Exodus 3:1-15: Dust Off the Sandals, There's Still a Journey

Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”

When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”

And Moses said, “Here I am.”

“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”

But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”

Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”

God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”

God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ “This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation. - Exodus 3:1-15

At this point in the story, God has placed Moses into the witness protection program, moved him to Midian and gave him a new identity as the son-in-law of Jethro. At this point, forty years after he fled a murder charge in Egypt, he thinks he is now in a different story, the story of a shepherd, father, married man and son-in-law of a wealthy priest in Midian.  

But God takes this opportunity to remind Moses that he is a part of a larger story, a story which he had almost been able to forget after 40 years. He states, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." It caught my attention that God said "I am the God of your father" Now that was someone Moses probably hadn't thought of in a long time because Moses never really knew his father, having been separated from his family as a baby. But the Bible records his name as "Amram" and his mother's name as "Jochabed" 

God reminds him that he there was another story and God had a part for him. He might think that at 80, his course was set and there was nothing new on the horizon. He might be thinking of retiring on a comfortable sheep income, but God says there's another task, to lead reintroduce the people of Israel to him and it wasn't the retiring sort of job. It was very demanding and would use all of his strength and faculties.

God reminds us tthat we are here in another story and God has a part for us. We might think that we are old enough to cruise into the sunset without glory and without drama. We might be thinking of retiring on a comfortable retirementincme, but God says there's another task. If there were no more tasks, then he would take us home. But the task he has for us isn't the retiring sort of job. It is  demanding, using all our strength and faculties. That's what he gave those to us for. 

So dust off the sandals, because there's still a journey.

Luke 4:1-13: Refusing the Devil's Bargain

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.

The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”

The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. If you worship me, it will all be yours.”

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”

The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time. - Luke 4:1-13

Are you driven by what you need? Are you driven by what you control? Are you driven by who you think you are to other people? Then, the devil has a deal for you.  And if we are honest, we would probably say that we have probably raised our hand for one of these "deals" at some time in our life. Why? Because we are needy people in a world that is uncertain and we aren't sure that we're worth anyone's regard. It is true. We are needy, the world is out of control and we can't tell how anyone really feels about us. So we accept the hand out from the devil, whether grudgingly or gladly.

But Jesus knew that the devil is a terrible "lord" So he didn't take the deal. And when, after refusing the deal, the devil revisited him "at an opportune time" he was killed and lived again, he offers a hand out to all us who have been willingly suckered into the devil's deal and fallen. Because Jesus is a good "lord"--the kind I want to serve because I believe he is good. 

Random Poems from August 2016

 The chuff of train brakes released.

The receding curve of the lights.

The increasing metronome clack of wheels.

The waves and faces pressed to glass.

Will there be another dream?

I wished someone would give me something free

And when I took it, I was afraid. 

How to repay a debt unborrowed, or live unobliged?

Will they still notice me?

Five otters slid down the river bank  and

Four frogs saw them frolic and

Three owls shook their head and

Two salmon swished by one day.

-----------------

Two cows walked down the road. Swaying, chewing

, 

Turn your smile on me.

The kind word, the eyes light up, chatting, friends remembered.

With them. So I linger. Please.

Turn your smile on me.

The harsh word and you turned away.

The day stretches long before me, uncertain reception when I return.

Turn your smile on me.

The shy look, the tired leaning in, the hug with no hurry.

Freshly washed hair under my chin,

Turn your smile on me.

I was a bicycle racer

Yellow and black

Off the ramps and around tight curves, 

Looking over my shoulder.

Flurry of pedals and no brakes.

I beat my brother around the block.

Romans 10:8-13: The Direction Setter

But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” - Romans 10:8-13

 The word of God needs to be in two places in order to be effective: in your heart (because that is the center of your will) and in your mount (because that is how you project yourself in social situations). Is Jesus going to be Lord of both.

What does it mean to have Jesus as Lord? Well, it means that what we do is in line with what he wants. We have to internalize his style so that when we do things, it looks like what Jesus would do in the same space. We don't hear from Jesus all the time, but he has left plenty of sample interactions with people to teach us how we should do it. 

There can be a temptation to duplicate his results without duplicating his heart, and that works well for a while in well-defined situation. But life has a way of throwing curve balls at us and "duplicate" answers won't work because they need the creativity of the spirit of God to find new ways to hit that curve ball. Otherwise we are applying old stereotypical Christian solutions to new problems and new situations and that just looks stale.

If we don't control our mouths under Jesus' control, then we are poor representatives of him. Beyond his genius, Jesus' always had words that comforted and challenged those who were with him. That required connecting his mouth with his heart and required that both were integrated with the Father's will. No easy task, but definitely something that I can try to get to by thinking carefully about what I am thinking and the words that arise from that thinking. 

O Lord, set the direction for my heart and my mouth.

Deuteronomy 26:1-11: Remembering to Testifying to Rejoicing

When you have entered the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance and have taken possession of it and settled in it, take some of the firstfruits of all that you produce from the soil of the land the Lord your God is giving you and put them in a basket. Then go to the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name and say to the priest in office at the time, “I declare today to the Lord your God that I have come to the land the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us.” The priest shall take the basket from your hands and set it down in front of the altar of the Lord your God. Then you shall declare before the Lord your God: “My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down into Egypt with a few people and lived there and became a great nation, powerful and numerous. But the Egyptians mistreated us and made us suffer, subjecting us to harsh labor. Then we cried out to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression. So the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with signs and wonders. He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey; and now I bring the firstfruits of the soil that you, Lord, have given me.” Place the basket before the Lord your God and bow down before him. Then you and the Levites and the foreigners residing among you shall rejoice in all the good things the Lord your God has given to you and your household. - Deuteronomy 26:1-11

These verses are a good example of how remembering is an act of testifying. The command was given before the thing--crossing into the land God had given them--but before it had happened. When everyone would have made it across the Jordan, they would go to the tent of meeting and bring offerings from their first produce from the land and say out loud that God had done what he promised. They would say this out loud to each other. This was a declaration, in public, that they agreed that God had given it just as he had promised.  

There were several parts to this remembering: First was the verbal statement of their origin as wanderers, slaves in Egypt as rescued people and now as settlers of the promised land and now as individuals who receive what "you, Lord, have given me." Second was giving the basket containing produce from their first crop in the new land. Third was to place that basket at the altar and bow down. Each action was both a way to remember--by speaking, by giving and by bowing down--and also a way of testifying to its truth. From verse 11: "Then you and the Levites and the foreigners residing among you shall rejoice in all the good things the Lord your God has given to you and your household."

What I got from this is the importance of gratitude to God, not just in my thoughts, but also in my words, making my work and offering to God and my submission to God's orders. How do I show that I am really thankful? By saying it out loud when I'm recounting our history, by recognizing tangibly God's goodness in my work and by giving him my allegiance as my Lord. And, of course, coming through this process rejoicing. 

Who was listening? The people, the Levites and the foreigners. The people and the Levites should already known, but the foreigners who were not God-followers might not. 

Haiku: December 24 - February 17

Mysteries abound
but I like well-worn sofas
for my ignorance.

Seven umbrellas

Shelter our heads to the bus

Laughing, relieved gasps

Running man to cross

Red man to draw me up short

Rain puddles, splatters

When the morning breaks

You turn your smile on me til

When dusk settles in.

Sketched for me to find, 

You draw worlds out from a phrase

Found at sentence depth.

 

Sleep on empty days?

I wish but there's more to do.

Let out a deep sigh.

The sound of footsteps

Either a mouse or a grown child

Just one is louder.

I can see blue skies

Through the gaps in tree branches.

Still yearning for leaves.

Week before New Year:
Left over Christmas regret

Mixed with unclaimed cheer.

Lights pulse with music.

Crowds pause to take their selfies.

Wander nighttime paths.

Change of the season.

Marked by the lengthening days. 

New Year starts slowly.

Grey skies and grey fog.

Obscured trees line the distance.

Birds are still sleeping. 

Trees like fragile sticks

Stand sentry along the road

With ragged salutes.

Hummingbird darts out

From between winter flowers. 

Seeking sustenance. 

Took the long road home 

(the short road is too scary)

But it was worth it.

Crossing morning grass

Birds peck through leaves for breakfast.

"Something must be there!"

Wind can't stir the trees.

Leaves fallen, bagged and removed.

Rain pushes the sky.

Which way should I walk?

Into the field or forest?

Its such a nice day.

Ember glow on hills

Silhouette of the morning

Foreshadows the dawn.

Leave the promised land.

Not so "promised" any more.

Move to "hopeful" place.

Oceans separate

And I can't afford to call.

I'll write a letter.

That my inmost thoughts

Are known is both comforting

And terrifying.

Sleepy eyelids droop.

My head nods over and falls.

Til a jerk brings it up. 

Smell of bread rises up

The stairs to where I'm working.

Soon I will descend.

Thoughts barely fitting

In the confines of my head

Wait! Now another!

Exalted on high

Neck aches and eyes are blinded

Anxious eyes look up. 

New course corrections.

Back on the previous track.

Try the next exit.

Birds splashing water.

Then check each ruffled feather.

Then fly fully groomed.

Heart's eyes cannot see

If they're not fully opened.

Lord, open them, please!

So deep and profound

The voice of God speaks across

Ages, to reach our days.

Cycle by cycle

Speaking across the ages.

Forming into words. 

Not stumble, fall, rise

But discover and explore

Further up and in.

Alas, it's fallen.

The city of the mighty

In which they trusted.

Lone flower waiting

Expecting in the morning

Winter sun's glow.

Gray looks good on you. 

Unusual vibrancy.

Sign before more years.

Coffee pours, fragrant.

Into the mug, my hand waits.

To lift for a sip.

Like plans without thought

Is the life without the Lord. 

Can't see, can't do well.

At the kitchen table

It is tough to determine

The shape of the world.

Birds under wet leaves.

Darting out to grab a bite

Dodging the rain drops.

Go to sleep one night

Wake to a whole new morning.

Were they connected.

Coming back to life

Temporarily on hold 

For a trip abroad.

1 Corinthians 15:1-11: All Fools Before Christ

Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed. - 1 Corinthians 15:1-11

"Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed." There is a foolish desire to be unique in what we believe-that somehow we are the one or among the few who have seen and believed the truth--but this is just foolishness. There were many smart people in Corinth--those who could parse ideas and grasp their implications with the best--and they took joy in exploring those big thoughts and in discussing them to find the jewels to be discovered therein--and they took pride in being able to do that with an ease that surpassed the others around them. 

I know that joy. I hear the echoes of my own pride when I read Paul's words in 2 Corinthians 11:5 where he said "I do not think I am in the least inferior to those “super-apostles.” He was that guy who excavated the nuggets of truth and confounded his debate opponents. But when he encountered Jesus--the same Jesus whose church he had been persecuting--he found out what a fool he had been and how far he had missed the truth.  About himself he wrote, "For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God."

And Paul saw that in the Corinthians--that same joy, that same pride, that same arrogance, that same...foolishness. To have been so smart and so wrong. To have been so close and yet missed the truth about Jesus, about his life, death and resurrection from the dead. 

And I see it in me--that same joy, that same pride, that same arrogance, that same...foolishness. I have been so smart and often so wrong. So I must return like Paul, like the Corinthians, to Jesus the Christ who, after he "died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared" The rest is a working out of the implications of these truths, which none of us worked out on our own, but which all of us need equally. That puts us on an even playing field, all fools before Christ.

Luke 5:1-11: If Jesus Could Do That With Fish, Imagine...

One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”

Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. - Luke 5:1-11

In my career, it has not been uncommon to find people who know more about the technology behind my job than me, even after 30+ years in the business. The real trick I have found is distinguishing between the really knowledgeable people and the pretenders. The pretenders have learned the skill of using key words in correct phrases learned from experts in ways that make it seem like they have a deep understanding of the technology. I recognize this skill because I have used it often myself. 

That was probably how Simon Peter felt when Jesus gave the order to cast their nets again in the "deep water". What he thought was that Jesus was the "pretender" who was wasting their time having them fish in seas where the fish weren't biting. But he grudgingly complied. Didn't cost too much work: empty nets wouldn't be that hard to pull back in. 

But Jesus showed that he was not a pretender. His suggestion led to real results, showing that he knew fish better than the fishermen. 

In my job, that's when I know that someone has surpassed me: when their solutions work, but were not suggestions that I would have thought of. Not because I want to set myself as "judge" over them, but shows that they are at a level of expertise so that I can leave that particular technology area alone because I have confidence that they can cover it at least as well or better than me.

Peter knew he reached that point on that day. He begged Jesus to leave. Neither he nor his partners could survive competing with a fisherman who could read the minds of the fishes or direct them into the nets at will. Essentially he asked Jesus to find his own fishing grounds.

Jesus replies that he is thinking too small: if Jesus could do that with fish, just think of what he could accomplish with people. And he's not in competition. He's inviting Peter to join. 

Long ago, I figured out that God was a better engineer than I am, no matter how good I am or how good I might become. Glad I finally acknowledged that and joined him. In engineering and so many other parts of my life. 

Psalm 138: The slow, uncertain, stubborn project which is Tim

I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; before the “gods” I will sing your praise. I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your unfailing love and your faithfulness, for you have so exalted your solemn decree that it surpasses your fame. When I called, you answered me; you greatly emboldened me.

May all the kings of the earth praise you, Lord, when they hear what you have decreed. May they sing of the ways of the Lord, for the glory of the Lord is great.

Though the Lord is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly; though lofty, he sees them from afar. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life. You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes; with your right hand you save me. The Lord will vindicate me; your love, Lord, endures forever—do not abandon the works of your hands. - Psalm 138

"Though the Lord is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly; though lofty, he sees them from afar." For me, I imagine what it must be like to be God, keeping track of so many people at the same time. If you are trying to decide who to track, you'd probably track the movers and shakers of the world--the influencers-because you really have to watch what they are doing, since what they do matters most to so many people. Those who were going the direction you want would get help--buffs or angel help and the like--and those who were not going in the direction you want would not get help--tripping over their shoelaces, missed phone calls, extra sick days. 

But that is not the experience of this writer who finds that God seems to notice the "lowly" in trouble. What does God get out of it by helping those who are struggling? Doesn't it seem strange that he uses his strength to push history forward by backing those who are stumbling and falling? Certainly not conserving his resources by going about whatever his plan is in such an inefficient method. Face it, most of us wouldn't pass any sort of job performance review. He spends a lot on losers. So much so that the writer of this Psalm asks God, "do not abandon the works of your hands." He appreciates how God has worked to support someone who was righteous but failing "The Lord will vindicate me..." he writes.

God has spent a lot on me--on the slow, uncertain, stubborn project which is Tim. And he does this over and over, not just with Tim, but again with so many people.  God wants to be surrounded by those who are grateful, not those who think they deserve. Those who think they deserve are the delusional ones, while the "lowly" have gotten a pretty good look at what they deserve and are glad that God doesn't give them that.   

John 2:1-11: Seeing the Miracle and Generosity of Jesus

On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

“Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”

His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.

Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.

Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”

They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”

What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. - John 2:1-11

"He did not realize where it had come from, thought the servants who had drawn the water knew." I think that we are put in the same privileged position as the servants in this story. What the master of the banquet took for generosity, the servants knew it was actually the miracle.  What Mary knew was a train wreck prevented from happening-running out of wine at a wedding--she then knew it was actually a miracle. It was incidents like this that Luke tells us that "Mary treasured in her heart." As they say: "when you, you know."

Sometimes God allows is a little glimpse into what is actually going on behind the scenes of the universe--when we get to see how God nudges things along through small acts of divine generosity to achieve his purposes. The servants had to play their part. The disciples had to tag along with eyes open. While everyone else just saw a joyous wedding, for the disciples it was "the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him."

Sometimes, when I am the most cynical, I only see a drunk party--I mean what was really going to happen when the good wine is brought out after the wedding reception is well underway? Maybe that's how it ended up--who knows? Like the younger brother in the prodigal son, maybe the generosity of God is wasted. Maybe I end up like the "master of the party" and the prodigal's older brother and miss out on seeing the miracle and seeing the generosity of God. Maybe I miss out on being generous like God.

 

1 Corinthians 12:1-11: Spectacular or Ordinary In My Time

Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. - 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

 "Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good." I think that the working of the Spirit was against all expectations of the early church, just as it is today. While we are used to a mechanical view of the world, where everything can be traced by cause and effect, to natural causes, they were used to a supernatural view of the world which amounted to much the same except that there were "mute idols" to explain the parts of what happened that they didn't understand.

So when the Spirit of God started showing up miraculously within the Corinthian church, I think it was startling and quickly led to two sins (at least those sins that I would be tempted to). First, they would try to claim some sort of status because they got a working of the Spirit (and others didn't) or a "better" working of the Spirit than someone else. Second, those who didn't have a working of the Spirit or had a "lesser" working of the Spirit were tempted to fake it.

I have lived most of my life when the extraordinary workings of the Spirit are not common, for whatever reason. There have been moments, for sure, when I could point to some idea or bit of wisdom that was from God (certainly not from me). And that's ok. As Paul says, "he distributes them to each one just as he determines." He is under no obligation to gift me. Mainly because its not about me. Its about other people. Its about the "common good" Any time my selfish nature tries to take credit for something that God does or tries to fake people into believing that it was something God is doing, it is my sin nature acting up, just in a new venue.

I would like to see these manifestations of the Spirit, to see God working as he clearly did in the New Testament. But would I handle it well? If it happened, would I be cynical and dismiss it? Or be envious and be critical. Probably already have. But I pray that I would have my eyes open wide enough to just be thankful to be there to see what God is doing, spectacular or ordinary, during my time. 

Isaiah 62:1-8: Failures Can Be Fatal, But God...

For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her vindication shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch. The nations will see your vindication, and all kings your glory; you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will bestow. You will be a crown of splendor in the Lord’s hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God. No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the Lord will take delight in you, and your land will be married. As a young man marries a young woman, so will your Builder marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.

I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth. 

The Lord has sworn by his right hand and by his mighty arm: “Never again will I give your grain as food for your enemies, and never again will foreigners drink the new wine for which you have toiled; - Isaiah 62:1-8

"No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate..." The name that people gave the nation of Israel were just temporary labels and not the end of the story. These names applied to Israel were labels that were short sighted, because they stopped with the way things looked right now. It is so easy for people to dismiss others because of a setback--the way they look now is the way they will always look because the defeat they have experienced is taken as a permanent description of who they are. That is: "failure is who they are", not "failure is what happened to them." It is true that many people are complicit in their own downfall--they contribute to their failure by action or inaction. They make choices that lead them into the worst case scenarios. But, past failures are not a necessary indicator of future performance.    

Why not? I mean, when I look at stocks, I look for good performing companies and that's where I put my money. And bad performing company stocks are usually an indicator of something systemically wrong with that company. The same goes for people and nations. Bad money after bad money just deepens the loss. 

But here in Isaiah, betting like that, whether on people or nations, must not forget one key factor: God. It is the genius of God to divert train wrecks into something beautiful. Not because the train wreck was inherently beautiful or salvageable, but because God is that good. As Paul says in Titus 3:5, "...he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy." Getting used to being a redeemed train wreck is part of the humility of my life in the kingdom of God. 

Jeremiah 31:7-14: Protected From Our Bad Decisions

This is what the Lord says: “Sing with joy for Jacob; shout for the foremost of the nations. Make your praises heard, and say, ‘Lord, save your people, the remnant of Israel.’ See, I will bring them from the land of the north and gather them from the ends of the earth. Among them will be the blind and the lame, expectant mothers and women in labor; a great throng will return. They will come with weeping; they will pray as I bring them back. I will lead them beside streams of water on a level path where they will not stumble, because I am Israel’s father, and Ephraim is my firstborn son.

“Hear the word of the Lord, you nations; proclaim it in distant coastlands: ‘He who scattered Israel will gather them and will watch over his flock like a shepherd.’ For the Lord will deliver Jacob and redeem them from the hand of those stronger than they. They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will rejoice in the bounty of the Lord—the grain, the new wine and the olive oil, the young of the flocks and herds. They will be like a well-watered garden, and they will sorrow no more. Then young women will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow. I will satisfy the priests with abundance, and my people will be filled with my bounty,” declares the Lord. - Jeremiah 31:7-14

"Among them will be the blind and the lame, expectant mothers and women in labor; a great throng will return. They will come with weeping..." Rough situation, full of the broken and vulnerable. The people ask God, "save your people!" God responds that he will save them. It is notable that in his response that the groups he highlights as returning are the "blind", the "lame", the "expectant mothers" and "women in labor". None of these seems like ready contributors to the restored Israel.

But Isaiah makes a point that the vulnerable and impaired are part of the 'flock' that God is redeeming. God isn't redeeming the strong. He is redeeming those whom he has chastised. It says that it was God "who scattered Israel" and it was God who redeemed them from the hand of those "stronger than they." 

That is: they were all among the vulnerable and impaired. They were all part of the "weak" and they are now all part of the "redeemed" and all part of the "blessed". 

There are many Christians who forget that they were also part of the weak, impaired and vulnerable and didn't make the transition to redeemed without God's help. There is a sort of spiritual amnesia that makes believers forget so completely what they experienced that they won't let others commit the same mistakes that they themselves made and, in many cases, still continue to make. The cross is the great place of level ground: we can none of us claim to be any higher that any other and therefore should not put on airs of pride. It just looks foolish. 

 

Ephesians 1:3-6, 15-20: Living Life With Eyes Open

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, - Ephesians 1:3-6, 15-20

 "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened..." There is so much in this world that cannot actually be seen. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control to name just a few. They are real and we feel their effects every day. The problem with these is that we can be conditioned so that we do not recognize them and we are tempted to write them off as mere fantasies.

In these verses, Paul prays that the "eyes of our heart may be enlightened" to see three key intangibles--real but likely to be overlooked because of the default manner of our thinking. He wants that we should see "the hope to which he has called us" and the "riches of his glorious inheritance" and "his incomparably great power". We can't touch, taste, smell, hear or feel these but, for the believer, these suffuse reality. So we need a new sense--a new awareness--to what God is doing with his people.

Without it, we might be left with the depressing, limited reality of the senses we were born with. With  it, we find we are surrounded with the amazing, infinite, plentiful reality of the kingdom of God we were born again into. So I pray I can live life with eyes open, not shut.

Matthew 2:13-23: Sometimes We Can't Let It Go And Can't Get Closer To God

When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”

After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.”

So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene. - Matthew 2:13-23

Maintaining your position is exhausting. Like Herod, you must always be on the lookout for competitors-peoples who might take away the position that you have fought so hard to obtain--and ruthlessly suppress them. When the magi showed up, saying they had a supernatural sign pointing them to the one who was destined for the very title that you yourself claimed, you use them to find out the truth in the matter and when they don't report back, you kill every possible future rival to your throne that they might have encountered.

Maybe we don't murder our rivals, but we can feel resentful when someone else starts getting the credit. When Guinness Book of World Records listed the kid with the highest IQ in the world, I remember feeling annoyed at that kid even though I never new him. Maybe he or she is socially awkward or had super geniuses for parents or the IQ tests were inherently biased towards people of a certain socioeconomic level. Some way to explain why they weren't listing my name.

When someone else has what we feel we deserve, we find some reason why they didn't deserve it, some way that they cheated, some way that they were unfairly advantaged or someway to remove them from being seen as a competitor. Or we feel they were right to win and the anger turns inward in remorse.

Saying that you don't deserve something and someone else does in front of a crowd is a tough path to humility--and we will often do almost anything rather than go down that path. Herod didn't. Joseph, bringing back Mary and Jesus from Egypt didn't want to settle where Archilaeus, Herod's son, was, because he would have not liked his father being shown up by a refugee, so they went to Nazareth.

One thing we can learn: even in the unfair jealousy of others, God still has a hand, since he used that very anger to get Jesus to exactly where he was supposed to be, per the prophecy.

Another think we can learn: we can't get closer to God if we don't see Him as more important than everything in our current situation. Herod was so tied to being "king" that he got literally and metaphorically farther from Jesus. He couldn't let it go. Sometimes, we can't let it go. Then we can't get closer to Jesus. Learning how to live without attachment to anything but God is the art.