Lent…

The following is an essay I’ve used with our church in describing and preparing for the season of Lent. This year, Lent begins a week from today, February 22.

In the Ash Wednesday liturgy, the pastor makes the sign of the cross on the worshipper’s forehead with ash while saying: From dust you have come and to dust you shall return. This visible and peculiar mark reminds worshippers of their dependency upon God’s provision in creation, God’s rescue operation in Jesus’ death, and God’s victory in Jesus’ resurrection.

Jesus was perfectly and completely devoted to God. He remained faithful throughout his life even in the face of temptations, such as the forty-day fast in the desert and in the garden. His perfect life paved the way for his victorious death. All of which culminated in his resurrection, the inauguration of God’s Kingdom on earth. His followers are by grace through faith identified with him in life, death, and resurrection! The forty days of Lent is a time for believers to journey with Jesus in the desert as it leads to Good Friday and, ultimately, Easter Sunday. Our observance during this time is further cooperation with the Holy Spirit to remove anything that divides our devotion unto God.

The churches I attended growing up focused their attention on Easter Sunday without regard to the historical church’s traditions such as Lent. Furthermore, the resurrection of Jesus was primarily thought of in terms of his physical triumph over death, not completely unlike the one in which Lazarus experienced. In this way, it was the cornerstone of an apologetic, which sought to empirically “prove the faith” to unbelievers – “we are right, they are wrong, and the empty tomb proves it.” Toward this end, the most important fact in the life of the church, not to mention human history, was belittled. The connection of Jesus’ victory over death (sin) to the Kingdom of God was rarely, if ever made.

Little or no attention was given to the sufferings of Jesus (That said, I do remember one preacher from my youth who was famous for going into all the graphic and gory details of Jesus’ beating and death – i.e. Mel Gibson’s portrayal. Even this, though, seemed to miss the battle that was being waged.) It was rare to have someone unpack the meaning of the cross as Christ’s subsitutionary atonement for sin. Because of that, for me, the celebration on Easter Sunday grew thin without a fuller understanding of the battle that had been waged and won at Calvary. When the stone was rolled back, the King of kings emerged and His Kingdom was forever established and will be consummated at His second coming!

The life, death, and resurrection of Christ must be considered in the church’s Easter reflections. Historically, the church has instituted certain practices, rites, and traditions, such as Lent, that assist believers toward this end. For example, Lent provides a prolonged season in which the community of believers is encouraged to fast from certain luxuries or extras, even things that are otherwise necessary. Conversely, some may choose to include certain activities: evening prayers, memorizing passages of Scripture, praying with friends or their spouse. Some might say, “Isn’t that works-based faith?” To which I respond, “No. Having been saved by grace through faith, we are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling.” Of course we must guard against seeing our abstinence or activities as a means we put God into our debt: I do X or don’t do X; God owes me Y in return. The Bible is very clear about our good works being worthless when it comes to the righteous demands of God. By grace through faith, the Holy Spirit animates our otherwise paltry efforts for Kingdom purposes. Thus, as one writer aptly says, fasting and the spiritual disciplines work on us, not God! Our efforts during Lent are responsive not initiative.

Good Friday is the end of the Lenten fast. It punctuates the Gospel truth: We are all at once guilty of rebellion against God and powerless to save ourselves from the guilt. There is nothing noble, pious, good, or humanitarian that can save us from our sin during Lent or any other time. There was only One who could satisfy the righteous requirements of God’s perfect justice: Jesus of Nazareth. The death He died, He died once and for all (Romans 6). No more blood is needed for the atonement of sin. Sin’s power is broken. Its pollution is being swept away by the power of the Holy Spirit. We cooperate with the Spirit in the clean up process.

The apostle Paul calls us to present ourselves to God as His instruments. The metaphor Paul chooses conjures images of guitars, chisels, paintbrushes, paints, and clay, all of which illustrate how God finds His glory in our life in this world. He uses us to accomplish what he desires as the Master Artist! Toward that end, I invite you reflect upon the life-changing, earth-shattering truth of Calvary and the empty tomb. Go beyond the shallow and isolated reflection. Join the invisible church, the local congregation, and the Body of Christ down through history. Together, we carefully consider the reason for our existence as His instruments!

Scripture
One of the ways we cooperate with the Holy Spirit’s clean up is in reading Scripture. The Bible is God’s primary means by which He reveals His living Word to us. And, the Bible says, His Word is “living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” The five questions below for our consideration during Lent will be brought into focus as we read and study Scripture.

Suggestions for reading Scripture during Lent:
• There are daily Scripture readings that are set out in the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL). These usually provide you with a good mix of both Testaments. You can find the RCL online.
• Read the prophetic literature in the Old Testament. (e.g. Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah)
• Journal as you read. By journaling, you interact with the Word of God! This will also aid you in recalling what you have read.
• Read with others. Form small groups for reading Scripture, praying, and discussing the five questions we’ve put forth.
• Scripture teaches us how to pray. Pray portions of Scripture that you read.

Five Questions for Lent
Scripture will guide you to ask practical questions about your life and community. Take careful stock of the incentives by which your life operates. The Bible is full of good questions. Questions give us pause; they provide us space to reconsider our ways and assumptions.

For that reason, I’m inviting you to consider the following questions as we read Scripture, fast, pray, and confess our sin during Lent:

1. What people, possessions, and/or plans are threatening to upstage God and God’s plans in your life? Another way to ask the same question: What provokes your imagination, your worry, your sleepless nights, or your brain space?

2. What expectations and results have organized your life so that even God becomes a means toward these ends? Some of these may seem good, noble, or acceptable from a purely human perspective.

3. What is the tangible fruit of your faith in God? Conversely, what areas of personal sin have you grown accustomed to and are harboring so as to grant the Enemy a foothold in your life?

4. Are you aware of social issues whether near or far in which the poor, the weak, the helpless, the sick, and/ or dying are being exploited? If you are not aware of such realities, why is that? If you are aware of such injustices in this world, what are doing about it?

5. Where are you able to simplify your life right now? TV? Buying? Eating out? Toys? Luxurious travel? Cars? Homes? Gadgets? Eating? Drinking? Music? Where could your life become less packed, less noisy, less consuming, less filling, or less luxurious?

Ask these questions out loud. Ask these questions while sitting next to your wife or husband on the sofa. Ask your kids. Ask your friends. Lent is a communal observance as much as it is time to do personal inventories. Together, we are seeking to be more faithful by God’s grace in every area of our life.

God, grant us mercy and grace by Your Holy Spirit. Left alone, we are but dust.

Twelve Days of Christmas

On the eleventh day of Christmas…

Whereas lots of important people came looking for Jesus, there were a few people Jesus went in search of. One that comes to mind on this eleventh day of Christmas is the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4.

Did Jesus really need the lady’s help to get a drink? Maybe, but maybe not. Either way, this story furthers the purpose for which we are told Jesus came: “to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10).

Not long into their conversation, the woman knows that Jesus knows that she is desperately searching for something, some shred of life!

She is thirsty…

Yet, she has no way of buying or getting the water that she needs. For just such a desperate woman did Jesus come into the world. In her soul-thirsty state, Jesus reveals her fruitless search for water and digging her own wells, five to be exact!
This is the state in which Jesus finds all of us. We are wheezing on the dust from the dry holes we’ve dug. Our thirst threatening to destroy us, if not drive us insane.

Had you asked me, Jesus told the woman, I “would have given you living water.” (John 4:10 ESV)

Confession: Jesus, I am thirsty and in need of the the living water only you can bring to my thirsty soul.

Action: I will turn away from the sources of water that pollute my soul and only drive me further from you.

Reflection:
“Come, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.
(Isaiah 55:1-2 ESV)

Twelve Days of Christmas

On the ninth day of Christmas…

My work takes me deep into people’s stories. Sometimes I find myself in unexplored areas of the soul, confronting never before seen fears and anxieties in a person. I see them struggling to come to life. I go on a tour of the places and times of their loss or their joys. I meet loved ones and friends, even though I may never see them in person. There are moments of joy and sadness, success and failures, both making the person vulnerable to my presence.

For the most part, these stories and theses settings are mundane. They would be easy to miss, their importance overlooked by casual observers. People come into my office for all kinds of reasons and motivations. But, for the most part, they sit down with me hoping that I’ll look closely and listen well. They are hoping that together we will find signs of hope in those unexplored and unchartered areas of their soul.

Hope comes from Christ, not the virgin soil of a sin-scorched soul. Therefore, finding hope in these caverns means finding Christ. Sin fills the soul with burial markers; it is Christ that calls the soul back to life! He alone is the resurrection and life.

LIFE
Jesus identifies himself as “the resurrection and the life” in John 11. Few stories do more to portray the coexistence of Jesus’ humanity and deity than the story of Lazarus’s death and resurrection. Lazarus, along with his sisters, Mary and Martha, are Jesus’ good friends. It is a story of God being fully present with this family in their loss, and yet not overcome by the loss.

Martha believes that if Jesus had been there before Lazarus died, he could have healed him of his sickness. While her faith and trust in Jesus was strong, she can’t imagine the full extent of his power in this situation. Nevertheless, she confesses what is true, “But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you,” she says to Jesus” (John 11:22).

“Your brother will rise again,” Jesus tells her.

“Yes, I know. He will rise again in the resurrection on the last day,” she says to Jesus (11:24). Martha assumes that Jesus is telling her something she already knows about the future but is of little help in that moment. It’s as if she is saying, “Yeah, future resurrection, I know, but what about now?”

Jesus wasn’t offering cliches or reassuring her of a future reality that she already knew about. He was offering himself. He was meeting her in this very painful moment of loss, in a place that she was powerless to change, and saying, believe in me.

“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (25)

Faith is required to believe in who Jesus claims to be as well as who I am in light of those claims. To acknowledge Jesus as the resurrection and life would take Martha and I away from other sources of life and future hope. He was narrowing the focus of our soul; he was revitalizing the soil of our soul. Jesus isn’t simply the teacher who comes to tell us about life and the life after death. He is the life.

Martha confesses Jesus as Lord (27). She then finds Mary, her sister, and tells her the Teacher is looking for her. Mary rushes out the door and upon finding Jesus falls at his feet and says something very similar to what Martha said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (32). This time, though, Jesus doesn’t say anything to her. He looks at her. He sees her heart torn up and filled with grief. “He was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled” (33).

When they lead him to his friend’s tomb, “Jesus wept” (35). Yes, he is the resurrection and the life. Yes, he could have healed Lazarus. Yes, he is about to bring Lazarus back from the dead.

And, yes, he is with these people in their heartache. “Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die” (26). Mary and Martha were living with Jesus and believing in Jesus, even while they suffered. Jesus was with them and moved to tears as he saw their hurt. He is reclaiming their sorrow; instead of it ending in dark, there will be light.

For some, Jesus’ tears indicated his affection for Lazarus (36). For others, when they saw his tears, they were confused, if not a little skeptical, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also kept this man from dying?” (37).

Yes, to answer their question. He cold have kept Lazarus from death. But, he would not have been able to show them the Father’s authority over death. He was there bring death to death!

The narrator tells us that Jesus was “deeply moved again” as he approached the tomb of his friend, the brother of Mary and Martha (38).

“Did I not tell you that if you believed see the glory of God?”

Jesus asks those gathered at the tomb. With the stone rolled back from the cave, Jesus gives thanks to the Father so that those within earshot knew who was at work. Then, with a loud voice, he shouts into the mouth of death, “Lazarus, come out” (43).

Sometimes, when I am talking with people, the pain they have experienced has left them all but dead. In fact, they are dead and without hope. They have only disappointment, sometimes anger. They may be numb. I imagine Jesus standing at the mouth of their cave-like soul, stone rolled back shouting to them, “Come out!” Come to me. I will give you rest for your soul.

As they emerge, like Lazarus, death still wrapped around them, grave clothes dragging around with them, Jesus continues, “Unbind him, and let him go” (44). Jesus destroys the destroyer, death.

He is the resurrection.

But, he also destroys the lingering effects it has left in its wake. He sets us free from sin. He also breaks sin’s lingering power which clings to us like death’s rags.

He is the life.

Confession: I am dead. My soul is unable to grow anything fruitful. I’m wrapped in death’s rags and lying in a grave when I hear you call out to me, “Come out!” Even now, as I discard the power of death, you are with me, weeping with me. Yet, you are not overcome by my death. You are resurrection and life.

Action: Partnered with you by grace, by faith I will continue to unbind these rags from life, the lingering effects of sin. I will seek to be with others who are either dead in their caves or coming to life. I will point them to You, the resurrection and life.

Reflection: For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. (1 Corinthians 15:21-24 ESV)

Twelve Days of Christmas

On the seventh [I missed the sixth!] day of Christmas… thoughts about nourishment.

My wife, Meeka, is a wonderful cook. Even the green smoothies that she makes are yummy, filed with love and kale. While that may sound like torture to some of you, I’m thankful for her efforts to keep us all eating healthily. Yes, we like chocolate, ice cream, and wine, too. Balance and moderation, along with physical activity, are keys in a sustainable and healthy diet!

Our bodies grow as they feed on the nourishment God has given to us from this earth. But much of the food we now eat doesn’t come from the earth, it comes from labs and from the center isles in your local grocery store. The further disconnected we grow from the gift that the earth offers us, the less vital and health our bodies are.

Our spirits grow as they feed on the nourishment God has given us in Christ. Being in Christ always brings what we need but not always what we want or even prefer. It is costly to be connected to Him, yet vital nonetheless.

VINE
“I am the vine; you are the branches.” We are not the source, but the recipients of the nourishment he brings.

At this point in the metaphor, this is an easy and encouraging mediation. Jesus doesn’t stop there, however. He makes a radical claim that offends our arrogance and dreams of self-sufficiency.

“Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

There is food that fills our bellies that doesn’t nourish our bodies. Similarly, there is spiritual food that fills our minds but does nothing for our relationship with God and thus the hunger in our soul.

“Abide in my love.”

Jesus is abiding in the Father’s love and brings that love to us. This love produces a bumper crop of joy in us! By definition, joy is the vitality of a spiritually well-nourished life.

Confession: Forgive me for looking to fast food and not waiting on your love. Your love alone brings joy to my life.

Action: I will share the love you have given to me through the joy in my life, no matter the circumstances. Let your light shine!

Reflection:
But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
let them ever sing for joy,
and spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may exult in you. (Psalm 5:11 ESV)

Twelve Days of Christmas

Fifth day of Christmas…

If you prefer Jesus as a peace activist whose message was tolerance and mission is primarily humanitarian in scope, then today’s passage will be difficult to swallow.

While it is true that Jesus is perfectly just and righteous, that his life was one of compassion and ultimate peace, it was and is costly to follow him. More than a peace mission, Jesus came to give his life as a ransom that we might worship God. Mercy and compassion, justice and kindness are responses to a life of worship.

The exclusive claim God makes on our life puts us at odds with the spirit of tolerance and accommodation. It is assumed, therefore, that our worship of God through Christ alone turns us into mean and rigid people who care nothing for those who are suffering in this world. Or, perhaps worse, we care about them only insofar as we can convert them.

Unfortunately, there have been some who claim the name of Christ who are heartless in the face of suffering. Scripture exposes any such persons as charlatans within the church: James 1:26-27; 2:14-17.

True members of the church see the suffering in the world accurately and holistically. Instead of seeing it as primarily physical or psychological in nature, Jesus taught that all suffering is spiritually rooted. The church is can effectively deal with physical suffering and, if given the chance, share the gospel of Jesus Christ, which brings spiritual healing.

The reality of spiritual suffering persists for both the rich and poor of this world. In order to address suffering at the spiritual level all of us have to confess our lack. We must confess that we have come to the end of our resources and power for healing. The call to humility confronts the root cause of spiritual suffering: arrogance rebellion against God.

SWORD
For this reason, when Christ’s light shines in and through his followers, it is received as an affront instead of comfort. It is not peaceful, but a sword that divides.

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword,” (Matthew 10:34 ESV). In other words, the Gospel isn’t a defensive message, it is an offensive message. Jesus didn’t come to merely to defend the defenseless, but to offend the powerful spiritual structures which align themselves against God’s glory.

As the sword of truth pierces the heart of every disciple, he or she realizes that old allegiances will have to give way to a single minded, all-encompassing claim God makes upon our life. Sometimes these divisions cut through relationships, even families (Matthew 10:35-37). What we thought were sources of life turn out to be distractions from the abundant life which can only be found in Christ alone.

“Whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it,” (Matthew 10:38-39 ESV).

Confession: Reveal to me places where I’m trying to maintain peace but where You are bringing the sword of truth. Give me the faith to hold fast to You, the source of my life. May my devotion to You draw my friends and family closer to You, not push them away. Even if they turn away from me, give me eyes to see that they are rejecting You.

Action: Seek to be compassionate where people are suffering physically and emotionally. Faith doesn’t produce cliches and easy answers in the face of such suffering. Seek the truth, not divisiveness. Let the light of the Gospel shine in your good deeds, drawing people’s attention to God the Father.

Reflection:
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”
(Lamentations 3:22-24 ESV)

Twelve Days of Christmas

Fourth day of Christmas…

My mom is a fantastically hilarious and gracious person! As good as any mom a man could have! The Christmas season brings out the best in her, too.

Going back for many decades, she has been keeping record of what gifts she has bought and given and their recipients. A question recently surfaced about a gift given several years ago. Out came The Book and the question was quickly answered! We kept reading and walking down memory lane!

This whole exercise left me feeling grateful. The gifts paved the way to much richer end: the relationships. Its the people, the family, the friendships and the connections we enjoy through the gift-giving that left me feeling content.

Yet, how many times have we heard the analysts reporting on the consumption rate and its positive correlation with the economy? Gratitude isn’t good for the economy!

As much as I love to give and receive gifts, I long to be more content and less consumed with filling my felt needs. I want to give gifts to loved ones that will last, will communicate my love for them and give glory to God.

Contentment, versus greed, is the shape of a soul at rest.

DOOR
On the list of less dramatic images Jesus uses to describe himself and his ministry, a door would have to top the list!

But, look again. Listen to what is implied.

“I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture” (John 10:9).

Entering through Jesus leads us to green pastures. Less like a broad gate, Jesus is the narrow way “that leads to life” (Matthew 7:14). As we saw yesterday, it is a way of love, strong love. Feeding us not what we want or selfishly demand, but what we need.

Having entered through that gate and entered the pasture, he is there to receive us.

GOOD SHEPHERD
We don’t enter nor are we sustained by our cleverness or ingenuity. It begins with grace, continues with grace, and will be consummated by grace! At every step, we’ll see the Good Shepherd leading us with his “rod and staff” (Psalm 23).

The Good Shepherd knows his own and his own know him (John 10:14). Furthermore, the Shepherd “lays down his life for the sheep” (10:11). There is relationship and there is protection with the Good Shepherd.

There is abundance!

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10 ESV).

Confession: On any given day I can be found searching for an alternative path to what my souls needs. You alone can satisfy. I will enter by your sacrifice and partake of the relationship that is reconciled through your death. You alone satisfy.

Action: Well-fed and secured in Your provision, I am able to share the abundance in my life. I will slow down and give gifts that reflect my care and Your provision.

Reflection: He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young. (Isaiah 40:11 ESV)

Twelve Days of Christmas

The third day of Christmas…

I’m thinking about one of the most memorable descriptions Jesus used to identify himself and his ministry. It was threefold:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

Going for a long walk in the woods for several days is a wonderful way to unplug and unwind. It offers a chance to lose track of time; or, better said, track time in different ways — day, night; breakfast, lunch, dinner; asleep, awake. It simplifies and, if your out there with friends, draws you into a close knit community.

Whenever we take groups backpacking with BetterDays, we collect all timepieces to facilitate this simplification and connection with others. We also ask that everyone refrain from asking “future questions.” This is especially hard for those of us who like to know what is happening next, when it is happening, and how we are all getting to that point! It calls for trust in those leading. It keeps us present in the moment. And it keeps us connected with each other on the trail.

Jesus called for trust. Today’s passage in John 14 comes amidst a conversation in which he is encouraging his disciples about what is coming next in their journey. He is leaving them, but he is not forgetting about them. Instead, he is going before them to prepare a place in the Father’s mansion. “I’ll come again and take you to myself,” he assures them. “You know the way.” He is begin vague so much so that Thomas can’t help but to ask:

“Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Philip then responded, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” If Thomas’ question reveals our thirst for knowledge, Philip’s question represent our demand for evidence. In the face of both of these, Jesus offers himself!

Jesus does more than satisfy our thirst for knowledge and our need for evidence. He is leading us beyond mere cognitive ascent. His words reach the centers from which we find incentive and motivation in this life; he reaches the heart! He meets us there and remakes us.

His is the way of love.

His truth requires faith.

His life is our hope.

Faith, hope, and love are the three virtues of Jesus’ disciples. The person of Jesus way, truth, and life. These calls forth new life in us — faith, hope, and love.

Confession: Father, forgive me for looking past Jesus in search of a knowledge or for evidence. He is Immanuel — You are with me! You have prepared a place for me and will not leave me. My life is marked by faith, hope, and love.

Action: Just as Jesus offered himself to me, so I will offer myself to someone else. The virtues of faith, hope, and love are reminders to those around me that Jesus isn’t here in the flesh but he hasn’t forgotten us. He is preparing a place for us in the Father’s house.

Reflection: So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:13 ESV)

Twelve Days of Christmas

On the second day of Christmas…

I grew up loving and dreading Christmas Day. After weeks of build up, the 25th of December marked the pinnacle and the end of the holiday. With all the gifts unwrapped and the school vacation half over, it was all downhill from Christmas Day onward. Bleak!

While this was as much a result of the gift-giving, vacationing view of the season promoted in my community, it was also indicative of a failure to understand the historical significance of Christmas within the church.

On the Christian calendar, the season of Advent lasts four weeks leading up to and ending at Christmas Eve. Each Sunday of Advent the church is encouraged to prepare herself for Christ’s arrival. The Christmas Eve vigil brings this time to a close.

Christmas Day is the beginning of the 12 days of Christmas, leading to the season known as the Epiphany of our Lord. The church, then, celebrates Jesus’ first advent for 12 days! Given the magnitude of His birth, this twelve day celebration seems like the least we could do!

Today is day two of twelve. Starting today, I want to explore the person and work of Jesus. I’ll turn to the four gospels where Jesus uses different images to identify himself and the mission he came to fulfill. Also, I’ll explore how these truths about Jesus shape our daily life. Both will encourage us as we, the church await his second advent!

LIGHT
Long before Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the prophet Isaiah described the Messiah’s arrival as “a great light” (Isaiah 9:2). He goes on to say that the light has come to those who dwell in a land of “deep darkness.”

As a metaphor, light works well if we appreciate the darkness. The stunning effects of light work best the darker the night. As naturalist and essayist Annie Dillard points out, “The stars are always shinning. We need the darkness in order to see the light.”

A great light illuminated the nighttime sky above the shepherds. God chose an otherwise quiet night and inconsequential group of shepherds to reveal His plans for Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem. He broke through the darkness with light!

The baby would grow into the man who would say of himself, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12). Lost in darkness, we are invited to follow Him, the true light. His light alone pierces our darkness. It is his light, not our own. The Light comes from outside of ourselves and leads us to life. The light has shined on us (Isaiah 9:2).

Confession: We are not the source of our own light. Our darkness is the result of being human, finite in our power and abundance. We are also in darkness due to our sinfulness. We are lost if not for God’s light in Jesus piercing our darkness.

Action: Having been bathed in God’s light, our response is to share the light. We will have to move into areas that are dark and bleak, shrouded in hopelessness. It will require more than pity. Compassion will lead us to stand with others in dark times as Jesus’ light shines in us and through us.

Philippians 2:14-16
Do all things without murmurings and questionings: that ye may become blameless and harmless, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom ye are seen as lights in the world, holding forth the word of life….

The VIX & Jesus

Matthew was collecting taxes from the Jewish people for the Roman government when Jesus called him to be one of his twelve disciples. In the Jewish community, this job was frowned upon to say the least. Things like trader and turncoat might have been said about such people as Matthew.

Joining Jesus’ inner circle didn’t necessarily result in a meteoric rise amongst his fellow Hebrews! In fact, Matthew’s gospel was collected and written for the purpose of convincing his own people that Jesus of Nazareth was the Promised One from God, The Messiah.

All the miracles and sayings, images and lessons from Jesus recorded in Matthew are better understood in light of Matthew’s intention. This is certainly true for four stories found in the fourteenth chapter.

Severed Head
The four stories begin with the beheading of John the Baptist. Matthew hints at the was bizarre love triangle involving Herod Antipas and his brother’s wife, Herrodias. Herod and Herrodias had divorced and sought to be married with John the Baptist openly criticizing them. On his birthday, Herod’s niece, the daughter of his mistress (his brother’s daughter!), comes to dance for her uncle. He so enjoyed himself that he promises to give her whatever she wishes. Her wish was her mother’s wish, which was the severed head of the Prophet on a silver platter! Much to his chagrin, Herod delivered.

Silencing the “voice in the wilderness” would not silence the Messiah. According to Matthew, Jesus’ actions reveal his true identity, The Messiah.

Hungry People
First, Jesus brings the hungry people near to himself, takes a meager amount of food, gives thanks, and has his disciples distribute more than enough for the 10,000 people who had gathered in this desolate place. There were twelve baskets overflowing with leftovers when it was all said and done! He is LORD poverty and want, hunger and need.

Angry Seas & Little Faith
The disciples had been sent by Jesus to cross the sea and wait for him on the other side. Jesus found time for silence and solitude. In the middle of the night, right before daylight, however, the twelve men were being battered in their boat as they confronted an angry sea. Sensing that they were in danger, Jesus walks on the water, to the middle of the sea, where he finds his friends. He comforts their fears and invites Peter to join him. The fisherman jumps ship and begins walking on the water toward Jesus. Seeing the temptest, however, Peter became afraid and starts going down: “Lord, save me!” He reaches for Peter’s hand, rescues him, and they get into the boat, at which point the storm subsides! He is LORD over all of nature and over Peter’s doubt!

Suffering Bodies
Once they reach the western shore of the sea, word spread quickly. All of the sick were brought to him and “as many touched him were made well,” Matthew tells us. He is the LORD over diseases!

“He is LORD! He has risen from the dead and He is LORD. Every knee shall bow, every tongue confess, that Jesus Christ is LORD.”

For, as Paul would say in Ephesians 1:22, God the Father, “put all things under his feet.” And, John says, “All things were made through HIM” (JN 1:3). As HIS BODY, the church operates in this crazy world under the command of the only true King! He has called us out of the boat, though on our own we have little faith!

My friend tells me that the VIX (Volatility Index), which measures fear within the stock market, is at an all-time high. Add to that, riots in London, AA+, war in Afghanistan, and tens of thousands of children dying of starvation in Africa, we must ask ourselves: “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:37-39 ESV).

Instead of being swept away by fear, we have been given the faith to speak and live the Truth in the face of a tumultuous world. We serve the risen LORD! He is LORD!

Hungry people in desolate places…

In Matthew 14, 13-21, there is a story that is probably familiar to most of you. It involves a very large and hungry crowd in a desolate place. Jesus is there, along with his disciples.

As night comes and the disciples express their concern about the people needing food.They recommend that Jesus disperse the crowd, sending them into a nearby town to find food. Jesus has other plans.

“They need not go away; you give them something to eat,” Jesus replies.

The hungry and hapless crowd numbers close to 10,000 men, women, and children. If they turn into a hungry mob, things could get ugly. “Bring them here to me,” Jesus says.

The disciples manage to find a basket, which has not nearly enough food in it to meet the demands of this hungry crowd. Jesus, however, gives thanks, breaks the bread and, much to their surprise, sends the disciples into the crowd to distribute the food.

What must have those twelve thought? Initially, their thoughts must have been something like, “Jesus has sent me into the eye of a potential storm! I’m not going to have enough to get past the front row of empty bellies!”

But, the further they went into the crowd, the more food they passed out, their uncertainty must have turned to gratitude. Jesus had taken the meager amount of food they had and turned it into a bountiful feast

“They all ate and were satisfied,” Matthew tells us. What’s more, there are twelve baskets full of leftovers! He sends the disciples away, to cross the sea. He retreats into the darkness and silence for a time of prayer.

Are we like the hungry people in a desolate place? Or, are we like the disciples who have effective brought nothing to the table and God makes our nothing into something more than we could have ever imagined? YES!

God is powerfully and abundantly near. In the time of our struggle and want, we are quick to despair and frustration. We are tempted to look at everything but the truth of WHO God is and WHAT God has done for us. Said another way, we are tempted to focus on how much is needed and how little we have to supply that need, thus the despair.

We are hungry people in desolate places. We are well fed and sent out to share in the abundance of God’s provision with others.

Psalm 145 is song one might sing with a full belly and full basket while your surroundings are desolate and barren. “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised,” (Psalm 145:3).

How do we know the LORD is great and greatly to be praised?

Scripture tells us this is the truth of the matter. If we come to Scripture with faith, believing in God’s greatness, we find that the power and abundance of God is more than enough in our weakness and poverty.

This blog is little more than a blip on the worldwide web, much less in the universe. It’s not the only one! There are lots of blips and blurbs we call blogs! There’s Twitter, Facebook, and, of course, all the books you are scrambling to read. There’s podcasts with which you can fill every empty space in your life. Talk shows. Television shows. Seminars. Workshops. And on, and on the list could go.

In the desolation, these are often the places we go looking for something to fill us. This is what brings Isaiah to ask the very candid and provoking question: “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?” These are the places where we hear Jesus say, “Bring them here to me.”

The revelation of God’s greatness is found in Scripture. Reaching for and meditating on passages like Psalm 145 strengthens our faith, our hold on the grace given to us in Christ Jesus. Having come to this blip on the worldwide web, I mean to point you in a much more satisfying source…

Psalm 145.