Lenten Devotional (8) & The Moscow Mood
We boast in a Savior who conquers by dying.
Ever since the days of Babel, humans have sought to make a name for themselves (Gen. 11:4). Today, our towers can lead to the same doom if we do not trust in Yahweh. C.S. Lewis rightly called this “the anti-God state of mind.” This form of pride that seeks to reach the heavens without the God of heaven suffers a great fall.
The Apostle Paul interpreted this as “wrongful boasting.” The Judaizers boasted in the flesh (Gal. 6:13), namely their physical rituals. Instead, the Apostle spoke of a rightful boasting God endorses:
“But far be it from me to boast [in anything or anyone], except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Gal. 6:14).
Fleshly boasting assumes our excessive trust in our own achievements; it builds towers and disregards the Architect. Yet, the Apostle Paul urges us to boast, but he rightly turns the direction of our boasting. For the inspired writer, our boasting is not in our own conquest but the conquest of Another. We boast in a tree that was cut down to save us. We show pride in a wooden instrument shaped like a sword where our Savior hung.
Jesus died to become the Savior of all who believe, the protector of all those born anew. In Him, we are rescued, restored, and redeemed. We boast in a Savior who conquers by dying.
We do not build towers to the heavens to make a name. Jesus already ascended to heaven for us. There is no greater name in heaven above and earth below. In these remaining weeks, let’s boast! Let us proudly exalt the cross of Jesus. Let’s boast in a bloody cross bearing a beautiful Savior.
Prayer: O, Lord, who ascends to heaven through a tree, make us boast in serving a God who died for our transgressions and who gives us his name that we might be whole. Amen.
Hymn of the Day: Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken
Notations
Jesus is the great substitute! While Passover celebrates the deliverance from bondage for the Israelites from Egypt, Jesus gives himself over to the Romans for the sake of Israel. The Passover is turned upside down so that we can be free from the Pharaohs of the first century who kept us in bondage.
New Saint Andrews blog published a summary of my book:
Pastor Brito added, "Peter's language of 'royal priesthood' means that individual priests dressed in God's armor can only function rightly when they are assembled with other priests in battle. A one-man army will not frighten principalities and powers, but an army of saints ready to war against evil will scare hell itself."
Nuntium
I arrived safe and sound in Moscow, ID. My friends Carlos and Becky have been tremendous hosts. Hospitality in Moscow is already superb, and when you add the Latin flavor, the #moscowmood goes to an entirely new level.
Being up since 3:30 am central time and losing two hours means you must work through the weariness. Thankfully, Moscow offers a few steady doses of events. It was especially great to see my friends Joe Rigney and Jared Longshore on stage discussing the Moscow Mood and a few related questions about NSA and the kind of culture they seek to establish here. Both of these guys teach the Lordship courses and are phenomenal thinkers and seasoned pastors. The combination of pastoral and theological insights gives first-year students a foundation for thinking christianly through the neo-pagan world of Romans 1 (to use Jared’s metaphor).
Lenten Cheers,
Uriesou Brito