Pack snacks.

[From January 4, 2016]

"On the following day, when they came from Bethany, (Jesus) was hungry.  Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see whether perhaps he would find anything on it.  When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.  He said to it, 'May no one ever eat fruit from you again!' And his disciples heard it."

(Luke 11:12-14)

Weird story here.

Jesus is in Jerusalem.  It's his final week of life.  He knows where this is leading.  He's going to have to confront the religious leaders.  They'll be his demise.  He's entered the city to great fanfare the day before... but now the "messy part" begins.  On the morning of day two in the city, on his way in, he passes a fig tree.  He's hungry (must've forgot to grab breakfast before he left for the day).  But there aren't any figs on the tree.  Bummer, right?!?  But then he curses the tree (note: when they pass this same tree the following day, it's withered!).  But here's the kicker.  Luke tells us "it was not the season for figs."

So why did Jesus get so upset?  Surely he knew it wasn't "FIG SEASON" (cue Bugs Bunny vs. Elmer Fudd in the classic "Wabbit Season/Duck Season" bit!).  Did Jesus expect the laws of nature to bend to his will?  Or is this merely an example of Jesus' humanity?  We all get hungry...and frustrated... at times. 

Now, granted, in verses 20-24, Luke uses the withered tree as an opportunity for Jesus to teach on the power of faith and prayer.  So maybe THAT was the primary reason for this incident.  But still, it's a curious story, isn't it?

It's not a very spiritual interpretation, but I think I'm going with the humanity of Jesus here.  We all get frustrated, even Jesus!  (This could also be the makings of a first-century SNICKERS commercial - 'You're not yourself, Jesus, when you're hungry!')  Maybe this is a call to patience... when those around me are frustrated and disappointed, don't judge them too harshly.  Even Jesus had a few less-than-stellar moments.  It happens to the best of us.  Persevere.  Have grace for others.  (And pack snacks, next time, Jesus!)

Perspective

[From December 28, 2015]

"And so it was that all were brought safely to land."

(Acts 27:44b)

One sentence.  A simple comment.  Actually, a statement.  The kind we make all the time.  And yet, filled with such depth of faith.  Paul is being transported form Caesarea to Rome.  That seemingly simple statement sounds so nonchalant.  And yet the reality is incredible.

Fourteen weeks at sea.  Two ships.  Numerous storms.  Jettisoning cargo.  Fear of death.  Potential escape thwarted.  Almost killed by the guards.  Their own "last supper" type meal.  Shipwrecked.  Swimming to shore.  Incredible journey!  It's the stuff entire movies are made of.  And Paul concludes by saying, "And so it was that all were brought safely to land."  Wow.  What a perspective!

If you would have asked anyone on that ship with Paul, at various stages of their journey, how they were feeling or what was taking place, I'm guessing they would NOT have said, "We're moving toward safety."  Nope.  Panic... fear... uncertainty... discouragement, yet.  But moving towards safety? Not in the least.

But Paul had a different perspective.  Granted, Acts was penned some time AFTER the events took place.  So time helped grant him some wisdom.  Nonetheless, this speaks volumes to me.  Oftentimes when I'm in the midst of a challenging or difficult situation, I focus on the negative (don't we all?).  Or at least on the obstacles in my way.  But this challenged me to not be so quick to rush to judgment.  Paul looked at the bigger picture: GOD WAS BRINGING THEM TO SAFETY!  It didn't look like that most of the stages along the way. But it was!

Sometimes we need to take a step back from the situation we're in and ask the question: What is God doing through all of this?  We need a new perspective.  A holy vision. Maybe we can't see it "in the moment."  But if we withhold judgment, we might just be surprised at what we find.

PRAYER: Lord, give me a bigger vision.  Help me to see a fraction of how You see what I'm going through.  Keep me from rushing quickly to judgment.  Instead, let me put my hope and trust in You.  For I know that You are working for good in my life and in the world!  AMEN.

{less than}

[From December 24, 2015]

"Know then that God exacts of you less than your guilt deserves."

(Job 11:6b)

There's an interesting saying, "With friends like that, who needs enemies!"  Job can relate.  The poor guy has had his life turned upside down.  For no apparent reason, Job has lost his property, possessions, children, and health.  He was faithful, upright, and kind.  But calamity and misfortune struck nonetheless.  Now he's having a hard time figuring out why.

One of the prevailing notions "back in the day" (ie. biblical times!) was if misfortune befell you, it must be God punishing you for your sin.  Job has 3 "friends" come over to commiserate with him.  Each of them spouts the prevailing wisdom: "What did you do to deserve this, Job?!?!"  Friend #3 (Zophar) is the harshest.  It was clear to him that Job was a sinner (aren't we all!).  "Just confess it and everything will be right!" he chides Job.  In fact, Zophar goes so far as to say, "Know that God exacts of you less than you guilt deserves!"  Meaning, be happy... you could have had it much, much worse!

Some (many?) people still have Zophar's mindset.  If bad things are happening, it's God's punishment.  In the end, the book of Job leaves us with the message that somethings we'll just never understand.  Stuff happens.  Often without rhyme or reason.  But Zophar's statement is true: God does exact less than our guilt deserves.  That's where Jesus comes in.  He took our guilt away.  Merry Christmas!

"Awake!"

[From December 21, 2015]

"My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make melody.  Awake, my soul!"

(Psalm 108:1)

Most of us "younger generation" folk use our cell phones as alarm clocks these days.  We fear no power outages in the night... as long as our phones have enough charge, our bodies will wake up.  But as I was reading Psalm 108 today, I was reminded of another "awakening" that we need (which no cell phone can remedy): OUR SOULS!

"Awake, my soul!" says the Psalmist.  Wow!  I wonder what he recognized about himself when his soul wasn't "awake"?  It may have had nothing to do with feeling tired, sluggish, or lethargic at all.  Maybe he lost his passion... his sense of awe and wonder?  Maybe the sunrise or sunset no longer evoked something within him?  Maybe he wasn't touched by music... or by a child's laugh?  Maybe art wasn't interesting to him?  Maybe he wasn't drawn to conversation with the ones he loved?  Maybe when someone asked him how he was doing, he simply responded with, "fine"?

And then he knew that wasn't how God wired us.  Thus, the call/command: "AWAKE, MY SOUL!"  What a great cry whenever our daily alarm goes off!  Awake, indeed!

The power of food

[From December 15, 2015]

"Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of the people."

(Acts 2:46-47a)

The early church did church before they had a church... building, that is.  After the day of Pentecost (aka The Birthday of the Church!), the followers of Jesus began spreading like wildfire!  The book of Acts chronicles their endeavors.

What's interesting is that they didn't engage in some multi-faceted "outreach program."  They simply lived into the joy that comes from a relationship with Jesus.  They:

1. Gathered for worship...
2. Ate their meals together in each others' homes (also remembering Jesus' last supper with them)...
3. Were generous and shared their resources with those in need...

Evidently, this was contagious.  People were drawn to this generosity, joy, and willingness to share.

Today people freak out hearing that the early church "sold their possessions and distributed the proceeds to all in need."  We're probably way too attached to our stuff, to be honest.  But we can still be generous in so many other ways - including "eating with glad and generous hearts."  Pray before meals.  Buy a friend lunch.  Truly enjoy the food you're eating.  And eat with others.  Often.  Let your joy be evident (and contagious).  It sounds like a small thing... but it can make a big difference in someone else's life.  There is power in food.

The First Sermon?

[From December 14, 2015]

"And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them."

(Nehemiah 8:12)

What do you do when a group of people (in this case, about 50K!) have been "away" from God for an extended period of time and come back "home"?  The Israelites who returned from Babylonian captivity faced just that. Most had grown up in Babylon and only heard stories (from parents and grandparents) about he worship life in Israel.  Now they were home.

After Ezra & Nehemiah helped rebuild the temple, it's interesting that they gathered the people in a large square outside the temple.  Instead of offering sacrifices and reciting prayers (which happened inside the temple), they stared a new practice: SCRIPTURE READING!  Ezra brought "the book of the Law" (probably the Torah: Genesis to Deuteronomy) and read it out loud to the people.  The people stood to hear it (out of reverence & respect?).  The Levites (13 specifically named) "helped the people to understand the law" as it was read (sermons?).  And then the leaders sent the people home with instructions to go with joy, not sorrow.  And the author tells us the people went home to celebrate and rejoice "because they had understood the words that were declared to them."

This is the goal of every preacher, isn't it?  To lift up a passage of scripture... to help people interpret & understand it... and then to send them home with an action plan (some way the passage will impact their life).  All the while, they "understood the words that were declared to them."

The challenge, of course, is to keep the interpretation focused & clear... not to bit off more than folks can chew on in one setting (or more than I can possibly cover in one sermon!).  But when this happens well, then God's transformation has the best chance to take hold.

PRAYER: Thank you, God, for reminding me in this story just how powerful reading the Scriptures can be to us.  Continue to help em refine my "interpretation" of passages as I preach, so others can leave worship having understood what was read.  AMEN.

Resting

[From Dec. 10, 2015]

"O LORD, my heart is not lifted up, my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.  but I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; my soul is like the weaned child that is with me.  O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time on and forevermore."

(Psalm 131)

It's the season of Advent - the month of preparation for Christmas.  I'm preaching a sermon series on Mary and her perspective of the gift of Jesus.  So I've been thinking about moms and babies a lot.

I first "discovered" Psalm 131 in seminary.  During mid-terms and finals, we were given this psalm as a devotional text.  Wow!  "Not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me."  Instead: calm and quiet your soul.  Great advice.

But it's the visual image that packs the biggest punch here: a weaned child and its mother.  Not a nursing child (always demanding to be fed!).  But a contented child.  A child who can just sit with its mother and be together.  Resting.  Trusting.  Calm.  Content.

Mary had seen/heard "great & marvelous" things about her baby Jesus.  It could have been overwhelming.  But then there were times (especially after he was weaned) that she simply held him in her arms and enjoyed the moment.  No future thoughts, endeavors or actions.  Just content to be together.  That's what the Psalmist is calling us to experience, too.  How long has it been since you've rested in the LORD... without asking/wanting/demanding anything?  (Me too.)