This World Below

As soon as He was approaching, near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen, shouting: “BLESSED IS THE KING WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.” But Jesus answered, “I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!” Luke 19:37-40

There is so much to consider about Palm Sunday: the donkey that is waiting for Jesus; the jubilant crowd; the parade; Jesus weeping over Jerusalem; and the visit to the temple.  Jesus entered Jerusalem, not as a Warrior Messiah, but as the Sacrificial Lamb who was to disappoint His followers by not claiming an earthly kingdom, but dying to provide an eternal one.

As Jesus approached Jerusalem, the crowd began to gather.  First it was disciples, which likely meant more than just the twelve.  They praised God for Jesus because of the miracles which they had seen.  The crowd rightfully cited Psalm 118:26 in shouting, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!”  Finally, Jesus, who had previously wanted anonymity, was being recognized for who He was.  This parade was not arrogance on the part of Jesus; it was a recognition of His authority and a necessary step in the progression of His ministry and of the week to come.

I have heard preachers and read commentators who state that the same crowd that hailed Jesus on Sunday called for His death on Friday.  I have heard others say that, while there may have been some overlap, they were not the same people.  The crowd on Palm Sunday was mainly followers of Jesus.  The crowd on Good Friday included only a handful of followers that we know of (Mary, Mary’s sister, Mary wife of Clopas, Mary Magdalene and John) and may have included some of the Palm Sunday welcomers.  Those folks, who went from shouting “Hosanna” to “Crucify Him,” would have been disappointed that Jesus did not meet their expectations, which were to defeat the Romans and reestablish Jewish rule.  The fact remains that the crowd on Palm Sunday recognized the uniqueness of Jesus, although it’s likely none of them had any idea what His purpose was and what was coming in a few short days.

Pharisees were also in the crowd.  In this last week of His life they always seemed to be present to challenge Jesus.  Here in this moment of glory and recognition they told Jesus to tell the disciples to hush.  They did recognize Him as “Teacher,” but that rang hollow given their hypocrisy.  They said, “Rebuke your disciples.”  To rebuke means to “express sharp disapproval or criticism of someone because of their behavior or actions.” In the Pharisees’ minds, the disciples had gone too far in claiming Lordship for Jesus.

Jesus likely quoted Habakkuk 2:11 in His response.  In crafting a taunt regarding the tyranny of Babylon and its ultimate destruction,  the prophet Habakkuk wrote:

Because you have looted many nations, all the remainder of the peoples will loot you—because of human bloodshed and violence done to the land, to the town and all its inhabitants.  Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house to put his nest on high, to be delivered from the hand of calamity! You have devised a shameful thing for your house by cutting off many peoples; so you are sinning against yourself. Surely the stone will cry out from the wall, and the rafter will answer it from the framework. Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed and founds a town with violence. Habakkuk 2:8-12

Habakkuk is noting that the houses and cities built by the Babylonians at the expense of those they had conquered and captured would testify against them when the Babylonians were, in turn, conquered.  In citing this verse, Jesus states something similar.  If His disciples’ mouths are shut it won’t matter because creation will testify to the glory of Jesus.

Creation does testify to the magnificence and glory of God.  I have seen great beauty in the world from the Grand Canyon to a star-filled night at sea.  I subscribe to an Instagram account from the National Park Service and am amazed every day at the beauty captured in their photographs.  Creation can be glorious and it certainly reveals a glorious Creator.  But stones?  Was Jesus looking at a wall, perhaps a street, or a house, or even the Temple itself when He said this?  The Temple was certainly magnificent, but it was created using stones and timber.  Jesus said inanimate rocks would cry out to glorify Him.

This gives me tremendous hope: if a rock can testify to the glory of God, then I certainly can.  At least, I hope I’m more expressive than a rock.  But it also makes me realize what Jesus knew:  I will be silent more often than  not.  I will miss opportunities to share the gospel.  I will fail to show love.  I will keep my mouth shut when it should be open, and open it when it should be shut (can I get an “Amen?”).

But these verses are not about me.  They are about a person who was fully God and fully man.  A person who was about to give His life as a payment for the sin in my own.  A person who was going to pay a price for me that I could not pay.  A person whose blood would drop onto the stones of the road leading to Calvary.  In the face of that overwhelming love of course the stones would cry out … and so must we.

Passion Week.  Holy Week.  Holy and Great Week.  Palm Sunday.  Spy Wednesday. Maundy Thursday.  Good Friday.  Over the centuries Christians have given names to the week and the days of the week to mark the last few days Jesus walked the earth.  This week has always fascinated me and every year I try to read through the gospel accounts for each day to help me picture what was occurring and discover what actions Jesus took and the words He said knowing what was coming.  This fascination began when I was a boy because my father, a pastor, hosted a Bible study each morning of Passion Week to discuss the scriptures for that day.  I went to the bakery with him as he bought doughnuts every morning.  Someone would have already opened the Fellowship Hall when we arrived at the church and made coffee and hot chocolate (for me, the only kid present).  There were probably never more than 15 people there, but it was a special and blessed time.  Afterward, Dad would drop me off at school.  I looked forward to it every year, certainly because of the time spent with my dad, but also for the weight of considering each day what Jesus encountered and knowing it ended with His death on Good Friday.

Beginning on Palm Sunday, April 14^th, I will post a blog each day through Good Friday that examines something that occurred in the gospels on that day.  It certainly won’t be exhaustive, but will consider something from that day and what it means for us.  These posts are not intended to  replace whatever you do for your quiet time, but are simply a  way of, hopefully, drawing us closer to Jesus.  As poorly as they may be written, they are written to honor and glorify Him, and also as a way of thanking my dad for showing me the love of a wonderful Savior. Please join me on this journey through Passion Week.  If you’d like to have the posts delivered to your email inbox, please sign up to follow the blog at the bottom of the menu on the left side of the page.

Last Sunday, our church hosted the choir from Boyce College in Louisville, Kentucky.  They led us in a fantastic time of worship during a special service that included people who normally attend two other campuses and another earlier service, all of whom came together this day.  As they sang, I felt my heart swell and I experienced an incredible sense of God’s love.  The final song at the end of the service, and one which the congregation joined in on, was “Jesus Loves Me.”  It was a simple, powerful and elegant way to end the service.

Yesterday, Michele and I attended the funeral of a sweet woman who had lost her last battle with cancer at age 65.  The church was full and the memories shared were wonderful.  This woman had asked for three songs to be sung at her funeral.  The first, “Well Done,” was sung by a soloist.  The congregation closed the service with the last two: “When We All Get to Heaven;” and “Jesus Loves Me.”  It was again a simple, powerful and elegant way to end the service.

Two completely different services.  One was a gathering of believers to rejoice and be challenged to serve.  The other was a celebration and remembrance of a life well lived.  There were tears in both services with the first bringing tears of joy and the second bringing tears of sorrow.  Yet both also brought tears of gratitude, and both closed with the simple refrain, “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”

The story is told that the eminent theologian, Karl Barth, while on a visit to America, was asked to summarize his life’s work in theology in one sentence.  The very learned man, who challenged the theological liberalism of his time, replied, “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”

On Friday, Michele and I will attend another funeral of a woman who died suddenly. She was younger than us and we first met her and her family when we were in our teens. Her parents are some of the sweetest people we know. They lost their only other child, her younger brother, many years ago in an accident. Our hearts break for them, her husband, her children and grandchildren.

The pastor who led the service yesterday shared many stories with humor and compassion, and then said we needed to consider the elephant in the room: the question “why?”  Why death?  Why suffering?  Why now?  Of course, we cannot answer those questions, but I think it’s perfectly fine to ask them.  It is correct to say we live in a fallen world and disease and death will occur due to the presence of sin in the world, but that is cold comfort to someone who has lost a loved one.  The only answer we have is to trust God in His sovereignty, and that does not always come easy.  Trust and faith are things we learn as we slog through life.  We can rail against the unfairness of our circumstances and turn bitter.  Or we can rail against the unfairness of our circumstances, shed many tears, and trust that God will heal and give comfort.  We will hurt, we will suffer, we will experience loss, and it’s okay to be upset about it.  I cited Job in my last post and will cite the same verse again here: “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him.”  (Job 13:15).  When Job finally questioned God about his suffering, God gave him a long and beautiful answer that I have crudely and simply paraphrased as, “I am.”  God offered no explanation for suffering and loss to Job, but asserted His sovereignty which, in my opinion, was God telling Job to trust Him.

Job didn’t know it, but one day God the Son would suffer cruel injustice and pain we cannot begin to imagine – the pain of bearing all of humanity’s sin and perhaps the greater pain of that sin separating Him from the righteousness of God the Father.  God knows suffering.  He suffers with us.  His intention for us, creatures made in His image, is to be in perfect fellowship with Him, not to suffer and die.  He longs for us to return to that fellowship.  Believers can look forward to the day that we will be in His presence and every tear will be wiped away and there will be no more suffering.  We cannot begin to imagine what that is like either.

When things fall apart, when we suffer, when we lose someone we love dearly, when we ask the big question “why?” I think the simplest answer is the most profound, although it still exceeds my understanding:  “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.  Little ones to Him belong.  They are weak, but He is strong.  Yes, Jesus loves me.”

And He sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent. Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.”  Mark 12:41-44

I’ve been slowly working my way through Mark’s Gospel over the last few weeks taking a few verses at a time. (If you want to impress and/or alienate your friends, use the fancy seminary word for a group of verses that form a unit, similar to a paragraph: pericope.) This morning, I read these familiar verses about the widow’s mite. Jesus used her gift of all she had as a teaching point for His disciples noting her sacrificial generosity.

But I want to know the rest of the story.  This wasn’t a parable Jesus used to make a point, this was an observation of a real widow who literally gave all she had to God.  What happened to her?  Did God provide for her?  Did she starve to death?  Did she have small children or adult children or no children or other relatives who could care for her?

I won’t get those answers this side of eternity, and I’m pretty sure that any and all questions I have won’t matter once I’m on the other side of eternity.  But I think Jesus has another lesson for us here that remains unspoken.  In a very real financial sense, the widow was following the Great Commandment Jesus had laid out earlier in chapter 12 – Love God with everything you have (Kendrick paraphrase).  She gave her two copper coins, all the wealth she possessed, because she loved God and was obedient.  She placed the coins in the treasury fully trusting God to provide.  And, I imagine, trusting Him if He didn’t.  As Job said, “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him.”  Yikes!

I am currently unemployed.  In January, my job moved from Florida to New Jersey.  I was offered the opportunity to move with it, but chose not to for many reasons.  For several months before that I knew it would happen, so I’ve had some time to seek other employment but nothing has worked out.  As I read the story of the widow my biggest question is, “Do I trust God the way that she did?”  I don’t like the answer.  I have seen God do the amazing and unexpected in my life and it should be easy to trust Him based on that experience alone.  I do trust Him, but I have moments of doubt and despair, as we all do, because I don’t see the way forward. I’m guessing the widow didn’t either.

I hope to meet this widow one day and thank her for her sacrifice, her trust, and the lesson she is teaching me, which sounds something like an old hymn … Trust and Obey.

I have an older brother that has been referred to by several terms over the years, some of which are no longer acceptable to use.  In current lingo he is Developmentally Disabled and is a Special Needs Adult.  He lived with my parents for most of his life, then they all moved in with my family, and then he transitioned to a group home that he loves.

In the weeks before Christmas, he began experiencing anxiety standing and walking.  He spent Christmas Eve and Christmas with us.  When he walked, very reluctantly, I had to hold him by the arm or put my arm around him.  We also noticed that he was having difficulty using his hands while eating, although he managed.

Bubba (apparently I couldn’t say “brother” properly when I was very young) has always been able to care for himself in terms of the basics.  This behavior was unusual so his group home scheduled an appointment with his primary care doctor and sought a referral to a neurologist.

To make a long story much shorter, Bubba went to the emergency room on December 28 and has not come home since.  After many tests and much angst it was discovered that he had several issues going on in his neck with the result that his spinal cord was being compressed.  After surgery to replace a disk he is in a rehabilitation hospital slowly learning to use his hands and legs again.  He has been wonderful through it all.  A big reason is that, like most of us, he likes being waited on.  Being hospitalized is actually a fantastic experience for Bubba.  He has charmed the doctors, nurses, CNA’s and occupational, physical and speech therapists.  Bubba is a big flirt, an easy laugher and gets along with everyone.  I am confident he will recover, if not totally, enough to regain a measure of independence. 

Throughout this experience I have referred to Bubba as a “special needs guy” as I describe him to people that don’t know him. It seems to be the code that people understand.  But I’ve started thinking about that term – special needs.  As I looked into it I found a variety of definitions and descriptions.  Most can be reduced to the idea that a person needs particular accommodations to deal with life because of a disability or condition.  It has become accepted and part of our language.

Today, a speech therapist was observing/helping Bubba with his lunch.  She mentioned a conversation they had the previous day.  Bubba dropped some food and said, “I’m not perfect.”  The speech therapist assured him that no one was and she didn’t expect him to be perfect.  Bubba then added, “But I will be one day.”  He went on to say that one day he wanted to hear, “Well done thou good and faithful servant.”  The speech therapist, a Christian, began crying.

I share a special need with Bubba that is related to an inability rather than a disability.  I have an inability to do anything about the consequences of sin in my life and the result that sin leads to.  This is a special need each of us shares although not each of us realizes it.  We are all special need guys and girls.  This is a need that no one on earth can help us with.  It is a need that can only be met by the sacrificial love of a Savior.

Bubba, who smiles a lot, typically receives a prize at the end of each day for his therapy work.  In this picture he had received bling in the form of plastic beads.  One day Bubba will receive the best prize possible and he and I will stand tall side by side and rejoice that our special need was met.  I look forward to that day.

The Adversary was bored.  Things had been quiet for a very long time.  His domain was under control with little interference from anyone who mattered.  The Adversary smiled to himself as he considered the success of his work.  The Presence had been silent for many years now, sending no representatives to present His word for over four centuries.  He didn’t understand it, but it made his work very easy.  With things going this well, he was entertaining thoughts of trying to take over another realm, a realm he had been evicted from quite some time before.

But tonight, he was uneasy; something was in the air, but he didn’t know what.  The Adversary liked to know things – he did not like surprises.  So, he had decided to visit Jerusalem.  A visit to the city gave him pleasure and eased his mind.  It was supposedly the stronghold of The Presence, but that was a farce.  Of course, he had no desire to enter the inner areas of the temple where The Presence was strong, but the rest of Jerusalem belonged to him and that gave him satisfaction.  Tonight, though, it did not seem enough to give him peace.

He sensed a change, some kind of activity, and immediately turned his head to the south; something had drawn his attention there.  The Adversary sped in that direction, the uneasy feeling growing stronger in him as he covered several miles in a few moments.

He stopped, amazed.  There, hanging before him in the sky, was a messenger.  It wasn’t unusual to see messengers at work, but this one was appearing to men in the fields, shepherds apparently.  He was speaking.  The Adversary listened intently.  Something about a baby, but he had missed the first part.  What about a baby?  What about a baby was so important that a messenger was sent to announce it?

Suddenly, a host of messengers filled the sky singing praises to The Presence.  The Adversary reeled in pain and confusion.  What was happening?  This wasn’t the way The Presence did things, so out in the open, so … miraculously!  He watched, cringing as the messengers sang.  For an instant something played across his face: regret? longing? pain?  He shook his head and looked angrily at the host.  He would find out what was going on and put a stop to it.  He had claimed this world for his own and was not going to allow such an intrusion.

Just as suddenly, the sky was dark, and the shepherds and The Adversary were gazing at nothing.  Then the men began to move.  Curious, The Adversary followed them as they ran (why are they running, he wondered) to the village of Bethlehem.  Something tugged at the back of his mind about a prophecy concerning Bethlehem, but he couldn’t remember it.  He would have one of his servants find it.

The shepherds led him to an inn, then around to the back of the inn to a stable.  The Adversary could not fathom what was going on … and it bothered him.  He hung back as they approached the stable.  The Adversary considered the scene before him:  a man, poor, tired, but seemingly content.  He had a look of concern on his face as his gaze shifted from the face of a woman to a trough and back again.  He had his arm around the woman, who was really just a girl, supporting her.  The Adversary sensed the man was good, but he felt he was no prophet, no miracle worker.  Of course, he had been wrong about that before, he thought grimly.

His gaze turned to the girl.  He knew instantly that she was something special.  It was certainly not her appearance.  She was obviously poor, just as obviously very tired, in fact, worn out completely, if he could judge these things.  But her smiling eyes told him more.  She was someone to be reckoned with.  The Adversary knew she bore watching.

Both the man and the girl were looking into the trough and he realized the shepherds were, too.  What could be so interesting about a feeding trough?  He approached the stable.

He stopped immediately, at a complete loss as to what to do or where to turn.  The Presence was in the trough.  It was so unexpected, so completely foreign that he felt fear, a fear he had not felt in eons.  The Adversary wanted to turn and flee from the stable, but using every ounce of his will, he stayed.  Once he felt he had a grip on his fear he began to move forward.  He had to see what was actually in the trough that bore the glory of The Presence.

His nerves screaming protest, The Adversary could only move a short distance.  The girl seemed aware of his presence as she looked up, troubled, then reached for the trough.  The man reassured her, but she continued to look about nervously as she picked up a bundle from the trough.

The Adversary clearly saw what she lifted and through a haze he remembered the words he had heard from the messenger earlier:  a baby!  Senses reeling, he turned and fled.  He felt completely out of control.  What was The Presence doing?  He knew the Presence was in the baby, but he did not understand it.

Finding himself in the fields again he stopped.  The shepherds were gone but the sheep remained.  The Adversary wanted to scatter them in anger, to somehow strike back for his sense of helplessness, but he stopped himself.  If any of his servants were to hear of it, he would be mocked behind his back.  His rule was tenuous at best, held in place only because they were all in the same situation, all castaways from The Presence.

That thought made him truly angry and the anger felt good.  His fear retreated although it did not disappear.  He could deal with this.  He could discover what The Presence was doing and create problems.  The Adversary had resisted all the efforts of the puny men The Presence had used over the millennia and this would be no different.

But it was different.  He knew.  The Presence Himself had been in that trough, had been in that baby, had lived and breathed in that baby!  He could never fight The Presence directly, although he once thought he could.  That had been a painful lesson; yet, he still harbored hopes of wrecking earthly plans and somehow defeating The Presence.  But he could fight a baby and a poor couple.  He could assemble his servants and plans would be made to use weak men to do his will, to slaughter the baby, in fact, to slaughter every baby in the area.  That would be a lesson!  He thought with pleasure of seeing that baby die.  What would The Presence do then, he smirked?

The Adversary began making plans as he glanced into the empty sky where the host had been.  He had not looked up into the night sky for a long, long time, for it gave him pain.  He noticed a star he did not remember seeing before, and he recoiled from it.  The star was different, special, and he knew it was somehow tied to the baby in the stable.

Shaking his fist at the star he turned, but then he turned back to look up again.  Although it hurt his eyes to look at the star, he did, for a long time.  He spoke, “I don’t know what you’re doing.  I don’t know what this means.  I don’t know what you expect to accomplish.  But know this: I will fight it and I will fight it with the very men you love.  And I will see this end.”  He paused, “This will come to nothing … nothing.”  His voice trailed off, sounding hollow in the empty night.

The Adversary turned to leave.  There was much work to be done.

Many years ago, I saw and laughed at this cartoon by B. Kliban:

Of course, the irony is that we’re all former children although it wasn’t hell for all of us.  You may not find the cartoon funny, but then, you’re not me (be thankful).

I am a former pastor.  I can honestly say this cartoon would not apply to my overall experience as a pastor: it was not hell.  However, there were days ….

Since I am not actively pastoring a church now, I can say without fear of accusations of self-interest: Love your pastor.  It is Pastor Appreciation Month, but that’s not what prompted this blog entry.  Last Sunday, Michele and I attended the church I formerly pastored to celebrate its 50^th anniversary.  It was a special time and we were grateful to be there.  Unfortunately, I tend to focus on the unfortunate things that happened during my pastorate – the failures, the disagreements, the broken relationships, etc.  I realize that these things come with the territory because neither pastors nor parishioners are perfect.  However, on Sunday as I looked around the congregation at many people I love, God reminded me of all the good that He brought about while I was there.  I silently asked myself what my favorite part of serving as a pastor was and the answer that immediately came to mind was “each and every conversation about Jesus and salvation and each and every baptism.”

There can be immense joy in pastoring, just as there can be sorrow and frustration, but the joy far outweighs the other stuff.  If the angels rejoice when one person accepts God’s grace, then how can a pastor who has been instrumental in that process ever believe otherwise?

When I was serving at the church, we kept the stage clear for the praise team during the early part of the service.  As I took the steps someone would lift a small podium/pulpit and place it center stage.  Until that time, the podium was placed off to the side of the stage waiting to be used.  The current pastor had pulled an older, grander pulpit from mothballs and placed it center stage. However, the smaller one was still occupying its place of waiting off to the side.  It reminded me of something I experienced several months before I left the church, and before I knew I would be leaving.

Michele and I were sitting in our customary places on the second row during praise and worship time.  As we sang I looked over at the podium.  That morning, for some reason, one of the colored spotlights was hitting it just right and it was softly highlighted by a warm blue light.  It struck me how lonely it looked which translated in my head into how lonely it can be to serve as a pastor.  My eyes welled up as I was struck by this visual representation of what I occasionally felt.  I shared it with Michele then composed myself so I could preach.  I’ll admit that I occasionally tear up in the pulpit when moved, but I wasn’t going to start a sermon that way.

That moment has stayed with me and I felt it again last Sunday as I stared at that podium.  Pastoring is a lonely role.  Michele was (and is), of course, my greatest supporter and confidant, but ultimately the pastor bears much of the burden of the position alone.  Reading verses like Hebrews 13:17 (Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account.  Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.) only adds to the sense of burden and loneliness.  Please don’t misunderstand me – serving as a pastor is an awesome privilege.  I never expected to serve as a senior pastor not sensing that as my calling, but I wouldn’t trade the experience for the world.  It was special, and I will treasure the role and the people I served for the rest of my life.

So, love your pastor.  As already noted, he’s not perfect.  He will struggle.  He will make mistakes.  But his intentions are usually good, and his mission is to serve God while serving alongside you.  Also understand that your pastor does not work for you, the church member.  He works for the Lord; you just happen to pay his salary (and I hope you pay him well).

Pray for your pastor.  There are few things sweeter to a pastor than to know his folks are lifting him up to the Lord, and he can feel the power of those prayers.

Support your pastor.  If you disagree strongly with something he’s done or said, approach him about it.  Talk to him, not about him.  Encourage him and speak well of him to others when appropriate.  Don’t worry about keeping him humble; if he’s committed to serving then God will see to it that he stays humble.

As he nears the end of his life, you don’t want your pastor to be the old man in the cartoon.  You want the caption to read, “It wasn’t heaven, but it gave me a glimpse of it,” recalls former pastor.

In three days this past weekend, three people were shot to death in my hometown of Jacksonville and many others were injured by gunfire.  One was killed after a high school football game and two were killed while playing in a video game tournament.

This morning I joined hands with a group of people at my church to pray for the victims’ families, the city, its leaders and that churches would be the light of the gospel to a city that is hurting.  A local politician has called for churches to step up.  As my pastor said, “… the church must understand that to ‘step up’ means we must first kneel before God together, seeking His face, His will, while confessing our sins of complacency and self-promotion …  Pray.  Step up.  Kneel down.  Step outside and be the light in the darkness.” (David Tarkington – http://getreal.typepad.com/get_real_with_david_tarki/2018/08/if-pray-is-simply-a-trending-hashtag-we-are-doing-this-wrong.html)

How can we stop this kind of violence?  To solve a problem or stop bad behavior, it is best to get to the source and tackle it there.  Is the source the availability of guns?  Is the source the cultural ethic within a group that says killing someone is a reasonable action?  Is the source a breakdown in traditional family structure with two involved parents?  Is the source untreated or ignored mental illness?

The source of this kind of violence may include all of these things, but at heart the source is sin.  It is not popular to say that in our world.  Many people don’t believe in sin, let alone God.  Whether we like it or not, whether we think of ourselves as sinners or not, sin is a reality.  All of us are sinners and are separated from God and the relationship he wants with us.

We call these acts “senseless violence.”  While it seems senseless to most people, to the people pulling the trigger it made sense, if only in the moment.  Most of us cannot understand that.  Most of us value life too much to take it from a fellow human.  Yet murder was the answer the shooters arrived at, including the shooter taking his own life at the gaming tournament.

How is a believer to respond?  We must grieve.  We must pray for all involved.  We must pray that in the violence and the loss that God will be found, that people will feel the tug of the grace that He offers.  We must love.

A believer must not compromise on Scripture; therefore, a believer cannot compromise on sin, but we also do not have the luxury of compromising on love.  In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”  Everything in the Bible hangs on loving God and loving others!  We must offer love and grace to everyone.

We often cite part of a verse found in 1 John 4: “God is love.” (verse 8).  But we sometimes miss the entire verse: “The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”   This is a beautiful verse, but it is also a deep theological statement.  It describes an intimate relationship.  It reveals God’s motivation for His actions from Creation to Redemption.  It is personal.  It is only by knowing God that we learn to love, and it is only by loving that we know God better.

God’s love for us prompted him to act.  In verse 10 of 1 John 4 we find that love prompted God to send His Son as payment for our sin.  Romans 5:8 reminds us that “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”  Further in 1 John we are told that because God is love, “so also are we in this world.” (4:17) That is a bold statement that simply means if the world is going to see the love of God as a reality, it will see it in the actions of His people.

Verse 18 reminds us that there is no fear in love, that in fact, there is no room for fear because perfect love eliminates fear.  We need not fear people who are different than us.  We need not fear people who disagree with us.  We need not fear ideologies or other belief systems.  To disagree with someone does not mean discriminating against them or destroying them, but neither does loving someone mean condoning or approving of sin.  However, we must love.

I’m still trying to figure out what that looks like in this situation.  I couldn’t have prevented the shootings or taken a bullet aimed at someone else.  I don’t know any of the victims’ families to reach out to personally.  I can’t offer a hug or even a casserole.  But I encounter people every day that I can love.  I can focus on them and their need for a relationship with their Savior, rather than focus on their politics or their behavior or the way they dress or their perceived social standing.  I can truly listen and truly respond.  “We love because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19).  We have no choice.  We should want no choice.

My mother died eleven years ago today.  She suffered with Alzheimer’s the last sixteen years of her life.   It first showed up as short-term memory loss.  Then it became evident in her speech.  At one point, she simply began to repeat what was said to her.  Later, she stopped talking altogether.  One day she fell and never got up again; she stopped walking.  The last two years of her life were spent in a bed in a nursing home where her physical needs could properly be met.

We certainly grieved her loss when she died, but we grieved her loss for a long time before that.  Mom was no longer an active part of our lives even as she continued to live.  I know many people have been through this with loved ones, but it is a very strange and hard thing to have someone physically present who is not really present, not engaged in the daily activities going on around her.  We missed her long before she died.

We can cry “unfair!” when things like Alzheimer’s occur, but it is not really unfair.  Alzheimer’s is part of our world, a broken and fallen world where diseases were never meant to occur.  What seems especially unfair is that my mother was a loving and faithful woman.  She exercised a strong faith in her Savior and lived it every day.  She loved my brother and me fiercely.  She served God faithfully. Why remove such a woman from such a life, yet allow her physical shell to linger?

Yet her legacy lives on.  My mother was a crafter.  She was always sewing, knitting, crocheting, etc.  We have afghans and blankets and coasters and needlepoint pictures and countless other things she made over the years.  She left us with boxes of fabric and supplies, including a small bag containing crocheted squares intended for another blanket.  Our daughter Megan is a crafter, too.  We have passed along to her several things of my mother’s including the crocheted squares.  Megan used those squares to create a small blanket.

The picture is of my mother’s great-granddaughter, Madeline, Megan’s daughter, who was born exactly three weeks ago.  The blanket laid over her is a joint effort between my mother and my daughter that took twenty-plus years to create.  I cannot look at this picture without tearing up.  It is a precious reminder of love that Megan has already promised will be passed along to her sisters when they have children.

But a blanket is not the only legacy my mother left.  We recently re-joined the church of our youth and I have heard countless stories about my mother and father and how loved they were.  She lives on in the memories of those who knew and appreciated her, and I am grateful for their memories and the stories they share.  She lives on in my brother’s heart (he is a special needs guy who is very special) who speaks of her frequently and tells me he will be with her again.  She lives on in my wife, Michele, who sat under my mother’s teaching as a teenager in Sunday School.  It was wonderful to watch them grow closer together through life. She lives on in my daughters who have various memories of her depending on their ages when the Alzheimer’s truly took effect.  I appreciate that they were raised living with our extended family including my grandmother, my Alzheimer’s mother and my special needs brother.  They have learned that love comes in many different shapes and dimensions.

My mother lives on in me.  I never doubted her love nor her faith.  She instilled values in me that have formed who I am, and I can still hear her voice in my head and heart.  Michele says she sounded like Dinah Shore for those of you who remember her.  Sometimes it is that Dinah Shore voice I hear and sometimes it is the “JONATHAN ANDREW KENDRICK” voice, but even the discipline was administered from a wellspring of love.

My mother gave me a bookmark before Alzheimer’s set in; it is almost as if she knew it was coming.  On the front is a drawing of Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin with a quotation from Christopher: “Promise me you’ll never forget me.  Ever.  Even when I’m a hundred.”  On the back, my mother wrote, “Jon, even if I grow old and forget everything, I will never forget you and always love you in my heart.”

I Iove you, Mom.  I look forward to our reunion.

United States immigration policies and enforcement are big in the news right now.  Some people come to the US illegally, but many come legally and at great personal sacrifice.  I have read stories of mothers and fathers leaving their children to come to the US, with the hope that they can eventually bring their children with them.  Sometimes families are separated for the rest of their lives as adults make the decision to immigrate and know they will perhaps never see their parents again. These are testimonies to the lure of freedom and the desperation people have to better their lives and, perhaps escape persecution or poverty.

There is another kind of testimony each believer can give: their testimony about the freedom they have in Christ.  As believers, we hold citizenship in another country, a better country.

Living with the Promise

Hebrews 11 is known as the Faith Hall of Fame.  The writer described faith in verse 1 as “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen,” and then described faith in action using Abel, Noah, Abraham and Sarah. After the interlude of verses 13-16, he describes other faithful people.

All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. Hebrews 11:13-14

Abraham was a stranger in a strange land looking for the country God had promised him.  He left his home in Ur based on a promise from God and was seeking his country.  In light of this faithfulness, consider verse 13:  they died never having fully received the promise God had made in verse 1, but they looked to the future and trusted God.  Their desire was to pass through this world without taking on its character.  Psalm 84:5 tells us: “How blessed is the man whose strength in in You, in whose heart are the highways to Zion!” Regardless of where the highways take us in this world, we must remember we are on a highway to Heaven (there’s an idea for a TV show!).

I have a hiking T-shirt with the saying, “The journey is the destination” on the front. That’s kind of true in hiking, but is it true in the life of a Christian?  The journey is wonderful – our lives are gifts from God and we are to glorify Him with our lives – but we do need to be concerned with the destination.  These folks mentioned in Hebrews knew they didn’t belong to this world.  They were strangers and exiles here.  Even Abel, only one generation removed from the Garden, was a stranger.  His parents were literal exiles.  It’s as if these faithful folks had a homing instinct within them – they knew they were supposed to be somewhere else. These people who trusted God, including Abraham, were not seeking a country of their own; a land for settlement. They were seeking something better.  They lived in the light of promises God had made to them, promises they knew would never be realized in their lifetimes.  We are in the same state, living with the promise of eternity.  We must trust God while walking the path on earth, knowing He will keep his promise to us.

A Better Country

Abraham left Ur of Chaldea on a word from God.  He could have gone back if he had become homesick.  But that wasn’t his home.  Thomas Wolfe had a famous novel published posthumously entitled “You Can’t Go Home Again.”  It was about an author who wrote a best-selling novel based on his hometown, but the residents of the town were very unhappy with how he portrayed them, hence the title.  Lot’s wife looked back longingly as she left Sodom and was turned into a pillar of salt (Lot’s last name was Morton, by the way).  As a believer, you have begun a journey – to follow Christ.  We sometimes sing the song, “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus,” that includes the words, “no turning back.”  We can turn away from our beliefs and live a life that is not God-honoring.  That’s called sin and we all sin.  The question is do we repent and get back on the path.

And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them. Hebrews 11:15-16

These people desired a better country and the writer names it – Heaven.  God honors their faith and is preparing a place for them, and us, to dwell.  So what is Heaven like?  This other country? We don’t know so I’ll simply say that it will be pure joy because we will be directly in God’s presence and we will experience the fullness of his love.  We will fellowship with the entire body of believers and I believe we will continue to grow and learn and work for God.  There are various visions of Heaven in Revelation we can consider, but since we’re talking promises, I’ll simply refer to Jesus’ words John 14:1-3.

Ultimate Citizenship

Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself. Philippians 3:17-21

Paul tells us what ultimate citizenship looks like.  One of Aerosmith’s hits was “Walk This Way.” That could be Paul’s theme here:  walk like you see me walk.  He is not bragging but striving to be faithful in his walk with God.  In verse 18, unfortunately, we find that Paul encountered some folks who were not walking with the Lord, but were, in fact, enemies of the cross.  What a horrible name for someone – enemy of the cross!  The god of these enemies is actually their appetite (arrogance, ego) which led to destruction.  The glory they felt they achieved was actually their shame because “they set their mind on earthly things.”  In the King James version of the Bible we read that their god was their bellies, i.e., they were focused on filling their needs. F.B. Meyer described these men thusly: “There is no chapel in their life.  It is all kitchen.”  Paul related this with weeping because of the harm they were bringing to the churches; because of the lives they ruined and the people they turned from God.  These people are the antithesis of the faithful ones in Hebrews.  They embraced the world and did not trust God and his promises.

Paul also looks toward Heaven.  That is where our citizenship lies.  Philippi was a colony of Rome, which meant its citizens were considered Roman citizens.  Moffat translates the idea of citizenship in Heaven as, “But we are a colony of Heaven.”  We are all citizens of earthly governments and the Scriptures tell us we are to be good citizens.  But our loyalty, allegiance belongs to God.

I was in Laredo, Texas recently.  My hotel backed up to the Rio Grande. I went for a walk one evening and saw people streaming across the bridge in both directions, between Laredo and Nuevo Laredo.  I discovered that many people lived in one city and worked in the other.  In fact, many held dual citizenship as Americans and Mexicans.  The urban area is almost considered one city.  In a sense we are dual citizens holding citizenship here on earth and also in the kingdom of God.  There is tension in this: we live in this world while representing another.

Paul has great expectations: In verse 20 he doesn’t mean we are still waiting for our Savior – he’s already completed the saving work.  We are eagerly awaiting what the Savior will do when we join him, which we see in verse 21 – He will transform us into glorious new bodies.  He has the power to do this and anything and everything.

Citizens of Heaven impacting Earth

As citizens of heaven God expects us to have an impact on the world we live in.  In Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”  We cannot isolate ourselves from the world.  We must meet people where they are.  We need to be more intentional as individuals and as churches in going out.  What risk is there in staying quiet and keeping to ourselves?  German pastor Martin Niemoller wrote this in October of 1945 based on the fact that he initially ignored the Nazis and their activities:

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out
because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out –
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out –
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me – and there was no one left to speak for me.

In Matthew 25, Jesus gives us instruction for living as citizens of the world and citizens of His kingdom. It is the well-known passage that begins “For I was hungry…” We are to minister in His name as we walk through the world.  How can we not do the work of ministry? Don’t think of ministry as a big exalted word.  “A cup of cold water” given in His name is ministry. Ministry is meeting people and serving them, sharing with them, loving them.  Your American citizenship comes with certain rights, protections and responsibilities.  Your heavenly citizenship comes with great responsibility.

 Many years ago I stood in front of a crusty  Coast Guard Master Chief and said these words: I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.

Sometime later I stood in front of a crusty Admiral and said these words: I, having been appointed an officer in the Coast Guard of the United States, as indicated above in the grade of Ensign, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservations or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter; So help me God.”

Years before, my father stood over me and said these words:  I baptize you my son in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

The oaths were important to me and governed my behavior for 25 years of my life.  But the words of my father and pastor, though not an oath, were symbolic of the promise I made to Jesus when I accepted him as my Savior, and of His promises to me.  Those words represent an eternal impact.

At present, we do not have to make a choice between being citizens of whatever city, county, state or country we live in and being citizens of Heaven.  But many of our brothers and sisters around the world are faced with that choice.  We often hear it said, “I know my rights!”  Here are your rights:  “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;” and “The wages of sin is death.”  But here is your privilege: “But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  If you are an American, I encourage you to be a good American and citizen; to be a patriot.  But God commands your ultimate allegiance as a citizen of His kingdom.