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Just Say the Word

July 23, 2009 by Irmgarde Brown

Luke 7:7
“Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.”

The centurion who came to Jesus asking for the healing of his servant had total faith and confidence that Jesus was able to do it. What he didn’t know was whether Jesus would choose to do it.

So often, as I pray for the healing for one person or another, I feel like a little girl in a classroom with her hand up, waving and snapping my fingers, “choose me, choose me–heal my friend, heal my daughter.” It’s like I’m trying to convince Him that my request is worthy.

I suppose there is some support in scripture for persistent “whining,” look at the story of the widow and judge [Luke 18:4-5]. But, of course, this judge was not a godly judge. And then there’s the clever Greek mother [Luke 7:24-30] who pleaded for the “crumbs under the table” so that Jesus might choose to heal her daughter.

But even in his own time, Jesus did not heal everyone. Those He did heal were by His choice and His timing and for the glory of the God and the advancement of the kingdom (that is, the building of koinonia… groups of believers who would live as Christ taught).

In modern times, we have doctors and therapists and practitioners who do what they can to encourage the body to heal itself. They provide altering drugs and change the environment in which the disease or pain lives. But, in the end, the healing is still an act of God. We must grow in our confidence and faith that Jesus can and will “say the word” of healing for our loved ones and ourselves. We must carry our faith and hope to the very end. We must wait for His word despite all circumstances.

And when he does not “say the word” and that healing does not come and there is death instead, we can know that we stood firm in our faith and trust and then our acceptance of His silence will come easier. This I believe.

Oh, Lord, just “say the word” today for Lily B, Sarah W, Janis U, Anne W, Linda D, Chelsea A, and Gerda S.

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“Our” Father

July 22, 2009 by Irmgarde Brown

Luke 11:2a
And He said to them, “When you pray, say: Our Father Who is in heaven…” [amplified]

In recent years, I have been a little resistant to praying “our” father during the Lord’s prayer. It just seemed less personal so I started changing all the pronouns to the first person (My Father … etc.). I enjoyed that intimacy and wrapped myself in the cocoon of His promises.

Today, I had a small epiphany. I decided to pray the Lord’s prayer on behalf of my family and of course, by doing that, I returned to the traditional pronouns. But then, I thought, I could also pray on behalf of my neighbors who may not know this prayer… or I could pray on behalf of my neighborhood, or my town, or my state… and off I went and the realization hit: the “Our Father” is an intercessory prayer for the human race and for the ages. There is no “religion” or belief that cannot embrace the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples. Our “father” is God and that is a loving relationship that God wants for us and by entering into this relationship and acknowledging God, we can ask for (and receive) provision, forgiveness, and protection.

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us day by day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins,
For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.”

[Luke 11:2-4] Amen. So be it.

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Late on Purpose

July 21, 2009 by Irmgarde Brown

John 11:21, 32
“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”… [32]When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

While it’s happening, we can’t imagine why God would allow bad things to come into our lives. Both Mary and Martha loved, adored and trusted Jesus, and yet, despite their complete confidence in his ability to heal, he was unable to arrive in time [at that point, I don’t believe they knew he delayed intentionally].

I always thought the women were expressing their disappointment in him and perhaps even chastising him a little. (Hey! You’re late! You missed the bus!) Instead, I believe their words expressed something else entirely: their faith in Him. In other words, they were confirming that there was a greater purpose in their brother’s death and trusted Jesus in that purpose. They allowed their faith to be stronger than their understanding.

They still experienced sadness as did Jesus. The circumstances were difficult. It was a trial. And yet, their faith was unshaken.

When we walk through the challenges in our lives, we must take heart from the story of these two sisters. We can always imagine in our human way that situations could have worked out differently, but “his ways are not our ways.” [Isaiah 55:9] If we can get better at accepting the “now,” we may see the miracle of tomorrow more readily.

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Give From Within

July 20, 2009 by Irmgarde Brown

Luke 11:41
But [dedicate your inner self and] give as donations to the poor of those things which are within [of inward righteousness] and behold, everything is purified and clean for you. [Amplified]

This is powerful stuff: giving from within. This is a type of giving of oneself that has no obligation attached to it. This is freely giving. This is giving without worry or fear. This is giving of our time, energy and knowledge. This is giving our love.

We have too often translated the word “giving” into money. God is not interested in our money. I just had a mind picture of myself standing before Jesus and handing him a wad of dollars. Oh, he took the money but he simply handed it off. He kept none of it. But he was still standing there, waiting for me to give the stuff that really counts. To give from within.

I think my biggest fear is becoming empty. I am afraid if I give too much, there will be nothing left. But this is exactly where Christ comes in…. literally. He cannot (or will not) fill a place we keep cluttered with “stuff.” When Jesus asked the rich man to give away his possessions [Matthew 19:15-19], it was the physical manifestation of emptying oneself. In the same way that we hold on to our things, we hold onto our inner selves, our hearts.

Instead of “keep away,” today I should play “give away.”

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Spiritual Suicide

July 17, 2009 by Irmgarde Brown

Mark 9:42
And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck.

It is bad enough that we sin and play havoc with our own spiritual state. But here is a warning that comes directly from Jesus about causing another to sin. This is a type of true suicide, for the repercussions are quite serious.

Perhaps we have lost sight of what this might look like in our own world. Usually, when I read this passage, I think of all those wicked “drug dealers” and the like. And truly, there will be “hell to pay.” But what about my own choices and omissions? It is so easy to cast dispersions on others, to glare at the “specks” in their eyes and miss the plank in our own. [Matthew 7:3]

How often has my own mouth, through gossip and tale-telling, sucked others into the fray? How often have I vanquished someone with my “judgments” of him or her. How often have I walked away from helping others? How often have I withheld information from someone to protect my image or my “turf.” How often has my “controlling self” driven the direction that has caused others to stumble?

I’m not trying to beat myself up here … or anyone else. But I do want to remind myself and others that we are all capable of causing harm. We should not gloss over these admonitions. It’s suicide by degree.

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No Kidding. He’s the One.

July 16, 2009 by Irmgarde Brown

John 10:24-25a
The Jews gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe….”

I mean it, the book of John, so far, is this same message over and over again. He’s the one, no joke. Jesus said it, the disciples said it, the blind man said it. Even the Pharisees were saying, “he said it” which is why they wanted to kill him.

As I think about it, this is the whole point. I mean, we can talk about love and mercy and grace and all those other warm fuzzies, but none of them pile up to anything if we don’t acknowledge who he is. Either Jesus is the son of God, or not. Either he is the Messiah, or not.

This was the thing I encountered that fateful Christmas Eve, 1979. I started with just that one truth. The issues I didn’t understand or didn’t believe or didn’t want to accept came later.

Jesus was unequivocal. He asks the same of us.

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One of the Other Sheep

July 15, 2009 by Irmgarde Brown

John 10:16
I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.

These agrarian references to shepherds and sheep are probably not the best for westernized, contemporary people. I mean, face it, when was the last time you saw a sheep? Of course, we get the idea, but I don’t think it really resonates. And then there’s the other wrinkle: those “other” sheep.

I’m pretty sure, in Jesus’s time, the other sheep were people like us: non-Jews. We would have been outside that culture, we would have been outside the group of the original chosen. We keep forgetting that. We’re the ones who had to be grafted in. [Romans 11:17-24] We’re the “also-rans.”

Instead, many western Christians seem to think they have the inside track on being a Christian, a follower of Christ. We have lost the meanings of many of the things Jesus and his contemporaries shared because we are so far outside that culture. And, now, we have created our own “culture” that keeps others outside.

If Jesus was willing to take in the “other sheep,” shouldn’t we be equally magnanimous? Who are the other sheep today: the homeless, the poor, the gangs, the “different.” Those other sheep may not look, talk or act like us, but if they hear the voice of the shepherd, who are we to close the gate?

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