Finding Your Way to Bethlehem: Hope

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; a light has dawned on those living in the land of darkness…For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. The dominion will be vast, and its prosperity will never end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from now on and forever. The zeal of the LORD of Armies will accomplish this. Isaiah 9: 2,6-7 CSB

Science fiction has a way of becoming reality. NASA astronauts, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore are currently stuck in space on the International Space Station due to issues with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft which returned to Earth without them. In June, they arrived at the space station for a week’s assignment but are now lost in space. Technically they are not lost since NASA communicates daily with them but they are still unable to return home.

“Darling, very little on this planet makes sense, by Earth’s standard.” These words of wisdom were spoken by John Robinson, the leader of the Robinson family who found themselves lost in space. One of my favorite shows growing up was Lost in Space. For those who are not familiar with this great TV series, it featured the Robinson family who became lost due to the evil actions of Dr. Zachary Smith, an agent for an enemy government who sabotaged the mission. Unfortunately, in reprogramming the ship’s robot he became trapped on board and became hopelessly lost, joining the fight for survival with the others as they tried to find their way back home.

Very little made sense on earth after evil reprogrammed God’s plan at creation. Yet God wasn’t lost in what to do and began His work to correct the problem. Written on the pages of the Old Testament is God doing only what He can do, redeeming a broken world. “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.” (Isaiah 40:28-31a NIV)

The ultimate story of salvation found its way to Bethlehem as our ultimate story of salvation still finds its way to Bethlehem. As we enter this season of Advent our hearts and minds turn toward Bethlehem where hope is found in fullness. This week’s candle lights the candle of hope.

The world defines hope as something to desire with anticipation, to want something to happen or to be true. Hope’s synonyms include words such as wish, aspire, consider, dream, try, ponder, and endeavor. These are all words with a maybe mindset.

As we light the hope candle, it is not with a maybe mindset but with a mindset that is based upon the rock-solid promise of God. Hope is a confident expectation that supernaturally stems from faith. As we find our way to Bethlehem we encounter a hope that carries no doubt. The Advent season is a time to slow down and refocus on finding our way to Bethlehem. Finding hope because of what God did for us.

What Advent doesn’t let us do is simply hold a baby Jesus in our arms and go about our daily lives without addressing our need for a Savior. Advent allows us a time for waiting, expectation, and preparation for what God wants to do in our lives. “And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” (Romans 5:5 NLT)

J.B. Phillips wrote a small book over 70 years ago titled Your God Is Too Small. He writes in his introductory remarks, “Many men and women today are living, often with inner dissatisfaction, without any faith in God at all. This is not because they are particularly wicked or selfish or, as the old-fashioned would say, “godless,” but because they have not found with their adult minds a God big enough to “account for” life, big enough to “fit in with” the new scientific age, big enough to command their highest admiration and respect, and consequently their willing cooperation.”

The Robinson family never found their way back to Earth and the TV series ended with them lost in space. NASA astronauts Williams and Wilmore are scheduled to return to Earth sometime in 2025. The question for all of us is, will we find our way back to Bethlehem? Will we stop somewhere during this busy season to simply reflect upon the promises of God and the fulfillment of those promises in Jesus?

Traveling with small children means every parent has been bombarded with the words, “Are we almost there”? Over and over we answer the question with, “We are almost there”. Christmas is the answer God gives to all of us when we ask, “Are we almost there”?

Michael Smith wrote a beautiful song, Almost There. The song ends with the words,

“You’re almost where your journey ends

Where death will die and life begins

The answered prayer, Emmanuel

You’re almost there.”

I trust you find in this Advent season special times as you find your way to Bethlehem.

God is great!

Blessed Are You When People Revile and Persecute You

/1 Comment/in , , , , /by

You are blessed when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of me. Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:11-12 CSB

“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God,” Corrie ten Boom’s quote exemplifies her life. Corrie and her devout Christian family are best known for their courageous acts of hiding and assisting Jews to escape the brutal terror of the Nazi regime in The Netherlands. Through their effort, over 800 lives were saved from the Holocaust in World War II. The family’s effort to help others resulted in all the family being arrested and imprisoned with Corrie’s father and sister dying in the concentration camps.

Betsie could not survive the horrors of Ravensbruck but left a message with Corrie to share with the world. “Tell everyone who will listen that Jesus is a reality and that he is stronger than the powers of darkness. Tell them He is our greatest friend, our hiding place. Only prisoners can know how desperate this life is. We can tell from experience that no pit is too deep, because God’s everlasting arms always sustain us. Even in Ravensbruck, God’s love still stands when all else has fallen.”

Betsie and the generations of Christians who have been martyrs for their faith would understand what Jonathan Pennington wrote. “If you are slandered for the name of Christ you are flourishing, because the glorious and divine Spirit rests upon you.”

John Foxe died in 1587 but his monumental work, “Foxe’s Book of Martyrs” has endured as a legacy of inspiration for the persecuted church to remain faithful and as a challenge to all the church to remain steadfast in the face of persecution. Sabina Wurmbrand, co-founder of The Voice of the Martyrs, is quoted in an updated version of this classic book. “Leprosy is a disease without pain. No remedy is found because the nerves don’t work. Lepers lose their fingers and toes in accidents because they cannot feel any pain. When the Church does not feel pain with those that are part of them, the Church’s nerves also become dead. Then the Church loses parts of its body. It loses power to touch souls. The Church loses its credibility before the world. On the other side, the suffering church gives the whole Church strength to fight for Christ. Suffering makes the soul to cry out and look for help, to draw strength from the source of help—Jesus Christ.”

Jesus concluded his introductory remarks before launching into his transforming teachings commonly known as the Sermon on the Mount. Biblical scholars differ on whether verses 11 and 12 constitute a stand-alone 9th Beatitude or a continuation of the Beatitude in verse 10, “Blessed are those who are persecuted.” Regardless of whether 8 or 9, each Beatitude serves as a powerful bridge to Jesus’ teachings that followed on how his followers were to live life.

Jesus uses the Beatitudes in much the same way a caring hostess prepares for her guests. The table is meticulously set, each dish and cutlery item placed in its proper place and each detail of the table arranged correctly. Yet the table setting is not the main focus, it serves only as the container for the delicious food that is about to be served.

Servais Pinckaers writes, “We can compare the work of the beatitudes to that of a plow in the field. Drawn along with determination, it drives the sharp edge of the plowshare into the earth and carves out, as the poets say, a deep wound, a broad furrow…In the same way the word of the Beatitudes penetrates us with the power of the Holy Spirit in order to break up our interior soil. It cuts through us with the sharp edge of trials and with the struggles it provokes. It overturns our ideas and projects, reverses the obvious, thwarts our desires, and bewilders us, leaving us poor and naked before God. All this, in order to prepare a place within us for the seed of new life. “(from Pursuit of Happiness}

You are more familiar with Corrie ten Boom and her family’s effort on behalf of those persecuted and for their own imprisonment. What is not generally known about the Ten Boom family is their 100-year prayer legacy. Corrie’s grandfather, Willem gathered his family around the dining room table to pray on behalf of the Jewish people and “for the peace of Jerusalem” from 1844 to 1944 until the Nazis arrested the family and sent them to concentration camps. She saw a connection between the prayer century for the Jews and the role her family played in World War II.

“In a divine way which is beyond our understanding, God answered those prayers. One hundred years after Willem began his prayer meetings, his son, four grandchildren, and a great-grandchild were arrested in the same house where the prayer meetings started, because they had saved Jewish people from Adolph Hitler’s plans to kill them.” (from an article by Mark Ellis)

I can’t remember a time when Jesus wasn’t a central part of my life yet as I began writing on each Beatitude over these last nine weeks I came away with a fresh perspective of a flourishing and blessed life. Yet these last Beatitudes challenged me in so many ways. How do I respond to Jesus’ words, “Blessed are you when they insult you”? Am I able to “be glad and rejoice”? John Stott powerfully gave words to some of what I was thinking. “Since all the beatitudes describe what every Christian disciple is intended to be, we conclude that the condition of being despised and rejected, slandered and persecuted, is as much a normal mark of Christian discipleship as being pure in heart or merciful.”

Together we can pray for the persecuted church, for each other, and the church’s impact on our culture. “He who rescued us from so deadly a peril will continue to rescue us; on him we have set our hope that he will rescue us again, as you also join in helping us by your prayers, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.” 2 Cor 1:10-11 (NRSV)

God is great!

Blessed Are Those Who Are Persecuted

/1 Comment/in , , , /by

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. Matthew 5:10 CSB

Did I hear you right Jesus? Are we blessed when we are persecuted? Scripture doesn’t tell us the crowd’s reaction that day as Jesus was teaching, but I am sure these words got their attention. The other teachings that morning were game changers in living in God’s kingdom, but to be persecuted? I am sure a lot of heads shot up with these words that day, but Jesus already knew that flourishing in his kingdom would not be easy. Jesus was not calling them to an easy life, just a fulfilled life. The same is true for us today.

Persecution was not a new concept when Jesus spoke these words that morning. David writes from hiding in a cave, “Listen to my cry, for I am very weak. Rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me.” (Psalm 143:6) Persecution through the years has taken on various forms but at its core, the ultimate source of persecution of God’s people is Satan. John Stott wrote, “Persecution is simply the clash between two irreconcilable value systems.”

The Apostle Paul knew a thing or two about persecution and wrote, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens.” (Eph 6:12) The Apostle Peter also knew a few things about persecution as he wrote, “Dear friends, don’t be surprised when the fiery ordeal comes among you to test you, as if something unusual were happening to you.” (I Peter 4:12)

Jim Denison in his commentary on Matthew writes, “Persecution has been a constant theme of Christian discipleship from Jesus’ day to ours. An estimated “more than 70 million Christians have been martyred over the last two millennia, more than half of which died in the 20th century under fascist and communist regimes” and an estimated “1 million Christians were killed between 2001 and 2010 and about 900,000 were killed from 2011 to 2020.”

Pauline learned that her husband, Rami, had been murdered for his Christian faith and his ministry activity in Gaza. Pauline wrote, “I was very, very mad at God,” but then “When I would think about myself in this situation I would feel depressed. But when I looked to God, he would lift me up.” Years later she continues strong in her faith and ministry. She expressed what others who have faced persecution have done, “I realized that not to forgive is a sin.” (based on a story from Voice of Martyrs)

In areas of the world where extreme persecution is most intense, reports of amazing growth are being shared. As leaders gathered in a Global Development Consultation in Butuan City, Philippines a message was shared from a church leader in one region of persecution asking, “that we not pray for the persecution to stop but simply that they would continue to be faithful. Give praise to God who is at work everywhere, even in some of the most challenging places. Pray that those under persecution will remain strong in their faith, clinging to Christ and the hope they have in Him.” (article in Team Expansion)

An Egyptian believer shared a most helpful insight about praying for them. “Please don’t pray for us, please pray with us. If you pray for us, you will pray for the wrong things. You will pray for our safety. You will pray that persecution will cease. But if you pray with us, you will ask God to bring millions of Egyptians to faith in Christ. You will pray that when the inevitable Muslim backlash comes because of our witness, we will be faithful, even if it costs us our lives.” (Al Janssen, Open Doors International)

Persecution comes in all forms against followers of Jesus. It comes as murder, kidnapping, community harassment, and family rejection. David Platt, pastor and founder of Radical gives examples of a Middle Eastern businessman losing his right to run a business, a believer in the Himalayas losing the right to water or electricity, a church in a Southeast Asian city forced to pay extra, and sometimes exorbitant fees to rent or own a building. But it can also look like a British Christian being arrested for praying silently outside an abortion clinic or an American Christian being fired from his job for expressing his views on biblical sexuality.  (from an article in Christianity Today)

Sunday, November 3rd was designated as The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. If your church did not mention it or you did not know about it, today is just as good of a day to pray for the persecuted church since 1 in 7 believers around the globe suffer some level of persecution and discrimination for their faith. They would greatly appreciate your unrelenting prayer support.

We may not be in the echelon of political power but we are actually in a better place because we can approach the sovereign God of all creation on behalf of the persecuted church. The same God that opened prison doors, unfastened shackles, drew people to Him, and ultimately transformed a nation because the people devoted themselves to prayer is still the same God who will open prison doors, unfasten shackles, draw people to him, and transform nations.

“We are afflicted in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed. We always carry the death of Jesus in our body, so that the life of Jesus may also be displayed in our body.” (2 Cor 4:8-10)

God is great!

 

Blessed Are the Peacemakers

/2 Comments/in , , , /by

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

/1 Comment/in , , , , /by

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 the Merciful

/in , , , , /by

 

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Matthew 5:7 CSB

Merciful is easy to define but even more easy to identify. Mercy can be defined as sympathetic, compassionate, pardoning, refusing to punish, or forgiving. However, seeing mercy in action brings life to the definition. What does mercy look like? Over the last few weeks, the Eastern Coast of the United States has been pulverized by back-to-back hurricanes, Helene and Milton. The evening news has highlighted the valiant effort of total strangers helping other total strangers in their devastation. Line crews from across the country are working endless hours to restore electricity, medical personnel ministering to the physical needs of communities, government, and non-profit organizations working together to provide housing for the homeless, and feeding stations providing food to the hungry.

Gary LeBlanc did the only thing he could do after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, he volunteered to cook food. What he witnessed during the aftermath of Katrina left him heartbroken. Gary and his wife Ann started Mercy Chefs in 2006. Chef Gary said that the Lord called them to “feed people; just go feed people.” Eighteen years later, from one disaster to the next, the LeBlancs’ organization has served over 27 million meals. LeBlanc said, “In the box is love, hope, and a way forward. In the box is all the love we can muster — fit into a box.”

“For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.” (Hosea 6:6 NKJV) The world and the people within were far from perfect as Jesus taught his followers. He knew then as we need today, how to flourish in this imperfect world. Each of the beatitudes that Jesus gave that day were and are critical for living life. Glen Stassen writes, “Mercy is about an action, that is, a generous action that delivers someone from need or bondage.”

Eugene Peterson says in his book, Eat This Book: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading, “Scripture does not present us with a moral code and tell us “Live up to this,” nor does it set out a system of doctrine and say “Think like this and you will live well.” Rather the biblical way is to tell a story and in the telling invite: “Live into this—this is what it looks like to be human in the God-made and God-ruled world; this is what is involved in becoming and maturing as a human being.”

Mercy reflects the beautiful act of forgiveness. Jesus continued his discourse that morning with the words, “For If you forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well. But if you don’t forgive others, your Father will not forgive your offenses.” (Matthew 6:14-15) Extending mercy to others can never be done within our own power or desires.

Corrie ten Boom survived the horrors of Ravensbruck in World War II but years later had to confront her own unforgiveness while speaking in a Munich church on forgiveness. It was in that church she encountered the guard who had inflicted so much pain on Corrie and her sister Betsie. The guard said, “But since that time I have become a Christian. I know that God has forgiven me for the cruel things I did there, but I would like to hear it from your lips as well. Fraulein—will you forgive me?”

It is far easier to define mercy than to be merciful. It is easier to give examples of mercy than to be merciful. Extending the gift of mercy to someone who has wronged you goes beyond our abilities. Jesus realized the challenge as He outlined how a disciple of His could flourish in this world. Who should we extend mercy to? Yes, even that person! “There was no need for Jesus to elaborate. Our God is a merciful God and shows mercy continuously; the citizens of his kingdom must show mercy too.” (John Stott)

“And I stood there—I whose sins had every day to be forgiven—and could not. Betsie had died in that place—could he erase her slow terrible death simply for the asking?”

Jesus brought a new fresh spirit to the passage in Hosea as he spoke the words again in Matthew. The legalist would struggle, the bitter and angry would struggle, yet mercy would be the only way forward, “Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matt 9:13)

“Those who were able to forgive their former enemies were able also to return to the outside world and rebuild their lives, no matter what the physical scars. Those who nursed their bitterness remained invalids. It was as simple and as horrible as that.”

“But you, dear friends, as you build yourselves up in your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting expectantly for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life. Have mercy on those who waver, save others by snatching them from the fire; have mercy on others but with fear, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.” (Jude 20-23)

“Jesus, help me! I prayed silently…And so woodenly, mechanically, I thrust my hand into the one stretched out to me. And as I did, an incredible thing took place. The current started in my shoulder, raced down my arm, sprang into our joined hands. And then this healing warmth seemed to flood my whole being, bring tears to my eyes. I forgive you, brother! I cried. With all my heart.” (Corrie ten Boom on Forgiveness)

We too ask ourselves the question, how can I extend mercy to that person? Jesus gave himself as the model of Blessed are the Merciful. Thankfully, “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!” (Ephesians 2:4-5)

Can you think of a more exciting time to be alive as a follower of Jesus? In a world that has seemingly grown darker, we can be a light for those wandering in the darkness. Jesus gave generations of followers a way to flourish as he taught them the Beatitudes. “You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ’care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.” Matthew 5:7 The Message

God is great!

 

Blessed Are Those Who Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness

/1 Comment/in , , , , /by

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!

 

Blessed Are the Meek

/2 Comments/in , , /by

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5 NIV

What makes a successful entrepreneur? Process-oriented, empathetic, self-motivated, persuasive, confident, risk-taker, and resilient are just a few of the characteristics and personality traits according to leading management experts. We tend to think of success-oriented personalities as bold, brash, bigger-than-life personalities that dominate the headlines.

There is nothing wrong with many of the personality traits used to describe successful leaders unless they lead to attitudes of self-will, self-interest, and self-assertiveness. However, I could not find the one trait that Jesus used to identify his disciples – meekness. Unfortunately, this term is not even used to describe church leaders.

The word “meek” has taken on some negative connotations in our modern language definitions, resulting in recent Bible translations using alternate words such as “humble” or “gentle.” These words probably express Jesus’ third Beatitude better for our modern world, yet there is something that makes the word meek stand out for Jesus’ disciples.

Sitting on the side of a mountain, Jesus taught a revolutionary message. It changed the way his disciples would live life. “The godless may boast and throw their weight about, yet real possession eludes their grasp. The meek, on the other hand, although they may be deprived and disenfranchised by men, yet because they know what it is to live and reign with Christ, can enjoy and even ’possess’ the earth, which belongs to Christ.” –John Stott

You may not be familiar with William Duma and rightly so since he wasn’t powerful, successful, or wealthy according to the world’s definitions. Yet the years of his earthly life could be defined as a flourishing life lived according to Jesus’ Beatitudes. Maybe it is only in death that another person can say of someone else that they were meek and inherited the earth. Born in South Africa in the early 1900s, he was a herdsman and had limited opportunities for schooling, yet God would use him to cross racial, economic, and political lines throughout his life.

Pastor Duma said in telling his story, “When we choose deliberately to obey Him, then with all His mighty power He will tax the remotest star and the last grain of sand to assist us.” (from Take Your Glory Lord by Mary Garnett)

Sydney Hudson-Reed wrote of Pastor Duma, “If we seek for a human explanation of his success we seek in vain. But pull aside the curtain on his prayer life and the answer is plain. Duma was essentially a man of prayer. Prayer had the prior claim on his life and time. He saturated his service with prayer, and intercession was the secret of his healing ministry. The many hours spent in the presence of God showed on his face and was evident in the power of his preaching and healing.”

Thomas Brooks, a 15th-century English non-conformist Puritan preacher, expressed the heart of a meek person, even as he faced pressure from the government to conform to the established church. “The humble soul will bless God under misery as well as under mercy, when God frowns as when he smiles, when he takes as when he gives, under crosses and losses as under blessings and mercies. The humble believer looks through all secondary causes, and sees the hand of God….The language of the humble soul is: ‘If it is your will that I should be in darkness, I will bless you; and if it is your will that I should be again in light, I will bless you; if you comfort me, I will bless; and if you afflict, I will bless; if you make me poor, I will bless; if you make me rich, I will bless.’”

Jesus’ words that morning were not a ‘three-points and poem’ type exhortation to the crowd but a lived-out example. He lived a life of being meek and showed how to flourish in that meekness. Matthew would record Jesus saying, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matt 11:29) Luke would record his exhortation to live a humble life, “For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 14:11)

The bold, brash, and bigger-than-life personalities may get all the attention today, but the real end-of-life game changers will be the meek, humble, and gentle ones that will inherit the earth. The crowd that gathered that day to hear Jesus’ words, “Blessed are the meek” experienced the beginning of the promise that His followers “would inherit the earth.”

“Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.  God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.” – I Corinthians 1:26-29 NIV

God is great!

Blessed Are Those Who Mourn

/1 Comment/in , , , /by

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Matthew 5:4

“We lost just about everything we owned, and that included vehicles. But we have the most important thing: our lives. And we are forever and always going to be thankful for that.” (Joe Dancy telling CNN’s Laura Coates)

“I feel like I just survived the apocalypse.” (Nicole Rojas, a Vilas, NC resident told the BBC)

David Jones, a South Carolina father realized he might miss his daughter’s wedding due to impassable roads and made the remarkable decision to walk 17 miles to be there. (FOX Weather interview)

East Tennessee native Dolly Parton announced she would donate $1 million to help. “These are my people, these mountain-colored rainbows. These are my people, and this is my home.”

How does one capture the devastation of Hurricane Helene? 232 dead as of this writing, hundreds missing, damages potentially exceeding $100 Billion, survivors emotionally scarred forever, and whole communities destroyed and wiped away. This is the grim picture of six Southeastern states in the United States. There are not enough adjectives to describe the ongoing events of these last several days.

Jesus understood the loss and heartbreak people would face in life as he gently spoke the words we know as the Sermon on the Mount to those gathered that morning on a rural hillside. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” These words spoken in the second beatitude beautifully apply to the tragedy of Hurricane Helene, as they have for generations to those who mourn.

Jesus’ words on that hillside are the source of hope and encouragement. In these words, we can face the losses and know of God’s presence.  “O Lord…You know me more deeply and fully than I know myself. You love me with a greater love than I can love myself. You even offer me more than I can desire…Take my tired body, my confused mind, and my restless soul into your arms and give me rest, simple quiet rest.” (Henri Nouwen)

Mourning truly defines what all of us will face at some point in life. The great hope is that we don’t have to endure it alone. “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.” Psalms 34:18 NLT

Jonathan Pennington writes in his commentary on The Sermon on the Mount and Human Flourishing, “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…The disciples of Christ must learn the philosophy of placing their happiness beyond the world, and above the afflictions of the flesh…The Beatitudes is to show that those are not unhappy who are oppressed by the reproaches of the wicked, and subject to various calamities.”

I honestly do not know how to face the unrelenting struggles of tragedies, stand at an open grave, or face the pressures of life without the loving comfort of God. Isaiah summed up my thoughts when he wrote, “I will be the same until your old age, and I will bear you up when you turn gray. I have made you, and I will carry you; I will bear and rescue you.” (Isaiah 46:4 CSB)

While mourning, there is the comfort of the One who created us, who loves us and will be there through it all. “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the LORD always, for the LORD GOD is the eternal Rock.” (Isaiah 26: 3-4 NLT)

I hope you find these lyrics from Phil Wickham’s song, Hymn of Heaven words that can express your thoughts and sentiments.

“How I long to breathe the air of Heaven

Where pain is gone and mercy fills the streets
To look upon the One who bled to save me
And walk with Him for all eternity

There will be a day when all will bow before Him
There will be a day when death will be no more
Standing face to face with He who died and rose again
Holy, holy is the Lord

And every prayer we prayed in desperation
The songs of faith we sang through doubt and fear
In the end, we’ll see that it was worth it
When He returns to wipe away our tears…”

(https://youtu.be/bqxtFUwM3-o?si=ZT6BBS-dJ_m6cqeD)

“You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.” (Matt 5:4 The Message)

God is great!

 

Flourishing are the Poor in spirit

/1 Comment/in , , /by

Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Didn’t God choose the poor in this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? James 2:5 CSB

I can’t help but imagine that Jesus had people like Lalta in his thoughts when he began the first beatitude, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.” Lalta is from Alwar, India. Lalta was a human scavenger, her job was to clean human excrement out of dry latrines by hand, put it into a reed basket, carry it on her head to a dumping ground outside of the city, and deposit it. Lalta, similar to the other scavengers, had one thing in common, the loss of dignity. Lalta said, “There was no happiness in our lives. It actually had no meaning. All the time it was either people’s filth on the head or its thought in the heart.”

Lalta couldn’t solve her, problem but with the help of an international non-profit organization called Sulabh International, (www.Sulabhinternational.org) her life was changed forever. The organization is committed to addressing the need for safe, clean sanitation by replacing dry latrines with public and household toilets. What happened to the scavengers who lost their livelihood? The organization provides training in new careers and much more, giving these former outcasts a new dignity.

Lalta was trained as a beautician, as others were trained to work in food processing, office jobs, or given micro-credits to start small businesses. She can now say, “From a heap of humiliation to the heights of self-respect and self-confidence, I believe life has turned out miraculously for the good. I don’t ask for more, for today I can stand and face the world with respect.” (Michael Marmot, The Health Gap: The Challenge of an Unequal World)

Nothing says decadence like a $1,000 Golden Opulence Sundae from Serendipity 3 in New York City. (www.serendipity3com). This Guinness World Record holder for “Most Expensive Sundae in the World” greets you with “layers of 23-carat gold, creamy Tahitian vanilla ice cream made with beans from Madagascar, truffles, caramelized fruits, chocolate sauce, and sweet caviar made with Grand Marnier and passion fruit.” (tastingtable.com) All of this decadence is served in a $350 Baccarat crystal goblet with an 18-carat gold spoon on the side. You do get the goblet for a take-home memory but you have to order in advance.

As I read Leonard Sweet’s book, Rings of Fire: Walking in Faith through a Volcanic Future, I couldn’t help but think of Jesus’ words in his first beatitude in Matthew 5:3. Sweet mentioned these two illustrations and as I researched each one of the stories, I was overwhelmed by the stark comparisons. Jesus’ words that morning to the crowd that gathered must have brought great encouragement to those who thought or rather knew that were poor. Their economic poverty added to their spiritual poverty yet here was a teacher telling them they were blessed even in their poverty.

“As much as the poor, the rich will always be with us. The fact that someone else has a better car or a bigger house is of no consequence, or shouldn’t be. If Jesus wants to pay some people more who do less, as long as everyone is given a generous wage, why should we be envious that life is more generous to some than to others? Wealth is not the problem. Poverty is.” (Leonard Sweet)

Jesus’ words that morning reminded them of God’s concern for the poor. Long before these words were spoken, God had set in motion concern for the poor and outcasts of society. Today the responsibility of the church has never been greater to live out the words of Jesus. “Those who cannot see Christ in the poor are atheists indeed.” (Dorothy Day)

God cares that we make provision for the poor. “When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field…Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the Lord your God.” Leviticus 19:9-10

God cares that all are treated fairly. “Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.” Leviticus 19:15

God cares that we help those in need. “If anyone is poor…do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them. Rather, be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need. Deut 15:7-8

God cares that we defend the poor. “Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked. Psalm 82:3-4

God cares that we show kindness to the poor. “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.” Prov 19:17

God cares how we treat the poor. “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” Matthew 25:40

If God cares, then it becomes imperative that we care. Dorothy Wordsworth wrote in 1800 that “there would be only two ranks of people, the very rich and the very poor.” In 2019 Larry Elliott wrote, “Twenty-six people now own as much wealth as the poorest half of the world’s population.”

Though Sulabh may not be a Christian-based non-profit, God is using it to change the lives of people. The challenge we each face is to hear the words, “Blessed are the poor” and how we can make a difference until they know they are blessed. “The world can no more keep out trouble of spirit than a paper shield a bullet. Earthly things are like a castle of snow under the heat of the sun. Sole enjoyments of the world become a curse in the end. How many have pulled down their souls to build up an estate!” (Thomas Watson)

It is easy to become discouraged at the widening gap in this new age of mega wealth and wonder how the poor can be blessed, how we can make a difference, and how we can live with contentment with what we have. However, it will never be the size of our bank account that makes the difference but the size of our God. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: Though he was rich, for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.” 2 Cor 8:9

God is great!

Praying for those who have been impacted by Hurricane Helene