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Posts Tagged ‘truth’

Hour of Decision

Posted in Feast Days and Holy Days, Ordinary Time, tagged , , , , , , , , on July 26, 2009| Leave a Comment »

John 12:23
Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified….”

There are several places in scripture where Jesus refers to “the hour.” Sometimes he speaks of it as a time that cannot be known or that the hour was approaching or that the hour had not yet come. But here in John 12, the tone changes and he identifies the time as “his hour.” From that “hour” forward, everything would be different.

I’m pretty sure most of us can’t predict when one of our “hours” is necessarily approaching, but when it does come, I think we know it for what it is. Now, I am not talking about the hour of a person’s death. I am talking about an hour of decision… an hour of transformation… an hour of self-discovery. These “hours” or times usually place a question before us: will you go or stay, will you accept or reject, will you agree or disagree, will you lie or tell the truth, (to name a few). These are those decisions that cannot be taken back.

Preparation for these “hours” is general, at best. As a Christian, the obvious things apply such as prayer, study, worship, and sensitivity to the voice of God. But perhaps it is more telling how we walk out our decisions after they are made.

I have a friend who is in a terrible marriage (who doesn’t know someone like this?) and continues to grieve and cry and rant over the circumstances. I understand in my heart and yet, I cannot help but think that the “hour” came and went. If a person decides “to stay,” then the rest of the time should be spent making “to stay” work. If not, then go, and make “leaving” work. One cannot both stay in body and leave in spirit or heart (or vice versa). It is living a lie.

When Jesus resurrected Lazarus, it was His last great miracle. He did not tell anyone “not to tell.” His time had come and everyone needed to know it. So He climbed on a donkey and entered Jerusalem publicly inviting His enemies to finish what they had started. He accepted every step, every curse, every attack, and every pain after His decision. We must do the same.

We have been fooled into believing that the decision itself is the hard part. Not at all, it’s the life after the decision that is the challenge. Thanks be to God who helps us walk out our decisions, both good and bad.

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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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Lying as a Native Tongue

Posted in Ordinary Time, tagged , , , on July 7, 2009| Leave a Comment »

John 8:44b
“…When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

There is nothing good that comes from a lie. I know this. And yet, how often have I exaggerated a tale in the name of entertainment or passed good gossip with a tiny embellishment.

I stand convicted. And now, I must expose this dark area of my soul. I am ashamed. I have been speaking in my “native tongue.” I have used the language of the enemy.

Lying, particularly the small lies and avoidances and omissions, comes too easily. I also see it in my kids. It pains me when I just “know” they are only telling a half-truth which makes it a lie. But am I any better really?

Lord, forgive me. Guard my lips this day. Guard my mouth. Guard my soul.

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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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Who Sent Me?

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

John 7:16
Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me…”

I’m not exactly sure why this phrase stuck in my mind. Well, that’s not the complete truth either.

Bottom line? I have been convicted somewhat that my writing is still motivated by that part of self that wants to be seen and heard…. to be appreciated, to be complimented, to be known.

The other part of self wants the words to be from “the one who sent me.”

Twins. They look alike but they have different goals and their fruit, the results, are dissimilar as well.

I believe each life has purpose: whether it is to touch a person who has lost feeling, to speak a truth to someone who was lost, to help someone rise again who has fallen, to love the loveless, to hold on to those who have let go, to nurture the weak, to enlighten those in a dark place, to right the wrongs, to hope for the hopeless, to stand when others have collapsed, to be open where others are closed, to honor the Truth.

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” He said, “Go and tell this people…” [Isaiah 6:8-9a]

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What is Sin?

Posted in Ordinary Time, tagged , , , , , , , , on June 19, 2009| Leave a Comment »

John 5:14
Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.”

So, here was this man who had a fantastic miracle happen! After years and year on a mat, waiting for the waters to stir at the Pool of Bethsaida, Jesus came and healed him. Later, the man sees Jesus again. Was he astonished that Jesus admonished him? And what was his sin? We are not told what it was in this story.

But this story made me think about sin. Do we assume that because he was an invalid that he no longer sinned? Or was there a greater sin earlier in his life before he became bed-ridden? The implication here is that sin brings disasters into our lives.

For me, sin is a conscious act that I know is wrong or hurtful or law-breaking (either legal or divine). Sin begins in the mind and then is acted upon. There must be a decision or choice to sin. The problem comes when we know longer realize the acts are sinful. If we keep on sinning in a particular way, it becomes the norm. But there was a moment, a day, a time when the choice was new. It is important to find that kernel in our past.

There are always consequences to our thoughts and actions, whether good or bad. The consequences may not be immediate, but we are kidding ourselves if we don’t think they will happen. It’s the law of sowing and reaping. There is only one way to break this law and that is by grace that comes through the cross of Christ.

But before I can call on the work of Christ to block the reaping of my sins, I must face the reality of my sins. I must identify the sin. I must call it for what it is. And then I can I ask for the power of the cross to stand between me and those consequences.

Make me conscious today, O Lord my God, that I might lay the truth at your feet.

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Eating and Drinking Christ

Posted in Ordinary Time, tagged , , , , , , , , on June 17, 2009| Leave a Comment »

John 6:53
Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you…”

In chapter 6 of John, Jesus says, at least five times, “I tell you the truth…” Now, I have always been taught that anything repeated several times in scripture is important. And so, this morning, I have been meditating and dozing on this (I am trying to follow His lead here and tell the truth: meditating can be a sleepy business).

Why does Jesus keep saying this? Clearly, it’s because he suspects they don’t/won’t believe him. What he is saying is too fantastic or difficult to comprehend. He’s expecting their reaction to be, “You,re kidding, right?” No, He says, “I’m telling you the truth.”

By the end of this chapter, we are told that many of his disciples (the unnamed ones who followed him around for awhile and got a few free meals along the way), left him after this instruction. Apparently, He convinced them that he meant what he said. And, because He convinced them that He was telling the truth, they rejected his message… intentionally.

And what was the hullabaloo about? Eating His flesh and drinking His blood. Since there has never been a tradition of cannibalism in Judaism, He wasn’t talking about a barbecued ribs. But He was talking about consuming the life force of Christ. There is something to be said for cannibalism as a sacred practice. In primitive tribes, to eat someone was to become one with them. They ate the bodies to take in a person’s essence, strength, and soul.

Accepting Christ is serious business. It’s not just an idea. It’s a process. It’s breathing in. It’s consuming. It’s transforming. It’s energy. It’s eating. It’s nourishing. It’s life-sustaining.

And without Christ, we die.

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