April 15: Standing and Staring

There were a lot of requests following our Lenten series for continued devotionals. I have enjoyed writing them and will continue to do so with a few changes. They will still focus on moving through a book of the Bible – and doing so with a lens of understanding discipleship. Here are some of the expected changes:

• The devotionals will be done by blog. You can find the blog at http://palmsdevotional.blogspot.com

• We invite you to post comments and create a conversation around the texts, devotionals and thoughts they create.

• The devotionals will be twice a week, usually Monday/Tuesday and Thursday/Friday.

• If you would prefer to get them by email rather than the blog link then please reply to this email confirming that request and you will be put on a separate email list for the devotional.

• In following the move we made on Sunday from the Gospel of Luke to the Acts of the Apostles – we will move to walking through pieces of Acts together.

So without out further ado – and recognizing that this first entry will borrow some from my Sermon last Sunday - let us encounter God in God’s word to us.

“Why do you stand looking up toward heaven?” (Acts 1:11)

As we turn from Lent to Easter we turn with Luke from a time of discipleship to a time of apostleship.

Disciples follow a master. They sit and learn as the master teaches. They absorb knowledge, mimic actions; they watch and wonder, what’s he going to do next?

Apostles are sent out – no longer following the physical presence of a master – but living a life that follows in the way of being, in the type of activity, that the master had taught them.

During Lent I had a wonderful conversation with one of our members. He was basically asking about how we deal with our tendencies to let hard messages – even good messages – slide off and be forgotten. We all do it… it usually ends up in some kind of statement like; “I’m only human”. And that of course is the ultimate excuse for why we cannot change, or live into some higher standard. I’m only human.

Here is the problem for us when we do that. Jesus is Christ is human. (Yes Jesus is God, but Jesus is truly human and shows us what true humanity is to look like!) When we say “I’m only human” what we really mean is, “I’m less than human”. I’m less than human and not feeling empowered enough to change that fact! That’s a depressing statement to make – and so we don’t. Instead we lower the bar on humanity, and make that our excuse.

On the other hand we are captivated by those who do manage to live true humanity. I think of Gandhi and Mother Theresa – but there are many less extreme examples, people who live lives of love and compassion. People – just like you and I - who leave their own comfort zones to bring comfort to the world. We are captivated by them – and we have a tendency to stand there staring, and thinking them more than human – so we can be “only human”.

But Christ wants us to stop staring – at him or them. Jesus desires more for us. Jesus desires not only that we live as he did – but that in doing so, “my (Jesus’) joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.” (John 15:11) Our joy will only ever be complete when we let ourselves be Christ in the world. When we stop standing around staring and making excuses. When we let go of our limitations and our doubts and our comfort and our anxiety and our worship of something other than the God who is in us… and we embrace the Christ who lives and reigns in us by the power of the Holy Spirit – and we go forth to share our lives of love and care out in the world.

Have you let go of those things that captivate your attention, are you staring?

Are you allowing Christ and Jesus’ joy to dwell in you?

Where is God sending you?

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Sending God,
Give us strength to set aside our worries and insecurities.
Let the same love and joy that infuses your life - live in us.
Guide us to go out into the world as light, love and care.
Amen.