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Jesus did two amazing things in a story recorded in Mark 2:  He healed a paralyzed man and He forgave his sins.  Jaded believers might say, “Yeah, that’s what Jesus does.”  Those who don’t believe might say, “Nice story.  Maybe he healed, maybe he didn’t, but no one needs forgiveness of sins – there’s no such thing as sin.”  Either point of view shows believers how truly amazing Jesus’ actions were.

A paralyzed man: he could do nothing for himself and was completely dependent upon family and friends to meet even his most basic needs.  I once saw a man with no arms at a gas station.  He had just come out of the restroom with a friend, who then lit a cigarette for the man with no arms and placed it in his mouth.  As I watched, I realized what else the friend must have done for the man in the preceding moments.  To be able to be that kind of servant was truly amazing (but then to light up for him – really?).  The paralyzed man in Mark 2 had friends, too: men who were willing to do whatever it took to seek healing for their friend. I have heard sermons that focus on the friends and their actions as an example to us to do whatever we can to bring people to Jesus – good point.

But when Jesus encountered the man, he did not initially address his physical need.  Mark 2:5 notes, “And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’”  Jesus responded to the faith of the man and his friends and met the man’s greatest need – to be forgiven as a sinner.  Only after Jesus sensed the lack of faith in the Pharisees did he heal the man: “’Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts?  Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven;’ or to say, ‘Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk?’  But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’ – He said to the paralytic, ‘I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet and go home.’”  Jesus met the greater need first, then to display His authority, met the lesser need.

I don’t believe Jesus was tying the need for forgiveness of sin to the need for healing, i.e., the man’s paralysis was caused by his sin.  I simply believe Jesus’ most natural response to faith was to forgive.  God responds to our faith and He wants to forgive us.  Remember, God created us in His image to be in a perfect relationship with Him.  He wants to have that relationship back and that requires our faith and confession and His forgiveness … as often as necessary.

We tend to focus on the lesser needs in our lives.  If I became paralyzed, or someone I love did, I would be crying and pleading for healing.  Of course, I would consider that to be an incredibly great need.  But paralysis is an extreme; if I had an annoying cold, I would still be asking for healing.  There is nothing wrong with asking God for healing, but are we overlooking the greater need?  How often does our sin drive us to fall on our knees before a righteous God and plead for forgiveness?  Too often our prayers for forgiveness are really prayers of acknowledgment.  When we say, “Lord, please forgive me,” we’re really saying, “Yep, I messed up – sorry about that.”  Isaiah, faced with the glory of God, could only say, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts.”  God’s response to this recognition of sin was to send and angel to touch Isaiah’s lips with a burning coal from the altar in front of the Lord who said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.”  (Isaiah 6:5-7)  Isaiah’s paramount need was to be cleansed and forgiven and he knew it.  I don’t know that I always know this at a deep, passionate level.

We still need healing, but more than just physical healing.  Many of us are paralyzed.  We are paralyzed when we need to take action to make a decision; paralyzed when we need to seek freedom from an addiction; paralyzed when we need to share the good news with others; paralyzed when we need to help when we see those who need help.  This is healing, too.  We need to “pick up our pallets” and take steps.

As for those who don’t believe in sin, that’s probably a topic for another post, or several posts.  I would guess that even those who say there is no sin believe in moral law at some level, e.g., it is nearly universally accepted that it is wrong to kill and wrong to steal.  If something is considered bad, then it implies that there is good.  If there is good and bad, that is moral law, and that implies a lawgiver.  And doing something bad shows a need for forgiveness.  Unfortunately, in our fallen world, many people don’t recognized the need for forgiveness from either vantage point: to forgive or to be forgiven.  Which takes us back to the need for healing.

I am grateful for this story from Mark’s gospel.  It reminds me that no matter how unfair the world seems, how awful our problems are, and how different our perspective is from God’s, God knows what we truly need and offers it to us.  It doesn’t necessarily erase the problems – Jesus didn’t have to heal the paralytic – but it meets the greatest need we have.  “Son, your sins are forgiven” – powerful words, indeed.

I was traveling for my job recently and caught an Uber to get from the airport to my company’s local office.  The Uber driver was roughly my age, a sports fan, and talkative without being annoying so we had a pretty good conversation.  We covered everything from New Orleans cuisine to college football to church.  He told me about his son who would be graduating soon from Army Boot Camp.  His son had wanted to join the Marine Corps, but apparently a tattoo on his arm was “too visible.”  I haven’t looked into Marine regulations to verify, but the rules seem to be a bit stricter for potential Marines than for potential soldiers.

The tattoo read “Only God can judge me.”  In an effort to become one of the few and the proud, this young man went to an ink shop to have the tattoo altered so it would meet Marine Corps requirements.  To that end, he had the “me” removed so that the tattoo read, “Only God can judge.”  For some reason, even after this, he passed on the Marine Corps and enlisted in the Army.

I arrived at the local office where a co-worker and I were meeting with employees individually to discuss their interests and futures.  There was a good chance their positions would be eliminated in six months or so, and we were discussing possibilities with them.  One of the employees was a man in his late 20’s who was a very good employee – a keeper.  He had a tattoo barely visible under his shirt sleeve (probably not Marine Corps material).  My co-worker asked what the tattoo was.  The young man pulled up his sleeve to reveal a rocky cave entrance with a devil standing beside the opening.  Around the picture were the words, “Let my name be feared at the Gates of Hell.”  He said he obtained the tattoo in honor of his father who had died some months before.

While I’m not the brightest guy in the world at making connections, encountering these two tattoos within a few hours struck me as more than coincidental.  “Only God can judge me” is a favorite refrain in our world, the implication being that no one can tell me what to do; my life is my own to live.  The deceased rapper, Tupac, wrote a song and titled an album, Only God Can Judge Me.  I won’t stoop to share the lyrics with you.

But then the “me” gets removed from the tattoo.  Does that change anything – going from “only God can judge me” to “only God can judge?”  I think so.  “Only God can judge me” carries a very individualistic message – it’s about me and you can’t judge me.  It’s my life and I can do what I want with it.  But when you state, “only God can judge,” it recognizes who God is and the authority He has.  James 4:12 tells us, “There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy.”  That is power – only God can save and only God can destroy.

It must have been painful to have the “me” removed from the tattoo.  It’s just as painful, but necessary, to have the “me” has to be removed from our lives.  While we are made in the image of God and valuable to Him as individuals, our individualism pales in comparison to His power and glory.  We must realize that, though He loves us, the grand story is not about us, but about Him and His love.  Only in His love and grace do our lives find meaning.

“Let my name be feared at the Gates of Hell.”  I don’t have a tattoo, but if I did, I can’t imagine having this phrase etched on my body, especially in memory of someone I loved.  I understand the sentiment behind it – his father was gone, and he wanted to remember him as a bad dude – someone who could give the devil all he could handle.  This raises some interesting questions.  Of whom is the devil afraid?  Would he be afraid of a man?  What would make him afraid of a man?

It’s safe to say the devil trembles at the name of God (James 2:19), but how does one of us make him feel? William Cowper wrote, “Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon their knees.”  On the other hand, AW Tozer wrote, “It is not the praying sheep that Satan fears, but the presence of the Shepherd.”  We bear the image of God and Satan certainly does not like that, but does he fear us?  I think he fears what we can accomplish when we are obedient to God and doing His work.  I think he fears the power of prayer because it is direct communication with God.  But I don’t think he fears little ole me, one puny human without any power of his own.  But I have power and I have the presence of God in me because the Holy Spirit has taken up residence in me.  So, I believe Satan does fear a believer because when he encounters a believer, he is encountering the very presence of God.  But, again, the “me” needs to be removed.  It is not my name that is feared at the gates of Hell, but the name of the Lord God.

Here’s a tattoo for me: “Only God can judge, and His name is to be feared everywhere.”  But even better, “Only God can love me with the overwhelming love that is His very essence (1 John 4:8), and, while I need to fear and respect the Lord because of His power and righteousness, I need not live in fear because of His love.“ It’s a longer tattoo but a stronger message.  If I ever get this tattoo it will raise a lot of eyebrows; but I don’t care.  After all, you can’t judge me…

Military homecomings are wonderful!  We’ve all seen video clips of families greeting their returning soldier, sailor, airman,  Marine or Coastie.  They occur at airports, when ships dock, and when a unit walks down the ramp of a cargo plane; or they can be total surprises at a spouse’s workplace or a child’s school.  I’ve experienced several homecomings as a Coastie returning home after a deployment or mobilization.  I don’t have the words to describe what I felt when I first saw Michele and my daughters after months of separation.

But not everyone comes home.  Some men and women never experienced those indescribable feelings of seeing their loved ones; and their families, rather than knowing the joy of reunion, live with the pain of loss for the span of their lives.  As the song says (the original quotation is attributed to a Korean War vet, Howard William Osterkamp), “All gave some, some gave all.”  This is why we have a holiday known as Memorial Day – to recognize and remember that some Americans gave their lives in service to their country.

Jesus said, “Greater love has no on than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” (John 5:13).  This was spoken to the disciples in the context of teaching them to trust and abide in Him and to love one another.  If we truly love one another with this kind of love, the Greek agape love, sacrifice comes naturally.   Some fallen warriors were casualties of battle who would claim there was nothing heroic about their deaths.  Others willingly sacrificed themselves that their comrades might live, or at least have a chance to live.  Is this bravery?  Is it love?  Does it matter?  Whatever we call it a life was given in service and someone did not come home.

However, there is a more important Memorial  Day we celebrate earlier in the Spring that is all about love:  Good Friday.  It truly represents the greatest love – a love that forgives and redeems.  It required the sacrifice of an innocent man, the only truly innocent and perfect man who was also God.  His sacrifice did save lives. His sacrifice paid the price for sins that we could not pay.  Think of the most amazing story of personal bravery and sacrifice you’ve ever heard and it pales in comparison to what Jesus did for us on Good Friday.

We are right to honor those who died in service.  We are right to remember them and their families and we owe them a debt of gratitude that simply cannot be repaid.  However, as you remember these men and women and their families on Memorial Day, do not forget the one who made the ultimate sacrifice and showed the greatest love.

The names of four dead men can be found in the contacts list on my phone.

Dead Man 1 (DM1)

DM1 was an active member of a church I joined who was heading up the Men’s Ministry. I didn’t know him well but, in agreeing to lead an accountability group, we spoke and corresponded. He thanked me for my willingness to jump in and handle a certain situation. Shortly after this he was diagnosed with cancer. Over the next couple of years his condition worsened, and he eventually died leaving a wife and two children. I attended his funeral and was touched by the outpouring of love for this man and his family. Although I was not close to him, I have kept his contact information as a reminder that we live in a fallen world and that bad things do happen to people who follow the Lord; that none of us is spared from suffering; and that I am so very thankful I was allowed to raise my children.

Dead Man 2 (DM2)

DM2 is my brother-in-law, Jim. He died last summer leaving a wife and two adult sons who, of course, miss him terribly. While we never lived close enough to one another to do much together, our families were often together for holidays and vacations. We visited Jim and his family in Atlanta, Charleston and the Tennessee mountains. Jim was warm, funny and generous. He knew Jesus. He showed tremendous love and devotion in the way he cared for his wife. I last saw Jim at my oldest daughter’s wedding. While he wasn’t in great health, there was no inkling he had cancer. Unfortunately, he was diagnosed shortly after that and was dead within two months. I miss Jim and am grateful for having known him and being part of his extended family. I keep his contact info for two reasons, one very practical and one very sentimental: 1) his wife, my wife’s sister, uses his phone now; and 2) he’s family – it makes me smile to see his name on my phone and I remember him fondly and know I will smile with him again.

Dead Man 3 (DM3)

DM3 was someone I served with in the Coast Guard. As a reservist, I was mobilized and served on the command staff of a Naval Coastal Warfare squadron overseas (Yes, the Navy is dependent on Coast Guard assistance!). DM3 was an active duty Coastie who volunteered to deploy, and he joined me and another man as the three Coasties on the Navy staff. We bonded instantly and became close. I had several conversations with him about faith and invited him to chapel services. He always politely refused but assured me he had been raised as a church-goer and was a believer – I was never sure, though. When we demobilized we promised to stay in touch, and we did. I had my demobilization physical at his command and we had a good visit and talk. I prayed for him off and on. We emailed back and forth and, as these things go, the emails became more infrequent, but we stayed in touch every few months. I started a new job and emailed my updated contact info to a number of people, including DM3. I didn’t hear back from him, but almost immediately heard back from the other Coastie on the staff. His email began, “I’m so glad you reached out because I lost your contact info. After DM3 died ….” I stopped reading, stunned. I read and reread those words, “After DM3 died…” My friend had died a couple of months before and I hadn’t heard.

I was in total shock. He was young, intelligent and personable. He was a Yeoman, which is an administrative rating, but he volunteered for any number of things; for example, he sent me a picture of him rappelling from a helicopter to a small boat as part of an airborne boarding crew. I couldn’t believe he was gone. I called the other Coastie who had attended the funeral and he filled me in on some details. I spoke to DM3’s supervisor, a Senior Chief, who rounded out the story. DM3 had been at a party, drunk a bit too much, drove home to his condo and pulled into the garage. He passed out with the car running and died from the fumes. The Senior Chief was adamant that it was not a suicide, but a case of carelessness.

While we can never know another’s heart, I realized that I didn’t know where DM3 was in eternity. I have shed tears over that. Perhaps one more conversation, one more phone call, one more email may have provided a catalyst to bring him to God’s grace. The day I found out about his death, I sent an email to a number of men in my church telling them the story and pleading with them to share the good news with those they cared for. I keep DM3’s contact information to remind me that we are never promised time; that we must always be ready to share the gospel; and that sometimes those we love will not know Jesus.

Dead Man 4 (DM4)

DM4 is my dad. He died over five years ago at the age of 85, five years after my mother passed. My dad had Parkinson’s disease and spent the last two years of his life in a nursing home. He didn’t like me very much after that decision was made, but we simply couldn’t provide the care he needed after heart surgery and suffering with Parkinson’s. It was a hard decision, but we both reconciled to it as time passed.

Dad was a pastor. Someone once told me that he had met a lot of preachers, but that my dad was truly a pastor – a man who shepherded and cared for his flock. My grandfather was an alcoholic and he and my grandmother divorced when Dad was four (My grandfather did sober up and we had a good relationship with him). Several years later my grandmother married again. I didn’t know about this marriage until I was about twelve years old and my grandmother mentioned the name of a man I had never heard before, referencing his death. I asked my dad about this man, but he would not say much. Over the years, I gathered that he was also an alcoholic, and probably a mean drunk. I do know those were unhappy years for my dad before my grandmother eventually divorced that man.

Both my parents came from broken homes and I think it made them love my brother and I more fiercely; they did not want to repeat the mistakes of their parents. I doubted neither their love nor their faith. I am more than grateful for being raised in a household that loved Jesus and loved one another, and for a father who surrendered his life to serve the Lord. I keep my father’s contact info simply because he’s my dad and I love him, and I could not bear to delete it.

I called Dad’s number as I was writing this and found, as expected, that it was disconnected. I wasn’t sure if I wanted it to be disconnected, or if I wanted someone else to use the number. That would be symbolic that the world keeps turning, that things keep going when we’re gone.

Four dead men. I am thankful that I will meet at least three of them again. I am broken-hearted that I may not meet the fourth. I treasure the memories of and the lessons learned from each of these men and their deaths. I am eternally grateful that death is not a finality for those that love the Lord.

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might come and anoint Him.  Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. They were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”  Looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large. Entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; and they were amazed. And he said to them, “Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He told you.’” Mark 16:1-7

Details surrounding the resurrection are shared in all four gospels, and in each the angel tells the women to tell the disciples that Jesus is risen and will meet them in Galilee.  But in the gospel of Mark we find the words, “tell His disciples and Peter.”  Peter was still a disciple.  He hadn’t been kicked off the team.  Why does Mark add “and Peter?”

It is traditionally accepted that John Mark wrote the gospel bearing his name, and he wrote it based on what he was told by Peter, primarily through Peter’s preaching to the early church.  Mark is the shortest and oldest of the gospels and was used as a resource for Matthew and Luke, neither of whom add “and Peter,” but seem to consider Peter to still be a fully functioning disciple.  But because Mark was relating Peter’s story he added the words “and Peter.”

My intent is not to argue Biblical accuracy and why two gospels read one way and one reads another.  These are four different accounts that stress different things to different audiences.  I believe the angel said the words, “the disciples and Peter” because it says so in Mark.  I believe Matthew and Luke could have certainly shortened to “the disciples” because that included all eleven.  What fascinates me is that Mark heard Peter’s telling of the story and he wrote it down exactly as he heard it and as the angel said it.  Obviously, it was very significant to Peter.

Back up a few days in the gospel account.  At the Last Supper, Peter told Jesus he would never betray Him.  Jesus told Peter the chilling words that Peter would deny his Master three times that night.  Of course, Peter did just that and in a big way.  We find in Luke 22:61 that Jesus was in the courtyard and His eyes met Peter’s after the last denial.  What a devastating moment for Peter!

Fast forward to post-Resurrection accounts.   We read in Luke 24:34 and 1 Corinthians 15:5 that Jesus appeared to Peter individually.  We know nothing more about this meeting than it occurred.  What a moment it must have been!  I imagine Peter sobbing and falling at Jesus’ feet.  I imagine the love in Jesus’ eyes and His tenderness in addressing Peter.  Peter knew his sin; Jesus knew Peter’s sin; yet Jesus met Peter individually to begin the healing process that Peter needed.

We also know that Jesus pulled Peter aside on the shores of the Sea of Galilee to question him about his love for Jesus three times.  Peter obviously needed restoration and he needed it directly from Jesus.  After denying Jesus in His hour of need, Peter would have been crushed.  He might have never recovered from the guilt and depression.  Jesus wouldn’t allow that to happen.  But I’m certain Peter was squirming on the lake shore that morning.

Many of us either shake our heads at Peter or identify with him, or both.  He was passionate and impetuous.  He was bold, and he was scared.  I understand why God would want to provide reassurance to Peter through the angel’s message.  Rather than singling out Peter to embarrass him (Oh, he’s not really a disciple after what he did, but tell him, anyway.), I believe the message was meant to encourage and reassure him (You are still a disciple, Peter.  You are loved.)  Peter needed that … he desperately needed that.

I desperately need that, too.  That’s why I love “and Peter.”  I am a disciple of Jesus.  And while I was not meant to meet the risen Lord in Galilee, I am meant to encounter Him every day.  So I can easily relate to, “Go, tell His disciples and Jon..”  I fail.  I deny Jesus, perhaps not as dramatically as Peter did, but in so many little ways, and sometimes big ways.  I need assurance and restoration and to know that I am loved.  I am so thankful for Peter and his mess-ups and for his restoration and ministry, because it lets me know that I can be forgiven for my mess-ups, can be restored, and can continue to serve my Lord.

Two little words that bring such hope: “… and Peter.”

I wrote this poem many, many years ago.  I would probably write it differently now, but here’s an offering from my younger self…

 

Not your sympathy, just your presence is what I need.
You may think I don’t need you because of who I am;
Yet, it is because of who I am … what I am, that I do.

Our time together grows short;
Can’t you stay awake just an hour and watch with me?

Come; tell me of your days as fishermen;
The strain of pulling bursting nets from sparkling blue waters,
Green hills in the distance marking home, guiding your path on pathless seas.

Come; tell me of your families;
The love and laughter, the grief and sorrow.
Tell me of festivals past when families gathered to celebrate, to share, to embrace and remember.

Come; tell me of your dreams;
What you wished on the dark nights on rocky hillsides when we slept beneath the stars.
And your fears – what you will do when I have gone … and yet remain.

Come; talk to me, share with me, pray with me.
For I’ll not see the sparkling waters,
I’ll not feel a brother’s embrace,
And while my dreams transcend earth, and my fears are swallowed up in love,
I would know yours …
to help you …
to guide you …
to comfort you.

I’ve much ahead of me, much that I’d rather not do.
But I must, because of who I am … what I am …
I only wish you would awaken and watch with me.

Stephen Hawking died today.  He was an intellectual giant who would have accomplished much leading a normal life, but considering that he accomplished what he did while struggling with ALS is nothing short of amazing.  In one of those weird circumstances that people will speculate about, Hawking was born on the 300^th anniversary of Galileo’s birth and died on the 139^th anniversary of Albert Einstein’s birth.  Oh … and it is Pi Day, which is March 14^th or 3.14, the mathematical constant that describes the area of a circle.

The scientific community will pay tribute to Hawking, as will the larger world, and rightfully so.  But that does not matter to him now.  His name has already been enshrined as a scientific great and his reputation will likely grow in death.  I did not see it, but the movie that was made about his life several years ago was apparently a success.  But none of that matters to him now.  He leaves behind children and grandchildren and many admirers, but none of that matters to him now.

Hawking once famously said, “I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.” Quite a statement, but when a man trusts his own intellect as sovereign, it is the kind of statement he would make.  Early in his career he did not deny the existence of God, but stated that even if God set the laws of the universe in motion, He did not intervene to break those laws.  Ultimately, Hawking stated he was an atheist and said, “We are each free to believe what we want and it is my view that the simplest explanation is there is no God. No one created the universe and no one directs our fate. This leads me to a profound realization. There is probably no heaven, and no afterlife either. We have this one life to appreciate the grand design of the universe, and for that, I am extremely grateful.” 

I am extremely grateful for this life, too, and consider a gift from God. I am not afraid of the dark, or death as Hawking was likely speaking metaphorically.  I am intelligent, although not at the Hawking level, and I can think for myself.  Unfortunately, I am emotional, too, and I could think smugly, “I guess Hawking is learning the truth now” based on my belief in the next life.  But what I feel today is a sense of loss, not just for Hawking, but for each of us who trusts himself for the answers to life’s questions.  There are so many people who have magnificent gifts of intellect, artistic talent, physical abilities, etc., that believe in themselves because of those gifts.  There is nothing wrong with believing in yourself in terms of confidence, but there is something profoundly wrong in believing in yourself as the source of those gifts and abilities.

I am not offering apologetics arguments today, although it would have been interesting to have those discussions with Hawking (and more than a bit intimidating), but simply stating that I do believe in God the Creator, Sustainer of Life and Redeemer of Lost Souls.  My beliefs lead me to the conclusion that people who do not share them will find themselves in an afterlife devoid of all that is good, i.e., the love of God.  We cannot imagine what that will be like and how we will respond (I should write a song), but it should break our hearts when people die who have boldly proclaimed their unbelief.

Despite his disease, Stephen Hawking was a giant.  He was an image bearer of the Creator who chose to ignore the Creator.  Unfortunately, his reputation on Earth will carry no weight in eternity.  The “fairy story” of Heaven is available only through the grace God offers through His sacrificial love.  I respect Stephen Hawking, but I deeply regret that he will not know the joy of learning first-hand what his life’s work was about, and an even greater regret that He will not experience the ultimate joy of life in the presence of His Creator.

Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day have probably coincided before, and it’s not that big of a deal for most people unless someone planned on giving up chocolate for Lent, then it’s a VERY BIG DEAL!           It is quite the juxtaposition, though.  Valentine’s Day is a celebration of romantic love when sweethearts exchange cards and gifts, which may include chocolate and jewelry, perhaps dine out at an expensive restaurant, and do whatever else Hallmark and convention demand.  Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten season, which for many Christians is an observation of six weeks of repentance leading up to Easter.  Ashes are placed on believers’ forehead in the form of a cross recalling Genesis 3:19 – Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.  These words were spoken by God to Adam and Eve to remind them of their sinfulness and mortality and, indirectly, of the need for repentance.  The forty-day period of Lent is meant to correspond to the forty days Jesus spent in the wilderness fasting and praying, as well as the forty days Moses spent repenting and fasting after destroying the false idol the Hebrews had constructed.  Usually, a believer will give up something for Lent in an act of self-denial to constantly remind him or her of the need to repent.

Both days are about the celebration of love, but they come at it from entirely different angles.  Valentine’s Day is about romance and lavishing gifts upon one person.  Ash Wednesday is about the ultimate and lonely sacrifice love demanded of one person.   In English we use one word, “love,” with many shades of meanings.  New Testament Greek gives us several words for love, including eros, typically expressed as the love between a man and a woman from which we derive the word “erotic,” and agape, a sacrificial love, an unconditional love that is typically used to describe a parent’s love for a child and, of course, God’s love for us.  Valentine’s Day is about eros; Ash Wednesday is about agape.

The symbols for each day stand in contrast, too.  Valentine’s Day is represented by a stylized heart (a picture of a real heart is just not very romantic), while Ash Wednesday is represented by the rough outline of a cross drawn with ashes.  Both represent love, but again, different kinds of love.  We speak of the heart in various ways including following the heart, heartache, full hearts, weary hearts, and lonely hearts, among others.  We place a lot of importance on the heart in determining relationships and making decisions.  In all of this, think of the heart as our mind and emotions.  But Jeremiah tells us something interesting about the heart: “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick’ who can understand it?”  It is important to note that these are the words of the Lord quoted by Jeremiah.  God Himself says our hearts are sick, yet we rely on our hearts to guide us.  In Psalm 10:3 we read: “For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire, and the greedy man curses and spurns the Lord.”  In Psalm 14:10, David writes, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’”  How can we function with such a sinful, self-centered heart?

Fortunately, God gives us the answer for that a bit further into the Psalms:

I will bless the Lord who has counseled me; indeed, my mind instructs me in the night. I have set the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; my flesh also will dwell securely.  Psalm 16:7-9

It is not explicitly stated in this passage, but God gives us a new heart.  If we listen to His counsel, if we keep the Lord continually before us, our hearts will be glad.  But we must allow God to change our hearts.  David cries for God to create a clean heart in him in his great prayer of repentance in Psalm 51.  In Ezekiel 36:26, God states it explicitly: “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you.  I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.” In context, this is a promise to the people of Israel in their covenant relationship with God.  However, it holds just as true for God’s people – believers – under the new covenant relationship established at the cross.  In fact, Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that we are completely new creations.  The old has been done away with and we are new beings in God.

The cross placed on foreheads on Ash Wednesday lasts for the day, but the commitment made leads to the cross and to the empty tomb.  Both are symbolic of the amazing, overwhelming love God has for those who accept His grace.  It is the cross that gives us new hearts and the tomb that assures us of eternity.

Happy Valentine’s Day! I’m not sure “Happy Ash Wednesday” is a thing, but if it works for you … Whatever the day means for you, don’t forget the One who expressed true love for you by giving His life.

A few days ago, I ran across an online listing for a pastor for a small church in the West.  It contained many of the usual phrases, which are important, but common in this sort of ad: heart for discipleship, servant leader, man of prayer, etc. But then the church got real.  It is located in an area that is definitely not part of the Bible Belt, so the listing read, “This position is not for the faint of heart. It is quite literally a mission field inside of the United States.”  Fair enough, but the church had also apparently experienced problems in the past (I know – completely unique situation).  The ad mentioned the church was in a rebuilding phase and then added, “Our new pastor must be strong in the Lord as well as being a strong leader, not being sacred to make hard decisions. We are looking for a Pastor and his family to come in and be the example of a real life Christian family. With that comes the extreme highs and extreme lows.”  That is not a typo in the blog, although it surely was a typo in the ad.  I’m sure the church wanted a pastor who would not be scared to make hard decisions, but they asked for a man to not be sacred in making hard decisions.

Most people think of something sacred as being holy.  The word is often used to indicate something that can’t be messed with, e.g., a “sacred cow.”  Or we use it to elevate something to a special level simply because it is special to us, e.g., “chocolate is sacred to me.” Quite simply, that means “step away from my chocolate and no one gets hurt!”

At face value, the ad called for someone to not be sacred in making hard decisions, and that’s what I love about it.  To me, that means to get your hands dirty; to lose any holier-than-thou attitude and make the tough calls.  It means not putting yourself above the ugly, fallen world we live in, but figuring out how you’re going to jump in and engage the ugly, fallen people and share the love of Jesus, all the while being ugly and fallen yourself.

None of us is sacred in the sense of being more special than anyone else, but each believer is sacred in the sense that God has saved us by His grace.  We are set apart (the meaning of the word “holy”).  Peter tells us in his first letter, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Peter 2:9-10) Believers are sacred and set apart in order to proclaim God’s excellencies, so we have sacred work to do.  But we cannot act sacredly (is that even a word?) in carrying out this sacred work.

I also believe each life is sacred, because each of us in made in the image of our Creator.  God gave us life, a wonderful, beautiful gift.  Too often we degrade and abuse this gift because of our choices.  And we cheapen life, even complete discount it, when we accept the acts of abortion and euthanasia, and in the casual taking of life which is all too prevalent in our world (and on our screens).

Believers must make the sacred choices that God would have us make, without approaching the world and the work in a manner that presents us as holier-than-thou.  I guess, in a sense, we are holier-than-thou because we have experienced the saving grace God offers, but that alone should make us humbler-than-thou, because we should realize what great sinners we are and what a great price was paid for our salvation.

So get out there and don’t be sacred … or scared!

As a final note, the ad for the pastor closed this way: “What we need is not a person that is ready to retire, but a Spiritual Leader that is ready to dive in with their whole being, ready to serve and treat this as a duty that God has laid before him. We need a dedicated man who loves people…saved and unsaved. We need a man that is not perfect…even though, if Jesus were available to be our Pastor, we would accept Him!”  So maybe they really do want a sacred decision-maker!

January 6^th was my maternal grandmother’s (Grandma) birthday.  She would have been 118 this year, but she died at age 86.  January 8^th was my paternal grandmother’s (Nana) birthday.  She would have been 110 this year, and she did make it to 100.  I reminded my wife of their birthdays.  As I was telling her, I realized that when I’m gone no one will remember their birthdays.  Grandma lived in a cool little apartment one block from the ocean when I was little.  I kinda/sorta remember what it looked like.  Nana drove Volkswagen Bugs, owning two when I was a kid.  I tried to remember what color they were – I think one was light blue – when I realized there was no one left to ask.

My first reaction was sadness, followed quickly by the thought, “I’m getting old.”  It did start me thinking.  My daughters don’t remember my Grandma, although they do remember Nana.  When my daughters are gone, the memory of my grandmothers will pass from the earth.  This quotation is from the movie, Stand Up Guys: “… they say you die twice.  One time when you stop breathing the first time and a second time, a bit later on, when somebody says your name for the last time.”  Obviously not a theologically sound statement, but meaningful nonetheless.  One day each of us will be gone from this world.  One day after that, it may be weeks or it may be years, our name will be spoken for the last time. If we achieve some sort of fame, or leave lasting contributions to the world, our name may last for centuries, but that does not change the fact that we will leave this world.

You may not cure a disease, or write a poem that will be read hundreds of years from now, or serve in public office.   You may not have children or, if you do, they may not have children.  But you will leave a legacy.  There are legacies promised in the Bible.  Abraham was told by God, in Genesis 22:17, “Indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies.”  While it is part of a much larger promise to David, 2 Samuel 7:16 contains a legacy that is significant for each of us: “Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.” 

These are promises of grand legacies that extend beyond the scope of what we expect or are promised.  However, believers have been commissioned to leave a legacy.  Jesus told us to make disciples.  Jesus told us to love God with everything we have, and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.  I fail too often in fulfilling this legacy required of me.  My focus turns inward, and when it is outward it is primarily on my family.  Of course, I need to take care of my family, but I am called to love the world, and especially the unlovable.  I need to share and show the gospel to those I encounter, or I am failing. There is much talk about leaving the world a better place for the next generation.  We should be talking (and acting) about equipping the next generation for the better world than this.

My grandmothers’ earthly legacies won’t extend past another generation or so, yet their legacies are ultimately eternal.  They have now heard the words of Jesus cited in Matthew 25:21: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”