Tag: Son

Unfailing Promiser

“Not one of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed: all came to pass.”
–Joshua 21:45 (NRSV)

My son, Jackson, is notorious for saying “you promise?” And now Wylder is picking up on it. You know what. I will let you in on a little secret. I almost never say that I do promise. I almost always say… we will see, probably, most likely, etc. I don’t want him to hear me promise something and then not follow through on it. Because inevitably, as a parent to now 3…I will not follow through on that promise. I don’t want him to experience from me a failed promise.

But. There has been a handful of times that I have accidentally promised and he has experienced that. And he usually yells in my face “but you promised!!!”

Can you relate?

Maybe it’s your own kids who have yelled in your face. Maybe you have made a promise to someone else and it not go the way you planned and so your promise fell short. Maybe someone promised you something and their promise fell short. It doesn’t feel great to
break a promise or have someone break their promise.This is why I am so thankful I can turn my son back to God and His never failing promises. I mean if Jesus isn’t the picture perfect example of never failing promises – I don’t know what is!

Think about it for a second.

If you’ve read scripture you have read God’s people, Israel, over and over and over promise God that they will be good and follow Him. And then what do they do? Their own thing—breaking those promises. God could have said, “sorry” with a shrug of His shoulders. But God did not do that. In fact. God delivered on the most amazing promise ever. The birth of Jesus and ultimately the sacrifice of Jesus for all humankind so that we might have life and have it to the full!

This Christmas season. I want you to remember God’s never failing promises in your life when everything around you seems to be failing. Phases, schooling for our kids (or for you), work life, etc. Lot’s of “promises” were made this last year and we also experienced a lot of let downs and missed milestones in our families lives. It’s been hard. So look to Jesus this Christmas and experience the hope that He brings in being our never failed promise.

2020-11-30
Have and Need

“For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and He is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
– Isaiah 9:6 (NRSV)

Okay. Be honest. Did you have your Christmas tree up at the beginning ofNovember? Anyonehave it up before Halloween this year? I mean, come on! We need the excitement and magic that Christmas brings. Right? After the yearwe have had?! We need Christmas. Maybe you are one of those who strictly doesn’t do the Christmas thing until after Thanksgiving is over…
Did you still wait this year?

I think we have all been anticipating this season. I know I have! We have been bogged down with COVID, killer bees, racial injustice, politics, and more. We need Christmas. We need hope. We need Jesus.

As you probably well know – God made a promise well before Jesus came…that Jesus would come. That Jesus would be and bring the light that we needed so desperately. That Gods people needed so desperately. Do you feel like this year you need that light? You need to be reminded of God’s promises in your life? Do you need to be reminded of the hope that Jesus brings to us in all the different seasons of life?

It’s been a hard year. For so many reasons for so many people. Many of us have had anxiety, frustrations, cried, yelled, laughed, cried some more probably… I am thankful that God is faithful. That God shows us His faithfulness through Jesus Christ. And that through Jesus and the promises that God keeps we can have hope. Because let’s face it. At the end of this year and as we move into the next year – we need hope.

Where do you see hope in your life today? Thank God for those glimmers of hope. Thank God for His continued faithfulness.

2020-11-28
Power to…

Jeremiah 31:10–14; John 5:19–40

If you had the power to change anything and everything, would you? If you could eliminate war, disease, hatred, bigotry, misogyny…would you?

If you could judge people perfectly…would you?

The structure of the Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) is a conundrum. The Father is God; the Son (Jesus) is God; the Holy Spirit is God. The Father is neither the Son nor the Holy Spirit. The Son is neither the Father nor the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not the Father nor the Son. Yet, one God, three-in-one.

It might seem peculiar to bring up the Trinity, as the passage from John is about the Son (Jesus) and the Father. We see that Jesus says that he is not able to do anything apart from the Father, and that the Father gave all judgement to Jesus.

What Kingdom is that? If a human had all the power to judge (perfectly), why would they give that up? At best, a human has the power to judge okay, but with far too many errors. The Father gave it to Jesus.

The Judge (Jesus) will raise each person, whether good or bad, to answer for their life. How this works, who knows? Will a person watch a movie of their life and condemn or justify it? Is our soul weighed on some sort of scale? Many such questions have been asked; many answers have been given.

The underlying truth is that each and every person, even those who think of Jesus as nothing more than a nice guy in history, only want to imagine being accepted by Jesus.

According to Jeremiah, the Kingdom will redeem, refresh, and water (with the Living Water) people. As a result, they will be strong, joy-filled, and satisfied.

These verses declare God’s kingdom. However, one verse later foreshadows the evil that happens after the Messiah, the harbinger of the Kingdom, is born. No great (or even mediocre) kingdom avoids the evil in the hearts of men, unless it is the Kingdom of Heaven.

※Prayer※

God, may our hearts love and accept you, that we are your children, and that we have a place with you. Amen.

2020-11-24
Thankfulness as Discipleship

2 Timothy 1:1–9

Thankfulness is often for that which benefits us. We are thankful for homes, jobs, food, family, Jesus. Paul is thankful for Timothy.

Paul’s simple gratefulness for Timothy’s enduring faith is plain to see. Paul does view Timothy as a son, but not as the biological son of a father, but more of the ultimate disciple. Timothy, it seems, represents the ultimate expression and thus inheritor of Paul and Paul’s legacy.

In modern terms, we might use the term mentor or coach. Except on rare occasions, however, neither mentor nor coach adequately explains Paul’s feelings for Timothy.

It is unusual for us to be thankful for those like Timothy in our lives. Some teachers are truly grateful for a few of their students (often outweighed by the others). By and large, though, people who “bring up” others are often only grateful or thankful if those who were “brought up” bring them credit, honor, or glory.

However, often what we don’t realize is how much we learn about ourselves and our knowledge when we “bring up” others. For many years, apprenticeship was the way a person learned. The “master” would be challenged by the apprentice as the apprentice would seek to exceed the master.

In a discipleship relationship, the “elder” will often learn as much as the “young”. If the “elder” is not learning and changing, too, then discipleship has become a system and not the Way of Life. This is how one becomes grateful for those “bought up”, for one learns that with them, one would not have grown as well.

※Reflection※

Do you have a person that “walked” alongside you as an “elder”? Do you have someone you are walking alongside?

※Prayer※

Lord, help us be grateful for those you have brought to us, and make us mindful of the mission you have for us. Amen.

2020-11-17
Thieving Glory

Matthew 24:42–44; 1 Thessalonians 5:2–6; Revelation 16:12–16

Calling God a thief seems more than just a little ridiculous. Yet, Jesus uses the imagery of a thief to talk about the Day of the Lord.

The Day of the Lord is an ambiguous phrase. Many (perhaps even most) Christians, think of the “Day of the Lord” as the day that Jesus will return. From a Jewish perspective, this is not the case.

The Day of the Lord is a phrase used to indicate an occasion where/when the earthly way of things (the status quo) will be shaken. There are two primary uses of this phrase. The first is the impending consequences of unfaithful behavior by the Israelites. The second is when God restores Israel by throwing down those that oppressed them.

This is not to say that the “Day of the Lord” is not Jesus’ return (for that is the penultimate Day of the Lord). It is better to say that there will be many Days of the Lord.

The comparison between the dramatic Day of the Lord the Jews were expecting at the time of Jesus and the thief in the night is not incidental. In many respects, the impending Day of the Lord was Good Friday, followed by Easter, followed by Pentecost.

To Christians, we don’t view these as “thief in the night” moments. General history, however, only finds them important due to Christianity. The death of Jesus was just another day of Roman “justice” and fearmongering. The Resurrection was only witnessed by a few.

Pentecost, by far, was the biggest event (people-wise) of the three, and yet it was relatively insignificant to an Empire, and only “another” sect to deal with for the Jews. Yes, this sect became troublesome for the Jews and the Romans, but it didn’t start that way.

One of the biggest struggles that Christians have about the “Day of the Lord” is that they continue to look for big signs. They want drama. They want action.

Jesus’ return may indeed be on clouds of glory (he says it, but is it literal or imagery), but Jesus didn’t say how many would witness it.

※Questions※

1) In the US, we often look to elections or wars as “the Day of the Lord”. What other events come to mind?

2) Why is it important to keep the “thief” motif in mind when thinking about Jesus’ return?

3) Why do you think Paul uses dark and sleep to talk about “the thief” (think beyond the obvious)?

※Prayer※

Father, as we wait for your Son’s return, let your Holy Spirit burn inside of us, and keep the light of your love and glory shining, that we are ready for such a time as that. Amen.

2020-11-04
Saintly Ones

Matthew 5:1–16; Revelation 7:1–17

※ Q: What is a Saint? ※

You would think that this question is easy. However, the meaning of saint depends on the context and even timeframe.

Chasid (חָסִיד) and Kaddish (קַדִּישׁ) are the Hebrew words that are most often translated as saint (not always, though). Chasid (חָסִיד) means faithful or devout ones (with the implication being toward the covenant). Kaddish (קַדִּישׁ) means holy ones or people of the holy ones (yes, we could, but perhaps shouldn’t, infer the Trinity there).

Hagioi (ἅγιος) is first seen in Matthew 27:52 and used to talk about those who rose from the dead upon Jesus’ death. It is most used by Paul to refer to the (what became) Christians in his letters. It became generally used that way by the other New Testament writers and the church. In Revelation, the word becomes expressly tied to those who died as martyrs.

※ Q: What does it mean to be a saint? ※

If you’ve been in the church any length of time, saint can be applied to a person of significant patience. It is also applied to many that have been in the faith for a long time and have gray or white hair (the hair color, of course, is important ????). However, that is probably a bad way of thinking about it.

If we were to tie both the Hebrew and the Greek together, we would probably get an approximation of people whose relationship is with God through faith in Jesus Christ and for whom this is their primary identity.

※ Q: Are you a saint? ※

※Prayer※

Holy Spirit, guide into a relational identity with the Father, through the Son. Amen.

2020-10-31
Chained or Unchained

Deuteronomy 27:12–28:1; John 8:31–40; Galatians 3:7–14

There are many wonderful things in life that begin well and then become dead weight. Buying a house is one of those. We are now in an era when people buy houses and pay against a large debt for 15–30 years. It doesn’t take too long for the joy of home “owning” to be faced with the frustrations of maintenance, flaws, age, vision changes, life changes, and so on. It doesn’t have to be a house. It could be a car. It could be student loans. It could be your job.

The Law wasn’t intended to be life-giving. It was intended as God-oriented living protection. If you followed the law, there was a framework that guided one into a righteous life.

Somehow this became twisted, and the Law became life.

“Whoever does not put this law into practice is cursed.” (Deuteronomy 27:26)

This does not say that the Law is life. It says that not following the Law results in bad consequences. Within the Law there were “resets” built in. Sins, errors in judgment could be dealt with. Life could move on.

However, there is a difference when it is a lifestyle. This is not about ignorance. This is not about an unbeliever. This is about those who declare God their God and live in such a way that they have not put God first in their lives.

What becomes the struggle is “proving” that God is first in our lives. Often, we “prove” it by living a more “holy” life. The Church of the Nazarene, for example, was long known for its stances against alcohol, smoking, and dancing. Not doing these things was the mark of “holiness” but is what the areas of broken relationships where these things occurred that was the real issue.

When holiness (or the appearance thereof) become chains rather than freedom, then holiness has become the Law. If that is the case, then that might make a lie out of, “who the Son sets free is free indeed,” because then, it seems, we want to find new chains to live in.

※Questions※

1) What are some Christian “rules” that you can think of? How do you think they became rules?

2) What rules can you think of that were intended to “give” or “preserve” life, but ended up chaining it? Does that make the rule bad?

3) What is a family rule that you wish wasn’t a family rule? Why?

※Prayer※

Jesus, you called us to a life of following you. Help up discern freedom from chains as we try to follow your way. Amen.

2020-10-08
Mercifully Faithful

Matthew 9:9–13; Luke 10:25–37; James 2:5–13

“For I desire faithful love and not sacrifice,
the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”
— Hosea 6:6 (CSB)

It’s interesting that the same translation, the CSB, translates Hosea 6:6 with faithful love, while in Matthew 9:13 it’s mercy. What makes it even more interesting is that the same word used for “faithful love” in Hebrew is also used for “mercy”.

In the context of Hosea, “faithful love” makes sense for the wayward Israelites. One of the issues, though, for the Israelites was that they did not show mercy to the orphans and widows (or, it seems, anyone else).

One could then conclude (reasonably) that the issue is that one of the ways that the Israelites did not show “faithful love” by not showing “mercy” to those who desperately needed it. It should not be lost on us that faithful love is mercy, and mercy is faithful love.

The world could use a lot more mercy. Imagine being merciful to your enemies…any of your enemies. They could be political, family, religious, national, tribal, even sports teams. Enemies aren’t just those we perceive as being our opposites.

Sports teams are the perfect example. Some you know probably like a sports team that you don’t (if you’re into sports). There can be times when sports fan blends into tribal then into gang behavior. Football (i.e., soccer) had “hooligan” troubles for many years. Team fans would riot at games and after games, trying to harm each other. Troubling or harming a fan based on their team is certainly not merciful.

As we delve into politics, everyone’s favorite topic, being merciful to people who seem to be on the opposite side of you is a Christian response. They love their families, too. What if they love Jesus? Then it’s even more important in many ways.

These days, being merciful means NOT responding to that social media statement, or too snarky comments made in the same tone that it was delivered. If you must respond (which may be necessary), it should be, “While I love you, we don’t see things in this area the same.” One would hope that this would be taken well. However, it’s not your responsibility for how they take a lovingly gentle response.

※Questions※

1) What are your thoughts and feelings regarding faithful love as mercy, and mercy as faithful love?

2) While it sounds strange, how might we show mercy to God?

3) What are ways that you show and can show mercy to others (hint: think beyond “compassion”)?

※Prayer※

Merciful Father, we thank you for your mercy, personified by the life, death, and resurrection of Your Son Jesus. May we show that same spirit of mercy to the world through our faithful love. Amen.

2020-10-04
Graveside Dancing

Psalm 30; Hosea 13:4–14

Yesterday was the birthday of my stepfather. He passed away years ago. For whatever reason, this year his birthday hit me kind of hard. He and I had our good moments. We had our bad moments. Just like any parent-child relationship. I was his only child.

At his burial, the priest spoke about his baptism sealing him to Jesus Christ. This was spoken pastorally to people grieving. However, scripturally it has some weaknesses. His life, and to my knowledge, and beliefs were not of Jesus Christ.

On his death bed, my wife shared the Good News of Jesus Christ. He was in a “non-responsive” state. Yet, she felt a physical response to the invitation to accept Jesus Christ as his Savior. Only in Heaven will I learn if the baptism was “sealing” as the priest said, or whether the physical response truly was an acceptance of Jesus. I can only hope and trust in God.

Why share the angst? “I cried to you for help, and you healed me.” In our pain and sorrow, God is there to “turn [our] lament in dancing”. Joy in Christ in the midst of the pains of life is the life we are called to.

In lament and pain, it is easy for our faith in God to be shaken, while at the same time relying more firmly on God will help us through the pain.

There are many kinds of loss. The verses of Hosea summarize loss. The people lost (walked away from) God. They had experienced blessing, then they lost it. The vision of loss sounds brutal. Think of it though from God’s anguished heart.

“…like a bear robbed of her cubs.” Have you seen a momma bear (or many human mothers) separated from their children, with the feeling that the kids are threatened? I’ve seen a recorded version of one and lived the other. Don’t be the one that separates momma from the cubs. Just don’t.

THAT’S GOD! Something is between momma (God) and the cubs (the children of God)! That is just not going to go well! It could be a kingdom that has the name Israel or Judah attached to it.

THAT is the concept of ransom and redemption. Death and Sheol are not going to be forgiven for taking away the Children of God. The exact mechanism (despite a whole lot of theologians arguing over it for centuries) is unknown. All we know is that heart of God wants to turn our lament into dancing and our sorrow into joy.

※Questions※

1) What’s do you think about dancing at the death of death?

2) As Christians, why does death still frighten us? If we truly believe that a fellow Christian is in Heaven, why do we grieve?

3) “Deathbed Conversions” will continue to decrease, as too many don’t know the basics of Jesus. How will you turn regular conversations into God conversations?

※Prayer※

Father, thank you for redeeming us from death through the death and resurrection of your Son. May the Holy Spirit guide our hearts to speak the words of Christ to the world. Amen.

2020-10-03
Veritas

Acts 21:34–22:28

Have there ever been times in your life when you knew speaking the truth would, at best, keep things the way they were? And, at worst, make things horribly wrong? Or, have you had the experience that no matter how much you speak the truth, others only hear lies?

These scenarios might seem far-fetched, yet, that was exactly what Paul experienced.

“You speak Greek?”

“Aren’t you the Assassin leader?”

“You speak Aramaic?”

“You’re a Roman citizen?”

Yes, one the first is a literal question. The other 3 are just summarizations of other verses. Yet, the entirety is that Paul was dismissed. He wasn’t worthy.

People could share plenty of false information (that’s what started the riot, after all). Why bother to inspect the truth?

We are in a weird time. Truth is questioned. Truth is questionable.

Before you throw politics into this, understand that the Truth of our faith remains steadfast. It is the only Truth.

Paul spoke the Truth. He did not speak the truth that people wanted to hear. This is the same thing that we are seeing now. It is place (schools, homes, churches, governments) agnostic.

Many of you may have experienced those first questions when you think about spiritual/faith conversations you have had.

Who are you? A child of God

What is Truth? That God loved you so much that he sent his son to die to reconcile God’s lost Creation to himself.

No, the Truth is not comfortable to many, or even most, people. Sharing the Truth will only become harder.

※Prayer※

Father of all Truth, may we have the courage of our faith to share your Truth in love with a world that does and doesn’t want to hear it. Amen.

2020-10-01