Devotion
We Will Serve the Lord
Frances Taylor
Joshua has brought the Israelites into the Promised Land and conquered the land. Now he is about to die and gives the people the choice as to whether they will follow the Lord or follow the false gods of the land. He declares that he and his household will serve the Lord. They will have to choose every day to follow God just as we do, and sometimes we make the wrong choice, just as they did.
Deciding to be a Christian is not a one day or one time decision. We are tempted every day to go in the wrong direction. The Israelites promised to give up their false gods in order to follow the one God. The false gods of that time were pretty easy to identify with Baal being the most prominent. The false gods of today are a little harder to identify and can be different for each person. We all have our demons that we need to be rid of. For some, it can be the need for money, and I don't mean for survival, I mean for itself. For others it can be the best car, the best house, the latest technology, or the most gadgets. People who follow sports might choose to spend more to attend an event than they do on food for their families. We see the results of wanting power or fame all the time, and it isn't pretty! We have declared our willingness to serve the Lord, now we need to rid ourselves of our false gods that prevent us from doing this with our whole hearts.
Prayer
Dear God, Joshua tells the people that you are a jealous God, but you are also loving and forgiving, and for that we are grateful. Please show us our false gods so that we may rid our lives of them and be able to serve you better. Amen.
Devotion
Culpability
Frances Taylor
This is an interesting passage because, among other things, it talks about sin and who is considered guilty of sin. Paul is talking about how he has been forgiven, how God has been merciful to him because his actions were committed in unbelief. In order for sin to be committed, one needs to know he is committing it. No one can commit sin in retrospect. Sin is always a deliberate act. This can be hard for some to understand. Actions can be considered sinful, even though the person committing them may not be culpable. For example, lying is a sin. However, is the two year old hiding behind the curtains sinning when he or she claims not to have broken the vase? No, because the child has no understanding of the difference between truth and lie. Those who do not have a relationship with God, who do not know the commandments, who have never heard of Jesus, may commit sinful actions, but are not guilty of sin. This is what Paul claims is his situation. Paul ...
Morning Prayer
And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, ) full of grace and truth.
Inspiration
When the Lord sent his only Son, he sent also his word. For his body was this very word made flesh. Importantly this was not simply a manifestation of God's word, but also rather an 'animation' of it (meant here in the original Latin as 'animare' –'to instill with life or spirit'), an instance of God's love and divine grace in action, among us.
Prayer
Lord, I am grateful for your mercy in showing us your word made flesh so that we may be redeemed. Further, I am grateful to you for showing us your love and grace through your only begotten son. Let his body not have been torn and broken for no avail, but feed us now in the Eucharist. Let not his blood have...
