The Ocean of God's Mercy

I fully believe that the concept of mercy is foreign and skewed today.  We have a limited understanding of how deep God's love is, and how depraved the sin nature of man can be.  Some hold to a notion that the things we have done in the past could not possible be forgiven.  Doubtless because we don't often witness this type of all-inclusive forgiveness by watching the world around us.  It's a very rare thing indeed.

One of my favorite stories is about Jesus being anointed by a "sinful woman" at the home of a Pharisee.  Here is what Luke 7:36-38 says: "When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table.  A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume.  As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears.  Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them."  

The owner of the home clearly didn't understand the woman's intentions.  Sometimes love acts differently than we expect, especially when our worldview or perspective doesn't line up with the person extending the grace.  Luke 7:47 further says this: "Therefore I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven - as her great love has shown.  But whoever has been forgiven little loves little."  

We don't appreciate the full scope of Christ's atonement sometimes.  It's hard for us to get our heads around it.  It isn't until we come to terms with our own sin nature that we can truly love God for His ability to forgive us and grant us mercy.  You see, we have been forgiven a lot, so we can love a lot.  

God's mercy is vast like the sea.  It allows us to love deep and wide, like the ocean.  Anyone who has been to the coast and taken in the beauty of the sea can attest to the fact that it has an eternal quality.  You cannot see the other side of it, just a vast, blue horizon line stretching off into the distance.  It seems to have  no definitive end; just like God's grace and mercy.  

My family and I try to visit Florida once a year for vacation.  We enjoy simply basking in the sun while wading through the relaxing waves on the beach.  Once in a while, you get a reminder of how wild and beautiful God's creation really is.  Maybe a jellyfish swims by, or a school of fish.  Then I remember just how all-encompassing and teeming with life our world is.  I suspect God's mercy is like that as well; teeming with life and joyful anticipation of forgiveness from Him.  To take that next step and accept Christ into our lives ... to wade through the waves of life with Him.

The book of Isaiah is one of my Old Testament favorites.  Chapter 30:18 says, "Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.  For the Lord is a God of justice.  Blessed are all who wait for him!"

This verse comes to us from a set of Scriptures that talk about how God is disappointed with his followers at the time.  He first admonishes them, like any good parent would do.  But then He reaches out to them and offers a loving hand.  God's patience is long suffering and eternal.  Like the wide, blue horizon of the ocean stretching on into the vast skyline, so is God's heart for us.  There are hardly words to describe this reality, once we grasp it.  

I suppose the lesson here is two-fold: don't take God's mercy for granted, and at the same time, don't forget to revel in it also.  We can be comforted by His goodness, and humbled by His grace at the same time.  It is an ocean of love that we may never fully understand.

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A Road Less Traveled

 Jesus warns us in the Gospels about the narrow and wide gates.  He is speaking about heaven and hell, and makes it quite clear to everyone listening that salvation is a special gift.  For those who listen to his teachings and accept God's grace, eternal rest is promised.  

Matthew 7:13-14 says, "Enter through the narrow gate.  For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."  

We understand that this truth is still at play today, two-thousand years after Jesus first said it.  This Scripture deals with the idea that those who wish to live a Godly life must pass through the narrow gate.  In other words, heaven isn't the default setting for everyone.  It takes an action on our part - namely, accepting Christ and becoming baptized in order to be saved.

Conversely, it also says that a good many people in this world will not do what it takes to seek after the Lord and be reconciled to God.  Instead, they will listen to what the secular world tells them: be selfish, acquire wealth and money, and run after whatever makes you feel good.  This is the wide gate, and many pass through it on a daily basis.

We have all heard the expression a road less traveled.  It is often used in conjunction with the idea that the most popular destination is sometimes found in remote places.  While it may be much easier to traverse distance on a nice, paved four lane Interstate, the fact remains that this route may never move us past tourist traps and traffic jams.  If we really want to see nature, we must take the old, gravel road.

Rest assured, once we get out of the car and locate that special spot, the trip is well worth it.  But resisting the urge to join the rest of the pack and shop at the seductive tourist areas is difficult.  In a spiritual sense, the outside world is constantly calling to us.  It tells us to follow our own heart, compromise our beliefs for the sake of political correctness, and engage as a follower instead of a leader.

Let's face it, as time goes on, it will become more and more difficult to stick to Biblical theology and pass through the narrow gate.  It will be tempting to veer to the left or the right, and compromise the teaching that Jesus and the apostles left us.  The red letters in the Bible are sometimes difficult, but also well worth the effort.  We need not compromise our faith walk.  

We live in an era of hypersexuality, affirmation and celebration of sin, and lukewarm theology.  But this leads to the wide gate - many will pass through it.  They will mistake a spiritual feeling for true salvation.  Only Jesus saves, and this occurs through acceptance of his resurrection and grace.  It is a simple truth often left out of modern worship services today.  Grace through faith, and repentance from sin (or at least the attempt at fighting our sin).  

My prayer for all of you is that you continue to weigh what you hear today on YouTube and television against what the Bible actually says.  It will be difficult in the short run, but you will find new life through Christ in the long run.  It's a marathon not a sprint, and we must ensure that our tennis shoes fit well during the race.  No off-brand sneakers will do ... only the real thing will hold up over time.  The Biblical Jesus is the real thing, and he always has been.  

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Beautiful in God's Eyes

I do a fair amount of teaching at a local college.  This actually goes hand in hand with my role as a Methodist pastor; the two occupations seem to make use of the same public speaking ability.  As a teacher, I attended an Adult Literacy conference a few weeks ago, and one of the guest speakers was a young woman named Lilian Okech.  She was an immigrant from the Sudan who created a successful cleaning business here in the United States.  Through hard work and determination, Lilian battled the typical discrimination that immigrants face in our country and formed a viable business in spite of those roadblocks.  

She spoke eloquently and with passion about how our education system has the opportunity to make or break aspiring students.  At one point, she told a story of how one of her teachers told her she was "smart and beautiful."  Lilian said that this phrase stuck in her mind from the time she was young, and helped guide her through the rest of her life.  May we all hope for teachers like this.  

So at this point I want to take a break from everything going on in the world today, and let the reader know that God thinks you are beautiful also.  The book of Genesis says that you and I are created in God's image, and that we are to have dominion over the Earth and everything in it.  This is no small feat by the way.  In fact, the Lord views us as His children in several ways.

John 15:12-13 says, "My command is this: love each other as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends."  We remember here that Jesus was foreshadowing his own death and crucifixion on the cross - the ultimate loving sacrifice given freely to humankind.  God sacrifices for His people until it hurts (both literally and figuratively).  As I have said before, we are beautiful in His eyes.

1 Peter 3:3-4 states, "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.  Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight."  God's spirit inside of us is of innumerable value, and Peter compares it here with unfading beauty.  Have I mentioned lately that God loves us?

All of these wonderful Scriptures do not, however, mean that God also loves our sin.  We may be created in His image, but when we do things we ought not to, it isn't beautiful in God's eyes at all.  Remember the Bible states that our bodies are like temples, designed to project and reflect His light.  Contrast this with people engaging in behaviors such as spiritual pride or blasphemy for example, and we have a whole new problem.

So how do we bridge that gap between beauty and sin?  The answer is simple, but not easy.  God's restitution plan for us is to believe in Jesus, and repent of our sin.  If we accept Christ's death on the cross and believe that God raised him from the dead, we will be participating in the great atonement.  This isn't easy because in order to come to Christ, we must first accept our own shortcomings and ask for forgiveness.  And I don't mean the backhanded, excuse-laden false apology either ... I'm talking about asking for real forgiveness.

There is an old teaching mantra that I have become familiar with recently.  It says: I do it, we do it, you do it.  If we connect these three concepts with Scripture, I believe we can begin to paint a picture of grace and beauty here on Earth.

"I do it" can equate to God's Word.  He has said it, and then He validated what He said through both miracles and action.  We need only read it and acknowledge it.  This is where we put our thinking caps on, and attempt to understand what the Lord has put down for us in writing.  In other words, we study the textbook.  

"We do it" matches up with the idea of discipleship.  In a faithful church, there should always be some sort of Sunday School or small group acting to help disciple (or make followers of) Jesus and his teachings.  It isn't a solo proposition; it requires people working together in tandem with God to increase their faith.

Finally, "you do it" refers to the mature Christian.  They have read the Word, they have been discipled themselves, and are now living and walking in obedience.  A 'you do it' Christain is someone who is probably discipling someone else in their life, or at least passing on the faith to people willing to listen.  It isn't a journey without God of course, but rather the ability to begin living out the faith in a way that others can learn from.  They have mastered soft food (as Paul would say), and have moved on to solids.  

We are beautiful in God's eyes in the sense that Jesus saves us and redeems us.  When God looks at the born-again believer, He sees the reflection of Christ's light in them.  But understand this also, God loves those for whom salvation has not yet occurred as well.  All life originates from the Creator, and as such, all life is precious and beautiful.  

Please don't stop here.  Go that extra step and seek out a relationship with the one that created you.  Don't forgo the potential you have to walk closely with the carpenter from Nazareth.  It's a different kind of fulfillment; better than what the regular world offers.  It is - dare I say - beautiful.  

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The Business of Grace

On any given night, I can be found waiting in line at one of our local restaurants here in town.  From sandwiches to pizza, my family and I treat ourselves to local cuisine regularly.  As luck would have it, one day I was waiting in line with my food at the checkout.  When it came time for me to pay, the cashier said that the person in front of me had taken care of my order already.  I had become a recipient of a recent phenomenon known as "paying it forward."  Someone I had never met before decided to pay for my dinner that day.  

This event got me contemplating the following question: isn't this what grace is supposed to be like?  Simply defined, Biblical grace is an unmerited gift.  We don't earn it in the same way we earn a paycheck for example, but rather we just accept it - the way we do with any gift freely given.  

1 Cor 15:10 says, "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."  Here the apostle Paul is attempting to persuade his audience that even though he worked night and day to spread the message of Jesus Christ, it was God's grace that really motivated him.

The Methodist church recognizes three definitive types of grace.  The first type is prevenient grace, or that grace which is prevalent all around us all of the time.  The entire world depends on this type of gift, or else things would be a lot worse than we can currently imagine.

Second is justifying grace.  This is when we accept Jesus into our lives and sin is forgiven.  It is the bridge between our old life and our new redemption.  This type of grace abounds when you hear people talk about being saved or born again.  It is truly a special time in a new believer's life; full of joy and wonder.

The last kind is called sanctifying grace.  This relates to our faith walk, and it can take decades.  This is where God can really begin to work in our lives, because we have chosen to give up the old sinful way, and lean into pleasing Him through obedience and faith.

Occasionally, I hear stories from people who tell me they feel stuck.  Maybe they have enjoyed God's justifying grace some time ago, but cannot seem to move on into the realm of sanctification.  Their lives look the same now as it did then.  For a select few Christians, I think this is simply the precursor to God promoting them on to something better.  But for many who feel spiritually stagnant, I suspect it's  because they haven't fully embraced God's help to turn from sin.  There hasn't really been any repentance; no dying to self.  So in effect, sanctification can feel like it has stalled out.  

We must pay God's grace forward to others, regardless of where we are at personally in our faith walk.  This is what the church is supposed to be doing - we are in the business of grace.  If we put on community dinners and fund raisers but don't embody the love of Christ, then we are nothing more than a YMCA or a community center.  The church is called to be something different.  We are called to pay it forward.

Hebrews 4:16 says, "Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."  Now please keep in mind, we may only capitalize on this grace because of what Jesus did.  Our confidence in approaching God through prayer comes as a result of unmerited grace, freely given to you and I by a loving savior.  Without Jesus, we dare not presume we are redeemed as-is.  

One final thought.  God's love runs deep, but we must not abuse it or take it for granted.  There is an extremely popular idea going around many churches today wherein they only preach half of the Gospel message.  In other words, the love of God is preached and taught - but not faith, repentance, or obedience.  

Quite famously, Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."  The love of Christ does nothing less than meet us where we are at, but then you and I must make a choice.  Christianity is not a passive religion ... salvation is not the default setting for the entire population.  We must answer the door when Jesus knocks, and then let him in.  

Keep seeking after the things of God, and if you are on the fence regarding whether or not to accept Christ, then let me be the first to say 'just do it.'  Not tomorrow, or next week, or once you finally have all the answers ... but right now.  In this way, God can pay it forward and begin the cycle anew.

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Alive in Christ

The average, everyday Christian is anything but average and everyday.  We are called to be set apart and made holy, understanding the fullness of the meaning of the phrase "created in God's image."  In fact, if everyone in the world knew that they are of innumerable value and loved by God emphatically, think how different things would be on our little blue planet.  Stress and anxiety replaced by peace and joy.  Low self-esteem and depression substituted with the fruit of the spirit.  We must live differently than the rest of the world because the believer has been made new; alive in Christ. 

The book of Romans in the Bible is often referred to as the Constitution of Christianity.  Authored by the apostle Paul, this section of Scripture doesn't pull any punches.  Romans 6:8-10 says this, "Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.  For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.  The death he died, he died to sin once and for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God."   

What does it actually mean to 'live to God' though?  How do we interpret this in an objective and Biblical manner, leaving our own bias and prejudice aside?  I believe we can take a three-pronged approach to unpacking this text.

First, we can take from this passage that you and I can be dead to sin if we so choose.  In other words, we can live in a fashion where sin no longer controls us and doesn't reside at the center of our world.  Think that most people aren't focused on appeasing their own personal sin appetites?  Think again.  Money, sex, jealousy, power, and all other manner of corruption runs rampant in today's culture.  Being alive in Christ allows us to escape the constraint of feeding our ever-hungry stomachs with the type of food that isn't good for us.

Second, being alive in Christ means we can have hope through redemption.  Remember Jesus didn't come only to seek the lost, but also to save them.  The redeemed soul is a joy to God, and so it must be for you and I as well.  It means we can live a love-centered life based on nurturing and encouraging each other, as opposed to tearing down other peoples' views and opinions.

Finally, we can have eternal assurance and salvation in Jesus.  We need no longer wander through life like aimless strangers on a continuous path to nowhere.  Once we accept God's Son as lord and savior, we may rest on the promise of a heavenly destination.  We will eventually get to be with our creator forever.  Rest assured, this is no small matter.

When we are alive in Christ, we also understand that we now belong to another.  We are spoken for already, betrothed to the bride in every spiritual sense possible.  Those set apart for God's kingdom and listed in the book of life were bought at a great ransom.

Romans 7:4 in fact says, "So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God."  Bearing this new fruit successfully means that we live differently than the rest of the world.  We view things with spiritual eyes, and listen with ears that can hear.  The veil that separates the non-believer from God's truth has been torn and disposed of.  We now have access to what Jesus called 'the mysteries of heaven.'

The reader will note at this point, that living a godly life here on Earth doesn't mean we act perfectly all the time and in every situation.  Nor should we expect that level of performance from others.  I really think that God's desire for us is to repent, accept Jesus, and get on with becoming sanctified.  Remember that sanctification simply means to become more holy over time (not necessarily perfect).  There was only one perfect penitent, and he lived two-thousand years ago in Nazareth.  Don't try to compete with Jesus, simply accept him and learn from him.  The journey matters just as much as the destination.

Paul also tells us that once we accept the Lord, there is "now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus ..." (Rom 8:1-2, paraphrased).  We accept the free gift of salvation, and He does the rest.  At that point, we live to God.  We are free to love and to be spirit led.  To have hearts that rebuke evil, and lives that shine forth from heaven.  

Accept your calling to be a new creation in light of God's love, and understand it is no small thing to be alive in Christ.  It is up to us to act our age spiritually at this point, and get out there and show the world that we are different.  

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Those Who Have Ears to Hear

 I can't tell you how many times I have finished preaching a sermon on Sunday morning, only to find out that several people walked away with an entirely different meaning than what I had intended.  It doesn't happen every time, but often enough that I have begun to take notice.  It isn't that they heard something entirely opposite mind you; it's just that for them, a different emphasis came across.  I preach the same sermon, but other people interpret the message differently.  I believe this to be both profound and supernatural at the same time, and I will attempt to explain why.  

All of this begs the question: how do we hear God's Word?  Or to put it another way ... how do we interpret what God is trying to tell us?  When attempting to answer Biblical questions, it never hurts to use the Bible to interpret itself.  I am not talking about circular reasoning here (i.e.: I believe it because the Bible said it), but rather I'm talking about using key concepts in Scripture as a reference guide.  The Word itself tells us that all Scripture is God-breathed and fit for teaching and reproof.  So, let's use what Scripture says in one place to understand what God is talking about in another place.

Regarding our topic about hearing the Lord, let us begin with a passage from Proverbs 20:12.  It says this: "Ears that hear, and eyes that see - the Lord has made them both."  Here we see that not only is the Word a gift from God's heart to ours, but also that He grants us the very tools we need to understand what He is trying to tell us.

Furthermore, Matthew 11 relates a conversation that Jesus had regarding John the Baptist.  He is attempting to convince some of John's followers that he is the legitimate Messiah that God was going to send to the people.  Jesus then makes this odd statement in Matthew 11:15, "Whoever has ears, let them hear."  At first glance this may come across as a very strange thing to say, but many scholars agree that this simple statement is a directive for God's people to 'listen up.'  It is an imperative that directs those for whom a truth might apply, to make sure they don't miss it.  It's a wake up call to those who were lucky enough to be listening to one of Jesus' parables two-thousand years ago.  It's also a command for us to listen closely today.

You see, we can decide what truth we let into our hearts, and what we will choose to disregard.  We can harden our hearts like Pharoah, or we can choose to accept what God is trying to impart to us like Moses.  We keep our radio receiver set to "on," or we keep it set to the lowest volume level possible.

No doubt the Lord works on us during sermons and exegesis.  His Word searches our hearts and souls, isolates an issue, diagnoses it, and finally works to begin the healing process.  I can't remember how many times just the right sermon happened to come on the radio when I am driving somewhere and flipping past the different radio stations.  

It takes a certain type of determination to really understand what the Bible has to say about humanity and our role in God's kingdom.  It also takes study to make sure that we are properly comprehending what He has intended for us to do.  In fact, I believe many are led astray today by false preachers and false prophets because we suffer from Biblical illiteracy.  If we don't know what God actually said in the first place, then we can be easily led away from true revelation.

I believe that we often hear what we need on a personal level, because the same God that created the heavens and the Earth cares about us in a personal way.  Let that truth sink in for a moment.  We are all going through something different when we come to church on Sunday morning.  We listen to the pastor's proclamation intently, and then we might each take away something slightly different.  That is, as long as we have ears to hear (if we are tuned in).  

Continue to work on your spiritual listening skills.  Our relationship with God isn't unlike our Earthly relationships in that regard.  If we never take the time to call our friends and catch up, then we remain in the dark as to what they are doing.  Likewise, if we want to develop ears that can hear, we must dial up our Lord and Savior from time to time and have a chat.  

Scripture and preaching reveal truth handed down through the ages from the lips of God's prophets and disciples, but it is up to us to listen properly.  We are the ones who must make up our minds to actively engage with God's Word in ways that go beyond regular hearing.  We must focus with spiritual eyes and ears.

John 17:17 says, "Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth."  This statement is taken from a very personal conversation that Jesus had with God the Father, asking Him to keep and protect his followers.  God's Word is in fact the same thing as truth spoken plainly.  

Be part of a church that partners with God to practicing listening with ears that can hear.  Listen to as many sermons as you can, test them against what the Scriptures actually say, and then bask in the revelation that God has given you.  

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All the World is my Parish

 John Wesley, founder of the Methodist movement, was fond of stating that "all the world is my parish."  He believed that we have a responsibility to people both inside and outside of the local church, to preach and teach the Gospel message.  Keep it simple, keep it relevant, and keep it faithful.  The societies Wesley founded as a revival movement within the Church of England eventually became the dominant form of the independent Methodist movement that continues to this day.  His reach continues to help people and make disciples even as we speak.  

 

Setting aside the schism that has formed inside of the current Methodist conference regarding same sex marriage for the moment, I believe that Wesley's original work is of innumerable value today.  He has also been quoted as telling people that we must deliver the "glad tidings of salvation" as well, to any and all who would listen.  In other words, the modern church must stand for something, and then in like fashion, make sure what we stand for is heard by all who are willing to comprehend.

So what do we stand for as a church?  This question can be answered in a multitude of ways, but I want to be certain that as a group of people, we show the love of Christ first and foremost.  Although different ministers and parishioners garner a wide variety of opinions as to what this looks like - I think we can begin with some Scripture to help clarify.

Ephesians 3:6 says, "This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus."  Those not of Jewish descent are thus included in what the apostle Paul calls the promise of Christ.  Tradition holds that Paul penned this letter from prison, no doubt under more than a bit of duress.  He wanted desperately to fulfill his mission by making sure that the Gentiles (the rest of us) knew that we were also loved by God just like Israel.  We have become accustomed to this truth today, but back then many thought it was a form of heresy.  

I believe one large aspect of Christ's love is simply to share the message that he died for.  Make sure the rest of the world knows his words and understands what they mean.  Isaiah 12:4 encourages us as such: "In that day you will say: 'give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name, make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted.'"  

Psalm 105:1 further says, "Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name, make known among the nations what he has done."  It seems in no small way, we are to proclaim what God has done in the Bible and in our everyday lives.  Fortunately for us, I do not believe this necessarily means we must stake out a street corner and begin open-air preaching.  But it does mean that Christianity isn't a silent faith either.  It makes noise, moves around, and stirs things up sometimes.

Mature Christians who have been at this for a while also understand it can lead to persecution occasionally.  If we are lucky enough to live in America, then maybe this means we get made fun of from time to time.  If we live in other countries, it can literally mean life or death.  At any rate, understand that this comes with the territory.  2 Timothy 3:12 says, "In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted."  This is less of a warning than a truism; just keep it in the back of your mind while evangelizing.  Sometimes you will be treated unfairly.  

I suppose my advice is fairly simple.  If we want to adhere to Wesley's statement that all the world is my parish, then we must get busy proclaiming the love of Christ to those in the world.  For some this might mean speaking or formal teaching, yet for others it might simply mean a kind gesture or a well placed invitation to church on Sunday morning.  Whatever God is giving you to do, then pray over it, keep watch for the right opportunity, and then proclaim it.

If Jesus really does hold the keys to eternal salvation, then what a shame if we keep those keys to ourselves.  Instead, take them to the hardware store and make copies to be handed out as opportunities arise.  If there is a door to heaven, then help people walk through it.  Remember God loves them also.

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A Season of Loss

All is not well.  People can feel it in the air when they watch the nightly news, and when they look at all of the recent loss in our little community here in Southeast Iowa.  False platitudes like "keep your chin up" don't seem to work anymore (if in fact they ever did).  It's time to address the elephant in the room, and see if God has something to say for those who are truly grieving.  We feel the pervasive threat of something unwell stirring all around us, and it's natural to look to the Bible for an explanation.

Friends, family, and co-workers have passed away recently.  Some were quite young, with their entire lives ahead of them.  Whether it be cancer or COVID, the fact remains: families and churches are grieving.  

One thing that I take comfort in is that the Bible doesn't say we need to pretend that everything is okay.  We need not pretend to be strong when we aren't.  Psalm 73:26 says this, "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."  I think it is quite an accurate statement sometimes to say that God is the only constant in our lives, when all other things have failed us.  

Likewise Romans 8:22 says: "We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time."  And we can feel this groaning, can't we?  Earthquakes, tsunamis, severe storms all across the globe.  In fact I recall sheltering in the basement from a derecho in December last year.  Instead of snow and ice, we had wind and hail.  Almost like the Earth is grieving also.  

It is true to say that loss is a temporary state - it's only possible in this temporal and material realm.  Once in heaven, God promises us through Scripture that there will be no more crying or grieving, as that is the old order of things.  But while we are here on Earth, loss and grief are no less poignant.  There is often no medicine for this ailment.  All that remains to do is press on, placing one foot in front of the other.  It seems easier on some days, while nearly impossible on others.  

Grief has no shelf life, therefore it should not ever be dismissed.  We may hear something or see a picture twenty years later, and it all comes flooding back.  I remember watching home movies on old videotape with my family when I was much younger.  One scene showed my grandfather for just a quick moment (he had been gone for years at that point).  The entire room fell silent.  It was like we were all back at the funeral again.  When it comes to loss, time doesn't matter.

Sufficed to say, I don't think we really move on from loss, so much as we move forward with grief.  Someone wrote an article about this concept once, and I have adopted that phrasing.  I think it is quite true.  Grief isn't something that we just shake off; it changes us from the inside out.  That's kind of the point though, isn't it?  How else can we deal with a loved one who we can no longer call or write?  We have no other option but to be changed.  

And so we move forward as a community.  Many of us are walking on our journey of grief as if we are alone, but this isn't the case.  There are others who knew the person we knew, and who loved them as well.  They are still around to talk to, and to check in with.  We have stories and so do they ... and we can share them together in a risk free exchange of thoughts and memories.  Many will tell you that the deceased person is still there with you in your heart, but that is a platitude.  I think they are actually there in the shared space of grief and memory that exists only in community between people who knew and remembered that individual.  During these meetings, the one who passed on stirs alive once again in a certain type of way that cannot be replicated elsewhere.      

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 says, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God."  Notice that there is a directive couched within this piece of text.  It mentions us comforting others in the same way that God might comfort us.  We grieve as a community, or at least in fellowship together.  That is how we get through, and that is how we move forward I think.  There is simply no reason to be sad by ourselves.  

We become able to give help, only when we accept help.  I don't think anyone was ever meant to grieve in a vacuum.  But one thing remains certain - we are forever changed when someone we know and love leaves this Earthly realm.  Even the hope of salvation and eternal life seems only to go so far sometimes, at least in terms of our personal comfort.  They have gone to be with God the Father, now it is the duty of those who remain to press on.  The good news is we can do it together.

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A Faithful Remnant

The standard definition of the word remnant means a portion left over.  This begs the question of course, as to what composes this portion in the first place.  Another way to think of it is to ask what is the remnant being set aside from?  If we start with a Biblical perspective, however, I believe it becomes a lot easier to narrow down the topic at hand.  People who have devoted time to studying the Old Testament will tell you that it is an account of God attempting to set apart and preserve a remnant of His holy people, in spite of all of the various trials and conflicts that have plagued the Israelites throughout history.  God edifies them no matter how many times they rebel or disappoint Him.  And believe me, there were plenty of times when they fell short.    

Let's begin with a nod toward Isaiah 10:21-21, which talks about how God helps Israel stand up to the Assyrian army.  It says, "In that day the remnant of Israel, the survivors of Jacob, will no longer rely on him who struck them down but will truly rely on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.  A remnant will return, a remnant of Jacob will return to the Mighty God."

We see here that those who have been set aside from the rest of the pack can now be free to rely on God's guidance.  The Assyrians were no better at avoiding idol worship than anyone else, indeed, Scripture says they were worse in many ways.  The remnant of God's chosen people are called to be different; they are set apart.

If we visit the peculiar story of Sodom and Gomorrah, we see how God also works to set aside a small portion of the population once sin begins to run rampant.  To be accurate, only three survived this historical event.  Genesis 19 mentions how Abraham bargains with God to spare any righteous people who may happen to live in these two cities, prior to their destruction.  God agreed to spare the town if He could find at least fifty people who weren't corrupted.  No such luck.  The number of righteous eventually tapered down to only Lot and his daughters.  Even Lot's wife ignores God at the very end and becomes a pillar of salt for her disobedience.  

I think we can see that the remnant in the Bible really equates to a group of true believers.  Untarnished and set aside, they are kept holy and separate from whatever sin or apostasy happens to take hold at the time.  Believers of Christ are the remnant today as well.  We are small when compared to the entire world, but rest assured - no less important.

What are we being set apart from?  Take your pick.  Some have postulated that there is a recent falling away (or apostasy) in the modern church itself, that spans across all denominations and geographic locations.  Churches willing to sacrifice the tenants of their faith in order to bow to current cultural values and mores.  

There is sin prevalent in other areas as well.  Look at the greed on display in some of the banking practices here in the West.  Think about the sins against family and marriage such as pornography and sexual promiscuity outside of Biblical boundaries.  Or sins against children directly, such as abortion and human trafficking.  There is no shortage of things to which without God's direct intervention, there would be no remnant left to preserve.  

But Jesus grants us hope, doesn't he?  Our Lord has promised to return one day, and until then, his Holy Spirit remains behind to help guide and convict people here on Earth.  We need this accountability, and we need his forgiveness also.

When Jesus does in fact return, what kind of remnant will he find?  Let's look at Luke 18:8 quickly, to the parable of the persistent widow.  It describes the desperate situation of a widow who continually harangues a judge to grant her justice against an adversary.  Although the judge doesn't like her, he eventually grants her this wish, just so she will finally leave him alone.  

We then get this curious question from Jesus in Luke 18:8 which asks, "I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly.  However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"

This is a rhetorical question I think, but it does illustrate a certain concept when it comes to the remnant of Christ.  Namely, the idea of whether or not we (the believers) are ready.  Do we accept being set apart and made for something better?  Have we stayed faithful and true to God the Father until the return of the King?

Fortunately for you and I, we have help with this daunting task.  Dare I say that without God's help, it would be impossible to remain set apart.  Faith is a gift after all, and that not of our own doing.  It is a grace extended to us on the part of a Holy Savior to His struggling people.  Just like the Israelites in the desert, our world is lost right now.  Mired so often in sin, and unable to find the path which leads to the narrow gate and the offer of eternal salvation.  

Rest assured, God is our teacher and comforter, able to guide us through.  Be bold and courageous with the knowledge that you have been bought at a ransom and set aside to do great things.  Lean into the legacy you have been given.  Be the remnant, faithful and true.  

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Ministry on the Move

 What a different and strange religion Christianity would be if Jesus had directed us to build stronghold churches and then just wait for people to show up.  Yet in many ways, I believe this is what a lot of churches in the West are doing much of the time.  The old adage from a famous baseball movie rings in my head: "If you build it, they will come."  But are parishioners actually coming?  

It's fascinating when we look back at the life and times of our Lord and Savior.  For much of his life, God's son had a mobile ministry.  We recall that before Jesus was even born, his parents were called back to Bethlehem to the place of Joseph's ancestry in order to fulfill an order for the Roman census.  Each family had to return to their place of origin to be counted.  Although the Biblical text glosses over how difficult this must have been, some manuscript scholars have theorized it was close to a ninety-mile trip.  Mary was very pregnant, and this was before trains and automobiles.  The trip was difficult I'm sure, and the landscape was often dangerous.  

This story about traveling a long distance and then being turned away at the Inn ended up with the birth of a king in a manger of course, and for that we celebrate the Advent season every year.  The Gospel of Luke mentions their trip briefly.  Luke 2:4 says, "So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David."  Something tells me that this young couple didn't have much of a choice in the matter.  When the Romans tell you to go somewhere - you go.

After Jesus got older and formally began his ministry, Biblical texts give an account of him traveling all over Galilee and going to churches and homes to preach.  Matthew 4:23 says, "Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people."  

Once again, we have this notion that in order to get the word out ... Jesus had to move around and take the initiative.  He didn't wait for the people already in the synagogue or out on the streets to come to him; instead he went on a kind of sanctified tour.  It is also worth mentioning that he preached with such authority that it completely baffled the Jewish ruling party.  The Pharisees couldn't wrap their heads around how someone who hadn't studied with them could end up knowing so much about God.  Almost as if he had an inside scoop.

Think about your own situation today.  If you want something to happen, then you need to get up and get going.  If it's time to get a new job for example, then you start making phone calls and looking through job postings.  You often end up traveling for interviews as well.  Typically staying at home and sitting around doesn't lend itself well to engaging new horizons.  You have to move.  

Finally, you will notice also that Jesus' disciples and followers had the same challenge.  The book of Acts records the followers of Christ moving from place to place.  The Gospel accounts record that occasionally Jesus and his followers would become so overwhelmed from the work of ministry that they had to escape and get away to a 'quiet place' where the Lord could pray and meditate.  

The apostle Paul famously traveled around and began defending Christianity as well.  He stood before kings and procurators, always willing to testify and lend credence to God's incarnate son.  Sometimes this would even land him in prison, and once in a shipwreck!

It seems then, that effective ministry is always in motion.  Jesus led, and people followed.  No standing still, and no resting on their laurels.  People who work in ministry know that sometimes there is no rest for the weary, and there is no shortage of folks who need spiritual leadership and compassion.  Ministry will take as much as you are willing to give.  Jesus knew this also, and accounted for it with occasional, short rest periods.  

We are accostumed to hearing about the Great Commission.  Indeed, it is more or less the mission of the modern church.  Matthew 28:19-20 recounts this narrative quite well.  It says, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Notice that we are told to go and do.   To make disciples and to baptize them in the name of Trinity.  This takes effort and time of course, but I think it also requires us to be mobile.  To evangelize while we are moving about in the public arena - not just waiting in church buildings for people to come visit.

We would have an entirely different religion if the Great Commission commanded us to "build it, and they will come."  This would be a faith of waiting and watching.  Instead, what we are called to do is be proactive in our approach.  Yes it is wonderful when people come to us, but think back to your own life for a moment. More often than not, didn't someone have to come after you first?

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