Delightful

Sometimes I wonder for myself and for others, “Where is the joy?” So I thought it would be a good idea to remember what God delights in or rejoices over and consequently where we also can find pure delight and joy. In both the Old and New Testaments, the words for delight have the understandings of “incline to, favor and take pleasure in or well pleased.” As you know, this world is filled with all kinds of “delights” that either do not compare to God’s or inevitably lead to discontent and emptiness over time. And yet, in the midst of struggles, in faith, in parenting, in relationships, at work, in school, in all the days of our lives – God’s pleasure is there for us to receive and enter into. Please “delight in” and reflect on these and let us resolve to seek the delights and delight of our Lord…

“But his delight is in the law (teaching) of the Lord, and on his law (teaching) he meditates day and night.” Psalm 1:2

 

 

“Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4

 

 

“For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with salvation.” Psalm 149:4

 

 

“Discipline your son, and he will give you peace; he will bring delight to your soul.” Proverbs 29:17

 

 

“Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations.”  Isaiah 42:1

 

 

“Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me (The Lord), and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.” Isaiah 55:2

 

 

“I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” Isaiah 61:10

 

 

“I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more.” Isaiah 65:19

 

 

“The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17

 

 

“And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; in him I delight.” Matthew 3:17

 

 

“Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.” 1 Corinthians 13:6

 

 

“That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:10

Amen.

Discussion Questions

1. What are some things you delight in? Are they like or unlike the things God delights in?
2. Are the things in which you presently delight “working for you?”
3. Going through this list – what are some of the things that God “favors?”
4.  What are some ways that we can move in our thinking and actions toward things in which God delights?

Precious Lives

“My dear friends, if you know people who have wandered off from God’s truth, don’t write them off. Go after them. Get them back and you will have rescued precious lives from destruction and prevented an epidemic of wandering from God.” James 5:19-20 The Message

I want to share an important scene from one of my favorite movies, Seabiscuit (2003). It is one of my favorite movies because it so beautifully illustrates grace. Charles Howard is a man haunted by loss and death, looking to buy a horse and he goes through all the regular channels. But out of the corner of his eye he notices something different. He notices a “crackpot” horse trainer named Tom Smith. Later on, under the cover of night (like Nicodemus) Charles comes to find Tom. He notices that Tom is treating an older horse that no one else wanted and asks why he is “fixing” the horse. Tom explains that every horse is good for something. And then Tom says a line that I always remember – it is at the heart of the grace of Jesus Christ and the heart of my ministry, “You know, you don’t throw a whole life away just ‘cause he’s banged up a little.”

Banged up a little. That’s all of us – whether we are open about it or not. Whether it is visible or not. Whether it was by our choice (sin) or by circumstances and events.

See, God doesn’t write us off, when he could have. Sometimes Christians and churches get so good at celebrating God’s grace that they forget that God could have written them off. And they lose sight of what it was/is to be without grace and a kind of blindness develops to seeing those who are “banged up” and who have wandered away from God.

That is why, when we are tempted to think people are less than perfect and don’t belong and to think that lives can be written off, we need to stop and listen…

“My dear friends, if you know people who have wandered off from God’s truth, don’t write them off. Go after them. Get them back and you will have rescued precious lives from destruction and prevented an epidemic of wandering from God (James 5:19-20).”

Do you know someone who has wandered off from God’s truth? Do you know some people who are “banged up a little” or worse? I know I do. And I have been going after them for most of my life. I do because first I know that I am “banged up a little” and I know the grace by which I am saved – for which I am eternally thankful. And I do this because I believe every life is precious to God, even if they are “banged up a little.”

It is hard to precisely put into words how amazing it feels when God has allowed me to be a part of “getting them back and rescuing precious lives…” It is a peace beyond words and it feels sacred; it is the true definition of fulfillment for me. I know that I experience healing when I am a part of others’ healing. God is the initiator of grace, but if we are faithful, the grace we receive can be shared and multiplied – and really that was God’s design – for the grace to be shared.

As many of you know, the partnership of Charles Howard and Tom Smith led to finding the rider Red Pollard and the horse Seabiscuit. It is story of finding and sharing grace and healing in the midst of brokenness; it is story of winning despite lost causes; it’s about redemption. At the end of the film, during the last race, the sound of hoofs and cheers recedes to the musical theme played softly and to Red’s voice, who explains, “You know, everybody thinks we found this broken down horse and fixed him. But we didn’t. He fixed us. Every one of us (as the camera shows each of the main characters). And I guess in a way, we kinda fixed each other too.”

See, when it comes to people, according to God – and therefore to us, there is no such thing as a lost cause. And to believe this – to live this – is to be in the palm of Jesus’ outstretched hand.

We can’t prevent or stop all the wandering and the dents that we get in life – self-inflicted or the ones that just happen. But we can experience and be a part of God’s reaching, finding and healing.

That is where I want to be.

Will you join me?

Amen.

Discussion Questions

1. What is your own redemption story? Have you ever shared it with anyone? Would you like to share it with me?
2. Have you ever been a part of someone else’s healing and grace? What did that feel like?
3. Can you think of someone for whom you can be a part of reaching, finding and healing? What will you do about it?

4.   How you can share some grace today?

Arise

“My beloved speaks and says to me: “Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away; for now the winter is past, the rain is over and gone.” Song of Solomon 2:10-11

“Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you.” Isaiah 60:1-2

“They shall build up the ancient ruins, they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.” Isaiah 61:4

“He (Jesus) clasped the little girl’s hand and said, “Talitha Koum,” which means, “Little girl, arise.” Mark 5:41

“I’ll say to him, Father, I’ve sinned against God, I’ve sinned before you; I don’t deserve to be called your son…and he arose and went home to his father.” Luke 15:19-20

“Why do you look for the living among the dead? He (Jesus) is not here, but has risen.” Luke 24:5

All throughout history, God has been raising His people up. Up out of slavery, up out of destruction and exile, up out of despair, up out of sin and guilt, up out of wildernesses and being lost, up out of sickness and disease, up out of addictions and prisons, up out of impossible situations, and ultimately – through His Son – up out of death. This is a God of salvation and raising up – it’s His nature and His plan.

In what ways can the Lord raise you up today?

Best of Living Water 2009

Here they are – The best of Living Waters from 2009. Thank you for your support and prayers.

February – Peace in the Storm

But I also know that Jesus is in the boat. And he is peace personified and he is saying, “I’ve got this” to whatever storms you or others are facing. And he wants you to know and receive the peace he has to offer you. And, I know it is hard to see it right now. Remember, “Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe,” said Augustine.

March – No Going Back

We have seen it when Christianity and Churches are at their best – a people on fire for the Lord and His Word, boldly loving, forgiving, growing, welcoming others and sharing their lives together. We have seen it when Christians and Churches have broken through routines and pretenses and put their focus back on being a living body of Christ.

April – Completely

My prayer for you today, perhaps for the first time or in a renewed way – is that you awaken to, and more fully receive the peace and grace you have been searching for, been thirsting for in this complete forgiveness.

Because it’s for you. It was purchased on the cross for you to own – not to borrow or rent. It’s not some theory; it’s not just for holy people. It’s not based on what others think. It’s not something that anyone else can add to or take away from. It’s for you to completely grab hold of as you let go of all the past and sins and guilt.

April – All Things New

But I do know this, we just celebrated the day that makes it possible for any or all of those to be reversed by a new start through the risen Jesus. And just the fact that it is possible makes all the difference. That it is possible to enjoy a personal and eternal relationship with God through Jesus; possible to see loved ones again in Heaven; possible to have our tears wiped away; possible to be forgiven and forgive others; possible to reconcile; possible to live – abundantly, without the fear of death.

So much so that it has to change the way we live – because the resurrection shattered all the things that hold us down in this life – that trick us into believing that all is lost.

Writer Louis L’Amour captures what happened on Easter and what is possible for our lives because of it, in two sentences, “There will come a time when you believe everything is finished. That is the beginning.”

May – The Best Way

We are asked to love one another like this – at the cost of ourselves, putting our lives on the line; to love without any condition or pretext; to love boldly and foolishly – when it doesn’t make sense.

I can’t tell you how many times I have loved others boldly and foolishly. And sometimes it has worked and sometimes it hasn’t. These Living Waters are mostly inspired by trying to love some people in my life boldly and foolishly – trying to write “letters” to some people to show them that they are loved for who they are. And I keep doing it because of this verse and in part because I know that I have been loved boldly and foolishly by God and by others.

June – Life and Death

In this above passage, Jesus was saying that something momentous happens when someone believes what he said about himself being the Son of God and the Savior and thereby enters into a relationship with Him through faith.

At the moment of belief – calling on the name of Jesus as Lord and Savior – “has at this very moment (accessed) the real, lasting life (eternal life) and is no longer condemned to be an outsider (of the Kingdom of God).”

July – The Heart of a Pastor, Part I

When you need wisdom, I will find it for you in the Word.

When you are lost, I will not stop until I find you.

When you are trapped, I will lead the rescue effort.

When you are hiding, I will keep trying to find you.

When you are facing terrible enemies, I will be right next to you.

When you are dying, I will sit with you until the end, and after.

July – The Reach

Because when we are reaching and risking for Jesus’ sake, our faith is real and alive. From the inside out, from behind the wall, out of the silence, out from the pew, beyond the doors, beyond our fears – that is where the healing is, that is where the miracles are, it is where we live – blessed – on the other side of the reach – in the handful of His cloak, in the humbled “ask” for help.

How much risk is in your faith today? In which parts of your life are you reaching out to Jesus? What needs to be left behind as you reach? In which parts of your life are you risking something, if not everything, in faith? If you belong to a church – where is your church risking and reaching?

September – What If?

What if…we were more concerned with faithfulness than success?

What if…we gave of our time, talent and money sacrificially and with the cross in mind?

What if…we took our faith from private to public?

What if…we called out to God and to brothers and sisters when we needed help?

What if…we were as devoted to God as we are to our favorite sports team or hobby?

What if…we asked for and granted real forgiveness?

What if…we reached out to people that no one else remembered or cared about?

November – Postcards from Exile

So the question is, how much longer are we willing to live with the peculiar comfort of the emptiness as well as the episodic pangs of despair?

November – Opening

If you are alive and you are reading this, it’s not too late. It’s not too late to unfold your arms and open them. It’s not too late to risk loving others with abandon, maybe getting hurt and risking trust. It’s not too late to let go of the expectations and demands that keep you imprisoned. It’s not too late for bitterness to evaporate and for wounds to heal. It’s not too late to start to tear down the walls around your heart and let the love of God in Jesus and others to enter in…to let us love you… It’s not too late…

December – What Is This Really About?

Is this more about seeking real healing or avoiding and numbing pain?

Is this more about belonging to a group or belonging to Jesus?

Is this more about being satisfied or longing?

Is this more about the status quo or about transformation?

Is this more about building a fortress or risking it all on a mission?

December – Heavenly Peace

For example, when we are stressed and overwhelmed by all this turmoil in our lives and we want to find some peace, some might think, “I need a drink” or “I need another prescription or pill” or “I need to go on the Internet to look at some pictures” or “I need to use (drugs or people)” or “I need to go shopping” or “I just need to control others or situations” or many other things that “take the edge off.”

You see, the things of this world cannot produce the peace we actually desire. Seeking peace with anything that begins with “I” won’t work. But there is one thing that can…

Heavenly Peace

Philippians 4:6-7

Heavenly Peace (Remix of Sunday’s Sermon – audio at www.firstgrandville.org under Resources and Downloads)

Peace, real peace seems hard to come by these days. Where can it be found?

In the world, in our nation, in our churches, in our communities, in our homes and in our hearts – there is little peace. Everywhere you look, there seems to be strife, turmoil and havoc.

And it shows no signs of stopping.

I don’t know that I have any answers about stopping it. Which really only leaves – how to exist, survive, and maybe even thrive in the midst of the turmoil.

Obviously, there are a lot of choices as to how we try to search for peace in our lives. This peace can be defined as rest, or an escape, or an inner calm.

Usually we seek peace through the things of this world. And we usually seek it on our own power.

Have you ever heard the phrase “Starting off on the wrong foot”? Any search for peace that begins with “I” is like that. It may work for a while, but in the end it will probably make things worse.

For example, when we are stressed and overwhelmed by all this turmoil in our lives and we want to find some peace, some might think, “I need a drink” or “I need another prescription or pill” or “I need to go on the Internet to look at some pictures” or “I need to use (drugs or people)” or “I need to go shopping” or “I just need to control others or situations” or many other things that “take the edge off.” And unfortunately, when we rely on these “sources” of peace too often, well, they can become quite the opposite of peace – they can become prisons and cause more and more chaos in our lives. When we rely on them so much – we can start to worship them. The problem is that they are “gods” that don’t give life or peace – they steal them.

You see, the things of this world cannot produce the peace we actually desire. Seeking peace with anything that begins with “I” won’t work. But there is one thing that can…

“Don’t fret or worry.  Instead of worrying, pray.  Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns.  Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down.  It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life (Philippians 4:6-7 The Message).”

Did you catch that? “A sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down.” God’s wholeness – better than anything on earth – check. Everything coming together for good – not worrying about yesterday, today or tomorrow – check. (It) will come and settle you down – received rather than sought after or created – check.

Received from where?

Received from knowing and believing in Jesus as savior and that through Him we are forgiven and free – this is the one true source of peace in this world, but not of this world – from Heaven above.

“None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I am absolutely convinced that nothing – nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable – absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us (Romans 8: 38-39 The Message).”

Received how?

Received through prayer. Prayer doesn’t start with “I” – it starts with “Lord” or “God” or “Help!” “Instead of worrying (or seeking peace in the things mentioned above), pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers…” Like using a hammer, we need to use prayer to bang and shape our fretting, worries and strife into requests and cries to God – who will hear them and respond.

Guess what else prayer does? There is a letting go in prayer. Maybe you have heard it as “Giving it over to God.” When we are “doing” something ourselves or just continuing to worry we are keeping it. When we pray, we are giving “it” to God. Each time we pray about something, it is a little less ours and little more in God’s hands. Do you see?

I have heard so many great stories of people, in the middle of disasters and chaos, talk about feeling at peace – facing death even, with peace. Some have described it as feeling like they are being enveloped in a warm blanket. I just know it’s real. I have been blessed to witness it many times. For me personally, I can think of times where things looked pretty bad, but somehow I felt okay – the experience was like God whispering “It’s okay” and I believed it and it was wonderful. I just need to rest in that more!

“It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life (Philippians 4:7).” Focusing on Christ and others instead of ourselves through prayer is a main catalyst of this process of displacing worry and all the ways we have tried to deal with turmoil in our lives.

Speaking of prayer, my prayer for us during this season when we think and sing about “heavenly peace” is this: I pray that God gives each of us the clarity of vision to see and name those places in our lives where we are seeking peace in ways that ultimately make things worse; and that the peace of Jesus Christ will not only knock on the doors or our hearts but will tear them down if necessary and chase away strife, turmoil and havoc and replace it with a peace we have never known.

Amen.

Discussion Questions

1. Before reading this, how would you describe peace?
2. Are there some things you are doing to deal or cope with life that may offer peace in the short-term but are actually destructive? Is there someone you can talk to about it?
3. Are you feeling overwhelmed often? What are the sources of these feelings? Try turning each one into a prayer.
4. What are some ways you can turn worries into prayers today?

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Postcards from Exile

For Matt, life seemed pretty normal. Wife, kids, house, good job, all the usual stuff. But he felt empty. Worse than empty. All the while he kept thinking, “Why aren’t I happy?”

 

In large part, it was because all those “good” things had crowded God out of the center of his life. And then when it all started to fall apart – it felt like the whole world was closing in on him. He was distanced from God and felt distanced from people too. And the distance seemed to grow and grow. The way back to “good” seemed impossible.

 

For Matt and maybe you today reading this, it is a sort of exile. You see, because of sin, all of humanity was and is in a complete state of exile from God. But it was Jesus who opened a door from eternal exile to eternal life through His cross and resurrection. Believing in Him offers the ultimate second chance.

 

Now, this book of Lamentations from the Bible (passage below) is the voice of the exiled Hebrews – a poetic mix of grief, hope, tears, confusion, remembrance, and faith. It captures the thoughts and feelings of God’s people, who were in relationship with God by way of their covenant with Him, at their lowest point – dislocated from their promised land and held captive far away – but worse – distanced from God.

 

“And yet, God, you’re sovereign still, your throne intact and eternal. So why do you keep forgetting us? Why dump us and leave us like this? Bring us back to you, God – we’re ready to come back. Give us a fresh start. As it is, you’ve cruelly disowned us. You’ve been so very angry with us.” Lamentations 5:19-22 (The Message)

Everything they counted on, knew and understood just evaporated. I’ve known what that’s like. Maybe you have been there too. And we will probably be there someday again.

 

Today, we experience exile or distance from God and others in many ways. But always at the heart of it is a loss of Jesus being the center of our lives. Sometimes, like God’s people in Lamentations, they had been warned and warned by the prophets to turn back to God – and they didn’t. Sometimes we turn away from God and others because of guilt, hurt and disappointment.

 

In his book, The Prodigal God (I highly recommend – our staff read and discussed it together), Tim Keller takes the story often known as the prodigal son in Luke 15 and describes two kinds of exile. One is of the prodigal son and brother – the one who asks for his share of the inheritance and wastes it all on partying. But then returns to the father to find open and arms and second chance. The other exile is the older brother who refuses to join in the celebration of the younger brother’s return. This kind of exile, according to Tim Keller, is due to self-righteousness and a belief that by doing things “right” God owes us – and the anger that comes from not getting what we think God “owes” us.

 

However we arrive at exile, it is an awful experience. Especially the isolation and the disorientation. From the Garden of Eden to the Exile to the garden of Gethsemane and the cross – separation from God, whether we understand it as that or not, is the worst pain in human experience. It is to be separated from the source of life. We were designed to be in full, authentic relationship with God and with others.

 

But sometimes we can even be in church and around other believers and still exist in a state of exile. Just out of reach for connection and community. This makes it all the more difficult. A kind of relative spiritual depravation. In other words, everyone else “seems” to be enjoying God and community. That is hard. On a lighter note, we can find this thinking behind the idea of “Time Out” as a consequence for children.

 

Yet, Lamentations and other parts of the Word show that exile is redemptive – it has a purpose and an end. It seems that God uses times of exile to teach us that He is in fact the center and that joy can only come from dependence and desire for Him above all things. The distance and separation left God’s people and us today crying out for Him in ways like never before. It can open our hearts, minds and lives to experiencing God in new and very alive ways.

 

For it is in exile that perhaps for the first time, we find a truer, more authentic voice for approaching, praising and beseeching God. For it is exile that perhaps for the first time we truly understand the mercy and grace of God through Jesus and how much we need it – need Him and need our brothers and sisters. And it is in that season or moment that exile can transform and translate into homecoming. But ultimately it’s God timing.

 

For Matt, for God’s people then, and for you and me, thankfully there was and is a way back. It’s not always easily visible for a while, the timing is usually not our timetable and it will cost us. But sometimes in life, in a life of faith, just knowing, just holding onto the fact that there is a way back can make the difference between living and dying, between quitting and hanging on, between throwing it all away and a fresh start and second chance. Knowing though, that a fresh start with God would involve transformation – letting go of some things and starting some new things.

 

So the question is, how much longer are we willing to live with the peculiar comfort of the emptiness as well as the episodic pangs of despair?

Who Knows?

Maybe it’s because I have reached my limit. Maybe you have too.

 

Maybe it’s because I can still vividly remember walking in the 1978 Memorial Day Parade in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, holding an American Flag alongside my Dad and his ambulance corps and feeling so proud of my nation.

 

Maybe it’s because we seem to be on a downward spiral and it seems less and less likely that we can turn around.

 

Maybe it’s because I believe a nation has a kind of soul and our nation’s soul is wounded and ill.

 

Maybe it’s because I have a daughter of a similar age.

 

But I can’t help but be so disturbed by the thought and reality of that little girl’s body found in the garbage dump after having gone missing recently.

 

Kids are supposed to be alive and walking home safely in their neighborhoods. Little girls should be swinging on the swing in the back singing Taylor Swift songs and writing and illustrating books with stick figures and backward letters.

 

But not for Somer Thompson, whose body was, as her father described, “discarded like a piece of trash.”  

 

I know this is not the first time it has happened…and it won’t be the last.

 

But it is a very startling metaphor – a young, innocent girl killed and dumped in the garbage. It screams of a people and a nation that do not value life. And we have known this for a while. It’s just a little more visible today.  

 

How can we say that we value life when we worship nearly everything else but the Author of Life? In God We Trust?

 

It’s more like – In…money, violence, sports, alcohol and drugs, possessions, sex, appearances, video games and ourselves…We Trust. You don’t need to be a person of faith to see where this has brought us and where it is going to lead.

 

The apathy doesn’t help either. Our apathy helps us drift off slowly, painlessly as we have watched our nation’s soul and many of the things of real substance disintegrate.

 

After hearing a message of warning from one of God’s prophets, a people of long ago began fasting. The king of those people was also moved by the message and said, “Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways, and their violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish (Jonah 3).”

 

And God’s response to those people? “When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened (Jonah 3).”

 

What does God see when He looks upon America’s soul? What does God think of Somer Thompson’s body in a Georgia garbage dump?

 

Yet, God does see and respond to repentance and turning our hearts to Him. The people of Nineveh, which I mentioned above, did so, and God relented. He is after all, a God of second chances.

 

I know this is not a typical Living Water. I would have preferred to write something else. But I had to be obedient. As much as I love to talk about grace, it doesn’t take away from how much sin and evil still offend God.

 

And I am no king, but I couldn’t be silent today about how I see sin and evil corrupting our nation and how we have to turn from it – soon.

 

Let everyone in our nation call urgently on God and let us give up our evil ways and violence.

 

Who knows?

 

Amen.

The Door

Hello: Here is this week’s Living Water. It is a sample chapter from a book proposal I put together a while back called, Second Chance Church: Becoming A Place of Grace.

There are doors…and then there are doors. A door can be beautifully crafted, can serve as a gateway and even communicate about those inside.

Think of the door or doors to your church. Or more specifically, the door to your worship space. This door is much more than a door.

For so many it is the line between holy and unholy, between saved and condemned, between living and dead.

Now that is a door.

But how did this door or any door like it become this powerful? It is one of those things that no one can really pinpoint when that door, that line, that wall was raised. But it is there and it is real.

A pastor tells the story of a young woman whom he invited to his church. She initially declined, explaining that with her tattoos and the way she looked, that she would never be welcomed. The pastor assured her that it would be okay and told her that he would have some members there to welcome her. Erica hoped and trusted and showed one Sunday and it went okay – the hosts did a good job. She came back again. Now, it was summer and so the third time she visited, she wore a summer dress and so some of her tattoos were visible.

Sadly, the looks and the judgment were too much. As she left, she said wistfully to the pastor, “I told you that it wouldn’t work.” She thanked him and never returned.

From tattoos to “visible” sins to disabilities to unkempt appearances, the door to the church, though often just wood can be as strong as steel, as cold and unforgiving as concrete.

But you see, usually not too far from the door of wood in the front of the church and the worship space is something else made of wood. And thank God, it is stronger than steel and concrete and anything else on earth, including death – and more forgiving than anything else on earth, including all of us.

The cross.

The cross that no one on earth can stand in front of without being convicted of their sins. The cross, which says, to anyone who would humbly come to it, no matter how many sins, no matter how many years or miles, “you are forgiven.”

The hymn “To God Be the Glory” sings,

“O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,

To every believer the promise of God;
The vilest offender who truly believes,
That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.

To be full of grace is to be a place where no one bothers to think anymore about who is a believer and who is the vilest offender – because in the grace and sight of the old, rugged cross of Jesus Christ, they are one in the same.

And so we have been talking about church doors from the outside in. But to be a place of grace – to be a Christian community full of grace, it doesn’t matter how many visitors come in through the doors. What matters is how abundantly the grace of Jesus Christ, the one whose blood and love flowed down from the cross, flows from the cross down through the pulpit, through the aisles and pews and hearts, hands and voices and out the doors into the streets.

When this grace flows with such a tide and such a momentum, those doors made of wood and judgment and lines and fear are washed clean and opened wider than ever thought possible.

There are doors…and then there are doors. The doors to a church were always meant to be channels for grace to come flooding and pouring out and thereby open…open like the outstretched and welcoming arms of Jesus.

Amen.

Discussion Questions

1. If you belong to a church, how well does your church do according to this? How open are the doors?
2. If you don’t belong to a church, does the first part of this chapter capture how you feel?
3. What can individual Christians do to create a “place of grace?”
4. What about the door to your life or your heart? How open is it to others? Why is this important?

What If?

What if…we started each day with the prayer and thought, “Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God”?

What if…we really let go of our sins and remembered them no more – just like God after we confess them?

What if…we gave faith and/or a loved one a second chance?

What if…we replaced all our judgmental thoughts with ones of grace?

What if…we loved others fearlessly and without a thought to the cost or getting hurt?

What if…we put Jesus first in everything we did?

What if…we looked for the grace in everyone?

What if…we took time everyday to be with God in His Word, silence and prayer?

What if…we were vessels of healing and encouragement each day?

What if…we spoke the truth in love to one another?

What if…we were as devoted to God as we are to our favorite sports team or hobby?

What if…we asked for and granted real forgiveness?

What if…we reached out to people that no one else remembered or cared about?

What if…we put God’s will before our will in all that we do?

What if…we believed without a doubt that we were loved for who we are by God and others?

What if…we added some risk to our faith?

What if…we tore down some idols in our lives and replaced them with the only One who can give life?

What if…we stopped trying to save ourselves?

What if…we honored the less honorable and thought of the weakest ones as indispensable?

What if…we started following God as a “thank you” because He has accepted us through His Son instead of what many of us do – obeying so that we can be accepted.

What if…we worshipped God in Spirit and Truth?

What if…we lived our lives as evidence of God’s love and what He has done for us?

What if…we stopped focusing so much on ourselves and what we want?

What if…we went to church to give our whole selves?

What if…we went on a mission trip or signed up to serve others in a way that we never have before?

What if…we returned to the Lord with our whole heart?

What if…we stopped all of our “busyness” and sat at His feet?

What if…we overflowed with passion for sharing the love of Christ with others?

What if…we were more concerned with faithfulness than success?

What if…we gave of our time, talent and money sacrificially and with the cross in mind?

What if…we took our faith from private to public?

What if…we called out to God and to brothers and sisters when we needed help?

What if…we sold all our possessions and gave them to the poor?

What if…we did this in remembrance of Him?

What if…we didn’t cross the finish line until we could cross it together?

What if…we became a disciple and discipled another?

What if…we loved one another as Christ has loved us?

What if…we embraced and participated with God in making all things new?

What if…we prayed without ceasing?

What if…we lived and served together as with one heart and soul?

What if…we let the Holy Spirit lead?

What if…we showed our love for one another in addition to telling?

What if…we relied on God’s strength above our own?

What if…we applied the same measure to ourselves as we apply to others?

What if…we celebrated like crazy when someone who was once lost comes back to God?

What if…we did all of these things and the Kingdom of God was more visible for the world, for the community and for us to see?

What if…

Amen.

I Want More!

Luke 12:13-21

“I Want More!”

“And he (Jesus) said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” Then he told them a parable: The land of a rich man produced abundantly…And the things you have prepared, whose will they be? So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.” Luke 12:13-21

“No! That’s mine!” shouts (with a smirk) my daughter Madelyn. To which I say, “No! It’s mine!” and then we proceed to wrestle over the stuffed animal laughing and screaming. I know – probably not the best parenting, but it is fun, and I guess in a backwards way I am trying to teach that fighting over stuff can be silly.

The not so funny side of this is that too often, in families, at work, in church, all over the place, we adults continue to fight over “stuff” and too often “stuff” that isn’t ours. And it tears down relationships – our relationship with God and with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

From where does this idea of “mine” come? This idea of greed is something we all need to wrestle with. It is easy to identify greed when it is overt. But it is not always that easy to spot. See, we do ourselves a disservice if we only think of greed and think of people like Dr. Evil trying to extort one million…I mean one hundred billion dollars from the world. It is not as simple as that. There is greed in our hearts, prayers, thoughts, but also our homes, marriages, churches – everywhere!

Here is a definition of greed from the Revell Bible Dictionary, ““More than one needs” and “In essence, greed defines a person’s character. The person motivated by love for God will sacrifice possession to serve others. The person motivated by love for self will sacrifice others and God to possess things.” Think about this.

From where does greed come? Just from observation, a lot of times it comes from being deprived. Sometimes, the thinking can be, “I didn’t get or didn’t have what I wanted in the past; so now I have to get mine!” And there is no doubt that we all have deficits and didn’t or don’t get what we need in a lot of ways. But the person of authentic faith depends and waits on God to provide the simple, the “daily bread” all the way to what seems impossible.

“Covetousness (greed) is a self-destructive passion, a craving which is never satisfied, even when what has been craved is now possessed,” wrote John Stott – keywords being “self-destructive” and “never satisfied.” Doesn’t this ring true? Think of things you crave…what happens even when you get them? That’s right you want more!

And it goes on – we continue to pursue treasures for ourselves. We want the more expensive car, the bigger house, that “other” companion, the bigger office – we always want more than we have. Shameless cliché – “The ??? is greener on the other side.”

Jesus warns us in Luke 12, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions (15)!” In addition, He says, “The things you have, whose will they be? So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God (21).” “Rich toward God.”

And it is not just about possessions. Speaking specifically about churches – you’ve heard the stories of visitors being told, “You’re in my seat!” or ministry leaders saying, “This is my ministry – my way or no way!” or pastors and members thinking, “This church is for me and people like me only!” Wrong, wrong and wrong.

Guess what? It’s not ours – not our lives, not our possessions, not our ministries, not our churches – never was. We can’t say on one hand, “Thank you God for giving me life” and credit Him with that but then think and act as if it is “my stuff” and so on. All of this is not ours – greed is when we cross the line from being stewards (caretakers) to thinking we are owners. Greed must be so offensive to the actual owner and author of everything – God.

“When a man has arrived so far, that he seeks his consolation from no created thing, then at this point he begins truly to taste what God is; then, too, will he be well content with everything that happens,” wrote Thomas a Kempis. Let us look honestly at our lives and see how much pleasure and satisfaction comes from that which is created.

There is a central teaching in Reformed thinking from the Heidelberg Catechism and it goes like this, “That I am not my own, but belong, body and soul, in life and in death to my faithful savior Jesus Christ (Answer 1).” Now that is a covenant (promise)! No mention of other people, or things; just Christ. This promise, this covenant is the only thing that will last.

Amen.

Discussion Questions

1. What are some things you think of as yours? Are they really?
2. What does it mean if they aren’t yours? What happens to your connection to them?
3. What is the difference between an owner and a steward or caretaker?
4. If you want something that is a need or would glorify God, how can you ask for it? (HINT – PRAY)
5. Where do you see covenant being broken down in your life? In your church? What can you do?
6. Do you belong, really belong to Jesus? If yes, great. If not, would you like to? Reach out to me and let’s talk.