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The Lord’s Supper: A Tangible Invasion of My Darkness…
Christ Washing the Feet of the Apostles by Meister des Hausbuches, 1475 (Gemäldegalerie, Berlin). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Devotional thought of the day….
I’m GOD’s favorite. He made me king of the mountain.” Then you looked the other way and I fell to pieces. Psalm 30:7 (MSG)
As I look at this verse, part of the passage I will discuss in this week’s sermon, I think it well describes the life of a Believer.
I think about Elijah, and the drastic change from the man on Mt Carmel, to the man buried in self-pity in a cave a month’s journey away.
Peter comes to mind – at one moment hearing that the words of his mouth was a revelation directly from the Father, to the next, his pride turned to disgrace as the same mouth is confronted as being the adversary to God. Never mind the night of the last supper, as he goes from correction regarding the foot washing, to the glory of being there for the first celebration of the Lord’s Supper, to the failure to stay awake and pray, to the absolute pit of despair as He hears a rooster crow…and realizes how he has failed again… and denied the Messiah, the Savior.
It’s my life – the moments were I am so sure of God’s presence – with which I get to passively participate, to the moments that I question my ability to stand in His presence, because I am confronted with my own failures, my own thoughts and desires, my own sin. I tell you, there are days I wonder if there are any good caves on the market – (suitably furnished with wi-fi and a refrigerator stocked with Diet Coke with lime and some good cotto salami and cheese) Seriously, there is so much darkness in the world, and in my own life, that I wonder what headway is being made. I wonder if there is anything that will help people… and if I can help them, by God’s mercy, i have some proof of God’s work in my life.
Maybe our lives our like jig-saw puzzles – and it seems when I see the beautiful scene that God has designed coming into focus, someone comes along and tosses all the pieces back in the box.
I know my road may not be as dark as some, and perhaps not as many pieces are thrown in the box (just as I know others who try to comfort themselves with the same thoughts), yet there are times in life where it falls apart, or my mind tries to cope with all the stuff that is flying around me. It doesn’t matter whether it is my own issues, or those of those I count as my family (which includes family, friends, fellow believers that I work with, and well the people on FB that I correspond with often) Our pains aren’t individualized ( Romans 12:15-16) we share them – and the burdens can add up. And when we realize we don’t see God, everything falls apart…. breaks up,… our anxieties build, and..
It is dealing with such things – that I’ve come, more and more, to appreciate the Lord’s Supper, the feast were we Commune with God, what we call the Eucharist, or the Sacrament of the Altar. A piece of bread, a sip of wine, these things we eat and drink, that tangibly invade my darkness, my place where I am broken, among people who are broken….
For the bread and wine aren’t just empty carbs, they are the Body and Blood of Christ, in and under that bread and wine. He is present, tangibly, His holiness, His mercy, His love.
That which is broken, He’s come to repair, that which is hurt, is healed, the pieces are picked up, the tears are dried off, the cold darkness replaced by His warmth and life and …..glory. Yes – by His glory.
For He is here…. comforting us and causing us to realize in that moment, that He always was… He will always will be.
Some have talked about how the Lord’s Supper is something that recharges them, that lifts them up… I think the reason why is simple – it calls us to interact with God in a… well,,. supernatural, divine way. A way that reminds us of the transformation, the very work of Christ in our lives. It calls us to remember the promises, the mercy – but most of all – it recenters us on His presence……
May we always treasure this celebration, and give thanks and praise to the One who is our gift, our grace.
Related articles
- Need Hope? No Answers? Come Experience Jesus, Have Hope! (evangelical catholic VI) (justifiedandsinner.com)
Realizing and Revealing the Lord is With us: We can depend on Him!
Realizing and Revealing that
The Lord is with us…and
We Can Depend on Him!
Judges 7:1-15
When God removes all that we think we need, may we find great assurance in His Presence, a presence so strong that others, even our adversaries cannot help but comment on the grace and peace seen in us!
There is a nightmare that many people have, or so I have heard, the night before a big presentation, or some major point in their life – where they are the center of attention. It’s been described this way – there you are, the center of attention and everyone is looking at you, staring at you – and you realize you borrowed the emperor’s new wardrobe.
If you don’t know that story… you all of a sudden realize – you forgot to get dressed after taking a shower. Clothes are a good thing – and to be left without them in a dream isn’t as bad as being without them in public! But those dreams are often considered symbolic of our fears – that we will be found, we will be proven to lack something – that we will be defenseless against criticism – and that we be seen as losers.
I have the strangest feeling that Gideon knew that anxiety, that guy wrenching fear. Probably even before his army was reduced from 32,000 men down to 300. “God
,” I can hear Gideon saying, “what are you thinking? I have nothing left, and you want me to do what?
In this season of Lent, it is time to ask, to even plead that God help us give up those things we depend on, rather than depending upon His love, His mercy, His wisdom. Like Gideon – this is a time to realize – how much we need to depend on God, and indeed how
WHAT DO WE DEPEND ON, WHAT IS OUR GOD?
As I consider the conversation between God and Gideon, as I dwell on it, I have to wonder what I want to take into battle – and why? For a general, for the leader of an army – it would be the men, the size of the army, the advisors – I would want to have the best.
For us, what do we want to take with us? What do we depend on? It may be other people, those who lead us, or those we have come to trust. It might be the technology, or the books, our smile, or ability to think on our feet. What do we depend on so much, that we would not give credit to God for delivering us out of the situations we find ourselves in, or the situations where we, like Gideon, are called on to rescue people from the oppression brought about because of sin?
We have to remember that – Lent is not just about our realizing the presence of God in our lives in our time of need – but also our seeing that revealed to others.
It is so easy for us to forget about our need and our ability to depend completely on God. we are caught up in a world that proclaims to us a different gospel – a different message of salvation. If we want to get of the jam we are in, we are programmed by our society to do what all Americans do. If we want it done right, you do it yourself!
If we watch our supports stripped away… will our trust and our dependence on God still remain? The answer isn’t found in us, in our faithfulness. It is found in His. This is at the core of Lent – realizing that in our weakness, we find, quite joyfully, the love of God making as we realize His presence….
DO WE REALIZE WHAT OTHERS SEE?
That can be when the most miraculous of all things happens, as it did for Gideon. Sent by God into the camp to be encouraged, he hears something absolutely wonderful – something that causes him to drop to his knees in worship.
13 Gideon crept up just as a man was telling his companion about a dream. The man said, “I had this dream, and in my dream a loaf of barley bread came tumbling down into the Midianite camp. It hit a tent, turned it over, and knocked it flat!” 14 His companion answered, “Your dream can mean only one thing—God has given Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite, victory over Midian and all its allies!” Judges 7:13-14 (NLT)
Note that it is God who gives the victory, we can’t ever forget that. When we talk to someone, and they come home and are reconciled to God as the prodigal is, when we baptize someone here, it isn’t their own strength or power that saves them. It wasn’t their own ability to discern the truth about God’s heart towards them.
It’s simple – God works through people like you and I, as the Holy Spirit works in our lives – to reveal God giving the victory, God freeing His people from what binds them. We may never see the results; we may never understand the depth of the victory.
Or when we do, we’ll shake our heads, and realize how great our God is… and we’ll bow and worship and praise Him. Even before we see the final result of the victory. Even as we only see the foretaste of it, as we realize the promises made sure for us in our baptism, as we kneel at the altar, and realize He has called us here… to dine with Him, to commune with God.
Even before we see heaven, and the glory of God in which we dwell… through His love, through His guidance, we can begin to understand the incredible promises that come, as He comes, as He pours grace onto us. When we begin to realize what it means “that the Lord is with us”….
and as our lives reveal that promise is for them, as well
As our lives are lived out, in the peaceful presence of God which passes all understanding, as our hearts and minds kept in Christ Jesus. AMEN!
Related articles
- Realizing and Revealing the Lord is With You, assuring You of His Presence! (justifiedandsinner.com)
- The Lord is with you, strengthening you… (justifiedandsinner.com)
- The Lord is With Us…removing our idols! (justifiedandsinner.com)
The Crucified Life… not just to live during Lent
Devotional Thoughts of the Day – please discuss!
20 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20 (NLT)
The Cross symbolizes the life of an apostle of Christ, with a strength and a truth that delight both soul and body, though sometimes it is hard, and we can feel its weight. (1)
Often among those I study with, we talk about the baptized life, about living our lives in view of the fact that we have been united to Him in our baptism. That because of that action,sin has been separated from our lives, that we live in the presence of God. It is a pretty powerful thought.
I was thinking today as well though – when we are baptized into Chirst, we are baptized into His death – we are spiritually there on the cross, with our sins. We have, Romans 6 and Colossians 2 tell us, died with Jesus, there on the cross. That we may live – that we are living, with Him – the crucified one. We live a baptized life, yes – but we are baptized into a crucified life. We bear His cross, and in doing so take on something wonderful, something both practical and yet, in a way quite mystical and taxes our soul and our intellect.
It is not easy to live a crucified life – to live in view of the incredible love and mercy of God, to be reminded that we need, we should reflect that love. And we need to realize that the forgiveness we receive, is available to all. Especially to those who are our enemies and adversaries. To realize, with the love of Christ, that they need this love, this mercy, that they need the reconciliation that is available at the cross.
It is an incredible delight – and a weight at the same time, because even as we know the lifting of our own burdens – we take on a burden to see others freed from the snare of sin and satan and the fear of death… and the bondage that guilt or shame brings. Indeed, Paul found himself weeping and deeply grieving for those who would reject such.
So my friends, live as one who has been crucified.. for you have…with Christ. May your life reflect and reveal the very life you have in Christ now.. and may that reflection draw others to Him!
Escriva, Josemaria (2011-01-31). The Forge (Kindle Locations 2734-2736). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
Ash Wednesday
Realizing and Revealing that “The LORD is with You!”
Judges 2, John 1:1014
† In His Name †
As you realize that the Lord is with you, may you realize what that means, that you can trust His promises, that you have received His gift of mercy, that you dwell in His loving presence… and may you life reveal that to all you encounter!
As we enter lent, as we like Isaiah mourn that we are people of unclean lips and lives, living among a world that is equally marred by sin; it is not difficult to realize our times are not so different than those described in the book of judges.
The stories this week, from the 12 year old giving birth in Mexico, to the story of the war veteran/former police officer who snapped and turned on those he once protected. As we hear all the hatred that has been spewed out at the church as a whole, to broken families; there is a sense of despair building, not unlike the times where Israel would finally mourn and weep. It’s enough for a man of God to want to retire…and find some nice peaceful place to spend his days.
It is the reason why our foreheads and hands are marked with ashes this day, it causes us to face our sin, even as they did, and hopefully, like they did in the time of the judges, we will learn to cry out to God, finding our hope.
As we travel through Lent this year – our journey will be alongside Israel as they see over and over God’s faithfulness, even as God is not exactly happy with their sin. As we see Him leave them to the consequences for a time, but then the moment they remember His presence, the moment they call out for help – He raises up His judge, the one who leads and shepherds Israel, returning them to their place as the children of God.
It’s a journey that we have an advantage they didn’t have.
An incredible advantage.
A Complex Problem a Simple Solution
Hear again the description of the situation
18 Whenever the LORD raised up a judge over Israel, he was with that judge and rescued the people from their enemies throughout the judge’s lifetime. For the LORD took pity on his people, who were burdened by oppression and suffering. 19 But when the judge died, the people returned to their corrupt ways, behaving worse than those who had lived before them. They went after other gods, serving and worshiping them. And they refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.
Let’s think about this – Israel was slow, so unable to stop sinning on their own, that the only when they had a strong judge, someone who could lead them to God, would they live as God’s people would. They were so weak, that left on their own, they would simply revert to the sinful nature they had, before they knew of God’s love, of God’s desire to be present among them.
When the leader died, they fell apart.
I was once told that the larger and more complex the problem is, the simpler the solution would be.
It’s pretty simple this time – they need a judge who will not die. One who would live with them – reminding them of God’s glory, of realizing His love.
Pretty simply – get a judge who will not die – the people who aren’t strong enough – will still be led to God.
Pretty simple – find Someone who will live in the midst of the people of God… and be there for them….
And that is where we have an advantage – if we, only took the time to realize it.
That’s what this time is… the time to realize that the judge is with us… or as more commonly said around here.
“The LORD is with you!”
Our gospel said it this way:
4 The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.
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.
Even as we struggle in this world, even as we spend these 40 days (except Sunday) looking at our need for Good Friday, our need for Easter, our need for Pentecost we know it is coming. Nothing can stop God’s work in rescuing His people, in delivering them from the dark times.
For He has raised up His judge, and nailed Him to the cross.
Because we needed it.
Because our world needs it. They need to know this very thing we realize, the thing that the judges knew – the thing that enabled them to minister to the people of God.
They need to have it revealed to them as well. This very special truth, that it is realized, when it is revealed, brings God’s mercy and peace and love to the forefront of our lives.
Hear it again….
The Lord is with you!
AMEN!
Why is it still Monday?
Devotional/Discussion thought of the day….
I woke up this morning, with this dreaded feeling…
I thought it was Monday – and I had a longgggg trek ahead of me until Sunday, the day that makes sense of it all.As I get to my office, and look at the preparations for my trip to China – I find myself doing the same work I would do on a Monday… It’s eerie… and even a little scary..
Especially given yesterday… I don’t want to relive that day again. Ever… and if it is only Monday… I will have to.
Oh God, why does it feel like Monday… again!
I got through it, only by the grace of God, only by a remembering what the sermon passage is for this week – Romans 6:1-11 – the incredible discussion of what it means to be baptized. to be one who has died completely with Christ, that we may find our resurrection with Him. It is there we find our strength – in realizing what God HAS done to us, is doing in us, because He claimed and washed us in baptism, and the most precious part of that gift – He has given us His Holy Spirit – to dwell in us, to strengthen us, to comfort us….to help us live in His peace.
It is no wonder that a pastor/priest could write:
“You want to be strong? Then first realise that you are very weak. After that, trust in Christ, your Father, your Brother, your Teacher. He makes us strong, entrusting to us the means with which to conquer—the sacraments. Live them! (1)
Ultimately, these sacraments, these means of grace do make us strong! Not because of who we are, for we do not deserve them, we do not deserve the blessings. But He gives us His grace, our life in Him, the peace, the mercy, the love and comfort, in ways that go beyond our comprehension, beyond our understanding. That is the work He is doing… in us. It is the means by which we realize and know we are living in the presence of God – the One who would have us call him Abba… Daddy. The God who revealed to us His work, that we would come with boldness and confidence into His presence.
Rejoice! The Lord has had mercy on us! Even on Mondays… or the days that seem like it!
(1) Escriva, Josemaria (2011-01-31). The Forge (Kindle Locations 2375-2377). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
The Advent of Peace
Advent of Peace
Haggai 2:4-9
Grace and peace to you, the much-promised gift of God our Father, delivered in Christ-incarnate!
Do not fear, do not be anxious!
But How.. and when?
As I hear Longfellow’s poem set to music, (the sermon hymn was “I heard the bells on Christmas Day” – it is an incredible story- !) and the change that comes over him, as if a light is simply turned on, I want to find a way to dismiss his suffering, to dismiss his grief, and thereby, to stay in my own grief, my own negativity, my own despair, my own anxiety. The problem is I know the background of Longfellow’s poem, and my trauma, even and the trauma of our world is not comparable to his trauma, and the trauma of his time.
There is something in this time of year as well, as I talk to businessmen, and principals, other pastors and those who I come in contact with, there is a sense of pessimism, in this time where we should be eagerly expecting some of the greatest joy of the year. People are struggling – many of us are struggling…
I hear in the song, the words of the angels who visit the outcasts in the field ,
Do not fear! There is peace on Earth, and God’s will, His desire for men is good…good!
And my theologian brain comes into play and I justify my dweeling in the early part of the song with theological statements like this promise of peace is now..and not yet. It is fulfilled and yet I can’t really see it.
And I, with supposed justification slink back into despair, and bow my head in defeat.
And then comes Advent… and we have to come face to face with the promise, and we have to realize – that yes, this promise is true, as is the God who delivered that promise to a stable in Bethlehem 2000 years ago.
But how do we make the change – from despair to joy, from thinking there is no peace, to glorying in it?
That is the challenge of Advent.
Look to His creation!
Look to the simple glory and know… the glory of Christ
And in the place where Christ is, glory and peace dwells
And that is in you.
In the words of the prophet Haggai, as his words, like the angels encourage us, I think I begin to see how to find the peace.
First the prophet reminds us of two of God’s promises by calling to mind His oath and covenant with us. That covenant was made when He delivered his people from bondage one, and assured them that He would always do so.. The second promise is there – next slide – when the Father promised, even back then, that the Holy Spirit would remain in the midst of His people – that God’s presence was there, even then, caring and comforting, forgiving and guiding, pouring out and establishing His peace..
There begins the source of our strength!
Less we doubt God being able to provide this care, this peace, the prophet is instructed to remind us of the incredible power of God – that He can, and indeed will shake the world, to separate and sift it, separating what is the treasure – what is the glory of those nations, that it may come pouring in.
God claims it is all His, that it all belongs to Him, that the glory of it will cause the glory of God’s abode to be greater than it ever was…
And then we realize, the gold and silver symbolize something, for while that may be where man’s treasure is, it is not where God’s is.
What is God’s treasures, that will out of the nations…
You and I are…
And when we realize that – the lights turn on… and we hear the glorious words, and we know that in this place, where we dwell with God, there is peace.
That’s the concept of advent – come and seen this newborn king – Come and adore Him,
Come and realize His promises are true – that He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lord.
Come, and leave the fears and anxieties behind – His spirit is present, His peace is present.
and as we look at our Lord, as we see the manger and the cross, and the empty tomb….
The light shatters the darkness, the love heals our brokenness, and we know, heart, soul mind and strength… that there is peace on earth, that there is God’s will coming complete in our lives…
Come and see – His peace is here… His Good will is here… and it is well…
The Blessing of Pain?
A favored quote from the Princess Bride:
“Life is pain, highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something.”
There is a lot of pain in the world, even as there is a lot of beauty in the world. There is no way to doubt that, and we can only deny it so long. Occasionally, we get a glimpse of something that is both, tied in a paradox that can be enjoyed and suffered through.
But let’s be honest – most pain sucks!
Rarely, do we see the beauty in pain, the glory of God revealed in trauma. It is very difficult, for the pain grabs our focus. It dominates us, it pushes us down, and yes it causes us to doubt. To doubt those around us, to doubt ourselves, to doubt God.
Yeah – it’s time to stop playing games – because of the levels of pain, it causes us to doubt God.
Even pastors, perhaps especially pastors.
Even apostles – hear how God had Paul reveal that in his own life.
4:7 Yet we who have this spiritual treasure are like common clay pots, in order to show that the supreme power belongs to God, not to us. 8 We are often troubled, but not crushed; sometimes in doubt, but never in despair; 9 there are many enemies, but we are never without a friend; and though badly hurt at times, we are not destroyed. 10 At all times we carry in our mortal bodies the death of Jesus, so that his life also may be seen in our bodies. 11 Throughout our lives we are always in danger of death for Jesus’ sake, in order that his life may be seen in this mortal body of ours. 12 This means that death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. 2 Corinthians 4:7-12 (TEV)
While I know I exaggerate the pain I have to endure, these words of Paul so incredibly describe some days I have. It can be my pain, but often it’s the pain that people I walk alongside develop. The pain endured by people struggling with the loss of a spouse, or losing a parent. The people who are dealing with job sresses, or dysfunctional family members and dysfunctional families. The pain due to lack of trust, the pain of betrayal, the pain of opposition as we try to bless those opposed to us.
As we are troubled, as we doubt, as we deal with enemies, as we are “badly hurt”, how can we say this can be what this same Paul promises (speaking for God) that “all things work for good, for those who love God?”
The ability to endure such times, is to know the difference comes from seeing, knowing the relationship we have with the God. TO begin to grasp the life that is united with Christ’s cross, which happened to us in baptism (see Romans 6:1-8)
Knowing that we endure in Christ (scripture talks about us as being hidden in Christ as well) we begin to look to Him in the midst of trauma, in the midst of pain. We find His presence, and we find it very dear – even when we can’t see the fulfillment of the prophecies, when we can’t find the joy in the journey.
But we begin to trust, even in the midst our doubt – ever more and more, His presence. We realize our pain can cause us to run to God, as we look to Him for some hope, some sense of peace… and that is when the miracle occurs…. Like the disciples in the boat, we realize the Lord is with us… and the storms don’t die down, the pain doesn’t always diminish. But God’s presence becomes the dominant part of our life, not the pain… we begin to find ourselves ministering to others when they observe the pain..we find our spiritual senses more attuned, and eventually trying to praise God ….for in the midst of lament, we find some of the most honest, most dependent worship there is….
And that is when pain….becomes a blessing.
When we realize HE IS HERE… when we realize the Holy Spirit is called the “comforter”, the One who comes alongside, for a reason…
HE IS HERE!
And that is more than enough…. even though we can never explain how….
Vacation – rest and revitalization…honestly?
Devotional thought of the day:
It started yesterday – about noonish – we started the packing of our “new” trailer, and it took five-ish hours, with my son giving tours to our neighbors. Then a little over 2 and a half hours to drive the 90 miles to the campground, another 2 hours to set up.
While our popup trailer is comparatively comfortable – it will take a few days to get used to it – every morning a three inch mattress will remind it us its not a tempurpedic, but chaDevotional thought of the day: It started yesterday – about noonish – we started the packing of our “new” trailer, and it took five-ish hours, with my son giving tours to our neighbors. Then a little over 2 and a half hours to drive the 90 miles to the campground, another 2 hours to set up. While our popup trailer is comparatively comfortable – it will take a few days to get used to it – every morning a three inch mattress will remind it us its not a tempurpedic, but chasing a five year old will bring that mattress to call to us very welcoming at the end of each day! A
And this is supposed to be rest and rejuvination? Hmmmm…
As we let people know we were actually going on vacation, many said to leave everything behind, just go and have fun… (as if life at Concordia isn’t fun, or at least thrilling in that rollercoaster, stomach twisting kind of adventure way!)
At first I acknowledged their wisdom, but realized that part of me wouldn’t leave Cerritos. I thought it would be my mind, that it would keep trying to work through everything. I was wrong, something is still there, but it isn’t my mind, it’s my heart.
In four years at Concordia (this week is the anniversary – so about time for a vacation?) I have watched people’s faith really blossom. When I got there, they had a unique tradition – every Bible Study starts and ends with the teacher stating, “The Lord is with you!”… This tradition I have come to love, and it really has become that which shapes our ministry here. ANd as I look and pray through our families, it only is made clearer that we truly need that knowledge, that blessing, the assurance than comes with His presence.
And they have gotten it – it is evident as they respond to that blessing, with words I love to here – for they are heart felt – they want me to know God is with me, just as much as they are learning to count on it.
St Paul once wrote a prayer for a church that he loved, and missed, and said,
3:14 My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, 15 this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. 16 I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength— 17 that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, 18 you’ll be able to take in with all Christians the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! 19 Live full lives, full in the fullness of God. 20 God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.
Ephesians 3:14-20 (MSG)
If I could describe the people of my church, it is often that they are like kids at Christmas, just opening their eyes to the magnificence of God’s love for them…. they are starting to see this – and oh is it a joy to see it, as they witness another person to whom God’s promises are poured out in baptism, or as they see their burdens and anxieties lifted off them as we hear God’s forgiveness delivered, and as we pray…and as we feast together – in our potlucks for sure, but in the more precious meal of Christ’s Body and Blood..
As they live out our mission and motto – that Concordia is the place where people heal in Christ, while helping others heal…
In this, they are being revealed to be the very craftsmanship of God (see Eph 2:10) , or in Latin, the Opus Dei, in Greek – the Poiema – the poem
It is not my mind I left behind, as much as my heart – and the joy of seeing people know God’s love for them.. of realizing that God has called them into a relationship where He is there Father, and them finding rest there…. of them knowing the words, “the Lord is with you” and reminding me in response, that He is also with me….
That’s where I truly and revitalized, and I look forward to being back!
The Challenge of Apathy
Discussion/Devotional Thought of the Day:
It is, I believe, the greatest sin that challenges my generation of believers, and I know that it presents the two biggest challenges I have, as a pastor, and as a believer.
The first is dealing with the apathy of others – the lack of commitment of time and energy to the thing that we will confess means the most to us, our relationship with God, our trust in Him, the communion that He calls us into. We allow sin to come in and choke the Life lived in trusting God out. Choked out by the noise, the prevalent immorality, the pressure of finances, the demands on our time, the futility of the events of the world and leaders whose actions terrifying us… and as the Church, we become paralyzed.
The second is more personal, as I look out on my work, and say, what can one small church pastor do to stop this slide? I don’t see any reason to swim against the tide, unless I can bring others with me. So why fight, when few it seems actually want to join in the battle? When few even want to see the battle, but instead look to their own comfort. I read the prophets, and I identify with the Jeremiah’s who realize that there is an end to the battle, yet wonder how distant it will be, how far until the next revivial, the next time that god’s people stop doing what is right in their own eyes, and call out… to Him.. and find His presence…and knowing that peace is there no matter what – start joyously sacrificing to bring others into that peace, that joy, that merciful presence of God.
When will we realize that sacrfiice, isn’t sacrifice if what comes out of it completely obscures what life was like, before there was LIFE?
One of my favorite verses, which doesn’t seem like it deals with apathy, is from St Peter’s epistle. “simply concentrate on being completely devoted to Christ in your hearts. Be ready at any time to give a quiet and reverent answer to any man who wants a reason for the hope that you have within you. 1 Peter 3:(Phillips NT)
It does though, for it provides the answer to apathy, which is simply to adore the Lord who wasn’t apathetic towards you. To know that hope which He gives to you, as the Holy Spirit dwells within you, which is both the guarantee of God’s love and work and mercy, and the Comforter, Encourager and Strength. Realize that there will be days when the old adam, the you before you knew Christ, rises up and questions the worth of you action. Remind that old self that he was killed off in baptism, that your life now, is in Christ. You heart and mind, guarded by Him, kept in the Father’s unsurpassed, indescribable peace….
And you will find yourself apathetic, about dealing with apathy…. and as you are drawn by the Holy Spirit against the current of the world, don’t be surprised if others follow in your wake, their battle a little less, for you that is how God is using you. (and note – when you are weary.. their surge will help you as well.)
Keeping God’s Commandments… a deeper look..
“All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me, therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to keep all I have commanded you, and lo I will be with you always, to the end of the age.!
It’s an incredible passage, one Christians and pastors – especially those who are focused on the mission of the church know well, at least we think we do.
Some focus on the going..
Some focus on the making of disciples…
Some focus on what it means to baptize,
Some focus on what they think teaching them to “keep” all that have I commanded you”
Some rightly focus on the incarnational presence of God – with us – for there is no way we could live our lives in Christ without knowing we do that which we do…
Been there, done that, have the t-shirts, the bible studes, the sermons i have written on all five of those great things….heck – talked people into going places and doing things – and those who did the right thing… may have done it for the wrong reason….
In the last few years – I’ve spent some time thinking and dwelling on this idea of Keeping and what is that which is “commanded” . Obviously this is a major part of our responsibility of the church – the vocation of all of us. So it bears a look into it.
First let’s deal with “keep”, which is sometimes erroneously translated “obey”. It is far more than simply obedience. And understanding the difference between keep and obey is critical. Keep in English is from the old English term for that place where you put that which you treasure, the castel keep was where the kings heirs, his wife, and the treasure – his and that of the people – when they are under attack, with they are oppressed. So to it is in Greek – it comes from the word for guard, to protect – to keep safe because it is a treasure. You can obey someone – without treasuring them…
That is far greater than the simple idea of blindly or knowledgeably obeying that which we are directed to do. We have something which is a treasure – it is more incredible than anything else we have! This which we teach to those who walk with Christ and those we are instrumental in bringing to walk with Christ – is something they are to treasure, something that will mean more to them than anything else that they have – could ever have.
So what is the treasure? What is it we ar to guard, to hold onto, to KEEP?
Our translations call it what Christ has commanded.
I have always thought it referred to the Ten Commandments, or the entire list of do’s and don’t in scripture. It’s more – to grasp that – we have to look at what did God “command”
Look to Creation…
He spoke the word, and there came into existence..
Look to our Re-creation…
The centurion’s cry, “only say the word and my servant shall be healed..
the demoniacs were dismissed by the command of the Lord…
We were declared righteous and holy… by the command of the Lord…
Our being called – our being cleansed and brought back to God, as St Paul says – “we are His worksmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works” He commissioned us, He has commanded that we are cleansed and given life…. life with Him. Think of Ezekiel’s valley of dry bones… and the Son of man commanding the bones to join and become enfleshed, to stand – and the command given to the Spirit to breathe life into those bones….
Yeah – that’s the treasure that Christ has commanded.. the Creation and Re-creation – of our lives with God.
That’s our treasure… that is what, as we make disciples, as we baptize them…. that is what we teach them to treasure, to keep, to guard….
AMEN!
