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Happy 100th Birthday (tomorrow) to Mrs. Cherry!
The Tuesday Morning Bible Study will meet at 9:30am in the Sanctuary to read and discuss 1 Corinthians 9 and 11.

Come in person (wearing a mask) or join online here:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81658671280?pwd=MzRRcHpSd29TWUN1QkdMNXp6MnRsUT09
Devotion for Monday, April 12th

Faithful Vegetables
Note: Vegetables do taste better when seasoned and grilled...
Today's reading may be found in the Daily Lectionary.
 

Daniel 1:1-21

1In the third year of the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2The Lord let King Jehoiakim of Judah fall into his power, as well as some of the vessels of the house of God. These he brought to the land of Shinar, and placed the vessels in the treasury of his gods.

3Then the king commanded his palace master Ashpenaz to bring some of the Israelites of the royal family and of the nobility, 4young men without physical defect and handsome, versed in every branch of wisdom, endowed with knowledge and insight, and competent to serve in the king’s palace; they were to be taught the literature and language of the Chaldeans. 5The king assigned them a daily portion of the royal rations of food and wine. They were to be educated for three years, so that at the end of that time they could be stationed in the king’s court. 6Among them were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, from the tribe of Judah. 7The palace master gave them other names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego.

8But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the royal rations of food and wine; so he asked the palace master to allow him not to defile himself. 9Now God allowed Daniel to receive favor and compassion from the palace master. 10The palace master said to Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king; he has appointed your food and your drink. If he should see you in poorer condition than the other young men of your own age, you would endanger my head with the king.” 11Then Daniel asked the guard whom the palace master had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: 12“Please test your servants for ten days. Let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13You can then compare our appearance with the appearance of the young men who eat the royal rations, and deal with your servants according to what you observe.” 14So he agreed to this proposal and tested them for ten days. 15At the end of ten days it was observed that they appeared better and fatter than all the young men who had been eating the royal rations. 16So the guard continued to withdraw their royal rations and the wine they were to drink, and gave them vegetables. 17To these four young men God gave knowledge and skill in every aspect of literature and wisdom; Daniel also had insight into all visions and dreams.

18At the end of the time that the king had set for them to be brought in, the palace master brought them into the presence of Nebuchadnezzar, 19and the king spoke with them. And among them all, no one was found to compare with Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; therefore they were stationed in the king’s court. 20In every matter of wisdom and understanding concerning which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom. 21And Daniel continued there until the first year of King Cyrus.

Dear Friends,

Have you ever thought what it must have been like to be Daniel?  Taken from his home, drafted into the bureaucracy of the empire which crushed his homeland, made to serve a pagan king in a pagan household, far from home in every conceivable way, given a new name because no one can be bothered to learn your actual name, walking on the knife edge of serving a tyrant who can and will punish you with death if you fail him... it cannot have been easy to be Daniel.

And yet, Daniel is faithful to God.  Faced with tremendous pressure to keep his head down and avoid drawing any attention to himself - certainly any negative attention - Daniel instead commits himself to faithfulness first and foremost.  That faithfulness may well be way that he can remember who he is and whose he is in this very foreign place, but it is not without danger.  Daniel's mere desire to eat a simple diet makes palace master fear for his life.  He has been ordered to feed Daniel and the others to a certain standard.  If he fails, it could be his head.  Again, someone with the title "Palace Master" has reason to fear if he cannot get other people to eat their dinner.  This is the court of a tyrant!  

Daniel knows this, and refusing to eat the royal rations - good and sumptuous food - may be one of the few ways that he can resist the king and the captivity that he is subject to.  Refusing to eat the royal rations may be about the only way that he can say - I belong to God and not this king.  Daniel's faithfulness meets God's love and faithfulness towards him.

Time and time again, Daniel is faithful to God, no matter the cost.  

Time and time again, Daniel shows that he sees no alternative to trusting in God and walking forward on that trust.

Friends, Daniel's witness, testimony, and story were shared in the scriptures to call us to courage and faithfulness in all circumstances. 

We know that the Book of Daniel was treasured by the Jewish diaspora in the 1st-3rd centuries BC.   In such gentile-majority settings, faithful Jewish people would have had to navigate some of the same dilemmas.  

Chances are, what we eat or do not eat will not have life-or-death consequences for us, but the task of living faithfully in a world which is often unfaithful is indeed a challenge that we all face.

In what areas do you think you face pressure to conform to the standards of the world?  Do you ever feel that it is simplest to keep your head down and not make a fuss?

In what areas or ways is it challenging to live and act faithfully?

What acts of faithfulness in our day might be difficult or even dangerous?

Grace and Peace,

Emile

 
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