Another Year, Another Resolution

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Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:18-19 NASB

Is it just me or are there more people in the gym this morning? You may have said this to yourself last week since most gyms, health centers, or fitness groups get a large increase in new or old members returning—the main reason: New Year’s resolutions. The leading resolutions include losing weight and getting fit. If you have a gym membership don’t lose heart, only 9% of Americans keep them. So, by February you should be back to sweating alone.

Making resolutions for the new year is nothing new since the practice dates back to ancient times. The Babylonians as far back as 2000 B.C. celebrated with a 12-day festival. A major resolution for them was the return of borrowed farm equipment. The tradition of resolutions was adopted by the ancient Romans when they made promises of good behavior for the coming year. Knights of the Middle Ages would renew their vows to chivalry by placing their hands on a peacock.

Resolutions to change something within oneself have been most prevalent. A Boston newspaper carried a story in 1813 highlighting why resolutions were made. “And yet, I believe there are multitudes of people, accustomed to receive injunctions of new year resolutions, who will sin all the month of December, with a serious determination of beginning the new year with new resolutions and new behavior, and with the full belief that they shall thus expiate and wipe away all their former faults.” (Catherine Boeckmann, The Old Farmer’s Almanac)

Resolutions have shifted over time with the culture. The top two resolutions according to a Gallup Poll in 1947 were, “Improve my disposition, be more understanding, control my temper and Improve my character, live a better life.” The top two resolutions today are “lose weight and get organized.”

Resolutions to lose weight, get fit, be better organized, spend less, save more, or spend more time with family are all good things. So why do so many of us fail to keep our resolutions? Who doesn’t want to be skinnier, more muscular, more organized, and simply better?

We often fail because of the “why” we are making the resolution. Similarly, we fail because it is hard to stay motivated with a resolution that starts with a negative focus,  resolutions that have no accountability or we simply fail to keep them because they are really not important to us.

Maybe the medieval knights were on the right road when they renewed their vow to chivalry. Their resolutions were focused on the greater good of others, not themselves. “Over the years, however, resolutions seem to have migrated from denying physical indulgences to general self-improvement, like losing weight. While it may seem superficial, medical sociologist Natalie Boero of San Jose State University suggests that today’s resolutions are also a reflection of status, financial wealth, responsibility, and self-discipline—which isn’t that different from how the New Year’s resolution tradition began.” (Boeckmann)

You could get some good advice from Paul in his letter to the Ephesians about writing your resolutions. “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22-24 NASB)

“So often we try to develop Christian character and conduct without taking the time to develop God-centered devotion. We try to please God without taking the time to walk with Him and develop a relationship with Him. This is impossible to do.” (Jerry Bridges)

Resolutions that begin with the focus on us are harder to maintain over the course of time. Resolutions that begin with a focus on something or someone else stand a greater amount of success. This is the reason a daily resolve to walk with God will last not only for the year but throughout eternity.

I do not even pretend to resolve to keep my office organized but occasionally in a fit of organizing, I do come across treasures. This week in cleaning out a file I found a bit of spiritual history, a most fitting piece in this resolution-making season. The why I kept it is beyond me but I found Jeannie Elliff’s 2007 goals or if you will, resolutions.  Whatever the reason, it was a good reminder to me to always set my goals/resolutions Godward. Though Jeannie walked through Heaven’s doors several years ago, she left behind a legacy of faith for others to follow.

Jeannie was a missionary, pastor wife but most importantly, a child of God. Henry Blackaby wrote, “One of the best ways to prevent your heart from growing cold is to regularly talk with God.” You may not have known Jeannie but her quiet, dignified life was marked with a fire for God that she kept burning throughout her life. She titled her goals, “Joy in the Journey,” which was quite appropriate for someone who took time to walk with God daily, a life singularly purposed on pleasing God.

  1. I will purpose to have conduct worthy of the gospel. Phil 1:27-29
  2. I will display a selfless humility. Phil 2:3-8
  3. I will keep striving to know Christ. Phil 3:7-11

Whatever resolutions you make this year, let each one of them reflect the great joy and hope that you have in Jesus. Though I am not a prolific resolution maker, there is one that I desire to be central to my life story. I resolve to make this one life that I have been given to be lived in the fullness of God’s purposes for me, “I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:20-21)

I pray you experience the joy and blessing of walking closely with God this year.

God is great!

Finding Your Way to Bethlehem: Faith

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A voice of one crying out: Prepare the way of the LORD in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert. Every valley will be lifted up, and every mountain and hill will be leveled; the uneven ground will become smooth and the rough places, a plain. And the glory of the LORD will appear, and all humanity together will see it, for the mount of the LORD has spoken. Isiah 40:3-5 CSB

There is something extraordinary about international travel. There is the adventure and excitement, and then reality hits when you are sitting elbow to elbow with your knees at your chin in your 24-inch-wide seat (give or take a few inches). That is, unless as you are boarding you tell the flight attendant one of the magic numbers where you get to turn to the left. You get to head to paradise in the air with seats that recline into a bed, full-course dinners, and one-on-one attention. Now, I am not personally acquainted with first-class travel, but I do read a lot. Maybe someday!

My economy section seats were always much better than the woman who boarded a Delta flight last week at New York’s JFK on her way to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris. Though her ticket was free, she had to move between lavatories during the flight because she neglected to get a ticket for the flight. According to investigators, the woman got past multiple security checkpoints to board the plane, hiding in the aircraft’s bathrooms during the flight. Paris officials boarded the plane when it landed and arrested the stowaway who is now waiting for deportation back to the United States. Traveling is never easy, but I definitely do not recommend the way this woman traveled to Paris. (based on Nov 30 reports- CNN and USA Today)

The road to Bethlehem was not an easy journey for those on it but they knew of God’s promise of a Messiah. Advent allows us time to slow down and reflect upon the coming of Jesus. Advent allows us to travel the road to Bethlehem not as stowaways but as ones seeking again to walk in a renewed freshness of faith. Thomas Aquinas wrote of faith,  “To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.”

Theologian and writer Henri Nouwen wrote about Advent, “I am struck by the fact that the prophets speaking about the future of Israel always kept reminding their people of God’s great works in the past. They could look forward with confidence because they could look backward with awe to Yahweh’s great deeds. I pray that Advent will offer me the opportunity to deepen my memory of God’s great deeds in time and will set me free to look forward to the fulfillment of time by him who came and is still to come.”

The road of faith is often found in times of waiting. Now a lot of us have an aversion to waiting which has probably not changed through the generations. Luke records one couple’s marathon waiting season for a baby. He writes about Zechariah and Elizabeth, “But they had no children because Elizabeth could not conceive, and both of them were well along in years.” (Luke 1:7)

Waiting can test the very core of our faith, leading to doubt and even fear. Elizabeth and Zechariah could have grown bitter and angry at God because they had served well and most likely had prayed every day for a child. Luke even records that “both were righteous in God’s sight, living without blame according to all the commands and requirements of the Lord.” (1:6) Waiting is often one of the most difficult encounters on the road of faith.

Waiting has a way of making us insensitive when the answer does come. Zechariah was going about his priestly duties in the Temple when he was confronted by “An angel of the Lord.” Angels have a way of getting our attention but even more when they tell you your prayers have been answered. “Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John.” Great news that got even better. “He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah.”

Waiting can cause you to lose sight of how God could choose to answer. You have one picture in mind, but God’s answers are totally different from what you expected. Maybe Zechariah was having a bad day, maybe someone didn’t show up for work that day, or maybe he was just tired, but his negative response did not sit well with God’s angel. “How can I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years.” This is probably not the thing to say when God is answering your prayer.

Zechariah’s doubting response did not change God’s plan. They were going to have a baby! What Zechariah got was nine months of not being able to talk. Was it a punishment or God’s grace? It was perhaps a little of both. In those nine months, Zechariah lost the most important tool he had as a priest: his voice. His voice was the main tool that he used daily to teach, counsel, and perform his priestly duties. His focus was no longer on doing things for God but on being with God.

Waiting changed everything for Zechariah. When tradition would call for the baby to be named after himself, Zechariah chose to listen to God’s voice. “He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” In his time of speechlessness, he came to see it as a blessing, no longer was the focus on what Zechariah and Elizabeth wanted but on what God was going to do through this child.

Waiting gave Zechariah a new voice. “Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. Fear came on all those who lived around them, and all these things were being talked about throughout the hill country of Judea.” (Luke 1:64-65)
Zechariah and Elizabeth’s stories were only given a few short lines but what we do know is that they found their way to Bethlehem. Zechariah’s new voice “was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied.” We know very little of their final chapter of life except the results of having parented John, God’s prophet to the nation. “The child grew up and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.” (v80).

Waiting, especially when you are on the road to Bethlehem, can be spiritually challenging and often physically exhausting. Yet waiting can be God’s gift of grace giving us courage, strength, and a new voice to our faith.

God is great!

Blessed Are the Peacemakers

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Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Matthew 5:9 NIV

Why is peace such an elusive place that so many people struggle to find? “There was a time in my life when I thought I had everything—millions of dollars, mansions, cars, nice clothes, beautiful women, and every other materialistic thing you can imagine. Now I struggle for peace.” (Richard Pryor)

The crowd on that hillside heard Jesus’ words correctly that morning but what did they mean for them? Jesus spoke about them being blessed, peacemakers, and children of God. How could they be peacemakers when they were under the bondage of a foreign power? How could they be peacemakers when struggling with their neighbor over a dispute? Their days were nothing but a struggle, how could they have peace?

Jesus’ words have continued to stir within the soul of his followers since that day. “There is a special joy for the peacemakers. Self-assertiveness and a divisive spirit know nothing of peacemaking. But those who reconcile the estranged are doing something just like God: he is always making peace. Sadly, this characteristic has been sadly missing from vast tracts of the church down the centuries. The children have been very unlike the Father, and have rendered him incredible to many.” (Michael Green)

Somehow there is something appropriate about today’s post featuring the 7th Beatitude coming just as the United States finished one of the most divisive elections in recent years. Yet maybe even more appropriate is falling on Veterans Day. This is a Public Holiday that is observed annually on November 11. “A celebration to honor America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.” (U.S. Dept of Veterans Affairs)

Veterans Day marks a public recognition and observance of those who have served their country in their unique roles as peacemakers. Saint Augustine wrote “The purpose of all wars, is peace.” Though some people may debate the purpose of the war, there is no doubt in the minds of the frontline military personnel that the battles are to obtain peace. “The soldier above all others prays for peace, for it is the soldier who must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.” –General Douglas MacArthur

There have been very few periods of relative peace in human history. The New York Times had an article in 2003 that out of the past 3,400 years, humans have experienced only around 268 years of complete peace. Yet God intended peace to be the normal pattern, not the exception.  “Those of steadfast mind you keep in peace—in peace because they trust in you.” (Isaiah 26:3)

Our word peace comes from the Hebrew word, Shalom, a beautiful word picture of a person at complete peace with God, others, and self. “The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace.” (Psalm 29:11)

Jesus called his followers to be Peacemakers among those they encountered each day. Peacemakers not only learn to live in peace but also bring harmony among others. J.R.R. Tolkien was a peacemaker in the life of his close friend C.S. Lewis. Tolkien displayed the ultimate role as a peacemaker, he was instrumental in Lewis coming to faith in Jesus. Tolkien wrote of peace as a way of life in his classic fantasy tale of The Hobbit. “Hobbits are an unobtrusive but very ancient people, more numerous formerly than they are today; for they love peace and quiet and good tilled earth: a well-ordered and well-farmed countryside was their favourite haunt.”

Peacemakers flourish in the world by living a life of quiet harmony. The current cultural environment has brought some great changes in living life but it has also created a level of anxiety and stress unparalleled in history. Anna Medaris in an article for American Psychological Association writes that Gen Z adults and younger Millennials are completely overwhelmed by stress. In it she shares the story of one young person, “Not knowing what your future is going to look like in a world where nobody knows what the collective future is going to look like is, to say the least, overwhelming.”

What a difference when Peacemakers walk alongside those who are anxious and stressed out with the words, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:6-7)

When Jesus called his followers to be Peacemakers it wouldn’t be a passive approach to living life but with boldness and confidence. Peacemakers do not avoid conflict or strive but seek to advance God’s kingdom of righteousness and justice. Peacemakers take Jesus at his word, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid,” (John 14:27)

God is the ultimate author of peace, seeking to destroy the evil that brings pain and destruction. “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)

“If every member of your community made a concerted effort to become poor in spirit, meek, merciful, pure in heart, and prone to promoting peace, how would your community be transformed? How do these beatitudes bring people together?” (Life with Others, Spiritual Formation Bible)

God has called and equipped us to be Peacemakers in this broken world. Peacemakers working to be the transforming agents “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” Hebrews 12:14

“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;

where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon’’ where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light;

and where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master,

grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

to be understood as to understand;

to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive,

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen

Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Colossians 3:15

God is great!

 

Blessed Are the Pure in Heart

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Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Matthew 5:8 NRSV

What comes to your mind when you think about the word pure – the face of a newborn baby? Unexpected snow blanketing the ground? Jesus looked across the hillside and spoke the sixth Beatitude, “Blessed are the pure in heart.” Without a doubt, He knew the condition of their hearts and minds, yet He saw beyond their present conditions to what His followers could become through Him.

The rich, the powerful, and the religious elite were among the crowd that day who heard Jesus speak, and heard the words, “Blessed are the pure in heart.” They probably thought about their ceremonial and religious cleansing rituals as they looked with disdain at the dirty masses. However, the ‘crowd’ heard words of hope, encouragement, and a future. Jesus’ words were aimed at the powerless, the oppressed, and the nobodies of society. It was a message for them (and us today) on how to flourish in life and live in God’s kingdom by trusting in God rather than the powerful for deliverance.

Martin Luther contrasted inward and outward purity with a very earthy view. “Christ…wants to have the heart pure, though outwardly the person may be a drudge in the kitchen, black, sooty, and grimy, doing all sorts of dirty work. Though a common labourer, a shoemaker or a blacksmith may be dirty and sooty or may smell because he is covered with dirt and pitch…and though he stinks outwardly, inwardly he is pure incense before God because he ponders the word of God in his heart and obeys it.” (The Message of the Sermon on the Mount, John Stott)

The Beatitudes were not teachings intended to be in isolation from each other but bundled together like you would do a flower bouquet, nine distinct but equally beautiful teachings. Samuel Isaac Joseph Schereschewsky was born to Orthodox Jewish parents in Lithuania in 1831. When he was 15, he entered rabbinical school, and it was there he came into contact with Christianity. A friend gave him a Bible and through reading it, became convinced of the truth of Christianity. Schereschewsky emigrated to America, and it would be many years before he would fully commit himself to Christ.  He would later train for the priesthood and was sent out by the Episcopal Church as a missionary to China.

He was uniquely gifted as a scholar and linguist, translating the Bible into Mandarin and Wenli (the classical Chinese style of writing), serving as the Bishop of China, and starting churches and educational institutions. We could easily mistake these successes as the blessed part of his life,  yet Schereschewsky’s life would flourish even with his disability. Developing Parkinson’s disease, he became almost completely paralyzed. He would complete his Wenli Bible, finishing the last two thousand pages which he typed with the one finger that he could still move. Shortly before his death, he said to a friend, “I have sat in this chair for over twenty years. It seemed very hard at first. But God knew best. He kept me for the work for which I am best fitted.” (G. Wright Doyle)

I think Eugene Peterson captured the essence of the verse beautifully in The Message Translation: “You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.” (Matt 5:8 The Message) “Greek scholar Fritz Rienecker defines “heart” as “the center of the inner life of the person where all the spiritual forces and functions have their origin.” (Jim Denison)

“As John Calvin observes, most people hold to the erroneous belief that the happy person is the one who is “free from annoyance, attains all his wishes, and leads a joyful and easy life”; the mistaken idea is that true happiness is about our present emotional state. However, in these Beatitudes, Calvin continues, Christ exposes this belief as false, lest Christians think that calamities and reproaches are at variance with the happy life…The disciples of Christ must learn the philosophy of placing their happiness beyond the world, and above the afflictions of the flesh.” (Jonathan Pennington)

David captured this relationship of the heart with our relationship with God in the Psalms. He would write “Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god.” (Ps 24:3-4) Nathan the prophet would confront David after he had committed adultery and murder exposing David’s heart. David would write Psalm 51 seeking to restore the purity of his heart toward God. “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions…Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” (Ps 51:1,10-12)

How does one live in a time when we are drowning in images and words that crush the heart? The same way as every generation before us, staying focused on Jesus.   “Come near to God and he will come near to you…purify your hearts….” (James 4:8) “Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart…” (Heb 10:22).

“To worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open the heart to the love of God, to devote the will to the purpose of God.” (William Temple)

The words of Brian Doerksen’s song, Purify My Heart, amplifies our calling to be pure in heart:

Purify my heart. Let me be as gold and precious silver

Purify my heart. Let me be as gold, pure gold

Refiner’s fire, my heart’s one desire is to be holy, set apart for You, Lord

I choose to be holy, set apart for You, my Master, Ready to do Your will…

https://youtu.be/ayH5iV5zmrI?si=1Dt7VkcfcPBaTaJZ

God is great!

I apologize for last week’s technical problem causing you to get the post twice. Hopefully, I have fixed it.

Blessed Are Those Who Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness

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Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Matthew 5:6

Keep your fork, the best is coming! This illustration has been told and re-told countless times by preachers in their sermons. Without a doubt, in my mind, the master teller of this illustration would have to be Glenn Boyd. Now the story goes that a woman learned that she only had a couple of months to live and her pastor came to visit. However, she was mostly interested in ensuring he knew what to do at her funeral. She made sure he knew what scripture verses to read, what she would wear, what songs would be sung, and who would speak. Plus, she wanted to make sure her favorite Bible would be placed in the casket.

As the pastor was getting ready to leave she made one additional request: to place a fork in her hand in the casket. He looked a little confused but the woman smiled and explained that she had been to more church functions than she could count where food was served. She said there was always one final instruction after the dishes were cleared, keep your fork. I always knew something better was coming, something substantial. You don’t need a fork for Jell-O or pudding but you did for a piece of cake or pie. She told him that when they see the fork, they will know I have something better now.

Glenn in his deep, rich voice told that story often in a way only he could. Glenn was a powerful singer, and could easily have been an opera singer but instead chose to “hunger and thirst for righteousness” as a missionary. Glenn was a missionary colleague and fellow Oklahoman where he and his family served in Kenya and it didn’t take long before you knew his heart and love for God. Glenn’s final years were not easy, filled with pain but he never stopped being hungry and thirsty for the things of God. I didn’t get to attend his funeral but I wonder if he had a fork in his hand.

Hunger and thirst are basic human needs regardless of who you are, where you are from, or what you do in life. It is a given that without food and water, a person will die.  Abraham Maslow developed his hierarchy of needs beginning with the very basics of life – air, food, water, shelter, clothing, warmth, sleep, and health. It is the very foundation of his pyramid of human needs.

Jesus begins his fourth Beatitude by simply saying, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst.” The Psalmist wrote in Psalm 107, “For he has satisfied the thirsty and filled the hungry with good things.” (v9) Jesus understood that hunger and thirst for food was essential to survive in life but even more critical to flourish spiritually you had to hunger and thirst for God’s righteousness.

Spiritual hunger should be a driving characteristic of all God’s people. John Stott in his classic book on the “Sermon on the Mount’ writes, “Christians are not like pagans, engrossed in the pursuit of possessions; what they have set themselves to ‘seek first’ is God’s kingdom and righteousness.”

Biblical righteousness is like a brilliant diamond viewed through a prism including a legal, moral, and social aspect. We will hunger and thirst for a right relationship with God. We will hunger and thirst for a personal character and conduct that pleases God. We will hunger and thirst for a social or cultural righteousness that fosters a right relationship with others in our community and world that glorifies God. “We search for God in order to find him with greater joy, and we find him in order to keep on searching with greater love.” (Augustine)

Martin Luther wrote, “The command to you is not to crawl into a corner or into the desert, but to run out, if that is where you have been, and to offer your hands and your feet and your whole body, and to wager everything you have and can do. A hunger and thirst for righteousness that can never be curbed or stopped or sated, one that looks for nothing and cares for nothing except the accomplishment and maintenance of the right, despising everything that hinders this end. If you cannot make the world completely pious then do what you can.”

This last Friday (October 18) marked Anti-Slavery Day. The creation of the day was to raise awareness of the almost 50 million people who are currently held in modern-day slavery. Modern slavery differs from the transatlantic slave trade of history but has the same core evil, the loss of freedom. Today it is identified as human trafficking, forced labor, debt bondage, child slavery, forced and early marriage, and domestic servitude. “Slavery may be hidden but it exists and it’s controlling the lives of millions of people.” (Hope for Justice)

Jesus gave these teachings, not as forms of spiritual steps or requirements, but as ways his followers could flourish in this world. Luke recorded a beautiful model of how these first followers lived out this fourth Beatitude. “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles. Now all the believers were together and held all things in common. They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as any had need. Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. Every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.” Acts 2:42-47

Hunger and thirst are perpetual characteristics of Jesus’ disciples. What a difference our world could be if we started each day with that same hunger and thirst as those early followers.

“I am the bread of life, Jesus told them. No one who comes to me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in me will ever be thirsty again.” — John 6:35 CSB

God is great!

 

Changing Seasons, Refreshed View

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Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:19 CSB

Nothing says “autumn” better than weekend football. Since Rutgers and Princeton played the first college football game in 1869, football has dominated the months leading up to winter. Football is a benchmark of the cooler months and gives you something to do on Thanksgiving Day. You might be interested in knowing that the value of a touchdown started at four points, increased to five in 1898, and then six points in 1912. Field goals went the other direction starting at five points until it was reduced to the current three points in 1909. The NFL didn’t mandate helmets until 1943 and the longest NCAA Division 1 winning streak is still owned by the OU Sooners at 47!

In the other gardens

And all up in the vale,

From the autumn bonfires

See the smoke trail!

Pleasant summer over,

And all the summer flowers,

The red fire blazes,

The grey smoke towers.

Sing a song of season!

Something bright in all!

Flowers in the summer,

Fires in the fall!

Robert Louis Stevenson captured the changing season in his poem, Autumn Fires. Two little words on the calendar yesterday, Autumn Begins, marked the end of one season and the beginning of another. Some of you will be rejoicing as you pull out your sweaters and light a fire in the fireplace. Others will moan at the thought of brisk cool morning walks and dark evenings. “The heat of autumn is different from the heat of summer. One ripens apples, the other turns them to cider.” (Jane Hirshfield, The Heat of Autumn)

The changing of seasons may bring different reactions but one thing is certain, it doesn’t stop the change. “Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale.”— (Lauren DeStefano, Wither) I don’t know if you identify with Ms. DeStefano’s statement but the season changes can be a powerful reminder for us of God’s presence in the changing of life’s seasons.

Changing seasons reassure us of God’s control. “You set the boundaries of the earth, and you made both summer and winter.” –Psalm 74:17 There is a great assurance in knowing that if God can set the boundaries of the seasons, then he can set the boundaries of our life. You may feel like you are in the midst of uncontrollable circumstances but as you see the falling of summer leaves you know God is sufficient to take care of your problems.

Changing seasons reassure us of God’s provisions. “As long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night.” Gen 8:22 Only in God do we ultimately find lasting fulfillment and satisfaction. Without God, no amount of worldly wealth can fill a person’s soul. George Swinnock, an old Puritan writer from yesteryear said it well, “God is a satisfying portion. This world may fill a man, but can never satisfy him….David tells us that if the Lord is your portion, this fountain runs freely to full contentment….If a man were crowned king of the world to enjoy the treasures, honours, and pleasures that all its kingdoms can yield; if he had the society of angels and glorified saints as friends, and could enjoy all this for the duration of the world, yet without God, he would be unsatisfied.”

Changing seasons reassure us that God is always with us. “but he never left them without evidence of himself and his goodness. For instance, he sends you rain and good crops and gives you food and joyful hearts.” Acts 14:17 “He found himself wondering at times, especially in the autumn, about the wild lands, and strange visions of mountains that he had never seen came into his dreams.” (J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring)

“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away. A time to search and a time to quit searching. A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace.” –Ecc 3:1-9

Solomon was a keen observer of life, the changing seasons of nature, and most importantly of people. He had been to the top of the mountain of wealth, success, and power but finally learned that life without God was meaningless. He wrapped up his discourse of life with the beautiful testimony that “God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.” (3;11) As the seasons change each year, we get to witness beautiful masterpieces to remind us that there is a time for everything. For everything, there is a season!

LORD, let us enjoy the changing landscape of autumn as trees drop their leaves, birds migrate south, and the mornings bring a chill in the air. Autumn reminds us that change is hard but there is beauty even in the changes. As we meditate upon the changing nature of the world around us, may it serve as a reminder of your unchanging presence and love for us in our lives.

God is great!

Finding What Is Real

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My purpose in writing is simply this: that you who believe in God’s Son will know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you have eternal life, the reality and not the illusion. And how bold and free we then become in his presence, freely asking according to his will, sure that he’s listening. And if we’re confident that he’s listening, we know that what we’ve asked for is as good as ours. I John 5:13-15 (the Message)

This week, I came across a profound question in my reading: “Have you ever wondered why oranges are often sold in those strange red net bags?” Well maybe a bit less than profound, and if you are like me, really hadn’t given any thought to it. According to the writer the reason why “it’s a sneaky trick used by food producers and supermarkets to fool your senses and (Hopefully) make you buy more fruit.”

The red mesh creates an illusion that the oranges are more colorful and thus tastier than they will be at home. The colorful net downplays the unripeness of the fruit. The same principle applies to lemons which are put in yellow bags to enhance their natural color. “The principle is based on the confetti illusion, a visual phenomenon where the perception of colors is strongly influenced by its surrounding context.”  (Tom Hale)

Hale further quoted Psychologist Karl R. Gegenfurtner who released a study in i-Perception, “We conclude that color assimilation alone provides a strong effect on color appearance, turning the greenish looking orange into a beautifully orange one…Looking around in typical supermarkets, it is easy to see that fruits and vegetables are typically packaged in nets that are of the color of perfect exemplars…The paper explains that the confetti illusion is based on the principle that our brains are programmed to process peripheral vision and color perception.”

I have always been fascinated by illusionist’s or magicians’ shows, watching closely to see if I could figure out how they did what they did. The acts of David Copperfield, Penn and Teller, or Siegfried and Roy can’t help but leave you mesmerized. The greats, such as Harry Houdini and Howard Thurston, changed the entertainment scene with their shows. Illusionists are masters of diverting your attention from reality, thinking what is, isn’t really. Smoke-and-mirrors tricks, sleight-of-hand card tricks, flashing lights, and bursts of fire all draw your attention away from what is real.

Unfortunately, the illusionists of life are not always limited to a 30-minute routine on stage. We are exposed to master illusionists in life similar to the red nets that oranges are bagged in to create a false reality.  The same things happen daily in our world.

I watched bits of both political conventions over this last month and occasionally I felt both parties had illusionists on the stage. You realize what you see is not always reality, but a perception of reality. Often it comes down to what we want to see.

“Illusions are false perceptions, and delusions are when we believe those perceptions. A delusion is when we are under the spell of an illusion, under the spell of a lie that is perceived as truth.” (Joe & Erin Pinto)

Politicians can be master illusionists, telling us what we want to hear or what we think we want to hear. Advertisers have been masters illusionists for years telling us if we do this exercise or routine, we can have an amazing body; if we eat this food, we can get rid of unwanted fat or improve this health problem; or if we…. you name it. The illusion of beauty, success, or power fills our social media accounts daily.

So, what is real? What is only an illusion? Satan uses the same set of tricks that a great illusionist would use, to divert our attention from what is real, what is truth, and what is God-centered. We read in Matthew 4 of his attempts to divert Jesus with his sleight of hand, creating an illusion that would lead to death. The same tactics that Satan tried to use against Jesus, he uses today against us, tempting us in the areas of physical needs, spiritual shortcuts, and success or power.  The great thing though is that Jesus opened Satan’s playbook and showed us how to understand the deception and what to do.  Verse after verse in Matthew says, “The Scriptures say, For the Scriptures say, The Scriptures also say, For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the LORD your God and serve only him’”.

“Sometimes, things in this life aren’t what they look like. For us to see past the illusion, we have to get our eyes on Jesus and off the false evidence. The enemy wants to get us to focus on the problems, the current circumstances—on the giant, on the waves, on the army.” (Will Cooper, COO of Samaritan Ministries)

When David Copperfield, Penn and Teller, or Harry Houdini finished their shows, they put away their props and went about living real life. The illusions they created were put into a crate or folded up for the next show. As we face troubles, anxiousness, or doubts, we can let them become overwhelming in our lives or follow Paul’s advice about the temporary illusion we are facing. Scripture says, “So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” 2 Corinthians 4:18 NLT

When the final curtain is drawn and we no longer watch the fleeting illusion of life, only then will we get to experience and see the real story! “Turn my eyes from looking at vanities; give me life in your ways.” Psalm 119:37 NRSV

God is great!

 

The Gift of Summer

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Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind. Ecc 4:6

“Spring being a tough act to follow, God created June.” (AI Bernstein)

Spring was anything but relaxing if you lived in the path of a busy tornado season or had kids in school. Memorial Day unofficially marked the beginning of summer when theoretically the pace of life slows down as kids are out of school, church activities get reduced and the days are longer. Theoretically was the word I used, reality tells a different story.  The days of yesterday, when you lazily stretched out on the grass to watch white, fluffy clouds move overhead seem to be a fairy tale or at best, the figment of someone’s imagination.

For those who live in the North American region, June famously welcomes the return of those mystical little creatures called Hummingbirds. These unique little birds return after a restful vacation in South America after a long winter. Flying thousands of miles, they return to the same geographical area each year, and being gifted with amazing memories, they remember every flower and feeder they’ve visited. They are true lovers of sugar as they go straight for the glucose. These little birds eat more than twice their body weight daily, so, they are not good role models if you want to lose weight.

Hummingbirds’ survival depends upon their staying in a nearly constant state of motion. These little “charmers,” (that is what a group of Hummingbirds is called), hover over their food with wings fluttering at 50 times per second and heartbeats racing at 1,260 times per minute. There is just something relaxing about watching hummingbirds dart in and out at their feeder.

God made the hummingbirds to be in a constant state of motion but he didn’t make you or me that way. God’s final stroke to his creative masterpiece called creation was simply “rest”. The other acts of creation have the description “And God saw that it was good” but on His final act of creation He didn’t call it good, He called it “holy.”

What a difference this one day of rest should make in our rhythm of life.  “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so, on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” (Gen 2:2-3) John Lubbock writes, “Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.”

You can name a lot of reasons but somehow we tend to live with a hummingbird mentality, always in constant motion. Instead, God offered a model or better yet, a God-given gift of rest. Somehow, we have been convinced that to survive we have to be in a constant state of motion. The Psalmist reminds us in Psalm 74, “But God is my King from long ago; he brings salvation on the earth…The day is yours, and yours also the night; you established the sun and moon. It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth; you made both summer and winter.”

Living at full speed can be physically draining, emotionally taxing, and spiritually deadening. Slowing down opens our soul more fully to God’s presence. David understood how the soul needed rest and God’s desire to give his children. “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.” (Psalm 23:2-3a)

“The reason speed does violence against our souls is because our souls were meant to be tended to. There’s a preciousness, a tenderness to our souls that requires a slow observation. And so, when we’re living at this chaotic pace, we don’t give our souls the opportunity to rest, to breathe, to receive the nutrients from God that we desperately need.” (Rich Villodas)

Summer months can be a reflective time to focus on God’s gift of rest. “So, they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.”—Mark 6:32. Summer months can bring something magical if we simply slow life’s pace down to spend a little time reflecting, pondering, or meditating. “It was June, and the world smelled of roses. The sunshine was like powdered gold over the grassy hillside.” (Maud Hart Lovelace)

The summer evening harmony of crickets, cicadas, and laughing children relaxes the soul and welcomes a place where you can “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him” Psalm 37:7a

The warm balmy summer evenings give you a place to release your problems and anxiety as you are reminded, “The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.” (Song of Songs 2:11-12)

The same summer months that bring the hummingbirds also bring the weeds in the garden and seemingly never-ending mowing. What you do with it becomes the question. Margaret Guenther reminds us, “Our waiting on God, then, requires ongoing attentiveness if it is to be more than an empty exercise in passivity. When we pay attention, our awareness is sharpened.”

Summer! What a great time to spread your blanket on top of the freshly mowed grass and spend a little time just pondering this beautiful creation of God. “A heart at peace gives life to the body,” (Pr 14:30a)

God is great!

 

 

God of Wonder

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The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy. Psalm 65:8

You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples. Psalm 77:14

“Wonder is the heaviest element on the periodic table. Even a tiny fleck of it stops time.” Last Monday would seem to have proven Diane Ackerman’s quote when a large swath of the United States stopped what they were doing and looked skyward to take in the solar eclipse. April 8 was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the 31.6 million people who found themselves living in the pathway of totality. This narrow corridor of about 115 miles wide through the heartland of America allowed residences and visitors to experience a few minutes of total darkness in the middle of the day. Eclipse totality happens in a particular spot on Earth roughly once every 400 years, give or take a year.

This unique phenomenon caused schools to be out for the day, workers to take longer midafternoon coffee breaks, and major networks to send their TV personalities to cities on the route of totality to report on the events. A common thought shared by the media personalities was what a great shared experience witnessed by the people. Others reported on this particular conspiracy or what this eclipse meant for the future of mankind.  However, what was missing in most of the commentaries was simply amazing wonder. Have we lost the sense of wonder? When did we lose our sense of wonderment?

Wonder began with the words, “In the beginning God created the heavens the earth. (Gen 1:1) God is a God of wonders and even a casual reading throughout the Bible showcases God’s wondrous acts. It is hard to read Scripture without being overwhelmed by the wonders of God.

Jesus lifted the little child on his lap and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven,” This has layers of applications but I think one that is often overlooked is the beautiful reminder of keeping alive curiosity and questioning, just like children. “What was wonderful about childhood is that anything in it was a wonder. It was not merely a world full of miracles; it was a miraculous world.” (G.K. Chesterton)

Children are the keepers and givers of wonderment. The least little thing found on a walk with a child creates excitement and lots of questions.  The thing leads to a litany of why and how questions that flow into an easy conversation. “Childlike faith is opening our eyes to the wonder of seeing our God everywhere and whenever He shows us a new dimension, choosing to add that to our worldview. In doing this, our capacity increases and we grow up into His image. This kind of faith is okay with God’s revelation being a run-on sentence that at times seems like a contradiction.” (Chuck Ammons)

Monica Parker author of The Power of Wonder uses the term “wonderbringers,” finding anything that brings you wonder. “People who embody the wonder trait of curiosity tend to be more engaged, infuse more excitement into meeting new people, and are more likely to seek and build on what they learn about a person.”

Somewhere along this journey of life, wonderment is lost to the gritty details of life, the hurry-to-get-it-done lifestyle, and the curiosity of simply asking why. David captured the wonder of God as he wrote,

“All your salvation wonders are on display in your trophy room. Earth-Tamer, Ocean-Pourer, Mountain-Maker, Hill-Dresser, Muzzler of sea storm and wave crash, of mobs in noisy riot—Far and wide they’ll come to a stop, they’ll stare in awe, in wonder. Dawn and dusk take turns calling, “Come and worship.”   (Psalm 65:5-8 The Message)

There is no argument that the eclipse was a spectacular occurrence. However, what is even more stunning is waking up every day living with wonderment knowing God is a God of wonder and amazement. People begin to see us as the very essence of a dictionary definition of wonder, “arouses awe, astonishment, surprise, or admiration; a marvel.” Oswald Chambers wrote, “You will never cease to be the most amazed person on earth at what God has done for you on the inside.”

“We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done.” (Psalm 78:4)

“They knew so much but forgot to wonder,

Busy with thoughts, their world went under.

And in losing wonder, she said with a sigh,

A universe of dreams passed them by.” (Lyra Brave)

LORD, let us be like children who live in a world of aliveness. May we awaken each day to the possibilities you have for us, to enjoy the spectacular as well as the mundane, to see with eyes open to the world you created. For we know “because of Your great love we are not consumed, for your compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

God is great!

Journey Toward Eternity

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Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. John 17:1b-3 NIV

The iconic engineering masterpiece, The Golden Gate Bridge, spans the one-mile-wide strait connecting San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. The American Society of Civil Engineers recognizes it as one of the Wonders of the Modern World. The bridge is an internationally recognized symbol and is described in Frommer’s travel guide as “possibly the most beautiful, certainly the most photographed, bridge in the world.” (Wikipedia)

Millions of cars, trucks, bikes, and walkers have traveled across the bridge since it opened in 1937. Though famous internationally, it is also famous for the number of people who have committed suicide on the bridge.  Harold B. Wobber became the first person to commit suicide by jumping over the four-foot rail less than three months after its opening. Since then, over 1,600 people have committed suicide with an additional unknown number whose bodies were not found.

Former California highway patrol officer Kevin Briggs has become known as the Guardian of the Golden Gate. When Briggs finds someone preparing to jump to their death, he engages the person in conversation with some simple questions about their plans for the following day. He has been able to talk more than two hundred people from taking their lives. (article in Denison Forum)

The Golden Gate Bridge is easily identifiable for its beauty, but it becomes a symbol of death to those without hope. The Cross of Jesus is even more easily recognizable throughout the world. The cross designed as an instrument of death became a symbol of hope and life because of Easter.

Lent has provided us time to slow down in our spiritual journey to refocus upon the coming days of Easter. It has provided opportunities to sit and reflect upon our hope in Jesus. It is a hope not built on shifting opinions but on the rock-solid promises of God.

Jesus’ journey toward the cross would bring life to us but not without great cost to him. The pain and bodily suffering of the cross had to be indescribable for him yet just as horrendous was the pain of rejection and betrayal that he had to endure.

The pain of a kiss. Judas had sat under his teachings, watched the healings, and fellowshipped with Jesus yet rejected the kind of Messiah that Jesus would become. “And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus.” (Luke 22:4). The pain of that midnight kiss must have weighed heavily upon Jesus. “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” (Luke 22:48)

The pain of a rooster’s crowing. Peter had become one of Jesus’s trusted inner circle members. Peter had pulled the net onto the boat overflowing with fish, stood on the mountaintop with Jesus, Moses, and Elijah, and watched as a little girl was raised from the dead yet that morning spoke the words, “I don’t know him!” Can you imagine the pain of these words to Jesus? Also, the pain in Peter’s heart as he heard  “the rooster crowed” and then seeing as “The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter.” (Luke 22:61)

The pain of a yelling crowd, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” The crowd! Men and women who had listened intently to his words, many had eaten fish and bread with him on the mountainside and just days before, had been willing to cry out, Hosanna! Only now to hear, “Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!”

Yet the greatest pain of all is the silence of His Father. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” The gaping wounds, the nail-punctured hands and feet, the humiliation or the mocking words couldn’t compare to the darkness and emptiness of his Father’s silence.  “The more painful our suffering and thus the less we understand why God allows it, the more we need to trust it to his compassionate care.” (Jim Denison)

The lament of Psalm 22 would minister to Jesus’ soul that dark and godless afternoon. The words of this holy Psalm would express his desolation of God being far away and yet the consolation of feeling God’s presence, even on the cross.

Charles Spurgeon beautifully captured the richness of this Psalm on the cross. “Psalm 22 may have been actually repeated word by word by our Lord when hanging on the tree; it would be too bold to say that it was so, but even a casual reader may see that it might have been. It begins with, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And ends, according to some, in the original with It is finished.

Before us, we have a description of both the darkness and the glory of the cross, the sufferings of Christ, and the glory which shall follow. Oh, for grace to draw near and see this incredible sight! We should read reverently, putting off our shoes from our feet, as Moses did at the burning bush, for if there be holy ground anywhere in Scripture, it is in this psalm.”

The cruelty of the cross has been transformed into a symbol of living hope with the words, “It is finished.” The cold isolation of a grave has been transformed into living life with the words, “He is not here; he has risen.” These symbols of death have been transformed into a living faith with the climax of this powerful prayer, “Our children will also serve him. Future generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord. His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born. They will hear about everything he has done.  (Ps 22:30-31 NLT)

“Christ breaks through to you, not in those places where you are strong, where your skills are well-honed and developed, but precisely in those areas in your life where you know failure or weakness. For it is there that you come close to the power of the Cross. It is precisely there that God is waiting to meet you, long to offer you forgiveness, strength, and renewal, to live and work not in your own strength, but in the strength of Christ.” (Geoffrey Tristam)

Easter!  He is Risen! This is the reason why I can end my blogs each week with the words,

God is great!

Go Quickly and Tell His Disciples by Hanna-Cheriyan Varghese