Glory and Honor and Power

 

Friday, April 29, 2022

Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in heaven, and the same voice I had heard before spoke to me like a trumpet blast.  The voice said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.”  And instantly I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne in heaven and someone sitting on it.  The one sitting on the throne was as brilliant as gemstones—like jasper and carnelian. And the glow of an emerald circled his throne like a rainbow.  Twenty-four thrones surrounded him, and twenty-four elders sat on them.  They were all clothed in white and had gold crowns on their heads.  From the throne came flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder.  And in front of the throne were seven torches with burning flames.  This is the sevenfold Spirit of God.  In front of the throne was a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystal.  In the center and around the throne were four living beings, each covered with eyes, front and back.  The first of these living beings was like a lion; the second was like an ox; the third had a human face; and the fourth was like an eagle in flight.  Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered all over with eyes, inside and out.  Day after day and night after night they keep on saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty—the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.”  Whenever the living beings give glory and honor and thanks to the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever), the twenty-four elders fall down and worship the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever).  And they lay their crowns before the throne and say, “You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power.  For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased.”   Revelation 4:1-11

Most of the scenes in Heaven stop me dead in my tracks.  This scene is one which captures my attention for weeks at a time.  I want to shout, weep, celebrate, and mourn all at the same time.  I mourn for my human inability to adequately do what the elders in the throne room accomplish – ascribe all possible glory, honor, and power to the King of Kings.  I shout, because I’m an introverted, quieter person by nature, but the images of Heaven’s splendor and righteous power in my brain won’t let me be silent.  I want to weep, because in the presence of the source of all power and righteousness, it’s impossible to not sense my unworthiness, stripped naked of any pretense of personal holiness in the presence of He who is the Almighty I AM.  And, despite emptying all my false claims to belong to God, I want to celebrate with complete abandoning of dread, or uncertainty, because the blood of Jesus Christ shouts from that throne that I do, indeed, belong to Him!

What a scene!  Every time I consider it, like Peter, James, and John at that moment of transfiguration on the mountain top, I want to stay right there, build a memorial, and never leave.  But the longer I reflect on that glory – more accurately, the more that glory reflects its light and power to overshadow me, and what God has created, and His grace that unfolds every bit of it for me…the more I realize the purpose for all of that splendor; I am His blood, bones, sinew, and awareness, and I must do the work of He who works in me.  I am, as are all who believe, like the 24 elders bowing before the throne, commissioned to reflect that power, laying all honor and glory humanly possible back to the throne.

For You Today

If you’re hunting for some purpose in a life that has turned boredom into an hours-long Facebook or Instagram distraction, put down your tablet, leave your smartphone in the drawer, walk past the desk and computer, and head for the prayer garden.  Do a little weeping, celebrating, mourning, and shouting in the presence of the King.  You just might bump into purpose for your life.  That happens a lot when you hang with the Author of all honor, glory and power. 

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road with Jesus; have a blessed day!  

[1] Title image: Pixabay.com & Pixabay.com  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

Crown-Wearing

 

Thursday, April 28, 2022

Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.   Philippians 2:9-11

Yesterday’s post[1] about Cross-bearing, and today’s topic of Crown-wearing are so connected we can see a syllogism that makes an eternity statement:

You will be crowned by Christ in Heaven

To the same degree you have crowned Him here on Earth.

Don't forget that the spiritual far outweighs the material or natural.  In the spiritual realm, things are always reversed from the way they were in the natural.  That which was high will be made low; the first shall be last. 

Following that sunbeam thought back to the source, we can also say that those who appear to be less than worthy of wearing a crown (here on earth) will be the very ones wearing them in Heaven.  Who are they?  They are all who have truly allowed their lives to be firmly rooted in Christ.  They are the disciples who only bow to the crucified, risen King of Glory, Jesus.  These are they, for whom nothing took higher priority than Christ-likeness.  They were, as Paul expressed, not conformed to the image of this world, but transformed in mind and thought by Christ to serve what pleases God, not self.[2]

If friends, or a family, church, or even a nation would be honored, in heaven, then Christ-likeness must be the goal, our target for life.  Hear the testimony of Scripture on the matter:

James, Jesus’ brother:

God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.  James 1:12

John, the beloved disciple:

…the twenty-four elders fall down and worship the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever).  And they lay their crowns before the throne and say, “You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power.  For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased.”  Revelation 4:10-11

Jesus, laying out the indisputable measuring stick: 

Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.  Luke 9:23

Cross-Bearing and Crown-Wearing!

For You Today

Taking up the cross daily has a reward in Heaven.  Anticipating the crown, followers of Jesus will not be disappointed.  And neither will those who (sadly) choose to walk away from the cross to follow their own path.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!  

[1] Title image: Pixabay.com   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©  

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[1] April 27, 2022, Cross-Bearing

[2] Romans 12:2

Cross-Bearing

 

Wednesday, April 27, 2022

You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.  Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.  Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.  When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.  Philippians 2:5-8

Paul’s words to the church reminds us that the man who died on Calvary wasn't like any other man; HE was God!  Paul said that Jesus made himself nothing.  One Bible translation uses the word emptied.  The picture is one of sacrifice. 

In the temple a sacrifice of an animal was made for sin.  The blood and water were poured on the altar, an emptying.  Like that picture, imagine God was in one form in heaven.  Like a glass contains water and can be emptied, so God poured Himself into the form of a man and died for us. 

Of course, Paul was looking back to what Jesus said about following – a disciple becomes just like the Master.  And what Jesus said about that was it would include the more sticky parts of that which Jesus was willing to do for others. 

Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.  Luke 9:23

This should put to rest the notion that salvation and discipleship are handled neatly in a moment’s decision at the end of a church service.  Jesus said take up your cross DAILY!

W. E. Orchard wrote:  It may take a crucified church to take a crucified Christ before the eyes of the world.  If a person is to be Christ-like, it will be through cross-bearing.  So, what’s the definition of cross-bearing? 

·       Attending church worship services in our comfortable seats, in air-conditioned sanctuaries is not cross-bearing. 

·       Paying our tithes and giving offerings is not cross-bearing. 

·       Serving on committees, or showing up for workdays isn't cross-bearing. 

Those acts of worship and service, doing things for others, are not bad or a waste of time.  True disciples do all that…and much more.  But cross-bearing is beyond just being kind or helpful, or committed to routines or rituals…it is the attitude Paul said Jesus had, being willing to die for others…people who didn’t have a clue how much of a gift was coming their way…even the ones who shouted out crucify him, and the ones who engineered having him nailed to the cross. 

So, what about us…those of us who claim to follow Him as disciples?  Do we have the Christ-likeness to give ourselves up for poor people in our county?  How about people of different skin color?  What about the unchurched and uncaring?  What about the dirty street people?  Beloved, following the Master in true cross-bearing, emptying oneself for the sake of another, is a far cry from deciding to fry chicken for Homecoming this year! 

For You Today

If you’ve ever been challenged at this point of discipleship, to become a cross-bearing follower of Jesus, you’ve also asked the question:  WHY?  Aside from the obvious (response to His loving death on a cross for you), there is another, most personal reason.  It has to do with the result of cross-bearing. 

So, let me tease you into tomorrow’s devotion:

If cross-bearing is the decision, crown-wearing is the destination.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!  

[1] Title image: Pixabay.com   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

Resting in Peace

 

Tuesday, April 26, 2022

For those who follow godly paths will rest in peace when they die.  Isaiah 57:2

“R.I.P.” (Rest in Peace) on a gravestone carries many messages.  Was it a hard life that now has no problems?  Some would say a body in a tomb is problematic.  Does the message convey doubt over whether the departed had unfinished buisness?  Who, indeed, could manage to handle all of life’s errors and omissions in the “cleanup phase” of one’s life?  Yet Isaiah says that “Godly paths” is the route to resting in that place of peace when your days are done.  Possibly the meaning of “Godly paths” is what another prophet, Micah, said about the Lord’s requiring us to walk the path of doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God.  Without doubt, caring for family is part of that trifold formula.  

My friend, and colleague, Bill, cared for his aged and dying father for many months.  On the night before his death, the disturbance from the other end of the house caused Bill to look-in on his Dad.  A nightmare had awakened the old man.  When Bill came into the room, his father looked straight at him and asked:  Are you alright?  Bill assured him, he was fine, and his Dad drifted right back off to sleep.  A few minutes later he stopped breathing. 

Hanging on, until the assurance your work is completed here on earth isn’t over-rated.  Rather, it’s assurance in two directions; there is comfort for the one who is dying, which allows passing peacefully, as well as comfort for those left behind that you were loved…and the story isn’t over.  It’s an anchor memory.

Courtesy Pixabay.com

I had that kind of personal experience with Ruby and her three dachshunds.  Cookie was the mama, a sleek, graying, 17 year old, with her two pups, Flip and Gerry, brother and sister, still in great health and vitality at 15.  Ruby was not in good health at all.  She lived alone for many years before she died.  Those three wiener-dogs were her family.  When Ruby sensed her time was coming she called me to her home for a “chat”.  It was something of an ambush of the wet-behind-the-ears new pastor.  Ruby put on that face that said:  Take pity on a poor widow, preacher.  Russell (…the easy mark he is..) caved and promised to take care of the herd of hot-dog dogs.  Having finished her last bit of earthly stewardship, Ruby Luhrs slipped into Jesus’ arms a few days later.  That was in 1983. 

After 40 years of retrospect, I can say that Ruby had a lot to do with teaching me the kind of pastoral care I wish I’d been better at…making sure, as Bill’s Dad demonstrated, that, even in the dying process we can extend the grace God has shown us, and entrusted to our care, by simple, open transfer of love. 

For You Today

When all is said and done, it isn’t the size of the bank account, or the magnificence of an estate you might leave to loved ones, but dwelling on what will express care for that which is meaningful, hands-on caring to alleviate suffering in this life, and hearts-on caring for the soul for all eternity.

That’s the very definition of walking humbly with your God.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!  

[1] Title image: Pixabay.com   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

Let This Mind Be in You

A confirmation message.

[1]

The Scripture that Dylan read a few minutes ago from Philippians, chapter two, what Paul wrote, to let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus[2].  I had a sermon, a WONDERFUL sermon prepared today.  On the way here God changed it; sometimes I hate it when He does that.  But God placed it upon my heart that everything about this confirmation was contained in that one sentence, let this mind be in YOU that was in Christ Jesus. 

The “mind of Christ” – that’s a strange sentence, isn’t it?  When Jesus was feeding the 5,000, what do you think the mind of Christ was doing at that moment?  What was he thinking about?  When he reached out and grabbed a leper by his diseased hand, what was His mind considering?  Jesus did some stuff that, I wonder, if we would ever do. 

Confirmation: the word itself means to make firm.  Have you ever ordered something online?  Yeah, I know; I should have said, during the first hymn, did you order anything online.  We do that all the time, right?  What do you get in an email 7 seconds later?  The Confirmation!  They’re telling you, YES…we got your order, and we are PLEASED to take your money…thank you very much!  That money would be out of your account before you even spoke.  Confirmation means something has happened.

In just a few moments we’re going to have this platform filled.  We are going to be confirming these young people.  We generally think of confirmation in the church as something the church does TO the young people; NO…this is what these young people are doing BEFORE God!  And so will we…we will be answering also (see the answers in the bulletin).  It says, do you, the congregation….  That’s you!  We are reaffirming our vows, but for these young people, for the first time, they’re making firm their vows publicly before God.  If you were here on March 27^th, we had a “wet experience” in the fellowship hall.  We baptized those young folks in the gigantic fish tank.  The early church identified as fish…it was kind of the secret handshake they drew in the sand to identify each other back when Christianity was illegal.  They were saying they were of one mind.  What mind?  The mind of Christ.  That’s what this is all about, they’re making firm their vow before God.

Look at those promises (vows) in the bulletin.  I want you to see that there are five of those promises that these young men will be saying “yes…we do…we will be supporting this church and its ministries by these five ways.  They’re saying what each of you members said when you became part of this church, that these five working parts of the Christian faith is the sermon challenge for each of us…those who took those vows in the past, those who are taking those vows today, and for those who will consider taking those vows in the future.

Let’s look at the first one

1.  We vow our Prayers

What we ask is, are you going to participate in the church’s ministries by your prayers?  We’re asking for that mind to be in Christ Jesus by doing what Jesus did, continually praying.  I had a friend who recently passed, who, years ago gave me an understanding of what the Apostle Paul meant when he wrote pray without ceasing.  She told me, Russell, I have so much to pray about I can never say Amen.  I thought, Donna, what in the world are you talking about?  She said, when you say ‘Amen’ that’s the end of the prayer, right?  I never stop praying; I have this conversation that’s going on with God all the time.  That is the issue with the praying promise…are you going to be joining with your fellow believers in this mind of prayer, which is the mind of Christ, and have an ongoing conversation with God…24/7 (I know that will keep you awake at nights, but He will let you sleep when it’s time to sleep).  So, by your prayers you are known.  Then…
2.  We vow our Presence

Your presence is exactly what you’re doing this morning…you’re here!  You’re showing up.  Isn’t that 90% of life, just showing up?  Once you get past that you can see what else (the other 10%) needs doing.  I’m not just talking about showing up in church; I’m talking about all of life.  Are you engaged?

There are two ideas about that business of “presence.”

a.     When you’re in school the teacher takes attendance.  She calls your name, and you answer, present.  That’s presence

b.    But what happens when the lecture gets boring a little later?  You’re not so present anymore, are you?  You kind of check-out sometimes.

To be “present” in terms of this vow is to be engaged in what God’s saying.  The preacher may have a message, or think he does, but God is speaking through the preacher’s words.  The question becomes, are you engaged enough with God in that message that it will go with you when you leave?  If you invite God to be Lord over your life, and not just Savior from spiritual death, He will go with you everywhere. 

Prayers, Presence, and then…
3.  We vow our Gifts

Stewardship…your tithes and offerings are the gifts we vow.  But there’s another sense in which gifts come into play.  The idea of stewardship is to be found faithful[3] with what you have been given.  This is a favorite theme of mine.  Whatever we are doing, wherever we find ourselves, at school, at home, at work, in the garden, fishing, going on vacation, all diverse ways of spending our time,  are we faithful stewards of the gifts we have been given?  Maybe you’ve been given the gift of discernment – you need to be on guard to look and see what is being said, or what is going on, so you can make discerned decisions and act according to what the mind of Christ demands.  If you’ve been given the gift of preaching, you ought not stay silent.

So, Prayers, Presence, Gifts, and there’s also…
4.  We vow our Service

Service is making sure you are faithful over the resources you’ve been given.  As a faithful steward your presence involves service.  It’s not just “onlooking.”  We are not just “onlookers” observing what happens in the world, we are hands-on!  Your service means you are willing to help other people.

These five words – five things we do as Christians, are the way we exercise our commitment to God, our vow, worked-out in daily life.  These are the true measurement sticks by which we monitor our progress of growing into Christlikeness.  There’s a fifth word…

5.  We vow our Witness

My understanding of “witness” is simply retelling your story, that which has happened to you.  To witness to someone is to tell that person what Christ has done in your life. 

Now, listen, I get the feeling – I get the sense, that, if you get the first four words right, that tells you you’re meeting the criteria for the fifth word.  For instance, if your prayer life is what it ought to be.  You’re in an ongoing conversation with Christ, and He’s talking back to you, speaking to your heart, moving you into serving, you’re going to be the kind of witness for Christ He needs, because that conversation with Jesus is not going to stay silent…it will come out of you. 

What about gifts?  If you are a faithful steward with what God has placed in your hands, to help other people in service, financially, or however God directs, then that, is a witness…is it not?  Where you are on a Sunday morning (presence) is also a testimony (witness) to other people.

Years ago I read a story about an elderly lady who had spent all her life in church.  And it was still going on.  Every Sunday morning she’d get up early, study her Sunday School lesson, get ready and walk the three blocks to church.  And every walk was past the same houses.  One of those houses, there was a guy who never darkened the doorstep of a church.  Each time the lady passed there he’d mutter, there she goes, church lady, goin’ t’ church, every Sunday…church, church, church!  After years of this it was finally enough.  She got up one Sunday, studied her lesson, got dressed and walked to church.  When she got in front of that house, he was at it again, there she goes, that church lady, goin’ t’ church, every Sunday…church, church, church!  She stopped, turned to him, and kindly said, that’s ok, friend…I got my priorities and you have yours; I just want God and everybody else to know whose side I’m on.

And that’s the point about witness.

Truly, I think, the most graphic, the most vivid demonstration of whether you’re on His side is your service.  It’s when there’s no question that, if someone needs an arm around the shoulder, your arm is ready.  It’s when you’re ready to take that five-dollar bill out of your wallet when you’ve only got two of them, and place it in the hand of that one who has nothing.  Offering to bring someone to church.  Offering to help someone rake their yard, or whatever needs doing.

So how do you do all that?  How do you get your prayers, your presence, your gifts, your service, and your witness all in line?  It works something like the picture of that “double tree.”

“Christ likeness” is the goal.  If friends, or a family, church, or even a nation would be unified, enjoying genuine fellowship, then Christ like is what we seek.

A great Bible scholar named A. J. Gordon wrote: 

Two little saplings grew-up side-by-side.  Through the action of the wind they crossed each other.  By and by each became wounded by the friction.  The sap began to mingle until one calm day they became attached.  Then the stronger began to absorb the weaker.  It became larger and larger, while the other withered and declined till it finally dropped away and disappeared.  And now there are two trunks at the bottom and only one farther up.  Death has taken away the one; life has triumphed in the other.

To become Christ-like, is to grow so close to Him that people see Him, and precious little of you.  This is unity, where the spirit of Christ has taken over.

Our goal is to grow into Christ in maturity, to be so much absorbed in Him that when people get to know you, or even just observe the way you live your life, they will become curious enough to ask the question:

Are you a Christian?

And what they’ll mean is…I believe you are a Christian…you’re like a picture of Him.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen!  

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[1] This sermon is transcribed from video, with minor edits for clarity

[2] Philippians 2:5

[3] Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.  1 Corinthians 4:2  

A Short Journey with Grief

 

Monday, April 25, 2022

If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.    

1 Corinthians 15:19

My friend and fellow-pastor, Charles, lost a dear friend some time ago, when she lost a struggle with incurable tumors.  Charles had become caregiver and counsellor to both Michelle and her parents.  It was an exhaustive battle that lasted more than a year.  You become weary driving hundreds of miles a week between Linwood and Durham.  With the doctors, Pastor Charles, and Michelle, a vibrant follower of Jesus Christ, waged a battle for her life.  Often it was only the bond of Christ that offered any hope or solace for what was coming.

Michelle died the week before Annual Conference for the Methodist Church.  Charles recalled:  I buried my friend on Sunday, left for annual conference on Monday, and played golf with my friend (Rick) on Tuesday instead of attending the meetings.  That day on the golf course, Charles was engulfed with guilt over doing something he normally enjoyed; it had only been two days since he buried his best friend. 

On one of the greens, Charles was preparing to putt, and 7 butterflies gathered around his feet and the golf ball.  He looked at his friend, Rick, and said:  It’s Michelle saying it’s ok.  The grief had been building for more than a year, as Charles was anticipating the loss of a treasured friend.  Suddenly it was released by the serendipitous gathering of butterflies.

So…was it Michelle?

There is a long human-family fascination with the beauty and presence of souls departed, and butterflies, which stretch across virtually all cultures and epochs of mankind’s search for meaning.  The Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and even Native American stories include religious accounts and beliefs of transformation, soul rebirth, resurrection, hope, and beauty personified in the winged harbingers of comfort we call butterflies:

The Blackfeet tribe believe butterflies are a conduit for peaceful dreams, and individuals use visual representations of butterflies to have a restful sleep.

The Aztecs believed the butterfly was a symbolic representation of the soul of the dead similar to other civilizations, but they also believed them to be symbols of resurrection and transformation.

Native American traditions are still followed to this day as every year, monarch butterflies migrate to Mexico around the Day of the Dead. The lore associates the butterflies with the returning souls of deceased ancestors and allows families to honor the souls and memory of their loved ones. [1]

Not everyone has an experience like my friend Charles and Rick shared that day with the butterflies on a North Carolina golf course.  But the comfort of a moment to release the weight of a year’s anticipatory grief, in the face of such loss, tells us it was certainly God at that moment caring for one of His own.

For You Today

If you’ve struggled with grief a little too long, I’m not recommending golf (it has its own struggle and brand of frustration).  I do commend, however, remembering we were never meant to live in these bodies forever. 

The worm, within its chrysalis stage of struggle and change, reminds us of transformation, where everything beautiful and ugly (or painful) in this life is made holy and eternal by the God who is behind, above, below, and alongside every sufferer.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!  

[1] Title image: Pixabay.com   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©  

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[1] This and following historical lore:  Symbolism of the Butterfly