Between Doubt and Belief

Easter has come and passed in a way that I would dare say few if any places of worship have ever before. Believers, those who want to believe, those who who aren’t sure but are willing to tab least hear, and those who come because someone they want to impress or love believe; one and all come to a place of worship and comfort. But not this year. This year the entire world was forced into a very unfamiliar and uncomfortable place that upon reflection see it as suspension between doubt and belief.

There is no doubt that we are living in increasingly uncertain times. Theres not a person I know who is untouched by strange words like COVID and Corona. I know of no one who is not aware of not-so-new but not-so-often used terms such as Social Distancing and Abundance of Caution. The fear and polarized filter that many hear these things only adds to the inability to mentally process never mind understand the severity of the very unstable pedestal upon which humanity currently stands. The pedestal of finance, education, social circles, commerce, government, and agriculture have all been very suddenly and universally exposed as very temporary and unreliable. I know of no-one who thought that any of these global systems humanity depended upon would be shaken by anything to this degree and even if it was imagined, the expected culprit was assumed “the other party” or a war… But not an unseeable virus.

Oh to be sure, people still believe that there is a way through this and know that troubles can’t last forever and that someday the sun will still rise. Theres a belief that the only variable is time which is at once comforting and anxiety inducing because time is not something we control but operate within.  Most believe that there is someone who will swoop in wearing a red cape or tailored suit and save the day. Others believe that there is a bunker someplace that holds all of the answers that will put this all behind us. Still others believe and hope that this will all be just a uncomfortable memory that will be written about by authors, poets, and journalists for a while… and then quickly forgotten or dismissed as tabloid news.

I see the nervousness and general state of alarm ratcheting up all around and nothing people have traditionally gravitated to being able to offer the chance to exhale. The sense of being suspended in limbo is pervasive and leaves me sensing that humanity feels as if we are precariously hung between doubt and belief.

This is where Jesus was on Good Friday.

Jesus was crucified upon the symbol of death and example relied upon by the Roman Empire to assure control over dissenters and malefactors. The Roman society did not invent crucifixion but they did perfect it to horrific result. This form of extreme punishment was a very visible way of keeping people from trusting in anything other than them.

So when Pilate determined that Jesus had borne no fault or caused any break in that firm expectation of fealty one may understand why there was his willingness to seek refuge in involving his enemy Herod (Luke 23:12) so as not to bear this alone. When that failed, the chief priests were called into his circle. I say to you that I believe Pilate wanted to be released from his own place of suspension between belief in his government and doubt in the choice he was empowered to make, but dared not make.

But I ask you to consider that as precarious as Pilate and Herod and even the religious leaders of that time may have been, no one was more precariously hung than Jesus himself. Jesus was physically battered and emotionally spent. Worse yet, His own Father had forsaken Him. Notice I say He was forsaken but God did not leave Him. Over and over again we read through Isaiah, Psalms, Deuteronomy, Hebrews… God promised to never leave us or forsake his creation. Being abandoned and forsaken are two different things, however, and that should be explored at another time. For now please look at the physical place Jesus was in.

On that Friday, Jesus was fastened to a rough and rugged wooden cross in the most horrific way possible. But as God in corporeal flesh, he was not alone. Two men suffering a similar fate were with Him. One was a condemned malefactor, and the other a witness and believer in the sovereignty of Jesus. History suggests that Jesus was literally between the two. The malefactor assaulted Jesus with words that come from a place of doubt and disrespect saying “if” and “us”. His words suggest to my ears a demand that Jesus perform a miracle, but his expectation was a magic trick or a feat of might. He doubted not just the position of Christ as the Son of God, but also doubted His ability to save His own skin. That was one man known as a malefactor (Luke 23:39).

The other by my eyes was one who witnessed Jesus’ work, but was unchanged. I can imagine that there was on at least one occasion, the second who not only knew of Jesus works, and maybe had even witnessed His works. I can even imagine that he may have personally benefitted from the works of Jesus, and yet was not moved beyond committing crimes in the eyes of Rome. Or he could have held the misdirected anger that the Israelites did not get the political revolution they thought they’d get. Could it be that his crimes were such that the laws of Rome were unforgivable, but by Jesus, they are are? Recall that he admitted that they had committed crimes deserving of Romes life ending punishment. But he also knew that whatever they did that sealed their own fate, he had also seen enough to know that Jesus had not earned such a condemnation such as theirs. This reads to me as the a demonstration of true confession and repentance. Even in their last hours, Jesus heard this and something interesting happened. When Jesus was insistent on the hearers of His words paying attention he would repeat Himself; verily verily. But here He only said it once. This condemned man not only didn’t need further confirmation in the truth of who Jesus is, but he was in the end a believer who had no doubt.

My heart tells me that we too are witness to the works of Jesus and the only question is will we doubt Him or believe in Him? As we are suspended between to extremes, one filled with fear laced doubt and the other with repentant belief, we are called to choose one or the other. I believe that while we are in a global pandemic, afraid to go forward, and afraid to go back to what was, the choice to believe becomes all the more urgent. There is every reason to be wise and do as medical and public health officials ask of us. We can take that information and wisely apply their knowledge in our own lives if for no other reason because it will help protect our fellow community members. Yet in the end, the only real and final answer to the question of should I continue to waver between belief and doubt in The Way, The Truth, and The Life. Should I continue to only come to Jesus when I need a cosmic Santa Clause to give me something. Should I look for Jesus to perform some kind of act as evidence that He really is the Son of God? I would submit that the answer is no. We are to learn more about Him by studying His word. Strengthen our relationship with Him by talking with Jesus; prayer. Know that His works are not magic or self promotion but miraculous changes in the human condition and earthly state that all point directly to Him. I choose to steadily walk away from my frail human reaction to doubt, daily die to that mindset, and enter more deeply into belief.

Jesus did not stay suspended between doubt and belief – and neither will I.

After Good Friday, but before Easter…

Today is Good Friday and most of Christendom is focused on the primary reason that Christianity is their highest of holy days. This is the time we remember the so-called tragedy of the crucifixion and the glorious triumph of life over death on Easter. But as the world is hidden behind closed doors in an effort to prevent the very real possibility of being infected with a Corona Virus known as COVID-19, there is something more to consider.

This weekend reminds us of a time that was filled with uncertainty for the Apostles. A time when they and we are unable to see beyond the now and wonder aloud “what next”? As Christians, the people of faith are predisposed at this time to gather together and celebrate the promise of embodying what the theologian Maya Angelou wrote, “Still I Rise”. That is because we have the blessing of hindsight. To be sure we are, as a human race, experiencing in one way or another, the extreme uncertainty that the Apostles experienced. But they had no such blessing of hindsight and were afraid. For them, and for us….it is Saturday…

The Apostles had falteringly but faithfully followed the very Son of God. They listened and recorded His words. They sat at His feet excitedly to hear the next lesson. They followed the ministry of Jesus for almost three full years. Then suddenly, but not unexpectedly, their focus for a very present inspiration and guidance in a very uncertain and dark world…. They watched Him become what (to the world seemed to be) yet another victim of the Roman version of corporal punishment. The very object of the Apostles affection was hung from a cross by nails and before His life could be taken from Him by the soldiers, He literally gave up the ghost… and died. (Mathew 19:30-34).

The reality is death has no power over the grave because of the unfathomable gift of life as given by Jesus The Christ. But to get there, we have the example of Jesus to show that there is something important that prepares us during the in-between time of our own Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

On Friday, Jesus offered up His very life for each of us. On Sunday, He rose with all power in the very palm of His hands. So it may be in your mind now… What did He do on Saturday? What could the very Son of God do during the in-between time of the prophesied sacrifice and the promised resurrection? What could possibly happen between the indisputable death of God incarnate and the equally indisputable rising of the same on the 3rd day?

The real question is what will WE do during that in-between time? What will we as believers do on our own Saturdays? What could we do that will assure that on our third day, the communities we live in will see the Love and Passion of Christ in us?

I say to you that on Saturday, we are no less or more Christians than on any other day. Our Savior did not teach and preach live and die so that we would sit idle waiting for the next shoe to drop. No. Our calling is to actively prepare for the many who do not yet know His name. Our calling is to gather our strength, mount up with wings, and study His Word so that we may be the Church He called us to be. Christians around the world know that Jesus sacrificed Himself for every sin that ever was and would be. That was His calling. Ours is to exact the Great Commission (Mark 16:15 and Matthew 28:19-20). But we were not commanded to go out unlearned in who He is. This is a time for us as we are under quarantine by a virus that we cannot see, (but experience its effects nonetheless) to consider that it is not religion that God desires of us. Rather relationship. Relationship….

Relationship does not come by an occasional check-in but by regular and sometimes unquenchable passion to be present with one another. The Word of God and the gathering of those who believe is the most assured way to build such a relationship with Jesus the Christ. So other than the Great Commission, why would we want such a relationship? I would submit because relationship with anyone and anything we experience, as we yet live on earth is good (Genesis 2:18), but is temporary. I would submit for your consideration that once you understand the value of a Friend with a capital F, you would then desire that Friendship to never end and last unto eternity. For such a relationship to develop, we are given the gift of Saturday. Saturday is where we see life without the intimate presence of Jesus and we must seek Him through His Word. This is not unusual because when we are not with our own worldly friends, do we not sometimes scroll through their internet posts and text messages? Do we not re-read the words our friends shared with us and with others seeking a deeper understanding of who they are to us? How much more would we gain in our hearts if we would do the same on Saturday? If we were to read the text messages of Christ as written in the Holy Bible, would we not see something we may not have seen the first time we read the Words?

I implore you to look forward to Saturday. Not with dread, but with expectation to learn and see something new in Jesus. Gain new insight that will give us enough hope to warm our hearts to carry us into Easter Sunday. I say to you now that on some Sunday yet to come, your stone will also roll, and you will be able to leave your cell too. No cell, or tomb, or place in which you reside will hold you forever. This is not your home but where you reside for the some-while until the day that your stone rolls away. You too will witness the glory of God and gaze upon His glorious face. I ask you to take this time, this Saturday, to better understand who The Savior and best Friend Jesus is to you. All of our lives, others have told you who God is and who Jesus is. Please do not take their word for it any longer. Oh, my friends, on this Saturday, taste and see for yourself.

Mourning

2 Samuel 12:16-24

 

 

80 Legion Parkway lost a pastor of 35 years. He was beloved. He was our shepherd. He is missed. He baptized many of us and offered the right hand of fellowship to more. He taught us in bible study and he trained our ministers. He helped to recognize our faults and comfort us when we were sad. He provided us resources and inspired us to be greater than we thought possible. Pastor Michael Wayne Walker WAS in the eyes of many, Messiah. He embodied what we felt was the best of us and urged us to do the same. And now, he is gone…

 

How do we carry on? How do we pick ourselves up from the sadness of the loss? How does this church recover from such a dramatic change? How do we come out of the dust of mourning? 

 

David after lying with Bathsheba begged God to not let his unborn child die for his sin. He knew he was wrong for sending Uriah to the front lines to die by the sword. God sent Nathan to David and by Davids’ own mouth spoke the fate of his unborn child. When we lose someone that we love very much, there must be a period of mourning. David begged God to take away the pain by sparing him the prophetic loss. So what did David do? David prayed on behalf of the child, he fasted, went in[to] his prayer closet, if you will, and lay all night upon the ground. He fasted not only from prayer and worship in the temple which was normal custom but from all communication with others. He was in solitude. 

 

The servants attempted to break him of the fast, but were without success. 

 

Then, after seven days of prostrate fasting, the child died and not until verse 19 was the gender known: it was a boy. In Jewish culture the first born being lost is especially tragic. This was the 1st born child with Bathsheba so imagine the pain she suffered on account of David. But by Vs. 20, David arose, washed, anointed himself, changed his clothes, came into the temple of the Lord, and worshipped… THEN he came into his own house, and finally he ate bread. What does this all have to do with us and Pastor Walker?

 

The Walker Choraleers have worn yellow robes with initials on their robes for a long time. Last week the missionaries gifted them new clothes. They literally changed clothes and came in wearing something new. And something struck me. I recalled that David washed himself after his mourning and changed his clothes too. From there he was able to carry-on and be new; again be a man after Gods own heart. 

 

This could be a lesson for us to learn from watching the children. The children, their directors, and the Missionaries have supplied the children with new clothes. The symbol God has given to me is that this is what Messiah must do as well. We must allow ourselves to mourn and change our perspective first by beseeching unto God for our loss. In fervent prayer, ask God to be present with the church. Notice David did not pray for himself–but for the child. Praying for others is very powerful and the prayers of a righteous man avail much. Pray for others, and listen for God to speak. He knows what is needed. Allow God to speak to your heart. 

 

Second we heal by fasting. This doesn’t always mean abstinence from food. This is Lent so the time seems to be prophetic. In our own way, we should respond to our loss with fasting. But fasting from what and for how long? That is for each of us to decide. For David it was 7 days, but for us it may be different. It could be from certain foods. It could be from driving. It could be from harsh language. It could be from the path that has led us from moving forward without Pastor Walker. We could have been so comfortable with the past, that no future without him could possibly be embraced. So we have found ourselves bitter, confused, critical, unforgiving; in ways we don’t even realize because we have not yet fasted. Fasting is a response and should be done in the spirit of drawing nearer to God. It is not a magic pill that will suddenly enlighten us to something, but should be to glorify God. Fasting is not for weight loss nor is it for show. It isn’t transactional; God I’ll fast if you do this. No. It is a response. David fasted in response to the prophesy Nathan who spoke unto him of his being ‘the man’ who would suffer the judgement David thought correct for the transgressions described in the story of the pitiless taking of the lamb. 

 

Third, as David did, go into your prayer closet or private place to commune with God. And fourth, lay upon the ground until the judgement of God was fulfilled. How might this look in our lives? Literally laying on the ground may not be something you should or can physically do. The sense is to lower yourself and to physically not be so tall. Or spiritually lower from a place where you may not hear God but be busy trying to tell God what you think needs to happen. David wanted that child as we wanted Pastor Walker to stay. But that was not our choice any more than it was Davids’. Listen to God. What does he have to say to you? In your silence he may be silent as well or He may have a Word for you. 

 

Then the whispers came… Not from God but from the elders who spoke with David continually for 7 days. The atmosphere changed. He perceived that his son, the first with Bathsheba had died. In our church now, there are whispers. Whispers where once there was encouraging talk. Where once there were elders and servants who asked David to rise up and come to his self as they knew him to be. It can be very distressing to see someone you know change into something you cannot even recognize. You become desperate to convince him to be like what you once knew. To be like you were in the old days. So you become even more insistent that he come off of the ground, eat something, and be the king you need. But it cannot be about what the elders want when there is mourning. 

 

So when the talking ceased and the whispers began, David perceived this and knew that it was over. He had his answer. There was nothing more to be accomplished. So he spoke to the elders and asked if the child was dead. And finally we learn that it was a boy…. And he was dead. 

 

The time to fast was completed and David had his answer. What was he to do? Continue to lay in his sadness? Ruminate with the elders about how he felt in the old days? How nice it would have been for the child to still be here? To return making plans to go backwards on a path that he already trod? No. We can look to David again for what to do.

 

The WC has already shown us what to do. We must rise up, wash ourselves, become anointed, change our clothes, come into this temple at 80 Legion Parkway, worship God, then return to our homes, and break bread. So what could this look like?

 

The songwriter sang that after you’ve done all you can, you just stand. Stand. Rise up from the sadness you held in the loss. It is not wrong to be sad but it is no help to stay in that place. You must stand. And soon you will see that you are not alone in standing. Others will stand with you; perhaps even some that you did not think would. 

 

Then wash. This is an act symbolic of the cleansing of sins. Is it a sin to remain on the ground and not stand? The sin is to allow the dust of sadness and mourning the dirt of talk that will draw us away from the fast in response to Gods judgement, to remain on us after we stand. It is not Gods will that we be sick with sin. The song says there is a balm in Gilead, to wash the sin sick soul. Wash away your sadness and mourn-filled dust. Stand and return to life with others. 

 

Then anoint yourself. When Jesus’ feet were washed with the oil in the alabaster box, his feet were anointed. Anointing is a sweet savor that is pleasing to the nose. Put on a fresh anointing that is pleasing to God because the anointed are reminded of their failures before God. The smell will remind us that we have fallen short so that we might not again fall to the sin of mourning a past we cannot change. The anointing is not for man, but for God and He alone. Matthew 6:16-18 reminds us of that.  

 

Then change your clothes. You know what it is like to be sick. You don’t want to do anything. You just want to lay in your own stinky bed and same old clothes and just curl up. After a while you don’t smell very fresh. God tells us to change our clothes and in the freshness you are by example prepared to present yourself to God in the temple. Come in. Wear your new clothes and worship God with a new look to the future. Casting the old away, focused on God and praising Him in all things not for all things. We worship God through song and praise not because of all he has done. Worship is not a response, it is an action. It is an action to praise God for who God is and to honor God in the knowledge that we are his and God is with us always. 

Finally we should go home. Rev preached on that second Sunday exhorting us to build a home of love and acceptance. Once we have entered into our home, break bread, and break the fast.

 

This is mourning. There is no standardized time table for it. It does not have a one size fits all tag on it. But mourning is something we all must one day do. David showed us how. God has blessed it because in the very next verse, David was able to comfort his wife who was suffering greatly herself and soon they begat Solomon. There is a Solomon for Messiah. He is. We may not know who our Solomon is because we have not mourned and we have not washed. But he is waiting for us and when we are ready, Solomon will come and vs. 24 says that the LORD loves him. 

 

Amen.  

Happy birthday

Persevere. That’s what James 1:4 asks me to do. But I find it hard to do.

You see, today is the first birthday I have ‘celebrated’ while my mother is on the other side of eternity. Yes, I’ve faced thanksgiving and Christmas and more since April 7th at 3 am in the morning… but none of those holidays have colored my day quite today has. I’ve been internally sullen and unsettled. I desire peace in my head and heart and am struggling to find it in either.

Truth is, this is the day that my mother witnessed my first breath while I was honored to witness her last. And that is something all the old heads tell me I’ll never quite get over. I don’t intend to. But I do desire to persevere. Enter James. Count it all good when a Christian is struggling or beset or struggling because the Word says I will find his perfect peace in my weakness.

I’m reminded that when we marry we are to forsake all other and to leave our mothers and fathers. Until losing my mom I wasn’t sure why. I mean I had superficial reasons I could intellectualize but nothing spiritual. Now I know why. It is so that we may have the comfort of a betrothed and committed friend and lover to give us solace when mom no longer can. And in that comfort God will be found because it is He who brought and keeps us together.

I think I know why so many adults who also have lost parents generally have a sadness that tinges their joy. It’s not always because the world has got them down. Nor is it always because they’ve seen fire and seen rain. It’s because mom is gone. Dad may be gone too. And no one sends cards anymore.

I’m sure this melancholy worthy of a Smiths song will pass, but until then, I shall persevere because I am not alone. God is still with me and I need to let the perseverance work on me so I may finally mature and be complete. Thank you Holy Spirit for your presence and your guidance. But most of all for the strength to persevere. Amen.

Are you alone?

Judges 16:20
Has God left you?
This is considered perhaps the saddest sentence in the Old Testament because it speaks to the ultimate loss. It speaks to complete unawareness of disconnection. Not knowing that God has abandoned you. Sampson had the strength of The Lord. The bind of his strength was the length of his hair and so long as it was not shorn, his binding to the strength of The Lord would remain. But by defying God, and by allowing his cord of strength bound to eternity be severed, he lost connection. He lost relationship with God… and the saddest thing is he doesn’t even know it. 
I cannot imagine a worse feeling than knowing I have lost connection with my lord and savior. To know that God has told me in no uncertain terms that I am no longer his to care for. To love. To turn his face to. But in that I could know that it happened. What if he left me, and I never even know it? How desperate could I be thinking I was protected by God, but when I enter into a situation where I need Him, “knowing” he’s with me… only to discover that He is not? Could there be an adequate way to describe the dark place I could be in to not never know what I’m missing out on. But worse to not know it until it is lost to me? Knowing full well I was fully in control of maintaining that connection and allowing a little g God come between me and THE God. Cutting, literally, my connection to God? And not. Even. Knowing. It. Happened. What a dark place to be. 

How will you thank God?

Psalm 18:1-2

David was a scoundrel. These no doubt. Yet that, God saw something within him that was beyond any of our seeing. Because of his grace, David was spared his demise. Perhaps it was to teach us a lesson that none of us are so far gone that God is unwilling to accept us to his bosom if we are sincere in our faith to him. The key is that we far too often forget that when God secures us from certain peril, we must give god praise in our own way. This psalm was written by David to the chief musician. I find it interesting that David was inspired to write to God but didn’t settle with a word. He gave it to a musician to make it into song. He collaborated if you will. In a way, this is emblematic of how we get anything done that will last and have significant impact on others and honor God; where two or three are gathered. 

I see David at his desk struggling to find the words that will perfectly express his joy at having escaped his doom. Words flow but he is not satisfied. He then turns to the musician. Together they create what is perhaps one of the most memorable of all psalms that has been sung for generation to generation. 

If you were to thank God with your heart, would a word be enough? Would you need to put those words to music too? Maybe in stone? In a book where a single line or paragraph would not be enough? Would you recite a poem? Deliver a sermon? Whisper it in someone’s ear as a way to inspir them too? Whatever you do, thank God. He is our rock and our salvation. His armament is sufficient to turn aside anything that have design to harm you. Thank him today. 

Comforting the comforter

2 Corinthians 1:3,4

It has been said that only the one who has been through something can testify to another how to ‘get over’ their similar issue.

It has been thought that only a recovered alcoholic can truly minister to the alcoholic because the recovered drinker has been there and done that. To be sure, there is some logic to that notion. No doubt. If I want to know how to do something and do it well, I would seek one who has been there before too. Someone who has the ability to explain my path forward in as much detail as my curious mind may require. Children ask adults questions not always to be annoying, but because they know not what they do.

So what of the times that will come that shall bring tribulations, which is a stained-glass word for the struggles of life? How are we to face those days? How does the faithful find comfort when they have heard so much tribulation even the most devout is now disquieted? What is the faithful to do when the confessions and mentoring has reached a tipping point and their mind is full of sinful thoughts we are unable to release the pain?

This passage tells us that the same comforter that restores the stressed person, whom we as leaders of the Christian church will pray the Holy Spirit upon, will also fall upon us. What I see this passage saying is that the cycle of comfort is reciprocal and cyclical. That while we offer comfort to the disconsolate, we will receive comfort from The Holy One. Said another way, if you are not comforted, seek another that is discomforted and pray with them. Hold their hand and walk with them. Receive the blessing of comfort from the Holy Spirit and pay it forward to those who may not know the Lord. In so doing, the Word says that we will be comforted too.

Your might say that this struggle I have, there cannot be any comfort for me. This pain is too strong and my scars are too deep. I say to you that the God we serve says that He is the God of all comfort. No pain or struggle, sadness or disappointment is stronger than the mighty God we serve. If we just stay in faith with him and continue to be a comforter to others, the Lord will be a comfort to us as well. He will fill us up and never let us run dry. Amen

Be excellent to each other

Ephesians 4:32

It is 1989. Ted “Theodore” Logan and Bill S. Preston have some pressure. They are in school and must pass history class. But they are the epitome of slackers without a clue. In comes Rufus played by George Carlin. The plot is not really that important right now, but there was one really important scene toward the end that never left me. The boys found themselves faced with a future world where world peace had been achieved through the power of music and they discovered that there is one defining statement they make to their future selves: Be excellent to each other. 

This notion is not new nor is it novel. But it is increasingly rare. Many of us spend a great deal of time finding ways to serve ourselves. Not because we set out to, but because we simply think of self before others.  It could be because that is how we were trained when young and that is reinforced as we age. But Paul says very clearly to the church of Ephesus that we are to be excellent to each other. In fact he writes to be kind toward one another, which to me is no different. But what is kindness? Someone once said that kindness is the byproduct of Gods love. One cannot be loving without expressing kindness. 

I believe that Paul is asking us to let go of the very thing that felled pharaoh; a hardened heart. But there’s more. Paul also says to forgive one another. Forgiveness is necessary for us to move forward after some great pain has occurred in our life. It’s purpose is to allow us to be freed from the past. 

Why do all of this? Because we have a requirement as Christians to respond to the love of Jesus with love. It is a natural thing to respond with love when we are shown love. Likewise the expression of kindness is nothing short of being excellent to one another. 

Until I come

Ecclesiastes 10:15-19
Luke 19:11-27 “Occupy until I come” 
After just having entertained someone who all others had avoided (Zacchaeus), Jesus was preparing to go from Jericho to Jerusalem. So what was Jesus going to do in Jerusalem? He revealed his plan in this parable about faithfulness over money. Jesus knew that money was a pressing issue for the people. That the disciples were needing to be prepared to speak on issues of import to the people. At that time, as now, it was money and how to manage it. 

Zacchaeus was supping with Jesus and He shared a parable about folk who would look to control Zacchaeus (vs. 11) 

The parable: This certain man that Jesus spoke of went to receive a kingdom as his own. But the citizens hated him. In fact they said, they will not let him lead them. So while he was away, he told his 3 servants to occupy while he was gone. That is to invest his money while he was gone. This turned out to be a test to see who would be capable of being the proven leader the citizens might allow to lead them. 
The parable continued: So he quizzed each one upon his return and to see who was willing to be a true steward of that which he trusted them with. The one he gave 10 to reported that he was quite successful in his investments. Was he simply better than the others? Or was he able to do more with much? Or was the certain man aware of his ability to begin with? Perhaps it is all that. But understand this: to whom much is given, much is required and in this case, the one with 10 did not disappoint. 
So he asked what happened to the money? How did you do? The first with 10 said, that his trust was not wasted. That the ten he entrusted him with had literally doubled. In other words the bounty he gave him had not been wasted. It instead had been sent out as a significant investment and came back with twice as much. This might say that he had confidence in the man with ten. Knowing that what he gave him would not be wasted. But it also could mean that he was wise in the recognition of his ability to be proven wise. You see sometimes folk will not trust you with much until they see that another, who has much himself already, trusts you. They will not allow you to lead them unless others speak to you skills. So by knowing the citizens hated him, and they needed a leader, he needed someone that others could speak well of. That he was ready to lead because he already proved his worth. So he said thou good and faithful servant you were a good steward over much. Therefore, emblematic of your ten that you managed well, you shall actually lead ten communities. 
Likewise he testified to the worth of the one with five. But to the last, he asked what was the result of the one I gave you? The little I know I could trust you with? The small amount I know you wouldn’t waste or use to my directive; Which was to occupy? His servant answered with a litany of excuses and. complained about how fearful he was of the austere nature of the certain man. That what he laid down was what he exposed to pick up. In fact rather than being a steward or occupier he instead hid it in his napkin and hid his blessing from the world. 
As such the certain man said I will judge you as by your own words. Yes, he was austere. Likely his tightwad ways is exactly why the folk in his kingdom did not want him. But he was hoping that others would be better received than he. And rather than one who would be just like him, he wanted to see his servants do better. To be brave enough to not be a copycat and unoriginal thinker. But to follow direction, invest in the banks and occupy. Instead he hid the money. The single talent. Well maybe he looked at that little and thought that his boss hated him so he wasn’t going to try. That he was not going to try any harder and just do the little bit. But God doesn’t ask us to have the faith of a fully grown plant or tree. He asks us to have the faith of just a little mustard seed. Because God can do so much with so little if we just trust him.   

Friends and family plan

Proverbs 17:17

I was at a major cellphone retail outlet once. They were discussing different plans they had available for my new mobile phone. They discussed different fees that provided different levels of service. They said to me that the more I spend the more services would be made available for my benefit. Each plan was for me to have a worry free way to maintain a connected relationship with the people in my life. One option they shared with me was called a friends and family plan. Curious I asked about it. In essence they said that in this plan I could have unlimited connection to my friends and family or a single fee. All I needed to do was be willing to share with the provider who my friends and family are. 

Interestingly I feel a message from God in this. 

Proverbs 17:17 says that a friend loves at all times. The message within those simple five words is that if I have the love of others, they are my friends. Too often I hear people say this person or that person is my friend.  But i believe they use the word too freely. In truth, there are only a few most of us could say are truly our friend. A few who can be trusted to love us regardless of who we are or where we go. Love doesn’t know limits and doesn’t die. A person who is only there when you are in good spirits or needing a drink is not a friend because those are not love. Those are fair weather friends. Love is there in season and out of season. Love is patient and allows me to grow and stays with me no matter what. At all times. 

But what of times that try men’s souls? Times that make me question my own worth as a man and a Christian? That is when I need my brother. He is there when adversity comes and come it will. No doubt. No day will come and go without some form of trial or trouble coming. It may be minor and quickly dismissed. Or it may be life changing and cause me to completely re-evaluate my life. But the trouble will come. The question then becomes, who is my brother? Who will be at my side when my view is focused ahead and I cannot see the danger behind? My brother will, be there. So is it wrong to say to random men, how are you brother? I don’t think so, but I do need to be aware that if I choose to call upon someone in a troubled times and need his presence due to adversity which has come my way, he must truly be my brother. My Christian brother. 

Have you ever heard the phrase, I was born for this? This means to me that I was always meant for this purpose. The word says that my brother was born for adversity. That says to me that adversity better watch out because my brother is here and he was born to deal with it. 

So what does this mean? This means that by investing in my friends and family time in ever increasing amounts, I can be sure that the love I think me will be returned to me and when I am troubled by adversity, so long as I stay connected to my brother, no arrow will profit in me. I find my greatest days are those where I am graced by my truest friends and protected by my brothers. 

May God bless me and you with the love of a friend and the brother who will stand with us in adversity. Amen.