Book of Faith Devotions for February 26, 2012
Genesis 9:8-17
8Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him,9“As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you,10and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark.11I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”
12God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations:13I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.14When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds,15I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.16When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”17God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”
Many rambunctious households have a tip top shelf that holds a collection of Nerf guns, Harry Potter wands, Star Wars light sabers, and plastic swords. They get stashed up there when playtime becomes unruly and finally a parent says, “That’s enough—I’m taking that thing away before someone gets hurt!”
This scripture from Genesis reminds me of that tip top shelf. After the great flood, God made a new covenant with all living things, promising never to send such a destructive flood again. God sealed the promise by “setting his bow in the clouds” – that is, setting God’s war-bow in the sky so it could never be used again. It was a bit like a parent putting the Nerf gun on top of the bookshelf, but God did one better. God displayed that war-bow on the living room wall of the world, in plain sight, as a binding promise that this kind of violence would never happen again. Whenever we see a rainbow in the sky, we are meant to remember God’s promise to make peace.
This covenant of peace is still alive for us in Christ. Because we are made right with God in Christ, we have peace with God. Whatever our sin may be, God does not condemn us. Instead, God forgives, and God invites us to live in this enduring relationship of peace, to know peace with God and to be transformed by it completely.
Lent is a gift of time, a whole season set apart to reflect on our lives, be open to God’s direction, and practice living in a new way. In every way that we turn our hearts toward God, God desires to meet us and touch our lives with peace—leading us more deeply into the life that truly is life.
The Rev. Melinda Wagner, First Immanuel Lutheran Church, Portland
Book of Faith Devotions for February 19, 2012
Today’s Scripture: Mark 9:1-9 (the Message)
1 Then Jesus drove it home by saying, “This isn’t pie in the sky by and by. Some of you who are standing here are going to see it happen, see the kingdom of God arrive in full force.”
2-4Six days later, three of them did see it. Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain. His appearance changed from the inside out, right before their eyes. His clothes shimmered, glistening white, whiter than any bleach could make them. Elijah, along with Moses, came into view, in deep conversation with Jesus.
5-6Peter interrupted, “Rabbi, this is a great moment! Let’s build three memorials— one for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah.” He blurted this out without thinking, stunned as they all were by what they were seeing.
7Just then a light-radiant cloud enveloped them, and from deep in the cloud, a voice: “This is my Son, marked by my love. Listen to him.”
8The next minute the disciples were looking around, rubbing their eyes, seeing nothing but Jesus, only Jesus.
9-10Coming down the mountain, Jesus swore them to secrecy. “Don’t tell a soul what you saw. After the Son of Man rises from the dead, you’re free to talk.” They puzzled over that, wondering what on earth “rising from the dead” meant.
I used to live at high altitude, where the air is so thin that you get winded quickly during exercise. The sun is so bright that many cars have tinted windows and people wear sunglasses year round. At that altitude, you are often reminded of how much closer you are to heavenly radiance.
When the disciples witnessed the Transfiguration, they glimpsed how close they were to heaven in Christ’s presence. That high mountain vision revealed the thinness of the divide between God and humanity, with Jesus at the meeting point between Creator and creatures. They saw Jesus fully drenched in the love, power and kingdom of God, and they saw the grandeur of what God wishes to give to all of us—a life caught up in God’s all-loving presence and influence. (See Tom Wright’s Mark for Everyone for wonderful insights.)
How could Peter, James and John forget something like that? Seeing Jesus fully illuminated with God’s power, how could they not spend every day in absolute awe, wonder and devotion before him? But the truth is, people forget. Even with Jesus right there beside them, they forget.
We forget, too. Many of us have had experiences when we knew for sure that God’s love is alive, real, and radiant. We have learned through the church’s witness that Jesus truly is God’s Son. How do we integrate this revelation into the everydayness of our lives?
Truth is, we are close to heavenly radiance every day. We are drenched in the love of God and bathed in the presence of Christ. We are fully immersed in God’s kingdom, now.
Blessings on your day,
The Rev. Melinda Wagner, First Immanuel Lutheran Church, Portland, Oregon
Book of Faith Devotions – February 12, 2012
Today’s scripture: Mark 1:40-45
40A man with leprosy came to Jesus begging him, and kneeling he said to him, “If you choose, you can make me clean.”41Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, “I do choose. Be made clean!” 42Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. 43After sternly warning him he sent him away at once, 44saying to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”45But he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the word, so that Jesus could no longer go into a town openly, but stayed out in the country; and people came to him from every quarter.
Mothers of young children know all about “clean and unclean.” Today my kids are grimy most of the time, but when they were very small I carried with me every kind of baby wipe and germ-killing product imaginable. I remember being fanatically delighted when grocery stores started offering antibacterial cloths to wipe down the grocery cart handles before you put the toddler in. I defended that “clean and unclean” boundary with zeal.
In Jesus’ day, the boundary between clean and unclean was also zealously defended, and the man with leprosy was stuck on the wrong side, condemned to keep a prescribed distance from healthy people till the day he died. That’s why what Jesus did was so shocking.
Jesus touched the man with leprosy, risking his own contamination. Onlookers surely gasped, and his mother must have been horrified. But Jesus reached out his ungloved, un-Purexed hand and intentionally touched the man – to show that Jesus wasn’t afraid of this disease. To show that making someone whole mattered more than religious taboo. To show that God’s power was able to make this man clean and give him back his life. To show that this outcast was “clean” in God’s eyes and had value, worth, dignity. To show what price Jesus was willing to pay, putting his own safety on the line in order to set God’s healing power loose in creation.
Christ’s ministry was all about that daring, compassionate, restoring touch. Today Christ’s touch is for us, drawing us into the awesome reality of God’s forgiveness which heals the breach between us and God and unites us with all humanity. Today Christ’s touch also yearns to be extended through us, reminding us that ministry in Christ’s name is not about staying safe but about getting one’s hands dirty. It’s about crossing over boundaries and venturing into areas that are more gray than black-and-white. It’s about holding onto the truth of divine healing, even where no cure is possible. It’s about touching others and being touched by the comforting, challenging hand of Christ which makes us all whole.
May God’s hand be upon you today in all your challenges, relationships and tasks. May you know what is it to be truly whole and blessed, accepted in God’s healing love. And living in the blessing of Christ, may you reach out your hand to bless.
Peace to you,
The Rev. Melinda Wagner, First Immanuel Lutheran Church, Portland
Oregon Synod Book of Faith devotion for February 5, 2012
“I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. I do it for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.” (I Corinthians 9:22-3)
All things to all people? Now, those words make me uneasy. As a church leader and recovering people-pleaser, I’m well-acquainted with the temptation to make myself over to suit others or maintain harmony. Can that be what the famously irascible St. Paul is talking about?
Not on your life. This is not about waffling or compromise. Instead, Paul is taking an intentional stance to further Christ’s gospel. Rather than being haughty or standoffish, Paul goes out of his way to identify with both Jews and Gentiles, to build bridges instead of walls, so all kinds of people can hear and receive God’s good news. Paul’s witness is bold, but it is also generous, considerate and tactful. He focuses on encouraging those new to faith (see I Cor 8:9-13).
In our predominately secular Pacific Northwest, it can be tempting for Christians to turn chameleon and just blend in with our surroundings. A young woman told me that when friends learned she was going to church on Sundays, they reacted with surprise, like she’d announced she was taking up some exotic hobby like windsurfing (mind you, this is Portland, not Hood River!). It would certainly be easier to just blend in with the wallpaper than try to express what our faith means to us.
But what good is an invisible witness? We can use a dose of Paul’s daring, outgoing Spirit. For the sake of the gospel, we will balance boldness and tact, clarity and generosity. We will put ourselves out there, while also remembering clearly who we are.
We are beloved children of God, forgiven and cherished forever in Christ. We are called disciples, entrusted with the good news this whole creation is yearning for. Strong in this beautiful identity, we reach out in every way we can, so that through us Christ might by all means save this world, and we may share in the blessings.
In Christ,
The Rev. Melinda Wagner, First Immanuel Lutheran Church, Portland, Oregon
I Corinthians 9:19-23
19For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them.20To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law.21To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law) so that I might win those outside the law.22To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some.23I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.
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