Through the Deep Waters -- March 31st

Ephesians 6:10-20

Jesus told his disciples, “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” A world filled with wolves is a dangerous place for a sheep that is not immune to the threats and attacks and the distractions and temptations that press in on all sides. Yet Jesus sends us out into the world as His instruments of peace and healing for the world as we deliver and live out the Gospel message to the world. Paul teaches us here that we are to be strong in the Lord as we walk in the strength of His might by putting on the armor of God to protect us against the schemes of the evil one. Paul reminds us that as we go out into the world we are engaging with very real and powerful evil spiritual forces and we need God’s armor to withstand their attacks and to stand firm in the Lord.

When Paul wrote this letter he was in a Roman prison where he had ample opportunity to see Roman guards and soldiers with their heavy armor ready for battle. Paul uses this metaphor to teach us about the armor of God that we are to wear daily as we head out into the world. We are to fasten ourselves with the belt of truth upon which hangs the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. We have confidence as we have quick access to the truth as it is tightly fastened at our side. The breastplate of righteousness protects our heart where attackers will have trouble wounding us if we have done nothing wrong. Having shoes on our feet is a sign of our readiness to preach the Gospel message on the spur of the moment. The word Paul uses for shield here is the tall, oblong, thick shield that a soldier can protect his entire body with. We are to take up this large shield of faith which protects us from the fiery darts of the evil one. Even a small wound to the head can destroy us so we are to put on the helmet of salvation from Christ which protects us through every experience. We are to take the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. The Bible is our sword – our only weapon that allows us to go on the offensive against our enemy. Finally, we are to pray in the Spirit at all times where prayer is our lifeline wherein God re-supplies us with everything we need for spiritual battle.

Prayer: O gracious God if you are for us who can stand against us? We praise you for the victory which you have given us through Jesus Christ. Encourage us today and give us wisdom to put on your whole armor as we venture out to share your Good News with the world. Amen.

Through the Deep Waters -- March 30

Stop, Watch and Shut Up

Stop, Watch and Shut Up! In the recent sermon on the Red Sea crossing, we made a big deal about Exodus 14:14 "The Lord will fight for you. You only have to be silent." Somewhat irreverently I said that the process of trusting God salvation is one of 'Stopping', 'Watching', and 'Shutting Up'. That is, instead of continuing our struggle for self-justification, when we hit a wall in our own habits or circumstances, we should stop striving, look to the cross... and shut up. Stop making excuses, complaining and rationalizing.... just wait for the Lord to act.

I thought I was being a bit naughty using this phrase. But then, just this morning, I found a quote by a theologian called Gerhard Forde. It made me feel less naughty. This is what he says.

From the point of view true sanctification is simply to “shut up and listen!” For there can be no more sanctification than where every knee bends and every mouth is silent before God, the only Holy One. And God is revered as the Holy One only where the sinner, the real sinner, stands still at the place where God enters the scene and speaks. That is the place where the sinner must realize that his or her way is at an end. Only those who are so grasped that they stand still here and confess to sin and give God the glory, only they are “sanctified.” And there cannot be more sanctification than that! Whoever knows this knows that there is an end to the old, there is a death involved, and that being a Christian means ever and anew to be blasted by that divine lightning (for we always forget it) and to begin again. As Luther said, “pro ficere, hoc est semper a novo incipere.” (To achieve means always to begin again anew).

Psalm 103 is a wonderful psalm for shutting up. In it, David tells his soul to stop worrying, stop fretting, stop running this way and that. Instead, he tells his soul to simply bless the Lord. In short, he tells his soul to shut up and listen. God is good. God is for you. God will redeem you! Bless the Lord indeed.

Prayer: Lord, speak to me and I will listen. Silence my accusers, within and without. Assure me of your love which is not guaranteed by my goodness, which always fails. Tell me that your love comes from Jesus' goodness, which never fails. Amen

Through the Deep Waters -- March 29th

1 Peter 1:3-16

There are times when we may get discouraged in our walk of faith. Our own brokenness or the brokenness of others can at times get the best of us. The daily pressures of life and the grind of living in the midst of so much need and so much unbelief can be disheartening. We may weaken when our mind or our emotions or our bodies let us down or when we experience coming under attack for our faith. Peter speaks to these moments which test and try our faith and he encourages us by reminding us where our hope lies and where our focus needs to be during such times.

Peter encourages us to place our focus on the eternal inheritance that we have already received through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. As children of God our eternal inheritance is secure, imperishable, undefiled, unfading, and being kept for us and guarded by the power of God in heaven. Paul says this in 1 Corinthians about what is awaiting us in heaven; “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him.” During times of testing and trial we set our hope on this unimaginable reward which has already been prepared for us and is kept secure for us and guarded by the power of God. We are His children, and He delights in giving His children their inheritance.

Peter reminds us that He who has called us is holy and therefore we too are to be holy. God desires us to be obedient children who are not conformed to the passions of this world but who instead are conformed into the image of His Son Jesus Christ. We place our hope and our faith and our complete trust in Him and we walk in this hope by His grace knowing our eternal reward is sure through His resurrection.

Prayer: Gracious God we give you all our praise and glory this day for your precious gifts to us as we set our sights on Jesus the source of all our hope. Amen.

Through the Deep Waters -- March 27th

Mark 1:1-15

Mark begins his witness with an immediate trumpet blast – the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Son of God! Mark immediately recalls that the prophet Isaiah foretold the coming of this day by saying there will be a voice crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.” This prophecy is fulfilled in John the Baptist who proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins to prepare for the coming of the Lord. The promise of God that an offspring of Eve’s would crush the head of Satan is now fulfilled in Jesus Christ. The promise of God to Abraham that in him all the families of the earth shall be blessed is now fulfilled in Jesus Christ as is the promise to David that through him God will establish an everlasting Kingdom.  The promises, the prophecies, and the time are all fulfilled in Jesus Christ as Paul said that all the promises of God find their Yes in Him.

The Kingdom of God is now at hand and this truly is Good News for all those who repent of their sin and who believe by faith in Jesus Christ. The Kingdom of Darkness and its evil structures of worldly power and authority have been overthrown not by the mighty warrior Messiah King that was expected but by the suffering servant Messiah King who humbled Himself, who became human, who got down into the water, and was baptized by John. This Son of Man is the Son of God whom God says, “You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” This Messiah King resides and reigns in the very hearts of those who place their faith and their trust in Him. Here His Kingdom reigns in such things as love, mercy, kindness, justice, peace, humility, joy, and faithfulness and in this Kingdom there is no end.

How do we respond to this astonishingly Good News? What are we to do with this amazingly free gift from God? We simply believe and accept the gift in faith. We turn around from walking down our sinful paths away from God and we turn toward God and walk on His pathways of righteousness by faith. We walk in faith in Jesus Christ and we walk in community with each other as a people of faith elected by God to be the light of the world. We walk together in faith as we await the return of our King when He will rule in a new world where God’s peace and justice are known and lived out by all. Jesus says, “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel”.

Prayer: O Lord how grateful and how humbled we are that you have done this for us. Who are we that you are mindful of us? We thank you and we praise you and we give you all glory. Help us to walk in your grace by faith throughout this day, to love and to serve you and those whom you place in our path today. Amen.              

Through the Deep Waters - March 26th

2 Samuel 7:1-24

In our reading, we now approach a new theme that arises in the narrative of the Bible. We have seen how God calls a people to himself, not because of anything that they have done, but because they are graciously elected. This people is raised up to be a 'display people' who show what it looks like to live under the faithfulness of God. Secondly, we have seen how God brings his people, and ultimately, his Son, through the crisis of death and judgment. The path of new life is not one of uninterrupted progress, but a path of sacrifice and suffering. Ultimately, Jesus fulfills this path by his death on the cross.

Now we turn to the theme of the coming kingdom. God's ultimate vision for his world is not simply a people chosen but not fulfilled. He seeks to bring about a completion of what he has done. He is building a kingdom that will last forever.

And again, it begins with a promise. Like Abraham receiving the promise that he would 'be a people', David receives a promise that through him, God will establish a kingdom that will have no end. And to this king, one day every knee will bow.

The vision of the coming kingdom in the Old and New Testament is a vision that is 'now but not yet'. We await the fulfillment of God's work in a new world where shalom, justice and God's rule is effectively known and lived.

Prayer: We thank you Lord that you do not simply promise us a personal spiritual renewal. Instead, you promise that you will bring about a new cosmos, where your will is done on earth, as it is in heaven. Amen.

Through the Deep Waters -- March 24th

Acts 13:15-49

Here we have a desperate question in verse 15 and a blessed answer in given in verse 23.

The Question: "Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it." God's gathering of his Covenant People centers on a word of encouragement coming to those who have so much to be discouraged about. They are a people who are broken, battered and bruised by sin. Threatened and shaken by the law and the impending judgment and wrath due to them because of their moral ineptitude. This word of encouragement needs to come to a group of people who are guilty and hear the tone of the law screaming at them saying, "Be Holy (morally perfect in thought and deed) OR ELSE." And through their whimpering cries, they whisper in confession, "I can't." Tough spot to be in, one where your life depends on you and your ability to meet a certain set of expectations and requirements and you just can't meet the demands placed on you. This is what makes their question of the Apostle Paul a serious and desperate one. Is there any "Good News" for sinners who are morally bankrupt?

The Answer: Paul answers their question giving a sweep of redemptive history starting in verse 16 and landing at the sweet spot in verse 23 saying, "God has brought forth a Savior, Jesus, as he promised." This Savior would redeem those desperate and longing souls who've discovered that they have nothing to commend themselves to God otherwise. They know that they have missed the mark of perfection but they hear the Good News that their perfection has come in the Savior. He has met the demands of God’s perfect and holy law on their behalf, having lived a sinless life and also suffering the just consequences that their sins deserved through his death on the cross. Thereby, creating a way that sinners can be justified (declared right) before God. This is what the scripture means in Colossians 1:12, "that we thank the Father who has made us meet (fit, qualified) to share in the spoils of Christ Victory over sin, death and the grave. We’ve been brought out of the Kingdom of Darkness and been transferred into the Kingdom of his dear Son." This is Good News, when Christ says to us who can’t do what desperately needs to be done, “I have done it for you, and IT IS FINISHED!!!”

Prayer: Jesus, help us to know what we have in and because of you!!! Amen…

Through the Deep Waters -- March 24th

Psalm 23

This lyrical and lovely psalm of David is a psalm of complete trust in the Lord. The psalmist makes no plea to God but understands his place and his vulnerability in the world as a lamb and submits his all unto the provision and protection of the Lord as his shepherd.  The Lord provides for the psalmist in such a way that there is provision all around him and he rests assured in this and this rest leads to the restoration of his soul. The Lord not only provides but the Lord also leads him into pathways of righteousness.

The psalmist is not afraid of danger because he understands that it is the Lord who protects and fights for him as a shepherd protects and fights for a defenseless lamb. He understands that the Lord will take action against his enemies and this gives him comfort and peace of mind. The Lord provides, restores, leads, and protects the psalmist and He is also a gracious host in providing abundant hospitality as the psalmist feasts in the presence of the Lord forever.  

Jesus said, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”(John 10:10-11)  It is the Lamb of God who is our King and who is our Shepherd. It is Jesus who provides for us, restores our souls, leads us in the pathways of righteousness, accompanies us through danger and protects us, spreads the holy supper before us in the presence of sin and death, and pursues us in His gracious love all the days of our lives. This understanding gives us a deep sense of peace as we rest in the presence of our precious Lord.

Prayer: Gracious God we give you all thanks and all praise for your daily care and provision, leading and protection. Thank you Lord for the wonderful peace this gives us as we rest in the confident assurance of your eternal presence.        

Through the Deep Waters -- March 22nd

Psalm 16

“Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge”. Like the psalmist, we make the Lord our sole refuge and our protection. We entrust our life and our care and our provision to the Lord. He is worthy of our trust and we place it all in Him as He is the source of our life. He is our Lord and we have no good apart from Him. To part from Him is to misplace our trust and to run after other gods. Those who do so will multiply their sorrows. Our Lord tells us to consider the sparrow who neither sows nor reaps yet our heavenly Father feeds them. “Are you not of more value than they?” 

 

We see with the psalmist that the Lord who holds our life has indeed blessed our life and in gratitude we praise the Lord. As we praise the Lord for His goodness toward us we practice the presence of the Lord who counsels us and instructs us on the pathways of life. Because we practice His presence and know that the Lord is at our right hand we are confident in life and are not shaken even in the face of death. Our entire being is infused with the joyous assurance that our Lord will never leave us in this life nor abandon us to Sheol in our death.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is our assurance. Our Lord makes known to us the pathways of life and in His presence there is fullness of joy as we sing to Him our praises in gratitude. His presence is with us and He provides His pleasures to us not only in this life but He has saved us from our sins and He has bestowed upon us the gift of eternal life where we will enjoy His presence forever. 

 

Prayer: O Lord in you today we take refuge. We place all our trust in you for the comings and goings of this day knowing that you hold all things. Thank you for how you have blessed us and have given us our portion. We seek your presence today and trust that you are with us guiding us onto your pathways of life. All praise glory and honor to you now and forever. Amen     

Through the Deep Waters -- March 21

John 12:20-36

"Sir, we want to see Jesus." This is the cry of everyone - believer and skeptic alike. The believer wants to be encouraged. The skeptic wants to see proof. At the end of the gospel of John, we hear this question over and over again - show us the presence of God! In this case, visiting Greeks are curious. Who is this Jewish miracle worker? Jesus' fame has increased and more and more people want to see what the fuss is about. It is time for Jesus to be glorified!

But here we meet the strange truth of the cross. Jesus does intend to be glorified. He will be 'lifted up' so that all people will see him. But his glory will be his death. He will be lifted up... on a cross.

So often, we seek God in the glorious things. We look for wisdom, and peace, and victory. We think we will find his face in the great and beautiful things of the world. But Jesus reveals to us that God is present in the painful things, the hard things. In foolishness, suffering and defeat we see the face of God.

This seems like bad news when we are on top of the world, and on top of our game. But it is actually good news because we can't stay on top forever! One day we will stumble and fall. All our strength will be revealed as an illusion. And that is where God can meet us as a humble, servant king. The cross of Jesus shows us who the heart of God. God's heart is revealed to his sinful people not in glory or power. His powerful and glorious face would destroy us. His heart is revealed in his sacrificial and humble love.

Such a God also leads us to love the broken and the poor in our world. We don't seek glory or riches. We seek the glory of Jesus - in sacrificial and humble love.

Prayer: Lord thank you for showing your face to us. Thank you that the face we see is tender, gentle, broken, like ours. you became like we are, so that we might become like you are.

Through the Deep Waters -- March 20th

Psalm 130

Psalm 130 has a deep and rich heritage within the spiritual life of people of faith. Martin Luther called this psalm “a proper master and doctor of Scripture” meaning that this psalm teaches the basic truths of the Gospel. Indeed, this soulful psalm is a succinct yet powerful expression of the theme that is at the very heart of Scripture, the human predicament and our utter dependence upon divine grace.

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord! O Lord hear my voice! To find ourselves crying out to God from the depths is to find ourselves in the place where death prevails and where we stare face to face at all of our iniquities and realize we are lost. We cry out to God and we ask for mercy and for forgiveness and we wait…we wait for God’s attention and for God’s mercy. This psalm was found inscribed on the walls of Dachau where the depths of death were all around but where the waiting saw no response.

The psalmist reminds us that forgiveness is with the Lord who is to be feared and our hope is in His Word. We wait for the attention of the Lord for we are assured that there is where our hope resides and there is where steadfast love is found. It is only in the Lord where we find our forgiveness and our redemption in our Savior Jesus Christ who has indeed redeemed us from all of our iniquities. “Where O death is your victory? Where O death is your sting?”

Prayer: O Lord hear our voice and be attentive to our plea. If you should mark our iniquities O Lord who could stand? Forgive us Lord and bring us into the embrace of your steadfast love.

Through the Deep Waters -- March 19th

Mark 10:35-45

This passage helps us to get a grasp on the reality that left to ourselves what we desire and what God desires for us are diametrically opposed. In the text we see James and John asking Jesus to do for them or better yet give them whatever they wanted. Is this strange? Hardly, if I was able to ask and get from God one thing, what would it be? Money, A Life of Luxury, Ease & Extreme Comfort in Life, No more work, No Sickness or Worries would probably be at the top of my list. What would you ask for?

Well I believe that what James & John asked for is in accord with what all of us would ask for. What they asked for was honor, glory, and power. They wanted to be in the highest places, to be seen, to be known, to be in control or at least to look like it. All that we would ask for, just like James and John would render us less dependent upon God than he has created us to be. This is the same temptation of Adam and Eve in the Garden, they were persuaded to take matters into their own hands and determine for themselves what's best for them and "become like God", reducing their actual dependence upon God.

Jesus replied to James & John, that they didn't know what they were actually asking for or how you really get what they were asking for. They wanted power, prestige, a good reputation, to be thought well of by the masses, but Jesus said the way to get those things is through suffering. More accurately, suffering on behalf of others and entering into their causes and troubles with no agenda other than helping them and being there for them. That was baptism that Jesus was baptized with. He entered the waters of our troubles for our good not his own. James and John were only seeking their own good and to be recognized by others for it. How selfish of them and US!!! We in our own ways, without the help of God’s Spirit seek the same things, mainly for our own benefit and we want others to take notice of it and celebrate us for who and what we are, with no real concern for who they are and their struggles. We want Easy and Cheap Glory!!!

Jesus says that the way up is down. The way to be someone noteworthy like Jesus is by serving, just for the idea of serving because others need you. This is what Jesus did for us. He was not self-seeking he was sinner seeking. The way he became glorious in our eyes is by what he did for us simply because he loved US!!! He knew we could never repay us but he still moved into our brokenness to make us whole. May God change us and give us the grace to ask for the power to serve others for their benefit and not our own, just as Christ served us. If you could ask God anything what would you ask him for?

PRAYER: Father help us to pray and ask for the things that matter to you and others, so that Christ may be seen in us more than we may be known…May he forever be known as the reason why we gladly take the low road of a servant. Knowing that your Kingdom should be full of servants!!!

Through the Deep Waters -- March 17th

Isaiah 53

This passage clearly points us to Jesus Christ our savior and redeemer. It begins with a question, actually two questions. The first question is: Who has believed the report about Christ, who is the only way out of sin and into right-standing with God. The passage tells us several clear things about Christ as the Suffering Savior...

1. Jesus Died FOR OUR SINS. Do you believe this Report? The passage says that he was wounded for our transgressions. That he received the "Whoopin" that brought us peace with God. It also tells us that the Lord laid on Christ the iniquity of all who believe. This is the testimony of scripture that God sent Jesus to save his people by dying in their place.

2. GOD PUNISHED Jesus as the Sacrifice for Our Sins. The passage also teaches us that the Lord was pleased to punish, bruise, and crush Christ. Sinful men carried out the plan of almighty God. It was God who put Christ through the misery and grief of the cross. It was God who put him on the altar as a sacrificial lamb to atone for the sins of his people. Do you believe this Report?

And the second question is: To whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed. The second question actually answers the first question. The one who believes this report is the one to whom the arm, which means the saving power of God in Christ, has been revealed. Those who believe have witnessed something that others have not as of yet. They've been made to see the truth. The text speaks of our blindness in this way:

To the natural mind without spiritual illumination, Christ has no beauty or natural appeal that would attract us to him. Without divine light the bible says that regardless of what he has done for us we will never esteem him as we should. Without revelation we'll never give him the glory and the honor he deserves. We, if left to ourselves are prone to think great thoughts about our careers and academic achievements, our cars and houses, our friends and families, our bank accounts and investments, our plans and dreams and only small and even despising thoughts about Jesus as our Savior.

Prayer: Father help us to see the beauty of Christ and to know the weight of what he has done for us more and more. Left alone we esteem him not, but with your light shining in us we see him as he is: Our Hope and Redeemer...

Through the Deep Waters -- Mar 16

Romans 8:31-39

The promise of Moses in the Old Testament is revealed and fulfilled in the New Testament, and nowhere more explicitly than in Romans 8. God has every right to stand against us. Like the Israelites, we are threatened on all sides by enemies, and most of all, unsure of our own allegiances. We stand before a Holy God at every moment who loves us, but also cannot stand sin.

At every moment, and for every situation, we have a mediator. We can live in awe of a Holy God, completely acknowledging his holiness and purity. And we can live in fellowship with this same God because he has made things completely right between us because of Jesus.

So, with our mediator, our life will be one of tears and laughter. We will be free to grieve the very real and painful sins we commit. We will not try to patch them up or make them seem less bad than they are. We are not going to pretend that we will never do those things again. We will confess, whole heartedly. But we will also laugh and rejoice because our sin will never have the last word.

In yesterday’s reading, we saw that God is willing to be seen as changeable. This image of a God who changes his mind is concerning to us. In Romans 8, we see the good news that because of Jesus, God has changed his mind about us! Praise God!

Prayer: Thank Lord for the mediation of Jesus who allows to live with you in truth and enormous joy. Help us to think on Christ every time we wonder where we stand. Amen.

Through the Deep Waters -- Mar 15

Exodus 32:1-14

One of the most intriguing themes in the story of Exodus is the role that Moses plays as an intercessor. Throughout the story, the Israelites continue to fall short of God’s plan. They complain, they wander, they disobey. And in a strange recurring episode, God swears to destroy them. And then, as we see in this story, Moses intercedes and convinces God not to the destroy them!

Yes, I know, sometimes the Old Testament is weird. Reading this, we may think that God is simply capricious – changing his mind on a whim. It seems to take Moses to calm Him down. But we need to allow Scripture to speak for itself. These stories are a foreshadowing of the need for a ‘mediator’ in our relationship with God.

God allows Himself to be presented as changeable in order that we may see him more clearly – as a God who punishes sin, but also turns away his wrath because of a mediator. How else will we see a God is both perfectly just and perfectly merciful.

Prayer: Thank you Lord for your gracious word to us – although we are deserving of your wrath, you allow yourself to be persuaded otherwise. Remind us to take sin seriously – that without the mediation of Jesus Christ, we would be utterly lost. Thank you for our redeemer.

Through the Deep Waters -- March 14th

John 3:16-20

What we have here is a statement or a declaration backed up by three indisputable facts. The statement is that God's love moved him to send Christ on behalf of his perishing people. What a beautiful picture. The God who we've offended, takes matters into his own hands with intentions to save us instead of destroying us. Mercy by an act of Grace was the mode of God's heart when we only deserved Justice by an act of his Wrath. This is surely the good news of the Gospel. God has acted in Christ on behalf of his people.

THE THREE FACTS THAT UNDERGIRD THIS GOSPEL DECLARATION ARE:

(1) There is no condemnation for those who believe. Christ has been condemned on our behalf. He has satisfied the righteous demands AND has received the just penalty of the law for us. Christ has brought an end to the law, so that there in now righteousness (right-standing with God) for all who believe. Because of Christ there is no condemnation for those that are in Him, trusting His work and not our own work.

(2) The only way to enter into this blessed state where your sins are not counted against you is by Faith in Christ. You must be brought to believe that God is satisfied with what Jesus has done for you. You must receive God's testimony about his Son, who is The Way, The Truth, and The Life our only way back to God in peace. Without faith it is impossible to please God.

(3) God's judgment doesn’t solely based on whether I’ve been good or bad. This is not the Santa Claus theory. But God's judgment is based on what have I done with Christ, who is the light that enables me to see God and myself clearly. Those who run from the light testify that they love darkness. Which means that they love themselves, and their agendas, and the way they want things to be; instead of God, his agenda and the way He wants things to be. But those who come to the light are humbled and blessed. They are humbled because they see that life is not all about them and their agendas or comforts or reputations or desires but about God's. They confess that they've put themselves or something/someone else at the center of the universe and not God. And they are blessed because they see that life is not all about them and their agendas or comforts or reputations or desires but about God's. And they praise God who has brought them to know the truth in Christ the light that God has sent into the world to show us the way out of the world!!!

Prayer: God open the eyes of our hearts and help us to see Christ as you see Him…

Through the Deep Waters - March 12

Luke 4:1-13

The story of Scripture, much like our lives, does not take a straight path. God desires a close and trusting relationship with his people, but to build this relationship, God must do more than call us. He must redeem us; that is, he must buy us back. We have wandered away from our original intention. We have stumbled on the path. We have fallen from the dignity where God placed us.

We know this in our relationships with each other. No relationship, however positive, is free of conflict, confusion, resentment and fear. To be in a flourishing relationship means to work at reconciliation - overcoming the obstacles.

Our reading yesterday was the mysterious interruption of evil and temptation into the garden. The Bible does not spend much time explaining the why of evil. It simply acknowledges its existence in our lives, and shares with us how God plans to overcome it. In the reading yesterday there was a 'proto-gospel'... that the son of Eve would crush the head of the snake.

In today's reading, we see that God fulfills this promise but allowing His Son to become a Son of Eve, one of us, and live in the same temptations we face. Jesus is tempted into the same suspicious, conflicted relationship with God as we have. He, unlike Adam, resists and restores the rightful relationship between humanity and God.

This is the great theme of Scripture - not only that God calls us, but that he reconciles with us as well.

Prayer: Lord, we thank you that you do more than call us. Lord, you stick with us, even when we fall short of that call. Not only do you start a relationship with us, but you fight for that relationship even when we wander. Thank you for being a God who has paid the price to stay in friendship with us. Help us to fight for reconciliation in our relationships too.

Making a Difference: Changing the World One War Criminal at a Time, Part II

So, in the last post I shared my concerns with Kony 2012. I hope I didn’t come across as cynical. Passion for justice and good should always be affirmed. But I also feel it is right to remind ourselves of the deep danger that lurks underneath our good intentions, as well as our bad.

I was struck by the similarities to our study in Exodus. In the beginning of Exodus, Moses is a powerful man. He has access to privilege and wealth. In Exodus 2, when he sees injustice, he is deeply offended. He sees an Egyptian slave master beating an Hebrew slave. In anger, Moses kills the Egyptian. There is something so satisfying about this moment. He sees injustice and he ‘takes it out’.

I believe God has given us an innate sense of justice. That’s why Kony 2012 is so moving. It taps our desire to be agents of justice. It’s visceral. Why should we care about this issue thousands of miles away? It’s because we want to be good and noble, in the deepest sense. We are made in the image of a God who hates injustice.

But the Bible is more nuanced than that. The next day, Moses sees two Hebrew slaves fighting. Immediately we see that the world is more complex than bad Egyptians and good Israelites. The slaves are now fighting each other. Moses tries to break it up, but one turns on him and says “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?”

Moses is confronted with the truth that we in America need to face. He may have power, but that does not give him the right or the ability to fix a situation. Who made us prince and judge? We desire justice and we desire good. But we cannot be just or good in any absolute sense.

The world is more complicated. We are more complicated! Good intentions or righteous anger do not always lead to doing real good. Exerting our power for the sake of the needy may lead to unintended consequences.

Moses must be changed himself. He must be humbled, and he must meet a God who owns justice in a way that we never will. He must be sent back to Egypt on a mission, not of revenge but of rescue. And it will not be a personal fight. It will be the declaration of a God who fights for the right.

What does that mean today? It means that for any attempt to do good in this world, we must be prepared for spiritual (not just emotional) upheaval.

I actually think that the Invisible Children guys were deeply called to serve the children of Northern Uganda. But I don’t think the Facebook millions are. They want righteous anger on the cheap. We want change in the world, but in most cases we are not willing to be changed ourselves.

This is why Jesus calls us to love our neighbor. Loving our neighbor means loving the person, not hating the problem. It means being known as well as knowing. It’s so much harder to love our neighbors than it is to hate the evil people. It’s so much harder to love the person who knows us than it is to send help anonymously.

I do think the people of Northern Uganda are our neighbors. But if you feel called to help them, then know them, love them. You do have power, time, wealth and choices – more than most people in the world. But you will have to spend those to make a difference. Spend them on getting to know someone. You won’t feel as strong or as victorious. But you will be a part of changing the world.

I have 4 very good friends in Northern Uganda. They are men of integrity and courage. It is not easy to be in relationship with them. They are different from me. But I see in them – not 60 million Western college kids – the hope for Northern Uganda.

One of these men is Captain Moses. Captain Moses is the very opposite of cool. He effectively wears what looks like a boy scout uniform. But he loves the youth of Northern Uganda. He has adopted 13 children. I am not worthy to untie the straps on his sandals. I am glad to be aware of Capt. Moses. But I am more moved by our relationship.

So, instead of Stop Kony, I recommend Love “Insert Neighbor Here” 2012. Not as sexy I know. But, hey, it comes from a post with an even greater readership than facebook!

Making a Difference: Changing the World One War Criminal at a Time

Yes, one more blog entry on the facebook/twitter phenom.

Stop Kony 2012 is a video seen by 20, no, 30, no, 60 million people. This internet phenomenon has grabbed headlines not only for its content but for its massive popularity. The goal of KONY 2012 is to raise awareness of Joseph Kony (pronounced Koin by Northern Ugandans) and the LRA and it has done that spectacularly well.

Invisible Children, who made this video, are passionate advocates for the victims of a 20 year conflict in Uganda and other central African nations. Joseph Kony has I was deeply moved by the video. I have followed the work of Invisible Children for a number of years now and they have done good work. They have established aftercare programs in Northern Uganda and raised -awareness about a war criminal who remains at large.

It is in large part because of the LRA conflict that I was lucky enough to go to Northern Uganda in 2006. It was an incredible trip and I remain in contact with several friends there. (Carlos Corro also found a wife!) I am by no means competent to speak on this issue with any authority, but some of you have asked me to reflect on the phenomenon.

The best articles on this issue I have found are here, here and here.

I have mixed feelings about this situation. Of course, Kony is a criminal who deserves to be brought to trial for his crimes. And raising money to help victims is surely a good thing. I think Invisible Children is right for highlighting the issue. However, they do more than this. They are advocating for specific policies, communicating information and promoting certain behaviors. This is where I find myself more critical of Invisible Children.

Some people have criticized the organization for its budget. Only a third of the money raised goes to direct program (about which I have heard good things). This is a little unfair. I think IC is clear about its purposes – awareness and advocacy are a part of their stated goals. Folks just need to know that their money is going to help Ugandans, and the broader advocacy/promotional work of IC.

My concerns go deeper. Underlying this video is a vision of ‘making a difference’ that is self-important and simplistic. Do the recommendations, goals and perspective of Kony 2012 tend towards the greatest good? Do we understand this situation?

What do Ugandans want?
Obviously, Ugandans want justice to some degree. But I think it can be said that many are more interested in recovery and reconciliation. This single focus on retribution and bringing to justice is a much more Western approach. It doesn't take the complexities into account. Imagine a situation where little children are captured and then turned on their own families. How do you help those children who have committed horrible crimes reconnect with their communities? What if these child soldiers have taken child brides, and they have kids? (I have seen this situation in Lira.) How do you bring that horrible situation? Demonizing a single person with a simple good guy/bad guy dichotomy is not helping this. Here is a great video blog post from a native Ugandan that expresses this complexity well.

What is the 'War' about?
This is where things get much more complicated. As you can imagine, there are lots of players at work here. One of the biggest concerns I heard in Northern Uganda is that the LRA was becoming a rationale for the southern tribes which include the president to increase militarization of the country, and crack down on political opponents in the North. The former president is from the North, so there is a lot of conflict between the two. I can say that I have been in Lira which is the sight of one of the worst massacres in the LRA campaign. Over 400 people killed during one raid. I also got to know some of the people there were more anxious about the president's forces than they were of the LRA.

“Furthermore, the crisis in northern Uganda is not seen by its citizens as one that is the result of the LRA. Yes, you read that right. The conflict in the region is viewed as one wherein both the Government of Uganda and the LRA, as well as their regional supporters (primarily South Sudan and Khartoum, respectively) have perpetrated and benefited from nearly twenty-five years of systemic and structural violence and displacement." Mark Kerston in the blog, Justice in Conflict

The video does state that Kony has moved to DRC and Sudan, but it doesn't effectively say that to all extents and purposes, the north is safe and flourishing again. It imagines a crippled and terrified region that no longer exists. This does not help or respect the people of northern Uganda.

What Does Awareness Do?
Awareness helps. But I feel like it only works on a small scale. Awareness on a large scale is not awareness. It is just enough knowledge to be dangerous. It will lead to smashed expectations. It will lead to increasingly viewing Africa as 'Problem' and not as a group of self-determined people. It will fuel our self-righteousness and arrogance. True servanthood requires not simply awareness of a need, but awareness of our own weaknesses and an awareness of the resources already at work.

What is KONY 2012 Suggesting?
Over time, this has become the most concerning aspect to me. This group is advocating specific foreign policy - that is, please send troops to do this job. I don't think sending troops to get the bad guy is good foreign policy. Isn't that Iraq, just on a smaller scale?

Don't get me wrong. I would love for more people to travel to Northern Uganda (or Sudan or wherever) and get involved on the ground. We would be welcomed, if we came as partners. That's what our wealth and time should be spent on. We should get involved in people, not capital P problems.

But --- the question always remains…. Who are we throw stones? What have we done with the issues and needs that we have seen? In the next post, I want to talk about our response in light of Scripture and our resources. How should we respond to what we have heard from Kony 2012.

Through the Deep Waters -- March 9th

Hebrews 10:1-18

God sent Christ to put an end to sin once and for all on behalf of his people. The true sacrifice, Christ the Just, laid his life down for us, the unjust. The innocent Lamb of God dies in the place of God's chosen but guilty people. The Savior dies in the place of Sinners. This presents both the ugly and the beauty of the human experience and the call to bow to Christ. It shows us the difficulty and the delight of Gospel Theology.

THE DIFFICULTY: We are sinners who cannot save ourselves. Someone else will get all the Glory for our salvation. That's the hard part, at my core I would rather be glorious than to give glory to another. I would rather be independent and self-reliant then to have to depend and rely on another. I would rather lead than follow. Being a sinner implies that in the economy of God I am bankrupt, lacking, unable, rebellious, fallen, an enemy and under the just judgment of a holy God who has sovereign rights over my life. Yes, ultimately we are his and not our own. See it's hard to swallow, the fact that someone else has the final say over my life and how it’s to be lived. But it’s true.

THE DELIGHT: Inspite of what I am, a sinner. And inspite of what I'm not, a perfectly obedient child of God, who has always loved God more than anything else. God has acted in Christ to make things right between us. Without anything from me he has gone ahead of me and accomplished a way that a sinner can be saved that the wrath the he so rightly deserves. This is the theme of scripture and this is the purpose of Christ. He ushered in the new and living way, sinners saved not by doing something but by trusting in something. We are saved not by offering a sacrifice but by trusting in the SACRIFICE, Christ the Savior who was offered for us. Now this tastes good…The fact that God has the final say in my journey. I am so grateful that He brought me to know Christ.

PRAYER: Father may we taste and see that Lord is Good. Teach us to delight in and treasure the work of Christ on our behalf. Our redemption was costly. The price of the ransom to deliver our wayward souls was costly. But Jesus paid it all. Helps us to surrender to him and honor him with words and deeds. Amen...

Through the Deep Waters -- March 8th

Jeremiah 31:31-37

Oh’ the depths of the wisdom of God, in relating to his people. He states in our passage way back then that the days were coming when he would establish a new way of walking with his covenant people. Well those days have come. The Gospel has arrived. The Good News of no longer using the Law and the types and shadows of the former days when sacrifices of animals stood between God and man which could only point to (not fulfill) the real forgiveness offered in this new day in the person and sacrificial work of Jesus Christ on behalf of his people. The old covenant had an external law that was constantly broken by the people who then would make sacrifice unto God, as a means of atonement. But those sacrifices as (Hebrews 10:1-4), says could never take away sins. It only foreshadowed that the death of another was the only means of forgiveness of sins for the sinner.

But in this new covenant established solely by God without any assistance from us
would be based on a person: Jesus Christ the Lamb of God, who was sent as the true sacrifice for sin. The old system presented us types, shadows, and symbols, but the new is the reality, the fulfillment in Christ who is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of those who believe worldwide. The new covenant shall usher in a season of no longer looking to external laws and rules, which we could never perfectly keep. And this covenant based on God's love would be written internally in the heart whereby we are made to know that in Christ, we are His people and He is our God. We now look to Christ as the means of being right with God, no longer trying to bring a sacrifice to God; God has brought the sacrifice to us (John 3:16).

And lastly, this new arrangement of communion with God, which is based on the merits of Christ alone and our faith in him, is so certain, so sure, so settled that there is no potential of it coming up empty. It's Impossible. God says just as sure as the sun and the moon have never ceased to be and do what he has decreed, so shall Christ be for all who come to him for refuge. He will always be a Savior. Whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Faithful is He who promised, He has and will continue to do it, for the sake of Christ and his people!!!

Prayer: Father, help us lean the entire weight of our souls upon Christ. May the redemption that is found in his sacrifice for us, be our hope, our joy, our peace and our only boast. May we as fallen sinners, stand in Him, forever accepted by You…Amen!!!

Through the Deep Waters -- March 7th

Acts 2:29-39

God on behalf of his Covenant People has over the course of Redemptive History been working and moving in one direction: towards Jesus, who is both Lord and Christ. The full display of God's Covenantal Love is declared unto us in Christ's miraculous birth, his sinless life, his wrath bearing death on the cross, his glorious resurrection from the grave, his appearance to the disciples after his resurrection, and his triumphant ascension into heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father until the time of his return. This is nothing but the Gospel. The Good News that God has undertaken in Christ the full weight of responsibility for our salvation. He has made him Lord, ruler of all, the holder of judgment, the one who holds the key to life and death, heaven and hell, the one who will have the final say in every situation. This is where God has put him, Above All!!!

But what have we done with him? The very same thing that the men who Peter was
speaking to had done with Christ. CRUCIFIED HIM. But you say I was not there, how could I be guilty just like them for the death of Christ? Well we are all guilty in two senses: (1) In our lives we have all at one time or another treated Christ as if he was dead to us. Spurned his call to come and surrender our lives to him. Would not believe the truth that all our hopes were hinged on him and our relationship with God could only be made right through trust in his work and not our work. We lived as if we didn't need him and that we could make it on our own. Of this we are all guilty. (2) We were directly involved in his crucifixion because he died for our sins. He died in our place. If we were all sin-free and could get to God on our own, then his death was not necessary. But since God in his love for his people knew that there was no hope outside of Christ, he sent him to perform a mighty deliverance on our behalf. This is the meaning of the name Christ; it is interpreted Messiah, the promised deliverer, the one who saves, and the only hope for dying sinners.

Oh’ how the gift of Grace is shown to us in this text. These men who were guilty of the "death of Christ”, owned their guilt and asked, "What shall we do?” There was one response: Repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins. REPENT means to change your mind about Jesus, you once thought that you didn't need him; now be persuaded and understand that you can't live without Him. Be BAPTIZED, means make the public declaration of this change of mind and heart you've had about Jesus. Be now acquainted with him you who were once far off, sheep going astray. Find your new and true identity in Jesus. And the Gift of God's presence will live in you, to guide, to strengthen and continually transform you into the likeness of Jesus who is both Lord and Christ!!!

PRAYER: Father help us to see our deep need for Jesus. Help us to know that you have given us one way of deliverance, Jesus who is both Lord and Christ. Give us the gift of repentance, the change of heart needed to cling desperately to him. And may you baptize us afresh daily that we might live in our identity in him, publicly unashamed of our dependence on him! Amen…

Through the Deep Waters -- March 6th

PSALM 89:1-8

There may be times in our life when we experience overwhelming loss and we feel defeated and empty and uncertain. The people, the dreams, and the way of life that we had counted on and always thought would be there for us are suddenly no longer there and we become disoriented and lost. We often feel abandoned and judged by God during these times as we experience the full weight of our brokenness and the brokenness of our world. The psalmist laments, “How long, O Lord? Will you hide yourself forever? How long will your wrath burn like fire?”  

It is during these times that we remember God’s steadfast love and God’s faithfulness to all generations.  God is forever faithful in keeping His promises to us. We are His people and He is our God – this is our comfort and our encouragement during difficult times. We are His children who have been called and redeemed in Jesus Christ and He promises us that He will never leave us nor will He ever forsake us. God is with us as he leads us through the deep waters which He has parted and has provided a way through. We do not walk through alone but we walk through with God and in community with each other.

Therefore we sing God’s praises. We sing of His steadfast love which is forever and with our mouths we make known His faithfulness to all generations. God has promised to save us and to restore us to Himself and He has done so in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who is with us and will never leave us nor forsake us. Let the heavens and the earth sing out your praises O Lord and let your faithfulness be proclaimed in the assembly. Halleluiah! Halleluiah! Halleluiah!

Prayer: Gracious God who can be compared to you? Who is mightier than you? Who are we that you are mindful of us? Yet you are mindful of us and you are eternally faithful and your steadfast love for us sustains us. Blessed be your name forever. Amen.   

Through the Deep Waters - March 5

John 15:12-17

In the same way that God chose Israel, He also chose us. So, just as God kept faith with Israel through thick and thin, he will keep faith with us as well. This is why he says, 'You did not choose me, but I chose you.' It is so that we can know that when the going gets tough, Jesus will not say - "Well, too bad. You chose this!" Jesus takes responsibility for our walk with him. He started it, and he will finish it.

The work he has started in us is not simply a spiritual journey. It is not serving God in some esoteric way. Jesus calls us friends because he wants us to do exactly what he is doing - bearing fruit of love. Knowing our calling, and knowing our Jesus, we have a clear and simple calling - to love one another.

Prayer: Gracious savior, thank you for choosing us. We do choose to follow you, but thank you that at the end of the day, it is not up to us to figure out where everything is going. But thank you that we do get to participate in the most important work of all - to love each other as you have loved us.

Through the Deep Waters -- Mar 3

Deuteronomy 9:1-5

To our modern ears, the idea of being chosen is more concerning than comforting. The idea that God chooses some to receive the good news of the gospel and not others offends us. It rebels against our idea of fairness. We have many philosophical objections to it.

But God’s sovereign choice is not a philosophical position. God’s choice is a doctrine of comfort. When we know ourselves to be surrounded by fearful opposition and dangerous circumstances, we are deeply comforted by the fact that God has chosen us and will not let us go. God’s tight grip on us is so precious when we feel like we are losing ours.

We dismiss God’s sovereign choice when we don’t know how precarious our situation is. But more than this – we rebel against the sovereign choice of God because we think that we are pretty good. We think that we are pretty okay, and so are the people around us. So, we offended that God would pick us and not them. But as the word says to us today, we understand God’s choice only when we understand that we do not deserve to be chosen.

Even when a child has been disobedient, she clings to her father when she knows that she can be overwhelmed. Her confidence is not in herself, or her ability to hold on to the father. She is confident, because the father holds her, and is stronger than all the monsters out there.

Prayer: Lord, thank you that in your grace, you have chosen me. Humble me with this astonishing truth. Grant me the grace to say a simple thank you. And Lord, teach me to live as though the gospel is precious, and people need to hear it.

Through the Deep Waters -- March 2nd

Galatians 5:13-25

Just as God freed the Hebrews from their bondage to slavery in Egypt so too has God freed us from our bondage to sin through Jesus Christ. Paul begins this chapter by reminding that it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. In Romans Paul tells us that sin no longer has dominion over us as we are not under the law but under grace. The law of the Spirit of life has set us free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.  Paul exhorts that because Christ has done this for us we are to stand firm in our faith and not submit again to the yoke of slavery.

How then are we to live out this life of freedom that Jesus has given us? Paul tells us that we are to walk in the Spirit being led by the Spirit. When we walk in the Spirit we are walking in the grace of God and our lives exhibit the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. This fruit is the visible evidence that we are walking in the Spirit. When we walk away from being led by the Spirit we walk instead as being led by the desires of our own flesh and we head back toward a life of slavery. Paul lists the fruit of such a walk which is the visible evidence of what it looks like when we are led by the desires of our own flesh. We live in this tension between the Spirit and the flesh but remember it is God alone who is our help and our sole deliverer from bondage.  

We are a community of people walking by faith and walking in the Spirit, loving God with our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength and loving our neighbor as our self. However, our fellowship together is no ordinary fellowship as through our life together in the Spirit we participate in the very love that resides within the very heart of God.  We are one people bound together by this love through our life together in the Spirit and we are called to reflect this love to the world.  

Prayer: Gracious God we sing our praises to you today for the precious gift of your love. Help us today to rest in your deliverance from ourselves and to walk by your grace in your Spirit in love for you and for one another. Amen.     

Through the Deep Waters -- March 1st

Exodus 6:1-8

We are a community of people who walk by faith in the promises of God and we know that God is faithful and keeps His promises. In our passage today we see God promising to deliver Moses and the Hebrews from the hand of Pharaoh. When God called Abraham and made a covenant with him, God told Abraham that his descendants would be slaves in a foreign land for 400 years but after that time God would bring them out of the land with great possessions. God now promises to Moses that this deliverance from slavery is now at hand in fulfillment of this promise to Abraham.

Notice the extent to which God goes here in confirming to Moses that He is the Lord and that He will keep His promise.  

I will bring you out

I will rescue you from bondage

I will redeem you

I will take you as my people

I will be your God

I will bring you into the Promised Land

I will give it to you as a heritage

God wants us to understand that God alone is our help and our sole deliverer. Moses believed and had favor with God but when Pharaoh made their difficult situation even worse, Moses complained and questioned God’s strategy but God said, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh”. God was faithful and delivered Moses and the Hebrews and fulfilled His promise.  

We are a people of faith who walk together in community believing that all of the promises of God are fulfilled to us in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20). We walk alongside each other and encourage each other during those times when our difficult situations take a turn for the worse. It is during those times that we need each other to remind us that God is faithful and that He keeps his promises.

Prayer: Gracious God, you alone are our rock and our salvation, you alone are our refuge and our hope and our strong deliverer. We place all our trust in you today knowing that you are our God and we are your people.