Good Morning Friends,
People of faith want to hear the about the real issues from their minister. To the eyes of many, Christians believe in fairytales, and the sermons they listen to on Sunday sometimes play the part. Of course, we know it is no fantasy, whether or not the ministers challenge people in the pews to action. So, this day we step into the valley and call out to dry bones of all those who have ever been in a pew to come alive… it is a call to action in a practical way but also a call for people to be saved spiritually. So, we pray people breathe the breath of God as the breath of God is breathed into them for the healing of the nations. Friends, many of us have the advantage where it is normal to believe in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. We grew up and our parents believed it, we have no compelling reason to change even if our senses tell us that when people die, they stay dead. But we still believe for it is unimaginable for us to believe otherwise. Everything is connected. Even the dead fishbone dust in the Sahara Desert storms brings nutrients to the Brazilian rainforest and takes CO2 out of the atmosphere, feed the aquatic plants that produce O2 and even take the bite out of hurricanes punch. It is clear that which was once dead brings new life. Yes, out of death comes life. It is a scientific fact. The hope in our case is to direct it for revival of humans of faith in loving our neighbors. This is not so easy. So, we pray hoping and asking God, Will Our Dry Bones Come Alive In The Pews And Pulpits Of The Pandemic?
Scripture: The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. He said to me, “Mortal, can these bones live?” I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord.” So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.” I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude. Then he said to me, “Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.’ Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act,” says the Lord.
Ezekiel 37:1-14 (NRSV)
So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.
Colossians 3:1-4 (NRSV)
When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
Matthew 22:34-40 (NRSV)
Message: Dealing with aliens, and strangers and immigrants is not an easy question to resolve, whether inside the Bible or outside, whether in the modern world or the ancient world. On the one hand, there are many books and people in the Bible that have an exclusivity about them…with stories about sticking with one’s own kind and holding to a specific standard of behavior. Our national debate on this subject tells us just how divisive and violent this can be. Sometimes we need to hunker down and separate ourselves for a holy purpose. But the Jesus way was to open doors more so than to shut them. Such is the way of unconditional love. Still there are times when, if you do not narrow the focus, you will lose whatever makes you distinct. When it comes to our faith, the power of culture and wealth and technology can overwhelm us and we can end up like the society around us, with a Christian veneer laid on top of an empty shell. So here is the problem… on a secular level, if you want to do something exceptional, and become something special, then you are going to have to become exclusive. One must screen and select. One must pick the best team and practice until it is perfect. And if you do not, then, to be sure, you can still be one in the crowd, but you will never excel, never stand out from the crowd. We do not want to be a disastrous example of not being exclusive when we needed to be, of being so open that we become pointless and the culture of the world becomes our culture. For friends, cultural subversion of the Biblical faith is a reality. But what will it be and who really thinks they are in charge? Maybe it is not such an either-or proposition. There are two sides to the coin, but God owns both. We do not have a monopoly on Jesus’ presence. He is with everyone, especially the poorest and most vulnerable. One would think the religious community would be the first on board with this approach, advocating for justice, but Jesus encountered opposition from the very people one would think would support him. He was opposed by the religious leadership of the Jews. His critics were always trying to trap him. In today’s scripture reading from Matthew they again tried to trap him with the question, “what is the greatest commandment?” Jesus, however, again defeated their attempts to discredit God by claiming that the greatest commandment was “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” Then Jesus went further and gave them more than they asked for saying, “and the second is like it: you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus hereby narrowed all their rules and regulations down to two commandments, not the 613 rules that the Pharisees tried to follow.
And So, there is a time and season for everything, but it is not always easy to know the season.
If you were to count, you would find hundreds of passages in the Bible which mention the foreigner, the stranger, the alien, and those wandering about in exile. And not only does the Bible mention this topic but also makes it clear about how we should treat people in these situations who have become our neighbors. The reality is that there are refugees all over the world and the numbers might well increase exponentially over the next decade. But some scripture and certainly some of the policies of our nation would lead us to a conclusion that we should be separated for a purpose that is difficult to accomplish without sense of exclusivity. Here we must face the hope of the laws of our country and the laws of God being reconciled by both justice and love. Friends, there is a link between obedience and love and the resurrection of the body. And indeed, following Jesus means welcoming the vulnerable but sometimes it also means being separated for a purpose too. Hopefully we find happiness in the simplicity of life and the will to extend the joy to others in an expanding circle of caring and love. Friends, it is hurricane season and we might just get one next week, but it is also the political season and it is bringing a storm of potential change too.
Pray we do not have regrets for having failed to love. Pray we understand the link between obedience of God’s will, love and revival. Pray we welcome one another to experience the glory of God. Pray our love of God takes priority over everything else in a way that spills over into the lives of others. Pray we practice true love in communities of love. Pray that we understand that love does not give to get but instead happily serve. Pray we learn to love more tomorrow than we love today. Pray we have healthy loving relationships that honor and respect the power of God. Pray we are encouraged and equipped by the love stories in the Bible. Pray we be brought into greater unity knowing that we as Christians belong. Pray we have an attitude and disposition that makes a house a home. Pray we realize that in growing closer to Christ we can grow closer to each other. Pray we become more welcoming to Christ’s presence in our homes, communities and country knowing we are all connected.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 