Alternative Routes, Part Three

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From Proximity to Presence: A Five-Day Devotional

Day 1: Moving Beyond Proximity to Meaningful Presence

Scripture: "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." — Hebrews 4:15-16

From the Sermon: "We must learn to utilize the proximity we have and begin intentionally moving towards presence—meaningful, active presence with people, where we don't just know they're over there, but we begin to walk with them. We begin to stand with them. They have our ear, and we have theirs. And we're willing, when necessary, to slow down or even stop our lives in order to make ourselves available to them."

Reflection:
Proximity is simply being near someone, but presence is being fully engaged with them. Jesus did more than just occupy the same space as people—He was actively present, seeing them for who they truly were. The pastor's story about years spent building relationship with Ibu Tati's family in Indonesia illustrates that presence requires investment, discomfort, and often years of seemingly insignificant moments. It means drinking hot tea on humid days, enduring awkward silences, and persisting through communication barriers.

Our own lives are filled with proximity to others—neighbors, colleagues, acquaintances at school—but how many of these relationships have we developed into meaningful presence? Like Jesus with the woman caught in adultery, presence means moving beyond superficial interactions to truly see people, hear their stories, and make ourselves available even when it's inconvenient.

Hymn: "Make Me a Channel of Your Peace"
"Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me bring your love.
Where there is injury, your pardon, Lord,
And where there's doubt, true faith in you."

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank You for not merely coming near to humanity but being fully present with us. Forgive me for the times I've settled for proximity when You've called me to presence. Help me identify those in my life with whom I need to invest more deeply. Give me patience through awkward beginnings and courage to persevere when relationships are difficult. Show me how to truly see people as You see them. In Your name I pray, Amen.

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Day 2: Balancing Truth and Grace

Scripture: "For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." — John 1:17

From the Sermon: "How can we become agents of truth and grace and mercy without becoming agents of condemnation? Jesus shows us that it's possible. It's possible to acknowledge the reality of sin while also creating pathways for redemption and restoration. That's what the church is all about: seeing and acknowledging the reality of sin because it's real...yet at the same time, as a church, as a people, as families, creating pathways for redemption and restoration."

Reflection:
In the story of the woman caught in adultery, Jesus masterfully balances truth and grace. He doesn't deny her sin or suggest it doesn't matter—"Go and sin no more" acknowledges the reality of her wrongdoing. Yet He extends mercy where others demanded judgment. This delicate balance challenges us. We tend to emphasize one at the expense of the other, either wielding truth as a weapon or diluting it so much that grace becomes cheap.

Jesus reveals that truth without grace is brutal, but grace without truth is meaningless. When we acknowledge someone's brokenness while simultaneously creating a pathway for their restoration, we reflect Jesus to our world. This means we must be willing to step into messy situations, to see the person beyond their sin, and to offer both firm guidance and genuine compassion—just as Jesus did with the woman caught in adultery.

Hymn: "O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus"
"O the deep, deep love of Jesus,
Vast, unmeasured, boundless, free!
Rolling as a mighty ocean
In its fullness over me!
Underneath me, all around me,
Is the current of Thy love
Leading onward, leading homeward
To Thy glorious rest above!"

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for the perfect balance of truth and grace that You demonstrated through Jesus. Forgive me for the times I've been quick to condemn others while overlooking my own sin. Help me to speak truth with love and to extend grace without compromising Your standards. Give me wisdom to create pathways for redemption in my relationships rather than building walls of judgment. May I represent You accurately in a world that desperately needs both Your truth and Your grace. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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Day 3: Seeing People as Jesus Sees Them

Scripture: "The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." — 1 Samuel 16:7b

From the Sermon: "Jesus sees people. He sees you right where you're at, because we are all caught in our sin as well, aren't we? And he sees us as people of God. He sees people created in God's image but yet burdened by this thing called sin, enslaved by this thing called sin... and yet he sees us as people in need of grace, in need of forgiveness, in need of a little mercy and grace."

Reflection:
When the religious leaders brought the woman caught in adultery to Jesus, they didn't see a person—they saw a prop, a trap, a theological test case. But Jesus saw a human being with dignity, shame, fear, and potential for transformation. Where they saw only her sin, Jesus saw her whole story. He didn't minimize her sin, but he refused to allow that sin to define her entire identity.

How often do we reduce people to single aspects of their lives—their political views, their mistakes, their social status, or even just their usefulness to us? Jesus invites us to develop a more complex vision that sees people as God's image-bearers who are simultaneously affected by sin and infinitely valuable. This kind of seeing requires that we slow down, ask questions, listen deeply, and resist the urge to categorize people before we truly know them. When we begin to see others as Jesus sees them, our interactions change from transactional to transformational.

Hymn: "Open My Eyes, That I May See"
"Open my eyes, that I may see
Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me;
Place in my hands the wonderful key
That shall unclasp and set me free.
Silently now I wait for Thee,
Ready my God, Thy will to see,
Open my eyes, illumine me,
Spirit divine!"

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank You for seeing me—not just my sin or my usefulness, but the whole person You created me to be. Forgive me for the times I've reduced others to labels or stereotypes. Give me Your eyes to see beyond appearances to the hearts of those around me. Help me recognize Your image in everyone I meet today, even those who are difficult to love. Where I am tempted to judge, teach me to understand; where I am inclined to dismiss, lead me to engage. May everyone who interacts with me feel truly seen, just as You see them. In Your name, Amen.

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Day 4: No One Beyond Grace's Reach

Scripture: "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." — Romans 5:8

From the Sermon: "No one is beyond the reach of God's grace. One more time: No one is beyond the reach of God's grace. Do you believe that? No one is beyond the reach of God's grace, no matter how far they might seem to be away. No one is beyond the reach of God's grace, whether that's a family member or a neighbor or whomever, and whether we or I or you are the accused or the accuser."

Reflection:
The stunning truth in the story of the adulterous woman is that Jesus—the only sinless one present, the only one qualified to cast a stone—chose not to condemn her. This remarkable moment illustrates the boundless reach of God's grace. The religious leaders saw her as beyond redemption, useful only as a theological trap. Yet Jesus saw her as worthy of a new beginning.

We often create mental categories of those we consider "too far gone" for God's grace—whether it's the family member whose choices have hurt us deeply, the neighbor whose lifestyle contradicts our values, or even ourselves when our failures seem too great. But the gospel confronts these boundaries we set around grace. If Jesus could forgive those who crucified Him, if He could welcome a thief into paradise, if He could restore Peter after his denial, then truly no one falls outside the reach of divine grace. This truth should simultaneously comfort us in our failures and challenge us in our judgments of others.

Hymn: "Amazing Grace"
*"Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed."*

Prayer:
Merciful God, I stand in awe of Your limitless grace that reaches even to me. Forgive me for the times I've put boundaries around Your mercy or decided who is worthy of Your love. Help me remember that the ground is level at the foot of the cross, where we all stand equally in need of Your forgiveness. Give me courage to extend grace to those I've deemed unworthy, and humility to receive it when I feel undeserving. Thank You that no sin is too great, no person too far gone for Your redeeming love. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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Day 5: Preparing for Life's Storms Through Present Relationships

Scripture: "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity." — Proverbs 17:17

From the Sermon: "When you develop presence with people when life is good, when life is easy, when it's smooth sailing, then when the waves get rough and life starts to fall apart, you already have a voice in their lives, and they will often invite you to come in and be a part of that time. But you've got to do all the work ahead of time first, and that's the hard part."

Reflection:
The pastor's story about being invited into the innermost circle of a Muslim family's grief demonstrates a profound truth: meaningful presence during crisis is built on consistent presence during ordinary times. Those years of awkward tea visits, communication struggles, and cultural navigation created a foundation of trust that transcended religious and cultural barriers when tragedy struck. Ibu Tati didn't call him because he had the right theological answers, but because he had demonstrated faithful presence.

This principle applies to all our relationships. The colleague who will turn to us during a divorce, the neighbor who might ask about faith during cancer treatment, the family member who might seek reconciliation during a crisis—these pivotal moments are made possible by the seemingly small investments we make during normal times. Every invitation accepted, every conversation that goes deeper than weather talk, every inconvenient visit becomes an investment in future opportunities to share Christ's love when it matters most. The question isn't whether those around us will face storms—they will—but whether we'll have already established the relational capital to be invited into those sacred moments.

Hymn: "Blest Be the Tie That Binds"
"Blest be the tie that binds
Our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred minds
Is like to that above.

When we asunder part,
It gives us inward pain;
But we shall still be joined in heart,
And hope to meet again."

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank You for the example You set in building relationships with people long before their moments of crisis. Give me wisdom to invest in those around me now, even when it's uncomfortable or seems insignificant. Help me recognize the daily opportunities to move from proximity to presence with my neighbors, colleagues, and family members. Prepare my heart to respond when storms come in their lives, and help me to be a steady presence that points to Your unfailing love. May the relationships I build today become bridges for Your grace tomorrow. In Your precious name, Amen.