Pursuit

The sermon today was truly constructed by the church.  The painting was, of course, the most obvious feature of the sermon.  It was located center stage and expertly painted through the duration of the lesson.  While the paint was applied to the canvas stories were being told.  One after a another the stories came.  We heard different voices telling the same story of helplessness, service, and then hope.  The stories were all the same yet they were all different.  Different people; different types of suffering; different servants.  Yet they were all the same.  The overall story that bound them all together was that of Jesus washing the disciple's feet.  My job was simply to point to Jesus.  He's the one who has truly brought everything together. 

As I reflect on the sermon, I keep thinking about the servants we heard about.  Largely nameless, shrouded in obscurity, yet serving in ways that deeply impacted the lives of those being served.  The servants were us!  Those were our stories.  But if we talk to Elaine or Bob or Nick or Jana or Boyce or Toni or any of the others who's acts of service were told; they might say, "I was just doing something that needed to be done."  Servants just serve.

The lesson I walked away with this morning is this: Don't TRY to have an impact on others; just serve those in need.  God is the one who changes lives.  Our job is to wash feet. 

"I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. . . . .  Now that you know these things; you will be blessed if you do them." (John 13:15, 17)

Attitude Check

Walking away from the sermon this morning, I am feeling the sense of how deeply we really need each other on this faith journey.  I know the first time I attempted to climb a Colorado mountain to summit there was no way I would have ever made it without those around me.  Of course, some of the them were teenagers and I didnt' want to quit because that would have provided the only excuse they needed to turn around!  But there were others who had made the summit on a previous journey who assured us it was worth whatever it cost as we toiled along the upward way. 

Jesus is the only one who completed his faith journey to the very end and returned to tell us about it.  Consider this verse in Acts 1:3, "After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive.  He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God." What did he say?  Whatever it was, when the Holy Spirit came on them they were full of joy and lived lives of devotion to Jesus and to one another.  The opening chapters of Acts show people with tremendous attitudes in the face of suffering and uncertainty. 

I met with a young adult recently who was feeling unwanted, ineffective in ministry, and just bad about themselves in general.  As we talked I shared from my journey about a time when I went though some very similar feelings.  I talked about some encouragement I received at that time and some good insight into how to view my situation differently.  I was later told that just knowing I had been through some of the same experiences was a tremendous help.  Those of us who have been on this faith journey for a number of years really need to share our lives with those who have not been on it as long.  Our stories of success and failure can help a new generation to find hope and courage to keep putting one foot in front of the other. 

Of course, we all need to keep our eyes on Jesus; and his word to us will surely be, "Don't quit, when you get to the other side you will see it's worth whatever you may have had to go through here."  And when things don't go our way here . . . . "Attituuuuuuude Check!"

Running From God

I'm writing Sunday's sermon reflections on Monday morning.  This is an indication of the kind of week it's been.  Thus, my reflections will simply be some recitations of comments heard after the sermon:

• It's difficult to contrast Jonah and Joseph since they were probably both referred to as "Joe"
• Tarshish should be pronounced so that one hears the "shish" at the end
• One person who has recently returned to the Lord could relate with the line, "When you run from God, he will pursue you; not to punish you, but because he knows you need him."
• A fresh look at an old story

Faith Under Trial

Everyone loves stories.  We love to hear them, read them, and watch them in the theator or on the movie screen.  Somehow stories communicate on a deeper level than simple statements.  It's one thing to say, "Trust God even when things are going bad;" and something entirely differnet to say, "Once upon a time there was teenager named Joseph." 

The Bible stories we have been looking at (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and now Joseph) present people who are all walking the faith journey, but each story is unique.  There are certainly some similarities; but it is the differences that makes the individual stories so facisinating. 

In a simliar way, the stories of our faith journeys are alike in many ways but each story is unique.  The line that sticks with me from this morning's sermon is "Don't give up Joseph, the story is not over yet."  How badly we need that faith perspective when we are in the middle of a struggle and are not at all clear of how it will end.  This is where the faith stories of Bible characters (and the people who sit around you at church) are so vital.  We need to hear from people that have gone through the fire and come out on the other side.  We need to hear those tales to reassure us that God is with us even when we can't see him or understand what he is doing.

I yearn for the day when my "faith shall be sight."   That will be the day when faith is no longer necessary.  While we live on this earth, however, we trust knowing that the story is not finished yet.

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,

The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;

The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,

Even so, it is well with my soul.

Faith That Limps

I remember in Sunday School learning about Jacob tricking his brother out his birthright and then deceiving his father to further claim Esau's blessing.  For some reason I don't remember ever thinking what Jacob did was wrong.  I guess in my innocence I just thought that a patriarch would never do anything sinful. 

Today, I read those stories differently.  I've come to realize that the patriarchs (like everyone else in scripture) are not the main players, but the supporting cast.  God is the main character in all the stories of the Bible.  The human characters kind of bumble along; some bumbling better than others. 

I particularly enjoyed telling the Jacob story today because his faith journey is so different from my perceptions as a young boy.  It wasn't until the intense wrestling match and painful hip dislocation that Jacob knew for certain that without God he wasn't going to make it.  If Isaac was the first child to "grow up in the church" as I mentioned last week, then Jacob is the first 3rd generation believer.  Someone has said that the first generation of believers know what they believe and why.  The second generation knows what they believe but are a little fuzzy on why they believe.  The third generation doesn't even know what they believe.  That seemed to be true of Jacob.  God was true to his promises and finally made a believer out of Jacob. 

With his new name, Israel, Jacob could now tell us what he believes about God and why he believes it.  He also limps every time he walks.  He deserves to limp for sure; but he also earned it.  He had to struggle long and hard to prove to himself that he could be a man of faith.  Now with each hobble he makes he can smile knowing that God will keep all his promises.  Israel will never again have to depend on himself.  He can rest secure in the promises of God.