July 20, 2019

Live Boldly

He called out, “Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me!”

Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” -- Luke 18:38-39

No matter what you do in life there will be somebody telling you not to it. There will always be someone to say you can’t or that your plans are destined to fail. That’s just how life is.

Sadly, some of the worst critics are members of the faith community. They are the modern-day Pharisees, so determined to protect their rules that they miss the point.

They lash out at the Children’s Director for exchanging the Easter egg hunt for a fun event that’s biblically based. The kids love it while some adults grumble. They are the ones who’d rather use their tithes to add to their own comfort rather than help the working poor. They aren’t interested in outreach unless it’s reaching for people just like them.

Maybe you know someone like this. Maybe you are someone like this. Maybe you wish people who just shut up and stop trying to bring change. Maybe you’re one of the crowd shouting for others to stay silent.

Jesus’ church can never grow if we insist it remain the same. We can never serve those He calls us to serve if we don’t want share our pews, our meals, our money. And if we don’t grow, well, there’s that other alternative. We die.

Jesus beckoned this blind beggar to come to Him.

“What do you want me to do for you?”

“Lord, I want to see,” he replied.

Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.” – Luke 18:41-42

Do you want to be healed? Do you want to see Jesus clearly? Then look to the cross. Really look. With an open heart, an open mind and an open hand.

November 16, 2018

Open Your Eyes

Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”

Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”

Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.”

– John 9:39-41

Does it ever occur to any of us that we could be wrong? Do we ever seek the Bible’s wisdom for what it truly says rather than searching for words that will “prove” what we already believe? What would happen if we truly followed Jesus rather than picking and choosing the parts of Him that feel comfortably in line with ourselves?

Jesus didn’t come to conform to our “wisdom.” He came to save us from ourselves, from the sins that fill us, from the hardness of our hearts. But He left us with a choice. We can choose to follow Jesus or ourselves. There is no room on His path for both of us.

We are quick to point out that the Bible condemns homosexuality. We aren’t so quick to say that it also condemns divorce. Why would we? In our country, an estimated 40-50 percent of all couples will divorce. We don’t want to condemn ourselves so we choose to ignore what the Bible really says.

We are quick to condemn abortion as murder. We don’t want to support the child. That’s someone else’s responsibility. We don’t want to welcome those who are cast aside for their mistakes. We want them to pay again and again under our condemning eyes.

Obviously, abortion is wrong. So is casting aside an unwed mother. Remember: Mary was an unwed mother too. Before she and Joseph married. Before anyone understood about the Holy Spirit and the Messiah, she was a teenager with a growing belly in a world that would have destroyed her for her “sin.”

We cling tightly to our money, refusing to share or tithe as we should. We ignore what the Bible says about money – and it says a great deal about money – choosing instead to “believe” that everyone must support themselves. It is ours, we insist. Others aren’t worthy, we explain. Except the Bible doesn’t talk too much about worthy or ownership. It talks about gifts from God and sharing our blessings. Judgment isn’t ours to dispense, even when it comes to the money God has graciously given to us.

Oh, and let’s not forget the immigrants. We don’t want them. Period. We may expound our beliefs and justify ourselves but it’s just not biblical. The Bible tells us to welcome the foreigner because we once were foreigners. We are to extend kindness and compassion. But we hold what is ours tightly and refuse to show mercy.

There is no easy walk in our world today. It’s like a tightrope that keeps moving except, well, it doesn’t. The Bible is full of words that contradiction what we believe and what we say we believe. It’s impossible to truly love Jesus and stand only for some of what He says and ignore the rest.

Are we blind? Absolutely. But our blindness is a choice. We have the answers before us but we choose to ignore their truth because it’s uncomfortable and it just might cost us something we hold dear. Our money. Yes, it might cost us our money. It might force us to show kindness to people we don’t like. It might ask us to welcome people who aren’t like us so that we can show them that Jesus loves everyone and welcomes them into His arms.

Open your eyes. See your sin. Make your choice.

October 28, 2018

God Is Love

Hear this, you foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear.

-- Jeremiah 5:21

The hatred and distrust of those who do not know Jesus, well, that’s almost expected. It’s about priorities and love. God is love. That’s what the Bible tells us. It also tells us we can’t hate others who are also made in the image of God and claim to love Him.

And, yet, we somehow believe that message doesn’t really apply to us. We “pray” for people to come to see things the way we do. We focus on small bits of the Bible, things we agree with and things that God condemned that also make us uncomfortable, while ignoring the passages that condemn what we hold dear.

We turn people away from Jesus. We polarize others because we are polarized. We have no mercy, kindness or compassion for anyone who looks, acts or, indeed, is different from us. And when we are called out for it, we blame the other political party or another religion, claiming that we are only defending God.

That’s what makes me angriest. This isn’t about God. It’s about self-interest. Let’s get real here folks. God doesn’t need us to defend Him. What God requires of us is that we love others, at times sacrificially, so that they can come to know Jesus through us.

“There are none so blind as those who will not see. The most deluded people are those who choose to ignore what they already know.” Our pastor shared this quote today. It’s believed to have originated in 1546 with John Heywood. We’ve seen parts of it in other places as well, including in a popular song by Ray Stevens. Maybe the prophet Jeremiah was the first author because it’s strikingly similar to what he said.

We still don’t get it. We refuse to see what the Bible clearly says? Why do we claim a faith we don’t want to live?

“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.

The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”

“Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

– Mark 10:51-52

We don’t want to be healed. We don’t want to see. We don’t want to change. We’re comfortable where we are, living what we know, conforming to what feels good.

Our pastor said today that we are most blind in our hearts. And we are.

Last week someone sent pipe bombs to people who disagree with President Trump. That’s horrific. What’s worse? Those who took to social media and other outlets to try and turn it around and blame the other political party. Really? This isn’t about politics. It’s about hate. Why hasn’t everyone condemned this?

Yesterday 11 people died in a synagogue in Pittsburgh. Another hate attack on people who were only worshipping God. When is it going to stop? When are we going to change?

We Christians are part of the problem. How many times a day do you condemn or criticize someone who thinks or behaves differently than you do? How many times a day do you rant over what others might be taking from you? How many times a day do you blame the other party (whichever party that might be) for your problems?

God is love. Look in the mirror. If you are spreading hate and discord, you don’t have Jesus inside of you. Do you want to fix what’s wrong with our country? Start loving others with words and actions. In kindness and humility, serve others. Reach out to those who are different. Live like Jesus.

June 30, 2018

What Would Happen?

“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.

The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”

“Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

– Mark 10:51-52

Who would we be if we truly saw Jesus for who He is? What would we do if we truly saw Him?

We spend most of our lives being led by our own common sense and the world’s opinion of what we should do and who we should be. We not only deny Jesus but we deny the person He has called us to be.

We’re just so practical, you know? We don’t see a way so we assume a way doesn’t exist. We walk by faith – but only as far as we can see. We believe in miracles – for other people. We have great faith – but not when it means going where we are uncomfortable.

The sad truth is that we don’t want to cause ripples. And we certainly don’t want to ignite a storm. We just want to get along, to lead a good life, to be successful in the eyes of the world. If we want to be known, it’s for worldly achievements.

Sure, we want to go to heaven one day. Just not today. And we don’t really want to sacrifice anything to get there. We don’t want people to dislike us because we choose to follow Jesus rather than man. We want to do life on our own terms.

We know exactly what that looks like. We stay busy telling people how to live for Jesus. We insist that we know what is right. Yes, our biblical views benefit us. But, well, that’s just how it is. We’re not backing down. No compromise for us. We’re a hard-hearted bunch. All in the name of Jesus, of course.

But what would happen if we stepped back for a moment. Imagine yourself back in the days when Jesus was teaching and preaching and healing on this earth. Look down at your dusty feet. Feel yourself jostled in the crowd. Move close enough to hear His words. Do you still believe?

We’d like to think we would be one of those who gave up everything to follow our Savior. We want to believe that we would have given our very lives for the One who came to save us all. But the truth isn’t so pretty. Would we be like Peter, one of Jesus’ closest friends, who denied Him three times rather than risk his own life? Or would we be like the Pharisees who “knew” so much but were really so focused on their own opinions and power that they missed the Messiah?

The blind man’s faith was simple and direct. He knew Jesus could heal him. There was nothing fancy going on. No rituals. No prayer circles. No debates. Just one man with great faith and a Savior who saw him and heard the cry of his heart.

Why do we need it to be so much more than that? Why do we need signs and plans and the support of all those around us? What keeps us from hearing His voice and walking toward Him with great faith? What would happen in our lives if we stopped looking around us and focused directly on Jesus? What would happen if great faith directed our steps?

Open your eyes. See our Savior. Start walking toward Him. It really is that simple.