“Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.” – John 14:19 (NIV)
What does it mean to you that because Jesus lives you also will live? What kind of freedom does that offer you? How do you live in that freedom?
I’ve heard the following story about Frank Luke Jr. and it is often called, “The Day the Lilies Bloomed”
Frank Luke Jr. was an American fighter pilot in World War I and is considered one of the heroes of the Great War. He was twenty when he joined the army air corps and was accepted into flight training. After his training he was commissioned and given a brief leave before going off to war.
While at home he was going to leave with some friends one afternoon when his mother, Tillie, stopped him and asked, “Frank, I was hoping you would plant some lily bulbs for me. Would you mind doing that before you left?”
Frank did as his mother asked, and then went off with his friends. A couple of days later he went to join the war in France.
Quickly Frank became one of the stars of American fighter pilots. Between September 12 and September 29 Frank was credited with shooting down 18 German balloons and planes.
Back home in Phoenix, on September 29, Tillie stepped outside to discover that the lilies Frank planted were in full bloom. Lilies typically bloom much earlier in the year so this was strange. They had been planted in the shape of a cross, like one of the side of a fighter plane. Frank loved airplanes and was a devout Catholic. When his mother saw this she was nervous that something was wrong.
Two months later word reached America that Frank had been shot down and killed. He died on September 29, 1918, at the age of twenty-one, the day the lilies bloomed.
It makes sense that Frank’s mother was nervous. The bonds of love often will let us know that something is wrong with our beloved, even if oceans and continents separate us. However, the symbolism cannot be ignored. The Easter lilies stood bloomed in the shape of a cross. Paul remembering the prophet Hosea once wrote, “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” And we recall that Jesus said, “Because I live, you also will live.” This Easter will be a day the lilies bloom. Go somewhere, anywhere and celebrate the victory of our Christ!
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Minister's Minute from the April's Journal of Hope and Joy
There is little doubt, that in the history of our grand religion, no holy day is as important as Easter. The day of resurrection that occurred on the first day of the week nearly 2000 years ago. So important was this event to our understanding that we refer to Sunday as, “The Lord’s Day.” Every Sunday contains some element of joy and beauty that sits apart in our conscious because of what happened one morning long ago.
The very notion that God defeated death still boggles the mind. Those who consider themselves to have evolved beyond such childish beliefs suggest that we hold onto superstitions and magic if we continue to believe such things. Yet I would let them know that our beliefs begin at a more ridiculous place. While Easter may be the most important of our holy days, Easter can only be because of Good Friday. The two belong together and cannot be separated. One does not exist without the other. Therefore at this time of year, we remember that we hold onto the notion of which Paul made clear so long ago, “Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles” (1 Cor. 1:22-23).
The basis and foundation of our faith is utterly ridiculous, it is still a stumbling block and it is still foolish! We preach that a man with a small following was crucified by the Roman Empire, abandoned by his own followers, and mocked by his religious leaders. We preach that in that act of dying he somehow saved us from that which separated us from God. Then when Sunday rolled around, a stone had rolled away from a tomb, and that man, who died utterly alone, was vindicated by the One he called “Father.” “He became obedient unto death… Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him” (Phil 2:8,9).
O yes, it is still foolishness to say aloud. I invite all those who wish to mock me to do so. Call me a fool if you will, but know that it is a title I relish! For I am a fool for Christ who is a fool for me! There is nothing I’d rather be called than a fool by one who thinks I’m foolish, for my faith does not stand on what I see, or what I know. “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). And this is the gospel of which I am not ashamed to be a fool.
It was with this faith that I ventured into the foreign lands of the Deep South believing that I would encounter other such fools, and that together we would be foolish enough to believe that a God who raises the dead could raise our little church from the dead! On my fourth celebration of our greatest holiday in this place we still rise up. Death is far behind us, but God is not done giving us life! In the first three months of this year twenty people have joined our church. Twenty others have declared themselves fools for the Christ who is a fool for them.
Together now we declare to a city and a place that wonders what hope there is, that the God who raises the dead is working in Albany. I was told that our church had no chance. I was told that if we wanted any chance at all we’d have to leave the downtown. I was told that the only way to grow a church was to abandon our liturgy and music. I was told that I was a fool for leaving California to come to a place so saturated in death. And I stood firm in my Easter foolishness, because it is:
On Christ the solid Rock I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
Riding the Wave of the Holy Spirit,
Garrett
The very notion that God defeated death still boggles the mind. Those who consider themselves to have evolved beyond such childish beliefs suggest that we hold onto superstitions and magic if we continue to believe such things. Yet I would let them know that our beliefs begin at a more ridiculous place. While Easter may be the most important of our holy days, Easter can only be because of Good Friday. The two belong together and cannot be separated. One does not exist without the other. Therefore at this time of year, we remember that we hold onto the notion of which Paul made clear so long ago, “Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles” (1 Cor. 1:22-23).
The basis and foundation of our faith is utterly ridiculous, it is still a stumbling block and it is still foolish! We preach that a man with a small following was crucified by the Roman Empire, abandoned by his own followers, and mocked by his religious leaders. We preach that in that act of dying he somehow saved us from that which separated us from God. Then when Sunday rolled around, a stone had rolled away from a tomb, and that man, who died utterly alone, was vindicated by the One he called “Father.” “He became obedient unto death… Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him” (Phil 2:8,9).
O yes, it is still foolishness to say aloud. I invite all those who wish to mock me to do so. Call me a fool if you will, but know that it is a title I relish! For I am a fool for Christ who is a fool for me! There is nothing I’d rather be called than a fool by one who thinks I’m foolish, for my faith does not stand on what I see, or what I know. “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). And this is the gospel of which I am not ashamed to be a fool.
It was with this faith that I ventured into the foreign lands of the Deep South believing that I would encounter other such fools, and that together we would be foolish enough to believe that a God who raises the dead could raise our little church from the dead! On my fourth celebration of our greatest holiday in this place we still rise up. Death is far behind us, but God is not done giving us life! In the first three months of this year twenty people have joined our church. Twenty others have declared themselves fools for the Christ who is a fool for them.
Together now we declare to a city and a place that wonders what hope there is, that the God who raises the dead is working in Albany. I was told that our church had no chance. I was told that if we wanted any chance at all we’d have to leave the downtown. I was told that the only way to grow a church was to abandon our liturgy and music. I was told that I was a fool for leaving California to come to a place so saturated in death. And I stood firm in my Easter foolishness, because it is:
On Christ the solid Rock I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
Riding the Wave of the Holy Spirit,
Garrett
Friday, March 25, 2011
Jesus Saves
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. – John 3:17 (KJV)
What does this verse say about God? What does this verse say about us? What does this free you to do? So what will you do?
The following was written by Kallistos Ware, a Greek Orthodox bishop:
God does not condemn us to Hell; God wishes all humans to be saved. He will love us to all eternity, but there will exist the possibility that we do not accept the love and do not respond to it. And the refusal to accept love, the refusal to respond to it, that precisely is the meaning of Hell. Hell is not a place where God puts us; it’s a place where we put ourselves. The doors of Hell, insofar as they have locks, have locks on the inside.
There is nothing that can keep God from trying to us, because that is the very nature of God. After all God is love! There is one thing that can keep us from being saved, ourselves. It is possible to turn God down even when confronted with the depths of that grace and love face to face. When Warren Sallman painted Christ Knocking On Heart’s Door, someone informed him he made a mistake upon its completion. “What is that?” the artist asked. “There is no door handle on it.” “Oh that is no mistake, that door can only be opened from the inside.” And so God knocks on, and will never stop. Love doesn’t stop; love tries to save even as we lock ourselves up tight in hell. O, let us rejoice in the goodness of God’s steadfast love, and fling open those doors.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
What does this verse say about God? What does this verse say about us? What does this free you to do? So what will you do?
The following was written by Kallistos Ware, a Greek Orthodox bishop:
God does not condemn us to Hell; God wishes all humans to be saved. He will love us to all eternity, but there will exist the possibility that we do not accept the love and do not respond to it. And the refusal to accept love, the refusal to respond to it, that precisely is the meaning of Hell. Hell is not a place where God puts us; it’s a place where we put ourselves. The doors of Hell, insofar as they have locks, have locks on the inside.
There is nothing that can keep God from trying to us, because that is the very nature of God. After all God is love! There is one thing that can keep us from being saved, ourselves. It is possible to turn God down even when confronted with the depths of that grace and love face to face. When Warren Sallman painted Christ Knocking On Heart’s Door, someone informed him he made a mistake upon its completion. “What is that?” the artist asked. “There is no door handle on it.” “Oh that is no mistake, that door can only be opened from the inside.” And so God knocks on, and will never stop. Love doesn’t stop; love tries to save even as we lock ourselves up tight in hell. O, let us rejoice in the goodness of God’s steadfast love, and fling open those doors.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Monday, March 21, 2011
The Need of Unity
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! – Psalm 133:1 (NKJV)
What does unity mean to you? Why do you think the Apostle Paul was so concerned with unity? How can we go about promoting unity? What does it mean to be unified?
The following in an old Aesop Fable:
A father had a family of sons who were perpetually quarreling among themselves. When he failed to heal their disputes by his exhortations, he determined to give them a practical illustration of the evils of disunion; and for this purpose he one day told them to bring him a bundle of sticks.
When they had done so, he placed the bundle into the hands of each of them in succession, and ordered them to break it in pieces. The tried with all their strength, and were not able to do it.
He next opened the bundle, took the sticks separately, one by one, and again put them into his sons’ hands, upon which they broke them easily. He then addressed them in these words, “My sons, if you are of one mind, and unite to assist each other, you will be as this bundle, uninjured by all the attempts of your enemies; but if you are divided among yourselves, you will be broken as easily as these sticks.”
Sometimes it is good to go into Paul’s letters and read what he had to say about unity in the church. He did not mean that we all have to act they same, or do the same things, or look the same. Instead he meant that we have to acknowledge our singular purpose. To glorify God and enjoy our God forever! It is easy to lose sight of that purpose as we go through the course of our days and discover minor disagreements that sometimes turn into “major” issues. However we must not break into individual sticks then. For it is only together that we can withstand a world that would see us broken. Let us glorify God together, and nothing can stand in our way!
With hope and joy,
Garrett
What does unity mean to you? Why do you think the Apostle Paul was so concerned with unity? How can we go about promoting unity? What does it mean to be unified?
The following in an old Aesop Fable:
A father had a family of sons who were perpetually quarreling among themselves. When he failed to heal their disputes by his exhortations, he determined to give them a practical illustration of the evils of disunion; and for this purpose he one day told them to bring him a bundle of sticks.
When they had done so, he placed the bundle into the hands of each of them in succession, and ordered them to break it in pieces. The tried with all their strength, and were not able to do it.
He next opened the bundle, took the sticks separately, one by one, and again put them into his sons’ hands, upon which they broke them easily. He then addressed them in these words, “My sons, if you are of one mind, and unite to assist each other, you will be as this bundle, uninjured by all the attempts of your enemies; but if you are divided among yourselves, you will be broken as easily as these sticks.”
Sometimes it is good to go into Paul’s letters and read what he had to say about unity in the church. He did not mean that we all have to act they same, or do the same things, or look the same. Instead he meant that we have to acknowledge our singular purpose. To glorify God and enjoy our God forever! It is easy to lose sight of that purpose as we go through the course of our days and discover minor disagreements that sometimes turn into “major” issues. However we must not break into individual sticks then. For it is only together that we can withstand a world that would see us broken. Let us glorify God together, and nothing can stand in our way!
With hope and joy,
Garrett
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