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The Unredeemable?
Occasionally in the life of a pastor (or priest for my RCC friends) you come across a situation that is so far beyond what you’ve been taught to deal with in seminary or pastor’s conferences. Your heart and soul twists and turns as you think about how you will deal with it, and how in the world the situation will be seen in the promise we share with everyone else….
“We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, those whom he has called according to his purpose. 29 Those whom God had already chosen he also set apart to become like his Son, so that the Son would be the first among many believers. 30 And so those whom God set apart, he called; and those he called, he put right with himself, and he shared his glory with them.”
Romans 8:28-30 (TEV)
The situations we find ourselves in have nothing glorious, nothing good it seems, and we are hard pressed to not consider the situation “unredeemable”.
Yet we have a God, who in that passage promises redemption, for H has called us to Him, He has set us apart – and He will make it right. We have the challenge of trusting Him in that, to rest assured that He is God, and that He can do what we consider impossible, including redeeming that which seems unredeemable. Forgiving and making right that which seems to dark, too evil, and causes to much despair.
He has promised to make it right, to make it good. ( I can’t but help hear that as “guuuuuuddd’ as in Jim Carrey and Morgan Freeman in Bruce Almighty”
So it figures, as I face a situation that isn’t completely unredeemable, but still weighs heavily on my mind… at the end of my devotions I come across this:
218 Get rid of that human prudence which makes you so very cautious, so—sorry to be so blunt!—cowardly. Let us not be narrow-minded. Let us not be infantile men or women, who are nearsighted and lack a supernatural breadth of vision…! Could we be working for ourselves? Of course not! Well then, let us say quite fearlessly: Dearest Jesus, we are working for you, and… are you going to deny us the material means we need? You know full well how worthless we are; still, I would not treat a servant working for me in that way… Therefore, we hope and are sure you will give us all we need to be able to serve you. (1)
And He will, He has promised. The situation will be resolved – by Him, not by us, though perhaps through us. THough there are times where we have to cry, “Lord, I believe, but help me in my unbelief!”
We have to remember – we’ve asked – “Lord have mercy” – now let us act trusting He has!
(1) Escriva, Josemaria (2011-01-31). The Forge (Kindle Locations 944-951). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
Overwhelmed? Broken?
Quote to ponder this day:
When you have fallen or when you find yourself overwhelmed by the weight of your wretchedness, repeat with a firm hope: Lord, see how ill I am; Lord, you who died on the Cross for love of me, come and heal me. Be full of confidence, I insist. Keep on calling out to his most loving Heart. As he cured the lepers we read about in the Gospel, He will cure you. (1)
As i read this quote this morning, I recoiled a bit at the phrasing, especially “the weight of your wretchedness”. Wretched? Isn’t that a bit strong? I mean, my life certainly faces a lot of “challenges”, but “wretched”?
If I am honest, those “challenges” do weigh heavily on me, as can the guilt and shame that comes with dealing effectively with those challenges. I want to face them on my own, have the wisdom to deal with them, and I often instead cower in fear, or at least become paralyzed by it. I don’t think my wretchedness is just about my sin, though it obviously would include it. But we live in a broken world, and we live among broken people, and the situation at times does seem “wretched”, and that there is no way out. If I dwell on it long enough, I can become depressed and bitter towards God, – why haven’t You helped me!
It is then that a friend, or a passage like this shows up, and my world which was turned upside down… become at peace.
I may have to cry out to Him until I am exhausted and fall mercifully to sleep. It’s not because He isn’t answering, He does and I am often so overwhelmed, so wretched I don’t hear Him clearly. For what He will say is often not what I want to hear, but it is always there,, and is effective.
James talks about the prayer of a righteous man is very very effective – so is it that I am not righteous enough? Interestingly, that question’s answer is found in itself – the reason someone is counted righteous is because they trust God. because they know His presence, and rejoice in Christ. It is when we draw close, that we find those answers, that peace, that assurance in the middle of being overwhelmed, of being wretched. The situation doesn’t change as much as we think – what changes is that we are not as concerned as we are in awe…
So are you overwhelmed, has the situation nearly crushed you? Or at least, do you think it has? Keep crying out to God – until your heart is ready to listen, to be set at peace. I love the bullet point before the one quoted above, for it states why this is effective.
“Let us marvel at the lovable paradox of our Christian condition: it is our own wretchedness which leads us to seek refuge in God, to become “like unto God”. With him we can do all things.” (1)
Jesus said it this way:
6:31 What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. 32 People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. 33 Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. 34 “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.
Matthew 6:31-34 (MSG)
Lord, have mercy upon us, and as we are seeking that mercy, draw us through it to be aware of You Presence.
(1) Escriva, Josemaria (2011-01-31). The Forge (Kindle Locations 927-931). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
Angels and Spiritual Warfare…it is not what we think!
Devotional thought of the day to be discussed.
This week in liturgical churches, we celebrate the Feast of St Michael and all Archangels. (Yes even in Lutheran Churches – check your pericope!)
Now, with the obvious disclaimer that we do not worship these beings, we can and do interact with them. Jesus talks about children having such angels in heaven, and we see one in action in the life of the prophet Daniel, and in the life of Moses. One such discussion is noted in the Epistle of Jude:
1:8 In the same way, these people—who claim authority from their dreams—live immoral lives, defy authority, and scoff at supernatural beings. 9 But even Michael, one of the mightiest of the angels, did not dare accuse the devil of blasphemy, but simply said, “The Lord rebuke you!” (This took place when Michael was arguing with the devil about Moses’ body.) Jude 1:8-9 (NLT)
Herein lies a great challenge for us, for whether it be spiritual battle, or dealing with those that antagonize or berate us, we want to strike back accordingly. We want to take justice into our own very creative hands, and trash those who hurt us, or more often, hurt others. In doing so, we engage our own falseness, we do so in our weakness, we do so in a way, that is sure to find us defeated, demoralized, bitter, broken. Or we come back that way, but disguised with a sense of triumphant joy. “We showed them”, “we pounded them into the ground”, “Got’em!” we cry, and we fail to see that both they and we are bleeding from the fight. There is no winner, just more division, more pain, and another battle to fight another day.
Michael the Archangel fought Lucifer in a different manner. He didn’t go head to head – could he have? Perhaps, but we will find that angels primary vocation is not to do battle. We love to picture them, either as weak cherubs at valentines day – piercing hearts with arrows to cause love. (Interesting thought there -change the love from erotic to agape – that’s how the Holy Spirit works) or a valiant towering warriors with swords laced with purifying fire. But scripture primarily talks of them in two ways. One – bringing a message to God’s people. Secondly, and this is really their place – before the throne of God. leading the hosts of heaven, with the 24 elders, adoringly declaring the praise of God.
So Michael, who like us was designed not for battle, but for worship and fellowship, keeps it simple. “The Lord correct you!” and the battle is over.
When we put justice into His hands.. the outcome of spiritual battles is assured. Christ’s power simply overwhelms Satan’s, because Christ’s power is life, not death. It is reconciliation of God’s people with God and each other, not division. FOr someone used to living in the presence of God, the battle is simply a matter of turning it over to our Lord, who died on the cross, that no other need die, that no other need be broken. It is when we realize this, that gathering together becomes more than a country club like gathering .
But to get to that place, means we have to let Christ deal with our own “demons”. To break the power of sin and satan over us, for believers, to realize that is what happens in the sacraments, in baptism, as we feast, as we confess and are absolved. Josemarie Escriva wrote well,
“You, who see yourself so badly lacking in virtues, in talents, in abilities… Do you not feel the desire to cry out like the blind Bartimaeus, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!”? What a beautiful aspiration for you to say very often, “Lord, have pity on me!” He will hear you and come to your aid.” Escriva, Josemaria (2011-01-31). The Forge (Kindle Locations 882-886). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
If we need to deal with our own pain which oppresses us, if our “personal demons” (which usually aren’t demons in the way we picture them) need to be dealt with, the cry of Kyrie Eleison, Lord have mercy, will see those “demons” rebuked and their hold broken, and our souls and heart and minds and bodies – freed to worship. It is a prayer that God always answers, for the promise and fulfillment of the prayer is what the cross is always about.
So Lord, have mercy on us, rebuke that which oppresses us, help us live as Your body, your people. AMEN
The Simplicity of Sharing God’s Love…
Devotional Thought of the day….
28:16 The eleven disciples went to the hill in Galilee where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him, even though some of them doubted. 18 Jesus drew near and said to them, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples: baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, 20 and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And I will be with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:16-20 (TEV)
“The moment you have anyone—whoever he may be—at your side, find a way, without doing anything strange, to pass on to him the joy you experience in being a son of God and living as such.” (1)
There are many things to think through, in the scene mentioned above, as having broken the power of death and shame, Jesus gives the disciples some last directions about the ministry He is sharing with them.
It is interesting to me that even in His presence, some doubted, for that gives me hope, when I struggle with this great work we have – and indeed, considering the last verse we have the answer. We are never far from our Triune God and His glory – even here in this “life”.
I love parts of the TEV translation here – especially when it uses “people” rather than nations. Nations distance the project, they make it seem larger than possible – to go into ALL the WORD and make disciples of ALL NATIONS. If we consider the task with those words, it is easy to become disappointed, disillusion – 7 billion people? But if we see that passage refering to going everywhere – and making disciples of people, the task becomes a matter of life, a matter of our vocation, not some task, but really, that which is part of every role, every vocation, everything we do in life.
That is why I love the simplicity of how a catholic priest named Josemarie Escriva (now canonized as a saint by the RCC) describes this work we call evangelism. Find a way, without doing anything strange to pass on the joy! What joy? Pass on the joy of being a son of God, and living as such!
There is a magnificent joy in realizing we have been freed to be God’s children, to live life with that kind of exuberance, with that kind of energy. To realize the burdens God has lifted from us, the anxiety we’ve been from – for a purpose – to walk with God. Think of that for a few moments as you eat your lunch today. And then, look around you, see those God has brought into your life – who live or work or are enjoying a game or eating, those people side by side. Simply share with them your joy, help them to see it is theirs as well.
For that is why we have been sent into the world, to reflect His love, His mercy, His light.
Lord, as we cry Lord have mercy, may we cry for those around us, and as we receive that mercy, may we share that with them as well.
(1)Escriva, Josemaria (2011-01-31). The Forge (Kindle Locations 701-703). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
A Little Boy’s Dream fulfilled…what is yours?
Devotional Thought of the Day:
It was about two years ago, as his mom did the Old Testament and Epistle readings of the day. As she returned to her seat, he asked, since he was reading already, if he could read God’s word to the God’s people. “Someday you will do it, when you are older,” replied his father, who happened to be the pastor. To be honest I was thinking during confirmation a decade away…. I would have never expected two years. Even for William that would be something incredible. Yet, yesterday, with more seriousness than I have ever seen, he got up, walked over, bowed, stepped up onto a step, and read a passage from Isaiah clearly, and with incredible skill – especially for a 5 year old.
I was proud of him on many levels, especially as I heard the reaction of our church, and heard how he ministered to them. He was nervous, and did it anyway. Although he originally wanted his mom to stand by him, he decided he wanted to do this, for God, all by himself. When I realized my wife video’d it, sending it to a few family members seemed like a nice idea, as we figured they would be proud of him. His dream was fulfilled and he did it well and seriously.
As I look over the comments this morning that people have made about it. I wonder how often we give up on that which God has called us to do. Maybe it’s reading His word in public, ( I have a number of eloquent people who are very afraid of doing that! ) Or maybe it is talking to people about why you have hope? Maybe it is studying to become a deacon, or a pastor, or going on a mission field to some remote land, or the inner city a few miles down the road. Or maybe it is the most challenging thing (in my opinion), going to someone you’ve hurt, or been hurt by, and with great love, attempting to restore the relationship that was broken. Perhaps it is simply living, where you are at, working among the same people, in the same vocation, but striving to do so in a way that glorifies God.
It may be titled a dream, or a calling, it may scare the heck out of you, it may seem impossible.
Ever see a five year old read 4 syllable words to a church filled with people?
Yeah – if God can help William achieve something he talked about for weeks a few years back, and still brought up – even two weeks ago… He’ll be with you…..
BTW – here is William’s video:
The Sacrament of Confession & Absolution/Reconciliation: Finding the Freedom from Masks the Suffocate Us…
Discussion thought of the day:
In our Bible Study last night – we talked of a description of some religious leaders in Israel’s history who “whitewashed” that which was being built, before it was completed. They made it look pretty and nice and completed. The problem, they whitewashed everything without checking to make sure the job was done write. In our Bible Study this morning, ( a different group) we were in Hebrews 6, where it talks about the difference between believers and others, one produced a crop that was a blessing, the other produced thistles and thorns (my paraphrase – roses) that might have nice flowers and an incredible smell, but were not just inedible, but would actually injure a person.
At the end of devotions today, I came across this quote: You asked me to suggest a way for winning through in your daily struggles, and I replied: When you lay your soul open, say first of all what you wouldn’t like to be known. In this way the devil will always end up defeated. Lay your soul wide open, clearly and simply, so that the rays of God’s Love may reach and illuminate the last corner of it! (1)
It is one of the mysteries of life why we hide that which needs healing, and why that which is broken we cover. Having a five year old – it seems that this isn’t something we learn, but something that is part of our DNA. We don’t like going to doctors or dentists or auto-repair shops or having our houses or workplaces inspected, never mind having a review done. And in hiding the the broken in us that needs healing,, we must hide our hearts, our souls, we must cover them, and put on a mask that has a bright smile. That mask can, and does suffocate us, the false front we have to put up will slowly cause us to fade out, to expire.
The answer is simple – in Ezekiel – God will tear down the walls, or as St. Josemarie describes it – “laying open your soul”. St Peter talks of this as the Holy Spirit cutting their hearts open. For surely the strength to be honest and to deal with sin comes not from our internal instinct. We would continue to hide, to continue to pretend we are okay, covering up our brokenness with false smiles and quick, “I’m fine”.
The answer seems painful, it may cause anxiety the first dozen plus times, yet.. the freedom of letting those things be dealt with by God is amazing, it is wondrous, it breaks bondage and washes away anxiety and drives away the darkness, leaves us knowing God’s peace. To hear the words, yes, God forgives you your sin, you are cleansed, you are healed – to know that what was broken – God has put back together. If it seems to good to be true – remember this is God’s desire, as St Peter tells us:
3:9 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)
and as St John tells us, it is His promise
” If we say, ‘We have no sin,’ we are deceiving ourselves, and truth has no place in us; 9 if we acknowledge our sins, he is trustworthy and upright, so that he will forgive our sins and will cleanse us from all evil.” 1 John 1:8-9 (NJB)
and one more promise for good measure, from St. James:
5:16 So then, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you will be healed. The prayer of a good person has a powerful effect. James 5:16 (TEV)
So open your lives, find a pastor ( I know where one is waiting in Cerritos) or a priest- and hear for yourself – regarding those sins you don’t even want to admit to your self – that they are forgiven.
Lord have mercy, and show us that we can open up out hearts – that the mercy will cause us great joy!
(1)Escriva, Josemaria (2011-01-31). The Forge (Kindle Locations 644-647). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
Obligations, Time Demands and Priorities
Devotional/Discussion thought of the day:
Don’t create more obligations for yourself than… God’s glory, his Love, his Apostolate.(1)
Yesterday, as I talked about anxiety in my sermon, and the coming of Christ which overcomes such anxiety, one of the illustrations I used was that the word for anxiety might best be translated as “running around like a chicken with its head cut off”, or “frantic”. It is easy to get into that kind of lifestyle, where we rush around from appointment to appointment, from task to task, spinning our wheels because of the demands placed upon us so quickly that we don’t have time to prioritize. Everything seems to be an obligation, and we wonder if we can get it all done!
And in the fast paced, spinning our wheels type of days, the one thing we do not know, is peace.
And we need that peace.
In the quote I borrowed today, there is something I think we should consider, and try to implement. Simply put, we must try to arrange our day, not by the tasks, and appointments and stuff of life, but realize what we are obliged to do is to walk that day in God’s glory, reveling in His love, and working from the assumption that whatever we do, it is because He sent us to do it, as His ambassadors, as His apostles, as His people bringing light into the world. We start there in His presence – we must start there. Not in the sense of we must because we need to be there, if anything we do is going to be of worth, if we are going to see God’s glory, if we are going to know His peace.
Once we remember we dwell in Christ, when we put on Christ, when we realize His mercy and love and peace – then, we will see the day unravel as He planned, we will see the things we do as His work, and it will be done, and done well, as the Holy Spirit works throughout our life.
Lord have mercy on us, and help us to realize You have, You are, and You will… every moment. AMEN
Escriva, Josemaria (2011-01-31). The Forge (Kindle Locations 521-522). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
The End Game…Death? Not even…
Devotional thought of the day:
In a biography I am reading, there are a number of quotes of the man of God talking about what he believed was his imminent death. (By the dates of the events – he isn’t far off, but I haven’t gotten that far..yet.) This year, a number of close friends have died again, and even today I am missing one friend’s memorial service because I am officiating at a service of another sister in Christ.
Scripture tells us that because of the death and resurrection of Christ, death has lost its victory, it has lost its poisonous sting. While I believe that, while I know that, it is hard to look on faces that damp with flowing tears, with hearts that appeared crush. Too often, I struggle to see them because my eyes too are blocked by the same liquid. The pain is often unbearable, and some have asked what I know to say in those moments.
To be honest, there is only one thing to say…. to look at the person’s life, to see the connection that God made with them, to look at God’s faithfulness expressed in their life, and note the connection. Note the love of God seen in their life, love that is impossible to have at work, unless God is present. To then assure them of God’s care for their loved one, and His promise to bring us comfort, even as He has brought them into His joyous glory. To share with them one perfect promise:
2:9 but it is as scripture says: What no eye has seen and no ear has heard, what the mind of man cannot visualise; all that God has prepared for those who love him;
1 Corinthians 2:9 (NJB)
all that.
All THAT..
Death will sting those who have yet to endure it – of that there is no doubt. But for Fr. Josemarie, for JoAnn and Chuck, for Rev. McLeod, and Warren and Shirley and… and.. and..there is not sting..there is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit – fully revealed…
There is ALL THAT… there is dwelling in His glory, in His peace, seeing Him face to face…knowing as we are known,,, and far more than we can ever see, hear, or imagine in this life.
We say they “rest in peace” yet, as we look at God’s promise, we know that we dwell in that same peace…even if our hearts struggle to rest in it.
Godspeed to all those who “survive”, and may His peace so overwhelm our hearts and minds…AMEN
POSTSCRIPT:
After writing this blog, I had the honor of officiating at a memorial service. I wrote this on my FB post, which serves to make the point of this blog:
As I sit down to complete my sermon for tomorrow, I can’t help but think of the man who just celebrated God’s love for his wife. Though he anticipated less than 10 people a crowd showed up to comfort him and thank God for her life, and how it touched them,
During the lunch that followed, he never sat down – but constantly circulated, showing pictures of them together, talking to them about God’s love, hearing their stories.
It is to witness God’s handiwork in such lives, that has come to mean more to me as a pastor than anything else. To see the effect of God’s word, as it brings comfort and peace, and yes – even joy in the midst of trauma…. leaves on in awe in God’s presence.
—-
Truly, there is one blessing, said at every service, every Bible study of this church. It is this: “The Lord is with you!” – and I am blessed to see evidence of it, everyday.
The Paradox of Holiness.. and peace
Devotional thought of the day:
I have often heard that the Bible isn’t a reliable book, because it is not logical, because what it says isn’t rational, it doesn’t make sense, indeed it goes so against our grain, that it is easy to dismiss it.
Following Jesus is full of apparent contradictions, for as Paul says, the foolishness of God confounds the wisdom of the wise. The paradoxes are those that just are stunning, yet, as the Holy Spirit brings us to trust in God, what appears isn’t that they are less than logical, but that they transcend it. For example:
It is in dying with Christ, that we find life.
We find peace and hope, not in the absence of trauma and pain, but in the midst of it.
We find righteousness, not in our our works, but in confessing that we are not righteous.
Perhaps my favorite paradox is the road to holiness. For it lies not in seeking perfection, but in realizing our brokenness. To think we can attain holiness by work, by sweat, tears, discipline, that is the road of most religious systems, and every self-help system that I have ever encountered. But while I would encourage everyone to discipline themselves, the goal of that discipline is not holiness, but rather – to keep focused on the fact that we are, in Christ, Holy.
We become so, not by our effort, not by our sacrifice, but in our brokenness, in our realization that we cannot discipline ourselves enough, that we cannot sacrifice enough, that we cannot work hard enough. All of those efforts, on their own, simply persuade us to live a lie, to hide our brokenness, our shame, our…failure. And so, exhausted, empty, broken, we do not refuse the hands that pick us up, the hands that heal our wounds, though they bear nail scars, though the eyes that look on us with tender mercy and love are surrounded by a face disfigured and broken by thorns and beatings. Despire the disfigurement, the eyes look into us, and heal and make whole, and yes Holy.
From His brokenness, we find the healing for our own brokenness. For it is in His death, we find life, abundant, free, joyous, unburdened life….
We find something so mysterious, so incredible, so mind-blowing awesome. In Christ, the broken are made holy.
No more hiding needed, no more facades, no more games, just Jesus. Just His holiness and glory, transforming us into His image. (2 Cor 3:16ff)
That will never make sense to a world that tries to keep its eyes closed, its ears blocked to that which it cannot comprehend….unless they see it, in the brokenness of those Christ has healed… unless they hear the joy of those who found comfort in the midst of brokenness,
For those that found a peace beyond logic, comprehension, understanding, that Jesus brings to them… and keeps us in.
May we find joy in our brokenness, as we cling to the Hope given to us.. in the arms of the One broken, so that we are healed.
