Ready for dinner?

 

God has blessed me with a network of friends and I am thankful for each one!  Some I only ‘see’ on Facebook or in texts. Others are part of daily life. To hear “I love you” not in a romantic setting, but in a friendship, is a rich gift. I hope you know both the giving and receiving! When we share a cup of coffee and our stories, when we enjoy dinner together and linger at the table, we experience one of humanity’s greatest joys. Ah, yes, friendships require work, demand maintenance and investment of time. The return on investment is the discovery of what it really means to love and be loved!  Oh yes, it creates the possibility of being hurt, too, but that’s for another day’s thought.

Made in the image of God, we are made for life together. He exists in a Holy Trinity of perpetual relationship; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, together. We, too, need others. I know I have beat this drum for a few days now. It because I feel a certain urgency about it as I see virtual ‘relationships’ replacing real human interaction on an accelerating pace in this era. They are not the same!  We need real ‘flesh and blood’ people in our lives and we need to teach our children how to make and sustain interdependent relationships that will make them more healthy – emotionally and spiritually.

The Psalmist praises the Almighty because He "sets the lonely in families." (Psalm 68:6, NIV)  Amazing things are accomplished when people cooperate for mutual benefit. Where love exists,  life becomes beautiful.  One of the reasons that the early Church grew so quickly was that their gatherings were more than sterile ‘meetings.’  They were weekly celebrations of God’s love which spilled into the lives of Believers, creating cooperation and belonging. That is no less important for us 2 millennia later!   

Our worship gatherings which are often focused primarily on the vertical relationship with God, must recapture the importance of loving people, becoming celebrations when we know that we belong to a family, not of shared DNA, but of a shared spiritual heritage!

The Word calls on us to "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." (Hebrews 10:25, NIV)  How do we encourage one another?  "Keep on loving each other as brothers." (Hebrews 13:1, NIV)  Christians are called to " live a life of love,”  not the cheap, erotic, selfish kind of ‘love’ that replaces real love, but a love modeled after “Christ (who) loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." (Ephesians 5:2, NIV)  

 In a world of competition, these words may seem naïve, an impossible dream. However, what I know is that I love because He loved me first. Our salvation results from His love and the Spirit will, when we allow Him, teach us to love.  It demands sacrifice of us. Love is not cheap! However, when we give love, we will find it. 

Let us renew our understanding that it is love that is the mark of the Christian; not orthodoxy, not holiness, not esoteric spiritual experiences.  Yes, we need sound doctrine, we must live holy lives, and our hearts will  overflow when the Spirit comes, but those things will ebb and flow, and eventually die, but there are only "three things that will endure—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:13, NLT)

One of the Bible’s best love stories is found in Luke 15, Jesus’ story about an awful son and a loving father!  The son was a selfish, foolish, and sinful man. He thought he had lost his place in the family forever, yet in desperation he went back home. He found a waiting father who longed for the return of his wayward son.  This is God’s story about you and me. We stole our inheritance, used the gift of life for our own purposes, but if we will go home, He’s waiting with forgiveness, renewal, and a whole new way to live. Don’t be fooled by the lies of self-expression that insist that your best life is found in preservation of Self.  Love is the best way to live – fully, joyously, and with Heaven in your heart.

Some Glorious Day comes,  our Father will call – “Come to Dinner!”   We will all sit down to the table of His great family.  Our word from the Word comes from John’s Revelation. May they inspire us to pray for and practice living in love now so that we are ‘at home’ at that Eternal Feast, when the Kingdom comes. 

"Then a voice came from the throne, saying: “Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both small and great!” Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) Then the angel said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’” And he added, “These are the true words of God.” (Revelation 19:5-9, NIV)

________________

 

Oh Love That Will Not Let Me Go

(An old hymn that will move you to love!)

Oh love that will not let me go

I rest my weary soul in Thee

I give You back this life I owe

And in Your ocean depths its flow

May richer fuller be

 

Oh light that follows all my way

I yield my flickering torch to Thee

And my heart restores it's borrowed ray

And in Your sunshine's blaze its day

May brighter fairer be

 

Oh joy that seeks me through the pain

I cannot close my heart to Thee

I chase the rainbow through the rain

And feel the promise is not vain

That morn shall tearless be

 

Oh cross that lifts up my head

I dare not ask to fly from Thee

I lay in dust life's glory dead

And from the ground their blossoms red

Life that shall endless be

 

Public Domain

George Matheson

 

People matter to your health

 

Word reached me yesterday that COVID has touched my extended family once again. We are blessed in that there has not been death or even hospitalization as a result of sickness. I was saddened by the fact that the appearance of the virus will hinder some from being part of our holiday gatherings. What a tragedy!  

 Yes, there is a hidden cost of COVID. The news focuses on statistics about physical illness. There is something that is largely hidden and/or ignored;  the ripping apart of our social ties which results in more depression, more abuse of alcohol and drugs, and more stress on families. Reputable studies are finding significant psychological distress and loneliness among adults. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, published findings in mid-August, that Americans are experiencing depression, anxiety, substance abuse and thoughts of suicide at unprecedented rates!

All of this reinforces what we all know intuitively - people matter and relationships are critical to our well-being. This is nowhere more true than in our Christianity! A practice of faith that is without community is not normal. We are called to be together. Yes, I know that this is not a new thought, but we need to keep reminding ourselves of the value of worship and gathering; finding the balance between caution and overall well-being.  Yesterday, in CoffeeBreak, I emphasized the importance of being ‘living stones, built into God’s temple.’

Today, I want us to look at a lesson from Paul’s letter, found in parts that are usually read quickly or that are just ignored. In many letters, the apostle closes by mentioning people by name. He writes about their needs, their contributions, sometimes even including a word of correction. 

The closing words of his letter to Titus is an example. "As soon as I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, because I have decided to winter there. Do everything you can to help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way and see that they have everything they need. Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order that they may provide for daily necessities and not live unproductive lives. Everyone with me sends you greetings. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all." (Titus 3:12-15, NIV)    

I don’t know much about Artemas or Zenas but they mattered to Paul and the Church!  These people were his friends, his compatriots in the work of Christ. He cared about them and his affection is written into Holy Scripture.

The entire 16^th chapter of Romans, Paul’s letter that is so rich with theology for our Christian faith, is devoted to people in his life. At least 25 different people are mentioned, by name, along with personal notes. Here’s an excerpt – "I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea. I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been a great help to many people, including me. Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus. They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them. Greet also the church that meets at their house. Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia. Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you. Greet Andronicus and Junias, my relatives who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.”

What can we learn from the inclusion of those personal names and notes? That people matter! We must continue to connect, to care, to love, to share life as much as possible throughout this time. It is critical to our spiritual and emotional health, important for the vitality of Christ’s church.

Just in case you believe the 1^st century church was a paradise of loving relationships, you need to recall the many corrections written into Paul’s letters. In so many different ways he speaks to their conflicts. “Stop fighting about secondary matters!” he says.  “Stop judging one another and accept each other!”  In Galatians, he calls out Peter by name. " When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong." (Galatians 2:11, NIV)  Ouch! 

In Philippians, he names a couple of people asking them to stop fighting and imploring others to ‘help them.’ "I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life." (Philippians 4:2-3, NIV)

My point? People matter. The Gospel lives, not just in the Book, but when we become God’s people, together even when relationships are complicated or difficult.

Are you working to make and strength significant ties with other Christians? Are they getting written into your story of faith – people you care for, who care for you?  Are you making the kinds of friends and allies in the faith that will stand with you when you’re down and celebrate your successes?

COVID has made the ‘usual’ things more complicated. But, we are not without the ability to connect, even if it is a note, a text, or a phone call!  Friend, I do not write this to guilt you. It is written from deep concern that so many have just let the crisis force them into a kind of isolation without realizing the long-term cost of that choice. It may be that you cannot be physically present but you can stay ‘in touch.’  That is the blessing of technology for us.

The word from the Word comes from Romans.  As you read these personal notes, pray that the Spirit will remind you of people you can love, of the priority of staying connected to Christ’s church, through sickness and trouble, for the Glory of God. “Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too. Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the brothers with them. Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas and all the saints with them. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send greetings.

I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I am full of joy over you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.

The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you." (Romans 16:1-20, NIV)

________________

We Will Stand
(I love this old 1980’s song with a timeless message.
Let Russ Taff’s artistry encourage you to stand together with other Christians.)

 Sometimes it's hard for me to understand

Why we pull away from each other so easily

Even though we're all walking the same road?

Yet we build dividing walls

Between our brothers and ourselves.

 

But, I don't care what label you may wear,

If you believe in Jesus you belong with me!

The bond we share is all I care to see,

And we'll change the world forever,

If you will join with me,

Join and sing, sing.

 

You're my brother, you're my sister,

So take me by the hand.

Together we will work until He comes.

There's no foe that can defeat us,

When we're walking side by side,

As long as there is love,

We will stand!

 

The day will come when we will be as one

And with a mighty voice

Together we will proclaim that

Jesus, Jesus is King.

It will echo through the earth.

It will shake the nations.

And the world will see, see that;

 

You're my brother, you're my sister,

So take me by the hand.

Together we will work until He comes.

There's no foe that can defeat us,

When we're walking side by side,

As long as there is love,

We will stand!

 

James Hollihan | Russ Taff | Tori Taff

© 1983 Word Music, LLC (a div. of Word Music Group, Inc.)

CCLI License # 810055

Living Stones

 

In the middle of my lawn there is a stone, mostly hidden, too large to dig out by hand. It does no harm except to ding the blade of my mower when I fail to steer around it! It exists, singularly, without purpose. Several feet away, there are hundreds of stones, neatly aligned, built into a gracefully curved wall that adds a touch of beauty to the landscape. Those stones illustrate two types of Christians – those who exist disconnected from God’s Church and those who align themselves with others for the purpose of creating a place of beauty in this world.

Thousands, millions perhaps, of Americans believe in Christ Jesus but cling to an independent life. They profess, with no hint of irony, their refusal to ‘fit in’ with any formal church structure, reveling in their supposed ‘freedom’ in Christ Jesus. Their reasons for not connecting with a local fellowship are many – hypocrisy in leadership, disagreement with the way resources are spent, uninspiring worship, or some past experience that has left them wounded.

Others just choose not to connect with a local church because they can tune in to listen to a celebrity media pastor or enjoy a service from Mega City Church elsewhere in the US that their local church cannot begin to replicate. Their choice allows them to ‘feed’ their soul without making any demand of service.

The refusal to be an engaged, committed, serving Christian in a local assembly is without Scriptural foundation.  Peter reminds us that "As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 2:4-5, NIV) 

There is no way to become all that God desires apart from the Church. Yes, Jesus is our ‘personal Savior,’ as we like to say. Of course, God knows us individually. And, He calls us INTO His Church where as we connect with others we become part of something larger, more beautiful, declaring the Glory of God.  Christians who are committed and connected and those who exist alone are as different from one another as a stone cathedral is from a rock on the ground!

Paul changes the metaphor of our relationships. In his first letter to the church at Corinth, he challenges their ego-focused faith, one that exalted favorite preachers and spectacular ‘spiritual gifts’ over humble, faithful, committed church life. "The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body." (1 Corinthians 12:12-15, NIV) 

A hand finds its purpose only in connection with an arm, directed by a head! A foot maybe hidden in a shoe, but it serves the body. A severed hand, a single ear, a disconnected leg may still be recognizable but it is lifeless, without purpose.

Is the Church perfect, always loving, a place of beauty? As one who has spent his entire life of 65 years as part of the local church, with the vocation of ministry, I know as much as anyone how difficult Christian relationships can be. God’s people can be amazingly wonderful, generous, and loving and they can be selfish, judgmental, and territorial – just like me, just like you!  

We are works in progress, graced by God and graceful. The Church is the plan of God for our spiritual development, a living organism into which we are called where we grow. Some use “the love of Jesus” as an excuse to become parasites in the Body, draining life from the church. Others drink deeply of the Spirit and are changed, growing into persons of splendor, as they shine with Jesus’ light. That’s church life.

Are you just a rock or are you a “living stone built into a spiritual house?”  

Here is a word from the Word. I hope that it will encourage you to choose to become part of the temple, the Church where God reveals His purposes in us and through us.  

“Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything. Be quick to give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless—cheerfully. Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let it be God’s words; if help, let it be God’s hearty help. That way, God’s bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and he’ll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything.” -The Message, 1 Peter 4:8-11

____________

Build Your Kingdom Here

 

Come set Your rule and reign

In our hearts again

Increase in us we pray

Unveil why we're made

Come set our hearts ablaze with hope

Like wildfire in our very souls

Holy Spirit come invade us now

We are Your church

We need Your pow'r in us

 

We seek Your kingdom first

We hunger and we thirst

Refuse to waste our lives

For You're our joy and prize

To see the captives' hearts released

The hurt the sick the poor at peace

We lay down our lives for heaven's cause

We are Your church

We pray revive this earth

 

Build Your kingdom here

Let the darkness fear

Show Your mighty hand

Heal our streets and land

Set Your church on fire

Win this nation back

Change the atmosphere

Build Your kingdom here we pray

 

Unleash Your kingdom's pow'r

Reaching the near and far

No force of hell can stop

Your beauty changing hearts

You made us for much more than this

Awake the kingdom seed in us

Fill us with the strength and love of Christ

We are Your church

We are the hope on earth

 

Chris Llewellyn | Gareth Gilkeson | William Herron

© 2011 Thankyou Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

CCLI License # 810055

 

Secure in His embrace!

 

Texts and emails by the dozen have urged me to prayer recently; a good thing, right?  Mostly, though, they are asking me to go to God with a single agenda, to press Him, as if I were lobbying a powerful Friend to act. Prayer is petitioning. We should ask God about our needs. However, true prayer must include time to listen, contemplative prayer, which can be incredibly difficult for those of us accustomed to living with smartphones and email; that provide those instant responses.  Talking with God is not at all like messaging with a friend!  

There is a kind of praying that is called ‘centering.’ Christ Jesus is made the focus. It is not a time for petitions or beautiful praise. It is an act of adoration, a time to receive a gift of His peace. It’s like those moments when you see someone you love and you reach out in embrace, holding each other close, wordlessly, just being together.  Right now in our crazy, mixed up, stressed out world – we must make time to find rest, to learn to be with Jesus.  I want to encourage to change your mental image of prayer to include times when you are content in His Presence, centered in faith, waiting.

Quietly murmur this confession. Learn how to listen!  
"He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire.
“Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah" (Psalm 46:9-11, NIV)

There is amazing spiritual strength to be found in surrendering to the Spirit and entering into silent prayer that WAITS on the Lord. Paul urges us to dismantle "every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and (to) take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:5, NIV)  In the story of Job, when his suffering drives him to angrily demand a confrontation with the Lord, God comes, not with explanations, but to reveal Himself in greater majesty. Job’s response is humility. He says, "I am unworthy—how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth." (Job 40:4, NIV) 

Centering prayer does not seek to change God’s mind. It restores Him to His rightful place in my life. When I am actively, yet silently, waiting before Him, the Spirit helps me to re-enthrone Christ Jesus as Lord of life, my hope. I return often to the words of Isaiah inviting us to holy submission. In a time of national crisis the Lord called His people to re-center their hope on Him! "This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength." (Isaiah 30:15, NIV)   In true prayer, we are intent on finding Him.  We set aside the need to press Him to endorse a solution of our own design.

Waiting can be much more difficult than working!

The angst of our time is real. The world, in the words of the hymn, is filled with devils who “threaten to undo us.”  But, we do not “In our own strength confide” for “our striving would be losing.” Now, there is a choice about how to live. We can attempt to control it all and find ourselves full of frustration. Or, we can enter into His Presence - centered on Christ! The Spirit is inviting us to a new and deeper spirituality, beyond the comfort of our religion.

Engage your whole person in this kind of praying.
Sit quietly.
Place your hands open, palms up, in front of you.
Draw your breath in slowly.
Pause, then then breath out as you say the name of Jesus.
Tell Him simply, “I receive your peace.”
Stay there!

For most of us such praying, entering into His Presence is so unnatural that we will feel foolish, or nothing at all – at first. But, He is there.  It is likely that your mind will initially reject this ‘quiet’ and you will want to reach for your phone, turn on some music, just ‘do something.’ Choose Jesus! It’s simple, but it is not easy! Keep handing yourself to Him, giving the Spirit mastery as you meditate on His Word and Promise.

Here’s the word from the Word.
"O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. …
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.

My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning." (Psalm 130:2-6, NIV)
______

A mighty fortress is our God

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing
Our Helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe
His craft and pow’r are great, and, armed with cruel hate
On earth is not his equal

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He
The Lord of hosts His name, from age to age the same
And He must win the battle 

And though this world with devils filled should threaten to undo us
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure
One little word shall fell him

That word above all earthly pow’rs, no thanks to them, abideth
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him who with us sideth
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also
The body they may kill; God’s truth abideth still
His kingdom is forever