Called out...called off!

I admit that I have trouble with this picture.

A father, ready and willing to sacrifice his son - his only son - because God told him to do so.

WHAT? 

Why would a God who is all about love and life, a God who gave Abraham the gift of an heir in his old age, turn and tell him to commit such a barbarous act?

Those who don't believe the Bible is God's revealed word to us say that Genesis 22 is simply a moralistic story against the practice of child sacrifice. But the text really has less to do with the "why" and is more concerned with the "what". Building on the blog yesterday, Abraham is having himself a desert experience. Can you imagine the angst and doubt as a man struggles between heeding His God's command and the love he has for his son? I think you can. I know I can. What is in view here is temptation - the temptation to place the most precious gifts of God above God Himself. In our age, in the current church, one sees a sort of worship of our personal salvation and a praise of new found glory placed above worship and praise of God. How? Ignore the cross and you're left with this "theology of glory". That is to say, when it's all about me and my decisions for God, my acceptance of His gifts, my choice to follow Jesus in order to receive the crown of life, we've missed the point. The point is a sacrifice, of an only Son, made for us. The point is a ram caught in the thicket - and a place so aptly named "The Lord will provide". On the mount of the Lord, it WAS provided - once and for all. The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross is not for us to decide, to accept or to follow - but simply to praise a God who loves us beyond our measure of love and provides the most needful thing - shalom...everlasting peace.

Where are you?

Riding the motorcycle yesterday I was, once again, taken in by the scenery. A beautiful, partly cloudy day really highlighted the landscape. In the hills, greened with recent rain, the growth was amazing - double since my last ride toward the desert. The change is more sudden than one might think, over a winding peak and down into the wilderness. Nothing but sage and cactus, dirt and rock. No rain means no green - no growth. I've been here more than once. In fact, it seems like the wilderness is so familiar that I can fool myself into thinking it comfortable and hospitable rather than the dry and dangerous place we all know it to be. When I try to find my way, I end up in the desert. When I try to make my own path, it leads down winding peaks into the wilderness. When life becomes more about my truth and my desire I am suddenly in the sand - deep, and hot with no relief in sight. Psalm 25..."Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long." The question arose last week about Lent. What's it all about? Why observe 40 days of reflection prior to the celebration of Easter? Simple - we all wander into the desert, and it is from the desert that God calls, teaches and leads His people into the garden of His ways, His paths, His truth.  Lent begins in ashes and ends in glory. Remember His mercy and His steadfast love, they have been from old. It is God who rescued Adam and Eve from the desert of their pride, Abraham from the desert of his paganism, Jacob from the desert of his deceit, Joseph from the desert of his arrogance, Moses from the desert of his mistrust and each of us from the desert of sin, death and the devil. The cross stands at the entrance to the garden - let's walk together with Jesus as the story of His loving sacrifice of rescue is told.

So it begins...

A friend recognized that this coming Wednesday is Ash Wednesday - the beginning of the season of Lent.  He asked about the significance and mentioned an interest in why this season has been historically marked in the church. The lesson from the Gospel of Mark 9:1-9 for this Sunday, the Sunday of the Transfiguration, reveals the journey we'll take for the next 50 days - from mountain top to empty tomb, the journey of our God for us. When Peter, James and John's eyes are blessed with the view of the radiant Jesus they have a glimpse of the empty tomb. They see that Jesus stands as one with the Law and the Prophets, with Moses and Elijah as the complete revelation of God. In an all to human moment, the apostles wish to remain - to hold on to the glory, not realizing that glory comes with a price. The voice of God beckons, "This is my Son, listen to Him" as He tells them not to say anything until the Son of Man has risen from the dead. Listen to Jesus. The glory we desire cannot be realized without His cross. The glory of the empty tomb of Jesus cannot be apprehended without the temptation, without reflection, without repentance and without the consequences of our sin -His suffering and death itself- being realized. Next week I'll post more on the specifics of Lenten observances. Suffice it to say that we're beginning the journey once again, the journey to the cross, the journey to the Glory of God in Christ Jesus.

Holding on too tightly?

There is a part of being a pastor that I pray will never become ordinary or easy. Granted I serve a demographically young congregation, it is still a gathering that is occasioned by death. Standing by to support those who mourn the passing of their loved ones I have witnessed our all too human desire to hold on too tightly to the life we know and see. Never ordinary, never easy, death is loss. Even the strongest in faith still want one more moment, one more smile, one more "I love you." In reading 2 Kings chapter 2 one can note these all too human traits from the young Elisha, as his loved one Elijah is about to be taken into the arms of God on a fiery chariot of heaven. Elisha, however, has an uncommon opportunity occasioned by the death of his friend. As he defies the prophet, following him across the parted waters of the Jordan, Elisha witnesses God taking his servant unto himself. A double portion of Elijah's spirit is poured out on Elisha - helping him to let go of his friend and to receive the blessings not only of his life, but his blessed "death" as well. It reminds me of another role I have the honor to fulfill, one which is never ordinary nor easy. Studying this text brings to my heart each time I lower the head of child of God toward the waters of baptism. For me, Baptism makes death all too real, that God parts the waters to bring us from this realm of sin and of death to new life in Him. Do we try to hold on to life, a little too tightly maybe? Sure we do! That's what sin is all about! But the reality is that no matter how much we think we have lost in a life that God has consecrated Himself, we have actually received much more! We've received double portions of the Holy Spirit in the waters of our baptism into the death of Jesus!  Just as Elisha knows that life without his friend will be difficult, tearing his clothes as he laments a soon to be divided Israel, we know that the baptized life is never ordinary nor easy. Our question remains each day, as we have been translated from death to life in the cross of Christ, are we holding on too tightly? Or can we be, like Elisha, good stewards of the death of our friend?

Imitators of Christ

My earliest years were spent growing up in a large family led by a faithful and dedicated single mom. She often referred to herself as a "mother duck", moving through life with all her ducklings in tow. We learned faithfulness and dedication from her. We learned that love often meant going without so that others could have what they needed to grow. The words "I love you" were DONE to us, not just spoken. Friends - that's the gospel. It's not only the word that "God loves you", it's the action. God loved us even before He created us! He loved us enough to give us His Son and with Him the ultimate act of faithfulness and dedication, the Cross. The loving action of Jesus was for the glory of the Father - and in that act, the Father glorified the Son. Paul says that "whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." This is love that gives no offense to those who believe, are searching for belief and even those who do not believe at all. Love does not seek it's own advantage, but instead it DOES Jesus to another. "Be imitators of me," says Paul, "as I am of Christ." Continue to imitate Christ, to DO Jesus to others - that some may know His love!

...of love

Great comments on the last post - I encourage you all to click on these comments and give them a read! Remember, this is YOUR conversation, I'm just here to point you to where true fellowship in Christ can be found! With that, let's move on!

Whether were looking at a little girl in Aram, a captive of Israel in the service of a great and mighty yet leprous commander or Jesus Himself reaching out to touch and to heal a leper in Mark 1:41 we see a common thread. It's a thread of pity, or compassion on one afflicted. The girl, moved by compassion for her captor directs Naaman to "the prophet who is in Samaria" the one "who would cure him his leprosy". Jesus, "moved with pity..stretched out His hand  and touched" the man afflicted with the same disease. Each was moved to an unnecessary act of compassionate love toward those who were historically marked as unclean. We hear nothing more about the girl. Her act of compassion, of trust and of love is met and fulfilled by the compassion trust and love Elisha the prophet has been given from God. So what's the response of Naaman after reluctantly dipping in the muddy Jordan? He returns to the man of God and proclaims there is not other God than the God of Israel! Amazing! A simple act of compassionate love results in a life changed, physically and spiritually. As for Jesus and his leper, well, we hear much more. The man Jesus charges to tell no one of his healing, but instead to go to the priest and offer for his cleansing, can't help but to speak freely and to spread the news! In fact, it got around so widely that Jesus could not openly enter a town for all those who wished to receive the same gift. Where does Jesus gift of love place Him? In the the desolate places - the places where the lepers often dwelled! What a beautiful picture of how a simple act of love is actually a simple gift of replacement. Our sickness for His health. Our sins for His purity. Our life for His blood. The love of  God is the sacrifice of He who was captive unto death in the cross and yet freed to life eternal in the resurrection! Remember this gift of love, for it is the gift you share...like a little girl who points the way to her healing hope!

A little gift

Good things come in small packages...right?

The smallest of gifts is a gift just the same. Yet it's the smallest of gifts that's often overlooked by our "bigger is better" hearts. Valentines day is this week, directing many of us to think about that perfect gift that will show our love for another.

2 Kings 5:1-14 isn't exactly the first place one might look for the enormous gift of God's love. Naaman, a warrior - commander of a foreign army - a "great man" , in "high favor"...yet a man with a bad rash! Leprosy- or "a skin affliction" as the Hebrews might say! Nasty, oozing skin sores! Naaman really needs a tube of Neosporin! In all of his greatness, all of his achievements, Naaman still needs something more. Naaman needs to be healed of this affliction, and that's no small gift! Well, good things DO come in small packages. Instead of the gifts of salves and medications, all the cures the sages can offer to such great man, Naaman gets a little gift from a little person. It's the smallest gesture, but the one which will have greatest impact on a man who is by all accounts outside the love of God.  Naaman is directed to one who has a cure for his affliction, a prophet of God - who knows and speaks of trusting God to heal - even if it means taking a bath in the scummy old River Jordan. Hmmm...water and the word that heals? The Jordan no less, where one would come and be baptized, a small thing that fulfills all righteousness. While the love of God may come in the small package called "trust" or "faith", this gift is no small thing! It is eternally huge, healing in the cosmic sense, restoration and life given as a precious gift. For what purpose? Well, that's for all of you to discuss and discover - for each of us has been healed by the cross of Christ, each of us has been endowed with this gift....NOW WHAT??? 

When God calls...

We've been discussing the economy of God, or how it is that God manages His resources...namely us. Watching Jesus pray in the Gospel of Mark, the context surrounding His prayer is striking. This first recorded prayer indicates not only His confidence in the Father to hear but the certainty of His own calling. There's a word that's thrown around quite a bit - call our a calling from God. Paul was fond of the term as a descriptive to God managing what rightfully belongs to Him. God calling us is married to Christ proclaiming the Good News of an perfectly economic God. The call is voice of Jesus, calling us into His Kingdom- calling us into repentance, forgiveness and new life. The call is the cross of Jesus where God's economy comes into full balance - our sins paid by His blood. The call is a one-way, toll free, crystal clear and eternally loud ring that cannot be silenced! The call is a call to you and to me, to drop all the pretense of pious prattle and to actually live the life God Himself calls us to in Christ - a life of joy in a balanced economy for us and a life that abundantly gives as we have been given!

Jesus Economy

Check out the Gospel of Mark - 1:29-29.

We'd agree that the economy of God is mysterious to say the least! Why He expends resources on a "stiff necked" people is challenging - except when we realize that's exactly who God is. His economy is revealed in His actions. Like here in the text where Jesus heals the weak (Simon's mother) the afflicted and the possessed. 

I am still amazed to see Jesus rising early and departing to pray.

What do you all think He's praying about?

Clue: It's got something to do with Jesus' highly economic task!

A question of economics

Thanks for visiting the blogsite! Last week we had a great conversation on passion - the passion God has for us which moved Him to give us Jesus - the passion of Jesus to lay down His life for our forgiveness  - and the passion we have, to take what we have been given and share it with our community. Notice that passion is all about that which is given in response to that which is received!

This week...it's a question of economics. 

A timely subject, to say the least!

Economics, in the proper sense, is all about management. The Greeks called OIKONOMIA the science of household management. It's about the balance of resources so as to minimize waste and maximize influence.

Let's set aside economics in the financial sense and think of spiritual economics.

Start by taking a look at Psalm 147. What does the Psalmist say about the economy of God?

We're all looking forward to your responses!