Sunday, June 1, 2008

“Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything was held in common.”
Acts 4:32

Almost every week in these pages we have the chance to talk about those who have died for their faith and become martyrs, and that this term means “witnesses.” Today the church remembers one of its most notable witnesses, whose name has been remembered as Justin Martyr. He’s so noteworthy, it became of part of his name! Justin was born to pagan parents in the second century, but found himself deeply moved by stories of Christian martyrdom. He described his conversion by saying, “Straightaway a flame was kindled in my soul and a love of the prophets and those who are friends of Christ possessed me.” Justin was a philosopher and a very learned man, and it is because of his writings that we have so much knowledge about the early church in post-biblical times. Justin was deeply moved by Christian worship and community living, like that mentioned in our verse from Acts for today, and left a lasting record of the life of the church. He eventually was arrested and jailed for practicing an unauthorized religion. Justin was given the chance to renounce his faith, but he refused. He and six of his students were subsequently beheaded, earning the moniker “martyr.” Justin inspires us to return to the roots of our faith, in worship and community, as we encounter the risen Christ who sustains us in all things.

Monday, June 2, 2008

“Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.’” Genesis 11:4

You’d think that after the flood, humanity would have cleaned up its act. Well, you’d be wrong. As Noah’s descendents re-established the human race and the earth was once again populated, the same old problems started again. People forgot the goodness and the grace of God and turned to their own devices. More to the point, they stopped caring about praising the Lord’s name and started caring more about establishing their own name. Come, they say, let us make a name for ourselves. How? By building a tower that ascended all the way to the heavens. Let’s climb up to God and take his place! So it was that the Tower of Babel came to be. Our culture is not so different, and not because of the buildings we build. We are also overly concerned with making and maintaining a name for ourselves. Our reputations are paramount; our identities incorruptible. But when it is up to us to make a name for ourselves and build our own reputation we push God out of the equation. Who I am matters, we say. But in truth, we only matter because of our relationship to God, and we need no tower to reach him. He has come to dwell among us. Let us praise his holy name and let him establish and sustain our identities, wrapped securely in his own.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

“Concerning this house that you are building, if you will walk in my statutes, obey my ordinances, and keep all my commandments by walking in them, then I will establish my promise with you, which I made to your father David.” 1 Kings 6:12

All of you at First English know that we’re engaged in a campaign to raise $3 million, with 2.4 earmarked for debt reduction. Why are we in debt? Where did this come from? The answer is that we’ve been carrying it around for some time now. Over a decade ago, First English began to hear God calling in new directions. God called us to build a North Site and begin worshiping at a second site. God called us to do dramatic renovations to our existing facility downtown. Both projects were carried out magnificently. Both projects have enabled us to do more ministries to the glory of God. And both projects remain unpaid for; hence, $2.4 million to significantly reduce our debt. We heard God’s call and answered faithfully, but did not commit nearly enough of our resources to the projects. Maybe not enough was asked of us. Maybe the need wasn’t communicated clearly. Maybe we all assumed that the person sitting next to us would foot the bill. Well, we have a good foundation in Christ and a good foundation in our physical locations. We’ve built well. Now it’s time to finish off these houses we’ve built, obey the Lord’s call to completion, and get on with the myriad ministries God has in mind for our next phase in this journey.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

“There I have provided a place for the ark, in which is the covenant of the Lord that he made with our ancestors when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.” 1 Kings 8:21

Indiana Jones is at it again. He’s a little bit older, and there are a few more aliens involved this time around, but the old whip-cracker is back for more in the “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.” Still, there’s no beating the original. Just the other day I popped in the new DVD edition of “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Wow, that movie has definitely withstood the passing of time. It is fantastic on every level, a pure joy to watch. As an adult watching the movie, I pay a lot more attention to the subtext, especially the religious angle. The idea of the ark – an ornate box that housed the tablets on which God gave the Law to Moses – fascinates me. Such an item would convey a huge sense of the holy, an intense encounter with the divine. Our passage for today relates the placement of the ark in the original temple, built by King Solomon. The ark within the temple was a holy place near to rivaling the Holy of Holies. And yet God had something more in store. Letting his presence be contained within an ark was amazing. Letting it out was even more impressive. But God has entered into us through Christ, making us his arks in the temple of the world. The God of Moses dwells in you. How will his law of love and light shine through your nooks and crannies into the world this day?

Thursday, June 5, 2008

“Then they will say, ‘Because they have forsaken the Lord their God, who brought their ancestors out of the land of Egypt, and embraced other gods, worshiping them and serving them; therefore the Lord has brought this disaster upon them.’” 1 Kings 9:9

In the ark, God let his presence dwell graciously in the midst of the people. God had led them forth from Egypt, established them securely in Canaan, granted them a line of kings, and finally allowed them to build a beautiful house of worship. All of this God had done. All God asked in return was that Solomon and the people walk in his ways. But if they didn’t, the Lord assured Solomon, things would not go well for the people. If Israel failed to honor the will of their God, they would become a disgrace among the nations. People would point and whisper that they were the ones who had forsaken God and they got what was coming to them. No disaster that would befall the people would be equal to their crime of abandoning and forsaking the Lord their God. And so it was. The people forsook God and their standing dwindled until they were destroyed, humiliated and exiled. Because the Lord had forsaken them? No, because they had forsaken the Lord. They got neither more nor less than they had coming. And so it often is for us. God doesn’t punish us. We make decisions with logical conclusions and then blame the predictable results on the will of God. The people did get one more thing than they bargained for. When they went into the exile they made for themselves, the promise of the Lord went with them. A promise of hope and restoration that they didn’t begin to deserve, but one that came anyway. Whatever we do to ourselves, the Lord’s promises stand.

Friday, June 6, 2008

“According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it. Each builder must choose with care how to build on it.” 1 Corinthians 3:10

Today marks one the beginning of my last month in ministry at First English Lutheran Church. My time here has been nothing if not eventful! We’ve been through quite a few things together. And while I would not claim to be the master builder of First English, I have put a lot of effort into building the community during the past four and a half years. Paul’s words to the Corinthians therefore have great meaning to me. Paul put a lot of effort, by the grace of God, into building up the church in Corinth. But he knew that this ministry was not one he would be involved in forever. Whatever foundation he laid, it would be others who would build upon it. So it is for me as I think about leaving. Together we’ve done a lot of building, and now my tasks here are done. It will be for others – for you – to continue building the ministries God has entrusted to you. Other pastors will come and go. The work you do will continue to change and grow. But it is all done upon the one foundation we share, the one built graciously for us by our Lord Jesus, upon which we all stand secure.

Saturday, June 7, 2008

“They have treated the wound of my people carelessly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace.” Jeremiah 6:14

Today we remember Noah Seattle, chief of the Suquamish tribe and later the chief of the tribal alliance known as the Duwamish Confederacy. When these tribes were faced with an increase in white settlers on land that had traditionally been theirs, Seattle chose to live and work peacefully with them rather than engage in warfare. Seattle converted to Roman Catholicism, at which point he began the practice of morning and evening prayer in the tribal community, a tradition that continued after his death. On the centennial of his birth, the city of Seattle – named in his honor against his specific wishes – erected and dedicated a monument over his grave. Chief Seattle stands as a remarkable example for us. Faced with white settlers who threatened his people’s way of life, and did so unjustly, Seattle nevertheless chose the peace taught by both his native and his adopted religions. He reminds us that the way of strength and power is rarely the right way to go, to be avoided at great cost. Faced with people who spoke peace but offered none, Seattle still refused to endorse violence. He also reminds us of the power of daily prayer and devotion; that the faithful way to bookend our days is by beginning and ending those days through prayer and praise of God, who is the God of peace.

Devotions – Year Five – Week Twenty-two

Pastor Dave Lyle