Harrassed & Helpless

[From July 3, 2012]

"When (Jesus) saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd."

(Matthew 9:36)

Harassed & helpless.  That's what Jesus saw when he looked at the crowds of people who gathered around him.  Harassed & Helpless.  Of course, there wasn't any particular person harassing them, per se.  they were being overwhelmed by life.  By their physical health.  By their economic condition.  By their social standing.  There was an inner turmoil in the lives of so many... and they were helpless to change it.

So despite the fact that Jesus (and the Disciples) was often tired when he met them, he could see through their condition to their heart.  They needed God's peace & healing.  They needed a shepherd to look after them.

We within the church so often forget what it's like to be "without a shepherd."  We take for granted the reservoir of amazing grace & unending love that God bestows upon us daily.  It's available to everyone, but we, as Christians, know we can draw upon that to help get us through.  We also forget that "nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus."  That's comforting!  So instead of trying to get people to "come to church," we need to start introducing them to The Great Shepherd.  That will go a long way to helping alleviate their feelings of being harassed & helpless.

You cover my head

[From June 28, 2012]

"O LORD, my Lord, my strong deliverer, you have covered my head in the day of battle."

(Psalm 140:7)

I have just finished watching the 2nd season of the medieval series, "Game of Thrones."  The final episodes had an epic battle.  Land & sea forces.  Flaming arrows.  Flashing swords.  Catapults.  Rocks.  Boiling oil. The whole nine yards.

The sea forces came to shore via smaller row boats.  Once on land, the soldiers flipped their boats & carried it over their heads to protect them from the flying arrows, rocks, oil, etc.  It enabled them to approach the castle and begin their assault.  That "shield" was invaluable to those soldiers.  Individual shields & helmets also helped protect a soldiers' head - a very important component of staying alive in battle!

Psalm 140, attributed to David, was written by a soldier.  David was intimately familiar with the intricacies of battle.  He would have known the  importance of head protection.  And that's why he attributed that component to the LORD.  "You have covered my head in the day of battle."  God doesn't prevent us from having to face "battles" in life.  But He does give us vital protection in the midst of our struggles.  Amen to that!

"Mediums & Wizards"

[From June 26, 2012]

"Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his own city.  Saul had expelled the mediums and wizards from the land."

(1 Samuel 28:3)

The occult. 
Christianity has been at odds with those who "consult the dead," perform seances, and seek to tap into any form of spirituality that is not God-centered.  "JUST SAY NO!" has been the rallying cry for centuries.  How curious, then, to find a passage in the OT that's steeped in the occult.

1 Samuel 28 tells the story of the time King Saul consulted a medium.  "Oh yah, but Saul was a whackjob by then.  He was spiritually unstable!"  True.  True.  But he had cast out all "mediums and wizards" from Israel ("As it should be!" you're saying to yourself, right?  Right.).  But the prophet Samuel had died.  And try as he might, Saul couldn't hear a word from the LORD - no matter what he tried.

So Saul went "outside the box" in his desperation.  Sure, God wasn't speaking to him because he'd abandoned the Lord.  But that didn't stop  Saul from trying.  He tracked down a medium-in-hiding (who was very reluctant to practice her "craft," for fear of government reprisal!) and convinced her that she wouldn't be punished for  "services rendered."

Now, if we were writing this story, here's where we'd insert some kind of "gotcha" scene. Saul, that God-forsaken king, would get caught in his pathetic attempt to coerce a word from the LORD, and would be soundly scolded for even thinking about the occult as a means of communication with God.

That kind of happened.  But not really.  Saul got busted, all right!  His undercover deception was exposed.  But the medium still did her part!  She brought back a spirit from the grave.  Not just any spirit, though... SHE BROUGHT BACK THE PROPHET SAMUEL HIMSELF!  Samuel's message to Saul was less than encouraging.  Samuel told him that he and his sons would be joining him in the afterlife tomorrow (gulp!).  But it makes me wonder... what are we to make of this story?

As Christians, we believe that Jesus has conquered death.  By his resurrection, life eternal is possible.  We have nothing to fear.  We're told to avoid the occult at all costs.  And rightly so.  We don't want to expose ourselves to any evil influences that we don't have to.  And yet, this story seems to be saying that God is God - even over the occult!  God can use an "evil" method to bring a divine message.  Should we seek out unconventional forms of communication?  Probably not.  But let us remember that God can speak to us in MANY different ways and through many different people.  Let us keep our hearts focused on Him!

Holiness & Honor

"For this is the will of God, your sanctification... that each one of you know how to control your own body in holiness & honor, not with lustful passion... that no one wrong or exploit a brother or sister in this manner, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things..."

(1 Thessalonians 4:3-6)

Sexuality is a part of life.  We were created to be sexual beings.  Using our sexuality appropriately, however, has been a challenge since the beginning of time. 

It's not hard to find evidence of our ongoing struggle with our sexuality.  Human trafficking for the "sex industry" is rampant - even in the US.  The media is saturated with details of the Jerry Sandusky trial (former Penn State assistant football coach accused of molesting boys).  Religious leaders in a variety of denominations have faced charges of sexual misconduct.  Not to mention that popular songs, movies, and books revel in illicit affairs and "sexual freedom."  Unfortunately, the aftermath is heavy (both from those participating and those affected by others' sexual choices).

It's not a new phenomenon.  Paul knew this.  He wrote to the church in Thessalonia, encouraging them to "control your own bodies in holiness & honor," without exploiting anyone.  It's possible to do.  It really is.  But it's also really hard.  It takes discipline & resolve.

The real kicker, according to Paul, comes at the end of the passage.  "The Lord is the avenger in all these things."  God has a heart for the exploited & abused.  When no one else could (or would) help, God was there.  And in the end, God will hold us accountable for our actions.

May we surround ourselves by people who will encourage us to live with holiness & honor.

JUST a boy

[From June 17, 2012]

"Saul said to David, 'You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are just a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth.'"

(1 Samuel 17:33)

"You're just a kid!" 
"You're too young!" 
"You don't have enough experience!"
These are all comments made to youth.  All... the... time!  Since the beginning of time. 
It drives youth crazy.

David knows how it feels.  The youngest of 8 brothers, he was always getting put down by his older siblings.

Like the time his Dad sent him to bring food to his brothers in the army.  The army that was not really being an army... because they were too afraid to fight!  You see, they were up against the Mighty Philistines and the giant, Goliath.  He'd challenged them to send one soldier out to face him.  Winner take all. 

No one volunteered.

No one, that is, until David came.  When King Saul heard his willingness to fight, he said those ill-fated words, "You're just a boy..."  (Ouch.  Like a punch to the gut!)

But wait a minute... Saul also said Goliath has been "a warrior from his youth."  David is a youth.  And a soon-to-be-warrior.  GIVE HIM A CHANCE!  We should give all our youth a chance.  How else can we expect them to learn?

Ask Her!

[From June 4, 2012]

"There was a certain man of Zorah, of the tribe of the Danites, whose name was Manoah.  his wife was barren, having borne no children.  And the angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, 'You shall conceive and bear a son...'"

(Judges 13:2-3)

Judges 13-16 is the crazy, drama-laden, NC-17 rated story about Samson.  It definitely has all the makings of an HBO miniseries!  But before the exploits of Samson titillate our senses, we get his birth story.  Or, to be more specific, how his upcoming birth was first communicated to his parents: Manoah and "his wife."

The fact that this was a male-dominated society is clear from the start.  We hear the name & lineage of Samson's dad, Manoah.  But all we know about his mom is that she is Manoah's "wife."  Nevertheless, the angel comes to HER, not him.  The angel tells her she'll give birth to a son.  She is to have a tempered pregnancy (no wine, strong drink or unclean foods!).  When he's born, there's only one stipulation for his life: no hair cuts.  Ever.  His hair will be a sign of his relationship with (and separation for) God.

So "the wife' tells Manoah all that happened..  He, in turn, asks God to send the messenger back one more time.  God does.  Again, the angel comes to "the wife."  She runs to get Manoah, who wants to make sure it's the same guy from the day before. Then he asks the angel how they're to raise their son.  "What is to be the boy's rule of life; what is he to do?"

Now, what caused me to want to journal today is the very next words by the angel.  It's brilliant!  (Especially in a male-dominated society!)  "The angel of the LORD said to Manoah, 'Let the woman give heed to all that I said to her...'"  Then he repeats her pregnancy restrictions.  That's it.  He doesn't answer Manoah's question directly. Why?  Because he's already told "the woman" what to do: no haircuts.  Did Manoah not believe her when she told him that?  Did he think it was too simplistic?  Did he believe his wife not to be a reliable conduit of communication?  We don't know.  But I love the fact that the angel validated his message to her!  She knows.  Ask her.

God has ways to cut through the human biases that we project upon others.  God sees all of us as persons of equal value & worth.  Amen to that!

Avoid stagnant pools

[From June 1, 2012]

"As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God.  My soul thirsts for God, for the living God."

(Psalm 42:1-2a)

For a time, I used to love to watch the television show, "MAN VS. WILD."  Bear Ghrylls, former British military extraordinaire & outdoors-man, places himself in all kinds of perilous environments & terrains.... then shows others how to survive in the wild.  It's quite compelling to watch.

One of the basic tenants he teaches is the need for water.  That's not surprising, of course.  But he does warn against the dangers of  stagnant water.  Avoid it at all costs.  Too much bacteria!  Flowing streams are much better (& he even shows us how to filter water, but that's for another day).

In Psalm 42, the author makes a spiritual connection to Bear Ghrylls' practical advice.  His soul longs for the "flowing streams" of God.  No stagnant & stale religion.  His spirit "thirsts for the living God."  I believe we were all created with that "divine thirsting" in our souls.  Too often, however, we settle for stale and stagnant religion... an expression of God that is less than life-changing.  Shame on us.  God is active, alive, and ready to change us - if only we'll let him.  Pray, search the Scriptures, connect in worship, enjoy nature, connect with friends in the faith... all are ways God can "show up" in our lives in real & powerful ways!