7 May 2014 - seeds scattered
Now those who had been scattered
... retreated to their own homes? Did they isolate themselves? Did they stop talking about Jesus? Did they privatize their faith? Nope. Instead, they...
went about preaching the word.
Wow. Really? Things are so bad that have to leave where they are to escape. And as soon as they arrive they are at it again. If this is not human foolishness it is doubtlessly supernatural courage. From where does such courage come?
And this is the will of the one who sent me,
that I should not lose anything of what he gave me,
but that I should raise it on the last day.
This courage comes from the heart of Jesus. He wants to make this courage manifest in us. He wants our hearts to become like his heart. Or more to the point, he wants to live in us in such an amazing way that our hearts become his heart. Jesus is the bread of life that satisfies the deepest desires of our hearts. If we come to him and believe in him we do not hunger or thirst for food which perishes. Receiving him brings about this profound unity, "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him." This unity is what we long for and our hunger for food which perishes is quickly eclipsed.
As this old hunger, the hunger of our natural desires, is eclipsed we are filled with a new hunger. It is the hunger of Jesus for "the will of the one who sent" him. We hunger that none should be lost, just as he does. This hunger is far more profound than the natural desires which it supersedes. And by profound we don't just mean stronger, though it is certainly that. It is the hunger of martyrs who give their lives to build the kingdom. It is a desire which is stronger than the desire for self-preservation. It is stronger than death. But it is also more fulfilling than the old hungers it replaces. We share the joy of the shepherd finding a lost sheep, the woman finding a lost coin, the Father welcoming home the prodigal. Our lives, to the degree that we enter into this adventure, take part in the celebration wherein the Father slaughters the fattened calf. No longer is the Eucharist the celebration of someone else. It is the celebration of our kingdom family.
Philip has this heart. Like Jesus, he "will not reject anyone who comes" to him. So when he is scattered by persecution he nevertheless "proclaimed the Christ to them." Because it is the Father's desire, because it is the Son's desire, because it is the Holy Spirit's desire, the crowds are unable to ignore the invitation Philip offers.
With one accord, the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip
when they heard it and saw the signs he was doing.
For unclean spirits, crying out in a loud voice,
came out of many possessed people,
and many paralyzed and crippled people were cured.
And listen! They all begin to enter into the celebration of the Father for all those who were lost but are now found.
There was great joy in that city.
Is there great joy in Ann Arbor? In Port Huron? Or is there rather quiet desperation? Let us be about the work of the kingdom so that our cities may be marked by this joy. This is God's plan. Sadness and struggle are a part of it. Persecutions happen. But they are eclipsed by the supreme good of knowing Jesus Christ as LORD. This is what it means to seek first the kingdom.
Shout joyfully to God, all the earth,
sing praise to the glory of his name;
proclaim his glorious praise.
Say to God, “How tremendous are your deeds!”
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
6 May 2014 - not a trick of the light
6 May 2014 - not a trick of the light
Let your face shine upon your servant;
save me in your kindness.
As his face shines on us we are transformed from one degree of glory to another (cf. 2 Cor. 3:18). This is why we need pure hearts. The pure of heart will see God (cf. Mat. 5:8). Those with clean hands and pure hearts will be admitted to his holy mountain (cf. Psa. 24:4). And this is where we want to be in the deepest part of our hearts.
Stephen shows us what this purity looks like in practice. He shows us why it is so good and so desirable. We see that his purity is unshakable before his accusers. His face is not perturbed but looks like that of an angel. Even as he is stoned to death his heart remains fixed with on Jesus. His attention, his mind, and his heart are one pointed. He seeks the one thing which is necessary. And this purity of heart achieves the reward promised by Jesus.
But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit,
looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God
and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,
and Stephen said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened
and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
Most of us feel as though, at best, we are gazing through a mirror darkly (cf. 1 Cor 13:12). We don't see his face as clearly as Stephen does. We stumble on our way to his dwelling place on his holy mountain. Let us ask him to send forth his light and his truth to guide us (cf. Psa. 43:3). Let us ask him to make his face shine on us. We need him to turn our darkness into light (cf. 2 Sam. 22). It is as though he must shine behind us as we acclimate to his light. As the light grows and the darkness fades our way becomes more secure beneath our feet. We are able to seek the kingdom first without stumbling. But the thing we ultimately seek is not just more light on the circumstances of life. It is the source of the light which casts out the darkness that we really want. Only he can satisfy our hearts. We would prefer to skip the intermediary steps and just turn and face him. But if we do that now we, like Moses, will die (cf. Exo. 33:20). His brightness is too great to bear. But isn't it wonderful to know, even though we don't yet see him directly, that all the light and goodness on our path is because he stands at our back watching over us?
Stephen himself only fully experiences this purity, the purity necessary to behold God face to face, in his martyrdom. This is the purity which can say from the depths of one's heart and with all of one's being "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." How does Stephen become so pure? Circumstances aren't enough. Being stoned in itself doesn't help. We can easily imagine the anger and despair that intermix in such a situation when we are left to our own unaided efforts.
What, then, is the difference between Stephen and the "stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears"? They "oppose the Holy Spirit" whereas Stephen is "filled with the Holy Spirit". The Holy Spirit is the light of God who enables us to see him. Without the Holy Spirit God is veiled. The Eucharist looks like mere bread. The Scriptures are letters on a page. Our brothers and sisters are just other people, all but strangers. Stephen is just Stephen to the crowd. They can't see the presence of Jesus in him even as he re-presents in his own life the very passion of Jesus. But with the Holy Spirit Stephen is able to look death in the eye and see instead the gateway to eternal life.
We too are filled with the Holy Spirit in our baptisms. But often we treat him like a lamp which we cover or hide under a bed (cf. Mat. 5:15). Maybe this is because his light does not discriminate. Even as the path to life is revealed so too is the darkness in our hearts. It is more comfortable to remain immobile in the dark than to turn up this light. But we need this light. Only this light can guide us to our ultimate destiny. And this light is that destiny himself.
"For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light" (cf. Psa 36:9).
If we are keeping the Holy Spirit hidden in us in order to remain comfortable let us be comforted to know that Jesus stands ready to fan him into flame in us once more (cf. 2 Tim. 1:6). Let us fix our attention on Jesus with all the one-pointedness we can muster. He is all that we need.
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”
Even as we gaze on Jesus, on the one thing necessary, he rises in our hearts like the morning star until we see him clearly (cf. 2 Pet. 1:19). The Eucharist, the Scriptures, and brothers and sisters all begin to reveal him to us in his light. Perhaps right now he is just a blur. Perhaps we are like the blind man who is at first partially healed and sees trees (cf. Mar. 8:24). Let us keep looking! Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith (cf. Heb. 12:2). If we do, he comes into focus until we see him so clearly, standing in heaven, that we say with Jesus, with the psalmist, and with Stephen:
Into your hands I commend my spirit;
you will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God.
Let your face shine upon your servant;
save me in your kindness.
As his face shines on us we are transformed from one degree of glory to another (cf. 2 Cor. 3:18). This is why we need pure hearts. The pure of heart will see God (cf. Mat. 5:8). Those with clean hands and pure hearts will be admitted to his holy mountain (cf. Psa. 24:4). And this is where we want to be in the deepest part of our hearts.
Stephen shows us what this purity looks like in practice. He shows us why it is so good and so desirable. We see that his purity is unshakable before his accusers. His face is not perturbed but looks like that of an angel. Even as he is stoned to death his heart remains fixed with on Jesus. His attention, his mind, and his heart are one pointed. He seeks the one thing which is necessary. And this purity of heart achieves the reward promised by Jesus.
But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit,
looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God
and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,
and Stephen said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened
and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
Most of us feel as though, at best, we are gazing through a mirror darkly (cf. 1 Cor 13:12). We don't see his face as clearly as Stephen does. We stumble on our way to his dwelling place on his holy mountain. Let us ask him to send forth his light and his truth to guide us (cf. Psa. 43:3). Let us ask him to make his face shine on us. We need him to turn our darkness into light (cf. 2 Sam. 22). It is as though he must shine behind us as we acclimate to his light. As the light grows and the darkness fades our way becomes more secure beneath our feet. We are able to seek the kingdom first without stumbling. But the thing we ultimately seek is not just more light on the circumstances of life. It is the source of the light which casts out the darkness that we really want. Only he can satisfy our hearts. We would prefer to skip the intermediary steps and just turn and face him. But if we do that now we, like Moses, will die (cf. Exo. 33:20). His brightness is too great to bear. But isn't it wonderful to know, even though we don't yet see him directly, that all the light and goodness on our path is because he stands at our back watching over us?
Stephen himself only fully experiences this purity, the purity necessary to behold God face to face, in his martyrdom. This is the purity which can say from the depths of one's heart and with all of one's being "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." How does Stephen become so pure? Circumstances aren't enough. Being stoned in itself doesn't help. We can easily imagine the anger and despair that intermix in such a situation when we are left to our own unaided efforts.
What, then, is the difference between Stephen and the "stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears"? They "oppose the Holy Spirit" whereas Stephen is "filled with the Holy Spirit". The Holy Spirit is the light of God who enables us to see him. Without the Holy Spirit God is veiled. The Eucharist looks like mere bread. The Scriptures are letters on a page. Our brothers and sisters are just other people, all but strangers. Stephen is just Stephen to the crowd. They can't see the presence of Jesus in him even as he re-presents in his own life the very passion of Jesus. But with the Holy Spirit Stephen is able to look death in the eye and see instead the gateway to eternal life.
We too are filled with the Holy Spirit in our baptisms. But often we treat him like a lamp which we cover or hide under a bed (cf. Mat. 5:15). Maybe this is because his light does not discriminate. Even as the path to life is revealed so too is the darkness in our hearts. It is more comfortable to remain immobile in the dark than to turn up this light. But we need this light. Only this light can guide us to our ultimate destiny. And this light is that destiny himself.
"For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light" (cf. Psa 36:9).
If we are keeping the Holy Spirit hidden in us in order to remain comfortable let us be comforted to know that Jesus stands ready to fan him into flame in us once more (cf. 2 Tim. 1:6). Let us fix our attention on Jesus with all the one-pointedness we can muster. He is all that we need.
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”
Even as we gaze on Jesus, on the one thing necessary, he rises in our hearts like the morning star until we see him clearly (cf. 2 Pet. 1:19). The Eucharist, the Scriptures, and brothers and sisters all begin to reveal him to us in his light. Perhaps right now he is just a blur. Perhaps we are like the blind man who is at first partially healed and sees trees (cf. Mar. 8:24). Let us keep looking! Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith (cf. Heb. 12:2). If we do, he comes into focus until we see him so clearly, standing in heaven, that we say with Jesus, with the psalmist, and with Stephen:
Into your hands I commend my spirit;
you will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God.
Monday, May 5, 2014
5 May 2014 - signed, sealed, delivered
5 May 2014 - signed, sealed, delivered
Jesus wants to reveal himself. He gives signs to the people so that they may know who he is. He wants them to have life and to have life to the full. The only way that they can have life is to believe in him and have life in his name.
But it is tricky. Jesus feeds the five thousand as a sign. He wants to reveal that he is the one that satisfies our deepest longings. But since he also fills the stomachs of the five thousand they miss the deeper purpose of the sign. Temporary abundance blinds them to the greater and eternal abundance Jesus comes to provide.
“Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me
not because you saw signs
but because you ate the loaves and were filled.
Jesus knows all of this in advance and still chooses to give the sign. He knows that the temporal effects of his sign fascinate the crowd enough to keep their attention on him. If their attention stays on him he can lift their minds from the sign itself (their bellies full) to the thing symbolized (the Eucharist and eternal life). Jesus is willing to work this way. He is willing go to lengths to get our attention. He wants his signs to be before our eyes. He wants to reveal himself. We do not believe in a silent God. Not only that, but we believe in a God who makes allowances for our weakness when he speaks and reveals himself.
He says to us, "Do not work for food that perishes" even, sometimes, as he gives us that temporary food. He shows us that he knows what we need so that we trust him when he shows us that we need something deeper still. For our part, we are reluctant to acknowledge that this world is shifting sand. We hate to realize that all of the work we do here is temporary. We still think that we can create ourselves a paradise here if we just figure out the trick to it. We ask him, "What can we do to accomplish the works of God?" But listen! Implicit in the question is that the works we want to do are works which only he himself can do. Hence his answer, "This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”
So our focus needs to shift. From our personal project kingdoms we need to seek instead his kingdom. We need to shift from focusing primarily on what we can do to focusing on on the one who can do all things. We lift our eyes from works to trust in a person. We lift our eyes from sign to thing symbolized. Our minds are raised from letter to Spirit.
Saint Stephen's mind is lifted entirely to Jesus his king. He is familiar with the Scriptures just as the Sanhedrin is. But he is not trapped in the letter of it as are his accusers. What his accusers ultimately imply is that Jesus will destroy the sign to bring fully the thing symbolized, whether or not they know they are saying that. He himself is the true temple. The custom of the passover given by Moses gives way to the Eucharist banquet. But his accusers are trapped in the letter of the law. They need the Holy Spirit. The Spirit brings the Scriptures to life. He is so present in them that they become "counselors" just as the Spirit as a counselor.
Though princes meet and talk against me,
your servant meditates on your statutes.
Yes, your decrees are my delight;
they are my counselors.
It is a wonderful feed forward mechanism because the Holy Spirit not only empowers us to read Scriptures, the words he himself wrote, but also fills us more and more as we do read them, empowering us to go deeper and get more and more from them.
Do we want to face the difficult circumstances of this world with a face "like the face of an angel"? The goal seems lofty, but it begins simply. We undertake the work to which Jesus calls us. We "believe in the one" sent by the Father. He elevates our minds from the world of shifting sands to the kingdom which cannot be shaken. Perhaps "great wonders and signs" will begin to show up in our wake as well.
Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
Jesus wants to reveal himself. He gives signs to the people so that they may know who he is. He wants them to have life and to have life to the full. The only way that they can have life is to believe in him and have life in his name.
But it is tricky. Jesus feeds the five thousand as a sign. He wants to reveal that he is the one that satisfies our deepest longings. But since he also fills the stomachs of the five thousand they miss the deeper purpose of the sign. Temporary abundance blinds them to the greater and eternal abundance Jesus comes to provide.
“Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me
not because you saw signs
but because you ate the loaves and were filled.
Jesus knows all of this in advance and still chooses to give the sign. He knows that the temporal effects of his sign fascinate the crowd enough to keep their attention on him. If their attention stays on him he can lift their minds from the sign itself (their bellies full) to the thing symbolized (the Eucharist and eternal life). Jesus is willing to work this way. He is willing go to lengths to get our attention. He wants his signs to be before our eyes. He wants to reveal himself. We do not believe in a silent God. Not only that, but we believe in a God who makes allowances for our weakness when he speaks and reveals himself.
He says to us, "Do not work for food that perishes" even, sometimes, as he gives us that temporary food. He shows us that he knows what we need so that we trust him when he shows us that we need something deeper still. For our part, we are reluctant to acknowledge that this world is shifting sand. We hate to realize that all of the work we do here is temporary. We still think that we can create ourselves a paradise here if we just figure out the trick to it. We ask him, "What can we do to accomplish the works of God?" But listen! Implicit in the question is that the works we want to do are works which only he himself can do. Hence his answer, "This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”
So our focus needs to shift. From our personal project kingdoms we need to seek instead his kingdom. We need to shift from focusing primarily on what we can do to focusing on on the one who can do all things. We lift our eyes from works to trust in a person. We lift our eyes from sign to thing symbolized. Our minds are raised from letter to Spirit.
Saint Stephen's mind is lifted entirely to Jesus his king. He is familiar with the Scriptures just as the Sanhedrin is. But he is not trapped in the letter of it as are his accusers. What his accusers ultimately imply is that Jesus will destroy the sign to bring fully the thing symbolized, whether or not they know they are saying that. He himself is the true temple. The custom of the passover given by Moses gives way to the Eucharist banquet. But his accusers are trapped in the letter of the law. They need the Holy Spirit. The Spirit brings the Scriptures to life. He is so present in them that they become "counselors" just as the Spirit as a counselor.
Though princes meet and talk against me,
your servant meditates on your statutes.
Yes, your decrees are my delight;
they are my counselors.
It is a wonderful feed forward mechanism because the Holy Spirit not only empowers us to read Scriptures, the words he himself wrote, but also fills us more and more as we do read them, empowering us to go deeper and get more and more from them.
Do we want to face the difficult circumstances of this world with a face "like the face of an angel"? The goal seems lofty, but it begins simply. We undertake the work to which Jesus calls us. We "believe in the one" sent by the Father. He elevates our minds from the world of shifting sands to the kingdom which cannot be shaken. Perhaps "great wonders and signs" will begin to show up in our wake as well.
Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
Sunday, May 4, 2014
4 May 2014 - futile conductors
4 May 2014 - futile conductors
conduct yourselves with reverence during the time of your sojourning,
realizing that you were ransomed from your futile conduct,
handed on by your ancestors,
What is futile conduct? Honestly, any strivings or aspirations apart from Christ are futile. Yet we seek them as if we can find eternal life in them. We seek them as if they aren't ending. We pursue them as if they can give us more than they actually can. Our relationship with the world is marked by idolatry in this way. We seek in things that are not God that which only God can give. No amount of silver and gold can get us what we need. Yet most of us, if we are honest, give more priority to worries about silver and gold than to worries about pleasing God.
not with perishable things like silver or gold
but with the precious blood of Christ
as of a spotless unblemished lamb.
This does not take God by surprise. He chooses to allows us to see the world as the consequences of our sins make it. He lets us come to know that our conduct is "futile conduct". He allows us to know the hopelessness of the path on which we insist to the degree that we insist on it. But he does not leave us on our own to face this hopelessness.
This man, delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge of God,
you killed, using lawless men to crucify him.
From before the first moment of creation God knows the hopelessness and despair his creatures will both cause and experience. He sees sin and death at work. But as he allows these it is never without the ultimate solution also in mind. Jesus experiences on his cross the summation of all of the futility of this sin scarred world. We look on him whom we have pierced and see the true cost of pursuing this futility.
But that futility, the futility of human weakness and idolatry, meets an even greater futility. It meets the futility of trying to hold God down. It meets the futility of trying to stop his love.
But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death,
because it was impossible for him to be held by it.
This is the plan God has from the beginning. But it is vital that we realize it if we want to turn from our futile ways. Without this hope in our hearts we are like sheep who go astray. There is no voice of hope to guide us and no goal toward which we move.
He was known before the foundation of the world
but revealed in the final time for you,
It is the final time right now. How is Jesus revealed to us? The privileged place of his revelation is the same as it is on the road to Emmaus:
he was made known to them in the breaking of bread.
Clopas and his companion know Jesus. But until Emmaus they only know the story marked by futility. They only see one more good man, a teacher, maybe a prophet who eventually succumbs to this futility. But Jesus does not abandon them or us even as the Father does not abandon him. He reveals his resurrection to them and to us in the breaking of the bread. Here he invites us all to share in this new abundant life which the Father pours out through the Spirit. He invites us to trade in our futile conduct for the paths of life.
because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld,
nor will you suffer your holy one to see corruption.
You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence.
Let our hearts be glad, let our souls rejoice, and let our bodies abide in confidence. We are not abandoned. The world is not left to futility. The resurrection is literally the most important fact in history and Jesus reveals it to us in the breaking of the bread. It is Sunday. He stands ready to reveal it to us once more.
conduct yourselves with reverence during the time of your sojourning,
realizing that you were ransomed from your futile conduct,
handed on by your ancestors,
What is futile conduct? Honestly, any strivings or aspirations apart from Christ are futile. Yet we seek them as if we can find eternal life in them. We seek them as if they aren't ending. We pursue them as if they can give us more than they actually can. Our relationship with the world is marked by idolatry in this way. We seek in things that are not God that which only God can give. No amount of silver and gold can get us what we need. Yet most of us, if we are honest, give more priority to worries about silver and gold than to worries about pleasing God.
not with perishable things like silver or gold
but with the precious blood of Christ
as of a spotless unblemished lamb.
This does not take God by surprise. He chooses to allows us to see the world as the consequences of our sins make it. He lets us come to know that our conduct is "futile conduct". He allows us to know the hopelessness of the path on which we insist to the degree that we insist on it. But he does not leave us on our own to face this hopelessness.
This man, delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge of God,
you killed, using lawless men to crucify him.
From before the first moment of creation God knows the hopelessness and despair his creatures will both cause and experience. He sees sin and death at work. But as he allows these it is never without the ultimate solution also in mind. Jesus experiences on his cross the summation of all of the futility of this sin scarred world. We look on him whom we have pierced and see the true cost of pursuing this futility.
But that futility, the futility of human weakness and idolatry, meets an even greater futility. It meets the futility of trying to hold God down. It meets the futility of trying to stop his love.
But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death,
because it was impossible for him to be held by it.
This is the plan God has from the beginning. But it is vital that we realize it if we want to turn from our futile ways. Without this hope in our hearts we are like sheep who go astray. There is no voice of hope to guide us and no goal toward which we move.
He was known before the foundation of the world
but revealed in the final time for you,
It is the final time right now. How is Jesus revealed to us? The privileged place of his revelation is the same as it is on the road to Emmaus:
he was made known to them in the breaking of bread.
Clopas and his companion know Jesus. But until Emmaus they only know the story marked by futility. They only see one more good man, a teacher, maybe a prophet who eventually succumbs to this futility. But Jesus does not abandon them or us even as the Father does not abandon him. He reveals his resurrection to them and to us in the breaking of the bread. Here he invites us all to share in this new abundant life which the Father pours out through the Spirit. He invites us to trade in our futile conduct for the paths of life.
because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld,
nor will you suffer your holy one to see corruption.
You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence.
Let our hearts be glad, let our souls rejoice, and let our bodies abide in confidence. We are not abandoned. The world is not left to futility. The resurrection is literally the most important fact in history and Jesus reveals it to us in the breaking of the bread. It is Sunday. He stands ready to reveal it to us once more.
Saturday, May 3, 2014
3 May 2014 - of first importance
3 May 2014 - of first importance
Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time
and you still do not know me, Philip?
Jesus, you are infinite. There is always more to know. But you are surprised that we don't know this. You are surprised because it is so fundamental to who you are. You show us the Father in your presence with us. You reveal him in your very being. You do not so much tell us about the Father. You do tell us that he is like the Father of the prodigal son, waiting for repentance, and then running to us with his forgiveness. But even more than this, you show us the Father. Your power and your love reveal him. Your mighty deeds reveal him. As you transform areas of our hearts which we thought were hopeless you reveal him.
LORD, Philip may not know this completely. But he does know you well enough to invite others to get to know you. He knows something about your goodness that eludes many of us. Help us to know this goodness which motivates him. Help us to say with the Apostles, "we can't help but speak the things we have seen and heard."
Philip has been with you Jesus. He invites people to know you. But there is still more he needs to see. So to with us. We've been through a lot. With Philip we see the face which reveals the Father die on the cross. LORD, we see the light leave your eyes. We begin to invest our hope in you but the reality of death quickly turns us aside. We know you, but we see the reality of the laws of the natural world, the laws of the flesh, and the law of sin. We can't really see the Father in you because these things press on us so strongly. They've defeated everyone before you who have challenged them. They can't defeat you if the Father is in you and you are in the Father. Yet it seems that they have. Circumstances don't just yield death once in our lives. Our hopes are often crushed. Death is the preeminent feature of our lives, placing any limits it wants on our hopes and dreams.
But Jesus, it does not end on the cross. This is the essential truth. This is what Philip needs to understand and what we need to understand.
For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received:
that Christ died for our sins
in accordance with the Scriptures;
that he was buried;
that he was raised on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures;
Reveal to us that you are risen indeed. The third day triumphs over our hopelessness and despair. Death is defeated. Where now is its sting? Appear to our hearts LORD Jesus. We pray the scriptures: "he was raised on the third day" and as we pray you appear to us. Let this be our mantra today. Let it strengthen us more and more each time we repeat it. You are raised on the third day. You reveal that the Father is really in you. We really can hope. Death has no say anymore. Death no longer reigns.
This is the truth at which creation only hints. Day and night suggest it subtly. The seasons whisper it. But you tear the veil which keeps us from seeing it. We can now believe with our entire heart, mind and strength. We can hope with all that we are. We can love from the very core of our being, as if we've never been hurt before.
So let us join Philip in inviting people to know the one who does this, LORD. Appear to us as the risen one. Fill us with the belief which, you tell us, will not just do the works that you do but "will do greater ones than these". The greatest of these works is to make you known.
And whatever you ask in my name, I will do,
so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.”
Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time
and you still do not know me, Philip?
Jesus, you are infinite. There is always more to know. But you are surprised that we don't know this. You are surprised because it is so fundamental to who you are. You show us the Father in your presence with us. You reveal him in your very being. You do not so much tell us about the Father. You do tell us that he is like the Father of the prodigal son, waiting for repentance, and then running to us with his forgiveness. But even more than this, you show us the Father. Your power and your love reveal him. Your mighty deeds reveal him. As you transform areas of our hearts which we thought were hopeless you reveal him.
LORD, Philip may not know this completely. But he does know you well enough to invite others to get to know you. He knows something about your goodness that eludes many of us. Help us to know this goodness which motivates him. Help us to say with the Apostles, "we can't help but speak the things we have seen and heard."
Philip has been with you Jesus. He invites people to know you. But there is still more he needs to see. So to with us. We've been through a lot. With Philip we see the face which reveals the Father die on the cross. LORD, we see the light leave your eyes. We begin to invest our hope in you but the reality of death quickly turns us aside. We know you, but we see the reality of the laws of the natural world, the laws of the flesh, and the law of sin. We can't really see the Father in you because these things press on us so strongly. They've defeated everyone before you who have challenged them. They can't defeat you if the Father is in you and you are in the Father. Yet it seems that they have. Circumstances don't just yield death once in our lives. Our hopes are often crushed. Death is the preeminent feature of our lives, placing any limits it wants on our hopes and dreams.
But Jesus, it does not end on the cross. This is the essential truth. This is what Philip needs to understand and what we need to understand.
For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received:
that Christ died for our sins
in accordance with the Scriptures;
that he was buried;
that he was raised on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures;
Reveal to us that you are risen indeed. The third day triumphs over our hopelessness and despair. Death is defeated. Where now is its sting? Appear to our hearts LORD Jesus. We pray the scriptures: "he was raised on the third day" and as we pray you appear to us. Let this be our mantra today. Let it strengthen us more and more each time we repeat it. You are raised on the third day. You reveal that the Father is really in you. We really can hope. Death has no say anymore. Death no longer reigns.
This is the truth at which creation only hints. Day and night suggest it subtly. The seasons whisper it. But you tear the veil which keeps us from seeing it. We can now believe with our entire heart, mind and strength. We can hope with all that we are. We can love from the very core of our being, as if we've never been hurt before.
So let us join Philip in inviting people to know the one who does this, LORD. Appear to us as the risen one. Fill us with the belief which, you tell us, will not just do the works that you do but "will do greater ones than these". The greatest of these works is to make you known.
And whatever you ask in my name, I will do,
so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.”
Friday, May 2, 2014
2 May 2014 - one thing i ask
2 May 2014 - one thing i ask
The world is hungry. As disciples, we see the needs of the people around us as Philip does. Like Philip, we hear Jesus asking us, "Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?" Do we give up? Look at the resources nearby. Practically speaking, loaves and fishes aren't going to cut it. Whether it is Zingerman's bread and sashimi grade fatty tuna or whether it is day old bread and canned tuna does not matter. Our resources just aren't enough. There are too many mouths. Why does Jesus even pose this question to us? Why do we even see it and have to respond? Jesus can feed everyone without our help. But he chooses to involve us. The first step is to get beyond our natural response which tells us that the problem is impossible.
“Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough
for each of them to have a little.”
The second step is to realize that our own resources are in no way sufficient but they are necessary.
“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish;
but what good are these for so many?”
The third step is to place everything in the hands of Jesus himself.
Jesus said, “Have the people recline.”
Now there was a great deal of grass in that place.
So the men reclined, about five thousand in number.
Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks,
and distributed them to those who were reclining,
and also as much of the fish as they wanted.
But there is a final step which we ought not to neglect.
When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples,
“Gather the fragments left over,
so that nothing will be wasted.”
Jesus always gives in abundance, so let's not waste anything. Let's treasure these blessings in our hearts, learning from Mary. Let's give the LORD thanks for all he does. In this way we gather the LORD's abundance. It sustains our hearts for the continuing mission.
When we try to feed the crowds on our own resources we become quickly exhausted. The Apostles do not become exhausted even when it really appears that they should. They have gathered the LORD's abundance and now no deprivation of earthly circumstance can dissuade them.
So they left the presence of the Sanhedrin,
rejoicing that they had been found worthy
to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.
And all day long, both at the temple and in their homes,
they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the Christ, Jesus.We have to stop looking at the waves and the storm and keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. He is the only solution to the problems of the world. He is the only answer to the longings of our hearts.
One thing I ask of the LORD
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD
and contemplate his temple.
The world is hungry. As disciples, we see the needs of the people around us as Philip does. Like Philip, we hear Jesus asking us, "Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?" Do we give up? Look at the resources nearby. Practically speaking, loaves and fishes aren't going to cut it. Whether it is Zingerman's bread and sashimi grade fatty tuna or whether it is day old bread and canned tuna does not matter. Our resources just aren't enough. There are too many mouths. Why does Jesus even pose this question to us? Why do we even see it and have to respond? Jesus can feed everyone without our help. But he chooses to involve us. The first step is to get beyond our natural response which tells us that the problem is impossible.
“Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough
for each of them to have a little.”
The second step is to realize that our own resources are in no way sufficient but they are necessary.
“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish;
but what good are these for so many?”
The third step is to place everything in the hands of Jesus himself.
Jesus said, “Have the people recline.”
Now there was a great deal of grass in that place.
So the men reclined, about five thousand in number.
Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks,
and distributed them to those who were reclining,
and also as much of the fish as they wanted.
But there is a final step which we ought not to neglect.
When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples,
“Gather the fragments left over,
so that nothing will be wasted.”
Jesus always gives in abundance, so let's not waste anything. Let's treasure these blessings in our hearts, learning from Mary. Let's give the LORD thanks for all he does. In this way we gather the LORD's abundance. It sustains our hearts for the continuing mission.
When we try to feed the crowds on our own resources we become quickly exhausted. The Apostles do not become exhausted even when it really appears that they should. They have gathered the LORD's abundance and now no deprivation of earthly circumstance can dissuade them.
So they left the presence of the Sanhedrin,
rejoicing that they had been found worthy
to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.
And all day long, both at the temple and in their homes,
they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the Christ, Jesus.We have to stop looking at the waves and the storm and keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. He is the only solution to the problems of the world. He is the only answer to the longings of our hearts.
One thing I ask of the LORD
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD
and contemplate his temple.
Thursday, May 1, 2014
1 May 2014 - certification test
1 May 2014 - certification test
God is trustworthy! Let us "certify" it by accepting which Jesus says. Let us accept everything he tells us, without picking and choosing. Jesus speaks God's words but he himself is God's Word. If we pick and choose we say we only want a part of him. We try to remake God according to our own preferences.
We are always called to accept Jesus more and more completely. We hear the testimony of the Apostles. They "want to bring this man's blood upon us". They tell us this hard truth, that we are the ones who kill Jesus, so that we may repent. They tell us this so that, whether our sins are big or small, we may change the things in our lives which do violence to Jesus. If we hear the truth of the Apostles and it is inspiring and wonderful let us accept it. If we hear their testimony and it is hard, if it calls us to a new standard, if it insists we leave old patterns of behavior behind, nevertheless let us still accept it and not become "infuriated". It isn't just the Apostles who testify, it is the Holy Spirit himself.
If we harden our hearts when we hear the Apostles and the Holy Spirit call us onward and upward let us not despair. We all do this at times. There are always hard words yet to be heard. But Jesus "does not ration his gift of the Spirit" nor does the Father. They don't give us a little and then stop if we don't respond. They pour him out on us more and more in order to overcome and wash away every barrier in our hearts.
If we are having a hard time listening to God, if we can't hear him, if we don't want to hear him, let us cry out to him from our poverty, because "The Lord hears the cry of the poor."
And he stands ready to hear us. Right now, he is bent down listening. We say, "LORD I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof but only say the word". And he does say the word. He wants to fill our mouths with his praise. He does this first by filling it with his own goodness, with his very self.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Taste and see how good the LORD is;
blessed the man who takes refuge in him.
God is trustworthy! Let us "certify" it by accepting which Jesus says. Let us accept everything he tells us, without picking and choosing. Jesus speaks God's words but he himself is God's Word. If we pick and choose we say we only want a part of him. We try to remake God according to our own preferences.
We are always called to accept Jesus more and more completely. We hear the testimony of the Apostles. They "want to bring this man's blood upon us". They tell us this hard truth, that we are the ones who kill Jesus, so that we may repent. They tell us this so that, whether our sins are big or small, we may change the things in our lives which do violence to Jesus. If we hear the truth of the Apostles and it is inspiring and wonderful let us accept it. If we hear their testimony and it is hard, if it calls us to a new standard, if it insists we leave old patterns of behavior behind, nevertheless let us still accept it and not become "infuriated". It isn't just the Apostles who testify, it is the Holy Spirit himself.
If we harden our hearts when we hear the Apostles and the Holy Spirit call us onward and upward let us not despair. We all do this at times. There are always hard words yet to be heard. But Jesus "does not ration his gift of the Spirit" nor does the Father. They don't give us a little and then stop if we don't respond. They pour him out on us more and more in order to overcome and wash away every barrier in our hearts.
If we are having a hard time listening to God, if we can't hear him, if we don't want to hear him, let us cry out to him from our poverty, because "The Lord hears the cry of the poor."
And he stands ready to hear us. Right now, he is bent down listening. We say, "LORD I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof but only say the word". And he does say the word. He wants to fill our mouths with his praise. He does this first by filling it with his own goodness, with his very self.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Taste and see how good the LORD is;
blessed the man who takes refuge in him.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)