A fool for God

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:18-31 ESV)

A stumbling block…

How many of you have ever stumbled over something? What happens when stumble or trip? Well the obvious answer is you fall, but the actual answer for most of us is that we stop and look back to see what we have tripped over.

God’s wisdom looks as foolishness to us, because we do not understand what He is doing. We see what is happening as foolishness because it does not fit the plan we have for God’s world. It doesn’t o cur to us that God has a plan and it will not fit our thoughts on the world, but it is the way it has to be. God chose what is foolish in the world to use to move forward His love I to the world. If God chose what is foolish, and He has chosen you, what does that make you? (and me!)

So be a fool for God and allow His wisdom o be yours…

All I want for Easter…

Yesterday I took my eldest daughter to Hastings so she could go shopping. She got a gift card from Confirmation Class, and she wanted to spend it because it was burning a hole in her desk drawer…

Well actually she was on a mission. One I thought would not be fruitful, but I did not want to bust her bubble. She wanted to find Harry Potter movies 7 and 8. Her gift card was for $15, and she was hoping to get both movies on BluRay…

Well we found the movies, but the DVD versions of each was $9.99 so she couldn’t get them both. I told her, “Maybe the Easter Bunny will bring them for you.”

She then went back to some kits they had, one for calligraphy, one for drawing animals with color pencils, one for water colors, one for friendship bracelets, and others… She wanted the calligraphy, animals, and watercolors. The kits were 2 for $15. She had enough for 2…

We went and looked at books, and she picked up a few she wanted. I read the back covers and then the inside. One I vetoed very quickly entitled The Boy Book. The chapter I read was on things to do when you think you might get lucky… This is a book in the teen section of a popular book store, but I digress. She did not get that book, but found one that met daddy’s approval. So now the dilemma… She wanted the book or $2.99 and the three kits… Way more than her $15. She finally decided on the calligraphy kit and the book.

On the way home we talked about the Harry Potter movies again. I asked her which of the Harry Potter Films she had and she told me 1-4. “Well maybe you will get all the others, 5-8, from the Easter Bunny”, I told her. “If I would get all of them and the water colors and the animal kit, or even just on e of the kits, that would be awesome. That is all I want for Easter!” she said this and I was taken back. I started to cry, because I thought about all I want for Easter.

All I want for Easter is a call. Oh how I would give up anything for a call.

But I learned something yesterday, that God is taking care of me right where I am, and I am more blessed to be here and to be a father than I could ever imagine. God has blessed me richly with three beautiful, smart, wonderful young ladies to raise, and to get to have in my life. To see them smile, and learn, play, and just be kids. I get the joy and heartache of watching them grow.

So God all I want for Easter is a call, but I’m happy with what you have blessed me with already!

Tell You about it…

Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his teaching. Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it:  I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. I am the Lord, that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to idols. See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them. (Isaiah 42:1-9 NRSV)

I can hear a song ringing in my ear…

The Piano Man is playing a song that God is singing to us…

Tell you about it
Tell you everything I feel
I’ll give you every reason to accept
that I’m for real
Tell you about it
Tell you all my crazy dreams
I’ll let you know how much I love you
Let you know how much the world means (to me)

OK OK I know it doesn’t really work, but now you are thinking about that song… And how does that fit with the reading?

The song is all about a guy who is going to lose a really good girl and he thinks it is over, but if he could just tell her about how he feels and let her know what is happening deep down inside him, then she will realize that he really is the right guy for her…

That is exactly where God is with the world. He loves the world so much, He doesn’t think it is over, and He knows there is hope. It is us His followers that lose sight of the plan and the hope. We get stuck in a rut and can’t seem to get ourselves out of it. But…

If we will listen to His wants and desire. If we will listen to His crazy dreams, the ones He is telling us all about before they spring forth. Isaiah tells us God said “I am doing something new, the old things have passed away and new things are coming but before they spring forth I tell you about them.” Are we to stuck in a rut though to hear Him tell us of the new things? Or are we too scared when we hear the new thing we say that can not be from God?

A new thing is springing forth and God is doing it! Are you ready to hear all about it and jump on for the ride of your life?

St. Peter joke…

A man approaches the Pearly Gates shortly after his death. As he stands in line, he hears the people ahead of him telling St. Peter about all of the great things they accomplished during their lives. When it’s his turn, St. Peter looks at his ledger and says, “Your life was an unmitigated disaster. One mistake after another, one sin after another, and not a single worthwhile accomplishment to mitigate any of it. Do you have anything to say that might persuade me to let you in?” The man thinks for a moment and says the only thing he can think of that might sway the great Heavenly Gatekeeper: “Cock-a-doodle-doo!” And instantly the gates swing open.

Need

After he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, saying, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it.'” So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” They said, “The Lord needs it.” Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!” Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, order your disciples to stop.” He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.” (Luke 19:28-40 NRSV)

What do you need?

And we all know that need is different than want. I want a new tv and a new computer and an iPad 3 and the newest gaming system and all kinds of new gadgets…

I need a place to live and food. I need water. I need love.

But what does Jesus need?

Did you know that in all of the Bible Jesus only needs one thing? There is only ever one thing that Jesus says he needs, and that come in the entry text for today. The gospel of Luke’s rendition of the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Jesus sends 2 disciples on ahead of Him to get a colt that has never been ridden. They are told that if they are asked what they are doing they are to say, “The Lord has need of it.” The only thing in all of scripture that Jesus needs is a donkey to make His entry into Jerusalem.

So what do you need?

Rest

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, These are the appointed feasts of the Lord that you shall proclaim as holy convocations; they are my appointed feasts. “Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work. It is a Sabbath to the Lord in all your dwelling places. “These are the appointed feasts of the Lord, the holy convocations, which you shall proclaim at the time appointed for them. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight, is the Lord ‘s Passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work. But you shall present a food offering to the Lord for seven days. On the seventh day is a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work.” (Leviticus 23:1-8 ESV)

How many of us know what sabbath is?

Do you rest from your work? How many of us are constantly connected through our iPads, iPhones, smart phones… Do we actually take time off from our jobs, or rest from our work? We are constantly connected that we do not really know what rest is. Even on vacation we are getting emails, and connected to the world around us. We do not have a day of rest. I mean really God the one who never sleeps took a day after creating the universe (and how long is a day in creation?) and from this we can see that sleep is not rest because God never sleeps yet He rested…

So how can you rest and actually be at rest…

I know this is hard for me. I am always connected much to the dismay of my wife. I have gotten a little better but I can do much better. Maybe we should all take a day and leave our phones and smart devices in the charger… Do some real life interfacing and actually rest from our labors…

So do you rest?

Peace removed

“This is like the days of Noah to me: as I swore that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you, and will not rebuke you. For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you. (Isaiah 54:9, 10 ESV)

The rainbow is the sign of the promise that God will never again destroy the world with water…

While everything on earth might depart, and be no more, His steadfast love for you will never fade away nor be removed from you. No matter what happens here, God’s love will always be with you.

So there will never be peace removed, as long as you trust and believe the promise He has given you.

In who do you trust?

Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eye wastes away from grief, my soul and body also. For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my misery, and my bones waste away. I am the scorn of all my adversaries, a horror to my neighbors, an object of dread to my acquaintances; those who see me in the street flee from me. I have passed out of mind like one who is dead; I have become like a broken vessel. For I hear the whispering of many— terror all around!— as they scheme together against me, as they plot to take my life. But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors. Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your steadfast love. (Psalm 31:9-16 NRSV)

It is real easy to lose heart and feel like you are out there all on your own.

Have you ever been there?

Have you ever heard the phrase, “If you are feeling far from God, it isn’t God that moved…” There is a lot of truth in that phrase, but that does not always bring us comfort does it?

How did I move away from God and where is my trust?

Our money in the USA says “In God We Trust.” on it. I wonder if we all really believe this. I know we all do not believe this because there has been a movement lately to take it off and people screaming it has always been that way, because that is how it has been since they have been alive, but it has not always been there. I think it is a good reminder that we are stewards of what we have been given though.

But who do you trust in? Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, or the other presidents pictured on the bills and coins in your pocket or purse? Or do you trust in God?

My life has been anything but roses the past few years. But one thing has not changed through all of it. I 100% agree with the psalmist here, “But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors. Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your steadfast love.” I trust in God and know that no matter what He will always be with me.

Who do you trust in?

Understand…

Then he took the twelve aside and said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For he will be handed over to the Gentiles; and he will be mocked and insulted and spat upon. After they have flogged him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise again.” But they understood nothing about all these things; in fact, what he said was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said. (Luke 18:31-34 NRSV)

How many times have you read the Bible and wondered what in the world you just read?

How many times have we read something about the disciples not getting what Jesus has said to them? They didn’t get it, and neither do we sometimes…

Jesus spoke clearly to them and today God is speaking clearly to us, yet we are sometimes so hung up on our tradition and the way we have always done it or known it to be we can not hear what God is saying new…

So are you hearing God speak to you and not able to hear Him because you are stuck in your tradition? Listen to God and hear Him, and don’t worry if it doesn’t make sense right then, God would not lead you astray.

Shame?

Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that he made to us — eternal life. I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him. And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. (1 John 2:18-28 ESV)

What are you going to do when Jesus comes back?

Have you ever been asked the question, “is your house ready for a visit from God?” Would you want Him to see your home as it is? Would you want to hide magazines or movies or pit stuff I your closets or dresser drawers and not let Him look in them? Does any of this help because He knows everything and goes with you every where you go….

When Jesus comes back will you hide in the back corner and not want to see Him ashamed that you didn’t get it right? Or will you walk up to Him confident that you got it right?

I hope I will run to Him, ashamed of what I have done, but confident that it is not about how I did it, but because I am His child.