New Life!

In the spring we look at new life, bursting from everything around us -- the trees, the grass, squirrels, birds and early flowers, even bugs. It seems irresistable; a little more sunshine and some warmth, and here it comes. That's how the creation is -- life is so strong it can't be held down.

God has included tremendous symbolism within his creation to reflect his wisdom and his plan of salvation. For instance, the resurrection of Jesus to eternal life -- which brings us the promise of new life now and eternal life with God forever -- didn't happen just anytime. It occurred in the spring, when new life was springing out of the soil in the Judean hills. God was doing something in the spring, twenty centuries ago, that was a much larger reality than the mere picture of new plants, new animals and so forth, springing (oops, there it goes again) to life from the earth after a cold, drab winter.

When Jesus stepped out of the tomb, he also came out of the earth; he moved into new life. And his new life looked different from the one he had before, just like a plant doesn't look like the seed. Paul uses this idea in 1 Cor 15 --

37. When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38. But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body...

42. So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43. it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44. it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.

And speaking of Jesus, he says:

45. So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.

That new life has a future promise -- the promise of a new, spiritual existence -- but also a present context. Most of what Paul talks about in I Corinthians 15 is the future, the resurrection promised to all believers. But in another way we're already there -- a new life now, that gives power and peace and hope and joy and confidence. Here's some more from Paul:

Romans 6:4 -- Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

What's that new life look like? Oh, there's a lot more to say on that. Stay tuned!

Feet and dust and me

A long time ago -- even before I was born, and I'm old -- people walked around in open-toed sandals. That was a tad inconvenient, as most streets weren't paved and people often walked where streets didn't exist anyway. So pretty soon their feet got dirty.

Now, there probably wasn't much of a pedicure industry back then; it wouldn't do a lot of good to get your toes all gussied up, then have them get dusty thirty seconds out the front door. But there was a foot-cleaning industry, and it was run by the lowest-class slaves -- the newbies, just off the boat, or the ones that were in trouble and had to work their way back into the master's favor. When you came home from work, or went to somebody's house for pizza, that slave was there to clean up your feet and refresh you.

Since animals were in the streets, manure built up too. And since sandals didn't keep it all out, manure ended up on peoples' feet too. That would make the foot-washing job even less pleasant. Likewise, the feet themselves, in contact with the common dirt of the road, were considered a less honorable part of the body. So what we're talking about here is definitely the job nobody wanted.

Lo and behold, that's what Jesus took on during his last night on earth as a regular human. He'd been preaching humility and servanthood to his disciples, and he was certain they hadn't seen the picture, so he showed them one -- himself, washing their dirty feet. He was ready to be sacrificed on a cruel cross to wash their sins away from their souls, but he started with washing the dirt away from their feet. Every time I look at that picture, I get convicted again by his humility and my lack of it.

Some of us as Christians practice this ritual every year. It's a reminder of our Savior's deep, deep love. More than just a reminder, it's also a pledge to walk in his sandals, to serve others like he did, even if it looks dumb or humiliating or messy. Now, pride can even make us go through the motions to 'do service.' But his love in us -- if we really are listening to him -- brings it out from the heart, with a purity of motive. It's worth considering carefully, praying over and asking Jesus to let his mind be in you, as you look at someone else's toes.

Not Just a Parade

Sometime around this time of year (the exact date is unknowable for several reasons), Jesus of Nazareth rode into Jerusalem on a donkey.

Despite all the controversy he had caused, there was quite a crowd excited by the idea that Jesus would make an appearance in Jerusalem at the Passover. After Jesus had brought Lazarus back to physical life, a lot of people had started believing in him, (11:45) and were spreading the word (12:17).

John gives us several clues that something special was happening: -- the huge crowd acclaiming Jesus (12:12-13), described by the Pharisees as 'the whole world has gone after him' (12:19) and then Jesus saying that by his crucifixion he would 'draw all men' to himself' (12:32). And, the crowd shouted "hosannah", which comes from the Hebrew expression "save us now" used in Psalm 118:25.

So in this 'triumphal entry', we have a small picture of the actual spiritual result of the crucifixion: salvation for all humanity, arriving through a humble King. This wasn't just a parade but an announcement!

And by telling the story, John is inviting us to join this crowd in praising Jesus and looking to him for salvation. Shall we do that together? There's plenty of room!

Grace and Other People

Big Idea: I am forgiven by God for all my sins, and saved eternally through his Son Jesus (John 3:16). Considering the number of times each day my thoughts, words and sometimes my actions are against God's perfect standard of sacrificial love, it's a big relief to know that I'm forgiven. Don't you agree?

All of humanity has been purchased by the blood of Jesus. We've been brought back from the grave that was our destination due to our general rebellion against God and our individual sins, and we've been forgiven once and for all. Our salvation is secure because Jesus died once for all (Hebrews 7:27, 9:12 and 10:10). We live in a state of forgiveness.

But is that all? Can we do anything we want now, treat other people any old how, and live life without thinking?

What does 'living with grace' mean in a world full of other people?

Paul tells us how to live with others in Ephesians 4:32: "And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you."

Our own state of forgiveness is a starting place -- a clean slate, a new beginning, a clean floor on which to stand. It's also a template, an example, showing how to live with others. If God has forgiven me, Paul says, then I should live in the light of that forgiveness and be just as generous and tender toward others as God has been to me through Jesus.

One other thing: Even when someone has offended me, God has also forgiven that other person through Jesus (because Jesus stood in for the whole world, not just me) so in God's eyes that sin is already gone and forgotten. That means I don't get to hold a grudge.

Now, if the whole world just knew and understood this...

Here's a suggestion: show grace and acceptance to someone else today. The word will spread!

Love God, Love Others

One of the primary commands in the Bible is to love God with everything we are.

How do you love a person you can't see or touch? (I have a hard enough time loving people that I can see!)

Well, if we really grasp how much God has done for us through Jesus, we will return that love. Our joy and appreciation will start flowing back out toward God. But, since he isn't here in physical form to hug or thank personally, how do we go about it?

There are lots of ways to express love directly to God. We can pray, expressing our gratitude to him in words and the emotions that go with those words. We can meditate on his word (which means reading it first, of course) and letting the majesty of his ways and his thoughts boggle our minds yet one more time. We can give offerings proportionate to the financial blessings he has given us.

It says in Hebrews 6:10 "God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them." IOW, that when we love his children, we're really loving him. Why is that true?

Here's a human example: Joanne and I have some dear friends who have small children. When we give gifts to the two munchkins, we're really loving Charles and Susi too -- and they know it. (You can also see Matthew 25:40, for another thought on this principle.)

Wherever you are today, there will most likely be other people somewhere around you. Those are the people God has put into your path to love in his name. By loving them, you're loving him. By loving them, you're thanking him for loving you.

Suggestion: ask God how you can love him today by loving each of the people you meet. What do you think will happen?

Yes and No

"Well, Pastor Mark, I like this grace stuff you're describing. I know I can't do life perfectly, so I'm glad that God accepts me because of Jesus. But doesn't God want me to do good things now? Isn't he pleased when I do right things, and displeased when I mess up? Surely he still has standards and expectations for me!"

Well, yes, yes, yes and yes. And a resounding NO to some unspoken questions.

Allow me to explain -- it'll only take a few paragraphs, so please, keep reading.

God has saved us through Jesus. That was his plan before he made the earth (Eph. 1:4-7). We are adopted by God and called righteous because of Jesus's righteousness, not our own (Romans 5:19 & 8:4, etc) and saved because of turning to God in faith, not by learning to be better people on our own (Romans 3:20, Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:5, etc).

We are called simultaneously dead and alive: "For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives." (Romans 6:11, New Living Translation)

What's the new life to look like? It's being led by the Holy Spirit, whom the Father sent in the name of Jesus to teach us (John 14:26), in a way that represents Jesus in this world: "A new commandment I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." That was a self-sacrificing love, an attitude of total humility and service (Philippians 2); not a self-seeking lifestyle.

The Holy Spirit leads us according to the will of God, not by the old textbook of the law (Gal. 5:18) and the fruit he produces in us is straight from the heart of God: love, joy, peacefulness, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (as overall attitudes; with many different ways of working those out in life).

It's not a legal contract, but a relationship of love -- a little like being married. I learned to love Joanne, and because of learning to love her, I wanted to start doing things to serve and give to her. Nobody (except God) gave me a list of things to do, but I began to learn what she liked and didn't like, and learned to do good things for her out of love. (And if I start thinking of them as a duty, not a joy, I realize my love is lacking and I have to go back to God and ask for more love!)

When we see what God has done for us through Jesus, and accept his generous love, we start wanting to give that love back to him. And that love, created in us by the Holy Spirit (again, not by our own effort) leads us into those godly thoughts and attitudes. Not out of the old way of the law, but the new way of the Spirit! (Romans 7:6). Not out of duty -- God doesn't want our dutifulness, but our joy!

Do I want to please God? Absolutely, just like I want to please my wife (only a lot more so). Does he care what I do now? Absolutely! That's why he sends the Holy Spirit, to teach me how to love others the way he would do if he were here. But that's a discussion for another day.

Living with Grace

"You mean I have to just live with this?"

(usually said in an unbelieving tone of voice, after being told you've contracted something contagious, or some other unpleasant idea has come home to roost)

But what about if it's living with grace? What if your life is suddenly defined by a generous forgiveness and favor, not by a performance standard, or perfectionistic behavior, or finding ways to feel superior (or inferior) to others?

I'm so accustomed to measuring my own performance, hourly and daily, and falling short of the ideal. You know what's even worse? When I judge others by the same strict standard -- a standard not even God has on me anymore.

Ephesians 1:4-7 says this (in God's Word version) "Before the creation of the world, he chose us through Christ to be holy and perfect in his presence. Because of his love he had already decided to adopt us through Jesus Christ. He freely chose to do this, so that the kindness he had given us in his dear Son would be praised and given glory. Through the blood of his Son we are set free from our sins. God forgives our failures because of his overflowing kindness."

Past tense. It's done. I'm already a part of the kingdom of the Son, through His perfection (not mine) because God loves me!

That takes some getting accustomed to. I have to keep remembering that God loves me, not because of what a great guy I am (yeah, right) but because he, before he even designed and created the cosmos, decided he would.

It's also been said this way: I can't do anything to make him love me more. I can't do anything to make him love me less.

Wow. I guess I can learn to live with that!

"But Mark, don't you want to do good things to please God?" Absolutely! (tune in next time, folks!)