Save A Seat For Jesus, Please...

Easter Sunday, 2013.

Lord Jesus, I'm a little concerned that I might miss seeing You today; it's really crowded in here.

Will You help me to get past the hairstyles, the clothes, the music, the food, the profiling, the jealousy, the jockeying, the self-preservation?

Father God, here we are with our polish and panache, all nice and shiny on the outside... all broken and messy on the inside.

Will You help us to give You authentic worship and honest confession and adoring hearts, ready to submit to Your loving surgery?

Holy Spirit of God, You are with us and for us on Easter Day and every day.

Please help us to pour out and keep pouring out all that You have poured in and are pouring into us, so that the world will know we belong to You: today, tomorrow, forever. Amen.

Heir-Traffic Control.

Oh, Jerusalem, the city that kills prophets and stones those who are sent to it! I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers its chicks, but you were unwilling. (Matthew 23:37)

Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, and that a riot was developing. He called for water and washed his hands in the sight of all the people, saying, "I am not responsible for this murder; you must answer for it." And all the people answered, "The responsibility for killing Him will rest on us, and on our children." (Matthew 27:24-25)

This past Sunday, Pastor Sam shared with us that the Pharisees went through a series of self-condemning actions. First, they were insensitive and did not recognize that the Triumphal Entry was a kairos moment of uninhibited worship. Second, the Pharisees added to their "worship-insensitive" mode by asking Jesus to tell His disciples to stop worshiping Him. Third, the Pharisees persuaded the people a few days later to condemn Jesus to die and to request that the notorious criminal Barabbas be returned to their city streets.

Amazingly, the Pharisees persuaded the vast majority of the crowd to reject Jesus the Christ and condemn themselves. And perhaps we would like to think that we are immune to acting in opposition to the love and grace and power of God: we would never quench a worship fire...

But what of the complaints of our hearts? They sing too loud. They worship too long. Why is he crying? Is this a second offering? 

Good Friday, 2013. We except another capacity crowd; little Bronx Bethany bursting at the seams. In a crowd this large, there might be worshipers controlled by the Holy Spirit of God, and worshipers controlled by people. Or Pharisees. Or protocol.

Who controls your worship of the King today?

The Anti-Worship Team.

As Jesus approached the road leading down from the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began to praise God joyfully with loud voices for all the mighty miracles they had seen. But some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.” (Luke 19:37 and 19:39).

How interesting. The Pharisees opted out of the incredible, once-in-a lifetime worship parade. But, instead of avoiding the parade route, they chose to hang around and complain. As Pastor Sam shared, they had the time to observe, analyze, and determine what was or was not appropriate protocol.

Our pastor noted that, ironically, the Pharisees were insensitive and insulated. They really should have been the first ones to recognize the spiritual significance of the Triumphal Entry. After all, their religious sect had constant access to the Scriptures. They had read the passage which prophesied of the King’s parade, His ride on the colt signifying peace and victory. But in the face of an opportunity to ascribe worth and majesty to the King, they got close enough to Jesus to deliver Him a testimony of anti-worship: “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.”

“Answering them, Jesus said: ‘If these human beings keep quiet, then the very stones will cry out!’” (Luke 19:40)

Two-thousand-plus years later, here we are. And we have to ask ourselves the question generated by this Palm Sunday narrative: In the face of exuberant worship, are we glad participants in the corporate praise of our Victorious King? Or, are we found wishing that His disciples would be quiet?

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: Look, your King is coming to you! He is righteous and victorious, and He is able to save you; yet He is humble and lowly, riding upon a donkey- even a colt, the foal of a donkey. (Zechariah 9:9)

Dirty Coats And Raspy Throats.

They brought the colt to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. As He went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. When He came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully praising God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen. (Luke 19:35-37)

What do you do when Jesus passes through?

The people spread their cloaks on the road. Pastor Sam shared with us that when we are caught up in the presence of God, "conventions go out the door." The people, conscious that they were experiencing a kairos moment, engaged in uninhibited adoration. Their outer garments were freely tossed onto the ground, an impromptu carpet for the colt to walk on as it carried its most precious Passenger.

There is no rationale for withholding material goods from God.

The whole crowd of disciples began joyfully praising God in loud voices. Our pastor also shared that when we recognize that we are in the presence of God, we cease to care about what other persons are thinking or doing. Our energies and intellect are spent in worship: singing, shouting, bowing, and praising the One who has come to save us.

There is no rationale for withholding praise from God.

Why were the disciples so exuberant in their praise? For all the miracles they had seen. What a wonderful thing! The disciples were praising God not only for their personal breakthroughs, but also because they had seen Jesus do amazing things for others in their communities.

Uninhibited, unselfish praise. Lord, let such a praise be found in our hearts, on our lips, and in our actions, today and always. Amen.

That's A Nice "Hear-Do".

In this past Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Sam spoke from Luke 19.

...Jesus went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. As He approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples, saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you. As you enter it, you will find a colt tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie the colt and bring it to Me. If anyone asks you "Why are you untying it?", tell them the Lord has need of it. (Luke 19:28-31)

Our pastor shared, and I paraphrase here, Christian obedience trumps understanding. If we are disciples, all we have to do is to listen to Jesus & do what He says. Simple enough, right?

Perhaps not. In our humanity we are both inquisitive and defiant, a dangerous juxtaposition. We reach for the hot stove as toddlers; we reach for the forbidden fruit as adults; we re-interpret the King’s commandments to suit our own purposes; we dare to ask the King to justify His actions; and we by our own actions say, “Jesus, I have a better idea than Yours.”

Jesus, we don't even know anyone in this village. Why do we have to go? You mean You want us to untie the colt without asking anybody first? How are we going to lead an untrained colt? Why don't You come with us to help us have more credibility?

Pastor Sam reminded us that “Holy people hear what God says, and they do it.” There is no demonstration of trust, love, faith, nor even good sense in hesitating to do what Jesus has told us to do. If we are a holiness people, if we are disciples of Jesus Christ, if we have committed ourselves and submitted ourselves to His Lordship, then we joyfully obey the word of our Lord who loves us.

Lord, there is no question of Your sovereignty and trustworthiness; help us to always hear and do what You say.

Portraits Of Passion: The Secure Administrator Versus The Suffering Neophyte.

[Today we take a short break from sermon summaries. The reflections on Pastor Sam's Palm Sunday sermon will begin posting tomorrow.]

From time to time, I watch foreign language films having to do with monastic or convent life. And I have noticed a recurrent theme. A young neophyte minister experiences a profound spiritual encounter with Jesus, or the Virgin Mary, or a long-departed saint. The encounter energizes the neophyte and she acts on the vision, seeking to do more for the kingdom of God than she had previously done. She endeavors to feed the poor. She commissions an artist to attempt to capture the encounter with paint and canvas. She writes of spiritual intimacies in her journal. And, somehow, the details of her encounter and subsequent action are relayed to the district office, or the divisional secretary, or some other headquarters-ish agency. And an administrator is dispatched to investigate.

In these films, the administrator is depicted as a “believer” who has lost passion. The investigation invariably ends with the administrator coldly ordering the neophyte to cease and desist from acting on the vision. The warning is soon followed by a transfer to an undesirable assignment, often one involving hard labor in extreme conditions that open the door to some incurable illness. The neophyte joyfully recounts the vision with her fellow saints in the marginalized community, and she continues to thrive spiritually while her body rapidly deteriorates. The ending of these types of films often shows the neophyte experiencing a second, confirming vision in the moments before her death, while the administrator comes to the realization that a critically important spiritual test has just been failed: in the face of a call for childlike faith and trust, the administrator instead chose to cling to policy and procedure. The administrator's end? A very successful work life, Christlike compassion buried alive, and a heart slowly suffocating under a stack of manuals.

SO glad these were only movies and not real life.

Sixth Sunday In Lent: Palm Sunday.

As was mentioned last week, liturgical churches vary in their terminology around Palm Sunday. Some churches also refer to the sixth Sunday in Lent as Passion Sunday (or Sunday of the Passion of Our Lord), others refer to the fifth Sunday in Lent as Passion Sunday, and some do not use the term "Passion" at all. [For the purpose of this post, we will use the term "Palm Sunday" in reference to the sixth Sunday.]

Palm Sunday has been famed by the practice of distribution of palms, a rite that extends even to non-liturgical churches.

"The large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was heading to Jerusalem, so they took palm tree branches and went out to meet Him." (John 12:12-13a).

Photo Source: gbod.org

Ah, yes. Perhaps it is appropriate that, in many churches, we experience this same thing: a large crowd shows up on Palm Sunday. But, as Pastor Sam has shared with us in years past, there is almost a "groupthink" mentality going on at the same time. So we have to ask ourselves: Why are we in this crowd? Is it tradition? Is it because our choir is on duty? Is it because we hold a superstition about palm branches? Is it because we "went out to meet Jesus"?


Oh God, You see us in this crowd and You know why we are here... give us the privilege of meeting Jesus today!

Ministry Partners!

Today, we consider the final point from Matthew 28:16-20: power.

“Teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remain aware of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 16:20)

Our guest pastor, Tom Mahairas, shared a profound insight about Jesus’s statement. In biblical Greek, the phrase is not read “I am with you”, but rather “I with you am.” Pastor Tom spoke of the reality of Christ as God with us, and God in us. When we come to faith in Christ and commit to obedient discipleship, we have the privilege of experiencing and expressing His presence and power.

This thought is reflected in the long ending of the book of Mark, where Jesus details some of those experiences and expressions: These signs will accompany those who believe: in My name they will drive out demons; they will speak in languages they never studied; they will handle snakes in safety; if they drink any deadly thing they will experience no harm; they will put their hands on sick people and the sick will be healed. (see Mark 16:17-18). These things occur not because we have become super-human, but because we are ever in the company of King Jesus who has authorized us to represent Him in the earth. It is the ultimate ministry partnership.

But in order to stand in this partnership, we must be fully convinced of who Jesus is. Pastor Tom warned us of the danger of diastasis (standing between two ways instead of committing to one). Such behavior calls forth the echoes of Joshua and Elijah: “Choose this day whom you will serve”; “How long will you stand between two ways?” (see Joshua 24:15; First Kings 18:21)

What privileged existence to work in concert with Christ! “I, with you, am.” Yes, Lord. We are Your body; You are our Head; we live and move by Your presence and power. We stand with You.

“I pray for My disciples, and for those whom they will disciple. May they all be one, just as You, Father, are in Me and I am in You. I pray that they will be in Us, so that the world will believe that You sent Me.” (John 17:20-21)

So If He Asks You To Get On The #22 Bus...

Let’s continue our walk through Matthew 28:16-20. As a reminder, our guest pastor (Tom Mahairas) shared five points from the passage:

• availability
• worship
• submission
• obedience
• power

Today, we consider the aspect of obedience.

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." (Matthew 28:19-20).

As my husband sometimes quips, “You have to know what the “therefore” is there for!” In this case, it seems that Jesus is referring directly to the previous statement (Matthew 28:18) in which He informed the disciples that it is He who holds all authority, and that all of heaven and earth and its inhabitants (past, present, and future) are subject to His rule.

So, because Jesus is Lord of all, He holds the prerogative in telling His disciples what they are to do… and we who are His disciples are expected to obey. Actually, it’s a cycle of obedience: part of our act of obedience includes teaching others to obey everything our Christ has commanded.

It’s an interesting concept when considered alongside John chapters 14 through 17, where Jesus urges His disciples to obey His commandments because of their love for Him. But then, we are confronted with the depth of His word: Yes, you are My friends. Yes, there is a love-fest between you and Me. But, remember that I am also your King; as Ruler over all, as Ruler over you, I am commanding you to represent Me in the world.

It’s a simple list of ways and means:

• We go where He sends us: the place we are sent is His choice, not ours (see Acts 17:26).
• We make disciples in every nation: wherever we are, disciples increase.
• We baptize these disciples: there must be a public witness of our proclaimed love for Him.
• We teach disciples to obey everything Jesus has commanded.

It’s a good list to reflect on.

Are we doing every thing in this list?

Are we doing any things on this list?

Are we doing nothing from this list?

Christus Imperat!

As we continue our thoughts on Pastor Tom's message, let us turn to the third aspect of Matthew 28:16-20: submission.

"And Jesus came up to them, saying, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.' " (see Matthew 28:17)

It is interesting to note that Jesus did not commend the eleven disciples for showing up, nor did He condemn the "some" who doubted while worshiping Him. Instead, Jesus made a statement concerning Himself: I rule everything.

What an incentive to read and obey the word of God! Since Jesus is Ruler of all, then it would do us good to be aware of what He has said, to know what He is concerned about, and to submit to all that He says.

Are we truly ready to live our lives under His rulership, with a preference for His desires above our own? 

Act Of Worship Versus Worship Act.

As we continue our reflection on Pastor Tom’s sermon, we turn today to the issue of worship.

“When they saw Jesus they worshiped Him, but some doubted.” (Matthew 28:17)

Pastor Tom reminded us that the eleven disciples were all diligent to show up at the location appointed by Christ, but something happened during their act of worship: a certain number of the disciples were sincere, and a certain number were harboring doubt in their hearts even as they worshiped the Lord. Matthew refrained from recording the exact ratio of authentic worshipers to doubting worshipers: but we do know that more than one of the eleven doubted, because Matthew used the term “some”.

Our guest pastor wondered aloud about the strangeness of finding doubters in this small group. After all, these were the men who had followed Jesus closely for three years. They saw Him walk out to them on a raging sea, feed thousands of people through the exponential increase of one boy’s lunch, and raise Lazarus from the dead. They knew how awesome He was, and how much He loved them… but their worship fell short.

Will Jesus find authentic worship in our assembly, or will He find worship mixed with doubt?

Sorry Jesus, I Have An Appointment With Someone Else.

In this past Sunday's sermon, Pastor Tom mentioned five keywords generated from Matthew 28:16-20:

• availability
• worship
• submission
• obedience
• power

Today, let's consider the aspect of availability.

The women [who saw the resurrected Jesus] were given a message to pass along to His disciples: "Go, tell My brothers to go to Galilee; they will see Me there." (see Matthew 28:10)

And verse 16 of the same chapter says: "So the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain Jesus had designated."

Jesus called a meeting, and His disciples showed up. They were in the right place at the right time.

When Jesus calls us, what do we do?

Lord, I'll come to the mountain to meet with You...

Line Forms To The Right...

Yesterday our guest speaker was Pastor Tom Mahairas, a "retired" pastor who has recently been involved in training Ugandan widows to become self-sufficient through farming.

Pastor Tom shared about COTN (Children of the Nile), a nonprofit organization through which the pastor and his colleagues provide seeds. He noted that, this year, the widows will receive seeds for corn plants.

He also noted that while we here in the United States complain about checkout lines and whether we can purchase "our favorite coffee flavor", these widows travel long distances by foot and patiently wait for hours on the distribution lines.

Lord, You have given us so much! Help us never to complain.

Fifth Sunday In Lent: Judica.

(Chant score. Source: Jogueschant, www.ccwatershed.org/liturgy)

The fifth Sunday in Lent, Judica, is named after the first word in the choral introit used in many liturgical churches for today (Judica me Deus/Vindicate me, God). [There are some churches that refer to the fifth Sunday in Lent as Passion Sunday, although in modern usage Passion Sunday is also considered an alternate name for Palm Sunday.]

The introit is taken from Psalm 43:

Clear my name.
Stick up for me against these loveless, immoral people.
Get me out of here, away from these lying degenerates.
I counted on You, God.
Why did You walk out on me?
Why am I pacing the floor,
wringing my hands over these outrageous people?
Give me Your lantern and compass,
Give me a map,
So I can find my way to the sacred mountain,
to the place of Your presence.

(Psalm 43:1-3, The Message)


O, Domine! Judica me Deus, et discerne causam meam. Amen.

Grow. Know.

(Photo source: Kenneth G. Libbrecht, Caltech. SnowCrystals.com: www.its.caltech.edu)

We are being renewed!
We are coming into a true knowledge of our King.
In this renewal, Christ is everything.
We relinquish all forms of evil and we put on love,
"The perfect bond of unity"...

Loosed from licentiousness, bound to holiness.
That is who we are, and who we are becoming...

Oh Lord, our Father, see Your true sons reflecting Your image!

Uniformity And The Deep Blue Sea...

(Photo source: TKEC, teamkiaofelcajon.com)

This past Sunday Pastor Althea shared, and I paraphrase here, Diversity does not mean conformity or uniformity.

It is an important thought to keep in mind as we endeavor to live out our mandate for Bronx Bethany Church of the Nazarene to be "a Spirit-filled community of love where there is a place for everyone."

The temptation (when fishing for souls) is to aim to catch fish that are already scaled, cleaned, and cooked to our liking. But that is not fishing; it's more like shopping, or perhaps even shoplifting. Souls come to the Door raw: broken, contrite, and aware of their dire need of repair. There is a need for salvation, and also a need for healing, and also a need for deliverance. These processes are worked out, lovingly and intentionally, in the community of faith.

And, as this process goes forth from salvation and moves into the realm of discipleship, we must be careful not to persuade people by external activities. Certainly spiritual disciplines are beneficial, and church involvement is a necessary engagement, but our Lord takes particular interest in the state of our hearts: the inner life of thoughts and motives.

This is sometimes a tricky thing for we Nazarenes, because over time we have fallen into great concern for external conformity in the face of diversity: conform to attire, conform to worship style/mode, conform to the time allotted for service, conform to the dominant culture. And sometimes, in our zeal to see quick conformity, or because of our desire to force uniformity, we lose out on diversity. The proverbial fish, put off by our push of external conformity to culture above internal conformity to Christ, swims away to who knows where.

A cleansed extrovert is, in most cases, still an extrovert. Pastor Althea spoke of how the Lord brought her through a process of spiritual formation, yet in that process He did not remove her core personality traits. That is, to go back to the fish analogy, we know there's no real need to change a salmon into a seahorse... but for some reason we are tempted to try, especially if our local church body is ninety-eight percent seahorses.

Ah, thank God for Scripture. The Spirit of Christ has taken an interest in diversity, and He has demonstrated His interest in the way He equips of the body of Christ. The apostle Paul says (and I paraphrase):

"There are varieties of gifts... varieties of effects... the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, speaking in tongues, interpretation of tongues... and one Spirit, the Holy Spirit, makes the choice to distribute these varied gifts to individuals as He sees fit." (see First Corinthians 12:4-11) God has made us, and He has made us diverse. That is a good thing! Let's embrace His action plan.

We serve the Lord of Glory, who by His creativity has made His Church one body consisting of many different parts.

"Perfect" Attendance.

So, as those chosen by God, holy and dearly loved, wear the clothing of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Forgive: -- after all, God forgave you-- bear with each other, and be expressions of God's love. Love is what binds us together in unity. (see Colossians 3:12-14)

In this past Sunday's sermon, Pastor Althea noted that the process of becoming (and being) a corporate expression of Christ is messy.

We make colossal mistakes.
We step on each other's toes.
We miss opportunities for concerted prayer and decisive action.
We prefer ourselves over others.

But, we are nonetheless called to draw nearer to Christ, and to be renewed in Him every day. This renewal comes into being as we daily take off the clothing of corruption and put on the clothing of compassion.

The Spirit of Christ stands ready to help us move from imperfection to perfection.

In my personal devotions, I have been stuck in Luke chapter 7 for the past two weeks. Verse 36 has really jumped out to indict me: "One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to dine with him, and He went into the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table."

The rest of the account (verses 37 through 50) is more famous for the woman who, though not invited to the meal, showed up anyway and doused our Lord with a pint of ridiculously expensive perfume. But there is the image of this Pharisee, who on the surface seemed to have done the right thing: he invited Jesus in. And, Jesus came in. But Jesus, though in the house, was not loved by the homeowner. What did Jesus say?

When I came into your house, you gave Me no water for My feet.
You gave Me no kiss.
You did not anoint My head with oil.

The Pharisee missed a chance to shower Jesus with authentic service, adoration, and worship. His lack of love for Jesus was made plain by his lack of love for the woman: "If Jesus was really a prophet, he would know that this woman is notorious. She shouldn't be touching him." (see Luke 7:39)

But, the Pharisee missed a key detail: the love of Jesus had touched the woman, and her repentance freed her to be able to love Him. She moved from the clothing of corruption to the clothing of compassion; from notorious sin to notorious service.

What does Jesus say to us today?

O, Sweet Spirit of Christ, open our eyes that we might know Your love... move us from audience to attendants.

The Smell Of Hell.

Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its evil practices and have put on the new self, who is being renewed in knowledge in the image of the One who created him. (Colossians 3:9-10)

In this past Sunday's sermon, Pastor Althea spoke on the importance of our being renewed in Christ daily.

What does it mean to be in a continuous state of renewal?

• To begin again/begin anew;
• To become re-acquainted;
• To restore/revive;
• To re-establish/renovate.

The lack of renewal is an indictment of (and in) those who have "accepted Jesus" and have claimed affiliation with the Christian faith for several years or even decades, but whose day-to-day lives show no reflection of the image and likeness of Christ. As our pastor shared, such Christians are "frowzy"; they wear stale clothes, spiritually speaking. They crave the stale air of the world instead of the fresh winds of the Holy Spirit. They cease to grow in the knowledge of who our Christ is.

Many years ago a colleague of mine shared, "If you're not moving forward in your relationship with the Lord, then you must be moving backwards." Or, to say it in a Colossians-esque way, if we aren't experiencing daily renewal, then we are harboring the old self... and the old self is a faithful servant of the devil (see Colossians 3:5-8).

We cannot idle our spiritual car in "neutral", because there is no neutral. Each new day will find us either growing or dying in our faith walk.

Dear saints of God, let us forever tend the revival fire that burns in our hearts: always a fragrant aroma of prayer and devotion to Christ; never the stagnant decay of an untended relationship.

Wantonness: The Antithesis Of Worship.

[According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, wantonness is the tendency of a person to willfully inflict pain and suffering on others.]

In this past Sunday's sermon, Pastor Althea spoke on the importance of our lives being shaped by God's image. After our experience of being born into the family of God, we then begin a life-long journey of growing ever nearer to Christ. And, as part of that journey, our Lord calls us to be a reflection of His image and likeness.

Our pastor urged us to obey the call of God to "put off" and "put behind" things which are in opposition to His will:

• put off earthly ways of sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed;
• put behind the things that hold us captive: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language.

Sadly, though, these things are alive and well in the church. Why do they continue to show up? Because they continue to be fed.

And, here is where the concept of wantonness comes in. Sin seeks partnership. From as early as Eve and Adam, there has been a tendency in mankind to ask others to participate in the pursuit of sin. It is a wanton act: though the person knows that such action leads to the pain of eternal separation from God and the suffering of eternal torment, he or she nonetheless continues to lead others into the path whose end is utter loss.

What a contrast from the acts of authentic worship, where the Christian gladly surrenders every urge and agenda to the Lord of glory.

"All to Jesus I surrender..." Yes, Lord. Even my wantonness.

The Lord... And Taylor.

In yesterday's sermon (Chosen To Reflect... God's Image), Pastor Althea Taylor shared with us a few points about living out our faith as members of the community of faith. Let’s just reflect on one point for today:

We need each other in order to be (and see) the reflection of Christ in the earth.  As the body of Christ, each individual Christian brings to the table his particular spiritual gift or gift-mix. As our pastor said ( and I paraphrase), no single individual can fully embody the holiness of God; the gifts of His Holy Spirit have been distributed to all persons for the edification of the church. And, as we are built up, we are empowered to reach the world for the glory of God.

Reflection/Meditation: Read First Corinthians 12:12-13.

Are you part of the body, or are you running away from your grace and role?

Fourth Sunday In Lent: Laetare.

Laetare Sunday vestments. Photo Copyright (c) Roy Ehman, Alcoa, TN. 

This Lenten Sunday is designated as Laetare (Latin for "Rejoice") in liturgical churches, based on the introit (see Isaiah 66:10-13 and Psalm 122:1):

"Rejoice, Jerusalem; all of you who love her, join together; those of you who have been in sorrow, rejoice! Be filled from the breast of her consolation! I was glad when they said to me, 'Let us go to the house of the LORD.' Glory be to the Father."

Here, in the middle of the Lent season, we are reminded that Jesus has come to redeem all people. And that reminder brings a shift in the Lenten focus. We move from our reflection, remembrance, and penitent searching, and we take this Sunday to break out in praise: a moment of rejoicing in the hope that Jesus brings to the human heart.

As a visual allegory in support of this shift from penitence to rejoicing, many liturgical churches change their vestment colors from purple to rose.

The traditional Scripture passages for this fourth Sunday in Lent are from John 6 (the feeding of the five thousand) and Galatians 4 (Paul's assertion that we are sons of the spiritual Jerusalem and legitimate heirs to the promise of God).

Lord, we rejoice today! We are fed by You!
Lord, we are glad today! We are kept by You!

The Truest Love.

The truest Love:
A Love that harbors no ill will.
Thy kindest rebuke joyfully received, even craved:
Faithful are the wounds imposed by You.

The sacrifice:
My money, time, devotion, skill,
My all, consumed in the service of the Great King.
Seigneur Jésus, nothing is too much for You.

The ridicule:
Whispered in the heart, yet shouted shrill.
"If he were a prophet he would know who is touching him..."
My Lord, ma Lumière, no comment escapes You.

The stubborn soul:
Its Pharisaical plots to kill--
"Jesus is a Teacher, but not my Ruler, not my Refiner"--
Content to live through life as devils do.

The call to rest:
My Christ speaks. "Peace, be still.
Ma petite, watch and pray as wheat and weeds grow tall.
In time, behold, I will make all things new."

The truest Love!
The King Who nobly works His perfect will,
Who delights in the extravagant offering of the pauvre femme;
My Love, my Christ, how I love You!

-G.A.R.

Incensed!

“When I looked, you had indeed sinned against the Lord your God and had cast for yourselves a metal calf; you had quickly turned aside from the way He had commanded you! I grabbed the two tablets, threw them down, and shattered them before your very eyes. Then I again fell down before the Lord for forty days and nights; I ate and drank nothing because of all the sin you had committed, doing such evil before the Lord as to enrage him. For I was terrified at the Lord’s intense anger that threatened to destroy you. But He listened to me this time as well. The Lord was also angry enough at Aaron to kill him, but at that time I prayed for Aaron too.” (Deuteronomy 9:16-20)

Moses gives us an incredible example of the power of intercessory prayer. After God makes an offer to “pull a Noah” by obliterating the nation of Israel and starting over with Moses as the father of a new nation (see Deuteronomy 9:13-14), Moses appeals to God on behalf of the people. And Moses is not casual in his prayer effort: he spends forty days and nights laid out before the LORD in prayer and fasting.

What an encouragement to know that, even in the face of gross sin and evil, God allows men to stand in the gap (see Ezekiel 22:30-31) and plead for the mercy of God to override the mean state of our culture, our colleagues, and ourselves.

But, are we willing to go beyond words? Moses involved his entire being. He prayed; he laid prostrate on the ground; he denied himself the basic needs of food and water. And, he did this for a people that regularly complained about his leadership and about God’s vision and provision. What a profound demonstration of the love of God.

Let us take warning and encouragement from Matthew Henry's commentary:

"Those that know how to value God's gracious presence, will be the more fervent in their prayers. When presented through the sacrifice and intercession of the Saviour, they will be as acceptable to God as the daily sacrifices and burnings of incense were of old. Prayer is a spiritual sacrifice, it is the offering up the soul and its best affections. Good men know the evil of tongue sins. When enemies are provoking, we are in danger of speaking unadvisedly. While we live in an evil world, and have such evil hearts, we have need to pray that we may neither be drawn nor driven to do any thing sinful. Sinners pretend to find dainties in sin; but those that consider how soon sin will turn into bitterness, will dread such dainties, and pray to God to take them out of their sight, and by his grace to turn their hearts against them. Good men pray against the sweets of sin."

O LORD, my body is Your temple: worship happens here. Let my prayers for Your people be accepted and received as a sweet-smelling incense in Your Presence. O LORD, my soul is completely surrendered to Your desires. Let my lifted hands be accepted and received as the evening thanks-giving oblation. (see Psalm 141:2)

But Wait, There's More.

At the bottom of my blog page is a necessary disclaimer: "My blog posts do not necessarily represent the viewpoint of my pastors nor of the denomination at large."

On occasion, a pastor will express his or her viewpoint concerning a blog post: when one does, I add the comment to the "Comments" section of that particular post. Today, though, the viewpoint expressed really needs to be the main post (and not relegated to the comments section). So I'd like to share with you some information from Pastor Sam in light of this past Tuesday's post (Engaging The Fire Of Intercession, Part One).

In using Exodus 30:1-10 to supplement Tuesday's post, I failed to take into account other passages that give a different perspective of the place and role of Nadab and Abihu in regard to intercession. Here, then, are additional notes and texts:

"Please note that Aaron's duties were allied with that of his sons. Their mis-step was therefore not in what they were doing, but in how they were doing it. To see that the responsibility of the priesthood involved both Aaron and his sons see the following texts: Exodus 27:21 and 28:1-5; Leviticus 1:7, 3:13, 6:9-15,and 6:19-25. Your emphasis on the "intercessory" implication of the priestly work therefore do not (based on these texts) exclude [Nadab and Abihu]. Their problem was that they sought to do it their way instead of God's way." (Pastor Sam)

So, given these additional points, I must abandon my theory that Nadab and Abihu were, like Miriam, seeking to walk into a role they weren't suited for. It is, therefore, summarily removed and replaced with the key thought provided by our pastor:

"... they sought to do it their way instead of God's way."

That is a good thing for us to reflect on today: if God prescribes a particular course of action, what valid justification can you or I give for not following His instructions?

Have Thine own way, Lord, have Thine own way!
Thou art the Potter, I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after Thy will,
While I am waiting, yielded and still. (Adelaide A. Potter, 1907)

Lord, we want to "do life" Your way. Cause us to execute Your good, acceptable, and perfect will.

Engaged By God To The Fire Of Intercession, Part Two.

As we continue our reflection on the error of Nadab and Abihu, let’s take a look at the relationship between the altar of incense, the lamps, the oil, and the anointing and responsibility unique to intercessors.

The lamps are not just for light. The prophet Zechariah was given a word of knowledge concerning the lamps in the temple of God (found in Zechariah chapter 4). The lamps were symbolic of the way in which God's leaders speak in the world: not by might nor power, but by the Holy Spirit (see Zechariah 4:6). And, in several Old Testament texts, we see that the Holy Spirit’s anointing (associated with leadership) was signified by the presence of oil. Zechariah was given a vision of this:

Next I asked the [angelic] messenger, “What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the menorah?” Before he could reply I asked again, “What are these two extensions of the olive trees, which are emptying out the golden oil through the two golden pipes?” He replied, “Don’t you know what these are?” And I said, “No, sir.” So he said, “These are the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.” (Zechariah 4:11-14) By implication, then, a person who is not designated as an “anointed one” is not qualified to stand as an intercessor for the community because he has not taken on the task of tending to the lamps and oil-- a metaphor of life lived "by the Spirit" (see Galatians 5:16).

The incense is not just for aroma. The book of Revelation gives a stunning commentary on the power of intercessory prayer. The imagery used is that of bowls of incense. Our prayers are carried with bowls of incense to heaven, poured out before the Lord, and the emptied bowls are then re-filled with God’s decisions/judgements and hurled back to the earth (Revelation 8:1-5; Revelation 15:7 through 16:21). This helps to clarify why God was so specific concerning the way in which incense offerings were to be presented: it was not simply an issue of smells. It was an earthly representation of a heavenly protocol.

In Exodus 25:9 we see the command given to Moses: “You must do everything exactly as I show you.” Why? Because the place and way of ministry serve as a reflection of God and His glorious kingdom. Nadab and Abihu opted to do things “not exactly” the way God intended, and it cost them their lives.

You can't deal with the altar of incense unless you deal with the lamps. The work of Aaron, daily, was to both offer the incense and tend to the lamps as he met with the LORD (see Exodus 30:6-8). Specifically, while the incense was burning on the altar, its flame provided enough light so that Aaron could clean the lamps, empty out the old oil, and add fresh oil. For us today, the same process occurs in our beings. In the realm of prayer we receive enlightenment from God, we are emptied of our old tendencies, and we are filled and re-filled with the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. It no wonder, then, that Scripture urges us to pray continually (First Thessalonians 5:17).

God demands, and expects, an accurate reflection of Himself in the earth. And He has chosen us, anointed as twenty-first century kings and priests, to be that reflection (see First Peter 2:9). Let us heed the warning from the lives of Nadab and Abihu. God loves us, and He urges us to walk in His statutes. Do we dare to carry unauthorized fire into His most holy place? For the sake of His Name, our Lord holds the option to shut us down… even while we’re dressed in our vestments, standing on the platform, holding our offending fire pans. God sees your slackness, Nadab and Abihu. It is why He warns you so.

"So get rid of all evil and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. And yearn like newborn infants for pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up to salvation, if you have experienced the Lord’s kindness. So as you come to Him, a living stone rejected by men but chosen and priceless in God’s sight, you yourselves, as living stones, are built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood and to offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." (First Peter 2:1-5)

Engaged By God To The Fire Of Intercession, Part One.

“You are to make an altar for burning incense; you are to make it of acacia wood. Its length is to be a foot and a half and its width a foot and a half; it will be square. Its height is to be three feet, with its horns of one piece with it. You are to overlay it with pure gold – its top, its four walls, and its horns – and make a surrounding border of gold for it. You are to make two gold rings for it under its border, on its two flanks; you are to make them on its two sides. The rings will be places for poles to carry it with. You are to make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. You are to put it in front of the curtain that is before the ark of the testimony (before the atonement lid that is over the testimony), where I will meet you. Aaron is to burn sweet incense on it morning by morning; when he attends to the lamps he is to burn incense. When Aaron sets up the lamps around sundown he is to burn incense on it; it is to be a regular incense offering before the Lord throughout your generations. You must not offer strange incense on it, nor burnt offering, nor meal offering, and you must not pour out a drink offering on it. Aaron is to make atonement on its horns once in the year with some of the blood of the sin offering for atonement; once in the year he is to make atonement on it throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord.” (Exodus 30:1-9)

Then Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, each took his fire pan and put fire in it, set incense on it, and presented strange fire[unauthorized fire; profane fire; unholy fire; a different kind of fire] before the Lord, which He had not commanded them to do. So fire went out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them so that they died before the Lord. Moses then said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord spoke: ‘Among the ones close to Me I will show myself holy, and in the presence of all the people I will be honored.’” So Aaron kept silent. (Leviticus 10:1-3)

It seems that Nadab and Abihu, similar to their aunt Miriam, made the mistake of attempting to step in to someone else’s job function without giving heed to the job description.

When God instructed Moses on the construction and ministry requirements of the tabernacle, He called Aaron by name as the High Priest who would bear responsibility for daily carrying the petitions of the people to God (Exodus 30:10). As Pastor Sam shared with us on Sunday, Aaron’s job description included intercession (speaking to God on behalf of the people) and interpretation (speaking to people on behalf of God).

Further, God was very specific concerning the way in which Aaron was to carry out his responsibility for intercessory prayer:

• The incense had to be burned on the altar that stood in front of the ark (Exodus 30:36);
• It had to be offered as part of the process of caring for the lamps (Exodus 30:7-8); and
• It had to be offered once in the morning and once as evening approached (Exodus 30:7-8).

Intercessory prayer is a special assignment. Perhaps this is why Nadab and Abihu were struck down by the LORD instantly, even as the offending fire was still in their fire pans:

• The use of fire pans instead of the altar (for burning the incense) was not authorized;
• The offering was not accompanied by the co-requisite attendance to the lamps; and
• The persons making the offering were not authorized to do so.

Leviticus 10:1 is clear about the root cause of the deaths of Nadab and Abihu: God had not commanded them to engage intercessory prayer. And this might be a challenging concept for some of us, especially in light of New Testament scripture that urges us to pray at all times, with all kinds of prayers… perhaps we are under the impression that “all kinds of prayers” implies “anything goes, and anyone can go.”

But intercessory prayer is not an “anything goes” venture. It is a job in which, as Pastor Sam warned us, “If you take your job for granted, you might hurt yourself”… even if you are sons of the High Priest.

Tomorrow, we’ll take a closer look at the ministry of intercession.

Aaronic Bomb.

Moses saw that the people were running wild, for Aaron had let them get completely out of control, causing derision from their enemies. So Moses stood at the entrance of the camp and said, "Whoever is for the Lord, come to me." All the Levites gathered around him... (Exodus 32:25-26)

Over this past weekend, Pastor Sam continued his sermon series Lessons for a Holy People.  Our persons of note this week, whose lives we will reflect on, are Aaron and his sons.

In Exodus 32, we read the account of what is perhaps Aaron's worst ministry moment. Aaron, left in charge while Moses tarried in God's presence, succumbed to the pressure imposed by the people of ancient Israel. Aaron's fashioning of the golden calf was a direct response to the peoples' request: "Make us gods that will lead us."

The people referred to their idol in the plural: "These are your gods..." (see Exodus 32:4)-- a sick twisting of the amazing status of our great God, who is One but at the same time Three. What was the price tag for ancient Israel's drifting away from the True God? A purging of their ranks (Exodus 32:27) and a punishment of their rebellion (Exodus 32:35).

Pastor Sam reminded us of First Peter 2:9: But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation ("ethnos"- a peculiar, particular, distinct people group-- the people set apart by God). The Israelites, in their longing to cut short the process of waiting and wilderness-wandering, engaged an activity that said "God, we're not interested in the 'set apart' thing. We want to embody the character of the nation that enslaved us." And Aaron, rather than speaking up for God, gave in to the desire of men.

Fast-forward to March 4, 2013. We are Aaron. We are set apart by God. We are in the middle of our Lenten journey through the wilderness. We have waited and waited, but our Deliverer has yet to descend from the mountain with a word of encouragement. And Old Egypt, with her leeks and lipstick and lewdness, is looking more and more attractive. And half-baked saints, with bold voices and ample resources, have issued the call to idolatry. They are eager to abandon the One who led us out of darkness and into His marvelous light (see First Peter 2:9). What will we do?

I will not be the source of derision. I will wait patiently and joyfully for the word of the LORD.

Oh souls, saintly souls, the fruit of the Spirit is self-control! Wait upon the Lord! 

Third Sunday In Lent: Oculi

LENT

My eyes are continually focused on the LORD; He is the only one who can pull my feet out of the snare! (see Psalm 25:15)

This third Sunday in Lent is called Oculi (Latin for eyes), a reference to Psalm 25:15 (the verse used as an Introit in many liturgical churches this Sunday).

Psalm 25:15 has a wonderful juxtaposition of thoughts:

I keep looking at the One who I cannot see;
He will rescue me from the trap I did not see!

My enemies have set a strong trap;
My LORD is stronger than the trap they set!

Actually, I am in the trap right now; my feet are caught.
But I am looking to the LORD. He can untangle me!

There is no one else worthy to focus on, except the LORD;
There is no one else qualified to rescue, except the LORD.

Oculi. Indeed. Let's look to the LORD today... and every day.

Follow The Leader.

"Charisma needs to be backed by character." (from the sermon Lessons for a Holy People: Miriam, 2013, Pastor Sam)

In this past Sunday's sermon, our pastor spoke about Miriam's challenges... and ours.

There was no question that Miriam was a gifted, prophetic woman of God. But there was something wrong: her love of God did not find expression in her relationship with her sister-in-law (see Numbers 12:1). A deeply rooted seed of racial prejudice quietly sprouted in Miriam and grew up, eventually manifesting itself in what our pastor termed "diabolical ambition and ministerial jealousy."

So, how did Miriam's brain get from Numbers 12:1 ("I don't like Moses's wife") to Numbers 12:2 ("I can lead just as effectively as Moses")? Pastor Sam shared with us that underlying prejudice causes the worst kinds of resistance and puts us in a position where we are fighting against God. Somehow, Miriam transposed her dislike of Moses's choice of spouse into a belief that her brother was perhaps not the best person to make other sorts of choices. 

Our pastor warned us to avoid the growth of inappropriate behavior in the vein of the ambition that the devil had: that is, not being satisfied with what we were called to do, but looking over at what others are doing. And, beyond just 'looking over' at others' roles and callings, the soul contaminated with the spirit of Miriam eventually seeks to pull a coup: 1) commiserating with other sub-leaders concerning the abilities of the key leader, and 2) believing that it is all right for a sub-leader to arbitrarily take over the role and calling of the key leader.

In God's ears, here is what Miriam said: "God, You didn't make a very good choice when You chose Moses." So God called a quick leadership meeting, reached into Miriam's throat and pulled out the offending weed of rebellion and its root of racism, and then sent her outside of the camp for a week of sick leave. It seems to have worked, because from that point until her death we don't hear of any additional protests from Miriam.

So, what are your heart-thoughts concerning the key leader that God set over you?

Brought, Bought, Taught, Caught.

Really, what have I done to you? Am I a problem to you? Answer Me. I'm the One who brought you out of Egypt and bought you out of your slavery. I'm the One who hand-picked a family to lead you: Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. Don't you remember how Balak paid for Balaam to curse you, but I caused Balaam to speak blessing instead? Remember how I brought you through that last leg of the journey, from exiting the desert to entering the Promised Land?

Why are you charging for sixteen ounces when you only measured fourteen?
Why are you lying to those you claim to love?
Why are you worshiping Baal, even in My very Presence?

Guess what? I love you, and I keep My word. You yourselves heard it said on the mountain: "If you do not obey the LORD your God and do not carefully follow all His commands and decrees, all these curses will come to you, even to overwhelm you."

But take heart. I am standing ready to bring you out once again. Watch for Me and wait on Me, and I will help you. It is My delight to show you grace and compassion. My supply is limitless.

Will you be free? Would you be filled? Love Me again.

(see Micah 6:4-5; Micah 4:10; Micah 6:10-13; Deuteronomy 28; Micah 7:8-20)