Another Post on Palm Sunday

Here is another great post on Palm Sunday with a little different angle. Thanks Randy Millwood click here

Palm Sunday Reflection

Brian McLaren gets it right.  Great reflection on Palm Sunday: here

Sunday Message Recap

Sunday morning I shared a talk from Luke chapter 14 in which we see Jesus making several points to his followers and observers as he attended a party at the home of a prominent religious leader (Pharisee). Here are a few:

1. People are more important than religious traditions of man.  Any day of any week is a good day to help someone.  Religious duty or tradition should never stand in the way of bringing good news, healing, and freedom.
2. When you are invited to a party, intentionally take a lower position.  Let the host honor you with a higher position.  Don't assume you are a big deal.  Let others (and especially God) determine your position in the pecking order.
3. When you throw a party invite those who can't return the favor. This is one way of storing up treasure heaven (doing something that really counts).
4. In the parable of the great banquet: don't miss the kingdom of God under nose while you are looking forward to it.  It is here. The poor, the lame, the blind, and crippled are now filling the party hall.  Don't let the things of this world distract you from experience his grace and mercy today.  Open your eyes and ears. The Messiah has come. Love has come. You are invited.

Which of these 4 teachings are the most challenging to you? Which do you struggle with the most?

What is in it for us?

A question we commonly ask ourselves in considering what to do, where to go, or how much to give is "What is in it for me?"

We all do what makes sense to us.  We typically do things in which we find significance.  There are somethings we do out of necessity.   And we are willing to do difficult or inconvenient things when we see the value in it. Usually the value we find in doing difficult, painful things is that we will gain something from it.

For example, training in any sense of the word in my experience has been endured because I expect to gain something valuable from it.  I exercise to gain better health and ability to accomplish physical goals.  I have endured hard hours and years of school to gain more understanding and skills to accomplish my job, provide for my family, and make better decisions in life. The choice to do the hard things must spring from some internal motivation. Usually it is self-serving. Sometimes for the good of others, but rarely for the complete benefit of others.

In Matthew's gospel we find several folks that we were willing to follow Jesus...but had some "in it for myself" tendencies.

The rich young ruler in Matthew 19 asked Jesus, "What must I do to gain eternal life?" When he heard Jesus' response to obey the commands of God he was willing, but when he heard the requirement to sell everything he had to be given to poor AND follow Jesus, he walked away.  Too high a price.  Whatever he was seeking to gain (living forever) required too high a cost for him.

Peter then chimes in, "Well, Jesus, we have left everything for you, what is in it for us?" Jesus told him of amazing rewards to come, but these rewards will not be exclusive to you just because you were first in line to begin following me (or later the leader of the movement called church). The parable of the vineyard laborers explains, the first will be last and the last will be first.  There will be no special rewards or exclusive perks for the most sacrificial.

Then the James, John, and their mommy came to Jesus asking for the special privilege to sit at Jesus' right and left hand when he came into his kingdom, first in command.  Another "what is in  it for me" request. You can imagine how this made the other 10 close followers of Jesus feel when they found out about the request.  The conversation may have went something like this: "What about me?" "Well I has here first!" "I gave up more than you did." "Well I am more trained and gifted to lead." "But Jesus has spent more time with me so I should be in charge."

Calling them all together, Jesus tells them, "Whoever wants to be great must be your servant.  I came not to be served but to serve.  AND to give my life (an ultimate sacrifice) to ransom many (to totally benefit others).

What is in it for us in following Jesus? Eternal life? Yes. Treasure in heaven? Maybe. Sacrifice for the benefit of others? Absolutely. A cross. An end to our own "in it for me plans."  Following Jesus puts Him in charge and others before ourselves. Service. Sacrifice. Peacemaking. Gentleness. Mercy.

This lifestyle of "in it for others" can only be motivated longterm by LOVE. No short term reward or even a promised eternal life will keep us moving forward with Jesus into the difficult places that following Him requires.  Do I love Him with all my heart, mind, and strength? Am I in it for Him? And am I in it for others?

Christ Builds the Church

On Sunday night I shared 4 points about what the Bible has to say about Church:

1. Christ builds the church
2. God's wisdom is being displayed through the church
3. The church is the Temple of God
4. God opposes what/who opposes His church (His Temple)

In personal reflection on these principles from God's word 4 applications have come to mind for me:

1. I don't build anything that lasts, really. I work for God who is building a church that will last forever. And so I follow his directives in ways, under his authority, not my plans or my ways.  And I have little authority anyway.  I follow and serve Him.
2. Sacrificial love and radical allegiance to God's mission displays real wisdom that comes from above.  Anything less looks more like this world and its values. I am to sacrifice for my church family and have a single-minded purpose to join in God's mission in the world.
3. Since God resides within the people who are His church. When I love/worship Him it shows up in sacrifice for His people.
4. I trust God to be my vindication. If forces come against His church, I am to choose of path of peace and love. God will lift up the humble in His time and set all things right.

Your thoughts are welcome.  I left the verses out of the post on purpose.  Search the scriptures. Share your applications and reflections.

Loving Father Parable

Luke 15 contains a challenging set of parables from Jesus in which the third parable contains a powerful images justifying Jesus' association with controversial groups. A father who deals lovingly with two lost sons.

One son is a prodigal:

• He takes his share of his father's estate (while he is still alive)
• Leaves his family
• Foolishly wastes the money
• Trouble comes to his life
• Get a job in the worst imaginable fields (working for a Gentile tending pigs)
• Decides to go home, repent, and lay himself down at his father's mercy

The older son:

• Works the land that now is his
• remains faithful and honorable to his father
• Sees the celebration at his brother's return and cannot bring himself to enter the party

The loving father:

• Interrupts the prodigal's repentant speech with celebration.
• Throws a party for his returned son and showers him with gifts
• Goes out to his older son and explains the joy and reaches out to him.

Jesus was clearly addressing the religious leaders' objections to his association with publican (traitors) and sinners.

Challenging. This parable has a way of irritating our sensibilities.  We tend to keep God's grace reigned in to a more manageable group of people.

We build walls to keep out groups of people that are unacceptable in the Kingdom of God. Meanwhile, Jesus keeps sneaking over the wall and associating with them. He eats with them.  He shows up at their parties.  And forgives them without repentant tears.  He simple welcomes them home, and then showers them with gifts.

God's grace truly is amazing.

Lent Series Post 2

On the topic of Bible study.

Three passages that reveal the importance of knowing and doing what the Bible teaches

Joshua 1:7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

 

Matthew 7:24 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

 

John 8:31 Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

 

According to these passages the when the Word of God is followed it gives us several things:

• success
• proctection
• Truth--freedom

Some symbols of the Word of God:

• Light: insight into what is really going on in life. Higher, more in depth perspective
• Food: revitalizes us when we are tired
• Shower: It refreshes and cleanses
• Sword: Tremendous protection, as we memorize it. HS will use our memory of it to remind us of action we need to take or things we need to avoid.
• Library: it is the stories of our family’s experience with God over the centuries.

 

It is much more than:

• Owner’s manual for trouble shooting problems
• Constitution or Law Book

Discussion in the comments welcome