Come along on a great ADVENTure! One that doesn’t require time shopping and baking, but one that ushers in the advent of the Kingdom of God on earth. This breaking-through of the holy Presence did not get cleaned up by delivery room nurses and handed to his momma wrapped in a hospital-print blanket and matching hat.
No, this Presence was birthed in dirt and spent his first night on earth sleeping to the sounds of a mooing cow and a snoring donkey. The smell must have been noticeable, but he was too little and much too polite to mention it.
The great ADVENTure we will embark on for these 25 days of preparation will lead us straight to that manger, where we will find ourselves standing among dirty shepherds, regal wisemen, vibrant angels, and his parents. By immersing ourselves in Scripture every day, we will hear from the prophets of old and end up at the eyewitness accounts of Christ’s arrival. Through our travels, we’ll discern God’s purpose for our lives as we navigate another Advent season. May this Christmas be like none other as we journey together.
I went down a strange and wonderful rabbit hole last week. A good friend recommended a poem to me, and as I read it, I noticed in the footnote that it was inspired by Psalm 89. So naturally I looked up Psalm 89, which led me to read commentary on what was happening when it was written, which led to more research … in other words, if you give a mouse a cookie, she will spend two hours reading things. I learned some wonderful things about this psalm, but more importantly, this friend’s message that led to reading a poem, that led to researching Psalm 89, led me to the whole reason for God dropping this passage on me today. Psalm 89 speaks directly to my heart in this moment in time.
So, first, let’s talk about what I learned. The title of this psalm is A Contemplation of Ethan the Ezrahite.There are several men named Ethan in the Hebrew Scriptures, but this man is mentioned specifically in 1 Kings 4:31 as someone who was famous for his wisdom – yet surpassed by Solomon’s greater wisdom. This means he was likely a contemporary of Solomon and was also alive during the reign of David. You can see his allegiance to David and his appreciation for David’s rule. He wrote this during a time when the Israelites had strayed from God’s word and God’s will, and they were feeling God’s wrath. Ethan stands in the gap to plead for them. God does not respond, and Ethan’s pleas get stronger and more urgent. He feels dejected.
Have you ever felt misunderstood, and when you tried to straighten it out, you only made it worse? Have you ever been taunted by your enemies, rejected, left alone? Was there ever a time when you couldn’t find God in the midst of your heart ache? Ethan felt that way, too.
Psalm 89 (New Revised Standard Version)
How long, O Lord? Will you hide yourself forever? How long will your wrath burn like fire? 47 Remember how short my time is— for what vanity you have created all mortals! 48 Who can live and never see death? Who can escape the power of Sheol? Selah
49 Lord, where is your steadfast love of old, which by your faithfulness you swore to David? 50 Remember, O Lord, how your servant is taunted, how I bear in my bosom the insults of the peoples, 51 with which your enemies taunt, O Lord, with which they taunted the footsteps of your anointed.
What strikes me the most about this psalm is that that Ethan never resolves it. There is no triumphant victory over his enemies, no intervention of God who comes to his defense, no reassurance that God indeed is here and fighting his battle next to him. We know from history that God forgave and redeemed Israel, but you would not know that from reading this psalm. No, instead, we see Ethan deal with his trouble by blessing God in the midst of it:
52 Blessed be the Lord forever. Amen and Amen.
Sometimes you just have to live through a moment. Sometimes you just have to do the best you can to reconcile a situation and then move on. Sometimes you just have to let go and let God. Tomorrow is another day.
Everybody knows so much these days! Google has enabled us to become instant experts on every subject. Just ask someone a question and they will have an answer. But that has been our undoing, in a sense. If person A is quoting resource A to person B, who is only reading resource B, a disagreement is likely to ensue. A and B will never agree because they don’t trust the other person’s resources.
Everyone is a know-it-all.
Stop and think a moment…what do you REALLY know? I’m not talking about education, research, or reading copious articles on a subject. What do you KNOW?
We know the sun rises every morning and sets every night.
We know the earth revolves around the sun and fall follows summer.
We know that things freeze at 32 degrees Fahrenheit and there is a certain level of humidity that is guaranteed to frizz a girl’s hair.
You know what else we know?
We know that the Lord is God and he made us. We know that we are his people.
Psalm 100 is a beautiful tribute to what we really know. It contains the everlasting truth of what can be known with certainty.
Psalm 100 (New King James Version)
Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! 2 Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. 3 Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Did you notice that before we are assured that God is God, we are invited to make the joyful shout, serve with gladness, and come into his presence with singing? In Methodism, we call that prevenient grace. Before we are even aware of him, God comes to us with his grace. His unmerited favor, his unconditional love, and his offer of salvation come before we even know who God is. This indeed is a reason to rejoice.
4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
Do you hear the invitation continuing? This Psalm is like a door that is being held wide open so that everyone can come in and set a spell. Come into the gates! Enter into the inner court! You belong here where the truth is made known. The Lord is God, and the Lord is good.
5 For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.
So maybe we don’t know as much as we think we do. But if we know the goodness of the Lord, then we know everything we need to know.
How many of you remember Crystal Pepsi? Cheetos-flavored lip balm? Colgate Frozen Entrees? Heinz “Easy Squirt” purple ketchup? These are perfect examples of what happens when companies, institutions, and people forget to keep the main thing the main thing. Each one of us has a mission in life. The mission of Colgate is to make toothpaste. The mission of Cheetos is, well, to make Cheetos. The mission of Christ followers is to feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, shelter the homeless, clothe the naked and visit the sick and the prisoners.
How are we doing with that?
Today’s devotional is an appropriate follow-up to the recent one on Revelation 7. Jesus explains a vision of heaven much like the Revelation of John of Patmos’ vision. We are focused again on the throne and the diversity of the nations gathered around the Son of Man, the Lamb. But this passage takes a more cautionary tone:
Matthew 25 (The Message)
31-33 “When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left.
A sorting will happen and it is clear that at the end of days, you will want to be counted on the right side. See what it will take to enter the Kingdom of God:
34-36 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why:
I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was homeless and you gave me a room, I was shivering and you gave me clothes, I was sick and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to me.’
37-40 “Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’
What a beautiful reminder to us about the importance of being the “hands and feet” of Christ in this life. By serving his fragile children, we are serving the king. Can there be anything more important? Can any calling be greater?
41-43 “Then he will turn to the ‘goats,’ the ones on his left, and say, ‘Get out, worthless goats! You’re good for nothing but the fires of hell. And why? Because—
I was hungry and you gave me no meal, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was homeless and you gave me no bed, I was shivering and you gave me no clothes, Sick and in prison, and you never visited.’
44 “Then those ‘goats’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn’t help?’
Friends, we don’t want to be counted with the goats. This is a good time to do a reality check. Are you giving, serving, helping, and engaging with people who are overlooked or ignored? If not, you are not serving the King.
45 “He will answer them, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me.’
46 “Then those ‘goats’ will be herded to their eternal doom, but the ‘sheep’ to their eternal reward.”
Jesus is clear about his expectations. When people, community groups, and churches devote a lot of time in food pantries, homeless shelters, disaster recovery, and clothes closets, they are pleasing to God. I am blessed to serve a church like that, and we are surrounded by churches and organizations who are actively involved in local ministries. How about your church? How about you? Volunteering and offering financial support to the things that Jesus cares about will usher you right into the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven.
“Bless people who harass you” comes straight out of Romans, chapter 12. Yes, this phase is actually in the Bible! Darn you, Paul! Here I was, thinking I am righteous in my indignation over people who harass me. I like to envision myself as a modern-day Jesus, overturning the money lenders’ tables at the Temple when I get royally aggravated at someone. Jesus got angry, why can’t I??
Well, to begin with, I am not the Messiah, and neither are you. An affront to the incarnate God on the steps of the Holy of Holies constituted something that was actually sacrilegious. My offenders are annoying, but they are not committing heresies against the divine. In short, there are many situations where we just need to get over ourselves.
A reader of my devotionals once confronted me about my “tone.” And as confrontations usually go, I was then offended by his “tone.” But we are two people who love each other and listen closely to the leading of the Holy Spirit, even in the midst of difficult conversations. We were able to hear each other out and, by the grace of God, we’ve held on to what is good in our relationship. I think Paul would have been pleased with our exchange.
Romans 12 (Common English Bible)
9 Love should be shown without pretending. Hate evil, and hold on to what is good. 10 Love each other like the members of your family. Be the best at showing honor to each other. 11 Don’t hesitate to be enthusiastic—be on fire in the Spirit as you serve the Lord! 12 Be happy in your hope, stand your ground when you’re in trouble, and devote yourselves to prayer.13 Contribute to the needs of God’s people, and welcome strangers into your home.
14 Bless people who harass you—bless and don’t curse them.
Where is God calling you to bless someone you would rather curse? Do you have a list? Most of us do. But Paul challenges us to love without pretending and show honor to each other. This can only be done when you talk and listen to those whom you’d rather curse.
And don’t miss the part about devoting yourselves to prayer! Contending with harassers and enemies has got to come after time has been spent in prayer. It may take years.
Early in my ministry I was attacked by a matriarch of the church. She had no appreciation for what I brought to the table. She complained about my children’s sermons, said that my recruitment efforts to set up team-teaching in Sunday School had failed because “nobody liked me,” etc. She took those concerns to our Staff Parish committee (basically a Human Resources committee), and they called me in to talk about it. I was DEVASTATED. The committee discussed it further after I went back to my office, where I began to collect boxes to pack my things. About an hour later my assigned committee-advocate found me. He told me that the committee felt the matter was over that night and no action would be taken. But the deep pain I felt left a mark. By the way, team-teaching was a huge success.
My advocate was much older and wiser than me and advised me to follow the Scripture that commands us to “pray for our enemies.” I took his advice. Lo and behold, many years later this woman came to me on a big church workday and called me down from a ladder to tearfully apologize for what she had said. She was sorry for the trouble she had caused all those years earlier. She had been working things out in her personal life at the time, and some of it spilled over and splashed on me. We reconciled in that moment and have maintained a friendly relationship ever since. Later on, when her child came into a time of trouble, she sought out my counsel, further solidifying our relationship. I easily love this woman without pretending.
15 Be happy with those who are happy, and cry with those who are crying. 16 Consider everyone as equal, and don’t think that you’re better than anyone else. Instead, associate with people who have no status. Don’t think that you’re so smart.
That last line is so accurate. When we feel offended by someone, we might just be missing an important lesson about our OWN behavior that needs some attention. Paul reminds us that God can do so much more with a humble and contrite spirit than a self-righteous one.
Let’s talk about fools today. We often assume that when we call someone a fool, we are describing an intellectual incapacity. We think about foolishness as a lack of common sense or making poor decisions. When a friend does something foolish, we respond with “Well, that was stupid!” Foolish behavior is seen as a function of the mind, and fools lack the wherewithal to “know better.” Fools are imprudent and silly.
In David’s time, however, the word fool was more a factor of heart than mind. Foolish behavior came from a place of morality, not intellect. Thus fools were the ones who were morally bankrupt evildoers, regardless of intelligence. Fools believed there is no God.
David makes it clear in Psalm 14 that he considers anyone who rejects God to be corrupt and perverse. He complains that there are few people who seek God, stating that everyone has gone astray. He draws a clear line between those who accept God for who he is and those who contend that there is no God:
Psalm 14 (New Revised Standard Version)
Fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is no one who does good.
2 The Lord looks down from heaven on humankind to see if there are any who are wise, who seek after God.
3 They have all gone astray, they are all alike perverse; there is no one who does good, no, not one.
You can almost feel David’s disdain for anyone who denies God. He is solidly in the camp of those who call upon the Lord for everything, and so he has no patience or respect for godless evildoers.
4 Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call upon the Lord?
5 There they shall be in great terror, for God is with the company of the righteous. 6 You would confound the plans of the poor, but the Lord is their refuge.
Here is the application for modern day readers: those who call upon God will find a refuge of safety in that relationship. Knowing that God is real puts one in the camp of the righteous, where God resides. It is not only the smart choice, but also the only safe choice. God is our strength. God is our restoration. God is our deliverance.
7 O that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion! When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people, Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad.
Do you know someone who denies the existence of God? They, too, may make this assertion from a heart-perspective rather than a head-perspective. Ask questions. Have they been hurt by the church? Have they suffered at the hand of “religion?” Have they felt condemnation from those who know God?
Listening to the heart is much better than lecturing to the mind. When people see God in your actions as you offer unconditional love, compassion, generosity, and forgiveness, they can see with their hearts that God is real.
You’re the only Jesus some will ever see. Go and preach the Gospel with your winsome ways, and only use words when absolutely necessary.
The Lord Looks Down from Heaven by Michelle Robertson
Do you have a comfy spot in your home where you go to relax and de-stress? Is there one specific dwelling place that you look forward to as you are driving home from work, a loud sports activities with your kids, or a long trip away? I have a comfy chair on the second floor of my house that I sit in to do all my writing. The view of the harbor, boats, flags, and clubhouse from my windows is like a tranquilizer. The minute I sink into the chair, which once belonged to my mother, I feel safe and at ease.
I hope you have a dwelling place like that as well.
Today we read a psalm of Moses where he refers to God as our dwelling place. This is the only psalm that Moses wrote, but you can find other examples of his song-writing in Exodus 15 and Deuteronomy 32 and 33.
Scholars believe that Moses wrote this during the time described in Numbers 20. This was after the death of his sister Miriam, after being barred from entering the Promised Land due to his disobedience of striking the rock in the wilderness, and after his brother Aaron died. We can certainly see why his attention was now focused on God being his only dwelling place.
Such a lovely image! Moses reminds us that God has been a source of comfort and peace since the beginning of time. People come and go, armchairs and ottomans eventually make their way to the landfill, but God has always been and will always be there for us as a safe and easy place to dwell.
Psalm 90 (Common English Bible)
1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. 2 Before the mountains were brought forth or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
3 You turn us back to dust and say, “Turn back, you mortals.” 4 For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past or like a watch in the night.
5 You sweep them away; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning; 6 in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers.
You can almost hear his loneliness for his siblings in this last part. People fade and wither and God turns us back to dust in his timing. But what will always remain is that he is God, from everlasting to everlasting.
Spend some time in your dwelling place today and meditate on that. When losses come in your life, and they will come, God will be your dwelling place in all generations.
Permit me to tell you about a fine young fellow I know named Steve. Steve is the journalism teacher at our local high school, where he leads students in putting out an award-winning student newspaper and yearbook every year. He writes for our local summer magazines and is a wonderful husband and father of two talented kids. Luckily for me, he is a faithful church member. Friends, Steve serves on our Staff Parish Relations Committee, which proves his worth to all who have ever had the (mis)fortune of serving on a Staff Parish Relations Committee. He uses his talents as the keeper of the minutes there. (For the non-Methodists among us, SPRC does the important work of evaluating the pastor and staff, making hiring and firing decisions, and facilitating the relationship between the congregation and the staff. It is a HARD committee, and the committee members have to be some of the most dedicated, patient, and unflappable people in the church.)
Steve is also my volunteer proofreader for my next book, ReLENTless Devotion, which will be available at Amazon in December. This is a book of 40 Lent devotionals. I wouldn’t have the courage to put it out if I didn’t have Steve’s help … his ability to see and fix all my punctuation mistakes is a blessing to me, especially with my misplaced-comma syndrome! (I have officially been diagnosed. It is terminal.) I have come to accept that there is no cure for this disease. That’s why I need a Steve for this book.
I thought about Steve this morning when I read this passage in Deuteronomy. It records the death of Moses and the passing down of leadership to the next generation. Joshua is selected to lead the people because he was filled with wisdom through his connection with Moses.
Deuteronomy 34 (Common English Bible)
5 Then Moses, the Lord’s servant, died—right there in the land of Moab, according to the Lord’s command. 6 The Lord buried him in a valley in Moabite country across from Beth-peor. Even now, no one knows where Moses’ grave is.
7 Moses was 120 years old when he died. His eyesight wasn’t impaired, and his vigor hadn’t diminished a bit.
8 Back down in the Moabite plains, the Israelites mourned Moses’ death for thirty days. At that point, the time for weeping and for mourning Moses was over.
9 Joshua, Nun’s son, was filled with wisdom because Moses had placed his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to Joshua, and they did exactly what the Lord commanded Moses.
This is the perfect example of what happens when someone mentors and teaches the next generation. When there is a leadership gap, the young mentees are ready and able to step into place and lead. Teachers like Steve do this work every single day of their lives. We owe them a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid.
10 No prophet like Moses has yet emerged in Israel; Moses knew the Lord face-to-face! 11 That’s not even to mention all those signs and wonders that the Lord sent Moses to do in Egypt—to Pharaoh, to all his servants, and to his entire land— 12 as well as all the extraordinary power that Moses displayed before Israel’s own eyes!
I have been blessed by my relationship with many teachers, youth leaders, camp counselors, children’s ministry workers, nursery volunteers … all those people who choose to use their talents in shaping and forming the next generation.
Where is God calling you to lead a younger person to a life in Christ? Sometimes all it takes is an invitation to meet for coffee for the relationship to begin. If God has put a burden on your heart to mentor someone, don’t let another day go by. You are shaping tomorrow by where you invest your time today.
It is said that in life, success comes more from who you know than what you know. I think there is some truth to that. When we are pursuing a new job, a raise, a promotion, finding an appropriate mate, a good outcome at court, a favorable loan rate, a lower price on a new car, etc., the people at the other end of those transactions make all the difference in the final result. If you know them and if they like you, your chances of success might be increased. It’s all about knowing the right people.
Jesus’ famous “I AM” statements reveal who he is, using a series of metaphors and analogies. In today’s passage, Jesus tells his disciples that he is the True Vine of Israel. He makes this statement while they are on their way from the last supper in the Upper Room to the impending arrest, trial, and crucifixion. He is trying to reassure them that even when he dies, their connection will never be severed. They, and we, are the branches to his vine, and it is that connection that gives us strength, hope, and determination. Knowing Jesus makes all the difference in our lives.
John 15 (New Revised Standard Version)
4 Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.
If you read this entire chapter in John, you will see that the word “abide” is used ten times. Jesus surely wants us to understand how to abide in him! And there is a reciprocal blessing here. When we abide in him, he abides in us.
So, how do we abide in Jesus?
Abiding means, first of all, studying the word of God. “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” (v.7) When we look into the word of God and see the Son of God, we are changed by the Spirit of God into the image of God, by the grace of God, for the glory of God.
That is what abiding is all about.
This is a good time to stop and consider your daily practice of studying the word. Do you take time in the morning to read Scripture? Do you meditate on his word as you pray? So many times we think God has not heard or answered our prayers when the truth is, we haven’t been abiding in his Word, where the answers can be found. Do you need a better daily practice of abiding in the Word?
Second, abiding also means doing the work of God. Jesus said in v.5, “He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit.” We know what God is concerned about. He is in the fruit-bearing business. That is His work; that is what He desires for us. And so when we do the work of the Lord through our serving and our giving, we bear the fruit of the father.
Third, abiding is obeying the will of God. Jesus said in v.10, “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.” When the branch lives out its life in connection with the vine, it then reproduces the fruit of the vine. Are you obeying God’s will for your life? If the answer is no, I bet the fruit you produce reflects that.
How can you better abide in Christ? He longs to abide in you.
The phenomenon that is known as Taylor Swift has taken over the world. Our local movie theater is showing her Eras Tour movie, and the place is packed with people of all ages in Taylor Swift outfits. Folks are disappointed that the special Eras Tour popcorn bucket was in short supply, and they missed getting it, resulting in the theater having to apologize and offer a future bucket as soon as the next shipment comes in. And Is it just me, or are all the young girls suddenly sporting bangs? I like that. I’ve been wearing bangs since before Swift was born.
According to an article in Time magazine published on August 24th, 2023, analysts estimate that the Eras Tour will likely surpass the $1 Billion mark by March of 2024, when Swift will be touring internationally. Beyond the concert sales, fans are spending a lot of money on merchandise.. The Eras Tour is projected to generate close to $5 billion in consumer spending in the United States alone. “If Taylor Swift were an economy, she’d be bigger than 50 countries,” said Dan Fleetwood, President of QuestionPro Research and Insights. This absolutely blows my mind. The scope of her influence is beyond the imagination. Her work and her image are recognized around the world.
Our passage today had me thinking about image and recognition, but in a much more humble way. One of the greatest gifts we receive from God is the gift of adoption. We are called the children of God, but the world does not recognize that:
1 John 3 (Common English Bible)
See what kind of love the Father has given to us in that we should be called God’s children, and that is what we are! Because the world didn’t recognize him, it doesn’t recognize us.
Like the Swifties who try to look like their icon, we will be converted into the image of Christ when he appears. We’ll be like him, and we will see him as he is. I think that being able to behold his glory will trigger that moment of complete transformation. We won’t just be dressed up … we actually will take on the image of Christ for ourselves.
2 Dear friends, now we are God’s children, and it hasn’t yet appeared what we will be. We know that when he appears we will be like him because we’ll see him as he is. 3 And all who have this hope in him purify themselves even as he is pure.
So, our task as we wait is to purify ourselves. Christ is pure and calls us to be like him. Purity of heart, purity of mind, purity of purpose, and purity of intention are things that we can pursue while we wait. The Prince of Peace of all the eras invites us to be like him.
At Water’s Edge 