Two Questions for the Year Ahead

"But what about you?"  Jesus asked.  Who do you say I am?"  (Mark 8:28)

"Simon son of John, do you truly love Me?...Feed my sheep"

 (John 21)

Jesus asked many questions of His followers when He walked with them; it was the way a Rabbi typically taught his students.  Questions engaged the disciple in the learning process as he would have to think his answer through before responding.

Jesus asked these two questions of Peter but in reality they are questions for all of His followers.  I am reminded that when Jesus asked the first question, Peter was able to respond immediately with:  "You are the Christ!"

The second question took Peter a bit longer to ponder and answer.  In fact, Jesus had to ask it three times of him.  Even though Peter recognized that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God, he understood his own shortcomings and failures in his relationship with Him.

As I look back on this year coming to a close I realize that I, like Peter, have come up short and failed many times in my relationship with our Lord.  But He is a gracious God and bids me start afresh once again just as He did for Peter.

I think that is one of the things we love about celebrating a New Year; it signifies a fresh start.  What a blessing that we don't have to wait for a New Year to dawn to start again with Jesus!  It is day by day and even moment by moment with Him.

As you go into the New Year, consider that Jesus asks these two questions of each of us also.  And remember that we love because He first loved us!

Happy New Year

Jeannie



Show and Tell

Go, tell it on the mountain

over the hills and everywhere;

go, tell it on the mountain

that Jesus Christ is born!  (old spiritual)

How beautiful on the mountains

are the feet of those who bring good news...

who proclaim salvation,

who say to Zion,

your God reigns!  (Isaiah 52:7)

Remember "Show and Tell" in kindergarten?  What an exciting event!  Each week a child was chosen to bring in something special from home and share it with the class.  I could hardly wait for my turn!  I knew exactly what I would bring:  my Raggedy Ann doll!  Her rosy cheeks and sweet smile comforted me when I spent a few days in the hospital to have my tonsils out.  I hugged her floppy body tight during a trip to the ER when my brother and I shared a whole bottle of baby aspirin.  She slept with me at night and I could hug her if I woke from a bad dream.  I loved her and could not wait to bring her to the classroom and tell everyone why!  Though beautiful in my eyes, in reality she looked tattered and worn.  Pride in my special toy helped me overcome my slight shyness as I held her up in front of the class and talked about why I loved her.  Then at recess, a little boy came up to me on the playground.  "Why'd you bring your doll to Show and Tell?"  he scoffed.  "That was really stupid!"  My face fell.  Maybe I shouldn't have shared my precious doll and my feelings about her with the class.

Robert Fulghum said that all he really needed to know he learned in kindergarten.  There I learned that sharing from the heart risks rejection.  Today, I have a special friend in Jesus.  Yet, too often I can think I don't need to tell others about Him if my life will simply show them that He is Lord.  But thinking back to the days of Show and Tell puts a lie to the temptation.  What if I had just brought in my Raggedy Ann doll and put her on the teacher's desk for all to see and then sat down?  No one would know why she was so important to me.  They would not know just by looking how she had comforted me with her presence through my scary times.  They may have been able to see my love for her in her worn appearance, but they would never know why I loved her.  When I shared, that little boy told me my doll was stupid, but that didn't mean the whole class felt that way.  So I had a choice to make:  the next time it was my turn for Show and Tell, would I be brave enough to share something so personal again?

The shepherds that first Christmas night had a similar choice to make:

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby,

keeping watch over their flocks at night. 

An angel of the Lord appeared to them and said: ..."I bring you good news of

 great joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David

 a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord..." 

 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 

(Luke 2:8,9,16)

When the angel told the shepherds the good news, they verified it with their own eyes.  What if they had stopped there?  What if the shepherds had gone to see the Baby Jesus, had glorified and praised God amongst themselves for what they had heard and seen, but did not tell anyone else for fear of rejection?  Instead, the gospel writer Luke tells us that:  "When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them."

As Christians, we too have good news to share.  If we only live a life that glorifies God, that would be like me putting Raggedy Ann on the desk and walking away.  People may see Christ in us, but they won't know the details of how He has comforted us through our roughest times.  They won't know why we love Him!  How will people react when we share this good news?  That first Christmas "all who heard" were amazed.  Perhaps it won't be that way in your life if you tell others about this Jesus - you may be told, like I was by that little boy, that what you share is stupid.  But I bet there are some who will be amazed.

Go tell it on the mountain, not only that Jesus Christ is born but that He was born to die so that through Him we might live.  And that is good news that needs to be told!

Prayer:  Father, like the shepherds I too glorify and praise You for what You have done.  I want to be counted among those who bring good news.  Loosen my tongue O Lord so that what is in my heart may be spoken to those who need to hear the message of salvation.  Amen.

No Room At The Inn

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.  And everyone went to his own town to register.  So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.  He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.  While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.  She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.       (Luke 2:1-7)

When I read these familiar verses from the first Christmas, I picture a weary Joseph going door to door in a busy, bustling metropolis, desperately seeking shelter for Mary, who is about to give birth.  I picture innkeeper after innkeeper rudely slamming doors and denying them refuge, and thinking to myself:  If they only knew Who they were denying!

But is this accurate?  More likely my visual picture is based on the tradition of Western Nativity scenes than on the reality in that little town on the first Christmas so long ago.

Ancient Bethlehem almost surely was a little town - it has been estimated its population may have been as small as 300 people.  With the census decreed by Caeser Agustus, that number would have swelled considerably.  Because of the size of the town and the hospitality customs of the day, Bethlehem may have had only one inn, if any at all.  Low supply of lodgings combined with high demand could have meant there was no place for Mary and Joseph because there was simply no room available.

 Or could the reality of their situation actually have been harsher?

Bethlehem was Joseph's "own town", his ancestral home.  In all likelihood, he still had relatives there.  I wonder if Joseph knocked on door after door, only to have cousin after cousin turn their backs on him.  Some may have made a lame excuse, while others may have made it clear their refusal was because of his young, heavily pregnant fiancee.  From all appearances, they had violated God's law.  To invite them in with open arms might bring shame upon the whole household.

I suppose we are not privy to those types of details because why He was born in a stable and not a warm room (at the inn or otherwise) is not as important as the fact that

"The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us."

This little baby, God come down, was born in a stable - most likely a dark, dirty cave filled with animal dung - because there was no room at the inn.  The Gospel writer John tells us,

He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right

to become children of God.   (John 1:11, 12)

Thousands of years ago He came to His own and they did not receive Him.  How often is that the attitude of my heart?  How often have I been like those people in Bethlehem who had no room for Him?  I am a child of His; yet even so I find there are places in my life where He wants to be received and I too am guilty of having "no room".

Surely I know from experience that when I do allow Him into the dark places of my life, He shines light and makes His home there.  Just as He chose to be born in that dirty stable, He still chooses to be born in the dirty, dark places of our hearts.  It is the first and greatest Christmas gift - one that cost Him everything and keeps on giving for all eternity.  

Could we possibly want anything else for Christmas?

In Him is life, and that life is the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness...

Prayer:  Thank you Father that you chose to come and dwell among us so that we might dwell with you eternally.  Forgive me for those times when I have acted like there was "no room".  Give me grace to receive you into every area of my life.  Amen.

My "Rights" or My Righteousness

This is how the birth of Jesus came about:

his mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph,

but before they came together, she was found to be with child

through the Holy Spirit.  Because Joseph her husband was a

righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,

"Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived

in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him

the name of Jesus, because he will save his people from their sin."

(Matthew 1:18-21)

I admit it:  I've always felt a bit sorry for Joseph during the Christmas season.  In our schools, churches and communities - on stage after stage as the nativity story is recreated and retold - Joseph seems to fade into the background.  We ooh and aah as the little angels come out with their sparkly halos and wings, the barefoot shepherds carrying stuffed animals.  The Magi look so regal in their robes and jeweled crowns.  And who can resist the young, fresh-faced Mary, cheeks aglow, holding that precious little baby.  Throw in a live animal or two and Joseph quickly becomes part of the scenery.  Even scripture doesn't tell us much about this man.  His last appearance in the written Word occurs when Jesus is just 12 years old.

Rather than speculate on what we don't know about the man, we can focus on what we do know.  The gospel writer Matthew says he was a righteous man, and that tells us a lot about Joseph.  He was engaged to a young girl, Mary, who was pregnant.  He knew this child was not his so he had in mind to divorce her quietly.  An engagement in that time was just as binding as the marriage and to end it required a divorce.  If the betrothed was found to be pregnant by another man, it would be assumed she had been unfaithful.  The punishment was stoning.

Joseph's righteousness and his love for Mary shine through in his decision to divorce her quietly rather than expose her to public disgrace and a possible death sentence.  Put yourself in his shoes for a moment.  Feel the temptation to focus on the sense of betrayal, nurse your wounded pride and exercise your "right" to talk about it with anyone who will listen.  When we feel betrayed by someone we love, it's so easy to become self-centered and put our hurts ahead of protecting the reputation of the other party, isn't it?  No one would have blamed Joseph for telling on Mary.  Wasn't it within his "rights"?

I am reminded of another Joseph in the book of Genesis whose own brothers betrayed him and sold him into slavery.  After years in slavery and prison, Joseph was elevated by Pharaoh and put in charge of all Egypt.  Many years later when Joseph's brothers came to that country because of severe famine in their land, Pharaoh was so pleased to see them that he wanted to give them the best of the land!

Why would Pharaoh be so generous to those who had betrayed someone so close to him?  Could it be that Joseph never told Pharaoh the terrible thing his brothers had done?  He certainly would have been within his "rights" to do so.  But he, like the Joseph of our gospel story, was a righteous man.

There is another righteous man, the One who on the night He was betrayed washed the feet of His betrayer.  He treated Judas in such a manner that the other disciples present did not even realize this was an enemy among them.  This Righteous One was Jesus, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary on that first Christmas two thousand years ago.  The Righteous One "...who being in very nature God...made Himself nothing...by taking on the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness."  (Phil. 2:6,7)

This is our Jesus, truly God come down in human likeness, coming as a servant to live a righteous life and then to die for men that through Him we might have eternal life.  This same One calls out to us today:

"Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness..."  (Matt. 6:33)

Prayer:  Lord, as You humbled Yourself and took on the nature of a servant to live righteously among men, teach me also to live - not within my "rights" - but righteously in You.  Amen.

What's In A Name?

Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign:

the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son,

and they will call him 'Immanuel'

(Isaiah 7:14)

I am intrigued by names given to newborns these days.  In our church family recent names such as Scarlett Trace and Wren hold special meaning for the parents.  Scarlett was chosen because of its sound and the idea that it is a classic name brought back to life, while her middle name was given to honor her godly grandmother, Tracie.  Cute little Wren was named to honor her grandfather, Warren.

The names today's celebrities sometimes choose for their offspring, however, can defy understanding.  Often these very 'creative' names sound quite bizarre to us:  Sparrow Midnight, Pilot Inspektor and Apple.

In biblical times babies weren't named after relatives or because the parents liked how the name sounded.  Instead names were given to newborns to signify their character and promised future.  Often these names would prove prophetic.

We are familiar with the story of Abram ('father') whose name was changed by God to Abraham ('father of many  nations'). Genesis 17  His son was named Isaac ('laughter') because God brought his mother Sarah great laughter and joy in bearing a son in her old age. Genesis 21    One of Isaac's grandsons was named Levi ('attachment') and indeed the tribe of Levi would attach themselves to God during the incident of the golden calf. Exodus 32

Naomi's sons Nahlon ('sickly') and Kilion ('puny') in the book of Ruth were destined for early deaths, leaving young widows.

There there is Jacob ('heel grabber, supplanter') whose name implies trickery and deception; he lived most of his live deceiving and being deceived.

It wasn't until one night when he feared for his very life that Jacob cried out to God.  All through that dark night he wrestled, wept and begged for God's favor.  At dawn the Lord did bless Jacob by giving him a new name, a name which called him to a new character and a new future.  He would no longer be known as Jacob the deceiver but by the name Israel ('one who struggles with God, God prevails').Genesis 32, Hosea 12  Out of him would come the nation Israel and out of that nation would be born another Child - One Who calls all men everywhere to a new character and an eternal hope.  His name is Immanuel.

Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord

by the prophet, saying,

the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son,

and they will call him 'Immanuel' which means 'God with us'.

(Matthew 1:22, 23)

This mysterious God Who spoke the world into creation kept the promise He made through Isaiah and left the glory of His throne to be born as a little baby in a manger on that first Christmas night, so that He could be 'God with us'.

He is still with us, keeping His promise that He will never leave or forsake us, He will be with us always to the very end of the age.  He will forever be Immanuel and He still offers men everywhere a new character and a new future.

Perhaps you, like Jacob, struggle with who you are.  You have lived too long under an identity that you wish to leave behind.  You long for a new character, one with a hope and a future.  Do you wonder if it is possible to start this day as a new creation, with a new name?  Come to Bethlehem; come to the baby born in a manger so many Christmas's ago; come to the One Who is named Immanuel - God with us; this Christmas He has a new name for you.  Come.

Prayer:  Thank You Lord for choosing to be 'Immanuel' and calling us to a new name in You.  May we mature into that new character and new future as we grow in You.  Amen.



Finding God

Once there was a little boy who liked to wander in the woods behind his home.  His parents grew concerned with the time he spent there; after all who knew what danger could be waiting in the woods.  One day they decided to talk to their son.

"Son,"  his father said, "we have noticed that you have been spending part of each day in the woods and we wonder why it is that you go there."

The little boy replied to his parents, "Why, I go there to find God."

"We are so pleased that you want to find God, son," said his father, "but don't you know that God is the same everywhere?"

"Yes," responded the son.  "But I'm not."

The magical season of Christmas is upon us once again.  It's one of my favorite times of the year.

I love the anticipation of all that it means:  the celebration of our Lord's birth, the kids and grandkids flying in to spend time together, the house filling with the delicious smell of baked goodies and big, home-cooked meals.

Presents specially picked out, wrapped in bright paper and ribbons, sitting under the tree.  Oh the tree!  Beautifully decorated with tiny twinkling lights and the smell of fresh pine in the air!  Yes, Christmas is upon us once again.

Of course all these preparations mean that I have been busy!  Perhaps too busy?  Every once in awhile at this time of year I need to remind myself to seek God, to not let Him get lost in all the preparations, parties and just plain busyness.

Like the little boy in the story, I know that God is the same  everywhere, but I am not.  I need to take the time to seek Him, to come away to a quiet place and let Him speak to me.

This season I'll be posting a series of Christmas reflections on this blog, in the hope they will be one path to that quiet place where the Lord speaks.

Love,
Jeannie

Thanksgiving Blessings

"Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, He gave thanks and broke the loaves...They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve baskets of broken pieces that were left over.  The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children"  (Matthew 14)

"Then He took the seven loaves and the fish, and when He had given thanks, He broke them and gave them to the disciples and they in turn to the people.  They all ate and were satisfied.  Afterward the disciples picked up seven baskets of broken pieces that were left over.  The number of those who ate was four thousand, besides women and children."  (Mark 8)

The miraculous feeding of the 5,000 by Jesus from only five loaves and two fish is a familiar story from the gospels.  Oftentimes though, we forget that another time Jesus fed 4,000 with seven loaves and a few small fish.  In both instances all the people ate and were satisfied, and the disciples were able to fill up baskets with leftover pieces. 

We miss it in our English translations of the Gospels, but the baskets used in both instances to collect the surplus were actually two very different types of baskets. 

When the disciples collected 12 baskets of leftover pieces from the feeding of the 5,000 the baskets were small wicker baskets that a Jew would use to carry his provisions when travelling, usually just enough food for a day or two.

 The seven baskets used to collect the broken pieces after feeding the 4,000 were made of ropes or wicker and were used for storing grain.  They were man-sized.  

As I reflect on these two miraculous feedings, I realize that sometimes the hand of the Lord provides an abundance that overflows, as in the instance when seven man-sized basketsful were left over.  And sometimes the hand of the Lord gives us just enough provision to get through the next day or two, as in the instance of the 12 small baskets.  

This Thanksgiving I am grateful that our Lord always provides -  sometimes in abundance and sometimes just enough for the day.  I am thankful, too,  for family and friends with whom I can share and who share with me.

Love in Christ, from Whom all blessings flow!

Jeannie

The Prodigal

Two rabbis were sharing a meal when the first rabbi said, "I love you; you are my best friend!" 

The second rabbi responded, "Really?  Then tell me what breaks my heart."

Jesus once told a parable about a man who had two sons.  The younger son demanded his father give him his share of the estate, so the father divided his property between the two sons.  I think it must have broken the father's heart, but to Jesus' listeners this would have been a shocking request worthy of the father's outrage and banishment of the son from the community.  It was a request that would bring shame not only on the father, but also on the community as a whole.  Such was society in this Middle Eastern culture.  Jesus continued:

Not long after that the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.  After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country and he began to be in need.  So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country who sent him to his fields to feed pigs.  He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.  When he came to his senses, he said, "How many of my father's hired hands have food to spare and here I am starving to death.  I will set out and go back to my father and say to him:  'Father I have sinned against heaven and against you - I am no longer worthy to be called your son.  Make me like one of your hired men.'  So he got up and went to his father.  But, while he was still a long way off his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him  He ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.  (Luke 15)

Again, Jesus' listeners would have been shocked by the actions of the father.  For a father to run and welcome home a son who had brought such shame not only on his family but also on the whole village was scandalous; the father was doing something that would bring ridicule.  But he didn't care because, as Jesus said, the father was filled with compassion.  When the son returned in repentance the father ordered his servants to bring the best robe to put on his son, to put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.  He ordered they have a feast and celebrate that this son of his who was lost had now been found!

When I reflect on this parable I can't help but wonder what it must have been like for that father whose son  had turned his back on him and went to live in direct opposition to how he had been raised.  What thoughts and emotions, longing and grief, the father must have felt when this child decided to walk away.  In spite of what everyone else in the village would have said to the father - 'your son has brought shame on you; he has given your family a bad name; he has despised your love' - this was his son whom he loved.  Could he share his broken heart with anyone in the community? He must have sat up many nights alone longing for him, waiting for him, hoping he would return.  You can almost picture him sitting at the door of his tent, looking out over the countryside hoping to catch a glimpse of his son returning.

When Jesus told this parable I think He had a certain picture of the father in mind:  a picture of His Father.  Perhaps He was thinking back to the words spoken to the Nation Israel who had turned their backs on God.   Listen to these words from Isaiah 30:

"In repentance and rest is your salvation...but you would have none of it...

Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show compassion.

Yet the Lord is a God of justice...

How gracious He will be when you cry for help!

As soon as He hears, He will answer you."

In Hebrew the word for 'repentance' is shuv and it means to turn back, to stop your direction, turn back to God and commit yourself to His way.  It's the picture of that prodigal walking away from the father, taking his own path in the opposite direction and when he finds himself in a pit which he dug with his own hands, he 'comes to his senses' and turns - literally - and walks back to the father.  Repentance is not just stopping doing something wrong; it is turning back to God.  And what picture do we get from these verses about God the Father?  Our Father longs to be gracious to us; He rises to show us compassion.  Can you see the father in the parable of the prodigal son here, filled with compassion when he sees his son a long way off, returning home? 

Picture God - God! - waiting and longing for you or a loved one to turn and start back home so He can rise up from His holy throne to show compassion!  How gracious He will be when you cry for help!  As soon as He hears, He will answer you!  "Yet" the prophet Isaiah writes, "the Lord is a God of justice."   Because He is also a holy  and just God He will wait, but it is with longing for His child to turn, to cry for help, to utter sounds of sorrow, to acknowledge sin.

We all sin and fall short of the glory of God; it's just part of our human nature and living in a fallen world.  If you have been a prodigal who has returned, bless God for His compassion towards you, His child.  If you have a prodigal or know someone who does, pray to the Father Who longs to rise from His throne to show compassion and welcome His child home.  And know that you are not alone in your sorrow for that loved one; the Father also longs for his return.  Perhaps we will be able to celebrate together soon.

Refiner's Fire!

"Is not My Word like fire! declares the Lord."

Jer. 23

This last week in our women's bible study I was reminded of these words spoken by God through the prophet Jeremiah and I remembered how God's Word has been like a refining fire in my life. In the bible fire is often used as a picture of God's judgement but it's also used as a symbol of purification.  The Book of Malachi tells us God will refine and purify His people like gold and silver.  Perhaps you are familiar with the process of refining precious metals.  The refiner sits at a fire hot enough to melt crude gold, a minimum of 830 degrees!  As it melts the impurities rise to the surface so the refiner is able to skim them off.  During the process he keeps a keen watch on the precious metal because if the gold is left in the fire too long it will be destroyed.  The refiner knows the gold is fully refined when he is able to see his image reflected in it.

There is a story in the Old Testament Book of Daniel which gives us a wonderful picture of our Refiner's fire.  In the early chapters of the book we are introduced to three young men:  Shadrach, Mishach and Abed-Nego who lived in Jerusalem about 600 years before Jesus.  At that time Babylon was a powerful country and the King Nebuchadnezzar was ruthless and evil.  He laid siege to Jerusalem, burned down the temple and the city and carried off these three teens to Babylon where they entered into his personal service. 

King Nebuchadnezzar was a mighty and powerful king; there was no other like him.  He made an image of gold 90 feet high, set it up in the plains of Babylon and gave the order throughout the land that at specified times all the people were to fall down and worship the image.  Whoever did not worship would be immediately cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire.  When word came to the King that Shadrach, Mishach and Abed-Nego would not bow down and worship the golden image, he flew into a violent rage and ordered the furnace to be heated up 7 times more than normal.  He commanded his men to tie up the boys and throw them into the blazing fire.  They were tied from their feet to their heads and thrown into the midst of the furnace.  The fire was so hot that the flames killed the men who carried Shadrach, Mishach and Abed-Nego.  In the Book of Daniel the story continues:

"These three men fell into the midst of the furnace of the blazing fire tied up.  Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded and ...said:  'Was it not three men we cast bound into the midst of the fire?...Look!  I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!'  Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the furnace and said, 'Shadrach, Mishach, Abed-Nego, come out you servants of the Most High God!'  They came out of the midst of the fire...and those gathered around saw that the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men nor was the hair of their head singed, nor were their trousers damaged, nor had the smell of fire even come upon them."  Nebuchadnezzar responded...'Blessed be the God Who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who put their trust in Him...there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way.'  (Dan. 3, emphasis added)

The flames did not burn Shadrach, Mishach and Abed-Nego, nor did the fire consume them.  But what did burn and what was consumed were those things that bound them, the ropes that held them captive.  They entered the fire tied up; they came out of the fire loosed.  That's the Refiner's fire!  "Is not My Word like fire!" declares the Lord.

What things are there in your life that bind you; what things hold you captive?  It was for freedom that Christ set us free, the Apostle Paul writes.  Are you free?  Or are you tied up like Shadrach, Mishach and Abed-Nego were before they went into the fire?  They were bound, the bible tells us, from their feet all the way to their heads.  That's bound up!  You can't move when you are tied up to that extent.  Yet some of us are so bound up by worry that we can't get through one day without any anxiety.  Perhaps you are bound by resentment for someone who has hurt you so deeply you aren't able to offer forgiveness.  Maybe what binds you is something that other people can see, such as an addiction.  Maybe you are so bound up by your own personal guilt or shame - an abortion or affair - that you can't tear yourself loose for a moment to seek forgiveness from the only One Who can set you free.

"Is not My Word like fire!" declares the Lord.  What do you need to take into the refining fire of God's Word?

God says in His Word that He will purify us and refine us like gold.  Remember the description of the refiner of precious metals who sits at the fire and watches intently so that the metal doesn't get too hot and become destroyed?  Our God, our Refiner, does not just sit at the fire and watch.  Our God goes into the fire with us!!!  He was the fourth man in the fire with Shadrach, Mishach and Abed-Nego and He will be in the fire with you!  He loves you!  As gold is precious so are you!  You do not become gold after you go through the fire.  In God's eyes you are gold; the fire is just to purify you.

"Is not My Word like fire!" declares the Lord.  Are you struggling to break free from sin, from hurt, from lack of worth?   What do you need to know for your life?  What do you need to take into the Refiner's fire?  The answers are in the Word of God.

Through reading and studying His Word, my prayer is that we would fall deeper and deeper in love with the Refiner; and that the fire of His Holy Word would purify us, loose our bonds, restore what needs to be restored so that when He looks upon us He will see His reflection, His image, and we will bring Him glory.  If it's been too long since you have opened His Word, today is the day.  And remember precious one,  He goes into the furnace with you.  The words of King Nebuchadnezzar ring true today as they did thousands of years ago:  There is no other God Who is able to deliver in this way.

The Hem of His Garment

I'd like to tell you the story of a woman.  I don't know her name; in fact it's quite likely that most people who passed her on the street didn't know her name either - and didn't care to know it.  Those who did know her most assuredly tried to avoid her if at all possible; perhaps her own family had abandoned her.  She had no money and she was very ill; tired not only physically, but emotionally.  The isolation and loneliness and illness had gone on so long...had it really been 12 years already?

For 12 years she had been bleeding, hemorrhaging if you will; anemic, weak, seeking answers from doctors who took all she had but in the end had no answers for her.  She was alone and without hope, desperate for healing.

You probably recognize this woman from the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke.  Even though she is nameless to us she was obviously very important to our Lord as she is mentioned in three of the four gospels and is known as the woman with the issue of blood.  Did you ever wonder what it would be like to live with that title?  We women can imagine what it would be like to bleed for 12 years - the exhaustion, anemia, frustration.  But as a Jewish woman in 1st century Jerusalem under the Levitical Law she would also have lived in isolation because she would be labeled 'unclean'.  Her own family, if they touched her, would themselves become unclean and would have to go through ritual cleansing before being able to enter synagogue or temple.  She herself would never be allowed to worship there.  If she sat on a bed or a mat it too became unclean to others.  If she was married her hemorrhaging would have allowed for her husband to divorce her; if not married, she never would be.  She must have been very lonely and very desperate.  For 12 years she had been looking for hope through the doctors and longing for restoration to her family and community.

One day in what must have been her final act of desperation, as Jesus was walking through the streets with people pressing all around Him, she pushed her way through the crowds, thinking:  "If I just touch the hem of His garment I will be healed."  So she reached out through the throngs and reached down - perhaps she was on the ground - and she grabbed hold of His hem.  Immediately she was healed!  This was not an isolated incident either.  Matthew also tells us that people brought all their sick to Jesus and begged Him to let them just touch the hem of His garment, and all who touched it were healed.

What was it about the hem of His garment that brought healing to those who just touched it?  Why not grab His arm or His leg?  To understand what was going on we need to understand a bit of Jewish Law in Jesus' day.  In the Book of Numbers the Lord God said to Moses:

"Speak to the Israelites and say to them:  Throughout the generations to come you are to make tassels on the corners of your garments, with a blue cord on each tassel.  You will have these tassels to look at and so you will remember all the commands of the Lord, that you may obey them..."

"Throughout the generations to come..."  So every law-abiding Jewish male wore tassels on the edges or corners of his garment.  Jesus was not only a Jew, He testified that "I have kept My Father's commandments" (John 15)  so we can expect that He too, as an observant male Jew, wore the tassels on the edges or corners of His garment.  Because these tassels were designed by God to call every Jew to remember all the commands of the Law, they came to symbolize the authority of God.  They were a visual reminder not only to the person wearing the tassels but also to everyone he would come in contact with that this person belonged to God, and as such was part of a kingdom of priests.

In addition to the corners of the garment representing God's authority, they also came to represent God's refuge and healing.  The Hebrew word translated for 'corners' of the garment is also the word used for 'wings', as in: 

"I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed."

or

"But unto you that fear My Name shall the Son of Righteousness

the Messiah

rise with healing in His wings."

When the woman with the issue of blood reached out and grabbed the corner of Jesus' robe she was grabbing symbolically on to the authority of God and the healing power of God.  She believed that all of that was manifested in this one man, Jesus.  As she grabbed on, she was healed - instantly.

There are many people in our community who, while not having the same illness as this woman in the gospels, share the same feelings of isolation and abandonment - they are bleeding out spiritually, seeking solutions in all the wrong places.  They are in desperate need of healing that can only come through the touch of Jesus Christ.

So I'd like to challenge you as I challenge myself.  When Jesus walked among the people the corners of His garment were visible to all who came in contact with Him; they could see it, they knew what it represented, and they could reach out, grab hold if it and be healed.  We don't wear tassels today that indicate God's authority in our lives.  Instead we are clothed with the Holy Spirit and with acts of righteousness.  What does that look like for you and for me?  When we walk through our daily lives is there something people see, people who are experiencing seasons of hopelessness, people who are desperate for restoration and healing?  Is there something about us that they might see and think:  "Oh, if I can only reach out and touch them and what they have I will be healed."  And then do we allow ourselves to be touched by them.  We have the answer and His Name is Jesus.  May we walk through our lives and our communities letting our 'tassels' show so that all may see and glorify our Father in heaven.

The Gift of Suffering

John's gospel has always been my favorite.  In it I seem to get a deeper glimpse of the heart of our Savior.  I especially appreciate that John invites us in to that most intimate of times - the Upper Room where Jesus and His beloved disciples celebrated the Passover meal before His death on the Cross.  What was going through His mind?  What was on His heart?  We know because John records His prayer:

"Father, the time has come.  Glorify your Son that your Son may glorify You...I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work You gave Me to do...

And now Father, glorify Me in Your presence with the glory I had with You

before the world began."

(John 17)

When Jesus talks about glorifying the Father and thus receiving glory, He includes His obedience and suffering as revealing that glory.  The Hebrew word for 'glory' is kavod and it means what is weighty or heavy, what is important, powerful and strong.  It is used to describe honor, dignity, wealth, splendor and majesty.  If someone possessed 'glory' he was laden with all these weighty, heavy things.  But Jesus turned the idea of glory into something entirely different!

In His prayer He is looking to the cross and His obedience to the Father, even unto death, as His glory.  His glory then was not an easy thing to carry.  Weighty in majesty, yes; but also weighty in submission.  Heavy in honor yes; but also heavy in pain.  Powerful and strong, but like a lamb led to the slaughter.  How heavy and weighty His glory must have weighed upon Him!  So heavy that He sweated blood in the Garden.

Further on in His prayer in the Upper Room Jesus  prays for us:

"I pray also for those who will believe in Me...

I have given them the glory that You gave Me,

that they may be one as We are one."

(John 17)

He has given us that glory - that weightiness.  In Christ we are weighty with riches, power and position.  But as Jesus' glory was heavy and not easy to carry,  we should expect no less.  When we go through difficult times and struggles and yet remain obedient to the Father's will, loving Him even when it hurts to do so, we are sharing in Christ's glory.  Listen to these words from the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Philippians:

"For it has been graciously granted to you on behalf of Christ

not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for Him..."

Graciously granted -  as a privilege, a gift - to suffer for Christ.  Jesus prayer to His Father that night started out "Father, the time has come..."  Has the time come in your life too?  Is there anything in your life that prevents you from glorifying the Father through obedience, even though it may seem too heavy or weighty for you?  Then, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross...and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

Deep Water Faith in the Shallow End

 Fearless warriors in a picket fence, reckless abandon wrapped in common sense

Deep water faith in the shallow end and we are caught in the middle

With eyes wide open to the differences, the God we want and the God who is

But will we trade our dreams for His or are we caught in the middle.

Somewhere between who I was and who You're making me

Somewhere in the middle, You'll find me.

Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender, without losing all control

when I'm caught in the middle.

I love the song Somewhere In The Middle by the group Casting Crowns.  I'm sure its popularity among God's people is due to the haunting lyrics of being caught 'somewhere between who I was and who You're making me.'  At some point we all realize we've been there.  It's true for us today just as it has been true for God's people down through the ages.

As the Old Testament Book of Joshua opens, the Nation Israel is at the banks of the Jordan River ready to cross over into the Promised Land.  God told them that He had brought them out from the cruel bondage of the Egyptians in order to bring them into this land flowing with milk and honey.  Of course there was that period of 40 years wandering in the desert while they learned to listen to God's voice.  Now all 12 tribes are assembled here and ready to cross over the Jordan to the abundant life God had planned for them from the beginning.  Yes, it would be a land of milk and honey and great promise, but it wasn't going to be easy to receive all that God had for them.  There would be battles and wars to be fought; there would be enemy after enemy to conquer.  Promised Land living is not one of ease - it is life on the offense, moving forward and taking territory for the Lord.  It is walking fearlessly by faith and not by sight.

In the opening chapter of Joshua we read about 2 1/2 tribes who do not want to cross over into the land.  They would prefer to settle just at the border.  They had very large herds and flocks and had seen that this land, close but not quite where God wanted to take them, was very good for their livestock.  So they went to Moses and asked for the land.  They said:  "Do not make us cross the Jordan." (Num. 32).  Moses was angry that they would walk by sight - that they didn't want to wholehearedly follow where the Lord was leading.  This area they wanted looked good for them and their needs; so they compromised.  The men would go and fight with the other 9 1/2 tribes but would then come back and settle here.  And that's what happened; they settled for less than God wanted for them.  Oh He blessed them; they had their life of relative comfort raising their families and flocks and herds; but they also unwittingly set themselves up for attack.  With the Jordan River at their back they were now vulnerable to the enemy; when the attacks came they would be the first to go.

Solomon said there is nothing new under the sun and he was right.  God's people have not changed much since the years of Joshua.  God has called us out of our spiritual Egypts - a place of great bondage and slavery to sin - to bring us in to the abundant life of living in a spiritual Promised Land, a life on the offense, walking fearlessly by faith and taking territory for our Lord in our neighborhoods, our communities, our workplaces.  Yet so often we 'settle', and I include myself in this category.  I want to stay just close enough to the border because it is comfortable, it suits me, it makes sense, it's good enough.  It's deep water faith in the shallow end; it's fearless warriors in a picket fence; reckless abandon wrapped in common sense.  It's living 'somewhere in the middle'.  Almost Promised Land living, but not quite all the way in.

Jesus said:  'I have come that you may have life;

and life more abundantly.'

John 10:10

Lord, forgive me for wanting to live on the borders of the life to which You call me.  Amen.

In Christ

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"  2Cor5:17



One of God's most fascinating creations is the Monarch Butterfly.  What starts out as an egg no bigger than the period at the end of this sentence matures in just three days into an incredibly tiny caterpillar.  The caterpillar eats its own weight in food each day; three weeks later the caterpillar reaches its full size and starts its chrysalis (cocoon) stage.  About 8 days  later a fully formed, beautifully colored butterfly will emerge from this cocoon.  The old has gone, the new has come!  We call this 'metamorphosis'.   It is from the Greek and means:  a transformation; a marked change in appearance, character, condition or function.

I think the Apostle Paul had this meaning in mind when he wrote that in Christ we are new creations.  He would write to the Ephesians:  "You were taught...to put off your old self...and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."  And again, he wrote to the Colossians to take off  "...your old self with its practices and put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator."  And his beautiful urging in Romans that, "...in view of God's mercy, offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship.  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed (i.e., 'metamorphoso') by the renewing of your mind."

I wonder if Paul made this point over and over again because he knew it could be difficult to live on this old earth as a new creation; to give up the practices of our old nature and to embrace life in Christ as a new creation.  Maybe you don't struggle with your old nature but I do.  And I don't like to struggle.  Sometimes I almost think that life back in the cocoon might not be so bad.  But deep down I know that would be settling for being something less than I was meant to be.  So I've learned to embrace the struggle because its part of the wonderful process of metamorphosis

You see, for the Monarch butterfly struggling to emerge from the cocoon is essential. As it does so, muscles are developed and body fluids are pushed into the wings so they can expand.  Without that struggle, the butterfly never flies.  Struggle is simply part of the process. Because of metamorphosis something that crawls transforms into something that flies; because of metamorphosis something ordinary becomes something glorious and delightful!

So I continue to struggle.  I think I must be in good company because I'm reminded of Paul's words in Romans 7 and 8 about his own struggle and the hope we have (if its been awhile, you should take some time and read these chapters again).  And finally I am reminded of his words in Philippians:  "I can do everything through Him Who gives me strength."  Hallelujah, because I am 'In Christ'  I have His strength in my struggle to continue to live as a new creation in this old world.  Not easy for sure, but worth it.  We were meant to fly.

A Cup for Amos and Lindsay

Next month our son Amos will be marrying Lindsay; they will enter into the covenant of marriage and we will rejoice with them.  I believe our Lord Jesus will also be rejoicing at this event because Amos and Lindsay have sought Him in their hopes, plans and dreams for their life together.  And I know our Lord loves a wedding!

Consider this.  God's Word starts out with a wedding in the Garden of Eden between Adam and Eve. (Gen. 2)  His Word ends with the wedding of the Lamb and His Bride. (Rev. 21)  Jesus' first miracle was at a wedding (John 2) and He often used wedding language in His parables.  All through scripture God speaks to us using this imagery.   One of the reasons I believe our Lord used marriage language so often is that in its best most intimate form, our earthly marriages are to represent what it means to live in covenant relationship; our marriages are an earthly picture of His love for us as His betrothed.  Because we live in a different time and culture than Jesus did, we may miss some of the beauty and imagery of His words as He spoke to those He loved.   I'd like to share some of the customs of His day.

When a young man was ready to be married he and his father would meet with the woman they had chosen for him.  Both fathers would negotiate a bride price, placing a certain value on the bride.  Of course the more valuable the bride was considered to be and the more generous the groom wanted to be would be reflected in the price negotiated.  When the price was agreed upon the prospective groom would drink from a cup of wine and offer it to his beloved.  If the young woman accepted the cup and drank from it she was in effect saying, "Yes, I accept your offer; I will be your bride."  At that moment the woman was referred to as one who was 'bought with a price' and though there would be an engagement period before the actual wedding feast, she was considered legally married.  (Consider Mary & Joseph who were 'betrothed' when she was found to be with child and Joseph sought to quietly divorce her.)  This acceptance of the offered cup was a binding covenant.

Typically what would happen next is that the young man would go back to his father's house to build on a place for him and his wife to dwell.  In those days families lived in 'insulas' - connected dwellings around one common courtyard.  When the young man went back to his father's house he would build on a place in which to bring his bride.  We are familiar with Jesus' words to His disciples at the Last Supper when He told them He was going to be leaving them.  They were troubled with that so He comforted them as a groom would comfort his betrothed and spoke these words:  "Do not let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God, trust also in Me.  In my Father's house are many dwelling places...I am going to prepare a place for you...I will come back and take you to be with Me..."  (John 14)  Wedding language.

In that same evening while they were eating Jesus "...took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying:  Drink from it, all of you.  This is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many..." (Matt. 26)  Wedding language.  And when each of the disciples in turn took the cup and drank from it they were saying in a sense, just as a bride would:  'Yes, I will be married to you; I will enter into covenant with you.'

Soon after Jesus went out and paid the ultimate bride price.  And we as His people are considered to be bought with a price.  He has gone ahead, to His Father's house to prepare a place and we are engaged, betrothed to Him.  We are in binding covenant and look forward to the wedding Feast of the Lamb and His Bride.

Yesterday at a bridal shower for Lindsay I presented her with an olivewood cup from Israel and told her these stories.  I wanted to remind her how special the covenant relationship she and my son are entering into is to our Lord.  He is the God of Covenant and their marriage in its best sense will be a witness of His relationship with us.  The cup is a reminder of the importance and cost of that relationship.  They will drink from it when they take communion together next month as they enter into covenant.  And we will rejoice.

Under A Yoke

"Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart,

and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

(Matthew 11)

Jesus was speaking in the manner of His day when He gave the invitation to "take My yoke upon you."  The people who heard Him would know He was inviting them to be His disciples.  At about the age of 12, all Jewish boys were considered to be under the yoke of the Law - it was an idiomatic term to say they were now at the age of accountability to submit to the Law.  Of course in Jesus' day they were accountable not only to the Written Law of Moses, but also to the Oral Law and the traditions of the Rabbis.  As a young man came of age and was invited to follow a particular Rabbi, which was a great honor, people said that he was now 'under the yoke of Rabbi so-and-so'.  The young man would follow the Rabbi and learn from him his particular interpretation of all the minute laws and traditions that regulated just about all of Jewish life.

A yoke would be a common sight in Jesus' day as He lived in an agrarian society.  It was used to unite two separate animals to accomplish one common purpose.  Most likely the yokes in Jesus day were made of wood, perhaps by a carpenter.  I imagine a good carpenter would want to make sure the yoke he made for a particular animal would fit that animal and not be too big or too small or too rough.  When Jesus said "My yoke is easy", He literally meant 'well-fitting.'

One of the things I discovered in researching yokes is that there is something called a 'training yoke' and it was formed so that a young and untrained animal could be paired up with an older and more experienced animal who would bear the greater weight of the load.   In Paul Harrison's commentary of this passage in Matthew's Gospel, he writes of the older trained animal..."led under the guiding hand of the ploughman; all the younger animal had to do was to 'pull his weight'.  If the smaller animal pulled away there would be trouble.  The furrow would have to be ploughed again, of course; but in the process of it all, the yoke would chafe the shoulders, not of the young animal only, but of both animals.  The young animal's rebelliousness had to be tamed, it had to become meek and lowly, yielding to the senior partner.  So the yoke was made to sit easy on him when he cooperated but chafe when he did not.  But the senior partner, too, had to be meek and lowly.  It had to be patient and forgiving of the younger animal's spirit and bear with it until the younger learned the benefits of willing cooperation.  So the yoke was made in such a way as to encourage him too, to keep the junior partner in line.  If he lost his cool with the junior partner, the yoke would rub him raw too."

Paul wrote to Timothy (lTim1) that "We know that the Law is good if one uses it properly".  By Jesus' day the Pharisees, in their zeal to 'protect' the Law from being transgressed, had added so many additional restrictions that to follow the Law as they deemed right became a burden to the people.   "The Yoke of the Law", which had started out as a beautiful description of one being obedient to God had now become a taskmaster that none could live up to.  It was a heavy burden laid on their shoulders by the religious leaders of the day. 

The Rabbis and Pharisees said, "We'll yoke you to the Law".  Jesus said:  "I'll yoke you to Me.  I'll bear the greater weight, I'll train you up.  My yoke is easy.  And although it's still a yoke, this Carpenter made it for you and it fits you perfectly.  But if you strain against it or don't walk in step with Me, if you pull away in rebellion, it will be painful and you will chafe; but you will still be yoked to Me.  And if you choose to 'pull your own weight' and walk in step with Me, I will bear the greater weight of the ploughing.  The burden on you will not be too great and you will not become weary in our work together."

As we grow in maturity in our walk with the Lord I believe He gives us opportunity to be in His usual position in the yoke with a younger, inexperienced one at our side.  Children are a good example of this picture.  We are yoked together with them, we show them the path, we work along with them, carrying the greater burden;  if the child rebels and gets rubbed raw or chafed, we do too.  It hurts.  But when was the last time I invited someone other than my children to come under Jesus' yoke with me?  Someone who needs to walk alongside a more experienced Believer who can show her the way and shoulder most of the weight; and also shoulder some of the pain too if that person pulls away and chafes at cooperating.  Someone whom I won't let go of if she starts to wander.  Jesus said:  "Open your eyes and look at the fields!  They are ripe for harvest."  (John 4) 

Open our eyes Lord.