PRAYING FOR VENGEANCE

Nehemiah 12:27-13:31; 1 Corinthians 11:1-16; Psalm 35:1-16; Proverbs 21:17-18

“I did them no wrong, but they laid a trap for me. I did them no wrong, but they dug a pit to catch me. So let sudden ruin come upon them! Let them be caught in the trap they set for me! Let them be destroyed in the pit they dug for me. Then I will rejoice in the Lord. I will be glad because he rescues me. With every bone in my body I will praise him: ‘Lord, who can compare with you? Who else rescues the helpless from the strong? Who else protects the helpless and poor from those who rob them?'"

“The wicked are punished in place of the godly, and traitors in place of the honest.”

One of the things I like best about the Bible is its unflinching honesty. Those who put it on a “sacred shelf” and believe that it teaches only about how life ought to be are missing a very important point. The Bible is not a how-to book; it is a true biography of the Children of God. As such, Scripture deals with the injustice, sin and corruption of life just like it addresses redemption, salvation and resurrection – as choices making up the fabric of real life by which the courses of our lives are determined. In a similar vein, every once in a while (particularly in Psalms like today’s), a blast of oh-so-human feeling shouts out so clearly it cannot be ignored. These emotional slices of real life often involve petitions for vengeance. They make us uncomfortable because they ring so true. We know they are inconsistent with the “turn the other cheek” ethic of the Christ we claim to follow. Nevertheless, the urge to repay evil with evil (even if dressed up as holy retribution) is nearly automatic.

However instinctive it may be, we need to be careful when praying for vengeance; we may well end up as victims of our own wrath. Most of us, in the darkness of our souls, know what it is to wish ill upon those who hurt us, just as did the Psalmist, King David. It may be fundamentally “un-Christian,” but it is also a very natural reaction. What we fail to understand is that, however natural our reaction may be, it is a response that can literally swallow us up and destroy us if left unchecked.

In my younger days, when it came to wounds (real or imagined), I historically had a long and unforgiving memory. I was also fairly thin skinned, which made for an even worse combination. It was not unusual for me to write off an entire relationship over just a few hurtful words. Of course, while I considered those bold enough to criticize me as spiteful or thoughtless, I viewed my usually caustic, in-kind responses as nothing more that tough truth-telling. For years, most of my relationships were extraordinarily conditional. Admission was granted only as long as criticism did not come with it. I had no interest in accountability and dealt harshly with anyone who tried to hold me to it. Beyond arrogant, I watched the body count rise around me with little regard for the consequences. I finally woke up one day to a grim picture. I was isolated in my own bitterness and had pushed away most everyone, including Christ, who could have saved me from myself. Remaining friends were few and far between. Most tellingly, my life was devoid of thoughts of charity. I do not mean charity in financial terms – though there was precious little of that, either. Tit for tat, I had gotten lost in the habit of thinking unkind thoughts about others.

There is a reason Jesus taught us not to judge, and to turn the other cheek. We cannot handle any other response. Anger soon begins to control. Bitterness poisons. Alienation overwhelms. Eventually, the same yardstick we apply to others really does get applied to us, and we do not have to wait for God’s Judgment to see this work itself out, either. There is such a thing as Hell on earth. It usually begins with isolation. Resulting resentment leads to more isolation and so forth, until we are caught in a downward spiral only the Holy Spirit can lift us out of. But over the course of years, I’ve learned some additional reasons to give up on vengeance as well.

First, I like myself better, and feel more secure about and in myself, when I have others who hold me accountable and can do so without fear of retribution. There is much we can learn from others and much strength to be gained from the support of friends. If we separate ourselves from our egos, we will see most criticism, especially from our friends, is not mean spirited. It honestly is intended to be helpful. Our rejection of it is usually more an issue of pride than inaccuracy. We need friends willing to fade the heat to show us ourselves as others see us.

Secondly, the body count caused by resentment and hypersensitive overreaction to criticism or injury is just not worth inflicting. Ultimately, if we can still be truthful with ourselves, we will see the ones hurt worst by our lashing back in anger and vengeance are us. We become the last survivors on a spiritual island of our own making. There is nothing to nourish or refresh either our hearts or our souls. The stench of abandoned, decaying relationships haunts our memories. But finally, it comes down to this for me. I simply no longer want to be guilty of wounding another precious soul. Souls are God’s creations. They are not for us to trifle with or harm. Considering that the souls I hurt the worst on earth are likely to be the first ones to greet me in heaven has done wonders for keeping my pride in check. Wonders of wonders, with pride in check, I’ve found I learn a lot more, too!

So, what’s up with David? How can any “man after God’s own heart” call down heaven’s curses on those who have injured him? I suspect the answer can be found only in the correct interpretation of the phrase “after God’s own heart.” David had his moments, to be sure, but at the end of the day, he proved himself every bit as human and fallible as any of us. His saving grace was that he continued to quest after God’s heart. He was a man almost constantly searching for God in crisis and blessing alike. And he was smart enough, when overwhelmed by the desire for revenge, to turn the matter over to God. David’s prayer may be a hard prayer for the pacifist to understand at all. But for the rest of us, laying our conflicts at the foot of the Cross is always a better decision than trying to extract an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth. The sight and dentition we save is usually our own!

ONE LEADER, ONE LOAF, ONE BODY

Nehemiah 11:1-12:26; 1 Corinthians 10:14-33; Psalm 34:11-22; Proverbs 21:14-16

“A record of the family leaders of the Levites was kept during the years when Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua served as high priest. Another record of the priests was kept during the reign of Darius the Persian.”

“When we bless the cup at the Lord’s Table, aren’t we sharing in the blood of Christ? And when we break the bread, aren’t we sharing in the body of Christ? And though we are many, we all eat from one loaf of bread, showing that we are one body.”

“But the Lord will redeem those who serve him. No one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.”

“Justice is a joy to the godly, but it terrifies evildoers. The person who strays from common sense will end up in the company of the dead.”

I always thought Communion a personal act by which we remind ourselves individually of the gifts of grace and forgiveness represented by the Bread and the Wine (or juice, as it may be). It is certainly all that. But in looking at Paul’s description with fresh eyes today, that seems too restrictive a view. Most biblical scholars believe Paul was the first to actually refer to Communion in writing; the Gospel accounts came after his Epistles. It is worth noting, then, that this first reference says little about forgiveness or grace. Clearly, Paul’s theme is on unity:

Think about the people of Israel. Weren’t they united by eating the sacrifices at the altar?

Paul sees Communion as something that does not just bind us to Christ as we partake of His Body and Blood. Communion also binds us irrevocably to each other. Our sharing of the elements joins us to each other as brothers and sisters every bit as much as it reconnects us to God through the sacrifice of Christ. Communion is the way the Creator has chosen to bring His family all back together again. It’s the ultimate family reunion!

Paul stresses over and over again in his writings that one of the greatest blessings of being a Christian is that we know our siblings in the faith have got our backs. We are to care for the widows and orphans among us without expecting payback. Those of us with abundance are to share with those who have little. In a word, the freedom and power we find in Communion are the very same forces that enable us to love each other as we love ourselves. Having taken on Christ, we are free to share Him – and all that He is – with others without risking our own well-being. In fact, as we share Christ with others, we actually grow outside ourselves by growing into others. This is a heady thought, that all who call Christ Savior really are a spiritual part of others who do the same, but that is how the Bride of Christ is created, after all.

So, why do dissonance and conflict still exist in the Body? Perhaps it’s because we do not know who our leaders should be. Any time leadership is an open-ended question, there will be those not qualified to lead who insist on having more than their share of the say. Likewise, there will be unhealthy competition among those who are qualified. The Body will be torn apart. Jesus understood this problem as well as anyone. That’s why He counseled His followers to lead through service. Those who would be greatest must be willing to be the least. Ultimately, we have only one Leader. We are free not to compete.  There is no need to compete with our brothers and sisters for preeminence in the Body. One Man calls the shots for all Christians.

The next time we are tempted to rush in and claim leadership for ourselves, let us stop first and ask ourselves who we intend to be serving. The answer to that question will do as much as anything to determine whether or not we are qualified to lead. One Body, one loaf. Godly leaders are committed to bringing everything together under One Head. Godly leaders lead to Christ.

TEMPTED TO TURN AWAY

Nehemiah 9:22-10:39; 1 Corinthians 9:19-10:13; Psalm 34:1-10; Proverbs 21:13

“They took over houses full of good things, with cisterns already dug and vineyards and olive groves and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate until they were full and grew fat and enjoyed themselves in all your blessings. But despite all this, they were disobedient and rebelled against you. They turned their backs on your Law, they killed your prophets who warned them to return to you, and they committed terrible blasphemies.”

“If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.”

“I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears. Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces.
 In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened; he saved me from all my troubles.”

For Holy Week, Newsweek’s cover story was entitled, “The Decline and Fall of Christian America.” The story’s major point was that a smaller percentage of America’s population than ever identify themselves as “Christian.” It went on to add, however, that about the same number of people overall still claim to be “spiritual” - despite a complete lack of any recognizable faith. Two wrongs do not make a right. That’s just another way of saying that more Americans than ever before are resisting any form of recognized spiritual commitment. The verse from Revelation comes to mind: “Because you are neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.” It appears Americans are not yet ready to give up altogether on God; they just want to keep all options option. What a cowardly and intellectually dishonest way to live that is! Rather than being content to float in the cesspool of indecision, we ought to at least have the moral integrity to declare allegiance to something, or not. Get real. There is no such thing as a multi-faith (or non-faith) spirituality. Spirituality without faith in God is just wishful dreaming. It has no rational basis or foundation. In fact, we cannot hedge our bets. Aim at nothing and we’ll surely hit it (as I believe I’ve mentioned before). Consistent with that idea, the article concluded, somewhat depressingly for those “spiritual” beings among us, that America’s situation mirrors the prelude to the affirmative non-spirituality found in Europe today. It did not come out and say that religion is passé, but it got right up to it.

If one had no memory or history, it might, in fact, be tempting to believe there is no God or, at least, no divine plan for good. At this precise moment, one need only look to CNN to know the few bright spots are mostly manufactured. However, what has become painfully obvious in the last nine months is that they are no more manufactured than was the supposed “prosperity” of the first half of this decade. I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to say that God had little to do either with yesterday’s prosperity or today’s recession. We need to take responsibility for our own actions (and omissions). When are we going to grow up and quit forcing credit and blame (take your pick) on God for things over which we allow Him no control? That kind of “spirituality” is nothing more than hypocrisy. Yet still, many are quick to deny the existence of God and the potency of the Holy Spirit when things don’t go according to human desires, even as they happily “praise” Him for any perceived blessings, however mundane or secular they are.

The simple fact is that those who reject any long term perspective or delayed gratification have been claiming disillusionment for generations upon generations. Their story is pretty much the same now as it was in Old Testament times. As long as things are going their way, nebulous spiritists are happy to accept the concept of a benevolent and loving God. But let times get tough and require anything that resembles self-denial, and faith is among the first of the “baggage” to be jettisoned.

Let us be clear. Present times need to be viewed in the guise of the temptation that they are. Adversity is, at its worst, a temptation not to believe in Christ (or a God of any sort, for that matter). It may equally be a temptation to give up on ourselves. Either reaction is misguided and inappropriate, and we do well to remember that.

We do not have to fall to adversity any more than we have to grow fat and inconsiderate from abundance. The temptation to turn away from God can be resisted from either end of the spectrum. More importantly, it should be resisted from every point on the spectrum. In the end, only God makes sense, and only Christ can reunite us with Him despite our sin. Ever since Adam and Eve ate the apple in the Garden, humans have been trying to fix what is wrong with them, right down to manipulating our belief systems when it suits us. However, what is wrong with us is that we consistently deny the Holy Spirit the opportunity to cure what ails us. Satan’s plan is insidious in its simplicity: just keep us from any real reliance on the Spirit. If we never allow ourselves to experience His Power, eventually, more likely than not, we will convince ourselves there’s no reason to even believe in His Power. Instead of whining about God’s failure to act, then, what about initiating a strategy that will test whether He can act or not? Give Christ a chance. At least, we will then have a basis for our lack of belief. Or not.

THE GIFT OF IDENTITY

Nehemiah 7:61-9:21; 1 Corinthians 9:1-18; Psalm 33:12-22; Proverbs 21:11-12

“Three families of priests—Hobaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai—also returned…. They searched for their names in the genealogical records, but they were not found, so they were disqualified from serving as priests. The governor told them not to eat the priests’ share of food from the sacrifices until a priest could consult the Lord about the matter by using the Urim and Thummim—the sacred lots.”

“Am I not as free as anyone else? Am I not an apostle? Haven’t I seen Jesus our Lord with my own eyes? Isn’t it because of my work that you belong to the Lord? Even if others think I am not an apostle, I certainly am to you. You yourselves are proof that I am the Lord’s apostle.”

“But the Lord watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his unfailing love.
 He rescues them from death and keeps them alive in times of famine. We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield.”

One of the most fundamental human questions we get asked is “Who are you?” The question may be put in a variety of ways, e.g., “What’s your name;” “What do you do;” or “Aren’t you Fred’s daughter” – but it all amounts to the same thing. People have a basic need to identify themselves and be identified by others. We each have separate names, but we also are known by the company we keep, our lineage and our generation.  In fact, who we say we are ultimately carries far less weight than the identification that comes from what we do and other external indications of personality. We may claim to be honest, but if we are recognized as liars, we will not be trusted or seen as trustworthy. We may claim to be Christian, but if we live as pagans, our self-depiction means nothing. However, actions alone do not determine identity, either. None of us, save Christ, are consistent enough to say our acts and thoughts mirror our identity all the time.

Identity goes deeper than name or actions. It also is subject to change. Who we are is not necessarily who we will be. (Think Jacob/Israel, for example.) Given that we can change identities, it follows that we run the risk of losing our very selves if we do not live consistently in a way that both claims and supports our character as children of God. 

How sad it would be, for example, to be a priest and not be able to prove our status! That’s exactly what happened to the Hobaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai families. Unable to establish their credentials from genealogical records, they were banned from the ministry to which they were called until others (actually, God, through the use of sacred lots) established their identities for them. We have no need to look back thousands of years, however, to find relevant examples of lost identities destroying ministries. The world is full of those who claim special spiritual standing but live in such a way as to lose all credibility. More personally, we are all members of the priesthood of all believers. Many of us go so far as to call ourselves disciples. But if we were pressed, could we prove it? Do we claim Him? Are we doing what we were made to do? How can we really know who we are?

While our claims and/or actions may provide definite clues to our identity, and can certainly reveal character or lack of it, we are not just what we say or do. The fact is, we are neither Christian nor disciples simply because we give lip service to the Gospel, go to church, or do or say other spiritual things. Like Israel, we are who God says we are. Otherwise, we are lost. Period. We may fool ourselves into believing we are on the right track, but our self-identification without the Holy Spirit’s input is the rough spiritual equivalent of trying to smash a square peg into a round hole. We don’t really fit. Our highest and best use is never discovered. We go through life with a vague sense of discontent, not always sure of what it is we are supposed to be doing. We talk of “finding ourselves” but wonder on the inside what we are looking for. Here’s a flash. The Lord gives us our identity. God knew us before we were even born, and He knew the plans He has for us before we exited the womb. Denying such things does not make them any less true. It just makes us far more likely to exhaust ourselves swimming upstream against the current of our Creator’s intent. My personal suspicion is we would all avoid a lot of conflict and personality problems if we stopped trying to be what we are not and were never created to be.

It’s an interesting thing to ask oneself who we think we are. As I ponder that personally, a number of answers come to mind (in no particular order): father; attorney; teacher; Christian; spouse; friend; and so forth. These are all ways I identify myself, and I admit they are driven, in large measure, by context. I am not likely to claim Christ before a jury in the middle of making a closing argument, for instance. (In that situation, I’m all lawyer.) If that is the case, though, do I have the right to claim Christ at all? Do I lose my identity as a Christian when I leave it unclaimed at the door to the courthouse, or in any other circumstance? One thing does seem certain: if my words and actions are not consistent with who I believe myself to be, I clearly give others no reason to accept or even understand my self-image. They cannot know me as I think I know myself. They may, however, know me better than I know myself. Conversely, though, just because I am vocal about my character does not prove it, any more than calling myself a moon pie will make me one.

I’m left with this. Instead of worrying about who I am, or who I think I may be, it’s time to change the question. I need to be a lot more intentional about asking God who He made me to be. Life is confusing enough without adding my opinions to the mix. We can make all the judgment calls we want about our lives’ ambitions and goals, but if they are not what we were created to do, we will never be fulfilled. If we do not know who we are in the Creator’s eyes, we will never reach our potential. I have no clear recipe for discerning either identity or purpose. That’s not the point of today’s blog. The point today is that I think I’ve been asking the wrong person who and what I am. I need to go to my Source. I need to ask my heavenly Father who He made me to be. And I have to get over my fear of the answer, and just make sure I’m doing my best, in His power, to live as He intended.

ALL WE NEED TO KNOW

Nehemiah 5:14-7:60; 1 Corinthians 8:1-13; Psalm 33:1-11; Proverbs 21:8-10

“So on October 2, the wall was finished—just fifty-two days after we had begun. When our enemies and the surrounding nations heard about it, they were frightened and humiliated. They realized this work had been done with the help of our God…. They kept telling me about Tobiah’s good deeds, and then they told him everything I said. And Tobiah kept sending threatening letters to intimidate me.”

“…We know that “we all have knowledge” about this issue. But while knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church. Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much. But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes.”

“For the word of the Lord holds true, and we can trust everything he does.
He loves whatever is just and good; the unfailing love of the Lord fills the earth.”

What do we know about what just happened, really? Easter can be overwhelming. Separate and apart from family gatherings and other diversions of the “holiday weekend,” in thinking honestly about the causes and effects of Easter, one can get lost in the theology pretty quickly. Add to that, for this Monday, the inevitable post-Easter emotional letdown, and many may well be wondering in retrospect what all the fuss was about. Sadly, everything still feels and looks pretty much the same as it did on last Monday. The Lord has not come down from the sky riding on a cloud to clean up all the mess. Evil has not been smitten. So it is today, in the cold rationality of another Monday, that we face the ultimate question. It is today, not Easter Sunday, that we will truly decide what we believe, who we are, and who we will follow in the trenches of our day-to-day lives and work. Oh, and just to make things interesting, we should perpare ourselves for some opposition along the way. Nothing like a little religion mixed in with the world to get folks stirred up.

Nehemiah may be God’s ultimate example of taking religion to work. As the king’s cupbearer, it is difficult to see what Nehemiah knew about rebuilding cities or, specifically, reconstructing Jerusalem’s border walls and defenses. However, God chose him and Artaxerxes sent him, so there you go: yet another example of God equipping those He calls. But let us not rush by the obvious question quite so glibly. What did Nehemiah know about rebuilding or fortifying cities? What schooling did he have in architecture or, more importantly, military strategy that would insure he would be able to preserve and protect the work of his hands as and after it was constructed? For that matter, what did he know of theology, with which to defend his God against all the pagan influences to be faced in his homeland? I’ve read no biographies on Nehemiah but am intrigued by the answer Scripture provides: “nothing.” Apparently, he did know enough to get the job done. He knew two things: 1) love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength; and 2) love your neighbor as yourself. Humankind did not need a book in the Bible about the construction of fortified walls. It never hurts, tough, to have another lesson on what it looks like to live out the Great Commandment.

Specifically, Nehemiah rejected any temptation to treat himself any better than one of his workers. Consider Nehemiah 5:18: “The provisions I paid for each day included one ox, six choice sheep or goats, and a large number of poultry. And every ten days we needed a large supply of all kinds of wine. Yet I refused to claim the governor’s food allowance because the people already carried a heavy burden.”  (It is impossible not to comment on modern application of this verse. What if the leaders and CEOs of today had a similar perspective? Alas….) Not once in the twelve years of governance did Nehemiah claim the extraordinary benefits of leadership to which he was entitled. Instead, as governor of Judah, Nehemiah fed his people out of his own pocket. Impressive.

Amazing happens when one looks at Nehemiah’s response to political challenges. Mainly, he ignored them. When things got too intense, he prayed. That’s pretty much it. Yet the wall got built. However idyllic and unrealistic the story sounds, there’s no arguing with the facts. Jerusalem was rebuilt by a man with no obvious talents or qualifications for the job, and in spite of significant opposition. I guess, in a phrase, the message is that Nehemiah knew all he needed to know, and he lived a fulfilled life just based on those two principles. Distilling things even further, one could also say Nehemiah simply acted out of love, and it was enough to get the job done.

I will freely admit that I do not trust love that much. I don’t trust love to take me where I want or need to go professionally. I do not trust love to put food on the table or a roof over my head. Nor do I trust love to overcome all the obstacles in my life. I’m just not there yet. Worse, I have a hard time even really wanting to get there. “Love Is All You Need” sounds as impractically utopian today as it did decades ago when the Beatles coined the phrase. And yet….

Paul is pretty specific. Love, not knowledge, should be our first goal. Love gives knowledge flesh and blood. More to the point, love gives knowledge a heart and a greater power than mere intelligence. Love opens the door to everything that is the Holy Spirit. Anyone can learn, but not everyone can love. Yet it is Love – and only Love - that raised Christ, and it is Love that overcomes the world. What do any of us really know about the world or how to make it work? Precious little, obviously, or it would work better than it does. But Scripture says we know what we need to know. Put the theology and religion away. Philosophical musings and economic theories won’t get us any closer to where we need to be than we are now. We know what we need to know. We just need to accept it and put it into practice.

LOVE REDEEMS

Nehemiah 3:15-5:13; 1 Corinthians 7:25-40; Psalm 32:1-11; Proverbs 21:5-7

“‘At the meeting I said to them, ‘We are doing all we can to redeem our Jewish relatives who have had to sell themselves to pagan foreigners, but you are selling them back into slavery again. How often must we redeem them?’ And they had nothing to say in their defense. Then I pressed further, ‘What you are doing is not right! Should you not walk in the fear of our God in order to avoid being mocked by enemy nations? I myself, as well as my brothers and my workers, have been lending the people money and grain, but now let us stop this business of charging interest. You must restore their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and homes to them this very day. And repay the interest you charged when you lent them money, grain, new wine, and olive oil.’ They replied, ‘We will give back everything and demand nothing more from the people. We will do as you say.’”

“Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, ‘I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.’ And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. Therefore, let all the godly pray to you while there is still time, that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment.
 For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory.”

The tomb is open. The Body is gone. The anguish and pain of Friday’s loss and Saturday’s mourning have been magnificently transformed into joyous celebration! He lives! Christ is alive! The price for our sins has been paid, and our Lord has redeemed us. By His blood, He has brought us back into the family of God. With His stripes, we have been healed. We can be sure of our eternal redemption because Christ has indeed been raised from the dead!

Of the many things love does and is capable of doing, none can hold a candle to love’s work of redemption. Nothing, save love, would or even could take a wretched sinner bound up in frustration and failure and transform her into a new, spotlessly clean saint free to live in victory. Nothing, besides love, can get past the pain to forgive the injury. Nothing, other than love, is capable of seeing beyond the twisted emptiness of a tortured heart and mind, and only love can free the enslaved soul that cries for release within. Love redeems because love forgives; love redeems because love does not judge; and love redeems because love protects and surrounds others with victory. But mainly, love redeems because there is no debt or obligation associated with it. Everything love does is freely given without cost to us, because the price of our redemption has already been paid by the Great Redeemer Himself, Jesus Christ.

Love also redeems because it changes people. We are given new hearts and, sometimes, new visions, missions and/or goals to go with them. It is just not possible to truly experience love and not be transformed in some way. When we are loved, we cannot remain the same individuals we were before love entered our lives. Consider, for example, how “the two shall become one” as a result of marriage the way God intended it. Remember this: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, the new has come.” What love touches, love changes and so redeems. Love does not change by way of guilt, but because of opportunity. Love searches tirelessly for ways to build up and fulfill lives, and when the chance comes, love never hesitates. It transforms. Sometimes, the change love works is as dramatic as re-creation. Sometimes, it’s the equivalent of a minor adjustment. However it happens, nothing touched by love is ever quite the same. We are all at least left with at least a bit of those who love us to carry around. Those bits become a part of who we are. If a wife can so change a husband or a child a parent – and believe me, they can! – then the change to be wrought by the Holy Spirit’s touch on our lives really is awesome.

Most of us can only imagine what it might be like to live a guilt-free life. We do not appreciate our need to be redeemed, or to be set free from guilt’s prison. Probably, we do not recognize how thoroughly guilt has riddled our lives and undermined our self-image. We have become accustomed to living with guilt as an unavoidable burden, so we try manfully to just grin and bear it.

Oh, brothers and sisters, Christ desires so much more for us! There is a more excellent way to live, and today it is offered without condition or price. All we need do is accept the invitation of our Lord to literally live in love with Him, now and for eternity. He will graciously do to us and through us things we could never do on our own. He will redeem us from our very selves! No more need self-interest define the limits of our relationships. We have something far greater to share, something that actually allows us to grow outside ourselves! Because Christ lives, we have love. Because we have love, we can share ourselves and our Savior with others. We, too, have the ability and opportunity to redeem our brothers and sisters through the Holy Spirit’s power, Christ’s sacrifice and God’s grace.

Why is anyone still sitting around reading this? Go into the world and make all persons His disciples! We have been transformed by the power of His redeeming love and grace. And we, the redeemed ones, are God’s Plan A for bringing all His children Home. There’s a world of Good News today. The world could use it! Let us be quick to share.

LOVE ENDURES

Nehemiah 1:1-3:14; 1 Corinthians 7:1-24; Psalm 31:19-24; Proverbs 21:4

“‘Things are not going well for those who returned to the province of Judah. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.’ When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven. Then I said, ‘O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands, listen to my prayer! Look down and see me praying night and day for your people Israel.’”

“And remember, if you were a slave when the Lord called you, you are now free in the Lord. And if you were free when the Lord called you, you are now a slave of Christ. God paid a high price for you, so don’t be enslaved by the world. Each of you, dear brothers and sisters, should remain as you were when God first called you.”

“In panic I cried out, ‘I am cut off from the Lord!’ But you heard my cry for mercy and answered my call for help.”

The sun rises on a desolate scene. Against the dawn’s backdrop, Calgary’s silhouette is marred by three naked spires. Arms down, these remnants of Roman crosses point upward in seeming mockery of Heaven itself. The sky is a heavy, damp gray. A few feeble rays of sunlight pierce the clouds, but their presence only adds to the sense of overwhelming futility engulfing the land. An occasional priest can be seen from just outside the Temple quietly sweeping up debris from yesterday’s earthquake. Most inhabitants of Jerusalem have retreated into the dankness of homes which this day seem more like cells than houses. Numbness and bewilderment permeate every wall. Eye contact is seldom made; each man and woman fears the despair and desolation their neighbors’ faces convey. All the hysteria and emotion of the day before has drained the earth. Roman guards shiver in the early morning hours from a chill they do not fully understand as they maintain a senseless watch over a sealed tomb. Everyone knows dead is dead. It is finished, truly. Hope has died a bloody, violent death.

What does love do with a scene like this Saturday morning? No words of consolation are sufficient. No magic wand can make the situation any better. No compass points in a meaningful direction. No meaning can be drawn this day from the tragedy of Good Friday. Everything is just too close. There are times when loss and devastation threaten to overwhelm us, no matter who or Whose we are. After the funeral, the donated meals will, at some point, have been eaten and the dishes returned. The phone will no longer ring, and the mailman will go back to delivering just the usual bills and ads. We may find ourselves alone, and feelings of abandonment and betrayal can become very, dangerously real. What does love do when “It is finished?”

When life comes to a dead end and joy to a dead stop, what can love do? In times of tragedy and despair, even love may have limited options. Certainly, neither feelings nor emotions can masquerade any longer as the real thing. All the dross of life is burned away. We are either left desolate or…. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves today, even though the temptation to rush past Saturday is strong. We need to consider our situation. We need to take a day to examine what faith means. Most of all, we need to consider love’s options.

In the darkest hour of the night, even faith and hope may pass away. Love endures. When we are down to our final option, love endures. The crucible of flame through which it passes may change love (more accurately, it may change our perception of love), but love nevertheless endures. It cannot be extinguished. Our pain may be great, yet love’s power to weather the storm is greater. Love endures because, in times of trial, true love will mature and return to its Essence, transforming from a sentiment to a state of being. In other words, the Holy Spirit (God) really is Love, and His love abides and endures all things. It sticks around, living inside us. Our part is just to cling to it. Reach inside and grab hold, particularly when there is nothing else to hold onto. Learn to really rely on Christ’s transforming power, even when it can’t be seen or felt.

Comfort ye, people. Love endures. Love cannot be destroyed, even by crosses and whips and chains. Nor can we, with the Spirit at our center. Today is a day for retreat and reflection. Even Jesus spent one full day in the tomb. We should not feel we are immune from tragedy or disappointment, nor should we rush to escape, however uncomfortable our situation may be. For today, let’s just stay put, and endure, experiencing the love of our Father in a different, somewhat counterintuitive way. Strange and wonderful things sometimes happen inside a tomb. Let’s not be in such a hurry to leave that we miss the blessings of a Love that endures all things. Let’s give Love the time it needs to transform for us from a mere feeling into the Constant Companion that is the Holy Spirit.