Love Overcomes Daily Devotion #40 3/26/16

Day #40

Larry Trotter

Words of Love

 

30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” Luke 24:30-32 NIV

 

Overcoming the Barrier

 

Previously, I referred to taking the Disciple Bible Study in 1989 as the catalyst for my spiritual reawakening. I would like to wrap up this Lenten devotional series by zooming in on the night it all clicked. Our study group spent the fall and early winter working through the Old Testament reading the exciting narratives about Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the dramatic story of the Exodus, the, let’s face it, tedious minutia of Leviticus and Deuteronomy, and the political intrigue surrounding the prophets, and the ultimate fall of Israel and Judah. The New Testament was as welcomed as the early spring weather that accompanied it. I loved reading the first three gospels and making connections with the Old Testament stories and prophecies that had always pointed to Jesus but needed context to connect the dots. Then, one night while I was alone in the house, I was sitting on the couch reading the resurrection account from John’s gospel. Mary Magdalene was standing outside the empty tomb, crying and confused, wondering what had happened to Jesus. Suddenly, a man she thought was the gardener but was actually the resurrected Christ said to her, “Mary.” She turned and cried out, “Rabboni,” or teacher. As I read that exchange between Mary and Jesus I began to cry. It seemed to come from out of nowhere. As soon as Jesus called her name, it was as if he called my name, as if he knew that I had been looking for him, too. It was one of the most profound experiences of my life. Without question Jesus had been revealing himself to me for months as I explored his Word. It was at that particular moment that all the study made its way from my head to my heart. I have never been the same.

 

The setup for today’s passage is that those two disciples were going home after the crucifixion and resurrection. Along the way, Jesus joined them on the journey and began to explain all that had happened. Then, after asking him to stay for dinner, he broke the bread, connecting everything with the Passover meal they had eaten with him, and they suddenly realized it was Jesus. As they reflected on their journey they remembered how their hearts burned as he opened the Scriptures to them. For Methodists this can’t help but stir thoughts of John Wesley’s experience at a Bible study when his heart was strangely warmed and he, too, received a vision of Jesus, visceral if not visual. This leads me to let you in on the two goals I have for these devotions. The first is to be an encouragement. It’s easy to find our lives roiling with conflict. Work, retirement, family, finances, and relationships are enough to keep us on our knees. Then, you add the social and political conflict in our country that seems to be boiling over and uncertainty grows. Finally, global concerns such as hunger, political oppression, and the growing threat of terrorism are constantly at the top of our headlines page. I wanted to offer a perspective that underscores the timeless, non-negotiable love of God that is a constant against the constantly changing tides of local, national, and world affairs. The other goal is to encourage you to study God’s Word. If you are a Jesus-follower and in a church but are not in a regular class where you can explore God’s Truth, I am asking you to get involved in one. If you are a Jesus-follower but not in a church, please, find one. Yes, you can be a Christian without going to church, but it’s like joining a health club and never walking or swimming or lifting weights. There will be no transformation. Finally, if you have never given your life to Jesus, now is the time. There are lots of really good people, some of whom even go to church, that have never established that rock-solid relationship with Jesus. Today would be a good day to be the first day of the rest of your life with Christ. Just do this: simply pray and confess your sins, shortcomings, and insecurities to our God whose specialty is forgiving. (Believe me, I know. I have asked for and received a lot of forgiveness.) Then, ask Jesus to become the center of your life. Put another way, get out of the driver’s seat, toss Jesus the keys, and call “shotgun.” You will embark on a journey that will take you over amazing terrain, will sometimes be bumpy, but will most certainly be unforgettable. If it would be helpful, just reply to this email (larry@concordumc.com for those reading the blog) and let’s talk. Remember, there is no barrier that the love of God in Christ Jesus cannot overcome. And, whoever you are, thank you for reading, and please know this; I love you.

 

Prayer

 

Lord Jesus, make my life all about you. From this point on, I am yours, and you are mine. In your name, amen.

 

Love Overcomes Daily Devotion #39 3/25/16

Day #39

Larry Trotter

Words of Love

8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” Luke 5:8 NIV

Overcoming the Barrier

If you were to take an overhead view of my faith journey it might resemble US 129, otherwise known as The Dragon. This motorcycle-eating stretch of road running through Tennessee and North Carolina has 318 curves in only 11 miles of pavement. My journey began at a familiar starting point, regular church attendance with my family including Sunday School and Vacation Bible School. Later, I participated in the youth group and sang in the choir. But all of that came to screeching halt at the first hairpin turn upon my graduation from high school. My first (and only) ill-fated year registered at the University of Tennessee—it would be disingenuous to say that I attended UT—was interrupted by my passion for music and desire to travel the southeast in a rock and roll band, a curvy road to say the least. My faith was soon disappearing in the rearview mirror of our equipment truck as our band hit the stages of bars and nightclubs from Norfolk to Tampa and all points in between. When disco reared its ugly head in the mid-70s clubs started hiring DJs instead of bands and we parked the truck and I was right back where I started, a few years older, disoriented from all the twists and turns, and carrying the emotional baggage (read guilt and regret) that comes along with the gypsy rock and roll lifestyle. My faith had run off the road and down a ravine of doubt that God could even consider forgiving me for the last five years of my life. However, thanks to the love of the woman who became my wife, the insightful, brutally honest Episcopal priest who married us, and a staggeringly compassionate God who just wouldn’t give up I eventually found myself back at church with Lynn and our first daughter. It was there that I took the Disciple Bible Study and met God on his terms, not mine. I went into the study relating very closely to Peter’s words in today’s verse. I couldn’t really imagine that Jesus was interested in cozying up to a guy who probably still smelled like a rock and roll club the morning after a big night (a breathtaking stench, by the way). It was there with those 11 other seekers that I heard the next verse: “Then Jesus said to Simon, ‘Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.’” What? Don’t be afraid? God still loves me? Jesus hasn’t written me off? The grace that I discovered in that Bible study literally changed my life. God’s love met my doubts head-on and began a new journey that, 27 years later, has led to these devotions I’m writing as a pastor in a church. Amazing grace, indeed.

The doubt that Peter expressed in today’s verse would not be his last. One can only imagine the crushing doubt following his denial of Jesus. But the doubt came from Peter’s insecurity about his understanding of Jesus, not Jesus’ uncertainty about his love for Peter. Doubt is a natural response to something that just doesn’t make sense. And let’s face it; grace often doesn’t make sense. But grace flows out of kingdom values, not the world’s. As Paul writes in 1^st Corinthians 1:27, “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise…” Don’t be afraid of doubt; and don’t let it get the last word. Doubt is a perfect opportunity for heaven to meet earth because God loves to reveal himself at the very moment we’re sure we can’t find him. But while you’re doubting, remember this one thing: God loves you and there is nothing you can do to change that. There are plenty of Scriptures that point to his unfailing love. But, if you’re ever stuck and can’t think of one, just sing this: “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” Hmmm, don’t quit your day job.

Prayer

God of lost sheep, I’m right here. I know where I’ve been and I doubted you wanted me back. Please take me in your arms and never let me go. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Love Overcomes daily Devotion #38 3/24/16

Day #38

Larry Trotter

Words of Love

18 John’s disciples told him about all these things. Calling two of them, 19 he sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”

30 But the Pharisees and the experts in the law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.)

Luke 7: 18, 19, 30 NIV

Overcoming the Barrier

Let’s shift our focus from death to doubt for our last three devotions. Admittedly, the verses above don’t seem to make much sense as a set, but let me explain. John the Baptist is in prison at this point and, though he recognized Jesus as God’s chosen and baptized him, he may be struggling with why his life is falling apart with the Messiah so near. The Pharisees, on the other hand, were not baptized by John because they rejected his premise of preparing for the coming Messiah, Jesus. What is revealed is how doubt can infiltrate believers as well those who don’t believe. When I took my first church I was still working full time at a radio station. Some of my coworkers were believers and asked me if I would lead a Bible study once a week during lunch. An interesting dynamic began to unfold. One of the members of the Bible study was dealing with significant disappointment in his personal and professional life. He seemed to think that God had turned his back on him due to a couple of bad choices. He doubted whether God still cared about him and his faith was waning. Also, we had an employee who was a militant, self-avowed atheist. She assumed that the thrust of our time together each week was to rake all the non-Christians over the coals in judgment and condemnation. She would grill me each week after Bible study with one of the stock let’s-trip-up-the-Christian questions like, “are all the monks in Tibet going to hell because they’re not Christian?” or “wouldn’t three days after the crucifixion be Monday?” I loved the questions because it gave me a chance to offer grace with my answers or simply say that I’m not sure about the answer but God is and I’ll just trust him for now. Though she doubted the very existence of God, she talked about him more than I did. The believer doubted because the circumstances of his life seemed contrary to what he expected as a Christian. The atheist doubted because she had grown up in a household that didn’t believe but what she was learning about Christians created more questions than answers so she just kept asking.

In the case of John the Baptist and the Pharisees both seemed to be dealing with doubt. In John’s case, he believed, but the circumstances of his life were such that it created enough doubt for him to point blank ask if Jesus were the Messiah. As for the Pharisees, they didn’t want to believe because their religious traditions didn’t support the reality of who Jesus was based upon his ministry. My guess is John was satisfied with the answer he received and died knowing he had seen the Messiah. We can’t say with certainty how things turned out for the Pharisees, except for one in particular named Nicodemus whose evening visit with Jesus is recorded in the third chapter of John. He came with questions and wound up defending Jesus in front of his colleagues and helped place his body in the tomb. As for my coworkers, the doubting believer never lost his faith and actually grew from his wilderness experience. I learned some time ago that my atheist friend tried a couple of churches, accepted Christ, and is raising her children in the church. The point is simple. Doubt is part and parcel of the human experience and that includes our faith experience. However, it doesn’t mean that doubt is always an enemy of faith. Sometimes doubt, when embraced and explored, can lead to deeper faith because of what we learn from the questions doubt inspires. Remember, Thomas wasn’t the only doubting disciple who went on to lead the early church.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, please meet me in my doubts and be patient with me. I have questions that aren’t meant to disrespect you but instead to get to know you better. In your name, amen.

Love Overcomes Daily Devotion #37 3/23/16

Day #37

Larry Trotter

Words of Love

 

35 But those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, 36 and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection. 37 But in the account of the burning bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’[b] 38 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.” Luke 20:35-38 NIV

 

Overcoming the Barrier

 

I would like to borrow an idea from the Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on Luke by David Garland to use an image about our confidence in God to deliver us from death. My wife and I have been married for 37 years and have known each other for a good bit longer. I believe that she has always been faithful to me and will continue to be so and I also think that she believes the same about me. This brings up a good question. How can we be sure about each other? One possibility would be to never let the other out of our sight. Or if that gets a little tedious we could hire a private detective to follow the other one around every moment that we’re not together and report on our respective activities. Another possibility would be to hire attorneys and force each other to make depositions about our activities each month, perhaps asking each other to submit to a lie detector test. Any of these options could provide conclusive evidence regarding our faithfulness to each other. The downside is that there would be no sense of trust between us, which would be contrary to the whole idea of relationship and eat away at the fabric of our marriage. The fact is that I trust my wife implicitly and she trusts me because that’s the nature of who we are and who we know the other to be. The depth and intimacy of our relationship proves our faithfulness to each other in a way no private investigator, lie detector test, or legal deposition could ever prove. We trust each other because we have proven ourselves trustworthy. And that’s enough.

 

Let’s set the context for the verses above and make a connection with Scripture. Jesus has been challenged by a particular subset of Jewish religious leaders called Sadducees. One of the key differences between them and other Jewish communities is that they didn’t believe in the resurrection or any manifestation of life after death (which is why they were sad, you see...wait for it...). Seriously though, they asked Jesus a trick question about marriage based upon their particular belief that if a man dies without children his brother must marry the widow in hopes of having a child to perpetuate the family name. Their question supposes that a half-dozen or so brothers marry the same widow and die leaving Jesus to determine to whom she will be married in the afterlife. Jesus realizes that the question is a thin disguise for their mockery of resurrection so he meets them tit-for-tat. He tells them that “those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come and in the resurrection,” implying that they may not be in that number when the saints go marching in, will not need to marry because they will be like angels. He then alludes to the account of the burning bush-no chapter and verse numbers in Jesus’ day. God would not be called the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob if they were dead, so, they must be alive (in the afterlife). Ultimately, this is a statement about God’s nature as the God of life and death. The backstory behind the allusion to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is one of God’s faithfulness and provision and their faithfulness to him, a few stumbles notwithstanding. Moreover, Jesus’ ultimate trust in his Father’s provision in life and death is proven in his journey to and death on the cross. Jesus knew that his Father’s trustworthy nature as the giver of life and deliverer from death would not fail him at the last moment. You and I can also trust that same nature with our life and death. God did not bring us into this world to cast us aside at the last moment, particularly when we need him most. To trust in Jesus with our life by believing in him as our Savior means we can trust him in our death as our Deliverer.

 

Prayer

 

Sovereign God, I believe that you give life that lasts for all eternity. I believe in your Son who secures that life in all its fullness. In Jesus’ name, amen.

 

 

Love Overcomes Daily Devotion #36 3/22/16

Day #36

Larry Trotter

Words of Love

 

52 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body. 53 Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock... Luke 23: 52-53a NIV

 

He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. 19 After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits.

1 Peter 3:18b-19 NIV

 

Overcoming the Barrier

 

I commuted form Knoxville to Atlanta each week while I attended seminary at Candler School of Theology at Emory University. I stayed in an upstairs bedroom in an old house owned by a precious 91-year-old (when I moved in) gracious southern belle. She had been renting rooms for $50 per month to help seminarians since her husband’s death 35 years before my arrival. Her home was like walking onto the set of Driving Miss Daisy with lots of antiques-heck, everything was an antique-heavy curtains, and beautiful hardwood floors. The rooms were large and fully furnished with a bath across the hall that served all three bedrooms. The biggest drawback was no air conditioning to mitigate the oppressive early-September Atlanta heat that finds its way upstairs and smothers you with an unwanted hug all night. The excitement of getting my undergraduate degree and starting my theology classes carried me through the drive down, moving in, and the first day of school. But that night, trying to read with sweat trickling down my back and the pungent smells of an old house full of old furnishing overheated from the 90-degree day wafting up my nose, all I could think about was my wife saying bedtime prayers with and tucking in our two little girls (in our air conditioned house). I got up from the mohair wingback chair with lace doilies on the arms to cool off and decided to finish unpacking one last box of odds and ends. There, in the bottom, carefully hidden under a bundle of gel pens and mechanical pencils and a tin of homemade Toll House cookies were beautiful new pictures of Lynn and the girls. As I literally held them to my chest I thought about how they had been there in the box all day just waiting for me so they could share the love that would see me through the long, hot night.

 

You may or may not be aware that early versions of the Apostles’ Creed included the phrase, “He descended into hell,” in its description of what we believe about Jesus. The creed was originally part of early church baptismal liturgy and dates back to 337 A.D. The first version to include the “descent into hell” appeared around 359 A.D. American Methodists dropped the phrase in 1792 only for it to reappear in the 1989 hymnal with the words, “descended to the dead,” which is a slightly more accurate description. The idea is that Jesus descended to the place where the souls of the dead await the judgment, not the lake of fire reserved for Satan and his minions (not the little guys from the movie, by the way). The passage from 1st Peter can be interpreted to mean that while Jesus’ body was in the ground his spirit descended to those awaiting the judgment to preach the good news of his kingdom. Some find the image off-putting. For me, it all came together when one of my favorite professors, Dr. William Mallard, explained in a lecture-turned-sermon that Jesus had gone to the very worst part of life and death and planted a flag claiming both as his own and that we could find comfort in knowing that no matter what manner of hell in which we find ourselves, Jesus has already been there and will meet us. While finding pictures of my family may seem trivial by comparison, perhaps it points to this profound truth. Jesus loves us desperately and is unafraid and wholly willing to meet us wherever we my find ourselves, even in an upper room in Atlanta; even in death.

 

Prayer

 

Lord Jesus, though I cannot comprehend your love for me, I am grateful for the depths into which you are willing descend to let me know that I am never alone.

In your name, amen. 

Love Overcomes Daily Devotion #35 3/21/16

Day #35

Larry Trotter

Words of Love

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;

On those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.

Isaiah 9: 2 NIV

Overcoming the Barrier

As we enter Holy Week we are also in the last week of our Lenten Devotions that are based upon Love Overcomes, the current sermon series at Concord United Methodist Church. Each week I have tried to build upon the theme of the preceding Sunday’s sermon. This week, we’ll cover this past Sunday and Easter as we look at how the love of God that comes to us in Jesus Christ can overcome death and doubt. The passage above seems out of place on the second day of spring. When we read on down to verse six we might instinctively juxtapose Handel’s brilliant melody from The Messiah as we read the words, “for unto us a child is born, a son is given...” In real-time, eighth-century Israel God was using the prophet Isaiah to offer a glimmer of hope during some really dark days. The Northern Kingdom of Israel had already fallen to Assyria and Judah’s (the Southern Kingdom) borders had likely already been breached. It was only a matter of time until the People of Israel either would be killed, exiled, or made prisoners in their own land. For them, the Promised Land to which Moses and Joshua had led them was more than simply olive groves, vineyards, and fertile fields in the middle of the desert. The land was their life, their salvation, and their hope. To lose their land was to die to everything God had promised. The deep darkness in today’s verse is used in only a few other places in the Old Testament, most famously in the 23rd Psalm. The more familiar translation is “the valley of the shadow of death.” Earlier in Isaiah the prophet admonishes the people for turning their back on the council of God to consult pagan spiritists and mediums who supposedly could consult the dead. This likely connects with the allusion to the people living in the land of deep darkness or the shadow of the dead. Moreover, there was a mythical Canaanite god known as Mot who was the god of death and, according to the myth, would swallow his victims. Many people of that era feared being swallowed, literally, by death. Later in Isaiah the prophet would encourage the people by telling them that God would “swallow up death forever (Isaiah 25:8).”

With our 21st century Christian purview we can clearly see how Jesus was the one about whom Isaiah prophesied even if Isaiah couldn’t see that far into the future. God had given him a vision that death would one day be limited in its ability to impact life. We now know that Jesus has overcome the power of death to swallow us or otherwise end our eternal life with God. Isaiah foretold the coming of one who would offer hope to the people of Judah who were about to be swallowed up by the Babylonians effectively erasing any hope of a future. Jesus came to show us how to live eternally with God now, in our mortal bodies, which he shared, and later in heaven with a resurrection body we will one day share. Death might have the power of stop our heartbeat, but it cannot stop God’s heartbeat in us that began with our faith in Jesus and guarantees our eternal future. That is why Paul wrote in 1st Corinthians 15:54-55, “When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” (NIV) With confidence and maybe just a bit of swagger, Paul gets right in the face of Mot and proclaims that he is the one who has been swallowed up with the victory attained by Jesus. There is a visceral old saying that goes, “You can kill me, but you can’t eat me.” The idea is that enemies can only do so much with their threats. It turns out that the old saying has some theological significance as Jesus has put death on a short leash. And though it may threaten, our faith in the one who overcame death will overcome death's power to swallow us, or even nibble. Hallelujah!

Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank you for your sacrificial death that has taken away death's power to impact my living. In Your name, amen.

Love Overcomes Daily Devotion #34 3/19/16

Day #34

Larry Trotter

Words of Love

“…and lead us not into temptation.”

Luke 11: 4c NIV

…”but deliver us from the evil one.”

Matthew 6: 13b NIV

Overcoming the Barrier

As we finish this week’s devotions focusing on the barrier evil presents to the abundant life we are offered, I wanted to add one last perspective from Jesus. You may recognize the verses from the Lord’s Prayer that many of us learned to pray at an early age. I included the last phrases from Luke’s version as well as Matthew’s because the later adds one line that brings an important dimension to our meditations on evil. Luke and Matthew report the circumstances surrounding Jesus’ prayer differently. Mathew’s version occurs in the context of Jesus teaching the crowds during his Sermon on the Mount. Luke’s recollection is more intimate as the disciples are with Jesus in “a certain place” while he was praying. It doesn’t necessarily mean we have two differing versions of the same story. Matthew reports that Jesus included a section on prayer within the larger sermon, which included everything from how we are to treat others—don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, give to the poor—to how to worship and how we are to regard material possessions. It makes sense that this version is a bit more developed because Jesus is teaching the crowds, which would include people with a wide variety of experience with prayer. More detail would have been necessary to provide understanding to as many as possible. In the case of Luke’s story, the disciples are with Jesus at one of his usual spots where he retreated from the crowds for prayer, as was his custom. Here, the disciples are likely praying while Jesus is praying and, being so impressed with the intimate nature of his prayers to his Father, asked him for guidance. In this smaller setting he spoke more informally, with fewer details, yet covering the same basic formula of adoration, surrender, confession, and request.

Now, let’s zoom in on that last phrase: “…lead us not into temptation.” It’s a little confusing as it seems to suggest that God tempts us, perhaps to see how we’ll respond. But this contradicts James 1:13 where it clearly states that God does not tempt anyone. It’s helpful to remember that in Jesus’ day people considered “tests,” another word for “temptation” used here, as opportunities for spiritual growth. But, as Jesus would experience in Gethsemane the tests can be very difficult to withstand. So, here he may be suggesting that the disciples pray that their vulnerabilities aren’t tested. Matthew’s version follows up with another phrase that puts it into a perspective more germane to our study. The tests can also come from the power of evil or the “evil one” as some manuscripts suggest. The prayer acknowledges our vulnerability to the power of evil, understood as the dark side of our own free will, or the overt attacks of an evil entity—the devil, or Satan to whom Jesus referred more than once. That Jesus included this in the prayer template he gave his disciples should indicate how seriously we should take the power of evil and how diligently we should guard ourselves against attack. Evil is sly and elusive and can morph effortlessly into the form of something that looks so appealing: an apple, money, power, a man or woman. If only the devil actually had horns and a pointed tail, wore a red suit, and carried a pitchfork. He would be so easy to spot and avoid. However, he doesn’t; he looks frightfully a lot like you and me. Thus, we need to constantly remember the power of heaven that is a prayer away so that we can stand strong, even at the very gates of hell, and not back down (apologies to Tom Petty).

Prayer

Holy God, our Might Fortress, please stand before me, behind me, and beside me, today, so that evil will have to get through your power before it reaches my weakness. In Jesus’ name, amen.