Argue it out!

Argue it out!

“Come now, let us argue it out, says the Lord:”—Isaiah 1.18

What a strange thing for the Lord to say to his people:  “let us argue it out.”  Sounds more like something a friend would say to another friend about politics or religion.  Sounds more like something a girlfriend would say to a boyfriend about a failure of commitment.  Sounds more like something a diplomat would say to another country’s diplomat, maybe even a president to a prime minister.  But the Lord?  One thing I’ve learned in life:  God is able to take my wrestling, my questions, my doubts, my confusion, my seeking, my journey.  God is able to handle my frustrations, sadness, disappointment, even my anger.  God can handle it. 

There probably is a line we shouldn’t cross when it comes to God.  Obviously we shouldn’t “curse God and die” as Job’s wife recommended.  But I think that line is a lot farther than we think it is.  God already knows how we feel anyway.  There’s no use trying to hide it.  In fact, as Trevor Hudson puts it, anything we hide from God just creates an obstacle, a chasm in our relationship.  Better to just admit it and get on with life.  Better to be open with God and let God heal our feelings than to try to hide them in the shadow places of our heart. 

This week I was reminded of an interesting thing from the writings of Julian of Norwich.  She writes that Christians should “enthusiastically” look for our sins because Christ WANTS to heal them, not condemn us. 

This is kind of like “arguing it out” with God, isn’t it? 

What are you holding back from God that needs healing today?  I guarantee you, God can handle it.

Prayer:  Dear Christ, who hung on the cross to redeem my darkest feelings, thoughts, and actions, redeem all of me this day!  Make me the new creation you have promised!  Amen.   

The Table

The Table It all began at a Table The Table was the earth A place where God laid out a feast For Adam and Eve A feast with all the Goodness of physical blessing Come from God's own Loving Hands Then sin cursed the Table Man's disobedience Cracked the Table in two So, from then on The Table would be Uneven and Distorted Or so it seemed . . . At another Table Abraham laid his son His only son There to sacrifice But Grace prevailed The Lord provides A perfect ram For sacrifice Ages passed And the Hebrews feasted At another Table With a feast of Unleavened Bread And Passover Lamb Wine as a sign of the Blessings of God's good earth But still, the Table Was warped by human sin No sacrifice could cover it all No one meal could it overcome Until . . . One Thursday Eve A simple carpenter rabbi Gathered twelve at His Table It was a New Table Not warped and cracked But strong and whole Strong enough to hold The Bread and the Wine That Became His Body and His Blood All who feast at this Table Are healed of the curse All who feast at this Table Have their sins covered All who feast at this Table Have the joy and peace Of a Promise, an Assurance That they have a Place At the Heavenly Table A Table not made with human hands A Table like the first Table Except it is eternal It's a Table big enough For you and for me Come, now, the feast Is Ready! @2013, Michael Lancaster

Has God been "taken out of the schools?"

"Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast."--Psalm 139.7-10 I wonder why people always say that God has been taken out of our schools? I realize that teachers do not lead their classes in the Lord's Prayer any longer. But I also happen to be the father of two young students who are passionate followers of Jesus. They have a lot of friends at school who are also passionate followers of Jesus. They have been involved with Christian organizations that meet on their school campus. They pray together. Because of their attendance at their school, they invited a friend to church, who has now accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior, and has been baptized. I also happen to be married to a school teacher who is a passionate follower of Jesus. I happen to know a lot of other school teachers, principals, and school staff who are too. So, you see, I know that God IS still in our schools because of the witness of Christians who are in school everyday. After all, the Scripture above affirms that God is everywhere. Humans may think they have the power to "take God out" of something, but they do not. God is all powerful. God is everywhere! Even in the schools!

Be still

"Be still and know that I am God."--Psalm 46.10a I don't know about you, but "being still" can be a challenge for me. There always seems to be so much to do, so much to accomplish, so much to mark off the "to do" list. This Scripture reminds me that I need time to simply "be still and know that God is God." This couldn't be more true for me than in the last couple of weeks. It seems the busier I am, the more I absolutely depend on prayer and devotional time to "be still." One thing about being still I have learned: it won’t happen automatically. If I’m going to “be still” before the Lord, it must be planned; it must be intentional. God really knew what He was doing when He gave us the Scriptures because they can really help us “be still.” My mind craves something to process and I have found that I need some words and phrases to help me focus on being still before the Lord. The Word of God (the Bible) becomes not only words for a mantra but it actually creates the space where I can enter in and be still before the Lord. When is the last time you took time to "be still" by reading some Scripture and praying? It doesn't have to last an hour to be incredibly useful for your spiritual health. Why not take 10 minutes today for it? You'll be glad you did! Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for the gift of “being still.” Help me to practice it more and more as the demands on my life and time grow. In Jesus’ strong name I pray, Amen.

Forgiveness

"All the prophets testify about [Jesus] that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."--Acts 10.43
Forgiveness is foundational for the Christian life: God forgiving us, us forgiving others, and others forgiving us. The longer I live, the more incredible this truth becomes to me. Forgiveness is really at the heart of the Christian faith! It is a miracle and yet, the very cornerstone of a life of following Jesus.
As I reflected on the miracle of forgiveness this morning, I found this:

"ALL HAVE SINNED AND COME SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD--ST. PAUL'S LETTER TO THE ROMANS
THE HATRED . . . which divides nation from nation, race from race, class from class; FATHER, FORGIVE.
THE GREED . . . which exploits the labors of people and lays waste to the earth; FATHER, FORGIVE.
OUR ENVY . . . of the welfare and happiness of others; FATHER FORGIVE
OUR INDIFFERENCE . . . to the plight of the homeless and the refugee;
FATHER, FORGIVE.
THE LUST . . . which uses for ignoble ends, the bodies of men and women;
FATHER, FORGIVE
THE PRIDE . . . which leads us to trust in ourselves and not in God;
FATHER, FORGIVE.
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you (St. Paul to the Ephesians)"
---The above prayer was at the altar of Coventry Cathedral

qualities to live by

2Peter 1.5-8: "For this very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with goodness, and goodness with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, and godliness with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love. For if these things are yours and are increasing among you, they keep you from being ineffective and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."
In our world of information (and information overload), sometimes, it gets difficult to discern the movement of God in our midst. It's often easier to suppose where God is not than where God is.
The Apostle Peter gives a great laundry list of qualities that go along with our faith in the passage above. Things like, "goodness, knowledge, self-control, endurance, godliness, mutual affection, love." With these, you can't go wrong. Where these are active through the Spirit of God, we can know that God is active and alive in our world today.
As I scan this list and think about their meaning, I am challenged to assure that I am walking with Jesus throughout the day, not just at set times of prayer, but throughout the whole day. Chances are, if we are walking with Jesus throughout the day, these qualities just start "showing up" in our lives.
I invite you to scan this list and ask Jesus to work these qualities in you today! As Peter writes, these are the kinds of qualities that make us effective and fruitful as followers of Jesus.

meeting together . . .

Hebrews 10:24-25: "And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
There is simply no substitute for Christian Community. We always need reminding of that. Part of our human condition is a temptation to try to "go it alone." We want to be our own masters. We want to call the shots for our lives. And, if we are honest with ourselves, sometimes we just don't want to be bothered by others and their problems.
But there is no substitute for Christian Community. We need the Church. We need to be with our brothers and sisters in Christ no matter how immature, petty, or bothersome they may sometimes seem to us. There is something that happens when we live life together that cannot be achieved on a solo spiritual journey. In fact, in the Christian faith, there is no such thing as a "solo spiritual journey." Following Jesus involves walking with other Christians.
Unfortunately, in my lifetime, I have seen many "good" people simply fall away from Christian Community. They all had different reasons and some sounded pretty logical on the surface. But in every case, their spiritual life was handicapped by a refusal to participate in Christian Community.
It's not always easy to practice Christian Community, but that's why we call it "practice." Living in Christian Community always necessitates prayer, forgiveness, and an amount of grace that can only come from Jesus Christ.
But there's simply no other way to follow Jesus without Christian Community. If you've "fallen away" from the fellowship of Christian Community, why not reconnect today? Call one of your sisters and brothers in the faith and ask them how it's going. Better yet, share some prayer concerns and pray together. Reach out to someone and take church to someone who cannot come to the church building any more. And don't forget to worship together this coming Sunday.
There is simply no substitute for Christian Community.