Jumbo Shrimp and Other Oxymorons

In the interest of full disclosure, this has nothing to do with seafood. 

But wait!! 

Please don’t go just yet.  This is about something far more important than seafood.

A quick definition – oxymoron: a statement or phrase that seems to be self-contradictory.  Example: jumbo shrimp.  Jumbo: something very large.  Shrimp: something very small.

Here’s another example – good excuse.  Good: virtuous; righteous; honorable.  Excuse: an explanation offered for choosing not to live up to one’s obligation or promise.

(Okay, I’m taking some slight linguistic liberty here, but I think you’ll see why.)

Can there really be a virtuous, righteous or honorable explanation for choosing not to live up to an obligation or promise?  I’m not talking about circumstances where there is no choice in the matter.  I know I promised to be there, but I was receiving treatment in the emergency room at that time. 

No.  I’m talking about something like this: I know I promised to be there, but… but…, well, I just had something else come up that I wanted to do.  Not virtuous.  Not righteous.  Not honorable.  Rather than be so brutally honest, however, most of us would make up a little white lie.

Consider this example.  Different traditions use different words, but when one becomes a member of a Christian church (Methodist, Baptist, etc.), one promises certain things.  For example, there is the promise to support the ministries of the church with your time, talents and gifts. 

In my understanding, that is a promise to attend Sunday worship as the “rule” rather than the “exception,” unless physically unable to do so, of course.  However, “physically unable to do so” does not include waking up on Sunday morning and deciding to go on a picnic instead of going to church! 

 A person’s decision to neglect his/her promises to his/her church is frustrating and discouraging to all those who depend on them to keep those promises.  However, frustration and discouragement on the part of fellow church members are not the primary problems here.  Far from it!

When you made those promises at church, you did not make them to the church!  You made those promises to the head of the church!  Jesus Christ!  The loyalty and dedication you professed, was loyalty and dedication to our Lord Jesus Christ, not to any person or group or institution!  When you break these promises, you are not breaking your promises to the pastor or to your fellow church members; you are breaking your promises to Jesus!

I don’t know about you, but I want to do my very best never to break my promises to Jesus!

(By the way, I am aware that the proper plural for oxymoron is oxymora, but it just sounds funny.)

Until next time,

Pastor Mark

Hee-Haw! (or something like that)

The Israelites are wandering around in the desert after their exodus from Egypt.  There are a lot of folks!  They covered the land for miles around.  Their next-door neighbors, Moab and Midian, were afraid of them because of their number.  They decided to do something to calm their fears.

Enter Balaam.  Balaam is the local seer, or prophet.  You might think of him as a sort of psychic.  He had a good reputation: whomever he blessed was blessed and whomever he cursed was cursed.  So, Balak, the king of Moab, decided to try and buy a favorable "reading" from Balaam.

Balak was ready to pay a handsome price to get Balaam to pronounce a curse on the Israelites so that the way would be paved for Balak to defeat them and drive them away.  Balak sent mid-level officials to Balaam with his proposal.

As it turns out, Balaam didn't just make up stuff or make pronouncements according to the highest bidder; he consulted God.  God told Balaam not to go along with Balak's plan, and Balaam sent word back.  Balak figured Balaam just wanted more money, so he sent high-level officials with a follow-up proposal.  This time, Balaam figured he'd have to tell Balak the bad news personally.

A funny thing happened on the way to Moab.  God's messenger, commonly referred to as angels, stood in Balaam's way to stop him, but Balaam couldn't see the angel.  His donkey, however, DID see the angel, and veered off the road.  Balaam, not understanding what was going on, beat the donkey to steer him back to the road.  A second time, the angel stood in the way.  Balaam couldn't see, but the donkey could and leaned against a wall, mashing Balaam's foot.  Another beating.  Finally, the angel positioned himself in a place that could not be circumvented.  Yet again, Balaam couldn't see, but the donkey could and just flopped down on the road.

After another beating, the donkey had had enough!  He spoke: "What have I done to you that you've beaten me these three times?"  Curiously, Balaam didn't seem surprised that his donkey had just talked.  Well, they had a discussion wherein the donkey explained about the angel - did I mention that the angel held a sword and seemed prepared to destroy Balaam?  Balaam apologized to the angel, but not to the donkey - go figure.

Anyway, when was the last time you were going down the wrong road and God put obstacles in your way that you didn't recognize as coming from God?  When has an inconvenient and frustrating detour saved your life?  Could God be speaking to you in unconventional ways, but you haven't figured it out yet? 

Pray for God to open your eyes and ears to see and hear Him clearly.

Until next time...
Be Blessed
Pastor Mark

What Do You Want Me to Do for You?

He heard them as they departed from Jericho.  There were several of them, following their leader wherever he went.  He was sitting at the side of the road, just outside of town.  He didn't have much choice; he was unclean and not allowed to mingle with the public.  He was blind.  His name was Bartimaeus.

Somehow, Bartimaeus found out who the leader of this throng of travelers was; it was Jesus of Nazareth, a descendant of King David.  Bartimaeus pondered his choices: he could just sit there and hope Jesus would notice him, or he could make a spectacle of himself and be sure of getting his attention.

"Jesus, Son of David, show me mercy!" he yelled.  Some of the travelers told him to hush.

"Jesus, Son of Daivd, show me mercy!" he yelled all the louder.

His plan worked!  Jesus sent for him.

"What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked.

What a question!  It was obvious what was wrong with Bartimaeus; wasn't it just as obvious what he wanted Jesus to do for him?

Maybe so.  But Jesus must have had a reason for asking the obvious question.  One thing a question does is force us to come up with an answer.  Sometimes the answer can be a knee-jerk reaction to the question, given without much thought.  Sometimes, the obvious answer is the real answer, as it was in Bartimaeus' case: "I want to see!"

Sometimes, we are not quite sure of the real answer. 

"Jesus, show me mercy!" 

"What do you want me to do for you?" 

Good question. 

Our plea is general, nebulous.  The question forces clarity.  In order to answer the question, we have to think!  We have to come to grips with what it really is that we want Jesus to do for us.

Mark says: "Jesus, show me mercy!"  Jesus answers, "What do you want me to do for you?"  Gulp!

Asbury says: "Jesus, show us mercy!"  Jesus answers, "What do you want me to do for you?" 

Well...  What DO we want Jesus to do for us?  We need to think.  We need to focus.  We desperately need to be able to articulate a real answer!  If you were answering this question on behalf of Asbury, what would you say?  Make that your prayer for Asbury.

You say: "Jesus, show me mercy!"

Jesus answers: "What do you want me to do for you?"

What is your real answer?

Until next time...
Be blessed.
Pastor Mark

Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday to the Bride!

No. I haven't completely lost my mind.  Yes.  I realize that we are at the end of May and not at the end of December.

So, what's up with this Merry Christmas thing?  And, what does Happy Birthday to the Bride have to do with it?

Pentecost. 

Oh, you want a more complete explanation.

We have just celebrated a special day in the Christian year.  The Day of Pentecost.  This is the day when the Holy Spirit, the Counselor Jesus promised, descended upon the disciples gathered in the upper room.  Miracles were seen that day!  The sound of a rushing mighty wind was heard, but there was no rushing mighty wind.  Tonues of fire floated about the room and rested upon the head of each disciple, but no one suffered injury.  People spoke in languages they did not know.  Words that were spoken in one language were heard in a different language, the native language if the hearer.  Because these words were proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ, more than three thousand souls were saved in a matter of minutes!

The Church has traditionally understood the Day of Pentecost as the birthday of the Church.  Tradition also teaches us that the Church is the Bride of Christ.  Ergo, Happy Birthday to the Bride!

Ok.  The Merry Christmas thing might be a stretch, but here is what I am thinking.

At Christmastime, we celebrate the Incarnation, or the inbreaking of Christ into human history as a human being.  One of the names he goes by during that season is Emmanuel.  The word Emmanuel means "God with us." 

As Emmanuel - God with us - Jesus promised to be with us always, even to the end of the age.  Yet, Jesus departed by ascending to heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father.  If Jesus is in heaven, then how can he be with us?

Enter the Holy Spirit.

As the third person of the Triune God (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit), the Holy Spirit is the presence of God with us.  "God with us!"  Emmanuel!

Merry Christmas!

Be blessed,
Pastor Mark

In the Presence of My Enemies

The twenty-third Psalm is perhaps the most well-known and most beloved of any Scripture in the Bible.  It starts out declaring that God takes care of his people; he is their Shepherd.  The Shepherd provides food (green pastures), drink (quiet waters), and life (he restores my soul).  The Shepherd guides us where we need to go (he guides me in paths of righteousness), and protects us through even the worst of circumstances (even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me).  Then at the end we have more comforting words: "Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."  Is it any wonder that this is an all-time favorite passage of Scripture?

Just before the end, however, something strange happens.  The Shepherd prepares a table before me with all the goodness of life; there is more goodness than I can take in (my cup overflows)!  But notice who is there with me.  My enemies!

My enemies!?  What are they doing there?  I don't want to sit at the table with all my enemies hovering over me, bearing down on me!  My enemies (other people, stressful situations, my own attitudes, etc.) want to harm me; they make me stress out, they make me angry and depressed, they take away the joy of life!  I want to get away from my enemies, not sit down at the table with them!

The psalm seems to be indicating that we will not always be able to get away from our enemies.  What it also indicates is that when we are seated at God's table, our enemies have no power over us!  They cannot harm us!  They cannot stress us out.  They cannot make us angry.  They cannot make us act hatefully.  They cannot depress us.  They cannot take away our joy!

When we are seated at God's table, the Shepherd's table, the Lord's table.  Kinda makes me think about Holy Communion.  It also makes me think about the fellowship I enjoy by being around other people who belong to God.

Are your enemies getting the upper hand over you?  Are you seated at the Lord's table?  Are you spending enough time with the Lord and with his people?

Something to think about.

Be Blessed
Pastor Mark

The Heart of Worship

Worship.  What is it all about? 

Is it about the style of music we want to hear and sing?  If you prefer traditional hymns, but contemporary songs are sung and played, does that interfere with your ability to worship? 

Is it about which version of the Bible from which the Scripures are read?  Can you hear Scripture only if it is from the old King James version?  Does that version turn you off so that you can't hear what the Bible says?

Must the pastor wear robe and stole for it to be "real" worship?  Does the robe and stole seem too pretentious or "high and mighty"?  What if the pastor were to wear blue jeans and a "WWJD" T-shirt while preaching?

Worship includes such things as style of music, different versions of the Bible, different dress codes for the pastor, and many, many other things.  However, worship is not ABOUT any of those things!

When certain elements of a worship service prevent us from worshipping, perhaps we have lost sight of what worship is really all about.  So, what is worship all about?  What is the heart of worship?

Worship is all about Jesus!  You knew I was going to say that didn't you?  Well, it happens to be true. 

Our music should point us to Jesus, no matter what the style.  We should try to hear the message of the music, even if we don't like the tune. 

Scripture, by definition, points us to Jesus.  I understand the all the "thees and thous" of the King James version are foreign to our ears, but some Christian traditions refuse to hear any other version.  That is sad.  Because the version of Scripture used is far from the point.  The point is allowing the Scripture to show us something about Jesus.

And really?  What do the preacher's clothes have to do with anything?  Sure, the preacher should be presentable, but does wearing a robe, or not, really matter?  There are times when I feel that wearing a robe and stole are more appropriate for the occasion, Communion Sunday for example.  But, there are other times when it might be most appropriate for me to wear jeans!  It depends more on what message God gives me than on what is comfortable.

Oops.  I think I just stumbled across the thing that most often gets in the way of our worship.  It's that word "comfortable"!  Can we be uncomfortable and worship at the same time?

You betcha!  Think about Paul and Silas, in prision, their feet in stocks, their hands shackled.  They were singing and praying and praising God even in those decidedly uncomfortable circumstances!  Oh! and mighty things happened as a result of their worship!

We can worship under any circumstances, as long as we remember that Jesus is the heart of worship.  Whenever we forget that truth and start thinking that WE are the heart of worship ... well, you know what happens.

Be blessed!
Pastor Mark

From Disciples to Apostles

On Sunday, April 15, we explored the idea that Jesus can and will appear in the middle of the spaces in our hearts and lives that we have closed off and locked up tight.  He comes to this space, not to bring additional fear, that is why we have sealed off this space in the first place!  No, Jesus comes to bring us peace, shalom.  We have prayed, and I hope you will continue to pray, that Jesus will prepare us for his appearance in our sealed-off places.

There is another significant piece to the passage we were discussing (John 20:19-31).  Jesus told his disciples, "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."  Then, he breathed on them, giving them the gift of the Holy Spirit.  This is John's version of what we usually think of as the Day of Pentecost.  Luke's version in Acts 2 comes some 50 days later and is told in much elaborate detail, but the main point of both versions is that the disciples receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and a charge to spread the gospel. 

Before, they were disciples.  After, they were apostles.  A disciple is one who learns.  An apostle is one who is sent.  Isn't it time we made the transition from disciple to apostle?

Hold on there, Preacher!  I wasn't there when Jesus told the disciples that he was sending them, so maybe that means only they were apostles, and not me!

Nice try.

Sure, they are the Apostles (notice the capital A?).  They were the first apostles, the ones who witnessed the resurrected Christ in the flesh.  Nevertheless, we also are apostles, because through this passage Jesus speaks to us, Jesus sends us.  If it were not so, then the Bible is a dead book and can have no real affect on us in our time and place in the world.  Besides, Thomas wasn't there when Jesus said those words (you remember "Doubting Thomas" don't you?).  Would you deny Thomas the role of Apostle?

Some of us are still young in the Christian faith, so it is appropriate for these to keep their focus on learning, on being disciples.  Most of us have been in the faith for many years and it is time we made the transition! 

We never stop being disciples; there is always more to learn.  Likewise, even when we are babes in the faith, little baby disciples, we have received the charge to tell others about it.  The more mature we are in the faith, the more clearly we are able to articulate it. 

Consider this, Mary Magdelene encountered the resurrected Christ and in a matter of moments, he sent her (apostle: one who is sent) to spread the word.  We all have the responsibility and the calling to tell others about what Jesus has done for them!  The easiest, simplest way to start is by sharing what Jesus has done for you.  Mary Magdalene's first witness was very simple, "I have seen the Lord!"  Give it just a tiny bit of thought and it will not be difficult to come up with something Jesus has done for you.

By all means, keep on being a disciple, keep on learning.  But let us make that very important transition into apostleship.  The Word of God (Jesus) sends us into the world to share the good news: Jesus Christ died for us while we were yet sinners; that proves God's love toward us! 

Be an apostle, tell somebody today!

Be blessed,
Pastor Mark

Mark's Amazing Story

Fair warning!  If you are able to attend Asbury's Sunrise Service on Easter Sunday, you might want to wait to hear this at that time.

The Gospel According to Mark ends rather abruptly at 16:8, with no post-resurrection appearance from Jesus.  Most biblical scholars agree that verses 9-20 of chapter 16 were added to Mark's original ending to make it more satisfactory to our sensibilities and to make it conform more closely to how the other Gospels end.  Something else to keep in mind is that all four of the Gospel writers tell their story in their own way.  So, we need not try to reconcile the differences between them; we should just hear their stories the way they tell them.

The scene in Mark 16 opens with three women approaching the tomb where Jesus was buried, just after sunrise and the end of the Sabbath, carrying with them burial spices for the purpose of giving Jesus' body the proper final preparations.

There is something wrong with this picture!

If the women had believed Jesus when he told them that he would rise again on the third day, they would have known that they wouldn't need burial spices, and wouldn't have been concerned about the large stone sealing the entrance to the tomb!  (It seems we are in good company when we are surprised when God answers our prayers and fulfills his promises.)

Now, Mark is ready to reveal the event that defines his version of the Gospel story: the women discover the empty tomb and are told by a heavenly messenger, "He is risen!  He is not here."  This is the event that proves what Mark has said from the very beginning: "The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God."

So, what is the first human response to this good news?  Trembling.  Bewilderment.  Fear.  And ... silence.

I can understand the trembling.  The women have just had an extraordinary experience, receiving a message from heaven, from Jesus himself!  Although they didn't see Jesus, this was still an experience that would easlily evoke trembling.

Bewilderment?  In their experience, and in ours, the dead and buried tend to stay dead and buried.  But Jesus has now defied death!  That is just cause for some confusion and perplexity, wouldn't you say?

Fear?  We all fear the unknown.  What happens now?  Is what happened to Jesus going to happen to us now?  How do we carry out his mission when he isn't here to lead us?  What do we do?

But, what about the silence?  The message from Jesus was to go and tell.  Yet these women ran from the tomb in terror and told no one!  We know the story gets out; after all we're reading and thinking about it right now.  So we know the silence didn't last very long.

I may be giving these women more credit than Mark intended, but what if this temporary silence was a good thing?  What can they say that wouldn't trivialize the experience?  Do you remember Peter's lame suggestion on the Mount of Transfiguration?  How can they share their experience without making it all about their experience rather than about what God has done?  Perhaps a little time for contemplation in the midst of their trembling, bewilderment and fear was the best thing they could do in that moment.

God has done an amazing and extraordinary thing here.  God does amazing and extraordinary things in our lives all the time!  Our message from Jesus, as it was to these women, is to go and tell.

We must not keep silent!

However, it behooves us to consider how we will share God's amazing and extraordinary actions: actions we read about in the Bible, actions we've seen throughout history, as well as God's action in our own lives.  We must share in a way that makes our sharing about what God has done, and not so much about what I have experienced.

Consider what God has done.  Share what God has done.  Make it about what God has done!

Be blessed!
Pastor Mark

God's Tender Heart

I started in January.  Reading the Bible all the way through, that is.  It has been good for me to be reminded of the beginnings.  We all know the stories of Genesis and Exodus, but after a while some of the details start to fade from our memories. 

The story of Israel is a sometimes sweet, sometimes tragic saga.  We see them depending on God and God taking care of them, protecting them.  We see them disobeying God and God allowing them to suffer the consequences of their choices.  This is no more evident than in the book of Judges, where my journey through the Bible is traveling now.

Joshua, and Moses before him, warned Israel: serve/obey God and be blessed or ignore/disobey God and be cursed.  It's a simple choice.  With Joshua, I am always striving to make my choice clear: "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!"  But then Joshua and his generation died.

The new generation didn't know from first-hand experience what God had done; they only heard the stories.  So, they fell away.  God punished them.  They cried out. God heard them and sent a hero to save them.  Time passed.  They fell away...  Over, and over, and over again! The same cycle.

Then comes Judges 10.  They fell away one more time.  This time God has had enough!  "You have forsaken me and served other gods, so I will no longer save you.  Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you are in trouble!"

The people knew they had messed up - BIG TIME!

So,  they got rid of the foreign gods among them and served the Lord. 

God tried not to notice.  Sort of like when we parents want to stay mad at our children, but they are so cute and so repentant that we just can't hang on to it very long.

God tried not to notice, but he did notice!  "And he could bear Israel's misery no longer."

Make no mistake, God's wrath is fierce and we do not want to provoke it.  But when we do, all we have to do is sincerely repent and God's tender heart will win the day!

Be blessed,
Pastor Mark

Capernaum

Greetings! 

It is so good to be back home.  What a wonderful and blessed time it was, traveling in the Holy Land!!!  It was a whirlwind trip.  We left the hotel at 7:30am most days, and arrived back at around 5 or 6pm, just in time for dinner.  Each day was filled with new sights and new spiritual sensations.

At one of our stops, our guide told us a little bit about Nazareth, the town where Jesus grew up.  It's population was never more than 200 people!  Can you imagine that?  The Lord of the universe growing up in such a small, insignificant town?  No wonder Nathanael wondered, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?"

Capernaum was not far away, and this is where Jesus established his missional headquarters.  It was a town of about 2,000 people.  The curious thing about these towns is that almost everybody in every town knew everybody in all the other nearby towns!  The people of Nazareth knew the people in Capernaum; the people in Capernaum knew the people in Nazareth.  This was so because the people of each town needed stuff from the people of the other towns.  It is enough to make one wonder how well Jesus and the Twelve knew each other BEFORE Jesus called them to follow him.

Standing in the synagogue in Capernaum (see picture below) was an awesome experience!  This is where Jesus taught.  It is not some traditional site where scholars think Jesus MIGHT have taught, as some of the other sites we visited were; this is the very place where Jesus DID teach!  He stood and read from the sacred scrolls.  He sat on stone benches and taught. 

And I stood in that place!  I sat on a stone bench in this place.  I listened while others read from the sacred texts.  I could almost feel Jesus' presence in that place.

And then I realized something that is even more awesome.  Jesus doesn't need Capernaum anymore; his spiritual headquarters is in your heart and mine.  He doesn't need a synagogue in which to teach; he teaches us through the presence of the Holy Spirit, wherever we may be.  I am Jesus' spiritual headquarters now!  I am the place and instrument of his teaching now!

And so are you!

Be blessed.
Pastor Mark

The Synagogue at Capernaum

Bound for the Promised Land

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  What a powerful name!

I am almost finished packing.  I leave on Monday, traveling to Israel - the Holy Land - the Promised Land.  I am very excited about walking where Jesus walked.  Seeing places where he healed the sick and cast out unclean spirits.  Where he taught the people and the disciples.  Where he fed the multitudes.

I expect that seeing these places first-hand will be beneficial to my pastoral ministry.  I will be able to describe scenes with more attention to detail - what it smells like, what it feels like, what it sounds like.  First-hand experience of these places will, I expect, add a measure of authenticity to my references to them.  This experience will be a tremendous blessing to me that I hope to be able to share with you in this space.

The Promised Land.  While seeing and experiencing Israel with thoughts of Jesus and his ministry is exciting and beneficial, there is another Promised Land to which Israel can't hold a candle!  This land is the place Jesus promised us.  He is preparing space for us there, even now. 

Jesus called this place, "My Father's House."  We tend to think of it as heaven.  It is the place where we will spend eternity in the loving, holy presence of the Triune God: Father, Son, Holy Spirit.  THIS place, THIS Holy Land, THIS Promised Land, the one Jesus promised, is the one that I really long to see!

I know you long to see this Promised Land as well.  Did you know that there are people out there who are not aware of this Promised Land?  They have never heard about what Jesus did in Israel.  They don't know that he died on a cross to save them from their sin.

We have to tell them!

Be blessed,
Pastor Mark

Grace: Whatever Are We to do with It?

Grace is receiving good stuff that we DO NOT deserve, while NOT receiving the bad stuff we DO deserve!

That is what God does for us.  He gives us grace.  We don't deserve it, can never earn it.  God gives us grace because he loves us.  God's love for us is, itself, grace, because we don't deserve it.  The Scriptures teach us, "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  That proves God's love for us!"

Grace is being healed on the Sabbath, even though it was considered unlawful because healing is work, and one is not supposed to work on the Sabbath.  Jesus often infuriated the Pharisees with this kind of grace.  Grace is being healed on a Tuesday, because any healing we receive comes from God.  Yes, I know, modern medicine has a lot to do with curing our diseases and infirmities, but curing is not the same as healing!

Think about it.  I can be cured, but still be bitter about having been sick in the first place.  That doesn't sound like healing to me.  On the other hand, I can be healed (know that I am loved and that my life has meaning) even if I still have my disease.

Grace abounds in our lives in ways that we don't even know about!  That annoying phone call you received just as you were about to leave the office may have prevented you from being in the wrong place at the wrong time, thus avoiding a serious accident. 

Sometimes, we know about the grace that we receive.  The thing is this, whether we are aware of the grace we receive or not, we receive grace!

Now, what do we do about it?

It seems to me that grace calls for a response.  If I hold the door open for you, you are likely to say "thank you."  We should, at the very least, thank God each day for the grace we receive, but I think grace received calls for more of a response than that.

Simon Peter's mother-in-law was sick with a fever; Jesus healed her.  Her response was to serve.

I wonder if God is giving us a hint as to how we should respond to his grace.  What do you think?

Be blessed!
Pastor Mark

In Jesus' Name

Most of us Christians end our prayers by saying, "... in Jesus' name. Amen." But what does that really mean?

Sometimes we seem to think it is some kind of magic formula, or worse, a way to force God's hand. "After all," we think, "scripture promises us that if we ask for something in Jesus' name, then he will do it."

Most of us are mature enough, however, to understand that we can't manipulate God. We know that we can't ask God to do something that is clearly against what we know of God's nature, and expect God to do it. "God, please send someone to beat up Billy, because he isn't nice to me."

We have probably moved on from there to understand that what we ask for "in Jesus' name" has to be something Jesus himself would ask for. This understanding requires us to take into consideration God's good nature, love, mercy and compassion. This is a better understanding of what it means to pray "in Jesus' name," but what if it goes even deeper than that?

This may be a fine distinction, or dabbling in semantics, but what if it means praying as if it were Jesus uttering the words?

Consider this: When I was a kid, sometimes Momma would send me as her emmissary to deliver a message to my brother. "Momma said to make your bed and clean up your room." All was well if he believed me (I don't recall ever abusing parental authority) and did what Momma said. But if he didn't... "I thought I told you..." "You didn't tell me, Mark did!" "But I TOLD him to tell you; it's the same as though I told you myself!" Keep in mind that this was back in the day when switches were commonly used to make parental points. Ouch!

Praying as if it were Jesus himself uttering the words suggests a very close relationship with Jesus. It suggests that we think like Jesus thinks, that we want the same thing that Jesus wants. What a privilege it is to be trusted with such awesome authority! Dare we use this authority selfishly, or frivolously?

Be blessed.
Pastor Mark

What's This I See?

Moses was just going along, happily doing his job, when he saw something out of the corner of his eye.  A bush was burning.  Not such a spetactular sight ... until he noticed that the bush was not being consumed by the fire.  He was interested enough in this strange sight to go and investigate.  Little did he know what he was getting himself into!

It turns out that the burning bush wasn't really important; it was merely God's way of getting Moses' attention.  God didn't jump out in front of Moses on the road to get his attention.  God didn't speak in a loud voice from an angry-looking cloud.  Moses had to be paying atention to what was going on around him, or he would have missed this opportunity to encounter God.

God had a job for Moses to do that had nothing to do with tending his father-in-law's flocks.  God wanted Moses to lead the Israelites out of their Egyptian bondage.  This was a huge and massively important job!  Moses didn't think he was up to it, but God would hear none of that nonsense!  "I will be with you!"

In what kind of small, unspectacular ways, is God trying to get our attention?  The thing God uses to get our attention isn't, in itself, what is important.  What is important is that we are paying enough attention to what is going on around us to notice it.  It may seem very insignificant at first ... until we take a closer look.  Then, when we take that closer look, we might discover that the thing itself isn't important at all.  It was merely God's way of getting our attention and putting us in the place where we could hear him.

Are you paying attention?  When you see something slightly out of the ordinary, do you investigate it?  When God does finally, in some way, get your attention, do stand there as if on holy ground and listen?  If you hear, do you complain that you are not up to the task God sets before you?  When you hear God say, "I will be with you!" do you believe him?  If you believe him, do you do what he calls you to do?

You must answer these questions for yourself; no one else can answer for you.

Be blessed.
Pastor Mark

Just Desserts

If the title of this post makes you anticipate an article about food, I'm sorry to disappoint you. Food does, however, play a small role.

I'm thinking about Jacob. God promised Isaac that he would perpetuate the Divine promise through his youngest son. That was Jacob, later renamed Israel.

Jacob and Esau were twins; Esau was the firstborn. Esau, therefore, enjoyed the birthright of the firstborn. But he sold his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of stew. Later, Isaac was ready to give a final blessing to his favorite son, Esau. Rebecca overheard Isaac's plan to bless Esau, but she favored Jacob. She and Jacob conspired to trick Isaac into giving the blessing meant for Esau to Jacob by having Jacob pose as Esau and bring Isaac his favorite dish. Their plan worked because Isaac's sight was failing in his old age.

Jacob already had the birthright, now he has the blessing. Both came through manipulation involving food.

Jacob paid for his deceit by being deceived himself! He ended up working for Laban for fourteen years in order to marry Rachel. Eventually, God worked out his plans for Jacob in his own way and in his own time.

I wonder how different Jacob's (Israel's) life would have been if he had just trusted God.

How different would our lives be if we were to trust God to work his plans for us in his own way and in his own time?

Be blessed!
Pastor Mark.

The Journey to Jesus Ends in Worship

The second chapter of Matthew's gospel tells us of the journey of the Magi (astronomers, wise men, kings) to see and pay homage to a newborn king, Jesus of Nazareth.  They followed a star that led them to the general vicinity of his birthplace.  Along the way, they encountered Herod, whose advisors informed him of the prophesied birthplace of the Messiah, Bethlehem.  When Herod passed the information on the the Magi they set off to complete their journey.  Herod feigned interest in joining with the Magi in worshipping the new king, but really he wanted to kill him!  Herod was not a nice man.

The Magi came with gifts for the newborn king: gold, frankincence, and myrrh.  These gifts are symbolic of who Jesus is.  Gold represents Jesus' royalty - the King of kings.  Frankincense represents Jesus' priesthood - the one who offers up the sacrifice to God for the atonement of the people.  Myrrh (a burial spice) represents Jesus' ultimate sacrifice - his death on a cross.  Jesus not only offers up the sacrifice for atonement, he IS the sacrifice for atonement.

When they finally found Jesus after their very long journey, they gave him one more gift - a gift that we, too, can give him: worship. 

The journey of the Magi to Jesus ended in worship of Jesus.  Our journey to Jesus will end in worship of Jesus too!  When we truly seek him, we will find him.  No exceptions!  We might encounter evilness along the way, as the Magi encoutered King Herod, but nothing can prevent us from finding Jesus when we truly seek him.  When we find him and recognize him for who he really is, we will joyfully give him all we have to give.  And then we will worship him.  And then he will transform us. 

We will not go back to Herod, but seek to avoid the Evil One.  We will go back to our everyday life, but we will live it differently, according to God's desires instead of our own.  Once we have a true encounter with Jesus Christ, we will realize that this is no mere man; we will realize that we have encountered God!  We will worship him and be transformed.

As we begin a new year together, let us be transformed together through our worship of Jesus Christ.

Be blessed,
Pastor Mark