Real Answers for Real Questions

Years ago, I watched a powerful scene from the TV show ER. In the scene, an older man is battling cancer and doesn’t have long to live. A hospital chaplain visits to try and offer some comfort. The patient begins confessing mistakes and things he regrets about his past. He says he knows he is at the end of his life and is afraid. He asks the chaplain what he can do to be forgiven by God.

The chaplain is well trained in providing care to people of all faiths. Instead of answering the patient’s questions, the chaplain asks more questions – much like a psychologist. When pressed for an answer, the chaplain says, “I think it is up to each one of us to interpret what God wants.” Frustrated with the nebulous answer, the patient begs for a chaplain who will answer his question. With tears in his eyes, he pleads, “I need someone who will look me in the eyes and tell me how to find forgiveness ‘cause I’m running out of time!”

I want to assure you, Faith Center, that true forgiveness is possible and it is found in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, became human and took the punishment of sin on our behalf. He was crucified for the sins of the world and when we call on Him, we are forgiven. The book of Hebrews describes this well: “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."

As you worship this morning, seek and find forgiveness in Jesus Christ. A past of regret need not influence your future. When you call on Jesus, there is nothing to fear in life or death. Whatever stage we are at in life, that is the answer we are all looking for.

Learning to Follow

For generations, cowboys trained wild horses by forcing horses into submission. This is often referred to it as “breaking a horse.” Through a series of exercises, the cowboy forces a horse wear a saddle, yield to a bridle, take direction from a rider, and so on.

More recently, a rodeo cowboy named Monty Roberts developed a different method of training. Roberts studied the body gestures of horses and tried to communicate on the horse’s terms. Roberts invited horses to follow him using their means of communication. Rather than forcing them into submission, Roberts encourages horses to willingly follow his lead. It worked. Roberts became known the world over as a horse whisperer.

In similar, but much more meaningful ways, God invites us to follow Him. God speaks to us in our language through His Son Jesus. Jesus encourages us to willingly choose Him and follow His way. Jesus describes it well in the Gospel of Matthew: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Jesus seeks to build us up rather than break us down.

As you worship this week, take time to follow Jesus’ lead. When you pray, take time to listen. If you journal, ask yourself where the Lord might be leading you. Then, write down some possible answers. Look at your life as one big opportunity for following Jesus. As you do, you will see that the Lord is a gentle and loving teacher. You will also find the life God created you for.

He is Risen Indeed!

Many Christians include a traditional greeting in their Easter celebration.  One Christian greets the other by saying, “He is risen!”  The other returns the greeting by saying, “He is risen, indeed!”

He is risen, indeed.  The dictionary defines the word indeed like this: in fact, in truth…in reality.  A Christian saying, “He is risen indeed” is basically saying, He is risen in reality.  That is an important tidbit to hold onto when celebrating Easter.

We can be tempted to celebrate Easter like it isn’t a reality.  We think of Jesus as a person who lived a long time ago, disconnected from our lives.  We remember that Jesus got up from the dead like a history lesson.  In doing so, we forget that Jesus is still alive.  Because Jesus got up, Jesus is at work in the here and now – in our reality.           

           

Because we forget this truth, the old Christian greeting reminds us that Jesus is risen indeed.  Jesus’ resurrection shapes our reality today.  Death is no longer the ultimate end of our lives.  Jesus is.  The grave is not the end of our story.  Jesus is.  For Christians, the resurrection is not a myth or tradition, but a reality that changes every aspect of who we are and how we live.

As you worship Jesus this Easter, worship Him in the reality and truth of His resurrection.  He is alive and present in the His Holy Spirit.  He is continuing His resurrection work in the world around us.  Lives are being saved.  People are being healed.  Death is overcome.   All of this is true because He is risen.  He is risen, INDEED!

Give Up!

I loved wrestling with my cousins when I was a kid.  We would pretend we were G.I. Joes, ninjas, the Dukes of Hazard, and a million other things.  Regardless of the fantasy, it always led to a wrestling match.  Because I am a poor wrestler, I always lost.  Every wrestling match ended with me yelling, “I give up!  I give up!”

By yelling, “I give up,” I was signaling several things all at once.  I was admitting that I was helpless.  I was pleading for mercy (my cousin wouldn’t stop rubbing my face into the ground until I gave up).  I was giving control of the situation to my (much tougher) cousin.

We can treat our relationship with God like a childish wrestling match.  We envision God trying to overpower us and impose His will on us.  We think that we need to out maneuver God in order to make choices for ourselves.  Then, God pins us down, we give up, and let God have control of our lives.  But, God doesn’t work like that.

One of the last things that Jesus says to His disciples on earth is this: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me,” (Matthew 28:18).  The power is already God’s.  He does not have to wrestle it from us.  God Almighty does not need to force His will on us.  From the get go, He has the authority.  We “give up” by simply accepting an already existing fact:  Jesus is Lord.

As we worship this week, we are letting God know, “We give up!”  The entire reason we are here today is to give up (sacrifice) to the fact the Jesus is Lord.  We read scriptures that remind us that we are helpless.  We sing songs that state our need for mercy.  We pray prayers giving control to God.  In doing so, we are not giving up because God forced us to.  We are simply declaring what has always been true:  Jesus is Lord!

Basketball and the Sacred Mission of Worship

A couple years ago, Beren Academy from Houston, Texas had a great basketball season. Their high school team won the regional championship and qualified to play in the state semifinals. Despite all the success, the team forfeited the game. 

Robert M. Beren Academy is an Orthodox Jewish day school and the semifinals were scheduled for a Friday night at 9pm. Jews worship God from sundown Friday night through sundown Saturday night, thus creating a conflict. Though the team had a shot at moving to the state championship, they prioritized their worship. A Rabbi from the school described their decision in saying this: “The sacred mission will trump excellence in the secular world.”

Obviously, as Christians, our belief allows for the occasional basketball game on our day of worship (Sunday). But as I read about Beren Academy’s decision, I wondered what we sacrifice for our mission to worship Jesus. When we look out our lives, where does our sacred mission trump excellence in the secular world?

Some might look at Beren Academy’s decision and call it legalism. But I don’t know if our culture’s problem is legalism (especially when it comes to observing the Sabbath). I admire the team’s decision. In a world where work, sport, vacation, family obligations, and even the Sunday paper tempt us to miss worship regularly, a group of high school kids prioritized their sacred mission to honor God.

This morning, let me encourage you let the sacred mission of worshiping Jesus Christ trump the many distractions our world has to offer.  We don’t do this to earn our salvation, but we worship because our salvation is earned in Christ.  In the end, the value of Him and His work on the cross trumps anything this world has to offer.  Praise the Lord!

Technology and the Lord Our God

On March 8th, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 went missing during a routine flight to Beijing, China. Watching reports about the disappearance, I heard more questions than answers. How does a huge plane, filled with people, disappear? We live in a world of advanced radar systems, satellite surveillance, in flight wi-fi, and cell phones. How can we lose track of something so important? Those are all fair questions.

With the story still unfolding, we are reminded that we are not as in control as we think we are. Technology can accomplish wonderful things. But, it doesn’t deserve our complete trust and devotion. We can still be lost.

The Psalm writer says it well, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.” Referring the technology of her/his day, the Psalmist announces (s)he will ultimately trust in the Lord. We could say the same in our day and age: “Some trust in search engines and ATMs, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”

This week, place your trust in the Lord our God. Trust in the one who truly saves. As you do, you will find hope in a God who is truly trustworthy. You will find hope in the one who makes what was lost found.

The Navy Seals and Self Sacrifice

I’ve heard a lot of great stories about the Navy Seals.  This elite military unit has been celebrated in everything from comic books to blockbuster movies.  This week, I read a story that I didn’t expect.

The Wall Street Journal published an article by a former Navy Seal describing some of what it takes to survive the grueling training required to become a Seal.  The former Seal said that service of others was the key ingredient to becoming a member of America’s elite military unit.  He wrote, “Almost all the men who survived (Seal training) possessed one common quality. Even in great pain, faced with the test of their lives, they had the ability to step outside of their own pain, put aside their own fear and ask: How can I help the guy next to me? They had more than the "fist" of courage and physical strength. They also had a heart large enough to think about others, to dedicate themselves to a higher purpose.”

That has an almost biblical ring to it.  Sacrifice for the sake of others trumps the “fist of courage and physical strength.”  In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus says, “But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."  For Christians, our greatest victories come through sacrifice and service of others.

As you go through the coming week, look for opportunities to sacrifice and serve others.  Give your spouse some time off, doing extra things to free them up.  Help a co-worker for no other reason than to make their job easier.  Volunteer to help a neighbor with a project.  Focus on – and serve – others as a way to serve Jesus.  As you do, you will find strength for the day.  And, ultimately, you will find strength in Christ.