Bookends - February 24

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 131, 132, [133]; PM Psalm 134, 135; Prov. 7:1-27; 1 John 5:13-21; John 11:55-12:8

One of the outcomes of a Covid home renovation was a large bookcase in my basement where the ever-growing Burruss library of books resides.  I can throw away a lot, but for some reason books seem to need to be rescued from the despair of another trip to Goodwill, and I can’t seem to let any of them go.  Several of the shelves have books that are held up by bookends, large and weighty objects that not only keep the books upright and straight, also but hold the books in position and give shape to the organization.  

Sometimes when I read a Scripture, I think of bookends.  What is said before a passage and what is said after a passage can give structure and meaning to what comes in the middle.  Today’s Epistle is one such passage.  John tells us that Jesus comes to offer us eternal life, then gives instruction about sin, and leaves us with a warning about idols.  The instructions are bookended by the warning on idols and Jesus’s vision of eternal life.  What is really offered in this pericope is a warning: idols keep us from eternal life.

An idol is simply that which we worship which is not God.  I’m wondering what idols keep us from finding eternal life.  What do we worship or love that is not made in the image of God?  We often think of things we love as giving meaning and value to our lives, and John the Evangelist tells us something quite different.  That very thing that we thought gave purpose, meaning, or security is actually the source of our own discomfort and agony.  Is it wealth, status, physical health, identity, friendship?  What are the chances that which we thought enhanced our life actually is destructive?

John+

Questions for Self-Reflection:  What modern idols are most prosperous in our society?  Which ones distract you the most?  Are there ways you can focus less on idols? 

Daily Challenge:  Think of what you try to acquire the most in life.  Consider what it would be like to focus on giving that ‘idol’ away.  Is there an action you can take today?