Unanimous

So that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (Ephesians 4:14-16 ESV). I heard what I thought was a very funny commercial on the radio the other day. The announcer was discussing something with a fictional organization he called “Unanimous Anonymous.” It was a support group patterned after “Alcoholics Anonymous,” but for people who always agreed with you. I was so funny that I don’t have the slightest idea what product and/or brand name they were promoting. However, this ad reminded me of people who always agree with everything you say, whether they mean it or not. These are the “golden retrievers” of life who always want to please you. They will give you the answer they think you want. They fall over backwards to help you even when you don't want their help. Or give you things you don't even want. I'm sure you've met one or two in your life. Sometimes these people are untrue to their own self because they are very insecure and have an over-zealous need to please just about everybody in a vain attempt to get approval which they substitute for love. Sometimes they don't have a healthy sense of self-love and acceptance. The reality is that until we can love and accept ourselves in a healthy way, we cannot fully love and accept anyone else because we can't give what we don't have. The way we grow in self-love starts by getting real; that is, by being honest with ourselves and admitting that we feel insecure and don't have a healthy sense of self-love and acceptance. Once I admit that I feel insecure, I can stop trying to prove to myself that I'm okay and get off the endless merry-go-round of trying to please everyone. This can be incredibly liberating. Furthermore, it's the only way I can do anything about my problem. Then I need to admit how I really feel to at least one or two trusted, non-judgmental and supportive friends who won't judge me or tell me I shouldn't feel the way I do. (I feel the way I do because of who I am which has nothing to do with whether I should or shouldn't feel the way I feel. When I am courageously open and honest about myself with these trusted friends and they love and accept me exactly as I am, little by little in time I learn to love and accept myself. It also helps to realize that God loves and accepts us exactly as we are. But he also loves us too much to leave us as we are. He wants us to grow and become whole so his love can flow freely through us to others. However, until we love and accept ourselves God's love is blocked or hindered from flowing freely through us.

Dry Inside and Out

They made their hearts diamond-hard lest they should hear the law and the words that the LORD of hosts had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great anger came from the LORD of hosts. (Zechariah 7:12 ESV). One of my favorite movies is The Godfather. If you have ever watched any of the three in the trilogy you may remember the scene in Part III when the Godfather, Don Corleone, is forced to visit the distinguished Cardinal Lamberto to tell him the bad news that a legitimate business deal involving the Vatican Bank has gone bad. The Archbishop and a coalition of Catholic businessmen run the bank. The Cardinal listens to the Godfather; then he says something quite profound. He picks up a stone and says, “Look at this stone. It has been lying in the water for a very long time. The water has not penetrated it.” Then he smashes the stone. “Look,” he says peering at the smashed insides of the stone, “perfectly dry. The same thing,” the Cardinal continues, “has happened to men in Europe. They have been surrounded by Christianity for centuries, but Christ does not live in their hearts.” This is exactly what happened at the Temple in Jesus' time. There were people there who had been surrounded by the Temple for years, but the God of the Temple had not been allowed to enter their lives nor penetrate their hearts. They had the form of godliness, but not the real thing (cf. 2 Timothy 3:5). Many people attempt to hide from God in church or in some religious ritual. And like so many in Jesus' day the hardest hearts may not be among the ungodly, but among the religious who have all the outward trappings of the godly, but their hearts, like stones, are hard and cold, and they know not God. Very interesting too that the Apostle Paul wrote "there will be terrible times in the last days. People will be … without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them" (cf. 2 Timothy 3:1-5). How dry are you? I do believe that we are living in unusual days. They may be the last days spoken of in the Scripture. Whether they are or not, we cannot deny the importance of turning our attention to Christ. Surrounding ourselves with the trappings of religion is the worst mistake we may make. The reality of Christ in our lives is the only means to true happiness. Start fresh today and invite the Holy Spirit into your inner being. Let the presence of God transform your thoughts and actions. It will amaze you what a difference it will make.

On a Leash

And he said, “Woe to you lawyers also! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. (Luke 11:46 ESV). I am so thankful for the peace and freedom that God has given me. That thought is even more vivid this morning as I remember the days before our dog, Cruise, died. It was necessary that I walk him on his leash each morning. You could see me as I patiently waited for him to do the necessary things that dogs do on walks. In his younger, healthier years he would sniff the grass, deposit some items, checked out a shrub or flower, and prance his way down the walk. I realized how unlike a dog he was. If Cruise were not on the leash, he would be running, rolling, and dashing off. I began to think of the necessity of the leash. A couple thoughts came to mind. Domestication for dogs in captivity is necessary. Domesticating a dog is training it to be a little less like a dog and a little more like a human. Domesticating is also training the human to be a little more mindful the dog has needs and is never going to be human. We as humans keep animals in an unnatural environment, mostly indoors, and in the box that we call home which is "our" comfort level. We want companionship at a level that is convenient for us which causes unnatural rules and behavior for the animals we keep. Jesus blended into the common people and met them where they were bringing freedom to the captive. For people like a blind man at a city gate, a woman at a well, and a man that had been dead for three days Jesus gave them all they had ever wanted. From what we know of Jesus' daily life he had no set schedule, instead as He went about His day He gave the people that He came on their hearts wants. Jesus did not have a special appearance but instead looked like those who were common. When was the last time that we gave someone their hearts desire simply because they asked for it? No leashes, no laws, no stipulations, only that which they want more than anything else and everything to carry out that desire. Have you received your hearts desire lately? I wonder if when we do things for people we do them with only our agenda and goals in mind. Is it that we only do for others so we get something out of it ourselves? Look at Jesus’ message to the religious rulers of his time in our reading again. They were only thinking of themselves and not the people that they were serving. It is interesting that it was the common people who recognized Jesus for whom He was and the religious leaders, full of biblical knowledge who nailed Jesus to a cross. Is it possible for us to make an acquaintance with a person and our only motive being to serve them with what they need and want, never mentioning our position, our knowledge, or our needs? Meeting human needs was a daily activity that Jesus was consistent in and still is today. The religious leaders were full of book knowledge but when it came to meeting human needs, they crushed the people beneath religious demands but never willing to help. Will you be a person who becomes a common person not bound up in religious laws and controls and instead brings freedom to those who are in need of a miracle? Be a person who makes your daily activities meeting human needs, giving God glory through your serving.

Product Branding

Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:1-6 ESV). Many years ago I was a part of an advertising group. It was called a “Local Marketing Group.” It was composed of the Dealers and/or General Managers of most of the Chevrolet dealerships in the DFW market area. One of the topics we discussed was product branding. That is the process of advertising that makes the product so recognizable that when a consumer sees an image they automatically think of a specific product. One of the best examples is the “Golden Arches.” Just about everyone who sees that symbol knows that they represent McDonalds. That’s branding. In one of our meetings we heard from an author named Faith Popcorn. Faith Popcorn is well known to people in marketing. In fact, Fortune Magazine called her "the Nostradamas of marketing." She has a phenomenal track record for predicting the future trends that are going to effect our lives. In her book, she listed several trends. One that was very intriguing she called anchoring. She described the search for something we can count on to anchor our lives in an increasingly uncertain and unpredictable world. She said, "There is a new trend about the inner spirit called anchoring. The search for life's anchor is a must for filling the void that so many are feeling. We're looking for ourselves, our lost souls. A relationship with the divine, may be the ultimate expression of anchoring." Does that sound like anything that's going on inside of you? I think we know that the anchor is going to be a person, an anchor relationship that we know will be permanent. Often the word "anchor" wouldn't describe our relationships for the most part. Many relationships today would better be described as superficial, disappointing. The result is a deepening loneliness. The writer of our reading today states the “branding” strategy of Christianity. We ought to be known as people who love one another. If ever there was a need for us to support and encourage one another; it is this day in which we live. What is your relationship to others? How does your church practice “anchoring”? It really is not just an advertising ploy. It is the heart of the Gospel. We should be known as a people of love!

The Blood of the Lamb

Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands—remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. (Ephesians 2:11-18 ESV). The beautiful, green hills of New Zealand, a country known for its sheep industry, are dotted everywhere with white sheep. During the yearly lambing season, thousands of baby lambs are born. Unfortunately, some lambs die at birth. Many mother sheep are also lost during lambing season; they die giving birth. In an attempt to save the orphaned lambs, the shepherds match baby lambs that have lost their mothers with mother sheep who have lost their lambs. It's not as easy as it sounds, though, since a mother sheep won't accept a lamb and nurse it unless it is her own. They use a very interesting method to induce the ewes to accept the orphaned lambs. The process is as old as shepherding itself. The mother's own lamb, which has died, is skinned, and the skin of the dead lamb is draped over the living lamb as it is placed by the adoptive mother's side. The mother sheep then smells the skin and accepts the orphaned lamb as her own. From that moment on there is an unbreakable bond established. Lambing season in New Zealand reminds us of what was done for us on a cross two thousand years ago. When the Apostle John wrote of being saved by "the blood of the Lamb," it was in terms that people in agrarian societies vividly understood. The Apostle Paul emphasized this in our reading this morning. Because of Christ's blood, God accepts us as His own. Once we were orphans, but now we are God's adopted children. What a marvelous thought to end this week with! We had no parents until God through Jesus Christ adopted us. The only hope we had was that of death and all of its pain. Now through Christ we have the hope of eternal life as the children of God. That is the adoption we have received in the grace of God extended to us in the death of Jesus.

Transfiguration

And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only. (Mark 9:2-8 ESV). The Transfiguration of Jesus is one of the most spectacular events recorded in the Gospels. The word transfiguration really means metamorphosis. It is about change! The times of change in our lives are often difficult and always stressful. A few years ago, I took a little test at a workshop about the various things that had been happening in my life. Some of them were positive, like receiving an award; others were not so positive, like the loss of a relative or other difficult changes. When the workshop participants had completed the test, numbers were given to each of the items we had checked and we were asked to total our scores. If we had scored above 150, we learned that we were experiencing a lot of stress in our lives. I won’t disclose my score, but I can tell you it indicated there were a lot of changes going on in my life that year! The positive things that happen in our life – positive changes – provide stress as well as the negative things. I had never suspected that. But it makes sense. All change provides some sort of stress. Even the positive things that happen in our lives do. There are so many changes, so many adjustments that we are called on to make in our lives. At times, it seems overwhelming and difficult. However, life is about “transfiguration.” There are new friends, new experiences, and new challenges with each new day. So many of the experiences are wonderful. Some are difficult. All are stressful. I have learned, through all the changes of life, the important lesson that it is not necessary to go through any stressful change alone. For people of faith, there are spiritual resources through prayer and meditation that provide a sense of a shared journey with God. For Christians, there is a very real sense that Jesus has gone before us in all the things that we face, and that our trust in him assures us that we, too, can prevail over any obstacle. That’s the message in our reading this morning: “This is my beloved Son. Listen to Him.” As wonderful as it was to see Moses and Elijah, they were merely secondary to Jesus! There is no need to be alone. Ever!

Out of the Mouths of Babes

He who has ears to hear, let him hear. “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.” Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.” At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.” (Matthew 11:15-26 ESV). One of the more lovable men on TV is weatherman Al Roker on the "Today" show. I am sure you have noticed how much weight he has lost. In an interview some time ago, he said that he weighed in at over 300 pounds, at only 5' 8". The radical surgery he underwent was done after a lengthy process of examination. He had tried many diets and exercise programs over the years, but none of them seemed to work. I had wondered what had caused him to go through such extreme measures. When I heard the interview, I understood very clearly. It seems his daughter saw him without a shirt one day and remarked at how big he was. It was the kind of remark only a young child could get away with, in their innocence. The Bible has a wonderful story that emphasizes this truth (cf. Genesis 5). "When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah." It says, "after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years. Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. Enoch walked with God." Enoch lived for the first 65 years of his life with no mention of a relationship with God. Then, suddenly, he starts walking with God, and continues to have this intimate relationship with his Creator for the rest of his life. What was the catalyst that changed Enoch? The same thing that changed Al, it was his child. There is something about a child that makes you start thinking about yourself in ways you may not have thought before. They have a way of seeing the truth without any encumbrances. That’s the impact of the truth in our reading this morning. We need that kind of truth in our lives to measure ourselves. When we do, usually we consider looking to God, as we may have never done before. That brings us to a cry of "Help." The good news is that God stands ready to answer our cry for help. Let the simplicity of the Scripture show you the weight of your own self-centeredness, your unresolved issues, your dark side. In spite of your sin, God loves you and He wants to walk with you. The Bible says, "You who were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ." It is so simple and yet so often overlooked!