Jan 05
Happy New Year!
We will be picking back up with daily devotionals next Monday (January 12th, 2007). Until then, hope your first(?) week back at work, school, or home is blessed.
Grace and Peace,
The Mount Devotional Team
Author Archive
Dec 18
But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
Today’s playlist song is “The Company You Keep”, by the Waiting, from the album “Unfazed”. And the way Jesus chooses to hob-knob with sinners is the point of the song. What great love that Jesus would come for us, when we were still entrenched in sin. What greater love that the Spirit remains with us and Jesus continues to plead our case before the throne.
So while my dinner get done / I’m reading your history /You’ve got a reputation and all the people you see / Are a dangerous crowd they’re an unsavory sort / Though I can’t say it too loud I heard an evil report
That you call me your own / Never leave me alone / I think I should warn you / You’re getting in deep / With the company you keep
Lepers. Harlots. Tax-collectors. Samaritans. You. And Me. Are you astounded by the fact that Jesus would rub shoulders with you? That he would consider you a friend, even part of the family? I find that I can easily become accustomed to taking the relationship for granted - failing to realize that it is only the great love of God that could account for my standing before God.
Jesus hung out with sinners, the rejected, the diseased and hurting - but he didn’t do it to make them feel bad. Though he was direct about the seriousness of sin, he was accepting, forgiving and willing to offer his attention. When we fall short, the answer is not to sulk in our shame. It is to take hold of this great love and get back up again. Not “lifting ourselves up by our own bootstraps” - just trusting God’s promise to be with us and help us endure.
application
Do you have anyone that needs forgiveness from you? Not deserves it - needs it. Jesus said that if we would not forgive, we would not be forgiven. Have you done somethng recently that requires forgiveness? What will you do to make it right?
Dec 15
My God, my God / Why hast thou accepted me / You took my sin and wrapped me in / You robe and your ring / My God, my God / Why hast thou accepted me / It’s a mystery of mercy / And the song I sing
Today’s song bridges us from peace (last week’s topic) to love. This song is Andrew Peterson’s, from his album, “The Far Country”. It is moved along by Jesus word’s on the cross, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” - Matthew 27:45. It is wed with an understanding of forgiveness motivated by the story of the prodigal son. The verses of the song repeatedly remind us of Jesus’ actions of love and acceptance; the woman at the well, the judgemental religious leaders and the adulterous woman, the harlot, the lepers healed.
All of these speak of Jesus’ love. Jesus’ love allows us the chance to start anew. It puts us in right relationship with him so that we can live in a new way. It is not ignorant or silly, overlooking the seriousness of sin. Instead, it is powerful and directed, helping the sinner move from their sin and shame to godly action. The love and mercy God provides are not the fruits of our labor, something we worked to receive. They are something we did not deserve, but rather, something that we experience because Jesus has stood in our place.
So Jesus used this illustration: “If you had one hundred sheep, and one of them strayed away and was lost in the wilderness, wouldn’t you leave the ninety-nine others to go search for the lost one until you found it? And then you would joyfully carry it home on your shoulders. When you arrived, you would call to your friends and neighbors to rejoice with you because your lost sheep was found. In the same way, heaven will be happier over one lost sinner who returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!”
Luke spends a great amount of time expressing the joy of heaven at even a single sinner saved. It is the proof of God’s saving activity! But for us personally, it is the experience of his love. It is how we know that he really does love us. We get to experience the guilt removed, though sometimes the consequences remain. We get a whole new relationship with God, not just new start at living up to God’s perfect standard.
Mercy and forgiveness are the outpouring of love. They are something we must receive first. But it is not supposed to end there. Jesus demonstrates love so that we might explore its depths. We are now called to turn around and offer love to everyone we come into contact with. And that means showing forgiveness and mercy - sometimes when we least want to. But the more we follow Jesus in this way, the more our hearts will become like his.
prayer
Peace, mercy, love. Take some time today to simply thank God for sending Jesus. For loving us enough to bridge the gap we could not on our own. Then think of someone in your life who is hard to love, or maybe even hard to forgive: a parent, a coworker, a one-time friend? Pray for God to work in your heart. Then pray that this person would experience God’s mercy, love and presence. It’s hard to be cold to another person made in God’s image when we are praying that they would experience God’s love and presence!
Dec 11
Though we’re strangers, still I love you / I love you more than your mask / and you know you have to trust this to be true / and I know that’s much to ask / but lay down your fears, com and join this feast / He has called us here, you and me
Communion is a shared celebration. It reminds us that we are all brought together into one body, regardless of our background. Jesus has made peace between the nations! It is a feast that centers on him, and keeps us from focusing on ourselves. Yes, we are led to consider our faithfulness as we take the bread and the wine. But The focus need not be on our failing, but instead can be on Jesus’ provision of Himself.
So may peace rain down from Heaven / like little pieces of the sky / like those little keepers of the promise / falling on these souls this drought has dried / In His Blood and in His Body / In this Bread and in this Wine / Peace to you, Peace of Christ to you
Now, you may be asking yourself. What does communion have to do with my Christian faith? How does it help me in my daily walk? In our church, it is not something that is practiced as frequently as in some other Christian settings. But hopefully that makes our celebrations of communion more special in that they are more poignant reminders, times that stand out as we worship the lamb who was sacrificed for us. But we can remember the things that communion signifies each day. We can be reminded that Jesus’ body was broken for our peace. We can remember that his blood was enough to cover every sin that afflicts us. And we can also remember that God sent his son to save the whole world. To redeem people who hitherto were at odds with each other, people who would not be seen together, people who simply do not like each other. To make a new people united in him.
What would this do to our lives? What words might describe the life that understands the broken body, the spilled blood, the new nation? Love. Patience. Depth. Compassion. Unity. Peace. I love the play on words in this song, between peace and piece. The idea of peace coming down like the rain, drenching us, reminding us in our times of hardness and dryness that God is still there, he still unites us and teaches us how to love. It is a form of beauty, being able to see God’s provision and concern in everything - miraculous to mundane.
And though I love you still we’re strangers / prisoners in these lonely hearts / and though our blindness separates us / still His light shines in the dark / and His outstretched arms / are still strong enough to reach / behind these prison bars to set us free
For the second time in this song we are reminded of our isolation. Often, we can feel like strangers, even in the middle of a crowd. Even as we greet the congregation on Sunday morning our hearts might be distant. It could be the result of pain inflicted by another. Or it could just be dissatisfaction within our own hearts. Or it may be a result of barriers we have built up to protect ourselves from being hurt, or being challenged beyond our comfort level. The song encourages us to set these barriers to the side. Or rather, it pictures God himself reaching through the prison walls, the ones we have built up, to rescue us from ourselves.
Rich Mullins (on the album “A Liturgy, A Legacy and a Ragamuffin Band”) shares in this song a blessing. It is the hope that we would be more than strangers, that through Christ’s love we could recognize each other - see each other face to face. The result would be love! It would be shared meals and intertwined lives. It would be more like life, less like the day-to-day grind we so often experience. It would be harmony and joy. Read these words from the book of Colossians:
Since God chose you to be the holy people whom he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. You must make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. And the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love. Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are all called to live in peace. And always be thankful.
Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise. Use his words to teach and counsel each other. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through him to God the Father.
So we end today with the blessing of the chorus:
So may peace rain down from Heaven / like little pieces of the sky / like those little keepers of the promise / falling on these souls this drought has dried / In His Blood and in His Body / In this Bread and in this Wine / Peace to you, Peace of Christ to you
Dec 10
The orphan clings to Your hand / Singing the song of how he was found / The widow rejoices / For her oppressors are silenced now
You sit at the table with the wounded and the poor / You laugh and share stories with the thief and the whore / When you could just be silent and leave us here to die / Still, you sent your son for us / You are on our side
Bethany Dillon on “Waking Up”
This is not like God taking our side in a conflict or argument. In that case, we would do better to be on his side. This is God in all his glory coming and making peace with us. And not just the best and the brightest - the weak, the rejected, the outcast. It is God sending the son; it is the son willingly becoming weak, human like us; it is the Spirit filling up and making a new people; a people unified in Christ - with power in humility and strength in weakness.
Our culture is saturated with ideas of wealth and influence. Of happiness, pleasure, satisfaction, self-fulfillment. It’s all a big lie. But if we all believe it, then maybe we won’t figure out that we’re all miserable… Those who don’t have the stuff, the position, the upbringing are made to feel second-rate. They believe it. It becomes part of the way they think about themselves. Pleasure, happiness, hope, love all are far off thoughts. But Jesus shows up and offers more.
It’s not an offer of wealth and security. It’s not a promise of ease or comfort. But it is a promise of friendship, of community, of belonging. That’s the table symbol. A place at the table is a sign that there is openness. It is a sign of welcome. That is the kind of peace God offers.
And its the kind of community we are supposed to offer. Where all are welcomed because all are made one in Jesus - same Spirit, same Savior, same Lord. In this season, we are often reminded about the needs of prisoner’s children, children around the world, orphans, widows, the homeless… the list goes on and on. And I’m not pushing guilt that you aren’t doing enough. I’m just considering whether or not we are really prepared to be a community that opens itself up to those who are in need. It’s what God asks of us - stepping beyond our boundaries.
Lots of mixed thoughts today; I don’t mean to be disjointed. God wants to reveal himself to us. He wants to build us into a community. That’s the peace God offers. Let’s praise him because he initiated this peace. He’s the one who transforms us so that we can be a community. He understands us. Maybe better than we understand ourselves, if we are honest. And we don’t have to be the smartest, happiest, wealthiest, most outspoken…
Oh, how I praise the Lord. How I rejoice in God my savior!
For he took notice of his lowly servant girl and now generation after generation will call me blessed.
For he, the Mighty One, is holy, and he has done great things for me.
His mercy goes on from generation to generation, to all who fear him.
His mighty arm does tremendous things! How he scatters the proud and haughty ones!
He has taken princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly.
He has satisfied the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands.
And how he has helped his servant Israel! He has not forgotten his promise to be merciful.
For he has promised our ancestors - Abraham and his children - to be merciful to them forever.