Is "Home Where Your Heart Is"?

They say that, “Home is where your heart is.” Well, recently, I helped a client sell their parents home.  It is the home that both Mom and Dad had lived in there final years and months and days.  Both parents passed peacefully in this beautiful home.  It wasn’t the home they had raised their children in, just the last 12 years of their lives.  They were 2 beautiful people who had a beautiful home which truly was “home”.  It was one of those places where you walked through the front door and immediately felt comfortable, like you could take your shoes off and plop down on the couch for a long afternoon nap.

So, what do you say to the children who now have to leave this place to someone else to care for?  These may be nice people, people that might spend their last days in this home.  These are people who will likely care for it in a similar manner as Mom and Dad. But, the heart of these adult children are with this home, yet it is no longer theirs to walk into and feel the presence of Mom and Dad.  It is no longer theirs to cook another dinner and remember Mom and Dad.  It is no longer theirs to sit on the back patio while the sun sets dreaming of their time with Mom and Dad. 

So, is home truly where the heart is? This past Sunday at my church, Rose Egertson made this more clear to me when she turned this around and said that this saying has roots in a biblical verse, Matthew 6:21 which says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” She noted that sometimes we get this turned around in that where our heart is, there you will find your treasure.  This is certainly the case many times in life.  My heart is with my wife and my children and they are certainly treasures in my life.  But the point that Rose made today was that Jesus is saying that you must choose where and what you choose to treasure and then your heart follows. 

I guess it’s not surprising to me then that Jesus finishes this text with a directive to “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness…”.  (Mat 6:33) He is telling us all…”this is where your treasure should be; this is what your heart should be seeking.” Because if we treasure these 2 things as they should be treasured, then “all these things will be given to you as well.” (Mat 6:33) He is encouraging us to trust in Him.  Don't worry about what tomorrow will bring.  Don't worry about what you will eat or what you will wear or where you will live.  God will provide as long as your treasures are in the right priority.  

So, is home where the heart is? It certainly seems that your heart follows your treasures.  When you sell that home that has such great meaning to you, either it’s the house in which you were raised or the house in which your parents passed or it’s the house in which you raised your children…you can find peace in knowing that your treasures are not in the physical brick and mortar, studs and sod, but in the memories that place has embedded in your mind and on your heart.  What you treasure are the people who you loved and who loved you in this place.  This is family.  That is where your treasure is.  That is where your heart will be also.  Home is where family is.  Home is where love resides. 

Upon this Rock!

Wow! Could it really be over 4 months since my last post? My business and my life has been so busy that I have not had a chance to focus on getting to the blog. But, for some reason I am back here today.  For some reason God has said that its time for me to concentrate on something bigger than myself.  I don't know that that is or where it will lead but I try, I try to listen for his voice, to listen for his direction, to feel his push in one way or another.

Today, the gospel message was based on Matthew 16:13-20.  This is one of those verses that for those of us who have grown up in the church we have heard over and over again. Jesus asks his disciples "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" (NIV) They give Jesus a list of people who they say that he is and then he gets more specific and asks the disciples "Who do YOU say that I am?" Simon steps up for the group and says "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." And this next part is the part that always seems to fly past me and never has really sunk into my heart.  He praises Simon and says he is Peter and that "on [Peter] or this rock I will build my church..."

That's astonishing. Peter gets quite a shout out from Jesus himself.  But, it's this next part where it gets confusing. After praising Peter he says further that "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Huh?

There are many interpretations of this verse.  Some say that this is Jesus handing over to his disciples the keys of who gets in and who gets out.  Some say its where the Catholic church gets its Papal authority. Some say he was just speaking to Peter and that only Peter now has the golden key. But, it seems to me that Jesus is talking to all of his disciples.  Just because Simon answers and Jesus' response is specifically about Simon becoming Peter, Jesus seems to be talking to those who are listening as a whole. It's not "on Peter" that he will build his church, it's those that believe by faith through the Holy Spirit's direction. Peter believe Jesus was the messiah and, guess what, Jesus says he was "blessed". The Greek word used here is actually one of my favorite words in the Bible.  It's the word "makarios". Most just define it as it is in the NIV and many other translations, “blessed”. But some translate it as “happy” which seems so unfulfilling, so I went a little deeper. In a more in depth analysis at studylight.org it says, “Markarios is an adjective form of ‘makar’” and that “the idea embodied within this word is satisfaction from experiencing a fullness of something.” Then it goes on to say that the “Greek meaning becomes clear showing us that ‘Markarios’ refers to the believer in Christ who is satisfied and secure in the midst of life’s hardships because of the indwelling fullness of the Spirit.” Sorry...off topic for a second.  

So why does Jesus use this word to describe Peter? I think it's because Jesus knows that in order for his church to grow, this is the only way it will happen...by those who believe. He knows that he will not live on this earth forever, so the only way others will come to know him AFTER he dies is the same way that Peter did, through his faith.  It is to those people that have the keys to heaven. Time and time again the gospel message clearly states that those who believe are those who have access to the Kingdom of God. But, in addition to this, its important that we understand that those who believe are filled with the Holy Spirit, they are filled with Christ and, because of that, Jesus knows that whatever that person does, either binding or loosing, it is all done in God's name and, therefore, shall be the same in heaven.  

Amazing so much from so few words.  Amen! Did you see God today? 

 

I saw God today...in the greater Church!

So often, Christians think "denomination-ally".  I am of the greatest sinner in this regard.  I tend to think about my local church and its impact on my life and the life of my family.  I think about my church and how it is impacting the local community.  I think about Martin Luther and what he would have said about this or about that. I think of myself as a Lutheran. What church do you attend? What church are you a member of? These questions cause us to think small and local.  Well, recently, my mind has been on the greater Christian church.  My mind has been thinking less about my local community church and more about the larger church as a whole.

In some recent studies, I am convinced that God would not want this division of denominations.  These breaks all happened for good reasons.  It's human nature to want to associate and commune with those who are of similar mind, but so often we get off track because of the little things that divide us.  As a Lutheran, I give thanks for the steps that Martin Luther made almost 500 years ago to define ways he thought the Catholic church should change.  When it was clear that they would not, the Lutheran denomination was born.  But, even since then, the Lutheran church has now divided itself again and again. That's just one example of many church splits that occur and will continue to occur because someone or some group of people believe that their church is headed in the wrong direction.

But, today, Christian churches all over the world of different denominations, in different languages will celebrate Palm Sunday together.  Today, Christian churches who have different beliefs about how to worship will come together today and focus less on how they worship and more so on why they worship. Together, we celebrate and lay our palms down in front of our King. Today, we reflect words that I recently read from Galations 3:7, "So you see that it is men of faith who are the sons of Abraham." And from Galatians 3:26, "For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith." And Galatians 3:28 "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

Time and time again in the new testament in speaks of being one in Christ, but Ephesians 2 seems to clearly outline this topic.  In verses 11-22 he is speaking to Gentiles and explaining to them that "by grace you are saved through faith" and that "he is our peace who has made us both one, and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility" (v.14) in order that we become "members of the household of God" (v.19).  We are all adopted to sonship by our faith.

Before Dietrich Bonhoeffer became a Pastor, said that his life was greatly influenced when he was 18 and had the opportunity to attend a Catholic mass in Rome on Palm Sunday.  This mass was attended by thousands and all different denominations were present. It was at this mass that he began to see the universal church rather than thinking locally.  So, today, I hope that we all have a chance to step back and see the larger church.  I hope that we put aside the denominational thinking and see that we need to refocus on the things that are most important...our faith...and how we allow that faith to live a life of love for those around us.

Have a blessed day!

I saw God today...calling me to RIGHTEOUSNESS.

In Matthew 5:6 Jesus says to his disciples, "Blessed are those that hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." Certainly, I am always interested in trying to figure out ways to be "satisfied". The King James Version of the Bible uses the word "filled" here.  It actually appears to be a closer definition the original Greek word which is defined literally as to be filled with herbs and grass from the field (as of animals). I read it as if I am sitting at the dinner table having finished a plate or two of my wife's tri-tip dinner when she asks me, "Would you like any more?".  My reply is "No Thanks! I'm full!" This is not Thanksgiving dinner where you eat past the point of satisfaction.  That is over-filled. This is contentment. This is taking pleasure in what God has provided in his creation and being filled or satisfied by that.  But in this case, Jesus is not talking about food, but of righteousness. 

Before I go into the detail of this word, on the surface, this is one of the Beatitudes which appears to make sense to me without much work. It just sounds right. I think most Pew Sitters like me would understand this verse.  If you really, really want to do the right thing...you probably will. I don't necessarily think it needs much more than that.  But, for me, it leads to a bigger question.  What is the "right thing"? Sometimes this is an easy answer also. If you see someone hungry...feed them.  If you see someone crying...comfort them. If you have hurt someone...apologize. But, most of life just isn't that simple.  The nuances of this question is where it really becomes difficult for me. We all make judgements along the way as to what is right and what is wrong.  Some see things as "black and white" and the line is clear.  But, I think that life is filled with gray and many times it's hard to know what is right and what is wrong. 

Most recently, I have spent a lot of time of this question in my study of same-sex marriage. 

Ok...deep breath...everyone still reading? Anyone still reading? This issue in and of itself is one that, for most people, is black and white.  For most people, there is no gray area here.  

On one hand, people say that God made woman for man and anything outside of that is not consistent with the "orders of creation" as outlined in Genesis is sin. But in addition, there are several verses in the Bible that prohibit same-gender sexual activity. 

On the other hand, people say that God did make woman for man, but that should not prohibit two men or two women who believe God sent his son to die for their sins, and who live a life of expressing that gift with love to their neighbor, that should not prohibit them from having access to God's blessing in marriage. 

So is one right and one wrong? Is one going to heaven and one...not going to heaven? This is just one example of what I am talking about.  There are many issues that divide Christians into what we would call "denominations" today.  Each division was caused by one of these questions.  Most of the time they are not small issues that cause people to break off into their own group of people who believe the same thing, something different from their old church, and form a new church, with a new name, at a new location, with a new pastor.  But, the cross stays the same. Jesus stays the same. He is still God's son delivering the same message to each of us.  We let these questions divide us rather than looking for ways to come together around the gospel.  So, what is Jesus saying to us in this verse? What is he calling us to achieve...righteousness?  What is righteousness? 

One of the things that I have learned to love is to trace the etymology of words in the Bible to their root because it's inevitable that when I do that, it leads to a greater understanding of what God is saying to me in that verse.  In this particular case, the word used in Matthew 5:6 for "righteousness" gets traced from one word to the next and below is a summary. (All of the definitions are from the Blue Letter Bible Lexicon.)

"dikaiosynē" - This is the Greek word used in the original text.  It is defined as "virtue" or "a condition acceptable to God". But that doesn't really answer the question.  So this is from the root word...

"dikaios " - This is defined as "righteous, observing divine laws", "keeping the commands of God". So for me, this doesn't really help much.  It is also defined as "rendering to each his due". This is more in a judicial sense but you can see how righteousness can also be seen then as "you get what you deserve".  But I was still unfulfilled.  So the this comes from the root word...

"dikē" - This is defined as "custom, usage", "the goddess of justice" and "right, just". But, for me, the word "righteousness" is used so many times in the Bible, you would think you could find a definition that doesn't use itself as the definition. So, we move on.  The root word of "dikē" is...

"deiknyō" - This word is the likely root for each of the above.  This doesn't have any further root as defined by the Lexicon.  This word is defined as "to show, expose to the eyes" and it is also used metaphorically as "to teach or give evidence or proof of a thing".  In my mind, this begins to give "righteousness" more meaning. So, what is righteousness? It is doing the right things that we have been taught in both the Words of God and Jesus and in the life of Jesus.  What is it the the life of Jesus proved to us? What did he teach us about the law? 

When it's possible, I always use Jesus' own words.  John 15:9-17 says "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other.”

So, all of the law is wrapped up into this.  All of God's commands, all of the Old Testament law, the 10 Commandments are all summed up like this...love each other.  So, righteousness is doing the work of love. But, what is love? Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evel but rejoices with truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." (1 Cor 13:4-7). Righteousness is doing the work of love. 

Those who thirst and hunger for love will be blessed. Do the work of love today and be blessed. 

 

Non cupidi vindictae

Matthew 5:5 "Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth." So much to understand here. So much to learn. Not only does this not make a lot of sense to me, but I certainly have problems when applying this to my own life.

In one of my previous posts title "Blessed are the Poor in Spirit", I described the word "blessed" as meaning a "satisfaction from experiencing the fullness of God." This word denotes a happy acceptance of whatever situation it is that you are living in.  This 5th verse of Matthew 5 makes me uncomfortable...not satisfied. Meekness and the world for me don't seem to coexist. We are taught, and we teach, to "go get it", "make it happen", "give it 110%", "the early bird gets the worm", "you have to fight for what you want", "stand up for yourself", "fight the good fight".  I don't see meekness here. But maybe I just don't understand what meekness really means.  Dictionary.com says that meekness is "humbly patient; overly submissive; spiritless; tame; gentle; kind". See...that doesn't jive with standing up for yourself and fighting the good fight.

But, maybe I don't really understand what Jesus was saying? Maybe I understand this word differently from when it was used in Biblical times.  But, the word used in Matthew 5:5 for "meek" was only used two other times in the New Testament and one was used quoting an Old Testament verse, so really, it was only used one other time than when it was used here in the Beatitudes.  This one other time it was used to describe how a wife should act in 1 Peter 3:4. It says that a woman's beauty should not come from "outward adornment" but from her "inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet (meek) spirit."

So...you're saying she's really, really nice?!?!

Even the Old Testament verse that is quoted in Matthew 21:5 describes this word as when Jesus was riding on a donkey into the city and that he did so with meekness. The Old Testament passage quoted in Matthew 21:5 comes from Zechariah 9:9. The NIV describes it as "your King comes to you righteous and victorious, lowly (meek) and riding on a donkey." The word used in the Old Testament passage seems to lend a better understanding.  It is the Hebrew word "`aniy".  It is described by the Lexicon as would be expected "poor, afflicted, humble, wretched". But the Lexicon also says that the etymology of this word comes from the Hebrew word "`anah".  This word is described as a verb meaning "to afflict, oppress, humble, be afflicted, be bowed down". But the Lexicon goes on to suggest that this word is also used in the Old Testament in ways that we would not normally associate with "meekness".  It defines is as "to answer, respond, testify, speak, shout". Okay....just got goose bumps!

Now maybe Matthew 5:5 is becoming more clear. It's beginning to have a farther reach than when I first read it. But, I wanted to look at one more thing.  I had remembered Bonhoeffer had written about this in "The Cost of Discipleship" so I went back and want to share with you what he said. "When reproached (the disciples of Christ), they hold their peace; when treated with violence they endure it patiently; when men drive them from their presence, the yield their ground...They are determined to leave their rights to God alone - non cupidi vindictae...Their right is in the will of their Lord - that and no more." No vindictive ambition. Not desirous of vengeance.

When you take all of this together, now things seem to be a little more clear. It sounds to me like Jesus is calling us "to answer, respond, testify, speak, shout" with a life of faith and of trust in the will of God. Jesus is calling us, in that trust, to be kind and gentle, not acting with a vengeful heart, but with a heart of love for those around us. SHOUT WITH YOUR LOVE. SHOUT WITH YOUR GENTLENESS. Let your light, your life of meekness, shine and testify to those around you that the Holy Spirit dwells in your heart.

Have a blessed day...and remember...when you are looking for God, when you are looking for understanding...He is there.

I see God in the CRY BABY?!?!

Crying. Dictionary.com says, "to utter inarticulate sounds, especially of lamentation, grief, or suffering, usually with tears"...and usually associated with sadness. When I think of mourning, I think of crying.  That's what pops into my head.  That's my word association as it relates to mourning.  Matthew 5:4 says, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." Certainly, it is times of need, times of pain, times of crisis when I seem to reach to Christ most often.  It is during these times of crisis when I feel the presence of God most alive in my life.  During times of stress, I lean on Him more than ever.  It is during times of stress that where I do feel blessed and comforted.  But, is that what this verse is really talking about?  Is that all Christ wanted to say to his disciples in her Sermon on the Mount.  "I will be there for you when you are mourning?" I don't think so.  It's nice and all, but I don't really think that was all it means.

There are two critical words in this verse that deserve attention.  The first is the word "pentheō" which is the Greek word used for "mourn".  I found it interesting that the root word "paschō" actually means to "suffer" or to "be affected" either positively or negatively.  Most interpretations of this verse spend most of their time talking about mourning in the sense of removing yourself from the world or removing from your life things of this world.  That seems so appropriate for me during the last few days because when I started this blog, I really intended it to be just for my own purposes.  I have recently found joy in writing about these interpretations and writing about the Word of God and my understanding of it, but I thought I had made settings on the blog that it would not be tied to Google+.  But then a few days ago, my wife came into my office and said, "I read your blog today. It was really good." I was shocked because I hadn't told her about my blog and wasn't doing anything to push it out to Google+ or any other networks.  Turns out that I didn't uncheck one button in the blog settings so it was automatically being pushed out.  She said to me, "I don't know who you are connected to on Google+ but are you okay with your clients reading this?" I had not really even thought about it at that point, but it made me think.

I sell real estate for a living.  I'm not ordained. I didn't go to seminary. I am not a theologian or a writer.  I help clients sell and buy residential real estate. I am just a man trying to understand the Word of God and what it means to me in my own life and in the life of those around me. I am certainly not an evangelist. I have never been a "Bible thumper" or stood on a street corner and preached the Word of God. But, as I have gotten older, I have realized that I enjoy this study. I enjoy digging to try to understand what God is saying to me in these words in this book that, for my whole life, I have been told to read and study.  I don't know why it took me so long, but I'm glad I finally found it. So, the interpretation of this verse by many to turn away from worldly things and mourn over that loss seems appropriate to me in my life with this blog. To some degree I find it scary that my clients might not want to do business with me because they know I have written a few blog entries on Christ. But, on the other hand, I find it comforting to have found a place in my life where I can stand up and talk about this and not be scared at the reaction.  You see, I'm comfortable because I know that I don't know. This is my understanding.  This is my journey. This is how the words come to affect me today.   I might read this verse in Matthew 1 month, 1 year or 10 years from now and interpret it differently based on my own life experiences.  That is the beauty of the Word of God. If you read it to understand, it reaches you wherever you are.

But, back to the verse and its meaning.  So, the first word we discussed means "to suffer". But the second word is the one I like the most.  It is the word for "comforted".  As I said earlier, this Greek word is "parakaleō".  This word breaks down into two root words.  The first is "para".  It simply means "with" or "near" or "besides". But the second part of the word is what makes this genius. The second part is "kaleo" and it means "to call" or "to invite".  Oh my gosh!  I love it! I love when these words give this depth. So, when you mourn, Christ "calls you to his side"! For those of you who are parents, can't you just see this? Can't you just hear Christ saying to you as a child "Come here! Let me take care of you!" When your child is hurting, sometimes you run to them, but so often, they run to you. But, Christ is calling us to his side each and every day to make us feel better about our own life, about our own sinfulness. Christ is calling us to be with him in our misery and in our joy. So, I pray that you mourn today and when you do, I pray that you hear Christ calling you by his side so that he can put his loving arms around you to comfort you in your pain.

Have a blessed day!

Blessed are the Poor in Spirit

I saw God today as I continued my way through Matthew. I think I could spend a year on Matthew and not have enough time to dive into all the good stuff that comes from it.  Even the Sermon on the Mount could take years.  There are books after books written on just this Chapter, so who am I, just a Pew Sitter, to think he understands?  Well, I will tell you now...I don't understand.  I know that I don't know.  Maybe that is why I find it so amazing.  Maybe that is why I find it so eye opening.  I have lived all my life reading these verses and, for some reason, at 47, I decided that I had lived too long not digging deeper.  It took one issue to really change my life.  It took one issue to change the way I read the Bible.  It took one issue for me to understand that reading the words is just the start.  It's the first step in becoming closer to Christ.  It is the first step in your relationship with Him.  But, in order to understand more fully, you have to dig.  I have found one website very helpful in this journey.  It is www.blueletterbible.org.  They take you through a translation of the original Greek words and what those words mean and I have found this allows me to better understand what the words are really trying to tell me.  Without them, you can understand Christ, but with them, I believe you get a deeper understanding of the mystery of Christ.

With this understanding, Jesus' first proclamation in the Sermon on the Mount now makes so much more sense.  He says in Matthew 5:3, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

When I first read this, I think of someone who is weak.  Poor in spirit to me means someone at a basketball game who just lacks passion.  It's someone who fills out their bracket for March Madness but then doesn't pay any attention to the games.  It's someone who wants to succeed at work but isn't willing to put in the work necessary to make it happen.  That is what I sense when I have read this in the past and it never made any sense to me.  Why would that person be blessed?  Why would that person go to heaven and not someone like me who I always felt had passion, was willing to go the extra mile, who wanted to succeed, who rooted with passion for my teams, my kids and those I love!?!? The only thing I could come back to was that maybe it was because that person didn't care about those things that gave them access to the kingdom.  Maybe I should have less passion for those things that aren't related to my salvation.  Maybe that's true, but after I dug deeper, I found a meaning I believe is closer to the truth.

Verses 3 through 11 all begin with the same word..."Blessed".  This word is translated from the Greek word "makarios".  This word is the same word that is used 23 verses into the Bible when God issues his first blessing to Adam and Eve and it is the same word used just 8 verses from the end of the Bible in Revelation 22:14.  Most just define it as it is in the NIV and many other translations, “blessed”. But some translate it as “happy” which seems so unfulfilling, so I went a little deeper.  In a more in depth analysis at sudylight.org it says, “Markarios is an adjective form of ‘makar’” and that “the idea embodied within this word is satisfaction from experiencing a fullness of something.” Then it goes on to say that the “Greek meaning becomes clear showing us that ‘Markarios’ refers to the believer in Christ who is satisfied and secure in the midst of life’s hardships because of the indwelling fullness of the Spirit.” Now that makes sense. 

Then, we move on to the next key word, "poor".  This word in Greek is "ptochos" and it is defined as "lacking in anything" or "destitute of wealth of learning and intellectual culture". But, the word is also akin to two other Greek words, "ptoeo" and "pipto".  The first word "ptoeo" means "to be terrified" and "pipto" means "to descend from a higher place to a lower place". 

Do you see how the words seem to mean more once you dig deeper.  So, now, when I read the word "poor", it makes more sense.  Jesus seems to be saying that the ones who have not had formal training, like the Pharisees and so many other Jews of that day, are the ones who will hear what I have to say.  The ones who have been raised up in status in this or any other community, who are willing to descend to a lower place are those who will hear my story. The ones who are terrified and humbled before God...they are the ones who, in the midst of their sin and hardship, will find satisfaction in Christ "because of the indwelling fullness of the Spirit" will reach their soul.  

I pray that you find that satisfaction and secureness in the midst of whatever hardship you are enduring today because of the indwelling fullness of the Spirit through the belief in Jesus Christ. I pray that you feel blessed today. 

I saw God today...CALLING me to ACTION!

In Matthew 4, just after Jesus had been tempted in the wilderness for 40 days, it says in verse 12 that Jesus "withdrew" or "departed" to Galilee.  This word "withdrew" (came from my New Oxford Annotated Bible, Revised Standard Version...KJV says "departed") struck me in a weird way, so when I dug a little deeper, this Greek word breaks down into the base of two separate words and one of them has the meaning "to go forward, advance, proceed, succeed". I love that last part, because when I first read "withdrew" it sounded like Jesus had been defeated, but, to me, it sounds like this word means more of a navigation of the situation which leads to success.  It's a strategic withdrawal, if you will. But, that's really not what I want to focus on today.

You see, once Jesus withdraws to Galilee, he begins his ministry.  Matthew says he begins his ministry by preaching "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." But then, just after he begins to preach, he also calls his first disciples.  He calls 2 sets of brothers as his first four disciples in Matthew 4:18-22.  First it was Simon who is called Peter and his brother Andrew.  They are fishing when Jesus walks by and says to them "Follow me, and I will make you fisher of men." (v 19) Then he called James the son of Zeb'edee and John his brother.  They are also fishing when it says "[Jesus] called them.

Now, I am always amazed by this story.  I am struck by the faith of these men.  It was almost like they had been waiting for this their entire lives.  It was like they had finally heard exactly what it was they had been waiting for their entire lives.  And, once they heard it, the Bible says that all four of them "immediately" left what they were doing.  You will find that I believe strongly that words matter.  Not because I use them so well, but because the Bible does.  I find the Greek translations of these words generally, fulfilling in their meaning, so I often go back to important words when they are used in the Bible like this one.  The Greek word used in both of these situations if "eutheōs".  Its etymology, per the Lexicon, comes from the root words "eu" and "tithēmi".  The first word is defined as "to be well off, fare well, prosper" or "acting well".  The second word has multiple uses in the Bible but the 2 that struck me in this definition were "to set forth, to establish" AND "to put down, lay down".

Now, again, when you go back and look at the actions of these men.  They immediately left what they were doing to follow Jesus.  But, when you look at the meaning of the word, I seem to understand that they acted rightly and laid down their lives to follow Jesus.  That's what it should mean, but it really is hard to imagine.  These men were out working for a living and they just walked away with no doubts that this was the right thing.  James and John were in the boat with their father and they just left him there...for the call of a stranger. I am sure their are New Testament scholars who have a better reason for this, but can you imagine it today? You are out in a boat, fishing on a lake or the ocean for a living and some stranger is walking along the beach and calls and says "Follow me!" I could come up with 100 responses and none of them would be "Sure! Be right there!" Remember, these men had no idea this was the Son of God. They may have felt it deep in their soul, but at this time, they had no clue who this man was and why he was calling them.  I liken it to the first time I met my wife.  She didn't know me and I didn't know her, but I met her because she was friends with another girl who I liked.  There was a large group of people on this trip and one night we all crammed into my car and drove to the restaurant.  My wife happened to sit on the console next to me as we drove to the restaurant and about half way there, I had this overwhelming feeling that something was happening deep in my bones that was meant to be, but I didn't know what it was.  I left that weekend not really even remembering my wife.  It wasn't until about a month later that I called my friend at his house and my wife happened to be there.  My friend put her on the phone when he had to go do something and once we began to talk, that same feeling overwhelmed me again.  That was it.  I knew that this girl was going to be a part of my life forever. Her spirit ran deep inside of me.  I have to believe that this is the feeling that these disciples must have felt as they walked away from their lives and give their lives to Jesus.

I see God in these men, because it was these men who allowed the gospel to be communicated after Jesus died.  It is the reason you and I have the Word of God available to us today. It is why I know Christ! It is why I know he came and died for my sins and through grace provides me with salvation. It's because of these men who "immediately" followed Jesus.  Let them be an example to us all today as we actively listen to Jesus calling us today to follow him.

Have a blessed day! Listen to him calling!

God's call!

In the 4th chapter of Matthew, in between Jesus' 40 days in the wilderness being tempted by the devil and Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, Jesus begins his ministry by preaching repentance and calling his first disciples.  

Both have meaning to me at the moment because I have spent a lot of time recently looking at the issue of true repentance and what that means in being a Christian.  But, even more recently, as I stated in my last post, I have also been dealing with the issue of being called. 

First, repentance...in Matthew 4:17 Jesus says, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." The Greek word used for "Repent" is "metanoeō". This word (based on the definition by blueletterbible.com) is "to change one's mind" or "to change one's mind for the better". But it also says that the etymology of the word is based on two separate words put together and they are "meta" and "noeō".  "Meta" simply means "with, after, or behind". The word "noeō" appears to have at its roots in the word "ginōskō" which is usually defined as "understanding". My "pew sitter" definition is that I understand what I did and will leave it behind because I know that my life and the lives of those around me will be better if I leave it behind. I think its interesting that Jesus started his ministry by preaching this message first rather than what so many churches focus on today and that is "forgiveness and grace and love". We hear so little of "repent" today. 

In my understanding of the Gospel message, Christ outlines for us that the path to salvation as a two-step process.  First, John 1:12 tells us, "to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." So, the first step to salvation is believing that Chris came and died for your sins. Romans 10:9 says "If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Seems pretty clear to me.  But, then the second request that is defined is best defined by Christ's own words in John 15:9-17 9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.”

So, the first step is to believe that Christ died for your sins and with that, freely gives you his grace and forgiveness and love...only because you believe.  But, the second step is that after you receive that free gift of grace, He asks that you live a life "in Him", committed to his second request, and that is living a life of loving those around you.

So, where does repentance come in? We learned that Christ began his ministry by preaching that we needed to "repent". I was baptized as a child and have been going to church from the time I can remember. I don't have a conversion story.  I don't have a moment where I knew God had called me into his family.  But, I do know that I am a sinner.  More sinner than saint. I believe that God knows my heart; that it is a heart of humbleness in his sight, knowing that I fail each and every day, but ask for his guidance the next day to be more like him.  But, many say that repentance means to "leave your life of sin" and not return to that thing you are repenting for, yet why do I seem to come back to the same things? I believe that repentance in Matthew 4 is Jesus' first message to the Jewish people that they needed to turn away from the life they had been living...both in terms of the sin and in terms of the law. It was his way of saying to them, "The old way is not the new way, because the new way is better, because the new way is easier, yet harder, because the new way is life." And what is that new way? Believe that I am sent by the father to die for your sins. And, instead of the old law of ceremony and tassels and burnt offerings and following the law...all those things are summed up in one way..."love your neighbor as yourself".  I know...cheap grace!  But this is not cheap grace, its free grace.  But, living a life of loving your neighbor is not cheap.  It's very expensive. It could cost you your life.

That's more than I have time for this morning.  Maybe tomorrow I can get to that and the call of Christ.  Have a blessed day!

...and the voice said "I love you!"

Matthew 3:17 "And a voice from heaven said, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."

My oldest child is not 20 and a junior in college.  My middle child is 17 and a junior in high school. My youngest is 13 and in 8th grade.

As parents, my wife and I have seen a clear progression as it relates to the growth of our children. In the first year or so before the begin to run around, most of your communication is pure love. You want to do everything you can to let that child know they are safe and protected and loved. They rely on your for everything and want nothing more than to be loved.  Then, once they begin to be able to walk and communicate better, it seems like you spend the next few years with lot of "No", "Don't do that", "Put that down", "Stop!". We do these things to protect our children from the dangers that they have yet to fully understand.  Then, at some point, maybe elementary school, those change to more of a directional instruction.  They seem to understand the basic dangers, so now its more about helping them navigate school and friends and fun.  But then, somewhere around the teenage years, it changes again to things like "You did what?" "What were you thinking?" "Didn't we teach you better than that?" "Don't you know not to do that?" We are not moving into a new stage with our oldest child that is just beginning to take shape as he becomes a man.  This is more about moving into an advisory capacity.  They have to make their own decisions about how to navigate their own life and you are just there to help them when they fall or help them when they reach out.  I would imagine that the rest of our life will look a lot like that.

But, through all those stages, my wife and I have never stopped saying those most important words that any and every child longs to hear from their parents "I love you!". Actually, my 16-year old has verbally expressed that he would like us to "love him less". But, I think he knows at this point that we will not oblige that request.

So, when God spoke those words in Matthew 3:17, you have to know that was exactly what Jesus was hoping to hear.  I have to believe that even Jesus needed those words.  This was the beginning of his ministry.  He was taking that leap from Carpenter to Savior of the World. How scary must that have been?  But, remember how much confidence those words give to a child. Remember how good you felt as you were ready to go off to school and your Mom and/or Dad says right before you feet hit the pavement..."I love you! Have a great day today!" Remember that leap in your step? Remember how you felt you could conquer the world? That must have been how Jesus felt as his feet were getting ready to hit the pavement to preach his message of love and forgiveness and grace. Unstoppable!

I hope you hear those words today! I hope they give you the same confidence they used to give you when you were a child.  Make sure you find someone today and tell them that you love them, knowing how much good it will do in their lives. And, if you don't have anyone near you today to tell you how much they love you, know that God speaks those words to you every day. How do you know that? Because he was willing to give his son to die upon a cross for you and for me.  Why? because he loved us. That's it.  Not because you earned it. Certainly not because I deserve it.  It's just because.  Just like the love a parent in those first few years where their child does nothing to deserve their love.  They just receive it from their parents because they exist.  The parents give it unconditionally because of the depth of the love they have for that child. So, you are loved today!

I pray that He is well pleased with me and my actions today!

"He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good..."

Matthew 5:44-45 "But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."

I really do try to listen.  I really do try to watch for God's calling in my life.  But, so often it is clouded by people and things and emotions that distract me from God's call my own life.  I saw God today in the sunrise from my office window.  I could see the beginning of the sunrise peeking through the shutters on my office windows and when I opened the shutters all the way I was amazed at the color of the sky, its texture within the patchy, yet almost patterned clouds. I live in Santa Rosa Valley and these frequent, colorful sunrises and the similar colored sunsets are what gave it its name so many years ago.  The "santa rosa" color coming from the sunrise and sunset was the same then as it is now and I expect will be the same when I am dead and gone.  This amazing beauty, to me, is a sign of God's presence in my life and his presence in this world.

But, mostly, this past week I have seen how God's call in our life is sometimes not easy, especially for those who are called to serve as the leaders of our congregations throughout the world.  In the Lutheran church, these people are correctly titled as "called".  They are not jobs, they are a lifetime calling, a lifetime commitment to share the gospel and administer the sacraments.  But, the calls are filled with so much more than this. The calls are filled with so much more than just preaching on Sunday morning and administering communion.  They are filled with hardship, shrinking churches, church management, marketing (I know its a bad word to use for a church), stewardship, congregational care, organizing the calendar, managing the staff on a day-to-day basis, managing the complaints and at the same time, trying to creatively look for ways to more effectively share the gospel to your members and the surrounding community.  But, then, just imagine if you have a house, two teenagers, and a life you have to manage beyond your church life.  How people manage this is beyond my Pew Sitter mind.  I cannot imagine what a challenge that must be.  But, then, just imagine if you are "called" to something different? What do you do when you hear those whispers of God...or maybe loud speakers...calling you to something different?  Wow...makes me stressed just thinking about that.  What do you do with your house? What do you do with your kids and all the friends they have made? What do you do about the money if the new call means less?

As the VP of our church council, we have recently been going through our own Pastoral Call and I have seen this very difficult process play out for an existing staff person who has stayed through the transition.  I had hoped to be an advisor to this person during this time, but chose to let others handle it. I had hoped that it would be a positive transition for this person and that I could make that easier.  Well this past week, I made it harder for this person rather than making it easy.  I made some mistakes in how I handled this very difficult process.  But, I felt called by many members in our congregation to voice a growing, very difficult opinion.  Was I listening to their call or to God's call? I was prayerful, sought advice and then, the way it played out was so hard for the Associate who had to hear what I felt called to say.  I made mistakes in this and I know that God forgives me.  I know that the staff person will forgive me. But, ultimately, I know that God sends both his rain and his sun on those who are righteous and unrighteous. I am both sinner and saint and certainly feel that in times like these where I am unsure of whether or not I have handled something in a Godly, Christian manner that God loves me nonetheless.

I pray this person knows that my heart was sincere and wanting only the best for their future and the future of the church. But mostly I pray for God to protect and direct this person to hear God speaking to what He wants in their life. I pray that I will hear God's voice and will for my own life and that my words and actions would look more like Him in all that I do.