Lent: Why bother…

Posted on by · 1 Comment

ice creamWhat? Blasphemy!  He’s lost his mind!  Satan has gotten to him!  Why bother with Lent?  How dare he!

OK people, simmer down.  Give a brother a moment to explain.  If all Lent has become for you is not eating ice cream for forty days then I do say, why bother?  Lent is so much more and unless you buy into the whole enchilada (unless you gave them up for lent) you shouldn’t bother.

Lent is all about change and preparation.  Change in the deepest parts of our soul; change that you can see; change that you (and others can) feel.  And most importantly change that you want.   Preparation for the celebration of the greatest gift anyone could ever want.  Preparing ourselves for the commemoration of the day in which God said to all of His children, ‘I love you more than you can ever imagine, so much so that I am willing to lay down my life so that you may live!’

So if we are going to participate in this Lenten season (and we should) then let’s do it the way it should be done – all the way and fully committed.  Let it surround you and get inside of you like the Christmas spirit that seems to show up every year right after Thanksgiving.  I’m trying and began this Lent by seeking to learn a little more about the season hoping it would help.  Mostly because, as with most traditions, there is likelihood that over time we forget how these traditions may have started and why. We even may forget what the purpose may have been for the initiation of the tradition.  Of course there is a ton of information on the web that can give you all of the history and meaning of Lent, one in particular is provided here in a form of a link (http://www.catholiceducation.org/en/culture/catholic-contributions/history-of-lent.html) and does a great job in doing so.

As I said, my main concern regarding Lent is our tendency to reduce this opportunity to grow in our faith to simple one-liners.  With Lent it is normally, ‘What are you giving up for Lent?’  Over the past 20 centuries we have taken this solemn period of change and preparation and condensed it down to avoiding sweets, or some other daily indulgence.  Even worse, without any understanding of what our true intentions are.  I am as guilty as anyone.  Why are we giving up ice cream for 40 days, and how does that fit into our Christian faith?  It’s not like the founders of Christianity woke up one day and determined that giving up ice cream for 40 days was going to make us better Christians.  Well, not exactly.

Jesus was a Jew.  A lot of our Christian faith and tradition is rooted in Judaism.  There is a long and continuing history of man losing focus on God and God’s will, the early stages of which are described in great detail in the Old Testament.  God’s chosen people were seemingly stuck in this cycle of sin, slavery due to their sin, begging God for help, salvation through God’s mercy, and then ultimately back to sin.  To this very day this endless cycle of sin, sorrow, supplication, salvation, silence, and sin again is driven by our human weakness and our inability to say no to temptation.  (I don’t make this stuff up people – it’s right there in the Bible.) Jesus in preparation for the start of his ministry goes into the wilderness to fast and pray, not coincidentally, for 40 days.  There he is continually tempted by satan, the most well known account of which is in Matt 4:1-11.   The point here being that sin takes our focus from God, and Lent is our time to regain our focus through prayer, fasting and alms-giving.  These activities are the antithesis to root causes of all sin – pride, lust, and greed.  (Check out this link for more on this – http://truthandcharity.net/the-origins-of-prayer-fasting-and-almsgiving/).  So especially during Lent we should be using this holy formula as part of our preparation regimen:

  • We pray to acknowledge God and our own weakness – this knocks our pride down to size
  • We fast to deny our lustful desires – just to prove that we can
  • We give alms to focus on the needs of others – and take our focus from our own petty wish list

So again,  why is then does it seem that our attention during Lent apparently on this fasting part, and all of the (IMO) silly rules as to how we conduct our dietary intake?  My guess is that over the past 2000 years the church leaders determined that the common folk would understand the fasting part best because it could be codified into rules and rules were good.  You Catholics out there get this, right?  Sort of like: no meat on Fridays, Holy Days of Obligation, and sitting, standing and kneeling during mass.  I attend a particular (catholic) church because of its mission and work being done there, not because it is good at following the rules.   We all have to be careful not to lose sight of that: Give up the ice cream, but ignore the homeless.  Avoid meat on Friday, but pray only when we want something.  Dear Lord please help us to keep our focus on what you really want for your children – to become true offspring of yours in every way that relationship brings!

One last thought.  From what I understand, in the Hebrew language, numbers have both numerical and literal meanings; seven is a divine number, for instance.  Forty is used to describe a period of time that is long enough to enable a change, or a testing period.  Moses was on the Mount Sinai for 40 days prior to receiving the Ten Commandments, the Jews wandered the desert for 40 years, God made it rain for 40 days and nights during the Great Flood, Jesus went into the wilderness for 40 days, all in advance of some monumental change.  Quite apparently, God wants us to change!  I pray that these next 40 days of praying, fasting and giving do so for you and me.

Yeah, I’ talking to you.

Posted on by · 27 Comments

your name hereIf you have ever read a book, essay, short story, or historical article about another time or place, you have experienced authors’ ability to transport us to that venue, and if successful, draw you in as if they were speaking directly to you.  I find it fascinating that the written word has that ability to transcend time and distance and allow us to enter the mind of the author, and see through the eyes of an observer that may be dead for decades, centuries, and perhaps thousands of years – Plato, Socrates, Josephus, Jefferson, Lincoln Churchill, and the rest of our earthly teachers.

No piece of literature does this as well as the Bible.  (Of course.)  The very earliest of inspired stories of this collection of books dates back about 5000 years.  And still it speaks to us as if written yesterday.  If you accept this as the true word of God speaking through and to His followers, then you need to also accept that He is still speaking to you – today – right now.  His message of love and its long history of our salvation were meant to be read and heard by not only those first inspired so long ago, but equally for the benefit of you and me today.

My entire attitude towards the Bible changed the moment that I accepted this phenomenon.  Now each time I read or hear scripture I do so with the knowledge that the Lord, Creator of the universe, penned the words specifically and directly for my benefit.  Try it if you haven’t done so already.  Pretend that you are the second person in a two-person dialogue, and that God is speaking directly to you.  It will immediately open your eyes to God’s intentions for you, his loving child, and your path will become so much clearer.  Now, the potential downside, depending how you take it, is that you also lose the ability to ignore the word when it may not be convenient or comfortable for you.   One of the many messages in the New Testament that may not be the easiest to hear and apply in our lives is probably the one that will make the greatest difference in not only your life, but in those around you, and probably some that you don’t even know.  It is the last thing that Jesus told his disciples before ascending to heaven:

So Jesus came to them and said, “All authority (power) in heaven and on earth is given to me. So go and make disciples of all people in the world. Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach those people to obey everything that I have told you. You can be sure that I will be with you always. I will continue with you until the end of the world.” Matt 28:18-20

We usually begin to opt out of scripture, and to act as spectators, when we hear, ‘Jesus said to his disciples…’.  We think, ‘Oh, He’s talking to them.  I can tune out.’   No, not really.  If you call yourself a Christian, you are a follower of Jesus Christ and therefore one of His disciples.  Now go back and read this passage and the rest of the New Testament, and read it as if each and every time Jesus is speaking to his disciples at the time, he is speaking to you, now.  Right now, in your bedroom, or living room or where ever you are reading or listening – you and Jesus having a one on one.   Replace the term, ‘So Jesus said to them’ with, ‘So Jesus said to (your name here)’.  Cool, huh?  All the blessings, all the wisdom, all the comfort and peace Jesus brings, He brings directly for (your name here).  He also brings the commitment and power and responsibility of discipleship and lays it at the feet of (your name here).  Now that maybe more humbling than cool, but still all meant specifically for (your name here).

So think about it a bit before you decide to opt out.  There are about 2 billion professed Christians in the world today.  If we all performed our role as true Disciples of Christ in this world for even a day, what kind of impact would that have?  The result: the good news of the Gospel in each and every ear, a Christ-like world.  We have the numbers and the story to make that happen.  We also have the promise, ‘You can be sure that I will be with you always.’ 

Start by taking small steps.  This Christian mission statement came to me a while ago and I think it is a good way to start:  “As Christians all we can do is to live our lives as Jesus would, and pray someone else notices just enough to do the same.”  Do it, because it is you (and me!) who is being spoken to.

The Fever

Posted on by · 2 Comments

lotteryAs I write this, the Powerball jackpot for this Wednesday night was announced to be 1.3 billion dollars, or over 800 million in cash – crazy, stupid numbers.  The odds are that there will be a winner this week, and a couple of things that came to mind.  First, why such a frenzy?  The odds of winning remain at around 290 million to one.  And, everyone has heard the comparisons to things like being struck by an asteroid (1: 700,000), or being struck by lightning while drowning (1: 183 million……and a really bad day).   So likelihood of winning the prize is highly unlikely.

But regardless as to how futile your chances may be, the draw is still overwhelming; even to those who do not normally play at all.  The numbers are just too big.  They grab you by the throat and demand your attention.  (Like anything below 100 million was chump change?)  And we give it our attention, because the mind starts running wild even though most of us are clueless of what to do with that kind of money.  I mean, you hear people say things like, ‘I’ll take a cruise…’ (A cruise, huh?  Where to?  Jupiter?)  Or, ‘l’ll buy my parents a house’ (I don’t think even the fed can sell the White House) or even, ‘I’ll get out of debt.’  (Really?  I thought that only Donald Trump can rack up that kind of debt.) My point here is that most of the things people really want can be had without winning a 1.3 billion dollar lottery.  But here we are, going out of our way to make sure we have at least a chance, however remote, to win the big one!

Then I got to thinking: What else would be as appealing, with seemingly similar odds that people would go out of their way to win?   What is as appealing as winning $1.3 billion?  Well, how about something in the line of eternal peace in the arms of a loving Father surrounded by a loving family of brothers and sisters, all of whom you have always known and will know forever?  Indescribable happiness and enlightenment that had you at such ease you may possibly even remember what it was like to be in your mother’s womb?   How about never experiencing any want: emotional, physical, spiritual…truly content as if you were finally where you belonged?  How much would you pay for that chance if say, the odds were 1: million?  1: 1000?  1: 100?  How about 10 to 1?   Would you go out of your way coming home from work, or maybe wait in a line for an hour, if I said to you that you could have a 10% chance of winning eternal peace?  I’m guessing you would take that chance,and make that effort.

But here’s the rub.  God has already stacked the odds heavily in our favor.  You can almost say the game is fixed.  The life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ guaranteed us a prize without price.  Consider for a second what you would feel like if you actually saw the 6 winning numbers on your ticket…think.  What does that feel like?  Hold that thought for as long as you can……

Now, if you believe that winning eternal peace surrounded by the love of God and your loved ones is even just a little like winning a 1.3 billion dollar lottery, then join me and start to show it in your face, smile, attitude and enthusiasm for the future…because you’ve already won!

Annual Christmas Rant

Posted on by · 55 Comments

There is a popular saying that you hear this time of year, ‘Keep the Christ in Christmas’.  To me, it is just one of those sayings that sounds right.  It makes sense and is hard to argue against, like, ‘Do unto others as you would have done to you.’  Truth.  So true that we tend to take it for granted and ignore its wisdom.  Not just non-Christians, but cross-wearing believers.  Most would agree with the philosophy behind the phrase, but for the most part, our actions speak differently – door busters, overt consumption, fairy tales, etc.  There may be a lot of reasons for the confusion that surrounds Christmas, but the one that jumps at me recently is how we named this amazing and miraculous occurrence. The incarnation of God, the Almighty Creator of the universe, of all that is seen and unseen, into the person of Jesus Christ – certainly a miracle of mind-bending proportions.  (C.S. Lewis likens it to an architect of a house actually becoming a wall or staircase or fireplace in that house – impossible unless you are God.)

I‘m thinking that the most important historical event ever would be referred to with some sort of incredibly descriptive name that  immediately strikes a chord in the hearts of anyone that heard it…sort of like Independence Day.  You do not need to know anything about our country or its history, but if I told you that today we were celebrating Independence Day you would probably figure out that we must have NOT been independent at one time, and that NOW we are, and that it must be worth celebrating – right?

‘Christmas’ on the other hand requires a little more of an explanation, even when we take the time to consider that ‘Christmas’ is the morphed version of Christ’s Mass.  And, once we do understand the season’s true purpose – the commemoration of the birth of The Savior of the World – I still don’t think we get it – like we get New Years Day, Columbus Day, President’s Day (for you youngin’s this used to be two holidays – Lincoln’s B-day and Washington’s B-day), Memorial Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, etc.

Then, there is a good portion of the population that ‘celebrates’ and acknowledges the holiday and all of its traditions, but not the true purpose.  (That’s not too confusing.)

Bottom Line: By abstracting the birthday of the Son of God to a phrase like Christ’s Mass, then Christmas, and then Holiday Season, etc. we water down the event just enough where it is easier to overlook, for the most part, the point of the celebration.  What other holidays do we do that to?  It seems to me that we still acknowledge most national holidays with an appropriately descriptive moniker – all except for Resurrection Sunday (Easter) and Christmas.  Why is that?  Again, who benefits from having us focus our attention on the gifting and getting versus the salvation of our eternal soul?

The greatest weapon we can use to battle satan is the knowledge that we are continually under attack in these very subtle and devious ways.  So, be aware whenever your faith is put into question and consider who benefits from it.manger…..and Have a joyful Salvation Day and a Happy New Year!

Three Sides to Every Story

Posted on by · 2 Comments

3 sidesLike you, I have been thinking about all of this horrible terror that has been occurring around the world.  My first thought was how can there be such a dramatic difference in my understanding of God and that of the people committing these heinous atrocities.  I mean there is only one God, right?  How is it possible to see God and His message so differently?  I mean, there is only one truth when it comes to the nature of God, our creation, our relationship with God, and His will for His creations – right?  Jesus did his best in trying to express all of that in ways we could understand using parables, teachings and his own life as a model, and from that comes what we call our understanding, Christianity.   I am sure that Muslims think the same of their teacher, Mohammad.  And the Jews do likewise via Moses and the Prophets.  More so, within these groups are sub-groups that are liberal, moderate and extreme.  All humans; all provided with the same type of mind.  Now, unless God created some of us with a special gift to know His very truth, how could you possibly argue that you are right and others wrong?

Every now and then a situation comes up where Ellie will tell me that there are three sides to every story: yours, mine and the truth.  Why is that?  Why are we not able, in a lot of cases, to synchronize our understanding, and actually agree perfectly?  I’m sure it has to do in part with our perspective, our interests, our selfishness, what’s in it for us, how we might look to others, our pride, and the gift of free choice with which we were created.  It happens all the time.  You and I hear or read something and we come up with different impressions and even at times, absolutely opposite conclusions.  Earlier this week I was reminded of another reason for this very human condition.  (Please understand that none of this is in any way justification for murder, just observation.)

The other day I was flipping around and came across a televangelist.  The little I was able to catch was an extremely interesting observation regarding the temptation of Adam and Eve in the Garden.  We have heard the story and its lessons before, but this perspective was new to me.  It focused on how we can innocently mislead one another, and how subtly satan uses deceit.  Here again are the highlights that make the point:

God instructs Adam as follows in Genesis 2:15:

Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. The LORD God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”

Now it is presumed that once Eve comes on the scene, Adam tells her all about these instructions from God, making sure she knows about the do’s and don’ts of living in Paradise.  And after a time the infamous meeting between she and the serpent takes place, and wouldn’t you know it right in front of that darn little ‘tree of knowledge of good and evil’.  And so it goes.  (Note that when confronted, Eve is quick to recite the instructions she got from God via Adam):

…Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said (according to what Adam tells me), ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it or you will die.’” 

Now where does that ‘or touch it’ come from?  Certainly not what God told Adam.  God didn’t say anything about ‘not touching it’. Maybe something got added on by Adam in his haste to give Eve the 4-1-1?…sort of like that game ‘Telephone’.  Now the devil has its opening and takes advantage of Adam’s misinterpretation:

…The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took (touched) from its fruit…

(So encouraged by the serpent, she first touches the fruit and what happens?  Nothing! Because God did not say she would die if she touched it, only if she ate it.  But she did not hear God’s words direct from His mouth.  So now she is confused and thinking, ‘Well maybe this serpent is right.  I did touch the fruit and nothing happened, even after Adam told me I would die.  So maybe nothing will happen if I eat it, also?’).  The verse continues:

…and (after seeing that nothing happened when she touched it) ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.  Genesis 3:1-7

So this perspective, including the misinterpretation of God’s word, and then satan using that to convince Eve to trust him and not God, is a little more easy to reconcile, at least to me.   Adam and Eve weren’t so stupid after all; they were just not good listeners.  It reminds me that God’s word can be twisted and used to just the opposite of His intent.  And we know that happens all of the time.  How else does, “Love your neighbor as yourself” morph into, “Kill people in cold blood if they do not believe what you believe”?  God is supposed to (according to who you talk to) have said both as the same. There is obviously a very powerful force here on earth that benefits from us not getting together on the truth about God.  Who do you think has the least to gain by having us all know the universal truth about God, our loving Father?

So based on this I think it might be wise for me to read a little of the Quran itself.  Not for the purpose of becoming a Muslim, but just to understand what we all have in common.  My little understanding is that there are many fundamental similarities between the three main ‘Western’ religions.    (Did you know that the Virgin Mary is mentioned more times in the Quran than in the New Testament?  Neither did I.)  I’ll keep you posted.

Rendering unto Caesar

Posted on by · 61 Comments

debate_closingstatement_080615I found myself watching the latest Republican debate a couple of weeks ago.  Once I got beyond the spectacle of it all, and all of the apparent agendas of both the moderators and the candidates, I was struck with one thing: these people are pretty smart!  I mean to say that when actually given a minute or two to express themselves I thought for the most part that each (with the exception of Trump) had something thoughtful to say.  Now considering the amount of effort spent by the moderators and at times the candidates themselves looking to illicit ‘gotcha’ moments, the meaningful exchanges left me with a feeling of wanting to hear more from each of them (including Trump).  I was left with a feeling that, ‘Well maybe these men and Carly actually do have the best interests of our country at heart (Trump, not so much)’.  It got me to think about the long list of very well intentioned men and women that subject themselves to a life of public service and all of what comes with that:  the constant scrutiny, the time away from family, the criticisms they endure in the media and so on.  But, there always seems to be someone willing to step into the fray.

Now, I know that some may have less than noble objectives when they decide to run for office, but I have to imagine for the most part that their goal is to serve the group they represent in a fiduciary fashion.  And, that their hearts, at least at the beginning of their service, are in the right place, looking to achieve substantive improvements for our country, state, city or town.  So what happens?  How do all these apparently smart people, once in office, get bogged down or otherwise side-tracked, or even totally incapacitated and ineffective?  I mean – it’s not like they all of a sudden get stupid or incompetent.  It’s not like the great ideas from the campaign trail lose their validity.  (Like what the heck is wrong with a flat tax anyway?)  So, if it is not a sudden degradation of the talents of the people we elect to office, it must be the system that we put them into.  Then I immediately remember one of the truly brilliant observations from C.S. Lewis and Mere Christianity that puts it all into place:

“…That is the key to history. Terrific energy is expended-civilizations are built up-excellent institutions devised; but each time something goes wrong. Some fatal flaw always brings the selfish and cruel people to the top and it all slides back into misery and ruin. In fact, the machine conks. It seems to start up all right and runs a few yards, and then it breaks down.  They are trying to run it on the wrong juice. That is what Satan has done to us humans. The reason why it can never succeed is this. God made us: invented us as a man invents an engine.  A car is made to run on gasoline, and it would not run properly on anything else. Now God designed the human machine to run on Himself. He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other. That is why it is just no good asking God to make us happy in our own way without bothering about religion. God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing…”    (Note: You really should try and read this book at least once in your lifetime.  It really does help to understand the philosophical foundations on which our faith is based.  It is also available on the internet for free.)

So, in essence, we are doomed to failure as long as we insist on putting anything other than the Lord, our God, at the center of any of our systems of authority.  And when you think of it there really is no example in history of a permanent success of any man-centric government.  In fact, it is actually the separation of church (i.e. the one, true God) and state that is our ruin.  Now, I am not saying that we should place a particular religion, or church in charge.  Get that straight.  God needs to be in charge, not men.  It is the Kingdom of God that Jesus speaks of so often in His teachings that must reign, and why He tells us to seek it and its righteousness and that all our other needs will be fulfilled.  So although this bit of reality may be disappointing at first, knowing that we are entrenched in a system of worldly dysfunction, the Kingdom still remains our greatest hope for ultimate peace and harmony amongst God’s children.

There is a lot of information out there, starting with scripture and from Christ Himself about the Kingdom.  It is not something that can be summed up in a sentence or two, because it is meant to be taken literally (Christ will return as our earthly King.) and spiritually (“For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you” – Luke 17:20-21). It is in fact the vehicle of our ultimate relationship with God and one another.  Suffice to say, at least for me, is that our baptism provides access to the Kingdom, our allegiance is to our Lord and His Son Jesus Christ, and our constitution is Holy Scripture.

So, are we to disengage with the going-ons of this world?  Do we stop voting?  Do we just stand by as spectators?  I don’t think that is what Jesus meant when He told us to “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and render unto God what is God’s.” – Mark 12:17.  I believe as a society we are to live and work the best we can within the constraints of our own brokenness, always harkening back to the foundations of our God-centered destiny:  Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important commandment. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37–40).  And, lastly pray that the men and women elected to office do the same.

We are made worthy – Part Two

Posted on by · 68 Comments

Good News2So here we are considering our own deck of index cards..the good, the bad and the ugly.  If left at just that the news would likely not be very good for many of us.  But I have to tell you I am of the strong opinion that one of the greatest deceptions ever promulgated on to the human race is this thought that worthiness was a condition for a relationship with God.  The belief that some people are more worthy than others.  That indeed the not so charitable index cards of our life would be used against us in some final and eternal judgment of damnation. That, it is quite possible if you had a slightly checkered past you would be placed on the ‘naughty’ list with very little hope of making it to the ‘nice list’.  As if we were 5-year olds hoping that Santa would not be looking too closely at all those little tantrums and disobedience we keep track of on our little ‘self-worth’ score card.  This is the evil one working at its best.  As soon as we might have the slightest positive thought about our own value, satan quickly reminds us of some petty put down we may have suffered in the past, ‘Really?  You think you can make the varsity?’ Or maybe, ‘What makes you think she would go out with you?’  Reinforced each time we have to walk past those first six rows of the first class section and down to seat 28E next to the toilet.  That little march certainly ‘keeps us in our place’.  This naturalistic phenomenon of ‘survival of the the fittest’ is pounded into our psyche from the moment we realize we have a psyche.  There is this sub-conscious, and at times, very conscious tallying of where we might presently be positioned in comparison to anyone else that might be vying for whatever it is we desire at the moment.  A constant comparison of where we stand in the pecking order, or the food chain, or the hierarchy, which always manifests itself in the mantra of self-doubt, ‘Am I good enough?’

I have seen it in some people I know very well, some very close friends and family members.  I have seen it in myself.  It keeps good people separated from God and His church.  It is devil-work. It is something that takes a long time to let go of because it goes against everything we are taught about right and wrong, of crime and punishment and of getting what you deserve.  It is so entangled into our culture that the church has used it for centuries to literally scare the hell into millions of its members.  A complex system of sins develops – original, venial, and mortal, and different levels of placement in the afterlife perpetuate this very human desire for a place for everything and everything in its place. That doesn’t sound like the Jesus I have come to know.

Jesus commissioned the founders of the church with these words, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. (Mark 28:19, 20)  And then satan twists those parting words into a beauty contest devoid of the love with which God Himself created each and every one of us.  Sure, if left only with the great scorecard of our lives none of us would have any hope of standing in the presence of God.  We are beat over the head continuously with these constant reminders of our failures and lack of worthiness, so much so that a lot of good people just give up and condemn themselves to an eternity of consequence.  But we are not obligated to believe this lie because of the Good News of Jesus Christ.  The Great News is that, ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.‘  This is why it is called ‘The Good News’.  Take a look at this list of past sinners, sinners that sinned greater than probably most of us:

  • This general had one of his most loyal officers murdered so that he could have sex with his wife – King David
  • This man brutally murdered another man in retaliation for a beating the victim he killed gave one of his countrymen – Moses
  • This woman was an adulteress and likely a prostitute – Mary Magdalene
  • This man failed to come to the aid of, and betrayed his dearest friend and teacher at the moment of his greatest need, and actually denied knowing him on three separate occasions – Peter
  • This man persecuted, prosecuted and had people incarcerated and put to death because of their religious beliefs – Paul
  • This man extorted money from the poor, committed fraud and stole from his own kinsmen – Matthew
  • This man was a terrorist and likely a murderer of those who cooperated with the ruling government – Simon the Zealot
  • When called by God to deliver a message of hope, this man ran away in the opposite direction with no intentions of obeying – Jonah

The history of our faith is full of lost souls, sinners, that certainly were not worthy of the glorious grace ultimately gifted to each of them.  They are no different than you and I.  Jesus came for all of us – each and every one of us.  He came to teach all of us.  He came to demonstrate God’s love for all of us, regardless.  When he died on that cross it was for each and every one of us, regardless of what our sin score card was, is or will be.  That is the Good News we Christians are commissioned to spread.  I love this verse from Psalm 103:12 …“as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”…and indeed has made us worthy.

Now what is our response to this inconceivable bit of life changing Good News?  Do we just sit back and bask in the after glow of this blessing of all blessings?  Do we continue to sin without any fear of consequence?  As St Paul says, “God Forbid!”  And I leave you with his follow up to consider, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.'”  Eph. 2:8-10

We are not worthy (Part One)

Posted on by · Leave a comment

library cards 2Something came to me last week and then I got a message from brother Mark.  It contained the parable below which some of you may have read before.  But it was along the lines of what I was pondering so I thought that I would share it with you first and then continue on next time…RT

In the place between wakefulness and dreams, I found myself in the room. There were no distinguishing features save for one wall covered with small index card files. They were like the ones in libraries that list titles by author or subject in alphabetical order. But these files, which stretched from floor to ceiling and seemingly endlessly in either  direction, had very different headings.

As I drew near the wall of files, the first to catch my attention was one that read “People I Have Liked.” I opened it and began flipping through the cards. I quickly shut it, shocked to realize that I recognized the names written on each one.  And then without being told, I knew exactly where I was. This lifeless room with its small files was a crude catalog system for my life. Here were written the actions of my every moment, big and small, in a detail my memory couldn’t match.  

A sense of wonder and curiosity, coupled with horror, stirred within me as I began randomly opening files and exploring their content. Some brought joy and sweet memories; others a sense of shame and regret so intense that I would look over my shoulder to see if anyone was watching. A file named “Friends” was next to one marked  “Friends I Have Betrayed.”  The titles ranged from the mundane to the outright weird. “Books I Have Read,” “Lies I Have Told,” “Comfort I Have Given,” “Jokes I Have Laughed At.” Some were almost hilarious in their exactness: “Things I’ve Yelled at My Brothers.” Others I couldn’t laugh at: “Things I Have Done in My Anger,” “Things I Have Muttered Under My Breath at My Parents.” I never ceased to be surprised by the contents. Often there were many more cards than I expected. Sometimes fewer than I hoped.  I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the life I had lived. Could it be possible that I had the time in my short life to write each of these thousands or even millions of cards?  But each card confirmed this truth. Each was written in my own handwriting. Each signed with my own signature.

When I came to a file marked “Lustful Thoughts,” I felt a chill run through my body. I pulled the file out only an inch, not willing to test its size, and drew out a card. I shuddered at its detailed content. I felt sick to think that such a moment had been recorded.An almost animal rage broke on me. One thought dominated my mind: No one must ever see this room! I have to destroy them! In an insane frenzy I yanked the file out. Its size didn’t matter now. I had to empty it and burn the cards. But as I took it at one end and began pounding it on the floor, I could not dislodge a single card. I became desperate and pulled out a card, only to find it as strong as steel when I tried to tear it.

Defeated and utterly helpless, I returned the file to its slot. Leaning my forehead against the wall, I let out a long, self-pitying sigh. And then I saw it. The title bore “People I Have Shared the Gospel With.” The handle was brighter than those around it, newer, almost unused. I pulled on its handle and a small box not more than three inches long fell into my hands. I could count the cards it contained on one hand.  And then the tears came. I began to weep. Sobs so deep that the hurt started in my stomach and shook through me. I fell on my knees and cried. I cried out of shame, from the overwhelming shame of it all. The rows of file shelves swirled in my tear-filled eyes.  No one must ever, ever know of this room. I must lock it up and hide the key.

But then as I pushed away the tears, I saw Him. No, please not Him. Not here. Oh,anyone but Jesus. I watched helplessly as He began to open the files and read the cards. I couldn’t bear to watch His response. And in the moments I could bring myself to look at His face, I saw a sorrow deeper than my own. He seemed to intuitively go to the worst boxes. Why did He have to read every one?

Finally He turned and looked at me from across the room. He looked at me with pity in His eyes. But this was a pity that didn’t anger me. I dropped my head, covered my face with my hands and began to cry again. He walked over and put His arm around me. He could have said so many things. But He didn’t say a word. He just cried with me. Then He got up and walked back to the wall of files. Starting at one end of the room, He took out a file and one by one, began to sign His name over mine on each card. “NO!” I shouted, rushing to Him. All I could find to say was “no, no,” as I pulled the card from Him. His name shouldn’t be on these cards. But there it was, written in red so rich, so dark, so alive. The name of Jesus covered mine. It was written with His blood. He gently took the card back. He smiled a sad smile and began to sign the cards. I don’t think I’ll ever understand how he did it so quickly, but the next instant it seemed I heard Him close the last file and walk back to my side. He placed His hand on my shoulder and said, “It is finished.”

I stood up, and He led me out of the room. There was no lock on its door. There were still cards to be written.

TO BE CONTINUED…