Daily Devotion – October 15, 2021 – Dr. Pat Taylor Ellison

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Mark 10:35-45
10:35 James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.”
10:36 And he said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?”
10:37 And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.”
10:38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”
10:39 They replied, “We are able.” Then Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized;
10:40 but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”
10:41 When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John.
10:42 So Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them.
10:43 But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant,
10:44 and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all.
10:45 For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

One of Jesus’s most frequent themes in the Gospel stories is that what humans consider good order ought to be turned upside down – that God does not look at things the ways humans do, that God always works to elevate the downtrodden.

God knows how human beings think and work. Human beings try to climb up, to make things work better for them. There is nothing wrong with that. But once they have made these improvements in life, they are not apt to share them. Some kind of seed of greed takes over and the improvements are hoarded and kept only for us, only for our family, only for our nation, etc.

And since God is a God of love and compassion, God has to be continually teaching us to share, so that all people and creatures on the planet can benefit from the ingenious improvements human beings are continually making.

It starts very early with the littlest humans. Anyone who has ever participated in daycare for toddlers sees it daily. It is an essential lesson, sharing. But it doesn’t take right away. It has to be repeated at great pains and at great length.

It is a mystery to me that many people believe local congregations should be expected to be places free of greed, selfishness, and one-upmanship. Why should Christians be immune to this human set of weaknesses? Even two of the favorite disciples in this week’s lesson, men who walked and talked and lived with Jesus himself ask to be elevated to the highest places in his Kingdom. Like toddlers, we need to be continually reminded to share. We need Jesus’s words in verses 44 and 45: “Whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Who have you served this day? How have you shared? How has the Gospel been lived out through you?

 

Gracious God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for being with us every day as we fail to live out the Gospel but listen to your reminder in these verses. Bless our ears so that we may not only hear but also do. Help us to live your Gospel today.  Amen.

Daily Devotion – October 14, 2021 – Dr. Pat Taylor Ellison

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Hebrews 5:1-10
5:1 Every high priest chosen from among mortals is put in charge of things pertaining to God on their behalf, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.
5:2 He is able to deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is subject to weakness;
5:3 and because of this he must offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people.
5:4 And one does not presume to take this honor, but takes it only when called by God, just as Aaron was.
5:5 So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”;
5:6 as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.”
5:7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.
5:8 Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered;
5:9 and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him,
5:10 having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

This passage of Hebrews echoes other themes of the texts for this week – the idea that to be a perfect king or perfect priest we must not remain aloof from the experiences and people who need the most redemption, but instead we must sacrifice, deal gently with others, and be perfect by experiencing and working with imperfection and sin.

You can read a lot about Melchizedek, a king and priest of Salem (or Shalom) in the time of Abraham. One way to sum up his story is to say that he was the best leader, both political and spiritual, any kingdom ever had, and if God makes Jesus a priest in the order of Melchizedek, he is the highest priest of all. And what are his priestly qualities? Look at verse 2: gentleness with the ignorant and wayward, while remaining humble, not claiming such a high title for himself but accepting it when given to him.

Becoming unexpectedly the greatest by dedicating your life to serving. Who does that sound like? Mother Theresa, perhaps? St Francis, perhaps? Someone who willingly bears the cross instead of taking revenge? Someone who willingly and knowingly pours herself or himself out for the benefit of someone more lowly.

In times of social unrest and failure to listen well to one another, how might we become this sort of leader or just human being? By pouring ourselves out for the sake of someone who has no one else to do it – the poorest of the poor, those with no other advocate. Allow yourself to be used to serve someone who needs you. You will see what it means as you are doing it.

 

Gracious God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for giving us chances to serve those you have compassion for. Help us not to miss our chance to pour ourselves out for someone else who needs us. Amen.

Daily Devotion – October 13, 2021 – Dr. Pat Taylor Ellison

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Psalm 91:9-16
91:9 Because you have made the LORD your refuge, the Most High your dwelling place,
91:10 no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent.
91:11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.
91:12 On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.
91:13 You will tread on the lion and the adder, the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.
91:14 Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name.
91:15 When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them.
91:16 With long life I will satisfy them, and show them my salvation.

Because most modern churchgoers spend less time reading the psalms than they do hearing Gospel lessons read to them in worship, we know parts of this psalm because we have heard them coming out of the Devil’s mouth. That’s right. The Devil. Well, our pastor or lector, quoting the Devil, in the story of Jeus’s temptation in the wilderness. Satan tempts Jesus to test God by throwing himself off a high place, since God’s angels will prevent even his feet from being hurt.

In the psalm, why does God command his angels to have charge over this person? What has the person done to merit God’s complete protection? The person being written about has made the Lord her/his refuge, has made the Most High their dwelling place. This person has loved God and known God’s name.

So if somehow we wanted to have the protection of the Lord and all the angels, we would want to begin by taking refuge in the Lord, by making the Lord our dwelling place. How do we do that? How even might we love God and know God’s name?

It seems one way to know God and live in him as we would in a dwelling is to pray. A little bit every day. We might start very small. We might be very brief. But do it for a few minutes routinely. As we get used to it, the time might lengthen, but that may not matter to God.

Now “praying” sounds rather holy. It may be holy, because God is on one end of the communication. But it can be quite normal. About quite ordinary things. Every morning I try to get a couple thousand steps in toward my daily goal. To motivate me, I have a music playlist from the 70’s funk group Earth, Wind, and Fire that gets me moving. I am so grateful for their immense talent and energy I thank God for them as the playlist begins and marvel at the arts that God has created and inspired throughout the ages. My prayers of praise to the Lord begin with funk music. But they take me to praising God for much, much more, blessing God’s name for the many gifts of life. Praying out of thanks begins a day that continues in thankfulness. Think about what you appreciate and try thanking God for it every morning for a little while and see what happens.

 

Gracious God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for being willing to help and protect us if we just manage somehow to live in you and know your name. Help us to use your name as we pray and do it often, no matter what we are thanking you for. Amen.