kenanewkirk

March 15, 2021

Kings and Prophets – Humble David

“Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel.’” Then King David said: “Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? 2 Samuel 7:8, 18

King Saul, the first king of Israel, was kind of a dud, so God had the Prophet Samuel go out and find a new king who was named David. As a boy, David lived a rough and tumble life. He demonstrated great courage and remarkable faith. He spent his childhood protecting his father’s sheep in the wilderness, fighting off bears and lions. When Israel went to war, he volunteered to fight the giant Goliath with just his sling and a few stones, having faith that God would give him victory. Eventually, he became a general in King Saul’s army and showed great courage, wisdom, and valor.

The Bible calls David a man after God’s own heart. But what was the key to his success? Humility. A humble person is not tempted to put their needs before the needs of others. A humble person does not take any gift or responsibility for granted. When a humble person is bestowed with glory and prestige they ask “who am I that I would be honored in this way?” The beginning of David’s reign is characterized by this humility.

Humility helps us know exactly who we are. A humble woman has a clear-eyed view of her strengths and weaknesses. A humble man knows real strength comes, not from hoarding power, but extending power to others.

Poet and theologian Thomas Merton reminds us that “Pride makes us artificial; humility makes us real.” Way back at the beginning of the story of the Bible, it was pride that caused Adam and Eve to choose to disobey God. Much later on in the story, it is humility which drives Jesus Christ to forsake the riches and comforts of heaven to die a sinner’s death on the cross to rescue us from sin. How can you better cultivate the attitude of holy humility needed to be a faithful servant of God?

March 14, 2021March 14, 2021

Kings and Prophets – The Real Superhero

Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the man (Saul) the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people. Then the people shouted, “Long live the king!” But some scoundrels said, “How can this fellow save us?” They despised him and brought him no gifts. But Saul kept silent. 1 Samuel 10:24, 27

It seems like every few months a new superhero finds its way into our culture. It used to be a Marvel movie or occasionally a DC hero that was the next blockbuster hit. However, with tons of streaming platforms, now we are being bombarded with superhero tv shows every time we sit down to watch something. As a culture, we are obsessed with the idea that an extraordinary human can save the day, can even save us.

The first king selected to rule over the people was not a very good one. God knows that all humans are sinful and flawed, so God wanted to rule over the people as King. Instead, the people requested a human king and they were given Saul. Some thought he’d be superhuman, that he would be able to save all Israel. But that is of course too much to ask of a human king. Some people immediately regretted their decision to ask for Saul to be king. “How can this fellow save us?” they asked each other. They realized that super-humans are really just fairytales.

More than 1000 years after the reign of King Saul, another guy named Saul will write a letter to a church in the town of Philippi. He will remind the church that there is still hope for God to be King, in the person of Jesus Christ. King Jesus will finally rescue God’s people, redeeming them from sin and death. God will give Jesus a name above all names so every knee should bow to Jesus, God on earth, as king and savior. Imagine Jesus on the throne of your heart as King and Savior. Allow him to rule in your life knowing that he is more powerful than any human being.

March 14, 2021March 14, 2021

Kings and Prophets – Living Like a Prophet

But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so, he prayed to the Lord. And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. 1 Samuel 8:6-7

In the story of Scripture, Israel is first ruled by judges, then it is ruled by kings. The kings were not part of the original plan. God intended to rule over the people of Israel as the real King, not have some human on the throne. However, the people are insistent. They see all the countries around them that have a king, and they want to be like the people around them.

In today’s passage, it is a man named Samuel who prays to God on behalf of the people to ask for a King. Samuel is a prophet. Now, some people think prophets are people who predict the future, but in the Bible a prophet is simply someone who speaks to the people on God’s behalf. Samuel is dedicated to serving God, so he is frustrated that Israel asks for a King to rule them. God tells him not to take it personally. The people haven’t rejected Samuel. Although God has been nothing but faithful, the people have rejected God.

Kings are very powerful. In ancient times, Israel’s neighbors would have worshiped their kings as gods on earth. If Israel is already rejecting God as their king, they may be tempted to reject God as God. Throughout the reign of Israel’s Kings, God also raises up prophets in each generation to speak the truth to kings and citizens alike.

The life of a prophet is very difficult. They must be wise enough to listen to God and have the courage to speak out. Many prophets are rejected, imprisoned, and even killed for speaking the truth of God to people who don’t want to hear it. Prophets are not just something we find in the Bible. There are modern day prophets who have worked and suffered for God’s cause. We are all called to speak up for what is right. Ask God for the wisdom and courage to live like a prophet in the world today.

March 11, 2021

Conquest and Judges – Ruth and Naomi

But Ruth said, “Do not press me to leave you or to turn back from following you! Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die— there will I be buried…” Ruth 2:16-17

Some of the most popular jokes in movies and on tv are about in-laws. Frustrations about in-laws in general are a common theme from shows like Modern Family and Everybody Loves Raymond, and movies like Monster-in-Law and Meet the Parents. Relatives are always a challenge, but even more so when they are not blood related.

For this reason, it’s interesting that this passage is actually most often used in wedding ceremonies, the process through which families are united and in-laws created.

In the story, Naomi, a Hebrew, is the mother-in-law to both Ruth and Orpah who are Moabites. After the death of all three women’s husbands, Naomi begs her daughters-in-law to leave her and find new husbands. They were not born into the Hebrew clan, and they are young enough to start their lives over somewhere else rather easily. Orpah departs, but Ruth decides to stay. She selflessly vows to live with Naomi, travel with her, worship with her, and remain faithful to her God and people for the rest of her life.

Ruth goes on to marry one of Naomi’s relatives in order to restore her claim on the family land. She even has a child with her new husband, Boaz, whom they named Obed. The baby grows up to become grandfather to King David. The book of Ruth is a story of conversion. It’s unique because it shows how foreigners joined the family of Abraham, and even contributed to the bloodline of kings.

Ruth and Naomi understood the selfless love of God. They worked for one-another and not their own personal interests, and together they triumphed. It is a selfless love which we are all called to model as people redeemed by God through Christ. Naomi and Ruth’s generous actions became the seed from which the Tree of Jesse flourished to bear the fruit of King David, ancestor of Jesus Christ. May all of our selfless actions give birth to something beautiful as we see the family of God grow.

March 10, 2021March 11, 2021

Conquest and Judges – Deborah’s Servant Leadership

Now Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time. She held court under the Palm of Deborah …and the Israelites went up to her to have their disputes decided. Judges 4:4-5s

The Book of Judges runs in a pretty predictable cycle. Israel rebels against God, God raises up an enemy to punish Israel, the people complain and turn back to God so God raises up a judge to lead them in defeating the enemy. This happens about seven times in the Book of Judges, and the third judge is actually a woman named Deborah. At God’s direction, she commissions a man named Barak to the army in defeating an oppressive neighboring Kingdom. However, Barak says he’s too afraid to go without her. Together they go and defeat their dangerous neighbors, but the glory doesn’t to Barak because he is determined to be a coward.

Deborah is a powerful woman in the story of Scripture, and she breaks a lot of the stereotypes about what a Godly woman should look like. She is described as a prophet. She’s working as a judge and making wise decisions. The text says she’s leading all of Israel, and she understands politics and the military. Deborah also has a personal life. She’s married and might even have children.

Deborah is a woman who wears many hats. She has a lot of responsibilities. Which begs the question, what qualifies a person to serve God in a particular way? How do we know someone should be a teacher or leader or preacher in the church? According to Paul, the Holy Spirit equips each follower of Jesus with spiritual gifts to use in service of the Kingdom of God. We have a responsibility to discover and nurture these gifts within ourselves and other Christians.

Deborah would have spent time cultivating her gifts for leadership and prophecy before taking on a formal role. She was a wonderful leader and served Israel well. What spiritual gifts has God gifted you with, and how can be a servant leader in the church of Christ?

March 9, 2021

Conquest and Judges – A Good Student

The people served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua (but)… another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals. They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. Judges 2:7; 10-12

Think back, do you recall learning to ride a bike? Who taught you ? Was it a friend or maybe a parent or grandparent? Wasn’t an easy task; did you learn it quickly? Or did you struggle? Maybe you fell down and skinned your knee. Maybe you needed encouragement to get the job done.

There was once a young boy whose dad was trying to teach him to ride a bike, but he was always terrified of falling over and hurting himself. After years and years, he finally just gave up because he was so embarrassed about it and it was a sensitive subject. Eventually, he grew up and became a father too. One Christmas, his wife decided to buy their son a bike. Suddenly, the man had to confess that never learned to ride one himself.

Growing up, there are a lot of things that we have to learn. Riding a bike is a pretty small thing, but there are big things too. If you don’t study cooking, then you could cause a fire. If you don’t learn to budget your money, you’ll ruin your finances. If you don’t develop a relationship with God, then you will drift through life without purpose.

In the book of Judges, a new generation is born and grows up in the promised land. This generation never knew slavery in Egypt or wandering in the desert. Most importantly, they never learned about God. The entire nation of young Israelites began to drift away from the God of their parents. They never took time to learn about God, and, as you can guess, things start to go wrong for God’s people. Throughout the story of Scripture, the people of Israel will turn away from God again and again. When they do, God will send leaders to help put them back on the right track. These leaders are the heroes and heroines of the Book of Judges. As we reflect on this part of the story, how can you be a better student of God’s teaching?

March 8, 2021March 8, 2021

Conquest and Judges – Serve Sombody

Now if you are unwilling to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of those in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15

Who are you going to serve? It’s a simple question that Joshua asks the people of Israel as they settle into the Promised Land. The Lord rescued them from slavery, brought them through the desert, and conquered their enemies. God has provided them every step of the way, but Joshua knows that humans are fickle. Now that God is asking for their loyalty will they give it?

In 1979, Bob Dylan released a song entitled “Gotta Serve Somebody.” It won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance, and the lyrics read in part:

You may be rich or poor, you may be blind or lame

You may be living in another country under another name

But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed

You’re gonna have to serve somebody

Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord

But you’re gonna have to serve somebody

Maybe you’re on the fence about following Jesus. Or maybe you consider yourself a Christian, but you’re just not all-in. Joshua’s words and Dylan’s song both remind us that we are tempted to divide our allegiance. As Christians, we are supposed to put our citizenship in the Kingdom of God before everything. We are children of The Spirit first-and-foremost. We are servants of Christ above all things. But, there are so many things that try to make a claim on our loyalty, and these are not all bad things. Nevertheless, nationality, ethnicity, political affiliation, gender, sports team, popularity group, occupation, hobbies, even friends and family must all fall in line behind our devotion to God. Let’s face it, most of us struggle to serve God with an undivided heart. We want to serve God, but we fall short. Only Jesus served God perfectly, and we need the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome our divided allegiance. Invite the Holy Spirit into your heart to make you a better servant of Christ and shore-up your loyalty to the Kingdom of God.

March 6, 2021

Conquest and Judges – Unwavering Devotion

No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. Joshua 1:5-6

After forty years of wandering in the desert, God decides that it’s time for the Israelites to inherit the promised land. If you think back to the covenant made with Abraham and his descendants, there were two parts. The first part was that Abraham’s family would become so large it would be a nation. That part has happened, but the second part was that they would inherit the land called Canaan to live on.

Moses has been leading the people of Israel for a very long time. He’s an older man now, and God decides it’s time to transfer leadership to someone else. Joshua is Moses’ assistant, his right-hand man. He is selected to lead the people of Israel into the promised land.

With a new leader, the Israelites are ready to put down roots in the land of Canaan. However, there’s a problem. There are already people living there. God’s people must conquer the land, and that means war.

The book of Joshua presents difficulties for us modern-day Christians. Historically, the church has misused the story of Joshua as a justification for conquering other people. In the US, people used the story of Joshua to justify taking land from the Native Americans. In medieval times, the Catholic Church used the story to justify conquering rival Christians in the orthodox church. There are tons of examples of the misuse of Joshua, but there are plenty of good lessons to learn from this part of the story.

The book of Joshua demonstrates God’s unwavering devotion even in the face of Israel’s fear and uncertainty. Israel is promised again and again that they will never be forsaken or abandoned. God extends that promise to us today along with the command to be courageous, to live without fear. We are called to rest in God’s unwavering devotion before stepping out in courageous acts of faith. Consider what God is calling you to right now. Do you need to rest in God’s devotion, or is God calling you to step out with courageous faith?

March 5, 2021

Exodus and Wandering – The Greatest Commandment

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Deuteronomy 6:4-5

This verse comes to us during the period of the Exodus, a time when the Israelites were trying to become the people of the living God. It grows into an important Creed throughout the history of Judaism. It is known as the Shema, which is the first word of the saying in Hebrew. Shema means “hear” or “listen” in Hebrew. Observant Jews would recite this verse daily and teach it to their children as a bedtime prayer. They also made an effort to have the Shema be their last words before dying.

About 1300 years after the Exodus, a popular Jewish teacher decided to set up shop in the temple courtyard to preach to the people, and they were astonished at what he had to say. Massive crowds came to hear him talk, and the established teachers became jealous of his popularity. They didn’t trust he knew what he was talking about.

One of them, who was an expert in the Law, tested him with a question, asking which is the greatest commandment in the Law? The popular teacher replied by citing the Shema, the same thing he’d been taught to say since he was a young boy. “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. However, he followed up the Shema with something unusual but profound. “’ This is the first and greatest commandment,” he said. ^“And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Jesus Christ, the popular teacher from the temple courts, knew that the core of God’s teaching has been the same for thousands of years. Generations have recited the Shema as a form of prayer and a way to remind themselves of God’s call for our devotion. But Jesus bound the truth of the Shema to another, but similar truth found in the book of Leviticus, “you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus teaches that the entire story of Scripture hangs on these two commands. As we conclude the story of the Exodus, consider where have you seen these twin commandments show-up in our devotions so far.

March 4, 2021

Exodus and Wandering – A Blessing

This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: ‘“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”’ Numbers 6:23-26

The story of the Exodus does not stop with the book of Exodus. God spends a lot of time with the Israelites wandering in the desert helping to build up their faith. There’s a lot of instruction about how worship should be run, and different laws that the Israelites should follow. In the Book of Numbers, we find a beautiful passage sometimes referred to as the “priestly blessing”. God instructs the priests, the people who are supposed to lead worship, to offer a very specific benediction as part of worship.

This blessing is supposed to cultivate a sense of peace, or in Hebrew Shalom, for the people, and it is still used frequently in worship today, both in Christian and Jewish settings. What’s interesting about this blessing is that historically it was accompanied by a specific hand gesture called the Shefa Tal. It is made with two hands pointing up and connected at the thumbs with a large space in between the middle and ring finger on each hand.

You might have even seen this hand gesture before. Actor Leonard Nimoy was raised as an Orthodox Jew, and saw this gesture performed in worship accompanied by the priestly blessing. When he was awarded the role of Spock on Star Trek, he decided to work this gesture into the famous “live long and prosper” greeting known as the Vulcan salute, using a modified version with only one hand.

What we do with our hands in worship is actually pretty important. Our body language is an extension of our heart. Some people raise their hands in worship as a symbol of joy, some people pray with hands clench to represent humility. Traditionally, people in the church have held their hands open and flat out in front of them, ready to receive God’s goodness, whenever a blessing or benediction is being offered. As you spend time in prayer today, consider stretching out your open hands, eager to receive the which God wants to give you.