Matthew 1:18-25

Wonderful lectionary reading for Dec 22nd!

We're studying the man of few (or no) words, Joseph!  A man of great conviction, who, scripture tells us is righteous!  A man in the lineage of David, who follows the law and is considered a righteous man.  So, we see the great tension that he lives with as he takes time to stop and reflect on the problem that he faces - he is legally engaged to Mary and she becomes pregnant.  So, in his time of reflection, he considers his path forward - not the strict adherence to the law (Deut 22 type stuff of finding Mary guilty), but following the law of his heart - compassionately and quietly dismissing this and granting a divorce.  It is in this time of "heart strings reflection" that God intervenes with the news as to how this occurred!  God continues to be the primary actor, mover, shaker and maker.  Joseph and Mary simply respond to God's great acts. 

Let me make ONE GIANT leap........ How is God moving in your life today?  How are you responding, reflecting, and considering life from your "heart?"

Luke 19:1-10 Zachaeus and Jesus

This story of Zachaeus seeking to see Jesus and Jesus seeking to save the lost is fascinating!  It is a unique story to Luke.  It is the only time that the Greek word is used that means "chief tax collector."  It follows right on the heals of Jesus healing the blind man as he approaches Jericho.  And, interestingly enough, Jesus heals a man who wants to SEE and also brings healing to a man who wants to SEE JESUS! 

Zachaeus is hated as a tax collector and considered a dreadful sinner.  [pretty funny that his name actually means pure or righteous!]  But, perhaps his parents set the stage for this ultimate healing, who knows?

Zachaeus humiliates himself by running ahead of the crowd and also by climbing a tree in a robe.  No one of his rank or stature runs or climbs a tree.  He must have been intent on SEEING Jesus. 

When Jesus stops the parade, looks up and calls him by name, he must have been shocked!  But, his response was appropriate.  He came down immediately and welcomed Jesus into his home.  Jesus said, "I must stay with you today!"  The word for stay with really means - abide!  I must abide with you!  Isn't that what Jesus wants to do with you and with me?  Just as it says in Rev 3:20, "Here I am!  I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me."  This brings up that famous image of the door with the door knob only on the inside.  Jesus stands and knocks, but can't open the door without it being opened from the inside. 

Then, when Jesus dines with Zachaeus, Zachaeus stands up and says, "Look Lord!  Here and now, I give half my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will repay back four times the amount."  Zachaeus went looking for Jesus, but found the Lord.  He was converted by the experience of looking, finding, having Jesus abide in his home and responding with his wealth and treasures.  Jesus said that Today Salvation has come to this house! 

One more very interesting and dynamic point!  Jesus called Zachaeus down from the tree, down from humility, down from a sinner's status to receive salvation.  And, yet only 10 or 11 days later, Jesus is lifted up on a tree, humiliated, hated, considered a sinner, to die so that we would share the name of Zachaeus - righteous and pure!  To God be all the glory, laud and honor!  Thank-you Lord Jesus for trading places with us!
 

Jesus sets us free

In Luke 13:10 - 17, Jesus is teaching in a synagogue.  During his teaching, he sees a woman who is bent in half.  He interrupts the teaching, calls her forward and completely heals her.  He sets her free from the binding of Satan.  In doing this, he calls her a daughter of Abraham.  By calling her a daughter of Abraham, he is saying that she is living by faith.  She is doing what Abraham did.  Apparently, for 18 long, arduous years, this woman has been faithfully placing one foot in front of the other, practicing her faith, attending synagogue, praying and worshiping the Almighty God.  So, in one way, even though bound physically, she is free spiritually.  She is free spiritually to worship in spite of her physical ailments.  Jesus makes her complete, by aligning her spiritual freedom with her physical freedom. 

Now Jesus contrasts this physically bound woman with the hypocritical synagogue ruler who is bound by legalism.  He is bound by a list of rules so that the job is easy.  Just apply the rules to the situation and totally ignore the human touch, the human side of the equation.  In fact, as Jesus points out, the rules are more in favor of animals than they are for humans on the Sabbath.

I have a simple question.  If Jesus is all about setting us free (Sabbath or no Sabbath), did he also set the synagogue ruler free by humiliating him and calling him a hypocrite?  In other words, does this strategy help to get to the heart of the matter and set two free?  Or, are some of us so bound up by our legalism and rules that, even when the inconsistencies are pointed out, we still don't get it? 

So, the P.S. is:  Can we accept criticism from the Lord and then go and change our ways?  I pray that as we see ourselves in the mirror of scripture, we can notice what needs changed and ask the Lord to work in our hearts and minds and change us for His glory!

Baggage for the Trip

As I prepare for my summer vacation, I’m studying the scripture in Luke 10:1-11,16-20, where Jesus sends out seventy to all the towns he intended to visit.  They’re told to pray, to ask God to send out workers for the harvest is great!  They’re also told to travel light, no purse, no bag, no sandals.  This scripture captivates me for a number of reasons.  First, it carries that all familiar “sending” theme of God.  God sent His Son, Jesus to us to give us life.  Jesus sends out his disciples, then sends out the seventy, and finally in Matt 28, sends everyone out (by again sending the eleven) to baptize, to teach others what he taught us and to make disciples of all nations.  And, in this Matthew passage, we’re reminded that we don’t go alone, but that Jesus goes with us, even unto the end of the age.  The second reason this scripture captivates me is that we’re told to travel light.  I don’t know about you, but I NEVER travel light.  Lisa and the TSA people at the airport scanners marvel at my electronics bag.  I love to take all my gadgets and toys with me.  And, I usually pack more clothes than I’ll wear.  But, these disciples are told to go to other towns without even a purse, a bag or sandals.  Amazing!  How did they do it?  Actually, I think I know.  They were traveling with the faith, the assurance, and the confidence that they were enough.  The Spirit of the Living God lived inside them, encouraged them, empowered them and went with them.  They went with no “preconceived notions,” “prejudice,” “emotional baggage,” “drama” or “judgmentalism.”  They just went.  And, the Lord of the cosmos, the God of all creation, went with them and provided exactly what they needed.  How freeing!  How liberating to just be ourselves.  To leave ALL the extra baggage of life behind.  To become part of the marvelous creation of God that simply relies on His grace, His mercy, His provisional love.  And, if, as it says in Luke 12:11-12, “When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say,” then don’t we trust that the words will come in other situations, too?

So, as I finish packing way too much stuff, the words of my Savior roll around in my brain, to pray, to leave some emotional baggage at home and to take “peace” wherever we go!  May these words go with you also this summer.  Pray, take peace with you and leave some baggage behind.

A Tale of Two Sinners

Luke 7:36-50.  This is a wonderful story of comparison.  It involves a Pharisee (which means "the separated one) named Simon, who invited Jesus to a meal.  In the gospels, only two Pharisees are mentioned that engage Jesus in such an intimate way.  The other is Nicodemus who approached Jesus at night - not wishing to be seen with him.  Simon, however, invites Jesus to a public meal.

The power of this story is the mind reading ability of Jesus and his condemnation of Simon or at least his "leveling the playing field" between Simon and this sinful woman.  Simon, on par with his Pharisee-ship and being separated from the world - can't believe that Jesus lets a sinful woman touch him.  Of course, Jesus came to the world to save, love, and forgive sinful people.  The fascinating part of this is that Simon can't see his own sinfulness. 

My prayer is that I would be able to see my own sinfulness, repent every time and lavish such love and devotion and worship on Jesus Christ that I would be much more like the sinful woman, who wept at Jesus' feet, wiped them with her hair and anointed his feet with precious oil.

Could you pray for the same "eye opening" experience?  Could your eyes be open to your haughty, prideful, judgmental attitude and be humbled, loved and forgiven by Jesus Christ?  That's my hope for you!  When that happens, life is far more glorious and compelling!

Two Things

I need two things very badly!  I need slack in my schedule and I need an outward orientation.  Said in a different way - I need to have open spaces in my calendar; areas of unscheduled time and with that, an openness to filling the time for someone else.  Open space and openness to others.

As I ponder those two things, it seems that the second one is the nut to crack.  It's the one Jesus calls me to.  It's the one Jesus models in His life.  As He traveled the road of ministry, healing, teaching, giving new life, He always had time for people.  He had an outward orientation.  It seems that He designed His time around serving others, rather than an agenda of "to dos."  His whole orientation was outward, other-directed, life-giving, selfless service, rather than personal goals in a daytimer. 

So, what would that look like in my life?  I mean, in my iPhone, I use an app called GoTasks which stores all my to-dos (I have 19 for today) and it even links them to my gmail account, so they're always in front of me.  What if I had only one for today that read, "Open your eyes and your ears to the needs around you.  Open your senses to the cries of people you meet and then do something for them!"  What if my calendar had large empty spaces in it, so that a response to people was possible?  I think that would be a radical shift - a faithful shift - a "turn myself upside down" shift.  And, I think that's what Christ's message is to us!  So, what's the cry right in front of me?  And, what do I do about it?

Luke 7:11 - 17

Jesus leaves Capernaum with his disciples and entourage and make the 25 mile walk to Nain.  Just as they are getting there, they run smack into a funeral procession.  So here's the scene:  The Lord of life is leading a parade of joy and celebration that meets a funeral dirge, a death march with wailing and crying, led by a widow who just lost her only son. 

Not many words are exchanged in this scene, but when they are, they are full of power.  And, as a matter of fact, Jesus speaks commands (not suggestions).  He tells this woman - Don't cry!  (now, you and I can't even imagine her situation.  She just lost a husband, the bread winner and her voice in the community and now lost her only son.  She was destined to be destitute and on the fringe of society, if she lived at all.  So we can't imagine this)  Jesus says Don't cry.  Then he tells the boy, "Young boy, I say to you, Get Up!"  With that the boy sits up and starts talking.

So, the only Son of God, who is destined to die for us, has compassion on this woman and raises her dead son to life.  He does it by his command, his direct statement to the dead person.  In fact, he addresses the boy as if he were alive.

It's interesting that there is no mention of the widow's faith or belief or even asking for the Lord's help.  Jesus has compassion on her.  He stops the funeral procession in its tracks and gives the dead boy life and hands him back to his mom.

So, the question that must be faced is this:  Which procession are we in?  Are we in the death march, funeral procession?  Have we lost hope, lost energy, given up?  Are we shuffling off to the grave, wailing, crying, forlorn?  Or, are we in line with the Lord of life?  Are we dancing, praising, witnessing, and marveling at what the Lord is doing? 

Notice this.  That once the two processions meet, the Lord's parade trumps the death march.  Jesus Christ stops the funeral and it completely disbands.  The Lord of Life overcomes death.  The Prince of Peace wins. 

And finally, when all of this happens, what is the result?  There are shouts of joy and amazement and a response of fear!  I mean, it's not ordinary to watch a corpse sit up and start talking.  Jesus always turns the ordinary to the extraordinary.  He always turns the world upside down for us.  And, he does this in a good, loving, positive way!  Praise the Lord Jesus Christ!