Lord, Teach Us To Pray…

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” [Luke 11:1]

Prayer is one of the disciplines of the Christian life that is essential for all to practice. Merely sitting in Church staring at your shoelaces saying “Yeah, God, what the pastor just said” isn’t the peak of one’s prayer life. It is possible to do better, it is possible to pray just as well as your pastor, and it is possible to pray for more than thirty seconds without falling asleep.

As the quote above from Luke details, even the disciples recognized that they weren’t very good at prayer, and needed instruction from the master. But, notice the wording: it is not “teach us how to pray,” it is simply “teach us to pray.” The disciples saw that Jesus prayed often, and they recognized that they didn’t have that will or desire to do the same as Jesus. And so, they asked for that. If you’re in the same situation, it’s perfectly acceptable to say the same thing to Jesus: “teach me to pray.”

At the most basic level, prayer is talking to God. In doing so, you obviously need to know who you’re talking to– you’re not talking to empty space, or some half-realized form, you’re talking to the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe. Like talking to another human, it really helps to know who you’re talking to, what their likes and dislikes are, and how they react. Thus, as you want to talk with God more and more, you should be reading his word (The Bible) in order to discover His character, and receive His words. Reading the Bible is not a requirement before your first prayers, as God still hears them, but as time goes on, getting to know God helps tremendously.

Going beyond that basic level, Jesus’ response back to the disciples had a model for prayer: “He said to them, “When you pray, say: “‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’” [Luke 11:2-4]

In addition to this model, prayer should be a habit, as Jesus demonstrated. Mark records this as a habit from very early on in Jesus’ ministry: “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” [Mark 1:35] The gospels record many other times where Jesus left the disciples to spend time with God– it was a regular habit for Him.

Jesus also had other specific comments on praying: “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth; they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” [Matthew 6:5-8]

Basically, as Jesus says here, public prayer is its own reward. But, private prayer to God is even better. Some forms of public prayer are quite good and necessary– such as a pastor at a service. Those prayers are instructional to others, and proclaim God’s words as well. But, there are very few pastors (if any) who neglect the private prayer as well. And also, Jesus says that we don’t need to worry about using lots of fancy words or long prayers like others, as God sees our hearts. But, we shouldn’t necessarily think that thirty seconds of listing off a few things is a good prayer either.

If you’ve got nothing else to say to God, you can always repeat the Lord’s prayer– it has a number of specific requests and actions that can be used as the basis to attach other prayers to. The first request to God is not ‘your kingdom come.’ It’s ‘hallowed be your name’ — i.e. “God, make your name Holy.” God is maligned by so many people these days, and His last name is not ‘dang.’ This is a specific breaking of the third commandment– “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.” [Exodus 20:7] So, in addition to this part of the Lord’s prayer, you can pray for everyone (possibly including yourself) who’s misused, profaned, or tarnished God’s name.

Next up in the Lord’s prayer is ‘your kingdom come.’ So many people regard Jesus’ return as an inconvenience, a problem, a bother. Some would rather prefer Jesus’ return not to happen until after they get back from a planned cruise, or moving into a new home, or any other event. Still others look at the events of the tribulation in Revelation and say “Lord, I don’t want to be around when most of the world is wiped out by many painful methods.” [Some believe the rapture will be before the tribulations, others after. Taking 'the first shall be last, and the last shall be first' with a bit of cynicism, a friend of mine commented that those who think they'll suffer on Earth after the rapture will be raptured, and those expecting a free ride out won't get raptured. But I digress...] There’s nothing here on Earth that can compare with God’s riches and majesty in Heaven once He arrives. There’s nothing worth sticking around here on Earth for– Heaven is just so much better that we should all be praying for its arrival as soon as possible.

‘Give us this day our daily bread’ is what Jesus said, not ‘give us this day our daily caviar and pheasant under glass.’ We are to be glad with what God has given us, and trust in Him for the basic necessities of life– our needs, not our wants. Too much time spent thinking about the wants of our flesh can lead you into financial debt, idolatry, and worse. [Not to mention being simply overweight, as one of my cats has proved.] So, we are asking God to be content and joyful in what He’s given us.

‘Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us’ explicitly details out what we need to do in response to the prayer, as opposed to the implicit parts as above. As John noted, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” [1 John 1:9] So, we can be forgiven of our sins, as we confess them to God (and hopefully also to everyone involved in the sin). But, we are also to forgive all those sins against us– this is quite often, the harder thing to do, as our flesh cries out “Hey! They sinned against us. Judge them now, God, as I’m in the right.” [For an example of this, see "Rise up, O Judge of the earth; pay back to the proud what they deserve" from Psalm 94:2, and many other Psalms.] So, we are to continually search our minds for cases in which we were sinned against, forgive them, and move on– not dwelling in anger, resentment, or bitterness.

Finally, at the end of this quote from Jesus, we see ‘And lead us not into temptation.’ This stands along with “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” [1 Corinthians 10:13] Basically, God will not lead us into temptation, but He will let us stray off his path into the traps of temptation that lie just off of it. We are to pray that we continually are reminded that in any tempting situation, God’s promised a way out. It may not be pleasant [Genesis 39:7-18], it may not be what we think we want, but God has promised a way out, and it’s our responsibility to find that escape hatch and use it.

The above is an short analysis of just a few short sentences in the Bible of a prayer by Jesus. Whole books can be (and are) written on each short phrase, but the above was done as an example of how to take Jesus’s short words, and use them as a framework to hang your own prayers onto.

In talking with God, remember that God is omnipresent– i.e. everywhere. God’s there to listen when you pray in Church. And before a meal. And while driving. And while at work. And at all other times. Paul reminds us to “pray continually” [1 Thessalonians 5:17], something that is greatly helped by God’s omnipresence. There are lots of small breaks during the day– at a stoplight, waiting for the microwave, between tasks at the office, or anything else. Those are great opportunities to slip in a few words of prayer to God, and not just along the lines of “God, hurry up this stupid traffic light.” If you need subject material to pray for, just look around– there’s bound to be someone else needing prayer, some action that needs doing, or just about anything else. If necessary, ask the Holy Spirit to point out what to pray for. This is not to contradict the set times of prayer mentioned above, but prayer time in addition to the fixed times.

While praying, if we do so silently, many people (myself included) have the annoying tendency of our minds wandering all over the place. I can be praying for those at work, and a few seconds later, wondering how the next parts of the project at work will be implemented, to getting annoyed at the buggy software we have to use due to some monopolies, to whether deregulation would work for the taxi market in Outer Mongolia. Then get back on track for a few more seconds, and spend a minute not praying off on tangents again. Praying out loud is a good way to keep focused– you’re concentrating more on what comes out of your mouth and less on all the random things that pop into your head.

In forming a regular prayer habit, many find that some sort of prayer diary is helpful. Around church, work, home, and the like, you can very easily get deluged with prayer requests. You can bet that there’s at least one thing that every person you know needs prayer for, and most of us know a lot of people. Keeping track of all of the requests from those we know to things we should pray for (our government at all levels, fulfilling the great commission, etc) can easily pile up. Writing things down in a somewhat organized form helps you keep track of them– and also lets you see in a concrete way later on which prayer requests have been answered. It’s sometimes very rewarding to see how many requests were answered, as we see God’s work, as opposed to forgetting we ever prayed for certain things.

This may seem rather old-fashioned, but I do believe that posture helps us pray. Sitting back in a reclining chair is a great way to fall asleep, while kneeling in prayer shows respect and honor that’s due God. Yes, it’s harder to get down and kneel as you wait for a stoplight to change, but for your set times of prayer, I recommend such a setup.

For a pattern of prayer that I’ve heard, and is somewhat useful, try ‘ACTS’ – Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication. Each of these 4 building blocks can be expanded out to fill a few sentences, or much more. Adoration is simply acknowledging that God is God. He’s the king of all, the creator of the universe, the Holy one, the omniscient omnipotent one, and many other adjectives. Basically, you’re putting God first in the prayer, and putting Him in the proper place in your life.

Next, as confession, confess your sins to God. This should be fairly self-explanatory, and yet not excessive either. Martin Luther, founder of Protestantism, before he broke off from the Catholic Church, spent hours per day in the confessional, confessing every last little misguided thought, every possible problem. On the opposite end of the spectrum, we shouldn’t be trying to pretend we don’t sin. John says “If we claim we have not sinned, we make him [God] out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” [1 John 1:10] So, some time spent confessing sins, and receiving forgiveness does a lot to help keep us humble and right before God.

Thanksgiving is also self-explanatory– you thank God for what he’s done. This can be answered prayer requests, blessings for things you didn’t pray for, thanks in advance for the good works he’s got planned out for us to do, and everything else. Basically, you spend time in your prayers acknowledging all that God’s done in your life, and thanking him for it.

Supplication is your requests for yourself and/or others. Notice that it’s not the majority of the prayer time, as many get in the habit of doing. ["God you're great. Now, listen to the 5,000 things I've got written down in my prayer diary here" is how the all-supplication prayers tend to go.] And, in supplication, while you may have specific requests for yourself, there should also be a number of prayers for others. It helps is to pray for others, sometimes to the exclusion of self, as it gets our focus off of ourselves and our needs (and wants), and onto how others can be helped.

Some months ago, I felt like my prayers weren’t very effective, were monotonous, and short. God put it on my heart that I could do better, that I could learn more from those in the Bible and others around me. So, I started off doing what I detailed above: I read over prayers in the Bible. I’d already read the Bible cover to cover twice, so I kept that up. And, I set aside a regular time to pray every day, in addition to the prayers I normally have before going to sleep. It’s taken some time, and I still think a whole bunch of others can “out-pray” me, but I’ve learned enough to pass on specific tips and ideas related to prayer.

Finally, prayer is a habit and a discipline that we develop throughout our entire lives. We don’t just get good at it for a while, and then leave it to others, nor should we get discouraged by an initial inability to pray effectively. It may take days, weeks, or even months of constant prayer to develop good habits, and sometimes even years for specific requests to be answered. But, in all things do so with the attitude that you’re in this for the long run– a marathon of prayer, not a short sprint.

As a Lutheran I have heard the following many times – it is another way to think of a prayer model:

Martin Luther had a barber by the name of Peter Beskendorf. One can imagine that it was when Peter was giving Dr Luther a shave when he took the liberty to ask,

By the way, Dr. Luther, how do you pray?

It usually is a bad idea to start going into a lecture when someone has a razor near your throat so Luther decided that perhaps a letter would be more appropriate. And this 40 page letter is now known in posterity as the treatise, “A Simple Way to Pray” first published in 1535.

The excerpts from the letter (below) will give us an insight into Luther’s own spiritual practices and personal spiritual life:

A good, clever barber must have his thoughts, mind and eyes concentrated upon the razor and the beard and not forget where he is in his stroke and shave. If he keeps talking or looking around or thinking of something else, he is likely to cut a man’s mouth or nose – or even his throat.

So anything that is to be done well ought to occupy the whole man with all his faculties and members. As the saying goes:

He who thinks of many things thinks of nothing and accomplishes no good.

How much more must prayer possess the heart exclusively and completely if it is to be a good prayer!

Nonetheless, we see that Luther was also very human, having the same distractions that many of us would have:

It is a good thing to let prayer be the first business in the morning and the last in the evening. Guard yourself against such false and deceitful thoughts that keep whispering:

Wait a while. In an hour or so I will pray. I must first finish this or that.

Thinking such thoughts we get away from prayer into other things that will hold us and involve us till the prayer of the day comes to nothing. We have to watch out so that we may not get weaned from prayer by fooling ourselves that a certain job is more urgent, which it really isn’t – and finally we get sluggish, lazy, cold and weary. But the devil is neither sluggish nor lazy around us.

And now Luther moves on:

Kneel down or stand up with folded hands and eyes towards heaven… speak or think as briefly as you can

And now he starts his prayer… By praying the 10 Commandments! Not that he just sounds them off mindlessly one by one – a practice that he would have dismissed as empty phrases or babbling (in his own words,zerklappern, or rattling something into pieces).

Instead he proposes that only one Commandment at a time be reflected and prayed upon:

…in order that my mind becomes as uncluttered as possible for prayer…

His shares with his barber his personal method of reflection:

Out of each commandment I make a garland of four twisted strands. That is, I take each commandment …

First as a teaching,

Secondly, a reason for thanksgiving

Thirdly, a confession

Fourthly, a prayer petition

Luther was of course nice enough to provide examples for every Commandment! Here’s one from the 7th Commandment, “You shall not steal”:

First I learn here that I shall not take my neighbor’s property nor possess it against his will, neither secretly nor openly; that I shall not be unfaithful or false in my bargaining, my service and work lest what I gain should belong to me only as a thief; but I shall earn my food with the sweat of my brow and shall eat my own bread with all those who are faithful.

At the same time I shall help my neighbor so that his property is not taken away from him through such actions as mentioned above

Secondly, I thank God for his faithfulness and goodness in that He has given me and all the world such a good teaching and through it protection and shelter. For unless He protects us, not one penny nor one bite of bread would remain in the house.

Thirdly, I confess my sin and ungratefulness, there where I have wronged someone and cheated him or where during my life, I was unfaithful in keeping my word.

Fourthly, I ask that God may give grace so that I and the entire world might learn His commandment and think about it and improve. I pray that there may be less stealing, robbing, exploiting, embezzling and injustice. I also pray that such evils may soon end when the Day of Judgment comes.

Luther suggests the same method for reflecting on The Lord’s Prayer after one’s reflection on the Commandments and even the Apostle’s Creed when one has “the time and leisure“. He, however, does get realistic and shares:

It often happens that my thoughts go for a walk in one petition of the Lord’s Prayer and then I let all other six petitions go. When such rich good thoughts come, one should let the other prayers go and give room to these thoughts, listen to them in silence and by no means suppress them.

For here the Holy Spirit himself is preaching and one word of His sermon is better than thousands of our own prayers. Therefore I have often learned more in one prayer than I could have obtained from much reading and thinking.

Luther finally warns his barber:

Don’t take too much upon yourself lest the spirit should get tired… It is sufficient to grasp one part of a Bible verse or even half a part from which you can strike a spark in your heart… for the soul, if it is directed towards one single thing, may it be bad or good, and if it is really serious about it, can think more in one moment than the tongue can speak in ten hours and the pen can write in ten days. Such a dexterous, exquisite and mighty instrument is the soul or spirit.

So to put it all in a nutshell:

The Warm Up the intentional focusing of one’s thoughts and intention to encountering God in prayer

Reflection start by reflecting on a passage of Scripture, or one of the Commandments, or one of the petitions of the Lord’s Prayer, etc

Thanksgiving what do I have to be thankful about?

Confession what do I regret, whether it is something I have said, thought, or done, or perhaps left unsaid, unthought and undone?

Petition what should I ask God for, both for myself and for others?

Action how can I put what I have learnt or experienced from my prayer into action to make a difference in my own life and in the life of others?

When prayer transforms from speaking to being silent, and from being silent to listening, the voice of God will come through.

Measure Thy Life By Loss…

“Measure thy life by loss and not by gain, not by the wine drunk but by the wine pourth forth. For love’s strength standeth in love’s sacrifice and he that suffereth most hast most to give.” – Ugo Bassi

As I was perusing some of the quotes, comments and status updates on the popular social-networking sites of the day, I ran across this quote posted by a former student who is now a missionary in Thailand.

Immediately I was struck by its profound message of sacrifice and service, the essence of the missionary life. It is a concept and lifestyle that might come easier to one on mission, but should be applied by all that call themselves Christian.

We are called to serve and sacrifice. Sometimes following Christ means making painful sacrifices – possessions, friendships, relationships. But God will not forget those who have been forced to make such sacrifices for his sake.

“And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.” – Matthew 19:29

Even though we are promised a reward for sacrificing in this life we should have other motives for wanting to serve and sacrifice for others. The early Christian church is an inspiring model for us to follow today: devoted to the teachings of the Gospel, committed to worship and fellowship together, and faithfully celebrating communion in memory of Christ’s sacrifice.

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.” Acts 2:42-45

The writer of Hebrews extols us to the same virtue of sacrifice. He invites us to offer sacrificial praise to God continually.

“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise – the fruit of lips that confess His name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” Hebrews 13:15-16

When we sacrifice our own comfort, our own needs, our own pride for others, we are remembering who we are. It’s easy to forget that when our lives are so full, so busy that one becomes self-focused just to get things done or to get our needs and wants met. A sacrificial life is one that reflects that God will provide.

A bloody, physical sacrifice of a paschal lamb, goat, or calf is not what God demands. Rather he wants us to sacrifice our own selves to Him by committing to do His will in our lives. The worship God wants from us is to serve others in His name.

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the patter of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will” Romans 12:1-2

Our need to sacrifice is based on the Christian requirement to love others as we love ourselves, as Christ loved us. To love, unconditionally, requires willful sacrifice. We can learn how to love from the example of Christ, and get a refresher from 1 Corinthians 13, but to truly love so deeply that we begin to “cover a multitude of sins” requires a life lived in daily submission to the will and lives of others.

“The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear-minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God maybe praised though Jesus Christ” 1 Peter 4:7-11

To what limit should we serve, to what limit sacrifice? God plainly supplies that answer as well. What greater act of love is there than sacrificing yourself for others? Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice not for one of us, but for all of us. To gain the gift of that sacrifice, all we have to do is accept it, by accepting Him. He laid down his life for us. We, as Christians – Christ followers – should be ready and willing to lay down our lives for others if it becomes necessary.

“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no on than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.” John 15:13

John G. Ueltzhoeffer – a 9/11 Tribute…

I was in a great mood until about 10 minutes ago… now I am filled with sorrow, and anger. I am filled with empathy and compassion, and with a burning desire for vengeance…

I am part of an international blog movement to remember each and every innocent life lost during the attack on September 11, 2001. Each of us volunteered to be paired with one of the names of the victims and write a tribute for them. The intent of this tribute is so that their name will live on – not only in the memories and scrapbooks of their family members, but also in the minds, and hearts of those of us that choose to Never Forget.

The individual that I was given to research was John G. Ueltzhoeffer. One of his colleagues and friends wrote this last year as he remembered John:

It has been seven years since I last saw John on September 10, 2001 at the Marsh office at WTC1 95th floor. Myself and John were hired by Craig Hayashi in June 1998 and we were part of an unique team called the Enterprise Architecture Group.

Our job was to be thought leaders in our respective technology domain of expertise and to help Marsh’s (and MMC companies) senior level executives, business leaders and technology group understand how new technology solutions could be leveraged to support the business tactical and strategy goals.

As a software architect, John led the team’s initiative to exploit JAVA and was instrumental in establishing J2EE as the software architecure framework standard at Marsh.

I can remember when John worked on the initiative to select an application server standard for Marsh. He was proactive in his efforts and had recommended the IONA application server (www.iona.com). Although his recommendation was turn down by senior management due to IBM’s Websphere application server having greater marketshare, John led the efforts to establishing development standards leverage IBM’s Websphere at Marsh.

John had a strong commitment to his religion faith and family – his office was full of family photos and artwork drawn by his kids. In terms a colleague, John was always supportive of my initatives as Marsh’s Data Warehouse Architect.

John’s family and friends should be proud to know that he made an impact on his colleagues at Marsh and always had a positive attitude and humble demeanor.

John is always in my thoughts and he his missed.

Regards,

James L. Smith

Another aspect that I learned about John is that his little sister, Helen, thought the world of him. She still misses him and often expresses the depth of this void in comments to other tribute entries that mention her brother. He was also a devoted member of the Christian group called Promise Keepers. The mission of a Promise Keeper is to ignite and unite men to become warriors who will change their world through living out the Seven Promises.  Promise Keepers’ vision is simply put in three words: “Men Transformed Worldwide.”

When people met and got to know John, I learned from my research, three important aspects to his life quickly came across – the pride he took in doing his job, his deep religious convictions, and his love for his family. John was a technical architect in the Marsh technology department so therefore had to have in-depth knowledge about the latest computer technologies. John was very knowledgeable in this subject area so quickly built up a high level of respect with his peers. During meetings and discussions with John on various technology issues he was often described as always speaking with such enthusiasm and be so up to date with the latest technology developments that it made others make sure they were up to date with their readings just so they could keep up.

Another aspect of John’s life was his strong religious beliefs. It did not take long in talking with him for his faith in God to come across. Whenever he went out to lunch together with friends, he would always take time to say a prayer before having lunch. In the time following John’s passing, it has become more evident about this side of him and how involved he was with his church group and friends. This has gone further to impress friends that knew John in that he lived his life which such conviction.

Most importantly, was John’s love for his family. Two instances that typify this in John. The first was when he was on a business trip overseas in Europe. He had been gone for about a week and a friend remembers him talking on the Friday when he was set to come home. He mentioned how he had switched his flight to an earlier flight so he could get home earlier. He then said something to the effect of how hard it was for him to be away from his family. It was not the words that he said that his friend remembers, but the way he said it just underlined how much he missed them. The second was when a few of them were at lunch. Somehow the conversation turned to their families and John took a picture out of his wallet of him and his wife on their wedding day. One of the guys at lunch remarked how beautiful his wife was and how he thought she looked like a movie star. Upon hearing this John’s face just lit up and you could see the happiness and love he felt. This is the way that friend remembers John G. Ueltzhoeffer – and I think the way that we all should as well. A devoted Christian, father, brother, husband, and son…

A few paragraphs of words obviously cannot do justice to capture all that John meant to his family and friends. In my own memories I’ll remember John for the unassuming way in which he lived his life and how much of an impact he had on people around him. Even though I never met John in person, I feel like I know him and know that this world is less without him in it…

Tears are flowing easily now, and I’m remembering re-experiencing the rage and indignation that I felt “That Day”. I would imagine that That Day will remain with me all the days of my life – seared into my memory, much like scarification sears a design into skin.

John, to you – and to all the victims of That Day:

The Olive Press…

The Garden of Gethsemane is not really a garden but an orchard. Olive trees still grow there today. During Jesus’ day it was a place of business, an olive press producing the local areas supply of oil. This is where the word Gethsemane comes in. A gat (Hebrew) is a press, a large five-foot high square stone pillar, and a semane, or seman, is oil. So on the evening before his crucifixion he went to the orchard of the Olive Press with Peter, James, and John, to pray.

If you lived in the first century and worked with a gethsemane your day would be spent gathering olives, placing them in a woven fishnet like bag, and putting them on top of a stone table. This specially designed table is round with beveled edges that curve down to a trough. The trough is angled and funnels into a pot which holds the oil. The top is designed to receive the gethsemane. The tall square stone is lifted up and set on top of the basket and for several hours its tremendous weight is left there to crush the liquid from the olive.

It is no mistake that Jesus spent his last evening in the Garden of Gethsemane. From there he would leave to go to the cross and receive the weight of the world, the gethsemane of our sins, blood crushed from his body running down the cross to the world below. Luke describes the pressure Jesus suffered that evening: “Being in anguish his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” It is an image of the gathsemane crushing the oil from the olive fruit.

Gethsemane ever since has come to symbolize suffering. And my friends the world is crowded with gethsemanes, Herods slaughtering the innocent. Look around the United States: Oklahoma City, Heath High School, Columbine, New York City. And around the world: Dunblane in Scotland, Halabja in Iraq (i.e., the gassing of the Kurds), Srebrenica in Bosnia, and the town of Beslan, Russia.  The world is full of gethsemanes, times when and towns where the innocent have suffered.

In the face of such unspeakable horror we ask ourselves these questions:

I

First who do we turn to? It is safe to say that all of us here mourned with those mothers and fathers in Russia who lost over 300 of their children, just as the world suffered with us on September 11, 2001. In a small town the loss of 300 children turned that village into a mausoleum. A thousand years from now people will say, “Beslan, the place where all those children died.” So who do we turn too? Can anybody help in the face of such a dreadful thing? It doesn’t seem like it does it? The sorrow is so deep God seems absent.

Psalm 77, written in the Iron Age more than 2,500 years ago, stares straight in the face of some unspeakable horror that occurred to Israel. “Will the Lord cast off for ever?” the Psalmist asks. “And will he be favorable no more? Is his mercy clean gone forever? Doth his promise fail forever more? Hath God forgotten to be gracious? Hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? And I said, this is my infirmity.”

Who do we turn to when things are unexplainably painful? God? How can we when even he seems to be absent? My friends. I am not asking this question the Bible is. The Psalmist in essence is saying that there is no consolation, not even in God, when your soul has been torn from you. But even in great despair something faithful is happening. Even when we cry out “God is not there” we reveal our deep desire for God.

John Donne experienced his own Gethsemane. Donne was a 17th century poet, who experienced great pain. Because he married the daughter of a disapproving lord, he was fired from his job as assistant to the Lord Chancellor, yanked from his wife, and locked in a dungeon. (This is when he wrote that succinct line of despair, “John Donne/ Anne Donne/ Undone.”) Later, he endured a long illness, which sapped his strength almost to the point of death. In the midst of this illness, Donne wrote a series of devotions on suffering which rank among the most poignant meditations on the subject. In one of these, he considers a parallel: The sickness, which keeps him in bed, forces him to think about his spiritual condition. Suffering gets our attention; it forces us to look to God, when otherwise we would just as well ignore Him.

That’s it. Suffering gets our attention. Suffering forces us to look toward one another; forces us to ask the deeper questions about life; forces us to turn toward God. Even if it is to express our displeasure and despair, we turn to Him and in those pleas we display our faith in Him.

II

The first question is: Who do we turn to? The second is: What are we to do? The answer here is obvious. We are to pray. When Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane he went there for one reason, to pray. Why are you sleeping, Jesus asked his disciples. Get up and pray! Prayer prepares the soul for suffering. Jesus understood what lie ahead and he knew that prayer was the only way to prepare them.

Prayer does two things for us. It helps us cope with hardship. There is a story about a missionary family in Pakistan who lost their 6-month-old baby. A wise man in the area heard of their grief and came to comfort them. He said, “A tragedy like this is similar to being plunged into boiling water. If you are an egg, your affliction will make you hard-boiled and unresponsive. If you are a potato, you will emerge soft and pliable, resilient and adaptable.” It may sound funny to God, but there have been times when I have prayed, “O Lord, let me be a potato.”

Prayer helps us cope with hardship and then, here’s the second thing, it guides away from temptation. Notice that Jesus told his disciples to pray so “you will not fall into temptation.” Now that’s odd. You would expect Jesus to say, pray that you are able to endure the hardship to come. But hardship brings temptation: Temptation to compromise our principles, temptation to pursue pleasure over adversity, temptation to renounce our faith in God. Peter, James and John quickly learned this lesson as they denied that they knew Jesus. They left the scene of his betrayal afraid for their own lives. They did not pray so they did not stay.

Prayer helps us cope with life’s hardships and it keeps us from temptation. But here is one more thing you can do. Pray for the families of all those who have suffered at the hands of terrorist these past few years. Today, September 11, 2009, we remember the horrible events of 911. We shall never forget that day. And, I don’t think there is a parent today who doesn’t grieve for those Russian parents either. Both tragedies are horribly linked in our psyche. Terrorism continues to tear at our world. I would like to see the church in every country rise up an army of prayer soldiers to pray for the defeat of this evil. Those who suffer need our prayer but Christians must also go on the offensive and pray God’s kingdom come His will be done. The world is dealing with a cult of death the church must offer a culture of life.

III

First question: Who do we turn to? Answer: God, even in our despair. Second question: What do we do? Answer: Pray to cope. Pray against temptation. Pray for one another. And pray for the Kingdom to come. Third question: Where do we go from here? Answer? Well this one is a little more complicated. The answer isn’t easy because life isn’t. When Jesus left Gethsemane he went to Golgotha. At times we all seem to be running from the garden of despair to the hill of suffering.

Look at the stories of the bible. At some time or another there has been a Gethsemane for all God’s people. For Abraham it was when he was asked to sacrifice his only son. For Joseph it was those unjust years in jail. Paul had any number of Gethsemanes in his experience; he once listed the number of times he had been stoned, whipped, robbed and shipwrecked. The following is from the poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox, entitled “Gethsemane”:

Down shadowy lanes, across strange streams
Bridged over by our broken dreams;
Behind the misty caps of years,
Beyond the great salt fount of tears,
The garden lies. Strive as you may,
You cannot miss it in your way.
All paths that have been, or shall be,
Pass somewhere through Gethsemane.
All those who journey, soon or late,
Must pass within the garden’s gate;
Must kneel alone in darkness there,
And battle with some fierce despair.
God pity those who cannot say,
‘Not mine but thine,’ who only pray,
‘Let this cup pass,’ and cannot see
The purpose in Gethsemane.

It would be dishonest to say that God makes everything all right in this world. The death of 3000 innocent souls who were simply going to work on September 11, eight years ago, tells me the world is crowded with Gethsemanes. The death of 4500+ soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan tells me that peace has an enormous price. The burial of 350 children in Beslan tells me that evil still wins in this world. Don’t get me wrong. I as much as any man find hope in the resurrection. I am simply cannot deny the picture painted by the Psalmist when he asks, “Will the Lord cast off for ever?” And will he be favorable no more? Is his mercy clean gone forever? Doth his promise fail forever more? Hath God forgotten to be gracious? Hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? And I said, this is my infirmity.”

So the answer to the third question? Where do we go from here? Perhaps Wilcox’s poem has it right: All paths that have been, or shall be, pass somewhere through Gethsemane. Amen.

Grace. Forgiveness. Mercy. …

Grace. Forgiveness. Mercy.

For many Christians, the concepts of grace, mercy, and forgiveness are just that – concepts. They are ideals to be striven towards. Many do not live these ideals. That, in and of itself, is a shame.

Many of us think we have forgiven. In truth, we hold the tiniest of grudges. We don’t extend the Grace of God that He gives to us. We don’t prove the mercy in the complete forgiveness for a person’s actions. Sometimes we extend the blame of sin to a person’s family, relatives, or friends. To do so, regardless of even the best of our intentions to the contrary is part of the human condition, our sinful nature, a remnant of the original sin. We don’t consciously think of denying that grace and mercy, we just do.

So when a story comes along that illustrates true forgiveness, grace, and mercy – on the level that GOD gives – I am stunned at the true capacity of the healing nature of God.

This is the story of a small town Iowa football team, the town, and a murdered coach. It is the story that of what a coach, leader in his community and church, teacher of tomorrow’s generation taught, lived, and passed on to not only an entire town, but multiple generations in that town.

Ed Thomas was a man of deep Christian faith, and in 34 years at the same school lived as an example his credo, “Faith, Family, and Football.”

In Parkersburg, Iowa, dusk and rain fell on the small farming town, and the hum of cicadas ceased. On that soupy evening, the parents of football players at Aplington-Parkersburg High School went about their task much like the football team prepared for its game Friday night – the team’s first since its legendary coach was gunned down by a former player.

The game against longtime rival Dike-New Hartford was televised nationally by ESPN. Aplington-Parkersburg won 30-14. But there were no cameras around Wednesday after practice, when, despite the rain and darkening sky, five parents squeezed red plastic cups into a chain-link fence outside the practice field.

After working on wet grass for 30 minutes, they backed up and admired their handiwork, which read:

FAITH … FAMILY … FOOTBALL

They invoke those words to capture the essence of Ed Thomas, the slain coach known as much for his deep faith in Christianity as his love for football. In 37 seasons – all but three at A-P, as they call the high school – he won two state championships, amassed a record of 292-84 and repeated one refrain as ritualistically as they plant and harvest corn in Parkersburg, which has no stoplights and sits about 80 miles northeast of Des Moines.

Thomas’ credo is engraved alongside a picture of the coach on a plaque made after his death June 24 and mounted on front of the new ticket booth this week.

“If all I have taught you is how to block and tackle, then I have failed as a coach.”

The week leading up to the game Friday revealed more about Thomas, who was 58 when he was shot in the school’s weight room. And more about a town of 1,800, ripped apart by a tornado just a year earlier, coping with yet another tragedy.

On Monday, they gathered at “The Sacred Acre.”

It is the field Thomas groomed meticulously for more than three decades, and, on the day it was ravaged by the tornado, the coach declared it would be ready in time for the 2008 season opener. He made good on his promise. He drove the town back from the edge of the abyss through his deep faith in God and in his town, and his players. That night they went on to win 53-20, marking the beginning of a near storybook 11-1 season.

This time the disaster was worse. This time, they would not have the “old coach” leading them back from the brink. Parkersburg was grieving for their slain icon, and it was hard to know how people felt about the approaching game – until the students headed back into the building Monday morning and Jim Clark arrived.

He headed for the middle section of the home-side bleachers, climbed up eight rows, one row below the press box, and got to work. Using duct tape and bungee cords, he tied the blankets to the metal benches and, as is customary among A-P fans, reserved seats for the game, this time five days before kickoff.

A section of seats Clark reserved were for the Beckers, the family of the former player who killed the coach. He wasn’t just any former player either. He was the son of one of Ed Thomas’ first team captains and the older brother of a starting offensive lineman.

Jim Clark was a friend of the family to both the Thomas’ and the Beckers, who’s son Mark was being held, charged with the shooting of Coach Thomas, and two days after the shooting they visited the shattered parents, Joan and Dave.

While they were there, Joan Becker took a phone call.

It was Jan Thomas, wife of the murdered coach.

“What a wonderful person,” Clark recalled Joan Becker saying.

The Beckers also had received a call from the Wiegmann family that includes Jon, a longtime assistant football coach at A-P; Coy, a senior and the team’s starting quarterback; and Dawn, president of a group that includes all parents of the senior players. They arranged for Scott Becker, the younger brother of Mark Becker and a senior lineman, to come to their house.

More than a dozen teammates were waiting.

They’d sent him text messages of encouragement almost immediately after Mark Becker was arrested the morning of June 24. When Scott Becker arrived at the Wiegmanns’ house, his teammates embraced him. Then they played ping pong, horsed around and watched movies.

“We had him smiling the whole time,” his teammates recalled.

The next day, the players went swimming in the pond behind the Beckers’ house. People still worried that Scott Becker, well-liked but quiet, might grow even more withdrawn. When the coaches called a team meeting at the elementary school library that week, Ed Thomas’ grown sons, Aaron and Todd, took Scott Becker into the hallway.

Teammates recall him returning to the library with tears in his eyes and a look of relief, as if unburdened by the feelings of guilt or shame. On Aug. 10, the first day of preseason drills, Scott Becker was there, as were all his teammates, putting the team back together – having not let it fall apart in the first place.

Joan Becker had taken over as secretary of the senior parents’ group. She also sat next to Jan Thomas during Sunday services at First Congregational Church.

It was the church they had both attended for decades and where Ed Thomas had served as an elder and counseled Mark Becker. The Beckers sought Ed Thomas’ help as their son’s behavior grew increasingly erratic.

Tuesday brought the crash of football pads, grunts, and the sounds of coaches rippling across the fields. On the field across the street from the building where their coach was murdered, the A-P Falcons went through practice drills in front of a small audience.

One father watched from inside his truck. Two fathers watched from a slope on the grass. And then there was a younger, burly, bearded man watching alone from atop a small hill.

The man had driven past the field a handful of times in recent weeks. But, still haunted by the shooting, he would not let himself get any closer until this day. He was greeted by the familiar sight of red helmets and red uniforms worn by the Falcons as they slammed into tackling dummies and into each other.

This past spring, Ed Thomas told people he expected to field one of his largest rosters ever, indeed a fitting comeback from the devastation wrought by the tornado . This time, after the shooting, however, distraught younger players talked of quitting. If they couldn’t play for Thomas, some told their parents, they didn’t want to play at all.

From the observation posts held by the fathers, brothers, cousins of the players, one could hear the sounds as they echoed across the field.

“How bad do you want it?” an assistant coach hollered.

No one yet quite knew.

Nor did the players know what was happening the next day on their way to the locker room.

The following day, Wednesday, as the players arrived to change into their practice gear, the superintendent directed them to a grief counseling session that had been set up to help the town through it.

During a brief intermission, someone approached the seminar leader and identified one of the people in attendance. The short-haired woman in the back of the room. It was Jan Thomas.

Jan Thomas is an EMT who was on call the morning of her husband’s death, she was among the first to arrive at the scene. She very easily could have looked on the scene and let it ravage her faith in God, and everything Holy. Imagine the shock, pain, utter collapse of reason at reporting to a violent scene such as this, expecting in some ways to see someone you knew from this small town… and laying eyes on your husband as he lay mortally wounded.

The leader took note of Jan and someone else in the room – Aaron Thomas, 30, the slain coach’s oldest son. Todd Thomas, the coach’s younger son, had left his job as a financial adviser after the shooting and taken over as the team’s offensive line coach. Aaron Thomas had taken on even greater responsibility.

It was Aaron Thomas who spoke at his father’s funeral and told more than 2,000 gathered for the service that it was OK to mourn that Monday, but on Tuesday they must get back to work, and get there early. That if people truly wanted to honor his father, they would move forward, with a sense of purpose, the same way his father lived. He counseled that his father had always known the three things that held this town together – Faith… Family… Football.

Aaron told the gathered that this is his father’s legacy, to teach the simple truth of Christ, demonstrate how to the life of faith while raising a family, both in a nuclear sense, and in the extended family that athletic teams become.

A group of recent A-P graduates decided to order red wristbands embedded with those words – faith, family and football – and sell them for $3 apiece, with the money going to the Ed Thomas Memorial Fund.

They ordered 1,500. Sold out in two days.

They ordered another 1,000. Those lasted a week.

They ordered another 1,000. Gone in 10 days.

They ordered another 300, which arrived this week and were on sale on game day. These also sold out.

Thursday saw the day begin with gray clouds. Misty air. Soggy grass. All waited for the A-P Falcons when they returned to the practice field, and the practice was as crisp as the coaches’ exhortations.

Final practice before the season opener. After what the new coach describes as “one of the finest Thursday practices he had ever seen”, the team huddled around Kerns, who spent more than two decades coaching under Ed Thomas before forced into the position of co-head coach.

“Fellas, this should be a special moment,” he said.

They’d been waiting for this moment almost as much as the game itself.

The coaches passed out decal stickers that read “FFF 09.” By now, the three Fs and what they stood for were embedded in their brains, if not their hearts.

Faith, family and football.

Players wiped their helmets dry and carefully placed the decals on the backs.

On Friday, the bleachers were full, and the Thomas’ sat next to the Beckers as they took to the field for the first time in 34 years without Coach Ed Thomas leading them out. Time will tell if the town will recover from losing such a beloved figure and stalwart of their community and bounce back as they did when Coach Thomas led them back from the tornado in May of 2008. One thing is certain, the families of the Thomas’ still grieve and the family of the Beckers still have an ordeal yet to come, but they will face it together. An expression of Faith and Forgiveness, extended Family typical of small town America, and Football, a game around which Ed Thomas influenced hundreds at A-P High School, and thousands beyond those boundries.

The lessons of Faith Family Football are not lost. They live on. They are remembered. They are his legacy because he lived it. His family lives it.

And none of it would be remotely possible without the King of Heaven reaching into the hearts and minds of these afflicted and placing his Holy Peace upon them.

How much of an impact did Ed Thomas have on his community? It is immeasurable. His impact of influence reached far beyond his town.

At his funeral every player on every team in the conference that A-P plays in showed up, lining the streets in their football jerseys to say goodbye to a rival’s coach. One player from such a team was asked “why would you come to pay respects to a rival coach?” The teenager answered, “because of who Coach T. was and how he lived. He earned respect from everyone he crossed paths with. How could we not show up?”

Those stickers? They are worn by all of the teams in that conference this season. FFF 09.

Faith… Family… Football

Tempered with Grace… Mercy… and Forgiveness.

May we all be open to receive God’s love and be able to truly forgive those that trespass against us.

“Forgiveness“

“What greater gift can I give to you? and what greater gift can you give to me?
Nothing is greater than your love and your forgiveness,
and that is greater than anything.”

He Said “Thank You”…

As I was moderating a twitter-stream the other day, I posted a tweet that said, “Today is the day the Lord has made… Have you said ‘thank you’?” I got a couple of responses from that and an interesting number of retweets – apparently it was good for a thought in some peoples minds. But (like many things) it got me thinking:

Do you (yes, you reader) – do you say thank you before you ask for something – from God, from your boss, from your staff, from others?

and

Do you realize that having a grateful heart may keep you from needing a transplanted one?

It struck me as I contemplated this that just before Jesus commanded Lazarus to rise from the dead,  he thanked God for always hearing his prayers. In one of His final prayers, He thanked the Father for giving him Peter, John, James, Mary, Martha, and the rest of his ’staff’. Jesus went through life with a thankful heart. Every prayer, and even the prayer that he taught his followers to pray, were full of thankfulness.

In this way He was showing us that gratitude is a key element of leadership because gratitude means an open heart, a listening heart, a faith-filled heart. how could anyone be a leader without faith and gratitude in a Higher Power or have abetter future built on better ways?

One of the most breathtaking sights in San Diego is the sunset on the beach. As the sun sinks slowly into the horizon, hundreds of seagulls stand and turn quietly to bid farewell. Pelicans fly by in formations, perfectly spaced and shaped, skimming just the top of the waves in the sunset salute. On the bridge across from the beach, thousands of birds line up on the electrical wires, all sitting and facing the sun, saying good-bye to the day. I like to think that they perhaps are also silently saying, “Thank you, God, for declaring that even the sparrows shall be fed.”

That image is so powerful that I can still see it in my minds eye after being away from it for many years now.

So I pose the question again: “Today is the day the LORD has made. Have YOU said Thank You yet?”…

Going BOTH miles…

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? Be perfect, therefore as your heavenly Father is perfect. “

Like many of you, I have done a lot of driving in my life. And in all this driving I have learned the importance of a good map. For me a “GOOD MAP” is one that contains as much detail as possible. I want to know what roads are best, where I can stop to find food or a motel or gas or a rest area. I want to know which roads are fastest, shortest, newest, straightest, most scenic. I want to know where there are tolls, where traffic congestion is likely to occur. For this reason I am a firm believer in AAA. Their trip tiks fulfill all these requirements and they are easy to read and custom made for my trip. All this is to say that I have found that a good map is a necessity on any road trip if I want to get where I am going.

The Bible speaks of life as if it were a journey or “road trip” in which each decision we make takes us down a different road. Many times within its pages scripture gives us the same sort of advice we would find in a “TRIP TIK” guiding us in our choices roads and stops as we travel along on our life journey. That familiar verse from Psalms says, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light upon my path.” It says, “…in all your ways … in all your roads….acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” In Matthew, Jesus warns us to choose the right road in life when He says, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” But perhaps the most well-known reference to our journey along the “road of life” is in our text for today where our Lord instructs us to go two miles if someone forces us to go one.

You are probably very familiar with these words–the whole world is. I think everyone has used the expression “Go the second mile!” repeatedly in their lives. But what do these words really mean? What was Jesus saying in this small bit of advice for travelers?

Well, let’s pause and remind ourselves of the background here. Remember that Palestine was an occupied country. Rome enforced its rule over the people of Israel with garrisons of solders stationed throughout the country. And Roman Law said that these occupying troops were permitted to force any Jewish citizen to do their bidding. This is what happened to Simon of Cyrene, when he was compelled by Roman soldiers to bear the Cross of Jesus. According to this law a Roman soldier could ask a Jewish citizen to carry his pack for him a distance of one mile. Law obligated them to this first mile of servanthood. Jews hated this, and so when they were forced to obey they did so with bitterness and obvious resentment. So Jesus’ statement here is quite revolutionary. If you were compelled at spear point to carry the pack one mile, do so but then go one more—-two miles!!!

And over the years I have felt that this was our Lord’s way of teaching you and me that as we go down the road of life we are look at the tasks we are given—-even the unfair ones—-as opportunities to serve others cheerfully as we reflect the love of Christ in our attitudes. First mile things are obligations—ordinary things but the second mile things should be seen as opportunities to show our love for people. And certainly that is part of what Jesus was teaching here.

But you know I think there is more “travel advice” in this verse than this. There are deeper truths here for us. I think that in this familiar passage of scripture, Jesus has given us some great tips that will help us avoid at least two “potholes” in the road of life that lays ahead.

So this morning let us look at two “travel tips” found in this text and apply them to the journey we take down the roads of 2009.
A. For one thing, I think Jesus was saying that I must be careful to walk the first mile in the Christian life before I attempt to walk the second.

Remember, the first mile was required. Jews were obligated to walk it. They received no special honor or attention by fulfilling this task. No one would notice. Everybody had to do this. And this may sound strange but I think it can be very tempting for us to leapfrog the first mile of obligation to get to the second mile of opportunity. Because it is attractive for us to get to the extraordinary before we’ve been faithful in the ordinary. Have you ever met people who would love to be involved in spectacular areas of ministry, the popular well-known events that yield high glory, but not be interested in the unknown, ordinary things? They want to do the “2nd Mile” because it is noticed, but not the “1st mile” which often is not.

Leonard Bernstein the famous orchestra conductor was asked, “What is the most difficult instrument to play?” He replied, “Second fiddle. I can get plenty of first violinists, but to find one who plays second violin with as much enthusiasm or second French horn or second flute, now that’s a problem. And yet if no one plays second, we have no harmony.” And Bernstein is correct because often these first mile things are vital things–necessary things.

Jesus taught that the first mile of obligation was vital but often we avoid it because “first mile” things are behind the scenes unnoticed. We are to be willing to serve even if no one but Him notices, because when we serve others we are serving Christ Himself.

Martin of Tours was a Roman Soldier and a Christian. One cold winter day, as he was entering a city, a beggar stopped him and asked him for alms. Martin had no money, but the beggar was blue and shivering with cold. So Martin gave him what he had. He took off his soldier’s coat, worn and frayed as it was. He cut it in two and gave half of it to the beggar. That night he had a dream. In it he saw the heavenly places and all the angels and Jesus in their midst. He saw Jesus wearing half of a Roman soldier’s cloak. One of the angels said to him, “Master, why are you wearing that battered old cloak? Who gave it to you?” And Jesus answered softly, “My servant Martin gave it to me.”

So we must not avoid the first mile of obligation for in bypassing these little things that seem “least” we are passing by an opportunity to serve Jesus Christ Himself. And that is a turn in the road that no Christian should miss for when we avoid the little things we miss real opportunities to serve God.

So, check up on yourself. Does the mileage record of your life’s journey show that you have been yielding to the temptation to leapfrog the mile of obligation to get to the mile of opportunity?

The second bit of travel advice Jesus gives us in this passage is this:
B. Jesus warns us not to assume that we ourselves can accomplish the second mile that He talked about.

It is enjoyable to go farther and to do more for people—if they respond positively. It can be greatly rewarding to do acts of kindness—for people who appreciate them. We all like that kind of affirmation. But look with me at the context of this command. In His instruction to go the second mile, Jesus was not referring to appreciated acts of unusual kindness. Let’s review. Just a couple of verses prior to this statement, Jesus said: “Do not resist one who is evil. But if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.”

Think about it. Suppose a right-handed man is standing in front of another man, and suppose he wants to slap the other man on the right cheek. How would he do this? Well, unless he goes through the most complicated contortions, and unless he empties the blow of all force, he can only hit the other man’s right cheek in one way—WITH THE BACK OF HIS HAND. Now according to Jewish Rabbinic law, to hit a man with the back of the hand was twice as insulting as to hit him with the FLAT of the hand. Jesus was talking about our response to a deadly, calculated insult. He is saying that when this happens we must not retaliate or even resent it.

So when Jesus told us to walk the second mile He was talking about a Christian person facing people who don’t like him, who don’t appreciate what he does; and who, when he does them good, may go off and laugh at him. Remember, “Love your ENEMIES…and pray for those who PERSECUTE you.” Now I have yet to find a person who on His own strength can keep up that kind of Christian response for very long. So, in going the 2nd mile Jesus is calling us to the impossible task of being so different from non-Christians that our goal is to be “perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect”? , Jesus is hinting that we can be unrealistically optimistic about our ability to travel the second mile.

We cannot go the second mile on our own strength. Jesus said that, “…IF a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” So as you chart your course for this next year remember Jesus’ advice.

* Don’t skip the first mile. Don’t avoid those ordinary, unseen things. They are vital—even though they are usually not all that glorious. Remember that when we minister to people in these “unseen” ways Scripture says we are ministering to Jesus Himself!
* Walk the second mile….not only when it is appreciated, but when it’s humiliating, not only for people whom you love but for people you have a hard time loving.

Salvation… What it is, and what it is not…

God made it simple for a person to become a Christian.

But by using vague clichés and by embracing misconceptions of the steps one must take to become a Christian, some make salvation seem to be something that is difficult…even complex. Some infer that becoming a Christian is the result of a person’s having done something. This is not a new problem. Since the days of the early church false teachers have made salvation seem to be something much more difficult than it really is. The Apostle Paul dealt with this problem repeatedly.

False teachers in the church of Paul’s day were proclaiming a “gospel” that said that genuine salvation was something that had to be earned through rigid obedience to a complex system of religious laws. Listen to Paul’s response to this erroneous teaching in the church in Galatia:

“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel…which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to distort the gospel of Christ.”

This problem also popped up in the church in Ephesus. Here is Paul’s response:

“It is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast.”

These passages tell us that in the days of Paul’s ministry there was a great deal of confusion over what had to happen in order for a person to be come a Christian. And even today, almost 2,000 years later, there are those who twist the truth of scripture and make salvation appear difficult or complex. So I want  to correct some misconceptions about salvation by taking a basic look at what Salvation is not and what it is.

Let’s begin by looking at what salvation is not:

1. First of all, salvation, becoming a Christian is NOT related to physical birth

In other words, I was not born a Christian. Now my parents are Christians and they took me to church all my life. They even taught me Christian principles. But that did not make me a Christian. A person does not become a Christian as a result of being born in a Christian home, because salvation is not related to physical birth. You cannot be BORN a Christian. In fact, Jesus taught that you must be RE-BORN a Christian!

2. Secondly, salvation is NOT reformation.

It is not turning over a new leaf — acting like a Christian — trying to do better. Don’t get my wrong here, everyone should try to live a moral life. We should be good people. And this should be a result of the new birth that we experience when we become Christians. But turning over a new leaf and trying to do the right thing… simply trying to live a moral life…these efforts do not make you a Christian.

3. Then, thirdly, salvation does NOT come by way of any external religious action….such as partaking of communion, adherance to dietary laws, or church membership.

Please understand–church membership is important. All Christians should publicly join a local church and get involved in its ministry, but church membership is not salvation. You can join a church and follow all its rituals faithfully, but church membership is for people who have already become Christians. And, the ordinances of Baptism and Communion are also important. They are object lessons that Jesus commanded us to observe so that we would never forget some vital truths. Whenever we partake of Communion we are reminded that Christ died for us. And whenever a believer is immersed he or she is using this experience as a way to proclaim that they are committed to making Christ Lord of their lives. So of course we should follow Jesus in baptism…we should regularly observe communion…but participation in these precious symbols does not make you a child of God. These observances are tools God gave us to teach. They are not actions that save us or make us more pure and blameless in God’s sight. Becoming a Christian is not ever the result of anything we do. It is our simple act of faith in what God has done.

But enough of the negative. What IS salvation?

Well, first of all, salvation IS a personal experience. YOU decide. You respond to God. No one does this for you. Remember the third chapter of John records that Jesus said to Nicodemus “YOU must be born again!” Salvation is a personal experience. Your parents can’t do this for you. Your deacon can’t do this for you. Your pastor can’t do this for you. NO ONE CAN! You have to respond to God personally!

Secondly, Salvation IS a transforming experience. Becoming a Christian makes a new person out of you! The word “CONVERSION” literally means “a turned-around life”. When you are converted, you turn from going one way and go the opposite. And this is what salvation is. Your life is transformed. You become a new person. Your goals are changed. As it says in II Corinthians 5:17 : “If any one is in Christ he is a new creation….old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” Becoming a Christian is not reformation, but transformation. You do not change, but you ARE changed from within through the power of God.

Thirdly, and most importantly, Salvation IS an act of God’s grace. Grace means that salvation is something we are given that we could never hope to deserve or earn. And maybe that is the hardest thing for us to swallow. We would expect to have to do something to make ourselves somehow worthy of God’s love. But this is a misconception. The Bible clearly teaches that salvation comes from heaven downward–not from earth upward. God’s gift of salvation was God-given, God-driven, God-empowered, and God-originated.

The gift is not from man to God through our efforts. It is from God to man.

4. I John 4:10 helps us realize our need to keep this straight. Listen to what it says,

“It is not our love for God; it is God’s love for us in sending His Son to be the way to take away our sins.” On the basis of this point alone, Christianity is set apart from any other religion in the world.”

No other system, ideology, or religion proclaims a free forgiveness and a new life to those who have done nothing to deserve it but deserve judgment instead. All of us were bankrupt before God. Our sin separated us from Him. So out of His gracious love, He sent His only Son to die for us on the cross of Calvary. And in doing that, He took our sin upon Himself. When we confess our sin and ask for God’s forgiveness through Jesus Christ we are saved.

It’s as simple as that! Salvation is not something complex. Becoming a Christian is so simple that even a child can do it.

Becoming a Christian is as simple as ABC…

* Admit you are a sinner separated from God.

* Believe that Jesus Christ was God’s only Son…that He died on the cross for your sins and rose from the dead on the third day…

* Commit your life to Him. Make Him your Lord.

A, B, C…It’s easy as 1, 2, 3… what could be simpler?

Jesus the Christ… The Man that is Different…

Monday we looked at the authority of scripture….Today we look at our belief about Jesus Christ.

It is important to note that these two essentials are intertwined. The Bible from beginning to end is the written record of God pursuing a relationship with mankind. So the love of Jesus can be felt in every word, on every page. One person has said, “Cut the Scriptures anywhere and they bleed with the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” I can understand why this would be said, because the sacrificial love of God in Jesus Christ is the focal point of the Bible. The thing that Jesus shows us most clearly about God is His love.

Love has never been a normal way of describing what happens between human beings and their God. Not once does the Qur’an apply the word love to God…and Aristotle stated bluntly, “It would be eccentric for anyone to claim that he loved Zeus.” But the Bible is different. It very clearly states that love is the reason Jesus was born. I John 4:9 says, “This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.”

So it is important — essential — for us to believe that, in Jesus, God showed His infinite love for you and me by descending to our level of existence. He became a man like any man who has ever walked the face of this earth. But while Jesus was a man like you and I, He was also unlike you and I. He was different than any man who has ever been or ever will be. Like the title of this message states, Jesus was the man who was different. There are may ways that Jesus was different from any man.

But today, I want us to understand our essential belief about Jesus Christ by looking at this text from Hebrews 1 and using it to focus our study on just two of the ways that He was different.

1. First of all, Jesus was different from any man in that He was God.

Remember the words of verse 3 of today’s text. “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word.” These words serve to remind us that in the past there had been many great teachers who had come from God, but in Jesus, in Jesus, God did something different because Jesus was not just another teacher come from God. He was God Himself come to teach.

Throughout His earthly ministry Jesus Himself claimed to be God. In John 10:30 He said, “I and the Father are one.” In John 8:58, Jesus used the same name God used to identify Himself to Moses when He said, “Truly, truly I say to you…before Abraham was born, I AM.”

He substantiated this claim by demonstrating powerful attributes which belong to God alone. During His life He demonstrated power over nature by stilling the stormy waves( Mark 4:39 ) and by turning water into wine ( John 2:7-11 ). He showed that He had power over physical disease and power over the spirit world of demons. In fact several times Jesus both claimed and proved that He had the authority and power to raise the dead. He never attended a funeral that He did not ruin by raising the corpse back to life. He also said that He had the power to forgive sins–something that His opponents pointed out that only God could do.( Mark 2:10 ) So, Jesus was omnipotent, all powerful. But, like God, He was also omniscient, or all-knowing. You see, Jesus was the man who was different because He was God.

Since He was God then Jesus was also perfect, Holy, sinless in thought, word, or deed. And like God, Jesus is eternal. He has always existed. Do you remember the words that begin John’s Gospel? “In the beginning was the WORD and the WORD was with God and the WORD was God. He was with God in the beginning.” And then pay close attention to these next words, “Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.” Since Jesus is God, then not only is He eternal, but He created all things. So Jesus is God, the creator and sustainer of the universe, in human flesh.

But that is not the only thing that distinguishes Him from other men.

2. For not only was Jesus God….He was our Redeemer.

Jesus, the creator of the world, was also the redeemer of the world.

Think of it! Even in the misty, pre-creation past, Jesus was thinking of you and me and planning our redemption. Even at the dawn of creation it had already been decided. The One who created the world would be the One who re-created that same world.

Ephesians 1 puts it this way, “…He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. … in Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”

L. Nelson Bell recounted a story told by a Chinese pastor as a way of explaining Christ’s redemption. He told of a man who fell into a dark, slimy pit. He tried to climb out but could not. Confucius came along, saw the man, and aid, “Poor fellow. IF he had listened to me, he would never have fallen in.” And Confucius walked away. Then Buddha came along. “Poor fellow,” said Buddha, “If he’d come up here, I’d help him.” He, too, walked on. Then Jesus came by. Seeing the man, Jesus said, “Poor fellow,” and then He jumped down into the pit and lifted him out.”

Other religions offer rules and regulations, guidelines to follow and doctrine to believe. But only Christianity offers a living personality who comes to where we are and lifts us out of the pit of sin. Our eternal God of all-knowing power could force obedience from us, His subjects.

But although power can force obedience, it could not summon a response of love which is the one thing God desires from us and is the reason He created us.

Can we reject so great a gift?

The Bible… The Book that is Different…

Our Lord and Savior, our Superior in the chain of command, has given us a mission. We call it the GREAT COMMISSION. Remember the commanding words Jesus spoke as He was ascending to heaven while the disciples looked on:

“All authority has been given me in heaven and earth. Therefore, go to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples: baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And I am with you always as you do this.(Matthew 28:18-20 )

Our mission of leading people to accept Christ and become His disciples must take priority in our day to day existence. Lives depend on this. The eternal destinies of men and women hinge on this. We should center our lives as Christians and as members of the church on this task we are called to do and on the essentials that enable us to accomplish it.

If we allow ourselves to be sidetracked into dealing with non-essentials, then we will only slow ourselves down. In fact, we will risk not being able to accomplish our mission. We will hinder our ability to be a part of the greatest task God has ever given to His people. And, to accomplish this mission, there are three essential things we must know and believe.

* We must have a correct belief of the nature and authority of the Bible.

* We must have a precise understanding of who Jesus is. And,

* We must have an accurate comprehension of how a person is saved, converted, how someone comes to be a Christian.

These three beliefs encompass what I believe are the bare essentials that we need if we are to complete the task God has given us. I have always loved the following saying and would love for it to be able to be said about the Christians everywhere ….that in this place we have freedom in the non-essentials, UNITY IN THE ESSENTIALS, and love in every thing. So for the next three posts we will take a close look at these essential beliefs. Today we look at the first essential–our belief about the Bible.

Let’s consider this:

* Why is our belief about the Bible important?

* Why is this an essential?

* Why do Christians revere this book?

We do this because the Bible involves the whole issue of the revelation of God. Think about it. How can we know God exists? How can we know what He is like? You and I are not intelligent enough to even scratch the surface of understanding the nature of God. He is infinitely above you and me. Job 11:17 expresses this when it says, “Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?”

The answer is no…we can’t. God is simply too big for us to understand.So if we are to have a relationship with God then He must reveal Himself to us. He must take the initiative. And He has. God has revealed Himself in several ways.

* God has revealed himself through nature… Romans 1:20 says, “…ever since God created the world, His invisible qualities, both His eternal power and His divine nature, have been clearly seen; they are perceived in the things that God has made.”

* God has revealed Himself through History. The Old Testament is full of expressions that reflect a recognition of God because of His activity in the affairs of men and nations. II Chronicles 33:13 reflects this acknowledgment of God as being active in the history of Israel when it says, “Then Israel knew that the Lord is God.”

* God also revealed Himself through the prophets He sent. These men often used the phrase, ” The WORD OF THE LORD came to me…”

* But God’s fullest revelation came in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ. Hebrews 1:1-2 says, “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by HIS SON.”

So in past millennia God has taken the initiative to reveal Himself in many ways. But what about people like you and me who were not present in years long gone and did not see God’s involvement in history or the events surrounding Christ’s life, death, and resurrection? To reveal Himself to all people something more was required — a WRITTEN RECORD was needed. And so, God has given us this in the Bible… He has revealed Himself to us on the pages of this book.So our beliefs about this book are important because these pages are the written story of God pursuing a relationship with humanity. Suffice it to say that this book is unique. There is no other book like it and never will be.

And today, as we look at the unique characteristics of the Bible you will see why it is so important for us to give it the authority in our lives that it demands.

So the Bible is not just another book…..it is different….in several ways….

1. First of all it is different from any other book — in that it is the WORD OF GOD and not man.

As the verses in our text for today put it, “All scripture is GOD-BREATHED….none of it originated in the will of man….” And the entire Bible beginning with the Old Testament makes this claim. If you were to sit down and read from Genesis to Malachi you would count over 3800 times in which phrases such as “Thus says the Lord” or “This is the word of the Lord” are used. The writers of the New Testament repeatedly recorded their belief that the Old Testament was God’s word by directly quoting the Old Testament over 300 times as being the “Word of God”.

Jesus affirmed the authority of the Old Testament, when He said in John 10:35 — “for we know that the scripture is true forever” In fact every tenth recorded saying of Jesus is a direct quote of the Old Testament. In Luke 16:17 Jesus says, “It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the smallest detail of the Law to be done away with.”

2. The Bible is also unique in that, unlike any other book it is a book that is alive.

Remember the words of Hebrews 4:12 that we read earlier, “The word of God is living and active”? Well, it is living and active. And so, when we read its words, they reach out and touch the needs of our lives in an almost tangible way. Isaiah 55:11 describes scripture as being a living agent or messenger that God sends to touch our lives. Listen to what God says in this passage: ” ….My word will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

So, unlike any other book, the Bible is living and powerful.

3. The Bible is also unique in that by reading its words a person can come to know God personally.

Remember the words of II Timothy 3:15-17 “….from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. “ Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the WORD OF GOD.” Remember the words of John 20:31. “…these words are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in Him.”

You know…. perhaps the best way to summarize the make-up of this book is to say that it is an invitation from Creator to creation. It is God’s written invitation to all of us. In this book God invites you and me to live our lives according to His wisdom. He invites us to give this book authority in our lives–to adopt it as our guidebook–our instruction manual for life.

In these pages God has issued a written invitation to us–to know Him personally, to walk with Him daily. Like all invitations this book calls for us to respond.

What will your’s be?