Day 35, April 2, 2007
Malachi 2:10-17
As we enter holy-week, our consideration of the meaning of Christ’s death and life comes to bear powerfully on each of the scriptures we consider. In this case, Malachi names the sin of divorce, forcefully and without equivocation. “I hate divorce” God says. Is there mercy and forgiveness for sin? Always. That’s part of the power of the cross – ‘justified by the death of His son’ is how Romans 5 puts it. But though our sins are forgiven, it’s vital to realize that Christ’s resurrection life is offered to us with the intention— not of saving us from sin’s penalty, but from sins power. “Justified by his death…saved by his life!” is how Romans 5 puts it.
Saved from what? The answer is that we’re saved from a living a life of self-destructive choices and actions, moving instead into that posture whereby Jesus’ hope, mercy, love, power, and holiness, is finding expression in our daily living. That, of course, is the whole point isn’t it!
But, using divorce as an example, Malachi points out how we tend to (instead of calling sin what it is and asking for forgiveness) reframe the conversation in such way that the sin is no longer sin at all, but somehow a necessity in this fallen world, or even a good thing because of all that we’re able to enjoy as a result of walking away from covenant relationships.
Friends, my heart breaks when this happens – when our commitment to covenant relationships disintegrates, when that which God calls sin is dismissed as an expedient necessity, when we justify our wrong choices – we’ve slipped yet another step further down the road of misrepresenting the heart of God. I’ll move more fully into the life that Jesus died and rose again for, as soon as I stop justifying my wrong choices and failures and call them what they are: sin. Be they relational, sexual, financial, racial, or otherwise, when God reveals my shortcomings the right response is confession – homologeo in the Greek language – which means to ‘say the same thing.’
Holy Creator, as we ponder your life, death, and resurrection this week, we express our gratitude that you have come to earth, died, and risen, not only for the purpose of forgiving our sins, but in order to so fill us with your life, that we begin to live our daily lives differently, empowered with your Spirit in order to be people of both hope and holiness. As we pause in silence, would you reveal those areas in our lives where we are still clinging to sin, perhaps justifying it, perhaps even calling our actions good and necessary. Our ongoing transformation depends on our continual confession and repentance. And so we pray that, as you reveal areas in our lives that need adjusting, we might be quick to confess and slow to justify. And, over all that we pray, we thank you that we needn’t be afraid of confession, knowing that our confession always leads to assurance of forgiveness and the restoration of real fellowship and intimacy with you. Thank you. In your name, amen
Spend some time today seeking God, asking him to show you those areas of life where you’ve been quick to justify and slow to confess.
Day 34, March 31, 2007
Malachi 2:1-9
Malachi is called a ‘post-exilic’ prophet because his word came to Israel later, after their return from exile, and setting up in the promise land. One would think that after a thorough thrashing, after sever discipline, a humbled and rebuked people wouldn’t be quick to revert back to the patterns of complacency that led to their previous problems.
But that’s just the point of this passage. There’s a phrase from a hymn that addresses this tendency of ours: “prone to wander Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love.” The wandering is in every heart, but the hearts that are held most severely accountable in this passage are ‘the priests.’ Since 1st Peter tells us that we’re all priests, we can’t be dismissive of these warnings, as if they only apply to pastors. The words apply to all of us.
And yet, there’s this phrase that continues to ring true for pastors today, as it did for priests in the previous generations: ‘the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth.’ And then Malachi continues with his assessment that the priests of Israel have turned away from the Lord, and as a result, are stumbling.
Can I let you in on a little secret? It’s tricky being a pastor these days. There are dozens of different ways of looking at the Bible, and the world in which we live is continually inviting we (who are in spiritual authority) to give our stamp of approval to everything – from taking public transit to driving hummers, from protesting the war to recruiting soldiers, from opposing abortion to opposing reductions in early childhood education funding. We’re tempted, if only subtly, to be shaped more by cultural forces (whether our culture be evangelical, emergent, Republican, Seattle-left, or the theology of our fathers) than by fidelity to hearing God speak.
And that, God says, is the problem. Pray for those who are charged with studying and declaring the truth, because I assure you, it’s no small task. Ask that our hearts would be malleable before God, and that God would have the liberty and freedom to teach us, correct us, and shape us. Of course, it’s not just a prayer for the pastors, but it begins there, because, as we’ve seen through the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, leadership matters.
Day 33, March 30, 2007
Malachi 1:1-14
It’s in the details, that our heart is revealed. And by the time Malachi the prophet opens his mouth, he has a lot to say about the details of worship that have degenerated, revealing a degeneration of the heart. Yet, interestingly, when Malachi brings his complaints, the people’s response is consistently incredulity. Malachi says the people have despised God’s name, and defiled God, and the people don’t agree. “We’re worshipping – we’re bringing offerings – we’re giving. Lighten up Malachi.”
Oh but Malachi won’t lighten up. He gives very specific examples of the outward degeneration, and there are two in the passage:
1. The people’s hearts weren’t in their gatherings for worship any more. “How tiresome it is.”
2. The people were bringing less than the best to the table as offerings.
People don’t usually walk away from God in an instant. Rather, it starts with the interior. Nothing has changed outwardly, but my attitude inwardly has changed. Whereas before I was “glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord”, now I view it as nothing more than an obligation or a burden. Before, I brought God the very best – of my presence, my offerings, my attention. Now I’m bringing that which I don’t want anyway.
It looks like worship, sounds like worship, but it’s not worship – because my heart has already left. Malachi’s not talking about whether or not the newness wears off (that happens in everything). But maybe marriage is a good example here. My wife has become very familiar. Nevertheless, I still want and need to make the effort to be fully present with her, and to bless and serve and love her in tangible ways.
It’s that attitude of heart that had disappeared, and when it disappears our relationship with God is headed for trouble.
Day 32, March 29, 2007
Nehemiah 13:23-31
Wow! This is one of those passages from the scriptures that troubles me. When I read: “I contended with them, and cursed them and struck some of them and pulled out their hair…”, I pretty much lose all respect for the person about whom this is written. Why would someone behave this way? As in so many other places in the Bible that are problematic, commentators aren’t very helpful. So I determine to live with the tension of unanswered questions and seek to discover what can be learned in this setting and context.
What I appreciate is the passion that Nehemiah has for holiness. He’s seen previous generations hold cavalier attitudes towards sin, seen the judgment of God and the misery of Israel that came about because of it, and he’s determined that it won’t happen again. It’s easy for us, in our insulated environment, to be incredulous regarding Nehemiah’s strong reaction. But if you had faced drought, famine, exile, and the slaughter of your children because of some national sin, maybe you’d get excited when the same sins started showing up in the new Jerusalem.
In a world where tolerance is the order of the day, I wonder what I tolerate in my life that God wants me to release? What sins continue to shape me? With which idols have I made peace? These are vital questions to answer, because failure to take sin seriously, now as then, has consequences.
God of our whole being, show us, we pray, any truce made with sin, any compromise that has had the effect of compromising your name. Reveal to us that which we need to see in order for your life to be more clearly seen through us and among us. Thank you for your patience with us, and your mercy. Give us responsive hearts, that when your reveal areas of needed adjustment in our lives, we might have the grace to follow you.
Ask God, in particular, to reveal His heart regarding how you are using the life that He’s given you – your body, your sexuality, your money, your relationships, your talents and vocation, your family – all belong to Him. May He continue to shepherd us so that, in each area, we come increasingly to represent God’s heart.
Day 31, March 28, 2007
Nehemiah 13:10-22
Successful building projects have a history of danger associated with them, and it usually creeps in on the far side of the project. What’s more, the danger that creeps in has to do with the sense of completion. Somehow, the wall being built, the celebrations being finished, the recovery of the law being done, there’s a sense of something like this: “Great – we’re done with that. Now we can get on with our lives.” But getting on is actually code for ‘slipping back into our old ways of living’ which in this particular chapter means slipping back into two clear ways of not trusting God:
1. The people have stopped supporting the priesthood through their offerings. A building project? Wow. That’s exciting! I can get behind that. And what happens sometimes is that our attention can be diverted away from the ongoing operational needs and expenses of ministry, as we channel our dollars to other ‘more exciting projects.’ After all, would you rather give to support freeing sex slaves in Africa or to buy toilet paper for fellow church members in Seattle, along with carpet cleaning, and salaries for your staff. When Nehemiah gets wind of this he turns the people toward a recovery of their tithes so that the work of God can continue. But tithing is just another word for trusting – that by giving to God the first part of my income – He will both provide for me, and order my life financially according to the ‘enough’ and the ‘plentiful’ that is His will. Do I trust Him to do that?
2. Others have demonstrated a loss in trusting God by working 7 days a week – fearful that if they don’t continue to produce, there won’t be enough. This is a big deal too. Do I have the faith to believe that, if I rest, God will take care of everything? Will He take care of me? Will He take of the work He’s entrusted to me? Am I able to really rest? To cease?
We often learn these important truths during times of special sacrifice and focused community attention towards the fulfillment of a goal, but then the lessons are quickly lost once the goal has been achieved. Fortunately, we can’t afford that luxury here at Bethany, for God has ordered this project in such a way that we will need, collectively, to remain utterly dependent on Him, prayerful and obedience in our giving, and whole-hearted in our commitments to God and each other, long after we open the doors to a new facility.
O Lord of all times, enable us to live with bold dependency and prayerful obedience, not just when things are focused, and goals visible, as they are today, but when things are less exciting, goals less tangible. Make us faithful in small things and ways as in large, that we might honor you with all the days of our lives, both the easy and hard ones. In Your Name we pray, Amen
Day 30, March 27, 2007
Nehemiah 13:1-9
I’ve always been a little bothered by the separatism to which God calls Israel. After all, if this is the God who ‘so loves the world that He gave His only son’, then doesn’t it make sense for God and His people to be accommodating of all people’s, all nations, all customs?
The answer is “no”. Unpacking this answer requires that we journey to John 4 where Jesus enters into a conversation with a woman by a well. It’s an engaging conversation, covering a wide range of subjects, but the crux of the conversation centers around the theme of worship. The woman has asked a question about who the real worshippers are; those who
worship on Mt. Gerazim, or those who worship in Jerusalem. Jesus says that the location of worship isn’t the point. But what IS the point, is that true worshippers will worship in Spirit and in Truth. This is explosively significant, for it means that not all worship is true worship. It means that sincerity doesn’t count as much as truth counts. It means that using God words, God buildings, God radio stations, God rock bands, means nothing unless the heart behind the actions is submitted to God, and unless the worship is unfolding as a humble and obedient response to God’s revelation.
God’s invitation is open to all, but all must come on His terms. God is not so malleable that we’re able to extract His certain elements of His character that we find distasteful for some reason, and still call Him God. When we do that, he becomes ‘god’ rather that “God” – a fabrication of our own imagination, created to ease our hunger for spirituality, while absolving us of any for holy and humble response. And it’s this that makes Nehemiah angry. When we say, ‘sure – come on in – become a part of our family’ without taking seriously the values that the Father is calling us to embrace, we’re no longer fulfilling our responsibilities as a community of faith.
Holy Father, enable us to be welcoming and loving without compromising your call to holiness. Give us the grace to continue to wrestle through just what holiness means, even as we live in the midst of our responsibilities to be holy people. In Your Great Name we pray, Amen
Day 29, March 26, 2007
Nehemiah 12:27-47
There’s a little phrase worth pondering here in this passage. I’ll quote it from Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase called The Message: “Judah was so appreciative of the priests and Levites and their service; they, along with the singers and security guards, had done everything so well, conducted the worship of their God and the ritual of ceremonial cleansing in a way that would have made David and his son Solomon proud.”
This is certainly going to sound old fashioned, but here it is: When the time came to gather in public worship of the Lord, incredible attention was given to every detail. There was this sense that everything was a gift being given to God, and because of it, the singers and musicians actually rehearsed, and great care was taken with the sacrifices and the furniture of the Temple.
The casual, post-modern, west-coast interpretation of this is pretty simple: “Well, that was then, in the Old Testament” and we emphasize the word “old”, as if it means we have nothing to learn from those who have gone before us. What bunk. That interpretation sounds more like a license for sloppiness, and I just can’t buy it.
I spend a fair bit of time in the outdoors, but somehow, even though I know my wife loves me, she’d prefer that I take a shower when I get home, rather than stinking up the place while we eat or watch a movie. How would this play at home: “Come on honey – why do you demand this outward attention to detail. You know that I love you with all my heart, what does my stink matter”? I don’t think it gets much mileage actually.
The way we care for the outer details is important because, as we’ll see later in the book of Malachi, the outward attention to detail is a reflection of the inward state of the heart. This passage finds two appropriate applications:
Am I honoring the outward displays of affection that are important to those I love? Maybe it’s picking up my socks. Maybe it’s a clean shave. Maybe it’s encouraging words. Let’s not get so high-minded that we ignore the very basic principle of trying to honor the ones we love with outward displays that demonstrate our care.
As a church, we need to commit to taking care of the many details that pass through our walls, and thinking of them in such a way that we can honestly say that we’re offering him our best. This applies to all of us, whether leading worship, teaching 2nd graders, editing an article for a newsletter, or greeting a guest. It’s GOD we’re worshipping through these acts of service. Perhaps He deserves more than an afterthought.
Day 28, March 24, 2007
Nehemiah 10:1-3
There have been times of reading, celebrating, confessing, and practicing the ceremony that powerfully reminded Israel of their roots as sojourners. We too, seek to build similar elements into our life together as a church, and perhaps you do the same in your personal life. However, all of it is of little value unless we follow the example offered here in this chapter. This is the section where Israel purposes to do several things:
- · they agree to accept the consequences for their sins and those of their family
- · they promise to maintain their distinction as God’s people by not marrying outside the faith
- · they declare their intent to observe God’s commandments
- · Their purpose is to give God offerings (ie, the first fruits from all that God gives them)
T The revelation that God has given them, through the Word, the teaching, and the worship services leads to a response! This, I believe is critical for all of us. In James we’re told that it’s possible to kid ourselves into thinking that we’re growing spiritually because we read the Bible. James, though, says that the real proving ground is in what we do with what we receive. This passage in Nehemiah reveals where the real proving grounds of my responses need to occur. And so I can ask four questions to see if I’m responding well to what God is revealing:
1. Am I able to overcome bitterness and rage regarding suffering in my life, asking that God would grant me the capacity to learn whatever it is that God has to teach me through my suffering? This is a huge topic, worthy of a book, but for now, it’s vital to note that God has an amazing capacity to bring beauty out of any ashes that are in my life, if I’ll learn to walk through the trials with him.
2. Am I willing to stand apart for the sake of maintaining a clear testimony in Christ? This question has been misused over the ages as a means of creating tiny Christian subcultures. That’s not the point. Rather the question is this: Do I need to adopt the same habits with regard to my money, sexuality, relationships, entertainment, attitude towards those in the margins, as the rest of the world, or am I willing to live distinctly. Of course, along the way, I’ll be wise to save the covenant relationship of marriage for someone with similar commitments as my own.
3. Am I becoming a student of the Word so that God’s ethic will continue to shape me, and so that I’ll better be able to participate in the story God is writing in history?
Am I willing to invest in that story in practical ways – offering my time and money to the Lord sacrificially in order that His Life of hope might fill, empower, forgive, and heal more people – to the end that Christ’s kingdom will be seen in increasing measure?
O Lord, there have been many, it seems, through the ages, who have made the mistake of equating hearing your word and participating in the rituals of your community with actually responding to your revelation in life changing ways. Give us eyes to see what it is how you want to respond to what You are revealing. And then grant us the grace to actually do the deed – to respond and step into the life giving stream of obedience where You want us to live. Thank you for what awaits us as we follow you there. In Your Name, Amen
Day 27, March 23, 2007
Nehemiah 9:1-38
DON’T SKIP READING THIS SECTION.
If you read this chapter, you will have read a synopsis of all Old Testament history! If we step back and see the flow of the last few chapters, this is what we see: First there’s the completion of a project and the acknowledgement that it has been the hand of God that has brought about the completion. Second, there’s the reading of the Word, and along with that, both celebration and the recovery of practices that had been lost for generations. Now, four days into the reading of the Word, there comes this outpouring of confession. Notice that there’s confession, not only of their sins, but the sins of their fathers.
I think this is significant because none of us is born into a vacuum. All of us inherit a family context and a cultural context, both of which are powerful shaping influences in our lives. It’s vital that we both know and acknowledge these, being unafraid to face and confess the sins of our fathers, in order that we might be freed from replicating the same errors.
The errors that plague Israel seem to be universal. The general pattern of God’s dealings with his people is replicated several times in this chapter: First, a recollection of God’s faithfulness. Then, a reminder of the faithless response of His people (vs16-18; 26,28). The recollection ends with the acknowledgment that God has been both merciful and just in all His dealings with His people. I find it interesting to see from this bird’s eye view, that Israel resorts to whining and idolatry in only two different kinds of circumstances: when things are easy…and when things are hard. Other than those kinds of times, they’re just fine!
“Confess your sins to one another that you may be healed” is the way we see this written in the New Testament. There’s this admonishment, given us for our own health, that we come clean – with each other, and with God. We’ve nothing to hide since God already knows the depth of our sin. But ignoring our sin, justifying our sin, has the effect of driving us deeper into pits of self-destructive patterns. This public confession is quite powerful, reminding us that the most powerful confessions aren’t just between ‘me and God’ but are best brought out into the open with others, especially those that walk closely with us through life. With whom do you share your confessions and struggles? If you’ve nobody, ask God to lead you to someone. It’s good to live what B. Schlink calls, “A lifestyle of repentance.”
God of justice and forgiveness…Give us hearts that are willing to confess. We stand with those who have gone before us, and acknowledge that we too are tempted to complacency and idolatry, both when things are difficult and when things are easy. And, as well, I bring to you the particular sins of ___ that are present in the moment. Grant me not only forgiveness, but deliverance from the power of this sin. In your great name I pray, Amen
Day 26, March 22, 2007
Nehemiah 8:13-18
The studying and understanding of the word continues on into the next day, and this leads to the recovery of a celebration that had been lost for generations. In the Law, the people discovered that the very month they were in was the month to celebrate the “Feast of Booths.” It was a time of living in tents, as a reminder of Israel’s calling as sojourners. Thus we read that the entire assembly that had returned from captivity made booths and lived in them. Let’s observe two things:
1 The feast hadn’t been practiced since the days of Joshua, probably about 600 years (I don’t have my study books with me, so don’t hold me to this. If you come with an exact number, feel free to let us know). It’s important to see how quickly the practices that define our faith can evaporate! That’s why Paul was intent on telling Timothy to make certain that, not only the doctrines, but also the practices of the faith should be passed on to the subsequent generations with great diligence. Are we teaching our children the great truths of the Scripture? How about practices such as confession, study, service, and giving? One of the most important things we can do is pass these things on, because if we don’t they’ll be quickly lost. APPLICATION: Take a moment and pray for your own children, if you have any. Ask the Lord to show you practical ways that you can pass on the practices of the faith. Take another moment and pray for the children’s ministry of our church, asking that God would give wisdom to the leaders so that they might play a significant part in imparting the faith.
2. This particular feast was important for Israel as a means of helping them remember their roots. Though God would impart many blessings to Israel, He also warned them continually that they must remember that every gift they enjoyed was because of God’s faithfulness. Failure to recall this would lead to arrogance and idolatry, which of course was what ultimately happened. We, too, need to remember our roots, realizing that God is the source of every gift we enjoy. A good way of remembering this is to spend time away from the creature comforts and gifts that continually surround us. APPLICATION: Whether as simple as going for a walk around the lake, or as profound as a night in a snow cave, GET OUT, away from the comforts and familiarity that are in danger of dulling your senses. If you can’t get out, spend some time thinking about all that God has given you, and acknowledge that absolutely everything, from the clean water you drink to the house in which you live, comes to you from the hand of God. Being reminded of this, I encourage you to give thanks, and ask that He would use these blessings to bless others through you. Ask Him to show you how He wants to do that.
Day 25, March 21, 2007
Nehemiah 8:1-12
“I’m tired of the preaching.” “Bible study and words will give way to art and poetry.” “Preach always. When necessary, use words.”
All three statements, from diverse sources and centuries, minimize the role of reading, teaching, and studying the revealed word of God. But here’s something interesting – when the walls are completed and the people are gathered, the FIRST thing that happens is that the Word is read aloud, for hours, while all the people are standing and listening, and then it’s taught by various priests so that everyone can understand what God is saying to His people.
When this building is completed, I’m hoping that we can develop some sort of Scripture relay – whereby before we hold our first public gathering, the Bible will already have been read aloud from cover to cover in our new facility. Why? So it can become a reminder to ourselves, and a declaration to our Lord that our desire is to be a people who are guided by the divine revelation that comes to us through the Bible.
Bethany is an eclectic community, a place where we don’t all agree on every point of doctrine. But we have this luxury to dialogue and learn because we ARE agreed that there is one source to which we turn for our direction, rebuke, comfort, equipping, and training: the Bible. And so we will continue to place a high priority on explaining the revealed word – for it is this word which points us to the person of Christ, from whom we draw our life!
And finally – with the Word, and response, and dedication, comes celebration! The reading of the Word has the effect of both challenging and encouraging us at the same time. Ezra reminds the people that this is a day for receiving encouragement from the Word, celebrating God’s mercy and faithfulness, His grace and power. “Do not be grieved – for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Yes! We can, in our pursuit of God, quickly take a wrong turn down the path of condemnation, which leads to disengagement for all that is meaningful. This is wearying and ugly. How about this instead: REJOICE! Your forgiven, filled with His life, and empowered to be a temple through which His life is displayed – no matter what your outward condition.
O Living Word , I pray that you will fill us with your Holy Spirit as we read your word, that our hearts will be set on fire with understanding and revelation, so that our life and yours, our heart and yours, might be more closely bound together. Give us not only hearts to perceive your revelation, but the grace to respond. Forgive us for so easily forsaking the reading of your word. As we set our hearts towards knowing you more intimately, I pray that you will grant us a way to gain consistency in hearing from you. I pray that the leaders of your church will handle your word with diligence and accuracy, declare it with power, and live their own lives increasingly in accordance with your heart and revelation. In Your Great Name we pray, Amen
Day 24, March 20, 2007
Nehemiah 7:66-73
Though it may sound redundant, it’s a truth that bears repeating because God repeats it so often: The work of God is done in community, not individually. Nehemiah was, above everything else that he was, a community builder. His prayer inspired vision to re-establish the testimony of the Lord and was the catalyst for drawing people together in a great work. And this is always where God is taking us. Even if we began our journey of faith by accepting Christ as our personal savior, we can’t read the grand story that God is writing without seeing his desire for a testimony that is collective.
Ours is a consumer age, where goods and services are purchased as a means of meeting needs. If we’re not careful, the church can quickly be reduced to nothing more than a spiritual store, where our needs are met in exchange for our offering money. But such a posture is, as we’ve already seen many times, a vast misrepresentation of the heart of God and the life to which He’s called us. We must resist this, and we will be able to resist it to the extent that we get involved in serving and connecting with others.
Pray for Bethany, that God would shape us, increasingly, to be a community characterized by interdependency, service, and authentic relationships, for this is both the context and goal of the story God is writing.
Day 23, March 19, 2007
Nehemiah 6:15-19
“…they recognized the work had been accomplished with the help of our God.” (6:16) In many ways, this really is the crux of the Christian life. God has never been interested in just doing a work. If he’d just wanted a son, he’d have chosen an 18 year old male and a 14 year old girl. Instead he makes a promise to a 75 year old man and 65 year old wife, and then they wait 25 years before finally achieving the promise: Isaac is born. Or perhaps he chooses a virgin: Jesus is born. Maybe he chooses the most vicious killer of Christians in the first century to become the spokesperson for Jesus throughout the Roman empire: Paul is born again.
With God it’s never just that He wants to do something – rather, He wants to do something that is explicable only by the reality of His power and involvement in our lives. The trouble is, if we’re always shooting for goals within our reach, always resorting to the strength of our own humanity and what is reasonable, we’ll actually fall short of that to which God is calling us. In Nehemiah’s case, the wall that had been in ruins for years was suddenly rebuilt, completely, in 52 days. Who does that? God.
Who challenges you to give more – and than provides for you as you step out in obedience? God.
Who calls you into ministries that are beyond your comfort zone – and then provides the strength, direction, and wisdom you need to carry out the calling? God
Who leads you into a corner where you cry out to God, and then shepherds you into the open spaces of healing and blessing? God. (see Psalm 107 for ample examples of this)
The tragedy is that many of us will settle for a life lived within the margins of our comfort zones and abilities. In that zone we’ll know neither the great agonies of brokenness and dependency, nor the great victories of God’s abundant provision. Instead, we’ll be stuck in the gray twilight of spiritual boredom, precisely because life was never intended to be lived on composition paper – wholly within the margins.
May you and I so live our lives with the abandon of faith that it will be said of us, and the Bethany Community: “this work has been accomplished with the help of God.”
Ask God to show you areas where you might be holding back from those steps of faith that will lead us into the uncharted waters of vital dependency, and ask God for the grace to follow Him into these new waters. Pray for your church leaders as well, that we will be guided by neither fear or presumption, but simply a willingness to follow Christ – even if He asks us to step out of the boat.
Day 22 - March 17, 2007
Nehemiah 6:1-14
This is a little section of Nehemiah where, once again, the leader and the vision are in danger of being diluted through distraction. Once the wall is completed, the enemies of Nehemiah seek to meet with him. At first they invite him to a ‘meeting’, but when Nehemiah refuses their offer, they raise the stakes by threatening him through the use of trumped up charges of Nehemiah as an insurrectionist. Again, our hero will have none of it.
Here’s the part I love. It’s in 6:3: “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave and come down to you?” He’s doing a GREAT WORK. It’s the work of establishing the testimony of the Lord, so that there’s a life, a home, a church, where the Lord’s name is portrayed with ever increasing clarity.
This GREAT WORK is our work as well. Those things we do in our lives that will result in Christ being seen more clearly, whether in our home, church, or our own hearts, are GREAT WORKS. As such, we’d be wise to identify our great works, and persevere in them. Collectively, I believe God is calling us to a great work; namely the work of serving our city with the good news of hope that is found in Christ, and equipping leaders to do the same throughout the world. Anything that doesn’t help us do this could rightly be called a distraction, and so our staff and church council need to continually focus on the centrality of our calling to make Christ’s life visible.
But there’s individual application as well. Each of us is involved in great works. We’re building dwelling places of God in our homes through the pursuit of intimacy, truth telling, forgiveness, sacrificial love, and a trusting responsiveness to one another. Then there’s our role as parents – and our role as children to our parents. In each instance, God is inviting us to do GREAT WORK. The same is true in each of us individually – as we carry out the work of building and shaping our hearts so that Christ can be seen through our lives. This requires prayer, meditation, silence, Sabbath rest, fellowship – and each of these are GREAT WORKS. As well, we are called to practical works of service which make the life of Christ visible – works which can take diverse forms such as helping someone rebuild an engine in their car, visiting the elderly, befriending someone in need, or spending the night in a homeless shelter. Why should we be distracted from that which has eternal value?
Lord, if we are to be involved in your great work, both in and through us, we need to know that to which you are calling us. I pray that you would guide us each into a greater clarity of our callings, both at the macro and micro level, so that we might know with certainty the things to which you are calling us. And then Lord, having seen our calling, let us be whole hearted in our pursuit of it. We are, as the hymnist has said so well, “prone to wander.” Yet you call us back to the road of fruitfulness. As you do, may we have ears to hear, so that each day may be lived fully and wholly for you. And we’ll thank you for the adventure that awaits us as we follow you. In Your Great Name… Amen
Day 21 - March 16, 2007
Nehemiah 8:1-12
“I’m tired of the preaching.” “Bible study and words will give way to art and poetry.” “Preach always. When necessary, use words.”
All three statements, from diverse sources and centuries, minimize the role of reading, teaching, and studying the revealed word of God. But here’s something interesting – when the walls are completed and the people are gathered, the FIRST thing that happens is that the Word is read aloud, for hours, while all the people are standing and listening, and then it’s taught by various priests so that everyone can understand what God is saying to His people.
When this building is completed, I’m hoping that we can develop some sort of Scripture relay – whereby before we hold our first public gathering, the Bible will already have been read aloud from cover to cover in our new facility. Why? So it can become a reminder to ourselves, and a declaration to our Lord that our desire is to be a people who are guided by the divine revelation that comes to us through the Bible.
Bethany is an eclectic community, a place where we don’t all agree on every point of doctrine. But we have this luxury to dialogue and learn because we ARE agreed that there is one source to which we turn for our direction, rebuke, comfort, equipping, and training: the Bible. And so we will continue to place a high priority on explaining the revealed word – for it is this word which points us to the person of Christ, from whom we draw our life!
And finally – with the Word, and response, and dedication, comes celebration! The reading of the Word has the effect of both challenging and encouraging us at the same time. Ezra reminds the people that this is a day for receiving encouragement from the Word, celebrating God’s mercy and faithfulness, His grace and power. “Do not be grieved – for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Yes! We can, in our pursuit of God, quickly take a wrong turn down the path of condemnation, which leads to disengagement for all that is meaningful. This is wearying and ugly. How about this instead: REJOICE! Your forgiven, filled with His life, and empowered to be a temple through which His life is displayed – no matter what your outward condition.
O Living Word , I pray that you will fill us with your Holy Spirit as we read your word, that our hearts will be set on fire with understanding and revelation, so that our life and yours, our heart and yours, might be more closely bound together. Give us not only hearts to perceive your revelation, but the grace to respond. Forgive us for so easily forsaking the reading of your word. As we set our hearts towards knowing you more intimately, I pray that you will grant us a way to gain consistency in hearing from you. I pray that the leaders of your church will handle your word with diligence and accuracy, declare it with power, and live their own lives increasingly in accordance with your heart and revelation. In Your Great Name we pray, Amen
Day 20 - March 15, 2007
In “The Mission”, Jeremy Irons plays the part of a Jesuit priest and is instrumental, through his leadership, in building a community where all people have work, all people have dignity, and all people are cared for. It’s not communism. It’s not socialism. It’s not capitalism. It’s the kingdom of God, made visible in small measure as the community of God’s people becomes, increasingly a place where physical and material needs are met.
What we see in Nehemiah 5 is the opposite of that. We see the powerful getting rich at the expense of common people, with the result that those who are watching the people of God are now able to point and say, “these people don’t even care for each other!”
In the Bible, profound warnings are carried with wealth. There are numerous examples of wealthy people in the Bible – both Old and New Testaments. But there are also lots of warnings. It’s incumbent upon we who are rich to take seriously the responsibilities that come with this wealth. Are we using that which God has given us to ennoble and empower, or to oppress? Do our spending habits reflect the heart of God?
Lord of all, You have made it clear that your heart is for the poor, and that all the world will know of the reality of your life, not by our astute doctrinal articulations and defenses, but by the demonstrable love we show for each other, a love which must include our commitment to the physical well being of others – both locally and globally. Guide our church as we continue to meet and pray about how you want us to serve the poor in our own neighborhoods. We pray for our food bank and homeless shelter ministry, and for the pastor’s ministry to the many who come to our door each week. As well, we pray for the economic development projects we are considering on Eastern Europe and Central America. Give us wisdom to both know and do your will in these areas. Finally, and perhaps most significantly, we pray for our own stewardship of the resources you’ve given each of us as individuals and families. Let us not hide behind global economic development projects done by the church to dismiss us from our own responsibilities. May you open our eyes to specific areas of spending and investing, that you might want to change. As the hymnist wrote, “Take my silver and my gold – not a mite would I withhold.” Teach us to be faithful in this vital realm of life. In your great name we pray, amen .
Day 19 - March 14, 2007
Nehemiah 4:9-23
Here’s a great example of exactly what it means to be ‘Watching the Wall’. V16 reads: “From that day on, half of my servants carried on the work while half of them held the spears, the shields, the bows and the breastplates; and the captains were behind the whole house of Judah.”
There it is: Half the people are building the wall while half the people are watching, keeping guard. When we come to the New Testament, we realize that our enemies are not people – but spirits, animating either people or institutions. And it is against these spirits that we do battle. That’s why, as we draw near to the completion of our new facility, we’ll spend some time writing out prayers and setting them in each chair in the new room, praying for the people God will bring. We’ll write some prayers on the foundation, asking that God will do a work within these new walls that is worthy of His name, and that lives will be transformed through the power of Christ. We’ll ask that He’ll give us the grace to be a voice of hope and justice, mercy and beauty, celebration and holiness – in our city!
While some are working others are praying. That’s always been the way. I’m glad you’re praying today. May Christ make us, increasingly, a community in the business of praying – for we believe that this is how we are called to guard the work entrusted to us.
Spend some time today praying for those who are on the front lines of challenge – this could include your ministry and administrative staff at Bethany, the construction workers on our project, our missionaries, both locally and globally. May God grant that each of these groups find their way through all the challenges, to the end that God’s calling would be realized both in and through their lives.
Day 18 - March 13, 2007
Nehemiah 4:1-8
Anything worth doing will be contested. This is a truth, but a dangerous one. It’s dangerous because in some twisted way we can come to think that something is God’s will precisely BECAUSE it’s contested, or because it’s difficult. Such thinking vilifies people who may have legitimate words of caution or correction to speak into our lives. So it’s dangerous to simply say that because something’s opposed, God is in it.
On the other hand, this text expresses an opposition that comes long after the calling has been confirmed, long after the work of God has begun. It’s important that we free ourselves from the introspection that so easily freezes us when we doubt we’re in God’s will. The remedy is easy. We need to continually recall how God has led us to this certain point in our history, whether that history be personal or collective. As we’re able to look back and see that God has been at the source of our activities, we’re given the courage to proceed in the midst of trials, difficulties, setbacks, and opposition.
That’s why I thank God for the manner in which he’s led Bethany down through the years – Not just in this building project of which we’re presently a part, but in countless ways. His provision at just the right time (such as in the purchasing and trading of a house before we even knew that we’d be building a facility), his confirmation of decisions, his opening a path before us (such as Bagley’s need for parking) – all these things become markers – a testimony that God is working in a significant way. It’s these markers that enable us to press on in the midst of setbacks, difficulties, and opposition, all of which are normal whenever anything significant is happening, both in our personal lives and in the life of the body .
Thank you Lord, for bringing us to this point in our history through a series of great events, including the purchase of each house over these many years, the aligning of Bagley’s need with our own, the signatures from neighbors, the public support, the city council ruling, and much more. Any of these events, had they turned out otherwise, would have been your sign that you’re directing us differently. But we would believe that this path is your will. Give us the faith to believe just as securely when the going is difficulty, for we are mindful that there will be difficulties. And as we persevere, may the spirit of endurance that you build into us, spill into other areas of our lives that we might honor you through faithful living in both the easy times and the difficult!
In Your name we pray, amen
Day 17 - March 12, 2007
Nehemiah 3:1-32
One could easily get lost in this passage, viewing it is nothing more than a boring list of names. But there are at least one thing that is important to see:
The picture one gets is that of different families focusing on different parts of the wall. This offers us a beautiful picture of the body of Christ. Knowing, of course, that a wall is only effective as protection if it fully circumscribes the city, it’s vital that each family play their part – that each person focuses on their calling. It’s easy to see that there’s no part of the wall that’s more important than another part. Thus it is with the human body, and with the body of Christ. That’s why Paul exhorts us to use the gifts we’ve been given, for it’s only as each of us steps into our callings, that the life of Christ becomes more fully visible.
This same text can be applied to our own personal growth in Christ, for each of us are being built up. The important question each of us must ask is; “To what extent does God have free reign to build in every area of our lives. There are some instances in (such as in 3:5) where the repairs are ‘not supported.’ Am I supportive of the building work God is doing in my life as he seeks to repair critical areas in my life?
Builder of all good things, grant that each of us would so live in communion with you that we are enabled to hear your voice, and in hearing yours, find our own. Then, having listened to your call, grant that we would have the grace to build, serve, teach, create, give, share, heal, as you enable. And as you continue to do the work of reconstructing our own hearts, may we be a people whose hearts are easily shaped, so that we can increasingly come to represent your life to one another and to the world. In Your Great Name we pray, amen.
Day 16 - March 10, 2007
Nehemiah 2:5-20
When Nehemiah tells the king the source of his grief, the king asks him to state his request. Nehemiah’s answer: “Let me go and rebuild the wall.” He then articulates what he’ll need in terms of resources in order fulfill the task. In essence, he requests materials, time, and traveling papers.
Things may begin with mourning the distance between what is and what can, but that alone doesn’t constitute vision and calling. We need to see the vision clearly enough to know some of what will be necessary to fulfill the vision. Jesus speaks of this as well when he talks about the importance of counting the cost.
Our vision is simple – To make Christ’s Life Visible – in our lives, families and neighborhoods. And then we envision this life spilling out into the Aurora neighborhood, and finally further reaches of our city and world. Simple vision? I’d suggest you pray though each element and ask God to show you something of the cost. This might just take some time! What is he teaching you? Feel free to share.
Finally, let’s note that counting the cost, and seeing doors open, doesn’t constitute the end of any journey. It’s rarely that easy. It seems that there are always forces at work, both internal and external, that are opposed to God’s purposes. I may set my heart on imparting Christ’s life to my children through parenting, for example, counting the cost and investing the time. Still, there will be setbacks and unanticipated turns.
Nehemiah, however, is undaunted by these challenges as he says, “…my God has been favorable to me…” It would be dangerous and arrogant language, if it weren’t true. Can you say this in your life? Can we say it in ours as a faith community? Without such confidence in God’s favor, calling, and grace, we’re paralyzed by critics and setbacks. May God give us the fortitude of faith that Nehemiah had so that, when setbacks come, we’ll be able to press on, enduring until the end.
Day 15 - March 9, 2007
Nehemiah 2:1-4
The opportunity for Nehemiah to do something about his dilemma depends, as is often the case, on circumstances beyond his control. In order for him to act, he’ll need what evangelicals often call an ‘open door’. It’s interesting to note, though, that his opportunity comes because the king, for whom he works, notices the change in his countenance. “Why is your face sad, though you are not sick?”
This tells us something significant about Nehemiah. During his time as cupbearer for the king, he was able to keep, not only a passion for his calling and the calling of God’s people, but he held this position, in the midst of ‘unbelievers’ in a winsome way. So strange was it for Nehemiah to have a ‘sad face’ that the king felt the need to ask what was wrong.
I wonder if the same could be said of us? Our culture of ‘authenticity’ sometimes leads us to become so self-absorbed that we become people of the ‘half-empty cup’ – most of the time! I’m not advocating a frothy, shallow, ‘happiness’ as a veneer to cover deep wounds and loss. Rather, I’m simply inviting us all to consider that Jesus invites us to be people who are, overall, characterized by joy because the gift of life in Christ is ours. Like delighted children, this gift baths us with love, forgiveness, the confidence that Jesus is alive in us, and a sense that God is moving history towards an end that is more glorious than our capacity to imagine.
If we’re actually living in the reality of this confidence, then those moments when we acutely feel the distance between what is and what ought to be, our grief and anger, mourning and loss, will be a contrast to the norm, rather than more of the same. It was this very contract which created the ‘open door’ for Nehemiah.
“The joy of the Lord is your strength”
O God of joy and sorrow,
You know that there are times to rejoice and times to mourn, times to laugh and times to cry. Enable us to so live in the good of the inheritance which is ours because of your love, that we become people of joy. As well, grant that we would live with our eyes wide open to the sufferings in our world, to the distance between what is and what can be. We ask that you would sensitize our hearts, as well, to those particular burdens which we’re meant to bear, meant to act upon. May our grief lead, not to self-absorbed pity, but to prayer and, according to your will, action.
Day 14 - March 8, 2007
Nehemiah 1:1-11
Nehemiah. He’s the one who rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem. His life is chronicled for us, and has been held up for over two millennia as an exemplary model of leadership and management. He’s held up as a man of action.
But action is always, always, always, the wrong starting point. “Quick, do something.” It’s a formula for a life of aimless wondering, from relationship to relationship, from job to job, church to church, city to city. Instead, what’s vital is that our action be borne out of a critical element. What is that element?
- Seeing – Nehemiah has ‘eyes in his heart’ that are sensitized to what would be best for the situation in Israel. Thus, although there’s been a return to the city, and a rebuilding of the temple, nobody seems to have noticed that the wall is in a state of ruin. Or perhaps, worse, people did notice, but had lost the capacity to grieve over the tragic state of things. It’s emminantly easy to make a truce with mediocrity – in our marriages, in our professions, in our churches. But when we realize that God’s vision for us is nothing less representing Christ’s heart in ALL these places, the seeing of that vision will give birth to a holy discontent. And this is where all great endeavors begin. Can we see possibilities? Can we see what is in comparison to what could be? This is the determinant of our destiny, and sadly, the indictment of Jesus is that many will go through life with eyes, yet never seeing. When this happens, there are two tragedies. The first is that things have fallen into disrepair. The second, far worse, is that we’ve become so jaded that we don’t see it.
Ask God to give you ‘eyes to see’ both what is and what ought to be, what can be, in the many roles of your life. Allow God to speak to you about adjustments needed in your marriage (or singleness), your relationships with family, your profession or studies, and what God might desire for our church and for your role in it. Then, like Nehemiah, begin to pray that God would give you the grace to progress in this realm.
Like yesterday… feel free to share some of the things God is showing you by posting a response.
Day 13 - March 7, 2007
Ezra 10:1-17
Repentance means to ‘turn around’. Sometimes the meaning of the word is cheapened a bit by articulating it as an invitation to merely ‘think differently’. But as this passage shows, true repentance must always lead to a different way of living, not just a different way of thinking. John the Baptist said the same thing in the New Testament. He told the religious leaders to ‘bring forth fruit in keeping with your repentance’, and then clearly articulated what that would mean in practice. And he was very practical. “Repentance”, John says, “must change your economics, your sexuality, the way you treat friend, foe, family, neighbor. This is an important for us, living as we do at a time in history when we’re tempted to confuse right thinking with right living.
Ask God to show you a practical expression of repentant that’s needed in your own life today – something you need to either begin doing, or something that needs to stop. And then, in obedience to what God has shown you – step forth, bringing forth fruit in keeping with your repentance!
Maybe you’d like to offer, anonymously, some contributions to this entry. What is it that God is showing you, in response to your prayer for clear steps of repentance?
Day 12 - March 6, 2007
Ezra 9:1-15
In this passage Ezra discovers that some of the returning exiles have inter-married with the people of the land, an activity expressly forbidden by the law of God in Leviticus. God’s concern was that His people would lose their distinction if family units, by virtue of the plurality of their gods, would become polytheistic. When Jehovah is one among many gods, Jehovah loses his power and distinction, and when that happens to the capacity to be a blessing to others disintegrates. Thus this command is offered by God with an eye toward assuring that families would sound the clear call of loving Jehovah with all their heart, soul, mind and strength. This is impossible when we have mixed loyalties.
Ezra, upon discovering this reality does something outlandish, archaic, shocking: He repents! I found this amazing because it’s not His sin. But this repentance reminds us of the solidarity of God’s people. In the New Testament Paul puts it this way: When one member of the body suffers, all suffer! We are linked, and the sins of the one, or the glories of the one, are the sins and glories of the all. It’s tempting, when someone else is misrepresenting Christ, to run to God and remind him that “I’m not like that person over there… I’m righteous.” However, this isn’t the manner of Ezra. Instead, Ezra repents for the sins of the nation. He understands that there’s no escaping solidarity with the whole of God’s people. Sin in one camp, affects the testimony of us all.
Seen through this lens, I’ve a sense that all of us have a bit of confession to carry out – for greed, violence, lust, the disintegration of marriage, the cheapening of human life both in the womb, and on the streets of Rwanda, or Baghdad, or Aurora. Perhaps we need to repent of allowing other lovers to have sway in lives, rather than a simple and pure devotion to the One who alone is the source of life, Jesus Christ. When the gifts of God, such as our prosperity, or family, health, or creature comforts, sexuality, or intellect rise up to places of supremacy, they dampen our love for Jesus. I pray that we’ll never make a truce in our hearts with anything which would diminish the passion of our love or the power of our calling. This multiplicity of lovers isn’t the problem of‘those people’ – they’re our problems. And we, like Ezra, need to repent, perhaps on behalf of those unwilling to see their own sins. So with Ezra we pray:
O our God… We are ashamed to lift up our face to You, for our iniquities have risen above our heads and our guilt has grown even to the heavens. Though you’ve blessed us with prosperity and abundance, we’ve become people characterized by apathy, self-centered indulgence, pride and violence. Though we’ve preached about purity, our lives betray our lusts. Though we’ve preached of peace, our choices reveal our bent towards violence. And the fruits of our choices are clear. Your church is shrinking in spite of our national wealth, while it thrives in those parts of the world where scarcity reigns. Our lives are filled with activity, but little of it leads to an increased capacity to bless others – and so people still starve, and sleep on the streets, and use each other to gain power or pleasure.
Waken us dear Father, to any idolatry in our hearts, and any loves which have displaced our calling to love You. In Your great Name we pray, Amen.
