Welcome to the September 2024 Archive. You are welcome to read the entire archive, or find a topic on the list below that is of interest to you. Just click the link, and you will be taken directly to the day it was written. Enjoy, and may you know God's peace as you read His Word.
You are welcome to use these writings or pass them on. All we ask is that in all things you remember the Author and give Him the glory, and remember this vessel which He has used to bring them to you. Peggy Hoppes
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A WORD FOR TODAY, September 2024
September 3, 2024
“But the end of all things is near. Therefore be of sound mind, self-controlled, and sober in prayer. And above all things be earnest in your love among yourselves, for love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, employ it in serving one another, as good managers of the grace of God in its various forms. If anyone speaks, let it be as it were the very words of God. If anyone serves, let it be as of the strength which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” 1 Peter 4:7-11, WEB
My husband and I spent the weekend at a cabin at a Christian camp we support. We unplug, in a sense, although we do take a television and blue-ray player to watch movies. We do puzzles, hike, read, and just sit on the porch watching the wildlife. We were blessed by visits of deer every morning and we watched the promise of rain in pretty clouds at sunset. It was a lovely weekend away from the stress of life, enjoying the peace of the country.
One of the movies we watched was a documentary that was produced a couple years ago about the 50th anniversary of the disastrous flooding in Northeast Pennsylvania from Hurricane Agnes. The storm did over three billion dollars of damage (1970’s value) in twelve states, but two thirds of that happened where the Susquehanna River overflowed its banks in the Wyoming Valley. Families and businesses lost everything; it took many years for those who were affected to return to “normal” (whatever that means).
The flood of 1972 was not the first to do significant damage to the valley. The valley experienced flooding throughout its history, but there was a flood in 1936, caused by the combination of heavy rain and melting snowpack that crested in early March at about 29 feet. The flooding stopped when a cold front stopped the snow from melting. Though there was significant damage, they breathed a sigh of relief that it wasn’t worse. Unfortunately, the river began again just a few days later and ultimately crested over 33 feet. The double peak made the flood worse than any flood the valley had experienced until that day. That flood led to the construction of the levee system that was meant to protect the valley. The natural banks of the Susquehanna rose to about twenty feet, and the levee added about fifteen feet of protection.
Unfortunately, though the levee protected the city for nearly forty years, the circumstances around Hurricane Agnes were extraordinary. Agnes dropped as much as 18 inches, after a period that was wetter than normal. Early in the crisis, authorities called for volunteers to help raise the levee a few feet, a task that was expected to take ten thousand people. They worked valiantly, filling sandbag after sandbag to top the bank. The documentary included pictures and videos of a diverse group of people working together to save the city. Unfortunately, not only did the river rise to over forty feet, but it undermined the levee system. The force of the water in the river was too much for the way the levee was built. Despite their hard work, the river breeched the levee in several places and water poured into the communities along the river.
One of the most beautiful things that happened in the horrific flooding was seen on the streets of the communities, including that day when tens of thousands of people worked tirelessly to save the city on the bank of the Susquehanna. Young and old, black and white, rich and poor, men and women, and even children gathered to shovel sand, fill bags, then pass them onto the bank.
In one interview taken after the breech, an elderly man talked about how he thought all the young were lazy hippies (it was he 70’s), but after watching so many young men work so hard, he had a whole new understanding. Young folk saw the elderly with new eyes. They laughed together, and then cried together, no matter who they were. Military, government, and civilian rescuers worked together with official craft and private boats to save people who were trapped by the flood water. This care for others was apparent after the water receded. Neighbors helped neighbors clean the disgusting, smelly muck that had settled on every surface, up to the second and even third floors of homes and businesses. People came from far and wide, but some of the most beautiful photos were of the victims of the flood helping one another carry their lives to the garbage heaps that grew on the city streets. They gave each other hope in the midst of utter destruction. They loved one another and shared light in the darkness.
It wasn’t easy. Many people lost their jobs. Most people did not have insurance. How do you repair a house that has been washed off its foundation? How do you replace a lifetime of possessions? How do cities replace bridges that have been washed away and repair streets that were destroyed by feet of rushing water? Government help was long in coming, though they did what they could. Trailer parks were created with thousands of $7000 mobile homes so that families would have a place to live while they rebuilt their lives. Some people fought hard for a change in government response; the Flood (as it has come to be known) brought about the creation of FEMA. People helped as they could in the trenches of both the mucky streets and the hallowed halls of government to make a difference in each other’s lives.
That’s how its meant to be, isn’t it? When our world is comfortable and happy, we can easily look at others with judgment and uncertainty, but when it falls apart, we realize that we are in the same place, facing the same difficulties together. We are all just a moment away from disaster, but together we can make incredible things happen if we give one another a chance. We are not meant to divide ourselves by age, race, economics, or sex. We all have something to offer, abilities that can be used to make a difference for our neighbors. Let us always use God’s grace, in good times and bad times, to make our world a better place.
Lectionary Scriptures for September 8, 2024, Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Isaiah 35:4-7a; Psalm 146; James 2:1-10 [11-13] 14-17; Mark 7:24-37
“Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead in itself.” James 2:17, WEB
Have you ever known someone whose very presence changed the atmosphere in a room? Perhaps it was a favorite aunt whose sweet demeanor was able to calm the nerves at a family reunion. It may have been a very good teacher who could cause a room full of rowdy children to be quiet and attentive in an instant. These people have something special that brings about transformation in the world around them.
I think for most of us, transforming power comes to us in a more personal way. A romantic partner can change our mood in a heartbeat. A kindhearted neighbor can help us to see that we should not trample through her flower beds. A Sunday school teacher can plant the seeds that make us want to know more about Jesus. The transformation from these one on one encounters is longer lasting; it transforms not only the mood of one moment, but our lives forever.
Israel was in a bad place. They were exiles in Babylon, far from home and far from the dwelling place of their God. They felt abandoned. They had little hope. However, Isaiah spoke words of hope into their lives, words that promised transformation. God promised that the day would come when He would save them, and that day would be the most spectacular experience. God’s presence among His people would change the entire atmosphere, even the desert would be transformed. God promised that He would heal their brokenness and restore them to wholeness.
The promise would not be fulfilled immediately; they heard the promise of what was to come. However, trusting in the promise, the people were called to be strong and to not be afraid. They might have been in a bad place for a moment, but God would not allow them to stay there forever. He would come and bring change. The enemy would be punished and those who were hurting would see God’s grace.
This promise was fulfilled when God saved Israel from Babylon, but this text also looked forward to a better day: the day of the Messiah. Isaiah points to the reign of Jesus Christ, whose very presence would bring healing, freedom. He would make the blind see and the deaf hear. He would give walking legs to the lame and words to those who couldn’t speak. All of creation would be transformed: the world would be brighter, cleaner, and fresher. The thirsty would have cool, clear water to drink. Jesus is the promised Messiah who is the living water that nourishes those perishing people who are caught in the darkness of sin and death.
It would be a joyous time.
The Gospel lesson shows us the fulfillment of the promises found in Isaiah. In this passage we see two examples of people healed by Jesus. The first story is about a mother who believed that Jesus could heal her demon possessed daughter. The second story is about a group of friends who brought a deaf and dumb man to Jesus for healing. These stories don’t mention faith, yet their acts of approaching Jesus showed that they believed Jesus could do something. Jesus answered their boldness with transformation, healing, and wholeness.
The woman in the first story was definitely not a person we would expect to be a typical follower of Jesus. She was a foreigner. She was a pagan. She was a woman. She probably did not feel comfortable talking to a man, particularly a Jewish man who was seen as a rabbi. Yet, she sought Him out and interrupted a well-deserved and long needed moment of solitude with her request. Jesus seems to reject and ridicule this woman and shocks us by calling the woman a dog. It isn’t something that we would expect from Jesus. Why would He refer to the woman as if she were a mangy street mutt begging for a morsel that might keep her alive?
This has been explained in a dozen different ways, from Jesus pushing the woman to demonstrate her faith to Jesus being convinced to change His mind. Mark tends to leave some questions open so that we’ll ponder the purpose of these stories for our own faith and see the different faces of Christ that affect our lives in different ways at different times.
From the woman we learn about humble boldness. She knew her place in Jesus’ world, even if Jesus did not really think of her in that way. She knelt before Him and agreed with His assessment that she was a dog, but she was bold enough to seek His grace, even if it was just the leftovers. Her words made Jesus act. He said, “For this saying, go your way. The demon has gone out of your daughter.” At first Jesus seemed to indicate that He would not do anything for her, but her words seemed to change His mind. Whether Jesus planned this all along or the woman convinced Him, the child received the healing the mother sought.
We learn from the woman that we can approach our God with humble boldness that knows our place and trusts God’s mercy even when we think there’s no chance to receive an answer. He will hear and He will be present in our circumstances. We will know and experience the transforming power of His grace. It might seem odd for Jesus to treat the woman as He did, but Jesus was teaching His listeners a lesson through this woman who had faith enough to seek Jesus and ask Him for help. Jesus knew her heart. He knew she was there because she believed. He knew that faith gave her a humble understanding of her place in the world but also the faith to know that God is merciful. She receives the mercy she seeks not because she deserves it, but because she seeks it from the One who can grant it. That is faith.
The second story is about a man who is deaf and dumb. Jesus follows a strange ritual and in the end the man can both hear and speak clearly. What do you think about Jesus’ actions in the second story? He put His fingers in the ears of the deaf man, spit and then touched his tongue. This sounds like some sort of pagan practice; I can almost see the old witch doctor in a frightening feather mask and cape screaming some strange words at the demons that caused the deafness and muted voice. Jesus often healed with just a word, why were the weird acts necessary in this healing? Was Jesus reaching out to this man in a way he might understand? The same, perhaps, is true of the woman. She expected to be treated as a dog; anything else, even compassion, might have been frightening to her.
Even stranger in this story, however, is that Jesus told the man and his friends to be silent about what happened. Yet, how can someone possibly keep silent when their tongue has been loosed? We don’t know how long the man had suffered, there were surely a million things he wanted to say. He was able to thank his friends and tell his family how much he loved them. He would finally be able to hear those sentiments returned. It would have made it possible to do business to earn a living. Jesus transformed His life. Yet, with all these wonderful things to say and hear, the most important would be praise to God for this incredible gift. When you are transformed by the presence of God, how can you remain silent?
Though Jesus repeatedly told the man to keep silent, his joy was so great he could not keep silent. Do we feel that same sort of joy? Do we receive God’s grace with such an enthusiasm that we can’t help but share it with others? No matter what Jesus said, the man’s joy was so great he could not help but sing for joy. I can almost hear his voice joining with the Israelites singing today’s Psalm, “Praise the Lord!” After living as a deaf and dumb man, unable to hear or speak, it was natural for the man to sing “Hallelujah!” His life was transformed by that encounter with Christ.
An encounter with Jesus transformed both the woman’s world and the man’s life. What can an encounter with Jesus do for a congregation?
It is natural for us to be drawn to those who have wealth. After all, people with wealth can get things done. If a wealthy person is happy, they might just do something that makes our life better in some way. Yet James asked if they were really manifesting faith in Christ by showing favoritism to the rich. By favoring the rich we trust in them and their money more than we trust in our God to provide us what we need. This favoritism is divisive and judgmental. Even worse, however, is that we miss out on an even greater wealth in the hearts of the poor, for God has given them such a great measure of faith and love.
There is a story about a pastor who dressed in old, dirty clothing, covered his head with a hat and disguised his appearance with a beard. He laid on the church steps while the congregation gathered for worship in the hope that at least one of the members would do something for the stranger on their doorstep. He was sorely disappointed. He overheard them grumbling about the dirty man on the steps. Some of the people pointedly spoke loud enough for the stranger to hear, calling him lazy and disgusting and unwelcome. The pastor was disturbed to discover their attitudes. When everyone was seated, the pastor came in the front door. The congregation was shocked as he approached the pulpit. He took off his hat and his false beard and gave a powerful sermon about their Christian responsibility to help their neighbors.
In another story, the congregation was seated in their pews waiting for the service to begin. A young man in ripped jeans, a t-shirt, and long hair came in to the church. He walked down to the front of the worship space and plopped himself on the floor. The congregation was shocked that anyone would do such a thing, but no one dared say anything. As the pastor prepared to speak, an elderly man got up. He slowly moved to the front of the church. Most of the congregation could understand why he would want to confront the young man. He was a long-time member of the congregation. When he reached the young man, you could almost hear the members holding their breaths. Instead of chasing him away, the old man slowly sat on the floor, enjoying the worship with the young man so that he would not be alone.
What did those congregations learn in these two stories? It is said that the Gospel should be preached in a way that both comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable. The first pastor was brokenhearted to discover how self-centered were the members his congregation. In the second story, the pastor began his sermon with the statement, “You won’t remember a thing I say in this sermon, but you will always remember what you have just seen.”
In both these stories, the members of the congregation made judgments based on what they saw with their eyes through their own world views. These stories may not happen often in today’s modern churches that are more often more open to cultural differences. As a matter of fact, many churches pride themselves in how open and welcoming they are to everyone. “Come as you are” is the mantra for so many Christians today. Yet, James’ words are still important. We have our own biases. We still show favoritism to the detriment of those who don’t fit into our boxes. All too often, our favoritism falls to those who are willing to give us exactly what we want. It wasn’t much different in the days of James, was it? Fancy clothes indicate wealth, and wealth can be used for our benefit. Poor people seem to have nothing of value to offer. We forget that in God’s Kingdom, wealth has nothing to do with money, and that through the eyes of mercy we can see incredible value of those whom God sends our way to teach us how to live according to His grace.
We who have been given mercy have been called to be merciful.
When James asked, “Can faith save you?” in relation to the good works he described, he wasn’t suggesting that good works would ever save a person. He taught that those who are saved, who live in the faith that comes from grace, will have mercy on those they see that need to be saved. We see Christ in those who are hungry or naked and offer them what they need. It is not enough to wish them well in their hunger and nakedness. God sends us opportunities to serve Him so that we can respond in faith with the gifts we have been given. Faith without works is a dead faith.
Jesus was God’s presence in the world. We don’t always understand everything He did. Why did He call the woman a dog? Why did He perform a strange ritual and then command the man and his friends to silence? Whatever His purpose, we read these stories and many others in the scriptures and see that God came to save in an active and powerful way. We are then sent into the world to be God’s hands and share His grace with others.
Isaiah talked about the work God is going to do in the world. The eyes of the blind will be open, the ears of the deaf unstopped, the lame shall leap like a dear and the tongue of the speechless will sing for joy. God transform people those who couldn’t do things and made them into people who could. Faith calls for action: seeing, hearing, leaping and singing! Faith is about praising God for His mercy and grace. And then faith is about going out into the world to help others see, hear, leap and sing. God gives us the faith and we respond to that faith, and in that faith, with action.
As children we learn the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” but there is a greater law at work, the law of God, the “Royal Law.” God’s law is not about equal action and reaction, it is about love: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
This is why James followed up his treatise on favoritism with a comment about works. We are called, by faith, to a life of mercy. If we do not show mercy, our faith is as good as dead. Mercy means loving our neighbor as we love ourselves. Mercy means loving our neighbor whether they are rich or poor, native or foreigner, healthy or sick, young or old, in dirty rags or the latest fashion. Mercy means being God’s hands, feet and mouth for those who need to see God and hear His Word. We are to be God’s presence in the world so that the world will be transformed by Him.
That’s what Jesus did and what He calls us to do.
I’m not an expert, but in the simplest terms the electricity from a battery is created by a chemical reaction. The chemical reaction is started by the movement of electrons from the positive to the negative terminal. When an appliance is turned on, the current is allowed to move in and through the battery causing the chemical reaction that creates more electrons. If you just take a wire and hold it to both ends of a battery, you will create electricity in the wire. An appliance (load) is placed along the wire to slow down and control the electrons, using the electricity for practical purposes. If there is no path along which the electricity can run, the battery does nothing. It just sits there, lifeless.
Faith is like a battery. It is a gift from God, who places it in our hearts to transform our lives. Faith moves us to action. When we are “turned on” we can make things happen. By faith we can be God’s hands, His feet, and His mouth. By faith we are His presence in this world. What happens when a battery is not used? Batteries have long shelf life, but they do not last forever. Eventually they become useless. It is even worse if they sit too long in an appliance without being used because they become corroded and destroy the appliance. It is best to use the battery once it is installed, to make the light bright or the radio sing. The battery is useless otherwise. Isn’t it interesting that the appliances are lifeless without the battery and the battery is lifeless without the appliance? We need faith to accomplish God’s will and God installs faith into our hearts so that we will be His hands, feet and mouth. James writes, “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead in itself.” Just like a battery.
Mark tells us that the more Jesus ordered the people to be silent, the more loudly they proclaimed God’s glory. They sang praise to God, and they told everyone about the good things Jesus could do. They were so amazed and proclaimed how Jesus made the deaf hear and the mute sing. This brings us back to the Old Testament prophecy from Isaiah. Jesus was, from the beginning of His ministry, fulfilling the very things that were promised of the One who would restore Israel. And we see in the story of the Syrophoenician woman that Jesus’ power was not limited to Israel. Jesus would restore all people to God. Our faith makes us part of that salvation story: first as recipients and then as God’s hands sharing His grace with others, no matter who they are.
You’ll note that the lectionary reading from James is missing a few verses. These simply expound upon verse 10, but the passage as a whole is about how we judge others. It is not about eternal judgment but about how we treat our neighbors. James focuses on the difference between how the rich and the poor are treated. We cozy up to the rich because we know that they can be of some benefit to us, but we ignore the poor because there is nothing they can do for us.
What I found interesting about the missing verses is the two commandments James decided to use in this comparison. “For he who said, ‘Do not commit adultery’ also said, ‘Do not commit murder.’ Now if you do not commit adultery, but murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.” We know that these things are wrong. Even in modern America where too many people are frivolous with their love, renaming adulterous behavior and justifying certain infidelities as being harmless, we admit that adultery and murder are wrong. We have a little more trouble with some of the other commandments, however. Do we not covet? Do we not have idols? Do we not steal and cheat and lie? Oh, most of us don’t rob banks or scam our neighbors, but we all tell little white lies, which are still lies even if they seem harmless. I once knew a woman who justified keeping the extra dollar a cashier gave her by saying, “It was her mistake and God knew I needed that dollar today.” She praised God for her sinful behavior instead of considering that He was watching her dishonesty. She accepted His grace without admitting her sinfulness. Where is her faith?
Faith does not justify sin. It is faith that gives us the courage to admit our sinfulness and trust in God’s mercy. Like the woman who accepted that she was a dog, as people of faith we recognize that we are sinners in need of a Savior. We trust that Jesus Christ has saved us. We might be able to say we are living a good life, but the reality is that none of us are good. We might do good works in the world, but our good works will never save us. James makes us ask ourselves if our faith is alive if we do not live as God has called us to live. Do we have faith if we justify our sin? Do we have faith if we make judgments based on what we see with our eyes through our own world views? Do we have faith if we seek what is best for ourselves rather than responding to the opportunities God has sent our way?
Jesus was God’s presence in the world, not only in word but also in deed. He brought transformation. He gave sight to the blind, hearing to the death, feet to those who could not walk and voice to those who could not speak. He did this for us, too, even though we may not have ever thought ourselves as blind, deaf, lame or dumb. We were once prisoners to sin, but He set us free and brought us through the desert with life giving water. He gave us sight to see the truth. He gave us ears to hear His Word. He gave us feet to go out to serve, and He gave us the voice to sing praises to God. He calls us to live our thanksgiving in very real and tangible ways, ways that will transform the world. He’s put the battery of faith in. Now turn it on and go. Praise God and do whatever you can to make a difference. Manifest the faith that has been given so that the world will see the glory of God.
“There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the priestly division of Abijah. He had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. They were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they both were well advanced in years.” Luke 1:5-7, WEB
God was silent during the four hundred years that passed between Malachi and Matthew. The people still believed that God had not forgotten them. They were living by the Law of Moses, but God’s promised Holy Land was occupied by foreigners. They longed for a sign from God, anything to might give them courage to get through their suffering and pain. They longed to hear His voice again, a genuine word that God was still with them. They longed for the fulfillment of the promises.
God promised to send a messenger to prepare the way for the Lord through the prophet Malachi. Isaiah spoke of a voice crying out in the wilderness that would make the people turn to the LORD. This forerunner would preach repentance and baptize the people for the forgiveness of sin. Luke tells us that in the time of Herod king of Judea, that man was born into the house of a priest named Zechariah who was married to a woman named Elizabeth.
We know very little about Zechariah (or Zacharias) and Elizabeth, only what we are told about their role in the birth of Jesus in the first chapter of Luke’s Gospel, their story lasts a mere seventy-five verses in the Bible. None of the other New Testament writers included them in their stories, but Luke saw their role as important enough to not only include them, but to begin his story with theirs. They mark the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the fulfillment of all God’s promises in Jesus.
When Zechariah was in the Temple on duty, he had a vision of the angel of the Lord who appeared to tell him that his prayers would be answered. Zechariah and Elizabeth would bear a son. The angel gave Zechariah specific instructions about the child: he was to be named John and was never to drink wine or other fermented drinks. The angel promised that he would be filled with the Holy Spirit from birth, and he would bring Israel back to God.
Zechariah asked, “How can I be sure of this?” It was not a surprising question, after all he and Elizabeth were well beyond child-bearing age and Elizabeth was barren. This doubtful response to the message from the angel Gabriel, left Zechariah speechless until the child was born. He was in the Temple longer than normal, and when he came out without his voice, the people knew he had seen a vision. Zechariah went home to Elizabeth, and they conceived a son. Elizabeth praised God for taking away her disgrace. The angel Gabriel went to Mary to give her the news of her own pregnancy and used the miraculous story of her cousin Elizabeth as a sign of the truth of the promise. Mary went to visit Elizabeth and when she heard Mary’s greeting, the baby in her womb leapt for joy. Even before he was born, John knew Jesus was the Messiah.
The one thing we do know about Zechariah and Elizabeth is that they were both righteous in God’s eyes, without any fault in keeping God’s commandments. They prayed, studied God’s Word, and lived according to His teachings. They prepared to do God’s will, then God favored them with a child even though it was impossible. Sometimes God’s answers to our prayers come in the most extraordinary ways.
Zechariah and Elizabeth are commemorated today; we learn to be faithful even when it seems that we are not blessed by God through their story. The world around us will seem to prosper and will ridicule us for our struggles, but God has a plan for those who love Him. His plan does not always meet our expectations. Our hearts are shaped by our prayers and our obedience to God’s Word, making us willing to conform to the will of our God who is loving and merciful. Zechariah and Elizabeth lived long and faithful lives but didn’t seem blessed until the very end when God used them in a small but miraculous way. We won’t give birth to the forerunner, but our task will be just as extraordinary when we respond with praise to the life God has given to us, no matter what it holds today. Tomorrow we might just see God’s plan unfold in a miraculous way that will change someone’s life forever.
September 6, 2024
“Who is a God like you, who pardons iniquity, and passes over the disobedience of the remnant of his heritage? He doesn’t retain his anger forever, because he delights in loving kindness. He will again have compassion on us. He will tread our iniquities under foot; and you will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.” Micah 7:18-19, WEB
Corrie Ten Boom is known around the world as a forgiver. She spent many years in a German concentration camp where she was embarrassed and degraded by so many. The women in the camps were not even able to take a shower without leering eyes watching their naked bodies. The guards never let them alone. The humiliation was great, but she eventually believed that she forgave all who had harmed her, including those creeps. She went on to preach forgiveness to audiences around the world.
One day a man approached her at a speaking engagement in Munich Germany. She immediately recognized him as one of those guards who had humiliated her all those years ago. She suddenly realized that she had not truly forgiven that man. She could not greet him with love or mercy. She could not even shake his hand. She was so ashamed of herself, unable to do what she had preached for so long. The man said to her, “It is wonderful that Jesus forgives us all our sins, just as you say.” She prayed, “Lord, forgive me, I cannot forgive.” She knew as she prayed that she was forgiven, and she was able to forgive.
I doubt any of us have or will face such terrible experiences, but we all have been hurt over the years. It is easy to say “I forgive,” but what happens when we see them again? Can we face them with grace and mercy? Can we even say hello and shake their hands? Can we work or fellowship with them? It is easy to say the words, but very hard to actually act out the forgiveness we are called to give. It is true for those whose faith is weak and for those whose faith is strong. It is impossible for us all without the love and forgiveness of God. We need to truly know God’s forgiveness for ourselves before we will every really know how to forgive others. It is by God’s forgiveness that we can forgive.
The most incredible promise of the Lord our God is that He will forgive us and not remember our sin. He has mercy and compassion on His people. He removes those things that affect our relationship with Him. Unforgiveness builds walls between people that can’t be overcome, and it builds walls that block our relationship with God. Corrie’s lack of forgiveness for the guard made it impossible for her to even speak to him. It is even more difficult when the relationship is with someone close to us. Families have been divided, friendships broken, and workplaces destroyed because people are unable to forgive one another. Those broken relationships then become a barrier that disrupts our life with God.
Corrie was ashamed because she thought she had gotten over the humiliation and anger. She may have even felt like a hypocrite, preaching forgiveness even as she still hurting over what that man had done to her. In her prayer she realized that the only way she could forgive him was to realize that she too was a sinner in need of forgiveness. When she prayed in faith that God does pardon those He loves, she knew it was true. Only then could she forgive. She could forgive because she was forgiven.
That’s how it is for all of us. When we face those that have harmed us, unable to even shake their hand, we can pray the same prayer: “Lord, forgive me, I cannot forgive.” God is faithful to His promises and He will always forgive those who pray in faith. Jesus Christ tramples our iniquities underfoot because He death on the cross fulfilled His promise. We are forgiven. Sometimes we need a reminder, especially when we realize we have not truly forgiven another. When we remember our own sin has been removed, that we have been forgiven, then by His grace we will have the strength to reach out and shake the hand of the one we thought we could never forgive.
September 9, 2024
“Wise men lay up knowledge, but the mouth of the foolish is near ruin.” Proverbs 10:14, WEB
Philip Melanchthon wrote about today’s verse, “Many of Solomon’s sayings are concerned with speaking and the bridling of the tongue. The particular vices related to the tongue are lying, gossip, hastiness, over-inquisitiveness, reproachfulness, slander, trickery, vanity, boasting or bragging, hypocrisy, coarseness, aggression, shamelessness, love of strife, buffoonery, foulness, mockery, and, finally, flattery. These vices must be kept in mind. We must learn to avoid them with diligence, checking our impulses, and refraining from pouring forth every thought that crosses our minds.”
In Philip’s time, and Solomon’s, the issue was definitely the tongue. Since many people were not literate, they did not write much, definitely not as much as we do today. Today the tongue stands for much more than the words we say. We put so much into writing, such as posts or comments on social media or texts on our phones. I don’t know about you, but I much prefer to send a text than to talk on the phone. I confess that I have even texted someone who is in the next room!
There is a judge on one of those daytime court shows that often says, “Say it forget it, write it regret it.” This is a warning to the young people who appear before her that spend so much time on social media. Many of them get into trouble because the posts provide proof for the other litigant’s case. I have become very careful about the comments I make on posts I see. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve typed a lengthy post, but deleted every word and let it go. I want my opinion to be heard, but I also realize that my post would not be helpful. Like the judge said, the words we put it writing are eternal. We can’t take them back.
There is a story about two men talking a walk. The first man said something that hurt the other man deeply. The second man bent down and wrote, “Today my friend said something that hurt me,” in the sand. They continued their walk, and the first man said something very kind to his friend. The second man scratched the words, “Today my friend said something nice about me,” into a rock. The first man was confused. “Why did you write the first thing in the sand and the second one on the rock? The second man replied, “I don’t want to remember the hurtful words, so I recorded them in sand to be blown away in the wind. I do want to remember the kind words, so I scratched them on the rock where they will last forever.”
I have read different incarnations of the following quote: “If what you want to say is neither true, nor good or kind, nor useful or necessary, please don’t say anything at all.” This is a good and wise practice. Like those litigants on the court shows, we often learn the hard way that our mouths, or our fingers, can get us into all sorts of trouble. I love the way Solomon worded today’s Proverb, because it reminds us to stop and consider what we are going to say. Wise men lay up knowledge. We hear, we think about what we hear, and we consider how to respond. Sadly, we don’t always stop and consider our words. This is the foolish response that gets us into trouble. We type our comments in the heat of the moment, not thinking about what our words might do. We forget that our words can be used against us, and that anything we write on the Internet can be found long after it has been written.
I’d like to think that I don’t commit any of the sins of the tongue that Philip listed in his commentary about today’s Proverb, but sadly I am sure I have committed them all at some point. The same is probably true of you, too. We have all been foolish. Thankfully, most of us won’t come to ruin for our words, but we’ve probably caused hurt that has affected our relationships with our family, friends, and neighbors. It is worse for us today, because our words don’t blow away. May we all learn the lesson of wisdom, to stop and consider our words before we speak or write them so that we will say what is true, good, kind, useful, and necessary, both for the sake of our neighbors and for our own sake. A wise word does good work and glorifies God.
September 10, 2024
“Put on therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, humility, and perseverance; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, if any man has a complaint against any; even as Christ forgave you, so you also do. Above all these things, walk in love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body, and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your heart to the Lord. Whatever you do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father, through him..” Colossians 3:12-17, WEB
A number of years ago, a celebrity received a gift. It was a bouquet of hydrangeas from a fan. It was an odd selection to use at the time, although they have become more popular, even as flowers for weddings and other occasions. We’ve had them in our gardens; the large bushes add a spot of bright color and a lingering scent, but I never thought to cut them to display them in a vase because they are large and delicate. The gift became a viral sensation, not because of the odd choice, but because of the celebrity’s response.
Celebrities probably receive many gifts they don’t want. Royal families often have particular etiquette they must follow when it comes to things given. They are expected to be gracious and accept anything worth less than a few hundred dollars. Those gifts are recorded and often passed on to charities. As for other celebrities, I’m sure most things end up in a closet, donated to the local thrift store, or even tossed in the garbage. Flowers can be easily passed off to a staff member to be dealt with. However, this particular incident is remembered for what happened after the celebrity graciously accepted the flowers.
When she received the gift she smiled and said, “Thank you,” but as soon as he was gone she threw the flowers under a table said to a woman nearby, “I absolutely loathe hydrangeas. He obviously doesn’t know that.” Unfortunately for her, the statement was caught on camera; the clip was shared on the Internet and was seen by millions of people in a matter of minutes. It was the talk of the town for a time. Though the celebrity was gracious to the man’s face, she will be remembered for how ungracious she was behind his back.
What was really interesting at the time was how the public responded to the clip. The words “Hydrangea” and “loathe” became the top words on Internet search engines. Millions of people wanted to know more about those flowers. Others wanted to find the meaning of the word “loathe.” I wonder how many were disappointed when they discovered the word means, “to dislike greatly and often with disgust or intolerance.” I wonder how many lost respect for that celebrity because she was so unkind with her response to a simple and heartfelt gift.
We’ve all gotten a gift we do not like. How do we deal with it? Do we smile sweetly and then throw the gift in the garbage with a catty remark? Or do we receive it and find some way of honoring the giver, even behind their backs? Kindness is not meant to be something we do only when we are face to face with people. We are to be kind even when they can’t see it. That’s what it means to live as God has called us to live, in word and deed in light and in darkness. It might not seem very important, especially when the gift is nothing but a perishable bouquet of flowers. So let us face one another with love and love one another even when we aren’t face to face, treating them with kindness always.
September 11, 2024
Lectionary Scriptures for September 15, 2024, Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost: Isaiah 50:4-10; Psalm 116:1-9; James 3:1-12; Mark 9:14-29
“Out of the same mouth comes blessing and cursing.” James 3:10a, WEB
I worked in retail. I began working on the floor and cash register, but eventually entered a management training program and held the position of assistant manager. I learned everything I needed to know from the senior store manager. It was a good program, very informative while also giving me the experience I needed to do my job well leading the people.
As a manager, I felt it was important to be an example to the employees. A retail store requires people to do all levels of work. We need people with accounting skills to take care of the money as well as people who can mop the floor and clean the bathrooms. We need people who can unload a truck or unpack a box. A well-run store has people who can determine future needs, able to order the right amount of merchandise that will sell through each season. All these tasks are vital to the success of the store.
I was often “every-man.” In other words, there were times when the janitor was not available to deal with an emergency, so I grabbed a mop to clean up the mess. If the crowds were overwhelming the cashiers, I jumped on a register to ease the load. If a truck with an extra-large load showed up at the back door, I unloaded boxes. A willingness to experience hard work gave me credibility. If some smart aleck kid refused a job saying, “You do it,” I could easily answer, “I have; now it is your turn.” There was nothing I didn’t experience, and the employees knew it. They also knew that I was the boss, and they had their own job to accomplish.
Our Old Testament lesson for this week is a servant song spoken by one who was chosen to bring hope to God’s people. Some prophets were sent to speak words of warning or discipline, but this prophet was sent with a word of hope. The song is filled with hope for those weary from living in the midst of suffering and pain. This servant knew what it meant to suffer. He not only received the gift of the word, but he also lived in the midst of pain. He was persecuted, humiliated, insulted. He was shamed, but without shame. Though he experienced this suffering, he never turned from his calling. He persevered through it, trusting that God was there with him.
A favorite author posted a meme yesterday that said, “Two most important rules for interpreting the Old Testament: 1. Assume this text, in some way, is connected to the person, work, and kingdom of the Messiah. 2. See #1.” Through these eyes, we understand that this song was sung by our Lord Jesus Christ. He was the suffering servant who was persecuted, humiliated, and insulted. He was even crucified on the cross. Yet, He never wavered; He stood firm on the word that had been given to Him. He spoke those comforting words to the people and those who had ears to hear found hope in the midst of their own suffering and pain.
David was in a pretty bad place in his life when he wrote today’s Psalm. “The cords of death surrounded me, the pains of Sheol got a hold of me. I found trouble and sorrow.” I don’t think I’ve ever felt so close to death and the grave as David felt. It is as if he has one foot in the grave. Most commentators believe this psalm was written by David, though we aren’t certain. It was most likely written by a king, perhaps the king of a nation that was facing a time of war or siege. It seems as if everything they knew and loved was about to be destroyed.
Still, the psalmist wrote, “I love Yahweh, because he listens to my voice, and my cries for mercy.” This does not seem like a very good reason to love God. First of all, how would he know that that God hears unless there was an answer to the prayers? Should we love God only because of what He can and does do for us? That seems rather self-centered and selfish. Yet, it is a very human response to God’s gracious mercy. Who are the people with whom we truly enjoy spending time? We spend time with the ones who listen to us, even if they have no answer to the problem or way to fix what is wrong. We appreciate their compassionate presence and listening ears.
We need not be so cynical about the attitude of the psalmist, here. Love for Yahweh comes not only as a response for answered prayer. Love for God is is manifest because God is there, present and listening. We are not promised answers to all our prayers. We are not guaranteed lives without suffering or pain. However, God has promised to be with those who love Him and that He will listen to those who cry out to Him.
There is a pattern to the poetry of this psalm. It begins with praise to God for listening. Then the psalmist describes his difficulty. Finally, the psalmist speaks words of thanksgiving and praise. This is a powerful pattern for us to follow when we pray: begin with a hope-filled prayer, praise God for His compassionate mercy based on faith and trust that God is present and that He hears, even if we have not seen evidence of His presence. We know that He is near, and we trust that He hears our cries because He has promised, and He is faithful. We worship Him and acknowledge His presence first, then we approach Him with our needs. Finally, we sing thanks and praise to God for His mercy.
The psalmist talks of death, but we need to remember that we face deaths throughout our lives that have nothing to do with our physical bodies. We experience broken relationships, unemployment, illness, and other difficulties that are like death. Death can happen when something about our circumstances changes and impacts our life. We grieve when we have to leave something behind. Even our hopes can die. It is then, especially, that we can cry out to God in praise, supplication and thanksgiving because despite these circumstances, we know that He is present and listening. God hears our cry and delivers us from death by His mercy and His grace.
I went to college to be an elementary school teacher. I did fairly well in theory, excelling in my classes and in the assignments designed to prepare me for the work. I was good at lesson planning and resource collection. I had long lists of children’s books and a collection of ideas that would make any elementary school child’s day fun and educational. I did not do well in practice. The classroom was not what I expected, and I did not have the aptitude to control a group of first graders.
My mentor was wonderful. She was almost perfect. The children listened to her; she never had to raise her voice. The class was difficult: it was an extremely diverse group of children, many of whom needed special classes because English was their second language. Still, she was able to impact their lives with her teaching and her kindness. I did well with the tasks that she assigned me, but I could not handle the most important thing: teaching the children. My frustration set my nerves on edge and reacted by raising my voice. During my reviews, my mentor constantly reminded me about my language. My raised voice and the words I used did not help the situation. I often resorted to the phrase “shut up” in my effort to get the children to listen. My attitude made the children respond negatively, rather than positively. Instead of getting quiet, they got louder. Instead of listening, they turned on their neighbor.
“If Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy” is a modern-day proverb that you often see posted in memes on the Internet. Most people interpret this to mean that everyone in the house (especially the father!) should do everything in their power to make Mama happy, believing that if Mama is in a good mood, she’ll do everything that will make our lives satisfying and comfortable. However, if Mama ain’t happy, she’ll make our lives a living nightmare.
The lessons learned in that classroom has helped me to look at that proverb from a different perspective. It is a reminder to me, as Mama, to do what I can to make my little corner of the world better for everyone. If I’m not happy, the atmosphere around me will be unhappy. My attitude affects the world in which I live. So, if I make a willful attempt to be happy, under any circumstance, those around me will feel comfortable and satisfied. If I had followed the example of my mentor when I was a student teacher, I might have had a much different impact on the children in my classroom. If I had been quiet and encouraging, rather than loud and angry, the whole class might have turned around.
I confess that I’m not always happy. I still occasionally use the phrase “shut up,” but I am much better. I try to take a breath before I respond to frustration with anger. I’m more likely to stop and hold my tongue, to respond with self-control. James wrote, “Out of the same mouth comes blessing and cursing.” While this is true for all of us who are both saints and sinners, it is not how we are called to live. I did use language in that classroom that was unhelpful and disturbing. Yet in the years that have passed, I have also been able to have a very positive impact on the lives of children, including my own. I’ve taught preschool and provided activities for the young ones at church. I have mentored elementary aged children, with kindness and peace. It is much better to live in a way that brings forth blessing from our mouth rather than cursing. This will help to make the world around us better, even happier.
The focus of the scriptures this week seems to be on the mouth, on the words we speak. Isaiah said, “The Lord Yahweh has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with words him who is weary.” The psalmist said, “I called on Yahweh’s name.” James reminds us that we are able to bless and to curse with the same mouth and that we will be judged accordingly, so we ought to be wary of becoming teachers.
Our words matter. We might learn that old song, “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but names will never hurt me,” but words do hurt. Words cause broken relationships. Words condemn people. Words lead people down the wrong and perhaps destructive path. When we speak, but even more so when we teach, we give people words that might even change their lives. We might give them encouragement, direction, and knowledge. But our words can cause discouragement and guide people in the wrong direction. Our words can impart false or wrong knowledge.
There are writers who include shocking truths about the Church and its history in fictional novels that have been taken as truthful facts. These facts have been proven false repeatedly, but one writer’s excellent mystery has been understood as gospel truth not fiction. Too many people have given those falsehoods legitimacy, including other writers piggybacking off his success. I even attended a function where the guest speaker quoted that book extensively to convince a room full of Christian women that they should follow a different path.
Our words matter. Every word we write and every word we speak can have an impact on somebody, and not always in a good way. Our words plant seeds that grow and can spread destruction to others. A parent that yells or a teacher that responds in anger may not directly or immediately affect a child, but repeated negative comments can bring about change. Peer pressure can lead a teenager into dangerous decisions. Words are used and abused throughout the election cycle every year.
Peter and the disciples were called to be teachers, and they did as Jesus commanded them to do. It is not easy to follow God’s will in our world today, but we walk in faith knowing that God is always by our side. Speaking the truth can be dangerous. Our words might be “politically incorrect” or go against the popular consensus of the day, standing diametrically opposed to societal expectations. Our words can lead us toward our own cross. Yet, we are called by faith to confess that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, to take up whatever cross we may face and follow Jesus, blessing and not cursing so that our lives will bear good fruit to the glory of God.
We approach God in prayer with praise, supplication, and thanksgiving. Unfortunately, our mouths are not always filled with these good things. I did not respond well to my students and created an atmosphere of chaos. My positive example as a retail manager was more powerful than my raised voice and poor choice of words ever was. When we live our life with a positive and kind attitude, we make the world around us better.
Jesus, Peter, James, and John were on the Mount of Transfiguration when the crowds began to gather around the rest of the disciples. A man approached them hoping that they might heal his boy who had been possessed by a demon. Jesus and his disciples were quickly gaining notoriety because of the miraculous works they were doing. Even the disciples did amazing things when Jesus sent them to heal and preach the kingdom. They were excited by the power and amazed at the things they could do when they returned from that experience. They saw people transformed before their eyes. They thought they could do anything. People were flocking to these men who could do such incredible deeds, even without Jesus around. The disciples were basking in the glory, and the people sought them as they sought Jesus.
This man’s child was possessed by a particularly difficult demon. It rendered the child speechless and often threw him to the ground in violent convulsions. It even tried to kill the child by throwing him into dangerous situations such as water or fire. The disciples were unable to cast the demon out of the child. Jesus asked what was happening when He came down from the mountaintop. The man was desperate. Jesus rebuked the evil spirit, and it left the boy so violently that the child fell to the ground and appeared dead. Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet. The boy was healed.
Later, the disciples asked why they were unable to cast the demon from the child. The disciples were so confident of their ability from their successes that they forgot the most important thing: that Jesus is the source of their power. They took for granted the gifts given to them, trying to do it on their own volition. They did not take the time to pray, to ask God into the situation and to call on Him for the power to do His work. An unplugged light will not work, and the disciples would never bring healing without a strong connection to their power source: God. The disciples needed to pray, to stay in constant touch with God. They were seeing and doing incredible things, but they were being distracted from the work of faith by the glory of this world. They were trying to do it with their own power. We do the same.
Young pastors in training often think they can wing-it in the pulpit. When an internship pastor asked one of his trainees to see her notes, the trainee said she didn’t have any. She thought she would just let the Holy Spirit speak through her. She approached the podium on her day to preach with great expectations but stumbled over every sentence. Her sermon left the congregation bewildered and unfed. She was disappointed, “Why didn’t God put the words into my mouth?”
She forgot that it takes more than confidence and opportunity to share God’s Word. We must be prepared through prayer and study. We must be familiar with the text and everything about it. We must know who is speaking and who is listening. We must know how the thoughts fit together so that we can apply it to the world in which we live. We must be prepared. God doesn’t just fill us with words in our mouth, but through study and prayer He fills every cell of our being with His Word. An adlib sermon can work, but not without hours of preparation. In an information sermon, a researcher discovered that pastors spend an average of thirteen hours preparing their sermons, which often last less than fifteen minutes.
God can and does make an impact through us, but we must begin by seeking Him in prayer before we try. It will never be our power or knowledge or abilities that makes anything happen. God’s power, word, and Spirit makes things happen. We will be judged when we speak; sometimes we will disappoint those who have expectations beyond our ability. We might face persecution, rejection, and death. Whatever we do in word or deed in and for God’s Kingdom, let us always begin with prayer, seeking God’s purpose, word, and power. It takes so much more than what we see on the surface to accomplish God's work; the world might follow us because they see tip of the iceberg, but we know that without the unseen majority of the iceberg we would be nothing.
We will get there when we listen for God’s voice in our life, but it all begins with trusting that God is present and listening to our prayers even when it seems like He is nowhere to be found. We may have experiences like David, the prophets, and the apostles who were threatened, in danger, rejected, ignored, and even died as martyrs. We are to follow Jesus with faith and trust, knowing that in the end God is in control. Jesus went before us as the Suffering Servant who died at the hands of those who refused to believe He was sent by God. We are invited to follow Him through His cross, to join in His work with the promise that He will be with us through it all, listening to our cries and answering out of His great and wonderful mercy.
A woman I met in a Christian chat room thought she was a prophet, and she gave the title to me, too. She wanted a connection with others like her so that we could discuss the things of God. She was impressed with my words and looked to me for advice. She sent me several things that she had written, and quite frankly they were horrific. Not only was the theology questionable, but the writing was terrible. She had no grasp on spelling or grammar. Her sentences were confusing and sometimes incoherent. She was young and passionate, and she truly believed she was doing what God had called her to do. I encouraged her, but since she had sent me the writings for review, I was gentle but firm and gave her some honest opinions to help her make her message stronger and easier to understand. I showed her biblically where she was in error, and even rewrote some of the text to make it better. She was shocked at my response because she was expecting me to fawn over her wonderful work and tell her she was really a prophet.
She didn’t really want advice, but she needed to hear the truth because she would be judged by her teaching, not only in human terms, but spiritual. James wrote, “Let not many of you be teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive heavier judgment.” Prophecy and teaching are closely related and are often mentioned together in the scriptures. Some people are gifted at proclaiming the message of God’s Kingdom, while others are gifted at explaining it. It is vital that churches find those who are gifted in teaching, so that the congregation will learn how to apply the lessons learned from those who prophesy. These are gifts, not something we can grasp for ourselves. They are given by God, and though we can develop the gift, we can’t learn how to be a prophet or teacher if God has not first called and gifted us to that work. We might think that we want to prophecy and teach, but we won’t succeed if God is not calling us to that vocation.
Too many people try to be something they aren’t called or gifted to be. They try to teach, but leave their students confused and doubtful. The young lady in the chat room boasted that she was a prophet, but her words proved her wrong and she refused to accept the words of others. I was not the only one who tried to encourage her to seek God’s true purpose for her. She most certainly had other gifts that would glorify Him, but she was so focused on being a prophet that she missed the blessed life God had for her.
I originally went into elementary education as my college major because I was timid about teaching older students. I was encouraged to be a teacher, and I thought the youngsters would be easy. I quickly learned I did not have the aptitude for that career. I am a teacher, however, and God has used me in many other situations with this gift, including my job in retail management. Now I am blessed to teach the Bible through devotional writing and in adult forums and workshops. It took time for me to figure out how to use my gifts and I pray I will never take them for granted, always seeking God’s help to do what He wants me to do. Finding our place in God’s kingdom requires a connection with God. We have to listen to Him, trust in Him and let Him guide us in the way He wants us to go.
There are many things we can do as Christians every day to bring the Kingdom of God to the people who are dying in this world. We can love, serve, and speak the Word into their lives. We can step forth in faith and provide our neighbors with what they need, both tangible and spiritual. Yet, we should never forget the source of all we have is God and begin every word and work in prayer. We can do nothing without Him. Jesus reminded the disciples that they need to turn to Him, that it is not their own power or authority that brings healing and peace into the lives of those who suffer.
God will impact the world through us as we continue the work begun by the Suffering Servant, our Lord Jesus. It takes prayer, of course, because without that connection we can do nothing. Unfortunately, we use words in ways that won’t always glorify God, but as we grow in faith we learn to breathe before we speak so that we bring forth blessing from our mouths, trusting that God will help us make the world around us better by His word of grace that we speak by His power.
“I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. What I mean is that each one of you says, ‘I follow Paul,’ or ‘I follow Apollos,’ or ‘I follow Cephas,’ or ‘I follow Christ.’ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.” 1 Corinthians 1:10-17, WEB
I try to be apolitical in this devotion. I know that I have readers that are on every side of the issues of our day. I have readers that have nothing to do with American politics. They aren’t even interested in our issues. I have a remarkable number of readers from Nigeria, as a matter of fact, I have three times more followers from Lagos than from my hometown. I read an article last week that reported the extreme persecution that is happening to our brothers and sisters in Christ in Nigeria. According to a report, there were more people killed for their Christian faith in Nigeria than in all other places around the world combined. In the four years between October 2019 and September 2023, more than 16,000 Christians were killed. The country is dangerous for people of all religions, but the number of Muslims killed in the same time period is one third of Christians. The nation is around fifty percent Christian. Christians around Africa are being targeted; they are dying for their faith. They don’t care who becomes our next leader. They don’t care about our issues.
We don’t have the fears that global Christians are experiencing, so we have the freedom to focus on our attention on things that don’t have eternal consequences. The next president will have an impact on my life in this world, but Jesus guarantees my life. Now, some things do matter. Some things need to be discussed. We need to fight for what is right. God calls us to stand for His Word in a world that does not believe that He even exists. The issues of our day might divide us because we see them from different perspectives. We are a house divided, so much so that we think that people from the “other side” are not even Christian. We need to be careful about this attitude, because we don’t always know how God is working in their lives and how God is using their point of view to His glory. Paul reminds us in Romans that God has appointed the government, even the government we don’t like. We don’t always understand His purpose, but God is always at work in our world. His ways are higher than our ways. He knows the end game, and it is up to us to trust that He will always be faithful to His promises, even when the world seems to be out of His control.
Sometimes the issues that divide us matter, but we need to be careful how we treat each other in our differences. There was a man at one of our former churches that was extremely adamant about a particular issue. He made passionate speeches about it every time he spoke, even if that was not the subject of the conversation. It was his sole concern, and he was determined to convince everyone that he was right. I agreed with his point of view, but not the way his answer was always condemnation. Anyone who disagreed with him were surely going to hell. God’s grace had no place in his view on that issue. He focused on law and punishment rather than a call for repentance, ignoring the promise of forgiveness. He lacked humility; he never recognized his own need for God’s mercy. He would never have described himself as chief of sinners, as Paul does in his letters.
I would not call the man a prophet, but like the woman I described in yesterday’s devotion, he acted like a self-appointed prophet. His words divided our congregation. He isn’t the only one I’ve known. Too many people are so set in their understanding of scripture that they bash it over the heads of others. They use the Bible as a weapon to condemn sinners, forgetting that they deserve condemnation, too. There is a time and a place for speaking about judgment against sin, as long as we remember that we, too, are sinners in need of God’s grace.
The man in that congregation thought he was sent by God for the very purpose of convincing the world that his issue was the most important ever. His problem was not his passion, or even the issue, but that he did exactly what those on the “other side” of his issue were doing. He did not focus on the Word of God. He was more concerned about his opinion and his feelings; he did not know or understand what God said about it. The Bible was lost in his condemnation.
Jesus and the Bible are clear in their warning against false prophets. A false prophet is one who claims to speak for God, but whose message does not fit with the truth of God’s Word. Unfortunately, those who follow the lead of the false prophets walk down a dangerous path. They move away from God. In Matthew 7, Jesus warns that there will be people who cry out to Him, calling Him Lord, but are not recognized as His followers. They have trusted and believed the words of the false prophets and do not know Him as He intends to be known. Let us always remember, however, that it is not up to us to decide the eternal consequences of their opinion.
So, we ask the question, why does God allow false prophets? Couldn’t He just wipe them out, silence their tongues, or cause the people to reject their words? It is true that God can do all those things, but He doesn’t. He does this to test the saints. Will they be true? Will they continue to walk in the right path? We think it is easy to stay on track, but when a false prophet gives us a message that sounds good, sometimes it is hard to know if it is right or if it is wrong. It is becoming almost impossible for us to even know what is true in our world, in the church and in our politics. Too many are able, like the serpent in the Garden of Eden, to twist God’s word just enough to make the false sound good. That’s why it is important for us to reject those who ask, “Did God really say?” and look to God’s Word for the truth.
God allows false preachers so that the truth will be made ever so clear. The world will always try to oppose the truth, and the devil will try to rip it from you, but God trains each of us with the Word so that we’ll keep our eyes on Him. God will reveal the truth. He allows the false prophets to build up those who will keep focused on His Word, giving us the courage to stand up against those who oppose the truth and the strength to reject the schemes of the devil. We may not like what we see in this moment, but we can trust that God is working for the good of those who love Him.
There may be something specific that God is calling you to do in this world, some specific issue that is to be your focus in life. Some are called to work with the poor, others create ministries that help children, yet others who are given the gifts to be community activists. The thing we need to remember is that whatever our focus, whatever our issue, whatever our political position, as Christians we are to keep God’s Word as the center of everything we do. If we stay true to the Word of God, we will be able to do our individual work in this world, working together with those who might disagree about any issue. In God’s grace, loving our brothers and sisters in Christ despite our disagreements, we can accomplish His will together. He has a purpose for them, too, even if it seems to contradict our own. Instead of condemning the world like the false prophets, we can glorify Him by proclaiming His Word through which He will reveal His truth to those who are on a wrong path so that they will repent, experience His forgiveness, and be transformed into the people that He created, redeemed, and calls them to be.
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