Providing a Roof

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.  Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.  Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

Ephesians 1:1-3

I admit it.  I like to do word studies when I'm deep in a book of the Bible.  Doing so gives me 'word pictures' in my mind, helping me remember what the writer has said.

In Paul's letter to the Ephesians he has spent the first three chapters explaining the marvelous and vast riches of God's grace toward us who believe, and the high calling He has placed on our lives.

In the next three chapters Paul tells us how to 'walk worthy' in light of what God has done for us through His Son Jesus Christ.

How descriptive are the qualities Paul is calling us to in the original Greek language of the New Testament!  I was especially struck by the phrase 'bearing with one another in love'.  

We could assume, and rightly so, that bearing with one another in love means to have patience with the errors or weaknesses of anyone.  But a further look at the nuances of this phrase provides a more vivid word picture for me.  Bearing with one another also means 'to support, carry, to treat with mildness or moderation, to provide a roof over.'

Wow!  To provide a roof over!

Think about that for a bit.

Get the word picture in your mind of being a shelter, a roof,  for each other.

Then if you are willing, comment on this word picture.  I'd appreciate your feedback.

A Season of Dust and Ashes

"...I am nothing but dust and ashes."

(Genesis 18:27)

A wise rabbi of ages past suggested that each of us should carry two slips of paper in our pockets.  On one should be written, "I am but dust and ashes."  On the other, "For me the world was created."  From time to time each of us should reach into one pocket or the other.  The secret of living a balanced life comes from knowing when to reach into each pocket.

Today Lent begins - we call this 'Ash Wednesday'.  It is the 40-day period leading up to Good Friday when we remember Christ's death on the Cross.  Typically it is a time to look inward and reflect on the state of our souls.  It is an opportunity for greater humility, disciplined prayer, self-denial and sacrifice.  It is a time to consider on a deeper level the greatest mystery of the universe: 

 "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."  

(Romans 5:8)

Lent is a time for us to enter into His suffering.

It is a time to consider the Cross,  symbol of a violent death yet the door to eternal life with Jesus.

It is a time of dust and ashes.

I invite you to join me at jeannie-reflectionsfromgodsword.blogspot.com occasionally during this Season of Ashes as we journey to the Cross through the Word of God.

Puzzle Pieces

"So Joseph also went up from Nazareth to Judea, to Bethlehem the town 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.  And she wrapped him in cloths and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them at the inn.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their sheep by night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them.  And they were terrified! 

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid.  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.  This will be a sign to you:  you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."  Suddenly a great company of heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and singing, 

"Glory to God in the Highest

and on earth, peace to men on whom His favor rests!"

When the angels had left them and went into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."  So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the baby, who was lying in the manger.  When they had seen him they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child...

But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

 (Luke 2:2-19)

The story of the first Christmas is familiar to me as I quietly sit reading it once again.  Yet this time there is a verse that keeps pulling at me, tugging at my thoughts and beckoning me to stay a bit:

"But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart."

I imagine on that first Christmas so long ago, Mary had much to treasure up...

            ...all that the shepherds had told her about the heavenly chorus singing because a Savior had been born. 

            ...the words from the Angel Gabriel 9 months earlier, telling her she had found favor with God; that the Holy Spirit would come upon her, the power of the Most High would overshadow her and she would give birth to a child.  

           ...this child would be called the Son of God.  He would sit on David's throne and His Kingdom would never end.  

 Mary had been told great and marvelous things about this little one she had just delivered, certainly many things to treasure up!

But we are told she also "pondered them in her heart".  To ponder means to think deeply and thoroughly about something, to meditate on it.  It's like taking many different pieces of a puzzle and trying to fit them together in your mind to give you a sense of the big picture.

Mary had much to ponder because it would seem that none of the puzzle pieces of all she had been told were fitting together.

Consider her situation:

Heavy with child, she travels 80 miles with her fiance because Caesar has issued a decree. When they arrive in Bethlehem they find no one has room for them.  Far from home, about to deliver, the trauma of being refused a place to lodge - she goes into labor in a dirty, filthy stable. 

I cannot imagine she was expecting this.

When Almighty God Himself plants a child in your womb you would think things would go a bit smoother.  If this child is the Son of the Most High God born to reign on David's throne forever, then what is she doing in this smelly manger with Joseph, her baby and some dirty shepherds who had been living in a field?  She had been called "blessed" by the Angel Gabriel and "highly favored".  Yet little of her present circumstances seem blessed or favorable; here she was, shunted off to a barn to deliver the Savior of the world.

Mary, indeed,  had much to ponder...many pieces of a puzzle that didn't seem to fit together.

Sometimes life is like that.  

How is it for you?  

Are the pieces of the puzzle of your life fitting together, snapping into place easily?  Or does it seem it would take a sledgehammer to make a piece fit?  Maybe you are thinking there are just too many pieces of the puzzle missing; life is not turning out as you expected...

        ...a loved one passed away this last year and this is your first Christmas without her.
        ...one you love is given a diagnosis of cancer and you wonder if the treatment will work;  will he be here for next Christmas?
       ...the lay-off notice you were fearing is now a reality, just in time for the holidays.
       ...your spouse has had an affair and you wonder if you will ever get over the pain and rejection.
       ...you are more connected than ever:  internet, Facebook, Instagram.  Yet you have never struggled more with loneliness and depression.
       ...you raised your child from birth to know Jesus; now as a young adult he has chosen to walk a different path.

When the pieces of the puzzle of our lives don't seem to fit together we, like Mary, do well to ponder, to think deeply about what it means that God chose to come as a helpless baby born in a stable to a teenage girl in Bethlehem 2000 years ago, so that he could be "Emmanuel - God with us.'"

He is not only God with us - in the really good times when the puzzle pieces seem to fall easily into place or the deepest darkest times of life when nothing seems to make sense - but he is God for us, the Apostle Paul tells us.

"And if God is for you who can be against you?  He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?...Christ Jesus who died - more than that, who was raised to life - is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.  Who shall separate us from the love of God? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?  No! In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."

"I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels or demons, neither the present nor the future nor any powers, neither height nor depth nor anything else in all creation..."

not illness - not cancer or depression - not loneliness or divorce or separation - not loss of job or loss of home - not even the loss of a loved one - nothing

"...will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."  (Romans 8)

What do you need from him this Christmas?  No situation is too great, no heart too hard, no budget too little, no marriage too lonely.  God is with us, God is for us and nothing can separate us from his love!

He is calling us:  ponder the story!  Not the Christmas story we celebrate these days with so much busyness and things to do.  Ponder the story of that first Christmas, when none of the puzzle pieces seemed to fit together.  When the Sovereign God of the Universe, the Eternal and Almighty One, chose to leave his heavenly throne and come to us; God...wrapped in cloths and lying in a dirty manger.

Where could that puzzle piece possibly fit?

It fits right in with the cross of Calvary.  

We cannot separate the precious little baby lying in a manger from the spotless lamb who would hang on a cross so that, by his blood, he can forever be "Emmanuel, which means God with us!"  Oh how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ!  He who did not spare his only son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?  This is our God - with us!  He is the one piece that will help you make sense out of the puzzle of your life!

This Christmas may you find that one piece of the puzzle that makes everything else fit: Emmanuel, God with us.  May he be what we, like Mary, treasure up and ponder in our hearts.

       

Thanksgiving Reflections on Hanukkah

 

This year Thanksgiving falls on the first day of Hanukkah, the 8-day Jewish Feast celebrating the re-dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem in 165 B.C.

Hanukkah's theme is one of miracles.  The central figure in the story is the Menorah, or Golden Lampstand, which stood in the Holy Place in God's Temple.

In 167 B.C. the Syrian King Antiochus Epiphanes was passionate about unifying his kingdom, including Judea, into one monolithic Greek culture.  Because he saw the Jewish religion as an obstacle to his goal, Antiochus made practicing Judaism a capital offense.

He set up ritual prostitution in the Temple.  

Possession of the Hebrew scriptures was outlawed.  

Whole families were executed for observing the Sabbath.  

He ransacked the Temple and offered pigs on the altar of God.

Finally a small band of Jewish outlaws led by Judah Maccabbee successfully revolted.  Against all odds, this small band of guerrilla warriors defeated one of the mightiest armies on earth, driving the Greeks from the land, reclaiming the Temple and re-dedicating it to the worship of God.

They tore down and rebuilt the defiled altar.  

They made new instruments to be used in worship. 

People came from all over Judea to celebrate the re-dedication.

But when they went to light the Menorah which was to burn continually before the Holy of Holies, they discovered there was only one jar of sanctified oil remaining which had not been desecrated by Antiochus;  one jar would last only one night.  It would take eight days before more oil could be consecrated according to God's law.  What would they do?  The lit Menorah was central in the Holy Place; there was no other light.

They decided to use the little oil they had.  They were so eager for the light to be restored in God's Temple that they did all they could do, without violating God's Law...

...and waited for God to intervene.  

He did.  

The Lampstand miraculously continued to shine its light for 8 days, enough time for a new supply of oil to be made and consecrated.

Today many Jewish homes have a special 8-branched Menorah with an elevated ninth branch in the center.  This ninth branch holds the shamash, or servant,  candle which  is used to light each of the other candles.  Every evening a candle is lit from the flame of the shamash candle until the 8th night when all are aglow.  Then the Menorah is usually placed in a front window so all passing by may see the light it sends forth.

The Temple Menorah is a beautiful picture of our Messiah Jesus.  He is the Light of the World who came as the Shamash, being light to those around Him as He served.

This Thanksgiving as we recall the pilgrims who came to our land in search of religious freedom, we are reminded of God's people thousands of years ago who also sought freedom.  It is a precious thing the Lord has bestowed on us.  How, then, should we respond?

"You are the light of the world.  A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  

Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  

Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 

 In the same way, let your light shine before men, 

that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."  

(Matthew 5:14-16)

(If you are interested in a few ideas for a Thanksgiving devotional using some imagery from Hanukkah, message me your email and I'll forward what I'm putting together for our meal)

Here I Am

This coming Fall our women's bible study is gearing up for the Old Testament book of Jonah - you know, the story with the BIG FISH.  Actually its more than just a fish story; it's a story of prejudice, of desiring personal comfort over the spiritual need of others, of not wanting God to be gracious to our enemies.  Check it out.

In the first chapter we see God giving Jonah the task to preach to the wicked Ninevites to repent.  Ahhh, but Jonah doesn't want the Ninevites to repent because then they might receive forgiveness from the Lord.  He doesn't think his arch-enemies deserve God's graciousness.

Three times in the opening chapter we read that Jonah 'flees from the Lord's presence.'  He is a very reluctant prophet!

In the end, Jonah did what God called him to do, but still with a reluctant, petulant spirit.

This summer I have been considering the Hebrew word Hineni.  (Hebrew is the original language of the Old Testament.)  It means "Here I am".

It is the word Abraham used when God called to him on Mt. Moriah...and Abraham said Hineni, here I am.

It is the word Jacob used when God called him to go down to Egypt and not be afraid...and Jacob said Hineni, here I am.

It is the response from Moses when God called to him from the burning bush...and Moses replied: Hineni, here I am.

It is the reply of the young Samuel when God called him...Hineni, here I am.

It is the response of Isaiah when he got a vision of the heavenly throne room of God...Hineni, here I am.

There is so much more to this Hebrew word than just 'being present'.  It is being present with all my being, physically and spiritually, with my heart wide open to hear and obey whatever it is God is calling me to do.  It is saying a total yes before even knowing what the task will be.

And oh those tasks...

"Abraham, offer your son Isaac..."     "Jacob, leave this land I've promised you and go down to Egypt..."     "Moses, go up against Pharaoh and lead my people out of the fiery furnace..."     "Young Samuel, tell the Priest Eli that I am about to bring the dreadful curse against his house and all his descendants will die young..."     "Isaiah, speak to these stiff-necked people and tell them what I am about to do.  But they will not listen to you..."   

What different hearts than the reluctant heart of the prophet Jonah!

And yet... 

too often I find myself more like Jonah than Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Samuel and Isaiah.

I know I am not alone.  As I was praying for our women leaders this week I prayed that we would be 'Hineni Women',  fully committed before we even know what the task ahead will involve, what difficulties might lie ahead as we seek to obey God's call on our lives, how the enemy might attack...  

And I wondered...

Did God every say Hineni?

Oh what joy!  Hear the word of the Lord:

"Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; 

you will cry for help, and

He will say:  Hineni - here I Am."

Isaiah 58:9

What a comfort to our ministry as we go into this year, praying to be less like Jonah and more like "Hineni Women".  The great Hineni - here I AM answers us when we call on Him.

If you live in the Visalia/Tulare area and would like to join us as we study this little book we would welcome you!

Tuesday 9/3  9:15am-11:15am

Wednesday 9/4   6:15pm-8:00pm

Nursery:  Birth-3 years old

Elevate Junior:  3-5 years old

contact:  sarah@tularecommunitychurch.com

   

Standing At The Crossroads

This is what the Lord says:

"Stand at the crossroads and look; 

ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is and walk in it, 

and you will find rest for your souls." (Jeremiah 6:16)

There once was a country Rabbi travelling from his home town to Jerusalem when he got lost and was confronted on the road by a Roman Soldier.

"Halt!" said the Soldier.  "Who are you and why are you here?"

The Rabbi thought deeply for a few moments and then replied, "Sir how much do they pay you to stand here and ask those questions?"

"A denarius", replied the Soldier.

"Sir, I will pay you double if you will stand at my door and every day when I enter and leave, ask me those same two questions."

Who are you and why are you here?

Have you thought about that today?

When The Stars Burn Down/Perseid Meteor Shower

I love watching the night skies deep in the middle of the night.  

Early this morning, 3:30 a.m., I turned off all the outside lights,  arranged my lawn chair, my music (Phillips, Craig & Dean: "When the Stars Burn Down") and coffee and prepared to view the Perseid Meteor Shower.  This was to be the perfect time to view it in all its glory.

I was a bit disappointed.  Although I got a 'taste' of what was going on in the heavens it was less than I expected.  Light pollution, ( artificial light) being produced by our dense populations has dimmed our night skies, making it more and more difficult to see the vast display of the Creator's hand in the heavenlies.  Consider this verse from the Psalmist:

"The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of His hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech;

night after night they display knowledge."

(Psalm 19)

The heavens in all their glory speak to us of the vastness of God; of the creativity of God; His sovereignty over it all.

Yet -  

the light pollution manufactured in the urban areas where we live obscures and dims the display of His handiwork throughout the heavens.  Do you miss it?  Do you even know its there?

There are other things in my life that diminish and obscure what God is doing.  It's not brought on by manufactured light pollution, but by manufactured life pollution.  It's brought on by busyness, selfishness, worry, my next purchase, my next project...things that are attractive to me...things I desire. 

Things that overshadow and diminish the Light of Christ in my life.

Just as the manufactured light in our urban areas diminishes the light in the heavenlies, the manufactured life I sometimes live can surely diminish the Light in my life.

Lord, help me surrender to you.  To seek You early in the morning and let Your light guide me during the day.  At night when I have opportunity to see a vast array of the stars in the heavens, let me remember that when You took Abraham outside to see the star-filled sky, You told him that so would his offspring be.  I delight to know that one of those stars lit then was representing me!