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Monday, January 18, 2021
“From him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever.” —Romans 11:36
My days tend to go much better when I take a little time to write down what I have to do and think about when I’m going to do it. Breaking responsibilities down into manageable chunks and being honest about how much time those chunks will take is a helpful practice that makes it more likely that I’ll (at least somewhat) successfully meet those responsibilities.
Following Jesus faithfully requires a similar approach. Being a disciple is a real thing, made up of real behaviors and actions and thoughts and habits and words. The rubber has to actually hit the road. Abstract Christian-sounding platitudes don’t get the job done.
And yet, at least for me, there’s also the danger that breaking discipleship down into “manageable chunks” makes me lose sight of the fact that this is, ultimately, not about me and my words and actions and behaviors. I mean, it is about those things in part—God cares about how I live.
But this world is not about me. It’s about God.
In today’s verse from the apostle Paul’s letter to Christians in Rome, he encapsulates this so powerfully. As theology professor James Edwards writes, God “is at once creator, sustainer, and goal of creation.” He alone is to be worshiped and glorified. The amazing thing, for us, is that this “creator, sustainer, and goal of creation” gives us a role to play in his creative work.
So may our rubber-hits-the-road lives honor and glorify the One who has given us life in the first place.
Friday, January 15, 2021
Today’s reflection is written by Deacon Karen Katamay.
“The woman took of the fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate.” —Genesis 3:6
“Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit?” —Luke 6:39
I find the passages today to be a really interesting pairing. The first passage is from the story of Adam and Eve and their fall from God’s grace into sin. Yet I can’t help but wonder—if God would have already given them the knowledge of good and evil, might Eve have recognized the serpent was evil and not have listened to him? Don’t parents try to teach their children right vs. wrong, good vs. bad? True, Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil when they were told not to, and God was right to punish them. But might they have been better able to resist if they had recognized the serpent as evil?
Yet evil is not always as clear as it is in the story of Adam and Eve. And indeed, many times we are tempted to put what we want to do ahead of what God wants us to do. Many times we are also tempted to follow others who are doing wrong. In cases like this, we are the blind following the blind, falling into the pit of trouble, instead of following the guide who sees and guides us on the right path—Jesus Christ.
Evil will always be tempting us to follow it blindly, so we need to follow Christ instead. Christ will give us the strength to resist evil and lead us in better ways. As we pray in the Lord’s prayer, we should be asking every day for God to lead us away from temptation and deliver us from evil. And if we do that, our true guide, Jesus, will be there to lead us in the ways that are good! Amen.
Wednesday, January 13, 2021
A son honors his father. If then I am a father, where is the honor due me? says the Lord. —Malachi 1:6
A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, “Son, go and work in the vineyard today.” He answered, “I will not”; but later he changed his mind and went. —Matthew 21:28-29
Today’s readings, among so many others in Scripture, portray God as a parent. In Malachi, the Lord describes himself in such terms, and in Matthew, Jesus uses a parable of fathers and sons to raise questions about humanity’s interactions with God.
How do you feel when you think of God as your heavenly parent?
From what I’ve gathered, the image seems to land differently with each of us. For good or ill, our experiences with our own parents, the examples of parenting we’ve observed, and being parents ourselves, all influence what we feel when we address God as “Father” or “Mother.”
If interactions between parents and children in your life have been marked by warmth, listening, understanding, patience, and forgiveness, thinking of God as your parent may give you deeper insight into God’s goodness. On the other hand, trusting in God’s goodness may be harder for you if these interactions have been marked by coldness, absence, neglect, estrangement, grudges, shame, or abandonment.
Here are a few ways thinking of God as my heavenly parent is helpful for me:
- God is personal. God is not a distant being or some inaccessible force. Like a parent, God is present with us. God hears us and speaks to us. God is one with whom you and I can have a relationship. What’s more, like a good parent, God wants that relationship.
- God is the one I rely on. A child needs care. A good parent provides safety, nourishment, guidance, wisdom, and all the other things a child needs to survive and thrive. When I think of God as a parent, I am reminded of where to turn for the things I need most.
- God has authority over me. When I remember that I am the child in this relationship, I am humbled. I remember that my best choice is to be obedient. God is not a dictator or a tyrant; God is a loving parent who knows what’s best for me, and whether I understand fully or not, following God’s instructions is my best choice.
- God loves me because I am God’s. God takes joy in who I am because God made me. God enjoys seeing me grow and develop and make good choices. God’s love is unconditional.
Take a moment to think of an example of what you’d consider bad parenting. Now, just toss that image out the window when you think of God as “Father” or “Mother.” It’s not helpful. Now, take a moment to think of the best parent you know. Then consider this: God’s parenting is a zillion times better than that. God is more loving, more patient, more invested, more capable, wiser, kinder, a better provider, and a better teacher than the best parent you can imagine.
Ultimately, no single image—even a really powerful one—can capture the fullness of who God is. Because God is bigger than anything we can comprehend, our ways of describing and conceiving of God will always have limits. While these images help us, we have to remember that God is always better, fuller, bigger, deeper, and just more than anything we have experienced or can imagine.
Even the best people will let us down. We will let people down. God never will. Remember this: before you are anyone else’s, you are God’s child. That’s your first identity. Nothing can change that God wants you to know him, rely on him, and trust his authority. God takes joy in who you are and in who you’re becoming as you seek to follow him.
