Journey Toward Understanding

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For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known. John 1: 17-18 NIV

On February 11, 2024, a record number of people gathered around their TV sets to watch a couple of hours of commercials, better known as Super Bowl LVIII! Fifty-nine commercials aired costing about $7 million per thirty seconds of air time. In between the ads, CBS actually broadcasted a great game, even giving us an extra quarter of football. If you were watching only for the commercials I am sure you have a favorite. Can you ever forget Dina and Mita fighting Top Gun: Maverick Danny Ramirez for the last bag of Doritos Dinamita? Then there is the timeless action hero, Arnold Schwarzenegger trying to pronounce neighbor for State Farm with  Danny DeVito upstaging him at the end. The star-studded Dunkin’ commercial with Ben Affleck, Matt Damen, Tom Brady, Jack Harlow, Jennifer Lopez, and Fat Joe was top-notch entertainment, but, they left out the donuts.

The goal of any ad is to remember a product and end up buying, especially if you paid $7 million per 30 minutes. However, one little ad generated more controversy than the couple of minutes it aired. Some have condemned it as wasting money that could have been given to humanitarian causes, others have labeled it as heresy, folks on social media have mocked it, while others have claimed it was brilliant and creative, creating openings for gospel conversations. Whether you thought He Gets Us missed the mark, hit the mark or you don’t care, it has created a media buzz with over 700,000 people following up for more information.

In this season preparing for Easter, the ad reminds us of the real and powerful story that John captured and the difference it made for the disciples and leaves us a lasting lesson. Culturally, foot washing had been a mark of genuine hospitality for generations. As far back as Abraham, visitors were welcomed with food and rest. “Let a little water be brought and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree.” Gen 18:4

Hikers, farmers, construction workers, salespeople, and anyone standing all day on their feet can appreciate the exhilaration of finally taking off their shoes at the end of the day.  Generations of people have had to walk to where they were going, mostly on dusty roads. Arriving at their destination it must have been pure joy to be greeted with a pan of cold water. Since foot washing was a normal rhythm of life, why would any of the Gospel writers even mention it? Sure, it was defiantly scandalous when the unnamed woman crashed Simon’s party and washed Jesus’ feet with her tears and poured perfume on them (Luke 7:36-50) and eye-opening for Jesus’ disciples when Mary took a jar of expensive perfume and poured it on Jesus’ feet. (John 12:1-8)

Yet what John recorded broke generations of protocol, cultural status, and religious hierarchy. Everyone knew and accepted the fact that servants washed feet, but never would the master stoop to such a lowly menial task. Yet, that was exactly what Jesus did that night. However, Jesus had a history of not always following protocol, regulations, or expectations. John records that Jesus got up from the meal table and put on a servant’s garment. (John 13:1-17) The disciples most likely would have understood if a broken, sinful woman washed Jesus’ feet out of gratitude or if a devoted follower of Jesus poured out her life savings on his feet out of devotion, but why would Jesus wash their feet?

Jesus took Peter’s feet and poured water over them out of love. Peter could be arrogant, maybe a bit brash, and a bit egotistical.

Jesus took John and James’ feet and poured water over them out of love. Both were status-conscious, jealous of others, and power-driven.

Jesus took Thomas’ feet and poured water over them out of love. Thomas questioned and had doubts.

Jesus took Andrew’s feet and poured water over them out of love. Andrew was the inquisitive one, the outside-the-box thinker, but timid when confronted.

Jesus took Judas’ feet and poured water over them out of love. Judas was the faithless one who cared more for money and power.

Jesus took each of his disciple’s feet and poured water over them out of love. Jesus told them that they would someday understand, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” (John 13:15-17)

Jesus Gets Us because Jesus knows us. Jesus knew His disciples just as He knows us. Was his gentle touch upon their feet enough to stir a deep longing in their hearts? What were they thinking? Jesus talked with Peter but what about the others as he washed their feet?

Could Jesus have blessed them as he wiped their feet with his towel? My beloved Peter, you will be a leader of my church. My beloved John, you will finally understand the depth of real love and encourage others.  My beloved James, you will be strong in faith until the end. My beloved Andrew, keep asking questions but be bold. My beloved Thomas, let your doubts build your faith and witness. Oh Judas, would that you would resist evil.

“Everywhere Jesus went, he left behind pictures that showed us who God is. And what is the composite of those pictures? A God who sees and who cares. A God who listens and who speaks. Who touches and transforms. A God who calms the wind, stills the waves, and extends his hand to the sinking. A God who heals the sick and raises the dead. Who frees the prisoners, feeds the hungry, blesses the children. A God who came at the greatest personal cost to destroy the works of the devil.” (Ken Gire, The North Face of God, p187)

Jesus understands we are a broken people who, left to our own devices could break every commandment. Yet God extended mercy when we deserved punishment. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

God is great!

 

Journey Toward Freedom

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Save me from the guilt of bloodshed, God—God of my salvation—and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. You do not want a sacrifice, or I would give it; you are not pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit. You will not despise a broken and humbled heart, God. Psalm 51:14-17 CSB

I don’t have an exact statistic on this but I’m sure at some point in life every person on Planet Earth has bought something with the magic words, “easy to assemble.” There is nothing more invigorating and soul-binding than a couple opening a box containing their new furniture piece and spreading out the 16 million pieces all over the living room floor. Most likely you fall into one of three categories: those who start assembling the pieces without reading the manual, those who meticulously read the 30-page easy-to-assemble manual before starting, or the one who pays the $150 for Home Depot to assemble. Long after the estimated time of assembling, you finally admire your finished product, only to find an extra bolt. How did we miss this?

Normally a missing bolt can be overlooked unless you are 16,000 feet in the air! The passengers and crew on Alaska Airlines flight 1282 found out exactly how important four bolts were on January 5 of this year.  As the plane was ascending to reach cruising altitude, a loud blast was heard as the door blew off. The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the cause of the door blowout was four missing bolts on the Boeing 737 Max 9. Thankfully, no passenger was sitting next to the door.  “Whatever final conclusions are reached, Boeing is accountable for what happened. An event like this must not happen on an airplane that leaves our factory. We simply must do better for our customers and their passengers,” said Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun in a statement. (CNN Report)

Four little missing bolts resulted in a near-fatal disaster, reminding us how the insignificant becomes significant in life. We are now in the season of Lent, a time of preparation for Easter. In the same way as Advent prepares our hearts and minds for Christmas, Lent is a time for focusing our minds and hearts on the life-changing Easter celebration. “Historians generally agree that the 40-day period before Easter, known as Lent, emerged shortly following the Council of Nicea in 325 AD. The earliest observances of Lent seem to have focused particularly on the practice of fasting. Council records suggest that the fast applied at first mainly to new converts as a period of repentance and reflection before baptism at Easter. In any case, Lent quickly became a general practice churchwide.” (Christopher Hunt)

I don’t come from a stream of the Christian faith that practices Lent, but I think there is some richness and beauty in this ancient practice that can stir a hunger within our souls. In our journey toward Easter, this can be a time to reflect, prepare, and hold gently this season in our souls. Whether we practice fasting from food, media, or anything else, it can be a reflective time of preparation.

Augustine spoke of “rightly ordered loves,” which puts the LORD first as the foremost love of our lives. Everything else in our lives; family, work, or any activity, all become secondary to Christ. Lent, in whatever form or fashion we undertake, awakens in us a heart towards God. “Our heart is restless until it finds its rest in You.” (Augustine’s Confession)

Jay Ferguson expresses it well regarding Lent. “Lent isn’t mentioned in the Bible; it’s not a scriptural command to observe. Our freedom in Christ, the sufficiency of His blood for our righteousness, means we don’t have to engage in rituals to earn favor with God. Yet, the Church is Christ’s bride, and by God’s grace, we are deeply connected to something so ancient, so much more profound than the ephemeral nature of our cultural context. Like Sabbath, or fasting, or other blessings from the Lord, these things aren’t commanded, yet they make us more whole when we engage.”

Our Eastern Orthodox family uses the term “bright sadness” to describe this season of preparation for Easter. Though this is a fairly new term for me, I am coming to appreciate it within the context of preparing for Easter. In the days leading to the cross there was a heaviness about the time but with an under-current of hope and faith. “There is a sadness because we turn our gaze inward in a more intentional way, reflecting on our sinfulness and the unimaginable suffering and brutality of the death Jesus willingly submitted to for our sake. But our sadness is clothed in light, because our sins are not indelible marks forever separating us from God’s love, and our suffering is not pointless cruelty inflicted by an impersonal god.” (Ann Koshute)

Bright Sadness holds in tension the sadness of the Cross and yet the bright hope of the resurrection. John captures this tension of sorrow turning to joy as part of the Passover Festival dialogue with Jesus’ disciples. “In a little while, you will no longer see me; again in a little while you will see me.” Jesus continues in his thoughts on sorrow/joy tension. “When a woman is in labor, she has pain because her time has come. But when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the suffering because of the joy that a person has been born into the world. So you also have sorrow now. But I will see you again. Your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy from you.” –John16:16,21-22 (CSB)

Many of you may find yourself in this season of tension having experienced the sadness of loss and yet trust in the bright hope of Easter. All of us are at some place in our lives holding the tension of deep contentment with deep sadness.

How do we hold the tension of sadness and hope? The Psalmist asked the question that only Easter can answer. “How long LORD? Will you be angry forever?” “God of our salvation, help us, for the glory of your name. Rescue us and atone for our sins, for your name’s sake.” (Psalm 79:5,9)

LORD, as we travel this season of preparation, help us to keep our focus on You, for only at the cross will we find freedom.

God is great!

Love Takes The Day

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Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant, is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not irritable, and does not keep a record of wrongs. Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. I Cor 13:4-8a CSB

What are Americans willing to spend on love? According to USA Today, Americans spent $26 Billion in 2023 on Valentine’s Day. The average amount spent on gifts came to roughly $131 for their significant others and $53 on others such as friends, co-workers, teachers, and most importantly, their pets. The number one gift was candy, followed by greeting cards and flowers.

However, you would be hard-pressed to beat the gift that you can buy at The San Antonio Zoo. People make an online donation to the zoo and they get to name a roach, rodent, or veggie after someone, normally an ex. “You may find help on your healing journey with a dash of humor (and pettiness) by naming a cockroach after your ex, which will later be fed to a San Antonio Zoo animal.”

Zoo spokesperson Cyle Perez said, “There were more than 7,700 donations from all 50 states and over 30 countries in 2023. People named David, Chris, Michael, Sarah, Amanda, and Emily must be some real heartbreakers. Those were the most-requested names last year. The fundraiser has brought in more than $225,000 since its inception in 2020.” (Madalyn Mendoza, Axios)

A cockroach for your Valentine probably will not be the most endearing present but it will be rememberable. I can see why the focus is on the ex-part since giving a cockroach as a gift will probably get you into the ex-category.

Valentine’s Day is celebrated in at least 30 countries around the world and this is not surprising since the need to say, “I love you,” is a global gesture that every person wants to hear. Pope Gelasius declared February 14th as Valentine’s Day at the end of the 5th century, though the romance part of the holiday came later. There are a multitude of reasons why February has long been associated with romance and love. The English Poet Geoffrey Chaucer was the first to record St. Valentine’s Day as a day of romantic celebration. (History.com)

Hallmark cards, a dozen red roses, and a box of Godiva Dark Chocolate are all nice on Valentine’s Day and highly recommended. However, flowers fade, and chocolate is eaten, but real Valentine’s love that flows from God is the 24-7, 365-day, never-ending type and is the greatest gift. Kallistos Katafygiotis said, “The most important thing that happens between God and the human soul is to love and to be loved.” Jesus’ disciple and friend, John said, “Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” I John 4:7-8

“Marjorie Thompson tells the story of a conversation between an eighteenth-century priest and an elderly peasant who would sit alone for long hours in the quiet of the church. When the priest asked what he was doing, the old man simply replied, “I look at Him, He looks at me, and we are happy.” (Practicing the Way, John Mark Comer)

Wednesday is a unique Valentine’s Day this year since it falls on Ash Wednesday. This rare calendar occurrence happens only a few times each century. In this century, the three years are 2018, 2024, and 2029. Valentine’s Day on Ash Wednesday gives us the unique opportunity to remember the ultimate expression of love as the church moves into Lent, preparing for Easter.

Unfortunately, Valentine’s Day can reflect love as a mushy, sentimental feeling worthy of a good Hallmark movie. However, falling on Ash Wednesday can be a great reminder of a love that is rich, powerful, and eternal. Ash Wednesday allows us to see love in the fullness of God’s love for us.

It is a love that looks more like forgiveness than faded flowers. “Hatred stirs up conflicts, but love covers all offenses.” (Prov 10:12).  There is a powerful scene in the latest Chosen season as Peter struggles to forgive Matthew. He counts out the offenses against him until the words of Jesus take root, “I tell you, not as many as seven, but seventy times seven.” Matt 18:22

It is a love that looks more like commitment than rhyming words on a card. John Mark Comer writes of commitment, “in both marriage and life with God, it’s the constraint of commitment that will create space for love to mature and real transformation to occur. We often chafe against it, but in the end, like caterpillars in the constraints of pupae, it is where we are transformed into butterflies—entirely new creatures of beauty.”  “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Gal 2:20)

It is a love that looks more like acceptance than an empty box of chocolates. Jesus walked with those lost and in darkness, reaching out to them in love. “Finally, all of you be like-minded and sympathetic, love one another, and be compassionate and humble, not paying back evil for evil or insult for insult but, on the contrary, giving a blessing, since you were called for this, so that you may inherit a blessing.” I Peter 3:8-9

I will leave it up to you as to whether you should fast or eat your chocolates on Wednesday, but I can leave you a beautiful gift of promise on Valentine’s Day that will outlast the box of chocolates:

“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might display the immeasurable riches of his grace through his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:4-7

Be blessed on this Ash Wednesday as we begin the journey towards Easter.

God is great!

 

How We Value Our Neighbor

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So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. John 13:34-45 NLT

“If only Casey could get a whack at that.” Words of excitement were yelled and anticipation swelled as the mighty Casey took the mound for the Mudville Nine. Only Casey at the bat could bring home a win on that lazy day in Mudville. As Casey boldly and confidently took his turn at bat, the ball was thrown down the middle but not what he wanted. “That ain’t my style,” said Casey. “Strike one!” the umpire said. From the benches, black with people, there went up a muffled roar, Like the beating of the storm waves on a stern and distant shore; “Kill him! Kill the umpire!” shouted someone on the stand; and it’s likely they’d have killed him had not Casey raised his hand.” (poem, Casey at the Bat)

Nothing has changed much since Ernest Lawrence Thayer penned his classic poem in 1888. Crowds have been lashing out at umpires, referees, and judges since time immemorial, especially when their team loses. You could make excuses for the outrage at an NBA, NFL, NHL, or MLB game but at 11 and under games? The Deptford, NJ Little League had enough of over-zealous parents yelling and cussing at the umps. Their solution? Fans who mistreat the officiating crew get to do it themselves. “Any spectator deemed in violation would be banned from the complex until three umpiring assignments were completed. If not, the person would be barred from any Deptford youth sports facilities for a year.”

Barry Mano founder of the National Association of Sports Officials said he “has watched fan conduct become far worse than he could have imagined.” “Sports is simply life with the volume turned up. We’ve become louder and brasher. We always want a second opinion on things. That’s where the culture has gone.  I don’t think we’re as civil as we used to be toward each other, and it plays out in the sporting venues.” (from an article by Dan Gelston, AP sports writer)

We celebrate that God placed an extraordinary value on us as individuals but shouldn’t we place the same level of value on others? When Jesus was asked which is the first commandment, He replied, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment.” (Matthew 22:37-38) If Jesus had stopped there, that would have been understandable but he didn’t. He said, “And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ (22:39)

“We’ve become louder and brasher” may be a true statement for culture at large, but surely not for those who identify as followers of Jesus. Can you imagine the impact on America if the church took to heart the second half of Jesus’ commandment? Can you imagine the impact globally if all Christians took to heart the second half of Jesus’ commandment?

Could it be that “failure to love our neighbor” leads to the increased level of bullying in schools that have been on the increase in recent years? Twenty-eight percent of students in American schools have experienced some form of bullying. Though most will get past these years, unfortunately, many will face years of depression, anxiety, and even suicide. “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13 NLT)

Could it be that “failure to love our neighbor” contributes to the divisiveness currently ripping apart the political and cultural framework of the United States and other nations? “Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.” (Eph 4:29 NLT)

Could it be that “failure to love our neighbor” blinds us to the physical, spiritual, emotional, and financial needs of those we encounter daily? “Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.” (Gal 6:2-3 NLT)

Could it be that “failure to love our neighbor” keeps us from truly impacting our world? “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.” (Phil 2:3-4 NLT)

“Blessed are the single-hearted, for they shall enjoy much peace. If you refuse to be hurried and pressed, if you stay your soul on God, nothing can keep you from that clearness of spirit which is life and peace. In that stillness you will know what His will is.” –Amy Carmichael, Gold Cord: The Story of a Fellowship

For Amy Carmichael, loving her neighbor looked like 55 years as a missionary in India, never returning to her home country of Ireland, yet in those years she provided a sanctuary of hope for hundreds of children who were trapped in sexual slavery.

For Candy Lightner, loving her neighbor looked like taking the tragic death of her 13-year-old daughter at the hands of a drunk driver to form Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD) to focus on the countless deaths of neighbors at the hands of drunk drivers and enact changes to state driving laws.

For Martin Luther King, Jr, loving his neighbor looked like mobilizing others to rally against racial injustice and inspire a vision of change.

What does “love your neighbor” look like for you?

Living out loving our neighbor will look different for each person. There is no one way to love our neighbor but each person’s gifts, abilities and influence will be used by God to change the trajectory of lives for good. God can use whatever way to create a tsunami of change to “love your neighbor as yourself.”

God is great!