Hey, how about this craziness? I was asked to write a devotional for the Episcopal Diocese of Western MA (this surprised me, because my writing can be a weeeee bit irreverent and crude). But I was honored to be asked and it has been a joy to follow the other writers through the Advent and Christmas season.
From “Sharing The Season in the Episcopal Diocese of Western MA – Reflections on Advent and Christmas” (sharingtheseasondwma.blogspot.com)
December 30th, 2015
When I saw the readings for this day, I immediately “ranked” the scriptures and felt certain of which passage would be the most compelling:
- John 7:53-8:11 — I love the gospel of John. And who doesn’t just melt at the story of the woman caught in adultery? Jesus is such a hero to this woman! It’s a beautiful story of forgiveness and love and acceptance, but in my humanness, I end up reading it and thinking, “Take that, you judgmental jerks! Yeah, drop those stones – that’s right – Jesus just schooled you!” (Ahem, sometimes I miss the point of these stories.)
- Psalm 20-21 – I also love Psalm. There is something so human about this book. David is not afraid to lay himself bare before the Lord and be totally dramatic.
- 1 Kings 17:17-24 –1st and 2nd Kings are great books because they are full of historical stories. And not just any stories . . . I’m talking soap-opera-worthy stories . . . better than “Homeland” or “House of Cards” or whatever drama we happen to be binge watching on Netflix. I could use lots of words to describe the Bible, but boring is not one of them.
- Revelation 1:9-20 – I ranked this one last because I don’t really like the book of Revelation very much (sorry, just being honest). It’s, well . . . weird. I’m a control freak and not terribly artistic, so I get irritated by the “interpretation” of it all. I understand the themes, and I’ve studied the various theories (the millennial “camps”) that try to make sense of the symbolic language, but at the end of the day, this book is a big ol’ mystery.
Of course, God doesn’t give a rip about my “ranking” of His Word. I often say that I’m convinced God’s plan for my life is just to make me eat my words. True to form, the scripture that He kept bringing to mind was from Revelation, the one I feel the most inadequate to write about and the one I ranked last (hmm, there could be a correlation there). Great.
How’s that for an eager and optimistic approach to a Christmas devotional? God loves to take the things we avoid and make them front and center. In a way, it points to what Christmas is all about . . . the subversive, unexpected, even offensive ways that God reveals Himself to the world.
These are the specific verses from Revelation 1 that God used to capture my attention:
17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he placed his right hand on me, saying, ‘Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, 18and the living one. I was dead, and see, I am alive forever and ever; and I have the keys of Death and of Hades. 19Now write what you have seen, what is, and what is to take place after this.
This passage is such a beautiful and succinct reminder of who God is: He reaches out to calm us; He is everything, the beginning and end; He is the living one who has conquered death and the grave; and perhaps most shocking, He wants to involve us in His revelation to the world.
God is still revealing Himself today. He might not come to you in strange visions like John (the author of Revelation), but maybe He comes to you in a helping hand or encouragement from a friend. Maybe He comes to you in the face of a child who needs love and hope. Maybe He comes to you in the astounding beauty of the night sky or the intricate design of nature.
God often comes to me in the dregs. I’m always amazed at the mundane or odd things He uses to get my attention. And I call my kids “God’s secret agents” because God uses them to teach me. They have very little experience at this thing called life and yet they tend to see things more clearly than I.
Recently, I was getting ready to go running (well, plodding) and, as I was putting in my earphones, my little daughter, Lela (age 6) said, “Mommy, why do you wear those when you run?” I told her that the music is distracting and helps me not to focus on the discomfort of running. She said, “Don’t you like to listen to your mind? I like to listen to my mind.”
Her question stopped me cold. She was right – I didn’t want to listen – I just wanted to be distracted.
My mind, and the world around me, sometimes seems extremely distracted. It occurred to me (after my little “secret agent” did her work) that if I never quiet my mind and allow God to speak to me – maybe even bring me some “discomfort” – that I will have little to share. Whatever my life is filled with will overflow to everyone else. I don’t want to be “full” of fear and frustration and the mind-numbing “to-do” list of life. I want something more – something that only God’s great love can provide.
Today, I still hear God saying to us, “Do not be afraid. I am the living one. Now write what you have seen, what is, and what is to take place after this.”
Just as He revealed mysteries to John in Revelation, He might reveal mysteries to you too. He might bring clarity where there has been confusion. He might bring hope where there has been despair. He might bring joy in a desperate situation. He might bring forgiveness where there was only fear and anger.
These are revelations.
Don’t discount the lessons that God is teaching you. We might feel inadequate and flawed and unworthy, but God tells us not to be afraid. He reminds us of who He is, and He tells us to share what we experience.
Stories are a powerful way to share those experiences. God made us to need each other and learn from each other. My faith is strengthened when you share your faith. I crave the stories that bring our faith to life, that help me to see God as “the living one.”
We brag about our children and grandchildren, we chat endlessly about our favorite sports teams or TV shows, we debate politics, we share good books, good deals, great places to eat. Why are we hesitant to share about our Lord?
He holds the keys to death . . . and thus, He also holds the keys to life. And yet, we often struggle to share the very source of life . . . the key to love, joy, peace, hope, forgiveness and eternal life.
Maybe we’re afraid we’ll look or sound as crazy as John when he wrote Revelation. But being a Christian is already a little crazy. It doesn’t make sense. If we could fully explain it, then believing and trusting in Jesus wouldn’t require faith.
Tell me your story. And not just facts and theological opinions – tell me why you love Him, why any of this even matters. How has God’s love changed you?
It matters, because your story is God’s story. Isn’t it completely amazing to think that the God of the Universe actually loves us and wants to involve us as He shares that love story?
I meditate on these lyrics sometime (from a song called “Burn” by Don Moen):
Lord, write me into Your great story
Lord, write me into Your great song
Take all I have
It’s for Your glory
One day all else will be gone
How is God writing you into His great story . . . His great song?
Tell me what He has done. Do you remember Him?
Tell me what He is doing. Do you recognize Him?
Tell me what He is going to do. Do you anticipate Him?
“If the inner journey does not match and lead to an outer journey, we have no true liberation at all.” (Richard Rohr, Yes, And)
Tell me your story . . . God’s love story . . . that appeared in human form so long ago on Christmas day . . . that is still being uniquely expressed through your life today.
Tell me your story.
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