Good Morning Friends,
The Gospel of Jesus has always been a bit disturbing to people, but it is never really dull. People, especially those in power look on it with suspicion. And frankly it is understandable, for when opportunities for being part of critical events in Holy History present themselves, danger seems to always be part of the equation and they are most always moments that are accompanied by life and death hazards. Such is the tension of life in all pivotal moments in history. And here is the hard truth to swallow if even a little of what Jesus said would happen is in the offing for us today and not just a restatement by Luke of what had already happened during his time. Being a Christian is not easy. The road is indeed rough and the only way to not become disillusioned is to have no illusions as to what is required of Christians. Friends, we worship a God revealed in the past, present and in the hope for a future and in so doing it becomes clear that for all the light in the world and hopefully more each year, the universe still a lot of darkness.
Still there is the choice of perspective and with it a choice to be happy and joyous even if we are found wanting, so, How Do You See The Drama Of History Being Played Out?
Scripture: “But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. This will give you an opportunity to testify. So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance; for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls.
Luke 21:12-19 (NRSV)
Then I saw another portent in heaven, great and amazing: seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is ended. And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb: “Great and amazing are your deeds, Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, King of the nations! Lord, who will not fear and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your judgments have been revealed.”
Revelation 15:1-4 (NRSV)
King Belshazzar made a great festival for a thousand of his lords, and he was drinking wine in the presence of the thousand. Under the influence of the wine, Belshazzar commanded that they bring in the vessels of gold and silver that his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. So they brought in the vessels of gold and silver that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. They drank the wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and began writing on the plaster of the wall of the royal palace, next to the lampstand. The king was watching the hand as it wrote. Then the king’s face turned pale, and his thoughts terrified him. His limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together. Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king said to Daniel, “So you are Daniel, one of the exiles of Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah? I have heard of you that a spirit of the gods is in you, and that enlightenment, understanding, and excellent wisdom are found in you. But I have heard that you can give interpretations and solve problems. Now if you are able to read the writing and tell me its interpretation, you shall be clothed in purple, have a chain of gold around your neck, and rank third in the kingdom.” Then Daniel answered in the presence of the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, or give your rewards to someone else! Nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king and let him know the interpretation. You have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven! The vessels of his temple have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines have been drinking wine from them. You have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know; but the God in whose power is your very breath, and to whom belong all your ways, you have not honored. “So from his presence the hand was sent and this writing was inscribed. And this is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, and PARSIN. This is the interpretation of the matter: MENE, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; TEKEL, you have been weighed on the scales and found wanting; PERES, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”
Daniel 5:1-6, 13-14, 16-17, 23-28 (NRSV)
Message: Some people think that the apocalyptic writings and the thought of the return of Jesus, to rule on earth as in heaven, arise in response to the crisis and abuse the early Christians faced. For sure people need a sense of hope and an opportunity to be part of a redemptive community of believers actively seeking to be engaged in holy history with Jesus leading the charge. But time and time again in Jesus’ ministry on Earth, the needle was nudged to bring the concept of being neighborly into our hearts on a very personal basis…suffering the little children, looking eye to eye into the soul of the Samaritan woman at the well…praying and comforting a thief on a cross…the list of healings of those the world counted as nobodies and even the tax collectors for they too were excluded from the community. In Christ there is to be no Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male, or female…we are to be as one in love as Jesus prayed that we would experience. So too in today’s lectionary selection, we discover that some things in life you just cannot adequately prepare for and crisis in the face of judgement is one of them. Life gets messy and our need to press forward in the mystery as our purpose becomes more evident, for here we will learn that out of our darkness comes light…out of pain, healing. Having to face troubles prompts us to look up to the Lord for help. Friends, there is something going on here in scripture and history that begs our attention, not because we are particularly personally victorious in its living, but more so because we might recognize our need to face the hazards of life together to grow into what God would have us to be. Here the tension of the division creates an object lesson shouting out the message of Holy History flowing from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea and through our very lives hoping against hope that our task is to move the needle for unity forward without violence.
And So, sometimes scripture suggest we plan and at other times not to plan what we are going to say. The context for the advice is situational and the backdrop was a world where people played God ruthlessly protecting the status of their own divinity. The thing is that plans during the end of days are likely to be of little value. If we plan what we are going to say we might say that believing in Jesus for our salvation is the only way to face the end of times. Indeed, we will be called on to not only confess our faith at the risk of rejection but to live it as a living sacrifice. During the writing of today’s passages Christians professing their faith were persecuted. The figure is pointed here at the person in the mirror. It is difficult to tell someone else they are going to hell and for good reason if they have power and privilege. So, it may not be our job to make this judgement call on others but to somehow realize our own bigotry whether we are black or white or yellow, red, or brown… Jew, Moslem, Hindu, Christian, Buddhist, or Atheist…realizing that our sin in not loving is its own punishment separating us from the God of love. Yet we should make this call in our own conscience about ourselves and in support of those who need an advocate if the Holy Spirit moves us to act. And here we discover that being a Christian is not so easy. There is tension in living the Christian life when self-interest and corporate community interest are in conflict. Thankfully Jesus proclaimed the joy of salvation, but he was also a realist. Overcoming the powers of evil would be cataclysmic and apocalyptic. He foretells the pains that would precede the final victory of good over evil. Fire is used as a symbol for both reward and punishment. It will be scorching heat for those who have not followed God’s ways and not did repent, and it will bring warmth and healing rays of baptism to those who have been committed fully and applied their faith to real life. So, on our Christian journey, challenging things will happen and, in this tension, is the perfect time to tell others, from our hearts, of the amazing love of God and to share the Good News. Friends, we are to be optimistic even in the face of darkness. Who knows, some might believe in the light. Who knows, Jesus might return to make it right.
Pray we realize that our God is revealed in the covenantal history of Israel as well as our own. Pray therefor we embrace a covenant of faith in the love of God and in the promises of God. Pray we realize that religion is ineffective unless it is applied to both our history and Holy History. Pray we realize that there is a price for loyalty to the Christian faith and if we suffer, we should not be ashamed. Pray we have the endurance to withstand the onslaught of time. Pray we are joyful in our hearts despite the crises and plagues we face. Pray we apply ourselves to the task of being Christians in ways that glorify God. Pray we press forward for the cause of Christ. Pray we persevere so we gain the prize of our very souls become more Christlike. Pray Jesus rules in our lives and hearts. Pray Jesus bring light into our lives, so we might see more clearly and love more dearly. Pray our hearts sing the song of Jesus that over time transforms everything even history itself.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 