Easter Sunday is over. But the season lasts for 50 days. Jesus apparently kept showing up for the next 40 days, usually unexpectedly. And then at the end of those 40 days, he tells the disciples to gather and pray. So for the next ten days they gather daily and pray. And suddenly on the 10th day, the Holy Spirit descends. So if you wonder where that custom of a novena comes from, you can stop wondering!
So what comes next. Next is being the church. Praying, loving, working, sharing, caring. And expecting God to do things in our lives and the lives of those we love.
So, time to get up and enjoy these next 50 days. Consider praying at a regular time for 10 days, starting on June 2, 2011 until June 12, 2011, and see if God does something new in your life.
Of course you could start praying now and see what happens if you pray for 48 days!
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
Pearls
In a drawer in a safe at Christ Church are several pearls. They are part of an old necklace that belonged to a maiden parishioner whose belongings were willed to the church when she passed away more than 20 years ago.
They're not in great shape, nor particularly valuable as jewelry. But they represent someone who was deeply loved by many of that church.
Jesus speaks of God's kingdom by talking about a merchant on a journey who finds a pearl of great value. He sells all he has and returns to buy that one pearl.
The events of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter are God's way of showing us that the valuable pearl is us. The merchant is God's Son. He "sells" all he has to acquire us.
Like those pearls in the drawer, we may not seem particularly beautiful or valuable. But to God we are people of infinite value and worth.
The Father raised Jesus from the grave to show that his offer of eternal life, of everlasting companionship with God and one another is what God most longs for.
And deep inside if we will allow ourselves to set aside our fears that this can't possibly be true; if we remove our cynical shell that keeps us from ever really giving ourselves deeply to Christ; if we move past the fear of possible hurt and grief - we will find that we are the pearl so valuable to God, and that God is the pearl we tried to find in other activities and pleasures that never quite satisfied us.
Jesus knew his life would end and he made it count. May we know that our lives will end and make them count.
"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."
Jim Elliot
They're not in great shape, nor particularly valuable as jewelry. But they represent someone who was deeply loved by many of that church.
Jesus speaks of God's kingdom by talking about a merchant on a journey who finds a pearl of great value. He sells all he has and returns to buy that one pearl.
The events of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter are God's way of showing us that the valuable pearl is us. The merchant is God's Son. He "sells" all he has to acquire us.
Like those pearls in the drawer, we may not seem particularly beautiful or valuable. But to God we are people of infinite value and worth.
The Father raised Jesus from the grave to show that his offer of eternal life, of everlasting companionship with God and one another is what God most longs for.
And deep inside if we will allow ourselves to set aside our fears that this can't possibly be true; if we remove our cynical shell that keeps us from ever really giving ourselves deeply to Christ; if we move past the fear of possible hurt and grief - we will find that we are the pearl so valuable to God, and that God is the pearl we tried to find in other activities and pleasures that never quite satisfied us.
Jesus knew his life would end and he made it count. May we know that our lives will end and make them count.
"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."
Jim Elliot
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Hell
"Suffered under Pontius Pilate,Was crucified, dead, and buried:He descended into hell;
What lies in hell that Jesus would go there?
What lies in hell that Jesus would go there?
Friday, April 22, 2011
Power...
John Claypool, (1930-2005) once preached that if he was God, and if Jesus was his son, he would have done three things:
1) raise Jesus from the dead,
2) Destroy the world for it's hatefulness and evil,
3) Take his Son back to heaven and turned his back on the world for evermore.
Think about it. Good Friday God's power is profoundly conspicuous by it's absence. No last minute miracle to save Jesus, no thunderbolts of lightning falling on those who rejected and killed him.
In a world that worships power and glory, God flips the table on both.
May I learn the mystery of that amazing power. Amen.
1) raise Jesus from the dead,
2) Destroy the world for it's hatefulness and evil,
3) Take his Son back to heaven and turned his back on the world for evermore.
Think about it. Good Friday God's power is profoundly conspicuous by it's absence. No last minute miracle to save Jesus, no thunderbolts of lightning falling on those who rejected and killed him.
In a world that worships power and glory, God flips the table on both.
May I learn the mystery of that amazing power. Amen.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
The problem of good again....
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh - oh - oh - oh...
Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Passover, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Earth day tomorrow. Lots happening on the calendar.
This Lenten Blog started with something I called "The problem of Good". Why is there so much goodness in the world?
It was one of my favorite authors, C.S. Lewis who first helped me realize that there is no such thing as "pure badness" or "pure evil." He noted that all evil and all bad are themselves corruptions of the good they were meant to be. And even the worst of beings have attributes and qualities that are good. They have just been perverted.
Thus we call tomorrow "Good Friday" when it probably deserved a title like "Bloody Friday" or "Torture Friday".
How does such a gruesome event get a title like that? If it were cynical we could understand. But Christians don't seem to be using cynicism when they call it good.
In a stunning reversal, instead of the firstborn of Egypt dying, the firstborn of God dies on behalf of all who face with certainty the angel of death. And death becomes forevermore the slave of God, no more the ultimate end, only the beginning of something unimaginably glorious.
Sometimes it causes me to tremble...
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh - oh - oh - oh...
Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Passover, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Earth day tomorrow. Lots happening on the calendar.
This Lenten Blog started with something I called "The problem of Good". Why is there so much goodness in the world?
It was one of my favorite authors, C.S. Lewis who first helped me realize that there is no such thing as "pure badness" or "pure evil." He noted that all evil and all bad are themselves corruptions of the good they were meant to be. And even the worst of beings have attributes and qualities that are good. They have just been perverted.
Thus we call tomorrow "Good Friday" when it probably deserved a title like "Bloody Friday" or "Torture Friday".
How does such a gruesome event get a title like that? If it were cynical we could understand. But Christians don't seem to be using cynicism when they call it good.
In a stunning reversal, instead of the firstborn of Egypt dying, the firstborn of God dies on behalf of all who face with certainty the angel of death. And death becomes forevermore the slave of God, no more the ultimate end, only the beginning of something unimaginably glorious.
Sometimes it causes me to tremble...
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Temptation
Father,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil."
(The Lord's Prayer in Luke 11 from "The Message")
"Keep us safe from ourselves..." There is an old Clint Black song where the refrain goes:
"Wherever you go there you are
You can run from yourself but you won't get far
You can dive to the bottom of your medicine jar
But wherever you go there you are"
Most of my temptations and struggles come from inside me. Going somewhere else, or self medicating myself will not work for long.
I am a person capable of great good and generosity. And I have a dark side capable of great evil and self-centered egotism.
Buddha recognized this inner battle and argued that desire needed to be eliminated. St. Paul recognized this. He wrote to the Colossian Christians: "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry." Colossians 3:5
Both recognized that it this is not the path of least resistance but that it will take a lifetime of effort.
For lazy people like me, we want this to be a one time deal. I prayed as a young person for God to free me from those temptations in Paul's list, sexual immorality,lust, greed. I wanted an instant cure.
It took me a while to realize that the putting the selfish, greedy, self-centered part of me to death was a daily, hourly, sometimes minute by minute way of living.
AA has a line, "Fake it till you make it." By that people mean: "Do the actions of a sober person even when they feel unnatural to you. Eventually the reverse will happen."
Ask for help from God, and then take a cue from Paul's advice a few verses later: "Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience."
In other words when temptation comes, go and find something good and positive to do and do it.
And when you blow it or someone else blows it then take his advise from the next line: "Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you."
Obviously Paul and many other wise people who have traveled this road know the ups and downs themselves, and have wisdom to give us.
Finally, don't try to do this alone as he says a few verses later: "Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts."
Share your struggles and victories, prayers and worship with each other. Paul seems to think that the message of Christ lives not just in us, but among us. This spiritual life is not a solo journey but a corporate one.
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil."
(The Lord's Prayer in Luke 11 from "The Message")
"Keep us safe from ourselves..." There is an old Clint Black song where the refrain goes:
"Wherever you go there you are
You can run from yourself but you won't get far
You can dive to the bottom of your medicine jar
But wherever you go there you are"
Most of my temptations and struggles come from inside me. Going somewhere else, or self medicating myself will not work for long.
I am a person capable of great good and generosity. And I have a dark side capable of great evil and self-centered egotism.
Buddha recognized this inner battle and argued that desire needed to be eliminated. St. Paul recognized this. He wrote to the Colossian Christians: "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry." Colossians 3:5
Both recognized that it this is not the path of least resistance but that it will take a lifetime of effort.
For lazy people like me, we want this to be a one time deal. I prayed as a young person for God to free me from those temptations in Paul's list, sexual immorality,lust, greed. I wanted an instant cure.
It took me a while to realize that the putting the selfish, greedy, self-centered part of me to death was a daily, hourly, sometimes minute by minute way of living.
AA has a line, "Fake it till you make it." By that people mean: "Do the actions of a sober person even when they feel unnatural to you. Eventually the reverse will happen."
Ask for help from God, and then take a cue from Paul's advice a few verses later: "Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience."
In other words when temptation comes, go and find something good and positive to do and do it.
And when you blow it or someone else blows it then take his advise from the next line: "Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you."
Obviously Paul and many other wise people who have traveled this road know the ups and downs themselves, and have wisdom to give us.
Finally, don't try to do this alone as he says a few verses later: "Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts."
Share your struggles and victories, prayers and worship with each other. Paul seems to think that the message of Christ lives not just in us, but among us. This spiritual life is not a solo journey but a corporate one.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Leap of faith
I have always been a Christian, but I have not always believed. I was baptized as a child, and therefore a Christian.
However, as I reached adolescence I ceased to believe in the “fairy tale” of Jesus resurrection. Atheism seemed a much more rational choice. I enjoyed making fun of other people's foolish faith in God.
And then one night, I had a vision of Jesus and experienced a transformation in my life I could not explain.
The next few days I read the Gospel of Mark and the Acts of the Apostles. In them I met people who seemed to have experienced Jesus in the way I just had. In them I met skeptics and people hostile to the faith who suddenly realized they were wrong.
Over the years since then, while praying to Jesus I have seen people healed immediately, unexplainably of cancer, deformities, and serious illness. I have seem people experience deep emotional and spiritual healing. I have seen skeptics like me come to faith in Jesus.
The irony is, that despite that encounter I still have to have faith daily. Even though I have repeatedly experienced the power of Jesus in amazing ways, I still must make the leap to believe every day.
It was years before I realized everyone has to have faith every day. Only our object of belief varies.
The materialist who believes there is no spiritual reality, is dependent upon faith that there is no God.
The pantheist who believes that the universe and all that is in are God, has to take that on faith.
The spiritualist who believes that the material universe is an illusion, must take that leap of faith to get there.
And the person who believes Jesus is who he claims to be, and rose again on the third day, must also take that leap of faith.
I cannot prove Jesus rose from the dead. I used to try. Now I simply testify that I believe the writers of the New Testament to be telling the truth, and tell my story.
After all, if Jesus did rise from the dead he does not need me to prove it. If he is who he says he is, the universe was made through him and its very existence depends upon him.
I simply tell what I believe and why, and make myself available to answer the objections and answer the questions. Everyone already has faith. The question is: faith in who or what?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
