A Fast From Yourself

Isaiah 58:6-7 The Lord said, “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him and not to hide from your own flesh?...”

Fasting comes in and goes out of style regularly. Some see it as a serious spiritual discipline that can be used to create clarity of mind in order to hear God better. Some see it as a seasonal thing to be done every Friday in Lent or something like that. Fasting, the act of denying the body either food or something else, has good things and bad things about it. There’s a problem when the good thing is used to show off and people have a “look at me” attitude about their fasting.

That was the problem the Lord was addressing in Isaiah. The people had begun to use God’s laws as a means to an end. They were twisting them in order to get what they wanted from God. God was wise to it. He knew what they were up to. He is not one to be fooled or manipulated by petty humanity. “Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high.” Verse 4.

God urges his people to take a fast from themselves. Fasting is not about you. Fast from yourself and help the homeless, hungry and hopeless. Fast from yourself and work for those who are caught in bonds of wickedness and oppression. This urging is for you and for me as well, not just the Israelites. In other words, we need to get over ourselves and look out for others. I think this call is more appropriate today than ever. We will not curry favor with God by flaunting our personal, spiritual piety.

Personal piety is important. To be in God’s word, to be part of his fellowship, to share in the sacraments, prayer, etc… all of these things are important, but are not to be used to try and win God’s approval or man’s approval. God’s approval was accomplished for us by Christ on the cross. We can’t do anything without Jesus. Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

It may be hard, but through Christ, we can fast from ourselves. Deny ourselves our selves. Jesus came not to be served but to serve. Our fasting should be a fast from serving ourselves in order to serve others. Look for those opportunities to serve and then do it.

Heavenly Father, you sent Jesus from the cradle to the cross in order to bring us back to you. Now, your Spirit lives in us and enlivens us to serve you by serving the least in this kingdom. Help us to do that and save us from ourselves. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Isaiah 58:8-9a “Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’”

Baby’s First Words

Isaiah 44:6 Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.”

What were your first words? Baby talk can be really fun to decipher. The gurgles, the mumbles, the coos all mean something to someone. Momma hears “momma” and Daddy hears “momma.” All of the language development takes place so quickly and if you happen to teach your baby sign language, it takes place even faster. Whatever your first words were back then, they meant something to someone.

At Christmas, we celebrate the birth of Jesus. God, the creator of the universe, the King of Israel, was born as a little baby. What do you think his first words were? The words recorded by the prophet Isaiah may not have been Jesus’ first words, but they sure would fit. “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.”

“I am the first…” Jesus was the first born Son of God, the only begotten Son of God. God had never come to His people in human skin. He was the first because he had been around since before people were created. He was first because he was before everyone else. Now, he was the first and he would be the last.

“I am the last…” God would never again come in this same way. He would never again show up in human skin in the form of a baby. He would finish what God had begun so long ago, the redemption of mankind. His birth, life, and death on the cross would be the final chapter in the salvation story, until He comes again in glory.

“Besides me there is no god.” All of the other “gods” of this world amount to nothing. There is no other god except the Our God, the LORD. No one else can give us what God can give us. Nothing else can offer forgiveness, life and salvation. Jesus, the baby born in Bethlehem, is the true gift of Christmas.

I’m pretty sure that the infant Jesus did not come out able to speak in clear and loud terms about who he was. His first words were probably in Aramaic, though I don’t think gurgling takes any particular language. But His Father speaks for Him, through the prophet Isaiah in no uncertain terms about who He is.

May you always know with confidence who God is, was and always will be. Jesus, the first and the last, the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, a baby born in Bethlehem, our Redeemer crucified and risen.

Merry Christmas.

Thank you for Christmas, Heavenly Father. Amen.

A New Nobility

Isaiah 32:8 He who is noble plans noble things and on noble things he stands.

When was the last time you used the word “noble” to describe someone or something? It’s a word that conjures up images of kings, queens and knights. Nobility along with chivalry seem to be archaic ideas. Is anyone truly noble or chivalrous any more? Lords and ladies, fair maidens and knights in shining armor… I know that we tend to romanticize the past, but romantic ideas can move us to change things for the better.

Isaiah is writing words of prophecy against all those who are not noble. He is proclaiming the wrath of God on all those who devise evil schemes, who plot and plan to exploit the poor and out cast. He also proclaims that a king is coming who will reign and rule in righteousness and justice. Justice and righteousness, these are noble things. This is the King who is coming.

Whether you read these words of Isaiah as prophecy about an earthly ruler or if you read them about Jesus, the fact is that God stands for justice and righteousness. The one who plans noble things and stands on noble things stands with God. The chivalrous knights of old stood with God. The noble ones of days past stood with God.

For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose. Philippians 2:13. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. Galatians 2:20. The truly noble live because Christ lives in them. The chivalrous work according to the plans that God has laid out for them. He who is noble plans noble things and on noble things he stands. Isaiah 32:8

May you know that the Holy Spirit lives in you. Your breast plate of righteousness comes from God Himself. He gives you the armor that any knight would be proud to wear, through His Son Jesus. In your baptism, you were knighted and given the mission to go and proclaim the Gospel of Christ to all people. So do noble things, plan noble things and stand upon the most noble thing of all, the Word of God.

Heavenly Father, enliven our hearts to plan and do noble things, all to your glory. Amen.

Father’s Love

1 John 3:1a See what kind of love the Father has given to us that we should be called children of God; and so we are.

I’m a dad. I have been for a little over 11 years now. It’s a strange thing to be a dad, a father of children. There’s a love that a father has for his children that is both protective and adventurous. It’s protective in that you will guard your children with your life. It’s adventurous in that you encourage your children to explore the world, even when it means that they might get hurt.

We are God’s children. We are God’s children because God says we are. The Father has poured out His love on us. Through Jesus, God’s son, He shows His love for all of His other children. He protects Jesus with His very presence, because He loves him. He allows Jesus to go through the pain of crucifixion because He loves us, too.

God protects you with His very life. That life was lived in Jesus. God encourages you to explore the world that He created, knowing full well that you will get hurt. But He also knows that through pain comes growth. And even when we get hurt, God is present to carry us through the pain.

God calls us His children and that is what we are.

Father in heaven, protect us and keep us in Your love, now and always. Amen.

Lions!

1 Peter 5:8- Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Lions are amazing animals. I’ve seen them in the zoo and heard them when they roar. It’s a very scary sound. The roar echoes throughout the zoo, especially in St. Louis. When those lions roar, everyone hears it. There are not many animals, to my knowledge, that would dare oppose a lion, particularly when it’s meal time. Fearsome beasts, the king of the jungle or the savannah, the lion is a force to be reckoned with.

Peter uses the image of the prowling, roaring lion to describe the devil. The devil is constantly, ferociously on the hunt for someone to devour. The image is a fearful one for humanity. Peter’s image comes with the warning to be watchful, keep a clear head, pay attention so that you can hear, see or smell the lion coming.

One thing that occurs to me, through Peter’s description is that the lion is not very stealthy. He prowls around roaring. That voice can be heard loud and clear. He’s not sneaky. Elsewhere, the devil is described as a serpent, more crafty than the others. So, it’s not that he can’t be sneaky, but Peter sees the devil as a very noticeable creature.

The devil has been a student of human behavior since the beginning of time. He knows how we act, interact, and behave. He is constantly on the move and looking for his next meal. But there is someone else who is constantly on the look out. And he is also known as a lion.

“And one of the elders said to me, ‘Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.’” Revelation 5:5. That’s Jesus, my friends. This Lion has conquered all. He has conquered the other lion. He has conquered the power of the other lion. He is Jesus.

This Lion is a force to be reckoned with, just as lions on the savannahs of Africa have no animal opponents. This Lion laid down his own life, this Lion did not roar when he was put on the cross. It was in His humility that He was most powerful. So we are watchful, but we do not weep. We are clear-headed, but our faith is secure with the Lion of Judah.

Heavenly Father, creator of all things. Help us, through your Holy Spirit, to be mindful, watchful and aware of the prowling lion, the devil. Comfort us with the roar of your Son, the Lion of Judah, Jesus, our Savior. In His name, Amen.

P.S.- This was a challenging devotion to write for a Detroit Lions fan. They don’t roar too much, neither are they conquerors nor devourers.

Food for the Body & Food for the Soul

Deuteronomy 8:3 Moses said, “And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.”

Lord’s Prayer- Give us this day our daily bread…

So much of Thanksgiving revolves around food. I know that we try hard to remind our kids, our friends and everyone that it’s more about being thankful for all kinds of things, not just food. But food is a big part of the day. It’s the visible, tangible, delicious part of expressing our gratitude. We over-indulge in some of the richest foods we ever eat. Turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, bread, and don’t even get me started on the deserts. Food for the body.

As we gather with friends, family, neighbors and strangers around this food, the fellowship of the Holy Spirit is there with us. He puts the part of the body together in such a way that no one else could. I mean really, look at those who gather at your table. What a strange group of people that God decided could fit together. Sometimes they fit together in odd ways and sometimes we struggle with how they fit, yet there they are. And there, Jesus is among them, as we gather in his name. Food for the soul.

Food for the body and the soul. It all comes from God the Father. I know it may seem simplistic to think along these lines, but it is what it is. It all comes from God. He is the creator of all things. The food that we eat comes from God. But… this all comes with some caution. Because we can forget that the food comes from God and begin to think of the food as god, or of ourselves as god because we either grow, work for or purchase the food. What God has provided, we so easily appropriate as our own. How easily does Thanksgiving become about the menu and what people will think of us, our home, our hospitality and soon, “oh, yeah, it’s about God too.”

God has a reminder to remember in Deuteronomy 8. Why did the Israelites go hungry in the wilderness? Because God wanted it that way. Why? Because they were getting too big for their britches and life became all about them. God, the creator of the universe decided to humble them and remind them of who He is. They went hungry. Now this isn’t to say that all those who go hungry are being humbled by God. Sometimes people go hungry because others don’t share. Sometimes people go hungry because they don’t want to be fed. For the Israelites, they went hungry because God wanted it that way. God was starving their bodies and souls for a reason.

Then comes the manna. Then comes the word. God wants the Israelites to know that all that they have comes from Him, but it’s not enough to simply live in the body. God provides what they need to live in body and soul. Food for the body, manna. Food for the soul, the Word of God. Food for now, manna. Food for eternity, the Word of God. You have to be hungry first to know what it means to be truly fed. He let them be hungry in the body so they could know what it meant to be fed by manna. He let them hunger in their souls so that they would know how He feeds them his life giving word.

Food for the body and for the soul. Our bodies get hungry. Our souls get hungry. In the midst of our indulgence, we are still hungry. Our plates may be overflowing, but our souls are wasting away. They waste away because of our sin, because of our lack of gratitude and it’s into that hunger that God sends His Word. His Word comes in the form of Jesus, and it’s Jesus who feeds our souls. It’s Jesus who gives us forgiveness for those sins and feeds our souls for eternity. We are not god. It’s helpful to remember that. We are children, in the wilderness, unable to fend for ourselves and we need that Word, Jesus, to sustain us.

Jesus is food for our souls. Through the Holy Spirit, he brings us together and nourishes our souls. We are fed, not only for ourselves, but also in order to feed others. God gives us abundantly more than we could ask so that we can share it with those in need. We gather our offerings today so that we can share with Lutheran World Relief. We gathered food for the Food Bank in order to share with our community. It is the working of the Holy Spirit that feeds the soul, giving us the energy necessary to care for the “least of these.”

So, go ahead, eat until your pants don’t fit. God has indeed been good to us and continues to feed us in body and soul. In humble gratitude we gather around a full table, sharing in the lives of those around. In the same manner, we share the abundant blessings of body and soul with those who are in need. For indeed, we do not live on bread alone, or turkey alone, or stuffing alone, or cranberries alone, but always and forever, we live on that which comes from the mouth of the LORD.

Amen.

Desperation

Jeremiah 37:20 “Now hear, please, O my lord the king: let my humble plea come before you and do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the secretary, lest I die there.”

Jeremiah’s prayer of desperation. He had been put in prison for prophesying against the king. While in prison, he was horribly mistreated and beaten, then neglected and forgotten. It was a place of darkness, loneliness and pain. “Don’t send me back there.”

Jonah’s prayer of desperation. “When my life was fainting away, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple.” Jonah was in the belly of the fish, a place of darkness, loneliness, and death. “Save me, dear God, from this place.”

Paul’s prayer of desperation. “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” Paul was in the place of darkness in his own body. He was crying out from a place of darkness and war, mind against body, soul against nature. “I want to do the right thing, but I can’t seem to do it.”

Jesus’ prayer of desperation. “ ‘Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?’ which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” On the cross, Jesus cries out into the darkness, from a place of absolute isolation, excruciating pain. “Where are you Father? Why have you left me here, all alone?”

What is your prayer of desperation? What do you cry out to God when you are in the dark places, whether physically, emotionally, psychologically? Cry out to God. He hears your prayers and knows your state. He promises to hear and answer our prayers, according to His divine will and knowledge. I can’t promise miraculous deliverance. I can promise the assured presence, forgiveness and steadfast love of God, through His son, Jesus, our Lord and through the Holy Spirit. Know that he is there with you, wherever you are. You are not alone.

God, help me!