I’ll confess that more than once I’ve attended a baby shower because I knew there would be cake. Let’s be real, nothing draws a crowd like free food. Unless it’s peas and carrots. No one shows up for that.
There is a lot of depth in this passage, but since you didn’t click here to read a whole book I’ll to do some painful editing. We are getting to know Jesus. Many times he says kind of cryptic things.Things like, Jesus, are you the Messiah? Who do you say that I am? But here in this passage he is telling you straight up. “I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE.” Yesterday we read the story of Jesus feeding the 5000 and I pointed out the similarities between the barley loves and manna from Heaven. Then Jesus mysteriously gets from one side of the Sea to the other without a boat. Now here’s the crowd back for another free lunch and they have the audacity to say to him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you?” At that point I would have said “Oh I’ll give you a sign,” and fed them a knuckle sandwich. Thankfully Jesus is a much better person than me. It’s a double dog dare to top that. Outdo yourself, Jesus. Outdo Moses, then you will prove to us that you really are the Messiah. Here’s the redirect that is so like Jesus. He says to them, work for food that endures to eternal life. In contrast they say to him, “always give us this bread.” See the difference… work for… give it to us. Jesus then points out that it was not Moses who gave bread from Heaven but God who sent the bread. Here it comes… “The Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” Wow. Two simple things from today’s passage. First, it’s not about what’s in it for you. I mean, it’s super easy to look at these people and think, duh, they are so dumb. But really. How many times do we come before God with ungrateful attitudes expecting to get what we want? Second, it’s about who Jesus is. For peasant folk in that day, bread was basically their staple meal day in and day out. It was their life sustaining substance. Jesus is your life sustaining substance. Read the passage, maybe read verses 35-40 a couple of times. Hear the words of our Savior, “I am the bread of life.” John 6:16-40New International Version (NIV) Jesus Walks on the Water 16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, 17 where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. 18 A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. 19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened. 20 But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” 21 Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading. 22 The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone. 23 Then some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24 Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus. Jesus the Bread of Life 25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” 26 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” 28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” 29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” 30 So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.” 35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. 37 All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”
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The 28th birthday of the world-wide web is next week. I sort of remember first hearing about modems and thinking what is this hoodoo voodoo? I even remember the time before cell phones and resisting the move from MySpace to Facebook because I didn’t want to be like everyone else. Before there was Twitter, before watercooler talk and even before newspapers there was… well, I’m not sure what people and Jesus’ day used actually. But whether it was papyrus, the buzz about the synagogueor girl talk at the well, the word was out. That’s right Jesus of Nazareth had gone viral.
Here’s the point of today’s devotional: We regularly underestimate what God can and will do. I dig this story of Jesus multiplying the loaves and the fishes. My grandma used to read me the story of the little boy who gave up his lunch for Jesus. And it’s one of the few stories that is retold in all four of the gospels. Cool, right? No doubt, the miracles that Jesus was performing were life changing for a lot of people. He was healing the sick everywhere he went. It wasn’t like today when you can take a pill and feel better. Not only that, the social stigma of being crippled or diseased was incredibly isolating. In. Walks.Jesus. Making the blind see, telling the lame to walk and pretty much turning the whole work upside down. If you’ve been reading through the Chronological Bible with me you’re probably coming up on the end of Numbers. You would have read stories of how God delivered his people from Egypt. No sooner were they out from under Pharaoh’s heavy hand then did they start complaining, “Oh God! You’ve brought us out here to die!” For real, they complained a lot. Now here’s Israel and their approval rating for the Roman government is basically in the toilet. And the people are longing for God’s deliverance. There had been revolutionary uprisings, but none successful. They hoped against all odds that God would send someone, maybe someone like Moses to deliver them. Enter Jesus. John’s mention of the Jewish Passover Festival in verse 4 is no accident. And the bread, you’re supposed to remember the manna from Heaven that Israel ate in the desert (after complaining). It’s like a gigantic neon sign that says, “THE PASSOVER AND EXODUS ARE HAPPENING RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU!” And all the sudden the crowd decides, this guy is going to be our king whether he likes it or not. Are you starting to see something of who Jesus is and what he’s up to? It’s a little bigger than their political situation, bigger than their generation. God was about to change the world for all of time, for every generation. If you think multiplying the loaves and fishes was big, good. Oh but there is so much more! John 6.1-15 (NIV) Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand 6 Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), 2 and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick. 3 Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. 4 The Jewish Passover Festival was near. 5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. 7 Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages[a] to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” 8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, 9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). 11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. 12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. 14 After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” 15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself. I remember when Nathan asked me to marry him. I wanted to tell the whole world. The excitement was real and I wanted everyone to share in it with us. Same thing happened when we found out we were pregnant. Good news is hard to keep to oneself; job promotions, weddings, baby arrivals, graduations, birthdays, winning the championship game. We can’t wait to share these things with those around us.
The Samaritan woman after meeting Jesus left everything at the well to run and tell the community about her conversation with Jesus. She couldn’t wait till later. After hearing her story, the people went out to meet Jesus for themselves. They believed her testimony and after having met Jesus themselves, their belief grew and became their own. Have you experienced the joy of God? Have you been comforted by his peace? Saved by his grace? Overwhelmed by his love? If so, have you shared these things with others? Jesus told the disciples that the fields are ripe for harvest. It is true today as well. People want to be loved and are searching for the Truth. If you have experienced the things above, you have something to offer; your story. When we introduce others to Jesus, they may believe our story at first because they have witnessed that truth in us. But when they meet Jesus themselves, they will believe because of their own experiences with him. Your story is important. I challenge you to share it with somebody. People need to hear that God loves them. What has God done in your life that you can share with someone today? John 4.27-42 27 Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?” 28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him. 31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” 33 Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?” 34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. 35 Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 36 Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37 Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. 38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.” Many Samaritans Believe 39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers. 42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.” I am a talker and when the girls were little, I would talk to any adult I could after spending all day with the girls. Now, don’t get me wrong, I loved being able to stay home with them, but adult conversation is nice. However, strangers are a little uneasy talking to someone they don’t know. It can be difficult starting a conversation with a complete stranger and to get theologically deep is rare in a first meeting. Not so rare for Jesus, but then again, his time on earth was short and he had a lot of people to reach.
One such conversation takes place with a Samaritan woman as he rested at a well while the disciples were off getting food. She comes at noon to draw water. Typically, most women would come in the cool of the morning. It was a great time to socialize and catch up on the most recent gossip. But she came at noon, alone, to the well. It is possible she came during the heat of the day because she was ostracized for her lifestyle or perhaps she didn’t want to get caught up in the morning gossip. We can only assume what her reasons might have been. But in arriving when she did, she came face to face with Jesus, the Son of God, who offered grace free from condemnation, speaking the truth in love. From a cultural perspective, this conversation should never have happened. He was male and she female; He a Jew and she a Samaritan. That didn’t matter to Jesus. He invited her into a conversation, offered her living water that leads to eternal life, called out her sin and revealed himself to her as the Messiah. She tried to avoid the conversation, but being drawn in by his statements of living water, she engaged with Jesus. When it came to her sin, she sidestepped the issue by bringing up religion instead of dealing with the relationship. It is easier to talk about the semantics of how one worships than to talk about why we worship and what happens in our hearts when we do. In this season of Lent, as we spend time fasting, let us make sure we are not going through the actions, but that we drink from the living water, worshiping in Spirit and in Truth. When confronted with our sins, we confess them before God, repent and rest in His grace. “For those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, they will be filled.” (Matthew 5:6) Are you hungry for more of God? Are you willing to engage in the difficult conversations? I challenge you to go deeper in your walk, seek after God and you will be filled. John 4:1-26 (NIV) Jesus talks with a Samaritan Woman Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John— 2 although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. 3 So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee. 4 Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. 7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.[a]) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” 11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?” 13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” 16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” 17 “I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” 19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” 21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” 25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” 26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.” Most of us have received a phone call in life bearing good or bad news which caused us to drop everything we were doing and attend to whatever was going on. Yet, whatever we dropped was still there when we returned.
Jesus invited Levi, a tax collector, to come and follow him. Levi left everything and followed. There was no going back to pick it up. Being a tax collector was not a glorious job. How many people do you run into that say they work for the IRS and say it proudly? We don’t like paying our taxes and back then they really didn’t like it. The tax collectors received a percentage of the tax paid. This left some wiggle room for how much money they collected for themselves as well as the Roman government. So, as you can imagine, Levi or Matthew as we also know him, was not a well-liked guy by most Jews. I can imagine what a surprise it was for him to be singled out and called by Jesus. Levi, in his excitement, hosts a big party, inviting Jesus and the disciples as well as several of his coworkers and friends. They have to eat, right? So why not have a banquet? Everyone was having a great time eating and socializing, except those not invited, the Pharisees. I sense a hint of jealousy here. Why does he eat with ‘tax collectors and sinners’? He doesn’t eat with us. He’s a teacher, we’re teachers, shouldn’t he eat with us and not them? What was Jesus’ response? He has come to call not those who think they have it all together but those who know they don’t. It’s hard to teach someone if they think they know it all. Levi wasn’t ashamed to introduce Jesus, (a righteous man) to his non-religious friends. And Jesus was where he needed to be. Are we willing to cast aside our prejudices and spend time with others that aren’t like us? Are we willing to introduce Jesus to those who need him? Who do you know that needs Jesus’ healing touch? How will you answer God’s call in your life? Will you be like Levi and drop everything to follow him, to in turn, invite him into your life? NIV 27 After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him, 28 and Levi got up, left everything and followed him. 29 Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. 30 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31 Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Have you ever tried to be an authoritative person? Like you use your "big kid" voice? Or for me, "the mom" voice? I have found more often than not, this approach doesn't work. It often upsets myself and the person I'm talking to, when I use those voices in the wrong way. It's important to know that Jesus did all the right things (duh), but in the right context (oohhh). As we will read this morning, people are amazed at how Jesus talks, but more amazed about what he does for the people. Jesus is healing both in words and actions. Healing, by the way, doesn't always come in a "nice" tone. What about you? What are you intentions this Lent? Just to do whatever or really make a difference in your life? Are you going to allow God to be the authority so that you can learn? Perhaps, it's better asked this way... Are you prepared for God is about to tell you to do? Like Jesus was prepared? 31 Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath he taught the people. 32 They were amazed at his teaching, because his words had authority. 33 In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an impure spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, 34 “Go away! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” 35 “Be quiet!” Jesus said sternly. “Come out of him!” Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him. 36 All the people were amazed and said to each other, “What words these are! With authority and power he gives orders to impure spirits and they come out!” 37 And the news about him spread throughout the surrounding area. 38 Jesus left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her.39 So he bent over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and began to wait on them. 40 At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. 41 Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!”But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Messiah. 42 At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. 43 But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.”44 And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is from my home town, Kona Hawaii. We worked out at the same gym. Not at the same time, but people used to talk about how it was his gym all the time. He was our hometown celebrity (unless you count my classmate who said Keanu Reeves was her cousin). There’s something about seeing one of our own making it big. It almost felt like when The Rock was laying the smack down, we all were. (that’s wrestler talk, right?)
At this point, Jesus is really just warming up. There is a buzz about miracles, and people whispering, could he be The One. Here he is in his hometown and you might expect them to throw him a parade. Check out our boy, he’s made it to the big time! Or in this case, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” … could hebe the Messiah we’ve waited for? Here, from Nazareth? No way! But the story doesn’t go how one might expect. What did he say exactly that ticked everyone off? His sermon started out well, “All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips.” But then Jesus goes in a direction they don’t expect. “…And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.” Israel was looking for hero. The rally cry of the people wasn’t salvation for all, but more salvation for Israel and death and destruction to everyone else. They sort of picked the part of the Torah* they liked best and went with that. Here Jesus tells the story of Elisha who healed the commander of the enemy armies. He’s pointing out that God’s salvation benefited not just Israel, but everyone. Even their enemies. Maybe even Rome. Although this is a strong theme throughout the Old Testament, that wasn’t want his hometown crowd wanted to hear. The servant-Messiah has not come to inflict punishment on the nations, but to bring God’s love an mercy to them.** They were so angry they tried to throw their hometown hero off a cliff! Meet Jesus. He’s radical. His message always takes you somewhere unexpected. During Lent we will read through the stories of his life and ministry. We invite you to get to know him too. *AKA God’s word, what we call the Old Testament **NT Wright. Luke for Everyone, pg 48 Luke 4:14-30 (NIV) Jesus Rejected at Nazareth 14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the wholecountryside. 15 He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. 16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked. 23 Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ And you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’” 24 “Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. 25 I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. 26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. 27 And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.” 28 All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. 29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. 30 But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way. Tomorrow is Christmas! In case you needed a reminder. And I am just so excited. I can’t tell you how many times in the month of December people ask “Are you ready for Christmas?” And I just really want to say, “Yes, ready for it to be over.” As a pastor this is the most fun most exhausting time of the year. I’ve been counting down the number of advent readings I need to write, services I need to plan, sermons to prepare, songs to practice, and advent devotionals to compose. This is the last one! Sunday around 5:30pm I will be on an airplane laying my head on my pink neck pillow gearing up to gear down. I have learned the hard way more than once that rest is an important spiritual discipline. Rest = Discipline. You read it right. Two thoughts on this… First, God took a day off. In Genesis our story begins with six days of work and on the seventh day, after creating the universe, God rested. He didn’t pause and think, I’ll just squeeze one or two more galaxies in there, take a 20-minute snooze and finish it off with a few more dinosaurs. No, he stopped working. For a whole day. Do you think you’re better than the creator of the universe? Do you think you have more to do than God? Second, taking time off requires trust in God. Life can be stressful and demanding. Often what drives me to work more than I should is the thought that people are counting on me. The fact is we weren’t made to work 7 days a week, and God will keep the world spinning even if you take a little time to refresh and renew. Don’t fill the day with busy whatever. Stop. Take time to rest in the Lord. “Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the Lord will be at your side and will keep your foot from being snared.” For many of us December is busy and expensive. Don’t let that keep you from realizing God’s work of grace is making you new. Day by day, minute by minute. Rest in the Lord. Proverbs 3 (NIV) 1 My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, 2 for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity. 3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. 8 This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. 9 Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; 10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. 11 My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, 12 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in. 13 Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, 14 for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. 15 She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. 16 Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. 17 Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her; those who hold her fast will be blessed. 19 By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place; 20 by his knowledge the watery depths were divided, and the clouds let drop the dew. 21 My son, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight, preserve sound judgment and discretion; 22 they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck. 23 Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble. 24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. 25 Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, 26 for the Lord will be at your side and will keep your foot from being snared. 27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. 28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you”-- when you already have it with you. 29 Do not plot harm against your neighbor, who lives trustfully near you. 30 Do not accuse anyone for no reason-- when they have done you no harm. 31 Do not envy the violent or choose any of their ways. 32 For the Lord detests the perverse but takes the upright into his confidence. 33 The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous. 34 He mocks proud mockers but shows favor to the humble and oppressed. 35 The wise inherit honor, but fools get only shame. In seminary they require a coarse in Church Leadership and Administration. Really valuable in ministry. Unfortunately, I only remember one day of the entire semester. It started when the professor presented a flow chart for church leadership that started with the Pastor as CEO and parishioners as customers. Your basic corporate leadership model. When he finished his schpeel I tentatively raised my hand. I explained that corporations in our culture have a reputation for being cold, using people for the sole purpose of making money. Some might find this model off-putting, and where is God in all of this? I wasn’t trying to be contrary, I just wanted to know how our church leadership model could reflect our faith. The professor referred to a tiny * at the bottom of the page that said *prayer must permeate every level of leadership and quickly moved on. What did I learn that day? I will never reduce the Holy Spirit to a foot note. In my job with Home Depot I see a lot of homes in various stages of renovation. I love seeing the transformation from disgusting pile of boards to lovely living space. If you watch HGTV for entertainment, you have no idea what I’m talking about. Until you’ve pulled tiny nails that run 4 per inch down every single stud of plaster and lath or chased leaks in a water line, you know nothing. Demo done in a 2-minute montage of laughing girls with sledge hammers isn’t real. In general, most people lack visionand follow through. Not like my Dad. We walked through their home and I didn’t see past the trash and ugly cabinets. He spent a solid year working on that place, ripped out a stone fire place and turned it into a lovely home. Some of my projects last for years too, but that’s only because I work on them one weekend per decade. We regularly underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit. We often lack vision and follow through. Despite our frequent spiritual amnesia, God remains constantly faithful. God wants to renovate your heart. (That’s right, I went there) Clear out the junk and make it look better than brand new. I talk a lot about spiritual discipline, but I want you to know that no matter what you do, without God our efforts are empty and meaningless. We often lack a vision for what God can do. I see me, limited, tired, slightly too outspoken, I could go on. But God see’s, well, God. I could fill volumes on this one topic but I’ll sum it up. Made New = God remaking us into his good reflection that more clearly reflects his image. The Psalm below is the words of David after he was confronted for doing a very bad thing. “Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.” God was pulling the nails out one by one. “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. Read the Psalm and take a minute to remember your phrase from Wednesday… Psalm 51 For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba. 1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge. 5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. 6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place. 7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. 9 Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. 10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. 13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you. 14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, you who are God my Savior, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. 15 Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise. 16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. 17 My sacrifice, O God, is[b] a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise. I’ve never been much for New Year’s resolutions. This year I’m going to kick the cake habit. Mmmm… cake. Ok, maybe cut back on the cake? As I mentally prepare myself for no parking at the gym, I also have thought a lot about new beginnings. My 30th birthday was a big one for me. I decided to spend the day in service. I started out helping friends move and finished it off sweeping dirt in a basement alone at True Light Family Resource Center. It was possibly the best birthday ever. I purposed a long time ago to have a heart of compassion and service and I wanted to start off the decade being the best Sharon I possibly could. This last May was my 35th birthday and I spent it alone, lonely and depressed. Nothing in my circumstances had really changed, and if anything my life was a little better. Besides my struggle for good mental health, I had lost perspective and purpose. Sometimes we need a new beginning. That point in which we adjust our aim, remind ourselves of who we are and start charging forward. Two things that are not helpful, beating yourself up and letting yourself off the hook. If your first thought was I feel so guilty that I haven’t done enough for others, haven’t prayed enough, forgot where my Bible is, or whatever. Stop it. You’re not getting yesterday back. And if your second thought was I wish I could do more but I’m just really busy like washing my hair or something. Stop it. Just shhh. Excuses and self-flagellation will never move you forward. I started writing this earlier today, and about an hour later I called and left a message for the volunteer coordinator at Safehaven. Last spring, she told me a few of the needs they had and I just never got around to following up. I was “busy.” “…with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, …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” If you’re ready to hit the start or the restart button, do it. You can wait 9 more days until the calendar rolls over to 1/1 again, or you can start right now. The point it, do it. Ephesians 4.20-32 [NIV] 20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned 21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 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; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. 25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need. 29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. |
AuthorThe Pastors of Cornerstone Wesleyan Church Archives
July 2017
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