Scripture: Revelation 21:1-18
". . . See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will be his peoples, and God himself will wipe away every tear from their eyes. . . ."
Hymn: "O Holy City, Seen of John," UMH 726
Walter Russell Bowie, 1909
"O holy city, seen of John,
Where Christ, the Lamb, doth reign,
Within whose four-square walls shall come
No night, nor need, nor pain,
And where the tears are wiped from eyes
That shall not weep again."
Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, heaven's worthy Lamb, I long for eternity with you. I trust your promise that where you are, there your servant will be also.
Your servant . . . Lord, you are here. You have called me to serve in the kingdom of heaven here and now, not simply to wait for its fullness in eternity. O holy Jesus, let me live in your heavenly kingdom now as well; help me make this life heaven on earth for your children.
Showing posts with label reign of God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reign of God. Show all posts
Saturday, March 01, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Lent: Day 12
Scripture: Matthew 5
". . . Then [Jesus] began to speak, and taught them, saying, 'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. . . . You have heard that it was said, "You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy." But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. . . .' "
Hymn: "Rejoice Ye Pure in Heart," UMH 160
Edward H. Plumptre, 1865
"Rejoice, ye pure in heart;
Rejoice, give thanks, and sing;
Your glorious banner wave on high,
The cross of Christ your King. . . ."
Prayer:
Jesus of hard teachings and harder living, I don't know what to make of your definition of "blessedness." I want so much to be blessed with things, while you call me to a lifestyle of self-denial.
Yet, Lord, I do want to see God, and that takes a pure heart. So take my heart, no matter how I try to keep it back, and remove whatever I cherish within it that keeps me from seeing the One who made it. Hold me as I grieve for the petty little idols I have settled for in the past, and show me the true God worthy of my best.
". . . Then [Jesus] began to speak, and taught them, saying, 'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. . . . You have heard that it was said, "You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy." But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. . . .' "
Hymn: "Rejoice Ye Pure in Heart," UMH 160
Edward H. Plumptre, 1865
"Rejoice, ye pure in heart;
Rejoice, give thanks, and sing;
Your glorious banner wave on high,
The cross of Christ your King. . . ."
Prayer:
Jesus of hard teachings and harder living, I don't know what to make of your definition of "blessedness." I want so much to be blessed with things, while you call me to a lifestyle of self-denial.
Yet, Lord, I do want to see God, and that takes a pure heart. So take my heart, no matter how I try to keep it back, and remove whatever I cherish within it that keeps me from seeing the One who made it. Hold me as I grieve for the petty little idols I have settled for in the past, and show me the true God worthy of my best.
Saturday, December 08, 2007
Advent, Week 1: Saturday
Matthew 24:36-44 (NRSV):
But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man.
Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.
But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.
This is one of the passages of Scripture that has given rise to some pretty awful concepts, such as cars suddenly having their drivers be "raptured." I find it amusing that so many Christians expend so much effort on "decoding" the apocalyptic portions of the Bible (especially the Revelation) and claiming to know for certain that we are in the "last days," while here Jesus makes it crystal clear that we do not know the hour or the day when Jesus will return.
My pastor occasionally makes reference to a bumper sticker she saw some years back: "Jesus is coming: Look busy!". It makes me laugh, but there's an ugly truth about it concerning how the church behaves. We are far more willing to engage in "busy work" than to be consistently, faithfully busy doing the actual work the Lord has given us. Some of us are extremely proud to picket abortion clinics, for example; why, Jesus would be so proud of our opposition to abortion! But just what are we doing besides a cheap protest that mainly just irritates people? Not much, at least not much that matters in the lives of women who seek abortions. We refuse to even consider educating our children and youth about human sexuality; we condemn and shun young women who become pregnant outside marriage; we piously condemn the government for doing for single mothers what the church refuses to do: provide them with some financial and housing assistance so that they and their children don't end up homeless and starving to death. Even more telling is our self-insulation from "that kind" of person: someone who's never known a stable family, perhaps infected with a sexually-transmitted disease, who has no stable job and who is now bewildered when faced with the consequences of settling for a sexual relationship while actually seeking love. Have we given her, or her partner, any love as the church? Sadly, no. We make fun of how they dress (droopy pants or pants that don't quite cover midriff and upper hips), we express our distaste for their music, we despise everything they stand for and make no secret of the fact. But hey . . . we get in their faces when out of desperation the pregnant women seek an abortion. (Actually, we get in the faces of any women who go to the clinics, because we don't know if they're there for abortions or for something else, such as contraception, HIV testing, or low-cost Pap tests. We just assume the worst and who cares if we're wrong?)
And that's just one example of how we're doing busywork instead of Kingdom work. Busywork means we never get our hands dirty. Busywork keeps us smug and self-righteous. Busywork is safe.
Kingdom work, however, involves risk. We actually have to get involved in people's lives and meet them where they are. It's messy, it's inconvenient, it's heart-breaking. But it's also the most glorious self-expenditure there is. Really, nothing else has any eternal value.
God makes it clear that our outward piety means nothing if we do not humble ourselves and walk in our Savior's footsteps. Christ loved us so much that he emptied himself, took on human flesh, was born into poverty, all so that he could become sin for our sakes on the cross. He was absolutely, vitally involved in our lives. How dare we settle for outward, meaningless forms of self-congratulatory piety when we're called to be the body of Christ, alive in the world, touching and healing and loving and teaching those Christ died to save?
That is what it means, in my opinion, to be ready for Christ. And isn't it interesting that when we do these things, we see the face of the Savior in those we serve?
But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man.
Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.
But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.
This is one of the passages of Scripture that has given rise to some pretty awful concepts, such as cars suddenly having their drivers be "raptured." I find it amusing that so many Christians expend so much effort on "decoding" the apocalyptic portions of the Bible (especially the Revelation) and claiming to know for certain that we are in the "last days," while here Jesus makes it crystal clear that we do not know the hour or the day when Jesus will return.
My pastor occasionally makes reference to a bumper sticker she saw some years back: "Jesus is coming: Look busy!". It makes me laugh, but there's an ugly truth about it concerning how the church behaves. We are far more willing to engage in "busy work" than to be consistently, faithfully busy doing the actual work the Lord has given us. Some of us are extremely proud to picket abortion clinics, for example; why, Jesus would be so proud of our opposition to abortion! But just what are we doing besides a cheap protest that mainly just irritates people? Not much, at least not much that matters in the lives of women who seek abortions. We refuse to even consider educating our children and youth about human sexuality; we condemn and shun young women who become pregnant outside marriage; we piously condemn the government for doing for single mothers what the church refuses to do: provide them with some financial and housing assistance so that they and their children don't end up homeless and starving to death. Even more telling is our self-insulation from "that kind" of person: someone who's never known a stable family, perhaps infected with a sexually-transmitted disease, who has no stable job and who is now bewildered when faced with the consequences of settling for a sexual relationship while actually seeking love. Have we given her, or her partner, any love as the church? Sadly, no. We make fun of how they dress (droopy pants or pants that don't quite cover midriff and upper hips), we express our distaste for their music, we despise everything they stand for and make no secret of the fact. But hey . . . we get in their faces when out of desperation the pregnant women seek an abortion. (Actually, we get in the faces of any women who go to the clinics, because we don't know if they're there for abortions or for something else, such as contraception, HIV testing, or low-cost Pap tests. We just assume the worst and who cares if we're wrong?)
And that's just one example of how we're doing busywork instead of Kingdom work. Busywork means we never get our hands dirty. Busywork keeps us smug and self-righteous. Busywork is safe.
Kingdom work, however, involves risk. We actually have to get involved in people's lives and meet them where they are. It's messy, it's inconvenient, it's heart-breaking. But it's also the most glorious self-expenditure there is. Really, nothing else has any eternal value.
God makes it clear that our outward piety means nothing if we do not humble ourselves and walk in our Savior's footsteps. Christ loved us so much that he emptied himself, took on human flesh, was born into poverty, all so that he could become sin for our sakes on the cross. He was absolutely, vitally involved in our lives. How dare we settle for outward, meaningless forms of self-congratulatory piety when we're called to be the body of Christ, alive in the world, touching and healing and loving and teaching those Christ died to save?
That is what it means, in my opinion, to be ready for Christ. And isn't it interesting that when we do these things, we see the face of the Savior in those we serve?
Friday, December 08, 2006
Advent, Week 1: Friday
Recommended readings from the second Sunday of Advent (from the Revised Common Lectionary):
Malachi 3:1-4
Luke 1:68-79
Philippians 1:3-11
Luke 3:1-6
Read Luke 1:68-79, then Luke 3:1-6.
Jesus would later say that there was no greater human being than John the Baptist, yet even the least in God's reign were greater than he. Riddle? Perhaps. Yet in the paradox, we can find a challenge to us today. It is one thing to "prepare the way of the Lord," and another to live in that way. John knew very well that his task was to announce the coming of the Messiah. But Jesus didn't tell people to announce his coming; that had already occured. He told us all to follow him and to do all the things that he taught.
So the question, at least for me today, is this: Will I talk about the Kingdom, or live in the Kingdom? Similarly, it's easy for me to say that I'll live a Kingdom life, yet I must do the actual work of living it.
The other thing to remember is, not everyone who is invited into God's reign will be convinced by our words about it. Yet another reason to live it as well. There is a place for gracious words; the Holy Spirit within us can be trusted to guide us when and how to speak them. That same Spirit will guide our actions as well.
Will the people I meet today, know that they've met a Christian? How will they know? Lord Jesus, help me live "a life that becomes the gospel" today, for your sake.
Malachi 3:1-4
Luke 1:68-79
Philippians 1:3-11
Luke 3:1-6
Read Luke 1:68-79, then Luke 3:1-6.
Jesus would later say that there was no greater human being than John the Baptist, yet even the least in God's reign were greater than he. Riddle? Perhaps. Yet in the paradox, we can find a challenge to us today. It is one thing to "prepare the way of the Lord," and another to live in that way. John knew very well that his task was to announce the coming of the Messiah. But Jesus didn't tell people to announce his coming; that had already occured. He told us all to follow him and to do all the things that he taught.
So the question, at least for me today, is this: Will I talk about the Kingdom, or live in the Kingdom? Similarly, it's easy for me to say that I'll live a Kingdom life, yet I must do the actual work of living it.
The other thing to remember is, not everyone who is invited into God's reign will be convinced by our words about it. Yet another reason to live it as well. There is a place for gracious words; the Holy Spirit within us can be trusted to guide us when and how to speak them. That same Spirit will guide our actions as well.
Will the people I meet today, know that they've met a Christian? How will they know? Lord Jesus, help me live "a life that becomes the gospel" today, for your sake.
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