Inside vs. Outside

What do you see when you look at ice cream?  Do you see heaven?  Temptation?  Memories?  Calories?  When my son was three years old, he was most impressed with ice cream when it had brightly colored sprinkles.  For him, that is what made good ice cream.  Even though I feel that they do not add much to the taste of ice cream, it was more fun for him to eat the ice cream if it has sprinkles.

What do you see when you look at people?  It's not what God sees.  The first king of Israel, Saul, had made so many mistakes as the leader of God's people that God was done with him.  Samuel, the prophet, was told that he would find the next king at Jesse's house.  The oldest son walked out of the house and Samuel was getting his anointing gear out - this guy was tall, handsome, strong, and bound to be a much better leader for the people of God.  But God didn't agree.  He was looking for something else, someone else.  

1 Samuel 16:7

But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

David is known as being a man after God's own heart.  No other mortal has ever been given such a title.  Was it because he as perfect as possible?  Probably not.  David was responsible for murder, adultery, poor parenting, and the death of thousands of Israelites.  Still, David was known as being a man after God's own heart.  David is known for doing great things like defeating the Philistines, beating Goliath with a slingshot, and writing incredible psalms of praise to God.  I don't think it was any of those things that made him great.  If I had to pick one thing that makes David stand out for me, it was his humility.  He was honest when he sinned, and confessed it straight to God in Psalm 51.  Humility is a powerful characteristic of a leader.

The outside of people do not always reflect what God sees, but events are also not always what they seem.  One of the biggest questions I had as a child was why the cool stuff of the Bible doesn't happen anymore.  I would love to have seen the plagues on Egypt, crossing the Red Sea, a kid beating a 9 foot tall giant, Noah's boat, the men walk out of the fiery furnace, a guy walking on water, or feeding thousands of people out of one lunch box.  Why don't miracles happen any more?

^{Hebrews 1:1-2}

¹ In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, ² but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. 

I read these verses at least a dozen times before I realized what they meant, and it's related to another powerful question: what does God look like?  We would say Jesus, and we would be right.  What about before Jesus?  What did God look like to Isaiah or Nehemiah?  How would you describe God?  There were no idols, so you couldn't point to the image of a calf or beast or even a person.  God was known by what he did.  He was the God who called Abraham, the God who gave Moses the commandments, the God who was a pillar of fire by night and cloud by day, the God who rescued Daniel from the lions... In the past, that is how God spoke to people - using the events and prophets.  But if you really want to know what God looks like, look to Jesus.  Jesus is the ultimate way God speaks to His People.

So do miracles still happen?  I would say yes!  There have been miracles involving missionaries and angels all over the world.  I don't know if hockey in 1980 counts, but even so, there have been wonderful glimpses of God working in a unique way in people's lives.  The key is that even though miracles may happen, the ultimate way God stills speaks to people is through the person of Jesus.

Dealing with Conflict

Where two or three are gathered, there is conflict.  Communities of people are wonderful things and provide countless blessings, yet these communities (church, school, sports, dance, drama, scouts, friends, games, etc) happen within a fallen and sinful world, and conflict is inevitable in communities

Jesus knew about this and gave people a way to respond to conflict in a healthy way.  Around St. John we call this the 'Matthew 18' way of dealing with a problem.  We're not referring to the entire chapter, but we focus on these three key verses:

Matthew 18:15-17
    ¹⁵ “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. ¹⁶ But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ ¹⁷ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

The first step is to go talk to the person one-on-one.  Most of the conflict all of us encounter could be avoided by following this.  This is not our natural tendency.  If 'Mike' was mean to me, I would want to first go tell all my friends, go tell my parents, talk about it at lunch with my friends, write about it on Twitter, and make sure everyone knows how mean Mike was to me.  It's hard to just go talk to Mike.  It's hard knowing that he might not listen to me.  It's also hard thinking that maybe he will listen and I won't have any reason to be upset anymore... As a friend, one of the most powerful questions you might need to ask is, "Did you tell her that?" or "Did you tell him that?"  This could avoid a lot of trouble.

Step two is to take one of two friends along.  Here is the hard part: if I have a problem with Mike, I should be taking one or two of Mike's close friends with me - not my close friends.  If I bring my friends, Mike will feel like I am ganging-up on him and it will be hard for him to listen.  If I tell Mike's friend and Mike's friend is now concerned about Mike as well, then there is really a reason to have a conversation with Mike.

The third step would be to take it to the church.  This doesn't translate all that well for us since our church groups are rather divided already with so many denominations.  At the time of Jesus there was one 'church,' one community of believers, and being inside or outside this group was a big deal.  For us this might refer more to a group that we feel a strong part of like the church, our school, our family, a group of friends, a team, dance, drama, scouts, or any group like that.  It would be hard to not be a part of our close group.

The final step says that we treat them like the pagans and tax-collectors, like someone who is outside the community.  That does not mean we laugh at them and mock them and say awful things about them... it means that we love them.  We want everyone who is outside of God's family to come in.  We need to love them.  We need to let our light shine (Matthew 5:16) so that they will ask about the hope that we have  (1 Peter 3:15).  They need love.

Conflict is best resolved with love.

Turning the Corner

There is a significant shift in Matthew chapter 16.  Matthew has been telling the story of Jesus' ministry of teaching, healing, and leading the disciples in various ways, but now he is focused on the real reason that he became flesh (John 1) to take on human form (Philippians 2).  Jesus came to die.

After spending a great deal of time with his disciples, Jesus asks them, "Who do people think that I am?"  Peter is quick to step up and answer with some popular rumors like Elijah, John the Baptist, or another prophet.  Jesus gets more personal by asking, "Who do you think I am?"  And Peter hits a home-run by declaring that he was the Christ, the Messiah, the Savior, the promised one from God.  Maybe this encounter still echoed in Peter's mind when he wrote:

1 Peter 3:15
But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,

The interesting part of that verse is that it looks like the best evangelism, is not knocking on doors.  Peter tells us to always be ready to give an answer.  An answer is only possible if someone asks a question.  The key, then, is to to live in such a way that people ask you that question; let your light shine so that they ask who your Heavenly Father is and give glory to Him (Matthew 5:16).

Now that Peter has affirmed the true identity of the Savior, Jesus proceeds to tell the disciples exactly what was going to happen to him.  This doesn't just happen in chapter 16, but it happens in the next chapter, too.  Jesus was warning them, but also giving them hope by reminding them how it needed to happen.  It had been in the Scriptures for many years.  800 years before Jesus was on the cross, Isaiah predicted the suffering that Jesus would have to endure.

Isaiah 53:4-5
 ⁴ Surely he took up our infirmities 
   and carried our sorrows, 
yet we considered him stricken by God, 
   smitten by him, and afflicted. 
⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions, 
   he was crushed for our iniquities; 
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, 
   and by his wounds we are healed. 

It was his plan from the beginning.  He loves us that much.  It is an awesome opportunity to live with this hope that we have.

Sounds of Holy Week

Each sound is connected to Holy Week.

Scripture references from the Gospels are available.
Numbering has been done with Greek letters, for no particular reason.

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Alpha 

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Beta

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Eta

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Theta

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Iota

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Kappa

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Lambda

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Mu

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Nu

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Xi

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Omicron

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Pi

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Rho

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Sigma

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Tau

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Upsilon

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Phi

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Chi

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Psi

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Omega

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Special 'Thanks' to those who contributed to this collection: Cristen, Craig, Keri, Boone, Kayla, David, David, Julie, Anne, Mark, Karl, Gretchen, Kristi, Jon, Larry, Charlie, Jeff, Robin, Lisa, Christopher, Vern, Dave, and Rob.

Psalm 22's Connection with Good Friday

The four Gospels have some differences, but there is one strong (and maybe strange) similarity: the climax of their story is the cross.  Jesus had clearly told his disciples what is going to happen to him, and yet they are still surprised.

Holy week commemorates the last week of Jesus' earthly life stretching from Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday.  Thursday is often called Holy Thursday or Maundy Thursday.  The word "Maundy" is connected to the  word 'mandate' which was a significant event in the upper room when the disciples ate the last supper with Jesus.  In the Gospel of John, Jesus gives them a new commandment/rule/mandate that they should live by: love.

Good Friday was good for us, but hard for Jesus.  The church services on Good Friday often revolve around the last words of Jesus which he spoke while he was on the cross.  There are seven, but all four Gospels are needed to get the full set of seven.  His phrases were monumental: Father, forgive them... In to your hands I commit my spirit... Today you will be with me in paradise... It is finished.

Yet one phrase is rather disconcerting.  It doesn't completely match what we think about God.  God would never really forsake Jesus, would He?  Since Jesus is God, God never really did forsake Jesus, right?  Why did he say that?  Why would anyone want to write it down?

I believe that the pain Jesus was going through was greater than we can imagine.  It is true that it was physically excruciating, but the sins of all people were placed on him in fulfillment of the atonement for sin done in the Old Testament.  With God being holy, the Father could not embrace the Son whom he loved because of the sin heaped upon him.  Jesus must have felt lonely.

And yet I think there is another significant reason that Jesus spoke these words.  If I said the words, "Mary had a little lamb," you would probably have several ideas in your head.  One idea is Mary having a lamb, but it would probably also be joined with the ideas that this lamb has really white wool and would follow Mary all over the place.  "Mary had a little lamb," is not so much a sentence as much as the first line to a familiar song.  Since it is so common, I can equate that one line with the entire song.

Psalm 22:1
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? 
   Why are you so far from saving me, 
   so far from the words of my groaning?

The entire psalm is being recalled by only saying the first line.  When Jesus said the first words, the rest of Psalm 22 starting flowing through the minds of those faithful Jews who knew this Psalm.  The words of this psalm were strangely similar to what they were witnessing.

I wonder what those people felt when they made the connection between Psalm 22 and what was happening. I imaging the gasp or chill you get from a great suspense or mystery where the clues and answers have been given throughout the entire story, but only at the end are they able to be assembled to make sense.  Can we stand there with the centurion and declare, "Surely, he was the Son of God."?  The story of Jesus is the greatest story every told.

This is how we can be like Jesus.  We are not able to be born of a virgin, walk on water, heal the sick, raise the dead, or endure the sufferings that Jesus went through.  We are able to die, though.  This is why Paul says that "If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection." We can be joined with him on Good Friday, so that we might also celebrate with him on Easter.  Easter is about our resurrection, too!

This is probably why the author of Revelation makes the point that to be connected to The Lamb, we should:

Revelation 2:10b

Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you a victor's crown.

Celebrating with Food

We are a few weeks away from Good Friday - good for us, though horrifyingly painful for Jesus.  It's good to remember what Jesus went through for us, and he wanted us to remember.

Can you think of a celebration without food?  Christmas cookies?  Easter eggs?  Halloween candy?  4th of July bar-b-que?  Birthday cake?  Wedding reception with all the great food?  Good times are usually celebrated with good food.  Jesus commemorated a special time with food, as well.

The night before he died, Jesus shared the Passover meal with his disciples which was a large meal with many rituals including a hide-and-seek game for the children and four glasses of wine for the adults.  The centerpiece of the meal was a dinner, usually lamb in memory of the Israelites leaving Egypt.  Right after the dinner part of the event, there was a third cup of wine presented known as the "Cup of Redemption."  It was at this time that Jesus spoke these words of institution, when he said we should remember what he did with this food.

Matthew 26:26-28

²⁶ While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”

 ²⁷ Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. ²⁸ This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 

Different Christians have understood these words in different ways.  Some have suggested that the bread and wine/juice are representative symbols of Jesus' body and blood.  They would say that the bread helps us remember that Jesus gave his body and life for us.  Others would say that since Jesus said, "This 'is' my body," that he really meant that it is his body.  For a further look at this perspective, I would recommend reading through John 6, especially the verses that Jesus talks about being the bread of life.  Lutherans take the "best of both worlds" approach by saying that physically the bread is still bread and the wine is still wine, but supernaturally (a way that is beyond [super] nature [natural]) Christ is giving us his very body and blood.  Likewise, we eat the bread and drink the wine in natural ways, but receive his body and blood in a supernatural way, as a spiritual blessing.  These days we call Baptism and Communion 'sacraments' or holy acts.  The first Christians actually used the term 'mysterion' or mysteries, admitting the fact that how God does this is beyond human logic, yet we accept it on faith because that's what God's Word says.

Maybe this is a little odd.  Maybe it is a hard selling point to those who are not Christians.  Jesus did not go out of his way to make 'discipleship' easy - he knew that this is a big commitment, yet there is no other place to turn, for we know:

Acts 4:12
"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

Bread of Life

The only miracle that can be found in all four of the Gospels is the feeding of the 5,000.  It must have made a huge impact on the disciples and the church community.  The five loaves of bread used were probably less like the loaves of bread we buy at the grocery store and more like a thick pita-type bread.  It was less common for people to have an oven, and more common to have a large baking stone heated by fire, so by placing the dough on the large round stone they were able to get round loaves of bread.

http://www.mediterraneandiet.com

The two fish were probably a pan fish like Sunfish or Blue Gills, which are the most common fish in the Sea of Galilee.  On their own, two of those fish would not go far to satisfy 5 men - much less 5,000 men!

John's Gospel has an entire chapter devoted to this event, and it's quite a lengthy chapter.  In the book of John, Jesus confronts the crowds, claiming that the only reason they are following him is because they had full bellies.  Many wanted to make him king - what a powerful army someone would have if the leader would be able to feed thousands of soldiers so easily.  Jesus then challenged them with some confusing words:

John 6:35
Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

The people saw this as some type of metaphor, but Jesus later tells them that his flesh is real food and his blood is real drink (a foreshadow of the Lord's Supper that he would institute during passion week).  Because of his hard words, many left and did not follow Jesus anymore.  Jesus continues.

John 6:67-69

⁶⁷ “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.

⁶⁸ Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. ⁶⁹ We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.” John 6:67-69

The disciples were more faithful, willing to stay with Jesus because he was Jesus, not just because they liked the chef.  Peter speaks the truth when he responds with the question, "Where else could we go?"

Our lives are also filled with confusing situations, and it is often hard to know how to follow Jesus.  He wants us to be in the world, but not of the world.  He wants us to stay away from the world's darkness, and also be a light to a darkened world.  How are we best able to act boldly with faith and humbly with peace at the same time.  These are no small challenges, and Jesus calls us to follow him through it all.

Where else could we go...