31 October 2015 - save a seat

For the LORD will not cast off his people,
nor abandon his inheritance;

We need reassurance about this because sometimes it seems like he does. It seems like God rejects his people. It seems like Israel stumbles so as to fall. After all, the transgressions seem so great as to be unforgivable. But it isn't about us or our ability to earn forgiveness. It isn't about what we deserve.

For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.

God is able to use the disobedience of individuals and groups for a higher good. But his plan never involves leaving anyone in disobedience. Even if we see large segments of the population have a "hardening" come upon them it does not mean they are destined to be rejected. Even if we know people with particularly hard hearts it does not mean that they are rejected. There is hope for them. And God wants to use us to offer that hope. He wants us to let our light shine. He wants us to let the world see just what it is that we have in Jesus.

But through their transgression
salvation has come to the Gentiles,
so as to make them jealous.

We are supposed to make the world jealous not because we have something which they can't have or about which we feel smug and prideful. We make the world jealous precisely to draw them to receive the same salvation which we ourselves have freely received.

Just because we're here first doesn't mean we are somehow more entitled to the good seats. We celebrate being invited to this banquet. But we do want the world to want to come. We leave the good seats open for them. We do this so that if our joy in the banquet is enough to make them jealous, enough to make them want to come, they have a spot waiting for them. As much as God is able to bring good out of their rejection and sin he is able to do even more with their repentance.

Now if their transgression is enrichment for the world,
and if their diminished number is enrichment for the Gentiles,
how much more their full number.

We all stand in need of the mercy of God. We are all desperate for his help. Let us celebrate the salvation we receive and by so doing offer the world the invitation to receive that same salvation.

Were not the LORD my help,
my soul would soon dwell in the silent grave.
When I say, “My foot is slipping,”
your mercy, O LORD, sustains me.

30 October 2015 - cisterned up

Who among you, if your son or ox falls into a cistern,
would not immediately pull him out on the sabbath day?

The sabbath isn't a break from love. Rules about sabbath rest are good. They serve to free us for relationship with friends, family, and God. But we can twist these rules and use them to excuse our responsibilities toward one another. If our son falls into a cistern we shouldn't put off rescuing him until Sunday. But if he falls in on Sunday neither should we wait longer.

We tend to use rules as an excuse for our indifference. Instead we should be more like Paul.

For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ
for the sake of my own people,
my kindred according to the flesh.

No matter into which cistern they seem to have fallen, no matter when in salvation history it happens, Paul is ready to help them to freedom. His own heart for the Jewish people is like God's heart for them.

He has proclaimed his word to Jacob,
his statutes and his ordinances to Israel.
He has not done thus for any other nation;
his ordinances he has not made known to them. Alleluia.

Our own hearts for our brothers and sisters needs to be like God's heart for them. They are his sons and his daughters. They are those for whom Jesus dies. He does not want to wait to love them. 

But they kept silent; so he took the man and,
after he had healed him, dismissed him.

Our own blessings are not things which we can ultimately give away for the sake of others. Becoming accursed for them doesn't work. Our relationship with Christ is the only real basis we have for helping others. Our sabbath rests are ultimately necessary to sustain that relationship. But if we look for excuses for indifference and inaction we miss the point. Let us instead look for excuses to love, like Jesus "Christ, who is over all, God blessed forever."

Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem;
praise your God, O Zion.
For he has strengthened the bars of your gates;
he has blessed your children within you.

29 October 2015 - conquerors++

If God is for us, who can be against us?

Well, not Herod.

“Go away, leave this area because Herod wants to kill you.”
He replied, “Go and tell that fox,
‘Behold, I cast out demons and I perform healings today and tomorrow,
and on the third day I accomplish my purpose.

Jesus knows that nothing can separate him from the Father's love.

What will separate us from the love of Christ? 

Jesus acts in spite of the threat of Herod because he is mission motivated. Jesus is able to shrug off that threat precisely because he trusts in the plan and the love which the Father has for him. We can be bold because of the love that Jesus and the Father have for us. Jesus ignores a threat from which he will be delivered (Herod) but marches straight toward a threat from which he knows he won't be.

Yet I must continue on my way today, tomorrow, and the following day,
for it is impossible that a prophet should die
outside of Jerusalem.

This is because of how important his mission is. It isn't arbitrary. It isn't ticking boxes on a to-do list. It isn't about a certain self-image. It is about love. 

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you,
how many times I yearned to gather your children together
as a hen gathers her brood under her wings,
but you were unwilling! 

But for most of us our love is not enough to fuel our mission, "For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die" (cf. Rom. 5:7). We will pursue the hens that are unwilling to be gathered until our own skin is on the line. When we rely on ourselves our love is too little, too late.

Jesus can do this precisely because he knows that his Father is for him and therefore no one can be against him. He knows that the Father's love is ferociously strong. He trusts the Father even unto death on the cross because he knows that the Father's love is stronger than anything which can be against it. And he is vindicated for his trust. He is raised on the third day. In Jesus we see what happens when we trust in God. In his life we see even more evidence of how great that love is. We see just how worthy of trust it is.

No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly
through him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life,
nor angels, nor principalities,
nor present things, nor future things,
nor powers, nor height, nor depth,
nor any other creature will be able to separate us
from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Just as Jesus marches straight for Jerusalem, secure in his Father's love, we can conquer anything this world throws our way by trusting in the love the Triune God has for us. Whatever is against us, we are more than conquerors through him who loves us.

I will speak my thanks earnestly to the LORD,
and in the midst of the throng I will praise him,
For he stood at the right hand of the poor man,
to save him from those who would condemn his soul.

28 October 2015 - strangers no longer

in him you also are being built together
into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

We are being built together. We need to be open to this. 

We can't continue to live like strangers and sojourners. Yet we do live like this. Isn't this our experience of Sunday worship? Or do we truly experience coming together with fellow citizens? Are we really one household or are we rather many island households in the same general area? If Jesus can bridge the gap between Jew and Gentile surely he can bridge the gap between us and our pew neighbors. Perhaps some in the Church love football, others painting, or still others science. Even if we hold no hobbies or interests in common we are nevertheless united by something greater than any of those.

Through him the whole structure is held together
and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord;

It isn't really about our preferences. Do we suppose that the Twelve were the type who would hang out together on their own? Yet they are called by Jesus and they do come together. They are united.

When day came, he called his disciples to himself,
and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles:

This is the supernatural union of the Church, the international family of God. It can completely transcend any differences on the natural level which might otherwise keep us apart.

in him you also are being built together
into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

It is the unity of the Spirit that unites God's family. The contrary can also be true. If we subvert that unity, if we avoid it, if we ignore and omit opportunities to encourage it, we, to one degree or another, quench the Spirit who desires to create this unity among us. This is bad, because this unity is a visible sign of God's presence with his people.

I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. (cf. Joh. 17:20).

All on it's own this unity proclaims the glory of God.

Through all the earth their voice resounds,
and to the ends of the world, their message.

Our part is simply to welcome the Spirit, to get out of his way, and to let him work.

27 October 2015 - start small

Jesus said, “What is the Kingdom of God like?
To what can I compare it?
It is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden.

The Kingdom isn't always obvious right away. In it's initial stages can be all but invisible. In fact, it is often marked by suffering and groaning and labor pains. These don't seem very Kingdom-like at all.

We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now;
and not only that, but we ourselves,
who have the firstfruits of the Spirit,
we also groan within ourselves

If that is so are we really better for having it? Paul thinks so:

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing
compared with the glory to be revealed for us.

The mustard seed is here. It is growing. It may seem like nothing in the moment. But if we just give it time we will see the impressive results:

When it was fully grown, it became a large bush
and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches.”

During suffering the Kingdom may seem like too little to make a difference. After all, the suffering itself remains. We continue to groan. But this seemingly small thing has the potential to unleash ripples of exponential change in the world.

It is like yeast that a woman took
and mixed in with three measures of wheat flour
until the whole batch of dough was leavened.”

The Kingdom teaches us to give the mustard seed time to grow. It teaches us to give the yeast time to leaven. It helps us to accept the kneading of our dough by the circumstances of life.

For in hope we were saved.
Now hope that sees for itself is not hope. 
For who hopes for what one sees?
But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance.

It gives meaning to the sufferings of this present time, even now, even before we see the results. We can say, 'What is this in the light of eternity?' We are not like those without hope (cf. 1 The. 4:13). We believe that Jesus died and rose again. This gives meaning to all of the small deaths we endure, knowing that they in turn lead us toward the resurrection, "the redemption of our bodies" when we, together with creation, will be set free from slavery to corruption and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God

Although they go forth weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.

26 October 2015 - led by the spirit

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

Let's make sure we're availing ourselves of the guidance of the Spirit. Let us make sure that He and no other is the one who leads us. Let us trust him to guide us through life. Without this living guide we risk the hypocrisy of the Synagogue leaders who are more interested in rules than in grace and mercy. They miss the whole point of the Sabbath rest. They are guided by their pride and not by God. The Spirit would reveal the true purpose of the Sabbath. It is to be a time of rest, a time to draw near to God. Even ox and ass may be fed and watered. It is not a rule for slaves. It is a rule for sons and daughters, designed to provide quality family time.

For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,
but you received a spirit of adoption,
through which we cry, “Abba, Father!”

Any other perspective than the Spirit's perspective will ultimately fail us. We'll fall back to slavery and fear. We'll be more interested in our own effort than the true purpose of laws like this. The purpose is always oriented toward relationship and toward love. This is why "those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." Without this leadership we rely on ourselves. Our pride and selfishness end up isolating us even when we are surrounded by others. But the Spirit takes our hearts of stone and gives us hearts of flesh (cf. Eze. 36:26). He will give us hearts like that of Jesus, completely defined by love.

And a woman was there who for eighteen years
had been crippled by a spirit;
she was bent over, completely incapable of standing erect.
When Jesus saw her, he called to her and said,
“Woman, you are set free of your infirmity.”
He laid his hands on her,
and she at once stood up straight and glorified God.

Even though Jesus is just now healing this woman we can see that she is on his heart for the full eighteen years during which she suffers.

This daughter of Abraham,
whom Satan has bound for eighteen years now,
ought she not to have been set free on the sabbath day
from this bondage?”

It would be easier for Jesus to be indifferent. But the love of Jesus always embraces the other in her suffering. He does not hide behind rules in order to keep his own heart safe from the pain of this woman. Instead he himself lays hands on her and raises her up. We are often indifferent to shield ourselves from the pain of the world. But this is not how our hearts should be. Let us allow the Spirit to guide us. Let us allow him to teach us to love like our Father.

The father of orphans and the defender of widows
is God in his holy dwelling.
God gives a home to the forsaken;
he leads forth prisoners to prosperity.

As he gives us his own heart we experience what it truly means to be his children.

but you received a spirit of adoption,
through which we cry, “Abba, Father!”
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit
that we are children of God,
and if children, then heirs,
heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ,
if only we suffer with him
so that we may also be glorified with him.

25 October 2015 - that i might see

On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth,
he began to cry out and say,
"Jesus, son of David, have pity on me."
And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. 

The first lesson today is not to listen when the world tells us not to call out to Jesus. The world may not want us to call upon his name. The world may be embarrassed by us. We bear our weakness before the LORD. For those who have not come to terms with their own weakness this can be hard to watch. Those who don't really and truly believe that Jesus is the answer might try to keep us from bothering someone who doubtless has his own problems.

But Jesus is able to deal patiently with the ignorant and erring precisely because who understands what we go through. He is the Son of Man. He undergoes all of the same trials we do. The only difference is that he is able to do it all without sin because he is the Son of God.

We need to understand that Jesus is both one who is intensely sympathetic toward all we go through and yet in the unique position to help us. Recognizing this, we cry, "Son of David, have pity on me." Even if we're blind in every other way, this is the thing to recognize. Even if we can't see at all we just need to hear that Jesus of Nazareth is passing by. We might not be able to see the road ahead. We might not even see the road beneath our feet. We may stumble and fall constantly on our own. But if we know Jesus is passing by we know he can open our eyes to that which is truly important. We know that he can save our feet from stumbling.

I will gather them from the ends of the world,
with the blind and the lame in their midst,
the mothers and those with child;
they shall return as an immense throng.

He himself is the light that can enlighten us. We have to realize that we are in profound need of him. Jesus asks us what we want from him. The second lesson today is to have our answers ready. We shouldn't ask first for superficial things, for luxuries and comforts. We need his light desperately. We need to see.

Jesus said to him in reply, "What do you want me to do for you?" 
The blind man replied to him, "Master, I want to see." 

When we ask in faith as Bartimaeus does we can be sure that Jesus will answer.

Jesus told him, "Go your way; your faith has saved you." 
Immediately he received his sight
and followed him on the way.

The LORD wants to do great things for us and fill us with joy. We stumble as captives in the darkness but the LORD wants to set free, to restore our fortunes, and to make us rejoice.

Although they go forth weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.

24 October 2015 - don't soil yourself

For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree 
but have found none.
So cut it down.
Why should it exhaust the soil?

Sometimes we feel like the fig tree. Sometimes we feel like we just aren't growing fast enough. We wonder where is the fruit which we are supposed to bear. We imagine a voice of condemnation suggesting that we are without value, not even worth the soil in which we grow. But this voice of condemnation is not the voice of Jesus.

Now there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Jesus is the gardener who understands that fruit takes time to grow, that it takes care, that it takes tender loving care which the tree cannot provide for itself.

Sir, leave it for this year also, 
and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; 
it may bear fruit in the future.

So if we aren't bearing fruit as quickly as we want let us turn to Jesus. He will cultivate the soil of our hearts and fertilize them with his love and grace. He won't let us be cut down until he gives us every chance and every resource to bear fruit.

Even if bad things are happening it does not mean he is not at work in us. If we suffer persecution we might feel that we are not loved. If towers fall on and around us we might doubt that the gardener is at work. But whatever is going on out there he is at work within!

But if Christ is in you,
although the body is dead because of sin,
the spirit is alive because of righteousness.
If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
the one who raised Christ from the dead
will give life to your mortal bodies also,
through his Spirit that dwells in you.

Our hearts might not be completely pure yet. Our hands might not be entirely clean. But his Spirit is within us and we long to seek his face. This attitude is all we need to receive a blessing from him. Ultimately, it will bring us to his holy mountain.

23 October 2015 - apart from grace

Miserable one that I am!
Who will deliver me from this mortal body?

How long will we continue striving on our own? On our own we do not do the good that we know we should do. On our own we do all sorts of things that we wish we wouldn't. We want to be better. We take delight in the law of God in the sense that we appreciate it and know the value of it. But we just can't put it into practice.

How long will we wait? The time is now.

You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky;
why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

Our cleverness isn't helpful. Being wise to the underlying patterns of the world isn't helpful. These patterns may be physical. We may be really proud of recognizing, say, human caused global warming. This can be helpful only if it doesn't distract us from the deeper issues in our souls that cause the excesses in the world that are ultimately what cause our part in the problem. It isn't even helpful to understand the patterns and signs of society and culture. To recognize trends of sinfulness in the world gains us nothing. To be able to say that things are getting worse, that people are more willing to accept and indulge sin does nothing to fix any problem. The only way we can contribute to healing the culture is if we are first healed ourselves. 

So let's stop trying to figure these secondary things out and instead face the issue directly. We ourselves, apart from grace, are miserable. Not only can we not help global warming or the cable TV lineup but we can't even help ourselves.

We must pray that the kindness of the LORD may come to comfort us. Let us pray for his compassion to come and meet us that we may live. Only then is his law our delight. Without his comfort and compassion we experience the law as condemnation and sin. But if we just turn to him for his grace and help we can experience his law as life.

Never will I forget your precepts,
for through them you give me life.

Who will deliver us from ourselves, from all of this failed effort and frustration? 

Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

22 October 2015 - gotta serve somebody

For just as you presented the parts of your bodies as slaves to impurity
and to lawlessness for lawlessness,
so now present them as slaves to righteousness for sanctification.

As Bob Dylan reminds us, you gotta serve somebody. Paul suggests discernment so that we choose wisely. He suggests reflecting on his behaviors make us feel in the long run rather than just how they seem at the time. It is like how Ignatius of Loyala enjoyed both tales of chivalry and lives of the saints. But he noticed that the former would leave him with a feeling of disquiet but the latter would give him peace.

But what profit did you get then
from the things of which you are now ashamed? 

This helps us to optimize our service, choosing not just the good thing but the best thing, the one thing necessary.

For the wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This is the only way we have courage to stand with Jesus when brings division.

Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?
No, I tell you, but rather division.

Division is not his goal but division is often necessary so that truth can be recognized.

For there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized (cf. 1 Cor. 11:19).

But if we don't have good discernment we choose what feels good at the time rather than what is best for the long term. We never make the choice to feel awkward or embarrassed for the sake of the kingdom. Who are we serving then?

The fire of Jesus can give us the strength to stand firm. But we have to choose it. We have to present or bodies as slaves of righteousness. Only if we do this will we receive the gift he promises: eternal life.

Let us discern well so that we delight in his law.

He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.

21 October 2015 - broken was the snare

The readings today warn us about an attitude wherein we try to game the system. Our lives as Christians aren't supposed defined by that with which we can get away.

Sin must not reign over us. OK, good. But maybe a little sin, where it isn't reigning over us, but where we're still in charge? We're under grace, not the law. If it isn't about the legalistic mind set, doesn't that mean letting small things slide?

What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law
but under grace? 
Of course not!

It isn't because those small sins themselves are the real problem. It is because they are often gateway sins, leading us deeper into a prison from which escape is increasingly difficult.

Do you not know that if you present yourselves
to someone as obedient slaves,
you are slaves of the one you obey,
either of sin, which leads to death,
or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?

We see that the idea of "eternal security" is a heresy. Once saved, not necessarily always saved. Sin indulged can eventually make us slaves to sin once more, leading to death. The alternative? Obedience.

This is just what Jesus says to his disciples. Obedience must mark their lives. The greater the knowledge they have of their masters will the more is demanded of them. It isn't the sort of legalistic obedience that only obeys when the master is looking.

But if that servant says to himself,
‘My master is delayed in coming,’
and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants,
to eat and drink and get drunk,
then that servant’s master will come
on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour
and will punish the servant severely
and assign him a place with the unfaithful.

We need to "become obedient from the heart". The law cannot achieve this. In fact, we cannot create this attitude within ourselves. On our own we're always concerned about what is the least we can get away with. We try to rationalize our behavior. We say, in a sense, tell ourselves that the LORD isn't looking. We really feel the need to believe that he doesn't care about our sin because if he does care then we, not understanding his heart, feel condemned. But he does not ignore sin, not because he is legalistic, but because he doesn't want to see us suffer. He himself sets us free from the attitudes of heart that want to do the least we can precisely because we insist on doing it on our own. Our help, our only help, is in his name.

Then would the waters have overwhelmed us;
The torrent would have swept over us;
over us then would have swept the raging waters.
Blessed be the LORD, who did not leave us 
a prey to their teeth.
We were rescued like a bird
from the fowlers’ snare;
Broken was the snare,
and we were freed.

20 October 2015 - more than fair

Jesus said to his disciples: 
“Gird your loins and light your lamps
and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding,
ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.

We are called to be ready. The bridegroom is coming! This is very different than the threat that at any time a boss might come and look over our shoulder and see us slacking. We are indeed called to vigilance. We are indeed warned against slacking, whether burying our own treasures, our becoming abusive toward others in the absence of the boss. But the thing is that he is much more than a boss. What kind of boss girds himself to serve us after coming home from a wedding? If he were a normal boss he would return and expect us to get to work. But instead, he returns and shares the blessings and the joy of the wedding with us. Or he does so if we are awake to experience it.

He is a bridegroom that gives us more than we deserve. Through the transgression of Adam we deserve death. Yet somehow Jesus shares his own obedience with us, which we do not deserve, in order to give us life.

For just as through the disobedience of one man
the many were made sinners,
so, through the obedience of the one
the many will be made righteous.

We are servants. But we serve with much more zeal and enthusiasm when we realize that we serve the one who himself came not to be served but to serve. We are more willing and able to keep our loins girt and our lamps lit when we realize that the relationship we have with Jesus is not one of fairness where we get what we earn. That would make us slaves to sin and death. That is at best a relationship with an antagonistic boss who does not have our interests at heart. Instead of strict fairness we rely on the mercy of the bridegroom. We rely on the generosity of the one who shares his own joy, to which we are not entitled, with us just because he loves us. Our sin renders us unworthy of this joy. But he gives it nonetheless.

Where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more,
so that, as sin reigned in death,
grace also might reign through justification
for eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Let's try to realize the goodness of this bridegroom and to appreciate his mercy more today. It will help us to say more readily, "Here I am Lord; I come to do your will." We won't let our lamps flicker because we are so eager to see our master return.

May all who seek you
exult and be glad in you,
And may those who love your salvation
say ever, “The LORD be glorified.”

19 October 2015 - convinced, empowered

Abraham did not doubt God’s promise in unbelief;
rather, he was empowered by faith and gave glory to God
and was fully convinced that what God had promised
he was also able to do.

Most of us believe sometimes and doubt sometimes. This prevents us from being fully "empowered by the faith". It prevents us from giving glory to God by trusting completely in his promises. He promises to set us "free from the hands of our enemies, free to worship him without fear". But are we free from fear because of our faith in God? Jesus comes to "deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery" (cf. Heb. 2:15). Is doubt keeping the power of faith from fully transforming us?

But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind (cf. Jam. 1:6).

When fear dominates we start to act like the rich man. We become fearful and horde the goods of this world. We try to create a life where we can "rest, eat, drink, and be merry" for many years. We have not learned to number our days aright (cf. Psa. 90:12). At any moment we might hear God say, "You fool" as the worldly supports on which we rely are taken away.

Let's worry less about our earthly treasure and more about being rich in what matters to God. He wants us to be rich in faith, fully convinced of his promises. This allows him to do what he wants in our lives and in our hearts. It allows us to be free from fear because it is no longer all about us and our efforts. It is no longer all about the transitory goods of the world which can be taken from us without warning. It is all about him. It is all about his plan and his promise. Even if our harvest is demanded from us his promise is undeterred. Even if our life is demanded of us this very night we can follow the example of the North American Martyrs. They "believe in the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead". Because they believe it they experience that victory even now. This is the promise of which we must be fully convinced. We probably won't succeed at convincing ourselves. But God wants to convince us. His coming isn't just a once upon a time thing. He comes today to each of our hearts. He himself wants to set us free. If we let him, he will fully convince us of his resurrection power.

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; 
He has come to his people and set them free.

18 October 2015 - getting served

"Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you." 

Isn't this how we approach prayer? We look down on the arrogance and greed of James and John when they make this request. But don't we do the same thing? Sure, we don't ask for positions at the right and the left of Jesus in glory. But aren't we asking for them implicitly? From there, after all, we can best to Jesus how to do his job. We can best tell God how to be God. Thanks to James and John for saying all of this out loud so that we can see how ridiculous it looks from the outside.

And yet we are supposed to "confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help." How can we do this and yet not risk bringing our own selfish agendas into the mix? First, we must reminder to whom we speak. It is no abstract wish granting machine to whom we make our requests. It is instead someone very similar to ourselves. It is someone who is tested in every way and yet without sin. It was someone who suffers to unlock these graces for us, to justify us, and to bear our own guilt. He endures the baptism and chalice of the wrath of God for us. When we see this we begin to realize that maybe our own agendas aren't so great. We begin to pay more attention to God's agenda than our own. We are able to trust God without specifying all of the specific conditions or all of the timing. We are able to let God be God while still trusting him to help us.

See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.

Only in this way can our hearts be changed into the hearts of servants. After all, as long as we insist on telling God how to do his job how much less will we be willing to serve those who are not God. Yet it is precisely to this that we are called.

Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink, you will drink,
and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized;

It is precisely in realizing that the Son of Man did not come to be served that we ourselves become true servants.

But it shall not be so among you.
Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. 

17 October 2015 - hoping against hope

We are called to a faith like that of Abraham. It is a faith in a God who can do the impossible. It is faith that can hope against hope because it is faith in a God "who gives life to the dead". That is how Abraham is able to hope in the promise of God to make him the father of many nations even though his own body is "as good as dead" and Sarah's womb is barren (cf. Rom. 4:19). This is exactly how he is able to offer Isaac back to God even though the loss of Isaac seems to mean that the promise to make him the father or many nations cannot not be fulfilled. But it is precisely because he believes that God can give life to the dead that he is able to continue in faith.

He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back (cf. Heb. 11:19).

Abraham believes in a God who calls into being what does not exist. He believes in a God who can do the impossible. It is to this faith that we are called. It is isn't some mere intellectual assent to which we are called, no mere tacit acknowledgment of the truth. It is something which really changes the core of who we are in a way that frees God to do anything he desires in us. This is most perfectly embodied in the fiat of Mary when she says, "Be it done unto me according to thy word" (cf. Luk. 1:38). This is the faith that unites all nations as children of Abraham. In its perfect expression in Mary we are her children as well, even more closely united to her than to Abraham.

This faith will acknowledge the Son of Man before the world. It trusts in the Holy Spirit to give us the words to do so even when those words do not exist within us. He gives us the words at the moment we need them.

We are not perfect and sometimes fail. But he remains faithful to us. He always offers forgiveness. We are always able to return to faith and hope in him. We often find that when we do our faith and our hope are stronger than ever before.

For he remembered his holy word
to his servant Abraham.
And he led forth his people with joy;
with shouts of joy, his chosen ones.

16 October 2015 - more than many sparrows

The 12 Promises of the Sacred Heart

A worker’s wage is credited not as a gift, but as something due.
But when one does not work,
yet believes in the one who justifies the ungodly,
his faith is credited as righteousness.

Forgiveness is a gift of God. Blessed are we whose iniquities are forgiven. Are sins are covered. But they are not merely covered. We are transformed and made clean within. Otherwise we're like the Pharisees. Otherwise we are hypocrites, saying one thing, but with something quite different in our hearts. We want the sort of consistency where we can be happy to proclaim from the housetops those things which we hear in the darkness, those things which are in the depths of our hearts, those things which are the core of who we are.

The Pharisees are highly invested in their cover stories. So much of their identity rests on their image as Godly people. For them this becomes a vicious cycle where the invest more and more effort into the things the world sees while their hearts languish. God isn't interested in facilitating their self-image so they work toward this goal without the divine power that could actually change them from within. This must not be our approach. Instead, we allow God to change us from within as a gift that we receive by faith. We receive justification in the same way as Abraham.

Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.

Because every part of this transformation is a gift we don't have to be afraid. The world can't facilitate it. But the world can't stop it, either.

Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins?
Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God.
Even the hairs of your head have all been counted.
Do not be afraid.
You are worth more than many sparrows.

So, yes, if we try to do this by our own strength we do need to fear the one who has the power to cast into Gehenna. But if we believe we not only receive forgiveness but also transformation and the peace that comes from being free from fear. No longer weighted down by the things of this world we are free to praise God with sincere hearts.

Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you just;
exult, all you upright of heart.

15 October 2015 - every hour i need you

What occasion is there then for boasting? It is ruled out.

We can't boast, whether we are Jew are Gentile, whatever our ethnic background, whether we are male are female, whether we are rich our pour, whether we are highly intelligent or less so. None of our inherent traits are grounds for boasting.

For there is no distinction;
all have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God.

What other distinctions do we try to draw between ourselves and others? Perhaps our behavior is better than that of the people in the secular world. It ought to be. But is this grounds for boasting? No! We don't do truly good things by our own strength. We are sinners deprived of God's glory the same as everyone else. At each moment we rely on his grace to keep us from falling back into that state of privation. We can't think ourselves better than those around us. We should instead think, "There but for the grace of God, go I". Being within his Church is a necessary condition of this grace, but it does not earn it in such a way that we can boast.

Instead of boasting and trying to make ourselves feel superior we cry out in solidarity with all the sinners of the world:

If you, O LORD, mark iniquities,
Lord, who can stand?
But with you is forgiveness,
that you may be revered.

How much less, then, can we boast of the externals of our practice? How little value to compare ourselves to others and say, 'I go to church on Sunday.' It is necessary to go to church on Sunday but when it becomes a subtle comparison with others it is merely building a memorial to the prophets whom our fathers killed. They killed and we do the building, giving consent to their deeds. Rather than celebrating our heritage in an appropriate way we subvert it and use it out of pride and ego. This is precisely the sort of thing that confuses those on the outside of the Church and makes it difficult for them to recognize the truth.

You have taken away the key of knowledge.
You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter.

We have to get over this need to create our own value as human beings. We have to become willing to receive our value from God. We have value because he loves us. He delights to pour this love upon us. If we are struggling to be valuable, to find our right to exist, let us pray instead that God may show us that he loves us before we do a single thing. He proves it because while we are yet sinners Christ dies for us (cf. Rom. 5:8).

14 October 2015 - pour out your hearts before him

Doesn't matter how clean it is

For by the standard by which you judge another you condemn yourself,
since you, the judge, do the very same things.

It is easy to point at the world and talk about what it is doing wrong. It is harder to look within. In fact, we often point out the problems of the world to distract ourselves from ourselves, rather than to solve them. The world may be obsessed with sex, drugs, and rock and roll. It may indulge in violence and profanity. It may delight in blasphemy and superstition. It clearly does. Yet, when we talk about such things, what is the problem we're trying to solve? Even if the world does hear us, even if they do somehow actually realize that they are in the wrong, will it do them any good?

You impose on people burdens hard to carry,
but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them.

Are we unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk? Are we concealing the impurity of our hearts beneath the shield of religious observation and piety? This isn't just a problem for us. It is a problem for all who encounter us. God wants to reach out to these people through us but instead they only find impurity and death.

We need to remember that "the kindness of God would lead you to repentance". We must hold "his priceless, kindness, forbearance, and patience" in high esteem. We cannot rely on our own effort our practice much less in how such effort compares to that of others. For those in the world and for us there is only one place our souls can be at rest and that is God himself.

If we learn to hope in him as our rock and our salvation we won't find ourselves needing to talk about others in condemnation. We are able to trust him at all times and pour out our hearts before him. Even when we find ourselves very imperfect we can take refuge in him.

13 October 2015 - senseless and darkened

They might not be this obvious.

Instead, they became vain in their reasoning,
and their senseless minds were darkened.

This is a risk we all face. It isn't just those outside of the Church that run this risk. In fact, it is precisely those for whom "what can be known about God is evident" that there is the greatest risk because "they have no excuse". We know God. But do we honor him, give him glory as God, and give him thanks? It is easy to make excuses, to "become vain" in our thinking. Our idols aren't necessarily as obvious as images of mortal man or of birds or of four-legged animals or snakes, but most assuredly, we have them. The sins to which they give rise might not involve the lusts of our hearts or the mutual degradation of our bodies (although we clearly recognize this sort of thing all around us). But we do have idols and they do give rise to sins wherein we choose to put our own priorities before God's priorities. We tell ourselves we're fine because the externals are OK. We go to Church, we study the Word, and we pray. Yet whether it is television, internet, celebrity culture, or other vacuous entertainment, whether gossip, or the pursuit of finer things of food and culture, whatever they might be, things which are not God often take the throne in our lives. The exterior acts are insufficient.

Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish,
inside you are filled with plunder and evil.
You fools!
Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside?

When we have idols in our lives we become ashamed of the gospel because it shows us that these things are harmful and calls us to repent. We talk ourselves into why such things have the place they do in our lives. We rationalize them. We become darkened in our minds. We become not so much unable as unwilling to proclaim the gospel.

We want to be able to say with Paul:

I am not ashamed of the Gospel.
It is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes:
for Jew first, and then Greek.

But instead find ourselves unable to do so.

They exchanged the truth of God for a lie
and revered and worshiped the creature rather than the creator,
who is blessed forever. Amen.

How do we solve this? How do we free our souls to proclaim the gospel without shame?

But as to what is within, give alms,
and behold, everything will be clean for you.

We need to take steps to take ourselves off of our own throne. If we give alms, not to look good, but to love, we find the idols within our hearts begin to topple. The false gods begin to fall. Suddenly we become able to proclaim the good news of God effectively. It becomes as natural for us as it is for creation.

The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.

Let's be unashamed. Let's throw the idols down and give all that we are to God, trusting that he will use us for his glory.

12 October 2015 - we belong to god

among whom are you also, who are called to belong to Jesus Christ

We are called to belong to Christ. He is descended from David according to the flesh, but even that royal lineage doesn't justify our belonging to him. If he is merely a good preacher like Jonah it may justify learning from him. It may justify repentance. But it does not justify belonging to him. No one was called to belong to Jonah. If Jesus is a wise teacher it doesn't justify belonging to him. Even if he is wise like Solomon it might be worth coming from the ends of the earth to hear him. But it does not justify belonging to him. If we follow a wise man like Solomon we risk following him into idolatry and ultimately to similar moral failure.

But Jesus is more than Solomon and more than Jonah.

there is something greater than Solomon here.

and

there is something greater than Jonah here.

Jesus Christ is not merely descended from impressive royal lineage. We can see that Solomon was descended from that lineage and it wasn't enough.  Jesus Christ is "established as Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness through resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord." There is something beyond flesh in play here. He is not merely the son of David. He is the Son of God. This is revealed by the power displayed, not in wisdom, not in preaching, but in the resurrection from the dead. Because he lives we are called to do more than listen to him. Because he is risen we are called to do more than learn from him. We are called to belong to him. It is his right to claim our allegiance because he is the Son of God, filled with the Holy Spirit. Only he can "bring about the obedience of faith" in us. Only he can call us "to be holy" and actually make it possible by the grace of God our Father which he brings us. Wisdom no doubt tells Solomon to follow God's ways. But even wisdom as great as that is unable to provide grace.

The psalmist sings that the Lord has made his salvation known. This is most perfectly revealed in the resurrection of the Son of God. The resurrection reveals that Jesus is who he says he is and that his promise that death does not have the last word can be trusted. It proves his holiness and makes holiness possible for us. We can confidently entrust our entire lives to him. We can "belong" to him.

All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.

Let us sing joyfully. It is his resurrection that we celebrate. We belong to the risen one


For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s (cf. Rom. 8:14).

11 October 2015 - still lacking one thing

As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up,
knelt down before him, and asked him,
"Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

This young man seems to be in pretty good shape as people go. He kneels before the one whom he recognizes as good. None are good but God alone. Perhaps he intuits this and so he kneels. He is a virtuous individual. He has kept the commandments since his childhood. But he is not yet perfect.

"You are lacking in one thing.
Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor
and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me."
At that statement his face fell,
and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

The word of God who is living and active cuts to the core of who he is. The word, Jesus, shows him the places where he is still fooling himself, the attachments he still holds, and the growth he still needs. In his case it is very much a choice between wisdom and riches. The struggle to prefer wisdom to riches is great because he already has the riches and yet is not bereft of wisdom. Even Solomon is not asked to part with the riches he has but rather to forego the possibility of more which he could receive directly from God. Yet the realization of Solomon is precisely what this rich young man needs.

all gold, in view of her, is a little sand,

The disciples are justifiably concerned. They have given up much already. If there is nothing in this world to which they can cling, "Then who can be saved?" It is impossible as long as we prefer wealth to wisdom, our words to the word of God.

"For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. 
All things are possible for God."

Just as Solomon discovers, when we seek wisdom everything else comes along with her. When we prefer the kingdom of God everything else is added unto us.

Jesus said, "Amen, I say to you,
there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters
or mother or father or children or lands
for my sake and for the sake of the gospel
who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age:
houses and brothers and sisters
and mothers and children and lands,
with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come."

In this life we experience this truth of our unshakable spiritual wealth even in the face of persecutions. But in the age to come we experience this reality in fullness: eternal life without sadness or tears.

Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.

Wisdom of God, teach us! Word of God, cut down our illusions! Bring us the joy we can only have in you.

Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.

10 October 2015 - nightlight

He replied, “Rather, blessed are those
who hear the word of God and observe it.”

Those who hear the word of God and observe it are just. Even in the valley of shadow they need not fear. The sun may even withhold its light.

For near is the day of the LORD
in the valley of decision.
Sun and moon are darkened,
and the stars withhold their brightness.

There may be nothing in the whole material world to prevent us from stumbling in the dark. There may not be any light to cast back the fear that darkness brings. But even when circumstance has nothing to offer the word of God is a lamp for our feet and a light for our path (cf. Psa. 119:105). It is more than letters on a page. We know the word was made flesh. He is the light of the world. He is the light which the darkness cannot overcome.

Light dawns for the just;
and gladness, for the upright of heart.

Even when everything around us looks dark and it feels like we have no point of reference and no idea where to go the even darkness is not dark for him (cf. Psa. 139:12) and he is with us always.

Even amidst a world full of malice, even on land that may be consumed by disasters at any moment, we need not fear. Our God is powerful. He roars from Zion with judgment. He is the one who holds our lives in his hand. He is on our side.

Light dawns for the just because Jesus himself is the dawn from on high which breaks upon us to shine on those in darkness and the shadow of death and to guide our feet in the way of peace (cf. Luk. 1:78:79).

If we are fearful or if we are lost let us fix our eyes more and more firmly on this prophetic word. The earthquake and the sky darkening remind us the God's ultimate day of judgment on the world when Jesus was crucified. It was a frightening day indeed. But because Jesus endured it with trust in the Father now we in turn can draw strength from him. He is able to be the light for us at the darkest possible point.

And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts (cf. 2 Pet. 1:19).

Even if the stars withhold the brightness we have the light of the sun which never sets.

but the LORD is a refuge to his people,
a stronghold to the children of Israel.

Let us rejoice in him! Mary is twice blessed because she hears this word and obeys it more perfectly than anyone else before or since. She knows more than anyone else that Jesus is the light which brings the Magi, which shines in the darkness, which even death cannot overcome.

9 October 2015 - not against flesh and blood

Whoever is not with me is against me,
and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

We need to be on guard against scattering. We see a crowd try to assert ulterior motives in the power Jesus has over demons. This power is a frightening power. Demons are frightening. Power of them is frightening in turn. This is so because that power reminds of the reality of the spiritual combat in which we find ourselves.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (cf. Eph. 6:12).

We think that if we keep such struggles from our minds we won't have to encounter them in the world. We prefer a blissful ignorance to the reality of the struggle between light and darkness. When people do acknowledge these realities we justify our own lack of involvement by suggesting that those who pay attention to the supernatural have questionable motives.

“By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons,
he drives out demons.”

We prefer our sanitized reality where the prince of demons plays no part. Even those who are interested in casting him out are a problem for those who would rather not think about him at all. On the one hand, who can blame us for wishing that these threats were imagined? But we can't afford to scatter and cause division in the Church around this point. We must acknowledge the deeply spiritual realities that often underlie the day-to-day and the mundane.

We need to do our part with the spiritual warfare of prayer and fasting to send these demons running. We need to help brothers and sisters who now have the spirits "swept clean and put in order" to be filled with the Spirit so that demons have no place to which to return. If we don't acknowledge spiritual warfare our brothers and sisters become easy pickings. An individual may not come to a prayer meeting simply because he doesn't want to come. But it is at least as likely, if the prayer meeting is good, that the enemy does not want him there. Without prayers, without intercessions, without acknowledging the darkness in play and taking steps to counter it, they are left defenseless and blessings are left unclaimed.

We've probably missed the signs of spiritual oppression many times in our lives. We've squandered the opportunities we've been given to respond and to help. Let us repent. It is not too late!

Alas, the day!
for near is the day of the LORD,
and it comes as ruin from the Almighty.

The thing to remember about spiritual warfare is that "the LORD sits enthroned forever" and that the enemy is already cast down. The victory is already won and the last page is already written.

We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign (cf. Rev. 11:17).

Nothing in this battle is up to us, so we needn't fear it. Nothing is even possible by our own power or strength. But if we refuse to gather with Jesus we most assuredly scatter. Let us gather by recognizing the finger of God at work in our midst. Let us welcome the Kingdom Jesus longs to bring so that all may be gathered therein.

8 October 2015 - the right questions

You have said, “It is vain to serve God,
and what do we profit by keeping his command,
And going about in penitential dress
in awe of the LORD of hosts?

We think we're better than these complainers, don't we? We are OK with the wicked prospering. We know that we are doing what we should. It isn't supposed to result in us getting rich. Preachers on TV promising fancy sports cars and  mansions on tropical islands are missing the point. We style ourselves ascetics, thinking ourselves above such things, looking down on those who seek them.

But then we hear...

And I tell you, ask and you will receive;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives;
and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

...and we realize that we aren't as OK with the wicked prospering as we thought. We aren't praying for the extremes that some people might be. But we are frustrated to see prayers unfulfilled. Yet the wicked do seem to prosper. They seem to have less to worry about because of the riches of this world. We have what we believe to be genuine problems that we think are good things to pray about. But we don't receive answers while the wicked solve these problems with their wealth. This is so in spite of the fact that we are promised that if we simply ask we will receive.

Maybe we're still asking wrongly.

You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions (cf. Jam. 4:3)

Sure, we aren't asking for sports cars or Dolce and Gabbana bags. Even so, maybe we're still asking to put the flesh before the Spirit. Maybe we are insisting on a healing of body when the LORD is more concerned about a soul. Maybe we're more concerned about meeting our financial obligations and less concerned about our obligations to the LORD. Let's not complain until we get our priorities straight. When we seek first the kingdom our prayers are filled with power. It is a power to bring blessings which last, which the waves of time cannot sweep away.

And a record book was written before him
of those who fear the LORD and trust in his name.
And they shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts,
my own special possession, on the day I take action.

We discover with the psalmist that we are truly blessed in we hope in the LORD and seek his kingdom first. Eventually, those who seem to thrive on this world's goods will exhaust their resources. Entropy ensures that the game they are playing has no winners.

Then you will again see the distinction
between the just and the wicked;
Between the one who serves God,
and the one who does not serve him.

What of us? Does that mean we should only seek the spiritual? No, but we must seek the kingdom first and everything else second. When we seek first the kingdom the LORD really does take care of the rest. And we are able to ease our grip on just what that should look like. If we do this we do not envy the wicked when they prosper. We are too preoccupied with the promises of God to notice. We are standing in the light of the Son.

But for you who fear my name, there will arise
the sun of justice with its healing rays.

We are too full of his blessings even here and now to fault him when he disappoints our desires for the temporary goods of this earth.

If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit
to those who ask him?”

Now we have all we need to bear fruit in due season. Now our roots go so deep that our leaves will never fade.

7 October 2015 - pray like you mean it

We often feel like we don't know what to say in prayer. Yet Jesus tells us:

He said to them, “When you pray, say:

One amazing thing about the Our Father is that we can know for sure that we are praying as we should when we pray it sincerely. And if we are praying as we should we are living as we should. Time with God is, after all, the better part. How wonderful then to not need to question our place in the universe. How wonderful to know that we are exactly where we are meant to be doing exactly what we are made to do.

Father, hallowed be your name,
your Kingdom come.

The LORD does not need us to bring his kingdom. In fact, everything necessary for the victory of the kingdom is done by Jesus

The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever" (cf. Rev. 11:15).

And yet he allows us to be "co-workers for the kingdom of God" (cf. Col. 4:11) by our various works of mercy, especially prayer. He allows us to become windows to let his light shine into the world. He allows us to become lenses to focus the light of the kingdom to enlighten a world in darkness. We do so with thanks, knowing that we do not deserve this privileged place in which we find ourselves where merely to say and to will the words, "your Kingdom come" is that for which we are made, among the highest expressions of love, "giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light" (cf. Col. 1:12).

This works when our hearts are in it. We do risk that we can know that the LORD's name should be hallowed and yet, like Jonah, wish that the LORD was a little less holy, a little more like us.

I knew that you are a gracious and merciful God,
slow to anger, rich in clemency, loathe to punish.
And now, LORD, please take my life from me;
for it is better for me to die than to live.”

Imagine the blessings of God's mercy working through us to save an entire people. Yet Jonah misses all of the blessings this entails because he refuses to pray that the Father's will be done. He would prefer so much that his own will for Nineveh be done that he can barely stand to live when it is not. But the LORD is merciful to all. He is not content to work through Jonah and yet not reach his heart. He wants help Jonah to understand his own merciful heart.

And should I not be concerned over Nineveh, the great city,
in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons
who cannot distinguish their right hand from their left,
not to mention the many cattle?”

This is reassuring for us as well. We often pray the Our Father without putting our hearts into it. But if we understand God's merciful heart for the world, the depths of the love he has for everyone, we do put our hearts into it. We find ourselves able to give our full attention to it. We experience the joy of being exactly where we are meant to be doing what we are meant to do.

All the nations you have made shall come
and worship you, O Lord,
and glorify your name.
For you are great, and you do wondrous deeds;
you alone are God.

6 October 2015 - distracted

Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said

We have a lot of sympathy for Martha because we're all so busy all of the time. We can't take a break or find time to rest. We're burdened with much serving. But it needs to be done, right? Jesus needs to eat, whether Martha is feeding him directly, or we are feeding him in feeding the hungry, perhaps our own families. These chores don't do themselves. They accumulate and become unsustainable the more we leave them. We are absolutely ready to hold a grudge against those who are willing, apparently, to ignore these things to spend time on lofty spiritual pursuits.

Lord, do you not care
that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? 

But perhaps the problem isn't what we are doing but the spirit in which we are doing it. Other translations render Martha's predicament as distracted rather than burdened.

But Martha was distracted with much serving.

And this is more likely the sense of it. Jesus says, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things." We work, but it is a distraction. Our bodies serve Jesus, but not our hearts. What if our service does not need to be a distraction? What if even in serving we can choose the better part? If our service is targeted and focused, not distracted, we can be near to Jesus and grow in our relationship of love with him. Our chores and our serving need to be centered. We need to do more than tacitly acknowledge that we are serving Jesus as an intellectual exercise. We need to take advantage of the opportunity our service gives us to genuinely encounter him.

Jonah serves the LORD but his heart is not in it. He's distracted. He does the thing, but he refuses to encounter God in it. He doesn't want the people of Nineveh to receive mercy. Because of this he misses the opportunity to encounter God's mercy at work. He misses the opportunity to grow in a relationship of love with God. His relationship remains antagonistic. God pulls one way and he pulls the other as much as he can. When he has to, he gives in. But he isn't happy about it. We are often like this. We miss the opportunity to encounter the one needful thing and the better part which can never ever be taken from us. We miss it because we're distracted by our own agendas. The narrowness of our own love defines our plans rather than "the breadth and length and height and depth" of the love of Christ (cf. Eph. 3:18-19).

Fortunately, even though we are often like Jonah, none of us have missed our chance. The LORD is rich in mercy. 

Let Israel wait for the LORD,
For with the LORD is kindness
and with him is plenteous redemption;
And he will redeem Israel
from all their iniquities.

He tells us to lay aside all that about which we are anxious, worried, burdened, and distracted.

Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life (cf. Mat. 6:27)

He tells us how to find unshakable peace in the one needful thing.

do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God (cf. Phi. 4:6)

Even in the midst of our work we can know this peace.

casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you (cf. 1 Pet. 5:7)