Happy Easter!

• AM Psalms: 148, 149, 150
• PM Psalms: 113, 114
• Exodus 12:1-14
• Isaiah 51:9-11
• John 1:1-18, 20:19-23

Dear God, I didn’t look ahead, so I wondered before I opened Sacred Invitation: Lenten Devotions Inspired by the Book of Common Prayer might only have a passage about Jesus resurrection from the Gospels. Or maybe multiple tellings from multiple Gospels. Instead, they don’t have any of those passages. The only post-resurrection passage we get is Jesus appearing to his disciples that evening after Mary Magdalene had already seen him. So let’s get into these passages and see how they might add to the Easter story.

Psalms 148, 149, 150 – So these last three psalms are wonderful because they just worship you. Straight out worship. No calls for killing my enemies or anything like that. Just, “You are great!!” I love it. Yes, Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit–my Triune God–you are great!! Oh, thank you. Thank you for your victory. Thank you that you relieved me of the pressure of “winning.” You’ve already won. All I have to do is faithfully follow you as best as possible. It reminds me of that last part of the poem I read inspired by Psalm 23: …I’m trying hard to sit at a table because it’s expected, required really, and my enemies–it turns out I have enemies–are watching me eat and spill my drink but I don’t worry because all my enemies do is watch and I know I’m safe if I will just do my best as I sit on this chair that wobbles a bit in the grass on the side of a hill. (“Here in the Psalm” by Sally Fisher)

Psalms 113, 114 – Psalm 114 might be one of the most poetic psalms I’ve read over the last 47 days: “The sea looked and fled, the Jordan turned back; the mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs…turned the rock into a pool, the hard rock into springs of water.” What fun ways to remember all the great things you have done. I should probably sit down more often and recount the great things you have done.

Exodus 12:1-14 – This story is so powerful and yet so horrific. It made me think of President Truman’s ultimate decision to drop the first atomic bomb. A lot of innocent people died in both stories. I’m not comparing the moral equivalency of the stories; just the idea that there was a mass group of people who died and another mass group of people who were protected from it. This world is so complex. How time plays out is so complex. That everything in history lined up even so that I could be here today is amazing. That everyone who is currently on earth because history has been laid out in this exact way. Oh, help us to live up to this blessing.

Isaiah 51:9-11 – My wife and I were talking yesterday about time continuing on after Easter. For her, she’s worked very hard this week in the church at different services. There has been a big build up to Easter. For me, this is the most intense Lenten season I’ve probably ever done leading up to Easter. It almost feels like the end of something, but it’s really only the beginning. It’s only the beginning. So it’s time to get up today and every day to live in this victory provided by this amazing gift of God the Father, Jesus his Son, and His Holy Spirit.

John 1:1-18, 20:19-23 – John 1:5: The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. Oh, how I want to really understand who you are, Jesus. I want to, but I still don’t. I’ve been a discipling Christian for 37 years. I’ve been doing these prayer journals for 24 years. Yet I understand so little still. Thank you for your patience with me and teaching me. And that leads me to you walking into the room with your disciples after your resurrection. This whole thing about forgiving sins is powerful. You forgive me. You give me grace. The long list you could keep for me of the things I do wrong is invisible to you because of Jesus’s blood. I don’t know that I have any authority like the disciples did to administer your forgiveness to others, but if I do I want that net of forgiveness to be cast very wide.

Now, I am going to get dressed and go to a sunrise service at a local Lutheran church. I love you, Father. I love you, Jesus. I love you, Holy Spirit. Thank you for accepting my love. Thank you for accepting my life. And thank you for the bridge you provided for me.

I offer this entire Lenten season to you in the precious, powerful, humble, and sacrificial name of Jesus, and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 

“Hypocrite”

Note on April 22, 2024: I originally wrote this prayer in the summer of 2023. This evening, I was listening to the Bible Project Podcast, and in the midst of their series on the Sermon on the Mount, they had a whole episode dedicated to the Word “hypocrite.” They redefined it for me, and I found that I have apparently either been misinformed or misunderstood the definition of the word the translators used to convey Jesus’s message. Apparently, a more accurate definition would be someone who is doing the things they say they (and you) should do, but they are only doing them for show. So it’s not what I thought, which is the old “do as I say, not as I do” definition, but it’s actually something that only God can tell if we are doing it or not. Only God can see our hearts and motives as we do what we do and say what we say. So this is another example of how my interpretation of scripture can be influenced by misunderstandings and my own lack of education. With that said, her is the prayer I prayed with the wrong definition in mind.

Dear God, I noticed that the New Testament reading for today for the Catholic church had the word “hypocrite” a couple of times. Both times, it was Jesus talking. I decided to take the New Living Translation and find out how many times the word is used in the Bible. As it turns out, it came up 21 times. Three times in the Old Testament (one in Psalms and two in Isaiah) and then 18 in the New Testament (13 in Matthew, one in Mark, two in Luke, one in Acts and one in 1 Timothy). So Matthew really seems to have zeroed in on this word and Jesus’s use of it. Therefore, I thought I would look at the instances when Matthew quotes Jesus as using it, courtesy of Bible Gateway.

1. Matthew 6:2 When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
2. Matthew 6:5 Teaching about Prayer and Fasting“When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
3. Matthew 6:16 “And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
4. Matthew 7:5 Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
5. Matthew 15:7 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
6. Matthew 22:18 But Jesus knew their evil motives. “You hypocrites!” he said. “Why are you trying to trap me? In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
7. Matthew 23:13 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You won’t go in yourselves, and you don’t let others enter either. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
8. Matthew 23:15 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you cross land and sea to make one convert, and then you turn that person into twice the child of hell you yourselves are! In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
9. Matthew 23:23 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
10. Matthew 23:25 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence! In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
11. Matthew 23:27 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
12. Matthew 23:29 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you build tombs for the prophets your ancestors killed, and you decorate the monuments of the godly people your ancestors destroyed. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
13. Matthew 24:51 and he will cut the servant to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations

Jesus seemed to have very little tolerance for hypocrites. Perhaps this is something I should be careful about as I move through this life. Are there areas where I am hypocritical?

I guess hypocrisy is something that requires self-awareness because I know of very few people who are able to see their own hypocrisy in real time. Even now, as I try to search my heart, I try to think of areas where I might be hypocritical, but I can’t think of any. Am I a hypocrite? Almost certainly. Can I identify how? Apparently not.

I think hypocrisy starts with a spirit of judging others. Maybe that’s where I should start. Do I judge others and how do I judge others? If I am judging them for this thing or that, then the odds are probably good that I have some work to do on myself in that area–oh, and I need to stop the judging.

Father, there are six instances in Matthew 23 that includes the phrases “What sorry awaits you…” and “Hypocrites!” I recognize that this is partially Jesus getting the Pharisees riled up so they will crucify him. It’s also getting his last words in with them while he can. But the message is still true. If it is true with me, please reveal it to me. Holy Spirit, please reveal it to me. Jesus, please forgive me.

I pray all of this in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,

Amen

 

Isaiah 53

53 Who has believed our message?
    To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?
² My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot,
    like a root in dry ground.
There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
    nothing to attract us to him.
³ He was despised and rejected—
    a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
    He was despised, and we did not care.

⁴ Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
    it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
    a punishment for his own sins!
⁵ But he was pierced for our rebellion,
    crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
    He was whipped so we could be healed.
⁶ All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
    We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him
    the sins of us all.

⁷ He was oppressed and treated harshly,
    yet he never said a word.
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
    And as a sheep is silent before the shearers,
    he did not open his mouth.
⁸ Unjustly condemned,
    he was led away.
No one cared that he died without descendants,
    that his life was cut short in midstream.
But he was struck down
    for the rebellion of my people.
⁹ He had done no wrong
    and had never deceived anyone.
But he was buried like a criminal;
    he was put in a rich man’s grave.

¹⁰ But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him
    and cause him grief.
Yet when his life is made an offering for sin,
    he will have many descendants.
He will enjoy a long life,
    and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands.
¹¹ When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish,
    he will be satisfied.
And because of his experience,
    my righteous servant will make it possible
for many to be counted righteous,
    for he will bear all their sins.
¹² I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier,
    because he exposed himself to death.
He was counted among the rebels.
    He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.

Isaiah 53

Dear God, this is an amazing prophecy. Not only that. It’s amazing that Jesus fulfilled it. Thank you!! THANK YOU!!!

I was talking with a friend recently who relayed a conversation with a friend of theirs that I don’t know, but it stunned them. Basically, this person blamed you for everything. What you created was bad. You created angels and there was an angel war that you sanctioned. You created people and families, and there are almost no good examples of families in the Bible (remember, this is all according to this person my friend knows). Even now, so many families are wrecked. In this person’s eyes, you create bad things. You are bad. And they apparently didn’t used to feel this way.

But I read this and it reminds me of just how loving you are. This person would say you killed your son because you are bad. I would say you did everything you had to do to reconcile us to you, including giving us teaching and examples through this son–YOUR SON. He bore my sins. He intercedes for me. Even now, he intercedes for me. Thank you!! THANK YOU!!!

Oh, Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, I really do thank you. I really do worship you. In you I put my faith. I put my trust. I am so burdened by the suffering of others. I was at a fourth-grade musical performance tonight at our local elementary school and I was looking around the room at all of the family members there to watch their children. I know there was so much pain in that room. It hurt my heart. I can’t address it all. What part do you have for me? Show me. Reveal to me. And you know the personal prayers I have for my own family. Do something I can’t imagine because right now I feel pretty hopeless. Do all of this so that your kingdom might come and your will will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

I pray all of this for your glory and under your authority,

Amen

 

Isaiah 55:8-9

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,so my ways are higher than your waysand my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”
Isaiah 55:8-9

Dear God, this where I just have to lean into trust. There are aspects of my life I simply don’t like. Yes, 80% of my life is really as good as I could imagine it, but I have 20% that brings me great pain, worry, and hurt. I don’t understand why it is the way it is. I don’t understand if I’m supposed to be doing something different. I don’t know why. But when I sink into despair I remember the essence of these verses in Isaiah: You are doing things I can’t see or don’t understand, and you’re doing them for reasons I can’t possibly comprehend.

It made me think of a Twila Paris song from the 80s called “Do I Trust You.”

“Do I Trust You, Lord?” By Twila Paris

Sometimes my little heart can’t understand
What’s in Your will, what’s in Your plan.
So many times I’m tempted to ask You why,
But I can never forget it for long.
Lord, what You do could not be wrong.
So I believe You, even when I must cry.

Do I trust You, Lord?
Does the river flow?
Do I trust You, Lord?
Does the north wind blow?
You can see my heart,
You can read my mind,
And You got to know
That I would rather die
Than to lose my faith
In the One I love.
Do I trust You, Lord?
Do I trust You?

I know the answers, I’ve given them all.
But suddenly now, I feel so small.
Shaken down to the cavity in my soul.
I know the doctrine and theology,
But right now they don’t mean much to me.
This time there’s only one thing I’ve got to know.

Do I trust You, Lord?
Does the robin sing?
Do I trust You, Lord?
Does it rain in spring?
You can see my heart,
You can read my mind,
And You got to know
That I would rather die
Than to lose my faith
In the One I love.
Do I trust You, Lord?
Do I trust You?

I will trust You, Lord, when I don’t know why.
I will trust You, Lord, till the day I die.
I will trust You, Lord, when I’m blind with pain!
You were God before, and You’ll never change.
I will trust You.
I will trust You.
I will trust You, Lord
I will trust You

I will trust You.
I will trust You.
I will trust You
I will trust You.
I will trust You, Lord.

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Twila Paris

Father, I don’t know what I would do without my faith in you. I know some would call it a crutch. That’s an insult. You are more than that. Using you as a crutch means it’s still about me. It’s NOT about me. I don’t use you as a crutch. I simply throw myself upon you and trust that you are working for purposes higher than my purposes in ways I cannot see. And then I trust that. I trust you. And if I’ve wasted my life trusting you and none of this is true, then I still won’t regret a thing because trusting you and living life the way you created me to live it has brought me more peace than anything else ever could have. It’s brought me more joy. It’s brought me more love. All of the fruits of the Spirit. To quote another song but changing the meaning slightly, God, if loving you is wrong then I don’t want to be right.

I offer this prayer to you through the grace and power of Jesus,

Amen

 

Isaiah 58

“Shout with the voice of a trumpet blast. Shout aloud! Don’t be timid What good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarreling? This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me. You humble yourselves by going through the motions of penance, bowing your heads like reeds bending in the wind. You dress in burlap and cover yourselves with ashes. Is this what you call fasting? Do you really think this will please the Lord? “No, this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help. “Then your salvation will come like the dawn, and your wounds will quickly heal. Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind. Then when you call, the Lord will answer. ‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply. “Remove the heavy yoke of oppression. Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors! Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon. The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring. Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities. Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls and a restorer of homes. “Keep the Sabbath day holy. Don’t pursue your own interests on that day, but enjoy the Sabbath and speak of it with delight as the Lord’s holy day. Honor the Sabbath in everything you do on that day, and don’t follow your own desires or talk idly. Then the Lord will be your delight. I will give you great honorand satisfy you with the inheritance I promised to your ancestor Jacob. I, the Lord, have spoken!”
Isaiah 58

Dear God, this reminds me of 1 Samuel 15 when Samuel says, “To obey is better than to sacrifice…” you don’t want my piety. You simply want me to love you with all my heart, soul, mind and strength and to love my neighbor as myself. The purpose of fasting is to discipline myself into submitting to you, not just making myself feel good because I engaged in some sort of pious activity.

A couple of years ago, a local pastor encouraged his parishioners to consider not giving something up for Lent, but to instead consider taking up an activity that glorifies you. Maybe service. Maybe worship. Maybe prayer. Whatever it is, make it a worshipful add-on to your life instead of a ritualistic denial of something. That’s pretty much what I’m trying to do this year. I’ve pitched something that I think will bring me closer to you, and then the fruit of that will take care of itself.

Father, Isaiah’s words for Israel are likely the same thing you would have to say to the American church today: “Obey me before you have to sacrifice.” There’s a lot in here about loving the poor and oppressed. Help me to go that more and more. For your glory, oh Lord.

Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Holy Spirit, have mercy,

Amen

 

Isaiah 1:15-20

When you lift up your hands in prayer, I will not look. Though you offer many prayers, I will not listen, for your hands are covered with the blood of innocent victims. Wash yourselves and be clean! Get your sins out of my sight. Give up your evil ways. Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows. “Come now, let’s settle this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool. If you will only obey me, you will have plenty to eat. But if you turn away and refuse to listen, you will be devoured by the sword of your enemies. I, the Lord, have spoken!”
Isaiah 1:15-20

Dear God, one thing the Bible in a Year podcast has done for me is open up the prophets. When I saw the verse of the day was Isaiah 1:18 on Bible Gateway this morning, my first instinct was to look for another one, but then I thought, No, take what you’ve learned about the context and apply it.

In this case, it’s interesting that the sin Isaiah calls out specifically isn’t debauchery or hedonism, even though he calls them “Sodom” and “Gomorrah” earlier in verse 10. Instead, he says this: “Get your sins out of my sight. Give up your evil ways. Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows.” That’s not to say that avoiding debauchery isn’t important, but apparently this is important too.

Father, Holy Spirit, Jesus, whisper in my ear all day long. Give me ears to hear and eyes to see. I want to be in this world exactly what you need me to be. Don’t let me miss a thing.

I pray this through Jesus,

Amen

 

Isaiah 43:16-19

“I am the Lord, who opened a way through the waters, making a dry path through the sea. I called forth the mighty army of Egypt with all its chariots and horses. I drew them beneath the waves, and they drowned, their lives snuffed out like a smoldering candlewick.

“But forget all that— it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.”
Isaiah 43:16-19

Dear God, while I haven’t been as consistent about journaling lately, I have been spending time listening to scripture, reading scripture and listening to Christian content. And that’s all good and well, but I find that these are the times that end up speaking the most to me. It’s about me actively participating in our time and not passively taking it in.

In this case, I read this passage yesterday as part of the church’s readings for the day, and I was drawn to it. One thing that strikes me about it is that, in fact, I seem to forget about what you’ve done in the past too often. You’ve done amazing things for me, and still I doubt. On the other hand, there are times when I can worship an idyllic time in the past and try to return to that glory. Much like our country with World War II. That was a great, hard-fought victory, and we have not only taken credit for it (away from you, I might add), but we have also tried to live in the “greatness” (however we choose to define that) of that time and tried to replicate it now. Politicians have literally clung to it as a mantra. Let’s go back. Let’s live that greatness again. But that’s not what you’re calling the Israelites to do through Isaiah in this passage. You want to do something new that is even greater than your past glorious victories.

Several years ago, my wife and I were at a retreat and I heard you say something to me through the story in Haggai about the rebuilding of the temple. They were trying to duplicate Solomon’s Temple and you told them that you had a new Temple for them to build–a different Temple. I told my wife that I heard your Spirit telling me that I was trying to recapture a time in my life when things were at their apex. All of my actions were pointed towards making things the way they once were. But you told me that you had something new for us to build. It would be different, but better. We’ve tried to build that over the last few years. I pray that we are doing the right things because sometimes the evidence I see with my eyes tells me I’m doing it wrong. But that’s not what faith is, I suppose. Faith is believing in what I cannot see and rejecting man’s wisdom and embracing yours.

Father, I pray that you will guide me today. Keep me in this moment. Keep me only on today. Give me ears to hear and eyes to see. Make me slow to speak and intent on listening. Help me to discern and understand beyond what my mind would normally understand. Help me to learn what I don’t know and do what I didn’t know I should do. Make it all for your glory, regardless of what it costs me.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

Isaiah 6:8

⁸ Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me.”

Isaiah 6:8

Dear God, when I read this in church this morning, my first thought was, “I’m not sure if I’m that brave. I don’t know if I want to be used by God to that extent.” Then I read the Gospel reading from Luke 5 when Jesus calls Peter. Again, I thought, “Better him that me.”

This is my confession to you. I want to love you. I want to serve you–to a point. I want to worship you. I want to sacrifice for your–to a point. I want to embrace your forgiveness and grace. I want to work for you–to a point. See the pattern here? I’m good with the love stuff. Forgiveness. Worship. That’s all good and well. But when it comes to serving, sacrificing and working, my first inclination is to still steer into my own comfort zone.

I’ve often joked that Noah had the worst situation of the Bible. I’d just as soon have died in the flood as go through the 100 years of building an ark, taking care of all of the animals, and then building back society. I’ve also said that if there is a nuclear bomb coming or a zombie apocalypse, I want to go in the first wave. I don’t want to be a survivor. I’ve seen the movies and it doesn’t look like the survivors are having a good time at all. When I examine myself, I suppose I’m unbelievably lazy.

As I sat in church and contemplated these things, I started to wonder how much my age has to do with my natural tendency to lethargy–well, maybe not lethargy. Safety and security might be better words. Twenty years ago, I was in my early 30s and willing to take more chances. Now, in my early 50s, I think I’m starting to feel the combination of less energy and a sense that I have less margin for error. The older I get, the more the chances I take will impact the rest of my life. Am I really ready to give all that I am for all that you are?

In the Bible in a year podcast from this morning, they read Psalm 73. It seems like a good psalm to pray to you now as my own prayer: It’s remarkably appropriate (I am bolding the beginning and end to emphasize how I am feeling):

¹ Truly God is good to Israel,
    to those whose hearts are pure.
² But as for me, I almost lost my footing.
    My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone.
³ For I envied the proud
    when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness.
⁴ They seem to live such painless lives;
    their bodies are so healthy and strong.
⁵ They don’t have troubles like other people;
    they’re not plagued with problems like everyone else.
⁶ They wear pride like a jeweled necklace
    and clothe themselves with cruelty.
⁷ These fat cats have everything
    their hearts could ever wish for!
⁸ They scoff and speak only evil;
    in their pride they seek to crush others.
⁹ They boast against the very heavens,
    and their words strut throughout the earth.
¹⁰ And so the people are dismayed and confused,
    drinking in all their words.
¹¹ “What does God know?” they ask.
    “Does the Most High even know what’s happening?”
¹² Look at these wicked people—
    enjoying a life of ease while their riches multiply.

¹³ Did I keep my heart pure for nothing?
    Did I keep myself innocent for no reason?
¹⁴ I get nothing but trouble all day long;
    every morning brings me pain.

¹⁵ If I had really spoken this way to others,
    I would have been a traitor to your people.
¹⁶ So I tried to understand why the wicked prosper.
    But what a difficult task it is!
¹⁷ Then I went into your sanctuary, O God,
    and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked.
¹⁸ Truly, you put them on a slippery path
    and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction.
¹⁹ In an instant they are destroyed,
    completely swept away by terrors.
²⁰ When you arise, O Lord,
    you will laugh at their silly ideas
    as a person laughs at dreams in the morning.

²¹ Then I realized that my heart was bitter,
    and I was all torn up inside.
²² I was so foolish and ignorant—
    I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you.
²³ Yet I still belong to you;
    you hold my right hand.
²⁴ You guide me with your counsel,
    leading me to a glorious destiny.
²⁵ Whom have I in heaven but you?
    I desire you more than anything on earth.
²⁶ My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak,
    but God remains the strength of my heart;
    he is mine forever.

²⁷ Those who desert him will perish,
    for you destroy those who abandon you.
²⁸ But as for me, how good it is to be near God!
    I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter,
    and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

Isaiah 9:6

⁶ For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6 (KJV)

Dear God, it’s interesting to take these verses out of context and read them knowing what we know now as opposed to how the people (maybe even Isaiah) interpreted them when they were written. Here are verses 1-5, leading up to this verse:

Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will be humbled, but there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory.

² The people who walk in darkness
    will see a great light.
For those who live in a land of deep darkness,
    a light will shine.
³ You will enlarge the nation of Israel,
    and its people will rejoice.
They will rejoice before you
    as people rejoice at the harvest
    and like warriors dividing the plunder.
⁴ For you will break the yoke of their slavery
    and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders.
You will break the oppressor’s rod,
    just as you did when you destroyed the army of Midian.
⁵ The boots of the warrior
    and the uniforms bloodstained by war
will all be burned.
    They will be fuel for the fire.

Isaiah 9:1-5 (NLT)

I went to verse 6 this morning because I was thinking about it after hearing it in the performance of Handel’s Messiah which I saw last week. He took one verse and made a beautiful song out of it. A current Christmas classic nearly 300 years later. And it’s easy to see Jesus and the fallout from his arrival in that verse. But verses 1-5. How do we lay those on Jesus? In real time, I’m sure they read them as freedom from whatever oppressor was over them at the time (which turned out to be Rome). But I think, looking back, this probably had more to do with the unseen oppressor that tends to get us all.

The part about the people seeing a great light and you enlarging the nation of Israel. They thought that meant military victory and border expansion. I know now that you meant me. I’m now part of your people because the child was born.

The part about you freeing from slavery and breaking the oppressors rod was probably, once again, seen as a leader overthrowing a physical oppressor. What Jesus ended up doing was overthrowing Satan and freeing me from his power.

So what does this have to do with today? Well, there are a lot of moving parts to my life, and I tend to look at only the physical. What is happening in my physical life? What I need to do more of is pay attention to how the world I can see is interacting with the world I cannot see. What is the cause and effect between the worlds, and what kind of sacrifices do I need to make in the physical world to ensure that I am doing my part to be your agent of good in the spiritual world?

Father, thank you that, unto me, a child was born. Yes, he was born for others, but Jesus is as much about me as anyone. Thank you. I pray over my children, my wife, and the rest of my family. My friends. My coworkers. My community. My world. Unto all of us a child was born. Bring us to a place where we can worship him completely, denying ourselves.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

Isaiah 1:10-17

Listen to the Lord, you leaders of “Sodom.” Listen to the law of our God, people of “Gomorrah.” “What makes you think I want all your sacrifices?” says the Lord. “I am sick of your burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fattened cattle. I get no pleasure from the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. When you come to worship me, who asked you to parade through my courts with all your ceremony? Stop bringing me your meaningless gifts; the incense of your offerings disgusts me! As for your celebrations of the new moon and the Sabbath and your special days for fasting— they are all sinful and false. I want no more of your pious meetings. I hate your new moon celebrations and your annual festivals. They are a burden to me. I cannot stand them! When you lift up your hands in prayer, I will not look. Though you offer many prayers, I will not listen, for your hands are covered with the blood of innocent victims. Wash yourselves and be clean! Get your sins out of my sight. Give up your evil ways. Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows.
Isaiah 1:10-17

Dear God, it’s interesting to see your frustration and message to the Israelites through Isaiah: Stop doing evil things and love others! Don’t try to impress me because I’m not to be mocked or fooled. I can see beneath your veneer. I see who you really are.

So who do you see when you look at me? I know what I hope you see. Is that reality?

Father, I know I’m flawed. I’m sorry for that. I really am. To quote a hymn, “Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee.”

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen