smooth sailing

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him. Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” (Mark 1:9-15, NRSV)

And immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness where He was tempted by Satan for forty days.

God after proclaiming Jesus to be His beloved Son, drove Him into the deserted place and there He was tempted by Satan!

God’s own Son, given over to the hands od the devil! What makes us think this life of following Jesus is going to be smooth sailing for us?

Never does the Bible tell us that life with Christ will be a walk in a rose garden. We are never told it will be easy, yet we get that concept from society don’t we? That once you are a follower of Christ you won’t have any problems…

Well the example we have in the life of Jesus is our lives will be filled with misunderstanding and pain. But the key here is to know and believe why He was sent. So that we migth come near the kingdom of God, repent and believe in the good news that God will never leave us nor forsake us. We might wind up in the wilderness being tempted by Satan, but take heart, because Jesus has already been there and is there with you!

create in me

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment. Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me. You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit. (Psalm 51:1-12, NRSV)

And I shall be whiter than snow…

For some of us this makes sense. We live where there is snow and we have seen it, and some of us wish we did not see as much of it. But can you imagine only seeing pictures of snow? Never actually experiencing it’s beauty first hand? And then you see it. and this line in Psalm 51 pops out and now you get it.

You see we are sinners. I am a sinner. You are a sinner. And because of that we are dirty and not able to stand in the presence of God. Yet God still loves us, with a love no sin will ever break. A steadfast love that will seek us from the darkest regions of the world. And because of that Love He will remove our sins from us, and wash us thoroughly, and clean all the dirt away. He will make us whiter than snow!

And when we are whiter than snow, He will create us anew from the inside out, filling our heart with His love and making His Spirit dwell within us. He will restore us to Him and give us a will to live the life He has called us to.

So give your life over to Him and let Him mold you and shape you. And you will be created anew!

The fast I choose…

Shout out, do not hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet! Announce to my people their rebellion, to the house of Jacob their sins. Yet day after day they seek me and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness and did not forsake the ordinance of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments, they delight to draw near to God. “Why do we fast, but you do not see? Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?” Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day, and oppress all your workers. Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to strike with a wicked fist. Such fasting as you do today will not make your voice heard on high. Is such the fast that I choose, a day to humble oneself? Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush, and to lie in sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD? Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin? Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly; your vindicator shall go before you, the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am. If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday. The LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail. Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in. (Isaiah 58:1-12, NRSV)

Most of us if given an option would probably not want to fast at all…

I know I really love food, so giving it up for any amount of time is hard. But why do we do it?

Do we fast to bring attention to our selves? If so that is not the fast that God is calling us to.

If we fast to draw attention to ourselves, then we are not fasting for the right reason. This text points to the reason we fast, of give up something so that others might have it.

We are supposed to be focused on God and relying on Him for all of our needs, not building ourselves up in the eyes of others, or doing things so that we get noticed.

God wants us to be a part of removing the yoke that burdens our brothers and sisters, to work for justice and the end to hunger and homelessness. Id is possible for one person to do this? Not alone, but one person, being you, working with another person, being me, can change the world. If we are united and remove the yoke of evil from among us and stop bickering and fighting with each other and the Lord will guide us and His kingdom shall be made known!

So give up what you have because that is what God is leading you to do, so that His kingdom will be made known.

Rend your hearts

Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming, it is near a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! Like blackness spread upon the mountains a great and powerful army comes; their like has never been from of old, nor will be again after them in ages to come. The LORD utters his voice at the head of his army; how vast is his host! Numberless are those who obey his command. Truly the day of the LORD is great; terrible indeed—who can endure it? Yet even now, says the LORD, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; rend your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the LORD, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing. (Joel 2:1-2, 11-13, NRSV)

The day of the Lord is near!

And this is not a day we should be looking forward to. It will be dark and foreboding, it will be a time for weeping and mourning.

So we must prepare! We must turn from our internal seeking times, and look beyond our selves. We must turn to the Lord and do what He has asked us to do.

We must rend our hearts, and hand them over to God, so that He might infuse them with His steadfast love that will heal all wounds, and allow Him to bind them back together in His love.

So Rend your heart and return it to the Lord!

Practice of faith

“Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. “So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21, NRSV)

I always love this text. The text that starts us off on Ash Wednesday into our 40 day (plus Sundays) journey with Jesus during Lent.

Do not let others see you practicing piety for gain from them. Our works of piety, and mercy and love should be done so only our Heavenly Father knows about them. We should not be seeking the approval of others.

This is really the just here of this text and our faith. Our faith is not to bring attention to us. Our faith is to ground us in the love that God has for us and in turn show that love to the world. Not for a pat on the back or a job well done, but because we are loved to love. We are freed to free. We are fed to feed.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be. If you are seeking the adoration of others, your treasure lies in your own empowerment, but if you love because God loved you and do not seek the adoration and good job of others, then your heart is with God.

So practice your faith so that God gets noticed!