A Year of Sundays: Week 7

 Sunday 7: The Baptism of Our Lord

As I write this today, on the fifth night of fire watch, there are so many things I am feeling. Helpless. Restless. Sad. Angry. Confused. Impatient. But my goal with my Sunday posts is not to focus on my feelings, but to focus on the bigger picture.

It’s not hard for me to admit that I have a pretty dark sense of humor. Because our church follows the liturgical calendar, elements of our service are decided well before a Sunday morning. The Scripture passages that are read are not selected by us, nor are they determined by the events surrounding us. Our organist selects our hymns based on the Scripture we read. Today was a moment of (dark) comic relief to my unsettled heart.

On the first Sunday after Epiphany, known as the Baptism of Our Lord, we read:

Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;

I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

When you pass through the waters,

I will be with you;

and when you pass through the rivers,

they will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire,

you will not be burned;

the flames will not set you ablaze.

For I am the Lord your God,

the Holy One of Israel, your Savior... (Isaiah 43:1-3, NIV)

We sang a song after song about the fire of God and the wind of His Spirit moving. Had I not known how these selections were made it might have felt like we were being a little too on the nose. Instead, I understand that fire, wind, and even water are all things that God uses to teach us about him.

Fire destroys, yes, but it also warns.

Wind knocks over, but it also clears.

Water drowns, but it also cleanses.

On a Sunday when destruction and death seem to be raging through our county, we focus on the baptism of my Lord. I choose to die to self and live in God (see Romans 6:1-11). I don’t mean this in a flippant or careless way. Instead, I choose, even today, in a very difficult situation to affirm this truth. God is with me in the fire.

Camp Bound

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
(Romans 5:8, TLB)

Today was a milestone day in our house: my oldest son moved out, sort of. We packed up his things and drove him to a campground about two hours away, where he will live and work for the next two and a half months. Of course all the normal parental emotions welled up inside me.  There was some stress trying to make sure he had everything he would need ("How much underwear are you taking?") and that he knew all the important things he would need to know ("Do you know about tipping at restaurants?").  There was some nervousness as I wondered if he'd miss home or have a hard time making friends. And of course, I was excited for him thinking about how much fun he'd have and all the memories he'd make.

There was also a sense of nostalgia as I remembered the multiple summers I spent at that very campground. It was on that property that I learned how to be away from home, how to make decisions for myself, and so many other things. I laughed, and made friends, and cried.

But the most important experience I had at that campground was deciding to follow Christ. It's amazing to think my son will sit in the same ampitheatre where I first heard God call my name. It was there that I learned about God's great love for me, and I pray that my son has similar experiences.

Inspiration

I am easily inspired, at least about little things.

A few months ago I read Corrie Ten Boom's Prison Letters, and for days after I wanted to pour out my heart in letter form to every friend of significance. If you are reading this and wondering why you didn't get a letter - I never wrote any. The inspiration faded quickly.

That same week I discovered a cooking show, Struggle Meals. It's all cheap, simple cooking. A common theme from episode to episode is using free food. The host saves all the condiments he gets from take out orders (I mostly do that), and he believes in using leftovers. I believe in leftovers, but I am not disciplined in using them. I've read that about 40% of food is wasted in America. I don't think I waste that much, but we certainly throw out more than I want to. With this new found inspiration, my kids ate a "what's left" lunch that day: half of a watermelon, hot dogs with no buns, and half a bag of frozen french fries. I should thrown a blanket in the backyard and called it a picnic.

Yes, my passions change quickly.  In high school I called that fickle.  Now I reconize that I am well rounded. Perspective, folks.

I was reminded yesterday by Pastor Sam* that God has created us all differently. Our personalities are a unique expression of God.  We shouldn't want to change anyone; God does that. Change isn't bad, but it must be motivated by proper inspiration. Paul encouraged the church in Rome this way:

Do not be shaped by this world; instead be changed within by a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to decide what God wants for you; you will know what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect. Because God has given me a special gift, I have something to say to everyone among you. Do not think you are better than you are. You must decide what you really are by the amount of faith God has given you. Each one of us has a body with many parts, and these parts all have different uses. In the same way, we are many, but in Christ we are all one body. Each one is a part of that body, and each part belongs to all the other parts. We all have different gifts, each of which came because of the grace God gave us. (Romans 12:2-6a, NCV)

If God has a place for a girl who likes to read and cook with leftovers, who doesn't know when to stop talking, and who almost always regrets her decisions after she makes them, then surely God has a place in the body for everyone.

*You can read another beautiful story about Pastor Sam here: FMF Disappoint.

Seeking Peach Cobbler

It turns out that there is no sexy way to take a picture of peach cobbler.

I bet those aren't words you expected to read today, but it's the truth, at least for this novice photographer. I love peach cobbler, but I almost never eat it.  The reasons abound, the least of which are the dessert's talents as a model.

My husband doesn't like peaches, and I don't really care for them.  Except in cobbler. It's hard to make a cobbler for one, so I don't make it at home.  I don't know of any restaurants that sell it near my home. Last month a local restaurant put up signs advertising "Peach Season." I thought for sure that this would be it; if only seasonally, I'd be able to get peach cobbler lovingly made by a trained professional.  They only offered peach pie.  How unfortunate.  Cobbler beats pie any day.

About two years ago my friend and I volunteered at an event hosted by a semi-local mega church.  We did some work for them, and they allowed us to attend their conference for free. It was a great trade off.  Since this church was about an hour from our homes, we decided to have dinner together on the last night before we left. We had a fine meal, but the whole time I couldn't stop thinking about two words that I had seen written on their menu: Peach Cobbler.  I decided to buy one to go.  That night, I sent my friend one of the most disappointing texts I have ever sent: This isn't cobbler. It a crisp.

There's nothing wrong with a crisp, or even a crumble, but it wasn't what I was looking for. I was seeking something very specific, and nothing else would satisfy me.  Similarly, the Bible is filled with instruction to seek God, to look for Him with the same passionate effort I seek peach cobbler:

• But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul. (Deuteronomy 4:29)
• If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)
• Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:12-13)
• But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:33)
• God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. (Acts 17:27)

I have tasted peach cobbler in the past, so I desire it when I am away from it too long.  It is the same with God.  But what about those who have never tasted?  Romans 10:14 asks the same question this way, "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?" We, who have tasted, are called to share with those who have not. That's what I'm doing here. I hope you find your own way.

*If you, like most, are confused by the difference between a cobbler, a crisp, and a crumble, HERE is a great explanation.

FMF: Respect

Give to everyone what you owe them:

If you owe taxes, pay taxes;

if revenue, then revenue;

if respect, then respect;

if honor, then honor.
Romans 3:7, NIV

This seems like such a straightforward passage.  If you owe something to someone, give it to them.  It's pretty easy to apply the concept to taxes or revenue, but when I come to the second half of the verse it gets harder.  Too often, I want to chose who deserves my respect.  I want to decide who deserves my honor.  Yet, I see that the verse does not say, "Give to everyone what you THINK you owe them."

There are some people who by virtue of their position in your life that deserve respect.  Parents.  Bosses.  Government leaders.

Pause for a moment: Government leaders?  I never doubted if I should write this; it's just that, in today's political climate, this is a controversial statement.  Respecting government leaders was the essence of Paul's words here to the believers in Rome, so I'm guessing that it was controversial in Paul's time too.  Their country did not share their faith.  There must have been moments when it was challenging to respect leaders whose decisions seemed to fly in the face of what they believed.  At times their government was trying to kill them.  At times their government was killing them.  But that's what makes respect so powerful.

I'm sure that each of us struggles with respecting different people in our lives.  I know who I struggle with.  I am challenged to ask God if there are any less obvious people to whom I do not give proper respect.



This post is a prompt from Five Minute Friday and was written in approximately five minutes. For more information, visit fiveminutefriday.com.

See You Soon

The apostle Paul had a special gift for telling people he missed them. Sure, everyone misses someone from time to time, but Paul was good at expressing it.

In his letter to the Roman believers, he speaks of the blessing it will be when he is reunited with them:

"I pray that I will be allowed to come to you, and this will happen if God wants it. I want very much to see you, to give you some spiritual gift to make you strong. I mean that I want us to help each other with the faith we have. Your faith will help me, and my faith will help you" (Romans 1:10b-12, NCV).

In his letter to Timothy, he recalls the affection of his coworker and the joy his friendship is:

"Remembering that you cried for me, I want very much to see you so I can be filled with joy" (2 Timothy 1:4, NCV).

In his letter to the believers in Corinth, he states that he'll be visiting on his return trip so that he can spend more time with them. In the previous verse, he says he hopes to stay the whole winter, but he will act upon God's will:

"I do not want to see you now just in passing. I hope to stay a longer time with you if the Lord allows it" (1 Corinthians 16:7, NCV).

In his letter to the believers in Philippi, he expresses the deepness of his love for them:

"God knows that I want to see you very much, because I love all of you with the love of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:8, NCV).

In this era of social distancing, many are feeling socially isolated. Not just physically separated, they feel lonely and devalued. I have struggled with these feelings even though I live with three other people. We may not be in prison, like Paul, but we may feel trapped in our homes all the same.

Our communities need us to be Pauls, to be willing to put our hearts on the line, and expose our deepest emotions.  It's ok to miss people.  It's ok to remember good times. It's ok to have hopes for the future. However, it is better that these feelings be expressed to build each other up.

I'm starting now.  I pulled out some blank notecards and all the postage stamps I could find in my house. I am going to do what I can, what God allows me to do, to make sure people know they matter to me.

I hold on to the hope that God will allow me to see you soon.

Perfect Results

For years I attributed the quote "perfection is the ultimate bore" to one of my favorite books. I said it to friends, put it on social media, and generally smiled at the thought. Recently, my literary world was upset when I re-read that book and didn't find the quote. I couldn't blame editing or re-printing, I was reading the same twenty year old copy I had read several times before. My perfect quote was perfectly made up.

It's probably for the better because the sentiment is not in line with scripture. God's word says repeatedly that perfection is possible (Matthew 5:48), perfection is desirable (Romans 12:2), and is only attained through God's work in us (1 John 2:5, 4:12). If I've learned anything about being a believer, it's that it's not boring. Life in Christ is full, rich, and entertaining.

It is also challenging. Life is hard sometimes, and I truly believe that faith is not a Get Out of Jail Free card. The book of James starts this way:

"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing" (James 1:2-4, NASB)

Thanks for telling it like is, James!

Some translations show the word "endurance" as "patience." Patience is involved in endurance, but it doesn't express the full action. To me, patience is about waiting. It's the time between now and what is to come. However, endurance has a connotation of survival, of victory. God is calling us to be thankful for difficulty because our faith will increase through it. More than increase, it will be perfected.

Spirit

What do you know about the Holy Spirit? No, it’s not a trick question. What do you know? If you are anything like me, you might be having a hard time answering. Maybe you have some ideas but you can’t formulate the right words. I was reminded today that the Bible holds answers for our questions about God, so I am taking this time to reflect on what the Bible says about the Spirit. Seeing these verses, I know two things: I love who the Holy Spirit is, and I need more of the Spirit in my life.

1. The Spirit of God lives in me.
“Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16, NASB)

2. The Spirit provides me the ability to live the way God wants me to.
“I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances” (Ezekiel 36:27, NASB)

3. The Spirit raised Jesus from the dead and also gives my body life.
“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you” (Romans 8:11, NASB).

4. The Spirit guides me.
“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come” (John 16:13).

5. The Spirit brings me the hope of God.
“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).

With

Romans 12:15 says "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn." As far as Biblical mandates go, at first glance this seems like an easy one.

My church's sanctuary holds about 250 people. Though showing some signs of age, it has a feature that attracts many would-be brides: a spiral staircase at the front of the sanctuary with a stained glass window as its backdrop. It offers brides an entry like no other.  I have literally never seen anything like it. In the almost sixty years that our church as been at this location, we've hosted a lot of weddings.

We also do a good amount of funerals though not for the same reasons. I've yet to see a casket carried down that spiral staircase. (However, if someone stumbles across this blog as they are planning my funeral, please, please, please consider it. That'd be awesome.)  Instead some chose our facility because our pastor feels passionately about offering funeral services for free. You read that right, free. He meets with the families, comes to work on his days off, and doesn't get paid for them.

You might think the two events are vastly different. After all, one has the promise of days to come; the other looks back at what used to be. However, they are more similar than most imagine. Both are centered on hope: hope of a life to come and hope of a life now lived in eternity. Both are filled with family and friends and stories that start with the question Remember when? Both are filled with laughter and tears. Both have music, and food, and hugs. Both center around a time of togetherness and a shared spirit.

But what happens if you are the unfortunate person attending a wedding after having a major fight with your spouse? Rejoicing with those who rejoice isn't as easy then. What happens if you attend a funeral the morning you were supposed to leave on vacation? Sure, you still mourn, but a part of you is looking forward to leaving on your trip.

The command in Romans 12:15 is found in a section my Bible calls "Love in Action." In modern lingo, we might call it sympathy, a common feeling between people. When believers come together, it is so much more than that. It is "doing life" together, as the modern church loves to say.  It is community. It is bringing hearts together in worship to God. It is the Spirit of God in me joining together with the Spirit of God in you. It is beautiful.

Delight in the Law

Praise the LORD. Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands. (Psalm 112:1)

So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. (Romans 7:21-23, NIV)

There are a lot of things I delight in - a new achievement, the love of my spouse, a compliment from a friend, seeing my children make a good decision - but I can't say I've often found myself delighting in a law or command. Over the last two years we've seen about a half dozen major regulatory changes in the lending industry. Each one met with a groan, and the a question of how the ideals of government would meet the practicality of the workplace. Then, almost begrudgingly, we trudge through... because we must, and for no other reason.

Yet the psalmist knew that the person who finds delight in God's commands would be blessed. Why?

First of all, the commands God gives us are for our own protection. God tells us to not lie, steal, covet, etc because He wants to lift our burdens. He knows there are earthly consequences to our actions. We clearly understand consequences: if you murder, you will go to jail. Anyone want to object? Yet, many times we fool ourselves into believing there will be no consequences if I ___ (lie? cheat? covet? ignore that person in need?).

Secondly, God doesn't want us living life thinking about all the things we can't do. He wants us to celebrate the life He has given us and rejoice in the love He has shown us. He wants to be our focus, not the sin we are trying to avoid (because, after all, if you're focusing on a sin - even if you're not doing it - you're not avoiding it... duh!).

With these ideas in mind, re-read a portion of the Old Testament. Does it seem a little different? Now, go about your life, and make it different too.

A Price I Couldn't Pay

I recently made a mistake that cost almost $2,000. Not one of my finest hours, but it was truly a mistake - something I didn't plan on and would have avoided if at all possible. Accidents happen, but I felt horrible and apologized to the person who was shorted that money. I told him I'd repay him if I could, but it wasn't possible right now, and I wanted to find a way. His response was unexpected and such a relief - he forgave me and expected nothing more from me. My debt had been forgiven.

His kindness was a reminder of my greater debt that was settled:

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

Thank you, Jesus, for paying a debt that I couldn't pay.