Loving Leviticus

Posted on February 17, 2014 by themondayprayer

“Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.” —C.S. Lewis

PRAYER: (from the Lectionary)

O Lord, you have taught us that without love whatever we do is worth nothing: Send your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts your greatest gift, which is love, the true bond of peace and of all virtue, without which whoever lives is accounted dead before you. Grant this for the sake of your only Son Jesus Christ, Amen.

SCRIPTURES: (from the Lectionary)

Leviticus 19:1-2,9-18
1 Corinthians 3:10-11,16-23
Matthew 5:38-48
Psalm 119:33-40

“When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time, or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor, and the foreigner. I am the LORD your God.” (Leviticus 19: 9-10 NIV)

PRAYER FOCUS: Biblical Living

The Book of Leviticus is famous for its rules. The Ten Commandments are there. So are rules concerning sexual morality, honor and dishonor, family and community interactions, plus standards of conduct and personal integrity. This week’s Old Testament Lectionary Scripture is from Leviticus 19, which is the next chapter after the one containing rules about sex. That often means Chapter 19 gets overlooked. But there is in the 19th chapter an important message about Law and Life and Love—too important to breeze through after a biblical sex-education lesson.

Let’s look a little closer…

Leviticus is the third of the five books of the Torah. When someone says “Old Testament Law” they’re talking about the Torah. But the Hebrew word actually means “guidance” not “law”. That’s not to diminish any aspect of the moral force of the rules God set down. But readers of the Biblical Books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy should remember that there is much context here. Yes, the Torah guides us. It also affords us the rest of the story. God gives us the reasons why He made the rules in the first place. As we shall see, some were heavily contextualized in culture and have passed away with the new covenant, while others addressed the nature of mankind and were therefore transcendent throughout the generations.

The Torah begins, not with the Ten Commandments, but in the story of Creation, the Garden of Eden, the first man and woman. Adam and Eve had only one rule.

The story continues through the Fall and its consequences, the Flood, Abraham’s journey to a Strange Land, Famine, Slavery and Exodus. It is replete with heroes and cowards, victors and vanquished, glory and guilt, obedience and disobedience—all bound together with the constant thread of a gracious, generous God who passionately, faithfully loved His chosen people.

The Torah was given to people who already knew its story. Moreover, they had just lived through its most recent chapter. They knew the sting and shame of captivity. They knew the awesome joy of being magnificently and miraculously delivered from slavery and death at the hands of Pharaoh’s army. God’s Law was His good gift to a group of ex-slaves who needed it, who would thrive and be blessed if they obeyed it.

This is important: Obeying the Law was never a way to earn God’s salvation. On the contrary, obedience to godly principles is the response of people who are saved by God’s grace.

The Old Testament Law was about more than just rules, it was about relationship. The Law was not given to keep God happy. Rather, it was a guide to a way of life that revealed to all the nations what a godly nation looks like. Its objective was blessings and love and freedom, not strictures and punishment. God gave the Law in order to shape a society that would reflect His good character. The Israelites were to be distinctive by living up to God’s standards of personal integrity, economic and social justice, and community compassion.

“I am the LORD your God” is repeated fifteen times in Leviticus 19. If you read that and hear “because I said so,” you’re missing the point.

This is the point: He. Loves. You.

In Leviticus 19:9-10, we read how God wants us to care about the less fortunate among us. In other words, Don’t take everything you can actually get your hands on, my child. Leave something for those in need. Bless them as I have blessed you. Love them as I have loved you. I am the LORD your God.

Do you require a law, Christian, to get that?

The Torah was intended to train selfish, fallen people to care about each other, to love one another, more like God does. Our allegiance to these principles need not be legislated, nor should it have to be:

When I’m hungry, and you bring me a meal, I don’t care whether you’re Catholic or Methodist, Pentecostal or Orthodox.

When I’m homeless and you give me shelter, I don’t care if you’re evangelical or liberal.

When I’m in the hospital, and you visit me, I don’t care whether you like traditional or contemporary worship music.

When I’m heartbroken, and you grieve with me, I don’t care which Bible translation you read.

When you do these things out of love for me, I will want to know where you got that love and whether it’s real…

You may command the most seamless and biblically based theology, but if you can’t deliver it with love, kindness, and humility—it’s worthless. (See 1 Corinthians 13 for more on that…)

Don’t get us wrong. Theology is important—critically important. But when you turn theology into an agenda, it corrupts the nature of selfless love. The gospel message becomes propaganda; friends become customers, and your relationship with your Father-God turns into, well—a set of rules.

It’s Monday Morning. This week ask yourself not, “What rules do I have to keep?” but rather, “How does my relationship with Father-God inspire me to live?” This week, learn to love Leviticus.

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Milk, Meat, and Making a Difference

Posted on February 10, 2014 by themondayprayer

“Search Scripture for an example of a once-a-week Christian. Write me when you find him or her.” —Hugh Hewitt, American Political Commentator, Professor of Constitutional Law, and Author of The Embarrassed Believer.

PRAYER: (from the Lectionary)

O God, the strength of all who put their trust in you: Mercifully accept our prayers; and because in our weakness we can do nothing good without you, give us the help of your grace that in keeping your commandments we may please you both in will and deed; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

SCRIPTURES: (from the Lectionary)

Deuteronomy 30:15-20
1 Corinthians 3:1-9
Matthew 5:21-37
Psalm 119:1-8

“Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.” (1 Corinthians 3:1-2)

PRAYER FOCUS: Christian Growth

The church at Corinth had problems. Divided in cliques and factions, they argued amongst themselves much like children argue over worthless and insignificant matters. They schemed and struggled for control. Because of their spiritually immature behaviors Paul had to write to them as children, not as mature Christians. He said he had to feed them spiritual milk because they couldn’t digest real meat.

In a word, Paul called them babies.

The symbolism here is striking. Both milk and meat are high in protein and rich with nutrients. The problem is that you don’t feed meat to babies. They can’t yet digest complex proteins, plus they have no teeth. Chewing meat requires teeth. Once our teeth come in, small bites inexorably lead to bigger bites and better meals. Meat is far superior to milk in nutritional value, especially if you have hard work to do. To put grown-ups on a milk-only diet is to deny them the nourishment they need to grow and thrive.

The great evangelist Charles Spurgeon pointed out that spiritual milk does feed the soul. It contains the simplest truths of Christianity, and it is easy to understand. But by itself that cannot promote spiritual growth. Therefore, we should desire to outgrow our milk diet and progress to the strong meat of Scripture — the “high doctrine of the deep things of God.”

Peter uses the same metaphor. Spiritual milk is given to new believers in Christ so that they can grow, “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation” (1 Peter 2:2). The author of Hebrews takes us to the next level, “Solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil” (Heb. 5:14). Hebrews 6:1 exhorts us to “move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity.” The prophet Jeremiah thanked God for feeding him, “I found your words and I ate them: Your word was to me the joy and great rejoicing of my heart; for I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts” (Jer. 15:16).

Mature Christians must transition to spiritual meat, or like the church at Corinth, they will remain babies in the faith. To demand milk when we ought to be eating meat is to return to the depravity of the carnal state. By consuming and digesting God’s word we become spiritually discerning, able to distinguish between right and wrong.

That brings us back to our first Lectionary Scripture from the book of Deuteronomy.

God has made the difference between Right and Wrong clear and stark. The Bible says over and over that God expects us to know the difference, and to choose accordingly. Predictably, the world (and unfortunately some “progressive” church leaders) would have you believe this difference isn’t entirely black and white—that it is gray, or perhaps blurry. The unspiritual are uncomfortable dealing with absolutes. But our Father-God isn’t interested in fuzzy theology or our doubt-riddled inner feelings that come and go like the tides. He is interested in our faithful love for Him, and our obedience to His Word. God wants us to make right choices.

God sets before us each day the choice between life and death, prosperity and destruction—the choice between blessings and curses, right and wrong, good and evil. We must choose—or default to—one or the other. There is no “safe” middle ground. There is no gray.

For the Church to make a difference in today’s world, Christians have to know the difference between right and wrong. We should live lives consistent with those beliefs, and not wring our hands over what the world thinks about that. The world desperately needs fully formed, mature Christians who live their lives “out there” in their communities, whose words and deeds give the same testimony of faith and truth.

Therefore, Christian, let us graduate from milk to solid food. Pray that we might consume the correct spiritual food, that our church leaders would start serving it, and that we may grow strong in the Spirit of the Lord so that “we may please Him both in will and deed.”

Milk and Meat. We need both to live and grow, but at different times in our lives. We need the first to live as babies. We need the second to grow and thrive as adults. If we want to make a difference in the lives of the people around us, we will need to consume advanced spiritual food to fortify us for the work we are called to do.

Good and Evil. God expects us to learn and then practice the difference. The defense of our Christian beliefs requires us to speak truth about the culture around us.

Do you want to make a difference in your world? Be a force for good.

It’s Monday Morning. Resolve this week to eat what’s healthy for both your body and your soul. Sink your teeth into it. Choose life and live it.

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Salt

Posted on February 3, 2014 by themondayprayer

“The followers of Jesus are to be different from both the nominal church and the secular world, different from both the religious and the irreligious. The Sermon on the Mount is the most complete delineation anywhere in the New Testament of the Christian counter-culture…and this counter-culture is the life of the kingdom of God.” —John Stott, British preacher, evangelist and author (1921 – 2011).

PRAYER: (from the Lectionary)

“Set us free, O God, from the bondage of our sins, and give us the liberty of that abundant life which you have made known to us in your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, in whose mighty Name we pray, Amen.”

SCRIPTURES: (from the Lectionary)

Isaiah 58:1-9a, (9b-12)
1 Corinthians 2:1-12, (13-16)
Matthew 5:13-20
Psalm 112:1-9, (10)

“Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.” (Matthew 5:13 The Message)

PRAYER FOCUS: Salt.

There it is, in red letters. Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth.”

But what, exactly, does that mean?

Before the days of refrigerators and deep-freezers, before the synthesis of complex chemicals like Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA), Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT), and Sodium Benzoate (E211), salt’s primary use was to keep meat from rotting. That is, of course, unless the salt had lost its distinct characteristics.

In addition to its preservative benefit, salt also has healing properties, especially on broken skin and open wounds. Yes, it burns a bit when it contacts raw flesh. However, given enough concentration, salt also kills most germs on contact, a natural antiseptic which, in turn, allows wounds to heal.

Salt was the original flavor enhancer. Did you know that a little salt will smooth the bitterness in coffee? Dipping or soaking fish filets in brine will draw out the old dead blood and leave the fish tasting sweet and moist (this works with shellfish like shrimp, too). How boring would our diets be without a dash of salt in our food?

In His reference to salt in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is reminding His followers that they should manifest these same characteristics. Followers of Jesus should exert a positive, preservative influence on the people around them. Salty Christians bring healing, both on an individual and a corporate level. And they enhance the flavor of the lives that come in contact with them.

Colossians 4:6 says, “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt so that you may know how to answer everyone.” 1 Peter 3:15 agrees, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” Food cooked without salt can be tasteless, but the right amount of salt brings out the best in food’s natural taste. In the same way, our conversations should be full of grace, seasoned with love and truth, bringing out the best in others.

In chapter 4 of the Gospel of John, there is an exemplary interaction between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. Even though Jesus knew this woman was living in sin, an outcast even among the Samaritans, He didn’t berate her. He didn’t wave His finger in her face or scold, “You sinful woman get your act together or you will go to hell”—even though that was true.

No, Jesus was gentle. He used words full of grace, seasoned with both love and truth. The key passage is verse 39: “Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony.” Jesus conversed with her in such a way that not only she got saved, but many in the village as well (verse 41).

This week’s Lectionary Scriptures are really strong, and we hope you’ll take a moment to read them. We focus on this one passage in Matthew because it is here that so many Christians stumble. Jesus declared that His followers are the salt of the world. He wants us to add seasoning to our society and preserve it from its moral decay. He wants us to cleanse and heal wounds in our community. He wants us to use language that will win hearts and minds, to persuade people to come to the Lord so that they, too, will believe.

Jesus wants His followers to win souls, not just arguments.

But even the best salt is of no use if it’s not where it needs to be. One of Britain’s best-known and best-loved Christian theologians, John Stott, whom we quote today, reminds us:

God intends us to penetrate the world. Christian salt has no business to remain snugly in elegant little ecclesiastical salt cellars; our place is to be rubbed into the secular community, as salt is rubbed into meat, to stop it going bad. And when society does go bad, we Christians tend to throw up our hands in pious horror and reproach the non-Christian world; but should we not rather reproach ourselves? One can hardly blame unsalted meat for going bad. It cannot do anything else. The real question to ask is: Where is the salt?

Meat, left alone, will naturally rot. It’s what meat does. The salt’s quality matters little if it’s not in the meat.

It’s Monday Morning. Are you conformed to this world, without your salty goodness? Or are you a life-giving, life-preserving force to those around you? Wouldn’t this be a good week to get off the shelf, out of the shaker, and make a difference? Grace and peace be with you, salty Christian.

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Renewal

Posted on January 27, 2014 by themondayprayer

“Your cravings as a human animal do not become a prayer just because it is God whom you ask to attend to them.”
― Dag Hammarskjöld (1925-1961), Markings

PRAYER: (from the United Methodist Hymnal, #574)

Renew your church, Lord,
Your people in this land.
Save us from cheap words
And self-deception in your service.
In the power of your spirit
Transform us,
And shape us, by your Cross.

SCRIPTURES: (from the Lectionary)

Malachi 3:1-4
Hebrews 2:14-18
Luke 2:22-40
Psalm 84

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. (Psalm 84:11 NIV)

PRAYER FOCUS: Renewal

For those of us who live in the earth’s Northern hemisphere it’s winter. This season has been uncharacteristically severe. Lots of people are cold. Many are hungry. The days are short and the nights are long. We might wonder if it’s ever going to change.

But seasons are like that. One of the blessings of growing older is you’ve seen this cycle before. No matter how bad it gets in one season, you know it will pass and another season will come.

These are good times to pray. Maybe you’re feeling empty. Maybe the landscape of your life seems as bleak as the wintry landscape stretching out before you. If so, you’re in good company. Be still. Thank God for what he’s growing in you right now. Put roots down into the scriptures and seek the Lord there. Pray for the sustenance in this season that will carry you in the next one.

Our prayer for today comes from the United Methodist Hymnal. We pray for the Church’s renewal. Churches pass through seasons, too.

The link below is to a short video (2+30) with The Lord’s Prayer. Pray along with it. May God bless you in this season.

It’s Monday Morning. The days are already getting longer. We pray together for renewal.

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Loving the Mission

Posted on January 20, 2014 by themondayprayer

“There are, in the end, only two kinds of people: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, sadly, ‘thy will be done’.” —C. S. Lewis

PRAYER: (From the Lectionary)

“Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the Good News of His salvation, that we and the whole world may perceive the glory of His marvelous works, AMEN.”

SCRIPTURES: (from the Lectionary)

Isaiah 9:1-4
1 Corinthians 1:10-18
Matthew 4:12-23
Psalm 27:1, 5-13

And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him. (Matthew 4:18-20 NKJV)

PRAYER FOCUS: Loving the Mission

When evangelist John Wesley (1703-1791) was returning home from a service one night, he was robbed. The robber, however, found his victim to have only a little money and some Christian literature.

As the bandit was leaving, Wesley called out, “Stop! I have something more to give you.” The surprised man paused. “My friend,” said Wesley, “You may live to regret this sort of life. If you ever do, here’s something to remember: ‘The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin!’” The thief hurried away, and Wesley prayed that his words might bear fruit.

Years later, Wesley was greeting people after a Sunday service when he was approached by a stranger. What a surprise to learn that this visitor, now a believer in Christ as a successful businessman, was the one who had robbed him years before. “I owe it all to you,” said the transformed man. “Oh no, my friend,” Wesley exclaimed, “not to me, but to the precious blood of Christ that cleanses us from all sin!”

John Wesley rarely missed an opportunity, even as a random victim of crime, to proclaim the Good News.

In this week’s Lectionary Prayer we ask God to help us focus on answering the call of our Savior to proclaim the gospel message to all people—to the whole world. We are asking Father-God to help us accomplish His Church’s mission: to go and make disciples of all nations… (Matt. 28:19).

This week’s Lectionary Scriptures echo our Lord’s call to follow him.

Every follower of Jesus must be familiar with ministry, just as He was. Every church that claims to love and serve the Lord must be a place of mission. Ministry and the mission are inseparable; one flows naturally to the other. This is the principal aim of God’s Church on earth. It is why the Holy Spirit was given to us.

Healthy churches send people out on the mission to reach the lost. Healthy churches receive and minster to the lost people that are brought in.

John Wesley did both while being robbed.

Do you wonder what God wants from you? Go out and find his lost sheep; tell them the Good News. You probably don’t need to be a missionary to the earth’s remote corners to do that. The people in your life are not there by accident. Some of them are lost and hurting. Your witness is needed right where you are.

Are you feeling unloved or empty? Minister to someone. Don’t just tell them God loves them, do something that shows it. Your own love will be strengthened by the exercise. Each of us needs to be filled—and re-filled—with God’s love. If you pray for more love you will receive what you pray for. God Himself will help you love what He loves.

Remember that generations of Christian brothers and sisters have gone before you on this very path. They have left the way both well-worn and well-posted. You yourself are someone’s legacy. God will teach you to leave your comfort zone and step out into your calling.

It’s Monday Morning. Love your mission this week. Depend on God’s grace. Answer readily His call. Amen.

I, the Lord of sea and sky,
I have heard my people cry,
All who dwell in dark and sin
My hand will save.
I, who made the stars of night,
I will make their darkness bright.
Who will bear my light to them?
Whom shall I send?
Refrain: Here I am, Lord. Is it I Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if you lead me.
I will hold your people in my heart

(from the United Methodist Hymnal #593)

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The Slimy Pit

Posted on January 13, 2014 by themondayprayer

I was with God, and with the Devil – and God took me.
—Mario Sepúlveda, one of the 33 survivors of the 2010 Chilean mine cave-in.

PRAYER: (from the Lectionary)

“Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ’s glory, that he may be known, worshipped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.”

SCRIPTURES: (from the Lectionary)

Isaiah 49:1-7
1 Corinthians 1:1-9
John 1:29-42
Psalm 40:1-12

I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. (Psalm 40:1-3)

PRAYER FOCUS: The Slimy Pit

On 5 August 2010, a cave-in at the San Jose copper mine in Atacama, Chile, trapped 33 miners more than 2,300 feet (700 meters) underground. The survivors had 3 days’ worth of emergency food and water. They had no contact with the surface. They waited patiently for more than two weeks. They wrestled with fear and hopelessness. On the seventeenth day, a few hours after their rations had completely run out, a drill bore broke through.

Up on the surface, when the drill bit was extracted, the rescue team found a taped note that read, “Estamos bien en el refugio, los 33” (We are well in the shelter, the 33 of us).

The rescuers were overjoyed. The nation of Chile, along with more than one billion TV viewers worldwide, whose attentions—and prayers—had been focused on the trapped miners, breathed a collective sigh of relief.

The miners, most of whom were Roman Catholic, asked if Bibles, crucifixes, and rosaries could be sent down to them. Pope Benedict XVI sent each man a rosary. The men set up a makeshift chapel in the mine, and Mario Gómez, the eldest miner, led daily prayers and worship. One miner who had been living with his girlfriend for 25 years sent a note up asking her to marry him as soon as he was rescued.

Sixty-nine days after the cave-in, after a global effort, the 33rd miner emerged from the rescue shaft to cheers and tears of celebration all around the world. Chile’s president Sebastián Piñera declared, “All the bells of all the churches of Chile [will] ring out forcefully, with joy and hope. Faith has moved mountains.” The UK Daily Mail reported, “A deep religious faith powered this rescue; miners and families and rescuers alike believe their prayers were answered.”

Sooner or later we all find ourselves in the pit of despair. Maybe you’ve been disappointed by someone you trusted. Maybe you suffer from fatigue, or poor health, or actual depression. Or maybe you’ve just had a bad day/week/month and find yourself, in the Psalmist’s words, “in the slimy pit”.

David wrote the 40th Psalm. He had been in trouble before. He knew painful emotions. He could have written these words when King Saul drove him from the palace and hunted him, trying repeatedly to kill him. He might have written them when his own son, Absalom, tried to have him assassinated. Whatever it was, David’s grief was either brought on, or was aggravated, by his sin (v.12). David was far from perfect, and like us he had to suffer consequences of his mistakes.

David prayed—a lot. Most of David’s psalms are, in fact, prayers to his Father-God to rescue him from trouble, including this one. He knew he could trust God, because God had blessed him, God had saved him, many times before. David, imperfect as he was, had strong faith.

After praying, David waited patiently, which indicates the rescue didn’t come as quickly as he would have liked. And yet he has no doubt that the hoped-for, prayed-for help will come. Those who wait on the Lord may wait with assurance, but they must often wait with patience.

Christian, be assured that your Father-God will bring you up out of any rut, any pit, any depression or difficulty. He will set you on a new foundation. He will set before you new opportunities. He is the God of rescues and new beginnings. Not only will the Lord deliver you, but He will use your experience to bring others to Himself. He will put a new song in your mouth.

Deliverance from trouble confers on us a duty to proclaim God’s goodness. Where God has given a steadfast hope he expects our grateful reply. We have good reason to acknowledge, in thanks and praise, the riches of his grace. When we praise Him at this point, we are saying, “God, you did this—not me”.

And so, when trouble hits, thank God for the way He has delivered his children in the past, and know He will do the same for you. Remember that most people are inspired when they see someone overcome their times of testing. Remember also that we gain new understanding, greater wisdom and maturity as a result of our pit experiences.

It’s Monday Morning. It’s a new week. Thank God for it. Fresh mercies call for new songs. Sing a new one today!

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Epiphany

Posted on January 6, 2014 by themondayprayer

“Without the quest, there can be no epiphany.” ― Constantine E. Scaros, Reflections on a Simple Twist of Fate: Literature, Art and Parkinson’s Disease

“Sometimes the dreams that come true are the dreams you never even knew you had.” ― Alice Sebold, The Lovely Bones

PRAYER: (from the Lectionary)

“Almighty God, by the leading of a star You declared Your only Son to the peoples of the earth; lead us who know You now by faith, to Your Presence where we may see Your Glory face to face, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.”

SCRIPTURES: (from the Lectionary)

Isaiah 60:1-6
Ephesians 3:1-12
Matthew 2:1-12
Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we have observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” (Matthew 2:1-2 NIV)

PRAYER FOCUS: Epiphany

Epiphany is a great big word.

1. A Christian Festival, observed on January 6, commemorating the manifestation of Christ to the gentiles in the persons of the Magi, commencing after the 12th day of Christmastide.
2. A sudden, intuitive perception of, or insight into, the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple or commonplace occurrence or experience.

We think their names were Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthazar, although that is a church tradition and not written in the gospels. They came to Bethlehem via Jerusalem, looking for a newborn king who was mighty enough to have a star herald his arrival. Church tradition holds that there were three wise men, or Magi, but we’re not sure how many there were. Matthew describes them as astrologers from the east, probably Persia (modern day Iran), and that they were men of some means. We now call that encounter the Epiphany.

These wise men had made a dangerous journey across desert badlands, following a star that signaled the birth of a child of great promise. They stopped in Jerusalem to enquire, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?” The Magi knew nothing of Jewish faith or traditions, and they had no interest in King Herod’s subterfuge. They just knew it was important to follow that star. They came in search of an infant king, and they found him. But they also, quite unexpectedly, had a face to face encounter with the King of Kings. By following a great light, they had found the True Light.

We’re not talking about receiving an unexpected blessing, or a happy surprise along the way—that word is serendipity. It’s a good word, but insufficient for the amazing transaction that took place in Bethlehem. Serendipity implies a lack of intention or action on the part of the receiver. On the contrary, the Magi were quite intentional and determined.

What the Magi found so exceeded what they were looking for, that only God could be in the difference. And yet Epiphany was about more than just the Magi.

Remember what the angel proclaimed to the shepherds? “For behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

Remember as well Simeon’s words as he held the 40-day old infant Jesus in his arms, praising God, saying: “For my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”

Great joy for ALL the people. The singular implies every individual person. Salvation in the presence of ALL peoples. The plural here implies all the nations.

Simeon also praises God that the Messiah had come not only “for glory to your people Israel,” but also “as a light for revelation to the Gentiles.”

Thus, the Magi were the first Gentiles to acknowledge Jesus as King, and to worship Him as Lord. It means that Almighty God, El Elyon, the Adonai, was no longer the God of only the Hebrews, but was now the God of all people and all nations. God, in His loving grace and endless mercy, had stretched His reach beyond the Jewish people He had chosen to include the rest of humanity through his only begotten Son. These wise men—however many there were, and whatever their names—were the first to behold it.

They were amazed, overjoyed. And they bowed down before the Christ child and worshiped Him. Salvation had come to both Jew and Gentile. For God so loved the world.

Epiphany.

The message of the Magi is it doesn’t matter where you’ve been or what you used to worship. It does matter that you stay the course and pursue the Light. God’s gift of His Son, the Christ, is for you, too.

What star do you follow, Christian? Are you willing to cross desert badlands and stand before wicked rulers? Are you willing to follow wherever it leads you, and offer your best and finest gifts?

It’s Monday Morning. Today, this Epiphany, we pray that our Father-God would lead us by faith, into His Presence where we may see His Glory. Let it be so in this new year–pursue Him with intention. Follow His star.

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Our Time

Posted on December 30, 2013 by themondayprayer

“If we let ourselves, we shall always be waiting for some distraction or other to end before we can really get down to our work. The only people who achieve much are those who want knowledge so badly that they seek it while the conditions are still unfavorable. Favorable conditions never come.” –C. S. Lewis

PRAYER: (from the Lectionary)

“Almighty God, you have poured upon us the new light of your incarnate Word: Grant that this light, enkindled in our hearts, may shine forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.”

SCRIPTURE: Psalm 31

“My times are in your hands.” (Psalm 31:15).

PRAYER FOCUS: Our Time

In J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, Frodo the hobbit beholds his world, once bright and full of cheer, now being swallowed up by darkness, pain and fear. Adverse circumstances not of his choosing have forced him to confront a great evil. He and his friends must work, fight and sacrifice to overcome that evil. Frodo mourns, “I wish it need not have happened in my time.”

Gandalf the Grey replies wisely, “So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.” And then Gandalf reminds him, “There are other forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides the will of evil…”

Adversity has a way of doing that—making us wish for other, better, times. Hardship and pain challenge our sense of security. Like Frodo we look around and behold the dark peril of our walk through this world. We naturally seek to avoid such awful things. But despite our best efforts and intentions, sometimes trouble brings them upon us.

So how do we cope? Well, quite often we don’t. We seem to prefer escape and evasion to coping with and/or confronting trouble. Some people might escape into nostalgia, reliving times already past. Others might escape to the future, or at least their version of it, imagining things to come. Still others may distract themselves with electronic gadgets and “virtual” living. Then there are those who evade reality in the cloud of denial and depression, cloaking themselves in drugs and dangerous behaviors. Yet every one of these avoidances speaks to our longing for something more, something better.

Shouldn’t we pray for God to deliver us from hard times?

Good question. What does Scripture say?

Just before his crucifixion, Jesus prayed for his disciples. He did NOT pray that God would rescue them from the perils they would face. On the contrary, The Son petitioned the Father: “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one” (John 17:15).

Even though they, like Him, were no longer of this world, Jesus prayed that his followers would remain fully engaged in it. He prayed that they would have peace in the midst of adversity, that they would have hope in the face of hopelessness. Not peace through escape or evasion, and not for peaceful times. Rather, He prayed they would have a surpassing peace that exceeds human understanding. “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but take courage—I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

The times we live in and the troubles we live through are well known to our Father-God. The great 19th Century British evangelist Charles H. Spurgeon put it this way:

God considers our times, and thinks them over; with his heart and soul planning to do us good. That august mind, out of which all things spring, bows itself to us; and those eternal wings, which cover the universe, also brood over us and our household, and our daily wants and woes. Our God sits not still as a listless spectator of our griefs, suffering us to be drifted like waifs upon the waters of circumstance; but is busily occupying himself at all times for the defense and perfecting of his children. He leads us that he may bring us home to the place where his flock shall rest for ever.

This week’s Scripture is taken from a Psalm of David. “My times are in Your Hands” is a simple yet powerful confession of what is and ought to be. It says that Fate does not stalk you, Christian. It says that Karma is a faithless construct of deceit. It declares that Almighty God—your Eternal Creator, your Abba-Father, your Heavenly Dad—is in control. And it places your trust squarely in His loving Hands, where it belongs.

Yes, there are consequences, both for our sin and for our obedience. And yet we know that He works all things for good to those who love Him…according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

Please don’t give in to worry. Pastor Spurgeon reminds us, “Did you ever get any good by fretting? When there was not rain enough for your farm, did you ever fret a shower down? When there was too much wet, or you thought so, did you ever worry the clouds away? Tell me, did you ever make a sixpence by worrying? It is a very unprofitable business.”

Like Frodo and the other members of the Fellowship of the Ring, it is all too easy to look around and become discouraged by the troubles that face us daily. We long for another kind of world. But we are not to let that distract us from doing God’s work. Rather, our longing for what should be must compel us to live and to act for God and His Kingdom. Ministry is messy; it is costly and increasingly dangerous. And yet that is still our calling.

There are other forces at work in this world, Christian, besides the will of evil. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to be part of those “other forces”. We decide daily what to do with the time that God has given to us. One day soon we will each have to give an account for either our proclamation and action, or our silence and inaction.

Therefore, Praying People, turn to Father-God in prayer, not with a list of wants and demands, but with a confession. Tell Him what you feel and what you fear. Seek from Him what you need. Tell Him your times are in His Hands, and express your gratitude for that. Such a prayer of a few minutes is far more productive than years of complaining.

It’s Monday Morning. This week will close out the old year and begin a new one. It’s a good time to leave your worry behind. What will you do with a New Year that is given to you?

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Mary Did You Know?

Posted on December 25, 2013 by themondayprayer

Dear Friends and Family in Christ Jesus,

Grace and peace to you in the Name of the One we honor today. Thank you for celebrating with us. We pray God’s great blessings upon you this day, and also in the new year that is upon us.

We present to you this day a simple contemporary Christmas song and video performed by Christian Recording Group, KUTLESS: Mary Did You Know? (click on the link)

We wish you a very Merry Christmas. See you on Monday…

Mary, Did You Know?
(by Mark Lowry and Buddy Greene; lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.)

Mary, did you know
That your baby boy will one day walk on water?
Mary, did you know
That your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?
Did you know
That your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you’ve delivered
Will soon deliver you

Mary, did you know
That your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?
Mary, did you know
That your baby boy will calm a storm with His hand?
Did you know
That your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
And when you kiss your little baby
You’ve kissed the face of God

Mary, did you know?
The blind will see
The deaf will hear
And the dead will live again
The lame will leap
The dumb will speak
The praises of the Lamb

Mary, did you know
That your baby boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary, did you know
That your baby boy will one day rule the nations?
Did you know
That your baby boy is heaven’s perfect Lamb?
This sleeping child you’re holding
Is the Great I Am…

[TMP NOTE: The mosaic on the website header today was discovered and excavated at Cappadocia, Turkey, and is on display at the Chora Museum in Istanbul.]

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Making Room

Posted on December 23, 2013 by themondayprayer

I need a silent night, a holy night
To hear an angel voice through the chaos and the noise
I need a midnight clear, a little peace right here
To end this crazy day with a silent night
–Chorus to “I Need A Silent Night” by Christian Singer/Songwriter Amy Grant

PRAYER : (from the Lectionary)

O God, you make us glad by the yearly festival of the birth of your only Son Jesus Christ: Grant that we, who joyfully receive him as our Redeemer, may with sure confidence behold him when he comes to be our Judge; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

SCRIPTURES: (from the Lectionary)

Isaiah 9:2-7
Titus 2:11-14
Luke 2:1-20
Psalm 96

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” (Luke 2:8-14 KJV)

PRAYER FOCUS: Making a Place for Christ

As we enter the fourth and final week of Advent, the Lectionary presents us with one of the best-known passages in Scripture. To honor tradition, we give it in the King James Version. Most of us know it by heart; many of us can recite it from memory.

An angel appeared above the shepherds without warning. The glory of the Lord surrounded the angel and lit up the night with heavenly radiance. The poor shepherds were in what the military might call a position of disadvantage. Indeed, the Greek verb translated as “to come upon” has a distinct military connotation, similar to being overcome or overrun (by military force).

Modern Bible translations afford a muted emphasis to the shepherds’ reaction: “They were terrified” (NIV, NLT, ISV); “They were filled with fear” (ESV); “They were terribly frightened” (NASB, Amplified Bible). But the King James Version uses the strong expression, “They were sore afraid.”

This precise language appears only once again in the New Testament—at the Mount of Transfiguration, when Peter, James and John heard a mighty voice from a bright cloud that overshadowed them, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.” (Matt. 17:5-6, KJV).

However, the first thing the angel told the shepherds was not to fear. He had good news of great joy, for all people everywhere: The Savior, the long-awaited Christ, is born today, right over there in Bethlehem. And you have been chosen by Almighty God to be among the first to see the Messiah.

This was to be a sign for them: they would find the baby, not regally adorned in majesty or kingly splendor, but wrapped in grave cloth and lying in the most humble state you can imagine—a feeding trough for animals. Welcome to our world.

Are you struck by the contrast? The Son of God’s welcome stretched from a multitude (the very word suggests thousands) of heavenly, radiant angelic beings, to a stable in a third rate settlement, attended by a carpenter and a teenager, in the presence of shepherds. He was wrapped in the same kind of cloth commonly used to prepare the dead for burial. From Heaven’s First to Earth’s Last. Alpha to Omega.

What did they all have in common? They were, each in their own way, unlikely people chosen by God for an awesome role in history. Each of them received clear instructions from a credible messenger. They overcame their fear of both the messenger and the message. They set aside everything else they were doing and made room to do what they had been told. Mary said, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word” (Luke 1:38 KJV).

Where was everyone else? Well, it seems “there was no room for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:7). If the inhabitants of Bethlehem-Ephrata had only known…

Fast forward two thousand years. What about us? Are we so different? What room do we have for the Savior, the long-awaited Christ?

Christian apologist Thomas Merton wrote an essay in the early 1960’s entitled, “The Time of the End is the Time of No Room,” a reflection on the Nativity.

We live in the time of no room…the time when everyone is obsessed with lack of time, lack of space, with saving time, conquering space, projecting into time and space the anguish produced within them by the technological furies of size, volume, quantity, speed, number, price, power and acceleration.

Into this world, this demented inn, in which there is absolutely no room for him at all, Christ has come uninvited. But because he cannot be at home in it – because he is out of place in it, and yet must be in it – his place is with those others who do not belong, who are rejected because they are regarded as weak; and with those who are discredited, who are denied the status of persons, and are tortured, exterminated. With those for whom there is no room, Christ is present in this world. He is mysteriously present in those for whom there seems to be nothing but the world at its worst.

Merton argues that in our modern age, we have no room for nature, for quiet, for solitude, for thought. Because we have so many things competing for our attention, we have lost both our awareness and our appreciation of our fallen state. Further, there is no room for the presence of the Living Christ. And yet there should be.

There must be.

This, Christian, is why we have labored through this season of Advent. If we are to behold the glory of God, we need less noise and activity, more silence and stillness. We need to overcome our tendency to be “sore afraid” of a Holy God who reaches out to us, and put away our attitude of “no room” when the Son of Man knocks upon the door of our lives. Advent is about preparing a place in our hearts and minds where all is calm, all is bright.

It’s Monday Morning. This week we celebrate the birth of the Son of God. What room have you made for Him?

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6 KJV)

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