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January 15, 2025January 14, 2025

Her Voice from the Margins

Links for today’s readings:

Read: Genesis 16 Listen: (2:18), Read: John 15 Listen: (3:20)

Scripture Focus: Genesis 16:6-7, 13

6 “Your slave is in your hands,” Abram said. “Do with her whatever you think best.” Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.
7 The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur.
13 She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.”

Reflection: Her Voice from the Margins

By Erin Newton

“As a symbol of the oppressed, Hagar becomes many things to many people” (Phyllis Trible, Texts of Terror).

We are accustomed to comparing the two sons of Abraham: Isaac and Ishmael. Even in the ordering of the names, we place the younger, chosen son before the eldest. There is an instinctual (or likely a learned) way of viewing Isaac positively and Ishmael negatively. Perhaps the mind wants to conclude: If Ishmael is not chosen by God, he is rejected by me.

Similar thoughts are carried on to their mothers: Sarah and Hagar. Sarah at the beginning is the sole wife to Abraham. It is the promise given to her that the grand ancestry of God’s people would be rooted. But she laughed, she doubted, she schemed.

There are many stories in the Bible that can, if we are still listening, furrow our brows in concern. At first we are reading with a smile watching God choose and bless this family, but then the frailty of humanity sneaks in and begins to warp the goodness. If we are too calloused to see it anymore, we might be tempted to shrug off this really bad idea as something that “works out in the end.”

Works out? For whom?

We have a rare glimpse into the aftermath of Sarah and Abraham’s scheme. We watch Hagar flee into the wilderness for solace. It is there that God comes to meet her. And for the first time, a character in the story calls her by name.

This is why Hagar means so much to so many—God knew her even when people abused her.

Phyllis Trible noted how Hagar represents the marginalized in our day: “She is the faithful maid exploited, the black woman used by the male and abused by the female of the ruling class, the surrogate mother, the resident alien without legal recourse, the other woman, the runaway youth, the religious fleeing from affliction, the pregnant young woman alone, the expelled wife, the divorced mother with child, the shopping bag lady carrying bread and water, the homeless woman, the indigent relying upon handouts from the power structures, the welfare mother, the self-effacing female whose own identity shrinks in service to others” (Texts of Terror).

Hagar reminds us of the importance of letting the marginalized speak. It is Hagar who names God, the One Who Sees. There is no monopoly of knowing God. Let us listen.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Request for Presence

Save me, O God, by your Name; in your might, defend my cause.
Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth. — Psalm 54.1-2

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Autumn and Wintertime by Phyllis Tickle.

Righteousness On Credit

Links for today’s readings:

Read: Genesis 15 Listen: (2:53), Read: John 14 Listen: (4:13)

Scripture Focus: Genesis 15.6

6 Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

Reflection: Righteousness On Credit

By John Tillman

Abram did things we’d call righteous.

Abram won a daring military victory that rescued kidnapped people who would have been enslaved. But bravery and fighting for a good cause didn’t make him righteous. Abram refused a financial reward from a corrupt leader. But refusing corruption didn’t make him righteous. Abram had a vibrant spiritual life and talked to God. But spiritual connection didn’t make Abram righteous. Abram obeyed God by abandoning his country and becoming a wandering migrant. But obedience and sacrifice didn’t make Abram righteous.

Abram also fell short of righteousness.

God told Abram to leave home with only his immediate family. Abram invited Lot, a source of conflict, foolishness, and sin. When entering Egypt as a migrant, Abram lied about Sarai being his sister and allowed Pharoah to take her as his wife. This deception enriched Abram while harming Sarai, Pharoah, and his family. Abram later repeated this behavior with Abimelech. Though Abram rescued Lot and others from slavery as war captives, Abram kept slaves himself. Although he was promised a son through Sarai, Abram had a child with Hagar, Sarai’s slave girl.

Abram’s righteous deeds did not outweigh his wicked ones to make him righteous and neither will ours. Adding “righteousness” to “wickedness” yields wickedness. You can mix milk into a gallon of poison, but if you eat cereal with the mixture, you’ll still be dead.

Righteousness is both a perfect thing accomplished for us by Jesus and an imperfect thing we strive for on Earth. There is righteousness that is a gift and righteousness that is a goal. There is righteousness that comes to us and righteousness we must pursue.

We access perfect righteousness by belief in God’s promise. We do not “deserve” this righteousness but it is “credited” to us as it was to Abram. The imperfect righteousness we strive for by obeying God’s calling to “establish righteousness.”

We have Christ’s righteousness on “credit.” Let’s put it to work and yield a harvest. (Romans 4.3-5, Galatians 3.6-9)

In a broken world, we are unworthy servants if we rest and ignore our tasks until Jesus returns. (Mark 13.33-37) We are unworthy servants if we bury our imputed righteousness in the ground without putting it to work in our master’s world. (Matthew 25.24-30)

Let us both accept and pursue righteousness. Let us show our faith by our deeds.

Divine Hours Prayer: A Reading

Jesus taught us, saying: “Whoever holds my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me; and whoever loves me will be loved by my Father and I shall love him and reveal myself to him.” — John 14.21

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Autumn and Wintertime by Phyllis Tickle.

Divine Hours Prayer: A Reading

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Autumn and Wintertime by Phyllis Tickle.

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January 13, 2025January 11, 2025

Walk-on Roles

Links for today’s readings:

Read: Genesis 14 Listen: (4:04), Read: John 13 Listen: (5:06)

Scripture Focus: Genesis 14.18-20

18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, 19 and he blessed Abram, saying,
“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Creator of heaven and earth.
20 And praise be to God Most High,
who delivered your enemies into your hand.”
Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

Psalm 110.4

4 The Lord has sworn
and will not change his mind:
“You are a priest forever,
in the order of Melchizedek.”

Hebrews 7.1-3

1 This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, 2 and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, the name Melchizedek means “king of righteousness”; then also, “king of Salem” means “king of peace.” 3 Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.

“I am telling you your story, not hers. No one is told any story but their own.” — Aslan in The Horse and His Boy, by C.S. Lewis

Reflection: Walk-on Roles

By John Tillman

The camera of scripture “zooms in” on Abram, cropping out the rest of the world, but occasionally others who know of God or follow God walk into the frame. One of the most notable and intriguing “walk-on” God-followers in the Old Testament is Melchizedek.

What is the rest of Melchizedek’s story? How did he come to know “God Most High”? How did he become king and priest? There’s no definitive answer within scripture.

In The Horse and His Boy, Aravis asks Aslan what will happen to her family’s servant, whom she drugged to make her escape. Aslan says that he will not tell her someone else’s story.

When Jesus tells Peter about his own death, Peter asks Jesus “What about him?” referring to John. “What is that to you?”, Jesus responded. (John 21.18-22) Jesus refused to tell Peter about the rest of John’s story.

No matter how much we ask God, scripture, or each other, “What about him?” regarding Melchizedek, we will come up empty. The Melchizedek mystery is intriguing and intractable. However, there is something we can learn from the story.

God is working even when you don’t see it. Much of what God does is outside of our limited knowledge. Therefore, when it seems like God is doing nothing, it just means he is doing something we can’t see.

God is working through people outside your group. Whether outside your church, city, denomination, or country, God is working among and using people you don’t know and probably using some you wouldn’t approve of. When we encounter God’s work, we can bless it even if the workers are “not part of our group.” (Luke 9.49-50)

God is working through you where you are. Melchizedek didn’t join Abram’s daring rescue but he was still part of God’s work. Meanwhile, Melchizedek was king of a city while Abram was a migrant, living in tents. Both stood for and established righteousness in God’s name. Your position or role doesn’t make your part of God’s work less valuable. God wants to work through you to stand for and establish righteousness where you are in the role you have.

Melchizedek means “King of Righteousness” and, as priests under Jesus, we are priests in Melchizedek’s line. We are all walk-ons in God’s work. Serve your role, whether as priest, ruler, servant, or “walk-on.”

When it seems like “the action” is somewhere else, you are still part of God’s story.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Refrain for the Morning Lessons

Then shall all the trees of the wood shout for joy before the Lord when he comes, when he comes to judge the earth. — Psalm 96.12

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Autumn and Wintertime by Phyllis Tickle.

Fast-Forward

Links for today’s readings:

Read: Genesis 11 Listen: (3:47), Read: John 10 Listen: (4:44)

Links for this weekend’s readings:

Read: Genesis 12 Listen: (2:51), Read: John 11 Listen: (6:37)
Read: Genesis 13 Listen: (2:16), Read: John 12 Listen: (6:26)

Scripture Focus: Genesis 11.10, 26, 31-32

10 This is the account of Shem’s family line.
Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he became the father of Arphaxad. 11 And after he became the father of Arphaxad, Shem lived 500 years and had other sons and daughters.

26 After Terah had lived 70 years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran.

31 Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Harran, they settled there.
32 Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Harran.

Reflection: Fast-Forward

By John Tillman

Genealogies in scripture are nicknamed “begats” because of the following format, although not every genealogy section follows it precisely: “So and so, begat so and so, who begat so and so…”

Many who attempt to read the Bible through, falter and fail amidst the “begats.” Some find them confusing, with unpronounceable names. Some find them boring.

Our boredom is ironic because, from a certain perspective, the story goes fastest in the begats. They are the biblical authors’ “fast-forward” button. Generations are compressed into a few lines. As they flash by, sometimes the images are dark or violent. Sometimes we see great progress.

Have you seen videos online in which an artist shows a painting or drawing from each year over many years? Beginning with childish crayon scratches, their work develops. They change tools. They abandon crayons for colored pencils, then drop color for high-contrast, black and white. They go through a charcoal phase, a pastel phase, and settle on paints. But they don’t just change tools. They change styles and inspirations. They go from cartoons to anime, film stars, religious icons, copies of famous paintings, and self portraits. Sometimes the art gets dark and broody. Sometimes it’s cute pets and loved ones. Sometimes it turns violent or extreme. These videos show patience and dedication.

The “begats” sections teach me that God is patient on a scale I can’t easily understand. He gives generation after generation the chance to walk humbly, to love mercy, and to do justice. Over and over, each generation fails. Some repeat old mistakes. Some overreact to the errors of the past. Some invent new ways to “go wrong.” God is more merciful than I am.

God is working on a generational time-scale but he’s also working in you and me. If he is patient over generations, he will be patient with us.

What do your faith and spiritual practices look like now? What works do your faith produce in keeping with righteousness? Childish crayon drawings or copies of the old masters? Cartoons? Caricatures? Portraits? Are you repeating old mistakes? Stuck in a sinful rut?

Don’t give up. Keep drawing. God is patient to develop your eyes to see, ears to hear, feet to walk, and hands to do good works. He is dedicated to bringing his work to completion in you, in this generation, and all the ones to follow.

God sees our progress in fast-forward.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Greeting

O God, you know my foolishness, and my faults are not hidden from you. — Psalm 69.6

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Autumn and Wintertime by Phyllis Tickle.

Listen to: Urban Legends and Good Shepherds

You may have been wounded by a foolish or wicked shepherd. But you can still be healed by Jesus, the good shepherd.

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January 9, 2025January 7, 2025

Zoom Out, Zoom In

Links for today’s readings:

Read: Genesis 9-10 Listen: (7:19), Read: John 9 Listen: (4:56)

Scripture Focus: Genesis 10.32

32 These are the clans of Noah’s sons, according to their lines of descent, within their nations. From these the nations spread out over the earth after the flood.

Acts 2.7-12

7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, d 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”

Reflection: Zoom Out, Zoom In

By John Tillman

One of the Bible’s consistent patterns is alternating broad and narrow views.

First, we see a broad cosmic view of creation. Then we see an earthy, up-close, face-to-face depiction of God, Adam, and Eve. Then, from a panoramic scene of the world’s wickedness, we zoom in on one man, Noah, being saved from the judgment of the flood along with his family. Next, we see a wide-angle picture of human pride and rejection of God at the tower of Babel, followed by a macro lens zooming in to follow one family, eventually stopping on an intimate image of Abram’s interactions with God.

The “Table of Nations” is one of the “wide-angle” moments. When I was younger, I envisioned the “Table of Nations” like a United Nations meeting table. However, the “Table of Nations” is not a meeting table where nations gather, it is a spreadsheet table recording where nations scattered. It is not uniting but dividing.

God wanted humans to spread out, flourish, and cultivate growth. But as nations grew, so did suspicion and hatred. They spread over the Earth to isolate and protect themselves, hoarded what they produced, and either envied or feared their brothers and sisters.

When the world fills with chaos and disorder, God zooms in to start changing the world through one life, one family, one nation. But his intention is never to raise one people above all others. God has always wanted to gather all the nations as one people, his people. One family, his family. One flock, his flock. Acts 2 shows that beginning to happen but the rest of Acts and the New Testament shows that it wasn’t easy going.

Uniting people has always been more difficult than dividing them. We see that today. When we look at our world with a wide view, division and hatred are rampant. Anti-Semitic and other racially motivated attacks are growing. Politics is more bitterly fought than ever.

The pattern we see in scripture can comfort and challenge us. It comforts us to remember that most of the time when we look at the wide angle, the situation looks bad.

It challenges us to remember that God zooms in close to get involved on a personal level—our level. Under God’s lens, we are agents of change, inviting everyone to the banquet table of the gospel. He will magnify our efforts.

Divine Hours Prayer: A Reading

The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah—that is, Christ—is coming; and when he comes he will explain everything.” Jesus said, “That is who I am, I who speak to you” — John 4.25-26

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Autumn and Wintertime by Phyllis Tickle.

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Links for today’s readings:

Scripture Focus: Genesis 16:6-7, 13

Reflection: Her Voice from the Margins

Divine Hours Prayer: The Request for Presence

Read more: Countering Hatred

Read more: Prayer for Outcasts

Links for today’s readings:

Scripture Focus: Genesis 15.6

Reflection: Righteousness On Credit

Divine Hours Prayer: A Reading

Divine Hours Prayer: A Reading

Read more: The First Spirit-Filled Work

Read The Bible With Us

Links for today’s readings:

Scripture Focus: Genesis 14.18-20

Psalm 110.4

Hebrews 7.1-3

Reflection: Walk-on Roles

Divine Hours Prayer: The Refrain for the Morning Lessons

Read more: Last Priest Standing

Read more: Inaugurating The Era of the Servant

Links for today’s readings:

Links for this weekend’s readings:

Scripture Focus: Genesis 11.10, 26, 31-32

Reflection: Fast-Forward

Divine Hours Prayer: The Greeting

Listen to: Urban Legends and Good Shepherds

Read The Bible With Us

Links for today’s readings:

Scripture Focus: Genesis 10.32

Acts 2.7-12

Reflection: Zoom Out, Zoom In

Divine Hours Prayer: A Reading

Read more: Life in the Blood

Read The Bible With Us