We are rounding the corner when holidays challenge us to try to spend time with our families. There is an expectation of togetherness that dominates our schedules between Halloween and New Year’s Day. For families that are experiencing dysfunction, these next few months can be extremely disruptive.
Does your family put the “fun” in dysfunctional or is there a deep and toxic undercurrent that threatens your peace? I spoke to a mother who has been battling with a very toxic relative who refuses to listen to her and has rejected all of her words and counsel. When that relative suddenly announced that they were coming for Thanksgiving, the mother responded that this would not work this year. I applaud her conviction in standing up for herself. Let me say this out loud for those in the back: it is okay to walk away from toxic relationships. You can still love people from afar, but to put appropriate boundaries around your heart, your mind, and your sanity is sometimes the only way to negotiate relationships that threaten to undo you.
Not only is it okay to walk away from toxic relationships, but it is also biblical.
In the tenth chapter of Matthew, Jesus was training his disciples to go out and announce that the Messiah had come. He instructed them to knock on the door and offer a blessing of peace. If the blessing was rebuked, Jesus told them to “let your peace return to you” and walk away.
Matthew 10 (New International Version)
13 If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. 14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet.
Think about your most challenging relationships. If the relationship is deserving, let your peace rest on it. If your words, advice, and loving counsel are rejected over and over again, step away from that relationship and dust off your feet.
This is not to say that we are suddenly relieved of our duty to love others as Christ loves them. This does not discount unconditional love. But loving with healthy boundaries and space is appropriate. Jesus said so.
Are you dreading the holidays? Do you wish you didn’t have to deal with someone this season?
Dust off your feet, stand up for yourself, and walk toward your own peace of mind.
An old song from the musical “The King and I” kept floating through my mind during the recent hurricanes. As we were bombarded with images of charts and graphs showing the hurricanes increasing in intensity and coming closer and closer, this little song would replay itself. Sung by Anna as she is entering life as a teacher in the great palace of the fierce and intimidating King of Siam, the lyrics are a lighthearted reminder to try to project a brave countenance, even when you don’t feel it:
Whenever I feel afraid I hold my head erect And whistle a happy tune So no one will suspect I’m afraid
I whistle a happy tune And every single time The happiness in the tune Convinces me that I’m not afraid
Make believe you’re brave And the trick will take you far You may be as brave As you make believe you are
The last verse is the best. You may be as brave as you make believe you are. Possibly the success in this lies in the fact that working to project a fearlessness that you don’t feel will distract you from the spinning cycle of despair that would like to swirl you downward deeper into your situation.
Today’s reading is from a time when David definitely felt afraid. The Philistines had seized him in Gath. He was alone, desperate, and very, very frightened. David was in great and constant danger from many enemies, both the Philistines and Saul’s servants. He cried out to God, knowing that divine help could rescue him from any man-made threat. He appealed to the mercy of God, not relying on what he may or may not deserve.
This is such a good place to start, whenever we feel afraid. Appealing to God’s mercy is exactly the right thing to do. David dove right into his petition, and addressed the attacks of his enemies who were “trampling” him.
You may or may not have “enemies” per se, but can you list people who oppose or oppress you? Are there people in your life who attack you on social media, family members who ignore or dismiss you, or rebellious teenagers who are working your last nerve? Who or what tramples you?
Psalm 56 (New International Version)
56 God, have mercy on me because I’m being trampled. All day long the enemy oppresses me. 2 My attackers trample me all day long because I have so many enemies.
Having made his petition David turned to his God on High, calling him “Exalted one.” This is David’s way of reminding both God and David that he understood the high and powerful nature of the God to whom he cried out. If you were writing this psalm, what name would you use for God? Who is God to you? Exalted one, 3 whenever I’m afraid, I put my trust in you— 4 in God, whose word I praise. I trust in God; I won’t be afraid. What can mere flesh do to me?
David put his whole trust in God, and it made him feel less afraid. What would it mean to put your trust in God and leave all your fears there?
David now expressed his paranoia over his enemies ganging up against him. Have you ever felt that way? Can you recall a time when you felt ambushed or trapped by people or circumstances that you couldn’t overcome?
5 All day long they frustrate my pursuits; all their thoughts are evil against me. 6 They get together and set an ambush— they are watching my steps, hoping for my death. 7 Don’t rescue them for any reason! In wrath bring down the people, God!
But watch what comes next. David remembers and acknowledges where God has been all along. God has kept track of his misery. There is a tenderness in his statement “you put my tears into your bottle.” The tear bottle tradition dates back nearly 3,000 years, when mourners were said to collect their tears in a tear bottle, also called a lachrymatory. Tear bottles were buried with loved ones to express honor and devotion.
8 You yourself have kept track of my misery. Put my tears into your bottle— aren’t they on your scroll already?
What does it mean to you to know that God has numbered and kept every tear you have shed? For David, it gave him courage. It took his anxiety away and helped him see God’s activity in his situation. Then came this beautiful statement: “I know this because God is mine.” God is yours as well.
9 Then my enemies will retreat when I cry out. I know this because God is mine. 10 God: whose word I praise. The Lord: whose word I praise. 11 I trust in God; I won’t be afraid. What can anyone do to me?
When God is yours and you are God’s, what can anyone or any circumstance do to you, indeed?
12 I will fulfill my promises to you, God. I will present thanksgiving offerings to you 13 because you have saved my life from death, saved my feet from stumbling so that I can walk before God in the light of life.
God saves us from death and saves our feet from stumbling. We don’t have to be afraid! God enables us to walk in the light of life. Whenever you are afraid, God creates space for you. He counts, stores, and records everything about your fears and your tears.
And to know that the God of the universe cares about you makes everything all right.
Do you have phrases stuck in your head that your grandparents used when you were a kid? These down-to-earth tidbits of elder wisdom are priceless core memories that can instantly take you right back to Grandma’s dining room table laden with Thanksgiving dinner delights whenever you hear them. I recently had a conversation with a friend who was bemoaning the fight in her neighborhood between the HOA and a separate governing board. We talked through the issues and finally she threw up her hands and said, “They’ve all just become too big for their britches!” Grandma would have loved that. It was one of her favorite sayings! Indeed, the ego driven arrogance of some of these “leaders” in that neighborhood fits that description. Paul would say, “They think more highly of themselves than they ought.” And you know the problem of becoming too big for your britches: You risk splitting the back seam of your pants and showing your … um … core memory.
Today’s passage is a classic tale of two brothers who had gotten way too big for their britches, or robes in this case:
Mark 4 (Common English Bible)
35 James and John, Zebedee’s sons, came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”
36 “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.
37 They said, “Allow one of us to sit on your right and the other on your left when you enter your glory.”
38 Jesus replied, “You don’t know what you’re asking! Can you drink the cup I drink or receive the baptism I receive?”
39 “We can,” they answered.
How conceited was that response? They had no idea what drinking the cup and receiving the baptism meant, but they were absolutely positive that they were big enough to handle it. In their limited thinking, sitting at places of honor in Jesus’ kingdom would be amazing. In truth, it would involve drinking from the cup of sorrow and receiving a baptism of suffering, death, and resurrection.
Jesus said, “You will drink the cup I drink and receive the baptism I receive, 40 but to sit at my right or left hand isn’t mine to give. It belongs to those for whom it has been prepared.”
I wonder if when Jesus told them they will drink the cup and receive the baptism they smiled and high-fived each other, thinking they had won something. But I am sure that Jesus did not participate in their celebration, as he knew exactly what would happen. James was the first disciple to be martyred according to Acts 12, and tradition suggests that John survived an attempted murder when he was submerged in a vat of boiling oil. In truth, the baptism they received was a baptism of fire.
41 Now when the other ten disciples heard about this, they became angry with James and John. 42 Jesus called them over and said, “You know that the ones who are considered the rulers by the Gentiles show off their authority over them and their high-ranking officials order them around. 43 But that’s not the way it will be with you. Whoever wants to be great among you will be your servant.44 Whoever wants to be first among you will be the slave of all,45 for the Human One didn’t come to be served but rather to serve and to give his life to liberate many people.”
Jesus dressed them all down and then redressed them in pants that fit their mission. They were called to be humble servants of each other and greatness would be defined by how well and faithfully they served. In this way, they took on the servanthood appearance of our Lord, who humbled himself even unto death.
Is God trying to humble you? Do you need to take a step back and see where you might serve someone in quiet kindness and gentle generosity?
The only way to be first in Jesus’ kingdom is to choose to be last.
Serving the Hungry at Fayetteville United Methodist Church by Kathy Schumacher
There is an old legend from India about a water bearer who had two large water pots in which he carried water daily from the river to his master. One of the pots was perfect. The other one had a crack in it. The perfect pot always arrived at the master’s quarters perfectly full. The cracked pot was always half empty. Embarrassed and ashamed, the cracked pot said to his carrier one day, ‘Why don’t you get rid of me? I never arrive at the master’s quarters more than half full.’ ‘Ah’, replied the water bearer, ‘you don’t know the full story. Look beside the road where I carry you each day. There are flowers growing that I pick for the master’s table. The flowers only bloom on your side of the road. It is your cracked pot that waters them.”
Isn’t that an inspiring story for all of the cracked pots reading this today???
The marvelous writer Henri Nouwen helped us understand that God can use us in our brokenness to help others who are also broken. He calls us to become “wounded healers,” and encourages us to gather up our pain and come alongside someone who is hurting and offer support and understanding. It is a way of blessing others with the blessing we received when we saw firsthand how God came close to us when we were brokenhearted . God saves us from being crushed by our sorrow, our sin, our confusion, our grief, and our trials.
Psalm 34 (Common English Bible) 15 The Lord’s eyes watch the righteous, his ears listen to their cries for help. 16 But the Lord’s face is set against those who do evil, to eliminate even the memory of them from the earth. 17 When the righteous cry out, the Lord listens; he delivers them from all their troubles. 18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he saves those whose spirits are crushed.
Have you been broken by something? Do you have a story to tell about God’s goodness in your bad situation? Someone needs to hear your testimony. By being willing to water the flowers God plants along the road, your words could bring healing and blessing to someone who is hurting. Maybe today is the day to allow God to use your brokenness for someone’s good. Don’t delay!
Sometimes, in moments of frustration and despair, I think that we are living in dark times. The continuing war in the Middle East, the continuing war in Ukraine, the recent devastation of Hurricane Helene and the one on the way this week, the continuing war in our nation over human rights, border issues, the economy, the rule of law, the impending elections … dark times indeed.
Have you ever noticed that it has to be very, very dark in order to see the stars?
I remember a trip we took to the Big Island in Hawaii many years ago. At night, this island’s streetlights shine through very muted yellow lightbulbs so that the space observatory at the top of Mauna Kea can see the stars, planets, and celestial bodies clearly. There is a strict lighting ordinance in effect for all of the homes and businesses on the island that ensures the darkest of skies possible. Mauna Kea has 12 separate nonprofit observatories, which makes this area the most scientifically productive site of astronomy in the world.
When it is dark enough, you can see the stars.
Today’s passage from Luke describes the upheaval that we will experience when Jesus returns. The end times will be marked with changes and disruption in the sun, moon, stars, planets, and other heavenly bodies. It sounds horrific.
Luke 21:25-28, 34-36 (Common English Bible)
25 “There will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars. On the earth, there will be dismay among nations in their confusion over the roaring of the sea and surging waves. 26 The planets and other heavenly bodies will be shaken, causing people to faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world. 27 Then they will see the Human One coming on a cloud with power and great splendor.
28 Now when these things begin to happen, stand up straight and raise your heads, because your redemption is near.”
“RAISE UP YOUR HEADS, because your redemption is drawing near.” Jesus says. Salvation is on the way, not because you can figure a way out, not because you have kept your chin up and your upper lip stiff, not because the fictitious “Universe” will use its non-existent power to reverse your course, but because God is going to act. Our Christian hope does not rest in what we might do, but in what God will do. It is God who acts when we cannot. It is God who saves when we are hopelessly mired in sin and shame. It is God who gives us the victory when we are utterly defeated.
The point of this text, in fact the point of the entire gospel is this: When there is nothing you can do—nothing—God will act on your behalf. When you are out of resources, out of time, out of patience, out of help, out of hope, when the sea is foaming and the tide is about to take you under, when you have nothing left, no defense, nothing to fight back with so shred of hope to grasp onto—that is the time to lift up your head, for when things are darkest, then you can see the stars.
So what should we do in the meantime, in these dark times? Jesus continues:
34 “Take care that your hearts aren’t dulled by drinking parties, drunkenness, and the anxieties of day-to-day life. Don’t let that day fall upon you unexpectedly, 35 like a trap. It will come upon everyone who lives on the face of the whole earth. 36 Stay alert at all times, praying that you are strong enough to escape everything that is about to happen and to stand before the Human One.”
Take care of your hearts. Stay alert. Pray for strength. Find a way to be a light in someone’s darkness.
If there is one thing we know about here on the Outer Banks, it is WIND. We are famous for it. Remember the Wright Brothers? They came here to try out their new-fangled flying machine because our winds are strong and consistent. That’s great for kite flying on Jockey’s Ridge, but not so great for spray painting a baker’s rack, which I once did in my side yard. I ended up with more paint on the grass than the metal.
When the winds hit gale force, we hunker down or leave. That is why I was so amazed this morning to read that in the face of gale force winds on the day of Pentecost, the devout pilgrims in Jerusalem ran toward the sound:
Acts 2 (The Message)
2 1-4 When the Feast of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Without warning there was a sound like a strong wind, gale force—no one could tell where it came from. It filled the whole building. Then, like a wildfire, the Holy Spirit spread through their ranks, and they started speaking in a number of different languages as the Spirit prompted them.
5-11 There were many Jews staying in Jerusalem just then, devout pilgrims from all over the world. When they heard the sound, they came on the run. Then when they heard, one after another, their own mother tongues being spoken, they were blown away. They couldn’t for the life of them figure out what was going on, and kept saying, “Aren’t these all Galileans? How come we’re hearing them talk in our various mother tongues?
Parthians, Medes, and Elamites; Visitors from Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene; Immigrants from Rome, both Jews and proselytes; Even Cretans and Arabs!
In John 15 we read that Jesus prays that his followers might be one. Here again we see that the power of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost united the followers in such a way that their languages could be understood by each other. Unity is a theme in the early church. It is God’s desire for his followers. How are we doing?
12 Their heads were spinning; they couldn’t make head or tail of any of it. They talked back and forth, confused: “What’s going on here?”
13 Others joked, “They’re drunk on cheap wine.”
The cacophony of confusion was so strong, it appeared as though the people were drunk. But Peter explains that it is only nine o’clock in the morning and they haven’t had time to get drunk. Peter has obviously never been to a morning college football game.
But notice that he stands to speak to the confused crowd with bold urgency. When was the last time you spoke for God with bold urgency?
Peter Speaks Up
14-21 That’s when Peter stood up and, backed by the other eleven, spoke out with bold urgency: “Fellow Jews, all of you who are visiting Jerusalem, listen carefully and get this story straight. These people aren’t drunk as some of you suspect. They haven’t had time to get drunk—it’s only nine o’clock in the morning. This is what the prophet Joel announced would happen:
“In the Last Days,” God says, “I will pour out my Spirit on every kind of people: Your sons will prophesy, also your daughters; Your young men will see visions, your old men dream dreams. When the time comes, I’ll pour out my Spirit On those who serve me, men and women both, and they’ll prophesy. I’ll set wonders in the sky above and signs on the earth below, Blood and fire and billowing smoke, the sun turning black and the moon blood-red, Before the Day of the Lord arrives, the Day tremendous and marvelous; And whoever calls out for help to me, God, will be saved.”
This foretelling of what will happen in the end times is chilling. God’s Spirit will be poured out on all kinds of people. Visions, dreams, and prophesies will abound. Wonders in the sky and signs on the earth will be hard to miss, as will the blood, fire, and billowing smoke.
All these things will announce that the Day of the Lord is at hand. It sounds terrifying. Are you ready?
Yesterday a good friend posted a simple request on Facebook. She asked her friends to stop discussing politics on their feeds. The comments ranged from “You are so right! I hate all the arguing!” to “Freedom of speech.” Wherever you stand on that issue, surely the constant arguing that is happening in our country is wearing us all down.
James had a lot to say about “taming the tongue.”
James 3:13 – 4:3, 7-8a The Message
13-16 Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here’s what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It’s the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts. Mean-spirited ambition isn’t wisdom. Boasting that you are wise isn’t wisdom. Twisting the truth to make yourselves sound wise isn’t wisdom. It’s the furthest thing from wisdom—it’s animal cunning, devilish plotting. Whenever you’re trying to look better than others or get the better of others, things fall apart and everyone ends up at the others’ throats.
17-18 Real wisdom, God’s wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.
4 1-2 Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. You lust for what you don’t have and are willing to kill to get it. You want what isn’t yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it.
2-3 You wouldn’t think of just asking God for it, would you? And why not? Because you know you’d be asking for what you have no right to. You’re spoiled children, each wanting your own way. This is scary: You can tame a tiger, but you can’t tame a tongue—it’s never been done.
“You can tame a tiger, but you can’t tame a tongue—it’s never been done.” OUCH!
Think about the last argument you had with your spouse, or consider the enormous political division that exists in our country, and look again: 4 1-2 Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. You’re spoiled children, each wanting your own way.
James really tells it like it is, doesn’t he? He insists that it is our own selfish personal desires – what he calls our war within – that create the conflicts in our families and communities and inner selves. Because we want more – more attention, more respect, more power, more authority – our wanting puts us in direct conflicts with our own families, church, community, and country.
We want to be right. We want to be in control. We want to have our own way.
This is not the way of the followers of Christ, friends. Verse 17 reminds us of the way we are to follow:It begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.
So what can you do to get along with others? Are you gentle and reasonable or are you exercising your right to free speech at the expense of others? Are you contributing to a healthy, robust community that lives right with God, or are you your own island?
God calls us to treat each other with dignity and honor. May we do all in our power to live up to this.
Yesterday I preached a sermon based on James 3-4. The primary focus was James ‘blunt and almost abrasive call to practice a humble life and stop living in “animal cunning and devilish schemes”. James contends that we are spoiled children, wanting things was can’t have and operating out of our selfish desires to have more and more in our lives that we don’t need. In thinking about that, I did a lot of research about accumulating “stuff.” I learned that in 1960, the first ever self-storage facility was built in Texas. Today there are over 53,000 self-storage facilities, making it a $44.3 billion dollar industry. You read that right, friends. We spend $44.3 billion dollars per year to store all of our extra stuff. As I wade through my own closets full of stuff I don’t need or use, that really hit me hard.
Rev. John Strother, my former DS, posted this caution about gathering up too much stuff on his Facebook page last month. First, we will read Jesus’ parable in Luke 12 in the New International Version:
And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
Now let’s read it again from the Cotton Patch Bible. The Cotton Patch Bible is a modern translation written in a southern U.S. dialect:
Luke 12 The Cotton Patch Bible
Then God said to him, “You NITWIT! On this very night all these things are possessing your soul. You don’t own them. They own YOU! And all this stuff you have piled up, whose is it really?…..So the poor rich farmer was struck with the realization that he would continue for the rest of his life in bondage to the things that had enslaved him all along….. “And that’s the way it is”, said Jesus, “with a man who sets his heart on money….and not on God.”
How much stuff do you really need? Like it said in the Cotton Patch Gospel, don’t be a nitwit! Maybe it’s time to let go of the stuff that has a hold over you.
Maybe we can start by clearing out our self-storage units and closets and giving all that stuff away. I bet there is a thrift store in your area that would be able to turn your unused stuff into money they can use for their ministry. In the Outer Banks, we have a young men’s addiction recovery program called Dare Challenge. They operate a thrift store that supports their important work, and they just opened a new women’s center. Think of what a difference your unused stuff could make to places like this!
Then we could take the money we spent on self-storage rental and donate it to good causes in our community like your local food pantries or homeless shelters. Luke’s parable reminds us that it is okay to settle for less.
May we covenant to seek God’s wisdom so that we might live well, live wisely, and live a humble life together.
Can there be anything worse than being chastised or rebuked in front of your enemy? Have you ever suffered the embarrassment of having your sin exposed and addressed while people who didn’t like you were looking on? I am reminded of the wonderful children’s book “Harriet The Spy.” Harriet, an aspiring writer, observes people every day on her “spy route” and writes her unfiltered thoughts in a notebook. During a game of tag one day, her notebook is lost and found by her enemies, Marion and Rachel. They expose her writings, and she loses her best friends Sport and Janie. Over the next few chapters we see Harriet deal with the humiliation of exposure and her pain at having her enemies laugh at her plight. Times of correction are hard enough, but to have people watching who are actually enjoying it is a miserable thing.
Micah dealt with exactly that. His prophecy about God’s impending judgment had fallen on the kings’ deaf ears. Both Jotham and Ahaz continued in their idolatrous and adulterous ways, leading the people into corporate sin and shame. Micah felt the sting of both the punishment that is to come, and the nations who will watch and gloat over it. Yet even through it all, his confidence in the Lord’s eventual forgiveness was strong.
Micah 7 (Common English Bible)
Do not rejoice over me, my enemy, because when I fall, I will rise; if I sit in darkness, the Lord is my light. 9 I must bear the raging of the Lord, for I have sinned against him, until he decides my case and provides justice for me. He will bring me out into the light; I will see by means of his righteousness. 10 Then my enemy will see; shame will cover her who said to me: “Where is the Lord your God?” My eyes will see her ruin; now she will become something to be trampled, like mud in the streets.
This is a beautiful passage of confession and comfort. Israel had sinned and would pay for their apostasy, but God delights in showing mercy to those who are truly penitent. God doesn’t hold on to his anger. God will show Israel faithful love once again, bestowing compassion and love on them. Much more than remorse, or simply feeling sorry for their sins, Micah articulated the deep penitence the nation was offering. He grieved the wrong their sin had done to the Lord, showing that they were not just feeling sorry for themselves, but truly repentant.
18 Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity, overlooking the sin of the few remaining for his inheritance? He doesn’t hold on to his anger forever; he delights in faithful love. 19 He will once again have compassion on us; he will tread down our iniquities. You will hurl all our sins into the depths of the sea. 20 You will provide faithfulness to Jacob, faithful love to Abraham, as you swore to our ancestors a long time ago.
To think that God is this forgiving is a stunning thing. That, of course, is the whole reason that God sent his only son to us: So that Jesus can hurl all our sins to the depths of the sea and forget them forever. Our enemies may laugh for a moment, but it is God who gets the last laugh when the people return in confession, repentance, and humility.
Are you struggling with sin or failure? Have you disappointed God? Are your enemies laughing at you behind your back? Count on God’s compassionate, faithful love. He will heal your penitent heart if you let him.
How many of you clean your house before you go on vacation? It is so nice to come back to a tidy abode after some time away, but this practice confused me as a kid. Like, who were we cleaning for? We’re not even going to be here. Are we expecting ghosts? Squatters? A surprise inspection? GRANDMA??
I remember feeling that having to clean my room before every trip was a real buzz kill. But my parents had a strong ethic of first things first, and work before play that I appreciate now that I am older.
Our letter from Jude today started out exactly like that. He intended to pen an epistle on salvation but had to “clean up” a few things first. There were godless people who had infiltrated their community and brought their immorality and ungodly desires with them. So Jude had to address first things first.
The name Jude is short for Judas, but as the canon was being developed it was deemed wise not to allow him to be confused with Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus. This Judas was in fact the half-brother of Jesus. Mary and Joseph’s son was humble in his position as sibling to the Lord. Rather than flaunt his position, Jude rolled up his sleeves and got to work.
The main issues he addressed in his letter had been addressed against the godless long before. Jude recounted what happened to those who survived the exodus from Egypt only to fall away from God. He went all the way back to Genesis to describe what happened to angels who fell from grace, as well as the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah who met a fiery fate due to their sins. These stories, contended Jude, should serve as a warning.
Jude 1:1-25
3 Dear friends, I wanted very much to write to you concerning the salvation we share. Instead, I must write to urge you to fight for the faith delivered once and for all to God’s holy people. 4 Godless people have slipped in among you. They turn the grace of our God into unrestrained immorality and deny our only master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Judgment was passed against them a long time ago.
5 I want to remind you of something you already know very well. The Lord, who once saved a people out of Egypt, later destroyed those who didn’t maintain their faith. 6 I remind you too of the angels who didn’t keep their position of authority but deserted their own home. The Lord has kept them in eternal chains in the underworld until the judgment of the great day. 7 In the same way, Sodom and Gomorrah and neighboring towns practiced immoral sexual relations and pursued other sexual urges. By undergoing the punishment of eternal fire, they serve as a warning.
8 Yet, even knowing this, these dreamers in the same way pollute themselves, reject authority, and slander the angels. 9 The archangel Michael, when he argued with the devil about Moses’ body, did not dare charge him with slander. Instead, he said, “The Lord rebuke you!” 10 But these people slander whatever they don’t understand. They are destroyed by what they know instinctively, as though they were irrational animals.
The pressing issue in Jude’s time was the invasion of people into the faith community who rejected God’s authority and slandered things they did not understand. Jude warned that these people are like “jagged rocks just below the surface of the water waiting to snag you” (verse 12) and “wild waves of the sea foaming up their own shame” (verse 13). His use of imagery is striking! We can just imagine ourselves being pulled under and drowning in sin. Jude cautioned and counseled them to clean their house of these people. Judgment is coming.
11 They are damned, for they follow in the footsteps of Cain. For profit they give themselves over to Balaam’s error. They are destroyed in the uprising of Korah. 12 These people are like jagged rocks just below the surface of the water waiting to snag you when they join your love feasts. They feast with you without reverence. They care only for themselves. They are waterless clouds carried along by the winds; fruitless autumn trees, twice dead, uprooted; 13 wild waves of the sea foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom the darkness of the underworld is reserved forever.
14 Enoch, who lived seven generations after Adam, prophesied about these people when he said, “See, the Lord comes with his countless holy ones,15 to execute judgment on everyone and to convict everyone about every ungodly deed they have committed in their ungodliness as well as all the harsh things that sinful ungodly people have said against him.” 16 These are faultfinding grumblers, living according to their own desires. They speak arrogant words and they show partiality to people when they want a favor in return.
Take a look around you. Are you listening to the faultfinding grumblers who speak arrogant words and reject God’s authority? If you are, clean out your room!
17 But you, dear friends, remember the words spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. 18 They said to you, “In the end time scoffers will come living according to their own ungodly desires.” 19 These people create divisions. Since they don’t have the Spirit, they are worldly.
Jude leaves us with a beautiful word of encouragement to build each other up on the foundation of our good and holy faith while we protect ourselves from falling in with the wicked ones.
20 But you, dear friends: build each other up on the foundation of your most holy faith, pray in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep each other in the love of God, wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will give you eternal life. 22 Have mercy on those who doubt. 23 Save some by snatching them from the fire. Fearing God, have mercy on some, hating even the clothing contaminated by their sinful urges.
Let us leave this devotional with the beautiful benediction and doxology of verses 24-25. Amen!
To the one who is able to protect you from falling, and to present you blameless and rejoicing before his glorious presence, 25 to the only God our savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, belong glory, majesty, power, and authority, before all time, now and forever. Amen.
At Water’s Edge 