I've Moved!

Come visit me at my new blog site: Narrow Pathways.

A Change in Plans

I have some thoughts concerning Mary and Joseph’s flight to Egypt after Jesus was born. Traveling with a newborn certainly wasn’t in their plans. They were just in Bethlehem to register for the census! They probably didn’t even have much with them, because it was going to be a relatively short stay. An angel appears to Joseph in a dream, in the middle of the night, and instructs him to leave Bethlehem immediately (not after daybreak, mind you) and head for Egypt. Talk about dreading late night phone calls! Now the young family was setting off on a long journey that would delay their returning home for several years. Imagine flying to California to sign a few important papers only to be informed that you had to fly to Canada in the middle of the night and then spend several years there. All you had with you was carry on luggage!

God often leads us where we don’t want to go or didn’t plan to go. As humans, our response can range from surprise to irritation to fear to anger. Once again, I am reminded that God is more concerned with my response to events and people rather than what is actually happening. He is building a temple – foundations must be laid, marble chiseled out of the mountain, columns used as supports. He does this by strengthening our character and making us more like his Son. This can only happen as we are obedient to him and malleable in his hands. His promises to walk with us and to never abandon us are our comfort and our joy in the journey, wherever that may lead us.

Holy God, my husband and I are on that journey to Egypt. We don’t know why or where we’re going, but we know it’s an uncharted path for us. Remind me that you are more concerned with my responses each day to events and people rather than my navigation techniques. Just as you didn’t tell Joseph everything that lay ahead for his little family, you have not revealed your plans for us. All you ask is for us to look to you for guidance, direction and strength for each day.

Joseph left his job, tools, resources in Nazareth, not thinking he would need them for the short trip to Bethlehem and back. There was no time to return to Nazareth and collect his tools before heading to Egypt. He had to trust you to provide for the daily food and shelter and clothing. He didn’t have a job waiting for him in Egypt. He would have to find work when he arrived. Lord, this is so applicable to our present situation. Thank you for revealing these promises to me and reassuring me of your presence in every situation.

A Change in Plans

I have some thoughts concerning Mary and Joseph’s flight to Egypt after Jesus was born. Traveling with a newborn certainly wasn’t in their plans. They were just in Bethlehem to register for the census! They probably didn’t even have much with them, because it was going to be a relatively short stay. An angel appears to Joseph in a dream, in the middle of the night, and instructs him to leave Bethlehem immediately (not after daybreak, mind you) and head for Egypt. Talk about dreading late night phone calls! Now the young family was setting off on a long journey that would delay their returning home for several years. Imagine flying to California to sign a few important papers only to be informed that you had to fly to Canada in the middle of the night and then spend several years there. All you had with you was carry on luggage!

God often leads us where we don’t want to go or didn’t plan to go. As humans, our response can range from surprise to irritation to fear to anger. Once again, I am reminded that God is more concerned with my response to events and people rather than what is actually happening. He is building a temple – foundations must be laid, marble chiseled out of the mountain, columns used as supports. He does this by strengthening our character and making us more like his Son. This can only happen as we are obedient to him and malleable in his hands. His promises to walk with us and to never abandon us are our comfort and our joy in the journey, wherever that may lead us.

Holy God, my husband and I are on that journey to Egypt. We don’t know why or where we’re going, but we know it’s an uncharted path for us. Remind me that you are more concerned with my responses each day to events and people rather than my navigation techniques. Just as you didn’t tell Joseph everything that lay ahead for his little family, you have not revealed your plans for us. All you ask is for us to look to you for guidance, direction and strength for each day.

Joseph left his job, tools, resources in Nazareth, not thinking he would need them for the short trip to Bethlehem and back. There was no time to return to Nazareth and collect his tools before heading to Egypt. He had to trust you to provide for the daily food and shelter and clothing. He didn’t have a job waiting for him in Egypt. He would have to find work when he arrived. Lord, this is so applicable to our present situation. Thank you for revealing these promises to me and reassuring me of your presence in every situation.

I Believe This Is Yours

One of our favorite PBS programs each December is the Christmas concert of St. Olaf College in Minnesota. Last evening, as we were enjoying the program, the choirs broke into the joyous proclamation of the birth of our Savior with the Isaiah passage of Handel’s Messiah – For Unto Us a Child is Born - taken from Isaiah 9:6. It is a portion that I have heard hundreds of times and wonderfully captures the excitement and miracle of this holy event. This time, however, something strange occurred to me. The angels did not say, “Unto Mary and Joseph is born a child.” They proclaimed, “Unto you is born a Child.” They were addressing the shepherds! The birth of this Child was to have a personal impact on them. Indeed, this Child was born for everyone to claim. He was a Gift to the entire world, not just to Mary and Joseph. All of a sudden this becomes very personal. A Child is born for you. When someone gives you a tremendous gift, you have to make a decision as to what you will do with it. Put it in a place of honor and cherish it, ignore it, relegate it to storage or throw it away. Likewise, you must make a decision about this Child and what role He will have in your life, if any at all. Living your life as if He doesn’t exist is a choice in itself.

This is a good time of year to consider what you have done with this amazing Gift. You will never receive another as great.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

I Believe This Is Yours

One of our favorite PBS programs each December is the Christmas concert of St. Olaf College in Minnesota. Last evening, as we were enjoying the program, the choirs broke into the joyous proclamation of the birth of our Savior with the Isaiah passage of Handel’s Messiah – For Unto Us a Child is Born - taken from Isaiah 9:6. It is a portion that I have heard hundreds of times and wonderfully captures the excitement and miracle of this holy event. This time, however, something strange occurred to me. The angels did not say, “Unto Mary and Joseph is born a child.” They proclaimed, “Unto you is born a Child.” They were addressing the shepherds! The birth of this Child was to have a personal impact on them. Indeed, this Child was born for everyone to claim. He was a Gift to the entire world, not just to Mary and Joseph. All of a sudden this becomes very personal. A Child is born for you. When someone gives you a tremendous gift, you have to make a decision as to what you will do with it. Put it in a place of honor and cherish it, ignore it, relegate it to storage or throw it away. Likewise, you must make a decision about this Child and what role He will have in your life, if any at all. Living your life as if He doesn’t exist is a choice in itself.

This is a good time of year to consider what you have done with this amazing Gift. You will never receive another as great.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

What are my other choices?

I appreciate the honesty of one of my favorite bloggers - Abbot Joseph. Today's reflection - Where You Do Not Wish to Go - spoke directly to my situation and perhaps it will touch you also. Here are some excerpts (to read the full article, go to Word Incarnate)

One of the things that characterizes the life of one who would follow Jesus ... is that by agreeing to be a disciple of Christ, we are agreeing to be led where we do not wish to go (v. 18). This doesn’t mean that we do not wish to follow Jesus or that we do not wish to go to Heaven as a consequence. But it means that discipleship is costly, and the demands are such that we would not choose for ourselves the hardships and sacrifices that the Gospel requires. The immediate context in John makes it clear that Jesus was referring to St Peter’s martyrdom, but the whole of Christian life is a witness (Greek martys) to Christ and retains something of that character.

“Can you drink the cup that I must drink?” (Mark 10:38).

Why does Jesus say all that stuff about drinking cups of suffering and having to go where we don’t want to go and denying ourselves and taking up our crosses and losing our lives for his sake? Probably because if we don’t do all that we will end up as self-centered, navel-gazing, spineless, complacent, arrogant, obnoxious, hard-hearted schmucks, and we’ll probably forfeit the Kingdom to boot. It’s just that we spontaneously shrink from hearing the summons to suffering and the call to the Cross. Nobody wants to go where they don’t want to go; nobody wants to drink what they don’t want to drink. But the Lord says that this is how it is going to be.

In order to wean us away from the tantalizing tinsel of this world, the Lord needs to set us upon the demanding yet invigorating and enlightening path of service, self-sacrifice, and genuine love. The cup He offers may seem bitter, but that’s only because we’ve become addicted to cokes and kool-aid. We need to acquire a taste for something a little more demanding. We may not wish to go where He calls us to go, but that’s only because we’ve become spiritual couch-potatoes who would rather not venture to climb Mt Everest, even if it promises to be the most exhilarating experience of our lives.

We have to overcome that resistance which is an inheritance of original sin and be persuaded that the Kingdom of Heaven is worth whatever it takes to enter there.

But I’d rather that the Lord give me a hard word than that He simply ignore me, leaving me to my own deficient devices. I’d rather be led to the Cross than left out of the Kingdom.

These are appropriate words for me. This is where I am. This is where I've been. This is where I'm going. I am being led where I wouldn’t have, on my own volition, chosen to go. This is not the comfortable path that I was traveling. I have been launched out into an unknown country with uncertain developments. I don’t even know at this point how we are going to pay our “daily bills”. But all praise be to God, he loves us enough to keep us from our self-centeredness. There is no growth when we are self-sufficient. The muscles of faith cannot be strengthened without exercise and stretching. We can look back at times in our lives when life was difficult and uncertain and be grateful for God’s leading and blessings. We say, “I wouldn’t trade those times for anything in the world!” And yet we hesitate the next time the slats are pulled out beneath our feet – so great is our desire for predictability and security.

For those of us who have been or are currently parents of small children, recall those times when your child was upset, rebellious or out of control. What did you say to them? “Look at me…” You wanted to change their perspective and give them assurance. They needed to look into your eyes in order to benefit from your strength and protection.

Lord, keep my eyes on you and my ears attentive to your words of comfort and direction!

What are my other choices?

I appreciate the honesty of one of my favorite bloggers - Abbot Joseph. Today's reflection - Where You Do Not Wish to Go - spoke directly to my situation and perhaps it will touch you also. Here are some excerpts (to read the full article, go to Word Incarnate)

One of the things that characterizes the life of one who would follow Jesus ... is that by agreeing to be a disciple of Christ, we are agreeing to be led where we do not wish to go (v. 18). This doesn’t mean that we do not wish to follow Jesus or that we do not wish to go to Heaven as a consequence. But it means that discipleship is costly, and the demands are such that we would not choose for ourselves the hardships and sacrifices that the Gospel requires. The immediate context in John makes it clear that Jesus was referring to St Peter’s martyrdom, but the whole of Christian life is a witness (Greek martys) to Christ and retains something of that character.

“Can you drink the cup that I must drink?” (Mark 10:38).

Why does Jesus say all that stuff about drinking cups of suffering and having to go where we don’t want to go and denying ourselves and taking up our crosses and losing our lives for his sake? Probably because if we don’t do all that we will end up as self-centered, navel-gazing, spineless, complacent, arrogant, obnoxious, hard-hearted schmucks, and we’ll probably forfeit the Kingdom to boot. It’s just that we spontaneously shrink from hearing the summons to suffering and the call to the Cross. Nobody wants to go where they don’t want to go; nobody wants to drink what they don’t want to drink. But the Lord says that this is how it is going to be.

In order to wean us away from the tantalizing tinsel of this world, the Lord needs to set us upon the demanding yet invigorating and enlightening path of service, self-sacrifice, and genuine love. The cup He offers may seem bitter, but that’s only because we’ve become addicted to cokes and kool-aid. We need to acquire a taste for something a little more demanding. We may not wish to go where He calls us to go, but that’s only because we’ve become spiritual couch-potatoes who would rather not venture to climb Mt Everest, even if it promises to be the most exhilarating experience of our lives.

We have to overcome that resistance which is an inheritance of original sin and be persuaded that the Kingdom of Heaven is worth whatever it takes to enter there.

But I’d rather that the Lord give me a hard word than that He simply ignore me, leaving me to my own deficient devices. I’d rather be led to the Cross than left out of the Kingdom.

These are appropriate words for me. This is where I am. This is where I've been. This is where I'm going. I am being led where I wouldn’t have, on my own volition, chosen to go. This is not the comfortable path that I was traveling. I have been launched out into an unknown country with uncertain developments. I don’t even know at this point how we are going to pay our “daily bills”. But all praise be to God, he loves us enough to keep us from our self-centeredness. There is no growth when we are self-sufficient. The muscles of faith cannot be strengthened without exercise and stretching. We can look back at times in our lives when life was difficult and uncertain and be grateful for God’s leading and blessings. We say, “I wouldn’t trade those times for anything in the world!” And yet we hesitate the next time the slats are pulled out beneath our feet – so great is our desire for predictability and security.

For those of us who have been or are currently parents of small children, recall those times when your child was upset, rebellious or out of control. What did you say to them? “Look at me…” You wanted to change their perspective and give them assurance. They needed to look into your eyes in order to benefit from your strength and protection.

Lord, keep my eyes on you and my ears attentive to your words of comfort and direction!

Prayer Warriors

Luke 9:29-31 - As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem.

Here we have the Transfiguration passage. This miraculous event has been the topic of many sermons with an emphasis on God the Father’s endorsement of his Son and what was about to happen. Not much has been noted about the presence of Moses and Elijah in many sermons, other than the fact that Moses represents the Law and Elijah the Prophets of the Old Testament. This is indeed significant in light of Jesus’ words as recorded in the gospel of Matthew.

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished (Matthew 5:17-18).

Christ’s life, death and resurrection are the fulfillment of the entire Old Testament. It is fitting that Moses and Elijah should appear right before these events take place. But let’s step back from the theological implications and observe a few other things. The Son of God was facing the culmination of his mission on earth – the restoration of mankind’s relationship to God. He knew the pain and suffering that waited for him in Jerusalem. Later, in the Garden of Gethsemane, he would pour out his heart to his heavenly Father, asking that this bitter cup be taken from him. Christ wasn’t the only one who knew about this impending atonement. Moses and Elijah certainly knew and understood what Christ was facing. What an act of love from the Father to send these two holy men to his Son to speak with him, encourage him, and pray for him. Jesus would have known these men and loved them.

This passage also gives us some insight into the universal church – those saints in heaven and those living here on earth. The concept of believers who have died having a ministry of intercession for those of us here below was unquestioned before the Reformation. Somehow, this connection with the saints above has fallen by the wayside in the last 500 years. Undoubtedly, corruption in the Church led many to throw away the baby with the bath water. As a result, we Protestants have little understanding or appreciation for the ministry these believers can have in our lives.

Next time you start asking friends to pray for you, stop and consider those who are close to the throne of God and request their prayers for you too. What a prayer team!

Prayer Warriors

Luke 9:29-31 - "As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem."

Here we have the Transfiguration passage. This miraculous event has been the topic of many sermons with an emphasis on God the Father’s endorsement of his Son and what was about to happen. Not much has been noted about the presence of Moses and Elijah in many sermons, other than the fact that Moses represents the Law and Elijah the Prophets of the Old Testament. This is indeed significant in light of Jesus’ words as recorded in the gospel of Matthew.

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished (Matthew 5:17-18).

Christ’s life, death and resurrection are the fulfillment of the entire Old Testament. It is fitting that Moses and Elijah should appear right before these events take place. But let’s step back from the theological implications and observe a few other things. The Son of God was facing the culmination of his mission on earth – the restoration of mankind’s relationship to God. He knew the pain and suffering that waited for him in Jerusalem. Later, in the Garden of Gethsemane, he would pour out his heart to his heavenly Father, asking that this bitter cup be taken from him. Christ wasn’t the only one who knew about this impending atonement. Moses and Elijah certainly knew and understood what Christ was facing. What an act of love from the Father to send these two holy men to his Son to speak with him, encourage him, and pray for him. Jesus would have known these men and loved them.

This passage also gives us some insight into the universal church – those saints in heaven and those living here on earth. The concept of believers who have died having a ministry of intercession for those of us here below was unquestioned before the Reformation. Somehow, this connection with the saints above has fallen by the wayside in the last 500 years. Undoubtedly, corruption in the Church led many to throw away the baby with the bath water. As a result, we Protestants have little understanding or appreciation for the ministry these believers can have in our lives.

Next time you start asking friends to pray for you, stop and consider those who are close to the throne of God and request their prayers for you too. What a prayer team!