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Posts Tagged ‘faith’

Follow the Rabbi

Posted in Ordinary Time, tagged , , , , , , , on July 27, 2009| Leave a Comment »

John 12:26
“Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.”

People in Jesus’s culture understood what his call of “follow me” demanded. He was offering his rabbi’s yoke; he was asking them to acknowledge his authority as their “master” (literal translation of the word rabbi from Hebrew).

This is not so easy for our modern day culture, particularly here in the West where rugged individualism is the norm. Most of us don’t trust anyone who would be called the master. It conjures up all kinds of negative images. My mind immediately goes to the idea of a “slave-owner” — not exactly a role model or a yoke I would want to take on by choice.

But Jesus is the epitome of the benevolent dictator. That’s another word that will turn everyone off: dictator. In our age, we have seen power corrupt and that’s all. The idea that anyone could be powerful and benevolent is an oxymoron.

So, following Christ Jesus, is no easy decision. It is a decision of humility and trust. This is where faith begins. And truthfully, most of our lives then are spent in struggling with this relationship. We keep testing and challenging him: Is this really what is best for me? Is this the best you can do for me? If I give up everything, what will be left for me? Eventually, we figure out the first lesson: it’s not about “me.”

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Just Say the Word

Posted in Ordinary Time, tagged , , , , , , , , , on July 23, 2009| Leave a Comment »

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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Late on Purpose

Posted in Ordinary Time, tagged , , , , , on July 21, 2009| Leave a Comment »

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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No Kidding. He’s the One.

Posted in Ordinary Time, tagged , , , , , on July 16, 2009| Leave a Comment »

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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Moment in Time

Posted in Ordinary Time, tagged , , on July 6, 2009| Leave a Comment »

John 9:2b-3
… “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life…”

It’s a hard thing to accept, that my current circumstances might be meant for a particular moment in time where God desires to acccomplish something specific.

I’m a “fixer.” If someone has a problem, I’m out there with a laundry list of solutions. I rarely consider the possibility that God might want the glory for a particular “fix.” Oh, intellectually, I can say that everything is for the glory of God. But honestly, if I have a headache, I take a pain-reliever.

It’s all well and good to put it into a sermon that “in my weakness, I am made strong,” [2 Corinthians 12:10] but walking that out is much more difficult. I have never admired weakness… not in myself or in others.

We’re back to trust again. I’m reading Shaine Clairborne now, “The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical” and he shares several good quotes. Among them this from Mother Teresa, “We are called not to be successful but to be faithful.”

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Keeping the Grace

Posted in Ordinary Time, tagged , , , , , on July 4, 2009| Leave a Comment »

John 8:54b-55
“…My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and keep his word.”

I claim the Father as my God. I seek to know Him. But knowing God, the Father, is to keep his word. And there’s the rub.

If I could keep God’s word in my own power, I wouldn’t need a savior.

And when we talk about his word… what exactly do we mean? The 10 commandments? I’m dead in the water there. And what about the Great Commandment from Jesus (coined by Scot McKnight as the Jesus Creed) [Mark 12:29-31]:

“Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” The second is this: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no commandment greater than these.

How are we doing on that one? Of course, in the end, the entire New Testament was written to help us work out what these two commandments mean and demand of us as followers of God, as disciples (students) in the way of Jesus.

I have no strength. I fail daily. I confess daily. I call on the grace of Christ Jesus. And that’s THE way.

Grace is the whole point. So now, whenever I see the phrase, “keep His Word,” I replace it with the truth, I “keep the Grace” and for that grace, I give thanks to Jesus who offers it freely.

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Words of Jesus

Posted in Ordinary Time, tagged , , , , , , , , on July 3, 2009| Leave a Comment »

John 8:51
“I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”

The words of Jesus are a big deal. So often, we gloss over these almost unbelievable statements that Jesus made while teaching.

In Jesus’s time and for many centuries before and afterward, the spoken word was the primary way of communicating. People would seek out those who were knowledgeable or anointed in order to hear them speak. They would come away from these experiences changed.

Sometimes, even today, this can happen. We will hear of a person who speaks with great charisma and authority that we want to see and hear him/her in person. But, we’re busy people. We seldom “drop everything” just to go and hear someone speak. So, in an effort to recreate these opportunities, we seek out videos of live events, recordings and podcasts, or YouTube. But it’s not quite the same. Not really.

Oh, yes, we now live in the Information Age. If it’s not recorded, then it’s written down. Thousands and thousands of words are being transmitted every day. The written word is everywhere: Internet sites (and blogs like this one), books, magazines, phone texting, and email, just to name a few. We are communicating more and more virtually. But the written word, though powerful in many ways, can never replace the power of the spoken word in person.

This is especially true in relationships. To connect with one another we need to hear and see one another. True communication is a full body experience. Without all the cues, there are lots interpretations that can ensue. We must be willing to gather together.

We cannot go back and experience Jesus in person. We only have a written record. This record, the scriptures, has been cut up, translated, redefined, interpreted, and analyzed by thousands of people, from scholars to backwoods preachers. We are a long way from a firsthand experience.

In the end, it’s just between Christ and me. What do I understand when I read His Words? What do I hear when I speak His Words out loud? What words of Jesus resonate within me? What decisions will I make? What words will I keep? What words will I believe?

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