Our Walk

~ 3 Aspects of Christian Service ~

 

This is the third part of a three part blog series which presents, “3 Vital Christian Truths,” “3 Purposes of Christian Service,” and “3 Aspects of Christian Service.”

Before God  ~  This is the reality of our service for God. Consider the example of Abraham. “When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, ‘I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.’ Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him” (Genesis 17:1-3). 

After God  ~  This relates to our obedience in our service for God. “If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’—which you have not known—‘and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him. But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken in order to turn you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of bondage, to entice you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall put away the evil from your midst” (Deuteronomy 13:1-5).

With God  ~  This has to do with our communion with God as we serve Him. Consider the example of Enoch. “Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah. After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters. So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him” (Genesis 5:21-24). 

application:  Are you walking before God in reality? Are you following after God in obedience? Are you walking with God in continual communion? If not, why not? 

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The Life of Faith

~ 5 Aspects of a Vital Faith ~

Obedience to the Faith   ~  The first vital spark of true faith produces a dynamic salvation.  “Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith—to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen” (Romans 16:25-27).

Living by Faith  ~  After receiving salvation there is a responsibility to live by faith. In so doing we receive the sustenance for our new life of faith. “For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain” (Galatians 2:19-21). 

Walking by Faith  ~  We are to walk by faith in obedience. “So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:6-7). 

Praying in Faith  ~  Praying in faith brings blessings. “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit” (James 5:13-18). 

Fighting in Faith  ~  Finally, as the Christian fights in faith, victory is gained. “But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.  Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ's appearing, which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen” (1 Timothy 6:11-16). 

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Christ Calling...

~ Christian Are You Fulfilling Your Calling? ~

 

 

There are three key aspects of the Christian calling—for all Christians! 

A High Calling  ~  The Apostle Paul put it this way, “Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-14).

A Heavenly Calling  ~  “Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was faithful in all His house. For this One has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as He who built the house has more honor than the house. For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God. And Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward, but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end” (Hebrews 3:1-6).

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). 

A Holy Calling  ~  “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day” (2 Timothy 1:8-12). 

“Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy’” (1 Peter 1:13-16). 

 

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Great Expectations

In the message “Careful Thought To Our Ways” we saw how God is the Director of our steps and how we must carefully (and prayerfully) develop goals and plans which glorify His name. And though our true goal should always be to fully release our life to God and worship Him for all eternity, each day we walk this earth can be filled with a wonderful excitement as we live for Him.
Paul was confined in Rome when he wrote his letter to the Philippians. He didn’t know whether he would be set free or executed, but he knew Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. Paul had seen God’s hand at work and fully understood His love and power. He had completely turned his life over to God and now lived with an excitement at how God would use him to accomplish His plan.
Philippians 1:20
“I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body whether by life or by death.”
There were times when Paul’s situation appeared dismal and without hope, but he had already seen how God was using ALL things to His glory; “It has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ” (Philippians 1:13). Paul’s hardship had made it possible for the whole palace guard to hear the gospel message and had encouraged others to “speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly” (Philippians 1:14). Though his circumstances were difficult and often painful, Paul had learned the true joy of being a vessel through whom God could work!
As we follow Jesus we must develop a view which is not constrained by what we see; “For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18). He is ALWAYS at work, and always inviting us to join by His side. As we develop an eternal view of this world, we see every situation as working toward His good. As we continue to be transformed into the image of Christ, our trials become a wonderful time of growth, and the interruptions in our plans become exciting God-directed opportunities for ministry.
We spend so much time trying to create our future happiness that we miss the true joy God has for us today. He is calling us to know Him better and love Him more; to experience His love and share His love with others. He has a wonderful and exciting plan for us TODAY! “He is our God and we are the people of His pasture” (Psalm 95:7).
Let’s begin each day with a wondrous anticipation: “I can’t wait to see what God has for me today!” God has an amazing plan for our life! Let’s develop a view which looks and longs for opportunities to draw near, to love Him, and to serve. Let’s live each day filled with joy and great expectations.

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“FOR the WATER - OF the WATER - BY the WATER”

ఆరోహణము తరువాతి ఆదివారము
 కీర్తన 42 ఎఫెసీ 1:15-23 యోహాను 7: 33-39
నీటి (కొరకు) ఆసక్తి (తృప్తితో) ఆచరణ (వలన ) ఆశీర్వాదము
“FOR the WATER - OF the WATER - BY the WATER”

ఉపోద్ఘాతము: జీవితంలో ఆరోహణ అధిరోహణ అవరోహణములు అతి సహజం. కొందరు కృషిచేసి
జీవితసౌధాన్ని అధిరోహిస్తారు. కొందరు ఆధ్యాత్మిక చింతనతో నైతిక
ప్రవర్తనతో దేవుని చేతిలో చేయివేసి ఆత్మ శిఖరాలను హానోకువలె అవలీలగా
ఆరోఃఇస్తారు. కారణం వారు జీవజలము కొరకు ఆరాటపడి ఆస్వాదించి, ఆజీవజలము
యొక్క ఆత్మ బలము చేత దాక్షిగా జీవిస్తూ అనేకులకు ఆ జీవజలాన్ని పంచియివ్వ
గలుగుతారు. దాన్నే ఈ దినం దాన్నే ప్రజలకొరకు, ప్రజల వలన, ప్రజల చేత” అన్న
మాటలు మదిలోనికి రాగానే చట్టమును ఒక్క మాటలో సూత్రప్రాయంగా చెప్పిన ఆ
మూడు మాటలతో మనమూడు పాఠాలు ముడిపెట్టి ధ్యానించాలని ఆశకలిగింది.
OT=THIRST FOR the Water – Epst= DEEDS OF the Water Gosper=
BLESSINGS BY the Water
OT = THIRST FOR the Water :
ఎండాకాలములో నీటికొరకు – రాకడ కాలనులో నీటి వాగులు రక్షణాధా రమైన నీటి
ఊటలకొరకు ప్రయాణం చేస్తున్న ఒక బాట సారికి విపరీతమైన దాహంవేసింది. నీటి
కొరకు జీవిత మార్గం వెంబడి వెదుకుతూ ఉన్నాడు. మార్గంలో ఒక బావి
కనిపించింది. వెళ్ళాడు.దాని అంచులమట్టుకు నీళ్లున్నా యి. చెయ్యిచాచితే
అందుతున్నాయి – హమ్మయ్యాఅని ఆశగా దరి చేరాడు కాని అవి ఉప్పునీళ్లు.
నిరాశగా వెనుతిరిగి వెదుకు లాడుతూ ఉన్నాడు. ఊరిలోనికి వెల్లి బావులు
కన్పిస్తూ ఉంటే వె౪ళ్లి తోడుకోవటానికి చేద, చిన్న బకెట్ ఏమైనా ఉందా అని
అడిగితే కులం ఏమిటి అని అడిగారు ఆ గ్రామంలో ఒక్కోకులానికి ఎవరిబావి
(కులపుబావి) వారికి ఉంది ఇస్సాకు (ఆది 26) యాకోబు, సమరయ్యుల బావి
(యోహాను4) బావి)(కులానికి బావులున్నట్లు న్డు కులానికి ఆలయాలు ఉన్నాయి
శాఖలకు ఆలయాలు ఉన్నాయి లూథరన్, బాప్టిస్టు, పెంతెకోస్తు, సొంతకోస్తు). ఏ
కులం అని అడిగితే ఆ బాటసారికి అర్ధం కాలేదు. తిరిగి తిరిగి ఊరు చివరకు
చెరుకు న్నాడు. అక్కడ ఒకబావి ఉండి, చాలా లోతైన బావి, అనేకులు నీళ్లకొరకు
ఎదురుచూస్తున్నారు. బావి చుట్టూ లోపలకూడా చాలా అశుబ్రంగా ఉండి. అడుగున
ఎక్కడో ఉన్నాయి నీళ్లు. చాలా ప్రయాసలు పడీ ఎన్నో తాళ్లు ముడి వేస్తే
చివరకు దాహతీరే రెండు గ్లాసుల నీళ్లు వడగట్టుకొని త్రాగ వలసినవి
దొరికాయి. గుక్కెడు నీళ్లకు అంత ప్రయాస పడవలసి వచ్చింది.
నేటి దినాలలో కొన్ని ప్రాంతాలలో నీటిఎద్దడి, కొన్నిచోట్ల పుష్కలంగా ఉన్నా
వాటి విలువతెలియలేదు. కొందరు ఎండమావుల్ని చూసి నీటిబుగ్గలని
భ్రమపడుతున్నారు. దుప్పి నీటి వాగుల కొరకు ఆశ పడినట్లు - దేవుని కొరకు
ఆశ, తృష్ణ, కోరిక. అడవి జంతువులలో దుప్పికి నీటి వాగులను వాసన చేత కని
పెట్టు ఒక విశేష గుణమున్నది. వాసన కని పెట్టి ఆశతో పరుగు పెడుతూ
ఆశయాన్ని వీడక గమ్యాన్ని చేరుకుని దప్పిక తీర్చు కుంటుంది. ఆ నీటి ఊటను
చేరు వరకు ఆలాగుననే పరుగు తీస్౬ఉంది. దానివ్లన ఆయాసం దాహం యింకా ఎంత
పెరుగుతుందో గమనించండి (విశ్వాసి జీవజలముల ఊటయైన క్రీవ్తును చేరువరకు
పరుగు తుద ముట్టించు వరకు శ్రమపడాలి). అదే సింహమైయితే దప్పికొనినచో
వేటాడి చిన్న జంతువుల రక్తమును పీల్చి దప్పిక తీర్చుకొనును కాని దుప్పి
కేవలము నీటివలన మాత్రమే, అదియు శుబ్రమైన నీటివలన మాత్రమే దప్పిక
తీర్చుకొనును. నేటి దినాలలో ఫిల్టర్, మినరల్ వాటర్ త్౬అప్ప మరేనీళ్లు
త్రాగటంలేదు ప్రజలు పల్లెటూళ్లలో విందు లలో కూడా వాటర్ భోటిల్స్ సప్ప్లై
చేయబడుతున్నాయి. శుద్దీకరింప బడిన నీరు కావాలి. మరి ఆత్మకు జీవజలం
సంపాదిస్తున్నారా. దావీదుకు దేవునియెడల కలిగిన దాహము దుప్పికికలిగిన
దాహము వంటిది.
యిక్కడ మరోవిషయాన్ని జ్నాపకం చేసుకోవాలి. కీర్తనల గ్రంధం ఐదు స్కంధాలుగా
విభజించబడింది. ప్రధమ 1-41=ఆదికాండము. ద్వితీయ స్వ్కంధము 42-72 =
నిర్గమకాండము. తృతీయ స్కందము 73-89 లేవియ కాండము. చతుర్ధ స్కందము 90-106
సంఖ్యాకాండము. పంచమస్కందము 107-150 ద్వితియోప దేశ కాండము. కీర్తన 42 తో
ప్రారంభము అవుతుంది అంటే నిర్గమ కార్యం ప్రారంభం అవుతుంది అంటే పాప
నిర్గమం చేసి శతృవును గెలిచి దేవుని చేరుకొని ఆయన సన్నిధిలో స్థిరముగా
ఉండాలనే మానవ ఆకాంక్ష తృష్ణ ఆరంభం అయిందన్న మాట. యిది కోరాహు కుమారుల
కీర్తన. దేవుని సన్నిధిలో సహవాసములో మహిమలో పిచ్చుకలు వాన కోవెల వలె
నివసించాలని కోరాహు కుమారుల (దావీదు) దాహము (27: 4, 23:7). రక్షణ కొరకు
(జీవజలము- నిత్య జీవము (యోహాను 4: 14) నీవు నిత్యజీవపు ఊటవు లూకా 11: 13)
పరిశుద్ధాత్మ కొరకు (రక్షణ పొందిన వారు పరిశుద్ధాత్మను పొంద ఆరాట పడుదురు
– దేవుడు ఆత్మ కనుక (యోహాను 4: 24), క్రీస్తులో సంపూర్ణత (పరిపూర్ణత)
కొరకైన తృష్ణ (నా తండ్రి పరిపూర్ణుడు కనుక ఆత్మపరిపూర్ణత కొరకు
ప్రకటన22:17, 21). నాటి శిష్యులు ప్రభువు ఆరోహణు డాయెను –ప్రభువుతో
సహవాసము కొరకు తృష్ణ, నీ ప్రభువు ఏ మాయెను అని అడిగేవారికి సమాధానం
చెప్పాలి. శాస్త్రులు పరిసయ్యులు వడదెబ్బతగిలిన ఆత్మలు - తృష్ణ,
ఆశ,దుఃఖము శ్రమ వేదన కలిగి నపుడు కృంగిపో కూడదు ప్రాణము ఆశతో
నిరీక్షించాలి – విశ్వాసముతో ఎదురు చూడాలి “నా ప్రాణమా! నీవేల
కృంగుచున్నావు” దావీదు గొర్రెల కాపరిగా అరణ్యంలో ఒంటరితనంలో పాడుతూ ఆడుతూ
ఒక్కోసారి తనలో తాను మాట్లాడు కోవడం (స్వగతం) బాగా అలవాటు.తన హృదయా లోచన,
వంతోషం, దుఃఖము అన్నీ తనలో తానేమాట్లాడుకుంటూ, ప్రశ్న జవాబు .తానై
చెప్పుకోవడం కీర్తనలగ్రంధంలో మనకు చాలా సార్లు కన్పిస్తుంది.గొర్రెల
కాపరి గా ఉన్నపుడు ఒంటరితనం, రాజైనపుడు ఎవరితో చెప్పుకొలేక ఆ అలవాటు
ఆలాగున కొనసాగి యుండ వచ్చు. కీర్తనకారులు దేవుని సన్నిధి సహవాసం కొరకు
ఎంతఆరాట పడు తున్నారో. జీవిత ఆరోహణం కొరకు విశ్వాసి పడేఆధ్యాత్మిక తపన.
ప్రభువు లో నీవుంటే నీకు తెలియకుండానే ఈ జీవిత ఆరోహణం జరిగిపోతుంది.
Epistle = DEEDS OF the Water :
తృష్ణగొని జివజలము గ్రోలిన / ఆస్వాదించిన వారి క్రియలు పాఉలు భక్తుడు
ఎఫెసీ సంఘమునకు వ్రాసిన పత్రికలో ఆ సంఘమునకు (యొక్క) సాక్ష్యముగా
వివరించు చున్నాడు. జీవజలముల ఊటను త్రాగినవారు, నిత్యజీవమునకు రక్షణకు
తృష్ణ గొనిన వారు కలిగియుండు లక్షణములను ఎఫెసీ సంఘము కలిగియున్నట్లుగా
చెప్పు చున్నాడు. రుచి చూచినవాని ముఖంలో రుచి అనుభవం ప్రస్పుట
మౌతుంది,నమ్మకత్వము-విశ్వాసము కొలొస్సై 1:4 గలతీ 5:6 1 థెస్స 1: 3
ప్రేమ , జ్నానము : ఆధ్యాత్మిక సత్యాలు తెలుసుకునే జ్నానము నీ
ధర్మశాస్త్రములోని ఆశ్చర్యకరమైన సంగతులను చూచునట్లు దేవా నా కన్నులను
(మనోనేత్రములను) తెరువుము (119). శాస్త్రులు పరిసయ్యు లు జీవజలమైన యేసు
ను గుర్తించ లేదు. అందువల్ల వారిమనో నేత్రము లు తెరువబడలేదు. జీవజలముల ఊట
ను చూడక వారికొరకు అశాశ్వత మైన నీటితోట్టెలు తొలిపించు కొని యున్నారు
(యిర్మి ) అయితే ఎఫెసీ యులు ఆత్మ జ్నానము సంపాదించుకొనియున్నారని వారి
మనోనేత్ర ములు తెరువబడినవని పౌలు సాక్ష్యము. జీవజలము త్రాగినవాడు మరె
న్నడూ దప్పిగొనడు.విశ్వసించువాడు జీవజలము కలిగియుంటాడు, జీవ జలము
గ్రోలినవాడు మరెన్నడూ దప్పిగొనడు.
Gospel = BLESSINGS BY the Water
సిలువమరణముపునరుత్థాన ఆరోహణములను గూర్చి ప్రభువు చెప్పి నేనున్నచోటికి
మీరురాలేరు ఇకమీదట నన్ను చూడరు అని చెప్పిన ప్రభువు మాటలు ఆయన ప్రభోధం
వారికి అర్ధంకాలేదు, కారణం వారి మనో నేత్రములు తెరువబడలేదు క్రీస్తునందు
పరిపూర్ణ విశ్వాసముంచ లేదు – క్రీస్తు సమీపమున నుండగా వారు వెదుకలేదు.
గతవారము లూకా ౧౧ అధ్యా.లోని అడుగుడి, వెదకుడి, తట్టుడి అన్న మాటలు మనం
ధ్యానము చేశాము. ఆయన పరిచర్యలో చెప్పినవే కాడు ఆరోహణుడై పోతున్నా కూడా
వీరికి అవగాహనకు రాలేదు. గ్రీసు దేశపు వేదాంత అనుభవజ్నులు కుడా దిని
భావమేమి అని ఆయన యెదుట నోళ్లప్పగించి చూస్తున్నారు. ఆ యెరూషలేము పర్ణశాలల
పండుగకు వచ్చిన అనేకుల మధ్య యేసు ఈ గంభీర ప్రకటన చాల అలజడి సృష్టించింది.
అవగాహనతో చూడకయే దానిని విశ్వసించిన వారి కడుపులో (అంతరంగము) నుండి జీవజల
నదులు ప్రవహిస్తాయి (నీటి ఊట : స్వస్చందంగా నీరు ఊరి ఊటలు ప్రవహిస్తాయి.
నీటి బుగ్గ : బావి (అయిన్=హెబ్రీ లో ఆఖరి అక్షరం Y గిన్నె బావి
స్వరూపములోనున్నది) నీటి బుగ్గలు అక్కడే ఉంటాయి ఊరుతాయి కాని
విశ్వసించిన వారి జీవితాలు సాక్ష్యమై ప్రకటిస్తాయి). దప్పిగొనినవాడు
క్రీస్తు నొద్దకు రావలి, వచ్చి విశ్వసించినవాని కడుపులోనుండి జీవజలనదులు
ప్రవహిస్తాయి – అవి యితరుల దప్పిక తీరుస్తాయా అనేది ప్రశ్న. అయితే ఆ
జీవజల నదులయోరన నాటబడిన జీవితాలు ఫలిస్తాయి. ఏరు సెలయేరు కాలువనలై
మాత్రమే కాదు సముద్రములో కలసి ఉప్పు నీటిని మంచి నీటిగా మార్చుటయే కాదు
సమస్తజీవరాసులు అక్కడ బ్రతుకగల స్థాయికి నడిపించే (యెహెజ్కేలు 47:9) జీవ
నదిగా ప్రవహిస్తుంది. ఈ శక్తి కేవలము జీవ జలము నకు మాత్రమే కలదు.
ముగింపు: యేసును ఎరుగుటయే నిత్యజీవము. పరోక్షంగా యేసును ఎరిగి కలిగియున్న
మన ఆత్మ భూమిమీద శరీరములో జీవించియుండగానే ఆత్మ పరవశం లో పరలోకమునకు
ఆరోహణ మగుచున్నది. అందుకే మత్తయి ౨౪: లో మిద్దెమీదనుండువాడు దేనికొరకును
క్రిందికి దిగకూడదు అని వ్రాయబడియున్నది. మిద్దెమీదనున్న దావీదు
క్రిందికి చూసి లోకంలో పాపంలో పడిపోయినట్లు మన బ్రతుకు అవరోహణ మై
పోతుంది. మనము ప్రభువుతో నున్నవారమైతే ఆయనతో ఎత్తబడుదుము. అందుకే ……….
ఆహ్వానము – విదులు షరతులు దప్పిగొనినవారలారా! రండ నీళ్ల యొద్దకు రండి -
దాహముగొన్న దుప్పి వచ్చినట్లు - రూకలు లేకయే వచ్చి కొని భోజనముచేయుడి
భారము మోసికొనుచున్నవారలారా నా యొద్దకురండి. ఈ ఆహ్వానాలతోనే విశ్వాసిలో
తృష్ణ చెలరేగాలి – నీటి-జీవజల ఊటల కొరకు, ఆత్మ – పరిశుద్ధాత్మ కొరకు,
ప్రభువు-ప్రభు పాద సన్నిధి-సహవసం కొరకు “రండి” ఈ ఒక్క మాట చాలు -
పరుగులెత్తండీ
ఆచరణ: జీవజలము గ్రోలిన వాని సాక్ష్యము - పశ్చాత్తాపము పొందినవాని మనో
స్వరూపము – మారిన జీవిత రూపము – నూతన క్రియలు వారిలో ఉద్భవిస్తాయి.
బ్రతుకులో జనులబధ్య శిఖరాగ్రఆరోహణులై ప్రధమ శ్రేణిలో నిలువబడతారు.
నమ్మకత్వము - విశ్వాసము – సహోదర ప్రేమ, మనోనేత్రములు తెరువ బడి అనేకులకు
మాదిరిగా కొండమీదకట్టబడిన ఎత్తైన పట్టణంలో స్థంభం మీద పెట్టబడి
వెలుగిచ్చు దీపంలా ఉంటారు.
ఆశీర్వాదము: అంతరంగములోనుండి జీవ జల నదులు ప్రవహిస్తాయి. ఆ నదీ ప్రవాహం
సముద్రంలో కలసినా సముద్రపునీళ్లు మంచి నీళ్లవుతాయి.
ఆ నదియోరన అనేక కాపుకాయు వృక్షాలు, జీవరాసులు బ్రతుకుతాయి. కనీసం
మానవరీత్యా ఊహించటానికి నమ్మడానికి వీలుకాని ఆత్మ సత్యాలు.
నీటికొరకు, నీటి చేత, నీటివలన కలుగు ఆరోహణ అనుభవం
ఆ జీవజలము చెంతకు వాటివలన కలుగు ఆత్మ ఆరోహణ అనుభవానికి
ఈ మొదటి ఆదివారం ప్రభువు బల్లయొద్దకు మనకు ఉచిత ఉన్నత ఆహ్వానము
అందించబడుతుంది. రండి

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Careful Thought To Our Ways

The motivational speakers of our day want us to set great goals for our life: “Where do you want to be in two, five, or ten years? What type of lifestyle do you want when you retire?” We are encouraged to set goals slightly beyond our reach, and then instructed how to create a plan to accomplish these goals. The implication is that a more focused effort will yield superior results and lead to greater “success.”
But before we can ask where we want to be in the next few years, we must first ask a longer term question: “Where will I be in one hundred years?” No other goal is worth pursuing until we have a solid answer to this most basic (but all-important) question. What difference does it make which college we attend, which job we take, or what our home looks like if we have failed to address the issue of where we will spend eternity!?
Proverbs 14:8
“The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception.”
We must be wise with the days we are given and no longer be deceived by the values of the world’s system. There’s nothing inherently wrong with goals and plans; but far too often, they lead to a self-determined lifestyle and away from the true Director of ALL plans; “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps” (Proverbs 16:9). Our planning must be as a direct response to God’s leading, and once in place, our plans must remain in complete submission to His will; “I know, O Lord, that a man’s life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps” (Jeremiah 10:23). When our goal is to be in the center of His will, the specifics of where we will be and what we will be doing are really none of our business. This last sentence is worth reading again!!
Every moment of our life is a precious gift from God. Even though the average life span continues to increase, our time is extremely short. An average life lasts about 45,000,000 minutes (much less in many countries). This may seem like a lot, but by this time tomorrow 1440 minutes will be forever gone; “You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:14).
We must not waste our limited time by chasing after things which vanish; “Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity” (Ephesians 5:15-16). We must evaluate ALL our decisions and goals based on the overriding desire to glorify God in all we do, to rejoice in His many blessings, and to long for the time when we can worship before His throne for all eternity. Any other set of values must fade to nothing in comparison.
Every day we are handed a block of time and given the freedom of how it will be spent. This is a wonderful opportunity, but the clock continues to tick! Let’s honor our Heavenly Father with our goals and plans, and give careful thought to our ways.

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Holy Saturday

Sabbath Rest
 

Reading: Hebrews 4:8-11,14-16
A sabbath rest still remains for the People of God. Hebrews 4:9.
On this Saturday-in-between, Jesus lies entombed. For him too it's Sabbath.
In today's reading from Hebrews the apostle notes that even in the Old Testament the really big
Sabbath rest that God intended for the chosen people never happened.
The commandment for full rest on the seventh day of every week was their routine reminder of
God's long range blueprint, namely rest from the hard work of being right with God. Yet they
never got there because of their "hardness of heart," says the writer. They never came to the
place where they could relax, trusting that their transactions with God were also at rest.
Good Friday brings the big sabbath rest for folks harried by hustling their own righteousness.
Jesus dies as the high priest who puts himself on the altar of atonement. Such never-before
temple action breaks open the barricades to the temple's inner sanctum, the mercy-seat of God.
The hard work to get sinners righteous is done. It's time to rest. If there is any action at all, it is
to enter God's inner sanctum "with boldness," as the Hebrews-writer says, and enjoy it.
So on this Saturday-in-between God counsels us to take a deep breath, to sit down, and not do
anything. We too can "cease from our labors as God did from his." So did Jesus. That's what
makes this day Holy Saturday.
Prayer: (from Matthew 11:28-29) You invite us, Lord Jesus, to come to you when we labor and
are heavy laden and you will give us rest. As we take your yoke upon us, we learn from you; for
you are gentle and humble in heart, and we do find rest for our souls. Amen.

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Our Lifelines Written in Our Hands

Reading: Luke 23:44-49

"Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." Luke 23:46
Siegfried liked to draw hands. Look again at all the hands in the pictures we've been following
around the thorn bramble. Look especially at the hands of the risen Christ.
Though death is clearly behind him, the scars on his hands (and the other scars too) remain.
They do not disappear at Easter. Why not? Because they now are the marks of victory, not
defeat. Though once dead (the scars verify that) he now lives. That highpoint of his life and
work is forever imprinted in his hands.
Pause now for a moment to look at your own hands. How much of your own life's history can
you read there? What stories are written on your hands--the scars, the callouses (or their
absence), the bent fingers, the fingernails (chewed or blackened), the hangnails, the rings on the
fingers (or their absence), the finger-joints, the wrinkles, the moles, the visible veins.
When Jesus puts his life into his Father's hand, it is a prelude to his offering that life to us,
handing it over to us. When he offers us his hand, encouraging us to clasp his in ours, the two
whole lives written in those two hands are joined, and even better, exchanged. His scars for ours
-- but with one significant difference. Our scars signal the mortality still ahead of us. His scars
have death already behind them. Can that really be swapped when he offers his scarred hand to
us? He says so. What a swell swap!
Prayer: (from the Collect for Good Friday) Lord Jesus, you carried our sins in your own body
on the tree so that we might have life. May we and all whom we remember this day find new life
in you now and in the world to come, where you live and reign with the Father and the Holy
Spirit, now and forever. Amen.

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Palm Sunday, Passion Sunday

Jewish Kings and Jewish Royal Authority
Reading: 2 Samuel 5:1-5

David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.
2 Samuel 5:4
David had forty years on the throne, the right amount of time to get God’s job done. And what
was that? According to the divine job description “you shall be shepherd of my people Israel,
you shall be ruler over Israel” (v.2). Jewish kings are called to be “rulers over” by being
“shepherds under.” How so “under?” It’s all in the word shepherd, and whose shepherd David
is. The sheep are not David’s; they belong to God. What then is his link with the sheep?
Simple, to keep them alive and well for the One they belong to. When danger threatens, the
shepherd dies (if necessary) so that the sheep survive. He is there to preserve them, not vice
versa.
The pattern of oriental kings in David’s time was the exact opposite. The people were
the king’s property, finally at his disposal. Which is exactly what such kings did--often by the
thousands. At one crucial time (and a few more besides) David switched from the Jewish to the
oriental model for his royal office. Clearest of all is his interaction with Bathsheba and her
husband Uriah. He acts as though he’s their owner, and since that contradicts the contract he
has with God, the consequences are deadly for all concerned.
Good as David was, God needed a better shepherd for God’s people. On this Sunday
before Easter we celebrate just such a genuine descendent of David, an authentic Jewish king,
the final Good Shepherd. We follow him this week on the last mile of the way to the cross.
Here he gives his life for the sheep, and in that very act gives his life to the sheep. When later
this week he’s called “King of the Jews,” that’s what it’s all about. Keep this “Jewishness” in
mind as Holy Week unfolds.
Prayer : You sent us Jesus, dear God, by the way of the cross. That marks him indelibly as your final
Good Shepherd for us. In his Easter victory you called him from death to extend his commission
to us as sub-shepherds, his and yours, to rescue the lost, to heal the injured, to lay down our own
lives for one another. Empower us to do what you’ve commissioned us to be. Amen.

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Some Stories Seem Never to Finish

Reading: Psalm 107:4-9.

Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to an inhabited town. Psalm 107:4
Garrison Keillor, America's master radio story-teller, once ended a story before it came to any
conclusion. His fans complained. So the next week he asked his audience whether that wasn't
really true--so many lives never getting anywhere, just running on and on and finally run out.
The Psalm reading today takes note of the same thing. People wander all their lives, and never
find their way to the town, to any goal or conclusion. T. S. Eliot said something similar about
modern western culture in his famous line: This is the way the world ends, not with a bang, but a
whimper.
The Psalmist knows the secret about finishing our life. It is not an achievement, but a gift. The
gift-giver is God. Unless the Lord takes us in hand, we wander, never getting to the town.
Finishing a life is never a chance accident. Only someone who got there before can show us the
way.
When Jesus finished his course, he put his life back in the hands of his Father. His life came to
closure, not with a whimper, but with the bang of Easter. For us whimperers who never get
anywhere, he offers to take us along to his own Big Bang. Not only will he show us the way, he
is the Way. Lives linked to him attain closure, the same resurrection high that overjoys every
whimper.
Prayer: Bring our lives to Christ's Easter closure, dear God, so that our wanderings may cease.
Today's world offers us a myriad of places to go, but they all end with a whimper. Bring us to
your town by the Way that works for everyone, your beloved Son, our brother Jesus. Amen.

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Reopening Closed Cases

Reading: Revelation 12:7-12

The accuser of our comrades has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our
God. Revelation 12:10
Jesus announces his own "case closed" with his next-to-last breath. If the case against him is
closed, then the same is true for all who trust him. Still, it seems our cases get re-opened daily
here on earth. Some charge, challenge, accusation, some re-indictment coming from other
people calls us to respond.
In today's reading St. John traces this fact of life to the work of Christ's arch-enemy Satan. The
job of accuser is his standard role. When he brings charges against Christians (whose cases
Christ has closed), he becomes a new nemesis. He's the Grand Deceiver, out to con us into
defending ourselves.
You know how it happens. When accused, we knee-jerk our own self-defense; or counteraccuse;
or pass the buck; or deny; or just run. But in all of these "normal" human responses we
are deserting Christ our Public Defender. Abandoning his defense, we re-open our case to sure
defeat.
Today's reading gives heaven's counsel for such situations: "Conquer the accuser by the blood of
the Lamb, by making the Lamb's Word your own testimony." Christ authorizes us to use his
verdict on us for our own testimony when accused in daily life. Doing so we conquer. Reindictment
fails. It's "case closed" again. What a Public Defender to have on your side!
Prayer: We make so little use of your defense in our daily lives, Lord. Worse still, but we often
work for the accuser. Unbind us from being his "angels." Open our ears to your word about us
to use in the courtrooms of our daily life. Put us to work closing, not re-opening the cases of our
fellow sinners. Amen.

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Case Closed Against Us

Reading: Romans 8:1-4

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1.
With no condemnation against those who are "in" Christ Jesus, the case against Christians is
closed too. One axiom of the Christian gospel is that what is now true of Jesus the Christ is also
true of his believers. Paul's little word "in" is the key. When you are "in" him, it's "case closed."
How do people get in on what happens to Jesus? Paul has only one word for that: faith. And
faith means trust. Trust Christ when his "case-closed" happens, and it's true for you. It's yours.
Trust him not, and it's not yours.
In today's reading Paul describes how it all came about. God sent his Son into our sinners'
network. Once there, and willingly there, he also became enmeshed in the lock-step sequence of
"the law of sin and death:" if sin, then death. And thus he died.
But once the law carries out its sentence on an offender, it can no longer touch him. Jesus is the
one flashpoint in our world where the "law of sin and death" is past history. To be in on that is
heaven on earth. It's ours for the trusting. Trust him, and it's yours.
Not only does such trusting get us "out" of the law's jaws, but we get "in" on the Spirit of life, the
death-proof life, in Christ Jesus. "Case closed" on the law of sin and death is freedom. And
freedom is an entirely different case. By faith it's ours.
Prayer: We still argue our own righteousness, Lord God, falling away from the "in" that erases
all condemnation. Bring us back "in" to faith in Christ, trusting that our case is indeed closed, so
we can tend to the other business that you put before us. Amen.

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"Case Closed" Against Jesus

Reading: John 19:8-12

When Jesus had received the wine, he said, "It is finished." Then be bowed his head and gave up
his spirit. John 19:30.
What did Jesus mean with the words: "It is finished''? The Greek word St. John uses is a
courtroom term. It means "Case closed." Whose case? The case against Jesus? Yes, but there's
more. Take another look at the dialogue between Jesus and Pilate.
As John reports it, we soon see that Pilate himself is on trial. When Pilate tries to enmesh Jesus
in his own power game, Jesus reminds Pilate of the "game" being played on him. (John 19:11)
He's accountable to God for his political office. What he does with Jesus will bounce back in
God's verdict on him. Pilate thinks he's in charge, and only Jesus is on trial. From one angle
that's true, but the roles are also reversed: Pilate on trial, Jesus the judge.
So it should not really surprise us that it is Jesus, not Pilate, who pronounces the "case closed."
Only the one on the bench, the judge, can close cases. Well then, is Jesus the one in charge or
the one being charged--and executed? Answer: Yes. Both are true.
The charge against Jesus was: He says he's King of the Jews. How do you test that? Jewish
kings are shepherd-kings. Not until such a king dies so that the sheep may live, do we have the
evidence to close the case. Jesus dies so that others may live. He truly is the King as charged.
Case closed. Pilate, and all of us, need just such a king--for dear life. Thereby our case is
closed.
Prayer: You are guilty as charged, Lord Jesus, guilty of being our king. Anyone associating
with sorry-looking sheep like us has to reckon with the consequences, and you did. Not just
once on Good Friday as our Good Shepherd, but today and tomorrow as well. Our life depends
on that. Amen.

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Forty Days for Nineveh

Reading: Jonah 3:1-10

Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s walk. And he cried out, “Forty days more, and
Nineveh shall be overthrown.” Jonah 3:4
Jonah’s own track record is not exactly a model to follow. When called by God to “go at once to
Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it,” Jonah boards a ship headed in the other
direction. He flees not only his job assignment, but also to get “away from the presence of the
Lord.” But God manages the oceans too and Jonah is beat before he even gets on board. It just
takes him a little longer to get his directions straight.
So he arrives in Nineveh and proclaims its doom. But not right away. There is a forty
day grace period. Forty days to get a particular job done. That is, “to turn from their evil ways
and from the violence that is in their hands.” And much to Jonah’s own surprise, and later
dismay, they actually do it and “God relent[s] and change[s] his mind.” Jonah wanted them
wiped from the face of the earth. So did every Israelite of his day, given what Nineveh had done
to them and to most of the rest of the world.
After a few more episodes between the pouting prophet and his gracious God, Jonah
finally catches on. If God can be merciful to one rebellious prophet, why not to Nineveh with its
mega-populace of equally “dumb” citizens. In our fits of (pseudo-) righteousness, we wish all
real sinners to get the ax right now, apart from any forty-day waiting period. Not so God. He
offers us “time enough.”
St. Paul picks up this Jonah accent in Romans 2: “Do you not realize that God’s kindness
is meant to lead you to repentance?” When such repentance happens, we are told, there is joy in
heaven. For that too, Jesus says, we are to pray that God’s will be done on earth as it [already] is
in heaven. Christ’s way of the cross is about that too. Joy about repentance? Why not? For
Jonah, for Nineveh, for us, it is a turn from death to life. If that’s not grounds for joy, what is?
Restore unto us the joy of our salvation, dear God, beginning with our joy in repentance. First of
all, our own repentance, then also that of others. You have joy in heaven about our turn-around
and return to you. Overjoy us in the same way in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Reading: Jonah 3:1-10
Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s walk. And he cried out, “Forty days more, and
Nineveh shall be overthrown.” Jonah 3:4
Jonah’s own track record is not exactly a model to follow. When called by God to “go at once to
Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it,” Jonah boards a ship headed in the other
direction. He flees not only his job assignment, but also to get “away from the presence of the
Lord.” But God manages the oceans too and Jonah is beat before he even gets on board. It just
takes him a little longer to get his directions straight.
So he arrives in Nineveh and proclaims its doom. But not right away. There is a forty
day grace period. Forty days to get a particular job done. That is, “to turn from their evil ways
and from the violence that is in their hands.” And much to Jonah’s own surprise, and later
dismay, they actually do it and “God relent[s] and change[s] his mind.” Jonah wanted them
wiped from the face of the earth. So did every Israelite of his day, given what Nineveh had done
to them and to most of the rest of the world.
After a few more episodes between the pouting prophet and his gracious God, Jonah
finally catches on. If God can be merciful to one rebellious prophet, why not to Nineveh with its
mega-populace of equally “dumb” citizens. In our fits of (pseudo-) righteousness, we wish all
real sinners to get the ax right now, apart from any forty-day waiting period. Not so God. He
offers us “time enough.”
St. Paul picks up this Jonah accent in Romans 2: “Do you not realize that God’s kindness
is meant to lead you to repentance?” When such repentance happens, we are told, there is joy in
heaven. For that too, Jesus says, we are to pray that God’s will be done on earth as it [already] is
in heaven. Christ’s way of the cross is about that too. Joy about repentance? Why not? For
Jonah, for Nineveh, for us, it is a turn from death to life. If that’s not grounds for joy, what is?
Restore unto us the joy of our salvation, dear God, beginning with our joy in repentance. First of
all, our own repentance, then also that of others. You have joy in heaven about our turn-around
and return to you. Overjoy us in the same way in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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The Vinegar of Daily Life

Reading: John 19:28-29

When Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), "I am
thirsty." John 19:28.
This text includes two qualifiers as Jesus asks for a drink: knowing that all was finished and to
fulfill the scriptures. We meditate on the second qualifier today, the other one tomorrow.
With the words "I am thirsty" Jesus is fulfilling the scriptures. Which ones? In Psalm 69:21,

King David bemoans to God that his adversaries "gave me poison for food, and for my thirst
they gave me vinegar to drink." As Jesus walks the circle of thorns, he replicates David's life,
and ours as well, taking into himself all the vinegar that adversaries pour into our lives.
Yet the greater adversary that sinners confront is not just mean people, as bitter as that cup
indeed can be. There is, as the OT prophets say, a more deadly cup confronting all the children
of Adam and Eve. It is the "cup" of God's own rebuke. Divine vinegar, you might say.
Before we can ever drink the "cup of salvation," someone has to take that other cup. On the
cross, Jesus is taking it, taking it willingly. He drinks our vinegar, and in its place puts into our
hand the cup of salvation. That cup, by contrast, is sweet -- like fresh water after vinegar, or like
honey, the Bible's sweetest metaphor. He invites us to "taste and see how gracious the Lord is."
.
Prayer: Lord, the vinegars of daily experience have not left our lives. Pour into our cup the
sweetness of your salvation, that cup of gladness, the cup of Christ's new covenant with us.
Amen

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Thirst-thorns That Never Go Away

Reading: 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (Begin at "Therefore...")

"A thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to...keep me from being too elated." 2
Corinthians 12:7.
Saint Paul had a thorn that he could never get rid of. Since he links it with the word "flesh," his
favorite word for sinners walking away from God, it must have been something more than a
physical disability.
His own Greek term for it portrays not a thorn sticking into him, but a thorn sticking out from
him. It was some place in his life where his own sinner-self was all too visible. What was it
really? He never says. So let's imagine.
Let's imagine that it was one of the seven thirsts, the primal drives that characterize us all. One
of Paul's thirsts he could never quench. It always managed to take control of him instead of vice
versa.
When he begged God for its removal, God always said: "You are going to be stuck with it. But
don't worry. My grace will cover you. My power will fill the bill as I continue to cover your
weakness." Upon hearing this he then pivots and starts boasting of his weakness. If it's Christcovered,
it's a plus.
The thorns of our poorly-managed thirsts need not terrorize us either. We too cannot keep our
sinner-selves from showing. How drastic is that? Depends on what we do when it happens.
Cope with it on our own and we're guaranteed losers. Link it to the power of the crucified and
it's taken care of. A done deal. Like Paul, we too are authorized to link our weaknesses to
Christ and join in Paul's feisty boast: "When I am weak, then I am strong!"
Prayer: Thorns not only hurt, dear God, they choke out our lives as they entwine us. Enliven us
with your grace to counteract the thorns that never seem to go away. Your grace is sufficient,
and covered with it, we are sufficient too for whatever is at hand. Amen.

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And God Sent Dryness

Reading: Matthew 4:1-11

He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and
said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread."
Matthew 4:2-3
Jesus is led, St. Matthew tells us, by God's own Spirit into the wilderness, the dry God-empty
desert. Why does God send dryness to his No.1 beloved Son? Why does God send us daughters
and sons into deserts? If we are God's children, why those wildernesses, those parched deserts?
It doesn't compute.
The tempter makes a very plausible proposal: If you are God's Son--better still, since you are
God's son--why should there be any dry periods in your life at all? And if they do arise, then
shouldn't your status give you privilege for getting rid of them? It all seems so sensible.
But the One whose Son he is is not a God who flees the wilderness. Instead he enters our
wilderness-world. And once there he empties himself of all divine privilege, the divine perks.
Why? So that he may pour them into us, the real empties. His words: "I thirst" signal the last
chapter of his total emptying--for us, into us. Finally on the cross he is the fulness of God filling
us empties.
Not surprisingly, this Son of God does not exempt his disciples either from going back into the
world's wildernesses. Nourished by him, we get wilderness assignments, for and with others
who know only dryness and are dying in their deserts. He is the Word that comes from the
mouth of God, a promise to live on, no matter how deadly, how demonic, our desert.
Prayer: Nourish us, God, in our deserts today. Open our eyes to see your Son joining us in our
dry places. Feed us with his Word so that as we flourish, the desert, too, blossoms where you
have sent us to serve. Amen.

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Why Call God "My" God?

Reading: Matthew 27:45-54.

About three o'clock Jesus cried with a loud voice. . . "My God, my God, why have you forsaken
me?". Matthew 27:46.
Even in the depths of being forsaken by God, Jesus addresses God as "my" God. Given the
circumstances, how can he do that? What's behind this pronoun "my"?
In the Christian story, my God is the one who possesses me, who claims me as his own. In Jesus'
case it first happened at his baptism as the heavenly voice announced: "This is my beloved son."
Jesus has been living from that word ever since, and his "my" from the cross signals his
continuing faith in it.
Our own baptism repeats that for us. But in our case, Jesus is also present as God says to us:
"You are my beloved son, my beloved daughter." In his own Son at his moment of anquish, God
was reclaiming, re-possessing lost sons and daughters. Since God claims me with a "my" of his
own, I can claim God with the same little word--even when my God is forsaking me.
Siegfried's rendering of Jesus in the Fourth Word, his head sinking between his shoulders, calls
us when we are sinking to hear our God inviting us: "Call on me in the day of trouble (even
trouble that I bring to you); I will deliver you." Jesus banks on that promise, crying to "my"
God as he hits bottom. Because he did, the same holds true for us.
Prayer: When we hit bottom, God, remind us whose we are, that you are our God. Jesus was
there and you remained his God. On his recommendation we call on you "out of the depths."
Amen.

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Why, God, Why?

Reading: Mark 15:33-39

At three o'clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "My God,
my God, why have you forsaken me?" Mark 15:34
Saint Mark records one and only one word from the cross:
"My God, my God, why?" Mark seems to be in a hurry.
He leaves only 15 verses for the entire crucifixion narrative
and Jesus speaks only once, this cry of despair. Does that
one cry make the whole story "good news"? Mark seems to
say so.
Notice how he reports an answer to this cry. It does not come from the one Jesus calls "my
God." It is instead the centurion carrying out the death sentence who tells us why. Why was
Jesus God-forsaken? Why, because "truly this man was God's Son!" God's true Son joins
sinners all the way down to God-forsakenness, down to cries of despair, even despair of God.
Earlier the bystanders had taunted Jesus: "If you are God's son, come down from the cross." But
since Jesus really is God's son, he stays there. Phoney messiahs, pseudo-sons of God, don't do it
this way. They avoid the cross at all costs. They leave their fans to do the crying, the despairing,
the dying .
Not so this Son of God. He goes to the very pits, so that we will be rescued when we hit the pits.
When we ourselves cry out: "My God, why?" the one who truly is God's Son speaks to us: "I've
been there myself--in the Big Pit. And since I have been there, you will not stay there." We
have his word for it and that gets us out. Truly!
Prayer: (from Isaiah 53) In your suffering, Lord Jesus, you were wounded for our
transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon you was the punishment that makes us whole,
and by your bruises we are healed. Truly you are your Father's Son, and we are truly grateful.
Amen.

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Strength Enough to Get to God’s Hideout

Reading: I Kings 19:1-8

And Elijah got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food forty days and
forty nights to Horeb the mount of God. I Kings 19:8
Elijah is ready to throw in the towel. He can stand up to King Ahab, but Queen Jezebel is just
too much. When she swears to have his scalp, he responds with fear, and he flees for his life.
He even tells God that he’s quitting. Who needs that kind of hassle? Prophet, shmophet! And if
God wants to zap him for giving up, so be it.
But God does not zap Elijah. Instead God nourishes him. Elijah’s own name could have
told us (and him too) that God would react this way. The word “Eli-jah” is a full Hebrew
sentence: “My God is Jahweh,” the covenant God of Israel. Other gods may zap their agents who
quit on the job, but not Jahweh. This God majors in rehabbing the losers, restoring the fallen,
forgiving sinners, re-filling the empties. So Elijah gets food and drink to keep on going.
With that nourishment he has strength (forty days worth = just enough) to get to God’s
own hideout in the Sinai desert. Here Jezebel can’t get him, and God can thus get on with the
rehab project. If you read on beyond the suggested verses above, you see that it takes more work
to get Elijah on track again. But those forty days were just enough to get Elijah to God’s own
hideout, the safe space for Elijah to be restored.
Lent’s 40 days are safe space for us to get our second wind, to get relief from the Jezebels
that are out to get us, to get the big picture. The Passiontide of Christ is just that: just enough
space for us to see that Elijah’s name is our name too. Our God is Jahweh, and Jahweh’s
beloved son is our brother Jesus. So what does that make us? God’s own beloved kids as well.
That’s a big “Four -O” to live on forever.
You brought Elijah through his wilderness, O God, and refilled him when his own emptiness
brought him to despair. Do for us what you did for him. We have even better grounds to trust
you for it. He too had your Word for it, but we also have your Word in the Flesh, Our Lord
Jesus Christ. Refuel us from his fullness. Amen.

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Christ Amid the Thorns of Our Relationships With Ourselves

Readings: Luke 6:43-45

"The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of
evil treasure produces evil." Luke 6:45
Our behaviors grow out of our attitudes. That's our contemporary way of saying what Jesus says
here in Luke. So to change behaviors, we say, change your attitudes, the stuff on the "inside,"
what the Bible calls "the heart." True enough, but just saying it doesn't make it so.
When Luther explains the first commandment in his Small Catechism, he uses verbs of the heart:
"fear, love, and trust in God above all things." What we fear, love and trust defines who we
think (fear, love,and trust) we are. And from the treasure of this heart we live out our roles in
daily life.
Over and over again in his earthly ministry Jesus speaks to that agenda. "Do not let your hearts
be troubled," he says (John 14:1). Does his saying it make it so? Jesus addresses these words to
his anxious disciples. We too are not trouble-free in the heart. From our troubled hearts come
our troubled behaviors. Like all troublesome people we need new hearts -- healed hearts,
untroubled ones.
Jesus follows up his word about heart-trouble with three little words: "Believe in me." You can
indeed trust someone who'll go to the cross for you. Such trust does indeed produce a good heart
on the inside with its "good treasure" for producing good in our relations on the outside.
Prayer: (from Psalm 51) Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit
within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take away your holy spirit from
me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit. Amen.

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