Prayer is an intriguing gift of God to His people. It’s intriguing because as finite and imperfect beings we never know exactly and precisely how to pray. We are limited in knowledge and insight so all we can do is pray as we best know how, leaving the answering of prayer to God.
At the same time, Jesus does give us insight into how to pray. Better yet, He gives us insight into the God to whom we pray. Jesus tells us to come to Him as Father (Luke 11:2). We pour out our hearts to our Father whose name is “hallowed” and, we say to Him, “Your kingdom come.” (vs. 2).
What better way to pray than to ask the One who loves us and the One whom we love, for His kingdom to come and to be realized in this world. We may not be insightful enough to fully grasp a correct way to pray but the Father whose name is hallowed in our midst and whose will is “good, pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:2) can be trusted fully and without hesitation.
Jesus calls us to trust the Father. Trust Him for each day’s provision (vs. 3). Trust Him to embrace us in forgiveness as we embrace others in forgiveness (4). Trust Him never to lead us into temptation (4). He is the Father. He can be trusted.
When you are in need or represent someone who is, pray, and don’t stop. Ask the Father. Seek for the Father’s intervention. Knock at the Father’s door in the sense of desperation. The Father will draw near, and bring to pass His “good, pleasing, and perfect” will.
Don’t trust your instincts or what you think the answer to your prayers ought to look like. Instead, trust the Father whose heart is compassionately open to His people.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Sunday, July 22, 2007
It was in the heat of the day and the nomad, Abraham, was setting at the entrance to his tent, probably trying to beat the heat. For unannounced reasons he looked up and saw three men standing nearby. The Bible says to us the Lord was in those three men, and Abraham knew it. How he knew it, we don't know, but he knew he was in the midst of a divine appointment of some kind. Extending great hospitality to the strangers, and making sure their needs were met, Abraham listened.
The men asked him where his wife was. Abraham told them and then heard a message that would change his life. In the personhood of these three men, "the Lord said, 'I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son'" (Genesis 18:10).
Sarah overheard the conversation and laughed out loud when she heard about the year she was to have. Abraham was old and Sarah was well past childbearing age. Some things just evoke laughter when you hear them, I suppose.
We know the story. Some nine months later Sarah gave birth to the promised son. Isaac took his place in the unfolding plan of God, and the stage was set for God's remarkable grace.
Don't try to explain it scientifically; you'll come up short. Just receive it as an act of God who speaks creatively into history, and works in ways that leave the human intellect awed and amazed. The question is asked by the Lord to Abraham, "Is anything too hard for the Lord" (Vs. 14). The birth of Isaac gives us the answer.
As the people of God in Christ it wouldn't be a bad devotional action to ask our selves once in a while, "Is anything too hard for God?" The answer will always be NO. Still, there is a lot of Sarah in us, isn't there. And, sometimes it's hard to believe that with God all things are possible.
Believe it, though, because God is in the midst.
The men asked him where his wife was. Abraham told them and then heard a message that would change his life. In the personhood of these three men, "the Lord said, 'I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son'" (Genesis 18:10).
Sarah overheard the conversation and laughed out loud when she heard about the year she was to have. Abraham was old and Sarah was well past childbearing age. Some things just evoke laughter when you hear them, I suppose.
We know the story. Some nine months later Sarah gave birth to the promised son. Isaac took his place in the unfolding plan of God, and the stage was set for God's remarkable grace.
Don't try to explain it scientifically; you'll come up short. Just receive it as an act of God who speaks creatively into history, and works in ways that leave the human intellect awed and amazed. The question is asked by the Lord to Abraham, "Is anything too hard for the Lord" (Vs. 14). The birth of Isaac gives us the answer.
As the people of God in Christ it wouldn't be a bad devotional action to ask our selves once in a while, "Is anything too hard for God?" The answer will always be NO. Still, there is a lot of Sarah in us, isn't there. And, sometimes it's hard to believe that with God all things are possible.
Believe it, though, because God is in the midst.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Jesus asked an expert in Jewish law how he read the law concerning how to “inherit eternal life” (Luke 10: 25). The answer given was pleasing to Jesus: “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself self” (Luke 10:27).
The expert wasn’t satisfied with Jesus approval, however, and, “wanting to justify himself,” (whatever that means), (vs.29), asked Jesus to explain to him exactly who qualifies as being a neighbor. Here Jesus gives what has come to be the well-known parable of the Good Samaritan.
A man is robbed, severely injured, and abandoned along a roadside. A priest and a Levite happen by and upon seeing the suffering man choose to move to the other side of the road and not make him a part of their life. Then a Samaritan, (an unappreciated and hated fellow from the other side of the tracks) happens by. And, wouldn’t you know it, he stops, extends mercy, tends to the suffering man’s needs, takes him to a motel, cleans him up, and pays the manager of the motel enough money to cover a couple of days expenses, with the promise that upon his return he would also pay for any other expenses incurred by the victim.
Then the parable takes a twist. Jesus asked, “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers” (vs. 36)? His point wasn’t that the victim was the neighbor in need of help. The victim simply gave opportunity to reveal what a good neighbor is like. The neighbor is the Samaritan “who had mercy” on the victim. To this Jesus said, “Go and do likewise” (vs. 37).
What do followers of Jesus look like? Jesus says they look like this Samaritan fellow who when he could have moved to the other side of the road, also, chose, instead, to extend mercy. “Go,” Jesus said, “and do likewise.”
The expert wasn’t satisfied with Jesus approval, however, and, “wanting to justify himself,” (whatever that means), (vs.29), asked Jesus to explain to him exactly who qualifies as being a neighbor. Here Jesus gives what has come to be the well-known parable of the Good Samaritan.
A man is robbed, severely injured, and abandoned along a roadside. A priest and a Levite happen by and upon seeing the suffering man choose to move to the other side of the road and not make him a part of their life. Then a Samaritan, (an unappreciated and hated fellow from the other side of the tracks) happens by. And, wouldn’t you know it, he stops, extends mercy, tends to the suffering man’s needs, takes him to a motel, cleans him up, and pays the manager of the motel enough money to cover a couple of days expenses, with the promise that upon his return he would also pay for any other expenses incurred by the victim.
Then the parable takes a twist. Jesus asked, “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers” (vs. 36)? His point wasn’t that the victim was the neighbor in need of help. The victim simply gave opportunity to reveal what a good neighbor is like. The neighbor is the Samaritan “who had mercy” on the victim. To this Jesus said, “Go and do likewise” (vs. 37).
What do followers of Jesus look like? Jesus says they look like this Samaritan fellow who when he could have moved to the other side of the road, also, chose, instead, to extend mercy. “Go,” Jesus said, “and do likewise.”
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Apparently Pope Benedict disagrees with Vatican II and doesn’t view Protestants as “separated brethren.” His reasons may be many but the new announced one is that we do not recognize the primacy of the Pope. In fact, the rift from the Roman side takes it further and finds it very difficult even to acknowledge non-Roman Catholics as being the Church. The wording from the Vatican says something to this effect, "Despite the fact that this teaching has created no little distress ... it is nevertheless difficult to see how the title of 'Church' could possibly be attributed to them.”
In reality, and with a certain degree of respect for the bishop of Rome, the sitting pope’s opinions haven’t really affected me one way or the other. He is entitled to disregard the heritage out which I come and summarily dismiss the Faith of Christ to which I hold; that’s his issues, not mind. I certainly don’t feel “wounded,” as the document says, and even though he thinks my little church is not a full church of Jesus Christ, the God we meet each week in worship begs to disagree.
The pope believes that Roman “Catholicism provides the only true path to salvation.” Already many Roman Catholics are seeking to defuse this errant thinking. As Rev. Vincent Cushing, president of Washington Theological Union from 1975- 1999 says, "From a careful reading of the documents of Vatican II, it is clear that the Roman Catholic Church wished to affirm the ecclesial reality of the Protestant churches.”
The Pope believes that Protestants churches (I suppose we need to find a word other than church; maybe the bishop of Rome can speak for God on this matter, also) are “merely ecclesial communities” and that we don’t have “the means of salvation” within the Faith of Christ to which we hold.
As a Protestant minister I really thought Rome was bigger than this. I guess I was wrong. At any rate, I’m told the bishop is headed out for vacation this week. That’s a good thing, I think.
In reality, and with a certain degree of respect for the bishop of Rome, the sitting pope’s opinions haven’t really affected me one way or the other. He is entitled to disregard the heritage out which I come and summarily dismiss the Faith of Christ to which I hold; that’s his issues, not mind. I certainly don’t feel “wounded,” as the document says, and even though he thinks my little church is not a full church of Jesus Christ, the God we meet each week in worship begs to disagree.
The pope believes that Roman “Catholicism provides the only true path to salvation.” Already many Roman Catholics are seeking to defuse this errant thinking. As Rev. Vincent Cushing, president of Washington Theological Union from 1975- 1999 says, "From a careful reading of the documents of Vatican II, it is clear that the Roman Catholic Church wished to affirm the ecclesial reality of the Protestant churches.”
The Pope believes that Protestants churches (I suppose we need to find a word other than church; maybe the bishop of Rome can speak for God on this matter, also) are “merely ecclesial communities” and that we don’t have “the means of salvation” within the Faith of Christ to which we hold.
As a Protestant minister I really thought Rome was bigger than this. I guess I was wrong. At any rate, I’m told the bishop is headed out for vacation this week. That’s a good thing, I think.
Sunday, July 08, 2007
It is a wonderful life to live for God, especially when one lives it in God’s way. We live in a world where “the harvest is plentiful,” open and ripe for meaning and hope. And, in that world we live by faith. We live for God in the faith of Jesus and leave results to God. Some people will receive the Good News and some won’t. That decision is not ours to make. Ours is to live and move and have our being in the God who has saved us and made us whole. Ours is to live faithfully for the God of Good News.
The promise of Jesus is that He will use His Church to “overcome all the power of the enemy” (Luke 10:19). As His Church lives faithfully Satan “will fall like lightning” (Luke 10:18). Nothing will hold back the Gospel and Jesus will build His Church.
As powerful as this reality is, Jesus says it is not the reality in which we should rejoice. It is wonderful to be used of God; it is marvelous to be used of God. Yet Jesus says, “Do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20).
What a remarkable thought to think, that God has embraced us into His forever family and that our lives are covered by an amazing grace that brings to us the gift of Abundant and eternal life.
As we live graced by the Life of God we live with purpose and focus. We live with meaning and hope. We are not lost in a sea of doubt. We live in the certainty of Jesus. We live in love, acceptance and forgiveness. We live in the reality of Good News.
What a great way to live.
The promise of Jesus is that He will use His Church to “overcome all the power of the enemy” (Luke 10:19). As His Church lives faithfully Satan “will fall like lightning” (Luke 10:18). Nothing will hold back the Gospel and Jesus will build His Church.
As powerful as this reality is, Jesus says it is not the reality in which we should rejoice. It is wonderful to be used of God; it is marvelous to be used of God. Yet Jesus says, “Do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20).
What a remarkable thought to think, that God has embraced us into His forever family and that our lives are covered by an amazing grace that brings to us the gift of Abundant and eternal life.
As we live graced by the Life of God we live with purpose and focus. We live with meaning and hope. We are not lost in a sea of doubt. We live in the certainty of Jesus. We live in love, acceptance and forgiveness. We live in the reality of Good News.
What a great way to live.
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Disciples James and John, angry when a certain Samaritan village denied Jesus access, sought His permission to “call fire down from heaven to destroy them” (Luke 9:54). Jesus rebuked them for their thoughts and moved on “to another village” (vs. 55).
Sadly, James and John represent too many Christians who can’t seem to bring themselves to love their enemies and who seek, instead, to call fire down from heaven to destroy them. When are we going to learn to let God be God and knock off the nonsense of treating like dirt those who don’t think the way we think or believe the way we believe? This is a serious question and one to which we do well to pay attention.
When will we learn that our business here is to live Christ-formed lives, extending to others the very life of God? Ours isn’t to disenfranchise those who want nothing to do with Jesus; ours is to love them. Fred Pratt Green has this line in his hymn, When the Church of Jesus: “May our prayers, Lord, make us ten times more aware that the world we banish is our Christian care.” In another verse he writes, “Lord, reprove, inspire us by the way you give; teach us risen Savior, how true Christians live.”
Sure, there might be villages that don’t “welcome” Jesus and when it happens maybe we’ll have to move on “to another village.” Calling down fire on the place, however, seems a little extreme don’t you think? In fact, isn’t this one of our complaints about so called radial Muslims who maim, destroy and kill in the name of their understanding of God?
Before we call down fire from heaven maybe we ought to call down the Holy Spirit to baptize our own hearts with fire. Now, that would be a sight to behold.
Sadly, James and John represent too many Christians who can’t seem to bring themselves to love their enemies and who seek, instead, to call fire down from heaven to destroy them. When are we going to learn to let God be God and knock off the nonsense of treating like dirt those who don’t think the way we think or believe the way we believe? This is a serious question and one to which we do well to pay attention.
When will we learn that our business here is to live Christ-formed lives, extending to others the very life of God? Ours isn’t to disenfranchise those who want nothing to do with Jesus; ours is to love them. Fred Pratt Green has this line in his hymn, When the Church of Jesus: “May our prayers, Lord, make us ten times more aware that the world we banish is our Christian care.” In another verse he writes, “Lord, reprove, inspire us by the way you give; teach us risen Savior, how true Christians live.”
Sure, there might be villages that don’t “welcome” Jesus and when it happens maybe we’ll have to move on “to another village.” Calling down fire on the place, however, seems a little extreme don’t you think? In fact, isn’t this one of our complaints about so called radial Muslims who maim, destroy and kill in the name of their understanding of God?
Before we call down fire from heaven maybe we ought to call down the Holy Spirit to baptize our own hearts with fire. Now, that would be a sight to behold.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
In a time of prayer with His disciples Jesus asked them a question, “Who do the people say that I am” (Luke 9:18). Several answers were given but then Jesus got very personal. He said to His men, “Who do you say that I am” (Luke 9:18). Peter forwards an answer but the question was for the group. Indeed, any group gathered around Jesus must be engaged with this question.
Many times in North America Scripture is so individualized we overlook the fact that Jesus has called us to be His people. It is to His people that certain questions must be asked. Persons as persons must give answers but not as Lone Ranger Christians. His Church must continually hear the question, “Who do you say that I am?”
It is His Church who must continually be challenged to save its life by losing it (Luke 9:24). It is His Church, shaped and formed by His cross, that must come after Jesus in a spirit of self-denial and take of the cross (Luke 9:23).
It is His Church that is called to see through the present order and into an order where profit is not measured by what one has but by what one has released into the hands of God for the sake of others (Luke 9:25).
It is His Church that must lived unashamedly for Jesus in the present order of things, expectantly waiting for that day when Jesus “comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels” (Luke 9:26).
Let us not be preoccupied with any thing that might preoccupy us. Instead, let’s open up our hearts to the Lord of the universe, and live for Him.
If Jesus would whisper into our ears some day in worship, “Who do you say that I am?” what would our answer be?
Many times in North America Scripture is so individualized we overlook the fact that Jesus has called us to be His people. It is to His people that certain questions must be asked. Persons as persons must give answers but not as Lone Ranger Christians. His Church must continually hear the question, “Who do you say that I am?”
It is His Church who must continually be challenged to save its life by losing it (Luke 9:24). It is His Church, shaped and formed by His cross, that must come after Jesus in a spirit of self-denial and take of the cross (Luke 9:23).
It is His Church that is called to see through the present order and into an order where profit is not measured by what one has but by what one has released into the hands of God for the sake of others (Luke 9:25).
It is His Church that must lived unashamedly for Jesus in the present order of things, expectantly waiting for that day when Jesus “comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels” (Luke 9:26).
Let us not be preoccupied with any thing that might preoccupy us. Instead, let’s open up our hearts to the Lord of the universe, and live for Him.
If Jesus would whisper into our ears some day in worship, “Who do you say that I am?” what would our answer be?
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Jesus was always disappointing some religious person somewhere because of the way He received and embraced folks who were not religious. Some of the religious folks around Him just couldn't grasp that grace and mercy embrace and receive lost and broken people, not make them more lost and broken by rejecting them.
There always seems to be tension with many religious people in that, apparently fragile, matter of being in but not of the world. Maybe it's too difficult a balance to hold to for some. Or, maybe, the craving for personal piety is so strong that the threat of possible contamination trumps everything. It sure makes witnessing rough, though, when one is unable to be meaningfully IN the world because if you can't be IN then there's no way you can be WITH, and if you can't ever be WITH how is anybody other than the saved going to know how wonderful Jesus is?
Come to think about it, if our faith is so fragile that we can't be with unbelievers without fear of possible contamination, than the truthfulness of our faith might just be called into question. If we have faith in a Lord who loved to be among sinners and to eat with them and to fellowship with them, and to invite them in to the kingdom, and the expression of that faith prohibits our doing the same kinds of things, then we are not really of Jesus, are we?
Do you know anybody who does not love Jesus? Love them. Embrace them. Fellowship with them. Pray for them. Build a relationship with them. Receive them.
It's okay to love people. Jesus sure does. After all, He reached out to you one day and received you into His Family. What a great day for you that turned out to be.
There always seems to be tension with many religious people in that, apparently fragile, matter of being in but not of the world. Maybe it's too difficult a balance to hold to for some. Or, maybe, the craving for personal piety is so strong that the threat of possible contamination trumps everything. It sure makes witnessing rough, though, when one is unable to be meaningfully IN the world because if you can't be IN then there's no way you can be WITH, and if you can't ever be WITH how is anybody other than the saved going to know how wonderful Jesus is?
Come to think about it, if our faith is so fragile that we can't be with unbelievers without fear of possible contamination, than the truthfulness of our faith might just be called into question. If we have faith in a Lord who loved to be among sinners and to eat with them and to fellowship with them, and to invite them in to the kingdom, and the expression of that faith prohibits our doing the same kinds of things, then we are not really of Jesus, are we?
Do you know anybody who does not love Jesus? Love them. Embrace them. Fellowship with them. Pray for them. Build a relationship with them. Receive them.
It's okay to love people. Jesus sure does. After all, He reached out to you one day and received you into His Family. What a great day for you that turned out to be.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
How much more could one take? She was already a widow and the mother of only one child, a son. Now he, too, had died. Now she was alone. Now grief raged through her very soul. In the casket lay her boy. No! In the casket lay her very life. The future was in that casket. Hope was in that casket. Joy was in that casket.
In the midst of the procession to the graveyard Jesus happened by. He saw the casket, He saw the crowd, He saw the widow. Something moved Him deeply, so deeply that He did what no one in that culture would ever do on purpose. He reached out and touched the casket, making him ceremonially unclean. Then He spoke to the dead, "Young man, I say to you, get up" (Luke 7:14, NIV). Suddenly a funeral became a resurrection and Jesus gave this young man back to his mother.
Don't think for a moment that in this life Jesus always gives the dead back to the living. He simply doesn't. Yet, He does seem always to find a way to embrace death with the life of God. He is not beyond bringing the life of God into brokenness, grief and pain. Time after time Jesus has found a way to so touch situations and people that they
are, "filled with awe" (Luke 7:16).
What impresses you more, the fact that Jesus can work miracles or that Jesus' compassion toward people is such that His heart goes out to them (Luke 7:13)? Can you embrace a God who can draw near the hurting and involved Himself in their lives?
We are the people of Jesus and we are called to be like Him. So, let's be on the lookout for those who hurt. Let's seek to be aware of conditions and situations that tear at the very fiber of life.
Let's dare to let our hearts go out to others. May Jesus come near our world in us.
In the midst of the procession to the graveyard Jesus happened by. He saw the casket, He saw the crowd, He saw the widow. Something moved Him deeply, so deeply that He did what no one in that culture would ever do on purpose. He reached out and touched the casket, making him ceremonially unclean. Then He spoke to the dead, "Young man, I say to you, get up" (Luke 7:14, NIV). Suddenly a funeral became a resurrection and Jesus gave this young man back to his mother.
Don't think for a moment that in this life Jesus always gives the dead back to the living. He simply doesn't. Yet, He does seem always to find a way to embrace death with the life of God. He is not beyond bringing the life of God into brokenness, grief and pain. Time after time Jesus has found a way to so touch situations and people that they
are, "filled with awe" (Luke 7:16).
What impresses you more, the fact that Jesus can work miracles or that Jesus' compassion toward people is such that His heart goes out to them (Luke 7:13)? Can you embrace a God who can draw near the hurting and involved Himself in their lives?
We are the people of Jesus and we are called to be like Him. So, let's be on the lookout for those who hurt. Let's seek to be aware of conditions and situations that tear at the very fiber of life.
Let's dare to let our hearts go out to others. May Jesus come near our world in us.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Jesus speaks of God in three ways. First, He sees God as the Father who sent Him; Secondly, He sees Himself as God; Thirdly, He sees the Holy Spirit as God (John 16:5, 10:30, 16:7-11). The God who is one speaks into the human situation in a triune way: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
It is very difficult, if not impossible, to clearly read Scripture without embracing this Sovereign mystery. It is at the heart of our faith. Our very first Article of Faith reads, “We believe in one eternally existent, infinite God, Sovereign of the universe; that He only is God, creative and administrate, holy in nature, attributes, and purpose; that He, as God, is Triune in essential beings, revealed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”
Granted, it is theological language but it is not meant for the halls of academia. It is a reality that embraces our lives everyday. God is as up-close-and-personal as is the air we breathe. God is the Creator, the Savior and the Sustainer of all that is.
What belongs to the Father belongs to the Son and it is the Spirit who makes it known in our lives. Through the Spirit God is everywhere. He is here and half-a-world away at the same moment. That Jesus is Lord here and everywhere else at the same moment and in the same way is made possible by the awesome work of the Holy Spirit. At any given moment, anywhere in the world, the power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead is making the reality of God known.
Let the Holy Spirit embrace you and fill you today. He is Jesus’ gift to you.
It is very difficult, if not impossible, to clearly read Scripture without embracing this Sovereign mystery. It is at the heart of our faith. Our very first Article of Faith reads, “We believe in one eternally existent, infinite God, Sovereign of the universe; that He only is God, creative and administrate, holy in nature, attributes, and purpose; that He, as God, is Triune in essential beings, revealed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”
Granted, it is theological language but it is not meant for the halls of academia. It is a reality that embraces our lives everyday. God is as up-close-and-personal as is the air we breathe. God is the Creator, the Savior and the Sustainer of all that is.
What belongs to the Father belongs to the Son and it is the Spirit who makes it known in our lives. Through the Spirit God is everywhere. He is here and half-a-world away at the same moment. That Jesus is Lord here and everywhere else at the same moment and in the same way is made possible by the awesome work of the Holy Spirit. At any given moment, anywhere in the world, the power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead is making the reality of God known.
Let the Holy Spirit embrace you and fill you today. He is Jesus’ gift to you.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
I’ve stayed home all day as a plumber has wrestled with 80 year old pipe, clogged almost beyond belief, in a valiant effort to get us hot water once again. When that happens I will be satisfied but Vonnie, my wife, will be thrilled, happy, elated, overjoyed, excited, ecstatic, and, quite possibly, euphoric.
I’ve been thinking about clogs this morning – those little things that block the living of life. Most times clogs are little things that over time interconnect in such away that the arena in which they are located gets very messy and stops healthy living dead in its tracks.
I think of how clogged the world is today. Violence is everywhere, even in the beautiful city in which I live. Broken relationships that seem to be irreparable abound everywhere. Racism, unnecessary poverty, political demonizing and name-calling – the list goes on and on.
Can the clogs be unclogged? That is the question of the hour. I think we may need a good plumber or two, and it may take a while; but healthy living is not beyond the human experience. That things can change and that the future can be different than the past are remarkable thoughts to think.
As a Christian I am hopeful about the present and energized about the future. Reality is a hard pill to swallow sometimes, and I refuse to be naïve about clogs. However, We’re not Stepford wives and we do have power to choose. Whether or not people choose wisely may be in question but that they are free to choose isn’t.
How do we unclog the obstructions and barriers? The answer to that question may lead in a thousand directions for solutions, but one thing is certain. The unclogging begins with admitting to the clog. Maybe that’s the rub. Admitting might just be too much to handle.
I sure hope not.
I’ve been thinking about clogs this morning – those little things that block the living of life. Most times clogs are little things that over time interconnect in such away that the arena in which they are located gets very messy and stops healthy living dead in its tracks.
I think of how clogged the world is today. Violence is everywhere, even in the beautiful city in which I live. Broken relationships that seem to be irreparable abound everywhere. Racism, unnecessary poverty, political demonizing and name-calling – the list goes on and on.
Can the clogs be unclogged? That is the question of the hour. I think we may need a good plumber or two, and it may take a while; but healthy living is not beyond the human experience. That things can change and that the future can be different than the past are remarkable thoughts to think.
As a Christian I am hopeful about the present and energized about the future. Reality is a hard pill to swallow sometimes, and I refuse to be naïve about clogs. However, We’re not Stepford wives and we do have power to choose. Whether or not people choose wisely may be in question but that they are free to choose isn’t.
How do we unclog the obstructions and barriers? The answer to that question may lead in a thousand directions for solutions, but one thing is certain. The unclogging begins with admitting to the clog. Maybe that’s the rub. Admitting might just be too much to handle.
I sure hope not.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Jesus told His questioning and unsettled disciples, "I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever -- the Spirit of truth…he lives in you and will be in you" (John 14:15-17). On the day of Pentecost that promise was fulfilled and the world hasn't been the same since; or, at least, the people of God haven't been the same since.
The life of Holy Spirit in the heart of a human being is a marvelous wonder to behold. The Spirit makes strong the weak, makes bold the fearful, makes clean the impure, and make faithful the unfaithful. This wondrous Spirit of truth moves into the open and hidden places in the life of believers, and baptizes them in the very life of God. Where the Holy Spirit is free to do His divine work all the possibilities of God are present.
It is in the life of the Spirit that Jesus makes His home in the life of His followers. Before His death Jesus said, "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you" (John 14:18). In the Holy Spirit the Savior lives in His Church. We are not alone, orphaned, or disenfranchised. Jesus has come to us and Jesus is Lord.
In the Spirit the Church of Jesus is enabled to live truthfully and faithfully. In the faithfulness of Jesus we are free to ask the Father anything we need in order to be what He has called us to be, and He will give it (John 14:13-14).
Live this day in the power and presence of the Holy Spirit and God will draw near to you. He will live in you and make His home in you. He will re-narrate the story of your life and work the wondrous work of God in you.
The life of Holy Spirit in the heart of a human being is a marvelous wonder to behold. The Spirit makes strong the weak, makes bold the fearful, makes clean the impure, and make faithful the unfaithful. This wondrous Spirit of truth moves into the open and hidden places in the life of believers, and baptizes them in the very life of God. Where the Holy Spirit is free to do His divine work all the possibilities of God are present.
It is in the life of the Spirit that Jesus makes His home in the life of His followers. Before His death Jesus said, "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you" (John 14:18). In the Holy Spirit the Savior lives in His Church. We are not alone, orphaned, or disenfranchised. Jesus has come to us and Jesus is Lord.
In the Spirit the Church of Jesus is enabled to live truthfully and faithfully. In the faithfulness of Jesus we are free to ask the Father anything we need in order to be what He has called us to be, and He will give it (John 14:13-14).
Live this day in the power and presence of the Holy Spirit and God will draw near to you. He will live in you and make His home in you. He will re-narrate the story of your life and work the wondrous work of God in you.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Jesus gave great comfort to His disciples when He said to them, “I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2). This promise has been at the heart of the Christian faith for twenty centuries now, and it has been the source of great hope as the Church continually looks forward to what lies ahead.
Because His Church would live in light of what He had done and with the promise that something wonderful yet remains, Jesus prayed. At the heart of His prayer Jesus said to the Father, “I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one” (John 17:22).
The Church does not wait passively for the return of Christ. Rather, it seeks to live faithfully to Jesus’ prayer that those who are of Christ “may be one.” Why is this important to Jesus? He answers the question, “May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them, even as you have loved me” John 17: 23). To let the world know; that’s why unity in a world that tends to disunity is so very important.
Perhaps the way local congregations best represent their God to the world is through the unity they embrace in the midst of the diversity they experience.
Being a community of faith in Jesus Christ means that we are a community in which the prayer of Jesus is being answered. We may be different in language, culture and even convictions, but we are one in Christ. This is our calling, our passion, and our pursuit.
Because His Church would live in light of what He had done and with the promise that something wonderful yet remains, Jesus prayed. At the heart of His prayer Jesus said to the Father, “I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one” (John 17:22).
The Church does not wait passively for the return of Christ. Rather, it seeks to live faithfully to Jesus’ prayer that those who are of Christ “may be one.” Why is this important to Jesus? He answers the question, “May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them, even as you have loved me” John 17: 23). To let the world know; that’s why unity in a world that tends to disunity is so very important.
Perhaps the way local congregations best represent their God to the world is through the unity they embrace in the midst of the diversity they experience.
Being a community of faith in Jesus Christ means that we are a community in which the prayer of Jesus is being answered. We may be different in language, culture and even convictions, but we are one in Christ. This is our calling, our passion, and our pursuit.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Christians believe God is a relational God, that He is One God who manifests Himself in three unique personalities -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This mystery, referred to as trinity or tri-unity, has at its very core the sense of community. This being said it is no surprise that when God incarnated Himself into the human situation, He did so in a self-revealing Messiah who continually calls people into community -- community with God and with each other.
So it was Jesus said, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him" (John 14:23). Did you catch it? "We will come to him and make our home with him." And exactly how does God do this? Jesus says He and the Father do it through "the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name" (John 14:25).
Jesus says the Holy Spirit is a "Counselor" who continually leads God's people into a community of truth where Jesus is at the center of everything. This is the Father's will and it is that for which Jesus Himself died.
The Church is a community of the Counselor who continually woos the community into everything Jesus. The Good news in this is that wherever Jesus is allowed, through faith, to be Himself the peace of a sovereign God is in that place and in that people.
Prayer: O God. Show us how to be the Counselor-enabled community of Jesus that allows You to make us into all you would have us be, extending the fellowship of Your community into our world. In Jesus Name we pray; Amen."
So it was Jesus said, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him" (John 14:23). Did you catch it? "We will come to him and make our home with him." And exactly how does God do this? Jesus says He and the Father do it through "the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name" (John 14:25).
Jesus says the Holy Spirit is a "Counselor" who continually leads God's people into a community of truth where Jesus is at the center of everything. This is the Father's will and it is that for which Jesus Himself died.
The Church is a community of the Counselor who continually woos the community into everything Jesus. The Good news in this is that wherever Jesus is allowed, through faith, to be Himself the peace of a sovereign God is in that place and in that people.
Prayer: O God. Show us how to be the Counselor-enabled community of Jesus that allows You to make us into all you would have us be, extending the fellowship of Your community into our world. In Jesus Name we pray; Amen."
Saturday, May 05, 2007
When Judas had left the gathering Jesus said to His eleven men, "I will be with you only a little longer." (John 13:33). Its true, He was going to leave them but He was not going to leave them alone. He was going to go and prepare a place for them, with the promise that He would come back for them" (See John 14:2-3).
In the mean time He promised them "another Counselor … the Spirit of truth" (John 14:17). Of this "Spirit of truth" Jesus said that He would be with them and in them (John 14:17). Life, for them, wasn't going to skip a beat. In the Holy Spirit Jesus was going to be with them in ways their minds, at the moment, could not possibly comprehend.
And of all the things the Spirit of truth was going to help them do, the most important was to "love one another" (John 13:34). The Spirit was going to work the works of Almighty God within them and through them, and at the heart of all He was going to do He was going to enable them to love one another.
How important is the love of God in the life of a follower of Jesus Christ? Jesus said, "Love one another…By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:34-35). By this! By what? What is the this to which Jesus refers? Simple and to the point: LOVE ONE ANOTHER. That's the this (pardon my English).
How are Christians to be in the world? Jesus says they are to be there as a people who love one another. Our witness is weak if it is not lived out in a community of the love God. Our testimony is flimsy if it is not lived out in a community of the love of God.
The love of God in the community of God ought to be the most outstanding feature of a faith that claims Jesus as Lord. May it be so. God help us; may it be so.
In the mean time He promised them "another Counselor … the Spirit of truth" (John 14:17). Of this "Spirit of truth" Jesus said that He would be with them and in them (John 14:17). Life, for them, wasn't going to skip a beat. In the Holy Spirit Jesus was going to be with them in ways their minds, at the moment, could not possibly comprehend.
And of all the things the Spirit of truth was going to help them do, the most important was to "love one another" (John 13:34). The Spirit was going to work the works of Almighty God within them and through them, and at the heart of all He was going to do He was going to enable them to love one another.
How important is the love of God in the life of a follower of Jesus Christ? Jesus said, "Love one another…By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:34-35). By this! By what? What is the this to which Jesus refers? Simple and to the point: LOVE ONE ANOTHER. That's the this (pardon my English).
How are Christians to be in the world? Jesus says they are to be there as a people who love one another. Our witness is weak if it is not lived out in a community of the love God. Our testimony is flimsy if it is not lived out in a community of the love of God.
The love of God in the community of God ought to be the most outstanding feature of a faith that claims Jesus as Lord. May it be so. God help us; may it be so.
Friday, April 27, 2007
The Bible says the Holy Spirit is "able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine" (Eph. 3:20, NIV). This is a very hopeful statement for the Church these days and it constantly reminds us that God is present in ways our minds and imaginations cannot fully grasp. Every moment we are presented with infinite possibilities as we live embraced by the power of God.
This is crucial because we certainly have our challenges, challenges rooted in contemporary issues such as the complexity all around us of multiple cultures, materialism, hedonism, conflicting ideologies, post-modern thinking, post-Christian thinking, spiritual warfare contending for the lives of people created for God, how to be church, how to do church, how to worship, how not to worship, how to reach lost and broken people, how to share the love of God through the means of compassionate ministries, to name just a few.
As we face our times a question is pressing down on us. Are we willing to “re-narrate” ourselves; that is, are we willing to do whatever is necessary to tell our story, the story of Jesus, in such a way that people will be drawn to Christ, even if it takes us out of our comfort zone?
Oliver Windell Holmes once said, "I find that the great thing is not so much where we stand as in what direction we are moving. To reach the port of heaven we must sail, sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it but we must sail and not drift, nor lie at anchor."
Using this metaphor, regardless of the circumstances in which we find ourselves we must sail with focused attention to wherever it is our faithfulness to God takes us.
We are the church of God so let's set our sails to the winds of the Spirit, and let Jesus captain this boat.
This is crucial because we certainly have our challenges, challenges rooted in contemporary issues such as the complexity all around us of multiple cultures, materialism, hedonism, conflicting ideologies, post-modern thinking, post-Christian thinking, spiritual warfare contending for the lives of people created for God, how to be church, how to do church, how to worship, how not to worship, how to reach lost and broken people, how to share the love of God through the means of compassionate ministries, to name just a few.
As we face our times a question is pressing down on us. Are we willing to “re-narrate” ourselves; that is, are we willing to do whatever is necessary to tell our story, the story of Jesus, in such a way that people will be drawn to Christ, even if it takes us out of our comfort zone?
Oliver Windell Holmes once said, "I find that the great thing is not so much where we stand as in what direction we are moving. To reach the port of heaven we must sail, sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it but we must sail and not drift, nor lie at anchor."
Using this metaphor, regardless of the circumstances in which we find ourselves we must sail with focused attention to wherever it is our faithfulness to God takes us.
We are the church of God so let's set our sails to the winds of the Spirit, and let Jesus captain this boat.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
April 22, 2007
Have you ever wondered what a resurrected Lord has for breakfast? Does fish come to mind? I didn't think so. Yet, the third time Jesus revealed Himself to the disciples after the resurrection was at a breakfast to which He called them (See John 21:1-14). The disciples were fishing and weren’t catching anything and Jesus told them they were fishing on the wrong side of the boat. They switched sides and, wouldn't you know it, they caught 153 large fish (I wonder why they counted them) Anyway, not too bad for a carpenter, huh?
When it was over they came to shore to find that Jesus had started a charcoal fire and was preparing a fish breakfast. He invited them to place a few of their fish onto the fire, and soon breakfast was served, complete with bread; it was like communion on the beach.
Don’t you just love it that Jesus said to His men, "Come and have breakfast." I believe Jesus is always saying something like this to His people. On Sundays He says to us, "Come and have Sunday lunch with me. We'll have bread and wine. We'll sing and fellowship and read the Word of God. We'll pray and pass the peace to each other. It will be a great lunch. See you Sunday." On Mondays He says, "Meet me on your break, and we'll have coffee together. We'll encourage each other and remind each other of how good the Father is."
Being a resurrected Lord means that Jesus can meet us any place, at any time, under any circumstance. And, when we get there He'll probably invite us to have fish and bread, or maybe a cup and bread. These days He is calling me to Thursday lunch where three other men and I share sack lunches, our lives and prayer.
I have discovered that His life embraces all of life for me. Is that not wonderful? The living Lord draws near and invites us to eat with him (See Revelation 3:20). That's pretty special don't you think?
Have you ever wondered what a resurrected Lord has for breakfast? Does fish come to mind? I didn't think so. Yet, the third time Jesus revealed Himself to the disciples after the resurrection was at a breakfast to which He called them (See John 21:1-14). The disciples were fishing and weren’t catching anything and Jesus told them they were fishing on the wrong side of the boat. They switched sides and, wouldn't you know it, they caught 153 large fish (I wonder why they counted them) Anyway, not too bad for a carpenter, huh?
When it was over they came to shore to find that Jesus had started a charcoal fire and was preparing a fish breakfast. He invited them to place a few of their fish onto the fire, and soon breakfast was served, complete with bread; it was like communion on the beach.
Don’t you just love it that Jesus said to His men, "Come and have breakfast." I believe Jesus is always saying something like this to His people. On Sundays He says to us, "Come and have Sunday lunch with me. We'll have bread and wine. We'll sing and fellowship and read the Word of God. We'll pray and pass the peace to each other. It will be a great lunch. See you Sunday." On Mondays He says, "Meet me on your break, and we'll have coffee together. We'll encourage each other and remind each other of how good the Father is."
Being a resurrected Lord means that Jesus can meet us any place, at any time, under any circumstance. And, when we get there He'll probably invite us to have fish and bread, or maybe a cup and bread. These days He is calling me to Thursday lunch where three other men and I share sack lunches, our lives and prayer.
I have discovered that His life embraces all of life for me. Is that not wonderful? The living Lord draws near and invites us to eat with him (See Revelation 3:20). That's pretty special don't you think?
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Easter evening found ten of the disciples behind closed doors for fear of those who did not believe in Jesus. However, their world was rocked and changed forever when Jesus suddenly appeared to them in that locked room. His first words to them were, “Peace be with you” (John 20:19).
Peace had not been with them since Friday evening when their hopes lay dead in a borrowed tomb. Suddenly everything changes. Jesus comes among them and speaks the word of renewal, the word of life, the word of hope -- PEACE. Interestingly enough, John tells us that Jesus didn’t just say it once but twice. “Peace be with you” (John 20:21).
I don’t know why He said it twice but I like to think that they were so shocked at seeing Him alive after the atrocities of Friday, that they didn’t hear Him the first time. I have no idea really. I just know He said it twice on that occasion and that seven days later when the eleven disciples were present in another gathering, He said it again, “Peace be with you” (John 20:26).
It was a common greeting so in a way we ought not to take it more seriously than we should. His presence, however, wasn’t so common. It was very shocking, incredible, as a matter of fact. So, if we just take it as a normal greeting, that makes it even more special; especially if one takes into consideration that the one giving the greeting is supposed to be dead. After all, they saw Him die.
The resurrection simply changes everything. It changes hearts. It changes goals. It changes life-focus. It brings peace into places where once there was despair and confusion and shattered dreams.
Be aware today that Jesus is on the move and that His first words to you might just be, “Peace be with you.”
Peace had not been with them since Friday evening when their hopes lay dead in a borrowed tomb. Suddenly everything changes. Jesus comes among them and speaks the word of renewal, the word of life, the word of hope -- PEACE. Interestingly enough, John tells us that Jesus didn’t just say it once but twice. “Peace be with you” (John 20:21).
I don’t know why He said it twice but I like to think that they were so shocked at seeing Him alive after the atrocities of Friday, that they didn’t hear Him the first time. I have no idea really. I just know He said it twice on that occasion and that seven days later when the eleven disciples were present in another gathering, He said it again, “Peace be with you” (John 20:26).
It was a common greeting so in a way we ought not to take it more seriously than we should. His presence, however, wasn’t so common. It was very shocking, incredible, as a matter of fact. So, if we just take it as a normal greeting, that makes it even more special; especially if one takes into consideration that the one giving the greeting is supposed to be dead. After all, they saw Him die.
The resurrection simply changes everything. It changes hearts. It changes goals. It changes life-focus. It brings peace into places where once there was despair and confusion and shattered dreams.
Be aware today that Jesus is on the move and that His first words to you might just be, “Peace be with you.”
Friday, April 06, 2007
Jesus Lives That Death May Die
An Easter Message
Jesus' resurrection lies at the heart and foundation of all it means for Christians to be Christian. Without the resurrection of Jesus there is no message of Christ. All He was is defined by the quality of His life, death and resurrection. His death and thus His resurrection speak to the deepest needs of creation and to that unique situation called, human. A brief progression of thought might be might be helpful.
The Bible says "the wages of sin is death" and that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 6:23, 3:23). John 3:16 reminds us that "God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that who ever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." Based upon this reality the apostle John wrote, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (I John 1:9). This reality led the apostle Paul to write in 2 Corinthians 5:17, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come." Further, this led Paul to teach, "Sin shall not be your master, because you … under grace" (Romans 6:14). He went even further when he said, "If God is for us, who can be against us... We are more than conquerors through him who loved us" (Romans 8:31, 37)
The entire Jesus event, particularly the cross and resurrection, reveal just how much God is for us. "He is risen," is our mantra. It embraces all that we are. It defines who we are and how we do life. It brings the possibilities of God to us and shows us that Jesus really is God who "actually entered into and authentically participated in our creaturely realm."[1] The truth is "We have a great high priest who is…able to sympathize with our weaknesses" and who invites us to live out our lives at "the throne of grace" where “we receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need" (Hebrews 4:14-16).
It is a humbling and yet exhilarating thought to think that our lives are covered by the God we see revealed in Jesus. At minimum this means we are never without hope, that God's grace is sufficient. Take from us all that can be taken and there is still God in Jesus. Do to us what you will and there is still God in Jesus. Bless us, curse us, or snub us, Jesus is Lord not blessings or curses or snubbing. Kill us, and the last word isn't death but life, Eternal life in the One who is Lord, even over death.
In Jesus is life and His life is the light of God to us and in us (See John 1:4). To embrace Him is to take His hand, as it were, and to live both now and when this life is taken away from us.
There is no place we can go to hide from His grace. Isaac Watts reminds us in a hymn we sing at Christmas time,
So it was that Eliza Hewitt wrote[3]
God has spoken in Jesus Christ, hasn't He? That's our message. It begins and ends right here.
It is interesting to note, too, that Easter doesn't take us out of life; it puts us right down in the middle of life. In Jesus we don't run away from the world into some fantasy place where weak people go (an accusation that is often made against people of faith). Instead, we run to the world with the greatest news ever to come into the human situation ~~ He has risen.
After Easter life is never lived without a risen Lord and Savior in it. He can be ignored. He can be denied. He can be shunned. But, He cannot be driven off. He cannot be made less that who He is. This is His world and He lives in it as the One who has risen from the dead.
For those who will allow Him, He makes all things new. For those who will receive His grace, the reality of sins forgiven becomes their reality. For those who will let Him be Lord, He comes to live within them, administering His grace at every level of life. He doesn't take us out of life; He cleans us up in it.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin".
I'm whispering "I was lost,
Now I'm found and forgiven."
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumbleand
need Christ to be my guide.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak
And need His strength to carry on.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed
And need God to clean my mess.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible
But, God believes I am worth it.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I still feel the sting of pain.
I have my share of heartaches
So I call upon His name.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner
Who received God's good grace, somehow!
Prayer: Father, fill us with Jesus until our very lives are captivated by His life. Help us to be the people you have created and called us to be. Help us to embrace the life of Jesus that the life of God may embrace our lives. Help us to be a people of the resurrection. Help us to live and move and have our being in Jesus. Amen.
[1] Thomas Jay Oord and Michael Lodahl, Relational Holiness: Responding to the Call of Love, (Beacon Hill: Kansas City, 2005), 93
2 From the third verse of “Joy to the World,” by Isaac Watts, 1719
[3] "My Faith Has Found a Resting Place Word" by: Eliza E. Hewitt, in Songs of Joy and Gladness, 1891. Hymnals often show the author as Lidie H. Edmunds, Eliza’s pseudonym.
[4] Christians by Maya Angelou
[5] C. S. Lewis, The Last Battle, 228
An Easter Message
Jesus' resurrection lies at the heart and foundation of all it means for Christians to be Christian. Without the resurrection of Jesus there is no message of Christ. All He was is defined by the quality of His life, death and resurrection. His death and thus His resurrection speak to the deepest needs of creation and to that unique situation called, human. A brief progression of thought might be might be helpful.
The Bible says "the wages of sin is death" and that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 6:23, 3:23). John 3:16 reminds us that "God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that who ever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." Based upon this reality the apostle John wrote, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (I John 1:9). This reality led the apostle Paul to write in 2 Corinthians 5:17, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come." Further, this led Paul to teach, "Sin shall not be your master, because you … under grace" (Romans 6:14). He went even further when he said, "If God is for us, who can be against us... We are more than conquerors through him who loved us" (Romans 8:31, 37)
The entire Jesus event, particularly the cross and resurrection, reveal just how much God is for us. "He is risen," is our mantra. It embraces all that we are. It defines who we are and how we do life. It brings the possibilities of God to us and shows us that Jesus really is God who "actually entered into and authentically participated in our creaturely realm."[1] The truth is "We have a great high priest who is…able to sympathize with our weaknesses" and who invites us to live out our lives at "the throne of grace" where “we receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need" (Hebrews 4:14-16).
It is a humbling and yet exhilarating thought to think that our lives are covered by the God we see revealed in Jesus. At minimum this means we are never without hope, that God's grace is sufficient. Take from us all that can be taken and there is still God in Jesus. Do to us what you will and there is still God in Jesus. Bless us, curse us, or snub us, Jesus is Lord not blessings or curses or snubbing. Kill us, and the last word isn't death but life, Eternal life in the One who is Lord, even over death.
In Jesus is life and His life is the light of God to us and in us (See John 1:4). To embrace Him is to take His hand, as it were, and to live both now and when this life is taken away from us.
There is no place we can go to hide from His grace. Isaac Watts reminds us in a hymn we sing at Christmas time,
So it was that Eliza Hewitt wrote[3]
My faith has found a resting place,
not in device or creed;
I trust the ever-living One,
His wounds for me shall plead.
Enough for me that Jesus saves,
this ends my fear and doubt;
a sinful soul I come to Him,
He’ll never cast me out.
I need no other argument,
I need no other plea,
It is enough that Jesus died,
And that He died for me.
not in device or creed;
I trust the ever-living One,
His wounds for me shall plead.
Enough for me that Jesus saves,
this ends my fear and doubt;
a sinful soul I come to Him,
He’ll never cast me out.
I need no other argument,
I need no other plea,
It is enough that Jesus died,
And that He died for me.
God has spoken in Jesus Christ, hasn't He? That's our message. It begins and ends right here.
It is interesting to note, too, that Easter doesn't take us out of life; it puts us right down in the middle of life. In Jesus we don't run away from the world into some fantasy place where weak people go (an accusation that is often made against people of faith). Instead, we run to the world with the greatest news ever to come into the human situation ~~ He has risen.
After Easter life is never lived without a risen Lord and Savior in it. He can be ignored. He can be denied. He can be shunned. But, He cannot be driven off. He cannot be made less that who He is. This is His world and He lives in it as the One who has risen from the dead.
For those who will allow Him, He makes all things new. For those who will receive His grace, the reality of sins forgiven becomes their reality. For those who will let Him be Lord, He comes to live within them, administering His grace at every level of life. He doesn't take us out of life; He cleans us up in it.
I totally love the poem by Maya Angelou that speaks of the human situation but also of God's activity in it. She writes[4]
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin".
I'm whispering "I was lost,
Now I'm found and forgiven."
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumbleand
need Christ to be my guide.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak
And need His strength to carry on.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed
And need God to clean my mess.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible
But, God believes I am worth it.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I still feel the sting of pain.
I have my share of heartaches
So I call upon His name.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner
Who received God's good grace, somehow!
On Easter an angel and Jesus, Himself, told the women who had come to the tomb to go and tell His disciples that He was alive. The Church has been doing that ever since. Somebody, somewhere, every minute of every day is telling somebody, somewhere, about Jesus and how He died but lives again. It's a story that resonates in the human heart. It is a message of life and hope. It stirs our imaginations to believe again that there is a future in this world and in the life to come.
I lost a good friend in death on Saturday morning, March 31, 2007. He was my friend, my colleague, a confidant. He was a pastor, a scholar, a leader, a shepherd. Today, somebody else is preaching in his place at New Life Church of the Nazarene in Lancaster, California. His name is Chuck and I will miss him until I go home to heaven and fellowship with him around the throne of God. And, that's the point that resonates in my very being today.
In the resurrection of Jesus Christ we are inundated with hope. Death spoke and we had no recourse but to listen; but for those of us who believe in Jesus death is not the final word. The life that is in Jesus is the final word.
At the of the last book in the Chronicles of Narnia called, The Last Battle, C. S. Lewis has Aslan, the lion, and a Jesus figure, speak to Peter, Edmund and Lucy. He says to them:
"There was a railway accident," said Aslan softly. "Your father and mother and all of you are — as you used to call it in the Shadowlands—dead. The term is over: the holidays have begun. The dream is ended: this is the morning."
And as He spoke He no longer looked to them like a lion; but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them. And for us this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before."[5]
This is the hope we have because of Jesus ~~ hope for today and hope for tomorrow.
Because He lives we can face tomorrow triumphantly.
Because He lives we can face today in the power of the resurrected Lord.
Because He lives, we live.
Because He lives we too can say and know in our very being,
I need no other argument,
I need no other plea,
It is enough that Jesus died,
And that He died for me.
I need no other plea,
It is enough that Jesus died,
And that He died for me.
Prayer: Father, fill us with Jesus until our very lives are captivated by His life. Help us to be the people you have created and called us to be. Help us to embrace the life of Jesus that the life of God may embrace our lives. Help us to be a people of the resurrection. Help us to live and move and have our being in Jesus. Amen.
[1] Thomas Jay Oord and Michael Lodahl, Relational Holiness: Responding to the Call of Love, (Beacon Hill: Kansas City, 2005), 93
2 From the third verse of “Joy to the World,” by Isaac Watts, 1719
[3] "My Faith Has Found a Resting Place Word" by: Eliza E. Hewitt, in Songs of Joy and Gladness, 1891. Hymnals often show the author as Lidie H. Edmunds, Eliza’s pseudonym.
[4] Christians by Maya Angelou
[5] C. S. Lewis, The Last Battle, 228
Friday, March 30, 2007
Palm Sunday is a most perplexing day in the church year. It looks great what with all the praising and celebrating and affirming the Kingship of Jesus, but one doesn’t have to look too closely to see that, in fact, there is trouble in River City, or Jerusalem as the case may be.
It’s a paradoxical day, too. The average guy on the street apparently gets what the most learned of the Spiritual scholars couldn’t grasp. They saw that Jesus was the One who came to them “in the name of the Lord” (Luke 19:38). It looks like they knew their Scriptures too, because that’s a quote from their Psalms (118:26). And, in looking at Him they could affirm the truth, “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest” (Luke 19:38).
How deeply the truth ran in them we don’t know. We do know that five days later in Luke, many of them were calling for Jesus’ crucifixion. Maybe their vacillation was what led Jesus to weep over the city as he approached it (Luke 19:41). We don’t know; we just know that on this one day they got it right, so much so that Jesus said “If these become silent, the stones will cry out” (Luke 19:40).
Here’s my concern. From “praise Him” to “Crucify Him” in a period of a few days is scandalous information. I fear that it is far too easy to get caught up in crowd mentality and lose oneself in the swarm.
I can’t speak for anybody but myself but may God help me to know what I know, to believe what I believe, and to stand for Him on Palm Sunday or Good Friday. If I’m going to praise Him on Sunday then surely I will have enough gumption and drive to live for Him when the powers that be call for His demise.
After all, if He is Lord on Sunday then He is Lord everyday of the week and in whatever situation we find ourselves. If He is Lord on Sunday then we must pick up our cross and follow Him on Friday.
It’s a paradoxical day, too. The average guy on the street apparently gets what the most learned of the Spiritual scholars couldn’t grasp. They saw that Jesus was the One who came to them “in the name of the Lord” (Luke 19:38). It looks like they knew their Scriptures too, because that’s a quote from their Psalms (118:26). And, in looking at Him they could affirm the truth, “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest” (Luke 19:38).
How deeply the truth ran in them we don’t know. We do know that five days later in Luke, many of them were calling for Jesus’ crucifixion. Maybe their vacillation was what led Jesus to weep over the city as he approached it (Luke 19:41). We don’t know; we just know that on this one day they got it right, so much so that Jesus said “If these become silent, the stones will cry out” (Luke 19:40).
Here’s my concern. From “praise Him” to “Crucify Him” in a period of a few days is scandalous information. I fear that it is far too easy to get caught up in crowd mentality and lose oneself in the swarm.
I can’t speak for anybody but myself but may God help me to know what I know, to believe what I believe, and to stand for Him on Palm Sunday or Good Friday. If I’m going to praise Him on Sunday then surely I will have enough gumption and drive to live for Him when the powers that be call for His demise.
After all, if He is Lord on Sunday then He is Lord everyday of the week and in whatever situation we find ourselves. If He is Lord on Sunday then we must pick up our cross and follow Him on Friday.
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