What My Faith Means to Me. by Mason Lightfoot

Mason Lightfoot's essay on 'Jesus and My Faith' is today's devotion:

What does my faith mean to me?

Mason Lightfoot

Bible Verse, Deuteronomy 3.16 – Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD you God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.

My faith is important to me in such ways that I know I will always have the Lord by my side in and all I do. I know the Lord will help me with my every day choices. With that I hope and pray that I make the right decisions even when my parents or other adults are not around.

I will ask him to guide me through my high school years to become the citizen I know I can be. I know there will be times I may not do exactly what I should, but I know in prayer I will be forgiven as long as I am truly sorry.

In the recent world events one might question our Lord’s doings but I know he is right next to me and my family to help us through these challenges. As I am writing this I hope and pray that I have and will be a good disciple and teach others of the Lord’s wonderful doings.

I am excited to become a larger part of the church family and will do my best to continue my faith.

Mason Lightfoot 2020

Me and My Faith - Annie Cummer

As far back as I can recall, I have asked each confirmand to write an essay around the topic: “Jesus and My Faith,.” At St. Paul this year we have three young adults who will affirm their faith in Jesus. The next three posts will be from each of our confirmands.

Me and My Faith

Annie Cummer 

"Thus says the LORD: 'Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find the rest of your souls.' "Jeremiah 6.16

           “Believing in something even though it cannot be seen." Faith, for me, is something I find really hard to define, but over the years I've come up with this definition to help me understand it more. Growing up I've always been a part of the church. Not knowing any different having faith has always been a part of me whether I had to think about it or not, so I've never really bothered finding a definition for it. For me faith is knowing that the people I love will always be taken care of. God can take care of the people I love through many things like things they like, me, people around them. If God can work through me to make others happy or feel loved, then I feel happy.    Faith can work in many was, whether it's through big or small thing or things we may or may not be able to see. Faith could be opening a door for someone, or even sitting by someone in lunch when they are alone. Faith for me is God working through you to help others and make them happy. The smallest act of kindness could make someone's day so much better. Not judging people for who they are is another I see faith in people. In a world with millions of different opinions it's very easy to get mad and not listen to one another. I might say that "I think clothes are genderless," and someone could a completely opposite opinion than me and that is completely fines as long as we respect everyone as who they are with their own opinions and personalities. In conclusion, to me faith is God working through me and others to show the people around us kindness and acceptance.

On Keeping the Sabbath

"And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field to its very border, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest; you shall leave them for the poor and for the stranger: I am the LORD your God." Leviticus 23:22 (RSV)

On a sabbath, while he was going through the grainfields, his disciples plucked and ate some heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands. But some of the Pharisees said, "Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the sabbath?" And Jesus answered, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God, and took and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those with him?" And he said to them, "The Son of man is lord of the sabbath." Luke 6:1–5 (RSV)

At first glance, one might think that the Pharisees were upset that the disciples had stolen grain from the local farmers. Here in Iowa, if folk came along and harvested a few rows of corn from someone else's field, we would not think kindly on it.

According to Moses's Law, a landowner was expected to leave some of his crop standing so the poor and stranger might have food. The disciples were doing nothing wrong by taking the grain. The Pharisees were concerned that they were 'harvesting' and 'milling' the grain on the Sabbath.

God had given the Sabbath to us as a day of holy rest and worship. The Pharisees were very clear on how they felt about the Law of God. It was to be kept in every possible detail and way. They searched out the tiniest infraction of the Law and forbade the error. As far as the Pharisees were concerned, it was far better for the disciples to go hungry rather than profane the Sabbath.

The Pharisees felt well within their bounds, chastising Jesus for this sloppy care of the Sabbath. Jesus reminded them that the Lord of the Sabbath. As the Sabbath's Lord, Jesus knew how best to honor and keep the day.

In their zeal to protect the Sabbath, they had forgotten the purpose of the Sabbath. When He had finished all His work in creation, God hallowed the seventh day by His rest, His Sabbath. The word 'sabbath' means 'to rest.' God gave us a day in which we might rest as He did when His labors were done. The Father desires His Children to have the time to be renewed through physical rest.

It was learned early on that our Sabbath rest provided time to bless our Father, sing praises to Him, and to be fed with His Word. Luther is clear that our Sabbath is when we can 'gladly hear and learn' God's Word. Hearing and receiving the Word is the perfect rest we can have. The peace and grace of the Word gives our weary souls the rest they must have.

Obsessing over the minutia of sabbath keeping distracts everyone from the gift of the Sabbath, the Word of God, and the rest we find in it. We ought not turn the Sabbath into something to be endured instead of the life-giving rest the Father intended it to be.

Breaking Bread with Levi

After this he went out, and saw a tax collector, named Levi, sitting at the tax office; and he said to him, "Follow me." And he left everything, and rose and followed him.

And Levi made him a great feast in his house; and there was a large company of tax collectors and others sitting at table with them. And the Pharisees and their scribes murmured against his disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" And Jesus answered them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Luke 5:27–32 (RSV)

Levi, Matthew, as we know him, could probably not recall the last time he broke bread with a rabbi, scribe, or Pharisee. Once he sat down at the tax office, no one of the Temple or synagogue would regard him as a faithful Jew. He was an irredeemable sinner. Nothing he could do would change that fact.

Levi's friends were those who, like he, had been judged as sinners, beyond mercy, none worthy of even a visit to warn them of their sinful ways. They were abandoned, cut off from family, Temple worship, and the right to sit at table with decent folk.

Perhaps at first, the rejection stung, the accusations dug deep into his soul, the anger and hate in their eyes nearly caused him to turn away from the detested Romans. In time, the sting grew less, his soul hardened, and he no longer cared if they approved of him or not.

Levi may have clung to his faith in God for a time, but as those who claimed they served God became increasingly bitter toward Levi, that too went away. He could pass the days sitting at his tax office, recording the sums for Caesar and skimming his cut off the top. Perhaps the notion of God drifted through his consciousness, from time to time, but it did not linger.

Jesus had just healed a leper and a man who was paralyzed and left the home where the last miracle had taken place. Not far from the house of healing, Jesus saw Levi sitting at his tax office. If Levi saw Jesus, he probably expected another lecture on living a righteous life. He has heard so many over the years. What possible difference would one more make?

There was no sermon that day—no scolding or warning of dire things to come if he didn't change his ways. 'Follow me,' that was all, not a syllable more as Jesus passed by Levi and his tax office. It may have taken Levi a few moments to recover. He had not expected this in his wildest dreams. Nor could he have imagined what he would do; he left everything (St. Luke is quite clear about this) and followed Jesus.

Levi held a great feast at his home. All his sinner friends joined him as they enjoyed the evening. Levi was still marveling that he had left everything to follow Jesus. Then Jesus picked up a loaf of bread, blessed it, broke it, and handed it to Levi.

For the first time in who knows how long, someone of God broke bread with him. Levi would never go back to his tax office. He would leave his home and go where ever Jesus went. No one is ever outside the grace and mercy of God.

No one is so vile and low that the Son of God would not break bread with him. Jesus will give His life for Levi, the scribes and Pharisees, for us all. He will do this so we may break bread with Him in His Kingdom.

On one of those days, as he was teaching, there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was with him to heal. And behold, men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they sought to bring him in and lay him before Jesus; but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus. And when he saw their faith he said, "Man, your sins are forgiven you." And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, "Who is this that speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God only?" When Jesus perceived their questionings, he answered them, "Why do you question in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Rise and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins"—he said to the man who was paralyzed—"I say to you, rise, take up your bed and go home." And immediately he rose before them, and took up that on which he lay, and went home, glorifying God. And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, "We have seen strange things today."

The scribes and Pharisees had come to hear Jesus teach. St. Luke notes that they came 'from every village of Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem;'. They weren't necessarily a hostile crowd. They may have genuinely desired to be taught by Jesus.

God provides lessons when we least expect them. So He did for the scribes and Pharisees that day as they sat around listening to Jesus. As the men bringing the paralyzed man to Jesus could find no way to get close, they took a completely unexpected path. Up to the roof, they were clearing away enough roof tiles to allow them to lower the man right down in front of Jesus. Their faith wasn't going to be stopped by a mere roof. They had to get their charge to Jesus.

Imagine the thoughts racing through the mind of the paralyzed man as his friends lifted him onto the roof, tore through the tiles, and lowered him down. There is no record of what he may have said, but his trust in the ones who carried him to the roof and let him down before Jesus did not waver.

St. Luke makes certain that Jesus saw their faith, not their determination or drive, but their faith that if they could get to Jesus, the man would be healed. Jesus could see that they had a trust in Him that would not give up or quit until they got to Jesus.

'Man, your sins are forgiven you.' caused a stirring in the crowd as they whispered to one another. They questioned back and forth, 'He is blaspheming! Who but God can forgive sins?' Those were the right questions to ask, who can forgive sins, save God alone.

No sane pastor stands before their congregation, announcing, "By my authority, I forgive you all your sins.' Forgiveness comes only from the Father, who unbinds and restores the sinner. They asked the right questions; they just could not connect the dots between God the Father and Jesus standing before them.

'Which is easier,' Jesus asks, 'to say your sins are forgiven or get up and walk?' Which miracle comes from God? It is true, God alone can forgive sins. But where do you think the authority to heal a man who is paralyzed comes? Which is easier? In truth, neither is easy apart from the power and authority of God.

The man walked home, forgiven, and healed, for they are the same in the economy of God. Jesus' words carried the same power that called the creation into being.

St. Luke notes that amazement swept them all. They praised God for what they had seen, and with voices trembling with awe, they confessed the most critical lesson they had ever had. Strange things?, strange only as long as one resists the truth that Jesus is the Son of God.

The Value of the Gospel

And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, bound in the Spirit, not knowing what shall befall me there; except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may accomplish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that all you among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom will see my face no more. Acts 20:22–25 (RSV)

St. Paul is saying farewell to the churches he has helped found and nurture. His last journey to Jerusalem is before him. He has labored for years to spread the Gospel. As people found joy and peace in the Word of God, resistance continued to grow.

St. Paul endured threats, abuse, beatings, and attacks on behalf of the Word. The Gospel's opponents did not stop at St. Paul; they went after the believers who had come to Christ through his preaching.

A crisis point had come, and St. Paul was going to Jerusalem to face those who wanted the Church destroyed. He was going in an attempt to reconcile the Temple with the Church. Regardless of what lay before him, St. Paul was determined to go to Jerusalem.

He had been the Church's bitterest foe. His encounter with the Risen Lord Jesus changed him. St. Paul knew he was facing suffering for Christ. He was willing to bear all things, even death, for Jesus and His Church.

We belong to Christ, as does St. Paul. We are charged with preaching and living the Gospel. We may face challenges to the Gospel. Could we do as he did? The possibility of his life being forfeit for his witness to our Lord was a daily reality. Will we bear our cross as did St. Paul?

St. Paul's love for his Lord, the Church, and the Gospel was worth his life, for in Christ, he had found his life.

On Language

And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is an unrighteous world among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the cycle of nature, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by humankind, but no human being can tame the tongue—a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brethren, this ought not to be so. James 3:6–10 (RSV)

Language is a gift. It is a treasure beyond all other treasures of the earth. People who have been dust for thousands of years still speak in lands and to peoples they scarce could have imagined. When we add music to language, it can express the depths of human emotions. Language can build empires, sustaining them year upon year. It can also bring to ruin all that generations have labored build.

Who could count the words they have spoken in a lifetime? Of those words, how many have been a blessing, how many an evil inflicted on others? St. James grasped a powerful truth about us, we humans, for we use our tongues to bless and curse. We offer praise to God and destroy our neighbor with the same tongue. Words offered in worship and prayer on Sunday are undone by the words that spew from our lips on Monday. As James wrote, 'My brethren, this ought not to be so." Our Lord Jesus did not waste His words. He spoke what needed to be spoken. Words did not cascade from His mouth, harming any who got in His way. When He spoke, it was to lead us to blessing and redemption.

We live in a time unlike any other in the history of human speech. Words wash over us each day in a flood that would have rendered our ancestors dumfounded. Of the tens of thousands of words surrounding us each day, how many are of any blessing? Can we say that we treasure a tenth of the words we say and hear in a given day?

God, by His Word, called all things into being has given language and speech responsibility. This greatest of all His gifts must be used to give God our Father glory, bring blessing to our neighbors, and cast beauty over all the Father's creation.

On Lonely Places

And when it was day he departed and went into a lonely place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them; but he said to them, "I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose." And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea. Luke 4:42–44 (RSV)

The verses just before these give the impression that Jesus was up far into the night, preaching, healing, and casting out demons. When the word gets out that someone can heal diseases and cast out demons, people come from every point of the compass. They are often desperate, having tried every other resource available. They come to Jesus hoping against hope that perhaps, just perhaps, the stories are true, Jesus can do something.

When the dawn finally broke, and there was no more to heal, no demons to cast out, Jesus sought a lonely place. Jesus often found a lonely place, far from the excitement, there He could let all the suffering and sorrow He had touched in recent hours no longer bear down on Him. Time and again, Jesus sought a lonely place and only have it for a time. Then the crowds would find Him, and the healing and casting out would start all over.

I wonder how often Jesus was weary, tired to the point of exhaustion, when the crowds sought Him out, taking from Him the quiet, lonely place He needed? Human flesh can endure much when it is required. We can go beyond what we thought possible. Still, we all reach the point where we can go no further. We must stop.

Jesus went on because of the strength of the relationship He had with His Father. The love, mercy, and strength that flowed from the Father to Jesus lifted His weary heart and soul. In the strength of the Father's grace, Jesus could go on.

The latest statistics I have seen indicate that about 30% of new pastors leave the ministry within five years of taking their first call. There are various reasons for this number, but I suspect that personal stress is more than they could bear.

Pastors who continue in their call do so because they are confident that God the Father is there for them. They are convinced that He will sustain them in all the places that their call takes them. Pray for your pastor, ask the Father to guide and sustain them as He did Jesus. Your prayers will do more than anything you can imagine in helping your pastor fulfill their call.

On Redemption

 And he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the sabbath; and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word was with authority. And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon; and he cried out with a loud voice, "Ah! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God." But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent, and come out of him!" And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. And they were all amazed and said to one another, "What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out." And reports of him went out into every place in the surrounding region. Luke 4:31–37 (RSV)

Demons and unclean spirits have no trouble recognizing Jesus. Often when Jesus encountered a person possessed by a demon(s), as He cast them out, they cried out in fear as they are clear about who Jesus is. Even before Jesus utters a word, they cry out, begging Jesus not to destroy them. Yes, those gathered in the synagogue that Sabbath were amazed, but not enough to let themselves believe what the demons knew.

It is a curious thing, that though the demons beg Jesus not to harm them, with one exception, Luke 8.26-33, Jesus lets the demons depart. The Father does not destroy the serpent who beguiled Eve in the Garden. At first, one wonders why God doesn't destroy those who are hateful of God. Why does the Father allow the evil one and his minions to exist?

It is what we would do if we had the power over our enemies. We would undo them as far as our ability allowed. We would justify it, convince ourselves that 'they had it coming,' and the world is a better place without them. This has been the pattern throughout the ages, humans destroying other humans, often for the crime of not being us.

The Father stays His hand, for even the devil and his angels are still creatures of the Father. They are in rebellion against the Father. They wish to be God, and that lust has driven them beyond madness. They see evil as good and good as evil. They delude themselves so that they can believe that they will one day rule all things.

The Father still has mercy in His heart for the demons as He does for you and I. It is the Father's purpose to redeem all creation:   for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in travail together until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. Romans 8:20–23 (RSV)

The whole creation longs for its redemption; even the evil one can be redeemed should he give up mad longing to be God. He too, could learn of the Father's love and mercy. Thanks be to God that He does not judge us according to our thoughts, words, and deeds. Thanks be to God that He has given His Son to be the Savior of all creation.

In Your Hearing

 And he (Jesus) came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up; and he went to the synagogue, as his custom was, on the sabbath day. And he stood up to read; and there was given to him the book of the prophet Isaiah. He opened the book and found the place where it was written,

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives

and recovering of sight to the blind,

to set at liberty those who are oppressed,

to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."

And he closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." Luke 4:16–21 (RSV)

It is the right of every adult Jewish man to read on comment on the Scriptures. Thus it was not out of the ordinary that Jesus should be invited to read and comment on God's Word. An attendant gave Him a reading from the Prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 61.1-2), and by design or coincidence, the passage described Jesus' purpose.

St. Luke records that the attention of all in the synagogue was fixed on Jesus. What would He say? Rumors had come to Nazareth by way of Capernaum. Stories of miracles, profound preaching, even demons cast out trembling in terror at Jesus' presence.

'Today,' not some future time nor in some forgotten past, but today, you have heard the fulfillment of what the Father promised through the Prophet Isaiah. All that you have heard that you will hear and the many things are done that gives glory to the Father is all fulfillment of the Father's promises.

Today, there is no more time for waiting, speculating, anticipating what the Father might do when the Messiah comes. The Word you have heard throughout your lives now demands more than attention. It requires a response. Today what was once just an idea has now come in all its fullness.

'In your hearing,' this is a personal Word to you. It is speaking to your hearts, your souls. It will not be ignored, now or ever. The Father has spoken through the prophets; now He speaks through His Son. More than this, the Word is alive. It will never be mere words on a scroll or a thin page in a book.

Father Anthony Bloom writes that every encounter with God, either through the Word, the Holy Sacraments, or the awakening to the Divine presence, is a moment of judgment. We trust the Word we have heard and receive, following Jesus where He may lead, or we refuse to think that the fulfillment of Scripture applies to us at all.

Today, the Scripture is fulfilled in our hearing. Now that we have heard it, seen it, tasted, and touched it, will we follow the Word made Flesh?

On Temptation

And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit for forty days in the wilderness, tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing in those days; and when they were ended, he was hungry. The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread." And Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone.' " And the devil took him up, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, "To you I will give all this authority and their glory; for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it shall all be yours." And Jesus answered him, "It is written,

'You shall worship the Lord your God,

and him only shall you serve.' "

And he took him to Jerusalem, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here; for it is written,

'He will give his angels charge of you, to guard you,'

and

'On their hands they will bear you up,

lest you strike your foot against a stone.' "

And Jesus answered him, "It is said, 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God.' " And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time. Luke 4:1–13 (RSV)

There is much to be learned in this passage of Luke's Gospel. Before His ministry begins, Jesus is led into the cauldron of the evil one's temptations. The devil does not attack right away. He bides his time, looking for the moment when his wiles can have the most effect.

He begins with the most wicked and vile weapon in his arsenal, 'if'. We think the devil prefers horrific attacks, nightmarish visions of evil that terrorize his victim. No, the evil one comes quietly, almost gentle, even concerned for Jesus' welfare.

Jesus has fasted for forty days, and as Luke correctly notes, 'and when they were ended, He was hungry.' The devil draws his weapon to go at Jesus where His physical body is weak. 'If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.' Jesus' hunger was real. Jesus has the power to make a stone into bread. It would not be a sin to do so. The danger lies in the 'if'.

The devil wants to lead Jesus to doubt the Father. As he did to Eve in the Garden, the devil seeks to draw attention from God to nearly anything else. To paraphrase C. S. Lewis: 'A sandwich is better than murder if it draws a Christian from God.' The evil one wants Jesus to forget HIs Father and doubt the Father truly cares and acts apart from God.

Jesus will not succumb to the wiles of the devil. Jesus does not give up His trust in the Father regardless of the temptation the father of lies puts before Him. Luke notes that the devil ended his temptations until an opportune time.' The devil does not quit. He waits until the moment is right to try again.

That 'opportune time' will come when Jesus is at Gethsemane. He struggles with what lies before Him as He seeks to do the Father's will. Jesus asks for another way. Still, Jesus seeks to do the Father's will. The final temptation comes as Jesus is dying on the cross. Voices all around, mocking Jesus, cry out, 'Come down from the cross and we will believe you!'

'Come down, let the pain end, show everyone your divine power, cast fear into the hearts of even the Romans.' You can hear the echo of 'if' in those taunts. The cruelest thing the devil can do is to cause doubt in the heart about the Father's faithfulness.

Jesus would not surrender to the 'if'. He would keep His trust in the Father's will. Jesus would die on the cross, be laid in a tomb, and rise in three days. In those days, in that 'opportune time,' the schemes of the devil are shattered. His lies are dismissed forever, and Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life for all who believe.

On Christian Growth

Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, well versed in the scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue; but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him and expounded to him the way of God more accurately. And when he wished to cross to Achaia, the brethren encouraged him, and wrote to the disciples to receive him. When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed, for he powerfully confuted the Jews in public, showing by the scriptures that the Christ was Jesus. Acts 18:24–28 (RSV)

When I was a little boy, we would often watch the Lone Ranger and Tonto's adventures. They would come upon a desperate situation, a family beset by outlaws, a town suffering under the rule of a dishonest sheriff, cattle rustlers making off with a poor widow's herd. He and Tonto would, in the space of less than half an hour, defeat the wrongdoers.

At the end of each episode, he and Tonto would ride off, with a hearty 'Hi O, Silver, away!'. Without fail, someone would come up to the folk waving at the departing duo, and ask, "Who was that masked man?" The answer would come quickly, "Why, that's the Lone Ranger!"

Just as people did not always grasp who the Lone Ranger was, the early Church struggled to say who Jesus was. We see this throughout Acts, where people have a wide range of opinions about Jesus. They all wanted to be faithful, but they weren't always on the same page.

It is hard for us to imagine in this age of instant communication that information flowed at a much different pace in the young Church's days. A letter could take weeks, months, to arrive at its intended destination. Suppose we add to that, the ease by which information about Jesus was misunderstood. In that case, it is not surprising that even a dedicated believer like Apollos could not have his theology straight concerning Jesus.

Here the Holy Spirit does His work well by providing Apollos with Priscilla and Aquila to teach him about Christian baptism. It is a blessing of God that we can learn true doctrine from mature Christians. Apollos humbly received correction, thus better equipped to continue his mission to preach Christ.

The Church has been asking, 'Who is Jesus?' from the earliest days to today. We may learn the basics of who Jesus is, but it takes a lifetime of study and guidance even to begin to understand the smallest part of the wonder of our Lord.

The littlest child can indeed sing 'Jesus Loves Me' and know that the words are true. It is also true that the Church's greatest saint would not comprehend the fullness of Jesus, even if they could study for a thousand years.

We bless one another when we are confident that Jesus is our Lord and Savior, and we continue to challenge one another by asking, 'And who is Jesus?'.

On Piety

"Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 6:1 (RSV)

Piety is the living expression of the faith that is within us. It is intended to be a healthy practice that leads us deeper into Christ. Piety is like our heartbeat; it is necessary for life as a believer. Piety is a thank-offering to the Lord and a blessing to our neighbor.

Should our piety become focused on ourselves, becoming a way we seek others' praise, then it is an unhealthy thing. Piety of this nature becomes toxic in that it soon begins to demand that others conform to our expressions of outward faith.

Jesus warns that this piety's only reward is the show it puts on for others. True, we may be praised by those who are impressed by such a display, but it has no place in the Kingdom.

Healthy piety is rooted in a living relationship with Jesus. Living in this way, no one may notice how we live in Christ, but they will be blessed by the love of Christ that flows through us. The closer we are to the heart of the Savior, the more His light of mercy and love shines for all to see.

On Sharing the Faith

So Paul, standing in the middle of the Areopagus, said: "Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious.  For as I passed along, and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, 'To an unknown god.' What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all men life and breath and everything. And he made from one every nation of men to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their habitation, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel after him and find him. Yet he is not far from each one of us, for

'In him we live and move and have our being';

as even some of your poets have said,

'For we are indeed his offspring.'

Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the Deity is like gold, or silver, or stone, a representation by the art and imagination of man. The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all men everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all men by raising him from the dead." Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked; but others said, "We will hear you again about this." So Paul went out from among them. 34 But some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them. Acts 17:22–34 (RSV)

Rome was the capital of the empire. Power flowed from it to the far corners of the empire. It was the legislative power, the military center, and the source of Roman culture. Like it or not, many of the conquered people looked to Rome to know how their lives would be impacted.

Still, Rome wasn't everything. There were many places in the empire with a more extended, richer history than Rome. Athens stood at the peak of wisdom, philosophy, and religion. The Athenian culture stretched back centuries before Rome had come together as a village. The Greek language was still the language of international commerce and diplomacy. If you were at all educated, you could read, write, and speak Greek.

Paul's journeys had brought him to Athens, and he intended to make the best of the opportunity. The Areopagus was the gathering place for the intellectuals to discuss and debate the hot topics of the day. Paul would find in those gathered some of the city's best minds, and, perhaps, some who would be open to hearing the Gospel.

There were altars and shrines to a dizzying variety of gods in Athens. They dotted the city, devoted to the many gods' worship, even, as Paul noticed, an altar to an unknown god. The Greeks were not going to risk offending a god who hadn't been discovered.

Paul used this caution on the part of the Greeks to proclaim Jesus and His resurrection. He spoke of the one God, who made all things and who has come among us. He spoke of Jesus' death and resurrection. He was meeting the Greeks where they were, in and among all those altars to all those gods.

It is not surprising that some in the crowd mocked Paul and his preaching about Jesus' resurrection. But not all, some wanted to hear more, came to believe, and became Christians.

We are reminded that no matter how clear and eloquent a message about Jesus might be, not everyone will hear it as Good News. They may shake their heads and walk away. Still, some hear the Gospel and are drawn to hope the Word contains.

It is an important lesson we must learn as we share the Gospel; not everyone is willing to hear it. You could keep hammering away until you wear them down or they have you arrested for stalking. We are commanded to proclaim, not convert or bring folk into the Body of Christ. This is the Holy Spirit's work, which He accomplishes in those whom the Gospel has taken root.

I thank the Father that it is not up to my preaching that brings people to Christ. I proclaim what God the Father has done through the death and resurrection of His Son. We are not called to do the work of the Holy Spirit, creating faith in those who hear the Gospel. Serve our Lord by sharing the Good News, don't worry about who will respond. The power of the Word will gather those who need to hear.

Hard Hearts

"While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light." When Jesus had said this, he departed and hid himself from them. Though he had done so many signs before them, yet they did not believe in him; it was that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

"Lord, who has believed our report,

and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?"

Therefore they could not believe. For Isaiah again said,

 "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart,

lest they should see with their eyes and perceive with their heart,

and turn for me to heal them."

Isaiah said this because he saw his glory and spoke of him. Nevertheless many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. John 12:36–43 (RSV)

God spoke to Moses before he went before Pharaoh to demand that Israel be set free. God also told Moses that He would harden Pharaoh's heart after the signs that Moses did so that Pharaoh would not let Israel go. It seems curious that God would prevent the very thing He had sent Moses to accomplish.

Pharaoh considered himself to be the god Ra in human form. The authority of Pharaoh's rule depended on all in Egypt believing that it was so. God intended to heap humiliation and defeat on Pharaoh, so none would be able to deny by whose power Israel was set free. The Pharaoh, who let the Children of Israel go, was no more a god than the slaves who were departing his realm.

So God hardened the hearts of the Pharisees, so they would learn that they were not in control of either Jesus or His Father. The Pharisees had convinced themselves that if only ten of them kept the Law perfectly for one day, then God would have to send the Messiah.

The Pharisees chafed at the idea that a carpenter's son from Nazareth could be the Chosen One of God. It offended their sensibilities that God would behave in such an unGodlike fashion. The Pharisees had read Scripture, learning it backward and forward, so they believed. True, they had read Scripture, but they did not know it as revealing God's purpose and will.

Anyone who thinks that God needs our defense to protect His divine nature has no idea of who God is. It is God who has chosen the hour of the Messiah's coming. It is the will of the Father that His Son will be the redeemer of the world. Jesus is God in the flesh, and it matters nothing if any believes it or not.

Jesus has come to redeem, and those who hear the promise given through Him receive what He has won through His death and resurrection. The Father set the Children of Israel free. He has sent His Son to free us from sin and death.

Pharaohs and Pharisees come and go in every age. They will be as hard-hearted as they always have been. They will go on believing that God needs them to be God. They will deny themselves the very One they imagine they are serving. Let us pray that the mercy of the Father will transform even the most hard-hearted.

On Time

"Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? No, for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify thy name." Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again." The crowd standing by heard it and said that it had thundered. 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 shall the ruler of this world be cast out; and I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." John 12:27–32 (RSV)

It is 10:15 p.m. on the seventh of October in the year of our Lord, Two Thousand Twenty. I have measured the time in which I began to write this devotion. I will post it tomorrow morning between 6:00 a.m and 7:00 a.m. I will attempt sleep between those times, then, God willing, rise to begin the race of a new day. I have seen 25,523 days come and go since the day I was born. I have far fewer days before me than I have behind me.

We all mark the hours of our lives as they march forward toward the day when the clock will stop for us. Everyone lives their lives according to this rule of time, one-second races to the next. It is what Scripture calls 'chronos,' the passing of the hours. It is the line we all must travel, going only forward to the next hour, day, month, or year. Thus it has been since God created the first day until God decrees that all the days are ended.

Into the chronos time, God sends a kairos, the right time, the fullness of time, the time that all else has waited upon and blessed its coming. Jesus was born in the kairos, the fullness of time. His death on the cross was a kairos. There the power of sin, death, and the power of the devil ended. The resurrection is the kairos in which all other moments are redeemed.

Jesus knew that the kairos has come, the right moment in which all God has promised and proposed is completed. While all else only sees the chronos time pass, Jesus considers the kairos time in which all promises are kept, sin and death collapse into His mercy, and the call breaks the eternal sleep of the grave of our name.

God, who created the chronos, will one day command it to cease and be no more. It will have fulfilled its purpose. On that day, kairos will begin it's eternal now. We will become timeless through the Fathers' love and mercy.

Jesus is the beginning of that eternal kairos. As we live in Him, we live closer and closer to the fulfillment and completion of time.

Before God

Then Job answered the LORD:

"I know that thou canst do all things,

and that no purpose of thine can be thwarted.

'Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?'

Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,

things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.

'Hear, and I will speak;

I will question you, and you declare to me.'

I had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear,

but now my eye sees thee;

therefore I despise myself,

and repent in dust and ashes." Job 42:1–6 (RSV)

But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men." And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him. Luke 5:8–11 (RSV)

Job and Simon Peter have an encounter with the divine. Though separated by sixteen centuries, their response is the same. Neither can stand in the presence of God; there is only repentance, on their knees. My mind cannot begin to comprehend the wonder, awe, fear, and complete sense of their sin they must have known.

Job's encounter with God comes at the end of his long struggle to understand why he has suffered. He has lost nearly everything of worth in his life, yet no response from God as to why. We can empathize with Job when suffering comes upon us with no reason we can grasp. We want an explanation from God. We, like Job, have no answer beyond what Job heard, "I am God."

Peter wished that Jesus would leave him, for Peter could only see his sin. He could only know that he did not deserve to be in the same boat with Jesus. We don't know anything about Peter's life before that morning. We know what his life would be after that morning. "Follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."

Neither Job nor Peter would pretend that their encounter with God gave them great insight into the nature of God. If anything, their lives were shrouded in the mystery that is God. Their lives were never the same. How could they be? They have more of the divine nature revealed to them than anyone I have ever known. Still, they can barely begin to understand God. They would live in awe of God all the days they had left before them.

I cannot speak for anyone save myself, but my encounter with the divine is nothing compared to Job and Peter's. They were blessed to see a glimpse of the majestic holiness of God. They knew that repentance is all they could do in the presence. Peter was more fortunate as he saw the fulfillment of God's promises that Job could only greet from afar.

What we know of God is what He has chosen to reveal to us. The Father has chosen to reveal Himself through His Son. Jesus is enough for us while we live in our flesh. Only with through our risen sight will we see the glory of God. Until that day, we like Job and Peter live in repentance, trusting in the grace of God through our Lord Jesus that this is enough.

Going to Macedonia

And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when they had come opposite Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them; so, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing beseeching him and saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." And when he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. Acts 16:6–10 (RSV)

There is an old Yiddish proverb, "We plan, God laughs." Woody Allen expanded it: 'If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans." It may sound a bit flippant at first, but we pray something very similar, 'Thy Will be done on earth as it is in heaven.' As Luther teaches: 'God's good and gracious will is done without our prayer, but we ask in this prayer that it might be done among us.'

God's purposes are fulfilled throughout the ages. We certainly don't have an inside track on the fullness of God's will. Much of what God does is hidden from us according to His divine wisdom, for we would not be able to comprehend it in this flesh. Even if God chose to reveal all His will and purpose to us, we could only manage to grasp only the tiniest fragment. We would be no better off, in some cases worse, for we had seen a glimpse of the divine plan without knowing the whole.

Luther is quite correct when he says of God, 'Surely, You are a God who hides Himself from us.' The hiddenness of God is an act of mercy toward us. In His infinite love, He grants us to know what we can bear, withholding all that we could not.

For us, the fullness of God's purpose is contained in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. While we inhabit this flesh, it is what we genuinely need to know of God. The rest will come when we enter the Kingdom. I have often said that the first thing we will say upon entering the Kingdom is: 'Of course, how could it have been any other way?'

How is all this of any consequence for St. Paul trying to get to Bithynia? It was not God's purpose for him to go there. St. Paul received a vision of a man from Macedonia begging to bring the Gospel to them. St. Paul realized that his plans were not the plans God had in mind. So he went to Macedonia.

Like St. Paul, we have our plans. They may be good and useful plans, reflecting our best thinking based on prayer. It may come to us that, like St. Paul, God desires us to go to Macedonia. The Father's purpose may take us to a far country, to people and places we would not have dreamed we could go.

St. Paul trusted that the Father's will for him lay in Macedonia. Where will the will and purpose of the Father lead us? What plans that we have laid will be turned to a different purpose according to His will? This is what we pray for each time we pray the 'Our Father,' asking that His will would be done among us.

Preparation

Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. There they made him a supper; Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at table with him. Mary took a pound of costly ointment of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was to betray him), said, "Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?" This he said, not that he cared for the poor but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box he used to take what was put into it. Jesus said, "Let her alone, let her keep it for the day of my burial. The poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me." John 12:1–8 (RSV)

Jesus came to supper at Lazarus' home in Bethany. Mary and Martha were there, as were the disciples. I wonder how they greeted Jesus, who had raised Lazarus from the dead. In our home, it would be the best meal Jackie could create. The company china would be set on the table. We would uncork the outstanding wine we had been saving for such an occasion. Matt would smoke a small mountain of ribs that among the best in the state.

Everything would be our effort to thank Jesus for the miracle He had wrought. I do not doubt that this supper at Bethany would be anything less than the very best. Lazarus, Martha, and Mary knew it could not begin to repay Jesus, but they offered the meal as a beginning.

A custom of hospitality was to provide your guest with the opportunity to clean their feet. The journey would be a dusty one; providing this small kindness was a sign of welcome. That day, Mary went beyond the expected, using the costliest ointment she had. She anointed Jesus' feet. In the act of humility and love, she wiped Jesus' feet with her hair. Their home was filled with the aroma of the pure nard.

St. John has no kind words for Judas Iscariot. Judas' protest was not out of concern for the poor but hoped to line his own pockets. St. John also recorded that the ointment was worth nearly a year's wages. Whatever Judas' motives, that much money could do much for the poor. But this moment was preparing a blessing for the poor far beyond a few coins.

'She is preparing me for my burial, save what is left to use on the day I am laid in my grave.' No one there could grasp what Jesus had spoken. Jesus' burial was closer than any could have guessed. The means by which He would die a thing no one that night could imagine.

Jesus has come to offer a treasure more excellent than all the costly ointment. He comes to give to all, the poor and the mighty, the blessing of forgiveness, entry into the Kingdom.

Repentance and Reconciliation

"You have heard that it was said to the men of old, 'You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment.' But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother shall be liable to the council, and whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be liable to the hell of fire. So if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Matthew 5:21–24 (RSV)

Jesus is always asking more of us than we can imagine we can do. True, we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, but Jesus leads us to live a new life. We are to live a life of repentance and reconciliation. We are to be signs of the Kingdom at work in the world.

Repentance is being honest about ourselves before God. We are sinners. We sin by thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and left undone. We confess our sin to God. We are also to confess our sin to those whom we have sinned against.

Confession and repentance are not intended to be easy. We don't just get to say, 'I'm sorry,' and it's all good. Repentance recognizes the damage done by our sin. A Christian who has repented seeks to be reconciled to God and those we have sinned against. Repentance is a challenge. Reconciliation is the hard work that follows repentance. We seek to undo the harm done by our sin. Reconciliation means person to person encounter when we begin to undo what was done. It may be that all that is needed is an apology. It may take more. We may need to restore what was lost or damaged. It may take a radical change in our life, becoming a more mature Christian.

This will be our life in Christ. As Luther writes, the Christian life is one of repentance (and reconciliation)