Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.
TO PONDER:
What drives you in life? What motivates you? Who are you living for? We all live for something. That's what is at the heart of the reading today. We have a two year border collie who is motivated by affection. He will move from person to person to get hugs, scratches and pats. If you ignore him, he will push his nose into you until you wrap your hand around his snout and give him a good scratch on the nose. He lives for the love and affection of people.
Paul points to what many people live for today - pleasing others. That the choices made and the behaviour seen is motivated by a desire to win the approval of people whose opinion we care about. Who is it for you? A parent? A spouse? A teacher? A person you want to be noticed by? Paul in this first chapter of Galatians shows how subtly this approach to living can take us away from the good news of Jesus, the Gospel. Our desire to please others becomes the focus of our life which takes our focus off of Jesus and the freedom that he gives.
You already have the approval of the one whose opinion we should most care about. God. He loves you and delights in you, not because of your achievements, not because of anything you have done or not done, but simply because he loves you. When you live in that reality, it takes the pressure off. You don't have to run like our border collie from one person to the next to find validation and approval, you have it every second of every day. That's grace...and that God's gift for living. Receive it.
PRAYER:
God of grace, thank you that because of your son Jesus, I live with your approval. Give me your Spirit that I may live today in a way that brings honour to your name. Amen.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
TO PONDER:
As you start the week, how are you feeling? Eager to launch into the week? Ready to embrace what this week throws at you? Or tired and you haven't even got out of bed yet? Life is exhausting. The demands. The expectations. The responsibilities. Sometimes it seems that life is like a giant version of Tetris, as we try to arrange, rearrange, manipulate, make space and attempt to fit all the pieces together into a cohesive whole. Sometimes we manage ok, but we never know which piece is next, and as we struggle to find where it fits, the next unexpected piece comes and then another and it can leave us overwhelmed.
Jesus, never expected us to do life on our own. He knows that we cannot bear the burden of expectations and demands required of us. That's why he entered this world, to take on the burden of responsibilities, to fulfil the weight of demands, and to be crushed by the expectations of humankind, so that we might know freedom and joy. God promises Jeremiah and us, I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint. Jeremiah 31:25.
Jesus invites us as we start this week, and with all that lies ahead, to rest in him, find refreshment in him and in his presence receive all we need to focus on one piece at a time, knowing that whatever comes next, he will be us, lifting the burden and making the canvas of our life complete.
PRAYER:
Good morning Lord, there is nothing that can happen to me today or this week that is bigger than you. Give me your grace to step into the challenges and expectations of this week, letting you carry the weight of expectation that I can never carry. Amen.
The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people (verse 11)
TO PONDER:
Law enforcement agencies use it. Workplaces benefit from it. Talent scouts rely on it. Profiling. Profiling happens whenever we look at the outside of another human being and draw conclusions about what that person is like on the inside. We profile every day; when we step onto a bus or train or enter a public space.
The Pharisee in the parable today is doing just that…’God I thank you that I am not like…them!’ ‘Thank you that my way is the right way.’ He stands apart and makes a judgment based on the outside while having no idea of what is happening on the inside in the other. He pumps up his own tyres and puts a nail in the other. He thinks his way is the only way and views others with contempt. He makes himself more, and the other less. All to justify himself, his actions, and his fears. Do you recognise the tendency for Pharisaic profiling in yourself? God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Jesus didn’t stand apart from us and profile us. He stepped into our world to walk in our shoes, to see with our eyes, to feel with our hands, to overcome our fears with love, and to die in our place. Because of that, in humility and love we might just find a way forward…together…as a nation and a church.
You will not look into the eyes of someone today that Jesus doesn’t love. Take a step and get to know someone new?
PRAYER:
God, create in me a clean heart, that I may see others anew. Amen.
Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice.
He rescues me unharmed from the battle waged against me, even though many oppose me.
TO PONDER
It seems like everyone has to be opposed to something these days; everyone needs a scapegoat or a group of people that they can rally against and paint as the bad guy. Sometimes there is no way of avoiding being someone's opponent, sometimes you become their opposition without even realising it and it is often because of your faith in Jesus.
Well let's be honest, it's not usually about your faith in Jesus, after all, who could have a problem with Jesus. He was a pretty good guy in the grand scheme of things; had some good insights about life and how to treat others how you want to be treated... stuff like that. Nah, Jesus was ok. It's Christians that are the problems these days.
It's Christians who are intolerant of people who are different to themselves. It's Christians who want to take all the fun out of life. It's Christians who are judgmental of others and project that 'holier than thou' attitude... the list goes on and on if you care to listen.
To be fair, some of these statements hold a bit of water. Sometimes us Christians, when we lose sight of God's love and mercy to all people, can be a bit judgy. Sometimes, we are guilty of intolerance when we hold different perspective to others. What are we to do in those situations... Look to Jesus.
Jesus had the worst of it and sets us a prime example of how to hold up under that kind of pressure. When God's chosen people rejected him as the messiah they had been waiting for, they also became his opponents, seeking to trick him or trap him at every opportunity. And yet, Jesus just went on doing the Father's business. Jesus cried out in distress on the cross, and God delivered him, even though the people he had come to save had made themselves his opponents, Jesus still died for them.
I know it seems impossible, but that's the standard of love we are to aim for. Even when people oppose us, we are to love them like Jesus loves us, and trust that his love for us will not let us down. It's easy to say but difficult to do. Why not just give it a try? What have you got to lose?
PRAYER:Lord God, it can be tough trying to live as one of your children in the world today, a world that often puts itself in opposition to you and to your church. Help me to live and to love others, even those who oppose me (and you) with the love of Jesus. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”
TO PONDER
I have to confess that today's verse sorely tempted me to begin by saying 'this story serves as an example of what happens when you don't listen to the wisdom of our pastor/priest.' However, that is not really the point of this text, and I know that I am as prone to mistakes and not listening to God at times just as much as the next person. In fact, the real message behind this text is really that we will always end up in trouble if we listen to other people instead of God.
Now sometimes, like in the case of Samuel, God speaks quite clearly and directly to us through the words and wisdom of others. And so it can be wise to seek the counsel of a wise Christian mentor or friend. But the wisdom of the world at large, particularly if you follow the story of Scripture, seems to always lead to folly and often also destruction.
What we see played out in the rest of the story of Samuel and the Israelites is that the people on a King and so God gives them what they want, but with a stern warning.
God does allow us to make choices, but he also gives strong advice about what happens when we reject him as the ultimate authority for our lives. You are free to live your own way but don't be surprised when the thing you want most (if it is not God) turns out to disappoint.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please fill me with your Holy Spirit so that I may walk in your ways and your wisdom. Help me to someone who can give wise and righteous counsel to others, because I am always ready to listen to you. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle.
The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”
Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings!
TO PONDER
Who are you obeying? There are a whole bunch of laws and powers that would lay claim on each of us. As residents of Australia we are protected but also sometimes restricted in our behaviour by the laws of the Commonwealth of Australia, and then also by the laws of the state or territory in which we live. There are natural laws like the laws of nature and the laws of physics. Advances in our scientific understanding and technological capabilities, almost seem to be providing us means to break or bypass some of those laws when they don't suit us.
The problem is with rules and regulations, we offend find ways around them when they do not suit us. Running late or in a hurry to get somewhere? Maybe the laws which govern the speed at which we drive lose some of their significance...
We sometimes have the same attitude when it comes to the things of God and living as disciples of Jesus. We are happy to live by his rules and as his followers as long as it suits us. Sometimes when it gets a bit sticky or uncomfortable, we have the same tendency to ignore God's ways, or to look for a loophole in order to justify our own actions.
Peter and the other apostles, on trial by the Sanhedrin, the leaders of the Jewish religion, make a very clear statement in their defence. 'We must obey God rather than humans'. There is not a situation where God's law, God's instruction does not apply to us; where we can just say that's too hard, I just won't bother. And yet, most of us do it all the time.
What a joy then to be reminded that While God's laws still stand, Jesus has lived under and fulfilled those laws for us, so that when we break them, the punishment that should come our way is covered by his righteousness. Being a follower of Jesus doesn't mean being free from living in God's ways, it means being freed from his judgement when we don't.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, you told your disciples to go and make more disciples by baptising them and teaching them to obey everything you have commanded. Help me to be an example of what life looks like when we do what you have commanded. Let that kind of life, a life of love and service of you and others, be a witness to all you have done for me. Amen.
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle.
While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came by. When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him. “You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus,” she said.
But he denied it. “I don’t know or understand what you’re talking about,” he said, and went out into the entryway.
TO PONDER
Ever been in a situation when you have been tempted to just deny or ignore your faith in Jesus? It may be hard to imagine, living in Australia, that your faith is something that could get you arrested or even executed.
I used to work with a teacher who had spent a number of years living in Turkey which her husband. His reason for going there was percieving a call from God to introducing Jesus to the Muslims in that country. This man had incredible stories both of God being at work through this man's efforts to bring people to faith in Jesus, but also about God's faithfulness and protection, even during his 7 stints of imprisonment.
Of course, at the end of John's gospel we hear Jesus forgiving Peter and 'reinstating' him. Jesus also forgives us when the pressure of the world lead us to deny him to others. But perhaps the saddest thing in doing that, is we are denied the stories and experiences of seeing God at work in powerful ways as he follows through on his promises to always be with us and to not let his word return to Him without it achieving what he wants it to achieve.
Each of our witness to Jesus, whether in the relative safety of Australia, or in some of the parts of the world where Christians are still violently persecuted, is a declaration of God's word and the life changing power of the gospel. Don't let the pressure and expectations of the world around you cheat you out of an opportunity to see the power of God at work.
PRAYER:Lord Jesus, you warned your disciples that the world would hate them because of you. Please help me to have courage when my faith in you leads to awkward and uncomfortable situations. Help me to faithfully bear witness to who you are and al that you have done for me. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught."
TO PONDER
I don't know who first came up with, or articulated the idea that, 'it is impossible to know what you do not know'. I have always found that to be a silly statement because of one simple fact; I know I cannot speak French. Now I suspect that's not quite the intent behind this quote, but it does raise an interesting point in light of today's reading.
If you have only ever worshipped God in one church, the same way for all of your life, how do you know you are not missing out on some other equally wonderful and faithful expression of worship that might be practiced in a different church?
For example, our family once new a lady at another Lutheran church, who would often sit in church with a sketch book and sometimes, not always, but sometimes she would see quite vividly a picture or image during a part of the service and feel compelled to sketch it down and would often then go hame and do wonderful paintings based on these sketches. Sometimes She would just feel like the Holy Spirit was asking her to create the paining with no given reason, but sometimes, as she painted, God also helped her discern someone in the congregation who he wanted to receive the painting. This woman did not disrupt the service, and yet her response to God in worship was not through song like everyone else, but through faithfully responding to the images that God gave her throughout the service.
God is the only one who knows what you don't know, and when it comes to him and his love for you, he wants to show you more. So don't be too bound up in human traditions, let God lead you forward into what you don't yet know.
PRAYER:Lord God, You are right, I only know what I have been taught about you. I pray right now that your Holy Spirit would lead me into a deeper knowledge of who you are through the self revelation of your Word and by your presence alive in me by the power of the Holy Spirit. Help me not to be stuck in my limited thinking, but help me to move into a deeper understanding of your life, alive in me. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle.
You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.
TO PONDER
Something tells me you might be hearing a bit from Allan Hirsch and Rob Kelly's, Metanoia book this week. Here's a quote from chapter 3.
"It was the hard-eyed religious folk - people just like us - who missed what God was doing in Jesus more than anyone because they were convinced their prevailing views of God were right. They were in love with their own system and tradition of interpretation and could not critique or change them. This is why Jesus continually said to them, "You have heard that it was said... but I tell you...""
When you read this, the Lutheran Church of Australia and New Zealand, will be meeting for the last day of their 2024 National Convention of Synod. It is possible that some things will have changed during that meeting, that some long held traditions may have been let go of, it is also possible that they have been held onto. Either way, there will be people in the LCANZ, who will struggle with the decision that has been made.
Let us all remember that we all at times, cling to human traditions that have brought us security and comfort in the past. It is a difficult thing to let go, and also sometimes a difficult thing to hold on. More difficult still can be determining which God is asking us to do. May the words of this reading from Mark's gospel help you to trust that God has been at work through the pastors and then through the Synod of the LCANZ, and that whatever happens, he has led things to the point and place where we find them today. Hold onto him, and let him decide what else you need to carry.
PRAYER: Lord God, today I pray for your church around the world, but particularly for the Lutheran Church of Australia and New Zealand. I pray that this synodical meeting has brought it to where you are calling it to be as it continues to seek to bear faithful witness of Jesus to all the world. Amen.
Today's devotion, written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle