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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Today's Frontline Devotion February 18, 2005 |
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Frontline Devotion for Friday, February 18, 2005 By Mike
Martine
Matthew
27:15-26 (The crowd chooses Barabbas.)
A few weeks back, Tony Blair was talking about the treaty designed to curb
global warming. His comments were designed to bring the U.S. back to the table,
to get us to go along with the treaty and start becoming more environmentally
conscious and responsible.
At the same time, he stressed, the world needs to recognize that the great
powers of the earth will not accept a reduced standard of living in exchange for
such efforts.
In other words, we might be destroying the world for our children, but if we
can’t have life the way we want it, so be it.
I wasn’t angered by Blair’s comments because I realized that they were,
simply, statements of fact. Sometimes individuals will be noble and choose to
live in ways that will have minimal effect on the future. Get us in a crowd,
though, and that’s not likely to happen. We won’t, as a group, accept
anything less than what we really want. Given the choice, we always choose
Barabbas.
Thoreau must have had this biblical scene in mind when he penned the phrase,
“the majority is always wrong.” Get us in a crowd and our baser nature tends
to come through. We make the popular choice; the greedy choice; the “fun”
choice; the wrong choice.
At the same time, we are reminded that, despite the fact that we always choose
Barabbas, God can overcome our bad choices. Jesus suffered the consequence of
human sin, and yet, his presence brought about a complete turnaround in the
world.
And it is for these moments, these “God” moments that we are called to live.
We are called to strive against the odds, against our own sin, against the fact
that this world is fallen to make the choice for Jesus. Our Lord has promised
that, despite our tendency to make the wrong choice, the spirit is present and
will help us to correct our direction and make the right choice. The spirit is
there to even help bring the world back to a better path through our efforts.
The spirit is there to help us when we finally find the courage to cry out,
“Jesus!” even when all others cry for Barabbas.
Prayer: Father, we tend to make the wrong choice. We tend to cry for Barabbas,
for the things we want rather than for the way of your son. Strengthen us, and
continue to work through us so that this world, which makes so many wrong
choices, might be saved. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.
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All are welcome to join and share in our Devotional Ministry on the "Frontlines" of the world. Frontline Devotions are sent via email daily. Sign up by clicking on the box to the left. Pastor Dave welcomes feedback. Contact him at pastordave@goodshepherdonline.org. |
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