By Monica Miller, a sophomore at Goshen College
Reprinted from Lenten Devotions DEVOTIONAL: Palm Sunday is approaching. The day the Messiah triumphantly rode into Jerusalem on a colt, the day the masses waved palm branches to usher him in, the day the city rejoiced at his coming. “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” they cried. The last time such infectious rejoicing was recorded was when the angels heralded Jesus’s birth. “Glory to God in the highest!” It was the beginning of something new. And indeed, this was something very new. One of the first things Jesus did when he arrived in Jerusalem was to overturn the tables in the temple, to refocus the people on the true meaning of worship: an earnest communion with God that transcends circumstances. Jesus could count with his fingers the number of days until his crucifixion, the ultimate expression of love and worship, and he saw a deep need for the people to re-center themselves on God. A monumental shift was imminent; an unprecedented transformation was about to completely redefine how God would relate to God’s people. God, Jesus, our high priest-king in the order of Melchizedek would lay himself down on the altar instead of our sacrifices. This single act upended the entire Jewish religious system: no more sacrifices, no more high priests, no more mediation between humans and God. Jesus knew exactly what his death and resurrection would entail, and he recognized that if the people weren’t truly communing with God, they wouldn’t have a clue of what had just happened. Life is unpredictable, and it’s easy for me to forget that in my everyday routine. Not if, but when the next big change broadsides me, will I suddenly realize I’ve drifted from the Center, or will my worship anchor me to the sovereign God?
0 Comments
By Rose Shetler, staff, Goshen College
Reprinted from Lenten Devotions DEVOTIONAL: It’s hard to imagine spring in the midst of winter. When sub-zero temperatures hold the landscape in a frigid grip, and snow falls again and again—often driven by fierce winds—the promise of spring seems remote and unreal. Yet the grains that are buried deep beneath the snow need this dormant time, this death, in order to sprout and reproduce themselves many times over in the warmth of spring. Jesus uses the metaphor of grain to capture the promise and victory of the resurrection. He was troubled about what must happen to him first. Yet he was obedient, knowing “it is for this reason that I have come to this hour,” and knowing his death and resurrection would glorify God and draw all people to himself. Because of Jesus, we too have victory over sin and death. Thanks be to God! Prayer: Dear Jesus, I praise you for giving me life. Help me die to my self-centeredness and understand more fully the mystery of your life within me. As with the wonder of seeds in springtime, help me lose my life to find it and so bear much fruit for your kingdom. Amen Song: In the bulb there is a flower In the bulb there is a flower; in the seed, an apple tree. In cocoons, a hidden promise: butterflies will soon be free! In the cold and snow of winter there’s a spring that waits to be, Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see. There’s a song in every silence, seeking word and melody. There’s a dawn in every darkness, bringing hope to you and me. From the past will come the future; what it holds, a mystery, Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see. In our end is our beginning; in our time, infinity. In our doubt there is believing; in our life, eternity. In our death, a resurrection; at the last, a victory, Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see. SCRIPTURE: John 12:20-33 (NRSV) Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor. “Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say—‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die. By Regina Shands Stoltzfus, assistant professor at Goshen College
Reprinted from Lenten Devotions DEVOTIONAL: In today’s passage, the writer of Hebrews reflects upon Jesus’ ‘days of flesh’ – his embodiment as human, capable of pain, capable of sorrow. Jesus chose to identify fully with humanity. Some years ago, I lived in an urban neighborhood that was beset by skunks every spring. For the most part, they were not too much of a nuisance – one learned to steer clear of them, and hoped that outdoor pets would do the same. However, one year we discovered a family taking up residence underneath our backyard deck. City animal control came and set no-kill traps in order to capture and release the critters elsewhere. One day after work I noticed a baby skunk had been trapped in the cage. The distressed mama skunk worriedly paced around the cage. Meanwhile, the rest of the litter came from beneath the deck to go to the mama skunk, which meant that she had to keep tending to them as well, sending them back to safety under the house. As a mama myself, I imagined the panic these creatures must have felt. I was struck by the mama skunk’s determination to not leave any of her babies, no matter the cost. Some may believe the so-called “lower” animals only operate by instinct, and are not capable of “human” emotions, like love and fear. It is a wonder that our God has chosen to enter into our human experience – love, fear, pain, sorrow – all of it. Through Jesus, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe knows intimately all that we can know. And loves us through it. SCRIPTURE: Hebrews 5:5-10 (NRSV) So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”; as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.” In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek. By Kathryn Schmidt, adjunct professor at Goshen College
Reprinted from Lenten Devotions DEVOTIONAL: Here we have two very useful “morning after” Psalms. Take these with a glass of water and some Advil. Maybe some tears and a nap. David’s raw, painful words are so human. David, beloved of God, knew what it was like to screw up. Royally. To be honest, I used to detest David for his stupidity, for the way he treated Bathsheba and had her husband killed. I couldn’t believe that he could still be so precious to God. I thought he should have been banished, out of the public eye and especially out of God’s favor. I think I’m beginning to understand why he and these words are so precious to God. These Psalms are what real relationship is all about. God wants us – more of us – all of the time. No matter what we do. God wants us to come back ‘prodigal son’ style and we will be welcomed with open arms. God wants us to cry out, to utter these words, or our own version of them, because that means we are in relationship. For many of us, when we make a mistake, we have the opposite approach: to run away. To cover up like Adam and Eve in the garden, to hightail it in the opposite direction like Jonah did. But in these Psalms, David is running straight into God’s arms. Over, and over again. And God’s response? Love. Over, and over again. SCRIPTURE: Psalm 51:1-12 (NRSV) Prayer for Cleansing and Pardon To the leader. A Psalm of David, when the prophet Nathan came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgement. Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me. You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit. SCRIPTURE: Psalm 119:9-16 (11) (NRSV) How can young people keep their way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you; do not let me stray from your commandments. I treasure your word in my heart, so that I may not sin against you. Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes. With my lips I declare all the ordinances of your mouth. I delight in the way of your decrees as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts, and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word. I treasure your word in my heart, so that I may not sin against you. By Jonathon Schramm, assistant professor at Goshen College
Reprinted from Lenten Devotions DEVOTIONAL: Today’s passage has always been a high point of the Old Testament for me, presaging in many ways the good news delivered by Jesus in the Beatitudes. Like me, have you ever wondered what it will take for humanity to “cease its warring madness” rather than descend into yet another conflict? To live in harmony and partnership with the rest of the Creation rather than at odds with and exploiting our fellow creatures? For your own life to be marked by contentment, joy and righteousness rather than anxiety and what-ifs? If so, then this passage is for you! As with Jesus’ reassurances in the Beatitudes, Jeremiah’s striking prophecy here assures us that the Lord is already in the process of bringing holistic righteousness to all of the earth – a new time is coming! This time, unlike that marked by the brokenness that we all know too well, will be full of the knowledge of the Lord. That knowledge will be written on our very heart, and on all of our hearts. The time of teaching and training, chastising and molding each other will be over. All of us, “from the least to the greatest,” will simply live in God’s righteousness and grace as fish live in water. Faithful living will no longer be a struggle, no longer something that we succeed in accomplishing only sometimes. We will finally be complete humans, ready to live in God’s image and as faithful spouses to the One whose own power and grace makes it possible. Thanks be to God! SCRIPTURE: Jeremiah 31:31-34 (NRSV) A New Covenant The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, ‘Know the Lord’, for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more. By Luke Gascho, director of Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center at Goshen College
Reprinted from Lenten Devotions DEVOTIONAL: Have you ever saved a phone message from a special person because you want to listen to it again in the future? Do you have any handwritten notes from close friend that you keep in special box or folder? Have you sought out a speaker for a personal conversation after hearing an inspiring seminar? What symbols, photos, objects or icons do you keep within sight at your desk because they represent a special experience or person?In each of these cases there is a message that is a treasure with great meaning for you. The message resonates with the core of your being. You don’t want to let it go. You want to be reminded of a relationship that moves your heart and mind. A well-spoken word from a close friend is cherished. God through Christ offers these kinds of messages to us. The messages are powerful and loving, but they are not static. They call us to move into new frames of being. The scriptures for this week tell us that change is afoot. Something new is emerging for those who seek. So, how do we get to the new? The following actions named in the texts are all part of bringing about inner transformation.
Let Christ’s actions mold and shape the core of our being. May the message of God’s love and grace be engraved in our hearts. The one who is gentle in spirit will renew us from the inside out and form an amazing upside down newness. By Jo-Ann Brant, Goshen College professor
Reprinted from Lenten Devotions DEVOTIONAL: As we approach Easter and recognize the necessity of Jesus’ death and celebrate his resurrection, I must take care to wear my Easter bonnet rather than my doctoral cap when I read passages such as John 3:14-21. With my trained eye, I spot the elegant series of proofs that first provide an analogy and God’s motive to explain how Jesus’ death is a life-giving event and then a description of the character of those who cannot believe. With my Easter faith, my fear of death slides off as easily as worn out shoes, the burden of past failings is lifted off my shoulder, and I put on those crisp, clean, new clothes that represent my life in Christ, those clothes that I want to parade about and show the world. I want to come out into the light and proclaim my trust in God’s love. This Easter, as I ponder Jesus’ words, I plan to treat each step of preparation, from preparing the Easter egg hunt for my little neighbors to dressing for church, as an expression of celebration of my share in eternal life. Jesus does not speak explicitly of the Church in John’s Gospel, but right before this passage he describes being born anew through water and spirit (3:5), an allusion to Christian baptism. When I walk through the door of the Church on Easter morning and proclaim, “Christ has risen,” I know that I will be standing within the resurrected body of Christ. SCRIPTURE: John 3:14-21 (NRSV) And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.” By Abby Deaton, a senior at Goshen College
Reprinted from Lenten Devotions DEVOTIONAL: We really were doomed from the beginning. We were born imperfect. From the moment we were born, we had no chance of being free of sin. But we were also born with purpose. We are “made for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.” So we were created with the reality that we will sin, but with the possibility that we will do good. This would most certainly qualify for the “upside down kingdom” that this lenten season is about. During Lent, we are very intentional about focusing on our sins. We spend time repenting, we give up vices, we contemplate our imperfections and how that all relates to Jesus dying for our sins. The challenge that I am faced with in that is that I frequently dwell on my imperfections. It is very easy for me to get caught up in what I’ve done wrong or on how I have mistreated others or myself. In doing so, I often forget the big picture of what my life is truly about. It is important to recognize our faults and to work to become better, but that doesn’t mean we should dwell on all of our sins. We need to learn and grow from our mistakes and take what we have learned to better the world. That is how we are meant to spend our time and energy. God has already forgiven us. God has always forgiven us. From the moment we were born, we were forgiven because that is the gift of God’s grace. Lent is our spring cleaning. It is the time to see what bad behaviors we’ve accumulated and take the time to do away with those sins. It’s the time for grace. It’s the time to forgive and move on. It’s the time to learn and grow. It’s the time to refocus. We have good works to do. So let’s get to it. SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 2:1-10 (NRSV) From Death to Life You were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life. By Ross Peterson Veatch, Goshen College associate vice-president
Reprinted from Lenten Devotions DEVOTIONAL: In his commentary on today’s passages, James Waltner writes that this psalm “exalts the steadfast love of the Lord as the creative rule that spawns new beginnings.” In my early twenties I was diagnosed with a heart disease that I inherited from my mother’s side of the family. The disease has taken both my grandmother and a first cousin – both before they reached 41. The key complication of our “family illness” is sudden death. I had been examined twice before, but had been given a clean bill of health by two different doctors. By the time I was diagnosed, my mother and my older sister were both experiencing enough symptoms that they were being fitted for pacemakers. We don’t deserve to suffer, but we can’t avoid it. Affliction comes whether we deserve it or not. My life began again. While I did not dwell on it, I was faced with the possibility that I might not make 41. Even though I was not put on medication or dietary restrictions, I began to be more careful in my choices, and my world began to shrink. I have always had an abiding sense that God will provide for me, but I began to fear unknowns in a new way. I spent a great deal of energy worrying and fearing and praying. God’s steadfast love is the creative rule that spawns new beginnings. At 35 I participated in a research study to assess my risk of sudden death and was told I had such a low risk it should not concern me. I awoke to a new day. It was as if God had answered my prayers by creating in me the kernel of a new world. God set my heart on this: my disease is real, but my fear is a choice. In your life, you may not have the kind of dramatic awakening I had, and I pray that if you do, it might be for a healthier reason than mine. But either way, God’s steadfast love is always there for you, the kernel of a new world, the foundation of a new beginning. SCRIPTURE: Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22 (NRSV) O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, those he redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. Some were sick through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities endured affliction; they loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress; he sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from destruction. Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind. And let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices, and tell of his deeds with songs of joy. By Paul Keim, professor at Goshen College
Reprinted from Lenten Devotions DEVOTIONAL: Had Jesus not used the image of the serpent in the wilderness as a metaphor of the resurrection (John 3:14-15), Christians may have been inclined to neglect the story entirely. In this story, Moses fashions a glittering saraph and lifts it up with a pole so that the impatient people, plagued by poisonous snakes, can look and be healed. This act evokes disturbing images of ancient animal worship and magical healing rites. The report that king Hezekiah eventually destroys Nehushtan as an idolatrous object (2 Kings 18:4), despite its Mosaic provenance, confirms our ambivalence and turns our assumptions about the way God works topsy turvy. Even if God is pure spirit (belied by a host of biblical metaphors), our encounters with the holy are always physical. We touch the divine through the mundane – sensing the boundless tangibility of the cosmos, straining against the limitations of timing and spacing. We create shrines wherever our awe is especially intense and stock them with ritual objects that help us focus our attention, deepen our reflection and reconstitute our commonality. We throw our bodies into worship and service, inspired and sustained by those precious accoutrements of religious devotion. Like Job, we bear our vexation and our vindication in the flesh. Beloved, do not despise the earth or any earthly thing, least of all each other. We are not just vessels containing a divine spark, we are creatures (‘adam) taken from and returned to the life-giving soil (‘adamah). The bodily resurrection of Jesus would make little sense to a disembodied race. So lift up the bronze serpent. And lift each other up, as that precious, broken body was lifted, lowered, raised. SCRIPTURE: Numbers 21:4-9 (NRSV) From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient on the way. The people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food.” Then the Lord sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord to take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.” So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live. |
Chad Hill
Pastor, Allen-Lee CategoriesArchives
April 2015
|