Advent Devotions
All are invited as we Make Room this Advent season.
Honing your belief
Today’s author is Prince of Peace’s Intentional Interim, Pastor Steve Sylvester.
I’ve told several of you that John’s Jesus is my least favorite Jesus, but at the same time, it’s my favorite Gospel. I find the Jesus in John to be offputtingly imperious and a bit detached, but John’s narrative prowess is simply unmatched by the other three Gospel writers. My absolute favorite chapter in John—and not only in John, but in the Bible as a whole—is the 9th chapter. It is simply… perfect.
One of the oft missed things about this 9th chapter is that Jesus is present in only 13 of its 41 verses. During the meat of the story, verses 8 through 34, Jesus is offstage, and that entire two-thirds of the chapter is about the other characters interacting. This is especially noteworthy in a Gospel in which Jesus is directing literally everything, even from the cross as he is dying when he gives one of his disciples and his mother to each other.
My take on this 9th chapter is that it is similar to a Greek tragedy. A convention of the Greek tragedy is that all the action took place within a twenty-four-hour period, even though the story of any given tragedy might have stretched over years or even a lifetime. In John 9, our life is depicted in a story that took place over several hours. As Jesus told his disciples in chapter 16, “I came from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and am going to the Father.” So it is with us. We come from God, and we go to God, and in between we interact with God’s children and God’s good creation.
Like “the man who had formerly been blind” (no name, and not even a hieroglyph like Prince), it is in that interaction that our belief is honed. TMWHFBB initially has no idea who Jesus is or what to make of him. But as he is questioned, attacked and badgered, he moves from simply narrating the details of his healing to believing that, at the very least, the one who healed him is “from God.”
Think of how your belief has changed and flowered through engaging with others. We hear a different perspective, and we wonder what it means. We are exposed to an idea that challenges something we have always accepted without question, and faith is deepened. God ushers us into life and then welcomes us into the world to come. During the time in between we shape each other, like friends, neighbors, family and enemies shaped TMWHFBB. So, don’t “protect” your belief. Let it be prodded. Let it be pushed, poked at, challenged. It will change, but it will grow, and you and God’s children will be better off for it.
Previously…
A Cry for Justice
In the wake of George Floyd’s tragic murder in 2020, over 2700 works of public and street art emerged globally, transforming cityscapes into canvases of protest and hope. These vibrant murals and poignant graffiti pieces became powerful expressions of collective grief, anger, and a profound yearning for justice. God is at work in these creative expressions, speaking through the hands of artists who channel the pain and hope of their communities into visual cries for change.
Elevate the Ordinary
When I was in college I took an art history class called “women in the arts”. While we certainly discussed the few women who succeeded in the wealthy male-dominated fine arts scene of Europe’s Renaissance and beyond, what I found most fascinating was how much of the women’s contributions to the arts were simply part of the everyday experiences of life, necessary for survival (spinning, knitting, weaving, and mending clothing and blankets) or sometimes adornments for celebrations (lace, embroidery), and often in the fiber arts.
Visual Sermons
During the Renaissance, the Church recognized the profound impact of art in communicating the biblical narrative and inspiring faith. Artists like Michelangelo, Raphael, and Leonardo da Vinci were commissioned to create masterpieces that brought the stories of Scripture to life in vivid and captivating ways. These works of art were not mere decorations; they were visual sermons that invited viewers to contemplate the mysteries of faith and the grandeur of God’s creation.
May(be)
I can’t believe it’s the last day of May – where did the time go? I spend too much time, it seems, staring at my screens and not enough staring out the window. Or better yet, as I suggested last Sunday, taking time to be outside.