A couple of years ago, I heard about someone's scandal - not sure who (That is how quickly they come and go).
I wrote this in a post:
"I am not going to gloat or rejoice over personal or marital misfortune of those with whom I disagree deeply - even if I have ever felt they were insensitive or misguided. That does not matter. Everyone is human and everyone's pain calls for people of good will to have sympathy."
Our hands tell the story Older than our days Of wordless pain and glory One scoffs; another prays.
Our days turn into moments Defying time and space No matter how one reckons We are one human race.
On August 30, 1800, Gabriel Prosser intended to lead a rebellion and become the king of Richmond and several surrounding counties.
An enslaved man, Gabriel was "owned" by Thomas Henry Prosser of Brookfield plantation near Richmond, Virginia.
He was most likely born on the plantation where he lived. He was married and he was a skilled blacksmith,
He believed that his people were being unjustly enslaved and wanted to do something about it
Out of that, he organized a major slave uprising.
It was the boldest plan of its kind to be conceived of in the history of slavery in the Southern states.
It may have succeeded. However, it was literally rained out. There was a sudden and severe downpour.
Also, some of the slaves of Mosby Shepherd told their master of the plot and it was thwarted.
After this attempted uprising, new laws went into effect limiting the mobility, literacy, and relative freedom of enslaved peoples.
Did he plan violence?
Yes.
Did he break the law?
Well, yes.
He was also executed.
Was it a just law? Was there a better way? Was it effective If it had succeeded would history have been better?
What if it had been carried out and failed
There is not a single question here that could not be asked about the venerated and respected American Revolution.
Gabriel challenged an unjust institution.
I was raised in Richmond and educated in the Richmond Public Schools from K-12. Not one word was ever uttered about Gabriel or this major, significant event in Richmond and American history.
Gabriel, who often for the sake of convenience is mistakenly referred to as Prosser, was the leader of an unsuccessful slave revolt in Richmond, Virginia in 1800. Born into slavery around 1775, Gabriel was the chattel of Thomas H. Prosser of Henrico County, Virginia. Little is known of his life before the revolt that catapulted him into notoriety. Gabriel’s two brothers, Solomon and Martin and his wife, Nanny, were all owned by Thomas Prosser, and all participated in the insurrection.
At the time of the insurrection, Gabriel was twenty-four years old, six feet two inches tall, literate, and a blacksmith by trade. He was described by a contemporary as “a fellow of courage and intellect above his rank in life.” With the help of other slaves including Jack Bowler and George Smith, he devised a plan to seize control of Richmond by killing all of the whites (except the Methodists, Quakers and Frenchmen) and then establishing a Kingdom of Virginia with himself as monarch.
Gabriel and the other revolt leaders were probably influenced by the American Revolution and more recently the French and Haitian Revolutions with their rhetoric of freedom, equality and brotherhood. In the months prior to the revolt, he recruited hundreds of supporters and organized them into military units. Although Virginia authorities never determined the extent of the revolt, they estimated that several thousand planned to participate including many who were to be armed with swords and pikes made from farm tools by slave blacksmiths.
Gabriel planned to initiate the insurrection on the night of August 30, 1800. However, earlier in the day two slaves who wanted to protect their masters betrayed the plot to Virginia authorities. Governor James Monroe alerted the militia. A rainstorm prevented the army from assembling outside Richmond thereby delaying the uprising by 24 hours and giving the militia crucial time to prepare a defense of the city. Realizing their plan had been discovered, Gabriel and his co-conspirators dispersed into the countryside. About 35 leaders were captured and executed but Gabriel was able to escape to Norfolk where he was betrayed by other enslaved people for the reward. He was captured on September 25 and returned to Richmond where he was tried and found guilty on October 6 for his role in the abortive uprising. He was executed on October 7, 1800.
Frederick Buechner resurrects the question, "If we could somehow meet one of the great ones of history, which one would we choose?"
He does so with a twist of the cap that opens a jar of possibilities and we are compelled to rethink our own opportunities for self reflection. Beyond that, I am reminded not to miss the manifestations of vulnerable and flawed greatness around me daily, incarnate in human flesh, indwelt by the Spirit.
Will history enshrine some of those we have deemed common?
What of our common clay, that of which we are being formed, will outlive us and take on the legendary lore of legacy?
The meaning of our lives is not entirely in our own hands to determine.
That which lives on, lives on and beyond and takes on life of its own and takes up its own instrument in the orchestra.
I shall keep at least one eye on the conductor and one upon the score and when He looks to me to improvise, I shall do so within the comforting structure of the larger symphony of grace knowing that he has not abandoned his baton or place at the rostrum.
But, who would I meet for conversation?
Can I simply wait until that moment when all knowledge is available?
One night, decades ago, I was on a BART train returning from the north end of the one end of the San Francisco Bay Area to the other. A rather life-beaten, disheveled man was having a lively, verbal conversation with the great Bay Area attorney, Melvin Belli and he held his book in one hand. The dialogue was animated at times.
I could not see the invisible, deceased barrister or know how he was replying, but one man in the conversation was making his views known.
I did learn from that experience, that can meet historical figures in books by and about them and I can converse with them there. I do not have to be suffering from delusions and I do not have to wait for eternity.
There are hundreds of interesting people alive today and within our reach. Many of them will be gone in a few years. Rather than trying to resurrect the ghosts of history, perhaps we could initiate a few conversations with the living.
Still, it is an interesting question that Buechner raises.
How would you answer?
Personally, I would not mind a coffee with the late Mr. Buechner
In the Meme-While: Get Intentional with Memes and Shorts
It is fun and fundamental.Tom Sims , Cultivator of Big Ideas·Follow4 min read·Just now--ListenShare
By now, I have hundreds of memes that I need to work on, make videos of, and propagate. I also need to hold back some material for publication. However, if you stick with me long enough, you will get a lot more and, yes, you may share.
That is how the 28th chapter ends and our 29th begins.
Paul was unhindered and lived and ministered "unhinderingly."
Scholars have observed an awkwardness in Greek for the ending of Acts 28:31 which constitutes the last words in the Book of Acts.
Hindrances and perceived hindrances come and go. We complain. We use them as excuses. Paul used them as reasons. He was motivated by them.
Last words, it has been said, are lasting words.
Why these?
ἀκωλύτως is an adverb. Some have translated it, "None forbidding him."
It feels like something dangling.
I, like A.T. Robertson, reject the notion that the book is unfinished, even if the grammar begs for more words. I think that is intentional for such a story to end with the scenario of unhindered conversation and proclamation.
The dangling sentence opens the door for the 29th chapter of Acts which is still being written and lived. The good news continues to be unhindered.
But, you suggest, we are hindered?
Really? Are you under house arrest in Rome?
Paul was, but he was unhindered.
Think about it. A conversation Zoom arrives in the ears of anyone in the world in 6 seconds or less.
Unhindered.
Is anything hindering you?
Is it real? Is it insurmountable? Can you climb over it or walk around it? Is it really as much of a hindrance as you thin?
Paul was chained and confined but unhindered.
Rethink your hindrances. Be creative. Consider how you can turn hindrances into launchpads and opportunities.
Acts 28:30-31 (NRSV)
He lived there two whole years at his own expense and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.
“… and their wheels like a whirlwind:” – Isaiah 5:28b; “
For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind …” – Isaiah 66:15 a
There is nothing like the look, feel, and smell of a new car. Nor is there any sensation quite like the purr of her engine. She is fresh and shiny and new and she moves down the freeway like the whirlwind until one day, that car is worn out, faded, musty, and dented. The engine no longer hums. She can’t quite get up to speed. No longer can that new Ford or Chevrolet be compared to a wheel like a whirlwind. Now it is used. It is a trade-in or worse, something to be discarded for scrap at the local wrecking yard.
Its days of useful service are over.
God used Isaiah to describe an army in its prime – something to be feared and admired. Its wheels were like a whirlwind.
But even the best of equipment gets old, rusty, and useless. What was once functional becomes a mere decoration.
Are you a functional servant of Jesus Christ or a pretty decoration in your church?
It doesn’t really matter whether you look, smell, or feel new. What matters is that you are available to God. He has not made you to occupy space, but to fill your place of service. It doesn’t matter how old, tired, and beat up you are,
God can use you and you can be one of his chariots of fire
Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and alms, deeds which she did.
And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and died: whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber. And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him that he would not delay to come to them.
Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them.
But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up. And he gave her his hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive.
And it was known throughout all Joppa; and many believed in the Lord. - Acts 9:36-42
God is still raising the dead through the power of the Holy Spirit. Not every demonstration of resurrection power is as immediately obvious as that of Dorcas, but each is as dramatic and life altering. With as much certainty and amazement as the word spread over her return to life through the ministry of Peter, new, changed lives send shock waves through our communities.
No one can estimate or account for the power of testimony in the life of one who has encountered God in worship and the new birth experience. As you worship today, history is potentially being changed because this is a resurrection experience – a dynamic exchange in which the Holy Spirit is present.
What happens in your life as you meet God has implications far beyond your well-being and that of your family and church. As you pause before God today and worship Him, you come into His presence. In that presence, if you enter fully, you will be raised to a new level of spiritual living. It will be impossible for the change in you to go unnoticed.
People are watching you at school and work. Once you have identified yourself as a disciple of Jesus Christ, your life is on display. Folks are observing the changes that God is making in you. It behooves you to allow Him to work, to be sensitive to His Spirit, to be totally engaged in praise, and to listen intently to what He is saying today.
This is a critical moment. Lives will be transformed if you will meet God in worship.
The Immediacy of Submission
“ But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake … As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.” - Acts 9:14-15; 13:2-3;
“But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood.” - Galatians 1:15-16
Paul’s testimony is one of being sanctified by God for God’s purposes. Our stories are not different in that regard. Paul’s progresses from that point. Some of us fail to move beyond the starting place. Paul, however, recognized his separation unto God’s calling and responded immediately with submission and obedience.
God had something in mind for Saul from day one. He would transform his life so that he might be set apart for a particular service.
It was woven into the purposes of God that Saul would be lifted from his cultural identity and become the apostle to the Gentiles (thus the Greek name, Paul).
He would be sent forth into the world as a missionary. That is a redundancy, since “apostle” and “missionary” are synonymous in the Bible for the word which means, “one who is sent.”
Submission for Paul meant being what God had called him to be, going where God had called him to go, and doing and saying what God had called him to do and to say.
It is no different for us.
We surrender our self-will when we come to Christ, and we need constant reminders that such surrender is at the heart of holiness.
Submission to God opens countless doors of opportunity and becomes to very fount of joy and fulfillment once we have dealt with the artificial pain of surrender.
The ethics of faith are not always easy to sort through.
Our basic commitments are and we thank God for those anchors, anchored to one anchor.
However, to apply truth is something God calls us to work at sometimes, pray through, struggle with, and stay awake with. That is because we are always balancing things which require a perspective beyond ourselves to balance.
We are trying to do what comes naturally to God, to feel each person’s pain and distress and desire the Shalom of every people and nation. Easy to God, but difficult for us.
It is hard, not impossible, and the difficulty of it is no excuse to settle into complacency, to focus our attention on a few sources, close our hearts and minds, or harden our hearts.
To be God’s people in the world is to move beyond self-interest, even the interest of survival and safety, and embrace something larger — a Kingdom that has no boundaries or borders or language of its own among men. This is just one example of many of the issues with which the people of God must wrestle.
Historical contexts come and go. We lose track of their meaning, impact, and intensity.
In the following commentator’s words, we reach back 11 years.
The point is about consistency in our muddy ethics. It is rare.
“As Egyptian developments unfold, Christians around the world are asking how best to preserve the Christian community from harm and maintain its voice and role in Egypt.
How can Christians adopt a stance that promotes the protection of Egypt and its Christians from Muslim Brotherhood extremists without simultaneously condoning what has been described as ‘one of the deadliest single-day instances of police-on-protester violence since Tiananmen Square’?”
— Read more in: “A Christian, Rights-Based Approach to Egyptian Developments” by Wissam al-Saliby
I know this describes where some of you are today, weariness, tears, weeping, groaning, and weakness. Know this from the psalm, that it is OK to tell God. Know this also, that God knows, understands, cares, and enters into your experience.
Know even more that there is a parallel story being written about your journey. It is a story that is far more accurate because it is wrapped up in the final paragraphs, more accurate because it knows and tells the unseen and unperceived realities that are active all around you. It is more complete because God wins and you win.
I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping. My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows weak because of all my foes. (Psalm 6:6-7 ESV)
We place limits on the work of Jesus among us, but when you look at the last line you see that those are not limits on his outreach. He will find belief and He will enter an arena of reception because people are "buying" what He is offering. Our streets are filled with people waiting to see and hear an authentic representation of Jesus, His Kingdom call, and His love.
The question is whether our home-town churches will be willing to embrace Him and get in His program or if He will have to look and work elsewhere.
" He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?
” And they took offense at him. And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. And he marveled because of their unbelief. "
"And he went about among the villages teaching."
(Mark 6:1-6 ESV)
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Having wisdom and sharing wisdom is sometimes different from having to apply it to your own life. We may have helped others but, in our own time of crisis, discover that our words to them are inadequate to our own suffering. In fact, all words are inadequate. they may be good words, but they do not sink in. If we were to replay our own speeches, they would be resisted. It may be good advice, but we are not ready to receive it.
The book of Job has some pretty good insights for both the care giver and the care receiver - how we give and how we receive help.
"Behold, you have instructed many,
and you have strengthened the weak hands.
Your words have upheld him who was stumbling,
and you have made firm the feeble knees.
But now it has come to you, and you are impatient;
it touches you, and you are dismayed.
Is not your fear of God your confidence,
and the integrity of your ways your hope?"
(Job 4:3-6 ESV)
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"Jesus hits the essential and always the essential. His was the sifted mind. He was never misled by a subordinate issue, never took a bypath, and never missed the point."-- From "The Christ of the Mount" by E. Stanley Jones
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"When we despair of gaining inner transformation through human powers of will and determination, we are open to a wonderful new realization: inner righteousness is a gift from God to be graciously received. The needed change within us is God's work, not ours. The demand is for an inside job, and only God can work from the inside. We cannot attain or earn this righteousness of the kingdom of God; it is a grace that is given." - Richard Foster (Celebration of Discipline)
"God tears us from that which we love wrongly, unreasonably or excessively, that which hinders his love.... We cry loudly in our despair and murmur against God.... But he lets us cry and saves us nevertheless... The things for which we weep would have caused us eternal woe." - François Fénelon (1651-1715)
We need to review frequently the truth that our performance and our acceptance by other people has nothing to do with our dignity and value, since this is determined by God and not by the world. When we suffer rejection and indifference, the pain will be real, but it need not destroy us, since we have made the radical decision to look to God and his resources alone for our true and unchanging identity and worth. - Kenneth Boa (Conformed to His Image)
“Fallacies do not cease to be fallacies because they become fashions.” ― G.K. Chesterton
It is National Waffle Day.
Let us all change our minds about something.
But keep in mind that the centered waffle is the best waffle.
“'Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan,
I will now arise,” says the LORD;
“I will place him in the safety for which he longs.'
The words of the LORD are pure words,
like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
purified seven times."
(Psalm 12:5-6 ESV)
We love to take scripture out of context to proof-text our own points. It is no different with the equation of the fool and the man who says in his heart there is no God. We do it as if the psalmist is referring to intellectual fools who struggle with issues of faith. Rather, he is talking about moral fools, people of power who plunder the poor and helpless as if there were no God of justice and truth to whom they must give account.
The proof of reverence for God is, in this context, dealing justly, fairly, and righteously with people - especially, the poor.
"The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.' They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good."
"The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God."
"They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one."
"Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers who eat up my people as they eat bread and do not call upon the LORD?"
"There they are in great terror, for God is with the generation of the righteous. You would shame the plans of the poor, but the LORD is his refuge."
"Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad."
Why did Nehemiah lead the people to confess and repent of generational sin? Why did they need to deal with the wrongdoings of their ancestors?
It was not about guilt or feeling guilty, demoralized, or anything negative.
It was about awareness, correction, learning, and change of patterns. It was also about reversing the ongoing effects of the past sins of the people.
When called upon to corporately repent of corporate or historical sins, these are the positive and possible results: restoration, reconciliation, redemption, and regeneration of dead relationships.
"They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the sins of their ancestors." -Nehemiah 9:2
Responding to John Shook, Center for Inquiry on the God-Morals Connection/Disconnection It’s no mystery how Nonbelievers stay moral without God - May 24, 2009 - by John Shook
Shook observed:
"It’s really no mystery how nonreligious people are moral too. Sill, religious people just can’t help but make a big mystery out of this obvious fact. Even if the religious admit that atheists can know what morality is, they stay bewildered by atheists’ ability to willingly follow morality. We hear the faithful endlessly worry over moral atheists. "How do they obey morality, when they have no motivation to be so good?" Is it like watching a disaster movie for them? The faithful seem perched on the edges of their seats, anticipating a catastrophic climax when a billion people who don’t believe in any supernatural God suddenly erupt into anarchy and chaos."
There are almost too many points on which to comment adequately when reading John Shook's post.
First, I would complement him on a well written and reasonable discussion of the subject. I would agree with him that "Nonbelievers" (I will capitalize it since he did) can be as moral as believers. I would also add a theist's perspective with which I would not expect him to agree.
Take this statement:
"The world is getting along just fine with a sixth of the world’s population living without your God. No disaster is coming, and it’s no mystery why not. Unbelievers don’t need God to stay moral. It’s all about motivation. "
Actually, I don't think the world is doing all that well, but there are plenty of people who believe in God who are a part of the problem.
I would suggest that in reality, more than 1/6 are living "without God." By that I mean that while most people have a nominal belief in God, it is not so pervasive that it drives their moral decisions on a daily basis.
On the other hand, we don't think that just because you don't believe in God that God is not involved in your life. So, in the strictest sense, and from a theist's point of view, we would not say that you are living entirely without God.
I would agree that it is all about motivation.
Shook creates an argument for the God-Morality connection and attributes it to believers. There are many who would use that argument, but I am not certain that it would be the best of all possible reasoning processes.
A missing motivation would be the basic law that what you reap you sow.
The Hindus have a version of it and call it Karma. Deists would have called it natural law.
To find examples of these universally applicable principles and motivations that exist in the universe whether or not its people believe in God, one need only ready the Hebrew wisdom literature - especially Proverbs. These sayings arise as much out of observation and inspiration. Yet, the writer says that they all come from God.
Therefore, reverence for God, however you describe God or ultimate truth, is the beginning of wisdom.
The motivations, however, flow from the natural consequences of behavior that rewards itself. So, if I want to be trusted, I will be trustworthy. That will bring a reward. The reward will condition me and teach me. That training will inform my moral sensibilities. As a believer, I would say that God set that in motion. Nonbelievers would not make that claim. The results are the same in this dimension.
Shook raises a good question: Do we need to have eternal rewards assured or punishment avoided in order to behave morally? Hebrews 11 suggests that people in ancient times who did not have a strong sense of eternal rewards were willing to exercise extraordinary faith for the benefit for those who would come after them. Of course, they believed in an eternal God and that gave them significance.
Again, the wisdom literature attempts an answer. From Ecclesiastes we read:
For everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven.
God has made everything beautiful in its own time.
God has set eternity in the hearts of human beings.
As offensive as it may seem to my atheist friends, Christians believe that you have a sense of eternity in your heart whether or not you believe and that it drives many of your responses to life. We also believe that the goodness that exists in you is not entirely voided because you do not know from whence it came. We further believe that the human capacity for empathy is a "God-connection," as is love and the longing for grace.
For every naturalistic explanation for anything that a Nonbeliever cites, we see a First-Mover behind it. For that reason, I could find no reason to quarrel with these points that Shook relates:
"(1) possessing moral knowledge alone provides a reasonable motivation to be moral;
(2) moral conduct can be intrinsically satisfying for one’s self and hence is reasonable;
(3) moral conduct towards another person is valuable to that person and hence reasonably creates value;
(4) moral conduct can be a practical means of maintaining beneficial social relations and hence is reasonable;
(5) moral conduct can be useful for survival and hence would be reasonable."
We do believe in ultimate rectification. It gives us great comfort and encouragement. We believe that there is power in the Spirit living within us to overcome temptations and make tough choices. We believe that the message of life-change-possibility (repentance) flowing from mercy, grace, and forgiveness liberates people to become more than they otherwise could become. We believe that we are loved unconditionally, forgiven freely, and awakened eternally through faith.
But I don't think our theism hinges on a moral theory of God. In fact, the Christian message is not primarily a moral one. Ethics is but one component of Christian doctrine. We believe that it originates with God, but that it is the one component that is virtually universal in its revelation with or without the specifics of scripture to explain it. That is why all people share accountability for their actions in this world.
The Christian ethic is that our moral choices should exceed the minimum requirements of basic human morality for no other motivation than love. Love is the standard for behavior according to Jesus. It is the only standard. To the extent to which Nonbelievers agree with this, we have something in common.
"Don’t worry, faithful—you can count on steady morality from nonbelievers."
The Death of Absalom (circa 1447), Pietro di Tommaso del Minella (1391-1458), - tiled floor, south transept of Siena Cathedral
David's words of lament for Absalom sear themselves upon any sensitive heart, "Absalom, my son, my son."
A father's love, tested by a rebellious son who sought to take his throne and his life, endures beyond the battle.
Joab, fighting for his king, David, wounds Absalom with three darts through the heart. Then, Absalom is killed by Joab's armor-bearers.
The word came to David of Absalom's death and his sorrow is deep.
"O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!"
From 2 Samuel 18:9-18, in the account of the death of Absalom, comes this rather sad and tragic summary statement of his life, namely that the only remembrance and monument to his life and achievements was the one he built to honor himself.
In almost every important way, that would have been important to him, Absalom is remembered differently, tragically, and negatively.
Seeking one's own honor as a primary goal, generally produces opposite results.
"Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up for himself a pillar that is in the King's Valley, for he said, "I have no son to keep my name in remembrance" he called the pillar by his own name. It is called Absalom's Monument to this day."
Except for a few months, it has been nine years since I gave up driving. I still have my license. I am still legal to drive, but I do not. I get lightheaded without much warning even though it has been years since I passed out. At first, it seems to have been a combination of a slow heart, low blood pressure, low blood sugar, and some sort of vestibular migraines. Some of those are under control now. My biggest risk is falling down, which I do well.
Why do I tell you this?
Facebook Memories.
They are like a journal helping me keep track of where I am and where I have been. They also provide lessons for my life.
Nine years is not a sexy number, but I am not a sexy guy. So that is cool.
I am also not risk-aversive. I sort of like risks. I know they are necessary for moving forward.
What I cannot tolerate in myself or others is risking other people's lives and safety or foolish, unproductive risks. There is no great payoff and there is a huge potential for damage.
I miss the independence of driving and the convenience of not being able to say, "I'll be there" without checking with someone else. I miss exploring new roads or getting from place to place quickly.
But, if I took up driving, I could hurt someone. That is not my right.
It is the one attitude of mine that I wish drinkers, sleepy people, and people who are over-medicated or self-medicated would adopt.
If a busy guy like me, who lives 8 miles from a bus stop, can find a way to live without driving, so can the rest of the people who ought to lay down their keys.
"The Vine Dresser and the Fig Tree" by Tissot (public domain via Wikimedia Commons)
We sap some of the Oom Pah Pah from the Christ of Incarnation when we insist upon every icarnate word or deed being hyper spiritual.
What Jesus does is breathe meaning into everything upon revisitation and reflection.
It would not be sinful and need not be purposeful for Jesus, caught up in the flurry of the moment, to be angry at a fig tree not producing fruit out of season and curse the tree - especially if he could use it the next day as a teaching point that prayer is powerful.
Our anger is not sinful. What we do in anger or speak in anger or how we cling to anger, these things are under our control and can turn to sin.
Jesus, instead, directed his anger to a wall in the form of a fig tree and illustrated the power of faith, words, and prayer.
He demonstrated that things do not have to be hyper spiritual in order to have meaning and significance.
He taught us to be in charge of using and directing our words of faith.
Mark 11:12-26
On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see whether perhaps he would find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.
He said to it, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again."
And his disciples heard it.
Then they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling and those who were buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves; and he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. He was teaching and saying, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations'? But you have made it a den of robbers."
And when the chief priests and the scribes heard it, they kept looking for a way to kill him; for they were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was spellbound by his teaching. And when evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city. In the morning as they passed by, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots.
Then Peter remembered and said to him, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered."
Jesus answered them, "Have faith in God. Truly I tell you, if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and if you do not doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you. So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. "Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses."
Skip the redundancy, but read the insightful comments on this original post.
As a spiritual leader, it is likely that you have leverage beyond your awareness or appreciation.
If you cannot identify it, you can only use it by accident.
Let us examine a snippet of the life and ministry of a man who knew how to access his leverage and dedicate it to a purpose beyond his own self-interests.
Paul knew how to leverage his advantages and privileges for the good of the gospel, for the redemption of people, and for the higher good of the God Movement in his resent circumstances. He understood that those advantages required the stewardship of responsibility and generosity and were not privileges he deserved, earned, or possessed simply for himself.
“And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born.” – Acts 22:28
He knew the value of his Roman citizenship.
It meant that he was a free man. It meant that he was entitled to due process. It meant that he had a certain status wherever the banners of Rome flew.
Most of all, it meant that he had he had the right to appeal to emperor in Rome and thus advance the cause of the goo news.
He understood this when, “the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.”
Nothing meant more to Paul. He could have been released had he not appealed to Caesar, but his life was all about spreading the good news of Jesus Christ in as many places as possible. It was about a stewardship of his influence. For that, he was willing to sacrifice his freedom and his life.
To apply it here, perhaps that is the greatest blessing of being American, whether free born or immigrant. From our station on this planet, we can be emissaries of God's love and mercy.
We have a platform to speak words justice and grace and to participate in the work of reconciliation, peace, and righteousness.
Freedom is a gift from God and all those who fought and labored to preserve it. It is not ours merely to be enjoyed, but to be used for the cause of Christ.
I shudder to think what we might become if we become any more selfish than we are and forget that we did not earn the right to be born in this country and that God has placed us here for His purposes.
Our very place and circumstance of birth, accidental as it may seem, wherever it may be, is a calling from God to exercise for the good of others.
The questions for us those that were suggested at the beginning:
What will an inventory of my privileges, advantages, cultural inheritance, citizenship, and other benefits of birth and circumstance reveal about the leverage I have to command an audience for truth or influence?
How can I dedicate these to higher purposes beyond my own advantages?
How will I do so starting today?
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Acts 22:17-29
“After I had returned to Jerusalem and while I was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance and saw Jesus saying to me, 'Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.' And I said, 'Lord, they themselves know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you. And while the blood of your witness Stephen was shed, I myself was standing by, approving and keeping the coats of those who killed him.' Then he said to me, 'Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.'" Up to this point they listened to him, but then they shouted, "Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live." And while they were shouting, throwing off their cloaks, and tossing dust into the air, the tribune directed that he was to be brought into the barracks, and ordered him to be examined by flogging, to find out the reason for this outcry against him. But when they had tied him up with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, "Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who is uncondemned?" When the centurion heard that, he went to the tribune and said to him, "What are you about to do? This man is a Roman citizen." The tribune came and asked Paul, "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?" And he said, "Yes." The tribune answered, "It cost me a large sum of money to get my citizenship." Paul said, "But I was born a citizen." Immediately those who were about to examine him drew back from him; and the tribune also was afraid, for he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had bound him.
Again, Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.”
After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. “Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.)
He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”
Saint Mary’s memory is honored in many Christian churches today. Mary was flesh and blood and Jesus was her son, flesh, blood, and connected with her people.
All of us, called to be saints, have special days. For most of us, it is our birthday. For Mary, the mother of Jesus, it is a day designated by the church hundreds of years ago. We can celebrate it because we are always free to celebrate those lives through which God has expressed himself in the world.
We think very highly of Mary through the window of sacred history, but others saw the designation of Jesus as her son to be a justification for derision. It was not her reputation for having conceived Him out of wedlock at this point that framed their curses. That would come up at some point, but this was subtler. They accused Him of being common and familiar. They knew Him and His brothers and their familiarity bred contempt.
He was common and He was uncommon. As the son of Mary, He had history and culture, family and traditions. He was given the gifts of language, nuance, familial customs, memories, and relationships, but He was always, also the Son of God and that reality was easily obscured to those who knew Him best as a carpenter.
We must be careful not to allow familiarity to obscure holiness to our view. The ordinary may not be so ordinary at all. Our familiarity with the things of God can be a liability if we forget to seek the sacred amidst the profane.
From day one on this planet, Jesus was among us as vulnerable.
From the beginning, he was among the poor, the refuge, the oppressed, the hunted, the one unwelcome by powers, but longed for by the lowly.
This was day one.
It was day two as well, and later, expelled from his land, fleeing with His parents, in mortal danger, He was among us as one who could remind us that God sees us in our lowest estate and comes to us with good news.
How long did Mary and Joseph remain in the stable before they found a room or a shanty?
We do not know. They still had to stand in lines to register for their taxes. They had to remain in a place far from home. There are so many gaps, but all we need to know is here in the text. From the text, we know this: There was no room for Him.
“And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.” — Luke 2:7
Everyone knew what a manger was and it was no place for a king. Everyone knew what swaddling clothes were and that they were unfit garb for the Lord of glory.
Nor should he have been relegated to a barn.
They just didn’t understand and we are still having a hard time “getting it.”
“Away in a manger, no crib for a bed.”
This is His poverty, His willing emptying of Himself, His lowliness and love to identify with the least and the lost among us.
No crib — no bed — no amenities — no sanitized conditions — just a trough where the livestock were fed, just rough clothes to cover Him and keep Him somewhat warm. He became as the lowliest among us.
“The little Lord Jesus lay down His sweet head.”
He was there, helpless and sweet, all God and all man, emptied of all the riches and prerogatives that were rightfully His, poor and needy like us. Who couldn’t love such a baby? Who wouldn’t?
“The stars in the sky looked down where He lay.”
No one standing by would have known how all of creation that night was subject to that little bundle of new life. Humanity has no capacity to notice when millions of angels bow and worship. And yet, it was happening all around them.
Humanity continues to turn a blind eye toward the presence of Jesus manifest in the least of His poor brethren. We do not see Him in the hungry, longing eyes of the children. We do not see Him in the faces of the displaced and disinherited. He is among us in the company of the poor and we look for Him elsewhere.
“The little Lord Jesus, asleep on the hay.”
God grant that we not miss Him lying there or among us. May we not overlook Him, take Him for granted, or minimize His importance. He is so easily discarded and disregarded, but He cannot be ultimately ignored.
May your heart today become His manger, your flesh, His swaddling clothes, and your heart like the stars in the sky that bow before Him.
Mary has been called the “Theotokos.” It means “God-bearer.”
Rachmaninov composed one of his great works as a tribute to Mary, who bore the Son of God and in whom God was incarnate, appealing to her prayers on our behalf.
You may also be a God-bearer in whom the Son of God incarnates Himself in the world and through whom He shows His love and compassion for humanity?
There are Christians who ask Mary to pray for them. It is suggested in the book of Revelation, that God’s saints are always praying for us and, in the book of Hebrews, that they are cheering for us.
If we want to related to those prayers, no problem. But, let us join them and pray for one another. (James 5:16)
Let us pray for each other to be ever vigilant in prayer. (Colossians 4:2–4)
Let us pray for each other to be grave conquerors. (Romans 8:37)
There are people who are hoping in our intercessions as we hope in the intercessions of others.
Bear God, this morning, to a hurting world. Bear God as light in darkness. Share His love. Do His bidding. Lift the fallen. Bring hope where there is no hope. Feed the hungry. Heal the sick.
Raise the dead.
Freely, you have received; freely give.
“The tremendous revelation of Christianity is not the Fatherhood of God, but the Babyhood of God — God became the weakest thing in His own creation, and in flesh and blood He levered it back to where it was intended to be. No one helped Him; it was done absolutely by God manifest in human flesh. God has undertaken not only to repair the damage, but in Jesus Christ the human race is put in a better condition than when it was originally designed.” — Oswald Chambers, in The Shadow of an Agony from the Quotable Oswald Chambers.
A major goal of my life would be to be like Chambers and others I admire and still be active in encouraging deep thought and extraordinary living long after I am gone. I think when I have that possibility in place and operating, then I will be ready for my call home.
Now, I still have quite a bit of work to do as Jesus’ life is incarnated in mine and I seek to reflect Him in all I say, do, and write. It is a journey and I have only yet begun. Yet, I am encouraged in the knowledge that He started small and He is with
A wonderful reminder of what it means to align with the child in the manger on Christmas morning. To follow this man, Jesus, means to adopt His program, to enter His kingdom as a child by turning from everything else (repentance). When we make that turn, grace and mercy cover every failed attempt we have ever made to make life meaningful or bearable. Every sin is obliterated because He carried this entire program to the final degree of obedience unto death.
Following His is freedom to bring this same good news of release, sight, liberty, and Jubilee to all for, as the Spirit was upon Him, He is with us and within us to accomplish these purposes. Our hearts and our lives are in lockstep with His heart and life for the poor, the captive, the blind, and the bruised.
We can change things. We can make a difference. It is not all on any of us, but it is upon us all as one people with Him. We will have multiple failures, disappointments, and quite a few successes …. but the walk behind Him is a walk of grace and joy and peace.
Welcome, Jesus! We shall follow you!
Hear, this morning, every morning, overflowing with a pleasing theme, a sense of centering, and longing for that which is ultimate, eternal, and true, for God. This is the beginning. It is not emotional, but it emotes. It is volitional rejoicing. “This is the day that the LORD hath made. I WILL rejoice and be glad in it.” It comes from the heart.
It moves toward intentional, intellectual, spiritual, creative worship. What defines it as worship is direction. Direction defines devotion. If I address my verses to the king (and, in this case, and earthly king, but in ours, a Heavenly King), then I am praising that one to whom I direct my thoughts and words.
Then, we move to content and with tongue and pen and tongue as pen words form that we scribble and inscribe. We observe and then, we repeat. We hear and we say. We listen and we share.
“My heart overflows with a pleasing theme; I address my verses to the king; my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.” — Psalm 45:1
We return to Mary, who is depicted now as a one woman choir and a timeless worship leader.
“And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord …” — Luke 1:46
The Magnificat remains one of the most glorious expressions of praise in all of musical literature.
Perhaps, someday, in Heaven, God will allow us to hear a replay of the day Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth or the day the angel visited Mary and announced God’s intentions to her. We would hear that conversation that altered history and sweet sound of her acceptance of God’s great gift of His Son to and through her.
The music of absolute surrender would call us to worship and we would join her in exclaiming,
“My spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior!”
No less significant was the day your heart responded to God’s grace and declared, “be it unto me according to thy word.”
That God would regard the low estate of His handmaiden and plant the seed of redemption within her womb is a magnificent thing indeed. That God would regard our low estates that Christ might be conceived and born in our hearts by faith is astounding!
We cannot help but sing His praise. We cannot resist the call the worship. We cannot feign to exalt His Name and rejoice in the miracle of His coming. As Mary conceived without human agency, so, that which is born in us of God is without human effort.
Welcome Him to your life anew today and join in chorus:
Prophets foretold Him, Infant of wonder; Angels behold Him On the throne; Worthy our Savior Of all our praises; Happy forever are His own. (Mary Macdonald, 1888)
Rejoice!
Mary refers to God’s lifting of people.
I was lifting weights.
I suppose I lifted a bit too much — or for too long — — or on top of an injury — — or something.
No pain, no gain. I know and embrace that. I also know that I can overdo it. There is a balance to it all and sometimes I don’t know where the edge is until I’ve gone over it.
All is well. We break down tissue and the healing brings development, strength, and a host of benefits.
None of those dead weights achieved any benefit from being lifted by me. I received them all. It is different with lifting people. Then, the person lifting and the person being lifted are both blessed.
So, I thought I’d see what we could do for an acronym on “lift.”
L — Love
No to be trite, but if what we do to lift another is not moved by love and infused with love, nothing positive has happened. It is always about the other person and never about ourselves. When I lift weights, it is about God and me. When I lift people, it is about God and them and I get benefits in a peripheral way.
I — Intuition
How do you know when to encourage, edify, or lend a hand to help? You learn to feel your way through it. You do that by developing the vulnerable art of sensitivity. For some, it comes easy. For others, it is counter-intuitive to be intuitive. However, by slowing down and using all of our senses, we will know when we are needed.
F — Fight
When we lift a weight, we are fighting resistance. The resistance is the weight, but the greater resistance is within us. We press against what seems to be an unmovable force with strength we do not know we possess. And that force retreats. We are lending our shoulders to a soul who does not know he or she can move upward. We are not fighting their battles for them, but with them. We become a team and rejoice with them when they overcome their resistance. In the process, we realize that we have overcome much as well.
T — Today
The question is, and always is, “Who can I lift today?” We make ourselves available and stay available. If we are willing, the one who needs a lift will cross our paths. If will happen because the world is full of people who are struggling. Some are discouraged. Others just need a hand. God will bring you into contact with people who need a lift and with others who will lift you. After all, it is also His work:
“He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor. “For the foundations of the earth are the LORD’s; upon them he has set the world.” I Samuel 2:8 (NIV)
In the biblical tradition, three women stand out as blessed with miraculous conceptions, culminating with the most miraculous of all.
When Mary uttered her song of praise, magnifying the Lord, she was not the first. Notably, Hannah’s praise, exulting in the Lord, rings down through the ages. One wonders if, when Mary began to comprehend what was happening in her life, she thought of Hannah and Sarah. These were women who were older and believed they were too old. Mary thought she was too young.
But God …
And with God …
And when God steps in, souls magnify the Lord.
1 Samuel 2:1–10, New Revised Standard Version
Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exults in the Lord; my strength is exalted in my God. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in my victory.
“There is no Holy One like the Lord, no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble gird on strength. Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry are fat with spoil. The barren has borne seven, but she who has many children is forlorn. The Lord kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up. The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low, he also exalts. He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and on them he has set the world.
“He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness; for not by might does one prevail. The Lord! His adversaries shall be shattered; the Most High will thunder in heaven. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king, and exalt the power of his anointed.”
Praise to God for God’s marvelous work is our order of the day. Praise in the big things. Praise in the little things. Praise in the ordinary. Praise in the extraordinary. Praise at the beginning of life. Praise throughout life. Praise when it is going well. Praise when all is tedious and painful. Praise when an ominous future awaits. Praise at the end of life. Praise at the dawning of new life. Praise.
The journey of Mary, and references to her life, show her pondering, wondering, expressing faith, traveling, submitting to the customs of her faith, standing by her son at the cross, and going to the tomb and finding it empty.
She was also present for his first miracle.
“This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead.” — John 21:14
My favorite event in the early years of my schooling was neither recess nor lunch; it was “Show and Tell. “ Students would bring objects from home and tell stories about them.
I loved to show and tell my own interests and observe the presentations of others. Something about that activity captured my imagination and played to my basic curiosity about life and all things related to life.
John, the Apostle, valued what the followers of Jesus had seen, heard, seen, looked upon, and handled, according to his first epistle. Early in his gospel, he remembered Jesus inviting the first disciples to “come and see,” and then one of them using the same words to invite another.
“Show and Tell” was an effective tool of Jesus for teaching throughout His life. That is why He called people to follow Him as a full time vocation. He walks, ate, and rested with His disciples. They were always with Him observing His life and hearing His words.
Then they watched Him die. He showed them the full measure of His love in His sacrifice.
They saw it with their own eyes and were forever marked with the memory of the cross.
As they sat by the water, after His resurrection, He showed Himself to them yet again. In His post-resurrection appearances, He bolstered their faith visible and brought verbal perspective to what they had experienced. It was “Show and Tell.”
Jesus wants to impress upon us that His life is more than a curiosity. He has called us into a grand demonstration of God’s love and power, to receive His witness and to demonstrate it to others as well.
How has He shown Himself to you? What will you show forth in your life?
Peace be with you,
I think Mary, who is not always silent, but often shown listening and watching, was probably a source for the gospel writers. There are things only she knew and elements that are seen from her perspective.
She also spent considerable time waiting for God to reveal his Son and his plan.
Waiting for the “Good Stuff” is a lesson that comes from the “water to wine” incident.
Wait on the wine until the “good stuff” comes at the culmination of all things. Another might be that when Jesus shows up, the party begins. Another might just be that he can do this and do it at will. Or, it could be that he saw an opportunity to do good and help his mom and her friends and he did it.
Whether we “spiritualize,” analyze, or “pragmatize” it, John calls it “a sign” and it was. It was a sign that something much newer than new wine had arrived on the scene of the human party.
Let the party begin!
“ and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” -John 2:10 ESV)
Lessons from a Feast
Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. — John 2:11
What happened there at that feast where Jesus was a guest, but his mother seemed to be in charge of some of the details?
What? — Revelation. Jesus revealed his glory.
Where?- Location. It was in a particular place and time, space-time.
When? — Celebration. It was at a time of festive joy.
How? — Invitation. It was an invitation for those who followed him to believe.
Why? — Multiplication. The circle of belief was about to grow.
And Mary was a part of it.
Two Women Named, “Mary”
“Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? … Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.”(Excerpted from John 20:15- 16)
Once, there were two women named, “Mary”, one from Nazareth and one from Magdala, a Christmas Mary and an Easter Mary. Their lives and their journeys overlapped. Each found Jesus in the midst of crisis. Each submitted to the Master in humble consecration. Each loved Him with pure and sincere love.
Mary, the mother of Jesus received an angelic announcement of Jesus’ coming. Mary Magdalene received such an announcement of His resurrection — and then, she saw him! Mary of Nazareth submitted her life as the handmaid of the Lord; Mary of Magdala as a disciple.
Both women named, “Mary” were shocked and dismayed by their circumstances. Both came to the place of rejoicing and praise through encounter with the Lord. It is always Easter at Christmas for the Christian and always Christmas at Easter. In our dismay and bewilderment with the circumstances of our lives, we receive the Jesus message as a whole package and we submit our lives to him.
Mary of Nazareth began her journey with Jesus before He was born and followed Him to the cross and beyond to the empty tomb. Mary Magdalene joined Him later in the journey, but had the same quality of encounter with him. It is the encounter that we must have.
Come to Mary’s house today and let Jesus be conceived in your heart. Come to the manger and rejoice at His birth. Come to the cross and let His blood wash away your sins. Come to the empty tomb and receive His life eternal Come to Jesus today, and worship him.
Mary, the “Theotokos” leads us full circle from the genealogies leading up to the birth of Jesus, through his conception, his birth, his dedication, his flight to Egypt, his pilgrimage to the temple, his emergence and a teacher, his first miracle, his ministry, his death, and his resurrection. She is a part of the early church, no doubt, loved and honored. She is a witness to his message and his redemptive work. She is a reminder of our call to be God-Bearers.
We are called and commissioned and baptized in the Spirit to incarnate the presence of God in the world. We are called to be salt and light. We are called to be the presence of love in a loveless world, father-love and mother-love, brother and sister love. We are called and equipped to embody truth, mercy, and grace.
We are called to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.
Jesus asked the right question, "Do you want to be healed?" The man heard it through his own filters and thought his answer was contingent on his preconceptions of getting in the water. That was not the case. Right question, wrong answer, but Jesus did not give up and the man was healed.
" Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked."
"Now that day was the Sabbath."
John 5:2-9 ESV
The last statement brings up a whole different subject and yet, the main subject of the story - how we get locked in by our limited thinking and the boxes in which we try to fit God.
On this day, August 13, in 1099 – Raniero is elected as Pope Paschal II, who would become deeply entangled in the Investiture Controversy.
This controversy was a prime example, from nearly a thousand years ago, of entanglement of church and state over questions of temporal and ecclesiastic power.
It was essentially an argument at the top of the food chain among people who wore ostentatious clothes, lived in palaces, drank fine wine, and ordered many people around.
It had very little to do with anything related to discipleship or following Jesus.
It was a pretty good example for what happens when we start fighting for power, prestige, influence, and wealth in the church or in society.
Paschall II was also responsible for taking the church further down the road to militarization.
Raniero started out as a humble monk, probably very devout and committed to a life of humble service. He rose through the ranks, skipping most of the increments and became one of the most powerful men in Western world at odds with other powerful men in that world.
The past is the past; let's just not let it spoil the present by forgetting it.
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The Servetus Matter
Just a reminder of what can happen when there is a theocracy, even if it is led by a respected theologian. The Reformation did not immediately correct the core fallacy of church history since Constantine. It was the intertwining of the powers of church and state and confusion of their roles.
It is not about God being in control or not. Most monotheistic religions believe that God's power is absolute and not subject to our leadership or influence. It is about people of God or even just people who claim to represent God, wielding power over matters of conscience, religion, state, speech, or assembly in such a way that one has the opportunity to oppress, repress, and restrict the other.
“The earth is the LORD’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.” - Psalm 24:1
Everything belongs to God. We have known this most of our lives as a theological truth. It is in the dimension of application that we are challenged to confront our ignorance on this subject. We have constructed exception clauses to make room for self-ownership and control over this and that. We want to think that some little ditty of a thing is ours and that we can have power over it. To this deception, the voice of God speaks clearly and forcefully, “No. It is mine. It always was and always will be.”
“For he hath founded it upon the seas and established it upon the floods.” - Psalm 24:2
For starters, it is all His because it was His idea from the drawing board to the factory. He thought of everything, planned everything, made everything, and retains sovereignty over – you guessed it – everything. He made the world and all that it contains and filled it with wonder and surprise. He is the owner, but that is not the whole story. He is a generous God who shares all that He has and is with us and invites us to discover the wonder of it all and celebrate creation with Him.
“Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? ” - Psalm 24:3
When a soul discovers the wonders of God and His Sovereignty in creation and stands amazed at the glory of His Lord, there is but one response that rings true: worship. “I must worship this great God,” is the heart cry of the honest seeker,” I must know Him! I must come into His presence! I must some how get connected with the source and object of my being.” And things, brings for the question of the ages, “Who can come before Him? Can I?” You can, but you must come His way.
The People Who Worship
“He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.” - Psalm 24:4
There is a lifestyle connection to worship. We cannot tolerate inconsistency in our lives that draws an arbitrary wall of separation between our relationship with God and those that we maintain with others. Nor can we divide our loyalties between false gods that give us temporary gratification and the only True God who has rightful claim to the world and all that is. Our hands are dirty and our hearts are divided. We are in dire need of the mercy and grace of God and His power to transform us into worshippers.
“He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. ” - Psalm 24:5
When one is qualified by God through grace to enter His presence, a blessing follows. In a moment of immediate transformation, we are fashioned into pure hearted worshippers with clean hands, and we enter a new era of our lives that makes all that came before moot. God’s vindication covers our record, and we simply stand before Him in awe. Our voices are lifted in worthy praise, and we are blessed.
“This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah. ” - Psalm 24:6
There is something powerful that happens in our lives when we seek God. Jesus promised that all those who truly seek will find Him. This requires an open heart. Purity of heart and cleanliness of hands means that we bring no other motive or agenda, nothing in our hands or hearts, save the yearning to know God and worship Him in His fullness. Seek His face today as you begin and as you continue. In every face you encounter, seek His, in every circumstance, in every thought, word, and deed.
The Way We Worship
“Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.” - Psalm 24:7
Expectancy calls for preparation. If our awareness of God’s glory is deep and our desire to worship, desperate, we will be anxious to lift up our heads to behold His face, to open the gates of our hearts for His anticipated entry. We will welcome Him wholeheartedly into the center of our lives and will exalt in His coming. The spirit of celebration and joy characterizes Old Testament worship, likewise, authentic Christian worship. The presence of God calls for singing and dancing. Lift up your heads!
“Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.” - Psalm 24:8
“Who is this King of glory?” We tend to grow smug as we “mature” in the grace and knowledge of God. We hear the questions that we ought to be posing ourselves and point to the pages where we answered them in our notebooks years ago. We have gone shallow and are settling for yesterday’s encounter with God. If we think we really have a grasp on God, we are far, far away. Let us keep seeking and, as we seek, meet God in worship where the encounter is always new.
“Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.” - Psalm 24:9
It is a refrain, and we could simply overlook it and move to the next verse for commentary, but that would be an exercise in shallow worship. Something has changed in the last few days. We have a new way of singing this song, a fresh encounter with the Living God. We have deeper insights into what it means to lift our heads and open the gates. We have a more intimate relationship with the King of Glory having sought Him. We can never sing the same song twice the same way and call it worship.
“Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah. ” - Psalm 24:10
Don’t assume that you know the answer just because you read a few sentences of devotional comment or thought the matter over. The Lord is Almighty – we shall never begin to fathom the riches of who He is or plumb the depths of His character and love. Glory annotates weight – a weight so heavy that is transcends gravity and displaces everything that comes across its path. He defies definition and demands reverence. When given the choice between shallowness and depth today, choose to go deep.
Popular television shows aside, we are all looking for a view, viewpoint, or overview that begets perspective on lives that are otherwise, quite confusing.
What do we do? What do we think? How do we filter in the essential and out the extraneous?
If everything matters, does nothing truly matter? If nothing matters, why bother?
Well, everything does matter and some things matter more in the moment and the secret is to discern the moment and to be in it.
Then, other moments will gather around the appropriate poles like magnetic dust and form a picture. And wherever you are, the view will be clear.
Jesus said, "Seek and ye shall find."
Your task is to find the moments to abandon all tasks and seek.
Just seek. Seekers find. Non-seekers stumble. Grace often intervenes and surprises them - probably because there is something inside all of us that is always seeking. But folks with their eyes and hearts open stand a better chance than the rest of grasping the view at the right moment.
S - Some seek secretly -- and that is OK.
Deuteronomy 29;29 says that "the secret things belong to the Lord, our God. but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law."
Psalm 44.:;21 says that God knows the secrets of the heart. Jesus instructs us to pray in secret. it is there that we can be totally open, honest, and free. No one judges us there and God has no reason to judge us when we are seeking Him.
E - Embrace the essential eagerness of expectancy. Live on tiptoes. In I Corinthians 12:31,
Paul admonished his friends to eagerly seek the greater gifts, but to go beyond even that and seek love. It is love that we seek most earnestly and desperately. It is the source of love for which our hearts long. Embrace that eagerness because it is essential to who you are. In other words, that eagerness to love and be loved is the essence of who you are as a child of God.
E - Entertain everyone and everything without expectations. As you take in ideas, thoughts, people, and events, don't hold anything too tightly and do not be bound by what you expect them to "say" to you. God has surprises for you in life as you seek. Seek in and through whatever comes your way, but without predjudice. Like the psalmist in Psalm 27;4, desire most to seek and gaze. Keep your gaze loose. You will not grow weary or lack good things according to Psalm 34:10.
K - Knock. That is part of the "seek and find' promise.
Along with it comes asking. If something seems resistant to giving up its hidden knowldge, persist, wait, tap on the door, ask questions, and keep probing. Sometimes you are closer to the unfolding of a mystery than you can imagine, but you grow impatient and move on. If you must move on, keep one eyeball on the prize. You have more than two seeking eyes. You have as many as you need. And you have knuckles enough to nag the nobs off of any closed door. Keep seeking.
What is the view from your vantage? It is the advantage of being wherever you are, acknowledging your presence in that place and moment, and availing yourself of the opportunity to seek - then and there in the here and now.
Don't fret over what you do not, as yet, understand. Let some sunshine in and enjoy the view.
I am not very patient with myself if I perceive I am being lazy. I do not like to be thought of as lazy. I do not like to be lazy.
But, I also do not like to fail.
I have collected a few thoughts, meditations on the topic, too lazy to bring them into one cohesive essay, I readily admit they are disjointed and I fear inserting the joints because of a stilted sort of perfectionism.
This is an exercise in overcoming both moods and letting you and God sort it all out
Sitting Here
We sit and wait for something to move us.
But nothing does.
We wait some more.
Nothing.
Then it occurs to us that maybe, just maybe, we have to move ourselves.
Then, in moving, we figure out what we are doing and where we are going.
It is really hard to move anything with the brakes on.
It is time to get up and get going.
"The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he will not even bring it back to his mouth!" Proverbs 19:20
"When the desire is too much to bear, we often bury it beneath frenzied thoughts and activities or escape it by dulling our immediate consciousness of living. It is possible to run away from the desire for years, even decades, at a time, but we cannot eradicate it entirely. It keeps touching us in little glimpses and hints in our dreams, our hopes, our unguarded moments." Gerald F. May, , The Awakened Heart
The Journey Is the Destination
" I see Him walking on the waves, no shore in sight, no success, no goal, just the absolute certainty that it is all right because I see Him walking on the sea. It is the process, not the end, which is glorifying to God. " - from "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers.
We are all at sea. We are all vulnerable to waves and apparent chaos. He comes walking toward us and we ask, "Where are we going if we follow you?"
It is, perhaps, the wrong question.
"God's end is to enable me to see that He can walk on the chaos of my life just now." - Chambers
So, we walk on it with Him ... and the journey is the destination.
"The life that intends to be wholly obedient, wholly submissive, wholly listening, is astonishing in its completeness. Its joys are ravishing, its peace profound, its humility the deepest, its power world-shaking, its love enveloping, its simplicity that of a trusting child." - Thomas Kelly
So Much Goes Wrong.
"And even though it all went wrong
I'll stand before the lord of song
With nothing on my tongue but hallelujah." - L. Cohen
Who Is the Boss?
The Kingdom of God is the reign of God.
It is no more and no less.
It is that reign in human hearts and in concentric circles of community.
It is that reign in societies and in the cosmos.
Finally, ultimately and initially,, it is that reign in Heaven now and through eternity.
The Kingdom of God is God's reign.
But I Might Fail the Boss.
"Those who try to do something and fail are infinitely better than those who try to do nothing and succeed."
- Lloyd Jones
It Will Not Destroy God or God's Plan if You Fail.
"The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah" Psalm 46:6-7 English Standard Version
There are some things you can seem to count on that will be going on all the time somewhere.
There will be raging of nations. There will be kingdoms tottering. Somewhere, the earth will be melting. Always and everywhere, the Lord of hosts is with us. Always and everywhere, the God of Jacob is our fortress.
A Major Mask - Perfectionism often Disguises Its Paralysis As Laziness.
We are afraid to do anything for sake of the greater fear of getting it wrong.
Perfectionism is a set-up because
(1) it usually revolves around our limited understanding of perfection which is inordinately influenced by someone else's limited understanding of perfection and even deeper misunderstanding of us, and
(2) generally just imperfect because perfection is essentially completion and if our vision of the finished product is flawed our outcome will be even more flawed.
"The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself." -by Anna Quindlen
The road to perfection is allowing God to make us who we truly are and were made to be.
"We must obey God rather than any human authority."
I have learned to avoid over-applying any one text of scripture, especially the report of a quote from a conversation that never claimed divine inspiration --- But it is propelling and insightful that when the choice was absolutely clear and based upon truth, we can gain much from it.
So, it may not be a one-size-fits-all doctrine, but it points to a principle that is sound and true.
God's will, work, and directives come first. Ignore the threats of those who think they rule over the universe or determine our fates. Truth over power. Love over hate. Freedom over oppression.
When it came down to the draw. an unlikely voice of reason emerged and they continued to exercise the freedom that was in them to proclaim to good news of Jesus and God's Kingdom.
Acts 5:27-42:
When they had brought them, they had them stand before the council. The high priest questioned them, saying, "We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you are determined to bring this man's blood on us."
But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than any human authority. The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior that he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him."
When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them.
But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, respected by all the people, stood up and ordered the men to be put outside for a short time. Then he said to them, "Fellow Israelites, consider carefully what you propose to do to these men. For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him; but he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and disappeared. After him Judas the Galilean rose up at the time of the census and got people to follow him; he also perished, and all who followed him were scattered. So in the present case, I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone; because if this plan or this undertaking is of human origin, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them-- in that case you may even be found fighting against God!"
They were convinced by him, and when they had called in the apostles, they had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. As they left the council, they rejoiced that they were considered worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.
And every day in the temple and at home they did not cease to teach and proclaim Jesus as the Messiah.
Don't over-think this one; it will lose its impact.
The prevailing mood of the early church, in the matter of needy members, was generosity, but it was not mandated. Truthful transparency, however, was expected. Lying to God is an indication that you are already dead inside.
One of the characteristics of the new believers in the Jerusalem church was their generous hearts.
They did not consider their time, possessions or personal gifts their own. Whatever they had, they submitted to God an it became available for the Kingdom.
The church was not an economic utopia, but a body of Christians, freely associating and freely giving themselves to God through Jesus Christ.
Our lives are more complicated today. We have financial advisors and career paths, personal assets and discretionary time. Our day planners are filled with events that we must juggle to “make time” for ourselves.
We have carefully detailed maps of our futures and we wonder where the wonder went.
There was a freshness and awe in the early church that came from the loose fist.
Those believers did not hold things tightly in their hands and God was able to use their flexibility and generosity. So He can and will use us today if we will rediscover the wonder.
----------------------------------------------------------- Here is the scripture:
Acts 4:32-5:11 (NRSV):
Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common.
With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.
There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.
There was a Levite, a native of Cyprus, Joseph, to whom the apostles gave the name Barnabas (which means "son of encouragement"). He sold a field that belonged to him, then brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet.
But a man named Ananias, with the consent of his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property; with his wife's knowledge, he kept back some of the proceeds, and brought only a part and laid it at the apostles' feet.
"Ananias," Peter asked, "why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, were not the proceeds at your disposal? How is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You did not lie to us but to God!"
Now when Ananias heard these words, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard of it. The young men came and wrapped up his body, then carried him out and buried him.
After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. Peter said to her, "Tell me whether you and your husband sold the land for such and such a price."
And she said, "Yes, that was the price."
Then Peter said to her, "How is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out."
Immediately she fell down at his feet and died. When the young men came in they found her dead, so they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. And great fear seized the whole church and all who heard of these things.
Any kind of supremacy of one people over another denies Christ.
I am struggling with an emotion that is rare for me when applied to people and their frailties: disappointment.
It is rare because I am both realistic and naive.
My realism is powered by a healthy understanding of sin and it widens my embrace, acceptance, and understanding of human frailties and flaws. Mostly, it causes me to welcome, into the arms of friendship, people like me who struggle with broken places in their lives.
My naivete stems from a less Calvinistic attitude, that there is a pervasive stream of well-meaning compassion in most people, especially Christians.
It is an assumption that when push comes to shove, people who love Jesus, love their fellow human beings from up close and from afar.
It has made it hard for me to accept that more than a few Christians can be cruel, cold, harsh, and judgmental when confronted with human suffering.
It has led me to believe that when confronted with the Bible on one and hand and facts on the other, truth will be embraced and attitudes such as racism, superiority, and indifference will start to disappear. They will stop using their warped theology and crippled hermeneutical tools to justify supremacy, suspicion, or superiority over people who ancestry, heritage, beliefs, cultures, histories, countries of origin, languages, or skin color is different from their.
They would acknowledge our heritage of injustice against the children of enslaved peoples from Africa, original citizens of our continent, Asian workers who built our railroads, Japanese detainees during WWII, immigrants, refugees, people of Latin descent, and on and on and on.
It seems that I may have been wrong and it is disappointing.
I am still trying the figure out the dissonance.
I will zero in on racism because I was raised in an time and environment where its stench was strong and putrid while its basic premises were being challenged. I had hoped it would have dissipated into a fog of forgetfulness by now, but with explicit, implicit, and complicit consent, it is showing itself and revealing that it never went away.
I have observed this: It takes a large minority and sometimes a majority to perpetuate racism. That will always include some people who ought to know better and do better.
The three ways it happens are telling and to of them leave people wiggle room to plausible deniability, distance, and self-justification.
Explicit participation in racism is where we initiate the words, deeds, or attitudes plainly and without ambiguity. This is where many people stop in defining what is racist.
Implicit participation in racism is more subtle. It is sometime ambiguous. We imply and support attitudes, deeds, and words that have racist effect and undertones, but we assign them different motives. We support the darkest expressions of racism by defending indirectly.
Complicit participation in racism can involve a range of words, attitudes, and actions. It can be giving material support to racist causes or simply and blindly benefiting from those systems without questioning them. It can also be silence. We support through silence and out of some misguided attitude of neutrality.
The first step toward overcoming this will be a desire to do so and a recognition of the sin of racism. The next step will be honesty and inclusion of oneself in whatever category of participation fits. The next will be confession to whomever confession is due. The final step will be a process of ongoing repentance and accountability.
In the meantime, we must all be vigilant to ruthlessly expose it as the insidious evil it is and name it as it raises its ugly head.
I never said it would be easy, but don't disappoint me.
I hate racial slurs. They make my skin crawl. I do not use them or allow them in my presence. Yet, even living in a non-homogeneous home, I have heard them.
Frankly, I do not respond very well.
Has this happened to you?
After a lifetime a modeling acceptance, respect, and racial justice, you hear a kid you've raised using terms on the phone or video game to refer to people that you would have never allowed to be used - terms that would gotten you in serious trouble as a youngster.
Immediately, you intervene and the conversation gets very serious.You are horrified."Where did you learn this? Why did you say it? Don't you know that ... ?"
Let me say, it is not just race, but characterizations of people with disabilities or other identities.
The truth is that the child or teen could have learned it anywhere -- but it came out of the culture, free-floating, peer-driven, sin-infested.
I know know some kids get it from their parents. I am not talking about them.
Nor am I talking about those fully infected with bigotry.
I am talking about culture and communal sin.
Everyone wants to fit in, especially kids. The warped nature inside of us demands that, in order for us to fit in, someone must be excluded. We pick pick those folks that are most vulnerable or under-represented and exclude them.
That is the root of systemic racism, class-ism, and every other form of exclusive-ism.
One group benefits; the other pays.
When it emerges with all of its ugliness, we want to sort it out individually by determining who is or is not a racist or some other form of "exceptionalist."
For instance, a recent event in the news shows young people taunting an older man. Other footage is introduced to suggest he provoked it. Still other footage indicates that he did that after a prior provocation. Still other reports claim it was all a media set-up.
Now people are defending by attacking the older man and the younger man, trying to determine their motives or culpability.
I suggest that it is not the point and somewhat regret seizing upon that incident to make the point as if it depended on one anecdotal incident.
The issue is not who is and who is not.
The issue is that it is.
Racism is systemic. The language, assumptions, attitudes, systems, patterns, biases, and emotions are out there and even land in good homes where tolerance has always lived.
I am far more concerned with the environment where it can happen and when it does, with the sides we choose to defend, ignore, or condemn.
That does not exclude our need for self-examination and personal repentance.
In the same way, I don't want to see some kids become the symbol of the sin and get locked into it as their identity. Kids all have a lot of growing to do and can change quickly with perspective.
Nor do I want to see a respected elder defined by a moment.
I really do not want to talk about the people. I want to talk about the environment where this can happen.
One draw-back, theologically, is the rugged individualism thread that runs through our interpretation of sin, redemption, and forgiveness and focused on the individual heart. I do believe in that theology, but not only in that theology.
Many, who are not personally, or individually, consciously, racist, still drink from the common wells of racism and participate in its systemic evil.
Corporate sin infects corporate thinking and acting.
That is the opportunity for conversation that memes sometimes introduce.
It is unfortunate that we have to get stuck on the circumstance and I take my share of responsibility for that.
But the question remains: What kind of culture do we want to shape?
In the same Psalm, 119, the same singer can say, "My flesh trembles with dread of you; I am afraid of your judgments," and also, "I do not shrink from your judgments, because you yourself have taught me."
I would say, "Dichotomy" and "Look that up in your Funk and Wagnalls," but the latter went out of business. So, here is the Oxford definition:
"a division or contrast between two things that are or are represented as being opposed or entirely different."
The answer is in the balance and the tension and both are found within the heart of the singer of songs.
They are balanced by love, love of God which arises from the furnace of fear and reverence for God, purified and sanctified as well as love of the law. Both are refined by awe, wonder, and jaw-dropping amazement that is described by and experienced as fear.
Yet, it is not a fear that paralyzes nor repels. It beckons. It draws. It is an irresistible invitation to the love of God that the psalmist describes throughout the cantata that is Psalm 119.
Thus, he can resolve the dichotomy with these lyrics, "How sweet are your words to my taste!, they are sweeter than honey to my mouth."
He exclaims, "Oh, how I love your law! All the day long it is in my mind."
Is this disingenuous then?
"My flesh trembles with dread of you; I am afraid of your judgments."
Is it a contradiction? Is it a symptom of ambivalence? It is a disconnection and reconnection cycle with the realities of one's own emotions?
No. It is balance.
It is the capacity to travel along the circle of truth and view it from degrees, but also, to step back and view the whole. The whole is love and welcome, and well being.
One cannot chart one's path in life from one degree of present circumstances and experience, It requires light from beyond ourselves.
I can say, "I am deeply troubled," and then pray, in the same breath, "preserve my life, O Lord, according to your word."
Why? Because:
"Your word is a lantern to my feet and a light upon my path."
So much can be said about the hiring process, writing the, knowing what you need, getting the timing right, writing the job description, reading resumes, selecting finalists, arranging interviews, evaluating interviews, narrowing your search, and negotiating.
No wonder so many organizations contract with outside agencies to do much of the leg work and filtering.
However, you alone and your organization, know who and what you need.
Mostly you need doers, but you also need motivators, leaders, administrators, thinkers, and dreamers.
Sometimes, you need a voice.
You are looming for a look, a sound, a style, a face. You are looking for someone relatable whose greatest gifts are taking your ideas, your corporate culture, your values, and your message and communicating them to the world.
Where do you find such a person?
Good question, but that is not the hard part. The hard part is sorting through all the possibilities to find the person who can believe in your organization and be trusted by the public. You need someone who can fit into your culture every day and not simply be a performer.
You need a participant and a partner. You need sincerity and a purpose driven team member whose ego will not supersede the mission.
You may not need the person in my spoof. In fact, you likely do not, at least not on every point.
He is a caricature I observed after a night of watching YouTube videos. But if you dig deeper than the obvious sexism and other characteristics, you will find some keys.
That person sounds like someone who is aware the subject being addressed. The guy in the videos pronounced the words correctly and spoke with comfort.
The person puts everyone at ease. Style is easy. Vocal tone is pleasant. Speaking is conversational. It invites listening.
Facial expressions are pleasant and welcoming. This does not have to be a fashion model or a movies star in appearance. In fact, anyone can dress up their face with the right kinds of smiles.
There is a dignity in the way this person moves and speaks. There is poise and good posture.
This person dresses the part, respectfully, tastefully, and modestly.
These are things you can observe quickly. You can even arrange auditions that do not look like auditions. That is what interviews are.
Ask a lot of questions. This is a good time to check references. Ask the public if this person has already had a track record of working with or speaking to the public. Do your research. Read what your candidate has written for other organizations. Listen to recordings of candid meetings.
Most important will be your casual conversations with this individual. This is often a "what you see is what you get" person for a a position where that is needed.
Take your time and get the right public face and voice for your organization. That person will be part of your branding for the duration of his or her employment.
The Rolling Stones, in the 60s, captured a universal emotion in a song, “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction.”
Do you need a reminder of it?
Jesus addressed the same notion in John 6:35:
“I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst…“
In Exodus 16, there are thousands of Hebrew refugees from Egypt in the desert wanting food. They wanted it and needed it.
In II Samuel 11 and 12, we see David, who wanted Bathsheba. His wants had some basis in need, but it was a misplaced desire for satisfaction.
Later, David wants and needs grace. His prayer ascends in Psalm 51.
In Ephesians 4, Paul reminds us of the satisfaction that comes from being part of a family of faith in Jesus that lives a life of genuine humility, community, and giftedness, exercising those gifts in service to God and one another.
Jesus is the Bread of Life without whom we slowly whither into lifeless shells of animated emptiness. He is the food that sustains. He is the source of our energy, the giver of nurture, and the fount of health. He feeds us and we grow.
He has always been the bread of life. Through him, the Father created all things and through him, all things have come into existence and continue to exist.
And he is the bread that is broken for us. Not only does he impart life to us, but he lays down his very life for us.
He is the Bread of Life.
Jesus Christ is the true source of fulfillment.
Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. - John 6:34
In Bible-talk, bread is food. It is the full spectrum of nutrition we need to live and the spiritual food that keeps us going within.
Jesus taught much about bread, verbally, symbolically, even miraculously.
He multiplied bread and fed the multitudes.
He said he had bread to eat of which others were not aware. It was the bread of his mission that was satisfying and filling. His life work was his bread.
He taught about leaven.
He taught that he was the Bread of Life.
He passed out bread at the table and associated the breaking of that bread with the breaking of his body in sacrifice.
He told us to eat our bread in remembrance of him.
Bread is common, but Jesus used it to teach uncommon truths.
"For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world."
When the disciples began to understand this lesson, they pleaded with him, "Lord, evermore give us this bread."
They knew they needed it, and therefore, they wanted it. They craved it. They yearned for it. They knew that they would starve without it. They would whither. They would fall. Theirs was the deepest sort of hunger.
When our yearning is that deep, we shall be filled.
Hungry, I come, my God, to your table. Empty I come, ready to eat. Famished, I offer what I am not able To give. So, I fall at your feet.
Christ is the bread for which I am craving. Christ is the food that alone makes me whole. Christ is the life and my life needs saving. I come to Christ to eat. Oh, fill my soul.
John 6:24-35 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?”
Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.”
Then they said to him, “What must we do to perform the works of God?”
Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
So they said to him, “What sign are you going to give us, then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ”
Then Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
Jesus takes us further and deeper. He does this in answer to their very shallow questions. They ask for signs. Jesus points to Himself.
He is the source of satisfaction.
He is the source of purpose.
He is the source of soul nurture.
He gives eternal life.
Looking at both of these passages, and slightly ahead, the observation can be made as an acronym for BREAD.
B - Behavior flows from being and believing. It is Jesus' being and our believe in who He is that transforms who we are and how we behave/work.
R - Receiving the gift indicates that He has received us. Jesus is the Father's gift to us and we are the Father's gift to Jesus. When we receive him, he receives us and never loses us. They asked for him to give them the bread, but after he explained it, they were not so sure about receiving it.
E - Eating is what we do with bread. There will be more on this next week. However, today, the message is that we taste eternity and are nourished by our relationship with Jesus to the extent to which we eat, which is to say, internalize his presence in our lives.
A - Agree with Him as to who He is. Attend to His words. Anticipate his promises. Announce them. In so doing, we will be involved with him in His work. If we are what we eat, in this case, it means total alignment with Jesus Christ.
D - Decide that Jesus is the bread of life and that He is all the food you need for living life in the Spirit in the midst of time.
Those are some glimpses and thoughts to propel your own insights into Jesus, the Bread of Life
"Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval." - John 6:27, (NIV)
" Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness' - Isaiah 55:1-2
Then said they unto him, "What shall we do, that we might work the works of God" Jesus answered and said unto them, "This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." - John 6:28-29
Either work is easy, or belief is hard work.
I am going to presume that both are true.
Belief-work is what produces lasting satisfaction in our lives. This is the preface to Jesus' teachings on the bread of life. Because people are hungering for more, Jesus is addressing that hunger and providing himself as the source of "food that endures to eternal life."
So far, they have labored with frustration and only temporary satisfaction. There is a need in every human to produce something of lasting value. Futility is the fruit of meaningless work. Jesus offers more.
Belief is not a passive thing. The word for "believe here is "pisteuhte," translated, "to keep on believing." I have always been intrigued that the root of the word is used for our modern word, "pistol."
Pistols launch projectiles into open space and belief launches our lives and efforts to a place beyond ourselves.
The work of God is to believe. Once we accept that, we can begin to learn what it means to believe. We can be taught by God what the implications of living faith really are. We can begin to be shaped by our beliefs as they take shape within us.
As a starting point (as well as an ending point), Jesus gives us focus, to believe in him whom the Father has sent.
After a miraculous meal, the crowds worked very hard to find Jesus.
He gently questioned their motives to get them to do the same about themselves.
Your harried, frantic efforts to feed yourselves are futilely flawed, he seems to suggest.
Everything in which you invest your time, energy, and resources is already in the process of spoiling.
There is, however, a food that produces eternal satisfaction.
Place your focus there.
Thus, Jesus introduces a lengthy discussion of the bread of life. He started by stimulating their hunger and thirst to hear more.
What does it take for God to make us aware of our profound hunger for more?
Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group/Getty Images
What does faith say about human dignity, liberation, the value of each person and each people group? does it condone or condemn bondage, manipulation, and exploitation?
Does it create a ruckus because it liberates people? Does it threaten power structures and tyrants? If so, that is a good sign.
When Paul's entourage showed up in one village, they found a girl being used as a fortune teller and abused as a means of wealth by some greedy men. They spoke a word of liberation to her soul and with her new found freedom, she became useless to them. This enraged them.
Pimps do not like that sort of thing.
"When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.”
The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods."
This little slave girl had powers, but she was powerless. Paul and Silas spoke deliverance to her and she was released from the powers that possessed her. That did not sit well with those who profited by keeping her in bondage.
She had special "gifts" that brought them benefits, but it was at her expense. Now she was free and they did not like that.
There are people in the world who profit, knowingly or, sometimes, unknowingly, from the oppression of others who are in bondage.
When the message of faith, as good news, starts to liberate people, the systems that oppress go into spasm.
It is not universally popular to set people free. It has economic consequences that threaten the oppressors.
This has been a reality from day-1 and has its manifestation in every generation and context.
The details change, but the reality is always the same.
"Quick question," my friends say as a preface. Absolutely. Ask away, but here is a warning, "Have you ever known me to give a quick answer?
For instance, "Where do you want that box?"
"Hmmm ... there are multiple shades of meaning to the question and numerous possibilities available with multiplied consequences not to mention the unknown unintended ones. Let us explore ...."
"Yawn, never mind."
But I come to God this morning with such quick questions and quick prayers and He really understands all of these contingencies, possibilities, opportunities, consequences, and unfolding repercussions resonating from one stroke of a tuning fork of choice. And I want a quick answer to a quick question with a quick fix.
Slow down, Tom! Are you a "laborer together with God (read: partner)" or are you just looking for a handout or a mindless assignment?
God has called us to participate in His kingdom and I would suggest that such participation might require allowing some time on my calendar for a few longer meetings.
Thank God He is open to quick questions and answers because He is so patient with me. He gave us Psalm 100, but He also gave us Psalm 119.
As I have taught some of my bible study students to say and do when they get a chew-able biblical vitamin:
We are thinkers and doers. Our doing must be informed and evaluated by our thinking. Otherwise, it is, by definition, thoughtless.
We are also led by thinkers and we are leaders as well.
Most of our unwise actions can be traced to unwise thinking.
We can and should criticize leaders. Whatever our or their affiliations/convictions, I believe they all believe most of them want what is best for the country. Granted, we all have a mix of motivations — some of which we are not aware.
Perhaps my time could be best spent praying for them, encouraging them to do their best, and believing that they will look each other in the eye and see the best in one another on the road to agreement.
At the same time, I have my own challenges and so do you.
How about your own decision making challenges?
What about your need to lead?
Every day we must wrestle with questions of truth, integrity, and credibility. I have used the THINK acronym before. I think it is time to pull it out again.
How to Think Critically and Strategically
T
Topic – We must have something to think about.
Technique – We must cultivate processing skills.
Timeliness – We must think in the context of our times.
H
Hours – It takes time to think strategically.
Honesty - With truth as the object, brutal honesty is required.
Holistic – Our thinking must embrace multiple concerns.
I
Intellect – Thinking always engages the mind. Mental capacity must be nurtured.
Integration – Ideas, convictions, and paradoxes must be incorporated in the stew.
Inspiration – The spiritual dimension is necessary. The Spirit illumines our thinking.
N
Negation Mechanism – We need to weed out irrelevancies.
Need-Based – We are thinking in order to solve a problem.
Next – Strategic thinking takes us to the next level.
K
Knowledge – It is primarily a tool more than an outcome.
Koinonia - Fellowship is seen in collaborative thinking.
Kerygma – It must come under the authority of ultimate truth.
I have a longer version of this and a webinar to go with it, but I think you can take it and do something with it --- if you THINK about it.
" The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord strengthened King Eglon of Moab against Israel, because they had done what was evil in the sight of the Lord." - Judges 3:12:
Don't single out the Israelite family based on this scripture and history.
They are simply a prototype of all of us.
We are given this record so that we can relate and so that we can track the mercy of God to take a people of purpose and keep forgiving. restoring, and recommissioning consistently, persistently, and repeatedly through time.
This is the story of the relentless love of God. Judgment is not the flip side of this. It is included in it - not as a paradox, but as an exclamation mark because, throughout the Hebrew scriptures, God's judgment of His people was designed to lead to repentance and renewal of the covenant.
For that reason, we ought to shun sin and embrace the discipline of a God who passionately and sacrificially draws us into a relationship that is on His terms, knowing that His terms ooze with love, grace, and mercy ... even when it hurts.
Judges 3:12:
" The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord strengthened King Eglon of Moab against Israel, because they had done what was evil in the sight of the Lord."
