More on Staying Connected to Jesus

I plan on our spending more time in the book of Revelation on Sunday mornings over the next few weeks. We’ll be looking at the seven letters to the seven churches of Asia Minor. As we examine the strengths and weaknesses of these churches, we’ll have the opportunity to prepare ourselves for the future God has in store for us as a congregation. I trust that God will give our BRC Future Task Force a vision for our future. But it’s important that we all prepare spiritually for that vision. These chapters in Revelation should help us do that.

In yesterday’s post I began to talk about what it takes to stay connected to Jesus as we live our days. The first thing is that we have to want to. This next Sunday I’ll say more about what we can do to increase our desire.

A second suggestion I’d like to make is that we attempt to bring him to each place and person we encounter during our day.

Christ Awareness

Tough day yesterday for Mario. He really appreciated the love and tears he experienced from the kids and adults at the youth group meeting on Sunday night. Both he and his mother have a challenging road ahead of them. Without getting into specifics, please be praying for their safety. I’ll e-mail his address to folks in case you want to send him a line. It may prove to be a lifeline.

In the Old Testament reading for this morning (Nehemiah 12) there was great rejoicing over the completion of the rebuilt wall around Jerusalem. Today, in this age of the New Covenant, we rejoice in the tearing down of the wall between Jew and Gentile, between insiders and outsiders, and especially between us and God. I’m reminded of how, immediately after Jesus’ death, the veil that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Temple was torn from top to bottom — signifying that we now have immediate access to the throne and presence of God.

This reminds me of the politician who after winning a hard run campaign said, “So what do we do now?”

Out on a Limb

Made a last-ditch effort yesterday afternoon to see if Mario could stay with Sharon and me for at least the next little while. Mom wasn’t open to it, and she gave a couple of decent reasons why it would be a problem. I’m going to miss that guy. Mario is amazed at all the love you folks have been showing him. And like I keep saying to people, the story isn’t over yet. I’ll be driving Mario and his mother to the Bronx sometime today. Thanks for all your prayers.

I’m really looking forward to the first meeting of the BRC Future Task Force. It should happen in the next two or three weeks as we try to coordinate our schedules. There are times, like after yesterday’s sermon, when it feels like I’ve stepped out onto a limb that can’t possibly bear my weight, much less the weight of all the other folks I’m asking to join me. I’m also absolutely convinced that this is how it’s supposed to be when we’re following Jesus. And that’s what I want to do for the rest of my life.

I’ve been spending some time this morning memorizing the vision of Jesus in Revelation 1 that we reflected upon yesterday. First century Christians needed such “counter-images” in order to deal with all the visual reference points to the Roman empire and culture that surrounded them. There were empire temples, statues, signs, insignias, entertainment venues and military personnel everywhere they looked. Today we are bombarded through television and computer screens, roadside billboards, newspapers and magazines with constant visual references to the idols of our age. So I appreciate John’s visualization of Jesus that contains so many powerful symbols.

May each of us provide a visual glimpse and foretaste of Jesus’ kingdom to the people around us wherever we live, work, learn and play today.

Leakers

Yesterday’s epistle reading was I Corinthians 13, or what’s often called the “Love Chapter.” The main thing that struck me when I read it were all the negatives: Paul lists six things that love does, and eight things that love doesn’t do. Love doesn’t envy or boast or become prideful. It isn’t rude, selfish or irritable. Nor does it keep a record of wrongs. And it doesn’t delight in wrongdoing.

The problem with all of these is that they can poke holes in our love. Even the slightest sulk or critical thought can create a pinhole that causes our love to gradually leak away.

Love is our most precious possession. It is a gift of the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5).

Does your love have any holes that need plugging?

Divine Alchemy

Yesterday’s Gospel reading contains the Beatitudes. I’ve been intrigued with the Beatitudes, in fact the whole Sermon on the Mount, for many years. Like so many other teachings of Jesus, we may find ourselves “strangely drawn” to them, and at the same time mystified by them. I have personally interpreted them in all sorts of ways, and I’ve heard others do the same. Opinions differ not only about the content of the Beatitudes but about how they are ordered and arranged. I wouldn’t pretend to know the way to read the Beatitudes. But I would like to offer to you a way to read and understand them – one that fits for me personally and also squares with Jesus’ historical context.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” “Kingdom of heaven” is simply a Jewish way of saying “Kingdom of God.” It’s Jesus’ Big Idea. It’s what’s supposed to happen, what’s supposed to come. It’s God’s reigning over the whole world and the whole world living according to God’s ways. God’s kingdom is a kingdom of shalom, peace, prospering, justice, healing, reconciliation and community. It’s what we were made for. It’s what Jesus’ first coming began and his second coming will complete.

Remembering Jesus

During Sunday’s sermon I said that one of the key ways I remember Jesus is by rereading the Gospels. Yesterday morning I read through the gospel of Matthew. I read through it — I didn’t read it thoroughly. I read just enough of each story or teaching to jog my memory about that event. Then I moved on to the next story or teaching. I hardly meditated at all (unless I couldn’t help it) on what I read. I just allowed the words to refresh my memory of Jesus.

One thing I took away from my reading is Jesus’ making it clear to everyone that if they really wanted to know him, they would need to make him the absolute center of their lives. Even then it would be hard; it would require all they had to give to their discipleship, and it wouldn’t happen quickly.

The decision we all have to make is whether or not we think he’s worth it — worth the effort to get to know.

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.”

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”

God’s Will in 3-D

Yesterday’s Old Testament reading raised some interesting questions for me about the will of God. God’s prophet, Elijah, gets in trouble with Israel’s King Ahab because Elijah told Ahab there wouldn’t be any rain for the next few years. In order to protect Elijah, God sends Elijah outside of Israel to stay with a widow who, with her son, is about to prepare their last meal. They have no more food. Elijah tells her that if she feeds him first, her jar of flour and jug of oil will never be empty until the rain comes again.

What’s the Point?

A couple of thoughts about yesterday’s Gospel reading (Mark 14:53-55). The religious leaders have arrested Jesus and are now interrogating him. Witnesses are bringing up all sorts of accusations, and are offering different renditions and interpretations of things that Jesus has said during his ministry. Jesus is silent. He makes no attempt to defend himself or to correct those who have misquoted him. Finally, the high priest asks him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?”

Seeing Through a Glass Darkly

One of my favorite Old Testament scholars is John Goldingay. Recently I read about his wife Ann, who died not too long ago of MS. John teaches at Fuller seminary, and the mostly silent Ann often attended seminary functions in her wheelchair.

In his book, Walk On, John Goldingay shares about his life with God through the journey of Ann’s battle with MS. In his chapter titled Calamity, he shares his thoughts on the book of Job. He writes:

“What we may be able to infer is that calamities do have explanations, even if we do not know what they are, for there is another feature of the story of Job that delights me every time I think about it, not least because it establishes a similarity between Job and us. It is that Job himself never knows about chapters 1 and 2 of “his” book. So he goes through his pain the same way we do. And he illustrates how the fact that we do not know what might explain our suffering, what purpose God might have in it, does not constitute the slightest suggestion that the suffering has no explanation…I cannot imagine the story that makes it okay for God to have made Ann go through what she has been through. But I can imagine that there is such a story.”

It is in the first couple of chapters of Job that Satan approaches God with permission to test Job’s spiritual fiber. I don’t think the author is suggesting that this is the only or even the most frequent reason why believers suffer. I’m guessing that the point the writer of Job is making is very similar to Goldingay’s point: just because we can’t think of any good reason why bad things happen to good people doesn’t mean there aren’t any good reasons. Like John Goldingay says, we can imagine that there are good reasons even if we can’t imagine what they actually are. God is a whole lot smarter than we are, and more importantly, a lot more wise and loving than we are.

Job was never able to figure out why all those things happen to him. I suppose we can’t help but at least try to come up with reasons. But finally, we have to just trust God — the God who reveals himself to the life, death and resurrection of his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. That’s why I trust God. Not because of my explanations for why people suffer, but because Jesus suffered — and rose again. It’s not ultimately why things happen that matters, but where things are going.

No matter what’s happening, the story isn’t over yet. It’s not anywhere near over.

One of my favorite Old Testament scholars is John Goldingay. Recently I read about his wife Ann, who died not too long ago of MS. John teaches at Fuller Seminary, and the mostly silent Ann often attended seminary functions in her wheelchair.

In his book, Walk On, John Goldingay shares about his life with God through the journey of Ann’s battle with MS. In his chapter titled Calamity, he shares his thoughts on the book of Job. He writes:

The Best Question

Pastor Andy Stanley has written a book called The Best Question Ever. I haven’t read it yet, but I learned what question he’s referring to through a blog post that someone else wrote about the book. The “best” question is, “What is the wise thing to do?” I don’t know if it’s the best question ever, but I think it’s a great question.

Stanley applies this question to three specific areas: time, money and morality. Instead of asking, “Is it okay for me to use my time this way?”, why not ask, “Is this a wise use of my time?” Instead of asking, “Is there anything wrong with my buying this?”, how about asking, “Would this be a wise way to spend my money?” Wisdom sees things holistically and is less likely to heed the beck and call of instant gratification.

There is a whole body of literature in the Bible called “wisdom literature.” The book of Proverbs is one example. Proverbs are neither commands nor promises. They are rules of thumb, insights gained by experience. They were written down by people who lived the question, “What is the wise thing to do?” Again, I think it’s a great question. What do you think?