Monthly Archives: August 2014
Even if I am a dog, He’s my Master!
Even if I am a Dog,
He is MY Master
Matthew 15:21-28
† Kyrie Iesou, Eleison †
May you realize that when God is your Master, your Lord, which means He obligates Himself to showing you love, and mercy, so that you live in peace!
It’s not about tenacity; it’s about recognition
A question for you to start this message.
Does God simply answer our prayers because we are so tenacious? Did Jesus answer this lady’s prayers just because she followed them through town, or did Jesus answer her to silence the apostles who were whining about her bothering them with her begging?
Is that the way God works, that He rewards those who are persistent, who are tenacious? Who don’t give up? Do we have to workout spiritually, so that we can endure, and then receive that which is promised?
We might say, “No, that doesn’t sound right.” But when it comes to unanswered prayer, do we sometimes hear this story, or the parable of the elderly woman and the judge, and wonder; is that the key to getting a prayer answered?
Persistence, dedication to the cause, determination and good old-fashioned stubbornness?
Or is there something else…. Perhaps something like recognizing the Truth?
The truth that it is okay to be a dog; if that means that He is our Lord, that He is our Master?
That is what was revealed to her, which confirmed to her that He was her Lord!
What She Saw: Lord Son of David!
A little background helps. When the lady first starts yelling to Jesus “Kyrie Eleison” she is saying something we sang a few moments ago.
The translation phrases it, “have mercy Lord.” We sing it the Kyrie in the opposite order, but the plea is the same. Lord, love us and because of that love, care for us. That is what the word mercy means. cHesed means to have great love, care for, provide, protect, forgive and do everything in your power to care for and help those who with who you have a relationship. She demands this of him.
Pour out you love and care on us Lord, she cries, Over and over, she begs this very thing.
She goes one step further; she calls Him Lord! She acknowledges that He is her master. She lays herself at his feet, and she worships Him as her Lord.
You see, cHesed is that loving-mercy of God. It is an obligation of the Lord to His people. I’ve mentioned that word here before, this incredible word that binds a Lord, a Master to His people. He will take care of them, for He has made that commitment to them, as their Lord. He has become their Master.
That is what she wants! That is why she keeps calling Him Lord! Every time she speaks, this is how she addresses Him, as the one who is obligated to care for her.
She wants to be part of His Kingdom, His Household, to be His!
More Precise!
The first time she calls out for mercy, she adds something to it.
Have mercy Lord, Son of David!
Somehow, she knew about this promise of the Messiah. She uses one of the titles for the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed one of God! The Lord through whom salvation would come! Salvation to the Jewish people, but also to all who would call out to the Messiah.
When she cries out for mercy, she is crying out to the Messiah! She is crying out to the long-awaited Son of David! She recognizes that He is the Lord and Master; the One who would bring about what we heard from the prophet Isaiah,
“I will also bless the foreigners who commit themselves to the Lord, who serve him and love his name, who worship him!”
She knows who Jesus is, she knows the help that only He can offer! She comes and places herself in His care, begging that He would accept Her!
His response finally is heard.
You are nothing but a dog.
Surprisingly, that is what she is longing to hear!
Dogs are part of the family
Consider this quote, about John Chrysostom, one of the most-quoted preachers in history.
Chrysostom seems to recognise the shade of meaning conveyed by τὰ κυνάρια (the dogs of the household). “On the very words of the Lord she founds her plea. If I am a dog (κυνάριον), she says, I am no alien.”[i]
I belong!
She understands these “terms”; that the promises go first to the people of God, those he counts as His children. She rejoices in knowing that the promise is there for her as well. This Lord has accepted her as part of the household, part of the family of God.
Think about it! How many people refer to their dogs as their children!
She’ll take it, even as the Psalm 84 talks of a similar attitude:
A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked. Psalm 84:10 (NLT)
To be the mutt, waiting under the table for scraps, the Kingdom of God is a great place to be, knowing the love of the Master. As long as she knows the love of the Lord, as long as she is one of the people He brings home, she will be content.
She will trust in her Master; she will bask in His love…she will trust His reign over her life.
Scraps aren’t good enough!
He will at first acknowledge her faith, by providing the salvation of her daughter, freeing her from the demons that afflict her.
That is only the beginning of the fulfillment of His promises to her, and to all of us, who though not physical descendants of Abraham, are the spiritual descendants. It is just the beginning for those who trust in God as our Lord, our Master!
A blessing for those who know that our cries for His love are answered. His mercy is always the answer! He hears us and will bring us home. That woman didn’t get the scraps from the table; neither will any who trust in the promises that are made ours in Christ.
She is invited to a feast – one beyond all comparison…the wedding feast of the Lamb, the feast to celebrate the welcoming home of all the people of God.
Including this gentile woman and her daughter.
When we approach this altar, we see this feast in part. The love of God, the love of our Master, our Lord, and the mercy which makes it possible. These are not bread scraps and the last drops of wine. This is the body and blood of Jesus Christ!
This feast is the answer of a God, who would provide for all of His children, for all who will call upon His name.
Yes, I am your Lord. Come and feast with me!
Yes, dear friends, Jesus says I will be your Lord, your Messiah, I will care for you. I will provide. That was what the cross was about, not just saving us from our sins, but opening up a relationship for all people with God the Father. He says, “You are my people, come and know my peace!” For this, this peace of God, is promised, which passes all understanding, and in which our hearts and minds are kept safe, by our Lord.
AMEN!
[i] Chase, F. H. (1887). Chrysostom: A Study in the History of Biblical Interpretation (p. 130). Cambridge; London: Deighton Bell and Co.; George Bell and Sons.
A Prayer for my Church, for our People
Devotional Thought of the Day:
9 In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:9-10 (NKJV)
St. Aiden’s Prayer for the Holy Island of Lindisfarne (and my prayer for Concordia!)
Lord, this bare island, make it a place of peace! Here be the peace f those who do Your will. Here be the peace of brothers serving man. Here be the peace of holy people* obeying. Here be the peace of praise by dark and day. Be this Island, Your Holy Island! I, Lord, your servant Aidan make this prayer. May it be Your care, AMEN! (1)
it hit me this morning, as I read the prayer above, that we should be praying like this more often than we do.
Please hear me, I am not saying we don’t pray enough for our people. Anyone who has been to my church knows of our prayers, and many people who have never been here.
But how often do we pray our churches, our homes, will be a place of peace, a place where people grow in their devotion to God, a place where there is praise, day and night? Do we desire and beg God that our sanctuaries, our homes would be places that are set aside to be with Him, to be places where people are served, where people learn to obey God ( I prefer the Greek – to guard/treasure His way of life)
Is this not what we are praying for in part, as we pray the Lord’s prayer? That God’s rule over us would be established, that He would be our Master, that His will would be done. I love how Luther explains this:
Truly, God’s good and gracious will is accomplished without our prayer. But we pray in this request that is be accomplished among us as well. (2)
But do we actively pray this for our people? For the places where they are set apart? Do we fervently seek God’s will for them, and ask His guidance? Or do we reduce our prayers to simple survival? For healing, that we would get through the next crisis. Do we want to see their praises so inspired, that they cannot stop praising God? And in those praises, find ways to serve those around them?
I think we do pray for their holiness, but I am not sure we are as conscious of it as we could be. It is there, but it could be brought out more.
It is time for that….
Lord, may our people here be holy and set apart. May our church, their homes, their workplaces, be such places of peace, set apart to see your will accomplished. May our desire to see this happen grow, and may we dedicate our lives and our fervent prayers to seeing them grow in the grace, mercy and love that is known in you. AMEN!
(1) Taken and slightly adapted from Celtic Daily Prayer: Prayers of the Northumbrian Community
(2) Luther’s Small Catechism: Developed and Explained.
Preaching with A Soul on Fire: A Necessity!
Devotional/Discussion Thought of the Day:
27 God’s plan is to make known his secret to his people, this rich and glorious secret which he has for all peoples. And the secret is that Christ is in you, which means that you will share in the glory of God. 28 So we preach Christ to everyone. With all possible wisdom we warn and teach them in order to bring each one into God’s presence as a mature individual in union with Christ. 29 To get this done I toil and struggle, using the mighty strength which Christ supplies and which is at work in me. Colossians 1:27-29 (TEV)
14 But even if you should suffer for doing what is right, how happy you are! Do not be afraid of anyone, and do not worry. 15 But have reverence for Christ in your hearts, and honor him as Lord. Be ready at all times to answer anyone who asks you to explain the hope you have in you, 1 Peter 3:14-15 (TEV)
815 You have seen very clearly your vocation to love God, but only with your head. You assure me that you have put your heart into the way you are following. But you say that you are distracted at times, and even attempt to look back. That is a sign that you have not completely put your heart into it. You need to be more sensitive! (1)
The second requisite for effective preaching is that the preacher not only himself believe the things he preaches to others, but that his heart be full of the truths which he proclaims, so that he enters his pulpit with the ardent desire to pour out his heart to his hearers. He must have an enthusiastic grasp, in the right sense of the word, of his subject. Then his hearers get the impression that the words dropping from his lips are flames from a soul on fire. That does not mean that the Word of God must receive its power and life from the living faith of the preacher; for the Lord says distinctly: “The words that I speak, they are spirit, and they are life.” John 6:63. Moreover, the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews says: “The Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Heb. 4:12. But when a preacher proclaims what he has ever so often experienced in his own heart, he easily finds the right words to speak convincingly to his hearers. Coming from the heart, his words, in turn, go to the hearts of his hearers, according to the good old saying: Pectus disertum facit, that is, it is the heart that makes eloquent. This does not mean the artificial eloquence acquired in a school of elocution, but the sane spiritual art of reaching the hearts of hearers. For when the hearers get the impression that the preacher is in full and dread earnest, they feel themselves drawn with an irresistible force to pay the closest attention to what the preacher is teaching in his sermon. That is the reason why many simple, less gifted, and less learned preachers accomplish more than the most highly gifted and profoundly learned men. (1)
In our midweek Bible Study, I have been teaching about preaching this summer. Not because my people are going to preach from the pulpit, but because:
1) It will help them interact with the sermon/homily more, and therefore benefit from it more
2) It may help me grow in the area of preaching>
As we are going through a very elemental book on the craft of preaching, I came across the quote above in blue. I very well may take the italicised part of that and hang it above my desk, It is to become a goal of mine, knowing the context from where the quote comes.
I want people to know what I know, the presence of God. Gosh I want them to know it.
Why?
Because it seems to me the only way to survive this life. To get through things like I’ve gone through in life. the pains, the surgeries, the anxieties, the pain. To deal with things like the sin which the author of Hebrews says so easily ensnares us. For it does, and the grief and shame of our own sin can crush us, and resentment towards those who sin against us can tear our souls apart.
To be able to deal with death, something I’ve had to deal with since a child, my own hovering over me, and later, ministering to those who are dieing, and those who were left behind. Knowing God’s promises are the only way to deal with that pressure. To deal with demons as well, both those who are figurative, the idols we create that drag our life’s focus from God, and the real one’s who work to destroy our life by attempting to destroy our relationship with God. We see both of those demons at work today, although we can never quite be sure which is which… both are real.
I love Escriva’s words, and I Pray mine would encourage people to believe with their heart (as Paul talks about in Romans 10), to know God, and relate to Him as their Lord, as their Savior. Not to just know about Him.
Can a sermon be passionate, charismatic, full of zeal and dripping with flames from a soul on fire?
It can, if the pastor, the priest, the preacher has been broken and by God’s loving kindness is healing.
For as we heal – we begin to see the height, the depth, the breadth and the width of the love of God, revealed to us all in Christ Jesus.
That’s preaching…. that’s proclaiming.
And our people, not from pulpits, but in their homes, and their workplaces, in restaurants, coffee shops, in line at Walmart, will begin to do the same.
For such is our glory, the hope that we have in Christ Jesus….
And may we share it with zealous love.
(1) Escriva, Josemaria (2011-01-31). Furrow (Kindle Locations 3361-3364). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
(2) Walther, C. F. W., Dau, W. H. T., & Eckhardt, E. (2000). The proper distinction between law and gospel: 39 evening lectures (electronic ed., p. 112). Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House.
The Family of God… and death
devotional thought of the day:
27 At this Peter exclaimed, “Look, we have left everything and followed you. What is that going to be worth to us?” 28 “Believe me,” said Jesus, “when I tell you that in the next world, when the Son of Man shall sit down on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones and become judges of the twelve tribes of Israel. Every man who has left houses or brothers or sisters or fathers or mother or children or land for my sake will receive it all back many times over, and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first now will be last then – and the last first! Matthew 19:27-28 (Phillips NT)
In the last few days, I have been thinking about death a bit. No, not because of the movie and television star who died, but because of someone important in my life. Someone I barely knew, yet revealed to me again a truth about family, especially the family of God.
As we stood at her graveside this morning, as her children dropped beautiful red roses flowers onto the urn’s vault, someone suggested that I do, as one of the family, drop a flower into the vault as well. I flashed back to the service at church, a few days before, and a story where another of her “children” was told, “you maybe one of my daughters, but I am sure I didn’t give birth to you!”
As I stood there, a rose in my hand, the verse above came into my head. This Lady whose ashes were being lade to rest – could very well be an elder sister, if not a mother in the faith. Her husband was surely one of the great father-figures in my faith. And her six children, they truly are like my brothers and sisters, even though we grew up on different continents, Even though they and their children live all over the world today, even though there is little at first glance that we would have in common, they welcomed me as their brother. Though I have spent less than 24 hours with some of them, I yearned to bring them comfort as a sibling would in those moments, and felt the impact of their mom’s temporary loss in those moments.
There are two things that can bind people together, (there are more – but these two are the most powerful) The first is traumatic, the fact that those we love, and we ourselves will die. It can cause us great despair, despair that is more than individual, yet more deeply felt than anything we feel individually.
But even as powerful, even as final as death seems to be. There is something that binds us even closer, that is far more powerful, and endures far greater.
The Love of God. The love which binds us, the children of God, together more powerfully. That transcends culture, that transcends age, nationality, ethnicity, It is a love reflected in the words read this morning.
3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” 5 And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” 6 And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. 7 All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children. Revelation 21:3-7 (NLT)
We are His children. The lady whose ashes were laid to rest most certainly understands that now – the promises of God to her in her baptism, that she heard all her life, that her husband proclaimed from pulpits, that she taught her children – all of us, that was proclaimed loudly.
For she is one of those brothers or sisters or fathers or mother or children that I have received.
That message that this couple shared with so many of their children, they shared with their New England born and raised kids, Who didn’t get to know them long enough, and yet knew their home was my home as well – where brothers and sisters welcome me still! .
Truly in Christ Jesus we gain more relatives, more family, and a hope that extends far beyond this life….. into eternity.
We are God’s children….. created in Christ to do good works, to love… to care for each other, to share the hope given to us.
Amen!
Is Desiring Reconciliation Optional for Christians?
Devotional Thought of the Day:
11 As surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live. Turn! Turn from your wickedness, O people of Israel! Why should you die? Ezekiel 33:11 (NLT)
23 “Do you think that I like to see wicked people die? says the Sovereign LORD. Of course not! I want them to turn from their wicked ways and live. Ezekiel 18:23 (NLT)
9 The Lord is not being slow in carrying out his promises, as some people think he is; rather is he being patient with you, wanting nobody to be lost and everybody to be brought to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 (NJB)
18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 (NLT)
824 Do you feel as if goodness and absolute truth have been deposited with you, and therefore that you have been invested with a personal title or right to uproot evil at all costs? You will never solve anything like that, but only through Love and with love, remembering that Love has forgiven you and still forgives you so much! (1)
Therefore it is God’s ultimate purpose that we suffer harm to befall no man, but show him all good and love; and, as we have said it is specially directed toward those who are our enemies. (2)
It seems like yesterday I had to quote the passages above from Ezekiel a half dozen times, and should have quoted them a dozen more.
In each, people were rejoicing over brokenness. Some were larger than life, as they rejoiced over victories in war. Some were more organized, as people planned to celebrate larger divisions between people groups. (including the Reformation.) Some were far more personal, as people encouraged each other to rejoice in division, to rejoice in broken relationships. There were even a couple of situations were those trying to promote reconciliation were attacked and mocked.
Yes I know, that in some of these cases, pain is involved, But what about those who encourage the joy? What about those who welcome the brokenness, who encourage it?
It is even more tragic that in each case, the people involved were leaders in the church. Some of the brokenness was in the midst of the church, Traumatic and tragic, this lack of desire for reconciliation is!
And it is not Christian. It is not imitating Christ. It is not being obedient to His giving us the mission of reconciling people to Him, as Paul points out. For in reconciling them to Him, we find them reconciled to us.
Life isn’t a personal crusade to stamp out evil. That only turns us into evil people, as we place ourselves in the place of God.
Life isn’t about rejoicing over division, over the bad things which happen to those we consider enemies, adversaries, or just pain in the ass’s.
God has told us to love them, to work for their good, to see them reconciled to Christ. For that is His will, even though every person who is brought to reconciliation was once God’s enemy, who chose evil over good, and hate over love.
This blog isn’t easy to write. I have my own people I struggle with, who I have to grow in Christ to love and seek to reconcile with. But let me tell you, the joy that is there when we do… is amazing.
I’ll leave you with this blessing, knowing that it pleases God when people reconcile:
20 Now may the God of peace— who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood— 21 may he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen! Hebrews 13:20-21 (NLT)
(1) Escriva, Josemaria (2011-01-31). Furrow (Kindle Locations 3390-3393). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
(2) The Large Catechism of Martin Luther.
A Dream for the Church I pastor…
Devotional and Discussion Thought of the Day:
2 People from many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of Jacob’s God. There he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths.” For the LORD’s teaching will go out from Zion; his word will go out from Jerusalem. Micah 4:2 (NLT)
“A few places in the world are held to be holy, because of the love which consecrates them, and of the faith that enshrines them. One such is….” Celtic Prayer Book, Reading for 8/11)
For the last couple of months, I have been praying about my congregations, the church that gathers here in Cerritos.
As a entity, there are necessary complications to ministry. How do we deal with an aging facility, how do we accomplish evangelistic outreach and meet the needs of people in our community. How do we make disciples of all peoples – of those young and old, of the stranger, of our own people. How do we effectively use all the talents God gives us. Big questions for sure, and we are working through them as a people.
But the biggest answer for my dream for our church is seen, not in our future plans, but in the green words above.
It doesn’t matter if we have a sanctuary that sits 500. Or if we have a school. Or even if there are 50000 people that attend our services and watch them on television, hear them on radio or live-feed them from the internet.
What matters to me is that where Concordia meets, becomes known as a place of holiness, a place where the love of God is known, a place where people’s trust in God’s faithfulness sees them through their lives. Where people are devoted to God, where His vision compels them to act in others lives, bringing that holiness there. What disciples become crafted, not just through intellectual stimuli, but by worship, by adoring God, by the thoughts about His love.
I think that was what the prophet Micah is referring to, the ways we are taught by God, to walk His way, That is the change that God’s word makes in our lives, it opens up a relationship defined by words like cHesed, agape, phileo, charis… love, mercy, grace.
If the people of Concordia (or your church, or any church) grow in these things, then we have succeeded as a church. We are a place where disciples are made, where God’s ways are treasured, where people live the life of those cleansed by God, and are immersed in His life. Where they are sure He will be with them, even until the end of the earth!
.
Yes! Come!
Yes, Come!
Mark 14:22-33
† Jesus, Son, Savior †
May you know the grace and peace of God our Father, without which it trust enough to cry out to God to save you!
A Story of Deep Faithfulness.
Many people see the song we just sang, A Mighty Fortress, as an anthem, a glorious, powerful anthem, a militant march that prepares us to go off to war against evil, prepared to win all the battles in our spiritual war against Satan’s evil, against the storms of life.
A great cry of confidence and faith as we prepare to engage in a warfare that people’s soul’s depend upon.
I don’t see it that way, which is why we sang it the way we did. I see it as the song of Luther, a man brutalized and battered by the world and by his own battles with sin. Luther who stands on the castle’s walls, relieved that God has taken up the battle. Luther who can now find rest, and perhaps some peace, for once… some peace.
A mighty Fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing…..
There are days we know we need such protection, such a strong God, and we are immensely grateful for His presence. When we are grateful beyond description for His presence, for His faithfulness, for His coming to us.
Then there are the other days, when we forget His presence…….
That is the story of faithfulness, that we see in St. Peter’s encounter with God this day:
The Storms of Life
The storm hits, its fury increases, the spray of the waves and wind soak him to the bone. Peter’s is struggling, the storm is capturing all his attention, as he realizes he is in the struggle for his life.
Catching a glimpse of Jesus, of the one they will later realize again is God, who has come and lived in their midst, Peter calls out to the Lord.
The Lord responds, “Yes,,…. Come!”
Twice in the story this scenario is seen.
A Storm,
Overwhelming Fear
Seeing God
A Cry of Help
The Lord, his Master, answers.
And the storms quiet down, as the disciples once again find themselves in awe of the Lord who comes to them.
The two times the story is seen.
First this happens in the boat, as the disciples have been struggling all night against the storm. They are tired, and weakened. They bones ache from the work, or is that they ache because of the cold? Lutheran answer – both of course!
They took off in daylight – it is 8 hours later now, that they’ve been rowing this boat across the lake. They aren’t just fighting the winds and the waves, now they are literally fighting against death, against the anxiety. They might even be thinking, is it worth it anymore.
Jesus comes to them, reaches out to them. Tells them not to be afraid, for it is not some spook, but it is their Lord. He has come for them.
I AM here….
The I AM being the sacred name of God not just – hey, it’s me.
God, the Creator, the I AM that I AM of Abraham, Issac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, David….
I AM here…
And therefore everything changes.
A few moments later, the waves crash again, against a rough handed brash man who trusts in God. These waves cause instant fear, and instant sense of the closeness of death. The fear rises in Peter, not just over time – but instantaneously he knows he has no hope…..
He cries out, perhaps with what he thinks will be his last breath….Lord, save me!
And on top the waves, Jesus reaches down, grabs Peter’s hands, as if answering again…. Yes! Come!
I am your Lord, I am your savior, I am your strength, your fortress, your sanctuary, the place where you are safe.
He Has Come, He is waiting,
That is the thing about Jesus, He comes to us, He hears us call.
He sees us in our struggles, He knows our pains, what afflicts and depresses us. He knows what causes us anxiety, He knows the fear when we are sinking.
He is here…..
He is reaching our His hand to us,
He is answering our cry, “Lord Save us” as we realize that we can call out to Him, that He is our hope, whether we are in the boat, or whether we are trying what others call impossible.
Do not fear, I am Here.
Yes, come, let us travel this road together.
That’s What King’s do
Peter’s cry, in both circumstances, starts with the word “Lord”. And this is the key, perhaps more than anything. He realizes the nature of the relationship, that as His master, as His King, Jesus has the responsibility in the relationship. That Jesus will provide and protect, who is in control, and who saves, who loves and comes to us. That is what Lord’s and King’s and Master’s are supposed to do, to care for their people, to provide for them.
This is the nature of the relationship that God has created us to be in with Him. Not one of servants, but that of His children, His friend
We need to realize something else about this story.
When Jesus noted that Peter had “little faith”, it is the same Greek compound word that Jesus uses when he says,
20 “You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.” Matthew 17:20 (NLT)
Peter had enough faith to cry out to Jesus, to plead with Jesus to save Him.
But that is not all faith is for, it is the trust to walk with Him, on water, or to deliver a cup of water, or to share with how the water of baptism brings you the hope, that the Lord is with you and will be with you until the end of the age. To know that He is Lord, no matter what the situation, no matter what the storm. It doesn’t even matter if there is no storm, for He is with you – He has come to you, even on the beautifully calm mornings on the lake. He tells you – Yes Come with me, and so we walk, and pray, talking to our Lord along the ways of life!
He is your Lord, and doesn’t even have to walk across a lake to come to you… He is here… He has reached out to you, and taken your hand Therefore you dwell guarded, protected, in the Fortress that is Jesus Christ, our King.
AMEN?
The Christian’s Measure of Maturity: The Heart of Christ
Devotional and Discussion Thought of the Day:
10 He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. 11 He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. 12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. 14 So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. John 1:10-14 (NLT)
11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. Ephesians 4:11-13 (NLT)
813 I give you thanks, my Jesus, for your decision to become perfect Man, with a Heart which loved and is most lovable; which loved unto death and suffered; which was filled with joy and sorrow; which delighted in the things of men and showed us the way to Heaven; which subjected itself heroically to duty and acted with mercy; which watched over the poor and the rich and cared for sinners and the just… I give you thanks, my Jesus. Give us hearts to measure up to Yours! (1)
There is much theologically to say about the two natures of Christ. How Jesus is fully man, and fully God. Martin Chemnitz wrote a wonderful concise 3 inch thick volume about the subject, all of its implications, all of its potential issues. It is well worth reading, an amazing work about an amazing subject. It leaves you in awe, first of Chemnitz’s brilliance, and far more, of our Lord of whom the words describe.
Even so, I think that all the theology needs to be seen through something like the prayer that is written by St. Josemaria Escriva above. Which takes the incarnation seriously, which explores quickly the implications of Christ leaving His throne and being incarnate into our world, walking in our flesh. As St John’s gospel so beautifully states – He has made His home with us, The God whose love for us, whose faithfulness to the promises He made to us and to all, became present in their lives. We know His glory.
I pray your understand that this incarnation has not only been witnessed to by the apostles, by the early church, by Jesus mother who stored all these things in her heart. That incarnation, that glorious news that God has come to dwell with us, today, in these turbulent times. HE IS HERE! He dwells with His people still! We still see His glory.
As Josemaria prays that we all measure up to Christ heart, that prayer is perhaps of the highest level of theology, as well as the simplest. It is not the knowledge we would attain of God, though we desire to know Him. It is not that we could conjur up miracles that would mark as measuring up to Christ Jesus.
It is to be known to be like King David, to be a man after God’s own heart, a man who desires that which God desires, the reconciliation of all. To desire it so much that we are willing to pay whatever price to see it occur. Read those descriptions, a heart that loves and is lovable, which loves unto even death (I think of Romans 12:11 here.) Who embrace sorrow, filled with joy and sorrow, delighting in the things of men and showing them the way to heaven and heroically does what is needed with mercy, watching the poor and rich, caring for sinners and just.
That is the description of those whose hearts are growing to the measure of the sacred heart of Christ. It is the goal that pastors and others who minister long to see developed in their people.
Lord develop in us the Heart we long for, and as you promised through Ezekiel, may You replaced our shattered stone hearts with Your Heart of Flesh. Amen!
(1) Escriva, Josemaria (2011-01-31). Furrow (Kindle Locations 3352-3356). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
All Believers Are Called to Minister
Devotional Thought of the Day:
4 Come to the Lord, the living stone rejected by people as worthless but chosen by God as valuable. 5 Come as living stones, and let yourselves be used in building the spiritual temple, where you will serve as holy priests to offer spiritual and acceptable sacrifices to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:4-5 (TEV)
Although few would have denied that it was theoretically possible for laypeople to achieve sanctity, fewer still proposed sanctity in the world as an achievable ideal. A more intense spiritual life in a young man or woman, or even a desire to serve God seriously , was normally taken as an unequivocal sign of a vocation to the priesthood or the religious life. Few priests encouraged laypeople to make a serious effort to achieve sanctity in their ordinary lives. This reflected a practical conviction that the best to be hoped for from lay men and women was the fulfillment of their basic spiritual duties and the obligations of their state in life. Sanctity in the middle of the world might be an interesting topic for theological speculation, but it was rarely preached about and even less frequently actively pursued. In fact, most people who heard about it from Escrivá in the mid -1930s thought the notion was crazy, if not heretical. (1)
The above quote in blue is taken from a new book I am reading, It is the biography of a servant of God, a man who didn’t set out to be a minister, never mind to head a movement.The quote is talking about his mentor, his friend, the one whom he would succeed.
And it resonates deeply and clearly with me, I have seen people who have been told that ministry is the role only of the ordained, the clergy, the group I, for better or for worse am part. That people shouldn’t read the Bible in Church, that they can’t assist, that they are, for the most part, just dumb sheep, who need an occasional feeding on SUnday Mornings, and make sure they are visited when in the hospital or in jail, or have food put on their table.
And if you’ve been told that, that all being a Christian is, is going to church and occasionally maybe a Bible Study. That you cannot be holy, because you are a sinner, you need to know this. You were lied to, and something has been stolen from you. If you’ve been told you work as a Christian is to be a faithful spouse, a good parent, a diligent employee or employer, and that is all that God expects you to be, to fulfill your vocation, again, I apologize. You were lied to, Maybe not intentionally, but nevertheless, that which you heard was not the truth.
The scripture in red from Peter confirms it, you are called to minister, to serve as God’s priests. To do something spiritual.
Right in those vocations, right where God has placed you. It is not though, a meaningless ministry, it is not a non-spiritual ministry or service.
It is a spiritual service, it is a place where God put you – to represent Him, to serve Him, to be in prayer about, to proclaim His love, through your words, through your thoughts, through you deeds. Being holy is what you are called to, right there in your seat where you are reading this. RIght there as you minister to your children, to you family, in your work places. God has sent you there to sanctify them, to make those places holy, places where people can meet God.
It is holy work, it needs to be bathed in prayer and meditation, it requires spiritual sacrifice, and growth and spiritual maturity. It is setting it all apart, as a place where we meet God.
It is as holy and as needed to make these places holy places. to bring holiness to those in them, even as much as it is necessary to do so in a sermon, or when distributing the sacraments. Does that diminish the Lord’s Supper, or Baptism, or Confession and Absolution? Does that negate the ministry of the ordained? No, not at all, for those very things empower and enflame our other holy work. Those things convince us of God’s desire to be there.
It is a shared ministry. All of us, working alongside. All of us, depending on God’s crafting us into a people, guiding us to walk in the good works God has planned for us. A ministry, all of us working spiritually, setting everything we do apart to God.
(1) Coverdale, John F. (2014-07-09). Saxum: The Life of Alvaro del Portillo (Kindle Locations 154-157). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
Forgiveness for Any Other Reason but Love…. Is Not…
Devotional THought of the Day:
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But now I tell you: do not take revenge on someone who wrongs you. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, let him slap your left cheek too. 40 And if someone takes you to court to sue you for your shirt, let him have your coat as well. 41 And if one of the occupation troops forces you to carry his pack one mile, carry it two miles. Matthew 5:38-41 (TEV)
806 You were very sorry to hear that most un-Christian comment, “Forgive your enemies: you can’t imagine how it angers them!” You could not keep quiet, and you replied calmly, “I don’t want to cheapen love by humiliating my neighbour. I forgive, because I love, and I am hungry to imitate the Master.” (1)
Yesterday I wrote about the fact that forgiveness is not learned, it is not a discipline, it is simply the result of love.
Today, I cam across the quote from Escriva, and I again was amazed at the thought. Simply because I’ve heard this said before, I’ve even probably used something like it along the way. Just show them you are bigger than them, and forgive them. ( I apologize to any I’ve said that too. I’ve also heard it said this way, you don’t have to like forgiving them, you just have to obey God and do it.
Or perhaps the most common excuse. Forgive them, for it may not benefit them, but it benefits you
Somehow I can’t see Jesus, on the cross, being benefitted by forgiving his captors, or Stephen, being stoned by Paul’s friends, being benefited. Or any of the martyrs over the last 2 millennia, who forgave as they were tortured and died, benefitting from being free of the resentment and anger they felt.
If we forgive because we desire what is beneficial for ourselves, when the hurt and pain come back, then we will be ill-prepared to deal with it. It will again fuel resentment and anger, and thoughts of how to make them pay for the sin will creep back into our hearts
The way to forgive, to bypass revenge is simple – love.
To accept the pain, the hurt, the cost of loving that person. To give that all over to Christ, the one who taught us to pray to the Father to be forgive and to be able to forgive. The one who died for His enemies, because He loved them. The One who frees us, by paying for every debt, every trespass, every pain.
The one we hunger to love, and desire to imitate, because He has loved us…..
Mercy, Love, forgiveness….. on package deal.
May we do so…counting on the Lord’s mercy
(1) Escriva, Josemaria (2011-01-31). Furrow (Kindle Locations 3326-3329). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
