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.

Love Overcomes Daily Devotion #33 3/18/16

Day #33

Larry Trotter

Words of Love

35 “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36 like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. Luke 12: 35-36 NIV

Overcoming the Barrier

For whatever reason, reading the whole passage from which this excerpt is snipped reminded me of my senior class trip to Washington D.C. and NYC. Can you imagine being a chaperone charged with the care and feeding of a group of 17 and 18-year-olds? And forget about the perils of the big city; what about the overnight bus ride to D.C.? 50 or so high school seniors in a pitch-dark bus for eight hours. What could possibly go wrong? In a word, everything! That’s why every so often, on random intervals, the bus driver, on the orders of the head chaperone, would turn on the interior lights. It was like bugs scurrying around on the kitchen floor in the middle of the night when you come in for a snack and turn on the light. People sat up in their seats, hustled back to their seats, and in a few cases climbed up from underneath their seats (and that’s all I have to say about that). We all know that nothing good happens after midnight and on a bus full of teenagers it’s doubly true. The only chance the chaperones had of maintaining order was to make sure the lights came on periodically to keep everyone honest.

The passage is part of a larger section encouraging people to be ready for the end times when God will bring judgment on the earth and make all things new. Jesus uses imagery reflecting first century house servants to describe what it means to be ready for the master’s return. The verse above seems to be aimed at the disciples as a way of reminding them that they are to be on top of their responsibilities as keepers of the kingdom until Jesus’ return. Dressed for service means that the loose robes worn by servants would need to be tied with a sash to allow freedom of movement to carry out duties. The image over which I would like to linger for a moment is the admonition to keep the lamps burning. This was an important chore since the self-igniting match wouldn’t be invented for 1,800 years. Lamps had to be kept burning by keeping the wicks trimmed and the oil tanks filled. In a world where light was a premium item, a burning lamp kept mischief at bay and accidents from happening. More specifically, people of that age equated darkness with a spiritual realm. Evil lurked in the darkness and light could reveal its presence and thwart its consequences.

Evil still lurks in the darkness of the human soul and light still uncovers it. Our world has its share of darkened corners and shadowy places. Jesus came to bring light into the darkness and reveal the evil that the darkness hides. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.” Preachers call these sins of omission, when we can stop evil from occurring but allow it by our inaction. When we fail to shine the light of Christ into dark conversations and shadowy situations we allow evil to perpetuate. Jesus might equate that with not being ready. If you read further into the larger passage (Luke 12:35-48) the consequences for servants who fail to do their jobs are quite sobering. You can read about them if you choose. What we don’t get to choose is when and where we shine our light. Darkness can occur anywhere, anytime. By regularly shining our light we reduce the chances of evil being able to impact those around us. Disciples are chaperones on the kingdom bus. For everyone’s sake, don’t forget to turn on the light.

Prayer

God of light, please grant me the courage to shine my light when I see darkness gathering. I don’t want to let you down by sleeping on the job. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Love Overcomes Daily Devotion #32 3/17/16

Day #32

Larry Trotter

Words of Love

20 Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, 21 nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.” Luke 17:20-21 NIV

Overcoming the Barrier

A couple of nights ago Lynn and I had planned to go to our favorite sushi place for half-price salmon night. However, it was a gorgeous, unseasonably warm day, which promised one of those cherished early season deck nights. We had some leftover roast chicken in the refrigerator that Lynn, with a little homemade pesto from the freezer, transformed into beautiful chicken sandwiches. We lingered on the deck until the sun set behind the ridge catching every gentle breeze that stirred the warm, evening air. With the sun tucked in below the horizon producing a softening magenta glow I settled deeply into my chair and looked up through the trees in our backyard. What I saw broke the spell with a dose of reality. The starkly bare limbs and branches spread out across the grayish twilight sky like creepy characters from a Tim Burton movie. Their message was clear: it isn’t spring, yet. We were only two days removed from the 26^th anniversary of the Blizzard of the Century when anywhere from 18 inches to three feet of snow blanketed East Tennessee followed by sub-zero temperatures. I almost let the reality of more cold to come spoil the beautiful pre-echo of spring that faintly resonated across our backyard.

Luke begins chapter 17 with Jesus telling his disciples that evil, “things that cause people to stumble,” would continue to plague humankind for the foreseeable future. In fact, Jesus indicates that things will get worse before they get better. More to his point, he tells them that they have a duty to help people avoid the evil that will continue to seek co-conspirators. In today’s passage the Pharisees ask point-blank when the kingdom will come. Jesus’ cryptic answer suggests that they have missed the point that his presence among them is a sign of the kingdom. Most likely the Pharisees were looking for something more in line with their kingdom expectations: signs in the sky, political upheaval—particularly Roman rule being overturned, the arrival of a militarily powerful Messiah. Moreover, Jesus seems to say that the kingdom comes in the midst of everyday life and his disciples need to be ready to be harbingers of the kingdom. Love overcomes evil, and when disciples model the love of Jesus that lives within, the kingdom is suddenly in their midst and includes everyone in close proximity. A warm summer evening in mid-March cannot be relied upon to mark the beginning of spring. It can, however, be a sign of what spring will be like when it gets here. When we faithfully follow Jesus into the midst of everyday life we can become kingdom signs to people who are lost in the barrenness of a long winter season of life.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, let me be a living sign of your kingdom today so that whomever I’m in the midst of will find hope and encouragement. In your name, amen.