Saturday, September 24, 2011

Unexpected Tide

My iniquity is written upon the shores of life in deep bold letters; written there with my own failing hand.  Sin after sin, failure upon failure recorded for all to see and for me to ne’er forget. 

My back aches as I stoop yet again to scrawl another shortcoming into the white-hot sand.  This arduous undertaking continues throughout the day and on into evening. 

Because of the growing fatigue in my legs and lower back, I soon find myself unable to stand.  Undaunted, I continue my list while crawling down the seaside on hands and knees. 

Exhausted, my eyes grow heavy, and I drift off into an uneasy slumber.   

What seemed like moments later, I am startled awake by the violent splash of the unexpected tide against my tired body.  I struggle to my feet cursing the wind that I could not be granted even a brief rest.  Standing, I stretch my tight back in order to continue my laborious work. 

As I rub the sleep from my tired eyes, I look down at my feet.  To my astonishment, all that I had painstakingly written the night before was now gone.  All of my work, my penitence, my self-pity, and my effort to keep record of my wrongs went for naught! 

I would now have to start all over, again. 

“How could this have happened to me,” I shout into the salty air, as I strain to remember all I had written the day before.  My legs burn and my back hurts as I bend down to once again write in the sand. 

Head bowed, I rest my hands on the moist clean white sand, and I notice the warmth of the morning sun as it begins to tickle the back of my neck.  I lift my head to see a cloudless sky.  I feel the gentle ocean breeze blow against my face.  I see whitecaps breaking in the distance with the ocean’s surging power.  I sense the warm sand cradle my knees in a blanket of white. 

I look down again.  This time I notice that the beach had been made new.  It had been washed clean in the unexpected tide.  There was not even a faint trace of yesterday’s scars. 

The unexpected tide had always been there. 

The unexpected tide would return everyday to refresh and renew.  

I stood erect – a new man!  I too am made new!  I too have been washed clean!  I too have been forgiven in this Unexpected Tide!

“You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of God.”  -- 1 Corinthians 6:11

“Have mercy on my, O God,
                according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
                blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity
                and cleanse me from my sin.”  -- Psalm 51:1-2

Monday, September 19, 2011

Let There Be LIGHT!


"And God said, "Let light be and it was light" (Genesis 1:3).

"In him was life, and the life was the light of all people; and the light in the darkness shines, and the darkness will not overcome it" (John 1:4-5).

Jesus said, "You, you are the light of the world" (Matthew 5:14).

"For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light - for the fruit of light is in all that is good and right and true" (Ephesians 5:8-9).

God, the Creator of light; God, the Source of light, has called us to be light. To shine, if you will, right where we are.  The questions is, how will we shine?

Watch this amazing video about how one man has become light and has brought light to many others.
  
How will we let the light shine?

Let LIGHT be!

Monday, September 12, 2011

Are We There Yet?

Who among us hasn't uttered those fateful words from the back seat of the family car?

Are we there yet?

A sure sign of our boredom and impatience.

Are we there yet?

The promised destination has not yet been reached, and that is all that matters.

Are we there yet?

Finally in exasperation, the reply rings out in almost perfect unison from the front of the car, "Not yet! Will you please stop asking?! You will know when we get there!"

And in response we tune out or shut down for a little while.

Let's be honest. For most of our lives we have simply been waiting to get somewhere. When we were 6 years old, we wanted to be 10. When we were 10, we couldn't wait to be 13. When we finally turned 13, we couldn't wait until high school. High school, college. College, real world. And so the list goes on and on.

It seems as though we are always asking, "Are we there yet?"

Our internal journey and our journey of faith are really no different. We want to know where we are heading. We want to understand the reason we find ourselves in the midst of certain circumstances. We desperately long for a glimpse of the destination so that we might know that the journey will truly be worth it.

Along the way, people say "helpful" things like, "Good things come to those who wait." Or "Patience is a virtue." Or "The joy is in the journey."

These axioms may be true, but they are less than beneficial at a time like this. All we can think of is to scream in response, "But ARE WE THERE YET?!"

Becoming really stinks. Unfortunately, there is no way to expedite the process. We only truly have one way to go and that is to go.

There are plenty of stories about this in Scripture. Stories about people trying to become something or someone they thought they should be instead of the person they were to become. Read the story of Abraham or of Jacob. These stories take may different forms and shapes, but one truth seems to permeate the text. This truth is found echoed in many different ways. However, my favorite comes from the prophet Isaiah.

"But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you. Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you, I give people in return for you, nations in exchange for your life. Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you; I will say to the north, "Give them up," and to the south, "Do not withhold; bring my sons from far away and my daughters from the end of the earth— everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made" (Isaiah 43:1-7, NRSV).

Are we there yet? The answer is a resounding, "No!" However, in the midst of the journey we can take heart in knowing that the God who created all things walks along the way with us. This knowledge doesn't make the pain any easier to take, neither does it make the time pass any more quickly. However, it can give the traveler courage to take the next step even when the path ahead is not entirely visible.

Let us all walk with confidence because of the One who travels with us. Amen.

Monday, September 5, 2011

A Simple Meal Shared

They came.  All morning and all afternoon they gathered.  They hailed from many different places and together represented a diverse slice of society. 

Some came because they were curious.  Others arrived because they needed to be there.  Still others wandered onto the scene completely by accident.  There were those that stopped in order to get something off of their chest.  They had some protesting to do; their displeasure had to be made known.  Many were unsure why they had come to this place at this time.  Maybe they got caught up in the excitement of a growing crowd.  Maybe a friend or family member brought them.  Or maybe there was something greater at work here. 

It really didn't matter why they came.  They were there.

As minutes turned into hours, people began to settle into small groups to talk about what they had seen and heard.  Many shared stories of similar gatherings on similar hillsides across the countryside.  Others spoke of miracles and wonders.  While they talked, the children ran to and fro in wild games of chase and tag.  On this day, no one was in a hurry and everyone had the freedom to be themselves. 

As afternoon fell into evening, everyone had their attention called to the top of the hillside.  There a man stood.  Above his head he held a loaf of bread.  His voice cut through the rich country air. 

A simple blessing was said for a simple meal.  The bread was broken. 

All who were gathered ate; one common meal for one common people. 

When the meal was done, the leftovers were collected and filled twelve baskets.

All present that day were astonished at what had just taken place.  Somehow the hunger of all those gathered was satiated.

In the shadows of the crowd a little boy stood.  In his hands he held his lunch sack, now empty.  Jesus had asked the boy if he would be willing to share his lunch.  Perhaps he was honored that Jesus would ask.  Maybe he was reluctant to share. 

However, at some point he said something like, "Yes Rabbi, I will share my lunch." 

Here is the miracle.  Jesus took all that the little boy had to offer and filled the needs of the multitude gathered there. It doesn't matter what actually happened that day. It is unimportant if the fish and loaves were multiplied by some supernatural phenomenon or if the people gathered we miraculously compelled to share what they each had brought with them. Whatever the details may have been, the real miracle was that through one small gift in the hands of Jesus, all were fed.

Yes, in his tiny hands a little boy held his empty lunch sack; a simple monument to a spiritual truth. 

The same truth is still at work. Offer Jesus all you have and it will be used it to fill the needs of others.

Always be willing to share your lunch.