Welcome to the September 2014 Archive. You are welcome to read the entire archive, or find a topic on the list below that is of interest to you. Just click the link, and you will be taken directly to the day it was written. Enjoy, and may you know God's peace as you read His Word.
You are welcome to use these writings or pass them on. All we ask is that in all things you remember the Author and give Him the glory, and remember this vessel which He has used to bring them to you. Peggy Hoppes
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Scripture on this page taken from the American Standard Version of the Holy Bible which belongs to the public domain.
A WORD FOR TODAY, September 2014
September 1, 2014
“Blessed is every one that feareth Jehovah, That walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labor of thy hands: Happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee. Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine, In the innermost parts of thy house; Thy children like olive plants, Round about thy table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed That feareth Jehovah. Jehovah bless thee out of Zion: And see thou the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life. Yea, see thou thy children's children. Peace be upon Israel.” Psalm 128, ASV
The first Labor Day celebration was held in New York City on September 5th, 1882 by the Central Labor Union. It was designed to be a day to show the public the “the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations” and began with a parade. It was followed by a festival of fun and celebration for the workers and their families. The tradition followed the second year on September 5th, 1883. It was moved to the first Monday of September by the third year, when the Central Labor Union began encouraging other organizations to join in the celebration. The politicians eventually became involved, taking the day as an opportunity to promote their causes among those who labor in the workforce.
We are reminded by the holiday that those who labor daily to meet our needs are vital to society and to our lives. The best things in life come from those who work hard to create, produce and provide everything we need, and through them we benefit from the economic and technological progress that we’ve made, not only in American history, but through all time.
Sadly, politics has become too much the focus, and the real needs of the worker have been lost. I did a search on news stories for today and the first that came up has to do with Labor Day being not only unofficial end of summer, but also being the unofficial beginning of the campaign season. The politicians might be on vacation, but most of them are making appearances somewhere, campaigning for themselves of for someone else.
It seems to me that original purpose for Labor Day has not really been lost on the true laborers today. Oh, the organization threw the party to get the word out about the benefits of unions, but the men and women who worked for those organizations took to the streets in celebration of their work and to enjoy a day of well deserved rest and recreation. They were proud of their work. They were thankful for the jobs. They were happy that they could take care of their families, to put food on the table and clothes on their children’s backs. They appreciated those who were truly concerned about their welfare, fighting for safe working conditions and just compensation.
We can argue today about whether those organizations still care about the workers or if they have an agenda, but the day is meant for workers. There aren’t as many parades or festivals; it has become a day for barbeques at home or that last summer fling at the beach. It has become a day for retail sales and the final preparation for many teachers and students who will finally return back to school tomorrow.
Whatever is was, and whatever it is, we are reminded on this Labor Day by the words of the psalmist that God cares for the laborer who loves God and He provides for them. While organizations have provided for the welfare of workers, they are made up of human beings who can lose sight of what really matters. However, we can rest in the trustworthiness of the God who blesses those who fear Him and walk in His ways. He makes our labor worthwhile; He ensures the fruit of our labors will be a blessing. He provides a place for rest, not only one day a year but every day of our lives.
“Ye have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: but I say unto you, resist not him that is evil: but whosoever smiteth thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man would go to law with thee, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. Ye have heard that it was said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy: but I say unto you, love your enemies, and pray for them that persecute you; that ye may be sons of your Father who is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust. For if ye love them that love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the Gentiles the same? Ye therefore shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:38-48, ASV
Slavery did not necessarily last a lifetime in ancient times. People became slaves to pay off debts, as punishment for wrong-doing and because they were captured in times of war. The slaves served for a specific period of time and when the debt or punishment was paid, they were set free. The slaves were set free at the end of the war or when they were rescued by their countrymen. At the end of their time of service, the slave could choose to stay. We might think that’s a ridiculous choice; who would ever want to continue as a slave with a master? It might be an easy choice if the master is harsh, but what if the master is good and provides well for the people in his care?
Many slaves did choose to stay on. When they did, the master and slave would seek God’s blessing on the relationship and then they would go to the door of the master’s home. The master would take an awl, and put it through the slave’s ear into the door. This might sound harsh, but it was an act of covenant for both of them. The piercing of the ear committed both to a lifelong relationship. The slave would prove his loyalty by submitting to the ritual.
The life Christ calls us to lead is not an easy one. We are, by nature, self-centered and self-serving. In many ways this is good, a natural protection from the world in which we live. We have to concern ourselves with the things that can hurt us, protect ourselves from the dangers that surround us. We have to ensure our safety and well-being. We hunt for food, we build homes, and we work at jobs to pay for everything we need. Hard work is a blessing, and the person who works hard will be blessed. Of course, Jesus asks us to share the fruit of our labor with those in need. This is not that difficult when we are feeling blessed. It is especially easy when we believe those with whom we are sharing our riches deserve to have the good things in life, too.
The command becomes so much harder when we are asked to share our blessings with people who do not appreciate or even want our help. The words in today’s passage are the worst of all.
How can we possibly love our enemies?
We could pick apart today’s passage and note each way listed by Jesus. I want to focus on verse 41. “And whosoever shall compel thee to go one mile, go with him two.” A devotion I read this week put this verse into a much deeper perspective for me. I never thought about it, really, in light of the historical time. The Roman roads were well marked with mile markers, so that the traveler would know exactly where he was.
In Jesus’ day, a Roman soldier could conscript anyone to carry his bag for one mile along the road. The soldier could choose anyone, no matter which direction they were headed. The markers helped the soldier and the laborer know when the mile was over. Anyone could be forced to carry all his equipment for a mile, even if they had their own burden to carry: a pilgrim journeying to Jerusalem, a merchant taking produce to the market, a laborer searching for a job. For many, it meant risking their own things at the first marker and then returning with the hope that it hadn’t disappeared by the time the conscription was finished.
In this passage, Jesus is not just telling us that if someone asks us to walk with them, we should give them more than 100%. He is telling us that even when someone forces us to do something we do not want to do, that we should do it with joy and continue well beyond the first mile. It is like the slave choosing to stay with the master. We do so, not because the soldier is good or bad, but because it is what our Lord Jesus requires of us.
Imagine the conversations that might happen along that second mile. The soldier, shocked that you would go the second mile might share his life or ask about yours. You might save a weaker, less able person from being conscripted during the next mile. The soldier might just discover that there is a better way of dealing with his neighbors, even those who are not Roman. At the very least, you will be blessed for your obedience to God. It is amazing what can happen when we go that extra mile, not just with a friend but especially with an enemy. After all, you might just introduce that enemy to Jesus and discover in the end that you actually have a friend.
Scriptures for Sunday, September 7, 2014, Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Ezekiel 33:7-9; Psalm 32:1-7; Romans 13:1-10; Matthew 18:1-20
“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered.” Psalm 32:1, ASV
There is a playground in Wrexham, England, that goes against everything modern safety standards demands. Since the 1970’s, especially in the United States, playgrounds are expected to meet certain specifications to protect the health and welfare of our children. The ground must be made of something soft. The bars on the high parts of jungle gyms must be close enough so children can’t fit through and fall to the ground. The equipment can’t exceed a certain height. On top of all these limitations, we often focus on scheduled play and organized activities. We don’t like our kids to get too dirty; we make them protect their toys. In doing so, we often limit their imagination and stifle their adventurousness.
Not to be nostalgic, but I didn’t have those limitations when I was a kid. There’s an internet meme (several actually) that talk about how when ‘we’ were kids our parents expected to see us at dinner and bedtime, but we were sent outside to play the rest of the day. We left our toys in the sandbox to get rained upon and grimy. We climbed trees without supervisions, played hide and seek in the woods. We even (don’t be shocked) used the hill by the highway for sledding in the winter. At the top of that hill, we were less than ten feet away from vehicles speeding on wet and sometimes slippery roads.
Ok, so perhaps there is good reason for some of these limitations. The playground rules came into effect after a boy died from falling headfirst from the top of a large slide onto a macadam playground. I can’t imagine what would have happened if a car had slipped and crashed into the guard rail when we were waiting for our turn to sled down the hill. The world seems to be a more dangerous place; we don’t let our kids out of our sights because we are afraid they will be kidnapped. Besides, experts have suggested that organized play is good for the kids.
My feet were black in the summer from running around barefoot on the streets; my hair was white from being sun-bleached. My hair was also green from the chlorine from the pool I lived in from dawn to dusk during the summer (that’s how my feet usually got clean.) I was a red, pruney, green haired child with dirty feet. But we had fun. We chased lightning bugs at night and played flashlight tag throughout our neighborhood with the only boundaries being common sense and fairness. We had Monopoly games that lasted weeks, left set up in the basement where it was started until there wasn’t any money left to win. We used whatever we could find to make whatever our imagination could dream.
The people who designed this playground in Wrexham have realized that we have stolen our children’s freedom, their adventurousness and we’ve made them too afraid to imagine anything for themselves. We have strangled their imaginations by telling them they can’t play the games they want to play or create the world that will help them become strong, bold, creative adults that are unafraid to try something new or to go out on their own.
The Land is a playground that looks more like a junkyard. It is filled with stuff: old tires, cement drainage pipes, broken toys, pallets, ropes and wheelbarrows. There is even an old couch. A hill leads to a creek. One mother told the story of her son’s first visit to The Land. He met another boy who convinced him to get into a large recycle bin which was lying on its side at the top of the hill. The plan was to push him over the edge so that he’d roll into the creek. The water was cold and the mother had no change of clothes. The strange boy was being kind to her son, comforting and encouraging, so she let it go. He had a blast, got out of the creek and went running with his friend to try something new.
Nothing is off limits. They even allow the kids to start fires, which often end with a large group gathered around laughing at stories and jokes. There is adult supervision, but not much. Most mothers do not even enter The Land; they just drop their kids off to play. The workers don’t stop the kids from doing anything stupid, although they are there to ensure that no one gets seriously hurt. Despite the minimal adult interference, the kids never leave with more than a few scratches. The kids just have fun. They build forts with pallets that are piled way too high. They roll tires down the hill into the creek. They use the rope swing to get from one side of the creek to the other, or they just fall in. They play. They create. They imagine. They go on an adventure with the freedom to be themselves.
They don’t come out unscathed. They end up with rope burn on their hands and splinters from those pallets. I’m sure many knees are skinned when the fort collapses under the weight of too many kids. They learn from their mistakes and work harder to build a stronger fort the next time. They eat dirt, rip their clothes and get dirty from head to foot. But they have fun, they learn to overcome their fears and they find ways to get along with strangers.
Have you ever thought about why God lets us sin? After all, He’s God. He created us. He could have made us differently so that we would not be disobedient to Him. He could have set limitations on where we could go or what we could do. He didn’t. He gave us the freedom to be ourselves, to learn from our mistakes. We suffer the consequences, although those are usually more than just a skinned knee. We end up with broken relationships.
It is tempting for us to stop our children from making mistakes so that they won’t get hurt. Yet, we know they have to fail once in a while or they will never grow and learn. We walk on that fine line between allowing them to do something stupid and protecting them from themselves. God walks the same line. That internet meme talks about all the stupid things we did as kids, like riding a bike without a helmet and skating on thin ice, but in the end we survived. We do pretty stupid things in God’s kingdom, too, but thanks to His forgiveness and grace, we survive, too.
Of course, sin leads to death, not only in the spiritual realm, but also in the world in which we live. Smoking causes lung cancer. Irresponsible driving causes accidents and even death. It is our responsibility to call for the repentance of those who cross our path, bringing attention to the sins that might cause harm to others or to themselves. It is a very fine line we walk when we talk about the sins of our neighbors. As a matter of fact, in our world today most people would be offended by our interference in their personal lives. This is especially true if we are talking about spiritual things. Who are we to judge a person’s heart? Yet, sometimes God does call us to intercede in the lives of our neighbors for their sake, to shine a light so that they might see their error and repent.
Ezekiel was called to a hard task: to tell the people of Israel about their sin against God. The truly prophetic voice is not something that anyone would choose by their own will because God’s Word is not something the world wants to hear. By the time we reach this chapter in the book, Ezekiel has spoken about God’s judgment not just on Israel, but also on Judah and the nations. But in chapter 33, God begins to speak words of consolation. It is the beginning of hope because the words of judgment brought repentance.
“As I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?” God does not want any to perish. We may suffer the consequences of our mistakes, experience the cost of our sinfulness, but God is ready with a word of consolation for us. We may be the one called to give that word to a brother or sister. The call for repentance is the beginning of hope; it is a revelation of the mercy and grace of God. We might be afraid to speak those words, but God calls us to this ministry so that none will die. He calls us to share in the life-giving promise of His word.
Today’s Gospel lesson can be roughly divided into three separate parts; each part addresses how to deal with sin and temptation in our lives. It begins with a question from the disciples. As always, they were focused on Jesus being a worldly king who would save Israel from the Romans. They wanted to know who would be at His right hand when He came into that kingdom. They wanted to understand the hierarchy, to know the pecking order. Matthew doesn’t clearly show this, but the same story found in Mark (9:33-37) and Luke (9:46-48) clearly shows us that they wanted to know which one of them was most important.
I often wonder if Jesus was frustrated with them by now. They just don’t get it. They must have had some concerns, after all Jesus has told them that He will die. The natural human response would be to ask who would inherit His ministry. Who would be in charge? Who would lead the people when Jesus was gone? These are obvious questions for a group of men who believed there would be a future for their mission but who needed to understand what would come next. They weren’t much different than we are today; there is always a leader and followers. They wanted to know who would be the leader.
Jesus turned their world upside down. Again. He told them that the greatest had nothing to do with power or authority. “Verily I say unto you, Except ye turn, and become as little children, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Not only was Jesus refusing to establish the hierarchy, He told them that if they didn’t humble themselves, they would not even enter the Kingdom. They probably felt pretty confident that they were already in; after all, they were the chosen disciples. How could a little child possibly be greater than them?
Children didn’t have any clout in Jesus’ day. They were certainly not doted upon as our children are today. They were meant to be seen and not heard. Actually, they were not meant to be seen, either. Until they reached the age of maturity, they were barely even people. They had no rights. They had not power. They certainly had no authority. It was beyond their expectation for Jesus to choose a little child as the example in this lesson. What did He mean?
Jesus says, “Unless you become like little children…” What does this mean? What is it about children that we should emulate? We made a list of characteristics the virtues we see in children. They are innocent, not in legal terms, but as it relates to life. They are not yet cynical. They are pure, naïve and open. They have no preconceived ideas. They are creative, inquisitive, bold and unafraid to ask questions. They are like sponges, taking in everything around them. They are trusting, accepting and vulnerable. They still believe in the unbelievable. Those children at The Land are willing to risk it all to try something new and they trust that all will be well.
Jesus pulled that little child into His circle because he or she believed in Jesus. He said, “And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me; but whoso shall cause one of these little ones that believe on me to stumble, it is profitable for him that a great millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be sunk in the depth of the sea.” The child knew something that the disciples still had to learn: Jesus was the greatest.
They would have to take over the ministry one day, perhaps sooner than they wanted, but the reality is that none of them would take Jesus’ place. He would not need a human right hand man, but a group of willing disciples who would continue to do His work. There is no hierarchy here; Jesus is the greatest One and the rest of us, we who believe in Him, are His little children.
See how Jesus ends this section of the text? He warns the disciples to take care of those who are innocent, the ‘little children’ who trust in Him. He warned them, and us, not to lead the pure, naïve, vulnerable, fearless sponges on the wrong path. “Do not cause them to sin.” By this He means, “Do not cause them to stop believing in me.” Sadly, I think we do this much too often.
This idea continues into the next section of the text (verses 7-14.) Now Jesus turns the conversation to temptation. The disciples, seeking a high place in the Kingdom, are yielding to the temptations of the world. The world tells us that we should want to be number one; the world says that we should strive to be the best, to be the most powerful. This is a temptation Jesus faced when the devil tried to get Him to follow another path in the wilderness. After reminding the disciples that faith in Jesus is the way to living in the Kingdom, He gives them some advice about dealing with the sin in their lives. “When the temptations come, and they will, cut them off.”
Jesus was not necessarily being literal here. A hand can’t cause someone to sin. Nor can a foot or an eye. A hand or foot or eye might be the part of the body that is used in the commission of the sin, but the hand cannot control the brain or the heart. If we steal something, it isn’t because we get itchy fingers; we steal because we covet in our hearts and justify in our heads that we deserve to have that item. If we squeeze the trigger of a gun, it is because we have allowed hate or anger to rule our emotions and direct our actions. If we see a beautiful body and lust after it, our eyes are not to be blamed, but our hearts that seek physical satisfaction in a manner that goes against God’s will. Jesus is telling us to cut anything out of our lives that might cause us to sin.
It is interesting that this passage is often used as justification for certain punishments in foreign countries, such as cutting off the hand of the thief, the passage itself is focused on the individual. We are not to cut off someone else’s hand or foot or rip out their eye because they have sinned, but to deal with the temptations in our own lives. These particular verses offer us the encouragement to be responsible for our own actions and to be humble in the face of temptation. The way to deal with others’ sin is described a few verses later.
What is the most important thing? Jesus says, “See that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven.” Do not make yourself to be higher, or better, or greater than the little ones who have complete and total faith in me. We who believe in Jesus are all the same; we are loved by God the Father and He will always take care of us.
As we heard in Ezekiel, and in the final verse of this section (14), God does not want to lose anyone. We are comforted by verse 12, because in it is the promise that if (when) we go astray, God will not leave us wandering helpless and alone. He will come to help us, guide us, and bring us home. Like those workers at The Land, God will do everything He can to keep us from being permanently lost to Him.
The final section of this passage (verses 15-20) helps us to deal with sin in the lives of our brothers and sisters in Christ. We have seen how we are to protect the little ones and ourselves, but now Jesus directs our thoughts to those among us who are led astray. This is a hard topic for us in these modern times, since the world has decided that it is none of our business how others live. We’ve all heard it said, “Judge not, lest ye be judged,” and yet too many people think that means that we should not reprove, rebuke, and exhort one another, thus leading each other down the right path.
We live in community with one another and we have to deal with the things that do not glorify God. However, in this particular passage it is important to note that Jesus says, “If thy brother sin against thee, go, show him his fault between thee and him alone.” We are not to be busybodies, getting in the middle of other people’s problems. If our brother sins against us, then we are to deal with it. Of course, if the sin is continued, then we have to find a way to help them see how they are harming the community by continuing, this is why we then take other witnesses to help us. Even a small sin between brothers can explode into a large battle in the Church. Finally, if the sin continues beyond those two or three witnesses, then it must be dealt with publically with the entire Church.
We must be careful, however, that we deal with that brother or sister in Christ properly. We assume that Jesus means that we should kick the sinner out of our fellowship. Yet, we have to ask, who is Matthew? Matthew is the tax collector. How did Jesus deal with the tax collectors and sinners? He ate with them. He called them to repentance and to follow Him. This isn’t a passage about punishing the sinners in our midst with excommunication, but rather it is a lesson in how to call someone to repentance. Jesus Christ came to offer mercy and forgiveness, not to set us above anyone so that we can be judge, jury and executioner. After all, don’t we still need Jesus, too?
This passage is important because those who sin against us can become a burden on our own hearts and minds. Even if it is a little sin, can we really ignore it? We might be able to speak the words of forgiveness, but what happens when it happens again? Even if it isn’t repeated, we tend to hold onto our memories of our pain and suffering. It is, quite frankly, much easier to forgive than to forget, and our bad memories tend to lead to grudges. We have to deal with it, get it out in the open, for our own sake. We can’t allow the actions of another person cause us continued pain. Those grudges we hold? They don’t hurt the people who hurt us, they do greater damage to us. The person harmed by a grudge is the one who holds is. We deal with our brothers and sisters quietly so as not to embarrass them or make them the focus of gossip, but we must deal with it for our own sakes as well as for theirs.
See, small sins can lead to much greater sins. The thief might start out taking a cookie in the grocery store and eventually turn to armed robbery. A small white lie might seem harmless, but they grow into bigger lies that really do hurt. A little anger might be easily withheld, but it simmers until it explodes into violence and irreparable destruction of a relationship. This section of the Gospel passage is a lesson in how it is our responsibility to continue to call one another to repentance.
The life of the repentant sinner is blessed because those who trust in God will know His forgiveness. He does not want to lose anyone; He is willing to go out of His way to bring us home. The psalmist recognized the joy that comes from the forgiveness of God. That forgiveness comes to those who humble themselves before God, who trust God and His promises. The blessed ones are those who are like little children, living in faith. Blessed are those who live together in the kingdom of heaven without trying to be greater than one another.
Paul writes, “Owe no man anything, save to love one another: for he that loveth his neighbor hath fulfilled the law.” We don’t know what will happen tomorrow. Now is the time to care for one another, by helping each other live according to the Word of God. Love does not mean leaving people to continue to sin. God loves us as we are, this is very true. However, God has called us to something better. Though we fail, He speaks His word into our lives over and over again until we hear and are transformed by it. And thus we are called to live in community with others, speaking God’s word into each others’ lives.
The problem is that we don’t always live in faith, hope and love. We get angry when people, and circumstances, get in our way. We react negatively; we lose control. It is then that we slip from being the people God has called us to be. Paul reminds us to live in faith, hope and especially love. No matter what the circumstances of tomorrow might be, by loving our neighbor today we will face tomorrow’s joys or disasters with God’s grace, leaving nothing undone or unsaid so that all might see the light of Christ.
However, upon hearing God’s Word, most people realize there is no way they can live up to the expectations. Paul writes, “Love does no wrong to a neighbor.” I don’t think I can live even a day without doing something wrong to someone. It might seem insignificant; I’ve gossiped. I’ve lied. I’ve cheated. I have done a million things that I should not have done. The more I hear God’s Law, the more I realize that I deserve nothing but death for my iniquity.
That’s why God does not give us a word of instruction and judgment without a word of hope. He does not want any to die. God’s Law condemns, but Christ saves. We fail miserably on a daily basis. Yet, when we hear God say “I do not want to see any perish” we realize there is hope. God is holy and it is hard for us to look at Him, knowing we are unworthy of His love. Yet He calls us to do so. He calls us (through our brothers and sisters in Christ) to turn around, to repent, to seek His mercy. As we hear the promise found in these words, we can seek His face. We can be like little children, innocent, not in legal terms, but as it relates to life. We don’t have to be cynical, but can be pure, naïve and open. We need not follow preconceived ideas. We can be creative, inquisitive, bold and unafraid to ask questions. We can be like sponges, taking in everything around us. We can trust and accept what we hear from God. We can even be vulnerable. Most of all, we can believe in the unbelievable.
That’s what God wants from us. He wants us to be like little children, open to His love and grace. He wants us to humble and He promises that He’ll always come looking for us when we wander away. He doesn’t want anyone to get lost; He wants to always bring us home.
“As the hart panteth after the water brooks, So panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, While they continually say unto me, Where is thy God? These things I remember, and pour out my soul within me, How I went with the throng, and led them to the house of God, With the voice of joy and praise, a multitude keeping holyday. Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God; for I shall yet praise him For the help of his countenance. O my God, my soul is cast down within me: Therefore do I remember thee from the land of the Jordan, And the Hermons, from the hill Mizar. Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterfalls: All thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. Yet Jehovah will command his lovingkindness in the day-time; And in the night his song shall be with me, Even a prayer unto the God of my life. I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? Why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? As with a sword in my bones, mine adversaries reproach me, While they continually say unto me, Where is thy God? Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God; for I shall yet praise him, Who is the help of my countenance, and my God.” Psalm 42, ASV
I like technology. This is probably pretty obvious since I have been using computers and the Internet for this ministry. I have a cell phone. I surf the web. I use my tablet to play games and keep up with my friends on Facebook. I keep track of my kids via text and private messaging. I google daily as I research for ideas, scripture and resources. I was really thankful for my gps during my last trip as it made it easier for me to get around strange places.
My ATM card gets worn out with use, as I tend to pay for everything with it. I got into that habit when we lived in England because it guaranteed the best possible exchange rate for my money. I have to admit that I still write checks to pay my bills, but I take advantage of online bill pay if I’m a little late. I check my bank accounts on a regular basis. I am glad for the convenience of digital, but there’s something about signing my name to that check that helps me remember that I’m dealing with real money, not virtual.
I do have concerns. I don’t like how some banks have made everything digital. My daughter has an account that only allows a limited number of checks each month, anything beyond those checks cost extra. They want clients to do everything digitally, down to their church tithes. It makes sense; it costs less for them to process the digital money. It is certainly convenient, but there are dangers.
I recently heard a bank admit that their computers are hacked daily. Most of those hackers probably don’t get much, but we all know that some of the hackers have been able to steal enough information to abuse the identities of millions of people. I’ve been a victim. The more we put on the computer, the more we risk losing everything with the click of a button. They come up with safety and security features on a daily basis, but it takes just days for the hackers to figure out how to get around those features. It isn’t going to get any better.
The greatest risk is that everything is now connected. The street lights are computerized and are even connected to a central computer so that emergency personnel can control the timing and even set it to red if necessary. We’ve wired our houses so that we can turn off lights from a thousand miles away. Our cars have wireless technology that helps police locate them if they are stolen. These advancements are convenient, but are they safe? What happens when a cybercriminal or worse decides to breech the system and destroy everything? It doesn’t take much to make it impossible to pay for groceries. Hurricane Katrina has shown us how easy it is to cripple our communication systems. And what happens when the computers that deliver the electricity to our homes? It doesn’t have to be cybercriminals that bring us down; it is possible that the sun will one day create major havoc on all the systems with just one major solar flair.
Sadly, many people won’t know what to do, including me. We have come to rely on our technology to the point that we get a little nuts if the internet goes down for even a few minutes. A Facebook outage a few weeks ago had people calling 911. We (at least in the southern parts of America) will not know how to deal with the heat if the grid goes down because we can’t run our air conditioners without electricity.
Ah, twenty-first century problems. Here’s the thing, like everything man-made, our technology is a wonderful thing, but it can become all consuming to the point of becoming like a god. We have become so comfortable with these things like air conditioning and Facebook that we can’t live without them. We are never away from technology, computers or wireless signals and we are always aware of it all around us. You can’t go to the grocery store or a restaurant without seeing televisions advertising products or playing the game. It is in our cars; some people even have shoes that are connected to the internet to track their exercise habits!
Here’s the thing: even the most faithful and God-centered people don’t think about God as much as they think about technology. This might seem impossible, but think about it. How often do you look at your cell phone? Do you think about God that often? Technology is not a bad thing; it has made so much of our life easier. The risks are great, but so are the benefits. The thing to remember today, however, is that even though technology is so much a part of our life, there is One who is greater than anything we can create. He deserves to be at the forefront of our thoughts and our lives. Today, if only today, try to think about God as often as you turn on a light or make a telephone call. Think about Him when you log onto Facebook or when you start your car. Think about Him at the traffic lights and at the cash register in the grocery store.
Today, if only today, try to think about Him more often than you use technology and see what happens. You might just see miracles.
“I thank my God always concerning you, for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus; that in everything ye were enriched in him, in all utterance and all knowledge; even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: so that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ; who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye be unreproveable in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, through whom ye were called into the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:4-9, ASV
Here’s a thought for today from C. S. Lewis: “Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water. Men feel sexual desire: well, there is such a thing as sex. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing. If that is so, I must take care, on the one hand, never to despise, or be unthankful for, these earthly blessings, and on the other, never to mistake them for the something else of which they are only a kind of copy, or echo, or mirage. I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find until after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that other country and to help others do the same.”
My daughter is planning to come home for Christmas this year. It’s been a couple years and she is very excited about the trip. I’m sure she’s anxious to see us and her friends, but she’s already making lists of food she wants to eat. When she first told me this, I said, “Be sure to let me know,” because I assumed she wanted to taste her mom’s cooking. I quickly discovered that her list included a milkshake from her favorite fast food restaurant, Mexican food and breakfast tacos. She can’t get those things anymore. Well, she might be able to get them, but they are never as good as she remembers the ones from home.
I know how she feels. I have gone on a quest to find the best cheesesteaks in Texas. There are restaurants and food trucks that have tried to recreate the food I remember. Fortunately I’ve found one that satisfies my desire, although it is on the other side of town and difficult to visit on a regular basis. There are others close, but they are not very good. None of them complete the meal with pierogies which was the side that I always ordered with my sandwich. I’ve done better by creating the meal in my own kitchen, but I always gorge on cheesesteaks and pierogies when I go home for a visit.
Others who have moved far from home know what we are talking about, although you eventually find ways to deal with your desires. Just as I make cheesesteaks in my own kitchen, Victoria has learned to make some things in hers. She’s found local food that she loves, sweet treats that are different but yummy. I’ve learned to love TexMex even though I’d never really heard of it before moving here. We learn to live where we are even while yearning for what we desire.
Food doesn’t matter so much; as long as we are meeting our physical needs, our desire for certain types of food is unimportant. We are not being unfaithful to our favorite foods by liking the things we can find in our new place. Though there is not a perfect substitute for cheesesteaks in Texas, there’s also not a good substitute for TexMex in Pennsylvania, but we can enjoy the food where we are even if it isn’t what we truly desire.
The same can’t be said about God. We live in this world but our heart’s greatest desire is to be in heaven with our Father. We live in His Kingdom today, Christ is in our hearts and God is always near. The Holy Spirit moves us as we go about our lives while we wait for the day we can be fully satisfied. We must be careful, though, because the world tempts us with ways to fulfill our desires that will never be able to replace God. How many people seek to fill that hole with other things like alcohol, material possessions, sex, work, hobbies, etc.? It is even possible to try to fulfill our desires with spiritual pursuits that are far from godly.
When we feel that need for God, let us always remember that He is near and that He is faithful. We need not pursue new and exciting ways of satisfying our desires, and we should not because in doing so we may just go down a path that will take us away from the only One who can fill that hole in our hearts. As C.S. Lewis says, we must keep ourselves alive in this country while waiting for our true country, not allowing it to get snowed under or turned aside. It must always remain the mail object of life to press on toward home and help others do the same.
“Therefore seeing we have this ministry, even as we obtained mercy, we faint not: but we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by the manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled in them that perish: in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn upon them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. Seeing it is God, that said, Light shall shine out of darkness, who shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:1-6, ASV
I heard on the news today that there is a major food chain that has decided to offer an incredible deal. For just $100, they will give you unlimited pasta, soup, salad and breadsticks for seven weeks. I enjoy going to that restaurant for their lunch special which is $5.99 for unlimited soup, salad and breadsticks, but I’m not sure I would I would want to go two to three times a week to get my money’s worth. They also have a special endless pasta deal for just $9.99; you would only have to go once or twice a week to get your money’s worth out of the deal. Still, I rarely go out to eat, and I certainly don’t go out enough to want to visit the same restaurant one to three times a week for seven weeks in a row. I don’t really get my money’s worth out of those endless meals anyway; I can barely eat what they give me in my first serving!
The restaurant chain is offering a thousand of these VIP endless passes beginning this afternoon. This might seem like a lot of these offers, but the company has eight hundred locations. This means that only one or two people will get a pass for each location (on average.) The article didn’t call this program a deal, it called it a gimmick, and I agree. The endless pasta pass is little more than an attempt to get attention for the restaurant. Very, very few people will be able to benefit from it. Quite frankly, I’m not so sure that there are many people who would want to try. Even businessmen who eat out on a regular basis are not likely to visit the same place over and over again. Still, I’m sure the thousand passes will sell out quickly.
While the immediate reaction will be very positive, as people wait anxiously for the hour the deal goes on sale, within minutes there will disappointed customers who cannot get onto the website and then can’t buy the pass because they have sold out. I suspect that we’ll see reports about angry customers. The company’s Facebook page will be filled with complaints. The positive effect of the original announcement will be followed by a magnification of the already negative opinion that the restaurant has had recently. It seems like a good idea today, but will it be tomorrow?
Gimmicks don’t work. This particular restaurant chain has had financial difficulties for some time. One consumer website has eighty-three complaints about customer experiences, including poor service, long wait times and problems with the food. They’ve tried several different types of deals in the past few years, which might have gotten people in the door, but it would not help if their experience was not good. Why would you go to a restaurant to get cheap food that took forever to arrive and wasn’t any good to eat? I haven’t had that kind of experience and I will visit the restaurant again, but I won’t fall for the gimmick. I don’t like it enough to eat there enough to make it worth the trouble.
Here’s the thing: many churches are suffering from their own problems different, but similar to, those of that restaurant. Their attendance is down, they are having financial difficulties, they are losing hearts in this world where it is so easy to turn another way. It isn’t just that Christians are leaving specific churches; too many of us have decided that spirituality is better than institutional religion. Or they are turning toward a different kind of faith. Too many are following teachers who claim to preach the Gospel but are really just tickling ears with the stuff we want to hear. Worship is a muddled mess and many churches look more like secular service organizations than the gathering of the faithful. It is more important to include a basketball court in the building than it is to have a sacred space. Advertisements are filled with fun programs and little about the God who has saved us. We put more time and energy into single’s nights than we do on Bible study. Too many churches have turned to gimmicks and lost touch with what will really make people want to come through the doors: the Gospel.
The restaurant would do well to give people what they want rather than gimmicks. Good food, good service and a pleasant atmosphere will make the customers want to return. They Church must stop thinking in terms of gimmicks to get people into the doors and instead give them what they really want and need: the Word of God. He will make great things happen if we focus our ministry on Him.
“How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? and how shall they preach, except they be sent? even as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that bring glad tidings of good things!” Romans 10:14-15, ASV
Sometimes the best lessons we can learn are from those from whom we least expect it. The following quotes, which I found quoted on a blog not related to the speaker, are from Penn Jillette. I can’t verify all the quotes, although there is a video of at least some of them, and having heard Penn speak, I’m sure that these are words he would have said.
I love Penn Jillette. His work with Teller (just Teller; apparently he does not use his given first name) is fascinating. They are magicians, illusionists, comedians and entertainers. They are known for giving away the secret to their magic, although they never really give it all away. As a matter of fact, even though they talk you through the trick, you usually end up more confused than if they had just done the illusion without telling you the truth. Penn is the vocal member of the pair, Teller rarely speaks. Teller is the one upon whom the illusions are acted, and is usually the victim of incredibly painful and dangerous illusions, yet he always comes out of the tricks unscathed. That’s the amazing part.
Both Penn and Teller are atheists. Teller, in keeping with his character on stage, rarely speaks publically. Penn, on the other hand, often appears as a guest on talk shows and has been publically vocal about his ideas. Despite his atheism, Penn Jillette is a kind and intelligent man who knows that we need to love our neighbors. It makes me sad that this wonderful man has not yet experienced the grace of God for himself, but we never know how God will use people. In the following quotes, Penn speaks words we need to hear, and perhaps if we really lived these words in our own lives of faith, we would be doing a better job of spreading the Gospel to the world.
“I’ve always said that I don’t respect people who don’t proselytize. I don’t respect that at all. If you believe that there’s a heaven and a hell, and people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life, and you think that it’s not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward—and atheists who think people shouldn’t proselytize and who say just leave me alone and keep your religion to yourself—how much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate somebody to believe everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?
“I mean, if I believed, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that a truck was coming at you, and you didn’t believe that truck was bearing down on you, there is a certain point where I tackle you. And this is more important than that.”
“It’s only happened to me as I get older. When I was younger I didn’t understand loving someone you disagreed with. I didn’t really understand that. And as I get older it gets easier and easier, and it doesn’t take away the passion of my belief. It does not take away the passion I have for politics, or the passion I have for theology, or the passion I have for morality. It just adds to the passion I have for people.
“You know, a guy came up to me tonight after the show, and said if you ever change your mind about Christianity, here you go, and gave me one of those rubber bracelets. He just came up with eye contact and the sweetest smile and all the love in the world, ‘If you ever change your mind about Christianity I want you to have this, and let you know that I’m praying for you,’ and I said, ‘Well, thanks a lot, man!’ And it was just this happy exchange. It does not mean that I don’t think he’s 100% wrong and that he would not be better off if he was living life now and not for the future. And it’s not that I wouldn’t say that to his face… and as I get older it just gets better because my passions for ideas stay the same and my passions for people seem to grow.”
He’s right: we tend to avoid speaking the words of the Gospel to people we know do not agree with us because we don’t want to do something socially awkward. There are a lot of other reasons we avoid sharing our faith, but if we truly loved our neighbors we would stop justifying our silence with excuses and simply tell them about Jesus. Oh, most of those neighbors will not love us back like Penn Jillette, but how wonderful would it be to have a happy exchange like that one. Perhaps if enough people shared a rubber bracelet with Penn, he would realize that we are not simply living for the future, but that our faith is about living life now in the hope of that which God has promised for tomorrow and sharing it with others so that they can know the love and grace of Christ while they live and forevermore.
September 10, 2014
Scriptures for Sunday, September 14, 2014, Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Genesis 50:15-21; Psalm 103:1-12; Romans 14:1-12; Matthew 18:21-35
“And the lord of that servant, being moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.” Matthew 18:27, ASV
There is a playground in Wrexham, England, that goes against everything modern safety standards demands. Since the 1970’s, especially in the United States, playgrounds are expected to meet certain specifications to protect the health and welfare of our children. The ground must be made of something soft. The bars on the high parts of jungle gyms must be close enough so children can’t fit through and fall to the ground. The equipment can’t exceed a certain height. On top of all these limitations, we often focus on scheduled play and organized activities. We don’t like our kids to get too dirty; we make them protect their toys. In doing so, we often limit their imagination and stifle their adventurousness.
Not to be nostalgic, but I didn’t have those limitations when I was a kid. There’s an internet meme (several actually) that talk about how when ‘we’ were kids our parents expected to see us at dinner and bedtime, but we were sent outside to play the rest of the day. We left our toys in the sandbox to get rained upon and grimy. We climbed trees without supervisions, played hide and seek in the woods. We even (don’t be shocked) used the hill by the highway for sledding in the winter. At the top of that hill, we were less than ten feet away from vehicles speeding on wet and sometimes slippery roads.
Ok, so perhaps there is good reason for some of these limitations. The playground rules came into effect after a boy died from falling headfirst from the top of a large slide onto a macadam playground. I can’t imagine what would have happened if a car had slipped and crashed into the guard rail when we were waiting for our turn to sled down the hill. The world seems to be a more dangerous place; we don’t let our kids out of our sights because we are afraid they will be kidnapped. Besides, experts have suggested that organized play is good for the kids.
My feet were black in the summer from running around barefoot on the streets; my hair was white from being sun-bleached. My hair was also green from the chlorine from the pool I lived in from dawn to dusk during the summer (that’s how my feet usually got clean.) I was a red, pruney, green haired child with dirty feet. But we had fun. We chased lightning bugs at night and played flashlight tag throughout our neighborhood with the only boundaries being common sense and fairness. We had Monopoly games that lasted weeks, left set up in the basement where it was started until there wasn’t any money left to win. We used whatever we could find to make whatever our imagination could dream.
The people who designed this playground in Wrexham have realized that we have stolen our children’s freedom, their adventurousness and we’ve made them too afraid to imagine anything for themselves. We have strangled their imaginations by telling them they can’t play the games they want to play or create the world that will help them become strong, bold, creative adults that are unafraid to try something new or to go out on their own.
The Land is a playground that looks more like a junkyard. It is filled with stuff: old tires, cement drainage pipes, broken toys, pallets, ropes and wheelbarrows. There is even an old couch. A hill leads to a creek. One mother told the story of her son’s first visit to The Land. He met another boy who convinced him to get into a large recycle bin which was lying on its side at the top of the hill. The plan was to push him over the edge so that he’d roll into the creek. The water was cold and the mother had no change of clothes. The strange boy was being kind to her son, comforting and encouraging, so she let it go. He had a blast, got out of the creek and went running with his friend to try something new.
Nothing is off limits. They even allow the kids to start fires, which often end with a large group gathered around laughing at stories and jokes. There is adult supervision, but not much. Most mothers do not even enter The Land; they just drop their kids off to play. The workers don’t stop the kids from doing anything stupid, although they are there to ensure that no one gets seriously hurt. Despite the minimal adult interference, the kids never leave with more than a few scratches. The kids just have fun. They build forts with pallets that are piled way too high. They roll tires down the hill into the creek. They use the rope swing to get from one side of the creek to the other, or they just fall in. They play. They create. They imagine. They go on an adventure with the freedom to be themselves.
They don’t come out unscathed. They end up with rope burn on their hands and splinters from those pallets. I’m sure many knees are skinned when the fort collapses under the weight of too many kids. They learn from their mistakes and work harder to build a stronger fort the next time. They eat dirt, rip their clothes and get dirty from head to foot. But they have fun, they learn to overcome their fears and they find ways to get along with strangers.
Have you ever thought about why God lets us sin? After all, He’s God. He created us. He could have made us differently so that we would not be disobedient to Him. He could have set limitations on where we could go or what we could do. He didn’t. He gave us the freedom to be ourselves, to learn from our mistakes. We suffer the consequences, although those are usually more than just a skinned knee. We end up with broken relationships.
It is tempting for us to stop our children from making mistakes so that they won’t get hurt. Yet, we know they have to fail once in a while or they will never grow and learn. We walk on that fine line between allowing them to do something stupid and protecting them from themselves. God walks the same line. That internet meme talks about all the stupid things we did as kids, like riding a bike without a helmet and skating on thin ice, but in the end we survived. We do pretty stupid things in God’s kingdom, too, but thanks to His forgiveness and grace, we survive, too.
Of course, sin leads to death, not only in the spiritual realm, but also in the world in which we live. Smoking causes lung cancer. Irresponsible driving causes accidents and even death. It is our responsibility to call for the repentance of those who cross our path, bringing attention to the sins that might cause harm to others or to themselves. It is a very fine line we walk when we talk about the sins of our neighbors. As a matter of fact, in our world today most people would be offended by our interference in their personal lives. This is especially true if we are talking about spiritual things. Who are we to judge a person’s heart? Yet, sometimes God does call us to intercede in the lives of our neighbors for their sake, to shine a light so that they might see their error and repent.
Ezekiel was called to a hard task: to tell the people of Israel about their sin against God. The truly prophetic voice is not something that anyone would choose by their own will because God’s Word is not something the world wants to hear. By the time we reach this chapter in the book, Ezekiel has spoken about God’s judgment not just on Israel, but also on Judah and the nations. But in chapter 33, God begins to speak words of consolation. It is the beginning of hope because the words of judgment brought repentance.
“As I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?” God does not want any to perish. We may suffer the consequences of our mistakes, experience the cost of our sinfulness, but God is ready with a word of consolation for us. We may be the one called to give that word to a brother or sister. The call for repentance is the beginning of hope; it is a revelation of the mercy and grace of God. We might be afraid to speak those words, but God calls us to this ministry so that none will die. He calls us to share in the life-giving promise of His word.
Today’s Gospel lesson can be roughly divided into three separate parts; each part addresses how to deal with sin and temptation in our lives. It begins with a question from the disciples. As always, they were focused on Jesus being a worldly king who would save Israel from the Romans. They wanted to know who would be at His right hand when He came into that kingdom. They wanted to understand the hierarchy, to know the pecking order. Matthew doesn’t clearly show this, but the same story found in Mark (9:33-37) and Luke (9:46-48) clearly shows us that they wanted to know which one of them was most important.
I often wonder if Jesus was frustrated with them by now. They just don’t get it. They must have had some concerns, after all Jesus has told them that He will die. The natural human response would be to ask who would inherit His ministry. Who would be in charge? Who would lead the people when Jesus was gone? These are obvious questions for a group of men who believed there would be a future for their mission but who needed to understand what would come next. They weren’t much different than we are today; there is always a leader and followers. They wanted to know who would be the leader.
Jesus turned their world upside down. Again. He told them that the greatest had nothing to do with power or authority. “Verily I say unto you, Except ye turn, and become as little children, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Not only was Jesus refusing to establish the hierarchy, He told them that if they didn’t humble themselves, they would not even enter the Kingdom. They probably felt pretty confident that they were already in; after all, they were the chosen disciples. How could a little child possibly be greater than them?
Children didn’t have any clout in Jesus’ day. They were certainly not doted upon as our children are today. They were meant to be seen and not heard. Actually, they were not meant to be seen, either. Until they reached the age of maturity, they were barely even people. They had no rights. They had not power. They certainly had no authority. It was beyond their expectation for Jesus to choose a little child as the example in this lesson. What did He mean?
Jesus says, “Unless you become like little children…” What does this mean? What is it about children that we should emulate? We made a list of characteristics the virtues we see in children. They are innocent, not in legal terms, but as it relates to life. They are not yet cynical. They are pure, naïve and open. They have no preconceived ideas. They are creative, inquisitive, bold and unafraid to ask questions. They are like sponges, taking in everything around them. They are trusting, accepting and vulnerable. They still believe in the unbelievable. Those children at The Land are willing to risk it all to try something new and they trust that all will be well.
Jesus pulled that little child into His circle because he or she believed in Jesus. He said, “And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me; but whoso shall cause one of these little ones that believe on me to stumble, it is profitable for him that a great millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be sunk in the depth of the sea.” The child knew something that the disciples still had to learn: Jesus was the greatest.
They would have to take over the ministry one day, perhaps sooner than they wanted, but the reality is that none of them would take Jesus’ place. He would not need a human right hand man, but a group of willing disciples who would continue to do His work. There is no hierarchy here; Jesus is the greatest One and the rest of us, we who believe in Him, are His little children.
See how Jesus ends this section of the text? He warns the disciples to take care of those who are innocent, the ‘little children’ who trust in Him. He warned them, and us, not to lead the pure, naïve, vulnerable, fearless sponges on the wrong path. “Do not cause them to sin.” By this He means, “Do not cause them to stop believing in me.” Sadly, I think we do this much too often.
This idea continues into the next section of the text (verses 7-14.) Now Jesus turns the conversation to temptation. The disciples, seeking a high place in the Kingdom, are yielding to the temptations of the world. The world tells us that we should want to be number one; the world says that we should strive to be the best, to be the most powerful. This is a temptation Jesus faced when the devil tried to get Him to follow another path in the wilderness. After reminding the disciples that faith in Jesus is the way to living in the Kingdom, He gives them some advice about dealing with the sin in their lives. “When the temptations come, and they will, cut them off.”
Jesus was not necessarily being literal here. A hand can’t cause someone to sin. Nor can a foot or an eye. A hand or foot or eye might be the part of the body that is used in the commission of the sin, but the hand cannot control the brain or the heart. If we steal something, it isn’t because we get itchy fingers; we steal because we covet in our hearts and justify in our heads that we deserve to have that item. If we squeeze the trigger of a gun, it is because we have allowed hate or anger to rule our emotions and direct our actions. If we see a beautiful body and lust after it, our eyes are not to be blamed, but our hearts that seek physical satisfaction in a manner that goes against God’s will. Jesus is telling us to cut anything out of our lives that might cause us to sin.
It is interesting that this passage is often used as justification for certain punishments in foreign countries, such as cutting off the hand of the thief, the passage itself is focused on the individual. We are not to cut off someone else’s hand or foot or rip out their eye because they have sinned, but to deal with the temptations in our own lives. These particular verses offer us the encouragement to be responsible for our own actions and to be humble in the face of temptation. The way to deal with others’ sin is described a few verses later.
What is the most important thing? Jesus says, “See that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven.” Do not make yourself to be higher, or better, or greater than the little ones who have complete and total faith in me. We who believe in Jesus are all the same; we are loved by God the Father and He will always take care of us.
As we heard in Ezekiel, and in the final verse of this section (14), God does not want to lose anyone. We are comforted by verse 12, because in it is the promise that if (when) we go astray, God will not leave us wandering helpless and alone. He will come to help us, guide us, and bring us home. Like those workers at The Land, God will do everything He can to keep us from being permanently lost to Him.
The final section of this passage (verses 15-20) helps us to deal with sin in the lives of our brothers and sisters in Christ. We have seen how we are to protect the little ones and ourselves, but now Jesus directs our thoughts to those among us who are led astray. This is a hard topic for us in these modern times, since the world has decided that it is none of our business how others live. We’ve all heard it said, “Judge not, lest ye be judged,” and yet too many people think that means that we should not reprove, rebuke, and exhort one another, thus leading each other down the right path.
We live in community with one another and we have to deal with the things that do not glorify God. However, in this particular passage it is important to note that Jesus says, “If thy brother sin against thee, go, show him his fault between thee and him alone.” We are not to be busybodies, getting in the middle of other people’s problems. If our brother sins against us, then we are to deal with it. Of course, if the sin is continued, then we have to find a way to help them see how they are harming the community by continuing, this is why we then take other witnesses to help us. Even a small sin between brothers can explode into a large battle in the Church. Finally, if the sin continues beyond those two or three witnesses, then it must be dealt with publically with the entire Church.
We must be careful, however, that we deal with that brother or sister in Christ properly. We assume that Jesus means that we should kick the sinner out of our fellowship. Yet, we have to ask, who is Matthew? Matthew is the tax collector. How did Jesus deal with the tax collectors and sinners? He ate with them. He called them to repentance and to follow Him. This isn’t a passage about punishing the sinners in our midst with excommunication, but rather it is a lesson in how to call someone to repentance. Jesus Christ came to offer mercy and forgiveness, not to set us above anyone so that we can be judge, jury and executioner. After all, don’t we still need Jesus, too?
This passage is important because those who sin against us can become a burden on our own hearts and minds. Even if it is a little sin, can we really ignore it? We might be able to speak the words of forgiveness, but what happens when it happens again? Even if it isn’t repeated, we tend to hold onto our memories of our pain and suffering. It is, quite frankly, much easier to forgive than to forget, and our bad memories tend to lead to grudges. We have to deal with it, get it out in the open, for our own sake. We can’t allow the actions of another person cause us continued pain. Those grudges we hold? They don’t hurt the people who hurt us, they do greater damage to us. The person harmed by a grudge is the one who holds is. We deal with our brothers and sisters quietly so as not to embarrass them or make them the focus of gossip, but we must deal with it for our own sakes as well as for theirs.
See, small sins can lead to much greater sins. The thief might start out taking a cookie in the grocery store and eventually turn to armed robbery. A small white lie might seem harmless, but they grow into bigger lies that really do hurt. A little anger might be easily withheld, but it simmers until it explodes into violence and irreparable destruction of a relationship. This section of the Gospel passage is a lesson in how it is our responsibility to continue to call one another to repentance.
The life of the repentant sinner is blessed because those who trust in God will know His forgiveness. He does not want to lose anyone; He is willing to go out of His way to bring us home. The psalmist recognized the joy that comes from the forgiveness of God. That forgiveness comes to those who humble themselves before God, who trust God and His promises. The blessed ones are those who are like little children, living in faith. Blessed are those who live together in the kingdom of heaven without trying to be greater than one another.
Paul writes, “Owe no man anything, save to love one another: for he that loveth his neighbor hath fulfilled the law.” We don’t know what will happen tomorrow. Now is the time to care for one another, by helping each other live according to the Word of God. Love does not mean leaving people to continue to sin. God loves us as we are, this is very true. However, God has called us to something better. Though we fail, He speaks His word into our lives over and over again until we hear and are transformed by it. And thus we are called to live in community with others, speaking God’s word into each others’ lives.
The problem is that we don’t always live in faith, hope and love. We get angry when people, and circumstances, get in our way. We react negatively; we lose control. It is then that we slip from being the people God has called us to be. Paul reminds us to live in faith, hope and especially love. No matter what the circumstances of tomorrow might be, by loving our neighbor today we will face tomorrow’s joys or disasters with God’s grace, leaving nothing undone or unsaid so that all might see the light of Christ.
However, upon hearing God’s Word, most people realize there is no way they can live up to the expectations. Paul writes, “Love does no wrong to a neighbor.” I don’t think I can live even a day without doing something wrong to someone. It might seem insignificant; I’ve gossiped. I’ve lied. I’ve cheated. I have done a million things that I should not have done. The more I hear God’s Law, the more I realize that I deserve nothing but death for my iniquity.
That’s why God does not give us a word of instruction and judgment without a word of hope. He does not want any to die. God’s Law condemns, but Christ saves. We fail miserably on a daily basis. Yet, when we hear God say “I do not want to see any perish” we realize there is hope. God is holy and it is hard for us to look at Him, knowing we are unworthy of His love. Yet He calls us to do so. He calls us (through our brothers and sisters in Christ) to turn around, to repent, to seek His mercy. As we hear the promise found in these words, we can seek His face. We can be like little children, innocent, not in legal terms, but as it relates to life. We don’t have to be cynical, but can be pure, naïve and open. We need not follow preconceived ideas. We can be creative, inquisitive, bold and unafraid to ask questions. We can be like sponges, taking in everything around us. We can trust and accept what we hear from God. We can even be vulnerable. Most of all, we can believe in the unbelievable.
That’s what God wants from us. He wants us to be like little children, open to His love and grace. He wants us to humble and He promises that He’ll always come looking for us when we wander away. He doesn’t want anyone to get lost; He wants to always bring us home.
“Then Esther spake unto Hathach, and gave him a message unto Mordecai saying: All the king's servants, and the people of the king's provinces, do know, that whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come unto the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law for him, that he be put to death, except those to whom the king shall hold out the golden sceptre, that he may live: but I have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty days. And they told to Mordecai Esther's words. Then Mordecai bade them return answer unto Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews. For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then will relief and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place, but thou and thy father's house will perish: and who knoweth whether thou art not come to the kingdom for such a time as this? Then Esther bade them return answer unto Mordecai, Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast in like manner; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish. So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.” Esther 4:10-17, ASV
The book of Esther is controversial in some Christian circles, partly because there is no historical proof of its authenticity. Also, a thorough reading shows that the book makes absolutely no mention of God. The characters in this story are not very god-like; they live according to the flesh, with drunkenness, sex and lies. What lessons can the story of Esther provide for Christians today?
The Jews continue to celebrate the festival commanded at the end of the book: Purim. The ritual shows God’s divine presence even in the wholly secular world represented in the story. The celebration includes costumes, feasting and even drunkenness in some cases, while remembering God’s hand in the deliverance of the Jewish exiles from death.
There is a parallel between the kingdom of Ahasuerus and the Kingdom of God. In today’s passage we see Esther’s willingness to be obedient to the call of her father Mordecai despite the danger of approaching the king’s throne without being called. She boldly did what she had to do to save her people, even to risking her own life for their sake. This act of obedience is an example to us today to do according to the will of God our Father.
Most of us will never be in a position to risk our lives for the sake of others, although we must not think that martyrdom is an ancient problem. During a recent conversation revolving around the life and ministry of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a member of the group told us a story from when she was younger. A pastor had included Bonhoeffer in a sermon and mentioned that he’d been martyred. My friend said that she was surprised, because she thought all the martyrs were from long ago. “I didn’t realize that modern people could be martyred.” She is much older now and certainly knows that people have died for their faith in every age, perhaps even today.
What we learn from the stories of Esther and the martyrs is that living for others might mean death. Dietrich Bonhoeffer did what he did because of his faith; he believed that God has called us to stand for those who can’t stand for themselves, even if it means risking everything. He wasn’t perfect; he didn’t always stand as strong as he should have. He made some decisions for all the wrong reasons. But in the end, Dietrich Bonhoeffer answered the call.
Most of us will be called to much simpler tasks, without the risk of life. Are we willing to answer, knowing that anything that God commands could have a life changing effect for someone?
The least we can do—and the most—is to approach God with our requests. He has made us heirs to His kingdom, just as Ahasuerus was willing to give Esther her heart’s desire. She risked everything not to get gold or jewels, but to save lives. Dietrich Bonhoeffer risked everything not for fame or prestige, but to save lives. Are we willing to do whatever is necessary for the sake of those who are dying so that they might have life? The book of Esther reminds us that even as we live in a very secular world, the hand of God directs our paths, even in the worldliest situations. So, let us listen to His voice, and follow, doing whatever it is He is calling us to do even if it seems like the risks are too great. After all, God may have brought you into His kingdom for such a time as this.
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Even as it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; We were accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:35-39, ASV
Our house was the model home when our neighborhood was in development, so there are some features in the design that are a bit odd. The model homes are always designed in a way that gives buyers a way to see options, but they never quite make sense for a regular family. Take, for instance, the master bedroom side of our house. The living area leads to two doors, one for a room with a double door which we’ve made into a guest room, but has been used as office space. The other door leads into the master bedroom. If you go through the first room, there is a small bathroom and a huge walk-in closet. That bathroom has a shower stall, but no bathtub. There is a second door in this small bathroom that then leads into the master bedroom. There master bedroom door is to the right. On the opposite wall is another door which leads into the master bath, a huge room with a shower, bath, sink, water closet and another walk in closet. The bathroom then leads to an anteroom, which has doors to the deck and to the living are. If you take a right through the living area, it leads back to the doors to the guest room and master bedroom.
It is odd but we like it. So do the cats. The circuit is like an adventure track where they can peek around corners and pounce on one another. The biggest problem is that the shower in the master bathroom is visible from the living room. We normally leave the door open during the day, but we have to shut it when taking a shower if someone might walk by.
Now, bathroom privacy is almost non-existent in homes with small children and pets; you get out of the habit of closing doors. As long as I’m not trying to do something in a high traffic area, I usually don’t bother. Unfortunately, there’s no way to take a shower without being seen by others who happen to be in the living room. I usually close the door to the anteroom, but the door from the bedroom remains open so the kitties still have access.
Our cat Samson is terribly disturbed by that closed door. I always remind him that he can come in by the other door, but he has to walk up to it, sniff it, and try to push it open. Sometimes he’ll even meow. Eventually he will walk the circuit through the master bedroom, bathroom and anteroom to that door. He sniffs it and tries to get it open. Then he cries. He sits there. He looks at me with those eyes that say, “Let me out!” I remind him that he can go out the other way and he does. He settles down when he realizes that I am still there even though the door is closed.
We are all familiar with the saying “When God closes a door, He opens a window.” A Methodist pastor from Greensboro gave this explanation of its origin, “[Oscar ] Hammerstein inserted a version of the saying into The Sound of Music, when Maria quotes the Reverend Mother. King Ethelred [10th century England] coined a different saying with the same face value: ‘Tis a lesson you should heed; try, try again. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.’ Alexander Graham Bell kept God out of it, saying, ‘When one door closes, another opens.’ Helen Keller said, ‘When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long as the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us.’”
I like Helen Keller’s version, especially as it relates to this story. Samson becomes so upset by the closed door that he forgets that there is always a way to get into the bathroom. I think he feels abandoned, like I am cutting him out of my life forever. I wonder how many times we do the same. We get so caught up in the problems that block us from doing the things we want that we forget that God will always provide a way to do what He is calling us to do. A closed door never means that God is cutting us off; there is just some reason why that door needs to be closed. We can rest in the knowledge that He is right there and that there is always a way to be with Him, even when it seems impossible.
September 15, 2014
“But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that aught be written unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. When they are saying, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall in no wise escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief: for ye are all sons of light, and sons of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep, as do the rest, but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night: and they that are drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, since we are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation. For God appointed us not into wrath, but unto the obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Wherefore exhort one another, and build each other up, even as also ye do.” 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11, ASV
I made toast to have with my breakfast this morning. The rest was finished and already served while the bread cooked in the toaster. All I could do is wait. When I knew it was nearly finished, I waited right by the toaster, watching for it to pop. Even though I was watching and ready, knowing it would pop at any moment, the toast made me jump and cry out when it did. I laughed at myself because it shouldn’t have surprised me. I knew it was coming!
That kind of thing happens all the time. I am pretty good at guessing what will happen in movies, spoiling the surprise for myself by predicting what’s coming next. I don’t watch them anymore, but I used to like the slasher movies like Friday the 13th or Halloween. With those, of course, it was fairly easy to know when to expect something would happen because of the movie. Everyone knows that when the soundtrack hits a peak, the slasher is going to jump out from behind the bush or slam into the door. We know, and yet we always jump and cry out when it happens. The movie makers know exactly how to build to that expectation and then make you wait that extra second as your adrenaline comes back down and you take a breath before it hits. It is in that moment after you expect it that you let your guard down and are surprised.
I’m ready for Jesus to come, aren’t you? There are some days when “Come, Jesus, come” is my mantra. It isn’t that I don’t love living, but there are some days when it seems the only solution to all the world’s problems is for Jesus to come and finish His work. There are some days when I think, “Surely this has to be the day, Jesus can see that we need Him right this minute.” Of course, people have thought that same thought for two thousand years.
My next thought, however, is the important one. “Jesus is here; He is here in me.” I remember that I am the one (and so are you) who has been called to speak His word and be His hands until that day when He will truly come again. It is tempting to sit and watch as we wait, living in the expectation of His coming. It is tempting to think through the promises and to determine the timing. It is tempting to think that we will know He is coming before He does. It is good to be prepared, but also to remember that no matter how prepared we are we will still be surprised when He comes.
I would have been much better off starting my toast while I was cooking my other food; it still would have popped unexpectedly, but I wouldn’t have been so focused on it and I would not have thought I knew exactly when it should pop. The same is true about the coming of the Lord. We might want to think we know the moment it will happen, but the truth is that our expectations are for the moment we think it should happen. Whenever He does come will be a surprise for us, so we would be better off doing His work as we wait, continually sharing His word with the world so that more people will be prepared for that moment. Jesus does not want any to be lost, and He has called us to take His hope to the whole world.
He will come again, and we will be surprised when it happens, but let’s not be so caught up in the waiting that we will jump and cry out when it does but instead receive Him with the joy of seeing the fulfillment of all His promises.
September 16, 2014
“Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a lamp, and put it under the bushel, but on the stand; and it shineth unto all that are in the house. Even so let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:12-16, ASV
I am preparing for the only craft fair I usually attend as a vendor. It benefits an organization that I support, so I’m willing to spend the time, energy and money to go. Even if I don’t sell very much, I know that I’ve donated to the cause. I usually make enough to buy a decent meal at the end of the day. I never make enough money to make it financially worthwhile, considering the costs of materials and display, but it is a fun day and a chance to share my gifts with many people. I have the opportunity to share my thoughts on prayer and faith as I show my prayer beads and paintings.
I don’t do these on a regular basis because of the logistics. I am collecting everything I need, and the pile gets larger with every thought that comes to my mind. I have shelves for display, a box full of tablecloths and easels. There are boxes full of paintings, clocks and other items. I have a rolling cart with trays for my prayer beads. In the end, my car will be full and I’ll somehow have to move it all from house to car to booth and then from booth to car to house. Even if I sold out of everything, I would still have to carry all my display items. It is a lot of work and by the end of the day I am exhausted.
It is interesting to mingle with the other vendors at events like these. This particular craft fair has numerous booths put up by local church women’s groups. They work all year making items to sell, usually have baked goods and some sort of craft items. They are well supported by other church members and hungry visitors who can’t resist those homemade baked goods. Many of the other vendors, however, have the same complaint at the end of the day: it wasn’t worth my time. Most of them return year after year even though they are disappointed. I think, sometimes, they just like to grumble.
I understand their feelings; it is hard to put that much work into a day and come out of it without making some money. This is how some of these vendors make a living and a failed day can be devastating, especially if they’ve driven a long way to be there. They become quite angry and lay the blame on poor advertising. They grumble about the frustrating customers who are very complimentary and say they’ll come back, but they never do. Or those who spend a lot of time inspecting ever item, figuring out how it was made so that they can steal the idea. Or those who say things that they do not even realize are rude or insulting like, “I really like that; maybe I’ll try it myself at home.” Or, “I could do that.” Or worst of all, “My nine-year-old has made pictures like that.” I’ve actually had people ask about my process or where I get my materials. I don’t mind sharing ideas, but I can’t continue to pursue art if no one is willing to support me by buying my pieces.
So, perhaps there is a reason to complain, but I remind myself at the end of the day that there is a greater purpose to my presence. It is, first and foremost, a chance to support that ministry. It is also a chance to teach people about prayer and about being creative. Finally, I never really know what seed might be planted in the heart of someone who needs to know Jesus. The difference between me and most of the other vendors is that I see the day as an opportunity for ministry while they are there to pay their bills.
We all have things we do and have to do that are difficult, that are worthy of grumbling and disappointment. We have tedious jobs or exhausting tasks to complete. We have work that does not seem very worthwhile. In the end we think we haven’t accomplished anything because we have not reached a specific measure of success. Here’s the thing: we don’t know what God might actually accomplish, so if we go into all our work, and fun, with the attitude that everything we do can glorify God, then we will find that even the disappointments are blessings.
Scriptures for Sunday, September 21, 2014, Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Isaiah 55:6-9; Psalm 27:1-9; Philippians 1:12-14, 19-30; Matthew 20:1-16
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:9, ASV
We don’t get it. How can Christian suffering make other Christians confident in the Gospel? As a matter of fact, it seems as though many Christians today have decided that it would be better to be silent than to suffer the ridicule and frustration that we meet when we try to share our faith with the world. A woman lost her job just for saying “God bless you.” Children are suspended from school for wearing “Jesus loves you” t-shirts or reading bibles during free time. Business owners are fined for making business choices that reflect their understanding of the scriptures.
American Christians have not yet had to deal with the suffering that Paul experienced: prison, beatings and even death. We see it happening in other places like Africa and China, but that is far away and completely removed from our experience. It is much easier to just go along with expectations of the world around us than to stand firm on what we believe. After all, why would we risk our lives and our livelihoods when it is just as easy to say “Have a nice day” or wear a different t-shirt? We can even find ways to remain principled in our business dealings while minimizing risks. We aren’t willing to be one who suffers for the Gospel if we can avoid it.
We are using Eric Metaxes’ DVD study on Dietrich Bonhoeffer in our study group right now. He was a Christian who was willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He fought society, the church and even his friends to ensure that Christ was glorified in the life of Christians. Most Christians, including many of those who agreed with Bonhoeffer in many ways, gave some leeway to the Nazis and the German Christians in an attempt to redirect the direction of the conversation. They hoped that they could indulge them in some ways so as to have the respect, authority and power to stop things before they got too bad. Bonhoeffer saw the dangers from the very beginning, even when Adolf Hitler was highly popular with the German people. He warned them over and over again, constantly trying to convince them that they had to stop it immediately or it would be unstoppable. He was right.
The German people at first saw Hitler as a type of savior. They had suffered greatly after the first World War, perhaps even more than they should have. The treaty of Versailles destroyed Germany; it caused incredible hardship every citizen. They turned to the one man who they thought could restore Germany’s prosperity. Hitler, for his part, understood how to manipulate the Germans to his benefit, and he managed to usurp all the power not only in the government, but also the military and the church. It did not take very long before standing on principle meant death. At that point the people realized their mistake but it was already too late.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer risked his life for the sake of the Gospel. His life story is amazing and his commitment to the Gospel is inspiring. I have noted, however, that as we go through this study that we keep asking “Where is our Bonhoeffer?” Yet, despite the parallels we see in today’s world, none of us are really willing to risk it all for the Gospel. Dietrich’s suffering has not made it any easier for us to speak the Gospel. We are still afraid and we justify our timidity just as they did in 1930’s Germany.
So, how did Paul’s suffering make the Christians of Philippi more confident and bold to speak the word without fear? Shouldn’t they have been running off into the catacombs, hiding their faith, safely worshipping God apart from the prying eyes of their enemies? I think it is important to understand Paul’s history with that Christian community to see how much of an impact he really had on them.
Paul was in Philippi because he had a dream of a man in Macedonia begging him to come help. He and his companions believed it was God calling them to go, so they went. In Philippi they met Lydia a faithful woman who gathered with others on the Sabbath at a place of prayer. She believed the Word Paul spoke and was baptized along with her entire family. She invited Paul and his companions to stay at her home, and from there Paul founded the Philippian Christian church. There was a slave woman with a spirit who was frustrating the disciples. One day Paul ordered the spirit to leave the woman and she was set free. Her masters, however, knew that he had destroyed their source of income and they had Paul arrested. Paul faced prison with faith, singing hymns and sharing the Gospel with the other prisoners. One night an earthquake caused Paul and his companions to be freed from their bonds, but they did not leave. They called out the jailer who was about to kill himself rather than face the punishment of failing in his duties, and saved him not only in flesh but with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Imagine having a person of influence like that jailer in your congregation! Paul begins today’s lesson by saying, “Now I would have you know, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the progress of the gospel; so that my bonds became manifest in Christ throughout the whole praetorian guard, and to all the rest…” It wasn’t Paul that told the praetorian guard the story, but the jailer himself, who shared his conversion story with all his friends. The Christians in Philippi saw the impact Paul had on one man, who then had an impact on the entire congregation. His imprisonment really did make them more confident in the Lord.
It wasn’t his suffering that did it, but rather it was the fact that Paul lived for the glory of God. The Church grew because Paul knew that whether his circumstances were good or bad God could make incredible things happen. Paul simply trusted God and the people of Philippi learned from his example. It wasn’t his death or his suffering that encouraged them, it was the way he lived his life. I think the same is true about Dietrich Bonhoeffer. We study him today not only because he was martyred for his faith, but because he lived his life for the Gospel no matter what his circumstances. He willingly risked everything to glorify God.
I really do understand Paul in this passage. The second half is a monologue in which Paul talks about what he really wants. To put it bluntly, Paul wanted to die. He wasn’t suicidal, but he knew that life would be so much sweeter in eternity. “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” I feel the same way. However, Paul knew that it was not yet time for him to be with his Lord Jesus. He still had work to do; he still had Christians to encourage. He was, as they say, between a rock and a hard place. He wanted to be with Jesus, but he knew that his life had purpose. “But I am in a strait betwixt the two, having the desire to depart and be with Christ; for it is very far better: yet to abide in the flesh is more needful for your sake.” He fought his martyrdom as long as he could so that he could continue preaching the Gospel and teaching the Christians how to live.
In his story we see the hope and expectation of the world to come and how it impacts his life today. We are not meant to rush the destination but to enjoy the journey. We live in the hope of the things to come, and I admit that I cry out almost daily, “Come, Lord Jesus, come,” but there is a reason we are here as we wait. In good times and in bad, we are here to glorify God by sharing of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the world.
It is easy to complain when things are hard, especially when there are people who preach a message of faith in all the wrong things. Those preachers who tell you that your life should be perfect, that you should be rich and that you should never suffer are leading you down the wrong path. The German Christians were following a message that Germany was more important than Jesus and eventually that Hitler was their god. New pastors were forced to take oaths since they were considered civil servants, employees of the state. “I swear: I will be faithful and obedient to the leader of the German empire and people, Adolf Hitler, to observe the law, and to conscientiously fulfill my official duties, so help me God!” They had been surely and easily manipulated away from the true faith by words that at first sounded good and right but that led down a road of destruction.
Isaiah reminds us that our lives are meant to be focused on God. As we travel through this journey of life, we learn that we aren’t in control of everything and that we shouldn’t even try. We want to avoid suffering and so we let ourselves be led down a dangerous path. It just doesn’t seem worthwhile to fight that which seems like it can’t be fought. Sometimes these experiences are painful or inconvenient. Yet, God uses them for our good, to bring us to a deeper faith and closer relationship to Him. God knows what He’s doing, and His ways are always perfect. We can’t imagine any good that might come from our suffering, but we can be like Paul, trusting that God can and does do incredible things even through our pain.
I think, sometimes, we get so comfortable in our own salvation that we don’t think about those who still need to experience the love and mercy of God. We even, sadly, hoard it for ourselves, as if God does not have enough grace to go around. Now, I don’t think that we necessarily want everyone else to go to hell, but Jesus warns us about being frugal with our faith. During this summer we’ve learned about the radical generosity of God in scattering the seed. We have learned that forgiveness is limitless. We have learned that God is strong enough to carry all our burdens. We’ve learned that God will make sure everything works out according to His will and purpose. Our job is to go about His work while we live in the world, joyfully sharing His Gospel so that all people will repent and believe.
Sadly, there are just some people we’d rather not share in that joy. We don’t want our enemies to know God’s forgiveness or ours. We withhold God’s grace from those we have judged unworthy. We don’t think it is fair that someone can lead of life of willful disobedience to God and His Word and then make a deathbed confession and rejoice in His salvation for eternity.
That’s what we are seeing in today’s Gospel lesson. Now, we can make this a story about a living wage and God’s generosity. We can discuss the rightness and fairness of an employer paying the guy who works an hour the same wage as the guy who works ten. That’s where the discussion always goes. We take our human experience and put it into this story. In a sense we are reminded that even the human landowners have the right to be as generous as they please, as long as they uphold their promises. That’s what happened in this story. The first to be hired, however, expected that if the landowner was so generous to the ones hired last, then surely they must be worthy of even more. There was nothing unfair about this landowner: he paid the promised wages.
As we look at this story from a spiritual perspective, the wage being an eternity in God’s presence, how could be possibly expect anything greater than the promise? Do we, who have been Christians for our whole lives expect to have a larger mansion in the heavenly city than the guy who made a deathbed confession? Is there anything greater than an eternity at the feet of our Lord God Almighty, worshipping Him and singing His praise? Why would we expect God to give the latecomer less? We should rejoice that the landowner has guaranteed our neighbor and his family will survive another day. Even more so, we should rejoice with our brother in Christ that he has been saved in time.
I will admit that I can name a few people I hope I won’t see in heaven. I can name a few who I don’t believe could possibly be saved. Top on my list, and on many lists, is Adolf Hitler. He was evil. He destroyed too many lives. He was a type of anti-Christ, abusing the church and God’s people. He does not deserve God’s grace. It seems wholly unfair to even think of him as receiving the same reward I’ve spent my life earning. It seems absurd to think that the man who ultimately killed Dietrich Bonhoeffer might actually kneel next to him for eternity praising the God he spent his life trying to destroy.
Yet, we can’t possibly know whether or not Adolf Hitler experienced the love and mercy of God in a way that brought him to true repentance in his final moments. God’s grace can heal the dis-ease and cast out the demons that created a monster like Adolf Hitler. This is, perhaps, a most extreme example. But if a man like Adolf Hitler could be saved, then shouldn’t we at least rejoice with our neighbor who has been saved even if he or she has done something to bring us harm?
Paul could have escaped the prison and let that jailer end his life. I’m sure he wasn’t very kind to Paul and his companions. As a matter of fact, he put Paul into the worst part of his jail and chained them to ensure they could not escape. They were beaten before prison and were probably abused inside. Their wounds went untended, their hunger ignored. He didn’t deserve their forgiveness. Yet Paul knew that it was up to God to deal with that man’s sin, not his. Who was Paul to let the jailer kill himself and go to hell without hearing the Good News that is Christ if God saw something in his heart?
The world is a dangerous place for Christians, and lately it has seemed like the dangers are more imminent. Our human nature, of course, tends to make us see our situations as worse than anyone else’s. Our pain is greater, our suffering deeper, our needs more intense. We think it should be easier for them to get over it, to pay their debts, to offer their forgiveness, but we think that no one knows what it is like to really suffer but me.
We might have good reason to be afraid. There are folk who are determined to steal our lives, to harm our children and to destroy the things we hold dear. Yet, we are called to fear only one: the Lord God Almighty. This isn’t a fear of loss, as if God will steal, harm or destroy us, but rather an attitude of awe for the One who is our light and salvation. No matter what threatens us, we can know that God’s grace and mercy and love. In Him we can find peace in even the most difficult of circumstances; we can trust that He will make all things right.
Paul’s suffering gave the Christians in Philippi reason to be confident in the Lord because God did a good work in that prison. One man and his family were saved in that encounter, but that man shared his story with the entire praetorian guard. It is possible many of them came to be saved; at the very least they looked at the Christians with a new understanding through their friend the jailer. Each one, despite the harm they may have caused to Paul and the other Christians, were given the chance to know the Lord God Almighty, to experience His grace and receive His forgiveness so that they might, too, spent eternity in His presence.
It wouldn’t be easy for the Philippians. They would still experience persecution and possibly death. The same is true for us. For Paul, the Gospel of Jesus Christ creates an expectation of life for himself and for others who have heard the good news. He expects that Christ will be glorified whether he lives or dies, is free or imprisoned. Paul also expects that those who have come under the grace of God will live the life worthy of the Gospel, the life that expects Christ to be glorified in good times and bad. The life lived in faith will always glorify God with confidence. Let us trust God for our bold proclamation of the Gospel can impact the world in ways that we would never expect. He has plans we can’t even imagine and can make the impossible possible. He has given us the promise of eternity and has invited us to share that same promise with the world even those we think do not deserve His grace. He is generous beyond our imagining and has more than enough for us all.
“For not unto angels did he subject the world to come, whereof we speak. But one hath somewhere testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? Or the son of man, that thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; Thou crownedst him with glory and honor, And didst set him over the works of thy hands: Thou didst put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he subjected all things unto him, he left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we see not yet all things subjected to him. But we behold him who hath been made a little lower than the angels, even Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God he should taste of death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the author of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both he that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, In the midst of the congregation will I sing thy praise. And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold, I and the children whom God hath given me. Since then the children are sharers in flesh and blood, he also himself in like manner partook of the same; that through death he might bring to nought him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and might deliver all them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily not to angels doth he give help, but he giveth help to the seed of Abraham. Wherefore it behooved him in all things to be made like unto his brethren, that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted.” Hebrews 2:5-18
Penn and Teller, my favorite illusionists, have a new television show called “Fool Us.” They have invited magicians and other illusionists to perform their best trick before them and an audience. If the magician is able to fool Penn and Teller, they will be sent to Las Vegas to perform with the stars on the stage. The illusions are often amazing; the show’s host and audience are easily fooled.
It is not quite so easy to fool Penn and Teller. Since they have performed many of the same illusions during their career, they not only know how it is done, they know where they should watch to catch the trick. See, magic is not something paranormal or supernatural, but is a manipulation of the natural. The illusionist knows how to misdirect your attention so that you will miss the moment that they switch the card or replace the watch. They make you watch one hand while the other is doing whatever is necessary to make the illusion happen.
Penn and Teller are known for often explaining their tricks as they perform, although by the end of the act you are usually more confused than if they had not told you what they were doing. On this new show, they use code language because they do not want to ruin the illusions of their guests. Teller often draws a diagram to show how they believe the trick was accomplished and then he destroys the piece of paper so that the secret won’t be revealed. They often feel very bad for catching the trick because the magicians are excellent performers. “We would love to take you to Las Vegas, but…”
On one recent episode, they (Penn, since Teller doesn’t talk) gave a long explanation of how they believed it was done. “We are so sorry; we’d love to see you perform in Las Vegas.” The magician, however, told them they were wrong. “That isn’t how I did it.” The guys were thrilled! “Good! We want you to come to Las Vegas!” Even with their vast knowledge, Penn and Teller can still be fooled.
We must be very careful as Christians living in this world. Too many of us are like the audience at a magic show, easily fooled by the manipulation and tricks of the performer. We don’t see the card switch or how the illusionist replaced the watch and we are amazed. It gets much harder to fool us when we spend time in prayer and God’s Word because we learn the tricks of the devil; we know what is happening in both hands so we don’t miss the trick.
We have to remember, however, that the devil is sneaky and no matter how much knowledge and experience we have, like Penn and Teller, we can still be fooled. Their show is for fun and to give excellent performers and wider audience. For us, however, being fooled can be deadly. We can fall to the temptations of the world without even realizing that we are doing so and we can be lead down the wrong path. Most of all, we must keep our eyes on Jesus, who is the Savior and defender of our lives. He will protect us from the tricks of the devil and keep us on the right path. He knows they ways of the devil better than the most faithful Christians; He is worthy of our faith and trust.
“And as Jesus passed by from thence, he saw a man, called Matthew, sitting at the place of toll: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him. And it came to pass, as he sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Teacher with the publicans and sinners? But when he heard it, he said, They that are whole have no need of a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what this meaneth, I desire mercy, and not sacrifice, for I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” Matthew 9:9-13, ASV
This Sunday, September 21st, is the festival day for St. Matthew. The text for the Festival of St. Matthew the Evangelist is Ezekiel 2:8-3:11; Psalm 119:33-40; Ephesians 2:7-16; Matthew 9:9-13. I didn’t look at the lectionary text for the festival in Midweek Oasis on Wednesday, but since we are in the lectionary year of Matthew, it is a good time to talk about the man behind the words.
The writer of Matthew is unidentified in the scripture and many modern scholars suggest that the book was not written by Matthew, but was actually written by someone following the teachings that came out of Matthew’s ministry. For today we are going to follow the traditional understanding that Matthew was indeed the writer.
The Gospel of Matthew was written in Greek and therefore most likely addressed to the Greek speaking Jewish Christians. He was a Jew and wrote to show his fellow Jews the fulfillment of God’s promises as found in the person of Jesus Christ. He quotes the Old Testament scriptures more than any other New Testament writer. His genealogy of Jesus Christ shows how Jesus descends from Abraham, an important fact for the Jewish readers. He uses Jewish terminology and does not explain Jewish customs, assuming the readers will know and understand what he’s talking about. Even so, Matthew does not limit the Gospel message to the Jews, showing that Jesus came for the world with the visit of the wise men from the East. He’s determined to prove that Jesus is indeed the Messiah.
Matthew is an unusual character in the gathering of disciples. Peter, Andrew, James and John were fishermen. Though we do not know the vocations of most of the disciples before they met Jesus, three others may have also been fishermen, possibly acquaintances of Peter having grown up nearby. Some were probably craftsmen. Simon was a religious zealot and Judas was probably a revolutionary. These eleven were most likely hardworking men, enemies to the Romans and desirous of national freedom and deliverance from the oppression under which they lived.
Matthew was different. According to the scriptures, Matthew was a tax collector. As a tax collector, Matthew was a local man who was a representative of the government. He paid for the privilege, having bid for the job against other publicans. In bidding, Matthew would have said he could raise a certain amount of taxes and when he won the bid would have paid it out of his own pocket. It was then his job to recoup his investment. He would pocket any amount he received over the amount he paid to Rome. This made the job of tax collector ripe for abuse. Tax collectors often cheated the people by making them pay more than their due for larger profits in their pockets. We don’t know if Matthew was a crooked tax collector, but he was still considered a sinner because he was taking the hard earned money of his own people to give to dreaded and hated Romans.
Peter, Andrew, James and John were called to follow Jesus out of a life of hard work. They were probably very fit, tanned from hours in the sunlight, rough and tough with coarse language. Matthew, on the other hand, had a desk job. He was probably fat from the rich foods he ate and from the lack of exercise. Soft and pale from little time outside, Matthew was not the image of what we might have expected from the disciples. And, he was a sinner. He was the enemy or at least in cahoots with the enemy. Despite his Jewish heritage and his willingness to leave everything at Jesus’ word, he would not have been openly welcomed into this new community. Can you imagine Judas, who greedily held the corporate purse, embracing Matthew, who had probably encountered each of the disciples at some point in his career?
It was Matthew who reminded us just a few weeks ago how to deal with a brother or sister who hurts us. Remember how he quoted Jesus as saying that we should deal with the errors of our brothers and then if they are unrepentant we should treat them as sinners or tax collectors? How would Matthew, the tax collector, wish to be treated? Would he want to be treated the way he was probably treated by those disciples when he first joined the community? Or would he prefer being treated the way Jesus treated him, calling him into the ministry and welcoming him into the community. We see a different point of view from Matthew, we learn about forgiveness and acceptance from him.
So, as we look among our own communities of faith, who is it that we think would not belong? Who is the fat, lazy sinner that we think should be cast out and treated like the tax collectors? Who is the person with that unwelcome occupation, that job that doesn’t seem compatible with belief in Jesus? Or that point of view? Or that political perspective? Or that lifestyle?
Are we called to cast them off, separating them from the fellowship? Or are we called to be like Jesus, sharing in the Good News of God’s love and mercy and grace and forgiveness and the power of His Spirit that transforms lives?
“And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only, in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you he shall in no wise lose his reward.” Matthew 10:42, ASV
She was sixteen when an old teacher died. She did not want to go, but her father told her that she must. “Always go to the funeral,” he taught her. It was not the first funeral that she had attended; her father took the family to all the funerals of people in their lives. This was her first which was for someone that only she knew, so he dropped her off at the door and she sheepishly went in by herself. She was the only student who attended. Her greeting to the parents in the receiving line was awkward, but it had an impact that she could never expect. The teacher's mother remembered the girl by name for many years following that brief encounter, always saying hello with tears in her eyes.
We don’t go to funerals for the dead. Funerals can sometimes help us through our grief. However, we go to funerals for the sake of the family. We go to give them a hug, to awkwardly tell them that we are sorry for their loss. We go to be there, to show them that the person they lost was loved and will be remembered. We go to tell the family how that person made a difference in the world. A timid sixteen-year-old who did not want to go to the funeral gave grieving parents a snapshot of the influence their daughter the teacher had on at least one student. They knew her life was not lived in vain because of this girl’s presence at the funeral.
The girl’s name is Deidre Sullivan and she told this story in an article for Reader’s Digest. It was taken out of her book called “This I believe.” She is so grateful to her father for teaching this most important lesson. “Always go to the funeral. Do it for the family.” When it came time for her to say good-bye to her own father many years later, she saw for herself how important it truly is. “I had been numb for days when, for some reason, during the funeral, I turned and looked back at the folks, in the church. The memory of it still takes my breath away. The most human, powerful, and humbling thing I’ve ever seen was a church at 3:00 on a Wednesday full of inconvenienced people who believe in going to a funeral.”
I suppose this is why I’m so disturbed, and disappointed, with the funeral home that has created a ‘drive-up window.’ They have installed a large-paned glass window where cars can pull up to view the body. Curtains cover the window in between viewings. A sensor triggers a mechanism when a car pulls up to the window which opens the curtain for three minutes. I guess they think that’s long enough for someone to say good-bye. Sadly, many of the people who do go to the drive-thru will think that’s enough. “I made an appearance.” But did they? What impact did they have on the grieving family?
In the article, Deidre took the concept to the next level: “Always go to the funeral” means doing the right thing even when we really, really don’t want to do it. She said, “I have to remind myself of it when I could make some small gesture, but I don’t really have to and I definitely don’t want to.” She was thinking about taking the time out of a busy schedule to have lunch with a friend who is lonely or driving out of the way to take a friend who can’t drive to a doctor’s appointment. She said, “In my humdrum life, the daily battle has not been good versus evil. It’s hardly so epic. Most days, my real battle is doing good versus doing nothing.”
It may be inconvenient. You may not want to do it. Yet, God calls us to do a million little things in our lives that are seemingly inconsequential but that make a truly significant impact on the person for who we do it. As Jesus said, it can take something as simple as a glass of cold water to make a difference in someone’s life. We don’t have to make a grand gesture or do something historic; we simply have to be there for the one who needs us. It might be inconvenient and it might be something we just don’t want to do, but God calls us to do so anyway. The littlest things can make a lifelong impact on the world.
September 23, 2014
“Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, And thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall overwhelm me, And the light about me shall be night; Even the darkness hideth not from thee, But the night shineth as the day: The darkness and the light are both alike to thee.” Psalm 139:7-12 (ASV)
We recently discovered that an aquarium is being built very near to our house. The company has purchased an old car dealership building and is converting it. Pictures on the Facebook page yesterday showed all the work that is happening, from a mural being painted on the exterior to the forms that will hold the large tanks filled with water and creatures for us to see. The expectations for this place are huge: a stingray touch tank is four times larger than the tank they have in Austin, and they are preparing a 125,000 gallon tank for sharks with a tunnel right through the middle. They are building other exhibits, too: exotic birds, reptiles and amphibians and even giant octopi. We have purchased a year pass and are looking forward to visiting the aquarium on a regular basis.
There’s something to be said about how an aquarium can impact a person. Studies have shown that contemplating fish can have a significant affect by reducing stress and anxiety. In Feng Shui, moving water is considered beneficial in balancing chi. A study on Alzheimer’s patients have shown that those who have access to an aquarium maintain a healthier lifestyle, with a better intake of food and less aggressive behaviors. One aquarium has a special program for children with learning and developmental disabilities that helps them develop social skills.
I love to sit and watch the fish. It is not only relaxing, it is also inspirational. On a trip to Sea World a few years ago, I recall visiting the Coral Reef exhibit. This exhibit had a very large tank with hundreds of different fish and many different corals. The shark tank was right beside the reef with a ‘window’ in the background, giving the appearance that the sharks were so close they could snatch any fish that might drift out of the safety of the reef. I could see all the wonderful colors of each fish and their habitats when I got really close to the tank. A few steps in either direction gave a whole new habitat and group of fish, even though they were all in the same tank.
I briefly looked at the tank close-up, but then I moved to a seat against the far wall. From there I sat to watch the whole tank which was bustling with activity. It was like watching rush hour in New York City. Schools of fish moved along paths in one direction, stopped and then moved in another. Individual fish went this way and that, somehow always fitting into the flow. Some fish were quite unusual, such as the one that just kept swimming in a circle, up and down, up and down, even upside down. Others were very dignified; others were playful. While I watched the whole tank, I realized that though there seemed to be separate areas, it was really one.
As I sat there watching, I thought about how God sees the world. He is most certainly a personal God, having intimate relationships with each one of us. He knows our every thought, counts the hair on our head. Yet, He also looks at the world from a much broader perspective. He sees us as we interact with others in this world. Are we like the fish that kept swimming in circles, unaware of the others around him? Are we like the ones who swim in schools? Are we like the individuals who swim in and out of the coral so that we are always safe? Are we like the ones who hovered by the sharks, risking life on the edge of danger? Yet, no matter who we are, we are never far from our Maker.
God enjoys the relationships with His children, one on one. He gets up close and studies everything about us so that He knows us better than ourselves. He not only watches from the other side of the glass, but He even gets right inside the tank with us. Yet, He also sees the world from a distance. He knows every interaction, every habitat and how we fit together. He sees the lonely, the scared, the tired and the weak. And He loves every one of us. We might never leave our little corner of the tank, but God knows there is someone on the other side who needs His love. Perhaps He will call us to be the one to go forth and share the Good News. The world is much bigger than just what we see at any moment and God sees it all. It helps to know that He is with us, so close that He knows every thought and yet far enough away to know what is happening beyond our little corner of the world. We can trust that He will take care of us as He leads us out into the world to do His work.
Scriptures for Sunday, September 28, 2014, Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32; Psalm 25:1-10; Philippians 2:1-4 (5-13) 14-18; Matthew 21:23-32
“Yea, and if I am offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all: and in the same manner do ye also joy, and rejoice with me.” Philippians 2:17-18, ASV
I had a problem the other week that required calling the customer service line of a major retail company. The person on the phone was helpful, but her answers to my questions were not completely satisfying. She did not have the authority to give the refund I was expecting. She did a few things and then offered to turn me over to a supervisor. The supervisor was able to accomplish much more, and while I was not completely happy at the end of our conversation, the compromise was suitable and the matter has been settled.
We all know that when we are dealing with a problem like mine that we have the option to request someone who has more power and authority. While the person who answers the phone might not be able to give a refund, someone else can. I think most of us have probably experienced this with the cable company. The person who first answers the phone has to say “No, no, no” but they turn you over to someone else who makes all sorts of concessions. They have the authority.
Where do they get that authority? It usually has to do with experience and position. It also has to do with knowledge and wisdom. When I was in retail, my cashiers did not have the authority to do some things; they had to call me. I could make a decision based on the circumstances. The cashiers were often not privy to the information we had. There were some customers who always tried to take advantage of the cashiers. The managers, who spent so much more time in the store, often knew those customers. We knew when we should concede to a customer’s legitimate request and when to reject others. We could answer the customer questions with knowledge that the cashiers did not usually have because we had been trained to deal with those situations. And when we were faced with a problem that had not been expected, we had the authority to deal with it. We were given that authority by the company that trained, paid and trusted us to do what was best for both the company and the customer.
I had the authority, but that did not mean I was always right. We human beings often make mistakes. We have knowledge, but we don’t know everything. We have bad days when we are less willing to compromise. We concede too easily to a slick talking person who seems trustworthy. We base our decisions on personal experience, not always on the reality of the situation.
The chief priests and elders had authority. They were granted that authority by God to serve the people and care for their spiritual needs. They had the right credentials and were trained by those who came before them. The people trusted them and gave them the respect required in an ordered community. The people believed that they had the authority to do what they were called to do.
They did. God called them to His service. Unfortunately, they were human beings who made mistakes. They did not always have the right mind for the work they had to do. They were selfish, just as we are selfish. They liked their power. They liked the prestige. They liked the respect they were given. They wallowed in it.
They were threatened by Jesus. The people were looking to Him for answers to questions that only they had the authority to give. Jesus was teaching lessons that seemed to contradict their preaching. Jesus did not have their background or their education. He didn’t have the experience required to do God’s work in the Temple. He was not given the authority to do what He was doing by anyone they recognized. They confronted Him about this.
Jesus was a good Jew and He knew where they got their authority. Sadly, they didn’t even seem to know. The chief priests and elders have followed human traditions for so long that they forgot that their authority was from God, not men. This forgetfulness led to a misunderstanding of their authority. They made choices that did not benefit God or the people, but benefitted themselves. Jesus was doing things that put doubt on their authority and thus threatened their position with the people. They demanded to know who set Him against them.
Stories like this one today is always a little uncomfortable for us. We understand the importance of order, education, and traditions. We know how dangerous it can be for someone to assign their own authority. We’ve seen whole communities of believers follow leaders who are selfish and self-centered, who have created a religion that serves themselves. Many of those communities end badly, like the Branch Davidians and the cult around Jim Jones. The strong personalities who usurp authority destroy people’s lives.
The chief priests may have had selfish reasons for confronting Jesus, but shouldn’t we question those who seem to take power for themselves? Shouldn’t we doubt people who seem to take authority for themselves? Here’s the problem: Jesus proved over and over again that He did not usurp the authority. His work, His healing, His words all proved He was exactly who He claimed to be. They missed it. They doubted because they had lost touch with the One who gives the authority. They didn’t know the God of their forefathers. They didn’t know the God they were supposed to serve.
Jesus refused to answer, but instead asked a question. Instead of seeking God’s answer, they tested their answers against the responses they might get. Jesus wanted to know where John got his authority. They couldn’t answer because they knew if they said “From God” then they should have believed him, but if they said from man, the people would be upset. They said, “We do not know.” They were avoiding the answer that they knew could destroy their power.
Yet, imagine the grace they would have experienced if they had finally believed in Jesus?
When I was a retail manager, I had several different types of employees. I’m sure we could find these types of people in other areas of life, such as among students in a classroom and believers in a community of faith. There were those employees with whom it was a joy to work. They were anxious to get to work. They looked for work to do and they completed all their tasks with enthusiasm and enjoyment. The work was well done, as the employee had gone above and beyond the ‘call of duty.’ These types of people aren’t found in our parable today. We hear about the other two, though.
Jesus first talks about a son whose father sent him to the vineyard to work. The son answered, “I will surely go,” but he never got around to it. I had employees who were the same. They accepted assignments with enthusiasm, but they never finished the work. They were easily distracted by other things and though they might have started a task, they got caught up in other things, often using those other tasks as excuses for their inability to get the work done. For example, I had one employee whose job was to take care of the stationary department of the store. Now, this department (pens, notebooks, office supplies) was definitely hard to deal with because there were so many small items on the shelves. This employee was also often called to serve as a cashier during busy times. She was distracted by other work and might have had a good excuse, except that even when she was not on the cash register, she managed to waste time. She found a way to make her brief stints at the register become lengthy time away from her regular duties. She lingered around the check-out station, stopped to chat with other employees and excused herself to the break room. She had been called away and used that as her excuse for not completing her work even though she could have returned to it immediately and accomplished it in plenty of time.
I think the greatest number of employees were the other type. They were the grumblers and complainers. They were the ones who were vocal about those tasks they hated to do. They often found work on the floor quickly so that they would not be assigned to those tasks they hated to do. They never said “Yes” with or without enthusiasm. They said “No, I have other work to do.” Yet, I often found them doing the work later, having realized how important it was to get it done. It was those employees that had to do the work of the enthusiastic employee who never got around to it. I would rather have these employees because at least I knew the work would get done.
And according to the parable, this second group of employees was like the son who was obedient. He grumbled, but he did it. He immediately said “No” but ended up completing the work anyway. They didn’t make the promise but eventually changed their mind and changed their actions. This parable initially talks about those who believe in Jesus and the kingdom. The first son represents the ones who initially said “Yes” were like the chief priests and teachers of the law who were religious but who refused to do the work of the Father (to believe in Jesus). The second son represents those who initially said “No way, I like what I’m doing too much!” but who later realized their mistake and believed. The sinners were the ones who would receive the Kingdom because they were the ones who did the work of believing in Jesus.
The chief priests and elders thought they had the authority to speak for God, yet they were acting on their own authority. They had interpreted God’s Law in a way that made it a burden for the people that was impossible to carry. Even they only carried the burden as far as it was convenient, but condemned the people for their unrighteousness. They took the authority given to them by God and made it their own. Instead of speaking in God’s voice for the sake of the people, they spoke their own voices for their own sakes. They made living for God a self-serving endeavor.
That’s what Jesus was telling them in today’s story. They wanted to know by what authority Jesus was speaking and doing. He turned the question back on them, asking by what authority John worked. They wouldn’t answer because they didn’t believe it was by God’s authority, but they knew that the people would rebel if they said so. Jesus then told them this parable, showing them that the one who truly believes God’s messenger is the one honoring the king. They didn’t believe John, and therefore were like the son that said “Yes” but did not do what was asked. The people believed John and turned to God.
Paul writes, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Jesus Christ…” That attitude is one of humble submission to God’s Will. As we look at the life of Jesus Christ, and more particularly His death, it is hard to imagine why anyone would die for the sake of sinners. If we truly consider our failures in light of justice as we know it, it was completely unfair for Jesus to die for my sins. Yet, Jesus did not simply die because I can’t control myself; He died because I am separated from my Creator. He died for forgiveness, not for each individual sin but because I am incapable of willfully obeying God’s Word. He died to reconcile God and His people. Whatever has happened in history is no concern; the father’s sin would not kill the child. Christ made it possible for all men to live in relationship with God the Father and to receive his blessings. Jesus willingly gave up the splendor of heaven for the muck of earth.
Jesus put aside the glory of heaven to become like us. He came from heaven, sent by God and given great power and authority. He was perfect in every way, generous, knowledgeable and loving. He was the Son of God! But Jesus never boasted about who He was, He lowered Himself to be like a servant and referred to Himself as the Son of Man. He willingly went to the cross and died for our sake. Paul encourages the Christians in Philippi to have the same mind as Christ with the words of an ancient Christian hymn (verses 5-11). The “Kenosis” hymn was a creed in which the early church confessed their faith that Jesus humbled Himself for our sake. “Kenosis” means “to empty”; Jesus emptied Himself of that which made Him equal with God to be a man like us.
We respond to Jesus’ humility with the realization that if Jesus, who was the Son of God, could be humble, we should also. We are certainly no better than Jesus or anyone else for that matter. In this way we can be just like our Lord Jesus Christ, humble before the Lord and each other.
The temple leaders didn’t know what it meant to be humble. They ignored John and they accused Jesus. John came with a message of repentance, “Turn to God!” Jesus came with the same message, but He knew that it was impossible for man to do the will of the Father without His suffering. Paul took on that same attitude, knowing that he could not save anyone by his own power, but that sharing the truth of Christ would bring faith to all who hear and believe. It is by faith we are saved.
It is by God’s grace that we live in faith. Thanks to Christ Jesus our relationship with God has been restored and we have been called to trust in Him. In faith we can sing praise to God even in the midst of our troubles. We can turn to the Psalms to seek comfort and peace when the world around us seems to be falling apart. David sang, “Unto thee, O Jehovah, do I lift up my soul.” In the midst of our troubles we need not have the strength to bear up under the burdens. Instead, we are called to believe God’s Word, humble ourselves as Christ and seek our strength through the power of God’s Spirit. In such trust we can and will get through any storm no matter how difficult it may seem.
There are, among the common proverbs of our time, a number of ‘dueling maxims’ which are contrary proverbs. Take, for instance, “The bigger the better” and “Good things come in small packages.” Which present is better, the big one or the small one? “Actions speak louder than words” and “The pen is mightier than the sword.” Is one greater than another? Is it better to write letters to the editor about a problem or face your enemy? I love this pair: “You’re never too old to learn” and “You can't teach an old dog new tricks.” If you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, how is he supposed to learn? We often live our lives according to this proverb: “It's better to be safe than sorry.” But we also know “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” So, should we live safe or should be go forward with courage? And finally we know that “Absence makes the heart grow fonder” but also “Out of sight, out of mind.” So, will we remember those we love if they stay away or if they are under our noses?
Perhaps proverbs change with the changing world, although I think we can all think of times when both sides of those dueling maxims were true. I’ve received big presents that were great as well as small boxes filled with jewelry. The pen is mighty, but there are times when action will do more to relieve the problems. Long held habits are hard to break, but you do learn something new every day. We have to be courageous and careful. Separation can build a relationship, but temptations fulfilled can destroy.
The proverb in today’s Old Testament passage may have seemed true to the people of Israel in the day of Ezekiel. “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge?” It is an often quoted proverb based on Exodus 20:5 which says, “…visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children.” So, the Israelites were complaining that their troubles were caused by the sins of their forefathers and they thought it was unfair. There are pastors even today who still teach this, calling the phenomenon “generational curses.” Poverty, health problems, addictions are blamed on the generational curse; the sins of the parents brings the wrath of God on the children.
“As I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.” God puts a halt to the blame game. Each one receives justice for their own sin; each person pays the price for their own unwillingness to obey God’s Word. Though we can talk in terms of each sinful action and the consequences we suffer from our wrong living, the sin of greater concern is that which separates us from God. This is our natural inclination to be our own god, to take control of our own life and to seek justice and fairness according to our own ideology. This is the sin that sets us against God and His will. While some of our burdens can be blamed on the sins of our forefathers, we should be more concerned about our relationship with God.
The blessings and the consequences of Israel’s history and their relationship with God seemed absolutely determined by the actions and words of their forefathers. They were a people dependent on national identity and the relationship to the past. Yet, we also see in the lives of those forefathers that God is interested in a personal relationship with individuals. God cares about each of us and we will experience His mercy and justice as individuals because He loves each of us as individuals. There may be some truth to the proverbs of our day, and in the proverb in today’s passage, but when it comes to the things of God, human wisdom will never stand.
John the Baptist, and later Jesus, called the people to a more personal relationship with their God. They could not blame suffering on the past or receive blessing through heritage. The Kingdom of God was given to those who believe, who had a change of heart and made God be the center of their lives. God loves us and He wants us to reach out to Him, to seek Him, to follow Him. He wants us to raise our hands in worship and in prayer. He longs to receive us as His own.
Jesus turned the world upside down. He didn’t usurp the authority of the chief priests and elders but had the authority given to Him by God. He invited everyone who heard His words to live in the relationship that God intended for His people, even those chief priests and elders. Jesus called for a change of heart; they weren’t willing to change. We are called to believe; they refused to believe. They might have reason to question Jesus for the sake of the people they were charged to protect, but instead they tried to protect themselves.
They claimed to worship God, but they forgot the God who gave them the authority to serve Him. They missed Jesus because they relied on their own self-righteousness. They could not see the grace of God in His life that was centered in love and mercy. We are reminded by their failure to believe in Him and as Paul encourages: to take on the mind of Christ, humbling ourselves and living in joyful service and sacrifice for the sake of others.
“And there come his mother and his brethren; and, standing without, they sent unto him, calling him. And a multitude was sitting about him; and they say unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee. And he answereth them, and saith, Who is my mother and my brethren? And looking round on them that sat round about him, he saith, Behold, my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.” Mark 3:31-35 (ASV)
A friend recently said, “I don’t know how you do everything you do.” The list of tasks on my to do list was long as I got ready for the craft fair, did all my writing and prepared for the bible studies I lead. It may have sounded like I was overwhelmed at the time, but I was really amazed at how smoothly everything fell together. I was ready for the craft fair days in advance; I have managed to get my daily writing as well as my assignments for my editor in plenty of time. I am a little overwhelmed with the reading required for my bible studies, and I’ll admit that I’m a little bit behind, but it should work out ok in the end.
Things were not so smooth a few years ago. I was overwhelmed with commitments; I didn’t know how to say “No.” The kids were much younger and I was actively involved with their schools. I was constantly running around for church and other community responsibilities. My schedule was full, but doable, and I didn’t argue when another person asked me to do something to help. One day it hit me. I was exhausted. I could not take it anymore and I just started crying. It was at that point I realized I was not superwoman. I could not do it all.
I have since learned that sometimes we have to say “No” because God does not send us so much to do that we can’t give it our best. See, that was my problem. I thought every request that came to me was a calling from God. I had this idea that I was the only one who could do those jobs. I thought that I had to use all my gifts to God’s glory, even if it took everything out of me to do so. I trusted that God would give me the strength, but I wasn’t taking the time to pray about whether or not those requests were really from God.
So, I just laughed when my friend said she didn’t know how I managed to do everything. Compared to that time of my life, even compared to the many years since then when I was still quite active with my children, I feel like I don’t do anything. I actually have the time to read books just for the fun of it (most of the time) and not while I’m sitting in the car waiting for a child to be done with an activity. I have time to go out to lunch with a friend or visit a museum exhibit. I have the time to sit and stare at my latest painting, pondering what should happen next. It might seem like I’m busy, but I’ve learned to breath, to pray and to seek God’s will.
Have you ever known anyone that is so busy with the responsibilities of life that they do not even have time to eat a meal or read a book? Do you ever want to just kidnap them for an hour or two, take them for a quiet lunch or a walk in the park? I wish someone had done that for me a few years ago when I was not saying “No.” It might have helped me to slow down, and to realize that I was doing too much. I think we all recognize these symptoms in someone we know and love.
It was getting that way for Jesus. Once the stories of miracles began to spread, the people sought Him out, desiring a touch of His hand and a word of hope. They crowded around Jesus and the disciples, followed Him on His travels. They never left Him alone.
The word translated ‘friends’ in this passage is a Greek word meaning ‘people’ and is found in other versions as ‘family.’ I often wondered at how Jesus’ own family could doubt that Jesus was doing what God call Him to do. After all, His mother knew He was the Son of God. She knew that He had been sent to accomplish this work. She knew that He needed to be about His Father’s business. I always thought that they simply did not understand His work in this world and that they wanted to stop Him from doing it.
I wonder, though, if we should look at it from a slightly different point of view. They saw that Jesus was so consumed with His work, so overwhelmed by the needs of the people, that He was not even taking the time to rest or find nourishment. Perhaps they were concerned about His physical, emotional and spiritual well-being and wanted only to take Him away for an hour so that He could find renewal and refreshment.
There is a big difference between this story of Jesus and myself. Jesus was much closer to His Father, completely aware and obedient to the will of God. If I had taken more time to prayerfully consider the work I was being asked to do, I would not have said “Yes” so often. But I can be self-centered, thinking myself able to do anything and everything without looking toward God for guidance and direction. Jesus’ mother and brothers may have been concerned with His health and went to help Him, but there was no reason. Jesus knew what He was doing; He was being obedient to God’s will. He was in control, unlike me when I broke under the stress.
Jesus was not stressed or overwhelmed by the crowds and the work He had to do because He made sure to spend time alone with God in prayer. Unfortunately, we often find ourselves burdened because we do not take the time to look to God. Are you on the verge of a breakdown because you are suffering from too much stress? Perhaps God is calling you with these words to slow down, rest, pray and listen to Him. Or perhaps you know someone who is out of control, someone who needs to be reminded that even Jesus took time to stop and seek God’s will through prayer. At the very least, they could probably use an invitation to lunch and conversation with a friend.
“Be not ashamed therefore of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but suffer hardship with the gospel according to the power of God; who saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before times eternal, but hath now been manifested by the appearing of our Saviour Christ Jesus, who abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, whereunto I was appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher. For which cause I suffer also these things: yet I am not ashamed; for I know him whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to guard that which I have committed unto him against that day.” 2 Timothy 1:8-12, ASV
We have been using Eric Metaxas’ book, DVD and study guide for the past few weeks, learning about the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He was a martyr who was killed close to the end of World War II. He was a pastor, and as Metaxas wrote, also a martyr, prophet and spy. He led a fascinating life, despite its much too early end. He received his doctorate at just 21 years old. He was gifted in music. He had a way of knowing things long before they were really known, such as the direction of the German church and the real problem with Adolf Hitler. Most people just didn’t believe him when he preached the warnings.
He struggled in life, though he was incredibly blessed in so many ways. He came from an extremely gifted family that brought him up not only with a good head on his shoulders, but also with a heart for God. He knew very early that he wanted to be a pastor. He had a firm grasp on the grace of God and the responsibility of Christians living in this world. He taught his students, from youngsters in Barcelona to seminarians in Germany and youth of every age in between, to establish spiritual disciplines that would help them live their lives through good and bad.
This was especially prevalent at Finkenwald where the Confessing Church of Germany established a seminary. Bonhoeffer was given the responsibility to train up the new pastors. He organized the seminary in a way that not only included book studies. He felt it was vital for the new pastors to be trained in a full and balanced way. Their day included time in worship, prayer, meditation, lessons, music, sports, fun and rest. One leader from the church wondered why the seminarians were spending too much time in meditation and prayer. He said, “They don’t have time to pray! You need to teach them how to preach.” While it is true that they needed to learn that skill, Bonhoeffer knew that the daily disciplines were vital to a pastor’s life, particularly in that time. Many of his seminarians were conscripted into the military and died on the battlefields of World War II. In letters to Bonhoeffer they said that they appreciated those daily habits and that the Word was written on their hearts from those times at Finkenwald because it helped them face the horrors of war.
Bonhoeffer’s life ended in prison and death. Now, he spent much of his life struggling with depression; perhaps it had to do with his clear understanding of what was happening in the world around him. He knew well before most people that Adolf Hitler was evil. He knew the reality of what was happening to Germany. He knew that the church was being destroyed by those who were willing to appease Hitler and by those who were intentionally transforming it. It is enough to make a faithful man depressed.
I know the feeling. Sometimes I look at the world around me and wonder where we are headed. While I would never consider myself a prophet, I can’t help wondering what horror we will experience tomorrow. I find myself saying “Come, Lord Jesus” on a daily basis, knowing that only Jesus can fix what’s broken by finishing what He started.
The others who did the study with me feel the same way. We asked several times over the past few weeks, “Where is our Bonhoeffer?” We want to know that there is someone out there willing to stand up against the evil. Bonhoeffer struggled with his role in the conspiracies against Hitler. He knew that evil had to be stopped but he also knew that God demanded a Christian to live life differently than the world. While it might be easy for a military general to kill a man, it was not so easy for Bonhoeffer. How could he lie? How could he pretend? How could he do what seemed wrong even if that wrong would end in good? He did it with the full understanding that he was called to this life and that God would deal with him with mercy and grace. He chose to be a conspirator because in his heart he knew that he had to do something and that even if it turned out he was wrong, God would make things right.
I’m impressed with Bonhoeffer’s writing and I’m amazed at the life he led, but I think what impacted me the most is the final answer to our question, “Who is our Bonhoeffer?” We might know him most for his writing and for his martyrdom, but it was the way he lived his life that stands as an example for us all. See, Bonhoeffer’s understanding of Christian faith was that it is active and constant. Establish the disciplines of faith like daily prayer, reading of the word and meditating on it, and you will find that it is available to you when you need it. Like those soldiers that appreciated the lessons on the battlefield, we can be prepared for everything we face if we have established a strong bond with the God who is our Creator and Redeemer. We will know that even when we make a mistake, God will be there to make it right.
I think the most amazing thing is that Bonhoeffer had no fear of death. He knew where he was going. It is interesting that this man who struggled with depression for his whole life had so built up his faith through those daily disciplines that he never suffered from it in prison. Oh, he still struggled, we all do when we are in less than pleasing circumstances, but from the very beginning of his imprisonment, Bonhoeffer was determined not to let anyone or anything make him depressed. The devil was not going to destroy him. He knew he was there for a reason. He lived his faith in prison and He stood on his faith even to the moment he died.
We may not like the answer to the question “Where is our Bonhoeffer,” but here it is. “I am my Bonhoeffer.” See, we may know him by his life and death, but the real witness was this idea that we live our faith, knowing that God’s promises are true no matter what our circumstances. I doubt any of us will face the opportunity or the expectation to stand up against another man like Adolf Hitler. I pray not. But it is up to each of us to be the person God has created and redeemed us to be. The world is not black and white; sometimes we have to do things that seem wrong to do what is necessary. We need to do so with the trust that even when we have to make that choice God will make it right.
We have to be ready. We have to be prepared with God’s word on our hearts and with the knowledge (not just the hope) that we will spend eternity with our Father. We have to face death without fear; in Christ there is no reason to fear. The world cannot kill us; our physical life can end at the gallows but we will never die. Jesus Christ defeated death on the cross and has promised that we will live with Him forever. This is the true lesson of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s life, and it is a life that God is calling each of us to live. It is the life of active, living faith that stands against the world on the foundation of God’s amazing grace.
September 29, 2014
“And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and made trial of him, saying, Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And he said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.” Luke 10:25-28, ASV
I’ve said it on more occasions than I can count. When someone survives something that they should not survive, we say “They survived for a reason.” This is particularly true when they are the lone survivor. How many times did we hear that after the bombing of the World Trade Center in 2001? There were stories of people who for one reason or another were late to work or who were not in the building when they should have been. I’ve heard personal stories of people who know without a doubt that they should have been in the middle of a horrific accident but missed it by minutes, even seconds. We hear these stories and we say, “They survived for a reason.” We imagine that God has set them aside to do some great task, and while we tend to forget they exist once the story gets cold, we sometimes wonder about all the people who were saved from the jaws of death miraculously. Did they do great things? Did they accomplish something amazing? Did they fulfill some divine purpose in their life?
Here’s the thing: it is easy to ask those questions unless you are one of those people. Imagine being the lone survivor of a plane crash? Your first thought will not be, “What has God got planned for me?” Instead, you ask the question, “Why?” While you might perceive a positive answer to the question, most likely you will suffer a much more negative reaction. What would that question “Why?” mean if you were on that plane with the people you love the most and they all died? What if you were the pilot or co-pilot blamed for the crash that killed everyone else on the plane? What if you suffer such guilt and depression because you could not live up to the expectations of the world?
A recent article looked at the lives of three people who were the lone survivors in different plane crashes. The first was just a boy when the plane crashed. He lost his father in his accident and was so terrified by the experience that he had a hard time recovering. He tried to do something great. He pursued an education, wanted to fulfill everyone’s expectations, but became even more depressed from the guilt of not accomplishing great things. He was desperately sorry for the families of the victims and always thought that someone else should have survived rather than him. He thought that they could have lived the life that would honor the dead. He didn’t and he hated himself for it. We, by thinking that he survived for a great purpose, put so much pressure on him that he could not live the life he was given.
The other two stories included a woman whose fiancé died in her arms as she was the only survivor of a plane crash and the man who was the co-pilot of a plane that crashed. The woman suffered extreme loneliness for a long, long time, never understanding why she should survive when she lost the one person in the world she loved more than life itself. The co-pilot survived, but then faced the pain and scrutiny of an investigation into cause of the crash. He and the dead pilot were blamed for the accident even before they knew the cause. The cause was human error, so there was reason to find fault with the co-pilot, however in this case as being the sole survivor, the entire blame was laid on his shoulders. How do you survive the life of loneliness and remorse that comes with being the sole survivor like the woman and the co-pilot? We make matters worse by focusing on the miraculousness of their survival without thinking about how they have been affected by it. Quite frankly, and understandably, most sole survivors do not think they are the lucky ones. It is hard to be left behind to face the reality of life after such loss.
All three stories had happy endings. The boy met the family of one of the victims and felt such a peace when he was all grown up. They loved him and appreciated him and never blamed him for the life he lived. The woman found love and had a family. The co-pilot, who lost a leg in the accident moved to a new place and began an organization for helping disabled people enjoy the great outdoors. None of their accomplishments were great or world shattering, they were real.
Some people in this life are given the opportunity to do great things, but most of us are simply given a life in which we are called to use our gifts and our opportunities to glorify God. We will never know why those three people, or any other sole survivors, are saved from the jaws of death. I still think there might be a purpose, but I know we should not put so much pressure on them to accomplish great things. The purpose might be incredibly mundane and unimpressive. We don’t have to chase after those great accomplishments to give value to life or honor to the dead. We simply have to live; God will be glorified as He uses our lives to His purpose in the world.
Human beings define ourselves by what we do, by what we accomplish. We tend to lift up those who have done great things and forget or ignore those who have not. Life, it seems, is not worth living unless you make a noticeable impact on the world. The lawyer in today’s passage wanted to know what he needed to do to obtain eternal life. The focus is on self. Yet, Jesus turns the tables on the lawyer and asks him what is written in the law. The lawyer answers, “Love God and love neighbor.” That’s the great thing we can do every day, albeit in small and even unnoticeable ways. We don’t have to accomplish great things, we are simply called to live and love.
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September 30, 2014
A WORD FOR TODAY, September 30, 2014
“And we know that to them that love God all things work together for good, even to them that are called according to his purpose. For whom he foreknew, he also foreordained to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren: and whom he foreordained, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not also with him freely give us all things?” Romans 8:28-32, ASV
The following is an edited ‘conversation’ that has been making its way around the internet:
A person: “God, I need to talk to you. I’ve had a terrible, awful day and I wondered why you let so many bad things happen to me? I woke up late, my car wouldn’t start and the restaurant made my lunch wrong and I had to wait longer for it to be remade. My phone went dead on my way home just as I picked up a call and then when I got home my foot massager wouldn’t work when I just wanted to soak my feet and relax. Nothing went right today. Why did you do that?”
God: “Well let me see..... the death angel was at your bed this morning and I had to send one of the other angels to battle him for your life. I let you sleep through that. I didn’t let your car start because there was a drunk driver on your route that might have hit you if you were on the road. The first person who made your sandwich today was sick and I didn’t want you to catch what they have, I knew you couldn’t afford to miss work. Your phone went dead because the person that was calling was going to give a false witness about what you said on that call, I didn’t even let you talk to them so you would be covered. Oh and that foot massager, it had a short that was going to throw out all of the power in your house tonight. I didn’t think you wanted to be in the dark.”
In the internet meme, the person was embarrassed, humbled and ashamed because they blamed God for their bad day, when God was simply trying to make things better for them. The inconveniences were obvious, but the God-incidences were hidden. Of course, the story is fiction, but how often do we blame God when things just don’t go the way we want them to. Perhaps we don’t actually blame God, and yet we do pray that God will take care of all the little things so that our day is perfect. We want God to make sure our car works, that traffic is running smoothly, that there will be a perfect parking space at the grocery store. We grumble when we can’t find the right cut of chicken on the shelf or an employee to see if there is any in the back. We might not directly blame God, but in our prayers we wonder why God would allow us to have such a bad day.
God says, “Trust me.” We don’t always know when God’s hand is in the midst of our daily lives, when He is doing something that we’ll never know. We have all experienced those “God-incidents,” the coincident that somehow turn out to be miraculous in nature. Even the small things that happen to us can be life-changing when we see God in the midst of it.
I don’t think any of us will ever have a conversation like the one in the Internet meme, but how different would our day be for us if we thanked God even when our alarm doesn’t go off or our car doesn’t start. How might our attitude change if we appreciate the people behind the counter of our favorite fast food place even if they make mistakes? What would be different if we looked at the inconveniences of life as opportunities to do something different or to be thankful anyway?
Yesterday we looked at life from the point of view of someone who has had a miraculous experience of salvation. Today we look at the more common experience of us all. We have bad days and good days. We grumble when things just don’t go our way. We get frustrated when we are inconvenienced by this imperfect world in which we live. But we are reminded that God loves us enough to be there in the midst of it with us. I have no doubt that He could do exactly what we hear in the story. I have no doubt that He does step in to guard and protect us from the world. Here’s the thing that we can do: we can trust that He is with us and even when our day is good or bad, trust that He will make all things right in the end.