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Morning Devotion for the Season of Easter
May 13, 2024
Invitatory
Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls
around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
Resist him, firm in your faith. 1 Peter 5:8-9a
Glory to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
Matthew 8:5-17
When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, appealing to him and saying, ‘Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible distress.’ And he said to him, ‘I will come and cure him.’ The centurion answered, ‘Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, “Go”, and he goes, and to another, “Come”, and he comes, and to my slave, “Do this”, and the slave does it.’ When Jesus heard him, he was amazed and said to those who followed him, ‘Truly I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ And to the centurion Jesus said, ‘Go; let it be done for you according to your faith.’ And the servant was healed in that hour.
Meditation-Rebecca Northington
Humility is not a word that comes to mind when I think of society today. Out of curiosity I searched for its definition and found: “a modest or low view of one's own importance; humbleness”. To many in 2024 this likely equals weakness or inferiority, two very un-American characteristics. We strive to be strong and in control, superior in every way. I am not certain if we truly no longer view humility as a strength, but I am pretty sure it is often overlooked as such. Instead of having a modest sense of self importance, we have grandiose self worth. The American persona is wrapped up in celebrity and many today feel their every move is worthy of public recognition.
In contrast, the centurion from the excerpt above, a man of authority, recognizes his own unworthiness in the face of God. Inherent in that understanding is a broader perspective of the larger world and who we are in it. We are but a speck of dust or a grain of sand. Jesus recognizes this humility as faith: a unique and particular kind of faith that can move mountains, and heal servants. There is much we can do in service to God, but without true and humble faith, it is meaningless. Many of us underestimate the attention necessary for this kind of transformative faith.
Along with humility I would argue that culturally we have lost the intentional discovery and development of our faith. Even if we still attend Sunday services and/or are committed to service work, we may not be as committed to a real understanding of our relationship with God. Being a good person, and doing some volunteer work seems to suffice. And while societally we are not as motivated by the “getting into heaven” issue, I believe we think acting a certain way in life is good enough. This reminds me of a phrase I only learned in grad school called “works righteousness”. It captures the idea that we can work our way into heaven, we can somehow impact whether or not we get in, whether or not we attain salvation. All we need to do is follow the law and play the game and we are good; what we really think about it all is irrelevant. It doesn’t matter what we believe.
This would have been heretical thinking to many of the biggest voices of the reformation who believed faith alone, sola fide, lay the foundation for salvation. They argued that good works would naturally come from true faith as an outpouring of self emptying love and gratitude. This text from Matthew points us to the same claim, as did last week's meditation on Julian of Norwich which encourages the cultivating of said faith. As with any relationship, the one we create with God can be life changing, or it can be stale.
I find myself thinking as the reformers did without any distraction of heaven or ultimate salvation. I am not interested in manipulating God or working any system of works righteousness for my own benefit. I admire the centurion and his complete belief in the power of Jesus. I myself am compelled by the love and grace offered by the Father, the son and the Holy Spirit. Tim Keller saw the distinction of works versus faith in this way: “Religion says, ‘I obey – therefore I’m accepted.’ The Gospel says, ‘I’m accepted – therefore I obey.” Christianity should shock us with its unprecedented take on the law. We are given grace even before we have earned it. It is with profound gratitude and yes, humility, that we offer it back to the world.
Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those
who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
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