A Devotional for Progressive Christians

INTRODUCTION: This booklet was first prepared as a ‘Prayer Journal’ of my own reflections. After some rereading and thinking, it seemed that it might be helpful for others who are having difficulty with an older form of personal devotions. Thus in following the traditional pattern of scripture reading, reflection, and a brief prayer, I have tried to explore the relationship of Bible reading and it’s meaning for one’s personal life. The use of non-traditional language in addressing God or thinking about Deity is an attempt to move away from the understanding of Divinity as an outside source of power. Traditionally, this super-power breaks into our lives with revelations about what we should believe. Instead, these pages are designed to help us shift the source of responsibility. The Divine is already in the workings of our own thinking, feeling, and decision-making inner self. Our task is to acknowledge that presence and then take responsibility for what we do. Day 1 Ephesians 2: 8 – 10 “Grace has saved you… For we are what he has made us….” The relationship between initiative of the Deity and initiative of the individual has always been a concern for me. Earlier in my life and thinking it seemed that scripture and Christian teaching proclaimed that God acted first and planted whatever good things I did within me, as the above passage can read. But it’s only come to me in recent times that there’s an alternative understanding of the way God can work—not ‘Deus ex Machina’—God coming from an outside place into my life—but God being a part of my life and using who I already am to face every issue coming before me. Then I can make the most responsible judgment or decision that I can. This shifts the understanding of Deity and religion from an external force or power into an inside potential that is always there, ready to be utilized; but it’s waiting for me to ‘take the initiative’. Perhaps that’s the way that we take action on behalf of the Deity. Prayer: “Holder of who I am, bring together new strands of possibility that are within me and direct them toward the character of love, which I would like to become. For the sake of a fuller life, it’s time.” Day 2 John 8: 31- 38 “You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” It’s important to remember your history and to draw ideas from it, but it’s also important to realize that one should not be bound by whatever happened back then. Staying with only what you can remember and claim from the past is dangerous because that closes your eyes and ears to what is happening around you. And it especially blocks out what may just be opening up beyond you. My task is to find ways to test an idea thoroughly enough for it’s values before making a major investment of my time and energy. For me, the struggle is to decide which new door to open and explore. There are so many opportunities and so many limits to time and energy. Prayer: “Spirit of Wonderment, continue to pull together different aspects of my experiences into new conclusions and new opportunities for my life. Enrich every day as a joy to behold. In the name of Jesus the explorer, affirmative.” Day 4 Luke 11: 1- 10 “Your kingdom come on earth as in heaven.” Silent time in one’s ‘private time’ can be difficult. It’s hard to close out other thoughts as distractions. One possibility is to see them as a way the Divine, or God, or the ‘More’ becomes accessible within us. Then you can deal with them and explore their meaning at the moment. Luke’s version is the short form of the Lord’s Prayer and it speaks directly on needs and responsibility without dressing it up with fancy adjectives or phrases. Including regular scripture reading as part of daily routine in ‘private time’ is a good practice to include. It puts you in contact with the faith tradition as a starting place. The temptation is to approach scripture from a scholarly or historian’s point of view asking, “What was the author trying to convey at this point?” But recently, Walter Wink’s Biblical methodology as a New Testament teacher centers around asking a more basic question, “What is this passage saying to me at this moment?” The real task today is to include both these questions. Prayer: “Spirit of new combinations and insights, keep me ever alert to connections and thoughts being generated in my mind. Harness the possibilities before me to become my thoughts and decisions. In the name of today, look inward.” Day 6 Acts 1:21 – 26 ‘Show us which one of these two you have chosen to the place in this ministry and apostleship….’ This early scene in Acts was after Peter had taken leadership. They needed someone to replace Judas among the twelve apostles. The choosing of Mathias has always raised questions for me about what happened to the other fellow, Joseph? I wondered if he continued in any type of leadership in the earliest Christian community and what that might have been. Casting lots or throwing dice has always sounded like a brutal way to choose between two qualified leaders. It is such a stark divider between winners and losers. It’s also very inconsistent with Jesus’ methodology. His approach encouraged everyone, including women, to follow ‘The Way’ to the maximum of their ability. That could be a great theme for a novel or movie along the line of ‘The Loser’s Victory’ or “Overlooked”. Prayer: “Reality beyond words and images, focus my attention on the combinations that give me an ever new opportunity to be chosen by you for special ministry. In the spirit of new decisions every day, go for it!”