Good Morning Friends,
Today’s lectionary texts confront us with a challenge from multiple perspectives on the tension of who is being favored by God and who is being favored by the societies in which we live and what we can do about it. And it is troubling for the oppressed do so often become the oppressors. But is also hopeful, for if one were to do a survey of all the miracles of Christ one can see that the preference was to help in a way that began to address this very issue. Jesus healed the outcaste…the blind, lepers, Samaritans, paraplegics, a woman with a hemorrhage but also set up a dynamic so that we might not be so scared. Now I doubt that Paul could foresee the events of the Holocaust, but he must have had some sorrowful sense of what might happen to the Jewish people under Roman rule. The issue then as now is social inclusion and exclusion. This is not something new. Citizens of Rome had preferential rights. Paul must have had that same urge, even at risk to himself, to heal the situation much like Jesus did in compassionate response to those in need. However, healing an unnaturally swollen body because of leprosy is perhaps easier than healing an unnaturally swollen and fallen nation. That we too are the recipients of Christ’s compassionate healing and heirs of the promise should be a great encouragement. But the story of Jesus walking on water is a different kind of miracle related to the work of the Holy Spirit on this very same issue. In today’s text I hope you see that Jesus came in the flesh as God incarnate to continue the process of creation even though we might see him as a Holy Ghost. The thing is that we as humans were stagnating in our efforts until Jesus gets in the boat and helps us to become new creations. So, Are We Too Fearful To Pray In The Privilege And Power Of Holy Spirit Love So As To Dance On Water?
Scripture: I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit— I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people, my kindred according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; to them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, comes the Messiah, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.
Romans 9:1-5 (NRSV)
At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there. Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He answered, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.” He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
1 Kings 19:9-13 (NRSV)
Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking towards them on the lake. But when the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified, saying, ‘It is a ghost!’ And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.’ Peter answered him, ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’ He said, ‘Come.’ So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came towards Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’ When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshipped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’
Matthew 14:22-33 (NRSV)
Message: Let’s face it, Jesus has an amazing sense of humor and an amazing way of teaching. The more than 5000 people Jesus had fed were still looking for him. They were looking for a Messiah to free them from Roman rule. They had seen the disciples leave without Him, in the only boat. Jesus was looking to pray but this does not seem like a contemplative place even up on a mountain. Maybe he had something else planned connecting prayer and the Holy Spirit to extend God’s love to the world that required the disciples to go on without him. No one really knew at this point that Jesus was at the creation when the water and the land were separated. They did not know about Jesus’ divine mode of transportation. Today’s scriptures converge with an appeal for us, in the storms of life, to be persistent in prayer but also to not be fearful for God is with us in the power of the Holy Spirit. Whether our task is walking on water or committing to a cause greater than ourselves, we are to be in continual prayer in the power of the Holy Spirit. There are physical obstacles to overcome that might be difficult to move but it is the mental hindrances that are perhaps even more important. We must believe before we can fully accomplish a task worthy of glorifying God. Love must overcome fear. Practicing prayer in the power of the Holy Spirit keeps us on track. But there is nothing so challenging in our faith in the flesh than to grasp the person of the Holy Spirit. For the Holy Spirit’s effects are seen but the Holy Spirit is invisible like the wind and sometimes ethereal like a dream or vision. And yet we get a glimpse of this power in today’s scripture about Jesus walking on water and calming the storm. And thankfully this Holy Spirit power is manifested in the message of the Gospel, the Power of Scripture, the fellowship of believers, the recognition of our spiritual gifting and the utilization of our gifts in callings and not just in the dreams of sleep but in the storms of our faith as we become new creations in Christ.
And So, ultimately prayer is not about you and me. It is about God and God’s initiative in creation itself. Through love linked to purpose God informs our prayers so we might learn what we really need…faith in God. The thing is that if we are anemic and weak in prayer, everything we do will be anemic. We need to understand that the Holy Spirit is our counselor and advocate in prayer and that Jesus is intercessor on our behalf praying with us for unity even when we are broken. Therefor in prayer we need to accept the circumstances, environment and things out of our control realizing that God is in control with a plan that may not have been fully revealed to us yet. It is hard to pray but we were created to do so. It is hard to come out of our caves and hear that still small voice that gives us purpose greater than ourselves. Maybe you have spoken the same prayer a hundred times and wished for or cried out for an answer which never seemed to come. Maybe you have wondered how to transform your pessimistic prayer life into open, honest communication with God. Unfortunately, many give up trying to deal with their doubt. However, if one is persistent, prayers are answered. We are part of a process. When we are converted, we received a change of mind, and a change of heart. Yet this is not a once and done experience, but an on-going process which will not be completed this side of eternity. For we have been changed, we are being changed, and we will be changed by the Holy Spirit through prayer. Thankfully the Holy Spirit has been made available to us all, so we really need to do is to make ourselves available to the Holy Spirit. You see, I hope, that Jesus has poured out this gift, so we might experience God and be transformed. And the beauty, so we do not get too heady about it, is that God has done this for everyone not just a few. Regrettably few take advantage of God’s gift of God and many try to suppress, stop or stifle the Spirit. The great sin is in grieving the Spirit with a bad attitude marked by bad behavior. And sometimes we just need a fresh vision of Jesus doing the unpredictable. Here the Holy Spirit is caught up with the person of Jesus and the person of the Father as to blur in our minds in a dance so ordered as the courses of the planets in the solar system, but still motivated by love more than the laws of gravity so as to surprise us. And that is the mystery. The multi-dimensional aspect of the Trinity plays into the experience and becomes a revelation that prompts our belief and gives us strength to go on with a proper attitude of love and without fear so we might see more clearly the will of God. So, the Holy Spirit remains a bit enigmatic and yet I would say that the love of the Holy Spirit sustains us and is manifested in the redemption of Jesus and creates in us, through the Father, a newness of mind that is nothing short of divine revelation. This is not a fleeting and capricious reality but a miracle of prayer manifesting God’s love in the storms of our lives. I hope you see it in the story of Jesus walking on the waters of creation and know that the Holy Spirit will relieve our fears in the storm so we might join the dance on the water.
Pray we focus on the right reality. Pray we take time in solitude and prayer to start the day counting our blessings. Pray our choice of purpose keeps us focused on the positive. Pray we hear the word of God that wipes away all our negative self-talk. Pray we are committed to God’s will. Pray that Jesus perfects our faith. Pray we are sincere in doing our duty. Pray we conquer our will and submit to God’s. Pray we realize that there is nothing to fear but sin and nothing to desire but God. Pray we be focused with devotion to God’s work. Pray we embrace the high calling of God in Jesus Christ revealed through the Holy Spirit. Pray we experience the Holy Spirit in the message of the Gospel, the Power of Scripture, the fellowship of believers, the recognition of our spiritual gifting and the utilization of our gifts in callings. Pray we operate as free men and women in Christ Jesus, unhindered by personal fear and guilt yet still comforted and convicted by the Holy Spirit so our love might grow. Pray we seek to match up to the standard of holiness set by God, manifested in Christ and revealed by the Holy Spirit to us. Pray we press on to the goal in peace and harmony with others on the quest. Pray we be in the world but not of it. Pray we are filled with the Holy Spirit. Pray we take and eat of the mystery so we might have strength for the journey. Pray we take the direction and guidance and grace of the Holy Spirit seriously. Pray we dance in the Spirit of Christ on the waters of His creation.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 