Worship for the Weekday
The Exact Imprint of God
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Hebrews 1:1-4
1. In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; 2. but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the worlds. 3. He reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature, upholding the universe by his word of power. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4. having become as much superior to angels as the name he has obtained is more excellent than theirs.
My bible translation of verse 3 says he bears the exact imprint of his nature. The exact imprint of God. Wow! That’s how God created us too! We are His exact imprint--all of us together from the very first human being, until Christ comes again. All of us together make up the “imprint” of God. When Paul talks about us all being “one body” I think that’s what he’s talking about. We are all a part of God, and so when we sin, we sin not only against God, but against every person who ever lived, or who is yet to live.
Jesus was the “perfect imprint” of God and won for us access to the throne of God. His obedience and determination to become sin for man, won us that same perfection. His death won life for all humanity. His resurrection won us heaven! His words, his actions, his life hold the key to how we spend eternity in heaven with his/our Lord. He is God/became man/returned to God in some cosmic mystery that is impossible to understand or comprehend.
Someone asked me recently how can you believe all that’s written about Christ? Isn’t it preposterous to think that God would come to earth and then allow himself to be tortured and killed? My response was that I cannot explain why I believe the words “spoken to us by a Son.” I only know that I do believe--without doubt, without hesitation--that the God/Man who walked this earth is now in heaven--superior to the angels and upholding the universe by his word of power.
Hebrews 4:14-16
14. Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15. For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
This morning before my walk, I looked up to see Mars, now very near the earth. And I remembered this weekend hearing a report that Mars once had water -- lots of water. And where there is water, there is life. And where there is life, there is God (I added the last part!) I wonder sometimes if there was another species on another planet once long ago--in a time so far back we cannot even fathom it. I wonder if we are the last hope for “the worlds” in the universe.
If man is the last hope of all creation, we have a tremendous responsibility -- greater even than making disciples of Christ -- actually, we have the purpose -- but it grows exponentially when we stretch out our reach to Mars and beyond! I imagine when I re-read this I’ll realize I’ve rambled on this morning! I was just so blown away by the beauty of the moon this morning -- a bright crescent superimposed on the shadow of the full moon and the sky was crystal clear -- all the constellations on display -- and Mars -- butterscotch color and hanging alone in the sky.
Jesus understands how it feels to be human. He must have felt just as small and insignificant when he looked up at the sky as we do. From the vantage point of earth, the universe seems so vast. But scripture tells us that Christ is in heaven with his Father and they have it all under control. Because of Christ, we have confidence when we draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
I hope today you will hide the word of God in your heart. And rejoice that the great high priest who sits at the right had of God, understands our human-ness.
Mary
Every Morning is Easter Morning
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Romans 5:6-11
6. While we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7. Why, one will hardly die for a righteous man -- though perhaps for a good man one will dare even to die. 8. But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. 9. Since, therefore, we are now justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11. Not only so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received our reconciliation.
I’ve read this passage many times. I get the point, in my head, each time I read it. It’s pretty much a defining statement about Christ, and the gift He gave us from God. This morning, though, I felt it in my heart. “While we were still weak.” We were powerless on our own. We could not live on our own. We couldn’t accomplish redemption on our own. And yet God loved us still. Even in that state of frailty, weakness, sin. Though our lives lacked purpose and direction. Though we focused only on ourselves and our own needs. Though we wandered lost and strong-willed and defiant. That’s when He chose to save us!
I don’t think Donald Trump adheres to that business plan! I’m not being critical of him--I’m just using his television program as an example of everything that is counter to the radical message of Jesus Christ! We are saved from our legacy of sin and shame through the death of Christ. His life shows us the way to the cross. His life modeled for us how to live in gratitude and awe of the God who loves us when we’re at our worse. I think about the times when I was sick as a child. Throwing up is so awful--but I remember my mom would comfort me and bring me ginger ale and put a cool cloth on my head--of course she had me in her bed with my two sisters -- who at some point also began to throw up! Isn’t is funny how something so awful invokes memories of love and comfort?
That’s how God is. That’s what Jesus demonstrated. That’s how Mother Theresa lived. Her ministry to the least and lost of India began on a day when she came upon a woman on the street who was dying. She sat and held the woman until she breathed her last. And the rest, as they say, is history. I think our human nature, before it’s stifled down and pushed aside by the world, is to respond to others like the mother of a sick child, or like Mother Theresa to a stranger, who she couldn’t bear to see die alone. That’s the message of Jesus. And we live it out through God’s power and in accordance with His plan for our lives.
Jesus changed all the rules. We had to start from scratch because of him. Demolition experts will probably tell us that’s the most cost-effective way to re-build a dilapidated building. Knock it down and start all over. Make it all like new. Eradicate any sign of the old, dingy, broken building . Build a new one up in its place. Each day we have a chance to begin anew. The old is wiped away. We are no longer slaves to our past. God doesn’t hold any of it against us. For Christians, every morning is Easter morning. Alleluia! He is Risen!
My prayer today is that you work with me to live out our legacy as an Easter people. And that you spread the good news of the resurrection to everyone in your path.
Mary
Prepare the Way of the Lord
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Luke 1:67-79
67. And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying, 68. "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people, 69. and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, 70. as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, 71. that we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us; 72. to perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant, 73. the oath which he swore to our father Abraham, 74. to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, 75. in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life. 76. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, 77. to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, 78. through the tender mercy of our God, when the day shall dawn upon us from on high 79. to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."
Zechariah, here is the father of John the Baptist. I have often wondered what kind of parents Mary and Joseph were, but often I forget about Elizabeth and Zechariah. Like any “earthly” parents, after decades of infertility, they certainly rejoiced beyond containment at the gift of a son! And more than that - the signs and divine revelations about their child! How amazing! How daunting! For their child to live out the prophecies of old. It was just more than they could ever have imagined!
I can imagine no greater honor than to be the one who “goes before the Lord to prepare his ways!” What a huge responsibility! What an undertaking! Surely his parent’s delight in him was tinged with anxiety as they grew to grasp the enormity of John’s purpose. Certainly any proud parent secretly longs, every once in a while that their child was not one of the stand-outs! So much pressure. So easy to be a target. So easy to get lost without constant redirection and guidance.
I can’t help but wonder, though, what this world would be like if each of us viewed our children, from the moment of conception, as if they were a gift beyond imagining. If we reared them to be godly and Christ-like. If we taught them to value truth and kindness; if we treated them with dignity and respect; if we demanded the very best healthcare, education, and childcare for every child born into this world. What would that world look like?
What if each of us considered John’s mission our own? What if it’s our “job,” our “purpose,” our “divine appointment” to “give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins.” That sounds a lot harder than producing and end-of-month financial statement, or a summary of training activities for the quarter, or even running a multi-million dollar corporation! I have trouble keeping a grocery list, for heaven’s sake! I’m going to need lots of reflection, prayer and meditation on how my life would look if I lived this way.
We are only human, after all! Thankfully, we have the Holy Spirit to empower and embolden us and to intercede for us with prayers we cannot even form. God loves us so very much, and in return we are compelled to share the wonderful, generous, unearned and undeserved gift of His Grace to us through Jesus Christ.
I hope today you will tell everyone you meet to “prepare the way of the Lord.” For behold, he is coming soon. And that you call upon the Holy Spirit to help you stay on track.
Mary
Brush Up Against Jesus
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Luke 8:43-48
43. And a woman who had had a flow of blood for twelve years and could not be healed by any one, 44. came up behind him, and touched the fringe of his garment; and immediately her flow of blood ceased. 45. And Jesus said, "Who was it that touched me?" When all denied it, Peter said, "Master, the multitudes surround you and press upon you!" 46. But Jesus said, "Some one touched me; for I perceive that power has gone forth from me." 47. And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. 48. And he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace."
Acts 5:14-15
14. And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women, 15. so that they even carried out the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and pallets, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them.
Acts 19:11-12
11. And God did extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 12. so that handkerchiefs or aprons were carried away from his body to the sick, and diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.
When you brush up against Jesus, your life changes. It’s just that simple. Once you know the truth, there can be no turning back! Popular belief in the magical power of holy people prompted the woman in the first scripture to seek out Jesus. Everything had been tried, nothing healed her. She had remained a social outcast--unclean--for 12 years! She was desperate! This magic man was probably her last hope! And she was hoping against hope that this would be the one with “powerful enough magic!” She had surrendered all hope of ever being healed any other way. That’s why “it worked!” She had surrendered to the power of Jesus.
By the time the stories in Acts were recorded, Jesus had already commissioned his disciples to go and heal all the world. Through the Holy Spirit, they had access to the same healing power their teacher had when he was with them on earth. They were “on fire” to continue the physical healings that precipitated the spiritual healing in the lives of the diseased and “possessed.” First their bodies were made whole, then they were able to heal their souls. And they served as living testimony to the “gospel” that was being preached by the disciples.
Of course, Christianity was still very new. So amazing acts of healing and heroics, powerful oratory and brave acts of martyrdom were “needed” to drive home the message of Jesus’ saving power. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of the band of travelers that followed the disciples around. Who wouldn’t want to be associated with these amazing men, who must have had almost like an “electrical” energy about them!? Peter’s shadow. Paul’s apron. The fringe of Jesus’ garment. Brush up against the Holy Spirit. Go ahead!
Come out of the shadows. Reach out for the healing power that is only available one way -- by asking, seeking, desiring it. Jesus left us the Holy Spirit. The spirit is ready to move in us when we invite it in. At some point, we realize that nothing on this earth will ever fill us or complete us. Only Jesus. Only Jesus. That’s when the Spirit moves, sometimes slowly, quietly, like a wisp of smoke. Sometimes like a brick wall! Sometimes, we don’t even notice until it’s already happened.
When my children were small they loved to get into our bed and “cuddle” on Saturday mornings. The four of us would snuggle up and sometimes (if we were especially lucky!) they would fall back asleep for a while, there between us. That is as close to heaven as I will ever find on this earth. And that’s the closest feeling I can describe when I talk about being surrounded by God’s love, displayed for us on the cross, unleashed and freely given to us through the resurrection.
My prayer today is that you’ll see that wisp of smoke out of the corner of your eye. And that you’ll thank God for releasing His healing power into your world.
Mary
No Turning Back
Ephesians 2:1-10
1. And you he made alive, when you were dead through the trespasses and sins 2. in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience. 3. Among these we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of body and mind, and so we were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4. But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us, 5. even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6. and raised us up with him, and made us sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7. that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God -- 9. not because of works, lest any man should boast. 10. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Galatians 4:8-9
8. Formerly, when you did not know God, you were in bondage to beings that by nature are no gods; 9. but now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and beggarly elemental spirits, whose slaves you want to be once more?
The heading for this Galatians passage in my bible is
No Turning Back. Ah . . . turning back. Now that’s where I am this morning! We went to a Bruce Springsteen concert last night, and every time I hear one of his songs, I am instantly drawn back to my youth! He commented last night that Richmond is one of the few places where he could actually make a living as a performer, “back in the 70’s.” Of course, I remember “back then” and have followed his career. One reason I am a fan is that he looks at life through a disciple’s eyes. As he shared with the audience some of his travels in southern California, he talked about the Mexican illegals who died in the desert trying to cross the border in to the states. And he talked about the steel workers in New Jersey who became disenfranchised in the 80’s as the steel business closed down and moved over seas. But he also shared some joyous experiences -- his children growing up and living a life he lived once . . .
I like him because he has remained true to himself, even in the years when “popular” voices were saying he was out of step, or when people wanted to “feel good” and his ballads seemed too sad and focused on issues that made people “uncomfortable.” And that’s what it means to be a disciple. To say what needs to be said. To say what should be said. Not just to “say it,” but to say it because the voiceless have no other voice, and the blind have no one else to lead them. And people don’t change all that much in 2000 years, do they?
We are each who and what we are by God’s divine choice. Because it is a divine choice, he allows us some say in the matter. Springsteen sang a beautiful ballad about Jesus last night that brought tears to my eyes. It was almost chilling, the passion and the grief, the repentance and the abject humility with which he droned out the words to “Jesus was an only Son.” And we are all the only sons and daughters of God. He loves us just that much -- as much as he loved Jesus. Because that perfect son chose to fulfill God’s divine plan, we have access to the same God in heaven for all eternity. We may not have to physically die, but we must die to ourselves, and to our own desires. We may have to give up the friends we think we want, and the lifestyle we think we need. And we may have to give up keeping quiet, and putting up with immorality, and refuse to conform to a world that lives as if Christ never died or rose from the dead.
Once we know the truth; once we make the choice to follow Jesus; once we decide to fulfill the divine plan God has for us, there is no turning back. Everything is different. And that makes all the difference!
My prayer to day is that you resist the temptation to turn back when faced with a difficult decision. And that you grab hold of the grace that saves you.
Mary
The Holy One of Israel
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Isaiah 43:1-7
1. But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. 2. When you pass through the waters I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. 3. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you. 4. Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life. 5. Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you; 6. I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, 7. every one who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made."
Since Adam and Eve were created, God has desired a personal relationship with man. He wants us to seek his presence throughout our lives, walking with him as we go, reaching out for him when we feel uncertain or afraid. God made us for companionship, and to be the objects of his love. God reassures us that he just loves us way too much to ever leave us alone, unprotected and vulnerable. We are his precious, perfect creations, and he guards us with more care and affection than we can even fathom.
No matter what life throws at us, God is with us. He parted the sea for Moses and the Israelites, then closed it up again to destroy their pursuers. Do we really think he’ll do any less for us, when we step out in faith to follow him? Do we think that he’s not guiding and directing our path every step of the way? Have we acquired such a high opinion of ourselves that we really believe we can “make it on our own?” I don’t know about you, but I long ago accepted that fact that I can accomplish
nothing without God!
Nothing! And I also know without doubt, that if God intends something,
nothing will prevent it from being accomplished!
Where does that reassurance come from? The bible. Life experience. The Holy Spirit. That intricate weaving together of the moments of our life that bring us to God are not always definable. Is there a day, a moment, an instant when you can say, “that was it, that’s when it all came together for me” or “now I’ve got it!” Or do you, like me, each day discover some new facet of the great and powerful, gentle and kind, loving and caring God that you never realized before?
God says he’ll do anything for us. He’ll do anything necessary to protect us. After all, he wouldn’t go to all the trouble of thinking us up, creating us, breathing life into us, and then not care for us, guard us, keep us close to him. The Message paraphrases verse 4 like this: “
That’s how much you mean to me!
That’s how much I love you! I’d sell of the whole world to get you back, trade the creation just for you.” Wow!
And he did, too! He sent Jesus into the world to prove he really meant it! Fully man, fully divine, he was the living image of what the future will be like for us in heaven. Christ showed us how to be “connected” to God on earth. Go to him. Seek him out. Pray. Spend time in quiet. Carve out a part of your life that belongs only to him. Because of the cross, we have access to that same divinity! We will one day sit at the feet of the throne and gaze into the eyes of the one who loves us more than the mind can fathom or the imagination can conjure up! It is just unimaginable to me! To be so cherished. To be so desired. It is just inconceivable.
I hope you’ll go to God today, the Holy One of Israel who formed and created you. And that you’ll walk through the waters of life, confident that he will save you.
Mary
Repeat After Me
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Psalm 57:7-11
7. My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody! 8. Awake, my soul! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn! 9. I will give thanks to thee, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to thee among the nations. 10. For thy steadfast love is great to the heavens, thy faithfulness to the clouds. 11. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let thy glory be over all the earth!
Some days, nothing seems to go right! We get up early only to find the coffeemaker is acting up. We leave early for work, but run into a traffic jam. We finally arrive at work and find out the office manager is home sick -- and she’s the only one who knows how to collate, staple, and mail out the monthly report that should have gone out yesterday, but couldn’t because the only person who knows how to generate the report on the computer threw out his back and couldn’t come to work . . . Or, it’s your turn to drive for pre-school carpool and you have a flat tire -- and it’s raining. And then the birthday cake you ordered for the Saturday birthday party isn’t ready and the washer overflows, flooding 1/2 of your downstairs . . . Doesn’t matter the scenario -- you get it, right?!
I’ve lived out similar scenarios to both days -- and neither is easy. Those are the days when you literally want to throw in the towel. Going back to bed and starting over is not an option, though sounds pretty good! Trading in your life for that of a monk is sounding like a very viable alternative on days like those! Steadfast heart? Not so much! But those are the days when we need to have a steadfast heart! At times when the whole world seems to be plotting against us, we need to be the most steadfast! That’s when these verses become an affirmation, a mantra, a prayer - to recite over and over again. “My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast!” We don’t know what was going on the in the life of the psalmist, but he surely was anticipating that it would be challenging and that he would need to call upon his faithful God and Savior to make it through.
Even when we deal with minor annoyances and inconveniences, we can fall into a “victim mode,” can’t we? It’s all too easy to start mumbling to ourselves that the whole world is determined to make our day miserable -- someone cuts us off in traffic, someone cuts in line at the store, the copy machine jams, the cash register runs out of tape in the middle of your purchase, the phone rings off the hook, and your boss/spouse/friend is in a really bad mood! Oh, my goodness! “My Heart IS Steadfast, O God!” Help me!
Call out to God! He’ll swoop down and comfort you -- and those in your path. Ask Him to bless you and them. He will keep your steadfast heart turned to him. He loves us way too much to leave us alone in turmoil and despair. He doesn’t even like it when we’re anxious or annoyed -- because he knows our propensity to decline into anger and self-centeredness from there! So give it to God before it gets so bad you regret your actions or your words. Listen to some Christian music. Call a friend who makes you laugh. Take a walk around the block. Repeat after me: “My heart is steadfast, O God!”
I hope today your heart remains steadfast through all the inevitable “bumps and bruises” of the day. And that you give thanks to your God, who is ever steadfast and sure.
Mary
First Things First
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Matthew 24:36-44
36. "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. 37. As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of man. 38. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39. and they did not know until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of man. 40. Then two men will be in the field; one is taken and one is left. 41. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one is taken and one is left. 42. Watch therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43. But know this, that if the householder had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have watched and would not have let his house be broken into. 44. Therefore you also must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
Even I picked up right away that I’m on a theme this week! The end of time will come without warning and we must be ready! I’m not sure why this theme is recurring this week except that I am a “to do” list person. And all too often my “to do” items get shifted from day to day to day. If the task is not something I enjoy, I’m much more likely to skip it and go to the next item on the list. The problem with that strategy, is that sometimes those items don’t ever get done! Or they are done out of an emergent situation, because I procrastinated initially and now have caused myself additional stress and “one more thing to do” that I really don’t have time nor desire to do!
I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one with this strategy for living! Laundry ranks way down on the list. Reading is way up near the top! Vacuuming? Let’s not go there! More importantly, I find that in the times when I have decisions to make, or difficult choices to make, I put off going to God for guidance and direction. I shift the “quiet time” for discernment until a night I don’t have a meeting or an activity. It doesn’t occur to me to cancel the meeting and stay “home with God!” I think Matthew is warning us about this kind of lifestyle and behavior. Do the things that matter first!
I’m a bit more focused on this topic since the Women’s Retreat I attended last weekend. The theme was about putting “retreat” in our daily lives. And that includes retreat to our Creator, our source. When God is the first thing on our list, everything else falls into place. When God is the first choice in our daily activities, all the other activities line up perfectly! I’m not saying that our faith is like a “magic bullet!” Someone in the carpool is going to have a dead battery! There are traffic jams on the way to work. I generally pick the slowest line in the grocery store -- avoid me at all costs if you see me in line! But our
life will be in order. Our
heart will be in order. And so we will be ready when the hour arrives! Boy I hope I get lifted right out of line at Wal-Mart on a Saturday morning!
I hope you’ll spend some time today reordering your “to do” list. And placing God as #1 today and every day so you’ll be ready at the hour you do not expect.
Mary
This Could be “The Day!“
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(INTERNET CONNECTION PROBLEMS YESTERDAY -- COULD IT BE THAT SATELLITE I'VE BEEN NOTICING IN THE MORNNIGS IS A BIT TOO CLOSE TO THE MOON(?))
2 Peter 3:3-10
3. First of all you must understand this, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own passions 4. and saying, "Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things have continued as they were from the beginning of creation." 5. They deliberately ignore this fact, that by the word of God heavens existed long ago, and an earth formed out of water and by means of water, 6. through which the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. 7. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist have been stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. 8. But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9. The Lord is not slow about his promise as some count slowness, but is forbearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and the works that are upon it will be burned up.
By the time this letter was written, the “first generation” Gentile converts has probably died. So those “scoffers” who had believed, with the “faithful” that Christ’s second coming was imminent, had some pretty powerful ammunition for their argument that the prophecy was wrong, and the believers had been deluded. Much of society had reverted (or remained in) paganism and fallen away from the demands of the converted Christian lifestyle.
It is challenging today to live in a world of scoffers as well! Everything Christ taught is counter-cultural -- and it becomes more and more so as time goes on. The longer I live, it seems, the farther and farther away my world runs from the fundamental truths of the Risen Lord. Society today tells us that we deserve instant gratification on every level and in every way. Work hard, play hard, live hard -- and grab for everything you can! How exhausting that becomes! How difficult to stay centered and in relationship with our Creator!
In the age of instant messaging, drive thru pharmacies and fast food restaurants, in the age of the fax machines and e-mail, palm pilots and satellite communication, it’s almost impossible to hear the “still small voice” or to even have a few quiet moments reflecting upon the many blessings in our lives. Let alone remembering the source of all blessings!
Oh, my friends, “with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” Time and space have no meaning to God -- not as we perceive them! Our challenge is to redefine our time and how we spend it. Even Jesus went off alone to pray and commune with his Father. How can we, less than divine, survive without doing the same?
Do not lose hope! Don’t wait too long, though! Because a thousand years is also like a day, and today just could be “the day!”
My prayer this day is that you find a few moments to be alone with God. And that you can “just breathe” in his calming love and quiet peace.
Mary
The Perfect Attire
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Ephesians 6:10-17
10. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12. For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13. Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14. Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15. and having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace; 16. besides all these, taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one. 17. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Spent this past weekend with an amazing group of almost 50 women on a Women’s Retreat sponsored by our church. I am still completely blown away by those amazing, incredible, beautiful, strong and very exhausted women! Throughout the weekend it was a continuing theme of “resting in the Lord.” Easy to do when you have no responsibilities or a million things to do to keep your life running, not to mention the lives of everyone else for whom you’re responsible. Let’s face it: unless we’re monks pursuing a life of quiet solitude, we’re going to feel burdened and tired sometimes.
When we’re at our weakest, our most vulnerable, our most tired, worn out, stretched too thin -- that’s when Satan steps in! He activates that inner voice that tells us we’re not doing enough, not being enough. It tells us we are in charge of everyone and everything in our lives. Our world revolves our daytimer, our alarm clock, the game schedules for each of the two sports that each of our three children participate in, and the piano lessons, and the scouts, and the meetings at church, and the PTA fundraisers . . . . I’m pretty “mom-focused” this morning! But what about the busy assistant who has to “care for” the CEO and make all the travel arrangements, and keep the boss’s calendar straight, and all million and one extra things you do to keep your boss’s life on track. What about the nurses and the accountants, and the one who does the laundry for the nursing home, and the checker at Wal-Mart.
We are all busy, stretched, pulled and pushed around by this world. And so often we feel isolated and alone in our tiredness-physically and spiritually. How in the world do we have time to fit God in to the mix? The only way I know of it to be intentional. Clothe ourselves in the “whole armor of God” every day before we leave the house, the motel room, the conference center. Stop, take a moment to put on God’s protection. Surround yourself with the his power. Feel his love sliding over you as you visualize donning the “breastplate of righteousness” and shodding your feet with the “equipment of the gospel of peace” and then, take up “the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one. 17. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God.”
You won’t ever have to worry if everything matches. There will be no question about if you’ll be too hot or chilly. It doesn’t matter if it’s going to rain or be sunny. God provides us the perfect attire for a life full of responsibilities and duties. Clothe yourself in Him and His word and His love today. And clothe your loved one in his armor too. They need all his protection and care--and he can protect and care for them even when you’re not with them!
My prayer today is that in the busyness of your day, you’ll remember that you are armed with God’s full protection and care. And clothed in the best designer attire ever designed--because they’re made especially for you!
Mary
God’s Dwelling Place
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John 1:14-18
14. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father. 15. (John bore witness to him, and cried, "This was he of whom I said, `He who comes after me ranks before me, for he was before me.'") 16. And from his fulness have we all received, grace upon grace. 17. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18. No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known.
Exodus 25:8
And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.
Ezekiel 37:27
My dwelling place shall be with them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Zechariah 2:10-11
10. Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion; for lo, I come and I will dwell in the midst of you, says the Lord. 11. And many nations shall join themselves to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people; and I will dwell in the midst of you, and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you.
Can there be any doubt that God desires an intimate relationship with man? In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve interacted with God as they strolled through paradise. They had an on-going dialogue with him for many, many years. They were intimate -- he knew everything about them -- since he made them, and he had a special place in his heart for these creatures! When man first sinned by desiring to be God -- not like God, but to be God, God withdrew. He loved his people so much though, that unlike Lucifer, he did not condemn his beloved to hell. And he continued (and continues!) for centuries to allow us to repent and to desire again that intimacy with him.
When we continued to not “get it” he sent his son/himself to earth, to directly interact, in physical form with us. And even then, we refused him and the greatest love ever conceived of or imagined! I wonder if at that fall, man realized for the first time that he was not God. He understood for the first time that he was not in control or the ultimate power. He didn’t create the world he lived in. He had dominion over it - to care for it -- the perfect world our loving God created for us. And yet, we continue to act like spoiled children. We desperately seek after that intimacy, but stop short of inviting the Master to the be master of our lives.
We were created to desire our Creator. That is the unsatisfied, secret longing within us. That desire is misplaced by the world though. We are distracted by the automatically increased volume of television commercials. And by the shiny new cars in lots that run for miles and miles down many major thoroughfares. The mega-malls are too tempting. The countless catalogues offering “free shipping with $50 order.” Our jobs, our careers, our hobbies. Too many shiny, sparkly, enticing distractions. And still God waits. Still he loves us. Still he longs for us to find him.
My prayer today is that you seek first your God who loves you beyond reason or imagining. And that you stop throughout your busy day to thank him for the gift of his grace.
Mary
In the Name of the Lord Jesus
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Colossians 3:12-17
12. Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience, 13. forbearing one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. 16. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
These instructions hold us to a pretty high standard, don’t they?! There is not a lot of room between the lines for prejudice, arrogance, greed, gossip, indifference, self-indulgence or anything else that is diametrically opposed to the teachings of Christ. Compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience are not the qualities we see elevated on commercials or television programs. The message from the world is that all those qualities make you a loser.
Because of Christ, our striving is to be more like him -- and to be him to and for the world. That requires a strength that is beyond human capability. For that reason, we must go to God, constantly, for assurance and encouragement. We are forgiven! What do we care what man says?! Oh, but we do. Because life can be hard when we live counter to what society views as “normal.” The older I get, though, the less I care for the world’s standards. The more I strive to be like Christ. The greater is my longing to be in heaven with my Lord. The waiting requires endurance too!
So many powers vying for our attention, our loyalty. It is so easy to get distracted and sidetracked. That’s why we must be intentional and deliberate our relationship with God. We must constantly go to him in prayer and in silence--so we can hear him above the din of life on earth. Jesus is our role model, our guide, our Savior. While we will never be like Him, we can certainly strive to Be Him for this fallen world.
I’ll be attending a women’s retreat this weekend with 50 other women. I am so excited to have that time away. As a member of the “design team” I won’t have much “down time” but I plan to model my weekend after that of the team members on my Emmaus Walk. They worked so hard, tending to our every need, and were up well before us, stayed up long after we went to bed so that our experience would be as meaningful as possible. To a person, they said that it was even better than their own walk, because they were able to “be Christ” to all of us.
I hope that this weekend will be the start of something big! But I turn that over to God! It will be wonderful to be in an environment surrounded by my Christian sisters, seeking a deeper relationship with our Savior and fortifying ourselves to go back and live in the world. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could do that often? Life is too, too full and busy for that! I hope we all find small ways to “squeeze” in time with God, so we can “squeeze out” the demands of this world, as a part of our new daily routine!
My prayer for you today is that you carve out even small blocks of time to be alone with God. And that he reveals to you the way you need to live to gain eternal life in heaven!
Mary
Book of Remembrance
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Malachi 3:13-4:3
13. "Your words have been stout against me, says the Lord. Yet you say, `How have we spoken against thee?' 14. You have said, `It is vain to serve God. What is the good of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the Lord of hosts? 15. Henceforth we deem the arrogant blessed; evildoers not only prosper but when they put God to the test they escape.'" 16. Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another; the Lord heeded and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and thought on his name. 17. "They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, my special possession on the day when I act, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. 18. Then once more you shall distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him. Mal 4:1. "For behold, the day comes, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble; the day that comes shall burn them up, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. 2. But for you who fear my name the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings. You shall go forth leaping like calves from the stall. 3. And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts.
There will be a “sorting out” at the end of time! If anyone doubts that, well . . . I feel sorry for them because they are in for a big surprise--and I don’t mean like a surprise birthday party! More than that, God has a really, really, really long memory! He was, after all there before the beginning of time. So we ought not to think that perhaps we’ll “get away” with being less and doing less than we are able, than we should, than we are commanded to do as recipients of God’s grace!
I read these verses to say, “You think you’ve got it tough now? Just you wait! You won’t believe your eyes when the winged solar disk crosses the sky and blesses the righteous. But woe to those condemned to burn in eternity. I used to think about that as being so cruel, so “unloving.” I can remember asking myself how could the God of all love sentence anyone to burn in hell? Well, it’s kind of the way we are as parents, I think. When our children continually disobey, disregarding our warnings, our instructions, our pleadings, eventually we must simply allow them to suffer the consequences! That’s why it is so very important to rear our children properly. With equal doses of love and justice.
Those who heed God’s instructions will be rewarded -- they will “leap like calves turned loose out of the stall.” It may seem as if the “wicked” have all the power now -- the political power, the military power, the financial power -- but that will all be meaningless! The “book of remembrance” does not contain lists of who had money, weapons, power! It has a record of all who served God and their fellow man -- with humility, justice and love. My prayer is that the effort is worth the reward! If we are expected to be like Christ, all is lost! But we certainly should use him as our model.
He is all we need for an example of how to live. Be gentle, kind, humble. Do good. Work for peace and justice. Live your life as if it matters. Because it does! After all, God created us in his image and likeness. We are important to him. He cares about us. He loves us. Sometimes I feel as if I can hardly wait to see him in heaven! But I know the waiting is necessary, so that he can complete his work in me! I guess if that’s the case, I figure I’ll live to be a 350 or so years old--based on my current level of development!
My prayer today is that you rejoice in the fact that your name is written in great book of remembrance. And that you’ll live as if your life matters, because it does!
Mary
Boldness of Faith
Acts 4:23-31
29. And now, Lord, look upon their threats, and grant to thy servants to speak thy word with all boldness, 30. while thou stretchest out thy hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of thy holy servant Jesus." 31. And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness.
Acts 18:26
He [Apollos] began to speak boldly in the synagogue; but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him and expounded to him the way of God more accurately.
Acts 28:28-31
28. Let it be known to you then that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen." 29. And he [Paul] lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, 30. preaching the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ quite openly and unhindered.
My bible notes indicate that Luke clearly understands boldness, or forthright speech, to be a hallmark of the apostles. Peter and John exemplified boldness of speech! The religious authorities confronted them as they were proclaiming Jesus to all who would listen. And they were hauled off to the high priests who ordered them to be silent--they were disrupting the status quo and that would impact the livelihood and lifestyle of the high priests. Even under the direct threat of imprisonment and/or death, the disciples could not be silent!
They probably had a pretty good idea, after what happened to Jesus, that their own time was short on the earth. And so they had a sense of urgency about them. They must have physically ached with longing to tell the whole world the Good News! And no power on earth would silence them! But what does it mean today, to us, to speak with boldness? What do we risk? What is at stake for us? And how do we respond to those times when we must make a choice?
Would you gently chastise a friend who made a racist remark, or would you let it slide? Would you stop short of criticizing someone with whom you disagreed, or wait until they walk away and make a snide remark -- or think an unkind thought? Would you speak kindly to the person behind you in line, complaining about the length of the line and the general miserable state of their life, or would you join in, comparing notes on all the woes of the world? What about the boss who expects you to work on Sunday morning instead of going to church? Would you honestly tell him/her that you can come in later, but first you and your family must attend church services? When a neighbor asks for help, would you give it willingly, or would you grudgingly go to their aid so they didn’t think you were a bad person, or would you gladly help them out, as an opportunity to demonstrate “this is how a Christian responds to those in need?”
There is a “quiet boldness” too. Like the way we stop to talk to a homeless person on the street. Or the way we anonymously send a gift card for groceries to a friend we know is short of cash that month. And what about our financial support of our church? What about giving food to the food pantry? Those are “quiet” ways we boldly demonstrate our trust that God will provide for us.
My prayer today is that you speak with boldness - not only with words, but with actions - about the amazing man called Jesus Christ! And that you live out his promise in everything you do and say.
Mary
Faithful Ambassadors
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2 Corinthians 5:17-21
17. Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come. 18. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19. that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20. So we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Beginning at verse 11 of Chapter 5, the section heading in my bible is
The Ministry of Reconciliation. The “dictionary definitions” of reconcile are as follows: “To reestablish a close relationship between. To settle or resolve. To bring (oneself) to accept. To make compatible or consistent.” The first definition is pretty much how we view the purpose of the life of Christ. He certainly did come to reestablish the bond between a loving God and his precious, though wayward, children. Additionally, the crucifixion resolved or settled our long-standing state of sin.
The challenge for us -- or at least for me -- is to be compatible or consistent with Christ’s teachings and live a life worthy the sacrifice he made for me. More than that, I say that I accept the gift, and often I put it on display for the world to see. Yet I find I continually put it away, back in the beautifully wrapped package in which it came. I don’t want it on display when it’s too difficult to be truly worthy of it. I want to be reconciled on my own terms, in my own way. The cross is too heavy to bear sometimes -- more often than not, I sadly admit.
You see, when we accept the gift of Jesus Christ, we do become his ambassadors. There is a saying, “I might be only Christ someone sees.” And that is true in a very real and literal way. If I say I am saved, I had better be sure I demonstrate to the world what that means. If I am Christ’s ambassador, just as in the UN, I may truly be the “face” of Christ and the only “face” the world sees. So do I judge another by how they speak, or how they dress? Do I pass judgment on someone because they have broken the law? Do I determine the worth of a life based on what they possess?
More than that, do I automatically assign guilt/sin to convicted criminals? As a Christian, as Christ’s ambassadors, as those reconciled to Christ, we are held to a higher standard. We are to love and minister to each and every person we meet. We are to admit that we are sinners, broken and imperfect, yet saved through God’s grace. And we are not place sin of a scale of 1 - 10! Cheating on your taxes isn’t a “lesser” sin than murder! But we’ll have that discussion another time!
My prayer today is that you will be a faithful ambassador for Christ. And that you make your life consistent with the message of the Cross.
Mary
Your Unique Call
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Hebrews 13:1-6
1. Let brotherly love continue. 2. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. 3. Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them; and those who are ill-treated, since you also are in the body. 4. Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled; for God will judge the immoral and adulterous. 5. Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, "I will never fail you nor forsake you." 6. Hence we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid; what can man do to me?"
I’m one of those people who concern “practical, sensible” people! I take these words rather literally, and some think it’s risky! My kids will tell you I’ve never met a stranger who I didn’t learn something about -- either how their day was going, some concern in the life, some recent joy they have experienced. I’ve even been known to stop and talk with homeless people on the street corners! The kids used to be so embarrassed! But they eventually got used to it and accept it now as “who I am.” My daughter has even acknowledged that she now thinks it’s a nice quality. And I’ll be going with a friend and her church group to visit a prison for a bible study at the end of the month -- just to see if I’m correctly hearing a call God has placed in my heart. (Dad, don’t read that last sentence!) My children will additionally tell you, that to their utter bewilderment and aggravation, I have no love of money at all! I don’t like it. I don’t like how people act about it and because of it or the lack thereof. I also have not been adulterous!
But I’m not sharing all these "wonderful" things about myself to direct you to look to me as an example or role model! I fall short in every way, every day, of what Christ tells us all we should be. You see, none of these things make me a good Christian. Nothing I do or say can earn me salvation. I’m just being who God made me to be. I don’t always get it right - more often than not I don’t! In these few areas I may be “above average” but in so many others I fall so very short! That’s why we must not judge others. That’s why we must constantly go to God and look to the bible for guidance and direction.
The Lord is my helper. He picks me up every time I fall. He redirects me when I go off on a tangent! He reassures me that even if I am scorned, reviled, persecuted in some way, it doesn’t matter! Because I have Jesus as my Savior! That’s the message to the Hebrews and it is a timeless one, because the world today holds plenty of opportunities for us to be the “different one” when we live by our faith and live out our faith. The world lives counter to the way Christ lived. It operates in a different realm than Christians strive for. We must ever seek out Christ - and that is how we know we can endure anything man does to us or says about us.
And let’s be careful not to look at someone and think we’re better Christians than they seem to be. Or that they’re better Christians than we know we are! All of us need to encourage and lift each other up. We need to “be Christ” to those in our lives-our families, our friends, our coworkers, as well as the stranger and the prisoner, and the cashier in Wal-Mart and the guy who gets our order wrong at the drive-thru. And we need to not beat ourselves up for falling so short of who and what we strive to be. Jesus already took care of that too! At least I
hope that trying with a right heart is the true requirement of living forever in heaven! Otherwise there really is no hope!
My prayer today is that you live out your call as a Christian in ways that are “uniquely you.” And that you remember that since the Lord is your Helper, you do not need to fear what man can do to you.
Mary
A Call to Rend the Heavens
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Isaiah 64:1-5
1. O that thou wouldst rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at thy presence -- 2. as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil -- to make thy name known to thy adversaries, and that the nations might tremble at thy presence! 3. When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains quaked at thy presence. 4. From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides thee, who works for those who wait for him. 5. Thou meetest him that joyfully works righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways. Behold, thou wast angry, and we sinned; in our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved?
I spent a long time in Isaiah this morning. I so love the words of comfort and reassurances God offers us in many parts of this book. There are also, though, many warnings about our continued sin and what will happen when we reject God! This morning, I am in need of comforting words, as it appears that the missing college student we have an indirect relationship with has been found dead in a shallow grave 50 miles from here. At times like these, we do want God to pour down his justice upon the earth! As the mother of a college-age daughter, my heart is breaking/has been breaking for her family.
And in our daily lives, as the weeks and months and years go by, we may feel as if we need God to act with power and might --- make mountains quake and rend the heavens -- to get the attention of those who live in sin. Our world is full of evil; full of those who work against what God has established. Life is ever a challenge to be faithful, when it feels as if everyone is against us and everything is working to defeat us. And on the really tough days, we feel like God needs to step in and “make a powerful statement.”
But it occurs to me that Jesus changed all that! Until that time God acted in mighty and powerful ways to “get the attention” of his people. Since Christ, the rules have changed. We are now his messengers. Our lives are to be “His” statement. We are not be discouraged. We are not to lose hope. We have the promise of eternal life. We did not earn it. We did not live up to any contract. We didn’t accomplish it through our faithfulness. Just the opposite is the case! We have the promise in spite of ourselves.
It may seem small comfort to us that justice will be doled out at the end of time. Especially when we are in the midst of a difficult situation. But we also have the assurance that God will be with us as we walk this earth--through it all he will lift us up and pull us to himself. We are to keep believing. We are to endlessly spread the good news to a fallen world. We are to pray for the souls of those who spread evil. We are to thank God for the redemption of souls for those who believe in him and trust in him.
We are to be God’s messengers now. How we live our lives, and how we treat others are to be God’s signs to His world. Our simple acts of kindness. Our choices to take the “harder” path. Our decision to follow Jesus and live that out every day. Those are God’s signs for the world today. We are the strong mountains and the springs in the desert to a barren wasteland in a fallen world.
My prayer today is that the God of all comfort lifts you up, clutches you to himself, and strengthens you to live in his world. And that you pray for the lost souls who live in this world with us.
Mary
Short and Very Sweet
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1 Timothy 3:14-16
14. I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these instructions to you so that, 15. if I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth. 16. Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of our religion: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.
This is kind of the “short and sweet” version of Christ’s life, isn’t it?! Born, lived, died, ascended into heaven and came back to say good-bye. Now he’s in heaven at the right hand of God, his rightful place. We know there is so much more to the story! But how to begin. That must have been a struggle as the events of the life of Christ were recorded--what to include, what to omit--and what about those 30+ years between his birth and when he met John the Baptist at the river? We’ll probably never know - but what matters is that he lived - and how he lived - and that we know about him! The description of the church as a “pillar and a bulwark” indicates a defensive stance. The world is a dangerous place for the faithful; the church is the one place we can go to be safe and to arm ourselves against the power of sin-and the false teachings of the world.
Romans 1:3-6
3. the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4. and designated Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5. through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, 6. including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ;
As Christians, we are automatically apostles, and so tasked with spreading the Good News of the Risen Lord to the world. We belong to Jesus. He has paid the price for our sins, washed us clean, and commissioned us to go forth into the world - remember we are not to take a cloak or a purse - just our faith. He assures us it will be all we need.
Life is pretty complicated, and I think sometimes we want the condensed version of everything -- bullets about that report at work -- book reviews to determine if we should even read a book -- cable news to get our information about politics and the world, rather than studying and researching situations from various sources. Our world moves at lightning speed -- I get impatient if I have to wait a few too many seconds to connect to the internet!
So here it is again, in case you don’t have time today to think about everything Jesus did and said while he was on this earth: Born, died on the cross, rose on the third day, ascended into heaven. To me, just the fact that he was born into human form tells me how much God wants an intimate, loving relationship with us. He became like us so we would understand -- he already knew us -- after all, He’s our creator!
I hope today you spend some time “reading between the lines” of the “short and sweet” version of Christianity. And apply the only law Jesus told us we need: “Love your God above all others, and love your neighbor as yourself.”
Mary
Holy, Holy, Holy
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Isaiah 49:8-13
8. Thus says the Lord: "In a time of favor I have answered you, in a day of salvation I have helped you; I have kept you and given you as a covenant to the people, to establish the land, to apportion the desolate heritages; 9. saying to the prisoners, `Come forth,' to those who are in darkness, `Appear.' They shall feed along the ways, on all bare heights shall be their pasture; 10. they shall not hunger or thirst, neither scorching wind nor sun shall smite them, for he who has pity on them will lead them, and by springs of water will guide them. 11. And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be raised up. 12. Lo, these shall come from afar, and lo, these from the north and from the west, and these from the land of Syene." 13. Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the Lord has comforted his people, and will have compassion on his afflicted.
Revelation 7:9-17
9. After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no man could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10. and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb!" 11. And all the angels stood round the throne and round the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12. saying, "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God for ever and ever! Amen." 13. Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, clothed in white robes, and whence have they come?" 14. I said to him, "Sir, you know." And he said to me, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night within his temple; and he who sits upon the throne will shelter them with his presence. 16. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. 17. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water; and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
The book of Isaiah was written around 700 years before John put to paper Revelation. Certainly John was familiar with the teachings in Isaiah, and other Old Testament Books (the Torah). But Revelation takes Isaiah’s words and makes them very “up close and personal” for me! John didn’t just imagine or hallucinate all these things. He actually experienced them, I think, in a type of “out of body” experience. God wanted him, personally, to have a foretaste of what was to come. And God wanted John to experience the “future” in such a powerful way, on such an intimate level, so he could put it all in “human terms” for us to understand.
Of course there is a great deal of symbolism and references that seem foreign to us. But the words have such power! Revelation reads almost like an adventure story -- action packed and full of heavenly bodies, and evil beings -- and of course the ending -- where the “Good Guys” win and conquer the world at the end of time. I hope that’s not too sacrilegious! It helps me to read through Revelation and not get hung up on whether or not John’s words are literal or figurative.
Bottom line is: When the end comes, it will be so spectacular, so amazing, so unimaginable, so mind-boggling and incredible that we will fall down before the throne of God, ever praising and worshiping him for his love and for his faithfulness. We will be unable to express our gratitude, awe, humility. We will merely spend eternity at the foot of the throne, singing, “Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God the Almighty, who was and is and is to come.”
I hope today you find comfort and encouragement in the certain truth that we will spend eternity with God. And that you’ll begin today to help bring about that perfection.
Mary
Rooted and Established in Love
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Ephesians 3:16-21
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Paul can really pack a lot into a few sentences! Christ is already present in our lives, but Paul is talking about Christ “moving in” and “feeling at home.” We are to do more than
say we are Christians, we must
live as Christians. We are to act and think as if Christ were a part of us -- so closely identified with our inner selves, that we act and think as Christ did. That’s a tall order, and praying that for someone could seem as if we are burdening them with a heavy load!
But we are able to embrace that prayer not because of our own faith, strength of will or character, but because we are, in fact, rooted and established in love -- a love that is wider, deeper, higher than any love we could ever imagine! Because of Christ we can do all things! The love that surpasses knowledge is not unknowable, but it is certainly too vast to completely understand it and at times I have felt overwhelmed by how that love manifests itself in my life!
And we have even more encouragement and assurance: God is able and willing to give us even more than we ask for--more, in fact, than we could ever imagine deserving or receiving. And we
don’t deserve what he offers. But out of that immeasurable, unknowable, unfathomable love he has for us, he gives to us his amazing grace! Because of all this, we give God unending glory--the ultimate goal of our existence.
So when we pray this kind of prayer for someone else, or for ourselves, we are unleashing a mighty force into the world! Our faith emboldens us to ask. Our faith allows us to accept God’s generous and overflowing response. Our faith gives us the courage to respond to God’s blessing. Our faith is rooted in Him, after all.
I hope today you will live out your faith in the God who rains down his blessings upon us. And that you’ll offer a prayer of hope, love and grace to every person you meet.
Mary
