March 31, 2019

“9 Then the LORD said to Joshua, “This day I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” Therefore the name of the place is called Gilgal to this day. 10 ¶ Now the children of Israel camped in Gilgal, and kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight on the plains of Jericho. 11 And they ate of the produce of the land on the day after the Passover, unleavened bread and parched grain, on the very same day. 12 Then the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten the produce of the land; and the children of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate the food of the land of Canaan that year.” (Joshua 5:9-12 NKJV)

How should we prepare for a long journey? Lent is not only a long journey but if properly done can bring weariness to our body, spirit and soul. How do we prepare and provide for this journey?

The journey of lent can never begin without God setting us free from our enslavement to our “old” life. We not only must seek forgiveness for our sin but to seek for God to change us. Then we are able to see God's provision even when we walk in disobedience in the wilderness of life.

Israel celebrated the Passover at Gilgal which is an ancient Hebrew word that means Abaddon which is another name for Satan and destruction. Here we see what David would share in Psalm 23 that we would dine before our enemies!

No longer would they eat Manna but eat the abundant food of the promised land. They had come from slavery to freedom and from death to life! They could eat the food of freedom and life on the place of slavery and death!

It is not that God quit providing for them but God gave them a better food, a more nutritious food. God took Israel from slavery to freedom in a land God provided for

them.

God led them through the wilderness to help them discover the responsibility which comes with freedom to prepare them for their new life. Every step of the way God was preparing them for the new land and the new life they were being offered by God.

Where are you in your journey as we prepare for Lent? Is this an exciting time preparing for the conquering of death and the resurrection of life? Is this a time extreme excitement or a time you wonder why others are so excited?

We live in days where we struggle with our definition of sexuality. What is sexuality, what is correct sexuality and even what sex we are. We also have either the ignorance or arrogance to think our time is unique and worse then ever before.

But in truth we are in the same old argument going back to Adam and Eve about who is our god and will we honor God's word.

To think we can or even have the right to define sexuality is beyond comprehension. Even worse we are either calling God a liar or a fool!

I do not say this because I am more correct or better than anyone else but because I have and continue to experience the pain of disobeying God.

The Bible makes it plain that God does not change or “evolve”. God does not just teach truth but is Truth!

What will happen in the days ahead I do not know but by faith I believe God is working within and throughout it all.  I continue to believe God loves us enough to accept us where we are, and loves us enough to not let us stay there!

March 17, 2019 Second Sunday in Lent

“1 ¶ « A Psalm of David. » The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. 3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. 4 One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple. 5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock. 6 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD. 7 ¶ Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me. 8 When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek. 9 Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation. 10 When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up. 11 Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies. 12 Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty. 13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. 14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” (Psalm 27:1-14 AV)

When I first became a Christian some people told me life would be easier for me. There have been times I wanted to go back and punch them but I know this would be wrong! (Doesn't mean I have not wanted to at times.)

David reminds us if we are to live out our lives in and with God sin and trouble will be part of our lives. Throughout the Psalms we hear the suffering and pain of those who believed and their struggles with sin, doubt and fear. For many the trouble will increase as they now struggle with sin rather than giving into it and as the evil one tries to destroy their faith and life! (I usually do not capitalize satan because he has become an unperson by his hatred of God.)

But David trusts in God and lists how God has been faithful to deliver him from his enemies. Remembering God's faithfulness strengthened his faith that God will continue to protect him even to the point of being able to offer a sacrifice to celebrate.

“I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.” David is quick to not only understand but to also proclaim his dependence upon God for protection throughout his life. A Godly life would be impossible without both the promise and experience of God's help and deliverance. 

Then David comes to the hardest part declaring we must wait upon God. There is an old saying, “Lord give me patience, and give it to me NOW!” Often for us patience is not something we learn as much as we earn. Patience is earned as we trust God in the smaller things and earn the ability to have patience in the bigger things.

When trouble comes into your life do you look up in blame to God or expecting God's grace? Do you look every day to discover God's grace and love? Are you seeking to grow in patience and love?

March 10,2019 First Sunday in Lent

“8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 12 ¶ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”” (Romans 10:8-13 NKJV)

We are starting our journey through Lent to Holy Week and then Easter. Lent reminds us shortcuts in life in reality lead to eternal death and calls us to the journey of life.

Each have our Before Christ time (BC) and by grace God can lead us to our Anno Domini (AD) which is the year of the Lord, our salvation.

Lent can begin by remembering who we were during our BC days and what called us God. There are many different BC times in our lives and how we were led by God through the transition from BC to AD. We grow in our awe how helpless and completely unable we were to recognize our need as well as trusting God through Jesus to receive transition through salvation.

For those who still are in a BC existence Lent can be a time to not only discover their need to seek forgiveness through Jesus to put an end to their BC existence and begin their AD life! They now begin their journey from their worship at the manger, their journey to the cross and then to experience through the resurrection of Jesus the promise our journey leads to LIFE!

Over and over year after year we journey the heart of our AD life and are reminded of our desperate need to be saved and of the grace of God to offer us life! Year after year our love is deepened and our journey more joyous as we experience the deepness of God's forgiveness and our unworthiness.

If Lent loses it meaning we not only miss the growing understanding of God's undeserved goodness to us but we can fall back into the BC existence!

March 6, 2019 Ash Wednesday

1“Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 3But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly. 5“And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. Matthew 6:1-6 NJKV

Ash Wednesday begins the preparation for Holy Week and Easter. Ash Wednesday and Lent offers us time to reflect on who we were in our Before Christ (BC) days and who we have become in Jesus since our Anno Domini (AD) the time Jesus began the work of forgiveness and renewal in our lives.

American Christianity has become a fast food religious experience where having to”wait on the Lord” is unheard of and undesirable for many. We want to pray and get the answer we want when we want! It becomes easy to perceive God as a celestial ATM spewing out good things as well as cash.

By this we lose the amazing gift of having a relationship with God. We lose the time at the manger adoring the One who came to we who are so undeserving. We lose the time to weep and rejoice at the cross, at the experience of Jesus giving His life for us! We miss the wake up of the stone rolling away and the reality of the resurrection.

The “reward” is not just getting out of hell or even getting into heaven but to regain the wondrous ability to have a relationship with God similar to Adam's. Talking about Adam to many seems ludicrous but that is why the story must be true! A human description of Adam, like many other stories show a fallen person helped by the god's but the Bible shows a perfectly created Adam who fell on his own!

Humanity would not draw such broken and fallen people as the one's used by God is such a way. Over the ages humanity has created fallen gods and heroic people. The Bible gives us neither. 

Indeed Ash Wednesday is a time to recognize we need God! A time to realize we do not understand ourselves or our need. A time to confess our need and in humility to both seek God's help and give thanks God gives us:

not what we deserve but what love desires

not what we want but what we need

not death but full life

and not crying into the darkness but talking with the God Who is Light!

“God loves us enough to accept us where we are,

but also loves us enough to not leave us there!”

March 3, 2019 Last Sunday before lent

29Now it was so, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the Testimony were in Moses’ hand when he came down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him. 30So when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. 31Then Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned to him; and Moses talked with them. 32Afterward all the children of Israel came near, and he gave them as commandments all that the LORD had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. 33And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face. 34But whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with Him, he would take the veil off until he came out; and he would come out and speak to the children of Israel whatever he had been commanded. 35And whenever the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone, then Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with Him. Exodus 34:29-35 (NKJV)

Have you ever seen someone who the “skin of his face shone”? Some may think this is a myth from the past and a preposterous one at that. How could someone's face shine just by being in the presence of God?

There are people, even some you may know, who just by being in their presence you can tell they have been in the presence of God. There is an inner glow that not only shows the impact of God's love in their life but also can bring light into our life if we allow it.

Some will call upon them to veil their light and others will make them feel guilty and some even angry at the light. For the light of that person's relationship with God both reminds of what we can have with God and how we should be living in God. So the veil is put over them until they speak with God.

They may even veil themselves when they speak with God because of the pressure of others and then the light will gradually fade. To fit in and not make others see and face their guilt they damage themselves, destroy a hope for others and hurt the heart of God!

WE MUST LET GOD'S LIGHT SHINE IN US AND FROM US! WE MUST NOT COVER OR DAMPEN THAT LIGHT BECAUSE OF THE ANGER OF THE DARKNESS! If we do “veil” the light darkness grows (even in us) throughout the world!

The light God shines throughout us and through us to others is how God works to bring all out of the wilderness to the promised land and from the constraints of the law to total freedom of love! Love which does not accept our sin but calls to confession and repentance to be able to draw near to God.
 
Though the light is really God's Light which emanates from the life and love of Jesus Christ throughout and through us sing aloud:

I'm gonna let it shine, let it shine all the time!

 

As the United (?) Methodist Church voted to hold to it's “traditional” beliefs many grew very angry at the decision and stated this decision would keep us from ministering to others. How can this be? Do we believe ministering is done through a congregation or denomination? NO! Ministering is done by a person touching another person with what God gave them! No decision by any one (except ourselves) can keep us from ministering! So being empowered by Jesus the Living Word of God, understanding God by the Bible the written word of God and guided by the Holy Spirit let us go forth in ministry and ministering to those God's loves, everyone, even those who disagree with you!