Jesus Went To The Missionfield

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Instead, he gave up his divine privileges. He [Jesus] took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. Philippians 2:7

I’ve witnessed the pain a parent feels when their child boards a plane for far off places. The mission field beckons with all of its rewards and its dangers. The parents can’t foretell the future so they are not certain they will see their child again. They grieve as if they might not. Yet, they rejoice that some future reunion will ultimately be an eternal one.

Christian parents know it won’t be easy. The more hostile the culture to Christianity, the more danger their child faces. There will be want, discouragement, defeat, even threats of persecution. There will also be mountaintops, spiritual victories, and unexpected miracles. Does God understand a parent’s misgivings and broken heart when goodbyes are said? Yes, He experienced it firsthand.

The Trinity had always been together, functioning in perfect harmony from before time. Their synergy is described in terms of a rhythmic slow dance. They moved in perfect sync. Each had a clearly defined role and the execution of them was achieved without the slightest hint of friction.

Imagine how their rhythm was disrupted when the Son left the Trinity to go to His mission field. Intimacy was disrupted as the Son became a child in Mary’s womb. God, the Father, bade His Son goodbye and watched Him leave. God was able to see into the future. There was no fear of the unknown but there was pain. He knew what awaited His child. He envisioned the 40 days of temptation in the desert. He knew Lucifer intimately and could predict the all out war that would be waged. God knew who would accept Jesus as the Messiah. He knew the faces of those who would openly reject Him, too. He foresaw the close calls; the brushes with death as crowds plotted to kill Jesus. He meticulously planned each way of escape to ensure that His Son would fulfill His mission at Calvary. And yes, the Father also rejoiced, in advance, over the disciples that would be called and mentored. He looked down through the ages and saw an unstoppable church on the move. It would be battered but it would prevail. He saw it all and He felt what human parents feel at their child’s departure. Joy and agony.

As Mary welcomed her newborn Messiah, God had just said goodbye to a part of Himself. From a human perspective, the plan was ludicrous and treacherous. From a divine perspective, there was no other way. The love story of the ages was being written. It was the only way His estranged creation could be restored to paradise.

Father, You gave it all up too. Thank you for counting the cost and deciding that Your creation was worth loving so recklessly. Amen

What Age Is The Jesus You Worship?

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And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.  Luke 2:40

Few people are offended by Baby Jesus unless you’re Herod and feel the need to defend your crown at all costs.  Overall, it’s non-threatening to consider kneeling at a manger where Baby Jesus lay sleeping.  He has not yet opened His mouth to speak.

Worship became more challenging however as Jesus grew and His wisdom cut across the grain of people’s sinful natures.  Jesus was full of wisdom, Luke reported, and His sinless perfection made itself evident when He opened His mouth to speak.

I heard a great definition for wisdom the other day.  I can’t give credit to the teacher because I turned on the radio in the middle of the program.  He said, “Wisdom is knowing what Jesus would do when there is no biblical precedent.” Jesus always knew the right thing to do in any given situation.  In the dailyness of life, the places where tempers were short, selfishness reigned, angry words were spoken, and kids acted like kids and played cruel jokes on each other, Jesus never sinned – and probably confronted sin – even as a child.  Were there moments when even Mary’s worship was difficult?  I suspect so.  Her sinfulness was constantly exposed in the presence of her perfect Son.

In John 6, Jesus knows He has offended His disciples with the truth.  Many of His followers left Him that day and He asks His friends if they want to leave too.  He knows that truth repels and discipleship is costly.

As I bow at the manger to worship this Christmas, I renew my vows to worship the Infant, the Christ-child, and the God-man who came to show me the Father and guide me into all truth.  As 2018 approaches, I will worship when I love His words and they make me feel good and I vow to also worship when His words are hard and upsetting.   I know that I need to worship most when I am offended the most.

Jesus, You shaped Your world, even as a child.  You were Lord, even in a manger.  You have my worship in all the hard places.  Amen

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The Waiting Room

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How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?  I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. Psalm 13:1-2,5

The theme of waiting saturates the whole redemption story. God waited a long time to send a Savior after the fall of Adam and Eve. Did they look for Jesus after they were banished from the garden? If they understood the prophetic words God spoke over them, they did. They had known the love of the Father in the garden, and though the consequences of their sin were staggering, I’ve no doubt they knew that God would come to save them.

In their lifetime, however, He didn’t come. Though He made a way for their sins to be covered through the sacrifice of innocent animals, it wasn’t the same as a Savior coming to take away their sin and restore them to paradise. In fact, things just got worse. Their descendants saw evil compounded. The god of this world took center stage as He appeared to be the one who controlled everything. Where was God? Where was the promised Savior?

‘How long, O Lord?’ was the cry of the ages. Injustice, suffering, and havoc created by an enemy who relished destruction appeared to have the last word as God’s people waited for their Messiah. It appeared that He was late and uncaring. Their lament through the ages filled His ears, but so did their well-ordered proclamations of faith. They endured the scourges of many enemies and captivity in Babylon. They saw the destruction of their beautiful temple, waited four hundred more years through an interminable period of silence, and then bent under the weight of Roman rule before Jesus finally came. Their cries for rescue were so desperate that they couldn’t recognize the Miracle when He arrived. Never could they guess that their answer was a sleeping baby in an animal’s cradle.

Today, we are in a new waiting period. Emmanuel came once, stayed a while, but promised that He would come again. Though we saw the mystery unveiled partly at Bethlehem, mankind – and the earth he has destroyed – has not yet been restored to its original condition. Why is God, again, waiting so long to rescue? How can He restrain Himself from coming when evil is rampant upon the earth? The nature of waiting is to have unanswered questions. The challenge of waiting is to find the spiritual grit to make proclamations of faith while we scan the horizon for His appearing.

In every way you might be watching for His salvation this Christmastime, do not let Your trust in God be shaken. Rest in the mystery of His timetable. Grieve – but not without faith. Expect ~ but without a sense of entitlement. Question ~ but not with a fist. History will always reveal that love prevailed in the waiting.

You don’t always come sweeping in to make a grand statement. Many miss the salvation of a Bethlehem moment. Don’t let it be me. Amen

Unknown Impact

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When [they shepherds] had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child. Luke 2:17
 
What a person experiences after a spiritual mountaintop is often withheld from a storyline. After the shepherds saw the heavens open, and after they found Jesus, and after they witnessed what they saw, what happened next? Did they continue to believe? Did they keep track of Jesus until his parents took him to Egypt? We’re not told. 
 
But we know the nature of faith and the nature of mountaintops and valleys. We know that not all the shepherds would have gone on to worship God with their lives. Holy moments dim with time. Daily living consumes.  Holy moments are rare.  Holy men who experience them and then go on to finish well are even rarer.
 
My own storyline has been dotted with more God moments than I deserved, and yet, they didn’t always carry me through the dark times.  There were moments I still doubted and battled hopelessness. It wasn’t that I didn’t remember the mountaintops. I did. But I couldn’t connect with them like I did just after they happened. 
 
We’ll never know how many shepherds were on the hillside. We’ll never know if all of them left to go to Bethlehem. We’ll never know if they were all equally impacted by the baby in the manger. And we’ll never know how many went on to live changed lives from that time forward. But some did. God picks who will be privileged to witness the supernatural. For some of them, it will be the defining moment that forever changes the direction of their lives.
 
Take me back to the moments I need to review to be strengthened and re-purposed. Amen

He Gives and He Withholds

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Vast caravans of camels will converge on you, the camels of Midian and Ephah.  The people of Sheba will bring gold and frankincense and will come worshiping the Lord.  Isaiah 60:6

God’s children have difficulty predicting what answered prayer will look like.  Because our view is limited, we struggle with prayer.  We wrestle with God and wonder if He will, indeed, give us what is good.  To believe that all His decisions are driven by love requires faith.

Never was this more true than in the Christmas story.  God provided clues of His loving-kindness in some instances but left us looking for them in others.  Like ~ He could have ensured a more comfortable journey to Bethlehem for a woman about to give birth.  He could have inspired wealthy travelers to feel compassion for her and extend generosity.

The struggles and the miracles in the life of Jesus continued all the way to His resurrection.  We saw God’s supply but also the restraining hand of God as His Son suffered many things.  In this, our own faith is challenged.  Can we call Him ‘good’ after a trail of hardships and tragedies?

I have seen the miraculous in my life.  So have you.  God showed up in unexpected places with just what I lacked.  I prayed for help, and God came swiftly.  I have also waited a long time for other things before seeing an answer.  I don’t know why He waited, but when He finally did move, I can tell you that it felt like the right time. In the waiting room of prayer, waiting was not my enemy, though it sure felt like it.   God knew the benefits as my spiritual grit was increased, scripture was explored, faith was exercised, patience was learned, and a greater compassion for others was born.

Both you and I have an unanswered prayer today.  God will break through with saving power and redemption for each of them.  If not today, then one day.

When You save, Lord, I will thank You for doing all things well. Amen

Jesus Connects Me With History

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Nearly every time the Apostle Paul gave a defense for the Gospel, he didn’t start with the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.  Since most of his accusers were Jewish leaders, he was intent on showing them that Jesus was connected to their scriptures.  The Torah, which they embraced and knew front to back, had predicted his coming.  Why was this important to the Jews?  Because it’s hard to leave everything familiar and embark on something new. 

And it wasn’t necessary where the Jews were concerned, though it might have felt like that.  As they held the Torah and the writings of the prophets in their hands, they needed to know that it was the revelation of Jesus Christ.  To believe in Him was to complete their faith, to be like Abraham, looking ahead for the Lamb of God and finding Him in Jesus. The revelation of Jesus in Bethlehem was connected to the plot line in Eden when Adam and Eve sinned.  Everything in between followed God’s storyline.  May I not be like the Jews who failed to recognize Jesus when He stood in front of them. 

I give up all my doubts for faith, my logic for Your wisdom. Don’t let me miss You.  Amen

Baby Was A Shepherd

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When an ancient king from the east made a trek through a desert landscape, the way was prepared beforehand by his people.  The road was inspected, repaired if needed, and all that would harm or obstruct his journey was removed.

Jesus came to prepare the way for His flock to walk the path to His kingdom.  The little Shepherd who napped in the manger would be the One who would make crooked paths straight.  He would be the caretaker of the inside world of those He loves.  He would expose sin, the sin that destroys us.  He would inspire repentance, the deep apology and heart change that restores life.  He would point to each crooked place in the human heart in order to make the paths straight without painful detours.  He would cheer on those who limped. He would pick up the lame until they could walk again.  He would help the feeble, working within each nuance of their emotional and spiritual limitations.  This little Shepherd would shepherd perfectly.  No one would be overlooked and not one under His care would have a reason to live in shame and dwell in hiding.

He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.  Isaiah 40:11 

The Fixer

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All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ.  2 Corinthians 5:18

What a package of explosive potential lay in the manger.  He was the little Lamb and the little Shepherd, each one offering life altering implications for those who needed a Lamb slain for their sin and for those who were lost and needed a shepherd to show them the way home. 

Oh, but Baby Jesus could do far more than that.  He was also the little Reconciler who had the power to bring together two enemies and make them, not only compatible but, intimate.  Reconciliation rarely has such stunning outcomes.  It is one thing to bring together two parties who are at odds over an issue.  It is quite another thing to cause two people, far apart in every way, to eagerly join hands and become one in their thinking and feeling. 

Oh, how deep was the fracture in the Garden of Eden.  God had made man perfectly.  It was he who wanted more, who bought the Serpent’s lie, and then opened his mind to evil.  It was a world he was not created to understand nor be compatible with.  Yet, evil corrupted him and he began to choose everything that God wouldn’t choose and to think all things God wouldn’t think. Alienation ensued and the two were separated by a great gulf.  God’s answer was to send a Reconciler who could also be the Lamb to forgive sin and restore the sinner to what he once was ~ holy before God.   

The baby didn’t automatically reconcile enemies at His birth.  God’s timetable moves slowly.  It took thousands of years for God to send this Lamb.  It would take thirty-three years more for the Lamb to die for the sins that separated mankind from His Father.  But how necessary the three decades were.  The only way for people to trust the Lamb would be to watch Him live, hear Him speak, and experience God’s love, grace, and mercy through direct interaction.  His Light would woo sinners and warm up their icy relationship.  Despite the beauty of this picture, not all would come to hate their sin and mourn their estrangement however.

Ah, but for the ones who did, life would be different.  There would be complete compatibility, impeccable restoration, and perfect reconciliation with the Father who waited, once again, to walk with His children in the garden of paradise.

If there is tension in our relationship, it can be fixed now.  Thank you, Jesus. Amen

Oh, What They Saw!

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You made him lower than the angels for a short time; You crowned him with glory and honor and subjected everything under his feet. Hebrews 2:7-8 

The angels were with God before the earth was created.

The angels were with God when he touched this dead planet and everything barren and brown turned green with promise.

The angels watched as Adam took his first breath and as Eve joined him to walk in perfect love.

The angels watched God walk with Adam in the Garden and felt the wonder of God giving man dominion over all living things.

The angels watched as Adam and Eve turned mutinous.  They saw God’s heart break when paradise disintegrated.

The angels pondered the news throughout Israel’s history that a Messiah was coming.  Did they know it would be Jesus?

The angels watched the ebb and flow of obedience and disobedience, blessing and judgement.  Loving righteousness, they wept with their Sovereign.

The angels quickened at the news that Mary was chosen to birth God’s Son. Michael, one of their own, had a story to tell.  Perhaps he prepared them for a cataclysmic change.

The angels were sent to sing and announce the birth of the One they had served throughout time.  He would lie in a manger instead of sit on a throne.

The angels rushed to Jesus’ side in the wilderness.  They served him there just as faithfully as they had in heaven.  They ministered to His frailty; hunger, thirst, and discouragement.

The angels saw Jesus’ miracles and having witnessed much greater things, they thought to themselves, “People haven’t seen anything yet!”

The angels watched the world reject Love.  They saw their King beaten, scourged, and crucified.  I believe the throngs of heaven wept in disbelief.

The angels witnessed and took part in the resurrection.  Their Jesus was glorified and was coming back home.  Was there feasting, singing, and dancing?

The angels celebrated as new children of God were born.  They trembled with joy when they heard the sons of men call their God, “Abba.” 

How could such a thing happen?  A Holy God chose to take on flesh and make Himself lower than the angel’s estate.  The world witnessed humility being defined by incarnation.

They have seen it all, Lord.  They are witnesses to Your glory.  They are still active serving us because of Your love.  Is someone entertaining one today?  Are they singing to the one who is reading this – the one who is weak and afraid?  Are they fighting for another who reads these words and has dropped her hands in battle?  Don’t let me lose the wonder of worlds I can’t see but the worlds You still rule.  I am safe in the arms of Love no matter how chaotic it all appears.  You hold me fast, Good Father.  Amen

Overtaken

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The concept was unbelievable. A timeless, omnipotent, powerful, holy God chose to confine Himself to live life as a human being. It was called an incarnation. 

God speaks, and planets appear out of nowhere. God pushes galaxies around with the tip of His finger. He breathes over a dead Earth, and everything brown turns to green. So, could this God cause Himself to grow inside a virgin’s womb and emerge, not only as the image of God, but God Himself?  Well, He did just that and this is what got Him crucified. 

The wonder of this historical narrative continues to play out. I have not only been made in God’s image, but I am also a container in whom the Spirit of God lives. All that power, wisdom, creativity, peace, and holiness lives in my spirit. Can others see evidence of that? Is His glory palpable? Am I bold enough, when prompted, to call upon the surpassing power of His greatness to work through me? Perhaps I am shy of it because I have forgotten that I can be, and am created to be, possessed by Spirit. 

Just as the god of this world possesses a demoniac, I am to be overtaken by the Spirit of God. Like Jesus, my works of faith will be both glorious and controversial.

Help me fully understand what Your incarnation means for me personally. It’s so loaded with implications I’ve not yet grasped. Amen