A Time for Peace and Restoration

 

What do Christmas and the book of Judges have in common? At first glance you may not see very much. In the book of Judges we see a people who are now in the land God promised their forefathers, but they are surrounded by their enemies and are worshipping other gods. The people of Israel begin to disobey God by making covenants with their enemies, enslaving the inhabitants, and worshipping false idols (Judges 1:27-2:11). God had commanded them to fully possess the land so they could worship him free from fear or compromise. But, because they do not trust God’s strength, they fall into a cycle of idolatry that frankly makes the book of Judges exhausting to read. The people cycle through disobedience, disapproval, and distress over and over. They disobey; God disapproves; He then shows that disapproval by causing them distress.

On the other hand, Christmas is known for the joy and hope it brings. We sing songs, drink our favorite warm seasonal drink (hot chocolate with marshmallows are our families’ personal favorite). It’s also a time where we spend time with friends and family and exchange gifts to show our love for one another. The season feels so distant from what we read in the book of Judges.

However, the biblical narrative of Christmas has a very important similarity to the book of Judges — God comes to bring peace and restoration to His people. The story of Christmas is of a long awaited Savior coming to save his people in an unexpected way. The child of prophecy is born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14) and is not only the very son of God but the hope for all humanity to be freed from their sin (Isaiah 11:10; 42:1-4). That’s the same pattern we see happen over and over again in the book of Judges. After the people’s disobedience, God’s disapproval brings distress, but He is always faithful to send a savior to restore and bring peace to his people. God transforms their cycle of idolatry into one of peace and restoration. In fact, God gives this peace and restoration to everyone who puts their trust in Jesus Christ.

This is the common thread between a book that can be discouraging and a time of year that feels so joyous and hopeful. We should rejoice with the Psalmist who proclaims God’s great work in Christ in Psalm 85:1-4 and 8:

Lord, you were favorable to your land;
you restored the fortunes of Jacob.

You forgave the iniquity of your people;
you covered all their sin. Selah

You withdrew all your wrath;
you turned from your hot anger.

Restore us again, O God of our salvation,
and put away your indignation toward us!…

Let me hear what God the Lord will speak,
for he will speak peace to his people

Through Christ our sins are forgiven, God’s wrath and hot anger are removed, and He restores us to Himself. This is the reason for the joy we should have in this and every season. Despite our sins and constant disobedience, our God has spoken peace to His people! Let this testimony be in our hearts while we sing, drink, and gather with friends and family. We serve a great and loving God who has sent His Son into the world for peace and restoration.

[This devotion elaborates on points made in the November 6 sermon. The audio of that sermon is available at this link.]

3 reasons to commit to Cross-Cultural Worship

 

This weekend at DGCC we plan to have a joint service with our Kiswahili-speaking congregation. We will worship and honor the living God by singing, reading, and preaching God’s word in different languages and by developing deeper relationships with each other. Our commitment to grow into one body reflecting diverse cultures, tongues, and ethnicities is no easy task. The challenges of overcoming differences in language, culture, and expression can cause us to question diversity as a goal altogether. So why should we be committed to cross-cultural worship and diversity? Here are 3 reasons that should encourage us to keep this focus despite the difficulties.

A hope for today found in the Old Testament

Cross-cultural worship serves as a reminder that God’s promise to Abraham to bless all nations through His offspring (Genesis 22:19) is not only an Old Testament promise but is also a living and abiding hope today. Gathering together with believers across different tongues and ethnicities reminds us that Christ has come to fulfill this promise. It is through Christ, the promised descendant of Abraham, that God has blessed all people who come to Him to receive the free gift of salvation. This is our hope today! We pray that all nations – created by God and for God but now separated from Him because of sin – will return to Him and joyously worship together.

A forward look to Heaven

This is not only our hope today but also our future in the new heavens and new earth. That is, cross- cultural worship gives us a visual and auditory preview of what is described in Revelation 7:9.

“I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits
on the throne, and to the Lamb.”

We bring this scripture to life when we gather in diverse congregations to worship. We get to see now what we will experience at the culmination of history when all of God’s people will gather around His throne to express joy and affection toward Him. Just as the promises of the past can ground our hope in Christ today, seeing our future unity in diversity deepens our delight in picturing that in the present age.

Gracious opportunities to love one another

While we wait for that fulfillment, we have the opportunity to express our genuine unity through loving one another across our differences. When language is a barrier, we are forced to listen more intently and speak more thoughtfully. When we interact with our brothers and sisters from different places and backgrounds we are encouraged to be focused on others and not ourselves. Interaction across cultures can help us be more careful to not offend and allow us to easily extend grace if there is a misunderstanding. While we should be mindful to do these things every day, cross-cultural engagement provides the environment for us to focus on these simple but impactful acts of love toward each other.

DGCC is committed to being a diversity-loving congregation not just because it is part of our DNA as a church but because when we gather together our diversity shows that our God is the God of all peoples, languages and cultures. He is worthy to be praised by all. So this Sunday, in our worship service and at our picnic, reach out across the cultural distance. Rejoice in our common Lord and Savior. And thereby live out the Old Testament promise; picture the coming culmination; and display the love of God for all peoples.

A Faithful Salvation: Crying Out to God

 

The book of Judges provides for us both good and bad examples of how God’s people respond to him. We see a people who are now in the land God promised their forefathers but they are surrounded by their enemies and are worshipping other gods. The people of Israel begin to disobey God by making covenants with their enemies, enslaving the inhabitants and worshipping false idols (Judges 1:27-2:11). God had commanded them to fully possess the land so they could worship him free from fear or compromise. Because they did not trust God’s strength they fell into a cycle of idolatry that frankly makes the book of Judges exhausting to read.

The people cycle through disobedience, disapproval, and distress over and over. They disobey; God disapproves; He then shows that disapproval by causing them distress. But because God is faithful to His promise never to forsake them (Deuteronomy 31:6-8) he continues to deliver them despite their disobedience. His deliverance is marked by their crying out to him. We should respond to God similarly when we are in distress for, in Jesus, we have a similar promise (Matthew 6:25-34).

Note the cycle in the following examples:

“And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth. Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia. And the people of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years. But when the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the people of Israel, who saved them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother.” (Judges 3:7-9, emphasis added)

“And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord after Ehud died. And the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-hagoyim. Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help, for he had 900 chariots of iron and he oppressed the people of Israel cruelly for twenty years.” (Judges 4:1-3, emphasis added)

“The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of Midian seven years…. And Israel was brought very low because of Midian. And the people of Israel cried out for help to the Lord. When the people of Israel cried out to the Lord on account of the Midianites, the Lord sent a prophet to the people of Israel. And he said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I led you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of slavery.” (Judges 6:1, 6-8, emphasis added)

The lesson for us is clear. We should cry out to God for help even when our troubles result from our own disobedience. Crying out to God for help when we are in distress not only shows our faith that he is able to bring relief but also glorifies God’s compassion for us in Jesus. You don’t ask for help from those who are either unwilling or unable to provide it. Israel cries out to God and in every instance he responds to their need by saving them from enemies. Their consistent failure to trust God and obey his commands leads to their distress; their crying out to Him then leads to God’s deliverance.

We should learn to trust God and so follow his commands. When we don’t exercise such faith, however, we have a subsequent opportunity to exercise faith: Faith that he is willing and able to save us. We shouldn’t pair our lack of faith in God’s strength on the front end, leading our disobedience, with a lack of faith in God’s mercy or compassion when we are dealing with the consequences of our sin. Let us aim, first, to obey him. Then, when we fail, may we trust that for those in Jesus he always exercises mercy and compassion. He will bring us to his heavenly Kingdom.

 

[This devotion elaborates on points made in the August 21 sermon. The audio of that sermon will be available shortly at this link.]