Thankfulness

I was going to write about Matthew 16 this week, but life can really get in the way sometimes. In this case, it did so in a wonderful way. Some of my new friends from Slovakia came to town for a youth leadership conference, and I've had the chance to spend more time with them than I could have hoped. This group represents Josiah Venture, and last night they spoke to a group of college students about the work that they're doing in eastern Europe. I was reminded again of the breadth of God's love, that He is as real in the mountains of Europe as he is in the foothills of North America. Our prayer is for Him to be relevant in those places as well.

The team spoke briefly last night about the support they receive from churches here in the States, and read from Colossians 1:3-6, where Paul talks about being thankful for those walking in the faith with him:

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you..."

 What an appropriate passage just a week before Thanksgiving. Mike Sullivan, one of the leaders and a missionary who has lived in Slovakia for nine years, said that many of the students they work with think all Americans are "cool", and that our presence on mission trips is a huge door to presenting the gospel. Then he encouraged us not to feel guilty or trivialized by this fact, but to consider ourselves blessed to be American. That beyond the material comforts that Americans enjoy more than other nations around the world, we should consider it a blessing if our "American-ness" in any way allows us the opportunity to advance the Kingdom. In a world where being American is often grounds for being criticized (and often with just cause), this concept brings a smile to my face.

As Thanksgiving and the Christmas season rapidly approaches, I want to take the time to tell all of you how thankful I am for you. For long-time friends and new ones alike...thank you for your hospitality, support, laughter and inclusion. For my family...thank you for your love and the example that you set for me. For my Christian brothers and sisters...thank you for your courage, humility and steadiness, and for always challenging me in new and exciting ways. For my friends who believe something different, or maybe aren't even sure...thank you for your tolerance and your openness. I pray that these writings will spark continued conversation and discussion about this faith that drives my life.

I'll likely not be writing next week, although I'll try to drop in a holiday greeting or something. Please be safe, and have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving!

A Calling Is In Order

So I was reading through Matthew 9 a couple of weeks ago, and there is a ton of stuff in there. There are five specific healing stories (including one instance of raising someone from the dead!), a lesson on fasting, and a declaration from Jesus in verse 6 that He has the authority on earth to forgive sins. A huge statement, and one that serves to show that Jesus' work is not one of a snake oil salesman but of the divine. I'm reminded of Gandalf's quote in The Lord of the Rings: "Do not take me for some conjurer of cheap tricks." What is Jesus saying here? "I'm the real deal." Again...a pretty dense chapter.

Lots of people like to say Jesus was "a good teacher." Yet his teachings frequently defy a logical or even rational explanation. Others say he was a healer. While this is certainly true, it's vital to recognize how often Jesus said things like "your faith has made you well." Jesus tied the physical maladies of Judea directly to a corresponding spiritual ailment, a condition that was curable not by any earthly remedy but by a transformation of the spirit, even more dynamic and astounding than the very visible healings taking place wherever Jesus went. Nowhere is this clearer than in verses 9-13 and the closing verses 35-38.

In verse 9, Jesus meets a man named Matthew (sound familiar?) who happens to be a tax collector. Most of you have heard it plenty of times before, but tax collectors in those times were pretty much the most despised people around. They cheated people, had no loyalty and were generally just not to be respected or trusted. But Jesus, as He often did, turns the social order on its head by telling Matthew to follow Him. Which Matthew does. There's not a ton of detail to this story, but I like to think that Matthew followed because he was stunned to see a popular local figure - and a religious one at that - taking the time to interact with him. Nice lesson for churches of today that love to isolate themselves from the community around them. (Calling #1)

Jesus ends up going to Matthew's house for dinner, and Matthew invites all his tax collector friends (because again, who else would hang out with tax collectors except other tax collectors?) and some other characters who are apparently of a less than savory nature. And the religious leaders can't comprehend this. Why would this man who claims to be God be wasting time with the dregs of society? And Jesus answers with one of my favorite lines in Scripture:

It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. (Matt. 9:12)

Jesus knows He doesn't have a long time on the earth. He doesn't need to spend time on those who have their lives together. It's those people who have a lack, a void, a sickness in their lives who need Him. And of course, as verse 13 drives home, He is not talking about physical ailments but the spiritually dying. But the broader point that the modern church can't afford to miss is this:

There are a lot of sick people out there.

At the end of this chapter, we see that Jesus is traveling through "all the towns and villages", and that He is healing "every disease and sickness." And He issues a challenge to His followers: there aren't enough workers to reach all of these people who are hurting and need Him. Jesus, whose vision is always in the present and the future simultaneously, is stating the purpose of the church for years to come. (Calling #2)

So a calling of one kind or the other is in order: For the non-believer, Jesus is calling you to "dine with Him." Recognize Him for who He is. Ask questions, interact, and begin to understand. For the believer, Jesus is calling us to the "harvest." Go out among our family, friends, communities and nations, and let them know that there is someone who longs to heal their brokenness, their hurts, and their bitterness. A calling for each of us - an encouraging thought.

God bless, and have a great weekend!

Fire and smoke

It'll be a shorter post this week, for no particular reason. I think the point is a bit easier to make, but a cool visual I hadn't really considered before. The passage that led me to write this week's piece is Exodus 13:17-22. In it, the Israelites are fleeing their enslavement in Egypt, and God is leading them through the wilderness. Let's take a quick look at verse 17 before we go further:

When Pharaoh finally let the people go, God did not lead them along the main road that runs through Philistine territory, even though that was the shortest route to the Promised Land... (Ex. 13:17, NLT)

Now there's almost a whole sermon in that one sentence. God doesn't always lead us by the shortest, most direct, or to us, most logical paths. And when we choose to follow God, we have to understand that this is the case, and not immediately get discouraged or disillusioned when He doesn't seem to be going where we want to go. But like I said...that's a whole separate sermon. The point is that God is leading His people in this passage - and the way He did it must have been visually stunning:

The Lord went ahead of them. He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and he provided light at night with a pillar of fire. This allowed them to travel by day or by night. (Ex. 13:21, NLT)

Many of you (if not most or all of you) already know this story. You may be thinking to yourself that this is repetitive and there's no new lesson here. And you might be right. But what if the difference between God's guidance by night and by day is deeper than just a visual one (it's easier to see fire at night and smoke during the day)? I like the idea that while God never changes, His help comes to us in different ways depending on our situation.

A fire at a campsite provides light and keeps away predators; similarly, God steers us through the "night" periods of our lives with clear light and direction. He is a refuge for those wandering and stumbling. In the "daylight" of our lives, however, God may not seem so necessary. Things are going well, or seem more hopeful, and the tendency is to look to our own devices and ignore God's direction. Yet how does smoke affect us? Not seeing smoke from a distance, but when you encounter smoke up close? For me, it is an irritant. I don't mean that to sound irreverent, but I find the "smoke" representation of God to be a perfect one. When things seem to be going well for me, I need that occasional wisp of smoke to hit my eyes, my throat, my lungs, making me at once aware of God's presence, my watering eyes and coughing symbolizing my need to be aware and receptive to Him even when I can steer myself through the light of day.

The next couple of weeks, I'll be focusing on the book of Matthew. Thanks, and have a great week!