Blindsided

Readings: Jeremiah 11:18-20; I Timothy 6:12-14; John 12:37-50

Ever been blindsided? Think of the poor kiddo in the ever-popular Christmas movie A Christmas Story. He receives gifts annually from a far-away aunt, and this year is no exception.  Ralphie receives that wonderful big box in the mail addressed just to him, and he tears into it with great gusto knowing it will be something absolutely wonderful. And it would have been--if he were four. There, laying in the box, is a big, fluffy pink bunny suit. A bunny suit! Ralphie was blindsided. Really blindsided.

We've all been blindsided throughout our lives; maybe not with a bunny suit, but definitely blindsided. Sometimes we're greatly let down by a loved one, a friend, or a situation. We think things are going along fine and Wham!--blindsided. We are, at first, dazed and wondering just what in the world happened. Then, once we are over the initial shock, we start questioning and asking why it happened. This is when hurt and anger can consume us. In the book of Jeremiah, Jeremiah himself was blindsided--there was, in fact, a plot against his life. He said he felt as though he was "a gentle lamb led to slaughter" (v.19). How did he handle this horrible situation? He put it to God. "But, O Lord Almighty, you who judge righteously and test the heart and the mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you I have committed my cause" (v.20). Jeremiah didn't feel that he needed to be alone in this; he was not by himself. He was, unfortunately, blindsided for doing God's work. Yet knew that God was on his side. He trusted in God.

The book of I Timothy gives us good guidance on how to handle situations when we are blindsided throughout life. He tells us to "Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. Keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ" (v.12 & 14). We don't need to fold to those who blindside us, but we're not called to fight the fight of mere mortals with fists or ugly words, but through the fight of faith. Christ is with us, even when we feel the most dejected, the most deceived, the most humiliated by our earthly peers. But Christ never leaves our side. He's there; we just need to reach out and then we'll be well-prepared to "fight the good fight of faith".

In John 12:47 & 48, we hear Christ's words: "... For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it. There is a judge for the one who rejects me, and does not accept my words; that very word with which I spoke will condemn him at the last day." Christ's living forever in our hearts is not based on judgement; it is based on saving us and always being there for us upon our acceptance of him. We'll never be blindsided by Christ. What a wondrous message.

Peace be with you.

Bullies

Readings: Isaiah 50:5-10; I Peter 2:21-18; John 12:1-36


It seems that bullies and the act of bullying is sprinkled throughout the news on a pretty regular basis these days. Schools are trying to figure out how to handle the bullies as well as the bullied. It's miserable to be bullied, but it's certainly nothing new. Bullies have been around for ages. 
Happily, we have a good guide already in place on how to handle these incidents. It may not be exactly what we'd like to hear, but it certainly is what we need to hear when we're on the receiving end of a bully.


Isaiah 50, verses six and seven tell us, "I offered my back to those who beat me--cheeks to those who pulled out my beard--I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting. Because the Sovereign Lord helps me. I will not be disgraced. That seems like a pretty tall order not to retaliate, but what we tend to forget when we're sitting there at the mercy of the bully is that there is someone watching every move the bully makes...and every move we make as well. And we will be helped and protected. Maybe not by earthly, everyday standards, but by heavenly standards.


In the Book of John, we find Jesus and Lazarus having a meal in the home of Mary and Martha after the miracle of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. Outside, the crowds are forming; this miracle has opened the hearts of many of the townspeople who have now chosen to follow Christ and his teachings. This, of course, doesn't set well for those who are against Christ and all he stands for. So, the plotting and bullying begins. As we know, Christ paid the ultimate price for all of us and all our sins. He was mocked, beaten, and tortured for all of us. Yet he didn't fall to the bullies; instead he gives us these words, "Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant will also be. My Father will honor the one who serves me" (v.26). To be honored by the Father for serving Christ...those words can belittle the biggest of the bullies' power over us. Christ then tells us to "Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light" (v.36).  It's difficult when we're being picked on, ridiculed, or having our lives made miserable when we don't see that we've done anything wrong--and many times we haven't. It just happens; as long as there are people on earth, there will be bullies.


The good news is that, like the little kids say on the sidewalk when nose to nose, "My Father is stronger."


And we know that for a fact. Peace be with you.

No Showy Needed

Readings: Zachariah 9:9-12; Philippians 2:5-11; Matthew 21:1-9

The lowly donkey. The poor cousin of the majestic horse. In the equine world, the donkey is the country bumpkin. In a nutshell, the donkey exemplifies all that is under appreciated for its good works in the world.
But once in awhile, the lowly donkey has its moments. I've always thought that God sees something special in donkeys that the rest of us miss. Think about it--who brought the lovely Mary and the soon-to-be-delivered Christ child to the stable? Not a grand horse, but a donkey. In Matthew, Christ instructs for a donkey and its colt to be brought to him. "'Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and being them to me. If anyone says anything to you, tell them that the Lord needs them and he will send them right away.' This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet" (21:3-4), the prophecy in Zachariah, "See your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey" (9:9).


But why a lowly donkey? Why not a fantastic while stallion? Because God doesn't do showy--we humans invented showy. With God, there's no need to show off. In fact, in Philippians, his words are "Who, being in the very nature God, did not consider equity with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness" (2:6-7). God sent us Christ as a helpless baby, not a magnificent jewel-robed leader on an over-sized throne. We are shown through this act of humility how we are to live while here. These words follow the wonderful theme throughout the Bible that the least shall be the greatest. A lowly donkey played an important part not once, but twice in the history of Christ's time here on Earth. And, in this loving gesture, it gives us all hope. We don't have to be high and mighty to be accepted and loved by God. We just need to live humbly before God, love him above all others, and above all things. And, just like those donkeys, by being true to ourselves, to others, and, most importantly, to God we will thrive. All creatures, great and small, are indeed beautiful in God's sight.


Peace be with you.

Biting the Hand that Feeds Us

Readings: Numbers 21:4-9; Hebrews 9:11-15; John 8:46-59


We've all heard that old saying, but what does it mean? Pretty much just as it says. We get to the point of taking for granted what is done for us and, in return we don't appreciate or even sometimes turn against the very source of our livelihood. We heard it said and are probably all a little guilty of it ourselves. We don't like the way a decision goes at the workplace, at school, or at home and we growl a little that we're being picked on or that those in charge just don't have the good sense to run business or a classroom or a household. Usually, we get over our little rants (or we have the good sense to not growl too loudly or to the wrong person) and all returns back to normal and we go about our day. But, once in a great while, someone lets the rant continue a bit too long and while biting the hand that feeds, the feeding ends. Oops!


That very thing was happening as the Israelites continued in their journey across the desert. Once again the grumbling was increasing along with the angry words. This time they went too far. The daily manna, their literal daily bread, was being cursed. This went beyond the usual complaining--this was an out and out insult against God's grace. They bit the hand that fed them. And they paid dearly.


God sent out poisonous snakes throughout the Israelites; many were bitten by the snakes and many of them died from the bites. In a panic, they pleaded with Moses to ask God for relief. Moses prayed to God and God, in his unending patience and love, told Moses to build a pole with a bronze snake on it. Anyone who was bitten could look at the snake on the pole and be healed. God's grace supplied once again to the people.


In the book of Hebrews, we are reminded that many times we tend to "bite the hand that feeds us" by not being eternally humbled by the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus made for each and every one of us. It speaks of the new tabernacle. "For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance--now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant" (ch. 9, v.15).  It's a bad habit we have to take this precious gift for granted. No longer do we need to go through the laborious ceremonies of cleanliness in order to even be considered to give sacrifices to honor God. It is all so simple now. Christ made sure of it. We pray to our loving Savior who intervenes on our behalf, time after time, to God. Christ is the new covenant. No more rituals; no more pilgrimages to foreign lands and temples. Just earnest prayer. Yet how many times do we growl, pout, or feel that we're not being treated as we like to be? It's not Jesus doing the mistreating. It is our brothers, sisters, and circumstances of an imperfect world. Christ, during his time on Earth, told the believers as well as the disbelievers that "I tell you the truth. If anyone keeps my word, he will never see death" (John 8:51). All we have to do is believe and have faith.


...and remember not to bite the hand that feeds us with eternal life.


Peace be with you.

Full Bellies...Starving Souls

Readings: Isaiah 55:1-7, Galatians 4:21-5:1a, John 6:1-15

Come Thursday, we in the United States and Americans throughout the world will celebrate Thanksgiving, a day of eating, visiting with family and friends, and, as the name of the holiday implies, giving thanks for all we have. And we do, even in a down-turned economy, have plenty. At the end of that food-filled day, our bellies will be full. 

But what about our souls?

Our souls have fallen victim to the same fate as our bodies--we feed on "junk food" in our food, drink, as well as what we read, view, and hear. Then we expect our bodies and souls to feel nourished and stay healthy. As we now know, this simply doesn't work. This wasn't the way we were created. God created us in his own image--no junk there. And, we know better; we just don't follow through very well.

In Isaiah, God invites us to come to him to satisfy our thirst and hunger, not just the hunger that makes our bellies growl and our throats dry--God gives direction to fulfill that through our earthly labors--but true hunger and thirst in our souls that needs to be satisfied as well. God asks us to come and listen, to seek him and call on him for guidance. He tells the wicked to forsake their ways and for the evil to turn away from evil thoughts. In other words, lose the "empty calorie" diets of being a part of the world that has lost all spiritual direction. We can regain our spiritual health with a steady diet of His love and guidance. "Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon" (v.7).

In Galatians, we hear the story of Hagar and Sarah, but from a little different perspective this time--the story relates to our lives in a way of gaining freedom from a state of slavery. And not slavery in the conventional way we think of slavery. This type of slavery is where we find ourselves if we're not mindful of keeping our souls on a healthy diet. Before we know it, we're into the "fast food" of falling for every earthy pursuit that keeps us in a tailspin of slavery through seeking earthly gain at the expense of giving up our focus of being  free from these limited pursuits. "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm then and do not let yourselves be burdened again by the yoke of slavery" (Ch. 5, v. 1a). How wonderful when we come to the resolution that what the world offers is not necessarily on our "diet" of spiritual health and we become truly free.

We all remember the words of the third reading today, from John--the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand. As the crowds approached, Phillip was asked by Christ (somewhat as a test) "Where shall we buy bread for all of these people to eat?"(v.5) Phillip had no idea, but then saw a young boy with five loaves of bread and two fishes. Christ directed them to divide these up and to start passing them out among the massive group. And, as we recall, there was bread left over after all were fed. As was Jewish custom at the time of not allowing any scraps of bread to remain on the ground in honor of God's giving the gift of bread, Christ had the disciples pick up the extra that had fallen to the ground and, as a result, there was still a basket full after all were fed. Jesus gave the message that day that also fed some of the souls there; unfortunately, many still did not get beyond being physically full and missed the spiritual food that day. They still saw him as a prophet; not the Son of God come to save the world. They left, unbeknownst to themselves, still hungry.

So what do we do to satisfy our spiritual hunger and thirst? A healthy dose of daily Bible reading is the first course; being in an environment that affords "moral fiber" keeps us spiritually healthy as well. We need to go extra light on the "snacking" when it comes to getting caught up in all the world's worries, judgments, and wants--it doesn't take too many tastes of these to develop a real craving. And although it's virtually impossible to steer clear of these, it is in our best interest to measure every "calorie" of doubt, anger, and resentment we consume. If we don't, we become overloaded and our soul can't resume its healthy lifestyle.

We are truly blessed. We have good food for the body, skills in which to prepare it to serve our bodily health, and a loving Savior with an endless supply of food for the soul. Our bodies are indeed temples--our temples to God's ever-lasting love through his son, Christ our Lord.

Peace be with you.

Don't Shoot the Messenger--Just Heed the Message

The term "Don't Shoot the Messenger" dates back to Sophecles in 442 B.C. It has been used repeatedly throughout history and, it seems to be how we sometimes feel as Christians in today's world when sharing the message of Christ. It is a message of unconditional love; it is also a message of strict obedience. Most people embrace the former--it's the later they can do without. Our job as messengers sometimes gets a little dicey with the obedience part.


Jeremiah was told directly by God to be the messenger. And the messages that were given to him were not the type that make a messenger very well liked. "This is what the Lord says: Stand in the courtyard of the Lord's house and speak to all the people of the towns of Judah who come to worship in the house of the Lord. Tell them everything I command you; do not omit a word" (v.2). The words that followed weren't exactly what the people of Judah wanted to hear. "If you do not listen to me and follow my law, which I have set before you, and if you do not listen to the words of my servants and prophets, whom I have sent to you again and again (though you have not listened), then I will make this house like Shiloh and this city an object of cursing among all the nations of the earth" (v.4-6).


Poor Jeremiah; I'm guessing he was feeling that familiar phrase at the time of this delivery of God's angry words...don't shoot the messenger. And rightly so; the false prophets and the less than honest priests who had much to gain from the temple staying rich from the citizens' offerings wanted Jeremiah killed for his honest words. With God's protection, cooler and wiser heads prevailed and Jeremiah was spared. And, as time went on, he delivered many more dire messages to the increasingly sinful citizenry. 


In the book of Ephesians Paul is, once again, the quintessential messenger of news that many didn't enjoy hearing. This newly formed group--these Christians--with this noisy and energetic apostle became quite the irritation. Paul was never shot as the messenger, but he did go to his death as a result of his messages of Christ's teachings. Paul reminded Christians to "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God" (v.1-2). He goes on the say "Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient" (v.6). A pretty stern message for his contemporaries (and us) to heed.


Finally, in Luke, we read the teachings of Christ when he performed yet another miracle and mercifully restored another person's life free from demons. And, as usual, there was a group of doubters who were quick to say that Christ's work was actually that of the devil. Christ's retort to the accusers was, "When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first'" (v.24-26). Not exactly the message the newly de-demonized man wanted to hear; the messenger gave the message nevertheless. And, it's a message we still need to heed today. Once we are restored, we're not iron-clad; evil will forever try to creep its way in the fabric of our lives. 


It's a tough time presently to be a Christian. If we follow the teachings of the Bible, we are to be the messengers of God's word through thought and deed. We are, as Paul stated, "Children of the Light." Most of the time anymore, it seems that the circle of believers becomes more conditional. I'll follow God if I can have lots of material items; I'll follow God if I can live a lifestyle that I want, regardless of His teachings; I'll follow God if the Ten Commandments can be seen more as 10 suggestions.


I don't think those are the options.


We need to gather our strength and our faith and see where we can do good. The world is constantly looking for a hero--a protector. Guess what? We have one. We just need to step bravely a bit more out of the darkness and a bit closer to the light. And yes, it's very difficult these days to be a messenger; God bless those who choose to do this every day in many different walks of life.


So, the next time a fellow Christian shares a message that might make us be a bit uncomfortable, isn't seen as "politically correct", or steps on the toes of others within earshot, gently remind those listening to not shoot the messenger...and to heed the message.


Peace be with you.

Seeing is Believing

Readings: Exodus 33:12-23, 1Thessalonians 4:1-7

Matthew 15:21-28

As Moses was leading a cantankerous group across the desert in the escape from slavery in Egypt, he had the privilege of speaking with God who gave Moses the beautiful words, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest" (v. 14).

One day, however, Moses wanted more. He wanted to see God. 

And God complied as a loving Father would; he arranged for Moses to see so he could believe, while making sure that Moses would live through the experience, for "no one may see me and live" (v.20). God told Moses where to stand, and then, with a very loving gesture, He covered Moses with His hand until He passed by so that Moses could see God's back. Moses was given that needed bit of reinforcement in order to carry on with his incredibly difficult task. 

Seeing is believing.

In the story of the Canaanite woman in Matthew, we see faith in a different way. In fact, it is the faith alone of the Canaanite woman that allows her to ask Jesus for help for her daughter-in-law who is suffering. In this story, it's the example she and Christ "draw" in their discussion that help the rest of us "see" what gifts we are afforded. As the story goes, the woman's daughter is demon-possessed. The woman approaches Christ and asks for help. Seeing that she is a Canaanite, Jesus says, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel" (v.24). She wouldn't give up in her plea for help, so Jesus then spoke to her directly, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs" (v.26). She was not Jewish; in her day she was most certainly considered less than others. But she persisted: "Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's tables" (v.27). With this, Jesus was pleased. He told her that her faith was strong and that her request was granted. We, as Christians, might not immediately like what we "see" in this story--that in our history we were, as a people, on a level of dogs. However, being this new religion of Christianity, we have taken those "scraps" and with the love and guidance of Christ and his disciples after him, have become eternal beings, through the grace of Christ and our holy Father.

We know how we are to live; we need to ask ourselves how are we perceived by others. 

1Thessalonians gives us straight-forward directions in how to live to please God: "For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life" (v.7). In the current times in which we live, we are witness to greater and greater numbers of people who aren't following many of the directives given in these passages. We see more and more sexual immorality across the board. We see a lack of control when it comes to the sanctity of one's body--our temples to the Lord. We see more and more people taking advantage of or wronging one's brother in Christ. All these show that we are straying as a whole; we need to encourage our brothers and sisters as well as ourselves to tread carefully in order not lead others astray. Through our lives, we can be strong examples to others to live a holy life. So, remember...

Seeing is believing.

Peace be with you.