April 1, 2018

Just Believe

When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense.

– Luke 24:9-11

They didn’t believe the women. The tomb was empty. Jesus was alive! And they didn’t believe Good News.

Isn’t faith a funny thing? We believe what we can see, we step forward on the path we know, we reach toward what is certain. But a risen Christ?  Who could believe such a thing?

These men had traveled with Jesus for three years. They’d heard His words yet failed to understand. How could they believe in something, in someone, they couldn’t see?

Yet that’s what we ask of unbelievers every day. We offer hope and a better way and they reject what they can’t see. Are we any different? We pray and go through the motions yet expect it all to depend on us. Miracles happen to other people. Maybe. But certainly not to us. For us. No. We can’t believe in that.

Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” – John 20:24-25

Are we any different? We claim a faith we don’t live. We want proof. We want to see Him in our midst, to know He is with us. Do we really want Him or do we want what He can give us? Are we looking to Him only for blessings or is it Jesus we truly seek?

We are part of the crowd that welcomed Jesus on His triumphant return to Jerusalem. Yet we are also part of the crowd that abandoned Him as He hung on the cross. We didn’t understand it was all for us. We couldn’t comprehend a love that great, that pure, that perfect. So we walked away, angry and resentful, over what we didn’t get, what He didn’t do.

When life is good and it seems as though Jesus blessed us again and again, we are happy to follow Him. We love the mountaintop. We rejoice in Good News. We proclaim God’s goodness. We are happy, content, arrogant. Because while we tell the world that “God is good” and “We are so blessed” what we really mean is that life is going our way. We have made a way and Jesus has allowed it.

It all changes with the diagnosis. The job loss, the heartbreak, the betrayal, all rip apart what we believed. We either draw closer to the life source or pull away, angry at what He has allowed. We deserve better. We know that deep inside. We are bitter. We no longer believe.

Maybe we never really believed in the first place. Maybe our belief was centered on ourselves and our own abilities. Maybe it was all for our glory rather than His. Maybe, just maybe, we were secretly taking credit for the mountaintop.

He beckons us still.

Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” – John 20:27

Believe. Can we believe when life turns dark and we don’t see the way? Can we believe when everything we thought we knew lies shattered at our feet? Can we believe when we don’t see Jesus, can we hold on to hope when we don’t see the way?

Today is Easter. We celebrate the resurrection. We proclaim He is alive. We place flowers on the cross and we joyfully celebrate Jesus. It is easy to see Him when we’re surrounded by the goodness of Easter.

The true test comes when we leave the celebration and begin the journey. Do we hold tight to the Resurrection when rocks cause us to stumble and fall? Can we proclaim the Risen Lord when life gets hard and we can’t seem to find Him in our midst? Can we still believe when the path isn’t of our choosing and our shattered hearts can’t see the way?

Easter isn’t just a day. It’s hope that walked out of a tomb and proclaimed life for all who would believe. Do you see Him? Do you really see Him? Hold tight to that. Jesus is alive! And because He lives, we can walk confidently into the unknown.

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Sharing Meals Strengthens Families

When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him.”

-- Luke 24:30-31a

Here in the Deep South we are all about food. Not fancy food but comfort food. The kind of food that makes a table groan from the weight. The sort of food that makes a person feel loved and nourished and cared for.

Whenever anything happens -- be it death, illness, celebration -- everybody brings food. A dear friend once explained that we just want to do something to let others know that we care, so we take food. Handing someone a casserole or plate of cookies is a tangible thing that says we care.

It used to be that families sat down together at least once a day for a meal. It was a time to reconnect, to share stories, to remember who we are. No more. We are part of a fast food nation that runs like crazy and shares meals on the go. It’s really kind of sad.

Jesus used meal times to teach about God and the lessons of life. I’d never really paid too much attention to how many passages in the Bible speak of food and feasting until reading the book, The Jesus Life by Stephen W. Smith. It’s amazing in some ways and in other ways it is just so right and true.

What is a meal all about? Preparation. Serving. Sharing. When someone takes the time to prepare your favorite dish you can’t help but feel loved. When someone invites you to share a place at their table, you feel welcomed and wanted. It is so intimate and yet so open and welcoming.

Of course, just sitting at the same table and sharing a meal doesn’t deepen relationships. That happens when we talk to one another. No television. No cell phones. Just conversations where you look someone in the eye and really hear what they have to say. Text messages tell us a lot but nothing replaces human contact.

There are many ways to start conversations. Sharing a good moment from the day, sharing a concern, talking about current issues. It’s all part of our days. Listening is something learned. It becomes not so much about what we have to say as what we have to hear. Taking time to respect the views of those closest to us enough to really hear what they have to say.

So many families these days don’t really know each other. Not really. Because we’re just too busy, too distracted, too focused on things that don’t matter to sit down and share a meal and really talk to each other. Imagine the things we could learn, the stories we could tell, the laughter and love we could share.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Feeding Bodies Nourishes Souls

Still they stood there doubting, filled with joy and wonder. Then he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” -- Luke 24:41

They were not expecting to see Jesus. They were discussing His horrible death and all that had happened as they walked toward Emmaus. Jesus was dead. They knew He was. But there He was, in front of them. How could that be?

They doubted. Of course, they doubted. Jesus was dead. How could He be alive? And, yet, their Lord talked with them. He showed them His hands and feet. And then He asked them for food and He ate. He wasn’t a ghost. He was real. Jesus was alive.

Jesus taught His disciples and other followers. He quoted the Scriptures and told them parables to help them understand. But Jesus also cared for their bodies. His first recorded miracle was to turn water into wine. He fed the masses with fish and bread.

It’s far easier sometimes to focus on the spiritual. Truly. Because we can quote Scripture, pray and be on our way. But that wasn’t how Jesus showed us we should live. He cared about the spiritual, of course. But Jesus also cared about our physical needs. So should we.

Many years ago I observed an organization geared to helping homeless teens. The vans would head out shortly after dark, patrolling a seedy area filled with prostitution and drugs. The workers offered free sandwiches and a beverage. No strings attached.

It was a good thing. Most of these kids were hiding. One young man told me the streets were safer than his “home.” Many of the others had similar stories. Oh, sure. I’m certain that a few runaways came from wonderful homes. But most left horrible situations. Authorities would merely try to reunite the family, even if that meant more harm to the teen.

So this organization met the teens where they were. They understood that someone hungry, someone afraid, someone who learned early not to trust adults, wouldn’t respond to a sermon. At least not at first. So they fed their bodies and gave them a friendly smile and encouraging word.

The teens were offered a spot in the group’s shelter. They certainly had people to pray with them and for them. But mostly they learned about Jesus from the hands and feet of those who fed their bodies.

We’d rather turn our time and attention to something that’s easy. I doubt riding in a van throughout the night, looking for runaway teens in seedy areas of town was easy. But those folks showed many, many teens the face of Jesus as they provided nourishment for souls by first feeding bodies.

Sunday, April 8, 2012

He

Is

Risen!

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.'" Then they remembered his words.

-- Luke 24:1-8