Devotion for May 16

…the greatest among you must become like the youngest… Luke 22:26

Josh loves to help. When our youth musical was in production, Josh didn’t want to be performing. He wanted to help build the sets. After our Saturday worship service, he volunteers to help carry the table we use for an altar out into the gathering area. If there is an opportunity for him to be involved in a helping way, he’s eager to do it. He doesn’t need recognition – in fact, he’d rather avoid it. This youthful zeal to be helpful may pass over time. I don’t know.

Perhaps this is part of what Jesus was talking about when he said the above as a reproof to his disciples. They were jockeying for positions of power and recognition in the kingdom. Their eagerness to help had been compromised by the desire for greatness. Greatness is a comparative term, isn’t it? To be great is to be recognized as standing above or apart from others. Over time, adults lose the simple eagerness of children.

At the time of Jesus, children were not highly valued. Left in the care of women, men disdained children until they were old enough to receive instruction in the Jewish faith. Jesus stands in marked contrast to that lack of esteem. Jesus saw in children (and women!) the value of life and characteristics that were definitive of God’s reign. One of those characteristics was serving – eagerly, simply and without fanfare.

This week I’m looking for ways to be more like Josh and less like a Senior Pastor. I’m prayerfully open to simply stepping in to do what needs to be done away from the spotlight. I encourage you to join me in this exercise of humble service.

Devotion for November 23

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart… Psalm 9:1

The word “thanks” and its various forms are found nearly 170 times in the Bible. The call of faith is to a life of gratitude to God. But have you ever wondered why such thankfulness is so important? As we approach our national holiday of Thanksgiving I’ve begun to reflect on this essential element of our faith.

First, I have come to believe that a thankful heart is a humble heart. We cannot give thanks to God – or anyone else – without a humble heart. It is the humble heart that acknowledges what has been done for us… not what we have done for ourselves. Faith, an active trusting in God, creates humility – and that opens the door to thanksgiving.

Second, gratitude turns our attention outward. When we are thankful, we naturally look beyond ourselves to the one to whom we give thanks. Of all the human emotions, thankfulness shuts the door on sin. You simply cannot be thankful and still think “it’s all about me.”

Third, when we give thanks we see others. One of the best coping mechanisms we have, as human beings, is the power to see the little we have in comparison to the smaller portion of others. When we compare our “meager morsel” with that of the homeless or unemployed or the desperately poor, our portion seems so much more.

That leads to the greatest positive aspect of thanksgiving: when we are truly thankful, we cannot help but become generous. No wonder this time of the year more people will give more to charities and the needs of others than at any other time of the year – black Friday not withstanding. And when we are generous, we come close to reflecting the very nature or our Heavenly Father.

So, I pray for you a time of true Thanksgiving this week… and may your gratitude grow your faith and increase your generosity.

Devotion for July 1

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God… Romans 13:1

            The above passage from St. Paul articulates the tension of loyalties we as Christians have. On the one hand, we are subjects of the state and the authority of the state. On the other, even that authority is subject to God. Christians celebrate when civil authority reflects the values of our faith and struggle when it does not. But the place of beginning for Christians, in our relationship with any government under whose authority we live, is that we will be loyal citizens – unless such loyalty significantly compromises our ultimate obedience to God.

            This coming Sunday we have a wonderful opportunity to thank God for the privilege of living in a country of religious and civil freedoms. As we thank God for that gift of “birthplace grace”, as a former theological professor of mine once called it, we also remember that our freedoms did not come without cost. The founding fathers and mothers of this nation established the faith principles that secure our freedom. These principles include the idea that the freedom we enjoy is only as secure as the freedom we strive to insure for others – especially those with whom we disagree. This principle empowered the soldiers of the Civil War as well as the freedom riders of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. This principle also demands accountability for our involvement in both civil and military actions that may or may not support it – the McCarthy era of the Cold War comes to mind.

            What I’m suggesting is that we have a spirit of humility about our national and international engagements – because we have learned that history will prove our motives one way or another. I am proud to be an American! But part of that pride is our national willingness to repent of past errors, instead of hiding them. As long as the principle above is met, this great country will remain great and under the authority of God.