Saturday: Day 34

Luke 24:25-26: Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” 


            I saw a list recently of explanations that were filed in police reports after traffic accidents.


            The telephone pole was approaching fast, and I attempted to serve out of its path when it struck my front end.


            I pulled away at the side of the road, glanced at my mother-in-law, and headed over the embankment.


            I was coming home, pulled into the wrong driveway, and hit a tree I didn’t have.


            The indirect cause of this accident was a little guy in a small car with a big mouth.



            Sometimes people act in the same way; they make silly mistakes, try to avoid responsibility, and get stuck on the “failure freeway” and don’t know how to get off. They tend to forget that if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten!



            But there are others who deal with failure as a part of a larger plan. They see failure as a way of learning how to do things differently in the future. Many people whom we regard as genius could have been failures. Wolfgang Mozart, a musical genius, was told by Emporer Ferdinand that his opera The Marriage of Figaro was far too noisy and contained way too many notes. Vincent Van Gough sold only one painting in his lifetime. Thomas Edison was considered unteachable as a young child. Albert Einstein was told by his school teacher that he would never amount to much.



            What made the difference was their response to failure. They refused to see failure as a self-definition. They saw the larger picture and looked beyond their immediate circumstance.




            The disciples “had hoped” that Jesus would be the one to redeem Israel, and they looked back and saw Jesus as a failure. But Jesus told the disciples that it was necessary that he must suffer in order to enter into his glory. His suffering and death was all a part of God’s larger plan and purpose for his life.

           Jesus wasn’t a failure. He triumphed over death, and now promises new life to all who believe in him. It was necessary. It was a part of God’s larger plan. Knowing that makes all the difference in the world!

 

Questions to Ponder:

• · How do you respond to failure in life? Do you ever feel stuck on the failure freeway of life?
• · Think back on some of the things that you failed at in your early life. What were some important life lessons you learned? What have you done differently because of those experiences?

Prayer for Today: Dear gracious God, in the low times of my life, let me praise you. In my weak moments, give me strength. When I fail, give me faith. Help me see you, and let my life be one that brings you praise. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

It's Palm Sunday tomorrow!  Hosanna!  Hosanna!  Praise is Rising!

Friday: Day 33

Luke 24:17b-19a: They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” He asked them, “What things?”

            They stood still, looking sad.

            Have you ever wondered why some of the saddest words in our language begin with the letter "d"?  Disappointment, doubt, depression, discouragement, despair, despondency, and death all being with "d".  Woody Allen once said, "Our civilization stands at the crossroads.  Down one path is despondency and despair.  Down the other road is total annihilation.  I hope we'll take the right road."  Woddy Allen was making an attempt to be humorous, but there are some people who think he's right.

          Jesus had asked the two disciples what they were discussing on the way.  After they wondered if he was the only clueless one in Jerusalem who didn't know the things that had taken place, Jesus asked them, “What things?”

            And so they begin to tell him about Jesus who was a prophet, how he was condemned and crucified, how they had hoped that he would be the one to redeem Israel. As they told him what things had taken place, it’s all in the past tense. They were living in the past. They were living in an “if only” world.

            And to be honest, that’s so easy to do. If only things had turned out different in my life. If only I had a better paying job, or a better education. If only I hadn’t been raised the way I was. If only I didn’t have the looks and body that I have. If only…then my life would be different.

            At times like that, when we’re like the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, it’s important to ask ourselves, “Am I cursing the darkness, and I’m stuck, going nowhere, and controlled by my past negative experiences? Or am I looking to God for the strength to move on with my life, and to ask Jesus to walk with me?”

            Here’s something important to remember. Just as Jesus walked with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, so also he walks with us on our Emmaus roads. He walks with us in the present, and not just in the past. On our tough patches of the road between Jerusalem and Emmaus he is always with us, even though we don’t always recognize him. We are never alone. Never. And that means that we can face anything that comes in the path of our journey because we know that Jesus promises he will always be with us.

Questions to Ponder:

• · Do you feel your faith is lived in the past tense? Or the present tense?
• · Have you started asking yourself empowering questions on this journey through Lent? If you have, what kind of difference is it making?

Prayer for Today: Lord Jesus, walk with us. All along our pilgrim ways, walk with us. In our sorrows and in our troubles and through our trials, walk with us. In the living name of Jesus, amen.

In the midst of our doubts, disappointments, and despair, it's important to remember that there IS an Unfailing Love.

Thursday: Day 32

While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?”  Luke 24:15-17a

              The story is familiar. Two little known disciples – Cleopas and an unnamed disciple – are leaving Jerusalem and walking on the road to Emmaus. They had just been in Jerusalem where they had witnessed the horror of the crucifixion of Jesus. They had just had the most terrible experience of their lives because they had put their hopes in Jesus as the savior of the world. But now he had been crucified and was dead. They had just been in Jerusalem, which had now become a place, and an event, and a time that shook them to the core and made them lose their sense of direction.

  

            And they were on their way to Emmaus, just 7 miles from Jerusalem. Emmaus was the place they were going to escape; to go back to the way their lives were before they met Jesus. Frederick Buechner describes what “Emmaus” stands for. He writes, “Emmaus is whatever we do or wherever we go to make ourselves forget that the world holds nothing sacred, that even the wisest and bravest and loveliest decay and die….Emmaus is where we go, where these two went, to try to forget about Jesus and the great failure of his life.”

    

            Jerusalem. A place of tragedy and loss. And Emmaus. A place of escape and denial. Most of us have both of those “places” in our lives. Loss. Disappointment. Unmet expectations. And escape. Loneliness. Isolation. That’s what the disciples were facing. Maybe you’ve faced that in your past. Perhaps you’re facing it now.

  

            But Jesus walks with them on their escape to Emmaus. He joined them as they were escaping. He asked what they were discussing on their way. He joined them on their journey.

  

            Frederick Buechner again wrote, “In other words, it is precisely at deep and dark times that Jesus is apt to come; into the very midst of life at its most real and inescapable moments. Not in a blaze of earthly light, nor in the midst of a sermon, not in the throes of some kind of religious daydream, but….at supper time, or walking along a road….Jesus never approaches on high, but always in the midst, in the midst of people, in the midst of real life, and in the midst of the questions that real life asks.”

   

            The two disciples had a companion on their journey from Jerusalem to Emmaus. And thank God, that you do, too.

    

Questions to Ponder:

• · Is there a “Jerusalem” in your life; a place or time or event in which you experienced hurt or pain that shook the foundations of your life? What was it like?
•   · Is there an “Emmaus” in your life; a place you go to escape, or something you do when you’ve lost your sense of direction?
•  · While you travel from your Jerusalem to your Emmaus, do you experience Jesus walking with you? Why or why not?

   

Prayer for Today: Precious Lord, gentle Jesus; life sometimes just gets really difficult, and sometimes, Lord, we just lose our sense of direction. At those times, be with us. Help us know that you are there for us. And help each one of us experience your presence with us, in the midst of whatever joys or sorrows that we are experiencing. In the Holy and Present name of Jesus. Amen.

"I am new."  On your journey from your Jerusalem to your Emmaus remember that the One who is making everything new doesn't see me the way that I do.  I am new.  I am new.

  

Wednesday: Day 31

John 5:46-47: “If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But if you do not believe what he wrote, how will you believe what I say?”

There must have been times in Jesus ministry when he wondered what it would take to get through to his disciples. What would it take for them to understand who he really was, and what he was sent to earth to do? Why wouldn’t they listen? Why did they want a Messianic King to usher in a new world order, when he came to them as a Suffering Servant?

They had Moses. They had the prophets. They had Jesus’ own teaching, his miracles, and his healing. Yet they kept asking, “Who is this?” When would they finally understand?



Maybe, just maybe, if he spent time with them after he was crucified and resurrected. Maybe then they would understand.



Jesus did just that in Luke 24 on his post-resurrection appearance to two disciples on the road to Emmaus. During his time with them he asked them five questions; five transformative, personal, and empowering questions on their journey to Emmaus.



Each day this week we’ll be spending time with one of those five questions. 

 

In order to do that, put yourself in the place of the two disciples. One of them is named: Cleopas. The other is not named. These two disciples were not a part of the Twelve disciples, rather, they were followers of Jesus. They weren’t the designated disciples who are named, whom Jesus called and appointed as the special inner group. They were just ordinary disciples who had followed Jesus.


They were just like us.

And after Jesus was crucified, they felt like failures. They felt betrayed and let down. Their hearts hurt that their Lord and friend, Jesus, had been crucified. It must have felt like his death on the cross was simply they end of the story. They were deflated disciples; they were frustrated followers.




But what happened in their encounter with the Risen Lord rocked their world. Though they didn’t recognize him at first, they looked back and realized that their hearts burned within them as they walked and talked with Jesus. 




And on that road to Emmaus Jesus gave them a vision and a direction for their lives. He put new meaning and purpose in their minds. Just like on the Day of Pentecost, Jesus set their hearts on fire with the power of the Holy Spirit to lead responsive lives because of the verifiable fact that he had been risen from the dead.    



Now that’s something you can believe!


Questions to Ponder:

• · Do you ever feel like the two disciples, meandering through life without a clear sense of vision and purpose? What would it take for you to really “be on fire” for your faith?
• · “It’s more important for you to be a witness to your faith than to argue with people about their faith.” Do you agree with that statement? Why or why not? What would it look like for you to simply be a witness to your faith?

 

 

 Prayer for Today: Dear Jesus, I believe that you died on the cross and came back to life for me. Guide me on my journey through life with the power of your Holy Spirit, and help me to follow you all the days of my life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Questions, following, struggles, loving anyway....it's here in the song.

Tuesday: Day 30

Luke 9:23-25: Then he said to them all, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For those who want to save their life will love it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it. What does it profit them if they gain the whole world, but lose or forfeit themselves?

            Do you sometimes find comfort in a “nice” Jesus?


            From my perspective as a parish pastor for many years, we often have a tendency to want to domesticate Jesus. We want a “nice” Jesus. A smiling Jesus. We want a Jesus who is like a decent Boy Scout, who helps older women across the street, takes in stray cats, and never, ever says a cross word to anyone. Afterall, wasn’t it Jesus who said, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” Or was that Thumper?


            We often have a tendency to want to domesticate Jesus. We often rub off his rough edges to make him palatable and vanilla, and non-offensive. We want Jesus to be, well, comfortable and approachable, to be our Best Friend Forever, and to “like” us on Facebook.



But that’s not who Jesus is.



            This week we’ve looked at life, love, and service based on the question Jesus asked, “Do you love me?” When Jesus asked Peter that question, it was an agape question; Peter, do you love (agape) me with a sacrificial love? Are you willing to give your life for me? Are you willing to take your life, your priorities, your reputation, and everything you have and lay it at the foot of the cross? Are you willing to take up your cross daily and follow Jesus?


            As we saw at the beginning of this week, Peter was only able to answer with a phileo kind of answer. Yes, Jesus, we’re buds. I love you, man.



            And we saw that Jesus accepted Peter just where he was; accepting and loving him just as he was, unconditionally and without reservation.


            But we also saw that while Jesus loved Peter just as he was, Jesus loved him far too much to let him stay that way. Jesus wanted to lead Peter into a deeper life of discipleship. Jesus wanted to give him a transformative personal experience with his own sacrificial love. Jesus wanted to invite Peter into a life of taking up his cross daily, and following him.

            There’s nothing “nice” about taking up your cross and dying to your own will and desires. But there is something ultimately redemptive about losing our lives for the sake of knowing Jesus.

            Ultimately a “nice” Jesus doesn’t do much for you. But living a sacrificial life by taking up your cross daily will do absolutely everything for you, both now and for an eternity.  

            Take up your cross daily. Love Jesus. Serve others. That’s an agape love.

            Questions to Ponder:

• What does “taking up your cross daily and following Jesus” mean to you? Are you comfortable with doing it daily, or does it make you uneasy? How would you explain your answer?
• This has been a challenging week on this transformative personal journey through Lent. What are ways in which you’ve grown or deepened in your life of discipleship? What are some things you’ve learned? Are there some things you might do differently in the coming weeks?

Prayer for Today: Gracious and merciful and loving Lord, draw me close to you. In times when I feel entitled to what I want, remind me of what You desire. Let me live to you and in you, no matter what that takes. Be with me as I lose my life in order to gain Your life in me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Today we have two songs; a traditional praise song (love this version) and a funky happenin' love song to God that was sent to me from a Brad in Wisconsin whose coolness greatly exceeds mine.

And...

Monday: Day 29

Luke 22:27a: “For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves?”

            In Luke 22 Jesus had just finished sharing his Last Supper with his disciples. He took the bread, and the wine, and told they that this is the new covenant in his blood. He said the very sad words that one who shared this new covenant, this bread and wine, his very body and blood would soon betray him.

 

 

            Immediately after this most precious and holy time, a dispute arose among the disciples. They hadn’t yet digested the bread, and still had the smell of the wine on their breath. And they disputed among themselves which one would be the greatest among them! Unbelievable! Didn’t they understand what Jesus had just done and said? How could they be so clueless?

 

 

            And so Jesus asks them a question. For who is greater, the one who is at the table, or the one who serves? As they were asked this transformative personal question, their hearts must have seen that servanthood is the sign of greatness, not being served. Servanthood. Loving others sacrificially. That’s what it means to be great for those who follow Jesus.

            A servant simply loves and serves. Servants love and serve the Lord, but they also love and serve other people. Without love, service often turns into bitterness or duty. When service is done without love, it becomes merely an obligation, and something you “have to” do rather than something you just simply “do”.

 

 

            Because often the people you are called to serve aren’t perfect people! They disappoint you. They aren’t always grateful. And sometimes they take advantage of you.

            But that’s OK. Servants love and serve imperfect people, just like Jesus did with his disciples. Servants serve because they can, and not only because they should. Servants serve based on love, and not out of obligation.  

            Servants serve because they know that love is stronger than hate. They believe that forgiveness is stronger than sin. They are convinced that life is stronger than death. A servant simply loves. And serves.

 

 

            Questions to Ponder:

•  The heart of Christianity is not a religion, but a relationship. The heart of Christianity is a passion for living for Jesus by serving others. Do you agree? Why or why not?
• Think about a time that you served without recognition and without gratitude from anyone. What did you learn from that experience?

Prayer for today: Make me a servant, humble and meek. Lord, let me lift up those who are weak. And may the prayers of my heart always be: Make me a servant. Make me a servant. Make me a servant today. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Jesus, Joy.  We simply serve because He desires it.  Just be blessed by this beautiful song.

           

Sunday: March 25

In John 12 two Greeks (unchurched people) came to Phillip and said, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."

Wow.  That was enough for my whole sermon.  Enough for a prayer in the middle of the sermon.  Even enough for a revival.

Yeah, we want to see Jesus.  Anyone interested in a revival?  Listen in: