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Posts Tagged ‘hope’

30-60-100 Fold

Posted in Christmas Through Epiphany, tagged , , , , , , on January 17, 2010| Leave a Comment »

I think the multiplication principle noted in Matthew 13:8 which is based on “good seed and good soil” is the same for “bad seed and good soil.”

Romans 1:29a
They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, …

The list of evil in Romans 1:29-31 is pretty overwhelming: wickedness, evil, greed, depravity, envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice, gossip, slander, God-hating, insolence, arrogance, boastfulness, disobedience, senselessness, faithlessness, heartlessness, and ruthlessness. One evil runs into another. One sin breeds the next. One sorrow bleeds into another.

Most people put their emphasis on the sexual depravity that is described in the verses that precede this list and that implies, it’s those who participate in non-traditional sexual activities who will dive bomb into the list of evils. In fact, however, I believe the sexual sins are just one more in the list. Really, the list, including “sexual behaviors” is the result of the “suppression of the truth.” This is the first sin that plants the seed and changes the relationship that people have with God and the Christ.

There are no easy answers.

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Hope of Israel

Posted in Christmas Through Epiphany, tagged , , , , , , , , on January 7, 2010| Leave a Comment »

In biblical times, the “hope of Israel” referred to the long-awaited Messiah. In recent years, this phrase has been adopted my Messianic Jews as a way of communicating that the Messiah has come. What is our hope?

Acts 28:20
For this reason I have asked to see you and talk with you. It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain.

Hope is a powerful word but one that is used too casually. Hope is actually entwined with faith. Hope is believing in things or people not seen, things that have not happened, people who have not yet done what has been promised. Hope, corralled, is pure energy.

As Christians, supposedly, we are awaiting the second coming of the Messiah. When Christ returns, He returns not just as the “hope of Israel” but the “hope of the world.”

I confess, I have not put much personal energy into the idea of a returning Christ and I’m not sure why. Is it because the world has “waited” so long? Perhaps it is because I haven’t full understood what that waiting should look like, much less the arrival. Or, do I fear such a return? Heaven is one thing: a non-dimensional place where my non-dimensional spirit will exist in pure joy. But the returning Christ will enter this world and in this dimension. This is Christ returning and changing time, changing everything.

There are all kinds of teachings and predictions about the Second Coming. And of course, as soon as that discussion starts, there’s the controversy over post or pre-millennialism, dispensationalism, etc. These conversations are of not interest to me. We can’t just talk about hope anymore.

Many Jews did not recognize Jesus when He came and proclaimed that He was, indeed, the long awaited Messiah. They, too, had many theological discussions about his appearance. The second coming is supposed to be clear as day: no doubts.

But, lately, I’ve become aware of the power of denial, and I’m thinking that even second coming Messiah will not be accepted or even recognized. If there is no expectation and no hope, there may not be recognition. It may just appear as a cataclysm or 2012 predictions come true or natural disaster. Deaf and blind to the truth.

Today, I ask for the stirring of hope in my soul, for the stirring of expectation. Open my ears, open my eyes, I want to see Jesus.

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Viper Bites

Posted in Christmas Through Epiphany, tagged , , , , , , , , on January 6, 2010| 1 Comment »

Even when we’re doing all the right things, we might get a viper bite. Intellectually, I know that life brings all kinds of challenges and we can’t expect the way to be smooth all the time and the key is how we respond to them. Why doesn’t that knowledge make it easier?

Acts 28:3, 5
Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand….But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects.

I feel as though I’m in a good place “spiritually.” In fact, it’s probably the best place I’ve been in a long time. I’m more disciplined in my devotions, I’m reading, I’m praying, I’m confessing my sins, I’m giving and receiving forgiveness. In general, my life circumstances are pretty stable. I’m working, my husband is working and we are both in good health. Our children are almost all graduated from high school (only a year and a half to go).

And yet, we keep getting nipped by things that are disconcerting: 4 car break downs or fender benders in the last month (totally over $3000) and then two trees were felled by the wind ($500 minimum – our deductible). We just discovered our one son will add $2000 to our car insurance annual bill and the other two kids have to repeat their driver’s schools ($700). The crown our daughter had to get after a root canal was not covered by insurance ($1200). And we just maxed out one of our main credit card with a second one on the way. Clearly, the viper in our life is the dollar. Financially, we are living on the edge.

Lord, I confess, we are really terrible at this part. Help! Teach me… teach us how to shake this viper off into the fire.

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Staying with the Ship

Posted in Christmas Through Epiphany, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on January 5, 2010| Leave a Comment »

It’s hard to “stay with the ship” when everything seems lost. Like lemmings who follow each other over the cliff, we tend to abandon tough situations if we see other people cut and run. Sometimes, it takes great courage just to stick it out.

Acts 27:31
Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.”

My son is on a swim team in high school and one of the best swimmers was arrested today. Of course, the situation for the boy is grave, but already the team has been rocked as well. What are they saying to each other: We’ll never win another swim meet. What’s the point of staying on the team? It will be embarrassing now. And so on. The kids feel “exposed” since their best swimmer is out of the game. They want a rewind, but life doesn’t work that way.

Oftentimes the loss of a key player in any organization will make the whole group feel unstable and insecure. New leaders must emerge. New strategies must be developed. New challenges must be faced. The loss of one person sets up an environment for “change” which most people resist, at best, or just downright hate.

This same situation can happen in a church. A beloved pastor may depart or a key family, that has been in the church for years, will leave and people start looking around wondering if they should leave too. It’s not always a change in people or personnel that starts the exodus, sometimes it’s a change of venue (a new or refurbished building/sanctuary) or a change in the ubiquitous “order of worship” or different music or different carpeting. Any “change” can be like a glass of cold water thrown on a fainting person. It feels unpleasant.

I have struggled with staying in the same church year after year. Certainly, our church has seen lots of changes already, some good and some not so good. Many of my dear friends have left, there’s a new building which I dislike immensely, there’s a different worship team and style, the sermons are still bible-based but not terribly challenging anymore or speaking to where I am, and there are so many new people I don’t even recognize 4/5 of the congregation. Why am I still here?

And yet, there is a sense that God is not finished yet. Where there have been changes, there will be more changes. Where there has been loss, there will be gains. Where there has been disappointment, there will be encouragement. That’s the message in my heart. Stay… just a little while longer.

And like the men on Paul’s ship who wanted to jump into the lifeboat, he warned them and said it was important that “everyone” remain with the ship so that all could be saved. Then they ate together and were strengthened for the time ahead. The next day, the ship was destroyed, and yet all 276 were saved… prisoners, sailors, and soldiers. Who would imagine that staying with the ship included the ship’s destruction? But, that which was most important was saved: the people.

A church is not the building, it’s the people. In fact, all organizations are really just the people. Staying with the ship requires a simple commitment to one another, a type of trust, a type of support, a love.

When Jesus left the disciples, they must have been devastated. Some teachers give the impression that the survivors were all huddled in the “upper room” being all holy and everything. Personally, I think they were scared to death and at a loss for what to do next. Some of the disciples baled and scattered for sure. How could they go on? What did it all mean? What would tomorrow hold? But enough of them stayed. And in the end, it turned out to be part of a plan, it was the way it had to be in that moment.

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Overwhelmed by the Wind

Posted in Christmas Through Epiphany, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on January 3, 2010| Leave a Comment »

When prisoner Paul was on his way to Rome by sea, he warned the ship’s pilot that a storm was coming. But on the day they started out, there was just a “gentle south wind” and all seemed well. How often do we start out in a gentle wind only to be shocked by a windy reversal?

Acts 27:14-15
Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the “northeaster,” swept down from the island. The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we [the ship that was carrying Paul to Rome] gave way to it and were driven along.

I have had wind on the mind all week. It’s been really windy in our area, so much so that we lost two huge Beech trees that broke off at the midway point in our back yard. What a mess. The wind has been almost a constant. This week I realized I don’t really like wind. I don’t like its relentlessness.

I’m not talking about a gentle breeze that cools the skin on a hot day or a even a a few gusts that come and go. I mean wind that bends the trees and jangles the heavy wind chimes outside my window.

In Paul’s story, the ship’s pilot was so sure that light wind was a good omen. And I’m certain he was well seasoned and knew the signs and ways of the sea. And yet, the storm came all the same. How many times have I set out on ventures that appeared to be smooth sailing on the surface but turned into gale force winds unexpectedly.

I have based many a decision on outward signs alone. I did not seek the unseen forces that can only be found through prayer and meditation. I’m not just talking about small decisions, but big ones like getting married, getting divorced, moving to New York, leaving New York, getting married again, starting a new job, changing jobs, and so forth. At the outset, each and every choice seemed reasonable and appropriate at the time, but I cannot say those decisions were made with much prayer. In fact, I confess the real praying didn’t start in earnest until the wind start really blowing.

What happens then? Honestly, once the big winds start, there is rarely anything can be done. In Paul’s day, they could no longer control or steer the ship and so they “gave way to it.”

I have tried battling the winds of some of my decisions. But the truth is, sometimes we just need to let go. Give the ship to God and wait for the storm to settle. Then, and only then, can we really assess what happened or why. But more importantly, only then can we ask God to show us the next step.

This is not unlike Rescue. We must ride the circumstances to some degree until some calm comes to the moment.

For a season, I tried to teach myself to enjoy roller coasters. They are basically harmless and yet their appeal is in calling forth some basic fears of falling, heights, and speed (very windy!). There was a roller coaster (one of those “mouse” types) that just about did me in as the individual cars rounded corners with the front end hanging off the edge. I pretty sure I compressed my son’s hand into a pancake. But I couldn’t stop the experience in the middle. I couldn’t get off the roller coaster. I had to ride it to the end. I survived. And then I made some new decisions. I figured out that I don’t need to go that way. I can skip that roller coaster next time.

There is one other thing that can help in a stormy, windy situation: to be grounded in a God relationship beforehand. Even if I screw up and don’t specifically prepare my soul for my next storm, I know I can trust in the God who has been carrying me through regular days up until then.

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Rescue

Posted in Christmas Through Epiphany, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on January 1, 2010| 3 Comments »

Rescue implies that a person is in a dangerous situation. At the point of discovery, there are no accusations or recriminations against the person in need. We don’t scream down the mind shaft, “what were you thinking?” … or at least, we shouldn’t.

Acts 26:17
“…I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them. …” [Paul retelling what he heard Jesus say to him on the road to Damascus.]

Our family is in the process of looking for a new dog. Historically, we have always waited for a dog to drop into our lives or we search out a “rescue.” These are the animals who have been abandoned, abused, or neglected. They are in need of love and a family. They need encouragement and protection. They need a place of safety. Sometimes, it takes a lot of time and patience to incorporate a rescued pet into a family.

Human beings are even more complicated to rescue. The people who end up in bad circumstances because of their own choices may be a little easier (if they can admit to the part they played in getting there). But, many are in denial. In either case, these people still need to be rescued “out” of theirs situations before anything else can happen. Again, using the mind shaft image, it’s not worth explaining or lecturing to the person at the bottom about playing too close to the edge.

Sometimes, I think we try “rescue” tactics with people who don’t believe they are in trouble. This does not work. You cannot dangle rescue paraphernalia in front of folks who don’t feel like they are in danger. That would be like handing someone a life preserver in the desert. It doesn’t make sense.

If we are in the rescue business, then we need to understand that particular person’s mind shaft, desert, or ocean experience. And if we aren’t equipped to do that, then we need to find someone who can.

There are things, however, that can be given to anyone in any situation. They are grace gifts: love, kindness, mercy, forgiveness, and acceptance. These have little cost. Giving them is a choice.

But rescue is action. Rescue takes extra energy. Rescue takes lots of time. Rescue may require more than one worker. Rescue can be difficult. Rescue may not be convenient for the rescuer(s).

Jesus told Paul that he would rescue him from difficult circumstances … but Jesus also said he would place Paul among the very people that would drag him into more difficult circumstances.

Once rescued, it’s important to rescue others. But, we must be wise and tolerant and loving along the way. We must be ready to answer the call of “help.” Before then… we just keep giving the grace gifts.

Give me courage to ask for rescue when I need it. Give me courage to respond to the call for rescue from others.

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Past and Future Witness

Posted in Christmas Through Epiphany, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 31, 2009| Leave a Comment »

When we enter into relationship with Christ Jesus we are also entering into an agreement to be a witness to the acts of Jesus in our lives up until that moment and as events unfold in the future. Much like the cusp of the New Year… we look back, but we also look forward.

Acts 26:15b-16
” ‘I am Jesus, whom you [Paul] are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. ‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you. …”

When I started on the Way, I was a little embarrassed. I wasn’t comfortable with the trappings of being a “Christian.” There was a whole new vocabulary and depending on the types of believers around me, there were expectations about behaviors. Sometimes, the whole thing just didn’t feel real. Was I really going to carry a bible around with me all the time and wear a cross around my neck and give homage to Christian holidays? Was I really a person who would stop saying Jesus Christ! when I banged my toe or hit my fingers with a hammer? Was I really going to go to church every Sunday or even extra days throughout the week? Would I pray in public? Would I raise my hands and dance in the aisles or would I kneel in a pew and cross myself? Would I pray for people over the phone? Would I ask people to pray for me on the Internet?

Which of these outward expressions would really witness to my faith in Christ?

None. Not really. Somewhere along the way, I realized it was my transformations within that would dictate my outer expressions. And even from the very beginning, there was a powerful presence of the Holy Spirit in my life. No matter how I stumbled, there was a wooing that would bring me back to the Way.

I experienced private joy when I walked around my apartment for an hour singing the only Christian song I knew, Jesus Loves Me. There were intense times of forgiveness of my father who died and abandoned me at a young age, and forgiveness of people who had hurt me, and forgiveness of myself for the hurts I had caused others (my mother, my first husband, my brother, my friends). There were testing times too because I wanted to see if God really cared about me as an individual. He did. He does.

Now, what of tomorrow? What will be my witness be for tomorrow? What more will the Christ do in my life? Perhaps this is the reason I write now… to capture today so I can be ready for the next hour, the afternoon, the evening, and then tomorrow.

Yes, I am on the Way. It is a long path that winds ahead. I can look back on that path and see where I took some “long cuts” (opposite of a short cut) and I can see where the path was wide and easy as well as the places that were narrow and difficult. When I turn to look ahead, I can see there are curves ahead that prevent me from seeing very far into the future. But I do see that there is a path. And when I look around, I can see the footprints of others. I am not alone on the Way.

Yes, it’s all good. I am comfortable in my Jesus shoes at last. I am content.

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