Keeping it real

Each morning I pray, as Christ taught: "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done." 

Then I pray that MY will would be done in everyone else's life.

And spend the rest of the day trying to make MY kingdom come.

A Hymn of Lament for Good Friday

(to the tune of Silent night)

Silent day. Holy week.

All is dark. All is bleak.

Round the mother is sorrow and woe.

The Son of God is buried alone.

Weep in heavenly grief.

Weep in heavenly grief.

Silent day. Holy hush.

Dreams have died. Hopes are crushed.

Friends are gathered in rooms above,

Abandoned by the One they loved.

Christ the Savior has died.

Christ the Savior has died.

What's in your closet?

As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: "BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF Y OU, WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY; THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, 'MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT.'" John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. (‭Mark‬ ‭1‬:‭2-4‬ NASB)

Second Sunday of Advent, December 7, 2014

One of the things we do in Advent is clear out the clutter. Something new is coming and we must make space for it. So we open the closets of our hearts and tackle the tedious and terffifying process of repentence.  John the Baptist was the "clutter coach". He showed us how to get rid of the things that would block the way of the One who makes all things new. "Repent," he said.

"This pride that convinces you you don't need help? Throw it out!"  

"The fear, that holds you back from reaching out? Pull it up!"

"The self-seeking, that wants not only to be loved, but to be worshiped? Cast it aside!"

Confession and repentence and forgiveness are how we "make ready the way of the Lord."

What's in your closet?

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Prayer of Confession complied from various traditional prayers.

Almighty and most merciful Father, I confess thatI have erred and strayed from your ways like a lost sheep,
I have followed too much the devices and desires of my own heart, I have offended against your holy laws,
I have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed.I have left undone those things which I ought to have done,and I have done those things which I ought not to have done.
I have not loved you with my whole heart;
I have not loved my neighbors as myself.
I am truly sorry and humbly repent.  For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
spare me as I confess my faults,
restore me, for I am penitent,
have mercy on me and forgive me;
that I may delight in your will, and walk in your ways,
that I may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life,
according to your promises declared unto mankind
in Christ Jesus my Lord;
to the glory of your holy Name. Amen.

Weavings

Galatians 5:14-15; Ephesians 4:32; Ephesians 4:2; 1 Corinthians 13:4-7; James 1:19; Colossians 3:12-15; Galatians 5:16a, 22-26; Philippians 2:3-4;  Ephesians 5:20  (NLT)

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For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another. 

Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. 

Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. 

Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. 

Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. 

So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives...the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another. 

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. 

And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

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Sharpening the Blade

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us ... (Romans 8:26a NLT)

"We don't know what God wants us to pray for."  I wonder if we keep this in mind when someone asks us to pray for a need--or a desire--they have.  They tell us what THEY want us to pray for. But do we take time to listen to the Holy Spirit so we pray what GOD wants us pray for?  Likewise, before I pray for my own needs--or desires--do I first present those to God and ask the Holy Spirit to guide my prayers to be aligned with the will of God?

When we pray according to the will of God as we are instructed by the Holy Spirit, our prayers become entwined with the heart of God and empowered by His providence.  When we don't, it's all hit-or-miss. For the prayers of the righteous (aligned with God) person are the ones that are effective (James 5:16).

Asking God what to pray for before we pray is like using a sharp ax to cut to the heart of the matter. Gaining God's wisdom first is like putting the blade against the sharpening wheel. Then when we pray, the Holy Spirit intercedes according to the will of God, and the plan of God is accomplished:  "Using a dull ax requires great strength, so sharpen the blade. That’s the value of wisdom; it helps you succeed." (Ecclesiastes 10:10 NLT)

The Power of Invitation Part Two

Click here to see Part One.

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Let anyone who hears this say, “Come.” Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life.  Revelation 22:17 (NLT)

It is a wonderful thing to be on the guest list. Who doesn't want to be included? And when the party is hosted by God, and we hear him say, "Come," it is wondrous! Often God uses various messengers to deliver his invitation.  We see that in this passage. The Holy Spirit issues the call, "Come."  The bride (the Church) also is dispatched to speak the grand word, "Come."  And there is one other messenger noted in the verse: Anyone who hears.

The guests are invited to invite their friends. Any of us who hear about it are encouraged to tell others about it. Can't you just see the tweets, the FB posts, as it goes viral?   

In addition to telling us who carries the invitation, the passage also tells us who is to receive the invitation. It reminds me of those seminar notices that say, "Who should attend this" and then lists the roles that would find the training helpful. This passage does that. To whom would the invitation appeal? "Anyone who is thirsty. Anyone who desires to drink freely from the water of life."  It's not for those good enough, or rich enough, or smart enough, or pretty enough. It is for those who are thirsty enough. 

Leave it

“When you harvest the crops of your land, do not harvest the grain along the edges of your fields, and do not pick up what the harvesters drop. Leave it for the poor and the foreigners living among you. I am the LORD your God.” (Leviticus 23:22 NLT)

The message in this verse is so counter to the messages in our American culture. Our world calls us to live on the edge, to go the distance, grab it all. But God's Word says, leave space, have left-overs, share. Our culture urges us to not only consume all we have, but to wander into fields we might have in the future and take more from there (a.k.a. debt). But Scripture teaches us to use less than we have so we can participate with God in caring for others. 

I think this applies not only to food, as in this passage, but to all of life: time, engery, attention, as well as money and things. We are not only to leave grain at the edge of our fields, but take a weekly sabbath so we have the engery to bear one another's burdens, leave the gleanings so we can give to the poor. In Psalm 23 we learn that God fills our cup to overflowing. Why? Perhaps so others can enjoy the extra, not so we can slurp up the excess from the saucer.

A starting place in learning to do this is to recognize and acknowlege that the field we harvest isn't ours to begin with. He gives some grain for us to have for our needs, and some for us to have so we can experience the joy of giving to others. Like the mother who gives her young son a dollar to buy his sister a birthday gift, so God gives to us so we can give to others. 

Why? Because "I am the Lord your God." Our God is a giving God (think of John 3:16). As those made in His image, as those seeking to grow in the likeness of Christ, we give. We do not harvest the edges of our fields or pick up what the harvesters drop. We leave it.

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To go more deeply into the theology of giving, wallow around in Miroslav Volf's insights in his book, Free of Charge, giving and forgiving in a culture stripped of grace.

The wrong question

“Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?” (John 9:2 NLT)

In the ninth chapter of John’s Gospel we find Jesus doing one of the things He does best. Healing. He heals blindness—two kinds of blindness. First and obvious, is the sight he gives to a blind man. But perhaps an even greater miracle happens as he exposes and begins to heal the blinding darkness of stigma woven by the man’s family and community.  In that day, illnesses were often attributed to sin. So the question the disciples asked of Jesus was not, “How did this happen?” because they had already figured that out. They knew the cause was sin. They just wanted Jesus to help them ascribe blame to the right party. Their question was, “Who sinned?”

 

But Christ would have none of it. “You are asking the wrong question,” he responded. He knew the question stemmed from wrong assumptions—presumptions that were based on ignorance and stigma.

 

In our day we often still ask the wrong questions about how some people find themselves in the situations they are in. How easy it is, for example, to look at those struggling with addictions, homelessness, mental illnesses, and make assumptions of why they are the way they are or how they got into the state they are in. Like the disciples, our assumptions are often based on ignorance or, worse, arrogance.

Perhaps the right question is revealed in Christ's reply to the wrong question: “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him." (John 9:3 NLT). Maybe what we should be asking is, "Do I see the power of God in this person?" If not, perhaps I am the one who is blind.

The power of invitation

My heart has heard you say, "Come and talk with me." And my heart responds, "LORD, I am coming." Psalm 27:8

"Come."  It may be the most overlooked yet powerful word in the English language. It speaks of being included. Of belonging. It comforts us in our deepest area of need to say we are noticed. We matter. We are wanted.

Throughout the Scriptures God issues His invitations to us. 

To us who are longing.

"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost." Isaiah 55:11 (NIV)

To us who are weary.

[Jesus speaking] “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:28-30 (MSG)

To us who are aimless. 

Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him.  Matthew 4:19-20 (NLT)

To us who are soiled.

"Come now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool.”  Isaiah 1:18 (NASB)

To us who are willing.

And He said, "Come!" And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus.  Matthew 14:29 (NASB) 

To you. To me. To us.  

"LORD, I am coming."

The Power of Invitation - Part Two

Go and Speak Likewise

Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification, according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. Ephesians 4:29 (NASB)

I think it is safe to believe that what God expects of us He expects of Himself. When He tells us to love our enemies, we can be sure He loves His. When He says to let our  "Yes be Yes" and our "No be No," we can be sure His are. So when He tells us what kind of words should come out of our mouths, we can listen for those to come out of His as well. What, then, might we hear?

First, they will be words that edify (build-up, encourage, impart hope, assure). When God speaks we are strengthened, lightened and empowered. So, when we hear in our heads/hearts, or through the mouths of others, words that tear down, discourage, burden, confuse, we can be sure those are not the words of God. We don't have to listen to them or absorb them or trust in them.

Second, God's words to us will be timely, addressing the current situation, today's questions, now-prayers. He is ever-present, giving daily bread and help at the time of need.

And, God's words will impress grace, filling us with both the peace and the power to be assured of His love, goodness, and presence.

Because that's how God speaks, in Ephesians 4:29 we are reminded to go and speak likewise.

In my own words

Over the years, one way I have learned to 'let the word of Christ dwell richly within' me is to rework passages of Scripture in my own words -- taking the thoughts expressed by the writer and re-expressing them in ways that are in keeping with my personality, my needs, my current realities, my growing knowledge of God. Below is a recent example. See also:  Eighty-nine nine and My Psalm 144:12-14; 

Psalm 143

1-2:  God, I am begging you to hear me and answer me. I know you will answer because of who you are are—faithful, good, mighty, right.  I have nothing to bargain with, nothing to offer. So I know your answer will not come as a reward or a payment for services rendered.

3-4: I feel like I have been attacked—ambushed, knocked down, assaulted. I can't see where this is coming from, or the way out. And I am losing all sense of feeling. Like a dead person, I am lifeless and dumb. Fear and hopelessness have rendered me helpless and impotent. I have no strength or wisdom to get out of this.

5-6: But I do remember other times when this happened before. And I recall what you did then. How mighty and kind and gracious you were. That memory gives me the courage to pray now, though weak and needy.

7:  I need you to act quickly. I don't think I can hold on much longer. I am so tired and overwhelmed. If you don't act right away, I just can't go on.

8-9:  At the beginning of each day, every day, today,  speak words of comfort and love and hope, O, Lord. I will look to you for that, and believe you will do it. And, as your words of love give me strength to press on, please show me what to do, where to go, how to act. Each day. Every day. Today. I surrender. Not to that which seeks to conquer me, but to you. I look to you.  Pull me out of my vulnerability, out of the open range where I am an easy-shot. Hide me where none can find me or hurt me. Hide me in you.

10:  And there, help me learn all I should from this experience  Teach me how to think, act and feel like the One in whose image I am made. And when I am restored, release to me the One who will guide me into all truth, that I may walk where I should without slipping or falling or going astray.

11: As I declared at the beginning, I am not asking you to do this as a reward or honor—for I have nothing due to me. I ask you to do this to show off your own kindness and faithfulness, for the honor of your own name. Don't let me die here. Now. Get me out of here, please.

12: As a part of your goodness; don't just save me. Also destroy them. All of them. Those that want to conquer me. So that they don't keep beating me down and keep me from serving you.

Start here

But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”                    Luke 10:41,42

I have a dual personality, it seems. I have a Mary-heart, and a Martha-mind. My heart longs to just be with Jesus, while my mind is hurriedly making lists and plans and agendas and schedules. 

My Mary-heart sits quietly, intent on only one thing, like an empty jar waiting be filled with the fullness of the Master. While my Martha-mind blows in, with a notepad full of items to discuss, questions to ask, suggestions to offer. So many things. 

Just as Jesus calmed the storm upon the sea, so he speaks peace to the swirl of my Martha-mind. Like a map to a hidden treasure, he says, "start here." Start with the one thing. "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness..." then the rest will be cared for. (Matthew 6:33). 

Silent Saturday

"But by the time they were finished, the Sabbath had begun, so they rested as required by the law." (Luke 23:56b)

It is the day slid between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Not much is said in the Scriptures about the time between the filling of the tomb and its emptying.

Perhaps that is because, unlike us who wait with anticipation the arrival of Easter morning, no one was expecting anything. The disciples assumed it was all over and were beginning the horrid task of re-grouping when you haven't a clue when or where or how to start over. How do you enter that space when the anticipated future evaporates in your viewing? When all that is left is the grim reality that dreams are just dreams, and hopes are deceptive bedfellows?

The women, it seems, were disrupted mid-stream in planning for the burial. They found the tomb, and prepared the spices. But as an unwelcomed interloper, the Sabbath came with its unrelenting rules. And so, "on the Sabbath day they rested, according to the commandment." The rest of the work would need to wait until after the rest from the work.

However, during the quiet, in the unseen places, there was no rest. The entire trajectory of all mankind was being recalculated. A new course was being set. In the silence of Saturday,  in the rest of the Sabbath, the deepest work was being done. An explosion to rip apart the bulwark-veil that separates the mortal from the immortal was being prepared. Death-conquering work was underway.

While the disciples huddled in fear and grief wondering what to do next; while the women rested in sorrow, waiting to complete their tender oblations, their God was busy loading His majestic glory into the chamber.

Cross-cultural

And again He said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God?"  Luke 13:20

I have lived in another country. When I moved I had to learn the rules and the ways of life there. They did things differently than we did in my country. They drove on the other side of the road, shook hands with everyone when they entered the room, and negotiated the price of every purchase. Their 'rules' were not the same as the rules I had always known.

Before I moved to that other place, and after I first arrived in the new land, I was taught how things are done there. I had to be shown the way things worked there. And even after living there for several years I kept learning that there was much I didn't yet understand.

The new ways in my new home didn't come to me naturally, and sometimes seemed very strange. But I would remind myself that this is how they do things here. What I used to do in my old country won't work here. My old approaches are out of place, or just plain wrong.

It seems to me that much of Jesus' teaching, and nearly all of Paul's writings, are trying to help us see that when we came to believe in Christ, we left our old country and now we live in a new country -- or in Bible words, in a new Kingdom. Jesus tells his disciples and the crowds what this new Kingdom is like. He tells us that in this Kingdom not only are children welcome, only those child-like in faith are allowed. He describes that the poor inherit this Kingdom while the rich have a very, very difficult time getting in. He warns us that in this Kingdom the last is first and the least is great.

Paul reminds us that in this new Kingdom we should put away our old currency, it won't buy you anything here. He says that in our old country we used to dress a certain way. But that's not appropriate attire here.

And in all their teachings, Jesus and his followers try to help us learn the new language of this new Kingdom. It includes unfamiliar concepts like, grace, forbearance, atonement -- as well as new meanings for words we did have in our old language -- words like, love, peace, forever.

As we learn our way our new country we begin to feel like we belong. Not because we do things right or have mastered the language, but because we are home.

Claims

With God’s help we will do mighty things,

    for he will trample down our foes. Psalms 108:13 (NLT)

In your strength I can crush an army;

    with my God I can scale any wall.  Psalms 18:29 (NLT)

When I read these verses I think of a toddler on his daddy's shoulders, shouting down to mommy, and claiming, "Look, I touched the ceiling!"  And daddy winks with a delighted grin.

Lost

For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.    Luke 19:10 (NLT) and Luke 15

In the parables that Jesus tells about lostness, he talks about sheep, coins, and sons.

The sheep lost its way.

The son lost his bearings.

But the coin just gets lost.

Some of people are separated not because of inattention, rebellion or ambition.
Sometimes they just get overlooked by others. But never by God.

Hopeless Hills

Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?”  So they rolled the stone aside.   John 11:40-41a (NLT)

It is a grave in the side of a hill. The stone is large and heavy. Surely not to keep the dead in, but to keep the living out.  The grave cries out, "Over. Gone. Ended. Done."  On the inside is death and eternity. On the outside is fear and sorrow.  

But in the midst of this hopelessness, Jesus - the resurrection and the life - comes in, and Lazarus - the dead man - comes out. 

Behind the stone, in the solitude and sanctuary of the tomb, God was at work. In a place no one could see. In a way no one imagined. He brought life to the dead.

There are tombs in my heart. Places where I have buried my hopeless things and sealed them with hard and heavy stones. Habits I can't change. Relationships I've given up on. Plans I've abandoned. Outside of their graves I grieve their loss and quietly respect their finality. 

However, in the cemetery of these graves, could it be that there are some buried places where God is still at work? That behind the stone doors, where no one can see, he is breathing life into dead things? Am I watching in case Jesus comes to stand by one of my hopeless hills?  At his bidding, am I willing to move the stone? Do I have the faith that is able see God's glory there? 

Voice Recognition

“Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?”  "Who are you, lord?" Saul asked. 

Acts 9:4b-5 (NLT)

In Philippians Chapter 3, Paul tells us a part of his testimony:

• Raised in the religious community: "I was circumcised when I was eight days old". 
• Part of the most elite and prestigious inner circles: "I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one!"
• Learned and educated in the things of God: "I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law."
• Serious about doing the right things: "I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault."

Yes, Paul had been a deeply religious person. And he knew it. And was proud of it.

But when God (through the person of Jesus) twice called out his name, Paul didn't recognize Him.

Perhaps that is because knowing ABOUT someone, isn't the same as KNOWING someone. I've read lots of biographies, but I would never know the sound of the person's voice until I had actually met them. In the same way, studying the words of God helps me know about God, but it is in knowing Jesus, the Word of God made flesh, that I really come to know God and am able to recognize His voice.

From the inside out

God himself is in Jerusalem’s towers,  revealing himself as its defender. Psalm 48:3


Despite what I know to be true, I often think of God as being out there somewhere. Although I know better, I tend to act as though God is watching over me "at a distance." This mindset is particularly evident when I am feeling vulnerable and afraid. I cry out to God as though he is on a far away planet and I need to implore him to make the trip to enter my world and protect me from the things that press in from nearby.

But God is here. "God himself is IN Jerusalem's towers." God himself (not his emissary or underling, but he, himself) is in the place where his people live. He doesn't come from somewhere else to be there for me. He is in here. Inside my world, inside my life, inside me. And it is from the inside out that he defends and protects me. 

Eighty-nine Nine

Psalm 89:9 (NASB) 

You rule the swelling of the sea; When its waves rise, You still them.

Psalm 89:9 (cpd*) 

When the waves of life mount up with madness and chaos...

    You, O God of heaven and earth, who created the waters with the greatness of Your voice,

    You, O God, who has power, dominion and authority over the swelling pride and boastful arrogance of all that pretends to be mighty; 

    You, O God, with Your loud voice of authority (as the conquerer who booms out a victory cry with a dreadful shout) demand the tumult to stop its churning and fury and bluster. 

...You alone, O God, cause the swirling currents to relax, to rest, to be at peace.

*my own paraphrase