A Prayer for Thanksgiving

This is something that I wrote some years ago, but it still applies today…

Father, I thank you for all of the ways in which you have blessed me and my family.  Our blessings are so great that it is hard to list them all, but I’d like to highlight some of them.

Thank you for my wonderful spouse, she loves me in spite of my many faults, and she is a joy in my life.  Thank you for my children, guide them in all that they do so that they may always be pleasing in your sight.  I thank you for my home and material blessings; Lord you have out done yourself!

I thank you for my Nation and my community, and for the freedom that we usually take for granted.  I also thank you for my church family, may you continue to bless them and guide them through life according to your will.

Finally Father, I thank you for the person who is reading this right now.  I pray that he or she will be blessed in this coming year, and that they will grow in faith; that they will always walk according to your ways.  I pray that he or she will be blessed with good health, loving family and a grateful outlook on your blessings.  Guide them, I pray, in your ways and according to your purpose.

Father, I ask and pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, for whom I am most thankful of all… Amen

From the Beginning

There are certain things that simply do not change… ever.

There are some things that are constant; no matter what else goes on, they remain the same.  We call these things Truth.  Here is the best of all examples of the Truth:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.

 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men.  

John 1:1-4

The “Word” was with God in the very beginning before the Creation even. This “Word” was God in fact, and through him the entire Creation came into existence. This Word is the source of life and the source of light for all Mankind. That “light” of course is itself Truth.

So who is this “Word” that was with God, that was God, that created the Creation and through whom life and light originated?

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:14

The “Word” that was from the beginning with God, who was in fact God is none other than Jesus Christ!  This is the seminal fact of all time.  Here’s another seminal fact: He is still at the right hand of the Father ruler of the Universe, King of kings and Lord of lords.  Whatever else may change, whatever else may not be constant and dependable, this great Truth is unchanging, unshakable and true.

I don’t know about anybody else, but it does me a lot of good to remind myself of what the Truth is every day!

Quote of the Week

 The question is not, “Why is there only one way [to God]?” but “Why is

there even one way?”

R.C. Sproul

Sunday Bible Study Notes: August 5

On Trial

 

Today’s Text               John 18:28-40

Introduction

 

Our story has progressed from where we left off last week.  Jesus and the disciples left the upper room and went to the garden where Jesus was arrested while at prayer.  His response to their demand for him of “I am he” proved to be enlightening to the soldiers and guards who had come to take him in, but he went along quietly in order to accomplish God’s redemptive purpose.  He was taken before the Jewish leaders, roughed up and convicted of a phony charge in a joke of a trial.  Peter, as Jesus had predicted, denied knowing Jesus three times, and now, early the next morning he is taken before Pilate, the ranking Roman official, for trial because only the Romans could impose capital punishment.

Points of Interest

 

18:28-32            In these verses, the Jews approach Pilate with the request that he condemn Jesus to death.  Note that Pilate doesn’t seem interested in granting them their wish.  Note also the way they have approached him:  First, they cannot enter the palace because they would be “unclean” and ineligible to participate in the Passover meal, so Pilate must come out to them.  One might wonder what their ceremonial condition was after the role they played in putting the Son of God to death!  The upshot of the exchange so far is that they need the Romans to agree to an execution, and oh by the way, Jesus had predicted the manner of his death in 3:14.

18:33-35            Pilate has Jesus brought to him for a few questions; one can’t help having a little sympathy for old Pilate here.  Jesus, like the Jews outside isn’t all that respectful of Pilate’s predicament in his answer to Pilate’s first question about whether or not he was a king.  “Is that your own idea…?”  Pilate’s answer to Jesus’ question reveals that he wants nothing to do with any of this; “Am I a Jew?”  The rest of his question in v. 35 is basically ‘what have you done to tick these people off?’  The answer he receives in the next verse is the crucial point of the text:

18:36                “My kingdom is not of this world.”  It is from “another place.”  The Jews were looking for the Messiah to bring a kingdom to the world; a worldly kingdom.  It would throw the Romans out, defeat their enemies and restore the former glory of Israel, and the Jewish leaders would have tremendous power in that earthly kingdom.  Jesus actually came with an entirely different kind of kingdom; a kingdom of faith and forgiveness.  Forgiveness was the last thing the Jewish leaders were concerned about.

18:37-38a          Pilate jumps on the king aspect: “You are a king then?”  If Jesus were an aspiring king without the endorsement of the Roman government, then it could be asserted that he was plotting treason against Caesar.  Even now, however, Pilate is troubled by this whole thing; he isn’t buying the idea that Jesus is a threat to the government.  In his answer, Jesus admits to being a king, but again demonstrates that he is not an earthly king, for his reason for being born is to testify to the truth.  In all likelihood, Pilate would have a hard time putting truth and kings together as treason.  In fact, as we also know, kings, governments and truth are strange bedfellows.  Pilate’s response to Jesus’ truth assertion shows us all we need to know about him: “What is truth?” It reveals a high level of frustration as it is one of the great unanswered questions of worldly life.  Little did Pilate know, Jesus had answered this question earlier: “I am the way, the truth and the life” The answer to the great question about truth is that Jesus is the very embodiment of Truth.

18:38b-40          Pilate goes back outside and tries again to end the standoff with the Jewish leaders, announcing that he finds no basis for any charge against Jesus.  In doing this, he of course is speaking in terms of Roman law.  He reminds the people that the Romans offer an annual pardon to a Jewish prisoner at the Passover, sort of a goodwill gesture.  The Jews want Jesus dead and silent; they demand a man who deserves to die for the safety of the public.  Their hatred of Jesus and the truth that he has brought to them from God Himself; the truth that they should be rejoicing for, is so great that they will do anything to be rid of him and by extension God.  It is really a shocking and reprehensible thing they are doing, one that they will pay dearly for in the future.  It is also an indication of how many will react to the truth of simple Christianity for centuries to come… as Jesus warned his disciples in the upper room.

Next week, we will pick up the story at this point as the drama continues…

On Blogging

Blogging is a funny thing and in some ways I still haven’t figured it out. When I first heard about “web logs” years ago, I couldn’t imagine why anyone would want to post what they do all day, and even more so, I couldn’t imagine why anybody would want to read them.  I got a little bit of insight when I saw the movie Julie and Julia; it was a charming story, nicely done as a movie, and I could sort of see why somebody might start reading Julie’s blog… if they were into cooking.

Of course, I heard about political and sports blogs, but I never bothered to check them out… every blowhard can now post their opinion as though they knew what they were talking about: great.  It didn’t sound very inviting to me.  It never occurred to me that people might post things that could be a blessing to others.

Last year I came upon more and more blogs about things that I was interested in, and lo and behold I discovered that my preconceived notions about blogs weren’t entirely correct; blogs like any other medium can be really a waste of time… and they can also be awesome.  When I started blogging, my real intent was to learn to write better and in styles that were different from things I had written before.  I would have to say that the results from my point of view are mixed.  I have experimented with writing styles that aren’t simply technical, but I’m not ready to say that I’ve improved as a writer; I still seem to mess it up quite a bit. More than anything, I have found blogging to be hard to understand in the sense that there is no rhyme or reason as to blog stats.

Having a business background, I tend to think in terms of patterns of customer counts, predictable sales patterns and so forth.  I still can’t see any patterns in blog stats; some days the whole world drops by, and other days they’re all somewhere else, and I can’t see any difference in the kind of content that I’ve posted…  Maybe that’s just the way blogs go.

What has been the best benefit to me of blogging is that I’ve come across quite a number of blogs that are a blessing to me every time they post.  There are men and women of faith out there who regularly post items that are encouraging, inspiring, sometimes humbling, and that boldly proclaim the truth of a life lived in God’s service.  To those of you who post such things, I just want to say

Thank You!

Sunday Class Notes: June 3

Humility Exemplified

Today’s Text               John 13:1-17

Introduction

 

This is the beginning of the second section of John’s Gospel; there are no more scenes of Jesus teaching the crowds.  The pattern of chapters 2-12 where there is a miracle or sign followed by Jesus giving an explanation are replaced by Jesus explaining the greatest sign of all, his death, burial and resurrection before it happens.  These are called the “Farewell” or “Upper Room Discourses”. The scene opens just before the Passover meal on the night that Jesus would be betrayed.  Jesus demonstrates an act of humility that would normally be done by a slave; the washing of the feet of the dinner guests.

Points of Interest

 

13:1-3               John uses these verses to set the scene by placing the time at the very beginning of the meal.  They had not yet begun to eat, Judas had already been prompted to go astray, and yet Jesus was confident in his destiny and had received all power from God.  It is particularly pointed that John mentions this fact: Jesus had received all power, had had everything placed in his control and was about to return to God… when all of the sudden what did he do?

13:4-5               Jesus gets up from the table, takes off his clothes, grabs a towel and begins washing the feet of the disciples.  It is important to note that even though the NIV adds the word “outer” to garments, there is no such indication in the Greek, which literally says “set aside his garments”.  Commentators rise to this and many describe Jesus as in his “undergarments”.  Undergarments for men were invented around the time of George Washington and were not widely worn until the late 19^th century; they did not exist in ancient times.  If Jesus had indeed removed an outer garment, then it would have been a cloak, comparable to a modern-day coat, and obviously this is not likely.  I do not join the NIV in protecting modern-day sensibilities here because it is vital that we get an accurate picture of exactly what was going on in order to get the full value of what Jesus is demonstrating in this act of humility, for it is in total and complete contradiction to what was stated in verse 3, and it actually becomes the whole point of this incident.  Jesus was not only washing the feet of men who weren’t qualified to carry his briefcase (so to speak) but he had utterly and totally humbled himself in the process!  (Can you imagine yourself doing this?) The NIV also states that he had a towel wrapped around him, while the KJV says he “girded” himself with the towel.  Was the towel providing a modesty covering, and at the same time being used to dry their feet after washing?  HOMEWORK:  Do an experiment at home.  Wrap a towel around yourself, as to cover up, get down on the floor and try to dry something also on the floor.  You will discover the answer. Once you have the answer, then remember that Jesus also washed the feet of the one whom he knew was about to betray him: Then you will understand what this scene means!

13:6-9               Peter seems to have understood that he was not worthy to be treated in this way by Jesus who was so much greater than he.  Jesus’ reply to him is also understood… sort of.  Well, in that case, how about washing my hands and head too.  Peter believed Jesus when he told him that he must be “cleaned” by him, but he still didn’t quite grasp the metaphor that was playing out in that room.

13:10-11            Jesus’ comments here refer to the fact that a person attending a dinner would bathe before leaving their house, so that when they arrived at the dinner, only their feet would have gotten dirty on the walk to the dinner venue; thus the custom of having your feet washed by a slave prior to reclining at table.  Remember that dinner tables were not like the ones we use today, and the “reclining” was literal.  The comment that not all were clean gives us a hint that Jesus is not really concerned about hygiene, for he knew what was afoot with Judas; his concern was that they be spiritually clean.

13:12-17            Jesus gets dressed and resumes his seat; then he explains what he has done.  He has set for them an example, a twofold example.  First, we as his servants must be willing to humble ourselves in his service.  Do we dare humble ourselves as he has done?  Second, our service must be to clean the filth of sin from one another, to teach them to obey all that he has commanded us, and to be willing to dirty our hands in the process.  We can never do this by glorifying ourselves; we can only accomplish this mission by humbling ourselves.  We are to follow his example!

Not Forgotten

Today is Memorial Day in the USA, a day in which Americans pause to honor those men and women who have given “their last full measure of devotion” for our freedom and liberty.  All Americans, and even many others in various places around the world should pause to ask themselves what the world would be like today had these heroes not been willing to sacrifice for freedom.

I disagree with those who say that these honored dead are the source of our liberties, for Liberty comes from God.  However this in no way diminishes their sacrifice or their service.  On the contrary it could easily be argued that in defending freedom from tyranny they have been the very agents of God.

Personally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every man and woman of our Armed Forces for what they do for this Nation in difficult times and often terrible circumstances; you are all an inspiration to freedom loving Peoples everywhere.  I hope that each of us will take the time this day to reflect upon those who cannot hear our thanks and praise, for their selfless devotion  in the service of their country and of decency, peace and liberty which  must surely humble us all.

Finally, I would ask all who read this to approach Almighty God in prayer today, asking that such sacrifices may never again be required of the young men and women of any nation, that His mercy and justice would prevail on the earth for ever.

Sunday Class Notes

It’s All about Priorities

 

Today’s Text               John 12:1-11

Introduction

 

The scene for this text is set at six days before Passover when Jesus and his group reachBethany.  This is also right after he has raised Lazarus from the tomb and Lazarus, Mary and Martha are in attendance at this dinner, a Sabbath dinner at the home of Simon who is a good mutual friend, as we discover from the Synoptics.  We can infer the close relationship between Simon and Lazarus, Mary and Martha from the fact that Martha is one of those serving the dinner, and it is interesting to note that the word used to describe her service in verse 2 is the word from which we get the English words “deacon” and “minister” meaning “servant” and is also used to describe Martha in Luke 10:40.

Points of Interest

 

12:3                 Mary suddenly begins an unusual foot treatment for Jesus by applying a large amount of nard to his feet. Nard is a highly-prized ointment imported fromIndia that was prized by both men and women in the ancient world.  It had a sweet-woody odor that was very heavy and likely to fill the entire house.  The “pint” that she applied to Jesus’ feet would be worth something in the area of $20,000.00 today.  Mary held nothing back in using so much of the very expensive luxury on Jesus, even mopping up the excess with her hair, a gesture of pure humility in front of mixed company; in short this was a shocking scene, and yet it shows us that Mary was holding nothing back from the service to Jesus.  I daresay that there is a lesson in this for our time, for how many of us would pour $20,000.00 on Jesus’ feet?  It seems likely that Mary understood that Jesus would soon be taken from them, and she was not going to stand by his grave and wish she had told him how much she loved him.

12:4-6              Judas raises what seems to be a logical objection to all of this extravagance pointing out that the money could have been put to a better use; very reasonable indeed.  However John points out in the text that Judas may have had an ulterior motive for his objection as he has been known to embezzle their funds in his keeping.  Notice that John does not reveal how or when they became aware of this, but it does show us a glimpse of the character of the man who would shortly turn traitor.  One thing is clear; it wasn’t the poor that Judas was mourning for.

12:7-8              Jesus will have none of this criticism.  He points out that she had saved it for his funeral, and even though the funeral hadn’t come about, it would within the week, and Mary would prize her act even more on that day.  As for the poor, Jesus commented on that as well, although his comment has been misinterpreted by many since.  He was not giving justification of those who would ignore those in need, but rather that there are times when service to God trumps everything else; even good works.  How many Christians over the centuries have been so concerned with good social works that they have missed out on a closer relationship with the Lord!  He comes first in all things, even doing good deeds.

12:9-11            News of the raising of Lazarus and Jesus’ arrival inBethany reached near-byJerusalem very quickly and many came out to see both Jesus and Lazarus.  Of course amongst the curious were also their leaders who had different things in mind.  Their hatred of Jesus was all the greater for so many more were prepared to follow him and to discontinue following their leaders.  From their point of view, this had to stop for their position was being severely threatened; Lazarus must go as well as Jesus. Thus, the stage is set for the final drama of Jesus’ last week and the most seminal event of all human history.

Sunday Class Notes: May 13

The Resurrection and the Life

 

Today’s Text               John 11:1-44

Introduction

 

This is a famous story about the miracle that Jesus performs in raising Lazarus from the tomb, but it is much more than that.  Jesus will reveal much about His own death and the hope that we will have as a result.  It probably begins in Perea where Jesus went after the last attempt to stone him, and opens with the news that His dear friend Lazarus was near death.  Jesus’ reaction seems surprising, since one might expect Him to rush off to help, but He delays instead…

11:7-16                        Jesus announces to His disciples that it’s time to get on to Judea.  Assuming that He means to return to the temple to resume his teaching, the disciples voice the concern that His safety would be in question.  Jesus uses the metaphor of day and night to tell them that it is still safe for Him to go, but the implication is that the time is short.  Then He tells them that they will be going to see about their friend Lazarus and corrects the misunderstanding about him being “asleep” for Lazarus is dead.  Good old Thomas is optimistic as always…

11:17-22          These verses set the stage for the miracle:  Lazarus has been in the tomb four days, Martha comes out to meet Jesus on His way, and there were many people in town who had come because of the death and funeral who would be witnesses for what would happen.  Martha, upon meeting Jesus both scolds and demonstrates great faith.  Whether or not her faith extended to raising her brother from the grave is a matter of interpretation, but she was certainly disappointed that He hadn’t intervened in his illness, which is a thought many of us have had at one time or another…

11:23-27          Clearly Martha’s understanding of Jesus was along the lines of “funeral words” that are often spoken to give comfort to the grieving, but Jesus was talking about something else.  He delivers a stunner, an “I Am” statement, double-barreled at that!  “I am the resurrection and the life” meaning that Jesus is a living resurrection.  Martha’s reaction is just what Jesus was looking for; she shows that she has believed His promise of eternal life; little does she know that she was about to see it demonstrated with power.

11:28-37          Martha runs back to town to get Mary who leaves so suddenly that the visitors follow to see what’s up.  When she reaches Jesus, her greeting is the same that Martha’s had been.  This time Jesus simply asks her where Lazarus was buried, and then He wept.  The reaction of the onlookers is interesting, with some noting how much He loved Lazarus and others grumbling as usual.

11:38-44          Arriving at the tomb, Jesus orders the stone removed.  There is an objection: Lazarus has been in the tomb four days and will stink! Jesus reminds all of them that he had made promises about eternal life.  The stone is removed and Jesus thanks the Father in a way that demonstrates where the glory for the miracle belongs and also shows why this was all being done: So that they might believe. Lazarus is summoned, comes out and Jesus directs the burial wrappings be removed so the man can go free; free from the grave just as all who believe will be set free from the grave.

The fact that Lazarus had been dead four days is a demonstration of God’s power and a way of authenticating the miracle.  He was not sleeping, nor was he in a coma; he was dead.  There is no earthly way to rejuvenate someone who has been dead four days; not then, not now: Lazarus was a dead man and Jesus called him forth from his grave… and he came forth!

Seven Days in Utopia

Seven Days in Utopia is the first movie that I’ve seen in a long time that I would recommend to a Christian audience because it is encouraging, inspirational and worthwhile. To be fair, there are other movies that I might tell a Christian audience are interesting, entertaining and ‘not that bad’, but Seven Days in Utopia is actually inspiring.

Based on a book by sports performance expert Dr. David Cook, this movie uses golf (not my game, that’s for sure) to teach timeless lessons about life that end up in a Resurrection Sunday worship service.  With that said, the thing that I found particularly interesting about this film is that Cook has crafted a story that demonstrates active discipleship in a way that isn’t overtly “Christian” in the sense that there isn’t any preaching or clichés that might turn off a non-Christian audience.  In doing this, he has made a story that is so compelling that he can teach real Christianity to people who might normally turn it off before they get very far.  He never actually comes out and says so in the movie, but the conclusion that Christ is very busy in the story is, in the end, unmistakable. In short, it is a present-day parable.

Seven Days in Utopia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

One last thing:  This is a “real” movie with a “real” production team and “real” known actors, not a corny low-budget affair…

Please check out the trailer, sorry there’s a commercial, and check out the movie; it might just be a way to reach someone who needs to hear the story!