God of Justice

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Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore, he will rise up to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! Isaiah 30:18-19

What do you give someone who has everything? I’m sure that was the question organizers of this year’s Golden Globes awards were thinking as they were putting together the gift bags for the presenters and winners this year. What’s in the 83 bags? “All of the night’s presenters and winners will receive multiple travel experiences, including a five-day luxury yacht charter in Indonesia aboard the Celestia Phinisi Yacht valued at $50,000, and a five-day “luxury experience” at the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman, valued at $20,000. If they want, they can receive a $2,500 tattoo from Atelier Eva.” (article by Gina Vivinetto)

The awards were given out, the speeches given and the participants left with their goody bags containing more than 35 luxury products, valued at $500,000! I don’t have anything against gift bags but I usually got coffee mugs, cookies, pens, and occasionally t-shirts, never received a Golden Globe-type gift bag. The dollar number is what got me, not the bags. You can do the math on 83 bags at $500,000 each!

I’m sure the folks who received these bags will enjoy them but would a refugee enjoy the Rose Gold Radiance Face Mask? Would a poor family prefer a Tomato Filling Serum or a bunch of tomatoes in their bag? What would the widows and orphans want?

“Jose is a successful college graduate who has to work for a full month in Venezuela, his home country, to be able to afford a single can of beans from the grocery store…Unable to afford the food, medicine, and other essentials needed to survive, Jose was losing hope when a Send Relief partner gave him some emergency food boxes to last him through the month.” (Send Relief Agency) The same $35 that bought a Rose Gold Radiance Face Mask for the gift bag would give Jose food for the month.

Embrace Relief Organization reports that 1 out of every 9 people in the world face chronic hunger with 148 million children under the age of 5 who are malnourished worldwide. In addition, more than 3 million children die each year worldwide from hunger.

Today marks the observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day honoring the legacy of this Baptist pastor who sought to eliminate racial division and promote justice within the United States. “We need leaders not in love with money but in love with justice. Not in love with publicity but in love with humanity.” (MLK, Jr)

Unfortunately, justice has often been overshadowed by political and cultural division, opinions, and selfishness, creating rifts, anger, and greater injustice. Dr. King challenged people that “True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.”

Justice is a message that didn’t start with Martin Luther King, Jr but has been at the heart of God from the beginning. Tim Keller wrote in a series of lectures on justice, “Biblical justice is not first of all a set of bullet points or a set of rules and guidelines. It is rooted in the very character of God and it is the outworking of that character, which is never less than just.” As I looked up verses related to justice in my Strong’s Concordance, I was reminded of God’s heart for treating others justly and with respect.

“Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great but judge your neighbor fairly.” Leviticus 19:15
“Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.” Isaiah 1:17
“This is what the LORD Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’ Zechariah 7:9-10
“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” Proverbs 31:8-9

Martin Luther King, Jr Day will be marked by various speeches made by politicians, stories retold of his legacy and mission and many churches will gather to commemorate the day. The day can also be a good day to personally reflect upon what justice looks like and could look like from God’s perspective.

What would justice look like for the hungry without adequate food or means to obtain it?
What would justice look like for those who are discriminated against because of race or color of skin?
What would justice look like for the refugees who have been forced out of their homes because of war?
What would justice look like for the brokenhearted, the homeless, the orphans, the widows?
What would justice look like for the voiceless and vulnerable in society?
What would justice look like if we the church felt the same passion for others that God does?

“The gospel shows us a Savior who does indeed exercise authority over us, but who uses that authority and power only to serve us, and who was willing to lose it and suffer in order to save us. Christians have intellectual and heart resources to use power in a way that does not exploit. We must never stop struggling to walk in our Savior’s steps.” (Tim Keller)

“The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love. Psalm 33:5

LORD, the world needs us to be your voice and heart today. Amid confusion, help us to be the voice of clarity. Amid violence, help us to be the bearers of peace. Amid hatred, help us to be reconcilers. Amid lostness, help us be the messengers of hope.

God is great!

Living Life on Adventure

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The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.   I Corinthians 2:14 NIV

Living a Year of Radical Amazement (see last week’s blog) enviably leads toward living a life of exciting adventure. The adventure was exactly what one little Roomba in Georgia decided it needed after a front door was left open. Georgia resident Shelley Betz told a CNN reporter that their little Roomba couldn’t be found and after an exhaustive two-day search her husband found the little vac in a pile of leaves about 10 yards from their front door. Had it not been for the ever-vigilant Ring Door camera, the escape might have gone undetected until spring.

Betz told the network, “The family had been putting up Christmas decorations when the robot escaped. The Roomba lost its padding and brushes during its escape, but it still works.” Betz went on to say, “He did his job. He did what he was born to do!”

Can you imagine the stories this little Roomba would have if it could only talk? Stories of the world outside its front door from its 10 yards of adventure. The imaginary Roomba stories would pale in comparison to the real-life stories we get to live out and tell. As we live in radical amazement our world opens up to living a life of adventure. “Adventure is defined as an unusual and exciting, typically hazardous, experience or activity. This is exactly what many biblical figures underwent as they were called upon to go into the unknown in the work of God. Our life can be an adventure in the service of righteousness, facing the adversity and evils of the world.” (from Bible Study Tools)

Adventure may take you scaling high mountain ranges, exploring exotic places, trekking through jungles or it may find you sitting in your chair crying out to God. Adventure isn’t necessarily defined by distance but by the stirring of amazement within the soul. Matthew gives us the inside story of a group of scholars, better known as the Magi or Wise Men, who out of radical amazement, set out on an incredible adventure of faith.

God stirred within the Magi this radical amazement to ask questions, to seek answers, and to set out on a journey to discover the meaning of the star. Epiphany, celebrated last Saturday among many streams of the Christian faith worldwide, marks the day on religious calendars when the Magi found and worshipped baby Jesus in Bethlehem.  Now you can put your Wise Men into your Nativity displays!

Reflecting upon the Magi during Epiphany allows us to focus on the main characters of Matthew’s account. (Matthew 2:1-18) King Herod was disturbed, the religious leaders were clueless and the Magi worshipped.

King Herod and the political elite had long lost any sense of amazement that would stir in their souls the great adventure of faith. They were concerned with maintaining their positions of power. When King Herod heard about the baby’s birth, Matthew records, “When King Herod heard this he was disturbed and all Jerusalem with him.”

The Religious Leaders had long lost any sense of amazement that would stir in their souls the great adventure of faith. They had the appropriate knowledge that should have propelled them into the great adventure of finding Jesus but they missed the moment. The problem was they liked their status of influence and power better than going on a great adventure of faith to find the Messiah.

A group of outsiders hadn’t lost any sense of amazement and let it stir in their souls the great adventure of faith. The Magi saw the star and made the effort to find the truth and meaning of the star. Where would the star lead them? What would they find at the end of the journey? They only knew they had to go on this great adventure of faith. After a grueling journey, “When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.” (Matt 2:10-11)

J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan adventures have been told and retold multiple times. Yet his one quote sums up his stories well, “To live will be an awfully big adventure.” What great adventure awaits you out of your radical amazement this year?

Your great adventure may come from being asked to do what you think is impossible. Moses surely thought that when faced with certain death, God said, “Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.” (Ex 14:16)

Your great adventure may come when you look into your giant’s face. Facing your giant will require more than you’ve got but not with God. “I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty.” (1 Samuel 17:45)

Your great adventure will begin when you move into the deep waters. It could be out the front door or around the world. Like Peter, we listen and obey. “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” (Luke 5:4)

Jeremiah’s words were given to a people when life looked dark and hopeless in their captivity. Yet the same truth written by Jeremiah can still stir in you the great adventure of faith because of Who is guiding the journey.  “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

Jesus, I approach You with the reverence of the Magi. I come to worship my King. Open my eyes to perceive with amazement the world around me, realign my mind to believe You will take care of the impossible and reawaken in my heart the great adventure You have set before me.

God is great!

 

2024 A Year of Radical Amazement!

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This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24 NLT

Did you get what you wanted for Christmas? After a few well-placed hints, maybe you unwrapped the gift with excitement and there it was, the exact sweater you wanted, one size too small! No problem, you see the printed gift receipt and it can be returned. Maybe this is why for the past decade, the gift card has been the number one gift given and preferred. This would guarantee the right size, color, and style.

All is well unless you forget that you put the gift card in a drawer, or the store goes bankrupt in  January, or you use part of the value and never use the balance. Gift cards are great except according to experts, at any given time, as much as 19% of gift card balances remain un-redeemed, with 6% never getting used representing billions of dollars. Is this a windfall for the merchants? Not really, since they would prefer you to use the cards. Seventy-five percent of people who redeem their cards end up spending more than the value of the cards. Shoppers using gift cards are two and a half times more likely to pay full price for an item and they shop at stores they don’t normally visit. (facts from the article, The Economics of Unused Gift Cards)

What do un-redeemed gift cards have to do with the New Year? Everything, if you think of each day ahead is a gift from God. A precious gift worth redeeming every day. You are getting ready to be given 366 days (it is a leap year), will you redeem each day or forget to use them? “The priceless lesson in the New Year is that endings birth beginnings and beginnings birth endings. And in this elegantly choreographed dance of life neither ever find an end in the others.” (Craig Lounsbrough)

Treat each day as the gift it is from God. Isaiah and Peter both remind us, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” (I Peter 1:24, Isaiah 40:6) A great reminder to find and enjoy the beauty of the day. As poet Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.”

Enjoy more and worry less. The great philosopher and sage Charlie Brown once said, “You know how I always dread the whole year? Well, this time I’m only going to dread one day at a time.” Jesus fully understands our concerns and worries about life. Jesus asked his followers, “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” To make sure they answered correctly, He gave them the answer, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (complete dialogue in Matthew 6:25-34)

Let worship replace fear. David stirred his inner being time after time through worship. He wrote the Psalms out of worship and praise. Psalm 77 says, “I recall all you have done, O Lord,’ Psalm 103 says, “Praise the LORD, my soul” or Psalm 104, “LORD my God, you are very great.” The word ‘remember’ in its various forms occurs over 250 times. This is a good thing for someone like me who can be forgetful. “Remembering is the key to rejoicing, and rejoicing is the key to finding faith for the coming year.” (Pete Greig)

What if I don’t know what’s ahead? No problem, God does! The same assurance that Moses gave Joshua is still valid for us today, “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (Deut 31:8) Jesus’ final assurance in Matthew is, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (28:20b)

“I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: ‘Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.’ And he replied: ‘Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.’ So I went forth, and finding the Hand of God, trod gladly into the night. And He led me towards the hills and the breaking of day in the lone East.” (The Gate of the Year, published in 1912 by Minnie Louise Haskins)

Choose to live in 2024 in radical amazement. Granted we can’t know what is ahead in 2024 but we can choose what we will do with each day. I came across the phrase ‘radical amazement’ which I thought sums up well how to live each day. Abraham Joshua Heschel writes, “Our goal should be to live life in radical amazement because everything is phenomenal; everything is incredible; never treat life casually. To be spiritual is to be amazed.”

We get to live each day in radical amazement because of who we are in Christ. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Cor 5:17 NIV)

God, we can rejoice even in the most difficult days knowing Your love and grace overflows. Though we do not know what will happen in 2024, we can trust you in the journey. When fear grips us, give us calmness. When doubt pulls us down, let us look to your faithfulness. When crisis moves into our lives, give us peace to handle the situation. When each new day dawns, give us insight and wisdom to write our stories that will honor and glorify you.

Connie and I wish you the very best for this coming year. May each day be lived in the fullness, joy, and hope of who you are in Christ.

Happy New Year

God is great!