Rereading the Scripture

Rereading the Scripture

“Scripture is like a river . . . broad and deep, shallow enough here for the lamb to go wading, but deep enough there for the elephant to swim.”—

 Gregory the Great

I have found as I am moving into being middle-aged that some of the Scriptures that I find to be most powerful and meaningful are the ones with which I am more familiar. As I get older, these Scriptures take on whole new meaning for me. The parable of the sheep and goats is one such Scripture, especially as I look at some things going on in our nation and our world, and the call to welcome the stranger. Another such passage is the Genesis 6, where it talks about the violence and sinfulness of the world, and how this behavior led to the judgment of the world. Last week, however, as I was preparing to go to the nursing home, it was Psalm 23 that caught my attention.

Psalm 23 speaks in new and powerful ways to me now. At times I just kind of recited this psalm from memory, or read it without thinking. Recently it has been a word of comfort from the Lord that I keep coming back to.

Here is that Psalm, for those of you who may not know it well:

¹ The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.⁴ Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me your rod and your staff, they comfort me ⁵ You prepare a table before me  in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil my cup overflows. ⁶ Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (NIV)

As I reread this text last week, three items of good news spoke to me, and I hope they speak to you as well.

If we choose to be led by the Good Shepherd by acknowledging Jesus as our Lord and Savior we can claim that:

1.    God’s presence is always with us. In the good times, he provides for us and refreshes us (v. 2-3). In the difficult times, he guides, protects, and honors us (v. 4-5). Either way, his love and goodness are ever present with the faithful (v. 6)

2.   God invites us on a journey. God meets us where we are, but he does not leave us there. As you read through the Psalm you see that God is leading us on a journey and has a purpose for us.

3.    God calls us to live with him for eternity. The promise of God is all who choose to have him as their Good Shepherd will “dwell in the house of the Lord forever” Isn’t that good news?

So, my friends, take that hope and blessing with you. Have a great week!

It's Bigger Than You

IT IS BIGGER THAN YOU

John the Baptist is a man in the New Testament that had a ministry that prepared the way for Jesus. He was an eccentric fellow. He dressed different than everyone. He ate bugs. He lived in the desert, near the Jordan River in Israel. And he preached there. He was fond of preaching to people about how they needed to turn their lives around so that they could be fully alive to what God was doing in the world.

One day, Jesus, our perfect Lord and Savior came to John, and was baptized with everyone else. And, soon after this event, Jesus began his public ministry of teaching and healing, preaching and sometimes simply hanging out with folks. As Jesus’s ministry began to grow, people following John began to lessen. John the Baptist’s disciples were concerned and distraught. They came to the Baptist with their concerns. And at that point John was pretty clear, ^“He must become greater; I must become less.”

We live in a world that is becoming increasingly self-centered and narcissistic. We want to run around and take “selfies” everywhere. We write Facebook posts that assume people are interested in the smallest details of our personal life. When asked to get involved in a project or activity instead of asking, “What difference will it make?” we ask, “What is in it for me?” We find news outlets that tell us the propaganda that we want to hear, so that we can be affirmed in our own socioeconomic bubble. We seek attention and affirmation for everything we do, and everywhere we go.

John reminds us that our lives, especially if we are servants of God, are not our own. Our lives, instead, are much bigger than us. As Rick Warren aptly begins the Purpose-Driven Life, “It is not about you.” I Corinthians 6: 19-20 states this explicitly, “You are not your own, you are bought with a price.”

When we belong to Christ, we are part of a global mission with eternal consequences. We are called to do our part, but we are not called to live and labor for our own glory and our own success. We live our lives in gratitude for Christ saving us, and instead lift him up and give him all the glory. We seek to have our agendas and our ego’s decrease as we live our lives, so that Christ, his Word, and his love, may increase.

So my friends, seek not vindication, recognition, or fame. Your life is bigger and more valuable than attention seeking. Instead seek to know, follow, and imitate Jesus. Be a signpost pointing a way to THE WAY, THE TRUTH, and THE LIFE.

The Big Offering

Most churches, in one way or another, incorporate a collection of financial contributions into their worship services. For more liturgical churches, this happens after the message. The logic being that giving is a response to God’s action through answering our prayers and giving us his word. In the churches I grew up in and was a part of until I came to Hot Springs, an offering took place somewhere in the middle of the service, because we wanted to leave time for responding to the Word through seeking prayer and making commitments of faith during an invitation, or what others term an “altar call”. In either tradition, the bringing of tithes and offerings is considered an important part of worship, not simply because what we do with our resources is part of our worship, but because the presentation of tithes and offerings is an act where we not only offer our money but a time where we offer our very selves in worship to God.

One of my favorite verses is this, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship,” (Romans 12:1) or as it is stated in the Message, “So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.”

One Christian music group in the 1980’s had a slogan, “He died for me, I’ll live for him”. That slogan has always rang true and sounded biblically sound to me. I think that sentence hits home because it summarizes Romans 12:1. We are to bring our lives before God as a “living sacrifice”. The term “living sacrifice” implies both a complete commitment, and a commitment that needs to continue to be renewed. It is not an offering, like you put in a plate at church, that is given and received at one point and then you are finished with. It is an offering that begins at a specific time, but continues through repeated resolve and commitment through God’s assistance and grace into the eternal future.

It also, as the Message reminds us, is an offering that takes place in the mundane and gritty details of everyday life, and not in the enclosed space of a sanctuary or the narrow window of time of a Sunday worship service. Worship services are important, not because we need to give an hour to God a week, but because that hour equips us to give our 24/7 to the service of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is important to give of your resources to others and to the church. It is even more important to make that giving a portion of giving your life in service of the Master.

Getting a Do-Over

GETTING A DO-OVER

One of the themes of my messages and my ministry is this: God is a God of second chances. Whether we look at the Year of Jubilee in Leviticus 25, or the many opportunities that Israel was given with the judges and kings, or Jesus’ message of forgiveness and grace, God is always giving us the opportunity to start again as people, to have a new opportunity, to get a do-over when we have messed things up. I don’t know about you, but I need second chances, and third chances, and more.

One of the joys of a new year is that it is often a time to stop, reflect, and take a few moments to consider what changes God may be leading us to make in our lives. Whether we are given a second chance to be healthier, or we accept the gift of a do-over in our spiritual lives, it is never too late to allow God to continue to for you into the new creation he created you to become.

Here are a few questions to ask yourself as you consider how may God be calling you to grow in the coming year:

1.      What destructive habits have been controlling my life, and harming my well-being or my relationships with others?

2.      What dreams and goals have been left unfulfilled in my life that I might want to take some steps toward making happen as the Lord gives you the opportunity?

3.      What relationships have been damaged that need forgiveness and healing?

4.      In what way can I be a better steward of the life and resources I have been given?

5.      How can I better use my time?

6.      What priorities do I need to change?

Take some things to consider these questions in prayer, and see how God leads you.