Good Morning Friends,
Today’s readings suggest to us that we be part of the family of God in the new experience of Christ. They do not throw out the old songs but asks us to sing in our hearts something new. Before Christ, the laws required the regular sacrificing of animals to atone for our sins. It all seems rather foreign to us today and frankly how this was practiced 2000 years ago I doubt was pleasing to God even way back then. And I think this was so because the practice, though obedient to the law, had become more of a ritual and as a result failed in a spiritual sense to really cleanse the minds of the sinner. If the sacrifice had meant total forgiveness and cleansing, it should have resulted in a change in lifestyle and behavior. But that was not happening. Now we might say the same thing about the sacrifice of Jesus, for we still have free will to reject even that which is good for us. But there is a fundamental difference here that we must understand. God the Father would never be pleased with any ritual that did not realize at least the potential of our sanctification. And animal sacrifice only gave a shadow of the potential to come. That is why God provided, in the great mystery of it all, His son Jesus to exact for us a new covenant. Now for carrying this plan out, people, even his own family, thought Jesus crazy. If we had been there, we might have come to the same conclusion for few today grasp the potential of the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross in turning around the thinking of humans to a new way. And so today we contemplate a reboot of sorts and a clearing of our memory, so we might understand properly even as we ask. Can We Unlearn The Things That Keep Us From A Relationship With God And Pass On This Power?
Scripture: Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and the knowledge of the truth that is in accordance with godliness, in the hope of eternal life that God, who never lies, promised before the ages began— in due time he revealed his word through the proclamation with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior, To Titus, my loyal child in the faith we share: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. I left you behind in Crete for this reason, so that you should put in order what remained to be done, and should appoint elders in every town, as I directed you:
Titus 1: 1-5 (NRSV)
O sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples. For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be revered above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Honor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts. Worship the Lord in holy splendor; tremble before him, all the earth. Say among the nations, “The Lord is king! The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved. He will judge the peoples with equity.”
Psalm 96: 1-10 (NRSV)
Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.” And he replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”
Mark 3:31-35 (NRSV)
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, for the sake of the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus, To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I am grateful to God—whom I worship with a clear conscience, as my ancestors did—when I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. Recalling your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you. For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline. Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God,
2 Timothy 1:1-8 (NRSV)
Message: Today we reflect on how things grow and the focus is not just a flame or a plant but the convergence of images forged in the disciple relationship. You see in today’s lectionary text Paul’s concern for Timothy is as a father to a son and is the same kind of concern we are to have for other believers. Let us dig a little deeper here. Timothy was a teenager when he met Paul. His family lived in Lystra so he was a Galatian. His father was a Greek man. But we know nothing of his initial religious faith from his father. But, Timothy’s mom and grandmother were faithful Jewish women who taught the Old Testament scriptures to this boy they loved so much. As the women heard Paul preach, they believed in Jesus, and so did Timothy. Timothy may have seen Paul heal a lame man in his town. He may also have watched as an angry mob threw stones at Paul and left him for dead. Yet, he also knew Paul survived. When Paul came back to Lystra a couple of years later, during his second journey, Paul invited Timothy to travel with him. Timothy helped Paul establish churches in Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea…Later he would be the lead minister in Ephesus where he would have seen the temple of Artemis (one of the seven wonders of the ancient world) and known that Greeks and barbarians in many lands venerated the worship of her in the Greek goddess, the virgin Diana. Shrines were scattered just about everywhere but the temple in Ephesus was described as having a brilliance that rivaled the Sun. In this environment Timothy had a growing but tiny ministry. When Paul writes this second letter to his “dear son” he is in prison in Rome he would have remembered these images as he prays for Timothy to rekindle the flame of the gift of God. The time is coming when the Romans would destroy the Jewish Temple and the life of being a Jew would change. Paul and Timothy were shining a light on a new way where we live a life of faith over fear and moreover live a life of abundant love in Christ. So, friends, do not let your fire die, keep it burning bright…do not forget your calling…remember why you were saved…fan the flame of the home fire…keep growing.
And So, we have much to unlearn about our bias toward others and the ritual habits that have become part of our behavior that no longer or perhaps never did really serve a divine purpose of sharing the faith. Part of our spiritual training in this regard has been neglected. Some of the teaching we have received is inadequate, and we need the Holy Spirit to draw out of us what has been badly taught even by those closest to us. But then we also need to retain that which is good. You see, the most difficult part of spiritual training is not to put the right thing into a person but to get the wrong thing out of them. And here is the rub. When the Holy Spirit comes into our hearts, God must be embarrassed for us, and therefor convicts us, for we think we know so much already of what it would be well to leave unknown for it is unknowable. We are a self-conceited lot. We are puffed up. We have learned lessons of worldly wisdom and carnal policy, and these we need to unlearn and deny before we can be fit to be called children of God. And so, I am writing about this because today’s readings magnify the will of God and the mission of His only Son on the cross in this regard. That Jesus came into the world, from the very beginning of time to die for our sins and be resurrected is difficult to fathom. The magnitude of this event’s depth and breathe should blow our minds to embrace a new path to holiness instead of the lies we have been holding on to. It all comes down to this…. Jesus was born to die so that we might be sanctified. He abolished the first covenant so that a second covenant of love could be established. But the religious leaders and even Jesus’ own relatives had been carefully taught to hate and fear anyone who would change the balance of power and alter the laws. It had been drummed into their heads. So, think for a moment what you have been taught. Maybe you and I need to rethink our desire for riches and our view of community and who we consider family and who we rejected and accept and how we serve in healing and bringing wholeness and love to others. This I believe is what God is calling us to be and do. So, we must let go of the past and its bad habits so that we can move into the future where love rules. The world may even call us crazy for this but if we are privileged to serve and are called to this purpose of renewing our minds then it is the sanest action we can take if we are willing to risk. If we are truly in Christ and Christ is in us, we must let go of the past so that we can move into the future reborn in a love that lasts and a peace that passes understanding.
Pray we realize that God has placed the resources within our reach for our success in unlearning as well as learning. Pray we find peace with ourselves. Pray we find outward peace with others. Pray we realize that peacemakers are promise keepers and purpose fulfillers. Pray we realize that to be peaceful is to be purposeful. Pray we find rest in a belief in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Pray even in our active praise of God that our spirit and soul reflect an inward place of calm, quiet and rest. Pray we have a mental space where we ignore all outside interruptions. Pray we clear our minds of all anxiety so we might not only find peace and purpose, but help others become peacemakers…children of God. Pray we make peace with God.
Pray we realize that out of a small spark a flame can be birthed. Pray we keep the fire of faith birthed in us burning bright. Pray we are willing to enter a world of those who have a tear and are broken and powerless. Pray here we establish a fellowship to speak gently to those who suffer when nothing can be done but to love. Pray we breathe life into the amazing promise of peace in the telling of stories of courage around the flame of our faith. Pray we be a light in the darkness. Pray we be a light to the nations as well. Pray we are victorious in our living and are filled with the spirit of God because we love. Pray we learn to grow in love.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 