A Prayer for America, July 2012

Our Father, we are asking today for You to open the heavens and let Your rains mercifully, gently and abundantly fall upon this nation and people. Where the wildfires of violence, lust, and division burn out of control – let Your rain of peace and love cover and extinguish them. Where we experience crippling droughts of reason and sanity, let Your wisdom fall and satisfy. Where corruption and greed ravenously consume, let Your justice sweep down like a flood to purify and cleanse. Where grief and sorrow burden and weigh down, let Your rain of joy and strength lift and raise spirits. Where discouragement and desperation cloud and darken futures, let Your rain of hope reveal a rainbow of promise to come. In this time of trial for our nation in these last years and the ones to come, we ask for the power and strength through the Holy Spirit to repent and turn from away from the things and ways of death and destruction; and to turn to You, and to life, and to purpose. We cry out to you to renew and heal the soul of this nation; that we may truly become one under You. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.

Rev. Christopher B. Wolf
Isaiah 42:7
cbrianwolf@gmail.com
www.christopherbwolf.com

Christopher B. Wolf is pastor of First Reformed Church of Saddle Brook, NJ and is the author of Giving Faith a Second Chance: Restarts, Mulligans and Do-Overs (2007) and With You Every Step of the Way (2011); and the host of Walk With Me, Wednesdays 8 pm on WYFN 94.9 FM-NY and on www.yfnradio.com.

“It is a matter of sharing and bearing the pain and puzzlement of the world so that the crucified love of God in Christ may be brought to bear healingly upon the world at exactly that point.” N.T. Wright

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Completely

Psalm 103:8-12

Completely

 “God is sheer mercy and grace; not easily angered, he’s rich in love. He doesn’t endlessly nag and scold, nor hold grudges forever. He doesn’t treat us as our sins deserve, nor pay us back in full for our wrongs. As high as heaven is over the earth, so strong is his love for those who fear him. And as far as sunrise from sunset, he has separated us from our sins.” Psalm 103:8-12 from The Message

 

 Here’s a question.

 

How forgiven are we?

 

Seriously.

 

How forgiven are we?

 

Partially? Half? Three-Quarters? Not at all?

 

Before we get to the answer, I think we should talk a little bit about how people think about this, perhaps how you think about this.

 

In my listening and observing, I think many people talk about mercy and forgiveness in theory but either can’t or won’t apply it to themselves. We listen to and read messages about God’s grace poured out on the cross through Jesus, and even comprehend that, but allow it only to reach the edge of our lives and not let it all the way in.

 

Why?

 

One reason is because our understanding of God is warped. Many of us think of God as an angry old prison warden who just wants to keep us all in line. But then we hear, “God is sheer mercy and grace; not easily angered, he’s rich in love. He doesn’t endlessly nag or scold, nor hold grudges forever.” Now, of course, I have to tell you that yes, God hates sin and injustice. And God is merciful and just at the same time. His mercy was demonstrated in the sending of his only son to die on the cross; his justice was demonstrated in that his only son died on the cross for the sins of the world, not his own. The justice for the sins of the world had to be paid for because God is holy – no way around that. The mercy is that we don’t have to pay that awful price of sin – the debt is forgiven through faith in Jesus.

 

And it is in Christ that, “He doesn’t treat us as our sins deserve, nor pay us back in full for our wrongs.”

 

And that leads us to another reason why we have a tough time with “How forgiven are we?” I think some of us feel like God punishes us, especially when we are going through a difficult time. Sometimes we mix some karma in when it doesn’t apply (and doesn’t exist). Many of us have trouble receiving God’s grace because we are too busy thinking we are “getting what we deserved” for the wrongs in our lives. This is not to say there aren’t consequences for sin in the world and even for our own sins – but believe me, we are not getting what we deserve in the present – that is what hell is for. And, as it says in 2 Peter 3:9, “God…is holding back the End because he doesn’t want anyone lost. He’s giving everyone space and time to change.”

 

And here is what many of us do with this “space and time to change” – we carry the burden of guilt of past sins and wrongs. We carry that burden like a piano on our backs. Sometimes we forget that it is there and then we remember and are crushed by the thought of it. We think, “I will never be able to unload this guilt; it is never going away.” We conclude, “I have done many terrible things in my life – all my sins are beyond God’s grace.”

 

Not so fast…are you ready for the best part?

 

First – if our sins were unable to be overcome by God’s grace, that would make us more powerful than God. Wrong. So let’s fix that one – there is no amount of sins that are greater than God’s grace – that is the Father, Son, Holy Spirit formula. But here’s more, “And as far as sunrise (east) from sunset (west), he has separated us from our sins.” Here we are walking around with our guilt and God would say, “Guilt for what?” And we would say, “You know, for all my sins.” And God would say, “What sins?” Because as far as the east is from the west, our sins are remembered no more in Jesus Christ. “In the arms of your mercy I find rest; you know just how far the east is from the west; from one scarred hand to the other,” as Casting Crowns sings in their song, “East to West.”

 

So, you ask, “How forgiven are we?”

 

Completely. The all inclusive grace of God is completely ours through Jesus. More complete than our past or sins, more complete than our guilt.

 

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.  

 

Amen.

 

Discussion Questions

1. If we are fully forgiven in Christ, how should that feel? How would it be different that how we are living today?
2. How much does guilt affect you? What are some ways you can let go of guilt?
3. Is confessing or laying down your sins to God a regular practice for you? Why or why not?
4. What is keeping you from believing that God’s grace is yours?

  

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Christopher-B-Wolf/17378287393

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Whatever!

Whatever!

Philippians 4:8-9

No, not that whatever!

This one…

“Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What have you learned and received and heard and seen in me, do; and the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:8-9

Each time I think the world has sunk to the lowest levels of corruption, sleaze and decline, something else usually happens to push it further. It could be politics, crime, religion, general injustice – the usual suspects. The day’s news has plenty to report.

It would be easy to say, “Whatever!” to all of it. “Whatever” is what many of us say when we have reached our limit, don’t feel like dealing with “it” anymore or have nothing else to say. It is a keyword for ambivalence.

But then I think of another kind of whatever. “Whatever is true…honorable, pure, lovely…think about these things.”

In a world drowning in confusion, injustice, sin, and discouragement, I do think of these things…

When I think of true things, I think of what I know from God and His word and the promises therein. I think of Jenny, Brian and Madelyn and a number of people along the way on my journey who have been true; I think of all the miraculous things I have witnessed; I think of how God will win in the end.

When I think of honorable things, I think of doing ministry for all the right reasons – not to please people but to respond to needs, to communicate the Gospel with passion and serve others selflessly without agendas; I think of making difficult decisions when nobody wants to or seems able to understand; I think of people who care for others in extreme circumstances; I think of people who are willing to sacrifice their lives for others.

When I think of pure things, I think of going to the mall with Madelyn and smelling candles in the candle store; I think of having catches with Brian; I think of praying with Jenny; I think of epiphanies I have when reading Scripture; I think of a number of family and friends when they were younger; I think of the children singing in church; I think of floating on my back at the Jersey shore while waves rhythmically lift me up and down while I look up at the sky; I think of seeing Star Wars for the first time in 1977 with my Dad; I think of walking through a tunnel and having the field of a stadium come into view; I think of the movie Singin’ in the Rain; and I think of Jesus.

When I think of what is lovely, I think of people comforting one another in difficult times; I think of the colors of fall; I think of people who have been brave enough to change their lives for the better; I think of people who later in life come to believe in God and welcome Jesus into their hearts; I think of people who come back to God; I think of how God wants people to come back to Him; I think of reconnecting with old friends; I think of looking out a congregation and welcoming them to worship; I think of listening to certain songs at funerals; I think of listening to stories of healing and restoration.

As much as this world may be coming apart and as much as we may want to say, “whatever” in the face it – God is so good, all the time that we can still say, “Whatever is true…honorable, pure, lovely” and not only think of those things, but we can be about them.

And Paul’s point in this letter is that when we focus our hearts, minds and souls on “these things” and when we dwell on them, and when we live them out (what have you learned and received and seen in me; do) “the peace of God will be with you (us).”

It is true spiritually and mentally, that when we seek to see the world as Paul suggests (as described in this passage), it is transformational. And it makes sense that when enough of us transform our minds and vision in this way, this world might start to look different…it might even start to be different – more honorable and true, purer, and lovelier.

Mind over “whatever,” we might say.

Want to try?

Amen.

Discussion Questions

Take an inventory and list two or three negative things on which your mind dwells. Is it helping?
What are some things that you find to be true, honorable, pure, and lovely?
What are some ways you can dwell or focus on those things with greater frequency?
What is the connection between thinking of pure things and experiencing the peace of God?

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The Cross

Isaiah 53:4-6

The Cross 

4 “Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:4-6 

Why? 

In this infamous and often quoted prophetic passage that clearly points to Jesus and the cross, we hear of punishment and sacrifice and misperception.  The misperception is alluded to when it says, “yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted.” Back then, on Good Friday, you had people fulfilling these words when they said things like, “some king.” They couldn’t see the “bigger picture” of what was being accomplished. They saw some guy who made outrageous claims and was being put to death.

One could ask, “Why the brutality and violence?”  Even today, there are people who don’t see it. Maybe even some believers don’t understand or misperceive the purpose of Jesus going to the cross to suffer, bleed and die. 

It starts with the reality of God’s holiness. Very simply, God is holy and we are not because of our sins and our sinful natures. But…But God still wanted us to be reconciled with Him. After all the sins, after all the failures, after all the turning away from Him, He is still standing there with His arms open. This is the grace and mercy of God.  

So there had to be a way that we as sinners could be reconciled with the Holy God. Because God is both just and merciful at the same time (another Living Water maybe) the justice part had to be fulfilled too. The penalty had to be paid… “But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed (5).”

Prophecy and reality were fulfilled when Jesus, the Son of God, willingly went to the cross to accomplish these things.  As horrifying and ugly as the reality of the cross was and is, we must look at it especially this week each year.

You see, the cross in some ways is a mirror; at the cross we see the devastation and consequences of sin – yours and mine. Sin is so destructive that from God’s perspective we, all of us fall short and deserve to face the consequences of our sins. It is very much like we are guilty during a trial, but during our sentencing, someone, namely the Son of God, stands up and says, I will take the punishment for _________ (fill in our names). Talk about courtroom drama! 

And so that is how we are made whole and healed. Because as awful as the cross was and is, beyond it, the other side of the cross is Jesus’ resurrection and consequently we are made whole and healed. When we are in Christ, in God’s eyes we go from condemned to redeemed; because of Jesus’ shed blood and death on the cross – nothing that we did or could do. 

The cross is perhaps the most powerful and meaningful symbol in the world – signifying all at once, defeat and victory, pain and healing, sin and grace, hatred and love, life and death, mercy and justice, strength and weakness, the cosmic and personal, separation and reconciliation.  

This is why we talk about “going to cross” or walking with Jesus to the cross this week because we can never even approach understanding Easter and the resurrection and all that it means in life and eternally, until we truly see the cross.  

When we truly see the cross, it may “cross” our minds that it could have been us that could have suffered, could have paid the penalty for our sins, could have been separated from God. But it wasn’t us; it was Jesus on the cross… 

If you are asking “Why?” about the cross this week, for the first time or as a reminder…it still comes down to one thing – because He loved, loves, us that much. 

Amen.   

Discussion Questions

1. In what other ways have you understood God’s holiness and our sinfulness? Have they been helpful or not and why?
2. In what ways can you look at the cross differently this week?
3. If you don’t already, what is keeping you from believing that God loves you as much as is described above?
4. How might your Easter Sunday be different after hearing all of this?

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