The Fifth Day of Christmas

The fifth day of Christmas (December 29th) remembers St. Thomas Becket, you know, the 12th century Archbishop of Canterbury who was killed on 12/29/1170 due to his challenge of the King's claim of authority over the Church.

Song: I Wonder As I Wander

Scripture: Acts 5:17-42

Devotion: 

The song selected for today is one of my husband's favorite songs. I love the haunting melody and the introspection that it elicits. Jesus came to earth in order to reconcile man to God. He came for the poor and the ordinary, just like us. Verse two summarizes the birth, shepherds, and wise men (granted, the wise men didn't arrive until Jesus was older, as we will learn on January 6th with the Epiphany devotional). It describes the star that drew attention to the promise of a Messiah. The last verse reminds us that anything Jesus wanted, he could surely have, because He was the king.

Our Scripture for today is from the book of Acts. The story begins with the apostles being arrested and jailed by the high priest and Sadducees, but an angel released the apostles and commanded them to return to the temple and preach. The high priest and company sent for the apostles the next day, but they weren't in their cells. Then someone tells the religious elite that the men they are looking for are back in the temple preaching. 

So the apostles were summoned to the Sanhedrin to explain their actions. Previously, they were commanded to not teach in Jesus' name, but here they were, still preaching the Good News. Peter and the other apostles replied "We must obey God rather than human beings!" The council wanted to execute the apostles, but Gamaliel talked them down. He reminded the Sanhedrin that when the leader of a man-made revolt dies, the revolt fades away, so if this is a man-made movement, it would fail. BUT if this is coming from God, then the apostles would succeed and the council would be fighting against God. 

The council listened to Gamaliel, but went ahead and flogged the disciples and reiterated their command of not speaking in Jesus' name. The apostles left "rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name." They continued to teach and proclaim that Jesus is the Messiah.

Thomas Becket was a complicated person. If you read the linked articles above, you probably noticed that he wasn't a perfect person and had struggles and sins. He was killed for refusing to capitulate to the demands of the State. Today's song only loosely ties into today's theme. As we wonder and marvel at who Jesus is, we remember that we serve Him, not a president, political party, or country. He is King and God, and we must obey Him over the whims, demands, or unjust laws of the State. We have the precedent for that in Scripture, thanks to Acts 5. When man's law and God's law diverges, we must follow God's law. When man's law is unjust or immoral, then Christians SHOULD break the law and accept the consequences of their refusal to follow an unjust law.

This concept is a bit foreign in the Church in America, because for generations, we have been incorrectly taught that America is a "Christian nation" and therefore there is no division between the will of God and the will of the State. (I have written about this before in 2013, 2014, 2014 again, 2016, and 2017, 2017 again, and 2019). In short, PEOPLE can be Christians or non-Christians, but things and countries aren't Christian or non-Christian. A book may help a Christian person to grow in their faith, but the book itself is not a Christian. A t-shirt may have a quote from the Bible on it, but the t-shirt itself is not a Christian. A country may have Christians in it or even have an official state religion of Christianity, but countries are not going to be in heaven; PEOPLE from countries will be in heaven. You may think that this is a silly distinction, because our culture labels books, movies, clothes, music, and countries as "Christian" without a second thought, but I believe that we need to be intentional with the words we use. 

Throughout the history of the Church, Christians have refused to follow the laws of the countries, because they were following Christ as King. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Corrie ten Boom, Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, William Wilberforce, and so many others defied and challenged national laws as they obeyed God's law. 

Now, because I am writing this in the middle of the pandemic, I must clarify: The State's laws about wearing masks, staying socially distanced, and not gathering together in large numbers indoors is NOT a violation of God's law and SHOULD be OBEYED. It is not persecution or an attack on religious freedom to change how churches gather together during a pandemic. It's not unfair that casinos can operate (where people are able to be socially distanced and no one is SINGING), but churches are a higher risk. Wearing a mask isn't against God's law and actually falls under it (something about loving your neighbors as yourself). There are alternatives to meeting together in person in our modern age, so Christians should be willing to do that.

Challenge: 

Read Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter from a Birmingham Jail, especially what he says about just vs. unjust laws. 

Prayerfully consider what cultural traditions go against God's laws, especially those which are common in our churches today.

Reflect on what it means to be a citizen in God's kingdom before we are citizens in an earthly kingdom.