Take your Time

Journey of Paul

Week 1

Wednesday, January 31 

Take your Time

Acts 18: 9-11

9 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. 10 For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” 11 So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.

The apostle Paul in his letter to the Corinthian church challenged them in a lot of their behavior, practices, and principles.  How do you think they would have received that?  How do you respond when someone wants to give you some advice? 

The challenge with social media or the modern world in which we live is that people feel the need to give all sorts of advice or their opinions on stuff.  Here is the thing, even though someone went to elementary school with you or they are friends with your friends somehow, that doesn’t necessarily make them an authority figure in your life or on any given subject.  I found that there are certain people who can speak into my life and others that want to speak but all I hear is noise.  I bet that the determining factor for how you listen to people might be the same for how the Corinthians listened to Paul.  He was with them for a year and a half.  

In some instances, Paul was only allowed to stay in a city or a region for a short time.  Here it feels like there is a good bit of time for him to stay.  A year and a half might not feel like a long time to you, but compared to the other early churches, Corinth was able to have Paul as a founder of their church for a solid period of time.  

When we need to deliver a message to someone, how do we ensure that we have made more relational deposits than withdrawals?  Trust takes more courage than time, but time certainly helps in the building up of trust.  Before we get into the verses and details of 1 Corinthians 13, I wanted to take some time (or a few days) to try and set the scene of who Paul was to this church.  He was someone who loved the people;  he was with them working alongside them, and he spent a considerable amount of time beginning something with them.  So when we read his chapter of love, it is not just beautiful words, but words from a trusted founder, pastor, friend, and mentor.  

There might be someone who doesn’t seem to catch the message you are trying to send.  What if you took some more time?  Be patient and keep loving.  Build alongside them, but don’t be afraid to put in the hours.  They might be able to hear you differently because they know you differently.  So take your time.  It will pay off in the end.    

Prayer

Lord, give me grace to be patient. Amen

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The Tentmaker

Journey of Paul

Week 1

Tuesday, January 30

The Tentmaker 

Acts 18: 2-4

Paul went to see them, 3 and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. 4 Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.

Sunday is a 40 hour work day.  

As an ordained clergy person, there will probably always be a part of me that struggles with the term, “full-time ministry.”  Trust me, I work plenty of hours and at the end of the week there will always be things left undone or tasks that I wish I had more time to accomplish.  I saw a post on social media recently that said,


“Being a Pastor is easy, it’s like riding a bike.  Except the bike is on fire, you are on fire, and the committee for fire suppression needs a quorum.”  

The apostle Paul was what we can refer to as, “bi-vocational.”  He was a tent-maker.  He was with the people as he stayed and worked with them.  Now, I understand why the vocation of clergy has a separate or otherness to it.  It makes sense for someone in the community to be devoted to the things that the pastor needs to put their attention towards.  We see this in the book of Acts with the disciples/apostles.  

Acts 6: 1-7

In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.” 5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them 7 So the word of God spread. 

But - I have certainly waited my fair share of tables, in fact, that is how I paid my way through Seminary.  Even in the role of pastor, it doesn’t mean that we just sit around all day praying and studying the bible.  There are a lot of details that have to be accomplished related to running what is essentially a non-profit organization.  You are often not just the preacher, but the producer and plumber.  You are the care-provider and the custodian.  You spend time reviewing the spreadsheets almost as much as the scriptures some weeks.  The challenge is that often our role is set apart not just theologically but very practically from others. 

I am not with you in your daily job and you are generally not with me in the church office everyday.  So in some ways there might be a feeling like the pastor doesn’t understand what the members of the church actually do, and members of the church wonder what the pastor might do other than on Sunday mornings.  After all, we only work one day a week, right?

But while I am not making tents along with you like Paul would be doing, please know that I am with you, because love is always shown through a ministry of presence.  I may not be, or you might not want me to show up to your office, but know that I am with you.  I may not be a tent-maker like Paul, but let’s find some other ways to work together.  

Prayer
Thank you for your loving presence with us today.  Help us to be for one another.  Amen   

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Begin with Love

Journey of Paul

Week 1

Monday, January 29

Begin with Love  

1 Corinthians 1: 2-3

2 To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours: 3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

As the apostle Paul made his missionary journeys (you can read all about them in the book of Acts), love was the beginning, middle, and end of it all. 

Paul is an apostle, or sent one.  He took a calling from God and began to make his way to share the good news of Jesus Christ.  As you read through the New Testament, you might notice a lot of letters addressed to churches.  This is all thanks to Paul and his willingness to share the love of God not just in the synagogues or to his fellow Jews, but even to the Gentiles, or non-Jewish people.  

Paul begins with love. He was motivated and compelled to act by the love of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:14).  I also believe that only God’s love could have sustained Paul as he faced hardship and persecution along the way.  Just check out some of what he faced - only God’s love could have gotten him through the following…

2 Corinthians 11: 23-28

I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods,once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. 27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.

Paul’s greatest legacy in the end is going to be love.  While we see him address all sorts of theological and ecclesial matters, Paul should be most well known for love.  Most weddings want to include the love chapter (1 Corinthians 13) as part of the ceremony, even if they aren’t religious people.  I officiated a wedding once for a couple that didn’t want any overt “religious or church stuff”.  I tried to accommodate them as best as I could, only to realize that the reading that they picked was from 1 Corinthians 13.  They just thought it was a poem about love, but I was happy to include it into my non-religious ceremony.  I had some fun with that. After all, it is all about love.   

Paul’s letter to the Corinthian church begins with words of grace and peace.  In this letter where we find the great love chapter, Paul is going to address some questions and concerns with this church with love.  Sometimes it might feel like tough love, but as we will see in chapter 13, he is writing from a place of love.  Throughout this devotional series we will go through the “love chapter” more in detail.  But it’s important to understand who is writing it and why it was written in the first place.  So let your day begin, be filled with, and end with love.  

Prayer

Lord, help me to love well today.  Amen 

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The Request

three Wise Women

Esther

Friday, January 26

The Request

Esther 7: 1-3

1 So the king and Haman went in to feast with Queen Esther. 2 On the second day, as they were drinking wine, the king again said to Esther, “What is your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.” 3 Then Queen Esther answered, “If I have won your favor, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me—that is my petition—and the lives of my people—that is my request. 

Have you ever asked for your life?

Have you ever been in a position where someone else held your life in their hands?

There are still people in this country and this world for whom Esther's story is a reality. Maybe these people are immigrants desperately fleeing violence and trying to find a country to welcome them. Maybe they are people who've lost their jobs and are searching for options. Maybe they are people who seem to have it all, yet still know there's something they really need that's missing.  The list can go on, I’m sure. 

For most of us reading this, we have probably never been in Esther’s shoes. So the invitation isn’t what we might do in her place, but today - how we are more like the King? Will we listen to the voices of those in need in our world?  Listening isn’t the only thing we must do.  We need to invite the conversation and invite the request much like the King does.  He asked Esther, ‘what is your request’?  Often, we will never be able to hear the request unless we ask for it.  

I am sent for you.  You are sent for me.  We are sent for them, too.  They are part of our family; we belong to them and they are part of us. We all need each other. All of our lives are held in God's hands.

Prayer

Savior, I trust my life to Your hands. Amen

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Robe Up

three Wise Women

Esther

Thursday, January 25

Robe up. 

Esther 5:1-3

On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king’s palace, opposite the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne inside the palace opposite the entrance to the palace. 2 As soon as the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she won his favor and he held out to her the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther approached and touched the top of the scepter. 3 The king said to her, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you, even to the half of my kingdom.” 

The narrative of the story may not always capture the emotion.  The writer may not always say, “Esther is feeling like this.” But I’m sure we can imagine how she might be feeling.  She is taking her life into her own hands.  She is doing something dangerous.  How do you think Esther is feeling as she knowingly breaks the law and risks her life? What does she think? Does she tremble? Is her heart pounding? Is she praying?

The story resolves all these questions and tensions so quickly. The king sees her, she wins his favor, the Golden Scepter is extended, and her life is saved. “Bada Bing, Bada Boom.”

In our lives, that space between uncertainty and resolution feels so much longer. We want quick answers. We like simple solutions. Rarely does life go this way. The journey twists and turns with expected surprises.  But you will never know the outcome, or the resolution to your uncertainty if you don’t ‘robe up’.  This is what Esther did.  At the end of all her wondering and contemplation was action.  She robed up and started walking.  

Maybe this is what you need to do today.  

Robe up.  

Prayer

Lord, remind me that you are with me. Amen

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Waiting on Help

three Wise Women

Esther

Wednesday, January 24

Waiting on Help

Esther 4: 13-14

13 Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. 14 For if you keep silence at such a time as this, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another quarter, but you and your father’s family will perish. Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this.” 

It is our security and comfort that might be the biggest challenge to overcome regarding making a risky or God-sized decision.  Esther had a choice to make.  Mordecai clarifies her role.  Esther must speak, for she will not find safety just because she is in a palace.  It is her choice, but Mordecai believes that even if Esther is silent, redemption will still come. 

While it is an interesting opportunity for Esther, and it is part of her story, I want to think about Mordecai for a moment. He stands in a curious tension.  He has faith that God can use Esther for “such a time as this”.  But even if his plan or what he hopes to happen will not come to pass, his hope is not discouraged.  

Throughout our lives we have Mordecai’s who speak to our lives at just the right time.  They invite us to do the right thing and to make the right choice.  But they also can serve as an example for us for what faith is like.  I’ve heard faith described as not just believing that God can, but believing that God will.  This is a little bit like Mordecai’s faith.  While he is pleading with Esther, he trusts that God will still find a way.       

In "such a time as this" that we are living in now, what choices do you need to make?  Are you living in the tension of waiting for help but standing in hope? 

Prayer

Lord, for such a time as this, you've called me. Amen

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Risky Love

three Wise Women

Esther

Tuesday, January 23

Risky Love 

Esther 4:9-11

9 Hathach went and told Esther what Mordecai had said. 10 Then Esther spoke to Hathach and gave him a message for Mordecai, saying, 11 “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law—all alike are to be put to death. Only if the king holds out the golden scepter to someone, may that person live. 

Relationships invite and require risk.

Relationships worked on a very different set of standards in Esther’s lifetime. She had little choice about entering her relationship, she shared her husband with his collection of wives, and she couldn’t even freely speak to him without risking her life.  If you are thinking that this is a good model for marriage, please hold your tongue – especially around your spouse. 

So why is this important part of the story? The only way for one’s life to be spared is if the king holds out the Golden Scepter, granting permission to a person breeching the boundaries.  Esther, in order to fulfill her calling of saving her people, had to take on a lot of risk.  Risk is always going to be personal.  It will involve us, our fear, and our potential futures. So what types of risk have you taken in the past? Did it work out like you expected?  

We take a lot of risks in relationships. We risk a lot in opening our heart to another person in love. While it certainly looks different today than it did for Esther, the truth remains the same: real relationships invite and require risk.

When have you taken a risk for someone you loved?

What do you need to do today?  

Love can be communicated in just a few words, but it also will invite risk. Do something daring today in the name of love. 

Prayer

God, teach us what real love looks like. Amen

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Let Me Speak

three Wise Women

Esther

Monday, January 22

Let me Speak

Esther 4:5-8

5 Then Esther called for Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs, who had been appointed to attend her, and ordered him to go to Mordecai to learn what was happening and why. 6 Hathach went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king’s gate, 7 and Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and the exact sum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the king’s treasuries for the destruction of the Jews. 8 Mordecai also gave him a copy of the written decree issued in Susa for their destruction, that he might show it to Esther, explain it to her, and charge her to go to the king to make supplication to him and entreat him for her people.

Regardless of who you are, things still need to be said.  

The book of Esther in the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) is fascinating.  Give it a read through when you get the chance and you will discover all sorts of interesting characters, but also an intense story about a woman who’s faith would be expressed in a world of fear.  Esther indeed was a person for her time, and maybe there is something for us to do as a people who are also called for “such a time as this.”  

Many times we are not given the names of the people involved in the story of Scripture.  It is often the nameless ones who help move the plot along. The story wouldn’t be the same without them.  Part of Esther’s story has a man named Hathach in it.  This is probably not a name you are familiar with.  

Hathach was the king's eunuch, appointed to attend Queen Esther. Eunuchs were low status servants often kept in these servitude positions for life. Yet, Hathach plays a key and vital role as a messenger in Esther's story. Hathach who is "appointed" and  "ordered" to this role explains and entreats Esther to act with risk-taking courage on Mordecai's and her people's behalf. Who is he to be so bold? Who is he to speak with such authority?  

Sometimes it just takes a bit of courage to speak out.  Even if the world tells you that you have no voice, there still might be an opportunity to speak.  Regardless of who you are, things still need to be said.  Hathach used his voice in a simple, yet powerful way.  Use yours too.  

Who are the Hathach's in our world?

Who are the Hathach's in your life?

What would it take to listen to them?

Prayer

Lord, help me to listen, help me to speak.  Amen 

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