Proper 18
Devotional
Pause Before The Pulpit
Personal Reflections For Pastors On The Lectionary Readings
Mark 7:24-37
When studying the miracles of Christ, I'm always struck by the unpredictability of God. The two miracles that are recorded in our text are prime examples of this. Jesus could have done all of his miracles the same way, using the same methods and the same words of authority, but he didn't. We may never fully know why until we get to heaven, but it is intriguing to take note of it now.
In the first incident, Jesus was approached by a Gentile woman about healing for her daughter who was possessed by a demon. Jesus' response appears derogatory, yet he was testing her faith. She more than passed his test by her reply, for Jesus commended her for what she said, and healed her daughter, who wasn't even present with them.
In the second incident, a man was brought to Jesus who was deaf and mute. In this case, Jesus healed the man in a rather unusual way. He took the man to a private place, put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. Then, with a sigh, he commanded: Be opened, and the man's ears were opened and his tongue released.
Why did Jesus seem to test the faith of the mother and reward that faith, when there was no mention of faith when healing the man? It shows the unpredictability of God. I'm not suggesting that God is a God of change who goes back and forth on his word. No, for God's Word is clear -- he does not change. However, he can be unpredictable. Just when we think we have him figured out, he does things a little differently. It's what helps preserve the environment of mystery that is so necessary for genuine faith. If God were predictable and we could figure everything out about him, what would happen to faith? There would be less and less need for it.
The church needs to be reminded again and again that God is unpredictable yet today. Rigged formulas and methods for saving souls and growing churches are risky, for they are not taking into account that God will work whenever and however he wishes.
When we put God in a "box" in our teaching and describe his activity in terms of a set pattern that can be counted on every time, we deceive ourselves and those we teach. We can't manipulate God with certain prayers, rituals, and activities. It frustrates me to no end when I get forwarded e-mails that say something to this effect: "Pray this prayer seven times and send it on to ten other people and a miracle will happen to you tonight." God does not operate that way.
When responding to the needs of individuals, God seems to take several factors into account. He takes faith into account. Sometimes it is the faith of the person in need. Sometimes it is the faith of the person asking. Other times there seems to be no faith at all, but once God acts on the individual's behalf, faith blossoms! God also takes his glory into account. He does what will bring him the most glory and honor, not because he has a big ego, but because he is God. Everything serves him, so everything he does will bring him glory and honor and praise in the eyes of his creation. God also takes our best interest into account. He sees the big picture, which we can't see. Why some people are healed and others are not is directly related to what God sees as best. Why some are healed one way and others healed another way is directly related to what God sees as best. Thus there is an unpredictability about God that we have no choice but to surrender to. To fight it is to fight God. To surrender to it, is to discover the joy and marvel of how God works in our lives in ways we could never have predicted.
May we respond to God's working in our lives and the lives of others in the same way that the people gathered around him that day responded: He has done everything well.
A Pastor's Prayer:
Dear Lord,
Thank you for your unpredictability that keeps the Christian life exciting! May I yield to you by faith at all times, but especially when I can't figure out what you are up to. Thank you for always doing everything well. Amen.
James 2:1-10 (11-13) 14-17
James could have written this letter to almost any church in America that has wealthy, upper-class members. The problem of partiality has plagued the church for a long time. How damaging it is to the witness of the church if the wealthy look down on the poor. It amazes me how quickly wealth and status can change some people from being caring and sensitive, to selfish and rude.
Perhaps one of the more difficult aspects of being a pastor is dealing with people who call or stop by the church office to ask for financial assistance. The easiest thing to do is turn them away -- end of story. However, if one takes this Epistle Lesson seriously, then we have to admit that one of the works of a believer in Christ is to share with those in need. But are we to share with everyone, even those who are using and abusing the "system"?
One criterion I used was, if we were also ministering spiritually to the person(s) who were asking for help, we were more likely to help them. If they were randomly calling churches for help, then I refused to help them. Then there were those whom I felt had a legitimate need. We would help them financially, only to have them take advantage of us, or leave the area, without us having any opportunity to minister to them. This can sour a person and cause one to be cynical about helping the needy in the future. But the fact still remains; we are not to show partiality, for it is a sin.
James went on to make an interesting point about the poor. He wrote: Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? The financially poor are not automatically Christians because they are poor, but they often have more faith, when it comes to trusting God to provide, than the wealthy do. This may be because they can't trust in themselves, or others, to provide for their great need.
One of the downsides to being wealthy is that it is so easy to trust in self to provide. As a result, the wealthy forget what it's like to pray for provision, because they always have more than they need. Jesus taught that it is difficult for the wealthy to enter the kingdom of God, for there is a close correlation between financial wealth and not recognizing one's spiritual poverty. And, for some reason, the financially poor seem much quicker to recognize their spiritual poverty and need for Christ than the wealthy. So, God didn't choose the poor to be saved, but rather designed it that only those who recognize their spiritual poverty and need for Christ can be rich in faith (whether they are wealthy or poor).
Verses 14-17 are very sobering and, if we will take them seriously, force us to re-evaluate our attitude and behavior toward the poor. In our churches there are people who claim to have faith, attend church faithfully, maybe teach Sunday school or sit on the church board, but they won't lift a finger to help the poor. They will speak respectfully to them and wish them well, but they won't do a thing to help them financially. James called this kind of Christianity dead faith. This is a touchy issue, for we believe strongly that we are saved by grace and not by works. Martin Luther struggled with this, too; and allegedly at one point in his ministry labeled James' epistle "The Epistle of Straw," feeling it lacked solid, justification-by-faith theology.
However, if we believe in Christ for salvation, we cannot deny the fact that we, spiritually impoverished people that we are, have been recipients of the abundant riches of God's grace and mercy. For us to not help the poor amongst us is to demonstrate a self-centered faith that is really no faith at all.
May we honestly wrestle with this issue personally and, with God's help and courage, preach it to our parishioners for their good, and the good of the poor around us.
A Pastor's Prayer:
Dear Lord,
Please forgive me for when I have shown partiality between the rich and the poor. Thank you for how you have lifted me out of spiritual poverty and blessed me with the riches of your kingdom. Help me show this same generosity to others as an act of faith that reinforces the saving faith I have in you. Lord, also help me to know how to preach on this delicate subject to people who struggle with this as much or more than I do. Thank you. Amen.
When studying the miracles of Christ, I'm always struck by the unpredictability of God. The two miracles that are recorded in our text are prime examples of this. Jesus could have done all of his miracles the same way, using the same methods and the same words of authority, but he didn't. We may never fully know why until we get to heaven, but it is intriguing to take note of it now.
In the first incident, Jesus was approached by a Gentile woman about healing for her daughter who was possessed by a demon. Jesus' response appears derogatory, yet he was testing her faith. She more than passed his test by her reply, for Jesus commended her for what she said, and healed her daughter, who wasn't even present with them.
In the second incident, a man was brought to Jesus who was deaf and mute. In this case, Jesus healed the man in a rather unusual way. He took the man to a private place, put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. Then, with a sigh, he commanded: Be opened, and the man's ears were opened and his tongue released.
Why did Jesus seem to test the faith of the mother and reward that faith, when there was no mention of faith when healing the man? It shows the unpredictability of God. I'm not suggesting that God is a God of change who goes back and forth on his word. No, for God's Word is clear -- he does not change. However, he can be unpredictable. Just when we think we have him figured out, he does things a little differently. It's what helps preserve the environment of mystery that is so necessary for genuine faith. If God were predictable and we could figure everything out about him, what would happen to faith? There would be less and less need for it.
The church needs to be reminded again and again that God is unpredictable yet today. Rigged formulas and methods for saving souls and growing churches are risky, for they are not taking into account that God will work whenever and however he wishes.
When we put God in a "box" in our teaching and describe his activity in terms of a set pattern that can be counted on every time, we deceive ourselves and those we teach. We can't manipulate God with certain prayers, rituals, and activities. It frustrates me to no end when I get forwarded e-mails that say something to this effect: "Pray this prayer seven times and send it on to ten other people and a miracle will happen to you tonight." God does not operate that way.
When responding to the needs of individuals, God seems to take several factors into account. He takes faith into account. Sometimes it is the faith of the person in need. Sometimes it is the faith of the person asking. Other times there seems to be no faith at all, but once God acts on the individual's behalf, faith blossoms! God also takes his glory into account. He does what will bring him the most glory and honor, not because he has a big ego, but because he is God. Everything serves him, so everything he does will bring him glory and honor and praise in the eyes of his creation. God also takes our best interest into account. He sees the big picture, which we can't see. Why some people are healed and others are not is directly related to what God sees as best. Why some are healed one way and others healed another way is directly related to what God sees as best. Thus there is an unpredictability about God that we have no choice but to surrender to. To fight it is to fight God. To surrender to it, is to discover the joy and marvel of how God works in our lives in ways we could never have predicted.
May we respond to God's working in our lives and the lives of others in the same way that the people gathered around him that day responded: He has done everything well.
A Pastor's Prayer:
Dear Lord,
Thank you for your unpredictability that keeps the Christian life exciting! May I yield to you by faith at all times, but especially when I can't figure out what you are up to. Thank you for always doing everything well. Amen.
James 2:1-10 (11-13) 14-17
James could have written this letter to almost any church in America that has wealthy, upper-class members. The problem of partiality has plagued the church for a long time. How damaging it is to the witness of the church if the wealthy look down on the poor. It amazes me how quickly wealth and status can change some people from being caring and sensitive, to selfish and rude.
Perhaps one of the more difficult aspects of being a pastor is dealing with people who call or stop by the church office to ask for financial assistance. The easiest thing to do is turn them away -- end of story. However, if one takes this Epistle Lesson seriously, then we have to admit that one of the works of a believer in Christ is to share with those in need. But are we to share with everyone, even those who are using and abusing the "system"?
One criterion I used was, if we were also ministering spiritually to the person(s) who were asking for help, we were more likely to help them. If they were randomly calling churches for help, then I refused to help them. Then there were those whom I felt had a legitimate need. We would help them financially, only to have them take advantage of us, or leave the area, without us having any opportunity to minister to them. This can sour a person and cause one to be cynical about helping the needy in the future. But the fact still remains; we are not to show partiality, for it is a sin.
James went on to make an interesting point about the poor. He wrote: Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? The financially poor are not automatically Christians because they are poor, but they often have more faith, when it comes to trusting God to provide, than the wealthy do. This may be because they can't trust in themselves, or others, to provide for their great need.
One of the downsides to being wealthy is that it is so easy to trust in self to provide. As a result, the wealthy forget what it's like to pray for provision, because they always have more than they need. Jesus taught that it is difficult for the wealthy to enter the kingdom of God, for there is a close correlation between financial wealth and not recognizing one's spiritual poverty. And, for some reason, the financially poor seem much quicker to recognize their spiritual poverty and need for Christ than the wealthy. So, God didn't choose the poor to be saved, but rather designed it that only those who recognize their spiritual poverty and need for Christ can be rich in faith (whether they are wealthy or poor).
Verses 14-17 are very sobering and, if we will take them seriously, force us to re-evaluate our attitude and behavior toward the poor. In our churches there are people who claim to have faith, attend church faithfully, maybe teach Sunday school or sit on the church board, but they won't lift a finger to help the poor. They will speak respectfully to them and wish them well, but they won't do a thing to help them financially. James called this kind of Christianity dead faith. This is a touchy issue, for we believe strongly that we are saved by grace and not by works. Martin Luther struggled with this, too; and allegedly at one point in his ministry labeled James' epistle "The Epistle of Straw," feeling it lacked solid, justification-by-faith theology.
However, if we believe in Christ for salvation, we cannot deny the fact that we, spiritually impoverished people that we are, have been recipients of the abundant riches of God's grace and mercy. For us to not help the poor amongst us is to demonstrate a self-centered faith that is really no faith at all.
May we honestly wrestle with this issue personally and, with God's help and courage, preach it to our parishioners for their good, and the good of the poor around us.
A Pastor's Prayer:
Dear Lord,
Please forgive me for when I have shown partiality between the rich and the poor. Thank you for how you have lifted me out of spiritual poverty and blessed me with the riches of your kingdom. Help me show this same generosity to others as an act of faith that reinforces the saving faith I have in you. Lord, also help me to know how to preach on this delicate subject to people who struggle with this as much or more than I do. Thank you. Amen.
