Revelation 19:9-10 Testify

 

Observation: Near the end of his vision, John, a first-century Christian leader, hears an announcement from an angel about the "marriage supper of the Lamb," a beautiful image of God's final celebration in which heaven and earth are wed together. John is overcome with emotion, and falls down to worship the angel, but the angel corrects him. "Worship God! for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Revelation talks a few times about the "testimony of Jesus," and I'm not sure if it means the words and teachings that come from Jesus, or the stories about Jesus. I'd guess both. Either way, who the angel is doesn't matter. What he says about Jesus is the most important thing. 

Application: I give myself way too much credit sometimes. When something goes well in my ministry, I feel good. When things seem to be going wrong, I feel bad. Those are just feelings, and like the weather, they come and go. But when I attach thoughts to those feelings--thoughts like, "this is going well because I'm awesome," or "this is not going well because I'm useless"--it's time to take a look at those thoughts, and ask whether they are accurate, or welcome in my mind. And the unequivocal answer, based not just on sociology or national trends but on the true Word of God, is no. Those thoughts aren't welcome because ministry is not about me. I'm a messenger. The One really doing the work is the "spirit of prophecy," AKA the Holy Spirit. The more we focus on the message--the testimony of Jesus--the less it's about us, and the less of our self-worth we invest into how our lives are going in this fleeting moment. In any task worth accomplishing among Christians, the testimony of Jesus--his words, his teachings, his story--is going to do all the heavy lifting. 

Prayer: Jesus, testify in my life and in my community. Help me be attentive to your words, and ready to share them. Help me stop focusing on me and start focusing on you. Amen. 

Romans 2:12-16 Apart From the Law

 

Observation: Paul is making the case to Roman Christians that no one, Jewish nor Gentile, is exempt from sin; therefore no one is exempt from God's judgment. Even Gentiles, who have no special covenant or "deal" with God, and who don't even know God's commandments to the people of Israel, still know right from wrong and go by their own conscience. Those who do have the benefit of God's law have a better roadmap for what God expects of them (not necessarily everyone), yet we still all need grace. 

Application: I grew up in a Christian household, but I was pretty young when I realized my friends didn't all believe the same things I did. My best friend in elementary school was the son of a conservative rabbi. Some of my closest friends in middle school, high school and college were secular. I learned an awful lot about kindness and generosity from people of different faiths and belief systems. I also learned early that being a Christian doesn't necessarily make someone a more moral or compassionate person. In some situations, it can even get in the way. Faith should never be worn as a badge of honor, or a character reference. Faith shouldn't puff us up. It should humble us. If we had it all figured out, we wouldn't need God. And if we had nothing to learn from neighbors, God would never have put them in our lives. 

Prayer: God, thanks for teaching me through the lives of others. Amen. 

1 Corinthians 10:1-13 None of This is Magic.

 

Observation: Paul is writing a divided church in Corinth, including many members who are Jewish. He gives the church a warning from the time of Moses: even though the Israelites were as close to God as one tribe of people could get, they still strayed from God all the time. The cloud of God's presence moved overhead, the sea parted for them, and they had food and drink provided from God's own hand. Yet still, they went after idols, they sinned, and they tested God. If it could happen to the Israelites, Paul suggests, it can easily happen to this new community of Christians. 

Application: I recently read an article about a congregation with a number of members who fell deep down the rabbit hole into Qanon conspiracy theories. Though they were very active in the church, and though the pastor tried every way he knew to engage them in loving conversation, anything he said that contradicted their beliefs about politics or current events drove them further away. For some members, no amount of preaching or Bible study could undo the damage that had already been done. They eventually left the church. 

It's not just QAnon. There are all sorts of ideas and ideologies that try to replace God, and demand our total allegiance. There always have been, since the time of Moses. Paul's dire warning is that just taking part in religious activity does not save us from every kind of false idol. Being baptized, receiving Communion, hearing God's word, prayer and conversation with other Christians are all important and transformative. But they're not magic. They don't automatically make us good people, or protect us from every form of falsehood this world throws at us. They don't take away our free will to accept or reject God's love and guidance each day. If God's Word or the sacraments don't have any place in our lives, or only a marginal one, I do believe making more space is always a good thing. Yet even those who take every opportunity to turn toward God still need to be humble and vigilant, and know that we're not perfect. Sometimes we'll still realize we were wrong. Sometimes we'll still need to repent and ask forgiveness. 

Prayer: God, thank you for your Word and your holy meal, which spark faith in my soul. May that spark catch fire. Guide my heart and mind today. Amen.      

Zechariah 3:6-10 In a Single Day

 

Observation: The prophet Zechariah is writing from Jerusalem, after the people have returned from exile in Babylon. During that time, the community was concerned with reestablishing its spiritual identity and rebuilding the temple. In Zechariah's vision, Joshua, the high priest, is being accused of sin by Satan. But an angel comes to Joshua's defense, and takes off his filthy clothes, replacing them with festival garments. God promises, "I will remove the guilt of this land in a single day." 

Application: Every Lent, and especially near Good Friday, one question always creeps up on me: "Why did Jesus have to die on the cross? If God is able and willing to forgive our sin, why doesn't God just do it?" Reading this prophecy from Zechariah, that God will remove the guilt of an entire nation in a single day, it seems that God is both able and willing to forgive at a moment's notice. What needs to be overcome is the voice of the accuser--"the Satan", in Hebrew--which tells us it can't be that easy. No way. Our sin is too big, our shame is too deep, our distance from God is too far. God can't, or won't, just forgive us. 

It's not God's wrath that is overcome on the cross. It is our own.  Our wrath at God, at one another, at ourselves, and that wrathful voice, whether it comes from inside us our outside, that never stops bringing up the many ways we fall short. On the cross, the voice of shame goes to battle with the voice of God's love, and of course, Love wins. In a single day, all our centuries of missteps melt away like ice in springtime. When God enters into our shame, it cannot survive as it is. It must be transformed. It happened that single day--but it also happens every day. 

Prayer: God, silence the accuser in my heart. Come to me in the depths of my shame and show me your love. Transform my life by the power of your cross. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. 

Acts 10:25-28 Call No One Profane or Unclean

 

Observation: This chapter in the Book of Acts contains one of the most stunning transformations in Christian history. Because Jesus and all his original disciples were Jewish, the first Christians assume this will remain a Jewish movement. Even the miracle of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, though it happens to people from many nations, happens to all Jews. 

Then Peter gets this vision from God. While he's praying, a cloth is lowered from heaven, containing animals of all kinds, both lawful and unlawful for Jews to eat. When God commands Peter to eat, Peter refuses. God responds, "What God has made clean, you must not call profane." As Peter is reflecting on what this vision means, he gets an invitation to come to the house of a Gentile: Cornelius. Normally this would not be acceptable for a Jewish man at that time. Yet Peter remembers God's vision, and realizes it's time to stop calling any person unclean. This is a game-changer for early Christians, and opens the door for the Church to be a movement of both Jews and Gentiles worshiping together.

Application: We've seen a lot of change in our lives, but it's nothing compared to what Peter and other Jewish Christ-believers experienced in their time. Their great-grandparents had fought against invading Greek forces, and laid down their very lives in order to keep their Jewish identity and religious practices. And now, in the blink of an eye, Peter is being asked to consort with Gentiles, who he has been raised to believe are unclean. 

I see a parallel in today's church in the way we talk about people in the LGBTQIA+ community. I'll be 41 next week, and just in my lifetime, there has been a seismic shift in the way we discuss issues of gender and sexual orientation. It is my belief that the Church is being called to shift its thinking on these issues as well, so that all are welcome and affirmed, and no one is called profane or unclean for who they are. Not only that, but I believe this change can happen because of what we read in the Bible, not in spite of it. Peter's vision changes the way he sees his neighbors, so that he's welcomed by a community he never would have associated with before. I believe God can give us the same kind of vision if we are ready for it. 

Prayer: Holy Spirit, give us vision. Help us to see no one as profane or unclean. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.