  I tried to go back to sleep – I still had an hour to go and it would be an early morning as it was.  I needed this hour of sleep.  But there was no use.  

    I had told myself the night before that if I woke up early, I would go for a run.  I felt confident I wouldn’t wake up early.  It was really cold outside and I honestly did not want to face it.  I just wanted to stay in my warm bed and sleep until the last moment.  But, it didn’t turn out that way.  I was awake.  I was going to fight it and then I had a glimpse, a momentary vision.  It was of a beautiful night sky filled with stars.  It was breathtaking.  It was as if the vision was speaking to me – this is what awaits.  If I’m honest, I still didn’t want to go out in the cold so early.  But I got up.

    I put on my winter running clothes and headed out the door, very reluctantly.  I knew I would feel better if I would just go.  So, I did.  The run was challenging – I am not in as good of shape as I would like.  It was cold and dark.  But I headed out anyway.  

    Here’s what happened – the view was there…the vision was correct.  I had forgotten how amazing the night sky was on cold mornings.  The moon was bright and the stars sparkled.  I was in awe, one more time.  

    This was my reminder of what an artist the Creator is.  The painting poured out before me could not be replicated.  Photos would never do it justice.  The moment was just that – a moment in time.  I would have missed it if I had not gotten up.  I would have slept through the magic.  

    This doesn’t mean I won’t sleep through it in the future.  It was a powerful reminder of what awaits if I am simply willing to get moving.  Breathe, watch God work, and admire the creation laid before us.  What a morning indeed.  

  • Woke Up with a Song

    I woke up this morning with a hymn on my mind.  Music often speaks to my soul and guides my day.  Sometimes the music I hear when I awake is something I had been listening to the day before.  Sometimes it is from a past church service and resonates with me.  And there are the times when the song which plays is seemingly random and just appears in my mind.  The latter was the case today.  

    It is an old hymn which I can’t remember the last time I actually sung it, though I know it really well.  And I don’t know that the song has been especially important to my life in the way many of the hymns have.  Some hymns stick with me and helped to shape and form my spiritual journey.  Some I wonder how they got in the hymnbook and have found them less than helpful.  But this one doesn’t fit in either category.  

    The hymn has a feeling of majesty and presence.  It has grandeur and feels as though it carries importance.  The hymn is “O God, Our Help in Ages Past” written by Isaac Watts.  I think it needs the boldness of the song to carry lyrics which remind us of God’s help, security, and defense.

    It is a reminder of the God who formed the earth is strong enough to conquer the things which overwhelm me.  The God who has been a safe haven for the saints who have gone before is the same God who can provide a shelter for me when I am afraid.  Time moves on so very fast for all of us, but God is not bound by time.  He is the help we need no matter what we may face.  And, this is the reminder of where our help comes from.

    Psalm 121 is a powerful scripture echoing this same message.  Where does our help come from?  Our help comes from the Lord, who made the heavens and the earth.  He is our keeper, our stronghold.  He is our HELP.

    O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come – May YOU calm our fears, renew our weary spirits, provide hope for our futures, and guide our steps.

  • God is Good?

    It’s a phrase we often hear, use and repeat.  My Dad would often begin worship with the phrase, and the congregation replying, “All the time,” to which he would say, “All the time,” with the congregation replying “God is good.”  It’s catchy.  It wakes people up.  It brings some sort of agreement.  Except, what do we do with the times when we suffer or we struggle?  What about the times when all seems overwhelming and God seems more distant than ever?  What do we do when we cannot see the goodness of God in the land of the living?

    For me, I often struggle with the phrase because the term “good” is attached to worldly attachments.  God is “good” when we can pay the bills or money comes in unexpectedly.  God is “good” when something works that didn’t work before.  God is “good” when I feel content and happy and everything is going my way (or at least my perception of my way).  God is “good” when I get what I want.  But that is a skewed perspective of good.

    I have been considering the scripture in Lamentations 3 which reads, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”  This speaks to me of God’s goodness.  This is a scripture where I can bow my head and dig my heels in to God being good.  Why?  Because God’s goodness is not dependent on my outcomes, my wealth (or lack thereof), my health, my attitude, or my sense of fulfillment.  Instead, God is good because of his steadfast love.  He is good because of mercies from him which do not end.  God is good because his faithfulness is great.  THIS is why God is good.  

    I’ll be honest, I still struggle with the phrase and you likely won’t hear me say it on a regular basis.  I won’t quickly attribute success to God’s goodness.  I will strive not to blame my lack of control on his lack of goodness.  Instead, there is a far greater chance you will find me, like the writer of Lamentations, with my soul bowed down and simply searching for hope where there seems to be none.  

    Is God good?  My hope is in his steadfast love, his endless mercies and his great faithfulness.  So I suppose the answer is a resounding yes, regardless of where I may be this day.  

  • Whispers of Love

    Throughout the Bible, intertwined in church history, pulsing through American history, and boiling over into today, it always seems to be – there are voices of hate who speak opinions in the name of God.  It’s as if there is a feel of representation of God, like one of the prophets.  Interestingly enough, many of those voices are “prophets” who happily call out anyone who doesn’t believe like them.  It’s always a pointing of fingers in a show of how bad “they” are.  Maybe it is so they can also feel justified in their anger.  Certainly if someone doesn’t believe exactly as we have interpreted the Bible, those are grounds for calling them out, maybe even hating them?  

    These voices are very loud.  They bounce off the walls of our hearts and minds.  They fill our sanctuaries, our offices, our shopping places and everywhere in between.  They fill our TVs and our phones.  They speak loudly.  And it seems the voices always scream hatred, or at least some twisted version of the love of God.  It can be easy to fall right in line with those voices.  They are everywhere.  And they can make everyone who believes the same feel empowered.  But ultimately, that’s what it’s about, right?  It really is all about power (with maybe some greed thrown in).  Believe like me…or else…

    There are still other voices, though.  There are voices of love which often become whispers because the others are drowning them out.  The whispers of love let those who have been harmed, removed, beat down, excluded, and shut out know there is still a safe place.  There is still love here.  It may be whispers, but those whispers are kind.  Those whispers speak words of welcome.  Those whispers remind the forgotten and the discarded there is love still here.  The shouts of hate do not always win.  The whispers of love just continue to envelope those who need it.

    I know because unknowingly, throughout my life, I have been uninvited to tables.  I have heard the phrase… “if anyone believes like that, they better not sit at my table.” The group didn’t know that meant I was no longer invited, though.  I have had the slap on the back of the group who are ready to call out the sins of others (that would be the sins of other people, not their own sins).  I have heard the snide remarks from those I love so dearly, not knowing I didn’t agree.  I have been in rooms where I was not welcome, only the voices didn’t know me.  And, understand clearly, all the voices were doing this in the name of Jesus or faith or God or Christianity.  The voices weren’t intending to do anything except make sure “those” folks knew how wrong they were and how they were going to hell and they better get their life straight, correct their beliefs and start believing the “right” way.  Of course, the right way is the way we read and interpret, right?

    My personal saving grace has been found in the whispers of love.  It is hard to hear them.  They are faint.  I’ve almost missed them, but they are there.  And they tell me there are still tables I am welcome.  Some of those whispers even speak the name of Jesus. 

    If you feel abandoned, hurt, excluded or generally beaten down, stop and listen.  There are still the whispers of love.  They will never be completely drowned out by the loudest of voices.  They are there…we are there.  You are not alone.  Welcome to the table, abandoned, forgotten, displaced. Welcome.

  • Who Do You Love?

    We are people who like things our way.  When Burger King coined the phrase, “Have it your way”, they were really speaking of the way too many of us want to live.  We complain if everything isn’t exactly how we want it to be, when we want it and where we want it.  Convenience is an expectation and accommodation a requirement.  Everything in life is supposed to be easier, focused on what I want and need.  It’s all about me.

    And that has seeped into the faith community for as long as there has been a faith community.  Church folks aren’t exempt.  And so churches are often formed around what that group of people want, how they want it and when they want it.  And if we don’t like it, we can leave.  Or we can make others leave.  It is all about us, anyway, right?

    Except these aren’t the teachings of the Bible.  If I read correctly, it is actually all about God.  My Dad always had the phrase he repeated continuously, “It’s All About Him!”  And he tried to live like this.  But it’s difficult.  We don’t always agree and with the chaos of our world, it pushes us to make sure our own areas are in our control.  People around us should be “like us”.  It feels more comfortable.  It makes for better worship?  It enables us to feel justified?  And yet, this isn’t Biblical either.  

    You know what is Biblical?  Jesus said there were 2 defining principles which should guide everything.  And we can’t talk about these enough.  He said we were to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength (with our EVERYTHING) AND to love our neighbor as ourself.  In other words, the guiding principle is love.  

    Here’s the deal for me – I can’t give love I haven’t received.  God gives us the love we then pour into others.  The issue comes when we try to give what we have not yet allowed God to pour into us.  We end up looking like those who love things, not people.  We love wealth not God.  We love control, not surrender.  We end up trying to get what we want, when we want, and how we want.  

    But church is no Burger King.  It SHOULD be focused on what God wants – and most of the time, that doesn’t look the same as what we want.  Just read the scriptures.  What Jesus taught was never what the religious folks wanted to hear.  And I dare say, it still isn’t.

    So maybe we start with the basics one more time…and again and again.  Who do we love?  

  • The Stones I Carry

    Can you hear it, almost feel what it’s like? Can you smell the air filled with pride?  The stones, they hit the dirt with such a force the dust envelops them.  Stones can hurt, even kill if put into the hands of the angry.  They can be hurled with such force as to cause damage with anything they come in contact.  One little stone can wreak havoc.  And yet, many of them are thrown around as if they are nothing.  But they are something.  

    The stone throwers, they are everywhere.  It seems so easy to identify them.  They are the ones with an agenda, looking to take out anyone who may not agree or threaten a sense of being right.  Stones are thrown with words or actions.  And the force behind them is so intense.  It’s easier to throw stones if everyone around throws stones too.  It feels therapeutic.  It certainly can feel justified.  “They” deserve it, right?  “They” aren’t doing the right thing or living the right way or saying the right words.  Just throw the stones already. 

    Jesus was faced with this situation.  Those around likely held those stones so tightly in their hands they could feel the edges bore down into their skin.  They were justified.  It was the law, after all.  Everyone would agree.  This woman deserved it.  It was right and it would show others what was right.  And yet, Jesus didn’t hold a stone in his hand at all.  And when pushed for a response, he simply said to the crowd…you who have no sin cast the first stone.   (John 8)

    That’s the problem with stone throwing.  It’s always directed at someone else without a mirror to reflect our own issues.  It’s much easier to point out what we don’t like in other people.  We can feel justified when “they” don’t get things “right”.  We can quickly forget we don’t have the right to do this.  And while we can certainly point out the stone throwers, I would dare say we may feel a stone in our own hand, just waiting for the right opportunity or the right person or the right cause.  

    But have we forgotten?  Have we forgotten we are a sinner?  Have we forgotten we don’t have any right to even hold a stone much less throw it?  Maybe, just maybe, it helps if we start looking at ourselves, who we are, and how we love, rather than at others.  Maybe we start taking a deep dive inwards and checking ourselves according to the standards of Jesus rather than making others meet our standards.  Maybe we start to realize we simply need Jesus to forgive us and love us.  Maybe that’s where it starts, with a mirror and some time with Jesus.  

  • Coming Alive (Devotion 2.9)

    Many of the phrases I have studied in the Bible and have heard most of my life come alive when I am in God’s creation.  Studying something on paper is good.  Hearing someone explain how it works is positive.  But having the opportunity to experience it, having the whole page come alive right before your eyes is life changing.  

    For the past few months, I have tried to be very intentional about getting outside as much as possible.  This has been exceptionally challenging given that I am not a fan of heat.  That is probably the ultimate understatement.  Me and heat are not friends at all.  I’m always hot anyway, so then being outside in the blanket of humidity, I am done.  When the sun is up, unless I am under an umbrella on the beach, I am not where I would want to be.  All this to say, what a time to pick to be intentional about being outside.

    It has worked out though.  I have enjoyed some of the most amazing sights and been reminded of just how alive and present God is in his good creation.  It has been powerful.  Today was no exception.  I watched a stream meander through the marshlands and was reminded of Psalm 1, “Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked…they are like trees planted by streams of water…”  Psalm 78, “He made streams come out of the rock, and caused waters to flow down like rivers.  As I walked the paths of the trail, I thought of Proverbs 12, “in the path of righteousness there is LIFE…” And of course, Psalm 23, “He leads me in the right paths…” 

    God’s Word has a way of coming alive right before us when we pay close attention.  Sometimes we have to squint to see it.  Often we must stop talking.  Rarely do we notice if we are on our phones.  But when we pay attention, paths of righteousness and streams of mercy seem to come out of nowhere.  May it be so for you today.  

  • Quick Slow Slow (Devotion 2.9)

    Quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger – this is the advice given to us in the Bible in the book of James.  This is a challenging sentence.  Quick to listen is a concept we don’t always embrace.  We sometimes listen to respond.  This means we are listening for just enough that we can come back with what we think.  We don’t actually give the person enough time to finish their thought.  We could be interrupting them so we can talk…we think we have it.  Or we think we have a story which one-ups theirs.  Listening is a skill.  We can hear all day long and never listen.  It is like the teacher on the Charlie Brown cartoons.  It is background noise.  We don’t listen because we aren’t tuned in.  And sometimes, we think we have better things to do.  Listening is an art which too few of us work at.  

    But we can’t listen if we aren’t quiet, and therefore, slow to speak.  We can’t listen to respond in this case.  We don’t need to make comments.  We don’t need to offer our thoughts.  Sometimes, it is best simply to be quiet.  I like to say, if you can’t be kind, be quiet.  Or, if it isn’t your story to tell, keep your mouth shut.  Being slow to speak means we are willing to listen completely.  

    The third part of this trio is to be slow to anger.  Here’s a concept we don’t often consider in our world…there are people with different opinions than our own…and that’s okay.  It doesn’t make them bad people and we can still be friends.  Unfortunately this is an election year.  I say unfortunately not because I take for granted my right to vote.  I say this because people are just mean and they let their mean face show and they are angry.  When someone doesn’t agree, they simply get angry.  This is just more pronounced during this time.  Here’s a thought…we all have brains and if God gives us one, we can use it without having to just take what someone else says.  And if we don’t agree, that’s okay too.  We can still love each other.  

    But let’s be honest…we are in a time of quick to speak, don’t listen, and stay angry with anyone who doesn’t look, think, act, or vote like us.  And this is simply not what we are taught in scripture.  It’s the opposite.  

    Which leads me to some of the other teachings in James.  We are taught that we should guard our tongues and let our actions speak instead.  If we let our actions speak, what we do matters.  Don’t talk about the love of Christ if you aren’t willing to share the love of Christ.  Hatred doesn’t have a place in God’s kingdom.  So we show how we love, especially in times like these.  

    I have to be honest…I don’t really care who you vote for.  I want to know how you live for Jesus.  And how you live for Jesus doesn’t come around every 4 years but is a daily work.  I don’t always get it right and neither does anyone else.  But going around with hatred and anger in our hearts isn’t going to do a thing but fuel fire which is already burning up our overheated world.  

  • Refreshment (Devotion 2.7)

    We had a “false” fall for a moment.  It was almost a tease since the summer swells come forcefully.  It’s even hot all night long.  It can be hard to run even though the sun is not shining.  The humidity just settles in like a smothering blanket.  A little breeze seems to offer a temporary reprieve, which I welcome each time.  The best, though, are these little cool air pockets that occasionally happen.  They seemingly come out of nowhere.  They are just a puff of coolness on an otherwise brutal run.  It is so refreshing it often takes me by surprise.  

    Could we be that bit of cool air in someone else’s sticky day?  I don’t mean actually air conditioning.  I wonder if we could be a bit of refreshment to others who may find the day oppressive.  What might a kind word do?  How might an encouraging moment change someone’s day?  What about a smile, a kind gesture, a moment of grace?  These all could completely change the trajectory of someone’s difficult moment.  

    It could sound as if this is really overstated.  But our world is often overwhelming and stifling.  It can beat us up with every turn.  Kindness really does make a huge difference.  Grace really does show up.  Friendship can be exactly what someone needs.  If we were all kind, imagine the wave of refreshment which could wash over us?  We won’t know if we don’t try.  Maybe we just find a way to be extra kind this week.  You never know what a difference you could make.