Hear the word of the Lord:
Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22
So the king and Haman went in to feast with Queen Esther.
On the second day, as they were drinking wine, the king again said to Esther, "What is your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled."
Then Queen Esther answered, "If I have won your favor, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me -- that is my petition -- and the lives of my people -- that is my request. For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. If we had been sold merely as slaves, men and women, I would have held my peace; but no enemy can compensate for this damage to the king."
Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther, "Who is he, and where is he, who has presumed to do this?"
Esther said, "A foe and enemy, this wicked Haman!" Then Haman was terrified before the king and the queen.
Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs in attendance on the king, said, "Look, the very gallows that Haman has prepared for Mordecai, whose word saved the king, stands at Haman's house, fifty cubits high." And the king said, "Hang him on that." So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the anger of the king abated.
Mordecai recorded these things, and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, enjoining them that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar and also the fifteenth day of the same month, year by year, as the days on which the Jews gained relief from their enemies, and as the month that had been turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, days for sending gifts of food to one another and presents to the poor.
Showing posts with label mercy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mercy. Show all posts
Monday, September 28, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
We humbly beseech thee ...
Today, a prayer:
Excepts from the Southwell Litany:
Let us pray, O Lord,
open our minds to see ourselves as thou seest us,
Or even as others see us and we see others,
And from all unwillingness to know our infirmities,
save us and help us,
We humbly beseech thee, O Lord.
From moral weakness of spirit; from timidity; from hesitation;
From fear of others and dread of responsibility,
Strengthen us with the courage to speak the truth
in love and self-control;
And alike from the weakness of haste
and weakness of moral cowardice,
save us and help us,
We humbly beseech thee, O Lord.
From dullness of conscience; from feeble sense of duty;
From thoughtless disregard of consequences to others;
From a low idea of the obligations of our Christian calling;
And from all half-heartedness in our service for thee;
save us and help us,
We humbly beseech thee, O Lord.
From weariness in continuing struggles;
from despondency in failure and disappointment;
From overburdened sense of unworthiness;
from morbid fancies of imaginary back-sliding;
Raise us to a lively hope and trust in thy presence and mercy,
In the power of faith and prayer;
save us and help us,
We humbly beseech thee, O Lord.
From pride and self-will;
from desire to have our own way in all things;
From overweening love of our own ideas
and blindness to the value of others;
From resentment against opposition
and contempt for the claims of others;
Enlarge the generosity of our hearts
and enlighten the fairness of our judgments;
And from all selfish arbitrariness of temper,
save us and help us,
We humbly beseech thee, O Lord.
From all hasty utterances of impatience;
From the retort of irritation and the taunt of sarcasm;
From all infirmity of temper in provoking or being provoked;
From love of unkind gossip,
and from all idle words that may do hurt,
save us and help us,
We humbly beseech thee, O Lord.
From strife and partisanship and division among thy people,
From magnifying our certainties to condemn all differences,
From all arrogance in our dealings with others,
save us and help us,
We humbly beseech thee, O Lord.
Finally, O Lord, we humbly beseech thee,
blot out our past transgressions,
Heal the evils of our past negligences and ignorances,
Make us amend our past mistakes and misunderstandings;
Uplift our hearts to new love, new energy and devotion,
That we may be unburdened from the grief
and shame of past faithlessness
To go forth in thy strength to persevere
through success and failure,
Through good report and evil report,
And in all time of our tribulation,
in all time of our prosperity,
save us and help us,
We humbly beseech thee, O Lord.
Blessings,
Ron
Excepts from the Southwell Litany:
Let us pray, O Lord,
open our minds to see ourselves as thou seest us,
Or even as others see us and we see others,
And from all unwillingness to know our infirmities,
save us and help us,
We humbly beseech thee, O Lord.
From moral weakness of spirit; from timidity; from hesitation;
From fear of others and dread of responsibility,
Strengthen us with the courage to speak the truth
in love and self-control;
And alike from the weakness of haste
and weakness of moral cowardice,
save us and help us,
We humbly beseech thee, O Lord.
From dullness of conscience; from feeble sense of duty;
From thoughtless disregard of consequences to others;
From a low idea of the obligations of our Christian calling;
And from all half-heartedness in our service for thee;
save us and help us,
We humbly beseech thee, O Lord.
From weariness in continuing struggles;
from despondency in failure and disappointment;
From overburdened sense of unworthiness;
from morbid fancies of imaginary back-sliding;
Raise us to a lively hope and trust in thy presence and mercy,
In the power of faith and prayer;
save us and help us,
We humbly beseech thee, O Lord.
From pride and self-will;
from desire to have our own way in all things;
From overweening love of our own ideas
and blindness to the value of others;
From resentment against opposition
and contempt for the claims of others;
Enlarge the generosity of our hearts
and enlighten the fairness of our judgments;
And from all selfish arbitrariness of temper,
save us and help us,
We humbly beseech thee, O Lord.
From all hasty utterances of impatience;
From the retort of irritation and the taunt of sarcasm;
From all infirmity of temper in provoking or being provoked;
From love of unkind gossip,
and from all idle words that may do hurt,
save us and help us,
We humbly beseech thee, O Lord.
From strife and partisanship and division among thy people,
From magnifying our certainties to condemn all differences,
From all arrogance in our dealings with others,
save us and help us,
We humbly beseech thee, O Lord.
Finally, O Lord, we humbly beseech thee,
blot out our past transgressions,
Heal the evils of our past negligences and ignorances,
Make us amend our past mistakes and misunderstandings;
Uplift our hearts to new love, new energy and devotion,
That we may be unburdened from the grief
and shame of past faithlessness
To go forth in thy strength to persevere
through success and failure,
Through good report and evil report,
And in all time of our tribulation,
in all time of our prosperity,
save us and help us,
We humbly beseech thee, O Lord.
Blessings,
Ron
Monday, July 6, 2009
Look to the hand ...
Hear the words of the psalmist, spoken to our God:
To you I lift up my eyes,
O you who are enthroned in the heavens!
As the eyes of servants
look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a maid
to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord our God,
until he has mercy upon us.
Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us,
for we have had more than enough of contempt.
Our soul has had more than its fill
of the scorn of those who are at ease,
of the contempt of the proud.
To us, it may seem obvious why we would lift up our eyes
in order to look upon the throne of God.
He is above us, so infinite, so other, so beyond our thought,
our grandest imagination, or fondest hope.
Yet – as a people who pride ourselves, too much perhaps,
on our freedom – do we understand what it means to look
at the Lord’s hand, for the maid, for the servant?
What does that mean to you?
It might mean that we look to the hand of God
for our providence, for our care – after all,
that is where a servant receives all that they have.
It could mean that we watch the hand of our Lord
to know what we ought to be about next, to seek the
signal that sends us on our next mission, the next task
that allows us to feel a part of the missio dei:
the work of God in this world.
Perhaps it is that we look to the hand of our master
for a sign of divine judgment – are we a good servant?
Are we virtuous, does our life have meaning?
At least in God’s eyes, we believe that we will see neither scorn
nor contempt, for God is not at ease, and God is not proud;
we know because we know Jesus.
It might mean that God is not so far away;
Our Lord is close enough to us for us to receive
something from the very hands that made the universe.
Consider this today:
How do we look to the hand of God to be alive and active
In our lives today?
Blessings,
Ron
Psalm 123 – NRSV
To you I lift up my eyes,
O you who are enthroned in the heavens!
As the eyes of servants
look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a maid
to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord our God,
until he has mercy upon us.
Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us,
for we have had more than enough of contempt.
Our soul has had more than its fill
of the scorn of those who are at ease,
of the contempt of the proud.
To us, it may seem obvious why we would lift up our eyes
in order to look upon the throne of God.
He is above us, so infinite, so other, so beyond our thought,
our grandest imagination, or fondest hope.
Yet – as a people who pride ourselves, too much perhaps,
on our freedom – do we understand what it means to look
at the Lord’s hand, for the maid, for the servant?
What does that mean to you?
It might mean that we look to the hand of God
for our providence, for our care – after all,
that is where a servant receives all that they have.
It could mean that we watch the hand of our Lord
to know what we ought to be about next, to seek the
signal that sends us on our next mission, the next task
that allows us to feel a part of the missio dei:
the work of God in this world.
Perhaps it is that we look to the hand of our master
for a sign of divine judgment – are we a good servant?
Are we virtuous, does our life have meaning?
At least in God’s eyes, we believe that we will see neither scorn
nor contempt, for God is not at ease, and God is not proud;
we know because we know Jesus.
It might mean that God is not so far away;
Our Lord is close enough to us for us to receive
something from the very hands that made the universe.
Consider this today:
How do we look to the hand of God to be alive and active
In our lives today?
Blessings,
Ron
Psalm 123 – NRSV
Thursday, July 2, 2009
My portion ...
One of my favorite songs of praise
Actually comes from Lamentations.
You probably know the words altogether
too well, so slow yourself down as you read;
speak the words softly or sing them, but imagine
what the psalmist might have been thinking.
Hear the word of God:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
"The Lord is my portion," says my soul,
"therefore I will hope in him."
The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
to the soul that seeks him.
It is good that one should wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.
It is good for one to bear
the yoke in youth,
to sit alone in silence
when the Lord has imposed it,
to put one's mouth to the dust
(there may yet be hope),
to give one's cheek to the smiter,
and be filled with insults.
For the Lord will not
reject forever.
Although he causes grief, he will have compassion
according to the abundance of his steadfast love;
for he does not willingly afflict
or grieve anyone.
Blessings,
Ron
Lamentations 3:22-33 – NRSV
Actually comes from Lamentations.
You probably know the words altogether
too well, so slow yourself down as you read;
speak the words softly or sing them, but imagine
what the psalmist might have been thinking.
Hear the word of God:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
"The Lord is my portion," says my soul,
"therefore I will hope in him."
The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
to the soul that seeks him.
It is good that one should wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.
It is good for one to bear
the yoke in youth,
to sit alone in silence
when the Lord has imposed it,
to put one's mouth to the dust
(there may yet be hope),
to give one's cheek to the smiter,
and be filled with insults.
For the Lord will not
reject forever.
Although he causes grief, he will have compassion
according to the abundance of his steadfast love;
for he does not willingly afflict
or grieve anyone.
Blessings,
Ron
Lamentations 3:22-33 – NRSV
Sunday, March 1, 2009
I'm sorry ...
God, be merciful to me because you are loving. Because you are always ready to be merciful, wipe out all my wrongs. Wash away all my guilt and make me clean again. I know about my wrongs, and I can't forget my sin. You are the only one I have sinned against; I have done what you say is wrong. You are right when you speak and fair when you judge. I was brought into this world in sin. In sin my mother gave birth to me.You want me to be completely truthful, so teach me wisdom.
Take away my sin, and I will be clean. Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Make me hear sounds of joy and gladness; let the bones you crushed be happy again. Turn your face from my sins and wipe out all my guilt. Create in me a pure heart, God, and make my spirit right again. Do not send me away from you or take your Holy Spirit away from me. Give me back the joy of your salvation. Keep me strong by giving me a willing spirit. Then I will teach your ways to those who do wrong, and sinners will turn back to you. God, save me from the guilt of murder, God of my salvation, and I will sing about your goodness. Lord, let me speak so I may praise you. You are not pleased by sacrifices, or I would give them. You don't want burnt offerings. The sacrifice God wants is a broken spirit. God, you will not reject a heart that is broken and sorry for sin.
Psalm 51:1-17
New Century Version
Jason
Take away my sin, and I will be clean. Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Make me hear sounds of joy and gladness; let the bones you crushed be happy again. Turn your face from my sins and wipe out all my guilt. Create in me a pure heart, God, and make my spirit right again. Do not send me away from you or take your Holy Spirit away from me. Give me back the joy of your salvation. Keep me strong by giving me a willing spirit. Then I will teach your ways to those who do wrong, and sinners will turn back to you. God, save me from the guilt of murder, God of my salvation, and I will sing about your goodness. Lord, let me speak so I may praise you. You are not pleased by sacrifices, or I would give them. You don't want burnt offerings. The sacrifice God wants is a broken spirit. God, you will not reject a heart that is broken and sorry for sin.
Psalm 51:1-17
New Century Version
Jason
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
No way to return the favor ...
Hear the word of the Lord:
Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
Matthew 5:7 – NRSV
Lois Barrett connects this scripture with our culture:
The dominant culture teaches that good relationship depend on performance (“I will love you if …”). In the Beatitudes Jesus praises those who are merciful, who give others better than what they deserve. Mercy is one of God’s attributes throughout the Bible. Mercy is often connected with showing favor, being compassionate, being gracious, or demonstrating kindness. God practices mercy by saving people from enemies, rescuing them from trouble, and forgiving their sins. People are also to show mercy, as the parable of the unmerciful servant teaches (Matt. 18:21-35). In Hebrew and Greek, the concept is connected especially with showing mercy to the poor and needy and giving alms. The biblical practice of mercy always means that the one who shows mercy has something to give to another who is unable to pay it back. You ask a creditor to show mercy when you cannot pay what you owe (Matt. 18:26-27). A blind man asks Jesus for mercy through healing, when there is no way for the blind man to return the favor (Luke 18:35-43). The psalmist asks God for mercy when he is totally undeserving of God’s favors (Ps. 51:1-4). In Luke 6:36 Jesus asks the disciples to be merciful as God is merciful by loving one’s enemies, those who do not love in return.
As we deal with the young people in our lives, we need to be a people of mercy. Being a child means making mistakes and learning from those mistakes. The tendency is to jump all over a child if they make a mistake because we think that this will keep them from making more mistakes. But, if we make a child afraid of making mistakes, we will not stop them from making mistakes – what we will do is stop them from trying to do anything at all. Or we will fill them with a deep-seated anger. Or both. This is not the way of grace.
Grace can hold accountable, grace can speak the truth, grace can redirect, grace can save the relationship despite the mistake.
Who knows when our being human will mean that we will make a mistake. Will we want mercy?
Grace, mercy, and peace,
Ron
Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
Matthew 5:7 – NRSV
Lois Barrett connects this scripture with our culture:
The dominant culture teaches that good relationship depend on performance (“I will love you if …”). In the Beatitudes Jesus praises those who are merciful, who give others better than what they deserve. Mercy is one of God’s attributes throughout the Bible. Mercy is often connected with showing favor, being compassionate, being gracious, or demonstrating kindness. God practices mercy by saving people from enemies, rescuing them from trouble, and forgiving their sins. People are also to show mercy, as the parable of the unmerciful servant teaches (Matt. 18:21-35). In Hebrew and Greek, the concept is connected especially with showing mercy to the poor and needy and giving alms. The biblical practice of mercy always means that the one who shows mercy has something to give to another who is unable to pay it back. You ask a creditor to show mercy when you cannot pay what you owe (Matt. 18:26-27). A blind man asks Jesus for mercy through healing, when there is no way for the blind man to return the favor (Luke 18:35-43). The psalmist asks God for mercy when he is totally undeserving of God’s favors (Ps. 51:1-4). In Luke 6:36 Jesus asks the disciples to be merciful as God is merciful by loving one’s enemies, those who do not love in return.
As we deal with the young people in our lives, we need to be a people of mercy. Being a child means making mistakes and learning from those mistakes. The tendency is to jump all over a child if they make a mistake because we think that this will keep them from making more mistakes. But, if we make a child afraid of making mistakes, we will not stop them from making mistakes – what we will do is stop them from trying to do anything at all. Or we will fill them with a deep-seated anger. Or both. This is not the way of grace.
Grace can hold accountable, grace can speak the truth, grace can redirect, grace can save the relationship despite the mistake.
Who knows when our being human will mean that we will make a mistake. Will we want mercy?
Grace, mercy, and peace,
Ron
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
What God is doing today ...
Today a psalm for our devotion.
Read the psalm slowly, no more than one section at a time.
Meditate on each part.
Does this psalm tell a story?
What are the words that stand out to you?
How are those words significant to you today?
How do these inspired words shape you as a child of God?
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and do not forget all his benefits —
who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the Pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
who satisfies you with good as long as you live
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
The Lord works vindication
and justice for all who are oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses,
his acts to the people of Israel.
The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He will not always accuse,
nor will he keep his anger forever.
He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far he removes our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion for his children,
so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.
For he knows how we were made;
he remembers that we are dust.
As for mortals, their days are like grass;
they flourish like a flower of the field;
for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
and its place knows it no more.
But the steadfast love of the Lord
is from everlasting to everlasting
on those who fear him,
and his righteousness to children's children,
to those who keep his covenant
and remember to do his commandments.
The Lord has established his throne in the heavens,
and his kingdom rules over all.
Bless the Lord, O you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
obedient to his spoken word.
Bless the Lord, all his hosts,
his ministers that do his will.
Bless the Lord, all his works,
in all places of his dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul.
Ps 103 – NRSV
May his word richly bless you,
Ron
Read the psalm slowly, no more than one section at a time.
Meditate on each part.
Does this psalm tell a story?
What are the words that stand out to you?
How are those words significant to you today?
How do these inspired words shape you as a child of God?
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and do not forget all his benefits —
who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the Pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
who satisfies you with good as long as you live
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
The Lord works vindication
and justice for all who are oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses,
his acts to the people of Israel.
The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He will not always accuse,
nor will he keep his anger forever.
He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far he removes our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion for his children,
so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.
For he knows how we were made;
he remembers that we are dust.
As for mortals, their days are like grass;
they flourish like a flower of the field;
for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
and its place knows it no more.
But the steadfast love of the Lord
is from everlasting to everlasting
on those who fear him,
and his righteousness to children's children,
to those who keep his covenant
and remember to do his commandments.
The Lord has established his throne in the heavens,
and his kingdom rules over all.
Bless the Lord, O you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
obedient to his spoken word.
Bless the Lord, all his hosts,
his ministers that do his will.
Bless the Lord, all his works,
in all places of his dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul.
Ps 103 – NRSV
May his word richly bless you,
Ron
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Once you weren't, now you are
God brings us into this world through a family, a community. Sometimes that community knows how to be a community. Unfortunately, as we are well aware, sometimes the family does not know how to be a healthy family. Our place in this world (as the church, and as Westview) is to be a community of love, faith, and acceptance for young men who either don’t have such a community, or who need to learn how to live within community. This means that we need to be a healthy community for several reasons: to model community for our boys and our children, to be the people of God so as to receive his blessings, and to care for each other as individuals and families.
The book of Hosea describes one of the saddest moments in Israel’s history. Israel is at a low point, and Hosea’s wife Gomer bears two children to whom God gives symbolic names (Hosea 1). God calls the daughter “No Mercy” and the son “Not My People”. When Israel ceased to function as a godly community, God removed the blessing of his mercy. No community, no mercy. Mercy was not intended to be parceled out individually to persons but communally to a people.
Individualism has run rampant in much of this world over the last two centuries. Americans see themselves as the rugged individualists that have reshaped this planet. But the very condition of our planet gives us some indications that perhaps this is not working so well. Are we the paternalistic protector or the power-wielding commodities broker? Perhaps we ought to consider our place in a global community. Concerning ourselves with the needs of others, showing restraint in the use of resources and power, giving thought to our future. True peace and blessing come within community.
Referring back to Hosea, Peter describes clearly our own calling to be a people, a holy nation, a community:
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
Once you were not a people,
but now you are God's people;
once you had not received mercy,
but now you have received mercy.
- 1 Peter 2:9-10 NRSV
When we restore true community, godly community, God restores his mercy. How does Peter call us to live within such a community? Consider the verses that follow:
Beloved, I urge you as aliens and exiles to abstain from the desires of the flesh that wage war against the soul. Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that, though they malign you as evildoers, they may see your honorable deeds and glorify God when he comes to judge.
For the Lord's sake accept the authority of every human institution, whether of the emperor as supreme, or of governors, as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right. For it is God's will that by doing right you should silence the ignorance of the foolish. As servants of God, live as free people, yet do not use your freedom as a pretext for evil. Honor everyone. Love the family of believers. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
- 1 Peter 2: 11-17 NRSV
Let us choose to love everyone (whether in our community or not) and to honor the family of believers. When we do this, we will properly fear God.
Grace and peace,
Ron
The book of Hosea describes one of the saddest moments in Israel’s history. Israel is at a low point, and Hosea’s wife Gomer bears two children to whom God gives symbolic names (Hosea 1). God calls the daughter “No Mercy” and the son “Not My People”. When Israel ceased to function as a godly community, God removed the blessing of his mercy. No community, no mercy. Mercy was not intended to be parceled out individually to persons but communally to a people.
Individualism has run rampant in much of this world over the last two centuries. Americans see themselves as the rugged individualists that have reshaped this planet. But the very condition of our planet gives us some indications that perhaps this is not working so well. Are we the paternalistic protector or the power-wielding commodities broker? Perhaps we ought to consider our place in a global community. Concerning ourselves with the needs of others, showing restraint in the use of resources and power, giving thought to our future. True peace and blessing come within community.
Referring back to Hosea, Peter describes clearly our own calling to be a people, a holy nation, a community:
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
Once you were not a people,
but now you are God's people;
once you had not received mercy,
but now you have received mercy.
- 1 Peter 2:9-10 NRSV
When we restore true community, godly community, God restores his mercy. How does Peter call us to live within such a community? Consider the verses that follow:
Beloved, I urge you as aliens and exiles to abstain from the desires of the flesh that wage war against the soul. Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that, though they malign you as evildoers, they may see your honorable deeds and glorify God when he comes to judge.
For the Lord's sake accept the authority of every human institution, whether of the emperor as supreme, or of governors, as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right. For it is God's will that by doing right you should silence the ignorance of the foolish. As servants of God, live as free people, yet do not use your freedom as a pretext for evil. Honor everyone. Love the family of believers. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
- 1 Peter 2: 11-17 NRSV
Let us choose to love everyone (whether in our community or not) and to honor the family of believers. When we do this, we will properly fear God.
Grace and peace,
Ron
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Settling our differences
First of all, several quick notes:
Because readership on Saturday is lighter, Saturday's devotional will simply be a passage of scripture. Meditation on that scripture during the events of the weekend can be powerful for those who will do so.
I've finished with my experiment in html email. It will make a great tool for the Home to communicate with its friends in the weeks to come. For a number of reasons I plan to return this devotional to regular email on Monday, unless the public outcry is against it. If you disagree, you can email me at wbhdir@aol.com.
In case you missed a devo, or misfiled one, an archive of the devotionals has been set up on a blog. The blog's web address is: http://www.wbhdevos.blogspot.com/
Matthew 18:12-35
"Look at it this way. If someone has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders off, doesn't he leave the ninety-nine and go after the one? And if he finds it, doesn't he make far more over it than over the ninety-nine who stay put? Your Father in heaven feels the same way. He doesn't want to lose even one of these simple believers.
"If a fellow believer hurts you, go and tell him — work it out between the two of you. If he listens, you've made a friend. If he won't listen, take one or two others along so that the presence of witnesses will keep things honest, and try again. If he still won't listen, tell the church. If he won't listen to the church, you'll have to start over from scratch, confront him with the need for repentance, and offer again God's forgiving love.
"Take this most seriously: A yes on earth is yes in heaven; a no on earth is no in heaven. What you say to one another is eternal. I mean this. When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I'll be there."
At that point Peter got up the nerve to ask, "Master, how many times do I forgive a brother or sister who hurts me? Seven?"
Jesus replied, "Seven! Hardly. Try seventy times seven.
"The kingdom of God is like a king who decided to square accounts with his servants. As he got under way, one servant was brought before him who had run up a debt of a hundred thousand dollars. He couldn't pay up, so the king ordered the man, along with his wife, children, and goods, to be auctioned off at the slave market.
"The poor wretch threw himself at the king's feet and begged, 'Give me a chance and I'll pay it all back.' Touched by his plea, the king let him off, erasing the debt.
"The servant was no sooner out of the room when he came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him ten dollars. He seized him by the throat and demanded, 'Pay up. Now!'
"The poor wretch threw himself down and begged, 'Give me a chance and I'll pay it all back.' But he wouldn't do it. He had him arrested and put in jail until the debt was paid. When the other servants saw this going on, they were outraged and brought a detailed report to the king.
"The king summoned the man and said, 'You evil servant! I forgave your entire debt when you begged me for mercy. Shouldn't you be compelled to be merciful to your fellow servant who asked for mercy?' The king was furious and put the screws to the man until he paid back his entire debt. And that's exactly what my Father in heaven is going to do to each one of you who doesn't forgive unconditionally anyone who asks for mercy."
(from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)
Show grace, make peace,
Ron
Because readership on Saturday is lighter, Saturday's devotional will simply be a passage of scripture. Meditation on that scripture during the events of the weekend can be powerful for those who will do so.
I've finished with my experiment in html email. It will make a great tool for the Home to communicate with its friends in the weeks to come. For a number of reasons I plan to return this devotional to regular email on Monday, unless the public outcry is against it. If you disagree, you can email me at wbhdir@aol.com.
In case you missed a devo, or misfiled one, an archive of the devotionals has been set up on a blog. The blog's web address is: http://www.wbhdevos.blogspot.com/
Matthew 18:12-35
"Look at it this way. If someone has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders off, doesn't he leave the ninety-nine and go after the one? And if he finds it, doesn't he make far more over it than over the ninety-nine who stay put? Your Father in heaven feels the same way. He doesn't want to lose even one of these simple believers.
"If a fellow believer hurts you, go and tell him — work it out between the two of you. If he listens, you've made a friend. If he won't listen, take one or two others along so that the presence of witnesses will keep things honest, and try again. If he still won't listen, tell the church. If he won't listen to the church, you'll have to start over from scratch, confront him with the need for repentance, and offer again God's forgiving love.
"Take this most seriously: A yes on earth is yes in heaven; a no on earth is no in heaven. What you say to one another is eternal. I mean this. When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I'll be there."
At that point Peter got up the nerve to ask, "Master, how many times do I forgive a brother or sister who hurts me? Seven?"
Jesus replied, "Seven! Hardly. Try seventy times seven.
"The kingdom of God is like a king who decided to square accounts with his servants. As he got under way, one servant was brought before him who had run up a debt of a hundred thousand dollars. He couldn't pay up, so the king ordered the man, along with his wife, children, and goods, to be auctioned off at the slave market.
"The poor wretch threw himself at the king's feet and begged, 'Give me a chance and I'll pay it all back.' Touched by his plea, the king let him off, erasing the debt.
"The servant was no sooner out of the room when he came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him ten dollars. He seized him by the throat and demanded, 'Pay up. Now!'
"The poor wretch threw himself down and begged, 'Give me a chance and I'll pay it all back.' But he wouldn't do it. He had him arrested and put in jail until the debt was paid. When the other servants saw this going on, they were outraged and brought a detailed report to the king.
"The king summoned the man and said, 'You evil servant! I forgave your entire debt when you begged me for mercy. Shouldn't you be compelled to be merciful to your fellow servant who asked for mercy?' The king was furious and put the screws to the man until he paid back his entire debt. And that's exactly what my Father in heaven is going to do to each one of you who doesn't forgive unconditionally anyone who asks for mercy."
(from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)
Show grace, make peace,
Ron
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Confession and renewal
Today’s thoughts from Greg:
- 1 John 1:8-9
Confession of our guilt makes space for God to operate in our lives. God will act faithfully according to His covenant love, which He sealed with Jesus' blood, if we will only confess our sin and offer our hearts up to Him. What work does this confession make room for God to do? The work of renewal.
Repentance is the restoration of baptism. It is a covenant made with God for a second life. Repentance is the purchasing of humility. Repentance is always distrustful of bodily enchantment. It is self-critical reasoning and solicitude for ones' carelessness. Repentance is the daughter of hope and the denial of hopelessness. Repentance is being guilty but not put to shame. Repentance is reconciliation with the Lord through the performance of good works that are the opposite of one’s faults. Repentance is the purification of conscience.- John Climacus, Ladder of Paradise 5
Confession leads to repentance, the commitment live differently than we have before. When our repentance meets God's promise of grace and mercy, new life happens. This transformation, the renewal of our souls, is the essence of salvation; having been drawn to God, this renewal of our inner being makes us more like God, and less like the sinful nature we have identified and repented of. Confession and restoration are two sides of the same coin. Hear a prayer of confession and rebirth by Kenneth Slack:
God of mercy and forgiveness, For the times when our love of indulgence and ease have weakened our hold on spiritual things; pardon us.
For when we have not held our bodies in subjection, and have forgotten that they were meant to be temples of your Holy Spirit; pardon us.
For the times we have failed those who have trusted us,and have been concerned with ourselves when they needed our concern; pardon us.
For the times when we have failed in courage, when we have failed to take a stand for righteousness, when we have come to terms with evil in our own lives; pardon us.
And make us new, in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Let us kneel before God's throne, so that we may be forgiven and transformed according to God's image. May God's Spirit be with you today, and always.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)