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July 27
Connect
I close my book, turn off the lamp on my nightstand, kiss my wife, and pull the covers over me. After another busy day, time to sleep. Like many, this is my time to pray. I start with the Lord's Prayer, trying hard to think about the words in the prayer versus quickly running through them. Then, the more personal, free-verse prayer... Before I start, I think back to what happened during the course of the day. Oh, boy. That wasn't good. Hmm. Wow, neither was that. And why did I do that??? By the time I thought about all of the ways I had fallen short during the day, I decided that I was actually afraid to pray. I didn't want to acknowledge to God all of the ways I'd sinned throughout the day, so I ended up not talking to God at all.
Oddly, I didn't see the foolishness of this until recently reading Philip Yancey's Prayer. In it, he talks about needing to be honest with God about everything we do, despite how uncomfortable it makes us. That's the only way we can ever expect to have an intimate relationship with Him. And, it's not as though God remains ignorant of things we leave unconfessed; to quote Yancey, "We must trust God with what God already knows."
Consider:
- Do you ever find it difficult to pray? When?
- Do you think we need to be embarrassed in front of God?
Grow
Hero Worship
In our culture, the term "hero" gets tossed around a lot. This label is used liberally, and typically with little regard to the actual character of the person. Most often, this is observed in the arena of professional athletics. Men and women who have been given physical gifts (from God) are-for lack of a better term-worshipped, by young and old alike. Is an African American baseball player who raises himself up out of a difficult childhood on the south side of Chicago to capture an entire state with his prowess a hero? As a child, I thought so. In later years, allegations of abuse made me question this status of my favorite baseball player, and he later died a tragic (arguably, preventable) death. Was he the right person for me to look up to?
Maybe. Maybe not. It's not easy to pick "good" heroes simply because the real ones are harder to find on TV. Let's face it, Mother Theresa wasn't good material for the cover of "Entertainment Weekly." A man who jumps onto a subway track to cover another person to prevent an accident receives brief attention, only to be quickly forgotten by the latest news about who has checked into rehab. Examples like this are too numerous to list.
However, we all have a book in our homes that contains countless stories of legitimate heroes. These should be the people we truly worship.
Read:
Consider:
- Who are your heroes? Why?
Rush to Judgment
In Sunday's sermon, Pastor Mary shows us how we should never judge others. This week's hero, Rahab, was a prostitute. In ancient and in current times, it is easy to write someone such as Rahab off. Unclean. Sinful. Not trustworthy. The reality is, we are all sinners and share the same characteristics as she has, even if we don't have the same occupation. Judgment should be left to God and God only; judging others carries with it the implicit assumption that we are superior to other humans, a notion that is easy to fool yourself into but is woefully misguided. Thankfully, we have the ideal role model for humility: Jesus Christ. Jesus, who had every reason to be boastful, was instead remarkably humble. He associated with tax collectors, prostitutes, and all manner of people who were considered low-class. If the sinless Son of God can be meek and modest, surely I can, as well.
Read:
Consider:
- Do you have struggles being humble? When? What can we do to help with our own humility?
Close
Selection from "Worlds Apart" - Jars of Clay
I look beyond the empty cross
forgetting what my life has cost
and wipe away the crimson stains
"dull the nails that still remain"
More and more I need you now,
I owe you more each passing hour
the battle between grace and pride
I gave up not so long ago
So steal my heart and take the pain
and wash the feet and cleanse my pride
take the selfish, take the weak,
and all the things I cannot hide
take the beauty, take my tears
the sin-soaked heart and make it yours.
Words for the Week
Try this contemplative approach to reading scripture called lectio divina.
Take a deep breath and find a little silence within yourself. Then:
Read the verse a few times with a listening heart filled with unhurried expectation.
Reflect on this question, "What are you saying to me in this verse today, God?"
Respond by talking to God about your real feelings, thoughts, questions, and doubts.
Rest by simply being with God who knows you and loves you.
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