Monthly Archives: March 2018
Walking with Jesus through trials to the triumph. Part 5 Love found on the walk
Walking with Jesus through trials to the triumph
Love Found on the Walk
Jeremiah 31:31-34
† I.H.S. †
May you find the gifts from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, the gifts of incredible love and peace, as you realize you spend every day in His presence.
Coming Attractions?
Time for some honesty.
How many of you find the Bible confusing at times?
Good, it looks like I am in good company. It might sound off to hear a pastor confess that the Bible can seem confusing at times, but it can, and today is one of those times.
God promises through the writing of Jeremiah that there is a day coming when a New Covenant and a new deal will be put in place. And my heart rejoices in that promise! But then I look at the description of how people acted towards God, and the promise of how they will look in the new testament, and I struggle.
Because I see people looking more like their Old Testament ancestors than like the prophecy of the New Covenant.
So I am confused, Didn’t the Old Testament fade away at the cross, and wasn’t the New Testament confirmed with the Resurrection of Jesus?
And if it was, what doesn’t it say if we don’t act like the prophecy? What does it say about the prophecy of God? What does it say about us?
Do we still need to be taught?
In the second paragraph of today’s Old Testament reading, there are some descriptions of the people in the new covenant.
We are supposed to have had God’s instructions, the entire description of the Covenant, placed deep within them, and they will be written on your heart.
We are supposed to not need someone to teach us, and we shouldn’t have to teach our families or our neighbors. And yet, that seems to be the bulk of what I do, either preparing to teach and preach or actually doing the teaching and preaching.
Too often we are like the people in the Old Covenant, the ones that God had to take by the hand and lead them out of Egypt, yet like little kids, they tried to escape from God and go to whatever false god promised us what we want..…
So what has happened? Why aren’t we living the way God promised we would? Why do we still have people who get caught up in their sin, who betray God, who hate their enemies rather than loving and praying for them? Why don’t we live in obedience to God?
Was scripture wrong, or is it not about us?
have to admit, this is and was a confusing passage, one that I struggled to write the sermon on, one I struggled to find the words that explained it well.
Do we know God?
But I am going to explain it this way, the Old Covenant and the New Covenant are different because in one the people were dragged into it, they were drug out of Egypt, and they didn’t know God, barely beyond knowing that God was the God of their ancestors, the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob.
Not only did they not know about God, but they also didn’t know Him. So he had to grab them by the hand and lead them, and be constantly aware that they would wander off, that they would be unfaithful, because they didn’t know Him, even at their best, they only knew about Him.
Luther put it this way,
Although they believe in, and worship, only one true God, yet know not what His mind towards them is, and cannot expect any love or blessing from Him; therefore they abide in eternal wrath and damnation. For they have not the Lord Christ, and, besides, are not illumined and favored by any gifts of the Holy Ghost.
The Large Catechism of Martin Luther.
This is where it all boils down, in Christ we not only know about God, we know Him. We have something to expect from Him, love and the blessings of peace and forgiveness. In Christ God’s love isn’t just written on stone tablets, it is placed in our heart, ready to resonate with the message of the gospel.
That love, that mercy, that peace was unknown in the Old Testament, it was hidden. They knew God wants to be their God, but they didn’t get what that meant. They didn’t make the link between the covenant, and the requirement on God to do whatever it would take to fulfill the covenant, what is called cHesed.
We translate it love, or loving-kindness, and sometimes mercy, but it is a term form covenant. That is what is written on our hearts! This covenant of cHesed, this covenant of love and mercy. This word means you are bound to the other person to the extent that if they cannot fulfill their obligation, you will do it for them.
Not begrudgingly, but out of love, because you care. That is how God bound you to Himself. As He united you with Jesus death and resurrection! God cares for you so much, all that you have done, all that you cannot fix, He took care of at the cross.
And that is what we see up here, at the cross, the love and mercy of God doing for us, what we cannot do for ourselves.
That’s the God we know in the New Covenant, a God who is so dedicated to us, so willing to care for us, that He will take care of our sin, as He always has promised us. A God who helps us realize that He is our God and we are His people, and what that means, that He bears all of our burdens.
Which is something you cannot really teach, it is something like in our benediction for the yea.r
19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Ephesians 3:18-19 (NLT)
For that is the covenant of Jesus, the relationship and religion formed when we were united to the lamb of God, who was slain that we would be rescued, who was slain to grant us peace, to help us to know Him, and to know His love. AMEN!.
God isn’t reasonable or efficient, and His people shouldn’t be either!
Devotional Thought of the Day:
33 How great are God’s riches! How deep are his wisdom and knowledge! Who can explain his decisions? Who can understand his ways? 34 As the scripture says, “Who knows the mind of the Lord? Who is able to give him advice? 35 Who has ever given him anything, so that he had to pay it back?” 36 For all things were created by him, and all things exist through him and for him. To God be the glory forever! Amen. Romans 11:33-36 (TEV)
13 If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. 16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:13-19 (NIV)
Let it be said without irreverence: there is no one more inefficient than God.
Consider the lack of logic in His investment and in the purpose of that spending:
sacrificing his Son for a sinful and ungrateful humanity, past and present. There is no doubt, the logic of the history of salvation is a gratuitous logic not measured by a “must” and a “should.”
I have been having a conversation with a church consultant/pastoral coach recently. It started with some questionable marketing principles employed,, which I questioned, and to which he responded.
But it got me thinking more and more about how the church “does business” How we manage things, set priorities, invest our time and money. And comparing that to how the business world trains us to maximize productivity, to get the greatest R.O.I. (return of investment,) How the world manages itself is not necessarily the way the church should be managed has become more and more apparent.
The words in blue, from Pope Francis, seem to substantiate that view. By the world’s standards, God is not efficient. He traded his glorious, incredible Son, through whom He created all things and sustains all things for a bunch of broken, selfish, sinful people who often choose to struggle with his rules than realize how much those rules are given in love.
Doesn’t seem like an equitable, logical trade, does it? That His ways just don’t make sense? That we should be like Him, and not regard others according to worldly standards, knowing that God was in charge?
God just doesn’t make sense.
And neither should the church, as it imitates God. It should go after the one who is wandering, broken, rebellious, rather than serving its own. It should love the one who persecutes it, (such as Paul) and betrays it (like Peter). It should accept the hardheaded ones, and love them. It needs to be about redeeming the unredeemable, helping the hopeless find hope, and reconciling those who the world things better off divided.
It doesn’t make sense, it isn’t expedient, or pragmatic, or efficient to care for those who don’t want to be cared for.
But it is what God calls us to do, those who don’t deserve His love, but are loved anyway.
Lord Jesus, help us to value those whom you value, help us to see things with your eyes, your heart, and help us to love.
(((( Curious, what is it about God and the Bible that doesn’t make sense to you? )))
Pope Francis. A Year with Pope Francis: Daily Reflections from His Writings. Ed. Alberto Rossa. New York; Mahwah, NJ; Toronto, ON: Paulist Press; Novalis, 2013. Print.
Having one of “those” days? You aren’t alone…..
Concordia Lutheran Church – Cerritos, Ca , at dawn on Easter Sunday
Devotional THought of the Day:
41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby moved within her. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42 and said in a loud voice, “You are the most blessed of all women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 Why should this great thing happen to me, that my Lord’s mother comes to visit me? 44 For as soon as I heard your greeting, the baby within me jumped with gladness. 45 How happy you are to believe that the Lord’s message to you will come true!” Luke 1:41-45 (TEV)
2 John the Baptist, who was in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, 3 “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?” 4 Jesus told them, “Go back to John and tell him what you have heard and seen— 5 the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor. 6 And tell him, ‘God blesses those who do not turn away because of me.’” Matthew 11:2-6 (NLT)
32 And John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from heaven and stay on him. 33 I still did not know that he was the one, but God, who sent me to baptize with water, had said to me, ‘You will see the Spirit come down and stay on a man; he is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen it,” said John, “and I tell you that he is the Son of God.” 35 The next day John was standing there again with two of his disciples, 36 when he saw Jesus walking by. “There is the Lamb of God!” he said. John 1:32-36 (TEV)
106 You wrote, and I well understand: “Every day I spend my ‘little time’ in prayer. If it weren’t for that …!”
As I was reading the 3rd reading about John the Baptist this morning, (part of my daily routine) I thought of the other two readings.
John, before he was born, and while Jesus was even younger, recognizes the presence of God. (not to mention what happened to John’s mom must have been cool!) Incredible experience!
Move to the second reading, and now John is in prison, he is having one of “those” kind of days. Miserable, depressed, anxious and afraid, he needs to be encouraged, he needs to remember that what he devoted his life to, actually was worth it.
A bad day to say the least.
A day where even he, a prophet, doubted the very prophecy he was meant to give.
John, who had pointed to Christ, who knew him well, who proclaimed he was Israel’s hope, doubted and struggled with trusting God.
Just like we do!
There is a lot of hope in this realization, that John the Baptist could have one of those days, and apparently more than one. That he could be so caught up by his own situation that he needed to know God was at work, that God’s promises are true.
And God responded to his query, John wouldn’t die without knowing for sure Jesus was the Messiah, that John’s ministry was validated, it was good, it was needed. That Jesus was still there, doing what John knew he would do, even when he didn’t know.
And Jesus is here for you and I, His promise is that we are never alone. ( Read Psalm 139 sometime – David realized God couldn’t be outrun either)
Even when we struggle, even when we doubt, God is there…. and will respond to our cries, our cries of despair, our cries of doubt, even our cries of anger and frustration. He hears you and I and responds. As St. Josemaria notes, if it weren’t for those little times of prayer, where we listen, where we vent, …
This is the lesson of John the Baptist, the lesson that even the greatest stumble and struggle, and are ministered to by God. For He hears us…and loves us. AMEN
Does it help you to know the prophets and apostles struggled and doubted? That they ahd bad days as well?
How do you feel when you realize God was there, working behind the scenes? Can you accept that you won’t always be able to see Him at work?
Escriva, Josemaria. The Way (Kindle Locations 397-399). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
Is Prayer What You Think it is?
Devotional Thought of the Day:
42 They spent their time in learning from the apostles, taking part in the fellowship, and sharing in the fellowship meals and the prayers. Acts 2:42 (TEV)
89 “Mary has chosen the better part,” we read in the holy Gospel. There she is, drinking in the words of the Master. Apparently idle, she is praying and loving. Afterward, she accompanies Jesus in his preaching through towns and villages. Without prayer, how difficult it is to accompany him!
Truly, God gives daily bread to evil people, even without our prayer. But we pray in this request that He will help us realize this and receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.
We don’t need to pray as much as to see our situations change, as we need to pray to see ourselves changed. (Note the past tense here )
I don’t think we understand the nature of prayer all that well.
We can analyze it, we can teach people the elements, we lead retreats on it, and if we are daring, we might actually ask people how their prayer life is. ( I am not sure that is the right question btw) That doesn’t mean we understand it, it just means that we know about it. We can even say it’s having a chat with God, but even then, we fall short.
But what prayer is? It is living life in Christ, in dialogue with the Father, dependent on the Holy Spirit. We come up with words like fellowship, communion/community, or my preference we live in the most intimate of relationships with him.
That’s why Luther will consistently teach that prayer isn’t about making God do something but realizing He is actively doing that which is for our best, whether it is protecting us from evil, or helping us forgive, or seeing His will be done.
This dynamic of prayer is what St. Josemaria is talking about when he says that without prayer, we cannot follow Jesus, that we don’t recognize that He is guiding our paths, and helping us journey, in peace.
THat’s why the early church made prayer, daily prayer, together, such a critical part of their life. Not out of duty, but it is the natural life when you are in a relationship, an intimate relationship with God. It is simply what we do, like Mary abandoning the housework to just be still and adore the God who came to her, who comes to us.
This time of prayer, this time of hearing from God, and learning to simply entrust everything to Him, not because we have to, but because that is what you do when you are sure you are loved. It is far more than a quick check-in chat, a 5 or 30 or 60-minute briefing on our day. It is lifelong dance, a
This is God at work, this is the God whose love we need to experience, to explore, to have revealed to us. This is the God who we need to be with, listen to, depend upon, And all that happens when we pray…
please, consider sharing a moment or two when you were praying and knew the presence of God was there, comforting you, guiding you, even correcting you…
Escriva, Josemaria. The Way (Kindle Locations 361-363). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
Luther’s Small Catechism: Developed and Explained.
Our Lenten Journey: walking with Jesus through trials to the triumph: Finding mercy on the walk
Our Lenten Journey: Walking with Jesus through trials to the triumph
Mercy Found on the walk
Numbers 21:4-9
† I.H.S. †
May the grace of God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ help you to realize contentment and patience that comes from realizing you are God’s children!
Mercy Needed on the Walk
It’s been a while since the last one, so we are due for a Pastor Parker Parable.
In the Kingdom of God, Lent is like setting your clocks ahead.
I mean time change wrecks everything, it takes forever to get used to, it affects everything, and to be honest, we don’t always understand why we do it.
Lent is like that, it is a needed, but hard to welcome transition, It requires us to do things that are not easy, that take time to get used to, and that affects every part of our lives. Most of the time, we go through lent without thinking about why we do it.
Like time change, we just accept that its happening, grin, grunt, and struggle through it, often complaining as we go.
Really, lent is not only like dealing with the time change, but it is like the journey from the slavery of Egypt to the promised land.
And if we aren’t careful, if we don’t pay attention, if we don’t’ stay focused, we will get bit.
Then again, we might get bit anyway, so we need something more… we need mercy.
Mercy not seen on the walk
The problem is, we don’t often see the mercy, as we walk with Jesus
TO be honest, we do the same things that the people did in Moses day, we grow impatient with God’s plan, and we aren’t satisfied with what we perceive He is doing, and rather than wait for God’s actions to be seen, we start to complain, we start to doubt that God will provide.
Look at the words the first time the people of God open their mouths,
“Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die here in the wilderness?” they complained. “There is nothing to eat here and nothing to drink. And we hate this horrible manna!”
They were tired, they were frustrated, I get that. Especially this week! Especially these last couple of days, when trauma followed trauma like waves lined up at the beach. Or like the slow ticks of a click as the day seems last longer than it did last week.
The ironic thing is that the words “nothing to eat” and “Manna” are the same word in Hebrew.
Same word. We have not bread to eat and we hate what we do have to eat.
Sounds silly, doesn’t it?
They weren’t thankful for the manna, the quail, to water form a rock, being saved by a miracle. Nope, what have you done for us lately God, because we don’t like what You are giving us.
How often do we, struggling on our own with life, complain to God about what He is doing? Or simply forget He is here at all? We talk about the second commandment, about calling on the name of the Lord, not in vain, but using His name to pray and to praise God,
but do we?
Mercy found… in not getting rid of the snakes
Last week, when President Stoterau was preaching, he found a key to the passage in the pigeon cages that weren’t destroyed. There is a similar key in today’s Old Testament passage, something that helps us when we realize what God does.
When the people ask God to take away the snakes, what happens to the snakes?
Does God take them away?
Oddly enough, God leaves them there. Happily sinking their fangs into who every complains and moans. I mean, that’s what snakes do right?
God’s answer to the prayers is in bringing another on of them into the picture, one in the same image as the others, but this time fixed high upon a pole. And anyone, once bitten by a snake, can simply look up, and see hope and healing, trusting God to do exactly what He said he would.
Heal them,
Take care of them, the very thing they didn’t realize God was doing, in providing the manna, and the quail and the water. Providing proof of His presence with them, a proof they could see when they needed to be saved.
Friends, you and I are going to struggle through life. We can try with everything we are, and we should try with everything we are to please the God who loves and cares for us. But there are times, times when we forget He is with us, times where we forget how deep His love is.
But every time we get bit by sin, every time we have to deal with our own brokenness, we have an advocate who has been lifted up on the cross, who has since been lifted up into heaven, where Jesus still intercedes on our behalf. Still intercedes for us, still loves us, still cares for else, still forgives our sins. This is the mercy of God, the mercy that keeps us on the journey home, the mercy that continually brings us the healing we need to stay on the journey!
We just need to look to Him, we just need to trust Him, and know that as we do, we shall be healed of the damage sin causes and plagues us with.
God doesn’t always take care of this snake or that one because the temptations and trials will bother us, until we reach the promised land. Sometimes we will be victorious over them, sometimes we won’t.
Either way, He will be here, lifted up for us to look at and know how much God loves us, and that He promised to cleanse us of all sin and unrighteousness.
Which is why we are here at church, to look up to the Lord, lifted up for us, the Lord who will heal us, the Lord who will bring us peace.
AMEN?
Is Worship Boring?
Devotional Thought of the Day:
14 When I think of the greatness of this great plan I fall on my knees before God the Father (from whom all fatherhood, earthly or heavenly, derives its name), and I pray that out of the glorious richness of his resources he will enable you to know the strength of the spirit’s inner re-inforcement – that Christ may actually live in your hearts by your faith. And I pray that you, firmly fixed in love yourselves, may be able to grasp (with all Christians) how wide and deep and long and high is the love of Christ – and to know for yourselves that love so far beyond our comprehension. May you be filled though all your being with God himself!
20 Now to him who by his power within us is able to do far more than we ever dare to ask or imagine – to him be glory in the Church through Jesus Christ for ever and ever, amen! Ephesians 3:14-20 (Phillips NT)
77 You told me that to tie yourself to a plan of life, to a schedule, would be so monotonous! And I answered, “It is monotonous because you lack love.”
It is sometimes. Ver much so more than I would like to admit.
It doesn’t matter if it is a high powered contemporary service, or a organ blasting traditional service, or a small intimate worship time on a retreat.
Church services can be boring, even monotonous,
And while the pastor and those who music facilitates our praises can impede or encourage worship, there is one key that absolutely makes the difference in whether you find a church and the worship service.
You.
I’ve seen couples where one is completely engaged in worship, one is actively engaged, and talks about church as the high point of their week. The spouse, however, was so disengaged that they eventually fell asleep.
What makes the difference in perception is the person.
St Josemaria says it well, it is monotonous because of the truth of this, you lack love.
And if you lack love, there are two options, you are unable to love God and others, or what is necessary to love him, you haven’t been immersed in the reality of HIs love for you. You haven’t had the opportunity, as St Paul desired for you, to explore the incredible dimensions of that love for you.
Not just know the love as a piece of data, because you can’t fully, it is so far beyond our comprehension, You need to be filled with that love, you need to be filled with God.
And that is the purpose of a church service, to help you explore that depth, and those who lead are simply guides on the journey. Guides who hopefully are still in awe of the same journey, pointing out this treasured point, and that, how this explores the heights, and that explores the depths.
For if you know how incredible God’s love is for you,
And when you do, the hunger to more will help you engage, to enter the service as a participant as we dance with God, rather than being an observer. For everyone has a part in worship, every voice has its role, a part in the service. It’s not just about the guys up there in robes, We are just there to point you to the love that God has for you, the incredible love that makes a difference in every aspect of your life.
So when you come into a church, expect something special, expect to hear you are loved, listen for it, rejoice in it, walk in it, even dance in it, and then love and adore the God who loves you.
The same service will never be the same.
Escriva, Josemaria. The Way (Kindle Locations 339-340). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
The Pain of Having our Faith Exercised…is worth it!
Devotional Thought of the Day:
Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing.” Luke 23:34 HCSB
They were stoning Stephen as he called out: “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” m 60 Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, n “Lord, do not charge them with this sin!” And saying this, he fell •asleep. Acts 7:59-60 HCSB
45 Why feel hurt by the unjust things people say of you? You would be even worse, if God ever left you. Keep on doing good, and shrug your shoulders.
If the story of St. Josemaria was not known to me, I would consider his words above to be a mere platitude, words of someone who have never been betrayed, never hurt by a good friend, never the subject of gossip and ridicule.
Having read his biographies, I realize that they are written from the place of experience, of having to depend on God’s strength to lift the shoulders, to shrug off the pain, To see the need, the deep spiritual neediness of those who hurt us, rather to draw ourselves in, to protect our own shattered hearts.
It is the same kind of strength that St Stephen showed in Acts, as stones broke the bones as they tried to crush his spirit as well as his body. The same kind of love, inconceivable, overwhelming love that Jesus showed while being crucified.
But how do you and I find the faith, for it is faith, not our own will, and determination that will sustain us in these times of trial, the times where our heart and souls are stretched, where the pain wreaks havoc inside us.
I mean, does God our Father expect us to be saints? Do we all have to go through the traumas and persecution that others experienced? Will you and I have to suffer worse betrayals?
I don’t know, but the lack of persecution isn’t an excuse for a weak faith. Each of us should see a dependence on God, a trust in God nurtured to the point where our confidence in God, our adoration of Him who is present in our lives that any trial is considered far less than the blessing of being His.
Notice that dependence in Stephen as he cries out in faith, “Lord, receive me!” See in in the words of St Josemaria as he points out the hopefully obvious, it is far worse to lose the presence of God in our lives. ( I sometimes think that the obvious has to be etched onto my eyes, lest I forget it!)
In order to do with anything that requires faith, I need to know God is here, that He is present, that He is caring for me, that He will comfort me and be there when I need Him. All this is promised to us in our baptism, as we are united with His death and resurrection (see Romans 6, Colossian 2–3)
It doesn’t matter what is challenging my faith, that is stretching my heart and soul, whether it is something internal, some fear or frustration, or some kind of persecution or harassment, what sustains us, what enables us to endure, is to know Jesus, to hold on to Him, knowing He is holding on to us.
This is how we forgive those who set themselves against us, this is how we ask God to forgive them, how we keep doing good, knowing this…
The Lord is with you!
(P.S. If you have been able to shrug off pain and forgive, and can talk about it, please leave some encouraing words about this… so others can see that God does help us with this! THANKS!)
Escriva, Josemaria. The Way (Kindle Locations 260-262). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
The One Thing Necessary in Church Leadership
Devotional Thought of the Day:
16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. Ephesians 4:16 (NLT)
16 Give in? Be just commonplace? You, a sheep-like follower? You were born to be a leader! Among us, there is no place for the lukewarm. Humble yourself, and Christ will kindle in you again the fire of love.
In my library, I have a couple dozen books on leadership. Some are from my second round of college, either from my first round, where I pursued a degree in Church growth and Preaching or in my second round, where I ended up with a degree in Organizational Leadership and Management. Some exist from time in business, working in management and at Pepperdine University. Some are from seminars like Pastoral Leadership Institute International. They cover a lot of things, from time management to delegation and staff development, from laws that are theoretical to actual governmental codes and standards.
But most miss the lesson that a radical Catholic priest mentions in his book “The Way.” The lesson quoted above in blue. A lesson I resonate with, and the best leaders I have worked with and interacted with know as well.
These are people that aren’t lukewarm, they don’t do the minimal things, they commit themselves entirely. They aren’t always the pastor, or an elder, or hold some elected office. But they are people that are highly effective, incredibly dependable, and sacrificial without realizing it. They are the round pegs that find themselves in the round holes, and rejoice and find great contentment in preparing communion, or fixing what is broken, or teaching the 2-3-year-old children in Sunday school.
They are the true leaders of the church, for they do what is their own special work, and in doing so, they put the needs of the community before their own needs. Because of them a congregation exudes love and is healthy, no matter the size.
For where they lead us to is the cross, where their bring us is to Christ, what they reflect is His glorious mercy and love. They have, like Jesus, humbled themselves, and found that Jesus has kindled them again in the fire of His love.
You see, leadership in the church isn’t being visionary, it isn’t being the one who manages everything and drives every project and every goal to completion. (unless of course, that is your calling) It isn’t about the charisma of the people “up front” or the skills in running a meeting. Leadership in the church is about whether we depend upon God, whether we hear His voice, and follows where He leads. Leaders in the church do this, not because they are faithful, but because they have faith because they depend on God.
If we realize that these people are leaders, then the role of the ministry is to equip them, to support them and encourage them, To pick them up when they fall, to pray for them, to pray with them. We shouldn’t need to give them permission as much as simply acknowledge their call to do the work in the body that God has prepared them for, and sent them to do.
It takes humility… of those who lead, and of those who people think are the leaders. For in that humility we can hear God, who is our shepherd and Lord. To Him be all glory and honor and praise.
Escriva, Josemaria. The Way (Kindle Locations 198-201). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
Prayers answered in the wounds of Christ Part IV: Hold Me!
Prayers Answered in the Wounds of Christ
Hold Me!
Psalm 27:7-10
† I.H.S †
May the grace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ convince you of this, that you will never, ever be completely abandoned! For The Lord loves you!
The Fear of Abandonment
It is among the greatest of fears, the greatest sources of anxiety. It’s symptoms include anxiety, chronic feelings of insecurity, depression, esteem issues,, a feeling of no control self-depreciation ( I am not worth it!) isolation, or behaviors which are negative to us, to appease those we feel we cannot lose.
It is the fear of abandonment, and it is becoming more and more prevalent.
Its cause is not rational, it is not even a conscious thought, but there is something within us that convinces us that we are not appreciated, that we are not cared for, that we are neither loved, or lovable.
Even though we know better, the anxiety, the fear is there, knowing away at us, paralyzing us, or driving us into sin, so that we can minimize the pain we except.
And our hope is seen in the background of the slides, in the scars and wounds of the man who was the loneliest in all of history, as he was laid out on the cross.
Separation
I think Abandonment is why we fear death, and why we fear to get older. Ultimately, we don’t want to be alone, we don’t want to be separated from those we love. That is why some people will stay in an abusive relationship, or fear to work on damaged ones, because of the risk of being abandoned. It is why we will willingly embrace sin, otherwise, people might reject us. So we join them in their sin, in their negative behaviors. We tell ourselves that the pain and consequences are okay… at least we aren’t alone. Or we numb ourselves with behaviors that distract us, that gives us a break from the loneliness. A warm body is better than nobody, right?
Sin does its damage as well driving a wedge deeper and deeper between us, trying to pry us even away from God. It’s pain causing us to believe we are broken beyond us, beyond meaning,
The answer
The Psalm Al read before had significant meaning to me. Especially this verse,
Even if my father and mother abandon me, the LORD will hold me close.
Even if the people who are supposed to care for you more than anyone else abandon you, God hasn’t. He holds you close. In other places, Jesus talks about gathering us to Himself, as a hen gathers her chicks un her arms. He talks about the Father running out to the prodigal joyously greeting Him with a bone-crushing hug. He talks of uniting us to Him in baptism, all of these examples to help us realize that He has us, that we are His, in death, and in heaven afterward.
As we’ve heard the wounds of Christ answer our prayers, our pleas for help, I want you to hear these words we sang of Jesus love again, this time brought into our language, where it becomes clear, this is not just our prayer, it is His answer
Here I will stand beside Thee,
From Thee I will not part!
O Savior, do not chide me!
When breaks Thy loving heart,
When soul and body languish
In death’s cold, cruel grasp,
Then, in Thy deepest anguish,
Thee in mine arms I’ll clasp.
Paul tells us we are united to Christ in His death, and as the power of God raised Him from the dead, we rose, united to Him. And He promises never, ever to abandon us. We are His, His beloved children, His beloved people, and He went to the extent of Christ’s death to make sure of this.
You will never be abandoned, you will never be alone Jesus promised! The Spirit dwells within you. This isn’t just theology, it is the reality, as you will be reminded when Jesus gives you His body and blood to eat, to drink, knowing it is for you, because He loves you.
You are His… therefore you will never be alone. So relax, look to Him, and know His peace. For you are safe in that peace, protected by our Lord Himself.
When the waters aren’t still…
The Good Shepherd, carrying His own.
Devotional Thought of the Day:
1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Psalm 23:1-3 (NKJV)
12 Let obstacles only make you bigger. The grace of our Lord will not be lacking: Inter medium montium pertransibunt aquae!—“Through the very midst of the mountains the waters shall pass.” You will pass through mountains! What does it matter that you have to curtail your activity for the moment, if later, like a spring which has been compressed, you’ll advance much farther than you ever dreamed?
There are times I read Psalm 23 and I wonder where the still, restful waters are, the places where peace, where it seems that the green peaceful pastures are not easily found. For it seems my soul isn’t “restored”, instead, I find my life to be one that is weary, harried, and in great need.
So what happened?
Are those words only for King David and/or really devout believers?
Are they for most Christians, and not for me?
Are they just words on a piece of paper, and not the word of God?
There is a question that I haven’t asked, but I need to ask.
Is it possible that He is here, that He is leading me where He would, guiding me, protecting me, delivering me from the evil I fear?
I’ve been through times where I don’t know God is there too many times in life. Where the stress is too distracting, where the concerns seem too overwhelming, to serious, and I cannot see the Spirit at work, I don’t feel the comfort that is promised. I just see the shadows, I just know the evil that is lurking there.
I want to break through the stress, I want to learn to fight it, to be strong in my faith and face the storm head on…
And then, in such a time, I need to realize the point that St Josemaria makes, the grace of our Lord will not be lacking.
I don’t have ot wield the rod and staff, instead, I can realize that my Shepherd does. That God’s grace will provide, and that provision includes the comfort. For there are the meadows and streams, but the valleys exist as well.
He is there.. He is here.
My Shepherd.
He is here.
That’s what I need to gain by working through the 23rd Psalm. Though my mind wants to struggle with what I can’t see, I need to grow in my ability to know what is promised is the reality. And as I do, my faith, put under pressure, is finally released, the energy released being spent in praise and adoration of the Lord, my shepherd, my protector, my God.
Lord, have mercy on us, and help us to see that which is revealed to us in Your word. AMEN!
Escriva, Josemaria. The Way (Kindle Locations 191-195). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
