Thursday Devotion: Leviticus 19: 1-2, 9-18

A reading from Leviticus, the nineteenth chapter:

1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.

9 When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest. 10 You shall not strip your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the alien: I am the Lord your God. 11 You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; and you shall not lie to one another. 12 And you shall not swear falsely by my name, profaning the name of your God: I am the Lord. 13 You shall not defraud your neighbor; you shall not steal; and you shall not keep for yourself the wages of a laborer until morning. 14 You shall not revile the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind; you shall fear your God: I am the Lord. 15 You shall not render an unjust judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great: with justice you shall judge your neighbor. 16 You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not profit by the blood of your neighbor: I am the Lord. 17 You shall not hate in your heart anyone of your kin; you shall reprove your neighbor, or you will incur guilt yourself. 18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

***

In our daily walks through life we come across any number of strangers: waiting for the city bus, walking through the mall, and even chance encounters in the local grocery store. Everywhere we go, there is a chance that we will have an opportunity to engage with somebody who was once a nameless face. However, the question becomes what do we do? How do we engage those who are unknown to us?

More often than not we don't. We simply go about our business, walking past those we do not know, possibly giving a friendly nod of gratitude if they hold the door open for us. However, beyond that we are slow to engage with people who have no reason to belong in our circle of influence. It isn't that we don't care about them. We just have no real reason to invest or divest in their lives, except when Jesus calls us to love our neighbor. Oops, did you forget that part of the New Testament? Probably not, but chances are you have found yourself in the age old argument over the specificity of neighbor. Just who is our neighbor anyway?

To make it easier on us, the Levites have provided us with plenty of ways to love our neighbor--granted most of them fall under the umbrella of "thou shall not," however this then can empower us to do the mere opposite of what is forbidden.

Remove stumbling blocks from the path of the blind.

Tell the truth to our neighbors.

Provide for the poor.

Cloth the naked.

Visit the prisoner.

Care for the widow.

Feed the hungry.

The list goes on and on and on. However, it all comes back to the call to love our neighbor. So, as we continue down our daily journey, the daily grind of work, the struggle to keep our heads above the rising tide, what can we do to make the lives of those around us just a little more bright. What words of encouragement can we offer? What helping hand can we lend? What steps could we take off our path to make the path of the other a little easier to traverse?

Let us pray:

Our lord, our savior, our guide, our example, we ask that you shine a light into our lives where we may be of assistance to our neighbor. Allow us to see the needs of our community and take steps off our daily path to lend a helping hand. Empower us to make those tough decisions, and give us the heart to do it out of the love and grace that you have provided us. We seek to gain nothing but to do your will on earth as it is in heaven. Be with us, guide us and protect us as we journey forward into your grace. Amen.

Thursday Devotion: Matthew 5:21-37

A reading from Matthew, the fifth chapter:

21 "You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, "You shall not murder'; and "whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.' 22 But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, "You fool,' you will be liable to the hell of fire. 23 So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny. 27 "You have heard that it was said, "You shall not commit adultery.' 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell. 31 "It was also said, "Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' 32 But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. 33 "Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, "You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.' 34 But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let your word be "Yes, Yes' or "No, No'; anything more than this comes from the evil one.

 ***

What does it mean to be in relationship with another? Under the prospects of the law we have developed a set of rules that protect us from prosecution: Do not murder, do not steal, do not lie, do not commit adultery, etc. Under the umbrellas of these laws we can live an easy life.

I don't lie (very much).

I've never stole anything.

I've never cheated on my wife.

I've certainly never killed anybody.

However, what we do on a daily basis is sometimes far worse than living under the protection of the umbrellas we have created. This is wear Jesus comes in. He reminds us that our daily operations with the people around us are, more often than not, just as treacherous as the things we claim we don't do. He takes the law and firmly plants in in a position of judgement, prosecution, and death. Jesus reminds us that there are a million little things that work to condemn our earthly relationships, and we should work to protect and prosper those relationships.

We often lose track of all of the slights that we make against our neighbor. We forget the small, discouraging word we gave to our loved ones. We exaggerate the truth to make ourselves feel just a little bit better, but Jesus is hear to remind us that these things are the same as killing, lying, and committing adultery.

No sin is greater than another, and we are guilty of all of them... and then there's Jesus!

Jesus is the bridge between rightful death and the graceful embrace of a loving God. Jesus is there to remind us of our shortcomings so that we may become fully aware of just how unworthy we are of the free gift of grace that was given for us. Thank God for the gift of Jesus, otherwise we would never truly be set free from the chains of death that result from the law.

Let us pray:

We thank you God for sending your son to both remind us of the law, but also provide us with an escape route. Without your son we would perish under the weight of the law, regardless of how well we feel we have escaped the sting of death. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus we were freed from that sting so that we may fully live and pump life into the world around us. We ask you to continue to remind us of the law, but also continue to strengthen us to embrace the life you have provided. Guide us, protect us, and provide us with the necessary tools to make your will manifest on this plane. In your son's holy name we ask these things. Amen.

Thursday Devotion: Matthew 5:13-20

A reading from Matthew, the fifth chapter:

13 "You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. 14 "You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. 15 No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. 17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

***

The American Dream.

Manifest Destiny.

Going boldly where no man/woman has gone before.

This is what we see for ourselves. We want to accomplish all of the things our parent's couldn't. We want to reach for the stars, grab them and make them into funny shapes. We want to be remembered for something when we pass on from this life to whatever may await us on the other side. 

The question is, though, how often do we, proverbially, shoot ourselves in the foot? How many times have we taken one step forward and subsequently 100 steps backwards? Honestly, more often than we are ever going to admit. Be it because of our lack of confidence, our inability to sustain momentum, or the ever present fear of failure and ridicule, we always seem to find a way to dampen our efforts to soar among the clouds.

In today's reading we are reminded that salt that loses it's power to be salty is thrown out, and further reminded that a light is not lit and then hidden from the world. We are called to be salt and light in the world, but not in a way that would get us thrown out and trampled under foot; nor to be hidden under a basket. We are called to share the good news of Jesus Christ with the world, knowing full well that we have the support of the Holy Spirit at all times. Our efforts are not in vain, and we are fully within the command of God to do great things in and for the world.

We get caught up in the ways of the world so much that we lose sight of the power that is connected to us from God by the spirit. Just like Jesus told his disciples (paraphrased), "You have seen me do all of these miraculous things, but the thing is you're going to do all of these things and more!" That's a challenge bigger than the American Dream or Manifest Destiny. That is a divine mandate to go out and out work Jesus; a challenge that we are very reluctant to take up in the modern age of medicine, technology and hypocrisy. So, what are we waiting for?

Our sweat is salty and we were raised singing the song "This Little Light of Mine." Therefore, let us use what we have been given to make a real difference in this world. We are called to do a lot of things: feed the hungry, cloth the naked, visit the prisoner, and pray for those who persecute us. What's stopping us? Why are we hiding our light under a bushel? Why have we allowed our saltiness to be thrown out and trodden under foot? We have work to do, and a divine mandate to accomplish these things by the spirit and call of the LORD.

Let us pray:

Our most challenging heavenly creator. We call on you to give us the strength and endurance to rise to your challenge of being more righteous than the scribes and Pharisees. Your son challenged his disciples, and by proxy us to match his work and do more, and yet we find ourselves hiding our light under various containers and our saltiness has been lost. Revitalize us, renew our spirits, and remind us to whom we belong. In the name of our divine supporter, Jesus, we pray. Amen.