Tag: belonging

Living Stones (1 Peter 2:4-10)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment

As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says:

“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
    a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
    will never be put to shame.”

Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,

“The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone,”

and,

“A stone that causes people to stumble
    and a rock that makes them fall.”

They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (New International Version)

The Apostle Peter describes Christians as “living stones” that form the temple of the Lord. In our worship we are like priests, carrying the sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving into the presence of God.

This is who we are; it is our identity. Christians belong to God in Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. We have been formed – and continue to be formed – into the people of God as one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.

The word for stones in today’s text (Greek λίθος) specifically refers to large stones that have been hewn into shape. So Christians, as God’s holy people, have been set apart and shaped for the purpose of worshiping Jesus Christ. Instead of offering the blood of bulls and goats, like the select group of Old Testament priests did, we are all priests who now offer spiritual sacrifices because Jesus has taken care of the sin issue once for all. 

Christians continually offer to God the worship of Christ, and a holy life, in grateful response to Christ’s sacrificial death on our behalf. Jesus Christ is the Christian’s cornerstone and center, and is to be the Church’s passion and priority. In worship, God builds us into a community of faith who dedicate ourselves to knowing Jesus and making him known.

All of life (and not just a Sunday worship service) is to be a daily rhythm of God’s revelation to us, and our response to God in faith, thanksgiving, and an obedient life.

We were chosen to serve God, and to exist for worship. Worship is grounded in the triune God and centered in Christ. Worship is the heart and life response to the revelation of God in Christ. Genuine encounters of God’s revelation to us, and our response to those experiences, form us into disciples of Jesus.

For those who refuse God’s perspective, Jesus Christ is experienced as an obstacle. He becomes the rock which causes them to stumble and fall. Although the early Christians for whom the Apostle Peter addressed were often humiliated and ostracized, they are nevertheless God’s elect, honored, and precious people.

Peter, who was named “Rock” by the Lord himself, wanted his audience to know that they, too, are known by God as rocks, as precious living stones. So, he explained their identity by pointing out the parallels between them and Christ:

  • Christ is the living cornerstone—Christians are living stones
  • Christ was rejected by humans—Christians are strangers in the world
  • Christ is God’s chosen One—Christians are God’s elect
  • Christ is venerated by God—Christians are esteemed by God

Jesus has so closely identified with us, God’s people, that we are in a vital union with him. On account of Christ’s rising from death, Christians are like living stones who are acceptable to God through Christ.

As the late salesman on television from decades ago, Ron Popeil, used to say, “But wait, there’s more!” Christians have been born again, experiencing rebirth into a new life. Our identity has given us great privilege as building blocks into the following:

  • Incorporation into a new community, a temple that shares in God’s honor and symbolizes God’s presence and power
  • Membership in a holy and royal priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices of holiness and love (1 Peter 1:15, 22)
  • Inclusion into the chosen people—a disparate people who share together in common values, patterns of living, and redemption
  • Citizens of a holy nation who enjoy a covenant relationship with God and worship the Lord who brought them out of darkness and into light

God has created a community of people in Christ who did not previously exist. Together as Christians and people of God, we celebrate Jesus in worship and revel in his saving mercy, which has given us fresh hope and new life.

Therefore, I humbly and proudly adopt the identification of “Christian.” I am here because of Jesus Christ and all the faithful believers who came before me on the firm foundation of the apostles and prophets. I am part of the great stone structure called the Church. I know who I am. I know who my people are. And that sense of belonging no one can ever take from me.

Soli Deo Gloria

Lord of heaven and earth, we pray that you will bring justice, faith and salvation to all peoples. You chose us in Christ to be your people and to be the temple of your Holy Spirit; we pray that you will fill your Church with vision and hope. In the baptism and birth of Jesus, you have opened heaven to us and enabled us to share in your glory: the joy of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. May your whole Church, living and departed,

come to a joyful resurrection in your city of light. Amen.

Rituals Are Important (Exodus 13:1-10)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year A1 Comment
The Passover Meal (Last Supper) by Jess Santos

The Lord spoke to Moses, “Set apart every firstborn male for me. Every firstborn male offspring among the Israelites is mine, whether human or animal.”

Then Moses said to the people, “Remember this day—the day when you left Egypt, the land of slavery. The Lord used his mighty hand to bring you out of there. Don’t eat anything made with yeast. Today, in the month of Abib, you are leaving Egypt. The Lord swore to your ancestors that he would give you the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, and Jebusites. When he brings you into that land flowing with milk and honey, you must observe this ceremony in this month.

“For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. The seventh day will be a pilgrimage festival in the Lord’s honor. Only unleavened bread should be eaten during these seven days. No sourdough or yeast should be seen anywhere in your territory. On that day tell your children, ‘We do this because of what the Lord did for us when we left Egypt.’ This festival will be like a mark on your hand or a reminder on your forehead that the teachings of the Lord are always to be a part of your conversation. Because the Lord used his mighty hand to bring you out of Egypt, you must follow these rules every year at this time. (God’s Word Translation)

Rituals are an important part of being human. They help us to observe significant events, specials seasons, and daily routines. Ritual activities are meaningful re-telling of stories for us and others. In other words, rituals activate memory, enabling us to remember what is of value.

Religious traditions are typically filled with rituals, in order to remind the faithful of what is significant about their faith. Unfortunately, there are some Christian traditions which have a negative view of ritual, believing it to be “vain repetition.”

The problem, however, is not with rituals themselves; the issue is with the one performing the ritual. If it is done with a disconnect between head and heart, then the ritual does not accomplish it’s intended goal of helping the community to remember and giving meaning in the present time.

“Ritual is not simply an attitude or intention, just as love is not simply a feeling. At its most basic, ritual is something that you do. A man can’t plow a field just by thinking about it; he must go out to the field and get to work. If he is fully present to the work and acts with mindfulness and loving attention – if he brings his whole self along – then even as he turns over the rich soil beneath the plow, he turns it over in his mind and heart, as well. The act of tilling the soil becomes an act of tilling the soul.”

Alison Leigh Lilly

No matter whether folks are religious, or not, all people engage in rituals. For example, here are some rituals many people do in order to remember, celebrate, and renew an old story:

  • Birthdays (remembering and re-telling the birth story)
  • Graduations (remembering and re-telling the story of school)
  • Marriages & Anniversaries (remembering and re-telling the courtship story)
  • National Holidays (remembering and re-telling the patriotic story)
  • Dinner and/or Bedtime (remembering and re-telling stories from the day)
  • Morning (remembering and re-telling my story of purpose and meaning)
  • Earth (remembering and re-telling the seasons of Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter)
  • Annual sojourns to special places such as vacations, sports stadiums, or reunions (remembering and re-telling the story of friendship and family).

The reasons people do such rituals are to

  • Re-enforce values
  • Have a sense of belonging
  • Mark time in a meaningful way
  • Form personal and healthy habits
  • Remind of us of who we are and what our purpose in this world is

Avoiding rituals can cause a lack of identity and purpose. Failing to observe rituals can also create loneliness, confusion, and emptiness.

“Rituals are those repeated actions done again and again in the interest of things like focus, grounding, tradition, cultural symbolism, predictable life rhythms, and feeling a part of something bigger than ourselves.”

Craig Kelley

The Lord gave divine instructions to the newly freed Israelites. And those commands involved instituting some ritual behavior, to be done year after year. God told them to observe a Passover ritual each year so that the story of Israel’s deliverance from Egyptian slavery would remain alive for the generations to come; and so that the event itself would have meaning for people in the present time.

Because Yahweh spared the firstborn of Israel’s children and livestock – and not the firstborn of Egypt – those same firstborn are to be given to God, in some sort of vicarious ransom. All the symbols of Passover are meant to be reminders of what the Lord had done for Israel.

The exodus event is to be actualized, made real for the generations today. By means of ritual, the relationship between God and the people is remembered and renewed for each new generation. Engaging in the ritual repeatedly helps press the story and it’s reality into both the mind and the heart.

And this is precisely what worship is supposed to do for the Christian. Ideally, a worship service is a re-enactment of Christ’s redemption for believers. Even more, it’s a dialogue between God and the people in which the Lord speaks and the worshipers respond.

One ritual which unites all Christians together is the Lord’s Table (communion, or the Lord’s Supper, or the Eucharist). Each Christian tradition has their particular views and theology surrounding it – yet it’s common to all. Observing the Table is a ritual which has been going on for two-thousand years; and which has it’s roots in the Passover and the original meal at the time of the exodus.

The Table is a time of remembrance, communion, and hope. We retell the story of Christ’s redemption and remember the Lord’s once for all sacrifice on the cross for the whole world. It is a unifying ritual, where believers commune together. And the Table expresses hope – that just as we eat and drink now, we will do so all together at the end of the age at the great supper of the Lamb.

Yes, rituals have meaning and it’s symbols are significant. They help us to express our shared humanity together.

May the love of Christ be active in your heart, be heard in your words, be seen in your actions and inform your choices today and every day. Amen.

Good News Is for Everyone (Isaiah 56:1, 6-8)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment

This is what the Lord says:

“Maintain justice
    and do what is right,
for my salvation is close at hand
    and my righteousness will soon be revealed….

And foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord
    to minister to him,
to love the name of the Lord,
    and to be his servants,
all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it
    and who hold fast to my covenant—
these I will bring to my holy mountain
    and give them joy in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices
    will be accepted on my altar;
for my house will be called
    a house of prayer for all nations.”
The Sovereign Lord declares—
    he who gathers the exiles of Israel:
“I will gather still others to them
    besides those already gathered.” (New International Version)

Issues of identity

Ever since the Jewish people existed – for the past 4,000 years – there have been other people and other nations who have conquered them, displaced them, and have even tried to annihilate them altogether, several times throughout history.

A seminal experience for ancient Israel was when God’s temple was destroyed and the people taken into exile in Babylon. Generations later, many faithful Jews returned to Jerusalem to rebuild and reform under Nehemiah and Ezra.

Undergoing defeat, occupation, and oppression can and will do a great deal of psychological, emotional, and spiritual harm. And when it happens repeatedly, it’s easy to understand how any group of people might wonder: “Are we still God’s people? Have so many years of being in other places made us different? Who are we right now?”

These are questions of identity. For many Jews, since God allowed them to be conquered, because they did not obey the covenant, then now is the time to double-down on following the rules and proving they are truly God’s chosen people. So much so, that some (not all) insisted that their identity can only be maintained by radically separating themselves from everyone and everything foreign that is not Jewish. 

We can understand how a vulnerable people who have been attacked and conquered would be suspicious about welcoming outsiders. In fact, any sort of hospitality could be seen as a betrayal of their own struggle, and a deviation from their sense of community, identity, and integrity. 

Diversity and inclusion isn’t warm and fuzzy

So, when God comes along and shares a plan of bringing foreigners to the holy mountain, it’s scandalous. The people don’t see this as a wonderful moment of everybody getting to together, singing kumbaya, and letting bygones be bygones. Nobody in Israel is saying, “Lord, please let us gather together with a bunch of foreigners, strangers, aliens, and gentiles!”

Quite the opposite. Instead, they start circling the wagons to survive and maintain and preserve their Jewish identity. Isaiah’s message challenged the people to their core. It was not a popular idea – even coming from God – of including the other. Such change was a threat.

Welcoming strangers can be upsetting

Whenever I walk through neighborhoods in major cities and see banners in yards that say, “All Are Welcome!” and churches that emblazon that message on their signage, I wonder if they really understand what they’re saying. There are many folks who expect welcoming the stranger to feel good, to be rewarding and connect us to one another. There may be romantic notions of connecting with others with idyllic visions of new people folding seamlessly into who we already are.

The reality is typically much different than that. We are surprised and disheartened when others don’t think or act like we do, and having them around feels awkward. They’re upsetting the status quo and making the group into something I don’t like. It might be something like your crazy uncle who shows up on holidays and makes everything weird. 

The thing we must face and contend with is this: Strangers, foreigners, immigrants, and anyone different from ourselves, often bring God’s own message to us, coming in amongst us to disrupt and transform. Strangers bring strange practices; foreigners bring foreign worldviews; and different people bring different practices and ideas we aren’t familiar with. But why in the world would we ever be surprised that strangers are strange!? 

What in God’s name is going on?

On God’s holy mountain, people are gathered around values, ethics, and obedience. Community and being together with the Lord is defined by faith, and not by simply signing off on a list of approved beliefs and doctrinal statements. God makes it clear that faithfulness, even of foreigners, will determine who is brought into the house of prayer for all people. Deliverance is offered to those who walk the walk and don’t just talk the talk.

What’s more, deliverance does not involve revenge, nor assurances that bad things will never happen again. Instead, salvation means freedom to pray and be connected to God. This is what God wants. And so, the Lord will bring and gather faithful people from all over – both Jew and Gentile. They will all dwell together in God’s house with much joy.

An invitation for belonging

We find words in today’s text having to do with a sense of belonging: house, accepting, prayer, gather. Isaiah puts forth a compelling vision of life with God, where we belong and have community. At the heart of God is a hospitality which invites all kinds of people to come and enjoy the divine presence and being with one another.

At the time of Christ’s incarnation, the angels showed up and announced good news of great joy to all people. And yet, far too many persons, perhaps out of sense to guard against outsiders hurting them, turn this gracious message on it’s head by announcing bad news of great judgment to all people that aren’t like me and don’t think like me.

Christ’s Church has struggled through its history to invite and include the other, and to uphold this basic message of gracious good news for everyone.

From the Council of Jerusalem that met to decide whether one ought to become a Jew first in order to be a Christian (Acts 15), to withholding membership to African Americans in certain churches in the 20th century, to the just plain ignoring of the poor and marginalized in many places, we must be intentional and deliberate about reaching and ministering to all people.

The joy of salvation is that I do not need to jump through certain spiritual hoops to enter into Christianity, nor be a certain kind of person. The church is not an exclusive club of one particular sort of people based in race, gender, ethnicity, class, spiritual pedigree, or even certain preferences on issues. Through repentance and faith in Jesus, all may come to God.

All people have intrinsic worth as individuals created in the image of God, and therefore need the attention of Christians in bringing the gospel to them. It is much too easy to ignore people we do not understand and who are different from us, or to look down on those who do not agree with me on disputable matters.

When it comes to the good news of Jesus, having people out of sight does not mean we keep them out of mind. Too many people are often off the radar of many churches for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is because the poor and needy have to compete with the wealthy and powerful for attention. To intentionally reach and minister to a different class or generation or race requires much love and many resources.

How big is your inner space?

Jesus had a big enough inner space to accommodate prostitutes, drunks, tax collectors, and a whole variety of sinners. Do you and I have a big enough space to allow people in our lives who are not like us, without feeling threatened or insecure? The Pharisees feared being contaminated if having table fellowship with such people; the Sadducees were afraid of losing their religious power if the status quo was changed to focus on others; and the Zealots feared continued Roman domination if Jesus kept up spending his time in graciousness to all kinds of sinners. So, all the religious people killed him.

The gospel of Jesus is good news of great joy for everyone. We are to work together to propagate this message by having the shared purpose of evangelism to everyone without discrimination. When we engage in this critical endeavor together, there is tremendous joy. We are meant to gather on God’s holy mountain and share with all sorts of people.

Blessed Lord God, through your Son you commanded us to go into all the world and proclaim good news to every creature. Increase our faith and zeal, that we may more earnestly desire the salvation of all people.

We confess that our hearts are often indifferent and dull to your cry of mission. Forgive our callousness and judgmentalism toward others, and by your Holy Spirit fill us with a burning zeal to bring light into darkness. Give us loving hearts, sincerity of speech, and holiness of life.

Knowing that this world, as it is now, will not last forever, drawing to a close, may we by your Spirit’s prompting, support the mission of this church with our personal witness, our earnest prayers, and our sacrificial gifts. Grant that through us many may be included on your holy mountain, through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit reign as one God, now and forever. Amen.

Divine Affirmation (Isaiah 44:1-5)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment

The Lord says,

“Listen now, Israel, my servant,
    my chosen people, the descendants of Jacob.
I am the Lord who created you;
    from the time you were born, I have helped you.
Do not be afraid; you are my servant,
    my chosen people whom I love.

“I will give water to the thirsty land
    and make streams flow on the dry ground.
I will pour out my spirit on your children
    and my blessing on your descendants.
They will thrive like well-watered grass,
    like willows by streams of running water.

“One by one, people will say, ‘I am the Lord’s.’
    They will come to join the people of Israel.
They each will mark the name of the Lord on their arms
    and call themselves one of God’s people.” (Good News Translation)

Who do you believe you are, at the very core of your being?

Your very essence, the person you are deep down inside, is worthy of divine blessing and belonging. You are loved by God.

In a world of abject hate and injustice, there remains within the soul the majesty of people created in the image and likeness of God. There is still hope for us, that is, if we will receive water in our thirst and be bathed in the reality of who we are. And I take a decidedly Christian perspective on that identity.

I am a firm believer in making daily affirmations of truth based upon what God has done for us in Christ. The Christian doctrine of justification means that God has justified us and made us right, along with all creation through the cross of Jesus. This is more than a doctrine to believe, but it is also a reality to be lived into each and every day.

I know it doesn’t always feel like we belong or that we are blessed. Many of our adverse situations may cause us to wonder about whether God accepts us, or not.

As we go through life, there are those who don’t like the way we do things, or are upset about our views on particular subjects, or think that we ought to be doing something we aren’t doing. In such times, my initial reaction might be to justify myself – to defend my words or my silence, my actions or inactions, and my work. 

I am not yet what I will be someday, but I am not what I used to be either.

These sorts of encounters can easily leave us feeling insecure, like a vulnerable teenager trying to look cool in the middle of his awkwardness. I even once had a person complain to me that on a particular Sunday my shoes were not shined well enough. For a person like me who is borderline obsessive-compulsive, that was not an easy mental slough-off; I really wanted to beat myself up over the lack of shiny shoes!

The truth of the Christian life is that I have no need to justify myself. Why? Because God has already justified me in Christ. 

The following are some regular affirmations we can tell ourselves for truth and righteousness to awaken within our souls:

  1. I thankfully acknowledge and accept who I am in my unchangeable physical appearance which God has uniquely designed for me, so that the Lord can bring a special view to others through my life. (Psalm 139:13-18; 2 Corinthians 10:12, 12:9-10)
  2. I thankfully acknowledge and accept that I am unconditionally loved and treasured by God, who wanted a relationship with me, and to whom I belong. (Romans 8:31-32, 38-39; John 6:44, 17:23)
  3. I thankfully acknowledge that I am unconditionally accepted as a worthy person to God, because of Jesus Christ, in whom I trust for all things. (Ephesians 1:16; Romans 4:6-8; Isaiah 61:10)
  4. I thankfully acknowledge that I am a secure person because God cares about me and asks me to trust divine leadership and goodness. (Romans 8:28; Matthew 6:25-33; Proverbs 3:5-6; Psalm 37:3-7, 23)
  5. I thankfully acknowledge that I am in a process of growth. My sinful nature is part of my personality, but it is not who I am. I consider myself dead to the sinful nature and alive and responsive to God. I am not yet what I will be someday, but I am not what I used to be either. I accept my struggles with guilt and shame as opportunities to depend more on God and Christ’s justification for me. (1 Peter 2:1-3; Romans 6:11; 2 Corinthians 10:13; Galatians 5:16)
  6. I thankfully acknowledge and accept that I am a competent person who is adequate to fulfill God’s will successfully each day. My strength is supplied by God’s Holy Spirit, who works through me to make an important and eternal impact on others with the love of God and the message of Christ. (Philippians 2:13, 4:13; 1 Corinthians 10:13; 1 Peter 4:10-11; 2 Corinthians 5:20)

We are loved, accepted, and cared for by God. And we have important lives to live. Therefore, we need not threatened or devastated by the way some people treat us. 

Others do not determine our self-worth. We might be pained when others let us down, but it is not the end of the world. We can continue to act responsibly toward them without demanding that they understand us, accept us, or respect us.

Many if not most people try to find acceptance and significance through family, peers, faith communities, achievements, appearance, work, etc. Yet, none of those sources can satisfy or fulfill our basic personal needs. This is why there are so many people who feel resentment, anxiety, guilt, or a vague sense of emptiness and even despair.

Yet when a person trusts God and exhibits faith in Christ, as the true source of justification in order to satisfy basic needs, that person can learn to regard themself in their new identity with Christ: 

  • Their faith can be trained to believe in and focus on a new self-concept, even in circumstances when they feel the pain of rejection. 
  • They can rebound from disappointment and develop resilience. 
  • They can forgive others and continue to serve others without dependence upon positive feedback from another.

To be justified by Christ means that we can live in the security of being a child of God without depending on others to do for us what God has already done through Jesus. Learning to live in this way takes daily affirmations of faith and truth.

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning is now and shall be forever. Our faith and hope is not in vain, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts. Amen.