Advent Devotions
All are invited as we Make Room this Advent season.
Turn the Tables
Today’s author is Prince of Peace’s Intentional Interim, Pr. Steve Sylvester.
“Jesus Cleanses the Temple,” which is the common heading for yesterday’s Scripture passage, is FAR too weak. In observance of The Passover, Jewish pilgrims travelled to Jerusalem to pay the Temple tax and offer sacrifice. Many, especially those who came from some distance away, did not bring their own animals. At the gates of the Temple, money changers set up tables to exchange whatever currency pilgrims brought for the Shekel of Tyre, the coin minted by King Herod which was the only acceptable currency for the Temple tax, and in the same area merchants sold animals for sacrifice. It was well known that the exchange rate of the moneychangers took advantage of pilgrims, and animals were sold for significantly more than they were worth. Jesus wades into all this, fashions a whip from nearby cords, screams at the top of his lungs, spittle flying and arms flailing, and drives the moneylovers and Godhaters out of the Temple. So, what heading would I give this passage? Maybe something like, “Jesus Attacks the Temple Industrial Complex.”
On January 7, 2026, Renee Good was murdered by an ICE officer. She was murdered as she was protesting the unjust actions of our present administration. Speaking as a Christian instead of an American, I choose to wave off any claim that Good had a right to be where she was, doing what she was doing. What I would say instead is that She was exercising her moral responsibility to do so. It was Jesus’ opposition to the powers and principalities of the time, illustrated most plainly by his attack on the Temple Industrial Complex, that resulted in his execution on a cross. It was Renee Good’s opposition to the power of our lawless and cruel administration that resulted in her murder.
Many have opined that Renee Good might now be skiing with friends or watching TV with her daughter if she had just done what had been asked of her, if she had just obeyed the commands of the ICE officers (and it needs to be pointed out that obeying would have been very difficult, as she was given conflicting commands). And now the rest of us are told that if we mind our own business and stop protesting injustice, all will be well. But injustice demands that we respond with disobedience, whether that disobedience is throwing tea overboard into the harbor, sitting at lunch counters, leaving water in the desert for immigrants or filming an invasion by federal agents. There will always be people who acquiesce to power, but as followers of Jesus, we should not be among them. Prayer and peaceful disobedience are how we weaponize our participation in society, and when things are this broken, we need to be very good at both.
Lastly, for those who are uncomfortable with their pastor “talking politics” in a weekly devotion, we are far past that. This is not a political disagreement. This is a moral disagreement about which we cannot shrug and “agree to disagree.” People are dying as this administration feeds us with Coliseum Cruelty for the purpose of titillating those who love it and terrifying those who oppose it. Even as we love our enemy, we need to feed off Jesus’ anger and frustration. We must turn the tables.
Previously…
In hope we were saved
Today's author is PrincePrince of Peace's Intentional Interim Pastor, Steve Sylvester. In hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope, for who hopes for what one already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Romans...
Suffering (pt. 2)
Today's devotion was written by Prince of Peace member Carol Swanson. Text: Isaiah 52:13–53:12 One of those SNAFUs that happens... Wednesday’s devotion got only partly loaded. So this is partly repeat and then Part 2. How does God suffer as we suffer?...
Suffering
Today's author is Prince of Peace member Carol Swanson Isaiah 52:13-53:12 In Sunday’s Forum, our guest speaker, Cameron Howard, professor of Old Testament at Luther Seminary, led us through the four “Servant Songs” of Isaiah (Isaiah 42:1-4;...
What principle would you die for?
Today's author is PrincePrince of Peace's Intentional Interim Pastor, Steve Sylvester. Anne Lamott is a favorite author of mine. In one of her books, perhaps “Bird by Bird," she writes of the thoughts that come fluttering down from heaven. It's because of those...