Category: Christ

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Foundations

Today was Professional Career Day at school. This morning the sixth grade had an assembly where they heard a speaker talk about preparing now for their future careers. He spoke about foundations, how everything they did now laid a foundation for what they wanted to do. If they didn’t lay a good foundation now, they would never be what they wanted to be.

Jesus said that we must build our house on a solid foundation. He said that unless we listened to his teachings and followed them, the house that we build will fall flat when trouble comes. I think this is applicable to the church as well as to our individual lives.
There have been many foundations on which churches have been built over the centuries. Some have been built on the authority of a man or council of men. Some have been built on this creed or that confession. Others have claimed that they were built on Scripture alone. Some have even been established on the foundation of a political leader’s ideas of church and state. Today, some churches are built on a foundation of building a large organization. Others are built on a certain idea of what’s going to happen in the end. There are churches erected on the foundation of doing things differently from the way they’ve always been done. Others are established on building community, or helping other people.
Not all of these things are bad or useless. Some of them are very good. People are brought to faith and Christians are built up by many of these things. The problem comes when we make anything other than Jesus Christ the foundation. When anything else is the base of the house we are building, there will be strong areas to be sure. There will also be areas that will be terribly weak, with holes and other defects. It is those weak areas that will cause the house to eventually come crumbling down.
Like our lives, our churches must be built on Jesus Christ and his teachings. He is the head of the church, and we are his body. He is the sole reason the church exists. He is everything. Let us make sure that our lives and our communities of faith, regardless of what we call them, are built on the only foundation guaranteed to be strong and sure – Jesus.
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Waiting

There is a lot of waiting this time of year. Shoppers wait in traffic so they can get to stores and wait in line to pay for their merchandise. Students (and teachers) wait for vacation to start. Children wait to see what gifts they will receive. Other people wait for the season to be over. One thing that seems present in all the waiting is stress and conflict. Sometimes the very act of waiting causes the problems.

The people of Israel were waiting. Waiting for the promised Messiah, waiting for God to speak again, and deliver his people. They had been waiting a long time. Today, we wait for that same Messiah to return and deliver us. It has been a long time.

Some in Israel had grown tired of waiting and were content with just getting by. Others had put their hopes in their religious rituals, or political works. Before we are too hard on them, let us ask ourselves how we are waiting. Are we waiting for a trip off this old earth, up into the sky? Are we waiting for the right leaders to be elected or the right laws to be passed to turn our nation back to God? Have we given up and been reduced to just getting by?

We are told to not become weary in doing good. Jesus is King, and one day he will return and set
everything right again. Their will be justice, mercy, and peace. Creation will be renewed. The Kingdom of God will come in its fullness. That is what we wait for. That is what we long for.

This Advent season remember that we wait in anticipation of a Kingdom that is here now, and is still to come. We wait in anticipation and in hope.

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First Sunday of Advent

As the season of Advent begins, we remember the longing of the ancient people of God for the coming of the Messiah. We also think of our own longing for Christ’s return and the culmination of the restoration of all things.

Enjoy this video by Christine Sine:

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Thanksgiving

Thursday is Thanksgiving, the day set aside to stop and reflect on the things that we are thankful for. Then we fall asleep watching football. The good thing is that many people really do stop and think about their blessings.

There is much in my life for which I am thankful. First, and most importantly, I am thankful that the Creator of the universe is my Abba, and that he calls me son. I am thankful that I am a coheir with Christ of all things. I am grateful for God’s love and grace, and for his patience with me.

I am thankful for my family. I was blessed to grow up with a mom and dad who loved me unconditionally, and taught me a lot about following Jesus. I am thankful for my sister and her family, and for their love. I am thankful that they live relatively close. I am extremely thankful for the wonderful woman who shares my life. Jan is a blessing from the Father, and her love and support are essential to me. God has allowed us the privilege of bringing up two fantastic children. Josh and Jennie have given us countless wonderful memories, and we continue to be very, very proud of them. I am thankful for my in-laws. I have always felt loved and accepted, and Jan’s dad continues to be a strong support to us.

Like many folks in today’s economy, I am thankful I have a job. Beyond that, I am grateful to have a job where I can see a bit of difference made in what I do. I enjoy working with the middle school kids, and love the opportunity to coach the high school basketball team God has given me.
I am thankful for the things God has taught me over the last few years. My faith has been tested and stretched, and my dependence on the Father and my love for Jesus has deepened. Although their are still areas where the answers aren’t there, I am comfortable with the questions. I am grateful for the community God has led us to. We are a fellowship that is committed to loving God and loving each other. We are learning to open up to each other and accept each other, warts and all. We are seeking to live as free people in Christ and to help others find that freedom. The folks in our community have become a family, and they are all a real blessing to us.

I am thankful for the friends I have made along my journey so far, and for the ones who will come along later. I am grateful for those of you who read this blog, and for those who write the things that God uses to teach me. I could go on and on, but you get the idea. I am extremely blessed.

I will have limited computer access for the next few days, so the blog will be silent. I hope your Thanksgiving is blessed. Enjoy the day, and spend a bit of time thanking God.

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There’s a Fourth Question?

Last week, we looked at three questions that Jesus asked people. Those questions are here, here, and here. On Sunday we asked a fourth question: What does Jesus say about us? Here is my answer.

You are forgiven. You are restored. Your sins are gone, as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). You are clean. You have been given a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26-27).

When the Father looks at you he sees a new creation. He sees a son, a co-heir with Christ to everything he has. The Father sees an individual who he loves, and he is pleased with you. Even though you are a human being who blows it from time to time, the Father knows that the work he has begun in you will be completed. He sees someone who is good, and who is being filled more and more with the Spirit.

Don’t let anyone, whether they are a relative, friend, enemy, or preacher, tell you that you are bad, that God is disappointed with you, that you have to try harder to get back in his good graces. You are more than just a “sinner saved by grace.” You are a beloved son of the Creator. God’s grace is far bigger than your sin. There is nothing you can do to to make him love you any more, and it is impossible for you to cause him to love you any less. As Paul says in Romans 8:30, you are called, you are justified, you are glorified.

Rest in God’s grace. Soak in his love. Trust that Jesus is enough. You are a beloved child of the Almighty God. Walk in that reality.

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Questions From Jesus 3

We’ve been looking at three questions that Jesus asked during the course of his time here on earth. The first question was, “Who do you say that I am?” The second was, “What do you want me to do for you?” The third question that we want to consider is, “Do you want to get well?”

This is the question that Jesus asked the man who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. At first glance it seems silly, asking an invalid who is waiting to get into the healing waters of the Pool of Bethesda. Of course he wants to get well! Who wouldn’t? I think it’s interesting that the man didn’t answer in the affirmative. He told Jesus that there was no one to help him into the water so he could get healed. There are a couple of ways to look at his answer. I have heard preachers say that he was making an excuse, and blaming his lack of healing on others. These were usually during sermons that were in the “things you can do” genre. When Jan and I were talking about this, she said that maybe he didn’t realize there was a way to healing other than going into the water. Jesus, the Healer, was standing next to the man, but he didn’t recognize him. I think Jan is on to something there.

It is true that sometimes we say we want to be healed, but we don’t want to go through the process of healing. In The Great Divorce, C.S. Lewis tells of a Ghost who refuses to let an Angel kill the reptile on his shoulder because it would hurt too much. Sometimes being made well is a painful process, and sometimes we think it’s easier to live with the brokenness than to go through something that may bring pain, but that will ultimately bring healing and wholeness.

Sometimes, we don’t recognize the source of our healing. We look at all the things we think can make us whole. Things like relationships, alcohol or drugs, church activities, work, vacations, or any number of things. We don’t recognize that the only one who can heal us is right there. Jesus is the Healer, he is the only one that can redeem our brokenness and make us whole.

If we truly want to get well, Jesus is the only one who is able to heal and make us whole. There may be pain involved, but sometimes healing takes a bit of pain. It’s like a doctor cleaning a wound with something that stings. It may hurt for a while, but the end result is worth it.

Do you want to get well?

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Questions From Jesus 2

The second question we’re asking ourselves at St. Thomas is the one Jesus asked Bartimaeus, “What do you want me to do for you?” The answer that day was, “Rabbi, I want to see.”

There are many answers that are given today. Some want Jesus to make them wealthy, or healthy. Some want Jesus to save them and take them to heaven when they die, without getting too involved in their lives. Some want him to end poverty and bring justice to earth. Others want him to punish their enemies. Some of us say that we are above the pettiness of the others, and that we “just want to be like Jesus.” Of course, what that means may differ from person to person.

When I think about the question, I wonder. What do I really want Jesus to do for me? I could give the stock answer with plenty of proof texts, but I don’t want to do that. I want to, as much as it is possible, answer as one who, like Bartimaeus knows how needy I am. I want to answer honestly, so that means I’m going to have to think a bit.

Who knows? Maybe the answer to the first question will inform the answer to the second, or vice versa.

What do you want Jesus to do for you?

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Questions From Jesus

This morning in our gathering, we were talking about some of the questions that Jesus asked during his time on earth. There are three in particular that we are going to attempt to answer as individuals and as a body.

The first question is, “Who do you say that I am?” When Jesus asked his disciples this question, Peter gave the famous answer that the Church is built upon. He said, “You are the Messiah, the son of the living God.” Jesus commended him for this answer and declared that it was revealed to him from God. Not long after this, Jesus was calling Peter, “Satan” for declaring that Jesus was not going to die. Even though Peter made a great declaration of faith, he didn’t totally understand all that went into that statement. He wasn’t thinking of a Messiah that would submit and die. He was still looking for a King that would defeat the pagan Romans and restore the glory of Israel.

Things haven’t changed that much since the first century. We make the same declaration, yet we usually don’t understand everything that means. We tell people that Jesus is Savior, or that Jesus is Lord. But, do we really live like that is true? Do we really get it?

As we attempt to answer the three questions, we are going to try and do it without resorting to the stock answers we’ve heard all our lives. We’re not even allowed to use Peter’s answer. 🙂 It will be interesting.

Who do you say that Jesus is?