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Hear the Devotional narrated here: https://bit.ly/2HBWwUg
1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat; 3 therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. 4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them 5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. 6 They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, 7 and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi. 8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students. 9 And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father—the one in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted. (Matthew 23:1-12 NRSV)
Happy Tuesday, dear Friend! Brittany Spears sang it first, and I don't know what the song was about, but the title sure is fitting for me; Oops, I Did It Again!" In my case, I shared with you yesterday, the gospel text for this coming Reformation Day, and not the Sunday gospel text. I did say I was older, didn't I? Yet, in my opinion, one can never get too much gospel! Dear friends, I ask very special prayers for Taylor and Blaine Davis and their family. I received word that their newborn son passed away before he could be born. This was a devastating blow to that family and we ask God's comfort and peace be with them during this very difficult and trying time.
I've shared with you in this devotional, photos of ancient Moses' seats that we encountered on our tour of Israel some years ago. The custom was for the person who was preaching to stand, receive the scroll from that day's attendant, read the scripture, roll it back up, return it back to the attendant, and then seat on Moses' seat, and then share what he had read from the scroll. It was very symbolic of it being the seat where Moses would have sat, for he was the one who spoke directly with God and received from God their law. In this passage, Jesus attacks those scribes and Pharisees, for though they had the privilege of sitting in the Moses seat, they did not have the right nor privilege to abuse their authority or worse, to fail it. In Monday's Upper Room devotional, the writer used the same gospel lesson as yesterday's, John 8, and he spoke about freedom because he had lost his. He's a prisoner in a prison, and he confessed he had been a pastor who did not adhere to what he was teaching and built us his own world, and that cost him that career, his wife, his children, and most everything else that he held dear that sadly, most of us take for granted, especially his freedom. He remarked that prison turned out to be the quiet place that one needs for reflection on God and God's word. He said he never thought it would be a prison where he would once again discover the joys of knowing and following God.
What an insult those so-called religious men received from that word from Jesus that day! Yet, sadly, what an insult to God to claim to be holy and not live a life that does not come near to being what it should be. These religious leaders abused of their authority for personal gain, and nothing for the good of others, especially the poor, the downtrodden, the neglected and the unseen. Oh, they loved the places of honor, the best seats, the respect and greetings that came from their position, but to live a life so far from God is so tragic. Yesterday with nothing else to watch on TV while we awaited the show we really wanted to see, I started viewing old music videos and saw one of The Rolling Stones in Ireland in 1965 and what stuck out while The Stones played "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," one of the men in the front row enjoying the music was a priest in a collar. I saw him as the video started and later when the camera panned to him Nellie exclaimed, "There's a priest in the audience!" We don't know his role in the concert, but if it had been simply as a music lover, so be it.
Jesus continued with His teachings; "But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students. And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father -- the one in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah." Jesus is stressing the seriousness with which we are to take being subjects to God and what God offers to us, for He closes this passage with, "The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted." Bam.
Our call is to recognize our need and total dependence on God; if God raises us up, glory to God, but if we are in what we might consider a humble spot, glory to God nonetheless. John Wesley's Covenant Prayer reflects that perfectly, and this from a man who dedicated his life to learning and knowing as much as he could about God and how best to serve God. Wesley writes, "I am no longer my own, but thine. Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt. Put me to doing, put me to suffering. Let me be employed by thee or laid aside by thee. Exalted for thee or brought low for thee. Let me be full, let me be empty. Let me have all things, let me have nothing. I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal. And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, thou art mine, and I am thine. So be it. And the covenant which I have made on earth, Let it be ratified in heaven. Amen."
Amen, indeed.
PRAYER: Loving Father, may the words of Mr. John Wesley be part of our words as we pray; but deeper still, take us to the depths needed to receive more and learn more; and as a result and with gratitude, to do more. May we never be guilty of being satisfied and content in serving You, because we know there is more yet to be done. May our prayers reach Your loving ears as we pray for our needs and for those who are in need; bring healing, comfort, peace and love to the dark corners of every heart for whom we pray; in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Live a humble life of serving God and all of God's people today and all days!
Receive my blessings of joy and peace,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
