Monthly Archives: November 2014

Reign of Christ: Shepherd the Vulnerable

Reading

Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24

Devotion

Peace be with you!

The world has so much injustice: starving children and the “one percent,” the homeless and the mansions, the naked and the two million dollar shoes, and [whatever “it” is] that seems not right. I understand equality is hard to achieve, but how can you let a child go naked when you fly around the world in a private jet?

The Lord is frustrated with the political leaders, prophets, and priests of Israel and Judah for only taking care of themselves (Ezekiel 34:5-6). The political leaders are the shepherds who are supposed to care for the weak, the hungry, the homeless, the naked, the disabled, the sick, and the poor. However, the political leaders are oppressing the vulnerable by putting their own needs and wants above the needs of others. The Lord made these individuals political leaders so they could shepherd his people by caring for their needs and upholding justice. Instead they were lining their pockets with gold and eating a whole calf (Ezekiel 34:2b-3).

The Lord takes back his people who are oppressed by the one percent. The Lord is the shepherd who will care for his sheep (Ezekiel 34:11-16). He will find the lost, care for the sick and the disabled, clothe the naked, and provide shelter for the homeless (Ezekiel 34:16). The shepherd tends to the needs of his sheep.

The Lord does not take kindly to those who use their power and wealth to take advantage of the vulnerable. The Lord punishes those who oppress the vulnerable. The Lord deals with the root of the problem by taking away the power of oppressors and making them vulnerable.

To be a good shepherd, a political leader should care about whom they are commissioned to serve God lifts up leaders who champion justice for the oppressed, such as King David who united Israel and Jesus Christ who died for our sins. Political leaders have the responsibility to care for those who are vulnerable and to bring justice to their oppressors. Jesus oppressed those who rejected his teachings and lifted up those who were on the outside looking in. By lifting up the vulnerable and including them in the community, political leaders become shepherds in their communities.

Thanks be to God!

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for being the kind of good shepherd after which political leaders can model themselves. Help us to use our leadership to care for the vulnerable and uphold justice. Guide us with your love, grace, and peace. Amen.

Reflective Questions

Please answer the following reflective questions in the comments below. Please agree to disagree and be respectful to each other. (If you have not already done so, please also take a moment, to sign the behavior covenant by commenting on it.) You can answer as many questions as you would like.

  1. Who uses their power to care for the vulnerable and to bring about justice?
  2. How have the vulnerable been oppressed?

Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost: The Broken Cycle

Reading

Judges 4:1-7

Devotion

Peace be with you!

As we enter the story in the book of Judges, the Israelites are well in the midst of a terrible cycle: abandoning God when life is good and then running and crying to God when life gets difficult. The book of Judges follows this theme and shows how God rescues the Israelites by raising up judges.

In the grand scheme of life, not much has changed since the time of the Israelites. Our behaviors have not changed. When life is going smoothly, we stand on our own two feet and push God aside. We forget we need God for everything; we think we are in charge and have things under control. Somewhere along the way, we push aside our core values and start allowing outside influences to direct how we act and talk. God allows us to go our own way and lets us live with the consequences.

When the Israelites would start doing evil things, God would allow foreign leaders to conquer and oppress the Israelites. In our reading, the Israelites do evil things and God gives them to King Jabin of Canaan (Judges 4:1-2). God gives us the power to make our own decisions, but it means we have to deal with the consequences. The Israelites choose to abandon God and go against his commandments. God lets King Jabin to conquer and oppress them.

But as soon as life gets rocky, we run crying to God for help. The Israelites cry out to God (Judges 4:3) when they realize they were wrong to abandon God. The Israelites realize they need God’s protection from their enemies. Then God answers the Israelites’ cries by raising up a judge, Deborah, who leads them as a military leader (Judges 4:6-7). Deborah delivers the Israelites from King Jabin (Judges 4:24).

Then Deborah sings praises to God for allowing her to conquer King Jabin and deliver the Israelites from the oppression. The Israelites return to the ways of the Lord.

When we repent and return to the ways of God the Father, he forgives us for our trespasses. We give him glory for saving us from the way of the world. In the Old Testament, the Israelites had to make sacrifices to be right with God, but when he sent Jesus Christ to die for our sins forgiveness became free. God has always been a forgiving God, though through Jesus Christ we receive forgiveness freely when we repent.

Thanks be to God!

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for repeatedly extending forgiveness to us when we repent. Help us to live according to your ways. Lead us to do your will in the world. Thank you for always being there when we cry out. Amen.

Reflective Questions

Please answer the following reflective questions in the comments below. Please agree to disagree and be respectful to each other. (If you have not already done so, please also take a moment, to sign the behavior covenant by commenting on it.) You can answer as many questions as you would like.

  1. When have you cried out to the Lord?
  2. How have you shared God’s forgiveness with others?

Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost: God Planting Us

Reading

Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25

Devotion

Peace be with you!

Joshua and the Israelites have conquered the Canaanites, Hittities, Hivities, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites and are now in possession of the Promised Land. They are settling in as a nation in the land God promised them.

Now the Israelites are given a choice: to serve God or to serve other gods (Joshua 24:14-15, 19-20, 23-24). God set the Israelites free from the Egyptian Pharaoh who forced them to do backbreaking labor. The Israelites are given the choice to serve God. It is a decision left entirely to the Israelites. God asks the Israelites to freely serve him, whereas the Pharaoh forced them to serve him.

The Israelites confirm their decision to serve God over gods (Joshua 24:16-18, 21, 24). They praise God for leading their ancestors out of Egypt and out of slavery, doing great signs, and protecting them in the wilderness (Joshua 24:17). The Israelites also praise God up for driving out the other nations out of the Promised Land (Joshua 24:18).

Each time Joshua asks the Israelites who they will serve, he reminds them of God’s wrath and the consequences of not keeping their promise (Joshua 24:15, 19-20). Joshua wants the Israelites to understand the commitment they are making to God. If the Israelites turn away from God in the future, he will not forgive them and he will consume and harm them. To the New Testament reader, this seems extreme, because we know God forgives through Jesus Christ. However, when we turn against God, we allow other things to consume and harm us. It is not ultimately God who consumes and harms the Israelites but themselves, because God chooses when, how, and if at all to stop us from harming ourselves.

God gives us the choice: to serve him or to serve idols and/or ourselves. When we serve anyone or anything other than God, we become vulnerable to the dangers of our decision. God chooses when and how to save us when we turn away from him, but he is always there to catch us when we turn back to him, like the Prodigal Son whose father welcomes him back home (Luke 15:11-32. God shows his unconditional commitment to the Israelites by sending numerous prophets to bring them back into a relationship with him. God never gives up on his chosen people, even when he sends his only begotten son to die for their sins. I feel so blessed to know God will lift me back up and plant me in his love when I am done trying to figure it out on my own.

Thanks be to God!

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for giving us the choice to serve you. Help us to recognize our need to serve you and to allow you to guide us. Be with us as we go out into the world and protect us from all idols. Lift us up when we fall and plant us in your love and grace again. Thank you for catching us when we fall. Amen.

Reflective Questions

Please answer the following reflective questions in the comments below. Please agree to disagree and be respectful to each other. (If you have not already done so, please also take a moment, to sign the behavior covenant by commenting on it.) You can answer as many questions as you would like.

  1. When have you turned away from God? How did you find your way back?
  2. When has God planted you back in his love and grace again?

Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost: Raising a New Leader to Greatness

Reading

Joshua 3:7-17

Devotion

Peace be with you!

The transitions from Moses to Joshua and from the wilderness to the Promised Land are still taking place. God is forming Joshua into greatness. However, the transformation is a process—which takes time and energy. God verifies he will be with Joshua, like he was Moses in the wilderness in the past (Joshua 3:7). The leadership may change, but God will always be with the Israelites.

The Israelites will see, hear, and know God through Joshua, like they did with Moses. First, the Israelites hear God’s words. Joshua speaks God’s words to the Israelites to reaffirm his promise to be with them—they will conquer the Canaanites, Hittities, Hivities, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites for the Promised Land. Second, the Israelites see God’s power. Like Moses led the Israelites across the Nile River, Joshua leads the Israelites across the Jordan River into the Promised Land. Twelve priests are chosen to carry the Ark of the Covenant across the Jordan River; they stand in the middle of the river to separate the waters (Joshua 3:12-14). The Ark of the Covenant is also important, because it is the agreement between God and the Israelites. By making the Ark of the Covenant a focal point, God reminds the Israelites about their agreement and his commitment to them. Third, the Israelites experience and recognize God’s power and he is with them. Understanding God’s power and commitment to you is so crucial to having faith in a God you cannot see. Faith allows you to be transformed by God throughout your life.

God also promises to transform Joshua into greatness like he did with Moses. God had to encouraging Moses up by telling him he was strong enough, and that he would be with him every step. God uses the same symbols to tell Israelites that Joshua is their new leader as he did with Moses—parting the Red Sea and the Jordan River. This eases the transition from Moses to Joshua for the Israelites by making it easier to recognize Joshua as their new leader and easier to recognize that God is still with them.

By allowing them to see, hear, and know him, God is accepting the Israelites as his chosen people. God allows the Israelites to cross the Jordan River on dry land to conquer the Canaanites, Hittities, Hivities, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites in the Promised Land. God delivers on his promise.

As I look at the past few weeks of grieving for my grandparents, I see God’s hand transforming me. I am not sure what God is transforming me into yet, but he is making me stronger and enabling me to recognize when, where, and how I need help when, where, and how I need him. Instead of waiting for direction from my parents, I feel his hand leading me to individuals who can help me and my family… I am becoming a caregiver in my family, instead of being cared for. It is an awkward shift in roles, yet God is the transformer. God is and will help and lead me, and that’s all I need to know.

Thanks be to God!

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for lifting Joshua up as a leader and transforming him into greatness. Give us the understanding that transformation into greatness happens over time, not in an instant. Transform us into greatness to do your work in the world. Thank you for being with the Israelites and leading them to the Promised Land. Amen.

Reflective Questions

Please answer the following reflective questions in the comments below. Please agree to disagree and be respectful to each other. (If you have not already done so, please also take a moment, to sign the behavior covenant by commenting on it.) You can answer as many questions as you would like.

  1. How is God transforming you into greatness?
  2. How is God keeping his promise today?