Hurry and Cut the Grass Before the Snowstorm

I had to laugh - I've been wanting to cut the grass (it's called "mow the lawn" in some parts of the world) for about a week now

John Wayne, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Me (and Jesus)

When I was a boy, John Wayne was the epitome of rugged masculinity, able to fight off the Apaches with one hand and embrace

Snow and Forgivensss

Yesterday's snowfall was unexpected and lovely, blanketing the area in a sheet of white. Snow is

Taking off the Veil

Spiritual vision involves seeing the way God sees, not the way we humans see (1 Sam. 16:7).  I know several people with

Bilbo and the Fishermen

Gandalf interrupts Bilbo's quiet morning

The new Hobbit movie is a beautiful work of film-making.  This morning I saw a parallel

What Is God's Name? (Part 5)

Have you ever understood the Bible's names for God, about how and why God is called Father, Son and Holy Spirit?  Have you ever wondered -- or doubted -- whether we can trust

Jesus: Expert Consultant

The Lovely Joanne, in her systems-auditing business, sometimes visits client companies that have very complex manufacturing processes.  Sometimes she hires

"It Is Finished!"

The sky was dark and brooding, as if responding to the horror happening below.  Three men had been hanging on their crosses for hours now, but in typical Roman cruelty, they could be there for days, twisting in agony, begging for mercy and gradually slipping away into death.  The middle of the three, Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee, had been beaten so badly by a Roman scourge that he had not even a palm-sized patch of skin without lacerations and bruises over his entire body.  He was sinking fast.  "I am thirsty" he rasped, and a soldier dipped a sponge in sour wine and held it to Jesus' lips. 

Jesus' thirst was physical, because he was fully human and was thirsty from the loss of blood and lack of water; but it was also a reference by Jesus to Psalms 42:1-2 and 63:1, where the writer has a spiritual thirst for God comparable to being physically parched.  Various commentators point out the irony of the Source of Living Water (John 4:14, 7:38-39) being thirsty in death.  The soldier's response was an unwitting fulfillment of the betrayal listed in Psalm 69:21, "they offer me sour wine for my thirst."  

"It is finished" was Jesus' final cry recorded in John 19:30.  The Greek verb "tetelestai" he used is in the form that means a completed action creating an ongoing state of being.  It's a similar word to "finished" and "fulfilled" in verse 28.  Here, Jesus didn't say "I am finished" to refer to his own condition, but "it is finished" an emphatic, triumphant statement of victory!  The grand plan of God becoming man -- to be one of us and to fully experience our humanity, then in one bold stroke to absorb all our sin, guilt and shame so there will never be any more barrier between God and us -- that plan had now been accomplished with complete success.  There was, and is, nothing left to do to rescue us and reunite us to our Father.  You are now reconciled to God through Jesus his Son (2 Cor. 5:18-19).  It's a done deal. 

Luke records Jesus saying "Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands" in 23:46.  It was time now, and okay now, for Jesus to breathe one last breath and die.  Jesus, Son of God and Son of Man, fully God and fully human, died.  If he hadn't been human, he couldn't have died for you; if he hadn't been God, he couldn't have died for you.   
 
But the story is not over...

Knowing Who Jesus Is

How do you read the Bible?  Some treat it as the "owner's manual for people".  The result of that view is, they look in the Bible for rules or principles in how to treat others and how to worship God.  And in one sense that's correct, because the principles given in the Bible do point out good ways of living.  But is that the Bible's main point?  There's far too much in its pages that doesn't fit that mold.

A better way to look at the Bible is that it shows us who we are and who God is.  Today, we'll look for an example at the story of Jesus in the Gospels.  If Jesus were just a great teacher, it would make sense that the Gospels were written to tell us what he taught, which of course is radical and challenging.  But seen more fully, they are written to tell us who Jesus is, and why that matters to us.  The many times they show him as the Son of God, someone who is more than just a man and more than just a teacher, is overwhelming.  Have you read them from that perspective? 

This letter from Joseph Tkach lists the four Gospels and tells how each was written.  To summarize his letter, the four Gospels were written to four different audiences to show who Jesus is from four different viewpoints. 

Finally, let's look at the way the four books emphasize Jesus' intentions toward his crucifixion.  Notice how much space in each book is taken up with the run-up to that final encounter and his triumph over death in the resurrection.  In Matthew 16:13, he asks "Who do you say I am?" and follows that with an explanation of his coming sacrifice in verse 21.  Luke's account records the same question in 9:19, moving into Jesus predicting his death, and saying the days were coming close to his being taken up.  Mark's Gospel shows him already being opposed by the Pharisees in chapter 7, and in 8:27 is the fateful question.  John's Gospel has the clues about his upcoming death starting in the first chapter.  Jesus' mission to come into our humanity as the Son of God and rescue us from within our broken humanity is the main idea throughout. 

As we approach the date of our annual remembrances of both his sacrifice and his resurrection, let's be sure we understand what he was really about -- and how he pursued his Father's mission with love and faithfulness (John 1:14-17). 

Lazarus, the Rich Man, the Older Brother...and Us?

You might want to read this post from my brother pastor / writer Jonathan Stepp:
http://trinityandhumanity.com/2012/02/16/lazarus-the-rich-man-and-the-prodigal-son/

What do you think?  Tell him, and let me know too.

Paint and Renovation

Yesterday, on my day off, I spent most of the day slapping paint on my house.  The siding needed paint a couple of years ago, and it got dry and cracked.  The surface of the wood soaked up the primer like a thirsty man soaks up water, but the primer is doing its job.  The surface is now sealed and looks a whole lot better.  And that's what paint is for, to weather-proof the exterior and make it look good.  But of course paint does nothing to repair the structure, seal the windows, or insulate the walls.  A good paint job can make a dilapidated house look great -- if you don't look too closely.

Some people approach Christianity the same way as painting a house.  Attending church, and taking on Christian culture and speech and dress, can make you look better on the outside -- but right below the surface, the old person still exists, unchanged.  When Jesus invited his original disciples to follow him, he started them on a process that created a change in the innermost being:  thinking, focus, emotions, and responses to other people.  He invites his disciples today to do exactly the same! 

In church we're preaching through the Beatitudes (Matthew. 5:3-10).  Those sayings of Jesus have brought up uncomfortable realities about how we, no matter how long we've gone to church, haven't "arrived" -- we are still on the journey of learning to think and be as Jesus taught.  Jesus meant these sayings to shake us, to wake us up to his new Kingdom reality, and to challenge us to surrender our thinking and emotions to him. 

Paul was concerned for his flock in the same way.  He wrote the epistle to the churches in Galatia to warn people not to get caught up in empty religious forms (in this case, the Old Covenant law -- but it could have been anything) because those had no power to change the inner person.  In Galatians 4:19 Paul tells them his goal for them, that "Christ is fully developed in your lives" and in chapters 5 and 6 he emphasizes the role of the Holy Spirit in change.  That lifelong process of learning about Jesus and letting him change us is what we call "discipleship" or "spiritual formation."  Spiritual formation, for ourselves first of all, is the foundational job of church pastors and leaders.  It's a major part of what we continue to teach and emphasize to all Christ-followers.

Following Jesus isn't a surface-level paint job.  It's a back-to-the-foundation renovation project.  He is exceedingly patient and kind while he works us through this process, but he is exceedingly thorough and persistent, too.  So he asks us to listen carefully to him, to surrender our wills to him and to ask the Holy Spirit's constant help in revising our thinking and our emotions.  And when that happens, something else results -- the outside becomes beautiful.  Let's determine to take on the lifelong work of following Jesus, and see what he wants us to look like!

Joyce Powell, 1933-2011

  

My dear mother-in-law, Joyce Powell, recently passed from this life into eternity in God's arms, after a long and fruitful life and a long struggle with several different physical ailments.  We will all miss her terribly. 

Here are two photos of Joyce from several years ago, enjoying The Lovely Joanne's birthday party on the beach -- a favorite place for them both.  She took great joy in seeing her daughter's happiness.  Joyce and Stuart, her husband of 55 years, often traveled to America on business and to see their beloved Joanne (and to give their son-in-law a hard time).  After Stuart retired, and Joyce became unable to travel, Joanne did the traveling for the business.  The advantage in that was that the travel included visiting clients in England, then spending time with her parents in the north.  I got to go too, from time to time, as we tried to honor them by spending time with them.

Joyce was known by many for her practical wisdom.  Her daughter says she had more common sense in her pinky finger than most people possess altogether, and I think she's right.  Joyce could take just about any stain out of just about any fabric, and could pack a suitcase so when you took the clothes out, there were no wrinkles.  She had a system and a reason for just about everything. 

Many people found Joyce's wisdom about life -- not just laundry -- helpful and encouraging.  She always had a kind word for everyone.  And her humility, her clear understanding of her own strengths and weaknesses, helped create that wisdom and a gentleness with others who were struggling.  She often reminded people of the blessings they had from God which we so often overlook in our trials, as a way to help gain perspective and keep a balance. 

Joyce was always good for a laugh.  One of our funniest memories of her, was her inability to choose just one item in an unfamiliar restaurant menu, since they all sounded so good.  After finally ordering and being served, she always thought your plate looked better than what she had ordered!  One year, Joanne and I found an extension fork (for toasting marshmallows in a fireplace, I think) and gave it to her for Christmas as a "tithing fork" so it was more convenient for her to get a bit of what was on your plate too.  She laughed uproariously -- and never used it.  But she was always up for preparing food for us and anyone else who happened by.  One had to be persistent to get away from their home and still be hungry!  

For some reason, she took a shine to me the first time we met, and it wasn't long before she was suggesting, in her own quiet way, that her daughter pay more attention to me.  I never really felt worthy of her approval or affection, but it was one of my great joys that she had given it. 

It's a comfort for Joanne and me, as well as Stuart, to be absolutely sure we will see her again.  She is secure with her Savior, awaiting the resurrection of the body (1 Cor. 15) -- of which Jesus is the Pioneer, the first of "a great harvest" (verse 20).  But to be honest, we miss her something awful, and the days just aren't the same without her.  It will be wonderful to see her again, along with my own mother, who died in 1975, and a whole lot of others we all miss.  Until then, we wait, with our hope in Jesus, for his return in glory.  God speed that day!

The Resurrection Body

I'm becoming very thankful that one day, this body will be changed to a more glorious form that will be suitable for eternity.  I think a lot of those I love and serve in the church, along with The Lovely Joanne, feel the same way.  The last six months or so, we've all been assaulted by a myriad of aches and pains, and medical treatments for various body parts that have quit working up to the original specification.  We've been poked and prodded, stabbed with needles and shot with various kinds of rays, given exercises to do and pills to take, in an attempt to get the engine going again.  And in June, of course, Joanne and her father and I said goodbye to her mother, Joyce, as this mortal life ended for her. 

This physical body is not designed to last forever.  David said famously in Psa. 90:10, "Seventy years are given to us!  Some even live to eighty. But even the best years are filled with pain and trouble; soon they disappear, and we fly away."   Paul follows up on that in the "resurrection chapter," 1 Cor. 15.  Let's look at v. 53:  "For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies."  The earthly body, not suited to eternity because it decays, "cannot inherit what will last forever" (v. 50).  So God will give us a body, "the new body he wants [us] to have" similar to the way a seed planted in the ground sprouts in a new form (v. 38). 

We received our human body because of Adam, and will receive our spiritual body because of Jesus Christ (v. 45-49).  We will not be disembodied spirits, but will have bodies made for us by God: "For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies" (2 Cor. 5:1-3).  Jesus, after his resurrection, still looked like himself, including the wounds he had suffered on the cross.  He ate and drank with his disciples -- but he could also appear and disappear at will, and travel somehow.  And we will be given bodies like his (Phil. 3:21) so it follows that we, like Jesus, will look much the same as we have before.  (Now, there's a big debate about whether we'll get our hair back, or how much we will weigh -- the Bible doesn't say, and I'm not going there either!  You'll just have to find out later.)

What a relief that will be!  No more doctor visits or hospital stays, blood tests or mammograms.  Proctologists and gynecologists alike will be out of work (not that they'll mind, I'm sure!).  Joints and muscles will work properly again, and we won't be bothered with psoriasis, cancer or Crohn's disease.

What do we do in the meantime, while we suffer from these things?  We deal with what we have patiently, and look out for one another.  "Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ" (Gal. 6:2). "Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed" (James 5:16).  And with hope in our hearts, let's look forward to the end, when even death will be destroyed completely by Jesus (1 Cor. 15:26).  Amen to that!

Apprentices of Jesus

Mrs. Williamson just celebrated her 97th birthday, and that stirred up wonderful memories for me.  Her late husband hired me to work on their farm for the summer in Kansas when I was just a lad.  He taught me how to drive a tractor and a truck, how to listen carefully to instructions, to remember exactly where in the workshop he said to find the tool he sent me for, and how to work hard and not quit even when it was a long day.  I watched and learned from him how he planned his work to do the harder part first, how he could move a heavy load of hay or grain almost without trying, how to take time to go fishing whenever he could, and many, many other lessons in work and life.  He was a great example. 

Jesus told his disciples “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” (Mat. 4:19).  For three years or so, they followed him around, camping out under the stars or staying in someone's home, doing the chores as well as watching him perform miracles.  They learned by watching him and imitating what he did.  He even kicked them out of the nest and commanded them to do what he had done (Luke 10:1-10).  They learned what he taught as they went along, and the Holy Spirit was responsible to help them remember and to learn more, even after Jesus ascended bodily to heaven (John 14:26).

Paul told his followers "And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ." (1 Cor. 11:1).  Paul's life was very intense, living among people from city to city and teaching them what Jesus had taught, being persecuted but persisting in teaching the Good News.  And some of Paul's followers did imitate him, even to the point of dying for their beliefs. 

Discipleship is, in some Christian circles, mostly studying the Bible, learning facts about God, and being told to be active in a local church.  A more accurate understanding of "disciple" is that of "apprentice" -- not learning facts so much as learning how.  Like Mr. Williamson taught me.  Like Jesus and Paul taught their apprentices, who would go on to teach others:  "You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others" (2 Tim. 2:2).

Being an apprentice of Jesus is not only studying his words, but action:  staying close to him in prayer and submission, loving as he loved, giving as he gave, even sacrificing ourselves as he did.  And taking on other apprentices, to show them the way as we've been shown.  Do you have an apprentice, learning from you how to walk with Christ?  If not, how about asking Jesus to show you who he has for you?  It could be a family member (the first place to look) or a co-worker or friend.  Even if they don't yet believe as you do, letting them see the peace and joy you have in Jesus can open them up to becoming a believer.  It's never too soon or too late to begin...how about today?

Sprouts and Summer Camp

One of my hobbies is gardening.  I like to see things grow -- at least, the plants I'm trying to grow -- and watching another part of God's creation develop.  Besides, I get to grow some of my own food, fresh from the garden, and it's a lot less expensive hobby than sailing or sky-diving! 

Jesus used a lot of agricultural analogies in his teaching, as did the apostles, and there are hundreds of references in the Hebrew Scriptures to things that grow.  One of those is found in Psalm 128:3 and reminds me of the work we get to do with young people: "Your children will be like vigorous young olive trees as they sit around your table."  Young plants, especially trees, are a source of hope for the future.  When we tend them, giving them fertilizer and water and sunlight as they need, they tend to grow strong and live up to their potential.  When we neglect those plants or withhold their needs, they don't do well, sometimes even dying.  Children are the same in all those respects.  They need nurture of several different kinds. 

Our regional "Spiritual Enrichment Program" camp, SEP Rockies (just outside of Denver), is an example of an intense nurturing environment.  For seven days in a row, the staff pour out what the Holy Spirit has filled them with, giving positive attention to the young people in every conceivable way.  We teach them about the loving God who is Father, Son and Spirit, with our words as well as our actions.  It's tremendously hard work, with a lot of sacrifice, and we come home exhilirated and exhausted.  But the way we see the campers grow while they are at SEP, and the way we see their potential blossom and come out, is worth it all.

Will you pray for us this week?  This kind of work does not happen just because we show up and take our positions, but because we seek and respond to God's power and inspiration.  Please pray that we can hear the Holy Spirit's voice of direction, and have the courage to do what we should in the wisest possible way, for the sake of those "young olive plants."  Thanks!

Pictures from the Old Testament: the Rock

Our ongoing series on the pictures in the Old Testament (the Hebrew scriptures) that point to Christ, takes us to a lot of humans; but today, to another object, not a human but a rock.  In the history of the newborn nation of Israel, fresh out of Egypt, Moses twice asks for water from a rock for the thirsty people. 

First, in Exodus 17:1-7, the thirsty people ask for water and blame the lack of water on Moses.  God tells Moses "I will stand before you on the rock...Strike the rock, and water will come gushing out. Then the people will be able to drink."  In Numbers 20:1-13, the people are thirsty again (and cranky as usual), so God tells Moses to speak to the rock, "and it will pour out its water."  Instead of speaking, Moses yells at the people, then strikes the rock with his staff.  The water comes out anyway but God corrects Moses and doesn't allow him to take the people into the Land of Promise because he "did not trust me enough to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel." 

Normally, water ran down the riverbeds during rainy season, or there were pools in the wilderness from springs deep underneath the earth.  These sound like truly supernatural events, with water coming from an unexpected spot. In one story the rock is to be struck, in another Moses is to speak to the rock but strikes it instead.  What's it all mean?

These symbols are interpreted for us in the New Testament, primarily in two passages.  In John 7:37-39, Jesus says "anyone who is thirsty" can come to him and drink, and John interprets that as meaning the Holy Spirit. So the physical water given to Israel was just a picture of the greater reality, the Holy Spirit, given from Jesus, the true Rock.  In 1 Cor. 10:4, Paul writes, as part of a warning not to take God's provision lightly, that the Israelites ate and drank "spiritual" food and drink in the wilderness, drinking from the "spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ."  The manna pictured Christ's body given for us, and the water from the rock pictured the Holy Spirit to be given, so we should read "spiritual rock" as being a picture of Christ, not an actual rock dragging itself around in the desert sand.  God's faithfulness was with them, as it would be later in sending his Son -- who was "struck" in order to provide life for us.  (Some have read this verse as indicating that the second Person of the Trinity is 'the one' who accompanied the Israelites; but let's remember, God is one, not divided in any way, so "all of God" was there, not just one Person.) 

So, Jesus, the Rock of our salvation, is also the source of the promised Holy Spirit, whom he sent to be with us.  The Hebrew Scriptures agree perfectly with the Greek Scriptures, that the plan and purpose of God is fully presented in his Son Jesus, whom we know as the Christ.  Salvation and reconciliation with God through Christ is the main theme of the entire unity of Scripture.  Will you accept what he has worked so hard to offer you?

Life and Death...and Life

This time of year, everything is growing.  Fast!  The lawn is trying to get ahead of me again, and the weeds are growing faster than the veggies in the garden.  God created the spring of the year, I think, to give us hope not only of physical life and health from eating the great foods that are available to us right now, but to remind us of the new life, a forever-life, that he has prepared for us through his Son, whom we know as Jesus. 

We also face death in this physical life today.  Just last week, one of my friends lost his mother to suicide, a sad and regrettable result of hopelessness.  My mom died 36 years ago, and I still miss her.  Death came into the world, according to Genesis 3, because of humanity's rebellion against God; our first parents didn't fully believe that God was providing completely for them, so they listened to a talking snake instead (how much sense does THAT make??).  Death, in this physical world, is the ultimate result of the choices we've all made, and it's the end of the line as far as we can tell with our five senses; but God has promised us more.

John 3:16 says "For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."   Jesus says further in John's gospel, in chapter 5, "I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life" (verse 24).  Whoa, "already passed"?  What's up with that?  The next few verses explain that the "new life" starts with belief, but is made full at a future resurrection:  "And I assure you that the time is coming, indeed it’s here now, when the dead will hear my voice—the voice of the Son of God. And those who listen will live...Don’t be so surprised! Indeed, the time is coming when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God’s Son, and they will rise again" (vs 25, 28).  Why is it already true?  Because "The Father has life in himself, and he has granted that same life-giving power to his Son" (v. 26) and those who chose then -- and choose now -- to believe in Jesus, are already living in that new kind of life, the life that will last forever. 

So why the future resurrection?  So that everything will finally be set right -- back the way it was before that first rebellion, and in fact even better.  The Bible ends the same way it begins:  in a garden.  "Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations. No longer will there be a curse upon anything" (Rev. 22:1-3) And all the hurt will be gone from this new life:  “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever." (Rev. 21:3-4). Human bodies will be changed to eternal, glorified bodies with no more aches and pains:  "Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies...It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies."  (1 Cor. 15:42-53).

I'm looking forward to that for a lot of reasons.  Are you? 

Understanding God: Pictures from the Old Testament: Joshua

Last time we looked at a little of the life of Moses who led Israel out of Egypt.  Now we move on to Joshua, who was Moses' assistant for so many years.  Joshua's job was to lead the group out of their wanderings in the wilderness for so many years, into the Land of Promise.  He had already seen the land once, as one of the twelve spies (Numbers 13:16) sent to look the place over, and along with Caleb was one of the only ones to have faith that God would help them conquer the land.

Joshua was a man of faith, a strong leader and had a large part in setting up the nation of Israel in their now-historical home.  But in Joshua chapter 1, God felt it necessary to tell him that, just like Moses, God would be with Joshua all his life.  "No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you." (verse 5).  Three times (verses 6, 7 and 9) God says "Be strong and courageous" and finishes with "the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

There are a lot of famous exploits in this book of history, including crossing the Jordan river in its spring floods stage (chapter 3) the fall of Jericho (chapter 6) and the long day (chapter 10).  All that served to help establish Israel in the land, so that many years later, Messiah would be born in the land and complete the true salvation of all people.  Moses led Israel out of Egypt, but Joshua (Yeshua in Hebrew) led them into peace.  The Son of God born as a human, whom we Westerners know as Jesus has the same name in Hebrew; it's just the change to English that makes his name sound different.  Joshua was born in captivity in Egypt, and walked into freedom in the Land of Promise, just as Jesus was born into human flesh and sinful nature, yet without sin, and leads us now into eternal life. 

The historical book of Joshua ends in chapter 24 with the scene where Joshua gathers the Israelite leaders, rehearses their history, and reminds them that they are now in a land of plenty with cities and orchards and vineyards they didn't create themselves (verse 13); a picture of salvation given us as a free gift of God's grace in Jesus Christ.  Then Joshua finishes with these ringing words in verse 15: "Serve the Lord alone. But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord."

Jesus, of course, is the only one to ever "serve the Lord" perfectly.  And by his perfect life, his death on the cross that was in our place, and his resurrection to eternal life, he has led us into the true "land of promise" with God, forever (see Colossians 1:13-14, Ephesians 1).  Let's live every day in that glorious truth!

Zits and All

It's easy for us to believe, at times, that we're alone in the world, that no one really understands us.  Most teenagers go through this; their thinking begins to mature, they start having different ideas than their parents and the result is often the feeling of being the only one who thinks like they do.

Guess what:  God knows this too, and he has already solved it!  Remember when the Son "became human and made his home among us" (John 1:14)?  The Orthodox Study Bible puts it this way:  "Most of us ask ourselves at one time or another, 'Does anyone else in all the world understand me?'  The Incarnation -- the 'enfleshment' of the Son of God answers that question once and for all -- with a resounding Yes!" 

Jesus, the Son of God in human flesh, had to go through learning to walk and talk, learning to read and write, relating to other kids and to adults, and learning his true path in life.  He went through adolescence (did he have zits?) and learning a trade with his stepfather, Joseph; and suffered through the same "nobody understands me" that we do -- only on a more massive scale!  After all, nobody was really going to believe he was the Son of God (at least not in his own neighborhood; see Luke 4:20-30).

He did more than that.  He experienced rejection, bullying, and unfair accusations.  In fact, he took on every form of pain, in one way or another, that we experience.  He was tempted by every human temptation, yet he never gave in to sin. And his whole nation rejected him.  Even his disciples deserted him (Matt. 26:56).  In Isaiah 53, the prophet tells the story of the "Suffering Servant" who was to come:  "He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief...it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down...he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins.  He was beaten so we could be whole."  That was Jesus. 

Jesus understands.  When nobody else understands, Jesus understands.  Because he does, the Father understands.  And the Father has completely accepted us -- zits and all -- because of how his Son came to be with us, lived perfectly for us, and then gave himself a perfect sacrifice for all our anger, doubt, fear, lust, envy and every other sin we've ever committed.  Every one of our sins is wiped away because of the blood of Jesus, and we're given a whole new life because he was resurrected from death.  Jesus understands the struggles we go through every day to follow him, and he accepts us as his brothers and sisters -- zits and all. 

Have you surrendered your whole life to him?  If not, isn't it about time you did? 

The King Is Coming!

(Note:  For serial readers of this blog, we're taking a brief break from "Understanding God" in order to address themes found in what's commonly called the Easter season.  We'll resume the series in two weeks.)

It's no secret in any of the four Gospel accounts (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) that Jesus knew he was the Son of God and Son of Man.  And he knew he was going to be rejected and then killed by his own people -- like Joseph, one of the sons of Jacob, had been betrayed and sold into slavery by his brothers (Genesis 37 tells that story).  Jesus' focus on Jerusalem for that final conflict begins in chapter 9 (of 24 chapters) in Luke's Gospel, and Luke selected and recorded each of the events, parables and sayings from chapter 9 to chapter 22 to create that context.  (Try reading those chapters in that light, and see what you learn.)

Many different themes are inter-woven here.  One is the political climate of a Jewish nation conquered by a foreign power and hungry for freedom, so they look for a political savior to set them free.  Another is the climate of major groups (Pharisees and Saducees, primarily) teaching the populace how to obey the word of God but largely missing the point, and polluting their teaching by their hypocrisy.  A third is the poverty and discouragement of the general populace, oppressed by both the Roman overlords and the religious establishment, and hoping for the long-promised Messiah will come and provide food, healing and freedom for them. A fourth theme is how Jesus responds to each of these realities and how the people react to him in return. 

In Luke 19:28-48, the story of Jesus' "Triumphal Entry" as it's called, shows several of these themes.  The people showed they were expecting a king (verse 38, taken from Psalm 118:26).  But rather than entering as a conquering political king on a big war horse with trumpets and heralds, he rode in on a young donkey, humbly, accepting the praise of the people even though they were mistaken in why they acclaimed him.  Jesus tells the Pharisees not to be jealous (verses 39-40) and then weeps over the condition of Jerusalem, expressing his sorrow over their spiritual blindness and stubbornness (verses 41-44).  Finally, he faces the hypocrisy of the temple rulers who put barriers in front of the worshippers for their own benefit, and clears the place out, symbolically making way for his own perfect sacrifice to come in a few days. 

Today, let's ask ourselves, in humility:  which of these people do we most resemble?  Are we political Christians who want to take over our country with a religious agenda and throw unbelievers from power?  Do we think we have all the spiritual answers, and look down our noses at those who disagree with us?  Do we think that Christianity is a way to get ahead financially, and that being a member of a church will solve our problems (or that the church is supposed to provide for us)? 

Or, do we more closely resemble Jesus?  He came to die so we can have life, and our response to him is that we should "live for him and not for (our)selves" (2 Cor. 5:14-15).  His humility and self-sacrifice show us the way to follow him by serving him and others.  Today, let's resolve to consciously follow Jesus by looking at the needs of others above our own, thinking of others more than ourselves, and instead of speaking only of our own wants, humbly asking him for his words of comfort and peace to others.  Which will you do today?