Today's Word
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Salisbury PlainClimb a Hill, Look at a Rock Day
Our Lord is so good, He grants us many blessings. We can see Him in the daily course of events, in our homes, our jobs, our lives. I pray that these words help you to grow in your faith and recognize His hand in even the most mundane circumstances.
The picture to the right is of a Celtic Chapel located in Cornwall England. This building is approximately 1700 years old, and contains a holy well known for its healing powers.
(Click for enlarged)
“He said to them, “Is the lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Isn’t it put on a stand? For there is nothing hidden, except that it should be made known; neither was anything made secret, but that it should come to light.” Mark 4:21-22, WEB
I bought a camera a few years ago, and though it isn’t complicated, I’m still learning some of the features. One of the advantages, that isn’t always advantageous, is that many of the settings can be controlled by a touch screen. Unfortunately, I sometimes hit something on the screen that changes a setting, and I don’t realize I have done it. It often takes me too much time to realize what I have done. During the eclipse, my nose constantly reset the center of focus because I was using the view finder rather than the screen for focusing. It was frustrating, but I was able to work around it. My photos from one of my hikes during that retreat were very dark. I was able to edit those photos, to raise the exposure, so they weren’t too bad, but it was frustrating to know that my light settings were wrong.
When you take a picture with a camera, it is necessary to make sure that the lighting is right. If the subject is too dark, the shutter will open and close too slowly and the picture is likely to be unfocused. This is why most cameras have a built-in flash. The extra light helps brighten the scene and the shutter opens and closes more quickly. Now, there are times when you might not want all that extra light on the subject, especially if the flash creates a bright, white light. It is possible to let the camera think it is overcoming the darkness, while blocking the light from actually illuminating the subject. Professional photographers do this with fancy equipment and settings on their camera.
There are ways for even the amateur to fool the camera. Once, when I was photographing a play, I could not use the flash for the safety of the actors. I standing so far away, using zoom, that the light would not help the situation, and would actually create a much darker picture. Yet, I needed the camera to think it was using the flash. I turned the flash on, but covered the bulb with tape. The flash went off, but could not be seen. Many of the pictures turned out great because the camera shutter opened and closed fast enough to catch just the right amount of light.
It was helpful to hide the light of the camera flash under a piece of tape, but that is not the way God wants to live our life. Unfortunately, I think many of us do have times when we’d rather keep our light hidden. I am the type of person that would rather be behind the scenes. I’m willing to do any work that needs to be done, but I don’t want anyone to know I’m the one doing it. This might be defined as humility; it might also be a false humility, hiding my light under a bushel.
What we need to remember as we are shining our light to the world is that they understand the light is not our own: it is God shining through us. True humility is living the life God has called us to live, doing the work He has ordained for us. We don’t have to hide behind the scenes. As a matter of fact, even though hiding means we won’t be glorified for the work, God won’t be glorified either. They won’t know that He was the guiding force. They won’t know that He was the power. They won’t know that He was the source of the light. Humility is a good thing, but humility does not mean hiding from being seen. Humility is giving credit to the One who has accomplished the work in and through our lives.
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Lectionary Scriptures for April 28, 2024, Fifth Sunday of Easter: Acts 8:26-40; Psalm 150; 1 John 4:1-11 [12-21]; John 15:1-8
“In this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; and so you will be my disciples.” John 15:8, WEB
We meet Philip in Acts 8. Saul/Paul was persecuting the Christians causing them to scatter when he approved the execution of Stephen. It didn’t stop them from spreading the Gospel. As a matter of fact, they preached the Good News wherever they went. Philip ended up in Samaria and proclaimed the love of Christ. “The multitudes listened with one accord to the things that were spoken by Philip when they heard and saw the signs which he did. For unclean spirits came out of many of those who had them. They came out, crying with a loud voice. Many who had been paralyzed and lame were healed. There was great joy in that city.” (Acts 8:6-8)
The disciples were scattered, but they didn’t go into hiding. They went to the four corners of their world to preach the Gospel message to the nations. Philip was one of the deacons chosen in Acts 6, so he wasn’t one of the twelve gifted and sent like the Twelve. That didn’t stop him from doing the work of the kingdom. And it appears from this passage that he was succeeding. The people were experiencing the joy of the Lord, watching Philip do incredible things. He was healing and casting out demons and they believed Philip’s words because of the work he was doing.
This is terrific. I’m sure most pastors and evangelists out there would give their lives for a congregation willing to listen to everything they have to say. They would be very happy to have such a successful ministry. But we read on in Philip’s story that an angel whispered in his ear, “Go now.” “Now?” we would ask. “But I’m just beginning here. There is too much work left to do. There are too many people left to save!” We might even reject the voice, claiming that it is the devil trying to confuse us and make us lose our place in God’s work.
That’s not the way Philip responded to this call. Luke tells us that Philip, “arose and went.” He was so confident in the word of God that he willingly left a successful ministry to go into the unknown. It was not only an uncertain command, but it was dangerous. The road from Jerusalem to Gaza was infested with killers and thieves. It was not a place where one would wander alone. The Ethiopian eunuch was certainly not alone. He was probably accompanied by a large entourage, including soldiers, servants, and guests. He was representing the queen of Ethiopia, so he had the resources of a kingdom at his disposal.
As Philip is walking down this road, he heard the voice again, “Go near, and join yourself to this chariot.” Again, we think, “Are you kidding me? Those soldiers don’t look like they would welcome my presence so near to the official.” I surely would not run toward the group. Philip, however, ran to the chariot. The eunuch was reading the book of Isaiah from a scroll he was probably taking back to Ethiopia where there was a small but faithful community of Jews from the days of Solomon. It is not only amazing that this man had a scroll, they were rare and expensive, but he also knew the language. This was exactly where Philip was meant to be. We might have doubted whether the voice was from God, but Philip trusted and went to do the work God was calling him to do. The Ethiopian community needed to hear the Gospel message, too.
So, Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” The Ethiopian admitted that it didn’t make sense, so Philip joined him in the chariot to tell him the story of Jesus. The eunuch was so transformed by the story that he asked to be baptized. They stop the caravan by a puddle at the side of the road and Philip welcomed him into the kingdom of God. Philip immediately disappeared as the Holy Spirit whisked him off to another mission and the eunuch went on his way rejoicing.
From this story we learn several things. First of all, we learn that we might be called out of a successful mission into the unknown to do something that seems dangerous and ridiculous. We also learn that what seems like an insignificant moment or ministry (only the eunuch was immediately impacted by Philip’s evangelism) might have an incredibly large impact on the world (as is seen in the now faithful Christian community in Ethiopia.) Finally, we learn that we should be ready for anything. Could you explain Isaiah 53 to a stranger in a chariot if God called you into that mission? Yes, God is with us when He takes us into the world to preach the Gospel, but we should keep actively in the scriptures so that we will be confidently ready with an answer whenever we are called to give one.
We can see in Philip’s story that he was intimately connected to His Lord. He knew the voice he heard was from God. He willingly gave up what was happening in Samaria to follow God’s call into the world. As we learned in last week’s lesson from John, Philip recognized the Good Shepherd’s voice and followed.
This week, the example focuses on the image of the vine. I’m not very good with plants, so I don’t know much about growing them, it doesn’t take very long before anything I buy is withered and dying. There are people, both professionals and home hobbyists, who do wonderful things with plants and end up with spectacular gardens. They know what to do to make the plants grow up healthy and strong. Some plants need a lot of water, some need special plant food. Some need a lot of light. Some need a nice cool shady spot. Special care needs to be taken on plants that are vulnerable to pests. A good gardener knows just what to do to deal with all those situations.
Some horticulturists use grafting to make plants stronger and better. Grafting is a process that combines the branch of one type of plant into the roots of another. For instance, the gardener might take the roots of a plant that does well in certain soil conditions and graft a plant that generally does not do well in that environment. He can combine the roots of a drought resistant plant with the stem of a favorite that needs more moisture. The roots of the plant will become strong and healthy despite the lack of water, while the branches will grow to be beautiful. Others will graft different types of fruit so that the tree will produce a unique variety. Some will graft to combine a male and a female tree into one. Grafting can repair damage, create a mutation, or make it easier to propagate the plant.
The people in Jesus’ day were not agricultural experts, but they were familiar with the language of gardening. Grafting has been around for millennia; the listeners would have understood what Jesus was saying. We are grafted into Jesus; He is the root, and we are the branches. With Him as the root, we are made stronger and more resistant to the dangers of this world. We grow beautiful because of what Jesus gives to us. We are joined together into one plant that bears good, though different, fruit. Bonded together in this way, we also encourage one another to healthy growth. As part of the new plant, the Church, we look different but together we are healed and grow.
We are grafted Christ, intimately connected with Him. We dwell in Him as part of His body, as part of His Church. We are individuals, but we are made part of the whole. We do not glorify God on our own. Without Christ we would be like my withered and dying plants that I try to grow. God is glorified in Him, with Him, and through Him. Through our lives He is made known to the world. God is the master gardener who prunes the bushes, but there is comfort and grace in His work trimming our lives. As we abide in Christ, we have nothing to fear. God knows what He’s doing: He is the Master. He only prunes what is necessary to make the vine grow strong.
Jesus said, “I am the true vine.” He was standing in the shadow of the Temple which was decorated with a large gold decoration of a grapevine. The symbolism is obvious, as the scriptures often describe Israel in terms of vineyards and grapes. The golden vine was so large that some of the grapes were as large as a human head. It was created from donations from God’s people. The gold was even engraved with donors’ names, much like we put names on bricks for sidewalks or park benches. It was beautiful, but it also had a purpose: the grapevine represented the relationship between God and His people, but the people were often too focused on the symbol that they lost touch with the relationship.
Jesus reminded the people that He is the true vine; He is the One through whom faith and fruit comes. “Look to me, abide in me, and bear fruit.” Unfortunately, we often spend so much time looking outward, away from God, focusing on our fruit that we lose touch with Jesus. We can’t bear fruit without Jesus; we can’t bear fruit without faith. It is possible to put so much attention on our work that we ignore God.
What does it mean to abide? We have lived in our current house for twelve years, the longest of any house during our marriage. That’s the disadvantage of the transient military life. We always had a home in which to live, a roof over our head and a place for our things, but we didn’t have enough time to really set down roots. We also didn’t have time to collect an attic full of stuff! When we moved into this house, however, we decided this would be our forever home, at least as long as God intends. While we always made the best of our lives in the other houses, I’m not sure we ever really did “abide.” We always knew there’d be a time when we would move again.
We won’t just live in this house, but we will abide. “To abide” means “to remain stable or in a fixed state.”. This is the house where we will celebrate Christmas with family and friends. This is the house where we will establish friendships and entertain neighbors. This is the house where we will finally find that stability that we didn’t have for so much of our married life. Our life is fixed in one place. We abide here.
Perhaps the difference between living and abiding is insignificant, but I wonder how our life of Christ would change if we made a conscience effort to abide in Him rather than just live. We live in a world where change is not only acceptable; it is thought to be inevitable. I’ve known too many people who got married with the understanding that if it doesn’t work out, they could just get a divorce. People don’t stay in a single job for forty years anymore; they get jobs on their way to the next job which will lead to the next job. I knew a lady who bought a new car every three or four years. “I always want it to be under warranty,” she said. Cars made decades ago were so well made that we could keep and drive them forever. Now they break down minutes after the warranty expired so we buy something new. We throw away appliances that are too expensive to fix. We even drop friendships when they don’t suit us. We live, but do we abide in anything anymore?
Even our church lives can be transient and changing. Few of us belong to the church where we were baptized. We often leave because we’ve moved too far away, but we also leave because we have been hurt or we don’t agree with policies or practices. Many people jump from one type of church to another, hoping one will be perfect and will be filled with perfect people. We sometimes choose our church for all the wrong reasons, like the location or the best programs, not considering what it really means to be part of the body of Christ. Some even mix religious ideas, picking and choosing what they like about different religions, creating an eclectic faith that isn’t recognizable in any religious institution. Are we abiding in Christ if we are blown by every wind of belief? It might have seemed that Philip was running away from something or looking for something better when he followed the voice.
Should we stay or should we go? This can be a hard question to answer.
It is possible to give so much attention to our ministry that we forget the one who has called us to it. Philip could have thought to himself, “I will go later, after I get more done here in Samaria.” He may have thought it was necessary to train someone to continue the work. He may have thought that he needed to baptize just a few more people. He may have had a notebook full of sermons to finish sharing and then he’d go. However, if he waited, it would have been too late. God would have sent someone else.
We have an advantage over Philip because we have two thousand years of the church behind us. We have the writings of the Apostles, the Gospel stories and the letters of Paul, Peter, James, and John. We have the writings of the early Church fathers who knew the Apostles or were only a generation or two away from them. Their writing has been tested for millennia, and their understanding has developed into the basic beliefs of the church today. We inherit the most important ideas that were written in the historic creeds and the Church they built on a strong foundation.
We must remember, however, that the one voice that truly matters is our Good Shepherd’s. We need to know Him intimately so that we will recognize Him when He speaks. The devil and the world will try to lead us on paths that will take us the wrong way. They will try to convince us to hold on to a successful ministry to distract us from the work we are really called to do. They will send opportunities for us to work that seems good, while keeping our eyes off the path God intends.
“We love because God first loved us,” are the words to a favorite children’s song. Without God we cannot love because God is love. This is what John is trying to tell us in today’s epistle lesson. Love is a gift from God. Without Him it would be impossible for us to love. All human beings are capable of the kind of love as defined in Merriam-Webster dictionary: strong affection for another arising out of kindship or personal ties; attraction based on sexual desire; affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests. People who do not believe in God can have this kind of affection for another, but John is talking about a different kind of love. It is deep and abiding, a connection that can only be made when God is in the midst of the relationship.
We are also capable of apathy. Hate is not, as we might expect, the opposite of love. Apathy is the opposite of love. Not caring whether someone lives or dies, is happy or sad, is sick or hungry or unclothed is the opposite of love. This is true when we look at another definition of love: unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another: as the fatherly concern of God for humankind or brotherly concern for others. This is the kind of love that we can’t give without the love of our Father on which to build. But it is also this type of love that we often forget to share.
John wrote, “If a man says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who doesn’t love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?” Here we see the use of the word “hate” as the opposite of love, although this has a much different meaning in the ancient languages. To hate is to separate oneself from another. It means to ignore, reject, turn our back on. When we hate someone, we purposely do care about their needs. Love is active. It is sacrificing oneself for the sake of another. Hate is sacrificing another for our own sake.
It is impossible for us to love God if we think so highly of ourselves that we can ignore or reject the cries of others. It is in and through the needs of others that God manifests Himself to us in this world. It is in the thirsty that we are given the opportunity to love God by offering them a drink of water. It is in the hungry that we are given the opportunity to love God by sharing with them our lunch. It is in the sick, imprisoned, unclothed, and homeless that God appears to us and we love Him when we love them with our resources and our actions. If we ignore those needs, we hate them and therefore cannot possibly love God. The love God gives to us is not meant to be held between God and each individual. It is a gift given to be shared with all. We love because God first loved us, and because God first loved us, we are called to love others. It is a trait we have been given by the God who has saved us from ourselves.
Love is sacrificial, but what does that mean? Jesus often talked about love. He talked about loving your neighbor and loving your enemy. Love is active. Love is watching out for the well-being of others. We serve those we love. We share with those we love. We pray for those we love. This love is deeper than the dictionary definition, but the scriptures for today delve even deeper. I know people who do not believe in God who love their neighbor. I know people who do good works who would never worship Jesus. I know people who are kind, accepting, tolerant and happy, who love in ways that are visible and right.
But in today’s text we talk about abiding in Christ, loving like Him. This is more than the love we witness in the world. John wrote, “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.” Jesus, the Son of God, suffered the humiliation of the cross, quietly died for our sake, paying the price for our sin. This is what Philip told the eunuch on that road to Gaza. This is the Gospel message: that God so loved us that He sent His only begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him. Even more so, Christ came and died so that we can abide in God.
Philip left a successful ministry because he heard the voice of God send him to a place where he was needed. Can we hear that voice and when we do, do we respond with such faith? Sometimes God calls us away from what we think is good so that He can transform us into something even better. We aren’t meant to abide in a place that makes us happy. We are meant to abide in Jesus and follow Him wherever He leads. Sometimes this is hard.
In ancient times, the earth healed itself with fire. A lightning strike set a field to blaze which burned the dead wood and made the earth ready for new growth. Those same fields today have homes and businesses that need to be protected, so the fires are often stopped before they can cleanse the earth. This leaves those fields unhealthy. It is necessary to clean up the dead to protect the living.
You can often see this happening as you drive down the roads of Texas. Old dead or dying trees and shrubs are cut and stacked in tall piles. They are left to dry for days, weeks, perhaps even months depending on the weather. When everything is ready, they carefully burn those piles, protecting the surrounding field. You can often see fire crews standing by to ensure the fire does not get out of hand. The ranchers end up with smoldering piles of ash. The removal of the old dead trees leaves room for the living ones to grow. The landowners know how to make things right by removing the dead wood that is ugly, useless, and dangerous.
This might seem like a lot of trouble for the wide-open spaces of unused wilderness, but a healthy field is better for all those who dwell there, including the birds and animals. A tended field has much more wildlife because there is good food and shelter for them. That’s why the earth naturally heals itself, but as caretakers of God’s creation, we are given the task of helping the world be as fruitful as possible even while we subdue it for our use.
This is what God does for us. He removes that which is old and dead so that there can be new growth in our lives. He grafts us into roots that are stronger and better. It is painful to discover that God is moving us away from the work that seems so good to the unknown. I imagine it was difficult for Philip to respond to angel’s quiet whisper. It is equally difficult for us. Yet, as we live grafted into Jesus, intimately connected to the root that makes us strong, we will hear His voice and obey with trust and faith. Abiding in Christ might mean taking risks, but the blessings reach into eternity.
Jesus is the true vine and we have no need to fear living and working in this world because God will be with us through the good and the bad. Even when we have difficult times, we can be at peace knowing that in the end God will use it all for His glory. He calls and sends us out into the world, sometimes He sends us outside our comfort zone into unknown experiences. He will not throw us on the heap to wither and be burned when we keep our focus on Him and He will produce the kind of fruit that makes a difference in the world. Who knows, we might just be the one to explain the scriptures to a stranger on the road, sending them off with joy in their heart and today's psalm on their tongue.
The world might be frightful, but abiding in Christ gives us reason to sing. And our singing will be shared by those who hear and believe the Gospel we share. We bear this fruit with His help, by His power, with His Holy Spirit. So, let us abide in Christ as He abides in us, always holding on to the only One who can truly change the lives, bearing fruit that will glorify our Father.
The following links provide some specially chosen scripture that tell the stories of the Birth and Passion of our Lord as Saviour Jesus Christ, as well as a fictional perspective of the Crucifixion. Spend time in God's Word, read about His life and learn of the wonderful gifts He has for you. Know Jesus Christ and honour Him today. Thanks be to God.
The Story of our Saviour's Passion
The Crucifixion, a fictional perspective
When researching, I use several versions of the bible, including the New International Version and English Standard Version. Due to copyright restrictions, I have not included quotes for the scriptures on some of the archives, but highly encourage you to open your own bibles to read the scripture passages for yourselves. Where scripture is quoted, it is usually the American Standard Version or World English Bible which belong to the public domain. Any other versions used in quotes are identified.
The devotion posted on Wednesday is based on the Lectionary texts used by millions of Christians each Sunday. The Lectionary consists of four texts: an Old Testament passage, a Psalm, a passage from one of the Epistles and a Gospel text and follows the church calendar. Archives for these writings are found at Midweek Oasis.
You are welcome to use these words to share the Gospel of our Lord Jesus. Please remember to give credit to the Author who has given you these gifts, and keep in remembrance the vessel which He used to bring them to you. We pray that this site may be a blessing to you and anyone with whom you've shared it. Peggy Hoppes
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