For God does not show favoritism. – Romans 2:11 (NIV)
Why do think God may not show favoritism? How do you show favoritism? Why do you show favoritism? How great is it that God does not play favorites with you?
The following story was e-mailed to me about a soldier coming home from Vietnam:
He called his parents from San Francisco.
“Mom and Dad, I’m coming home, but I’ve got a favor to ask. I have a friend I’d like to bring with me.”
“Sure,” they replied, “we’d love to meet him.”
“There’s something you should know the son continued, “he was hurt pretty badly in the fighting. He stepped on a land mined and lost an arm and a leg. He has nowhere else to go, and I want him to come live with us.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, son. Maybe we can help him find somewhere to live.”
“No, Mom and Dad, I want him to live with us.”
“Son,” said the father, “you don’t know what you’re asking. Someone with such a handicap would be a terrible burden on us. We have our own lives to live, and we can’t let something like this interfere with our lives. I think you should just come home and forget about this guy. He’ll find a way to live on his own.”
At that point, the son hung up the phone. The parents heard nothing more from him.
A few days later, however, they received a call from the San Francisco police. Their son had died after falling from a building, they were told. The police believed it was suicide. The grief-stricken parents flew to San Francisco and were taken to the city morgue to identify the body of their son. They recognized him, but to their horror they also discovered something they didn’t know, their son had only one arm and one leg.
We are not very good at accepting others for who they are. We are not even very good at accepting ourselves for that matter. Thank God we accepted by God! However, if we are to be true to the God we follow, worship, and praise, we would do good to ensure that others who feel unloved in this world might find that we do not play favorites too. In that way those who feel they have no place in this world might find a place in our presence.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Looking On The Inside
When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men. – Matthew 2:16 (NRSV)
Why was Herod angry? Was it just because the wise men tricked him, or was it something much more? Was it fear? How much of anger is fueled by fear? What was he afraid of?
Our Roman Catholic and Orthodox brothers and sisters celebrate a feast day on December 28, the Feast of the Holy Innocents. On this particular day the Gloria is not sung and the Alleluia is not prayed, the clergy once again wear purple vestments symbolizing mourning even in the midst of the Christmas season. We recall that God became a helpless child and that children were slaughtered because of the helpless child God became.
Not an uplifting story, but one of caution in this New Year. It is easy to find the Herods of today. Those tyrants and despots who do anything to keep power and heard about in the news, read about in the wakes of their evil.
However the ancient story invites us to face the power struggles of in our lives. We have all found ourselves in contentious board meetings, gossiping about the lives of others, stuck in office politics, and much more. Our lives are in as much need for a Prince of Peace as during Herod’s time.
In this New Year we are invited to look within and see where we ourselves need the Prince of Peace to bring light into our darkness. We could bemoan the evil of others even while we lash out violently in our own ways, or we can confront the evil within and thereby become a vessel for goodness in this world. The story of whether or not peace or violence will win out in our lives is being written as we live. Let us pray that we live well.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Why was Herod angry? Was it just because the wise men tricked him, or was it something much more? Was it fear? How much of anger is fueled by fear? What was he afraid of?
Our Roman Catholic and Orthodox brothers and sisters celebrate a feast day on December 28, the Feast of the Holy Innocents. On this particular day the Gloria is not sung and the Alleluia is not prayed, the clergy once again wear purple vestments symbolizing mourning even in the midst of the Christmas season. We recall that God became a helpless child and that children were slaughtered because of the helpless child God became.
Not an uplifting story, but one of caution in this New Year. It is easy to find the Herods of today. Those tyrants and despots who do anything to keep power and heard about in the news, read about in the wakes of their evil.
However the ancient story invites us to face the power struggles of in our lives. We have all found ourselves in contentious board meetings, gossiping about the lives of others, stuck in office politics, and much more. Our lives are in as much need for a Prince of Peace as during Herod’s time.
In this New Year we are invited to look within and see where we ourselves need the Prince of Peace to bring light into our darkness. We could bemoan the evil of others even while we lash out violently in our own ways, or we can confront the evil within and thereby become a vessel for goodness in this world. The story of whether or not peace or violence will win out in our lives is being written as we live. Let us pray that we live well.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Minister's Minute from January Issue of the Journal of Hope and Joy
Are the holidays over yet? There is a part of me that is quite ready for them to end. Please do not misunderstand me I love the holiday season, which is that time of year that runs between Thanksgiving and New Year where we all seem in constant motion. I love the celebrations, the family, the friends, the travelling, the food, the goodwill, the gifts, the joy, the services, the darker nights, and all the rest. Part of the reason we have to take so many days off of work during this time of year is because if we attempted to do all we had to do and work a full schedule some of would die.
I am quite serious! I have more wrinkles in January than I did in November, to say nothing of my weight gain, and the lack of sleep. Without those days off to recover from it all I might just not be able to make it, and I suppose that is why I am ready for them to end. Surely it is mighty enjoyable, but it is mighty exhausting too!
I need a moment to breathe, to just be, whatever that means. Perhaps what I need is to sit, or stand, or lie down, and just pray and meditate, and listen to the deep silence in between words and notes of music where God speaks. “Be still and know that I am God,” the psalmist quotes from the Divine. But we are not a people who know about being still. We are people who are on the move. ADD is something we each have some problems with.
Let me be honest and admit that I have a problem being still even at a red light. That minute or two that I am sitting alone in my car waiting for the light to change is a moment where I can check my email or make a call or wonder what I should be doing when I arrive to wherever I am going. If I cannot maintain some semblance of stillness while in my car for a minute, with music coming from the radio, how on earth can I possibly be still enough to know that God is God?
That is part of a problem we have in my opinion. We do not know God is God. Surely we say we worship God. We go through the motions. Sometimes we even pray on our own, and when we do God better be ready for us. “Do you believe in God?” someone asks. “Why yes I do, of course I do,” we reply but what if someone asked us to explain something of God?
Children ask questions about God because, even if they go a mile a minute, in their innocence there is stillness, and they start to wonder about God. Most of the questions I field in my line of work about God either come from children, the parents of children who need help, or non-believers. Perhaps the rest of us are afraid to ask, afraid to search, or perhaps we cannot be still long enough to realize we are not sure.
I was speaking to someone from another church who was considering leaving the church behind. “It just doesn’t speak to me anymore.” “Why is that?” I asked. “I don’t really know, I’m just not getting anything out of it. You know what I mean?” “What are you putting into it?” I asked. Then I just got a quizzical kind of look in return like the person never considered about having to put something into it.
I had a friend, a really good friend. We were inseparable for a while, then one of us moved away. Someone asked me the other day how my old friend was doing. “I don’t know, we haven’t talked in years,” I said. “Really? You guys were inseparable, what happened?” I made up some excuses but the truth is we stopped putting anything into the friendship. If one does not tend to their relationships they rarely survive.
The same is true of our relationship with God I have discovered. I have been running so much during the holidays that I have not taken a moment to be still, to sit with God and catch up. I have talked about God, led people in worship of God, but I have not taken much time to sit with God myself. Today I will. I will take a moment and put something into my relationship with God. I am sure it will be refreshing; in fact it may even feel like a holiday.
Hoping to hop on the wave of the Holy Spirit,
Garrett
I am quite serious! I have more wrinkles in January than I did in November, to say nothing of my weight gain, and the lack of sleep. Without those days off to recover from it all I might just not be able to make it, and I suppose that is why I am ready for them to end. Surely it is mighty enjoyable, but it is mighty exhausting too!
I need a moment to breathe, to just be, whatever that means. Perhaps what I need is to sit, or stand, or lie down, and just pray and meditate, and listen to the deep silence in between words and notes of music where God speaks. “Be still and know that I am God,” the psalmist quotes from the Divine. But we are not a people who know about being still. We are people who are on the move. ADD is something we each have some problems with.
Let me be honest and admit that I have a problem being still even at a red light. That minute or two that I am sitting alone in my car waiting for the light to change is a moment where I can check my email or make a call or wonder what I should be doing when I arrive to wherever I am going. If I cannot maintain some semblance of stillness while in my car for a minute, with music coming from the radio, how on earth can I possibly be still enough to know that God is God?
That is part of a problem we have in my opinion. We do not know God is God. Surely we say we worship God. We go through the motions. Sometimes we even pray on our own, and when we do God better be ready for us. “Do you believe in God?” someone asks. “Why yes I do, of course I do,” we reply but what if someone asked us to explain something of God?
Children ask questions about God because, even if they go a mile a minute, in their innocence there is stillness, and they start to wonder about God. Most of the questions I field in my line of work about God either come from children, the parents of children who need help, or non-believers. Perhaps the rest of us are afraid to ask, afraid to search, or perhaps we cannot be still long enough to realize we are not sure.
I was speaking to someone from another church who was considering leaving the church behind. “It just doesn’t speak to me anymore.” “Why is that?” I asked. “I don’t really know, I’m just not getting anything out of it. You know what I mean?” “What are you putting into it?” I asked. Then I just got a quizzical kind of look in return like the person never considered about having to put something into it.
I had a friend, a really good friend. We were inseparable for a while, then one of us moved away. Someone asked me the other day how my old friend was doing. “I don’t know, we haven’t talked in years,” I said. “Really? You guys were inseparable, what happened?” I made up some excuses but the truth is we stopped putting anything into the friendship. If one does not tend to their relationships they rarely survive.
The same is true of our relationship with God I have discovered. I have been running so much during the holidays that I have not taken a moment to be still, to sit with God and catch up. I have talked about God, led people in worship of God, but I have not taken much time to sit with God myself. Today I will. I will take a moment and put something into my relationship with God. I am sure it will be refreshing; in fact it may even feel like a holiday.
Hoping to hop on the wave of the Holy Spirit,
Garrett
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
The Highest Form of Love on Christmas
Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” – Luke 23:43 (NIV)
What is forgiveness? How have you forgiven others? How have you experienced forgiveness? How does it work?
If you are interested in stories of forgiveness may I recommend www.theforgivenessproject.com
Perhaps you think it odd of me to lift up a passage about Good Friday as we are so near Christmas. However, is not the baby we celebrate the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world? We remember that Simeon told Mary that a sword would pierce her soul because of the baby she held. The shadow of the cross was upon the manger in which that baby was laid. His life was never free of his fate, and thereby when we celebrate the baby we must do so with awareness as to the death of man the baby would become.
What is forgiveness? I am not completely sure, other than to say that it is the highest form of love. Luke tells us that the two criminals on either side of Jesus while he hung on the cross argued among themselves. One wanting to be saved from his fate mocked Jesus. One knowing that he was receiving what he deserved and Jesus was not stood up for the Suffering Servant.
Not believing himself worthy of forgiveness he simply asked Jesus to remember him. Rarely is such repentance ever seen. His life was a waste and he knew it. No good things would be remembered of him, and yet in the presence of Jesus he asked to be remembered, not forgiven since he could not come to forgive himself.
What a miraculous thing that he heard from Jesus, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Jesus forgave him and gave him life! The criminal knew he had done wrong and stood convicted in his sin. This is repentance, that moment we realize we are in fact wrong. The criminal did not know about, about the highest form of love, about forgiveness. That is what Jesus offers, and in the shadow of Jesus cross he receives that which he did not deserve, but which love gave him nevertheless.
The child we celebrate is covered by the shadow of the cross in order that in the shadow of that same cross we may discover the greatest gift we shall ever know; forgiveness that is neither deserved nor expected but is given by the God who is love. Rejoice in this child for he offers us life!
Merry Christmas,
Garrett
What is forgiveness? How have you forgiven others? How have you experienced forgiveness? How does it work?
If you are interested in stories of forgiveness may I recommend www.theforgivenessproject.com
Perhaps you think it odd of me to lift up a passage about Good Friday as we are so near Christmas. However, is not the baby we celebrate the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world? We remember that Simeon told Mary that a sword would pierce her soul because of the baby she held. The shadow of the cross was upon the manger in which that baby was laid. His life was never free of his fate, and thereby when we celebrate the baby we must do so with awareness as to the death of man the baby would become.
What is forgiveness? I am not completely sure, other than to say that it is the highest form of love. Luke tells us that the two criminals on either side of Jesus while he hung on the cross argued among themselves. One wanting to be saved from his fate mocked Jesus. One knowing that he was receiving what he deserved and Jesus was not stood up for the Suffering Servant.
Not believing himself worthy of forgiveness he simply asked Jesus to remember him. Rarely is such repentance ever seen. His life was a waste and he knew it. No good things would be remembered of him, and yet in the presence of Jesus he asked to be remembered, not forgiven since he could not come to forgive himself.
What a miraculous thing that he heard from Jesus, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Jesus forgave him and gave him life! The criminal knew he had done wrong and stood convicted in his sin. This is repentance, that moment we realize we are in fact wrong. The criminal did not know about, about the highest form of love, about forgiveness. That is what Jesus offers, and in the shadow of Jesus cross he receives that which he did not deserve, but which love gave him nevertheless.
The child we celebrate is covered by the shadow of the cross in order that in the shadow of that same cross we may discover the greatest gift we shall ever know; forgiveness that is neither deserved nor expected but is given by the God who is love. Rejoice in this child for he offers us life!
Merry Christmas,
Garrett
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)