"Then I heard a voice telling me, 'Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.' I replied, 'Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.' The voice spoke from heaven a second time, 'Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.'" -- Acts 11:8-9

This reflection is actually from yesterday's readings... Peter is undergoing massive transformation as he moves from identifying himself as primarily Jewish to this new understanding of what it means to be a Christ-follower.  It's a struggle moving from such strict legalism to a newer transcendent understanding of the law and its purpose.  Here, we see Peter beginning to understand what Jesus meant when he said "it's not what goes into the mouth, but what comes out that defiles..."  It's a hard thing to break a lifetime's worth of reinforcing a habit or an understanding.   That's why you and I have to really listen to the old tapes that run through our minds of  what we perceive in the world to be okay and what's not.  Our tendency is to react to situations based on what we've always known.  How have we known?  It's what our parents told us.  How did they know?  It's what their parents told them... and so on.  Do you see how the cycle goes?  Peter wasn't just fighting his own understanding, but a cultural understanding that had been passed down for generations.  What are we blind to today?  How resolute are you in the assumptions you make when taking a position on something?  Pray for fresh and clear guidance today.  Pray that God remove the scales from our eyes.

Readings:  1 Kings 19:1-21; Acts 12:1-23; Psalm 136:1-26; Proverbs 17:14-15

June 15-17, 2012

I will be without internet for the next three days!  So, I will pick back up on the reflection on Monday, but in the meantime, here are the assigned readings for Friday-Sunday:

Friday, June 15:  1 Kings 14:1-15:24; Acts 10:1-23A; Psalm 133:1-3; Proverbs 17:7-8


Saturday, June 16:  1 Kings 15:25-17:24; Acts 10:23B-48; Psalm 134:1-3; Proverbs 17:9-11


Sunday, June 17:  1 Kings 18:1-46; Acts 11:1-30; Psalm 135:1-21; Proverbs 17:12-13

"Children's children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children." -- Proverbs 17:6

Some things remain the same.  This text, written thousands of years ago, gave insight to the joy and source of pride grandchildren were for their grandparents.  It also speaks to the importance of the place held by the parents in a child's life.  As a father of teenagers, I'm in the phase of eye-rolls and head-shaking, as my teens wonder how adults in this world got to this state of stupidity.  It wasn't long ago, though, that we parents were the heroes in our kids' lives.  In their mind we knew everything-- every answer to every mystery to every part of the universe.  Maybe they're just still coming down from their unavoidable disappointment after finding out we're human after all... but there are still moments when they desperately need guidance, support, encouragement, and correction.  I look at their eyes expecting the eyes to roll, but they don't.  They are there, just for a moment, fully engaged... ears listening intently... minds processing at lightning speed... and I realize they still need me.  So parents, don't ever think for a minute that just because your kids don't want your input and guidance that they don't need it.   They'll thank you one day for it... or maybe they won't.  But you are still the #1 influence in their lives. In case I haven't thanked my own parents... thanks Mom and Dad.  Though we're grown, we still need you.  Now about keeping the grandkids for a while...

Readings:  


1 Kings 12:20-13:34; Acts 9:26-43; Psalm 132:1-18; Proverbs 17:6

"He who mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished." -- Proverbs17:5

Poverty is shameful to our society.  And it is not the poor who should be ashamed-- it's society.  War is evil.  Those who fight aren't necessarily evil, but the existence of war is evil incarnate.  We tend to boast a bit when life is moving in our favor.  We have money and power... we exert our will over others... and we think nothing of it.  We pity and even fear the poor, wishing we didn't have to face that reality.  But Jesus says they are blessed for they shall inherit the kingdom of earth.  When we go to war, our nation often comes together (some wars not included), and we act as though we were at a giant pep rally for a football game.  Fact is, we're scared that someone would hate us so much that they would want to kill us, and so the "just war theory" calls for us to defend ourselves.  And when we see the rich and powerful fall... culturally speaking, we tend to glean some twisted pleasure from that.  Whether it's Tiger Woods, Lindsey Lohan, or the Kardashians... why would we enjoy the stories of their fall?  There is a line that we are not to cross:  we are not to celebrate when other people's misfortunes becomes fodder for cultural entertainment.  Terrible things happen to people.  Maybe their situation is due to their own undoing.  It's sad.  Don't celebrate.  Don't laugh.  Don't participate in the circus that comes at the cost of other people's pain.

Readings:  1 Kings 11:1-12:19; Acts 9:1-25; Psalm 131:1-3; Proverbs 17:4-5

"If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared." -- Psalm 130:3-4

I read this and think of Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 13 where he says "Love keeps no record of wrongs..."  and am reminded that the most perfect model of love is God.  The psalmist had a sense of this, though not with the same understanding as one has from a New Testament perspective.  Regardless, he was correct in writing that if God was not loving-- was not Love-- we wouldn't have a chance.  If we were created to be in relationship with God and with each other, how many times have we dishonored those relationships?  How many times have we fallen short of being the friend we could have been, the spouse, the brother, the sister, the daughter, the son, the father, the mother, the teacher, the student... we all fall short.  And yet, we find forgiveness and new beginnings in our relationships that are fashioned out of the love of God.  Ever feel dread connecting with a person you knew you really let down?  And then you're surprised to find they love you, forgive you, and continue in relationship with you anyway?  If so, then you understand "grace".  As God has loved you, so you should love others.

Readings:  1 Kings 9:1-10:29; Acts 8:14-40; Psalm 130:1-8; Proverbs 17:2-3

"While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.' Then he fell on his knees and cried out, 'Lord, do not hold this sin against them.' When he had said this, he fell asleep. And Saul was there, giving approval to his death." -- Acts 7:59-8:1

This passage wraps up the account of Stephen, the first Christian martyr.  While his story is both tragic and inspiring, and we can learn what it means to be steadfast to the end and to speak truth in the face of danger,  we learn something from the other character as well... Saul.  There he was, watching the whole thing, giving his approval.  I can see him nodding his head thinking, "I hope the other Christians are getting this..."  He has no idea what's around the corner for his own life.

So here's the takeaway:  be bold like Stephen and courageous in the face of oppression and danger.  Love people despite them having no love for you.  And from the position of Saul... he would later become Paul and write the majority of the New Testament.  He would also one day die for his faith.  If you'd have told him that while they were stoning Stephen, he would have laughed and probably had you stoned too.    He had no idea what God was going to do with him-- just as you and I have no idea what God is going to do with us.  Just don't be surprised if your life changes dramatically for being a faithful follower.

Readings:  1 Kings 8:1-66; Acts 7:51-8:13; Psalm 129:1-8; Proverbs 17:1

"Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life." -- Proverbs 16:31-33

Isn't it funny how times have changed?  Today, many of us try to conceal our gray hair.  Products that will cover it up, take it out, and make it go away are huge sellers.  Why?  Could it be because in our culture we value youth and virility over age and wisdom?  Could it be because we have it a bit backwards?  In the day of this Proverb, to have lived long enough to have gray hair was to have beaten the odds.  Generally, people did not live past what we now consider middle age.  And if they did live that long, it was attributed to living a righteous life.  The formula was: live righteously = live long.  Today, we still celebrate those who live long, and hope to do so ourselves, but forget about the path to it. People live long much because of making good choices along the way.  There still remains a path of righteousness to the golden years.  So as your hair begins to gray, don't hide it, for it remains a crown of splendor.  May you live beyond the gray years and into the white!

Readings:  1 Kings 7:1-51; Acts 7:30-50; Psalm 128:1-6; Proverbs 16:31-33