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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Today's Frontline Devotion January 18, 2006 DOORS |
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Frontline Devotion for Wednesday, January 18, 2006 by Penny Risen
“God enters by a private door into every individual.”
--- Ralph Waldo Emerson: American writer, poet and philosopher (1802-1882).
“Jesus went out and saw a man named Matthew at his work collecting taxes. Jesus said, ‘Come along with Me.’ And he did --- walked away from everything and went with Him.“
--- Gospel of Luke 5: 27-32: Jesus calls His disciples in Galilee (1st Century CE).
Two men, Emerson and Matthew, boldly stepped outside their comfort zones to change their lives, and to seek and love God in their own way. Each took a risk to find a unique relationship with his Lord. Each was scorned, but each also was blessed for being true to himself and his faith when called --- although he may not have realized it when this door first was opened.
Matthew (called Levi in his days as a tax collector) was a sinner and a collaborator with the Romans, who he served. He and his job were hated by the Jews. He was viewed as the most dishonest and despicable of men because he had to cheat taxpayers to make his living. When Matthew threw a large dinner at his home for Jesus, attended by other tax men and disreputable characters, the Pharisees were very offended. Jesus heard about it and spoke up, “Who needs a doctor: The healthy or the sick? I'm here inviting outsiders, not insiders --- an invitation to a changed life, changed inside and out." (The Message Bible)
Matthew knew he was a sinner, but he was forgiven and granted a new chance in life through Jesus Christ by a door called Grace. As the Disciple Matthew --- in service to and support of Jesus in His mission --- he earned his new name meaning: “Gift of the Lord.”
Son of an old, respected Boston family, Emerson was an insider. Most believed that his fate for a career was sealed: For many generations, men in his family entered the ministry of the Unitarian Church. But after only three years of successful service at the Second Church of Boston, this 29-year-old well-spoken and gentle clergyman had a crisis of vocation. After preaching about his doubts of Unitarian doctrine in 1832, Emerson asked to go his own way and leave his parish. Among his Christian brothers and sisters, he’d learned much about life, death, marriage, love, peace and joy in ministering to them. He’d also honed his skills as a writer and speaker, preaching on the nature of Jesus, spiritual discernment, sin and virtue.
Literature mostly ignores Emerson’s past as a preacher, although he never officially resigned from the ministry. But his writing is God-filled, joyful, hopeful and celebrates his Christian spirit and relationship to Christ: “All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen” … “Beware when the great God lets loose a thinker on this planet” … “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”
Emerson was granted many creative opportunities nurtured in his service to the church, and he was blessed to have God enter his life through a door called Creativity. After all, his favorite Scripture verse from Luke 17 speaks humbly instead of boldly in celebration: “The Kingdom of God is within you.”
So, how does God enter into your life each day?
Perhaps God enters through the door of Music, enriching you as you sing His praise at worship, or inspiring you with a beautiful melody or joyful jazz riff after a frantic workday.
Maybe God enters through the door of Healing, as a friend comforts you in trial and sorrow, or as you lend a hand to someone less fortunate.
When God enters through the door of Reconciliation, you find strength to seek forgiveness for disloyalty to a spouse, or to patch up a relationship marred by selfishness.
We don’t have any wise words officially attributed to Matthew that would inspire us to welcome God through a private door. But perhaps this advice from Emerson is suitable to speak for both Christian believers (in a 1838 address to students at the Divinity College in Cambridge, Mass.)
“Dare to love God without mediator or veil.”
Prayer for the Day: Dear Lord, open my heart to Your love and grace when I forget to put You first in my life. Thank you for the inspiration of the Gospels and the Word of Jesus to both sinners and saints. Help me to welcome change when challenged, and to forgive even if I’m not asked. Amen.
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