Morning Devotion for the Season after Pentecost
May 31, 2024
Invitatory
The earth is the Lord’s, for he made it: Come let us adore him.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
1 Timothy 5:17-25
Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honour, especially those who labour in preaching and teaching; for the scripture says, ‘You shall not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain’, and, ‘The labourer deserves to be paid.’ Never accept any accusation against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest also may stand in fear. In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels, I warn you to keep these instructions without prejudice, doing nothing on the basis of partiality. Do not ordain anyone hastily, and do not participate in the sins of others; keep yourself pure.
No longer drink only water, but take a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.
The sins of some people are conspicuous and precede them to judgement, while the sins of others follow them there. So also good works are conspicuous; and even when they are not, they cannot remain hidden.
Meditation-Rebecca Northington
I have been slogging my way through The Brothers Karamazov since the end of February. A slog not because the story isn’t compelling, but because of its length and the complicated ways Dostoyevsky presents a character; through winding tales that seem irrelevant, yet all contribute to the flavor and development of the character. The brothers are complex, with an array of characteristics including honor, faith, devotion, betrayal, abandonment, suffering, joy, lust, hate, love, and hope. They are human. The story culminates in the trial of Dmitri Karamazov, who is accused of murdering his father for 3,000 rubles, after squandering his own fortune on licentious behavior including womanizing, gambling, and drinking. Women and money are at the core of this trial. Sound familiar? I have been reading a chapter each evening, after catching up with the day's news, including the trial of our former President.
I don’t yet know what will happen to either of these men; the next couple of days will be revealing. What I do know is that all of our choices over the years of our lives, paint a picture of what kind of person we are; what we represent to the outer world and to God. How Dmitri treats everyone from the peasantry to the aristocrats all contribute to the reader's sense of him.
It is no different for any of us. Every choice we make, every kindness we show as well as every bitterness, all contribute to the person, and should be understood as a testament to how we will treat others as well as ourselves in the future.
Today’s letter from Paul to Timothy wrestles with this truth. Sin and goodness will both be seen in the end, by us and more importantly by God: the only true judge. These letters were pastoral in nature and hoped to counsel people to appreciate their church leaders, to be grateful for their hard work and commitment in leading their people, but also to caution that they are not above reproach. Paul urged Timothy to listen to “evidence of two or three witnesses”, to hold sinful leaders to account, to publicly call out their false deeds and disingenuous behaviors, to protect the people and the life of the Church so that such behaviors would not persist, and false hearts find traction. Most importantly Paul cautioned Timothy not to hastily or blindly choose dangerous leaders, for to do so would be at the peril of the Church, and therefore its people.
I have no doubt that God was involved in the timing of my reading the fictional Karamazov trial, while the current trial in Manhattan unfolds. For me it is a reminder that as we go into the meat grinder of our election cycle, we must all be vigilant to the evidence and the anecdotes in our lives.
Additionally, we must not silo the different parts of ourselves: our Christian selves, our political selves, our financial selves, our complacent selves and our hopeful selves, our lifestyle preserving selves, our fearful selves, and ourselves that are deeply impacted by faith and the gift of God’s grace day after day. The Quaker theologian Parker Palmer famously spoke of the undivided self and the spiritual damage of compartmentalizing or dividing different aspects of ourselves. The goal should be the unified self in relationship with God and one another. We cannot cut corners on this one, and choose which parts of ourselves to listen to as Paul reminds us: “I warn you to keep these instructions without prejudice, doing nothing on the basis of partiality.” We must strive to unify our different parts, be discerning Christian people, prepared to face the truth of our goodness and our sin; for as we are repeatedly reminded throughout scripture, God sees all and will judge in the end.
Prayer for the Human Family
O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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