Redeemer Devotions - January 27, 2012

2012-01-30T08:10:00.001-05:00

Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions

Since we are often in a continuing section of 1 Peter I will highlight the new stuff here.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In, this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith - being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire - may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

We hold onto the story. Even though it is an old story and there are no witnesses who were there in those days after the resurrection who can verify all that happened - we hold onto the story. That is the history of the Church. We turn to the story of love alive and available and we hold onto it because it is not the same story of the powers of the world that we already know are destructive and self-centered. We do not 'love to tell the story' because it warms are hearts (it does do that) - but rather because it speak of the reality of life in which we are invited to share with other and as part of a new community. Later the writer of 1 Peter will talk more about this means we are aliens. That is true. We claim a joy that comes to us already when we are ones who follow in this way of non-violent love that is odd and strange and contrary to the prevailing winning ways of the world. In the middle of that life comes the healing (the salvation) of your whole life (soul) already.

Connection: We will see him. Each day, when we know the vision of God's loving Reign, we will see the life of the Christ alive among us. It may be in the shape of someone not at all connected to 'church.' It may be that in the actions of a stranger that is seen through the lens of the peaceable Reign of God - we are filled with joy because we see the Christ alive. That vision gives us a moment of that healing presence and encourages us to live within it ourselves.

In the middle of what is so common, O God, we are able to see you Reign unfolding and it is the power to heal us all. Amen

Redeemer Devotions - January 27, 2012

2012-01-27T07:55:00.001-05:00

Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions

I Continuing where we left off

We rejoice in the word of God that is so true it cannot be dismantled or subdued - ever. Unfortunately, this does not mean that life led by this Word will not be a life in which there will be stuff going down - nasty stuff - unpleasant stuff - suffering and trials. We must remember that when this Word was flesh - as Jesus the Christ of God - there was just such a situation. He went through hell you might say. The hell of everyday when the powers of the day lay claim to all that goes on and try to limit what is to take place and how things are to go. When the word of God comes alive among us it will shine brightly. Such a light attracts those who want to stay hidden and rule from the darkness of the world. To a light to world through the lives we live means that such a life will be tested again and again by powers that do not want to give up what they have or even have to stand alongside the Word of God alive. Yet we are told to stand fast - remember this imperishable life - and give glory and honor to the fact that Jesus the Christ of God is being revealed among us.

Connection: When Jesus Christ is revealed. This is not another day. It is each and every day that we walk in the way of the Christ. Here and now Jesus is revealed. Here and now and then again tomorrow and the next day - Jesus is revealed. It will be through the body of Christ in the world - that's us folk. Precious like fine gold.

In the middle of what is so common, O God, help us to shine with you love and grace and mercy. Amen

Redeemer Devotions - January 26, 2012

2012-01-26T06:10:00.001-05:00

Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions

Today we pick up at verse 3 in chapter 1 of 1 Peter:

Well, here's the rest of this long sentence. Not only is this a new birth into a living hope - that is what is to come is already a part of the day at hand - it is also safe and secure and 'the always and forevermore' that is meant to free up our lives. Our lives are free to roam and walk within the domain of the resurrected Jesus. This is even if the powers around us threaten us or denounce this way or call it foolishness. In the reality of such hope, the powers 'can't touch this.' "Kept in heaven" means it is out of reach - now power can go there and grab the blessed life we have been given. Now, we are indeed free to live anew - really - really. That may not seem possible from day to day because we can so easily be brought down by what is around us and pulling on us. Yet, this promise - this new birth - this inheritance - is present and into whatever may be our 'last days.' So - beyond now - beyond tomorrow and into a time that is not yet here we have this identity and it is the source of our gumption and faithful living.

Connection: Does such protection mean nothing bad will come our way? Not at all. Stuff happens. Maybe the writer of 1 Peter is helping us look at what is in a way that will not have us give up on today - no matter what. I'm not always good at that. Sometimes, the stuff - the crap - that pours into the day can make me turn my head away from promise and hope and the beloved fact that I am blessed - Indeed.

In the middle of what is so common, O God, remind us that we are always held as your beloved and beyond all the power of the world that attempt to lead us astray. Amen

Redeemer Devotions - January 25, 2012

2012-01-25T06:20:00.001-05:00

Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions

Today we pick up at verse 3 in chapter 1 of 1 Peter:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

Quite a sentence in these verses - I'll comment on half today and half tomorrow

We are a people of new birth. Within the world we walk and within the times of trouble and joy, we are a people of new birth. Now, anyone can say that in some way or shape. It does not take a 'religious' story to bring about a new birth. In 1 Peter, we will see what the meaning and shape and purpose of this new birth is to be. It will be a birth into life that comes out of the resurrection of Jesus. It will be a life that is affirmed by the resurrection. Maybe we could say out of the resurrection comes a life of insurrection. Our hope is shaped by the victory of the cross. Our hope is in a new birth that does not take on the shape of the world. It will not be violent. It will not be a life that persecutes or belittles or oppresses or scapegoats. Rather it will be a life that our God raises up so that the world - in all of its brokenness - will see the contrast between the way of the world and the way of the victory of God that is the good news. The good news that becomes the content of our new birth is a life that displays the blessing of our God - from the beginning of all things. In the face of any and every evil or power we are born again into a life that does not take its lead from nor does it own anything to the powers of the day that so easily claim us and rob us of life.

Connection: A number of people end a conversation with "have a blessed day." I like to hear it as a word of remembrance. The day is blessed already and so is my life. The reminder is to go for it. I don't know if that is what people intend when they say this. The reminder that we are beloved is the blessing. It has the power - in the mere speaking of the word - to take hold of life and make it new. I know, there are many things that keep us going in old ways and messing with old stuff, but by God's great mercy - there is a whole new life awaiting us. So we hope again and again. That is, we step out into this day as though the promise of being blessed by God - is really for us - By God.

In the middle of what is so common, O God, continue to tap us on the shoulders and disturb our day with the reminder that all the day is blessed as we walk as your children - born into your hopefulness. Amen.

Redeemer Devotions - January 24, 2012

2012-01-24T06:30:00.001-05:00

Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions

Thoughts on 1 Peter continue:

Peter, an Apostle of Jesus Christ,

To the exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who have been chosen and destined by God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ and to be sprinkled with his blood: May grace and peace be your in abundance.

Many folk were 'initiated' into cults by being sprinkled with blood. I remember reading about one in which those entering the mystic religion were lead into a pit that had a grate set over the top of the pit. A bull was then slaughtered above them and the blood flowed over the new members - a baptism of sorts. Here, we hear that we (followers of Jesus) are moved by the the Spirit to live in the way of Jesus as the Christ of God. Then - comes the blood. This is the blood of the cross. This is the blood of the victims with whom Jesus sided. This blood is the end of the ways of the world. No more will innocent blood be shed by the power of the world that do not even flinch at their need for victims and control. We are sprinkled with this blood as a mark of the contrary nature of who we are and who leads us. Siding with the victims of our day - walking with those who are forgotten and blamed and forsaken - is to step into everyday adventure of following Jesus. Our lives will be led by such a view of life where victims are wounded and those victims long for others to stand with them to put an end to the violence of control and scapegoating. This is a part of the life that will make us exiles in whatever land we are living. And yet, we are offered peace and grace to sustain us and keep us filled with life that no power is able to grant us.

Connection: I find that is it not easy to be vigilant in regard to standing with the victims of our day and making a point of never leaving them alone. Life in our culture life moves so quickly that it seems like we are filled to the brim with our own 'stuff.' And yet, there are opportunities to remember the life that is ours in the name of the one who went to the cross and broke down its power over the world.

In the middle of what is so common, O God, you make us available to the world and encourage us to be utterly vulnerable for the welfare of others. Inspire us again today. Amen.

Redeemer Devotions - January 23, 2012

2012-01-23T06:05:00.001-05:00

Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions

I thought I'd spend some time with 1 Peter and use some of the images in that letter to look at the radical life meant to be ours as followers of Jesus.

When one is an exile, you are away from your homeland. The Jews in Babylon were once in Exile. They were living in a foreign land. In those days, it even meant that the land had a different 'god' from you. Being an exile placed one in a life situation that was thoroughly alien - from cultural events to religious expectations. The writer of 1 Peter is not addressing a group that has been ripped away from their homeland - like in the case of the Jews and Babylon. The writer is addressing the people who lived in their own towns throughout what is now Turkey. So, they were people in their homeland. And yet - they are exiles - strangers - aliens. We must remember that this letter is to ones who have been chosen and shaped by the Holy Spirit to be followers of Jesus. "Obedient to Jesus" is to be a follower of the way of Jesus life. Jesus 'life' was and always will be an alien life within the cultures of the day. From previous devotions on 'Satan' remember that this would mean living in a way contrary to the mimetic violence of the prevailing culture or winds of the day. Followers of Jesus will mimic the non-violence of the Reign of God. That - makes us and the folks in the days of 1 Peter - exiles. Tomorrow I'd like to comment on the sprinkling of blood.

Connection: It is easy to walk along and with the culture in which we live. In so many ways, we are expected to be people who 'fit in' even when that means we reflect the violence of the culture. This violence fits on a spectrum that may begin with anxiety that causes us to point fingers, blame, or simply withdraw from other - and move all the way to out right acts of brutality and murder. So we must be ones who are constantly testing the winds blowing around us. Are we being swept up into the ongoing violence that has been around since the beginning of time - or are we being swept up by the creative wind of the Spirit?

In the middle of what is so common, O God, you begin to shape us and make us into a people who reflect the image of your Beloved Jesus. Remind us to mark our lives with the cross of Christ and then step out into this day with that mark serving to empower our lives. Amen.

Redeemer Devotions - January 20, 2012

2012-01-20T08:45:00.001-05:00

Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions

Today is the last devotion based on Rene Girard's look at Satan. I think it is an interesting way to end.

Modern folks (Christians) have become ashamed of Satan - and in the end also ashamed of the Gospel. Non Christians point to Satan as proof that the gospels are outmoded and the always timid Christians obediently try to censor Satan out of their own Scriptures.

We must do the reverse - we must focus on Satan and discover that the Gospels are their own best source of modernization.

We must focus on Satan to realize that far from being the archaic myth that we imagine, the defeated Satan of the Gospels in an enormously powerful critique of all archaic myths, a conception of culture and history so rich that its relevance to our own world is still unfathomable.

Are we so afraid of the truthfulness of the existence of the Father of lies that we convince ourselves to lie about the presence of this force for evil within our culture? The only way through this mimetic violence is to reside in the hope of the Cross and Resurrection. It is the ability to say no to the lies that serve to keep the powers alive and prospering. We are not to be finger-pointing people who think we have it all and that we know all that is evil 'out there.' If that was our goal, our goal would be to become a part of the evil we claim to expose. Rather, we must prayerfully be able to critique ourselves and the powers around us. Often we will see that we are a part of those damn power. Internally we may need to say "get behind me Satan" when we see ourselves slipping into the murderous ways that have existed from the beginning of time. Oh, and it is easy to slip into just such a place. I could be we need some additional language to speak of the power of Satan in the world today so that we can wage a resistance that brings light and new life.

Connection: There is a song that says: I want to walk as a child of the light. Well, we can. We have been given the Spirit of life that will defend us and support us when the world rejects the light of the Christ alive among the followers of Jesus. We must learn to walk with one another as we face the sway and the pull of the evil that want to own the world - even though it is a defeated power. Such a walk is not done alone.

As you walk with us, O God, help us keep that power of evil lit up so that its every act is done in the open and all may see its many tricks and ways of death. Guide us, forever, into the light of your Messiah. Amen.

Redeemer Devotions - January 19, 2012

2012-01-19T06:05:00.001-05:00

Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions

This talk of begin 'liberated from Satan' sounds like we are coming to the end of Rene Girard's comments on Satan - well yes.

The End of Satan is what the Gospels call the victory of the Cross.

"The negation of Satan becomes bad only when it is accompanied by a minimization of mimetic contagion, by the illusion that, simply because as a rule, we no longer believe in Satan, we are really independent thinkers, free from what Satan ultimately means, the enormous power of mimetic contagion and scandals, the inability of most of us to criticize the ideas that now rule the world."

Satan is done - and we think we are safe and clear. Sounds like some folk who say "I'm saved" as though they no longer participate in the evil of the world. Ha! We must be vigilant and never forget that the ruling power still the evil of the day - but we are to be of a new character. Otherwise, the 'mimetic contagion' continues on in its infectious ways - always keeping things as they are and keeping us thinking that we can handle this evil stuff (or already have). The world will continue to be ruled by powers and principalities that repeatedly run on the power of violence and blame and warfare and scapegoats. When we, knowing of the way of the love of Jesus and its contrary way of life, look out at our world, it becomes quite obvious that the Father of lies is still lying up a storm and able to pull the world right along within the lies. Our task is merely to live within the truth of the resurrection - the victory of the cross - whenever and wherever we encounter the world's violence. Not an easy task at all - that is why we continue to call on the Holy Spirit to come among us and shape the day at hand and the way we move through it as followers of Jesus.

Connection: We are invited to live as though we know of the end of Satan. We are inspired to say 'baloney' to such evil every time it lifts it's head to convince us to follow. If we were in a blockbuster movie there would be all kinds of special effects and wild powers of all kinds. But we live right here and right now - where faithfulness to this way of Jesus that is handed to us by the Holy Spirit is the power that pushes evil out of the way so that another witness to life will rise up among us. Quite a journey is ours - quite a journey.

As you walk with us, O God, don't let the fear that can consume us and sway us win our hearts and our minds. Keep us for every within the power of the victory of the Cross and the peaceable Reign that is promised therein. Amen.

Redeemer Devotions - January 18, 2012

2012-01-18T06:10:00.001-05:00

Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions

Repeating a bit of the passed two days before adding more, Girard notes: Whatever is happening to our world, coming as it does from the Gospels, must ultimately be good.

The gospels present the Christian future as full of division and strife. When Christ says, "he brings a sword" all that he claims is that the truth of the victims is out and that victimage patterns, systems of scapegoating will not provide the stable form of culture that they have had in the past.

Satan (defeated by the Cross) is the prince of this world - principle of order and disorder who is still intact and can be unleashed - not by God - but by the greater and greater loss of scapegoat effectiveness that characterizes our world more and more with the passing time.

Our being liberated from Satan's bondage means that the supernatural power of Satan and his demons is an illusion, that Satan does not exist.

Let me begin with the opening note in the introduction. Something is happening in our world. We have not been left out to dry. The qualifier is the Gospel. When it is the Gospel that is happening, it will be for the good. Yes, even when the good rarely is seen as victorious. More and more, it is the responsibility of the followers of Jesus to bring to life a community of people who live as though we are liberated from Satan's bondage - from the way of mimetic violence - from the status quo that lives and feeds off of all the powers of division that keep things just as they are: unjust, unforgiving, unfair, merciless, warring. We will not find it easy to live as though all this power of Satan is an illusion because we see the results of that power each day no matter where we look. Therefore, each time we stand up or speak up about the liberation that is 'at hand' through the cross of Christ, the world as it is gets turned on its head. We are not talking anarchy here. We are talking the victory of the cross - we are talking the emergence of the New Being - the Truly Human One - the Christ alive as the body of Jesus' followers.

Connection: Even though the power of Satan is an illusion, it still has a way of keeping us locked up and willing to be acolytes for the one who would control all things. Contrary voices are not appreciated especially when the voices are contrary to the central values of the powers of the Father of lies. Again, we can turn to ML King,Jr. Are there those voices still alive now or do we simply become another voice "like King" - but one that keeps in step with what is. That is, speaking up when approved by the powers of the systems of the world but remaining silent when the voice and life of liberation is greatly needed in order to turn things around.

As you walk with us, O God, let your Spirit bring to life a voice among us that will reveal the power of the Gospel and speak the truth in the face of all the powers of evil that long to be power of life among us. Amen.

Redeemer Devotions - January 17, 2012

2012-01-17T06:00:00.001-05:00

Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions

Today adds onto yesterday's piece - again by Rene Girard

In my most simple terms that makes sense to me, Satan gets really pissed off. The Father of lies knows that in the Cross and Resurrection - the lying gets nailed as false and the truth of the Good News - the Victory of truthfulness over lies is the ultimate winner. Therefore, Satan's power - the powers of the world and the powers of all the persecution of victims - will do everything it can to stay in power. On this day after the MLK holiday, it is important to note that after King's witness that helped to expose the power of evil and give word to a new life, the power of evil has tried to stay underground and do its divisive scapegoating in other ways. The evil of racism that was once so expected and almost 'common place and ordinary' has been given another seat by the powers that be. Just look at our prisons - just look at our cities - just look at poverty - just look at how race is not an issue and yet, yes it still is. Sometimes, evil has such a good way of wearing a cloak that we are not able to see that it sits among us insisting that we - in some way - get that scapegoating mechanism doing what it always does - divides and separates and kills.

Connection: Evil wants to make sure things run smoothly and efficiently and without a lot of noise. That is at the center of the strategy of the Father of lies. So when the life of the followers of Jesus live within the way of the Cross and raise questions or point out what really is going on around us, the witnesses of Jesus Reign need to know that we are not a favorable bunch. That is why I look at the 'favorable' status of some religious groups in the midst of the system of today's politics and wonder who they are really serving.

As you walk with us, O God, let your truth preside among us even when we are not quite sure what will come as it is revealed. Amen.

Redeemer Devotions - January 16, 2012

2012-01-16T06:20:00.001-05:00

Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions

All of this confrontation with Satan does not mean Peace on Earth.

I will include Girard's word (noted above) in tomorrow's piece also. But here is an important note as to what it means to be a follower of Jesus. We never stop telling the story - the story full of lies that attempts to bring down the Prince of Peace. It is the whole system of the world that is based on this pattern of victimage and scapegoating. In essence, the followers of Jesus become truly counter-cultural because we are invited to keep pulling back the curtain and exposing the violence in the world that so easily rules all of us. In some ways, our very existence - our living witness - is a threat to the power of the father of lies. I immediately think of Bonhoeffer and ML King and Gandhi and Bishop Romero - all of them did not let the lie stay as it was. Rather they lived in a way contrary to the ruling powers. As we all know, their lives were filled with division and strife. And yet, their lives were filled with the power of God that is a witness to the God's Reign of non-violence and the end of scapegoating that is done in so many way in our cultures. The truth is a sword that lays open the brutality of the system by exposing the love of God that becomes the life of the followers of Jesus.

Connection: To be the followers of Jesus in any age is to be a people who do not simply go along with how the order of the day works among us. For so often, the order of the day is brought about by the oppression of some and the power of blame that builds up the warring madness all around us. Jesus takes us into a new kind of way to live within a community. It is a 'new' realm that exists alongside the power of the day. We are not separate. Rather we are right in the mix of things - but we are encouraged by the Holy Spirit to act and speak and live in a manner that does not simply accept what is. We are - by the Holy Spirit - a part of God's peaceable reign in a violent world.

As you walk with us, let your peace be our life and our hope. Amen.

Redeemer Devotions - January 13, 2012

2012-01-12T06:40:00.001-05:00

Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions

Today Girard writes about the connection of this violence to all of us.

The unveiling of mimetic violence has a more and more powerful influence on our history and on the entire modern world. Hidden victims in societies are continuously being brought to light - the consensus against them always dissolves after a while; slaves, lower class, different ethnic folks, differing religious backgrounds, gender differences.

We bring to light the mimetic violence and see that it does not own the day anymore. Unfortunately, injustice and arbitrariness are still with us. Forces continue to try and nullify our concern for victims.

The victims must be seen. They cannot be covered over by well-positioned arguments that make it easier to point fingers. The victims must be seen. Our own personal interests cannot be allowed to cloud the picture and rationalize why there must be a victim. There will always be victims who are shut down and trampled upon in order to maintain differences. In those differences, we often make excuses to act as we do - usually that is not to benefit others. Most often, differences are accented in order to benefit our side of the day. It makes it so easy to fall into that pattern of mimetic violence that is rooted deeply into the human experience and story. I am realizing more and more that the victim is not always the lowly one. We are also masters of making victims of anyone. That is disturbing to me because it means I must maintain a vigil against the violence that comes so naturally - a violence I condone because it is against 'that or those' bastards! Ha.

Connection: So, we are invited again into the light. It is not always a pleasant journey. It can be quite painful because it reveals the dark side that we never want to show. Therefore, we usually do not acknowledge that it is right here with us. We are invited into the light that is always available and present before we even realize we need that light.

As you walk with us, open up the pathway of your grace and empower us to enter into your love and be that love. Amen.

Redeemer Devotions - January 12, 2012

2012-01-12T06:00:00.001-05:00

Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions

Here's how Girard continues his comments about the Cross as a trap set by God.

Since Jesus, almost every time he opens his mouth, reveals the secret of Satan's power, he becomes in the eyes of Satan, a most intolerable source of disorder; he must be silenced once and for all. In order to reach his goal, Satan only has to resort to his favorite trick - the very trick about which Jesus is talking so much - the traditional trick of the mimetic murder and scapegoat mechanism. - Since this trick has always succeeded in the past, Satan sees no reason why it would not succeed in the case of Jesus.

Everything turns out as Satan expected - except for one thing. With the help of the Paraclete, Jesus' disciples finally break away from the mimetic consensus and provide the world with a truthful account of what should remain hidden in this affair, at least from the perspective of Satan.

1 Corinthians 2:7-8 now makes more sense:

But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God which God decreed before the ages for our glorification. None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

Paul and the whole New Testament are saying: once the Cross has revealed the mimetic violence at the root of human society, and the misunderstanding of this violence, the world can never be the same.

The lie is done. The Father of Lies has no clothes. That very root that has sprouted nothing but violence again and again has been uprooted and destroyed. That is the Cross. No longer will mimetic violence rule here. The disciples got it - they finally got it. Even as we see them as lunk-heads who do not understand as they go along the way with Jesus, the Holy Spirit opens their eyes to see what has happened. And then, the Holy Spirit opens their mouths so that they can give a witness to the power of the love of God's Reign that cannot be ruled or overcome by the lies of all the powers of the world. We are people who are invited (pulled by the Spirit) to live within this truthfulness whenever the powers of the day attempt to rule us and attempt to brutalize the victims of the world. This truthfulness also enables us to step in and stand alongside and with the victims because we know that the brutality of the principalities and powers cannot win the day. And yet, to be in such a position is not easy. It would be easier to simply go in another direction and turn our heads and our lives away from the power that would rule us.

Connection: Walking in the light of the Cross and Resurrection does involve a literal walking - a living - a resistance to all the powers that want to shape us into something other than the love of God incarnate. And yet, we are encouraged to walk and live and consider the welfare of all so that the mimetic violence will have to encounter the Christ in our day.

As you walk with us, hold us up so that as we stand in the world, we will be empowered to live in the way and the truth and the life of the one we call, Lord, Jesus. For in Jesus' light we continue to see new life open up to us even as we seem to be controlled by the valley of death. Amen.

Redeemer Devotions - January 11, 2012

2012-01-11T06:40:00.001-05:00

Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions

Girard talks about the Cross as a trap set by God - I find it interesting.

The 'same old, same old' of the powers of the Father of lies cannot tolerate the liberating life and words of Jesus. Jesus' life does not let death and fear and violence rule or control the day. Jesus will go about the new age - new rule - new being even the scapegoat mechanism is put into full swing. Jesus must be eliminated - and if he is eliminated, it will just like all the other victims of scapegoating - he is gone and forgotten and evil can persist within the order of the day that is so dear to Satan. So Jesus faces nothing more than the mechanism that we all face. It will be the attempt to murder the one who has been cast as the 'outsider' or the 'troublemaker' or the 'blasphemer' or etc. This is the pattern of the day around Jesus crucifixion. It is the order of the day around us. The creative, non-violent, truthfulness of God's Reign is in direct contrast to the power of the principalities and powers.

I will add to today's reading to fill in the next link in Girard's thought.

Connection: We are invited to live as though we are walking in the way of Jesus. To walk and live like that is to set oneself out as a visible target that will draw out the power of lies that insist on keeping the brokenness of the world in place. As followers of Jesus, our lives become as Jesus' life. In that way, when we show the face of love and justice and mercy and forgiveness and reconciliation - it will be confronted and ridiculed - it will be violently opposed - it will be discounted. And yet, we are to continue in that contrary life and - in time - the lies of the powers of the world will attempt to shut us down. There will be many good and sound reasons to put a stop to the incarnation of God's love in our world from day to day.

As you walk with us, O God, guide us as we take steps within the light of your Reign. Amen.

Redeemer Devotions - January 10, 2012

2012-01-10T06:10:00.001-05:00

Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions

The Cross and Satan line up - Girard has much to offer

Once we understand that Satan's secret is the founding murder and the scapegoat mechanism, the idea that Satan's power is reduced to nothing by the Cross makes perfect sense. - By providing us with an accurate portrayal of the mimetic process behind the death of Jesus, and secondarily the death of John the Baptist, the Gospels reveal something which, in the long run, is bound to discredit not one particular lie about one particular victim of collective persecution only but all lies rooted in the victimage mechanism, in the grotesquely deceptive scapegoat misunderstanding. Satan becomes a ludicrous nonentity.

Again, we are told about the lie that is the foundation for persecution and scapegoating and the 'victimage mechanism.' We are all being pulled into this story - some as victims and some as victimizers. At the same time we must realize that we act in both of these rules in various times. But the Cross is the light that shows that this 'secretive' way of ruling the world is now exposes and needs to be exposed continuously from the smallest bit of persecution to the most drastic and grand persecutions and scapegoating. The way of lies is not the way of our God. Never has been - never will be. That places us in a predicament that demands prayerfulness that draws us closer and closer to the way of the Cross so that we see the sinister way the father of lies works among us and through us. The Cross can be for us the shouting voice that says, "Wait, wait, look again at what is being done - look again at what is ruling us and leading us." It is in that moment we can see the truth and begin to stand with those who are being made into victims by a system that needs victims in order to sustain itself.

Connection: I don't think this is some kind of paranoia. Rather, I think it is a realism that is based on what the Cross pulls back for us to see. An exercise into which we can all enter into is to look at any 'event' of the day and try to see what is happening. What is causing the brokenness? Is love creating a new world or is love absent and therefore some type of violence - division is in control. I just wonder how often we will see the power of lies abounding - and as close as in our own actions.

As you walk with us, O God, help us to see you alongside us and utterly available to guide us in your holy ways. Amen.

Redeemer Devotions - January 9, 2012

2012-01-09T08:55:00.001-05:00

Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions

This week we continue to look at the role of the cross to defeat Satan.

The spotlight upon Satan makes it impossible for him to fool humanity any longer. Paul attempts to say this (with other words Girard notes): And you - God made alive with Christ, having canceled the bond which stood against us with its legal demands; this he set aside, nailing it to the Cross. He disarmed the principalities and powers and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in him. (Colossians 2:13-15)

The nailing (of this legal document that tries to condemn us) to the cross is a first attempt to say that the principalities and powers, in other words, Satan, are defeated and even ridiculed by the cross.

I have to stop here. Girard says it out loud - the principalities and powers are the same as Satan. If you think back a few weeks, Satan was portrayed as both order and disorder - both of which can and do resist the non-violent work of Christ. It seems as though we must always keep our eyes open to how the powers around us operate. What is emerging from their realm of influence? What do they bring forth in the life around them? This does not mean that Satan is a devilish figure running around trying to turn us into a part of the principalities and power. Rather, these powers are so vital to keeping the world wrapped in mimetic violence and so good at making it all look so right and good that is is difficult to see that they are often acting quite contrary to the way of Jesus. Therefore, it is good to enter the day already expecting to see the violence (in all its many forms) that saturated the systems in which we live. For then, as people who rise out of our baptism each day, we will begin to see (by the power of the Holy Spirit) the differences of the way of the Cross and the way of the world. The day is then open to acts of everyday resistance that is the mark of the Cross.

Connection: It could be that the way we enter the world dominated by principalities and powers is to have an eye for healing. Being able to see how and when things are broken or corrupted or diseased, and begin to be the presence of the healing of Christ, Jesus. The Church is a resistance movement - but not one that destroys the other side. We daily witness to another way to be humans shaped by the Holy Spirit and walking in the way of the Cross.

As you walk with us, O God, teach us the ways that make for peace in a world that is in love with warring madness. Encourage all your saints who long to be nourished by your love. Amen.

Redeemer Devotions - January 6, 2012

2012-01-06T07:55:00.001-05:00

Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions

Today will be an 'add on' to what was printed yesterday - again, Rene Girard.

Satan is the prince of this world because he is first of all the Prince of Darkness. The Christian revelation dissipates the darkness of the founding murder by showing the innocence not only of the one victim, Jesus, wrongly accused by Satan, but of all such victims.

- this is the secret that the Gospels force out of hiding merely by their faithful representation of one collective murder typical of them all - typical of the process that has dominated human culture since the foundation of the world.

We can stand up to the power of the father of lies. The one who rules by creating a world of brokenness and insisting on a world that is ordered by such brokenness can be resisted and denied its power among us. Yes, the way of resistance is the way of the cross - a definitive "no" to all the power that tries to dominate and subdue humanity into something other than what it is. Humanity is made in the image of God - that is the life that is available to all of us. It is a life that drives the power of evil mad. At the same time, to live within the grace-filled love of God is to walk out into the open in front of evil and use our lives as that which will embarrass evil and drive the powers of death to show themselves. To be a part of the light of the world is to have lives that shine (this is Epiphany by the way) so that the father of lies will be exposed in every day life.

Connection: Exposing evil is not to be one who point fingers. That is what the evil does and wants us to mimic. Rather Exposing evil is done by living in a way that is noticeably contrary to the finger-pointing, blaming, violence that accompanies the power and principalities in every place and time - that means in our place and in our time.

As you walk with us, O God, make us a part of this light that brings the world to your face. Amen.

Redeemer Devotions - January 5, 2012

2012-01-04T06:55:00.001-05:00

Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions

What makes this story of Satan fall apart - we say the cross. Here are some more ways of looking at that dynamic - again, Rene Girard.

I will add to this tomorrow. but it is here that Jesus is really present. Jesus is present in the midst of all victims as the one who will stand with and never leave any victim to the destructive power of Satan (please read here the wider notion of Satan). All powers -grand and global or simple and nearby - creates victims in order to sustain themselves. As long as there is someone or some people or some other 'power' that must be beaten down, Satan rules. Need we say anything more about who rules here?! And yet, one voice - like that of Jesus - cracks the silence that keeps things going as they have from the beginning. One voice that will lift up a word of truthfulness lessens the grip of the evil powers. That one voice may be put under just like Jesus - but we are told the voice will never die - it will rather begin another way for more and more people to live. More and more people who hear the witness of the light of the Christ, Jesus, will bring forth more and more light to another way to function as people. In the middle of this enlightened truthfulness about who we are comes a resistance movement that does not destroy but rather confronts with a non-violent innocence that can be crushed - but will be raised up as light for others.

Connection: The 'truly Human One' brings the violence that has shaped us all to an end by not participating in that violence. That is why the coming of the 'truly Human One' (son of man) was greatly anticipated. I think such a truly Human One is still available to us - as us. The Church claims that it is the Holy Spirit that brings such a life to the world. It is always within the blessedness of dialogue that keeps the way of Jesus in front of us.

As you walk with us, O God, keep our eyes and our hearts tuned to the coming of your beloved Jesus, among us and with us. Amen.

Redeemer Devotions - January 4, 2012

2012-01-04T06:40:00.001-05:00

Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions

Today I'll begin with a piece of yesterday's quote from Girard and then continue on with his point.

Girard notes: Once we realize that the power of Satan is dependent upon a lie, which will not remain effective unless it is firmly believed by all people, an untruth that is always mistaken for a sacred truth, everything else follows.

In order for it to remain credible, this untruth, this satanic lie must remain hidden. I must be protected from human curiosity. The founding murder is shrouded in darkness. This is the darkness of myth and of mythical origins. The violence at the heart of myth resembles the violence of the Passion - but the victim is always guilty. For Example: Oedipus (and others) become gods - but still are guilty of whatever they were guilty to start with. They become gods of violence, gods of the violent sacred.

The lie is one where violence rules and violence will be the way that order is maintain and disorder comes to an end. And yet, the Cross signals the beginning of the end of that lie. The only way for the world to disrupt the violence and end it is through the utter transparency of the Cross and Resurrection. Violence does not prevail and never can as long as there is a witness to the non-violence and innocence of Jesus that will not let evil and hatred and the father of lies rule. It only takes one light - one witness - one word of truthfulness, to dismantle and expose the way violence never brings peace - in fact it only brings more violence.

Connection: We may need to ask ourselves and discuss among the follower of Jesus the witness of rulers and people in positions of authority. What comes from their leadership - is it the ongoing presence of violence - is it another lie hiding another lie - is it the increase of victims at the hands of those given authority to rule? Then we must talk about our own lives and ask what it the witness that we bring into the world. Do we live within light - or remain in the midst of lies? I would say we do both (saint - sinner). But we do not end with that observation - which merely allows for violence to continue. We must be the encouragement to live outside the realm of the father of lies. We need to encourage one another to rise daily within the story of how the Cross defeats the powers that would separate us. That's called baptismal remembrance - no mere words - the actual victory over evil.

As you walk with us, O God, give us rest that we may not let the warring ways of the days at hand make us weary and forget whose Reign is really available to us in and through all times. Amen.

Redeemer Devotions - January 3, 2012

2012-01-03T06:40:00.001-05:00

Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions

Girard starts with: The Cross is a decisive defeat for Satan, the end of his kingdom, which follows logically from the whole mimetic interpretation. It is an end to the cycles of violence - it is the beginning of light shining and exposing how we - all of us - operate. Therefore, something new is really possible.

This is the supreme theme regarding Satan, the most amazing and the most difficult to believe - the idea that the Cross is a decisive victory over Satan and the end of Satan's power. Girard notes: Once we realize that the power of Satan is dependent upon a lie, which will not remain effective unless it is firmly believed by all people, an untruth that is always mistaken for a sacred truth, everything else follows.

It only takes one witness to the truthfulness of the lying power of Satan - and the principalities and powers - and the structures of evil, to expose the lie that continues to keep us bound up by Satan. As was noted weeks ago, the power that helps to expose these lies is the Holy Spirit the defender of the victim - the Paraclete. This also means the community of saints who find at their very center, this defeat of Satan on the cross. This is not an individual journey - a mere inner walk. It needs to always be communal because no one can fight this kind of darkness alone. In fact, I think this 'theory' would suggest that alone, we really can do nothing but live according to lies that help us go our own way. Satan is always happy with that decision. For it is then that we forget about other - other victims - other powers that attempt to look fine and keep order but are really the source of much evil.

Connection: The old bumper stick has some truth to it in this context - "Question Authority." Look more deeply at what is being held up by the 'authority' within any context. Is it a power that does not see or care for or seek to redeemer/liberate the victim - or is there another power at work. This is hard to say and dangerous to say out loud, I think. For now, is places each one of us in the position of being a contrary voice whenever we see the authorities that exist - using others for the welfare of some - of a mere institution - a way of life. When we stand as followers of Jesus (mimic that positive journey) there is going to be a tension among us as we run through the 'normal' actions of the day. Normal may not be blessed - it may just be a part of the order that keeps the father of lies smiling.

As you walk with us, O God, give us eyes to see the path of your beloved, Jesus, so that we will not walk down the path of so many powers that hang on the promises of lies and liars. Draw into our lives others who long to walk together into the power of the cross that brings light to our darkness. Amen.

Redeemer Devotions - December 30, 2011

2011-12-30T06:05:00.001-05:00

Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions

We are a part of this grand scheme of lies and the power that goes with such lies. Girard continues:

The Devil/Satan is alien to all truth.

The foundation of the first culture was the moment when this lie began to envelop humanity in the sense not simply of some false information but of a "system of representation" that still permeates our thinking long after primitive institutions are gone.

People are forever rooted and rerooted in the foundational violence.

To say that our human will is to do the desires of our father, the devil, is another way of saying that we cannot really cut loose from the primordial lie, from the effects of the primordial murder.

We cannot acknowledge our dependence on primordial violence, Satan is not merely the father of lies - but - the father of liars.

Rather than doing a 'Flip Wilson' "the devil made me do it," - we do it - we take part in this lie from the beginning. It is a lie that sustains us and keeps us (we could say) on the right path. Think about that. Staying on the right path - following the way of the world as it is set out in front of us is to be the sons and daughters of the father of liars. That is that case because we somehow keep things as they have been since those stories that reach back farther than we can imagine. In some ways, as I think about old stories I even wonder about Luther's "here I Stand.' Is that all a part of the foundational violence. Did that movement bring about peace or war? Did that movement liberate and set free or bring about new ways to subject people to the rule of others within a system that is supported by lies and violence? Do we hold up one story over and against another story - even to the point of violence and blame and persecution? This father of lies and the liars that are born into the unfolding systems of the world will use all the resources in the world to keep things dependent on violence of any kind. The followers of Jesus count on the Holy Spirit - as that Spirit works between us and among us - to be pulled (not on our own and not with our consent) into the peaceable Reign that is utterly contrary to all the lies. This is the Spirit of Truthfulness that never allows for us to forget what was nor does it let us 'get away' with murder (of any degree).

Connection: I don't think anyone likes to be called a liar or be caught in the middle of a lie. Even the youngest among us know that lying - is wrong. It is wrong because it breaks things apart - relationships - community - fun - love - joy. And yet, that is who we are and how we live. It is not easy to hear and we really want to just put a lid on such talk. But when we do or when we try to do that, rather than brew truthfulness, we limit the truth to be what is acceptable to us - in other words, we lie. So we say again, Come, Holy Spirit, Come.

As you walk with us, O God, we need the power of the Spirit to take us and help us face the wonder of our humanity when it becomes a part of your image - a part of the Christ - a part of the shalom that puts an end to all violence. Come, Spirit - take us forward through this day. Amen.

Redeemer Devotions - December 29, 2011

2011-12-28T06:20:00.001-05:00

Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions

Today we will continue with Girard's look at 'blood shed since the foundation of the World.'

Girard starts with a thesis: The Gospels view Satan as the principle reality of human culture since the foundation of the world.

He notes that this thesis needs a text that explicitly links Satan to the collective murder - the foundation of the world - the invention of human culture. John has that text (8:44):

You are the father of the devil, and your will is to do your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Spoken to those religious leaders who could not hear Jesus's word of love. They could not hear it because they were a part of the whole structure of evil that is the world of the great liar and the one who so easily turns us into liars - that is - Sons and Daughters of the Father of Liars. The word of love is the power that make the violence of the world have no power. Yes, violence does kill and destroy and ruin lives, but is is not a greater power than this love Jesus was. It is this love that has transformed the followers of Jesus in many ways and throughout time. And yet - as we can see - violence and the lying power of Satan still rules. The Jesus of John's gospel still presses on to be another vision for life and to follow that vision even when the powers of the day (religious and secular) are able to dispose of him as they would any other person or power that did not follow the violence of the world. What we see is the that which is available after the end of violence has done all it can do. We see that love - outside the tomb - beyond the power of death - ready to empower others to live within the embrace of this love and as ones who are just that kind of embracing power of love for others.

Connection: It is not easy to see lying ways win the day. It is not easy to stop falling into their traps and become a part of it all. Prayerful vigilance is necessary - a life in which we continue to teach one another this other, more perfect way.

As you walk with us, O God, lead us through the violence that tempts us so that we may be a part of the love you have promised will be ours. Amen.

Redeemer Devotions - December 28, 2011

2011-12-28T06:00:00.001-05:00

Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions

From the beginning will be the answer to the question about Satan and the power that shapes the world. Here Girard begins a point.

The phrase concerning "the blood shed since the foundation of the world," shows the enormous scope of the idea I am trying to explore. It would be foolish to suppose that the coupling in the Gospels of the first collective murder and the first human culture suggests only a fortuitous conjunction of the two. The message is clear. From the beginning, human culture was rooted in the murders triggered and manipulated by Satan.

The story of Cane perfectly illustrates this vision. Cane has two titles to fame. The first is Abel's murder and the second is the foundation of the first civilization, or culture. A look at Genesis shows that the two events are one. The first law is promulgated as a result of the murder, and it is the first human law against murder, The word 'Cain' stands not for a single murder but the entire community unified by the first culture.

So 'blood shed from the beginning' is meant to be about truth-telling. From the beginning - from the moment there were people who were not enemies but kin - there was blood. Murder and all of the emotions and actions that go with it. That story marks us. Civilization is shaped around such violence. Culture finds a friend in the threat of murder or death or the pointing of fingers that calls one less than others or even calls one simply worthless or disposable. Culture will move on at the expense of some people. Make an 'example' of 'them' and we will not have to deal with 'them' anymore. And if we can find a way to put an end to 'them' won't we be safer and won't this be a better place to live. Duh - no. It always makes for the same old world. That is, blood shed from the beginning. The cycle is one that we enter too easily - unconscientiously - as though it is a good path. And yet, it never is. No peace comes from the death of another. No justice comes from ridding ourselves of him or her or them.

Connection: We have all heard that little lesson for life: count to ten before reacting/responding to what you just saw or heard. The ten count may be a prayerful time that helps us breath in the power of the Holy Spirit so that we do not blame, shoot, kill, belittle, tear down. That breath may be the time we need to listen again - to the other person and also to our God that bids us to live within the domain of God's peace and reconciliation. Even in a time of emergency - great fear - the ten count may be just what is needed to stop an act of a 'justified murder' called self-defense. We are all told that self-defense is okay - but is it any different from that first murder? What was Cain defending - his self image - his status - his pride? We could speculate all day. Our question might be: what are we saying we are defending against when we tear down others - because you know we don't kill like Cain - do we?

As you walk with us, O God, help us to breathe in the deep peace that comes into our lives by way of the Spirit of truthfulness. Breathe - deeply - and again. Amen.

Redeemer Devotions - December 27, 2011

2011-12-27T06:50:00.001-05:00

Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions

As we continue to look at Satan, Girard makes sure we make some sense of how Satan is tied to the powers - rulers of this world - etc.

There are two great temptations of modern Christianity - divinizing the social order - divinizing the social disorder and revolution in the name of liberation. He notes: they are two antithetical versions of modernism - a distortion and mutilation of Christianity. Modernism is the almost universal illusion in our world that society is everything and that religion ultimately boils down to political and social questions.

Remember that Girard casts a picture of Satan as the personification of order and disorder. It is - I suppose - why he looks at these two views of modernism to be great temptations. Social order is a way to put all things into a controlling order - and therefore it become a way to subvert the Gospel. On the other hand, the attempt to tip over what is becomes nothing more than the same temptation. In both cases, the power at hand (liberating or controlling) is not able to be alongside the victim because both of these ways of dealing with culture make others the victims and there is always a power that emerges as the power over others. That kind of power cannot ever be the power of the cross. Rather, it will be the same power that some try to control and other try to overthrow. In the end, Satan still rules - Satan is still the Father of Liars. Lying stays the way of the world. So, the wonderful ways of modernism leave us with nothing new - just the same founding murder. This made me think of what many all post-modern. Is it just another game we play to change nothing and let the same old story become us? Could post-modern really mean that we don't have a clue how to follow Jesus except to be something other than a part of the order or disorder of the day? Seems that also leads to more game playing and more ways to cover our behinds rather than step up and walk with the victims of the world.

Connection: Truthfulness and honesty are character traits that are meant to keep our eyes on the one we say we follow. It is not easy to keep our eyes there. Usually we want to keep them on how we can fix the world or others. That - will always be the death of us - and others.

As you walk with us, O God, Let your Spirit guide us. Amen.

Redeemer Devotions - December 23, 2011

2011-12-23T06:15:00.001-05:00

Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions

Girard like to return to the biblical image of 'Satan expelling Satan.' Today's piece shows a bit of his thought on this image.

Satan of the gospels is a self-organizing system (the principle of order and disorder are one and the same - as soon as disorder reaches a certain threshold in these systems - the forces of disruption turn into a force for reintegration and reordering).

How can Satan expel Satan emphasizes the connection between order and disorder as the same thing. Both the disorder and order of human culture are from the same source which is not directly divine, and this, is unique to the Gospels.

So - Satan represents a source of transcendence. This transcendence is false in the sense that it is not really supernatural but is real in the sense that the power of political and social institutions rooted in pagan religion is quite real.

THE GOSPELS CALL IT: The powers of this world - celestial powers - thrones - dominations - principalities - rulers of this world - angels - and - Satan.

They are always united in their decision to crucify Jesus.

We can see that as the world is in the midst of order or disorder, things are basically the same. There is no healing of the world - there is no liberation of the oppressed - there is no uplifting of the poor - there is no peace - there is no honor and respect for all people. Instead, the order or the disorder gives us war and its many faces and its many demons. No wonder the Gospels have so many ways to refer to the power of Satan. The false rule that says we must sacrifice someone or something in order to bring things back into some kind of order is a rule based on a lie that comes from the Father of Lies. Just listen to the conversations and work that is going on in Washington these days - it is the same old way of keeping the world divided and making it more and more important to keep things as is. How does that differ from some more obviously brutal regimes that seek to bring order but really nothing new comes under the sun.

Connection: This is a time of the year when we read some wonder-filled pieces of Scripture. The words of the prophets are amazing. They point to a new 'order' - but it will be one that comes about through a new character. That character that stands up to the principalities and power and the Father of Lies is the character of unbounded love, truthfulness, and light. The followers of Jesus see those character traits in Jesus - born to Mary and raised by Mary and Joseph within the realm of all that is ordinary about us. That character is one that will be rejected and yet it is raised up so that all will see the power that disassembles the order of Satan and the disorder that becomes a tool of Satan's demand for a life that knows not the peaceable Reign of God we see in Jesus and we are called to enter by the power of the Holy Spirit.

As you walk with us, O God, help us to see the grand Liar among us and grant us the wisdom to listen to the Paraclete that will pull us into the life of the New Being available through God's Christ, Jesus. Amen.

Redeemer Devotions - December 22, 2011

2011-12-22T06:01:00.001-05:00

Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions

It is by the Holy Spirit (the Paraclete) that we become the followers of Jesus the Christian community in contrast to the world around us.

The Paraclete (lawyer for the defense/defender of the victim) enables our understanding of the difference between the mimetic communion of the persecutors and the Christian Communion.

Rene Girard notes: In the modern world this understanding is either absent (and that is why the modern world has never discovered the true difference between Christianity and the other religions), or it is present in forms that disguise its Christian origin.

It is must too easy to follow along within systems that are based on scapegoats - victims - sacrifices that attempt to keep order in the world. It happens in the smallest of group when we put someone in our cross-hairs in order to put them down as we think we are raising ourselves up or simply keeping things in good order. We are given eye -you could say- that help us to see when it happens and how we are being pulled into it and (thank God) a way to move differently. That way is the cross. The Paraclete always being the defender of the victim leads us to the cross - leads us to the way in which the order of the day - the order of all time - is disrupted and a new life - a new being comes forth and begins to take life. That life is to be Christian Communion - the Church - the followers of Jesus, who know the way that brings all people to the table even though it is not the acceptable way to be a communion in a world bent on exclusion.

Connection: I know that many folks may get tired of me saying that I am basically a coward. And yet, I know me. It is too easy to run away - too easy to turn away - too easy to let the victims of the world go for it on their own. And yet, I really do trust that this Paraclete - this Holy Spirit - resists my daily devotion to the ways of fear and doubt. The Holy Spirit brings a fresh breeze to my every breath - so that sometimes - just sometimes - I will stay put and be for and with the victims even as it means I take a hit. That is rare - but I truly believe that the Holy Spirit is the only way I move to this way of the cross. We must remember that the sting of death has no power over us. Unfortunately, there is still the sting - but we have been empowered to move through it to the point of saying 'death where is your sting!'

As you walk with us, O God, tickle our hearts with the way of life that carries us into a life that is so often rejected - even by those who consider themselves pious. Amen.

Redeemer Devotions - December 21, 2011

2011-12-21T06:05:00.001-05:00

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