Rich in Deeds and Willing to Share

PRAYER PRACTICE

Out loud, pray for God to speak to you through your reading. Praise God for giving us His word. Ask the Spirit to help you read with faith, and to live out what you hear from God through the passage.

DAILY READING

1 Timothy 6:10-19

DEVOTION/REFLECTION 

Means to an End
Katie Borden

I’m so thankful that today’s text includes that oft-misquoted verse: “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” It’s such a great line to start us thinking about the financial resources we have, how we view them, and how their presence affects our lives.

Notice that this verse doesn’t say that money itself is the root of all kinds of evil, but rather the love of money. Remember what Martin Luther says about where our affections are pointed: “whatever your heart clings to and confides in, that is really your God.” So perhaps we would do well to take stock of our hearts and consider how we truly view our money, and whether money is really the object of our affections. I find myself asking this question of my own motivations when faced with this scripture: are my resources a means by which I can joyfully bless others, or am I viewing wealth as an end unto itself in my life?

Rather than making our wealth the end goal (something which Paul reminds us is unreliable anyway), we as Christians have in mind the end goal of “life that is truly life” (v. 19). Of course, the good news of the Gospel is that Christ has already secured for us true, everlasting life in him, and there is no amount of wealth that can increase that promise or remove that promise from us. And praise be to God for that good news in Jesus!

What are we to do with our wealth, then? Why all of these instructions in 1 Timothy?

Because as Christians, wealth can be a means of blessing others and building up the body. But it is not our end. We are free from the life-sucking rat race that wealth-comparison and insecurity cause those for whom wealth is their god. We are free from the need to amass more and more for ourselves, and we are also free from burdening ourselves with guilt over having resources at our disposal, especially when we consider them in light of the opportunity they give us to generously bless those who are in need.

Whether we are or are not rich in resources is not the point; the ultimate goal of our hearts is the point. Thanks be to God that in Christ we are free to use our resources as a means to the end of bringing God glory by the way we love and care for those around us! That is the true richness of life.

God, thank you for the freedom to serve you in love. Thank you for fixing in my heart the desire to seek after you. And thank you that, when the eyes of my heart wander away from you, you graciously bring me back to you. Amen.

Love One Another

PRAYER PRACTICE

Cup Prayer—This prayer will help you pour your heart out to God (Ps. 62:8). Begin with your hands folded together like an upside-down cup. Pour out before God all your fears, anxieties, guilt, sin and shame. Tell Him what troubles you. Take time to be specific. When you feel like you’ve poured out your heart, flip your hands over, folding them like an open cup, ready to receive from God. Sit in silence, asking God simply to fill you with His Spirit. If your mind runs back to sin, shame, anxiety or concerns of the day, flip your hands back over and pour it out to the Lord. When you are finished praying, read today’s Scripture and listen as God shares His heart back with you.

DAILY READING

1 John 3:11-24

REFLECTION

Love and Power

by Katie Borden

In our world, we seem to be having more and more conversations about power—and usually, those conversations end up focusing on how power destroys. We know the old adage: “power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Power in this world seems like a domination game: there is only so much of it to go around, so in order to protect myself and get ahead in life, I need to amass more  power so you end up with less. Then, I need to lord my power over you, lest you try to grasp my power back from me—lest I find myself rendered powerless.

The longer I live, the more I am convinced that we have all bought into a giant lie when we treat power like a fixed resource to be hoarded instead of a renewable and expandable force that can empower others rather than dominate. 

That kind of power looks like LOVE. 

Love is a power that is not lorded over others. It is a power that exerted for the purpose of seeing creation thrive. This is the power Jesus exercises. Philippians 2 tells us that Jesus did not use his power to his own advantage, but rather, “made himself nothing, taking on the very nature of a servant.” This suffering servant used his power to forgive our sins and give us life in his name. THAT is power.

As I consider this compelling vision of power and love, I become more and more aware of how often I use any power I’m given to prop myself up. God is revealing to me how often I am tempted to tear down others in self-preservation. As the writer of 1 John reminds us, these are not actions that exhibit the love of God in our hearts. May we continue to ask him to turn us from our actions motivated by fear, selfishness, and sin, and to give us new hearts beating with the empowering, life-giving blood of the love of Christ.

Lord, make it so by the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

One Nation on Earth

PRAYER PRACTICE

Lectio – Read today’s passage through once. Then spend some time praying and asking God to show you what you need to pay attention to in the text. Read it again. Now ask God to help you see what this text, and the part that has stood out, may mean for you. Don’t expect to get a clear word every time but always be ready to really hear from God through His Word.

DAILY READING

2 Samuel 7:22-24

REFLECTION

Who is Like Your People?
by Katie Borden

"Who is like your people?”

I love this question that David asks in today’s reading. And part of the reason I love it so much is because typically, following a question like this would come a description of all the people’s best attributes. But as we see in 2 Samuel, the description of these people really has nothing to do with the people of Israel AT ALL.

Instead, it has everything to do with God.

GOD redeemed this chosen people for himself.
GOD made a way for the people of Israel.
GOD brought his beloved up out of bondage in Egypt.
GOD made a name for himself.
GOD “performed great and awesome wonders.”

None of this was Israel’s doing, but Israel benefited and flourished because of God’s faithfulness to her. And now we who are believers in Jesus are called God’s chosen people—we are his holy nation (1 Pet. 2:9). And this is not because of anything we did—it is not because of geographic location or cultural heritage, but because we are the beneficiaries of the everlasting covenant in Jesus.

Take some time today to give thanks for the goodness of God and his faithfulness to those who belong to him. And then let’s seek to be God’s blessing to those around us. Maybe though his work in us, our neighbors can be beneficiaries of God’s goodness, too!

Faith of a Sick Woman

PRAYER PRACTICE

Lectio – Read today’s passage through once. Then spend some time praying and asking God to show you what you need to pay attention to in the text. Read it again. Now ask God to help you see what this text, and the part that has stood out, may mean for you. Don’t expect to get a clear word every time but always be ready to really hear from God through His Word.

DAILY READING

Mark 5:24-34

REFLECTION

The Whole Truth
by Katie Borden

Today, we are not just reading the story of a woman who was in need of miraculous healing in her physical body by the power and presence of Jesus.
We are reading the story of a woman who was probably an outcast in her community because of her physical condition, and who likely experienced great shame as a result of her circumstances.

And we see Jesus reach out to her to provide for her in her deepest need—Jesus removes her shame and provides her with a restoration of her honor; he graces her with a healing and a freedom in her body and her soul.

Try to imagine, if you can, what I perceive to be the depth of this woman’s fear of being “found out” by Jesus—the text tells us that she came up to him from behind to touch his garment to be healed. She did not approach him eye-to-eye. I imagine that, desperate to receive healing but likely fearing further ostracization from her community if she were discovered, she could not bring herself to meet his face. We subconsciously understand the shame she was experiencing—we often use phrases like “I couldn’t face up to my wrongdoing” or “I couldn’t face her” when expressing our deep shame. And this shame often keeps us in hiding, weighed down by the crushing burden of our fear of being found out.

So what does Jesus do? He beautifully forces her hand, in a loving way that only Jesus can, so that she meets him directly (the text tells us she fell down at his feet) and “trembling with fear, told him the whole truth” (Mk. 5:33).

This woman who had been essentially hiding in shame for years has been given the opportunity to speak the truth about what has caused her pain. She is free to be honest about her condition. She is free to express her need for Jesus. And she is healed.

So what about me? What about you? Where are the places that Jesus desires our honesty? If we are deeply honest, can we name the places of fear or shame in our lives that Jesus wants to heal? Spend some time in conversation with the Lord about these things today. Speak honestly with him face-to-face, even if you too are “trembling with fear”. You’ll find that he is abounding in mercy and love. Thanks be to God.

The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost

PRAYER PRACTICE

Prayer Journal - To begin your daily worship today, grab a pen and paper and write out a prayer to God. Not sure what to write? Try using ACTS to frame your prayer. Begin with adoration for who God is. Then move on to confession – being real about where you have fallen short in the last day or two. Give thanks to God for all that He gives (including forgiveness for the sin you just confessed!). And then finish with supplication – with your prayer requests to God. When you are done, tuck this away somewhere (so you can read it later and see how God has answered your prayers) and then move into hearing from God through His Word.

DAILY READING

Acts 2:1-13

REFLECTION

by Katie Borden

Have you ever noticed that the presence of God's Spirit is often mysteriously found in wind and fire? We see fire in Moses' encounter with the burning bush in Exodus 3, and the pillars of smoke and fire led the Israelites in Exodus 13. Wind, or breath, is present as God himself breathed life into human beings in Genesis 2, and in the valley of dry bones in Ezekiel 37.

So in Acts 2, when the sound like the blowing of a violent wind and what appeared to be tongues of fire were present, it may come as no surprise to us as readers of Scripture that this indicates the presence of Holy Spirit.

We compare Holy Spirit to fire an awful lot.
But why wind?

Wind is something we as humans cannot control. Sure, we have technology that allows us to harness it for the benefit of our communities and societies. But make the wind blow, or control weather systems? We have little power over that. So too with the Spirit--we cannot dictate where or how He will move and act. But, like a sailor adjusting her sails to calculate for the movement of the wind, we can respond to God's Spirit in our lives.

We can similarly think of "breath" as a metaphor for the Spirit. The Spirit has breathed life through the gift of faith into each one of us, and that gift of the Spirit is nothing we can control, but something we can cultivate with gratitude, by his power.

The faith that is breathed into us by the power of the Spirit is fanned into flame in the church, in those whom he calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies (see Luther's Small Catechism for more on this).

God, thank you for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, and for how he continues his work in each of us today.

Twelve Apostles, Blessings and Woes

 

PRAYER PRACTICE

Lectio – Read today’s passage through once. Then spend some time praying and asking God to show you what you need to pay attention to in the text. Read it again. Now ask God to help you see what this text, and the part that has stood out, may mean for you. Don’t expect to get a clear word every time but always be ready to really hear from God through His Word.

DAILY READING

Luke 6:12-49

REFLECTION

The Spirit-Empowered Life

by Katie Borden

Let’s talk for a moment about pride and shame. (I promise it eventually connects to today’s passage!)

 

Pride and shame are two sides of the same coin—both tend to focus us on ourselves. These are imperfect definitions, but go with me here for a moment: pride tells me that “I’m good, and I’m entitled to respect and adoration”; shame tells me that “I’m bad, and I’m worthless and unlovable”. Either way, the focus is on myself.

 

When I read what Jesus says in this passage, I am often tempted to read his words as simply variations on a theme of moral list-keeping that I then assess if I’ve lived up to (in which case I pridefully pat myself on the back) or failed to live up to (which spirals me into a fit of shame). But what I forget so often is that, in either case, in my mind and heart I have put the onus on myself to accomplish all that Jesus is commanding here. And that’s just not going to turn out well, because apart from Jesus I am a very broken and sinful human.

 

What if, instead, we saw Jesus’ words here as a vision for the Spirit-empowered life? It is freeing to remember that though we are incapable of living this good, true, and beautiful life when left to our own broken and sinful devices, we know the One who can! The Holy Spirit empowers us to move our gaze off of our own selves (and the pride and shame that comes with that self-focus) and instead find our life and identity in Jesus. His invitation is one to a life of dependence on him and obedience to him, a life empowered by his Spirit. This is good news: that Jesus is not just giving us a list of spiritual “to-dos”, he is inviting us into a life with him!

 

Holy Spirit, help us to turn our eyes to Jesus and receive, again today, the gift of life with him. Amen.

 

 

The coming of the Kingdom of God

 

Lectio – Read today’s passage through once. Then spend some time praying and asking God to show you what you need to pay attention to in the text. Read it again. Now ask God to help you see what this text, and the part that has stood out, may mean for you. Don’t expect to get a clear word every time but always be ready to really hear from God through His Word.

DAILY READING

Luke 17:20-37

REFLECTION

Already, Not Yet

 by Katie Borden

In “pandemic life”, I’ve learned a lot about myself—the good, the bad, and the ugly. One of the things I’ve learned is that I manage my time, for better or worse, according to the principle of “NOW/NOT-NOW”. If something doesn’t need my attention NOW, it usually just plain doesn’t get my attention. This actually makes me adept at managing multiple issues at once in a crisis, but a terrible planner and prioritizer when I’m not up against a deadline. That’s fine when everything is on fire, but when it comes to living intentionally, I have a lot of learning and growing to do. I suspect I’m not the only one.

In stark contrast to the “NOW/NOT-NOW” filter through which some of us live, Jesus lays out a whole different paradigm in this passage: the kingdom of God operates in an “ALREADY/NOT-YET” fashion. On the one hand, the kingdom of God has ALREADY broken into this world. We encounter God’s kingdom in the person of Jesus and through the work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection are the ALREADY-available first-fruits of the age to come, when all is made well and we will live in perfect unity with God.

On the other hand, the full consummation of the kingdom of God has NOT YET been realized—it is yet to come when Jesus comes again. If we were ever in doubt of this truth, the raging pandemic, the political and racial tensions, and the natural disasters of the past year bear witness to the fact that all creation groans in eager expectation for the consummation of the kingdom of God.

Do you notice that in both instances (the “ALREADY” and the “NOT-YET”), the kingdom of God comes in and through Jesus? We encounter the kingdom of God when we encounter Jesus, and our lives are reoriented to the things of the kingdom when we are formed in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. My “NOW/NOT-NOW” thinking is often focused on temporal things. But as Jesus teaches me to view the world through an “ALREADY/NOT-YET” lens, I’m able to engage in the “here and now” with increasing spiritual vision, and I’m empowered to engage more fully and intentionally in the world around me. It’s in Jesus that we find life, and in Jesus we are shaped to prioritize his way of life and live intentionally for his eternal purposes.

As you pray today, ask Jesus to continue to reveal himself to you and shape you in his ways. Thank him that he has already ushered in the first-fruits of the kingdom of God, and ask him to help you live with spiritual vision “here and now” as he gives you hope for the age to come.

(For even more practical application, check out UALC’s growth workshops. My small group has been working through the “Following Jesus After Isolation” workshop together, and it has been a gift to us as we help each other walk intentionally in the way of the kingdom. Check out ualc.org/grow)

 

Birth of John the Baptist

PRAYER PRACTICE

Spoken Prayer – Out loud, pray for God to speak to you through your reading. Praise God for giving us His word. Ask the Spirit to help you read with faith, and to live out what you hear from God through the passage.

DAILY READING

Luke 1:57-80

REFLECTION

He is Always Working

by Katie Borden

Something I find so incredible about God’s Spirit is how he brings the Scriptures to life, often highlighting a different facet of truth to us each time we come back to a passage.

As I pondered today’s reading, I was struck by the role the Spirit played in Zechariah’s life. I can’t help but notice that phrase in verse 67 right before Zechariah’s praise and prophecy: “Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit.” Zechariah doesn’t just will this song into being by his own fortitude. We are seeing evidence of the Holy Spirit at work.

But what about the months before this moment, the months Zechariah found himself without a voice, while he endured what I can only imagine was a painful silence? Where was God then? There is certainly nothing flashy about Zechariah’s inability to speak or Elizabeth’s wait for their child to be born.

Yet even then, I believe the Lord was working. Even before the evidence of his work is in plain sight, even before the birth of the fulfillment of his word, God is working. Zechariah’s song didn’t come out of nowhere. The child grew and was nurtured in Elizabeth’s womb, filled with the Holy Spirit, and then was born and named John as a fulfillment of the sign the angel had previously given to Zechariah (Luke 1:13-20). The Spirit then birthed praises from the mouth of Zechariah, bringing glory to God and proclamations of his goodness.

Perhaps you are finding yourself in a moment of your life where you are seeing how God is birthing fruit in you, and you cannot help but burst with praise. Give thanks to God for the ways he has made himself evident in your life. Shout it out! Sing it from the rooftops! Give testimony to what God has done. Thanks be to God!

But perhaps you find yourself in a season where it feels like you have nothing to show for your days. Perhaps it feels like in some way, God has brought a quiet over your life. Rest assured, the Spirit is working, even when you don’t see or feel evidence of that work. You can rest in his promises and assurance—rest in the hands of the God of mercy, peace, faithfulness, and redemption. Thanks be to God!

Holy Spirit, we thank you for how you are working in us and through us, even now, even today. You are good. Amen.

Daniel's Vision of a Man

 As Daniel anguishes over the fate of his people, and the visions he has received, he is visited by an angelic figure. In this conversation, the angel reveals that, behind the earthly struggles which Daniel can see is a spiritual battle. As you read, consider what spiritual battles may be happening around you today. Allow God to open your eyes to the spiritual reality behind our physical reality – and remember, in this hidden, spiritual battle, God is victorious!

 

STUDY THE SCRIPTURE

 

Click here to access the reading from Daniel 10:12-21

 

For more help use these Bible Study methods.

 

REFLECTION

 

A Weary World

By Katie Borden

 

I’ve been hearing a common word surface lately in conversations where people are describing the current state of affairs and their own experience of the times we’re in:

Weary.

We are fighting a lot of battles right now: how to find ways to stave off the anxiety of this pandemic and political season, how to create some semblance of structure and healthy rhythms for our children who are learning from home—again—or how to make ends meet when our small business has been forced to shutter. Add to those battles the strain of the holidays and extra energy required to pretend that “all is well” (why do we do this to ourselves?!), and it sometimes seems as though we are barely scraping ourselves to the end of the day, only to have to do it all over again tomorrow.

Reading today’s passage from the book of Daniel gives my heart a release valve of sorts—with odd relief, I find myself resonating with Daniel (though admittedly under quite different circumstances) as he admits his anguish and weakness to this heavenly being (likely the angel Gabriel). As I look at the battles I face, my heart asks the question “How long will things be like this?”, and I’m reminded of the spiritual battles (v. 13) that are being waged, even now all around me.

What’s more, I can freely admit that the battle wages on within me. My own fear, my own pride, and my own rebellion—my sin—lead to the ever-increasing weariness I feel in my own heart. Some of it is inflicted upon me, yes, but much of it is my own doing.

Thank God that he is the victorious one, and that the battle for my heart has already been won. Just as Daniel is strengthened, so may God strengthen us for the spiritual battles we will engage in, knowing that he is the victor. May we be encouraged by that truth, and face tomorrow with the hope that only our God can give.

King of Kings and Lord of Lords, we ask you to open our eyes to how you are working through the spiritual battles we are engaged in today. Turn our eyes to you, and help us to trust in you—the One to whom belongs the ultimate victory. Amen.

UALC’S CAMPAIGN OF PRAYER

WEDNESDAY JUSTICE: Stir up the power of your Holy Spirit to create reconciliation and justice where we cannot. We are enmeshed in the sin and hurt and futility of a fallen world. But you, O God, have raised Jesus from the dead and poured out the Spirit of your new creation. Reconcile us to one another across the divides we alone cannot cross, in the justice and wholeness only you can create.

The Year of the Lord's Favor

 If the first verse of today’s reading sounds familiar, it is because this is the text that Jesus read at the synagogue to describe Himself and His ministry. Read through the passage carefully and consider all that it says. What does it tell you about Jesus that He chose this text to describe His work on earth?

 

STUDY THE SCRIPTURE

 

Click here to access the reading from Isaiah 61:1-11

 

For more help use these Bible Study methods.

 

REFLECTION

 

The Year of the Lord’s Favor

By Katie Borden

In a normal year, my family starts listening to Christmas music on November 1. This year, which has been anything but normal, I began inundating myself with Christmas tunes significantly earlier than that. One of the pieces I’ve been listening to with some regularity is “O Holy Night”, and as I read today’s Scripture from Isaiah, I am reminded of one of my favorite lines from that carol:

 …A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices…

I think today’s text gives us permission to name the weariness and grief that has hung heavy around & upon us throughout these last months, but it does so much more than that. It gives us hope to cling to, particularly in the midst of an acutely intense week.

At the beginning of this week, we remembered those who have gone before us into the glorious company of the saints on All Saints Day, and at the end of this week, our nation will be processing the results of Tuesday’s election. To be honest, as I write I do not know what our world will look like on this post-election Wednesday. I do not know which candidates may be rejoicing and who may be mourning. I pray to the Lord for peace, though I do not know if I will see peace in our world today. But this I do know: that ultimate hope and true peace is only found in the Prince of Peace, and that someday, God will bring peace and justice and restoration to all things. Dear readers, I look forward to that day so much!

As we process the events of the last days, weeks, and months, and as we consider what the future may hold, we as believers know that we can rest our ultimate hope and faith in Jesus, in whom these words of Isaiah are fulfilled. My heart leaps when I read Luke 4 where Jesus quotes this very chapter of Isaiah and then declares in the power of the Spirit, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing”. Thanks be to God!

The people of Israel heard these words and looked forward to the day when they would be fulfilled. Today, we can look to Jesus and know that hope, healing, peace, freedom, and restoration are found this very day in him. And someday, the whole creation will be set right with God’s shalom—his peace and his justice will reign forevermore. In that truth, dear weary world, we can rejoice.

 

UALC’S CAMPAIGN OF PRAYER

WEDNESDAY: JUSTICE: Stir up the power of your Holy Spirit to create reconciliation and justice where we cannot. We are enmeshed in the sin and hurt and futility of a fallen world. But you, O God, have raised Jesus from the dead and poured out the Spirit of your new creation. Reconcile us to one another across the divides we alone cannot cross, in the justice and wholeness only you can create.

 

 

Moses Returns to Egypt

Moses prepares to head to Egypt, but he and his family are not spiritually prepared. They have not performed the act of circumcision on their sons. Moses learns that he cannot serve the LORD without devotion to the LORD. Here God spares Moses, which will become a contrast for His coming judgement against the firstborn of Egypt. We learn that God is faithful – to both His promises and his warnings.

 

STUDY THE SCRIPTURE

 

Click here to access the reading from Exodus 4:18-31

 

For more help use these Bible Study methods.

 

REFLECTION

 

God’s Story

By Katie Borden

If you’re like me, you definitely have some questions about what we read today in Moses’ story. And if you are as confused as I’ve been, allow me to share with you a crucial adjustment I had to make in my mind’s framing of this whole passage concerning Moses’ story.

I had to stop making it all about Moses’ story.

Sure, Moses is one of the main characters we are zoomed in on during this particular episode of God’s redemption narrative. But that’s just it—it is GOD’S story. This passage is one small slice of the overarching narrative of God’s salvation and redemption of humanity and all of creation. And that makes this passage come alive in a whole different way!

God is the one acting here, and he acts in ways that connect the thread of this story to both prior and future events in a way that testify to God’s saving power. The conversation concerning warnings to Pharaoh? We can’t gloss over the difficulty of the passage and the consequences that God reveals are coming upon Pharaoh and his household. But neither can we miss the fact that we are witness to the love of God for his people. Notice in verse 22 that he calls Israel his firstborn son. Israel’s identity is made fully known in this passage—they are a people belonging to God, as he declared to Abraham back in Genesis.

And the part where God tries to kill Moses? Yep, it’s weird to me, too. It seems strange that what saved Moses was the circumcision of his son. But circumcision was the sign of God’s everlasting covenant with his people through Abraham (see Gen. 17). It was the way he identified these people as his.

But what really boggles my mind about this encounter between God and Moses on the way to Egypt is the fact that Moses didn’t do anything to save himself (Zipporah performed the circumcision on their son). He was saved by another’s blood, much like the Israelites would be during the Passover (spoiler alert: God saves his people and releases them from bondage). This encounter also points my eyes forward to the cross—I am again reminded of my own inability to save myself, and am brought to a renewed sense of gratitude for the sacrifice of Jesus’ blood on my behalf. His blood saves me and releases me from the bondage of sin.

All thanks and praise to God for the ways he worked through his people all those years ago, and thanks be to God for the ways he continues to work in our lives today. He truly is the Way Maker!

UALC’S CAMPAIGN OF PRAYER

WEDNESDAY: JUSTICE: Stir up the power of your Holy Spirit to create reconciliation and justice where we cannot. We are enmeshed in the sin and hurt and futility of a fallen world. But you, O God, have raised Jesus from the dead and poured out the Spirit of your new creation. Reconcile us to one another across the divides we alone cannot cross, in the justice and wholeness only you can create.

Hallelujah

Heaven rejoices at the just action of God – “Babylon” is destroyed, and the people of God are vindicated. But the text also begins a turn that reminds us of the purpose of this book – it is not to point to judgement and destruction, but to the goodness of Jesus! Pay close attention to the end of today’s text and consider all we have read in Revelation in light of verse 10, which tells us the purpose of this prophecy.

STUDY THE SCRIPTURE

Click here to access the reading from Revelation 19:1-10

For more help use these Bible Study methods.

REFLECTION

Hallelujah! God Be Praised!

By Katie Borden

Several years back, I had the opportunity to worship with brothers and sisters in Christ at a large church in Seoul, South Korea. That experience was powerful, as the whole sanctuary was overwhelmed with the ringing of voices bellowing a hymn of praise to our God in many languages. I was moved to tears by the realization that those of us gathered were of many tribes, tongues, and nations, and yet we were united in praise to God. The hymn we were singing was “Holy, Holy, Holy”—and those hymn lyrics come straight out of the book of Revelation, depicting exactly the kind of vision we read about today. 

I’m reminded of that moment as I read about the “great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder” shouting “Hallelujah!” This cry of “Hallelujah!” (meaning “God be praised!”) in Revelation 19 is in stark contrast to the deafening silence of the end of chapter 18, where all was stilled as Babylon was destroyed. There was no music. There was no dancing, no celebration. But here, in these verses we read today, we see great celebration and worship of our God. And isn’t that good news? This image in Revelation 19 is not wholly independent of the vision of Babylon’s fall. Rather, this revelation of John bears witness to the finished work of Christ and his victory over sin, evil and death.

This truth gives me great hope today. We do not enter into worship ignoring the realities around us. We worship a God who has heard our cries, and who lived and walked this earth, facing evil head-on and emerging victorious through his death and resurrection. It is in the finished work of Jesus that we have our hope. And that is the power of this revelation, of this prophecy. We read in verse 10 that it points to Christ—it “bears testimony to Jesus.” This passage demonstrates both the GREATNESS and the GOODNESS of our Lord. These “Hallelujahs”—these declarations of praise to God—testify to who he is and what he has done. 

So, when you are tempted to despair, dear friends, do not think that heaven has forgotten you, or me, or the plight of our world in this current age. Rather, take heart in the person and work of Jesus Christ—he has the victory! Hallelujah! May God be praised! 

UALC’S CAMPAIGN OF PRAYER

WEDNESDAY WISDOM – Pray for wisdom in these times as we all work toward protecting lives and consider the livelihoods of millions hurt by the economic impact.

Fix Your Eyes on Jesus

July 1, 2020

This passage in Hebrews was written to encourage suffering Christians. They are told to identify with and focus on Jesus in difficult times. What does this passage have to say to you about how to persevere during this crisis?  

STUDY THE SCRIPTURE

Click here to access the reading from Hebrews 12:1-13

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REFLECTION

Fix Your Eyes on Jesus

By Katie Borden

  

I’ve done a bit of running over the years, and so I’ve historically identified with the analogy the author of Hebrews is drawing in this text. During one road race, I learned the hard way about how important it is to fix your gaze on your ultimate prize and not let distractions creep in. I was a tired mess and still had one or two miles to go on this run, when the course took us tortuously uphill past one of my favorite brunch establishments. 

My gaze left the course and drifted over to the restaurant, where I imagined how much more satisfying a giant stack of pancakes would be in that moment than pounding my blistered feet, one in front of the other, on the hot pavement. And as I tried to continue running forward while glancing off to the side of the course, my body got confused, and I tripped myself. Not exactly the way I’d wanted to finish that run.

How often do we trip ourselves up looking for a shortcut, or for an easier way out? In this season of massive upheaval in our world, I imagine I am not the only one who has struggled to maintain my gaze on the One who is the only Source of true life—my life often looks more like one that “occasionally glances my eyes in Jesus’ direction”. I’ve tried to shortcut the journey by turning to things—even good things—that might satisfy in the immediate, but in my attempt to use them to do what only relationship with Jesus does in my life, they leave me feeling more tripped up, hungry, and weary than before.

Thanks be to God for the life and person of Jesus, who calms our anxious fears, who offers us everlasting life, and whose presence goes with us on our journey. Lord, fix my gaze on You.

UALC’S CAMPAIGN OF PRAYER      

WEDNESDAY: WISDOM
Pray for wisdom in these times as we all work toward protecting lives and consider the livelihoods of millions hurt by the economic impact. 

Ruler Born in Bethlehem

DECEMBER 27

Scripture Reading

Read Micah 5:1-5 and reflect on the passage.

The Christmas season is my favorite. Everyone is merrier, the days feel more magical, and “holiday cheer” brightens the night. I have always highly anticipated Christmas morning, the “best moment” of every year.

So, it comes as no surprise that December 26th has historically been my least favorite day of the year. On that day, houseguests head home, all the radio stations go back to playing regular boring non-Christmas music, and the anticipation gives way to a massive post-holiday emotional letdown.

When my siblings were expecting children, however, my perspective on the anticipation of this season changed. The long wait to meet these newborns certainly didn’t end in a letdown—it gave way to the joy of sharing life with them and watching them change their world. Life was fundamentally different since they arrived, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

When God promised Israel a Ruler who would reach the ends of the earth with His rule and reign, He didn’t promise us a one-day event. In Christ’s birth is the promise of ages, an eternal hope, and everlasting life that is renewed day after day after day.

That’s the best news on December 26th, 27th, and beyond!

Questions

How has Christ’s birth fundamentally changed your life?

How can you find ways to live into the daily hope of life with Christ?

Prayer: Thank you, Jesus, that Your birth was not a one-time event, but the beginning of my eternal life with You. Amen.

                                                                                                                                    Katie Borden

Jesus is a sacrifice of atonement

12 ApriL                        

Read Romans 3:22-26 and reflect on the passage.

When I worked as a teacher, one of the things that broke My heart was to observe the sorrow in students who were being disciplined. Often, through tears with a head hung low, the words would be spoken— even whispered at times—“I’ll do better next time.”

We say this as adults, after we’ve spouted off in the direction of the person who cut us off in traffic, or spewed venom at our spouse, or failed to meet a deadline at work: “I’ll do better next time.”

And the reality is, we know we will make a mess of things again. Over and over and over, we are incapable of getting things right, of being good enough or strong enough or kind enough or “together” enough (whatever that even means).

Thank God for Christ’s redeeming work on the cross! While in the Old Testament, the sins of the Israelites were placed on the scapegoat over and over so the people could be reconciled to God, Christ took on the sin of the world, once and for all, on that cross on Calvary. Thanks be to God for the redemption by Christ Jesus!

Questions

1. In what areas of life do you find yourself striving to “do better next time?”

2. What freedom is there for you in knowing that, because of Christ’s work on the cross, you are now counted as “enough?”

Prayer

Lord, thank You for Your redeeming work on the cross. Thank You that I’m free from sin, and stand before You justified through Jesus’ sacrifice.

—Katie Borden