Abstract or Particular? "... He calls His own sheep by name ..." (John 10:3) We have heard the saying. The thing about Christianity is that it's about God's love. True. "God is love ..." says the apostle John (1 John 4:16) and "In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (1 John 4:10) But there is more to say, and that is captured by the simple phrase, "He calls His own sheep by name". (John 10:3) There are a lot of religions and sets of belief that talk about love. And from the philosopher to the crooner singing love ballads, to the fellow in the bar, everyone has an opinion. And we will opine our ideas of love and theories of what it is all about. All of that is about love in the "abstract." You can go on about how love is sacrificing, or sharing, or caring, or being kind even when you do not feel like it. Many years ago I read "The Autobiography of Mahatma Gandhi." He had what sounded like a noble idea of love. It was to care about every living thing as deeply as you care about yourself. In theory he talked about love in caring about the animal or even the insect. He complained about Christians falling short of what Jesus taught about love. But he too struggled with putting his ideas of love into practice, even with those closest to him. In contrast, Jesus said, "He calls His own sheep by name". This is different. It kind of sneaks up on you all this means. This is not the abstract idea of love. It is personal. And it is particular. In the encounter with Jesus, one person after another in the Bible learned that love was not an abstract fluffy type of I'm-not-quite-sure-what-it-is kind of thing. It was particular to each one. Peter needed prompting and guiding. Nicodemus needed his scholarly learning challenged. (John 3:1-15) The leper needed Jesus to touch and heal him. (Matthew 8:2-3) The deaf man needed Jesus to put His fingers in his ears and look up to heaven and sigh. (Mark 7:32-35) The woman at the well needed to see herself and then see the Savior. (John 4) Thomas needed Jesus to face down his doubts. (John 20:27-28) The rich young man needed to be told to get rid of his love for possessions. (Matthew 19:16-22) The thief on the cross needed to hear the Savior praying for those who swung the hammer. (Luke 23:32-43) Martin Luther told how Jesus caught hold of him through the verse in Romans, "the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe", (Romans 3:21-22) and then he ended up hammering a piece of paper to the church door. Four simple words, "the righteousness of God," that it was not God's demand that we be righteous, but instead the righteousness of Jesus Christ in our place, taking away our sin and making us righteous in the sight of God. And with that Jesus caught hold of his soul, opened up heaven, gave him the joy of eternal life, and sent him to tell everyone he could find. Each one is different. Each one is known by Jesus. My favorite illustration about this is Nathaniel, who is stopped in his tracks by the words, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." We have absolutely no idea what that meant, whether it was a moment of spiritual insight, spiritual struggle, or just nothing much. But Nathaniel knew. "Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the king of Israel." I continue to be amazed at the incredible number of ways that Jesus calls us to know Him. How many different verses does He use to catch hold of different men, women and children that He is bringing into His kingdom. Someone once asked, "Couldn't God have just told us, 'For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.' and left it at that?" Well, not really, because Jesus is in the business of calling His own sheep by name. And there are a whole lot of different sheep. I am pretty sure that a lot of Christians I know have their own very particular story about how, deep inside the soul, the Good Shepherd called you "by name." He knows us long before we know Him. He knows our beliefs, attitudes, moods, and needs deep within our soul. And He calls us, each one in a particular way. One of the most curious I have heard was a fellow who said he came to faith as an atheist. So I said in my own mind, "Hunh?" and waited for him to explain. And then he said he didn't seem to be able to seek out God or find God, much less even want to believe in Him. And then he ran across a verse in the Bible that said exactly that same thing, "... not that we have loved God but that He loved us ..." (1 John 4:10) And Jesus took hold of him. "So," he said, "I stopped even trying to be religious and simply believed Jesus." I spent a bit of time trying to trace the path and see how it held together; and then I came to the conclusion that, "Yes, it does make sense, but even more than that -- Jesus is really good at what He does!" "He calls His own sheep by name" and it is amazing! My own particular hook is a little part of a verse in John 17. "Father, I want them to be with Me ..." (John 17:24, a bit of a paraphrase) It hit home one day, realizing that this is a personal thing. Jesus wanted me to be with Him. It wasn't numbers, or kingdom, or anything else. It was personal. It's what Jesus said, "He calls His own sheep by name." Lord Jesus, thank You that You know each one of us personally, and thank You for calling each of us to be a part of Your kingdom, to see and share Your glory and to live for all eternity. Thank You for being my Shepherd, even now, that each day, and whatever each day brings You call Yourself my Shepherd and call me Your sheep. Guard and keep me so I can be with You and see Your glory. Amen.
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Shepherd or Sheep (The Only Shepherd Ever!) The relationship of Shepherd and sheep is one of the great pictures of God's care for us. It runs almost all the way through the Bible. Think of David watching the sheep and then writing Psalm 23, "The Lord is my Shepherd." Psalm 80 starts out "Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel" and Psalm 100 celebrates that "we are His people and the sheep of His pasture." The prophets also talk this way: Isaiah 40:11 says, "He will tend His flock like a shepherd ..." and Ezekiel 34 is all about God being the shepherd of His people. "I, I Myself will search for My sheep and will seek them out. ... and gather them from the countries, and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, ... I will feed them with good pasture ..." (Ezekiel 34:11-31) There are a lot more verses like this. All through the Old Testament God claimed the right to care for and watch over His people like a shepherd watches over his sheep. It's a beautiful image. But there are hints of something else. Sheep are not only cared for. They are also used for sacrifice. This is the other theme about sheep in the Old Testament. The two interweave one another and play off each other. It's kind of like a beautiful symphony, where you hear one theme in the music played over and over with variations. And then a second theme begins to play, just a few notes at first and then clearer and clearer, until it becomes all that the music is about. So Abraham goes up the mountain with his son Isaac. And when Isaac asks about the sacrifice, Abraham says, "the Lord will provide the lamb for the sacrifice." (Genesis 22:8) God sends Moses to Egypt, and tells the Israelites, the night before the Exodus they are to sacrifice and eat the Passover Lamb, marking their doors with the blood of the lamb. (Exodus 12:1-23) Later Isaiah prophesies "like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth." (Isaiah 53:7) These are the hints and pictures of what was coming. In the Old Testament God talks as clearly as He can about Himself being the Shepherd and we His sheep. From the Old Testament you hear the theme of the Lamb, but it does not come into clear focus until the New Testament. The story of salvation was waiting for John the Baptist to stand by the Jordan River and point at Jesus and say, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29) It is fascinating how the Shepherd and Sheep themes blend and interplay. The Shepherd watches over His sheep. And He is going to be with the sheep. But what a way for the Shepherd to be with the sheep! He is Immanuel (God with us). He (the Word) "became flesh and dwelt among us". (John 1:14) And He promises to be with us to the end of the age. He came to be with us. What Jesus meant by being "with us" is amazing:
The Shepherd has become one of us. And not only one of us. He became the One standing in our place - "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29) "The Shepherd" has become "The Lamb." Like the theme in a symphony that starts out quietly and grows more and more powerful; the theme of Jesus the Lamb of God becomes the entire song by the end of the New Testament. While Jesus is called "the Lamb" four times in the rest of the New Testament; the book of Revelation calls Jesus "the Lamb" 28 times. What better theme to have as the theme for the song of eternity? Lord Jesus, thank You for being my Shepherd and watching over my soul, teaching me the Gospel so I can have salvation in You. Thank You especially for being the only shepherd ever who became the Lamb, so that You could carry my sin and bring Your eternity to me. Amen. The Deepest Mystery of the Good Shepherd It is the most amazing part of John 10 (The Good Shepherd Chapter). In fact verses 17-18 might be the most amazing 2 verses in the whole Gospel of John. I have been studying these 2 verses for years and I am still astonished. Jesus said, "For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from My Father." (John 10:17-18) Those verses start out looking like so many other verses. They tell how God "so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son" (John 3:16) And Jesus willingly came into this world in order to save us, to carry our sins to the cross and on the third day rise from the dead. But look closer and there is an astonishing contrast. God the Father loves His Son Jesus. And yet Jesus must go to the cross where He would be forsaken. Jesus would cry out, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" And yet in the moment of being forsaken He is loved. God the Father says, "This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased," (Matthew 3:17) and in Isaiah "Behold My servant!" (Isaiah 52:13)Jesus says, "the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life ..." (John 10:17) His death was a death under a curse. And it was death under the judgment of the Law. And it was death with forsakeness and a cry of abandonment. There is the contrast. Two truths in tension, looking like opposites. Two things seem to be as far as possible from each other, and yet they happen together. They are linked in eternity, and can only come together in Jesus. Set them side by side: "For this reason the Father loves Me ..." & "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" And not only do they happen side by side. Each one reaches its climax at exactly the same time. God the Father turned away from His Son forsaking Him; and at the same time the Father had never loved His Son so completely and so adoringly. "For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down My life ..." When Jesus went to the cross He was earning forgiveness and salvation for lost humanity, and that is what God the Father most deeply desired. He also went to the judgment of the cross with perfect faith. Jesus went with devotion to His Father, trusting the promises, believing the Father's love. He went with perfect faith, in the face of everything around. This is the measure of perfect faith; for Jesus to believe the words and promises of God in the face of judgment and death; and to surrender Himself into death trusting those words and promises even while being forsaken. This is faith carried into the most extreme challenge, facing death and separation from His Father and still believing the words and promises. No wonder, "for this reason the Father loves Me". So Jesus brought back all the promises of God, bringing them right into our place of separation. He faced the final enemy and died the death of perfect faith. He proved that the promises and blessings of God are there for us, even when we feel forsaken, and even when we have wandered as far away from God as we could go. Jesus the Good Shepherd came to our separation. He brought truth to dispel all the devil's lies, and He did so by taking our place, all so we could have His blessings and know that we are never forsaken. Jesus said, "For this reason the Father loves Me," and brought the love of God to face down our every problem and doubt. He said, "because I lay down My life" and swept away every sin that could separate us from the love of God. He said, "that I may take it up again" and began to unravel even death, so we could even have victory over the final enemy. And He said, "This charge I have received from My Father" so we can know that it is an eternal plan. Lord Jesus, thank You for Your victory over sin and death, that I can know I am set free to share in Your eternity. And thank You for Your faithful death, holding to the words and promises of God, that by Your victory, my doubts may be defeated, and I may walk with confidence that You are the Way and the Truth and the Life. Amen. Immanuel There is a cross-over between the Good Shepherd chapter (John 10) and Christmas. And it is important! We know the name Immanuel from the Christmas story. "The virgin will conceive and bear a son and will call his name Immanuel." (Isaiah 7:14) The name Immanuel means "God-with us." or more precisely "With-us God" because the order of the parts matters. Jesus is God, and in certain ways that is not surprising. But that He would be "with us," actually want to be in our world, be one of this skin-covered, sometimes achy, hungry, tired and sore bunch called humanity; and want to hang around with sinners who (alone) can't seem to sort our right and wrong or truth and error, and (together) congeal into a mob of "who-knows-what-they-will-do-next" bunches of out of control sinners. That is amazing! With-us God! That is what He takes on Himself. There is a word for it. "Shepherd." Jacob, way back when describes it. "there I was: day by day the heat consumed me, and the cold by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes." (Genesis 31:40) As a young man David learned humility by being out with the sheep day and night. That is how God prepared him to be king. And so Jesus came to be among us, to eat with the tax gatherers and sinners; to know the troubles of their soul. and there is a reason why the favorite word for Jesus in the last book of the Bible is "The Lamb." The first Gospel starts with Jesus being called Immanuel. (Matthew 1:23) And it ends with the promise "'I Am' with you" (Matthew 28:20) using the Greek translation of the personal name of God "I Am." The story is from Immanuel to Immanuel. From "With-us God" to "'I Am' with you." How is He with us? Let's ask that question of John chapter 10, the Good Shepherd chapter. When we do here are some of the answers:
Now that is one amazing Shepherd! Good? More than just good! He is the Phenomenal-and-astounding -beyond-all-measure Shepherd! Lord Jesus, thank You for being my Shepherd, for knowing me, calling me, leading me through all I have to face in this life, for giving every blessing, for taking my sin and going to death for me, for calling me into Your Easter, for claiming me as Your own and leading me into eternal life. Help me to begin the eternal celebration even now, as I continue the walk through this life and this world. Amen. When An Atheist Prays ... What is this? Why would an atheist pray? Actually, it happens. There is an old saying, "There are no atheists in foxholes." A man who has had no use for religion finds himself in a life-threatening situation. Everything is falling apart, He does not know if he will get out of it. And suddenly with nowhere else to turn a man calls out to God.I have sat and talked to men with that kind of prayer in their background. They do remember the moment. What then? God claims the right to hear anyone who calls out to Him. Psalm 68 calls Him "Father of the fatherless and protector of widows ..." (Psalm 68:5) There is no mention of their belief. Only that God claims the right to hear and answer. Psalm 145 has this prayer, "You open Your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing." (Psalm 145:16) And Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount that God "makes His sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust." (Matthew 5:45) God is the One who gives daily bread, who gives life and breath, and insists on the right to hear the prayer of all His people, of all humanity, of all creation. And He answers and provides. How many accidents have we avoided and wondered? How many terrible things did we not even know we were protected from? And when we are in distress and trouble God insists on the right to hear our prayer and watch over us. So the un-religious man could talk with me about how God answered his prayer; and could still be celebrating that his prayer was heard. What then? God has more to give. So many prayers are offered up for physical needs. They have to do with what I need for "this body and life." (Luther's Small Catechism, explanation of the First Article) Those are good prayers, and God loves to hear them. But there is more. God has more to give than simply the needs for this body and life. We are more than skin covered collections of chemicals and nerve impulses. We are body and soul, and there is a whole other part of our life. So God hears and answers our prayers for daily needs. But He invites us into a deeper relationship. Always He has more blessings ready to go. God knows the things of the soul. He knows our need for comfort, hope, and promises brought to us by Jesus. He knows our spiritual needs. He knows our need for His promise of salvation in Jesus; for forgiveness earned by His Son; for the promise of eternal life. And He has those blessings all ready to go earned and offered through Jesus rising on Easter. It would be silly to pray for the bodily needs; receive God's answer; and walk away uninterested so many more gifts and blessings. That's like being at your grandmother's for dinner, and it's really good; but at the end when she brings out her famous pumpkin pie, you say, "Boring!" Right now we are in the middle of a time when a lot of people are remembering prayer. we are calling out to God in ways we haven't done for a long time. And God is answering, watching over us, keeping and defending us. What then? As we come through this, remember to remember. Remember God who answers prayer and has answers ready for prayers we haven't even prayed yet. (Isaiah 65:24) Lord Jesus, You are the gift and the answer. When I have called out You have been there, already ready to help. When my prayers were answered, You prepared even more answers. You are a never ending well of blessings, pouring out more blessings than we can even ask for. Help me remember to remember Your blessings and help in my times of need. And help me remember to praise You, my savior and Friend. Amen. A Bit of a Surprise My brother called. He asked me to look for information about a church that one of his former High School students was just assigned, to be their pastor. He said "it was a bit of a surprise" when that student went into the ministry. I said, "It was a bit of a surprise for me too." Silence. And then we talked some more. It got me thinking. It got me looking back. "It was a bit of a surprise for me too." I was in high school. I had other things I was interested in doing. I still have some of those interests. But there was a point where everything changed and it was no longer possible to do anything else. I cannot remember the date but I remember the day. Everything since that time fits together and makes sense. But it is true. It was a surprise. It was a surprise for my friends. And it took some time for me getting used to the new path I was on. I have heard other pastors relate their stories. One tells how: suddenly one verse in the Bible made perfect sense and his future was set. Another told how three phrases from the Nicene Creed suddenly took hold ("God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God"). Another told how he suddenly started believing Jesus' words in the Bible; and he was no longer welcome in his religious group. On and on go the stories. It seems surprises are more of a pattern than we realize. In the Bible:
We should have expected this. God will surprise and God will do the unexpected. After all, He is the God of Grace; the God of unearned and undeserved love and mercy. Everything in our relationship with God is by Grace. It is the experience of blessings we have no way to expect or get ready for. This is God who called Moses from a burning bush, who chose the smallest child in the family to be King David, who shut the mouth of the lion, who walked with the three young men in the middle of the fiery furnace -- And how many other ways did He surprise His people? No one saw any of that coming. And that's how God loves to come to His people; with the unexpected grace. And then He chose to be born in a stable; call fishermen and a tax collector for disciples; eat with sinners; touch the lepers; and heal on the sabbath. He did salvation by being arrested, abused, crucified, and killed. Paul celebrates the surprise. He says, "Jews demand signs, and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, ..." (1 Corinthians 1:22-23) and "the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." (1 Corinthians 1:18) Easter morning comes along, and how many of His followers did Jesus surprise? Mary Magdalene, the Emmaus disciples, the ten in the upper room -- and Thomas a week later. How many does Jesus surprise today? Countless millions all around the world: suddenly seeing that there is eternal life right there in Jesus' words; or surprised that the truth in Jesus keeps on pursuing and calling them. But that is exactly what we should have expected of a Living Jesus who is working and acting and calling souls and gathering followers to be His kingdom, His people living forever with Him. If you look through your life, how many ways has this living Jesus surprised you? How many ways has His hand worked behind the scenes in ways that you slowly became aware of? How many ways has He nudged, called, and reminded you of His words? And how often has that been unexpected? Lord Jesus, You are the Shepherd and You guide me in ways that I do not expect. But You are Lord and You know how to lead me. Guide me in things that I do not expect, and help me to grow in faith, following You and learning of You -- until that day when You surprise me with Life and Glory that lasts for all eternity. Amen. _______ ((And now to tie up a loose end from yesterday. I shared a German devotional thought: "Verzweifle nicht, Seele, Gott troestet, hoert deine Bitte, sieht deine Not. Er wird dir zur richtigen Zeit helfen und dir erhabenen Frieden gewaehren." The translation is: "Despair not, Soul! Trust God [who] hears your prayer, [and] sees your need. He will at the right time help you and bring you sublime peace.")) Giving Thanks - Why the World Thinks We Are Weird There is a very different perspective we have about giving thanks to God - different from the rest of the world. It sets us apart and it requires some explanation. Paul talked about it in one of his earliest letters, and in what might be his last; and the theme is consistent from one to the other. In the early one he said, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances ..." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) In the later one he said, "Rejoice in the Lord always; ... do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." (Philippians 4:4-6) Does he really mean that we should thank God right in the middle of trouble? Paul wrote this the first time while on a mission journey. But then he wrote the second one while a prisoner in Rome. And if that's not extreme enough he started that second letter telling how he expected to lose his case and be executed. "With thanksgiving"? How does that work. This is the right time of the year to explain. It's Easter season. We are only a few weeks from Easter. we are still saying in our worship services, "Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!" We are living in the time of the Resurrection. "Christ the firstfruits, then at His coming those who belong to Christ." (1 Corinthians 15:23) We are living in the age of eternal life. Jesus said, "Whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet shall He live, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die." (John 11:25-26) No matter what happens we are not out on our own. We are connected with Jesus and are under His protection. That does not mean we will not face problems, hardship, suffering, even hostility in this world. Jesus said, "In the world you will have tribulation." (John 16:33) But it does mean that none of those things can separate us "from the love of God in Christ Jesus". (Romans 8:39) We are secure, connected with Easter and the risen Lord Jesus. So we pray and we give thanks. We call out to God in the middle of our problems, and we thank Him that He promised, "I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:20) We raise our prayers to God in the middle of sickness or suffering, and we give thanks that Jesus "bore our griefs and carries our sorrows". (Isaiah 53:4) We turn to God in distress, and we thank God that He is "a well-proven help in trouble." (Psalm 46:1) One day we will have to face death. We will call out to God on that day, and we will thank Him that He promises, "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand." (John 10:27-28) It may be difficult to learn, and it may be one of the hardest exercises of faith, but it is a very real part of our life as Christians. We live an eternal Easter. The more difficult the challenge, the more difference it makes that we are connected to Jesus, to His sin-forgiving cross, and to His rising on the Third Day. The rest of the world may not understand this, but it is part of the blessing of being a Christian, It changes everything in life. It gives a calm and a peace. God is in charge. And you are loved. No matter what may challenge, Jesus is still the Living One. "Neither death nor life, nor angels [nor viruses], nor [problems today], nor [the mess that waits tomorrow], nor [worries], nor height nor depth, nor [any way that you can mess up anywhere] in all [of God's good] creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39 - kind of) So bring the petitions. Bring the call for help. Bring the cry from deep within the soul. And know that God's heart is turned toward you and His ears are open to your prayers. Thanks be to God we have a Savior and Friend, and we can turn to Him and find "grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 5:16) It is indeed like the guy wrote on Facebook this week, "Verzweifle nicht, Seele, Gott troestet, hoert deine Bitte, sieht deine Not. Er wird dir zur richtigen Zeit helfen und dir erhabenen Frieden gewaehren." Lord Jesus, thank You that You will always be with me, always hear my prayer, and so often answer before I even know how to pray or what to pray for. Thank You for the countless joys and blessings You give and that You have my back when the problems are all around. Thank You that death is defeated, that I will not come to my end, and that You hold and keep my soul. Thank You that Your Easter changes everything, and that finally there will be joys at Your right hand forever. Amen. And Then ... Nothing Happened - and it was wonderful! It came at the end of the Gospel of John. Seven of the disciples were sitting around and Peter decided to go fishing. What else should they do? They didn't have any clear plan. So ... fishing. And they caught nothing. In the morning Jesus was on the shore and told them to cast the net to the right side of the boat, and there was an amazing catch. The story goes on and soon they are on shore; and there was a charcoal fire with fish and bread laid out on it. Jesus said, "Bring some of the fish that you have caught." and they did. Jesus said, "Come and have breakfast." and they did. (John 21:1-12) And nothing happened ... Nothing. At all. Only breakfast. Do you know how fantastic this is? Jesus was just there, having breakfast with them. No "Kingdom Business." No Great Commission, plans for evangelizing the world, or amazing miracles. Only breakfast. Jesus was taking time, just being with them. It was time to slow down and enjoy the moments; and that was true both for the disciples and for Jesus. Some bread. Some fish. Enjoying the taste, the warmth of the fire, and the company. Actually this is "Kingdom Business." This is, at its heart, what the kingdom of God is. It's a theme that forms the "bookends" of the Bible, from the 3rd chapter of Genesis to the 2nd last chapter of Revelation. In Genesis the Lord came walking in the Garden in the cool of the day. There was no more work of creating to be done. God was resting. And He came walking in the Garden to spend time with Adam and Eve. He created them to know God, to walk with God, to have fellowship (spending time together) with God, and to share with them all kinds of blessings (material and spiritual) for all eternity. But they had turned away, followed another voice, listened to other words and broke the fellowship that God had formed with them. What follows is the Great Quest; God pursuing and finding and wining and bringing us back. It would cost God sending His only-begotten Son; (John 3:16) and it would cost Jesus laying down His life for His friends. (John 15:13) Finally, in Revelation, there is the voice from the throne; God exulting and saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with man. He will dwell with them and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God." (Revelation 21:3) Notice how God repeats it three times, "with man ... with them ... with them"! This is God's great desire and quest, to have us with Him and have the fellowship restored. He planned and arranged and has pursued this for thousands of years, going even to the death on the cross to have us with Him. In between Genesis and Revelation, there is the Gospel of John. That Gospel begins with "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, ..." (John 1:14) It ends with "Come and have breakfast." (John 21:12) And nothing happened for a while. Only breakfast. Only Jesus being with them and they with Jesus. It is quite remarkable that this is how the Gospels finish, breakfast and perhaps a walk along the beach ("And after saying this He said to [Peter], 'Follow Me.' Peter turned and saw the disciple ... who had been reclining at table close to him ..." (John 21:19b-20a)). Think back to Genesis and how the Lord came walking in the Garden to spend time simply being with Adam and Eve. But that time together did not happen. It would take a few thousand years but there on the beach at the end of the Gospels God would finally have time being with us; with no work to be done, only time to spend together and enjoy His people. There is a simple and quiet sweetness in this. And it helps to form our image of heaven and what it will be like when Jesus returns. That is a part of what it means to know the risen Lord Jesus, and why it is so sweet being a Christian. Lord Jesus, thank You that you call me You own, and Your friend. Thank You for the promise of an eternity of life. And thank You that the sweetest part of salvation is to have You as my Friend. In my quiet times, and there are a lot of them right now, be with me and guide my soul, that my thoughts may turn to You. Amen. It's the Little Things It's the little things. We know this is true. It's the little things that stick with us. A sound, a smell, an unexpected detail that lingers in our memory. Those are the things that make special memories vivid and keep them in our memories year after year. We know how it feels. Someone says to us, "It's just like it was yesterday. I can still ..." and then those little details are told and shared. We have experienced this. It is part of our history, the story of our lives, and at times it has made us who we are. If we were sitting together I could ask you to think back on one of those memories and tell me one of the vivid details. For women it might be the smell of their mother's kitchen or the odor of the flowers on your wedding day. For a guy it might be the feel of the bat striking the ball, or the feel of the basketball as you let it go in that one shot at the end of a game. For me, I can still feel the descent, down from Frisco Pass on my bicycle at close to 60 mph, around the curves, tucking for more speed ... Yes, it is the little things. As a Pastor I have walked through a cemetery and "heard" and "seen" the memories of those I have cared for. Years ago, toward the end of my time serving a congregation for 18 years, that walk was very slow and had a lot of pauses, remembering a joke, a smile, a story that I had heard dozens of times. It is the little things that fill our lives. And so it was with the disciples. That first Easter was filled with the vivid memories. For Peter, "... the face cloth, which had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself" -- was a vivid memory from when he and John ran to the tomb. (John 10:7) For the women, "And they came up and took hold of His feet ..." -- was a vivid memory from the way back from the tomb when Jesus met them. (Matthew 28:9) For the disciples " ... a piece of broiled fish ..." -- became a vivid memory from the upper room, when Jesus appeared to them but they had a hard time believing that He was really alive. And at some point someone told it to Luke, who wrote it down. (Luke 24:42) For seven of them " ... a charcoal fire in place, with fish on it, and bread" and "large fish, 153 of them" -- were vivid memories of a breakfast with Jesus when they went back to try some fishing again. (John 21:9, 11) These are memories involve senses, feelings, and experiences they lived through. They include:
These are vivid details that stuck deep in the minds of the different disciples. And they are the memories of the first Easter that did not fade with the years that passed. They fill out the story of Easter and they are the kind of texture that witnesses to the truth of the empty tomb and the living, glorious body of the risen Jesus, with a victory that is wonderfully true. And they are details that thrill the heart of the Christian, and lead us to say, "Christ is Risen; He is Risen Indeed!" Lord Jesus, You show the truth of Easter through such wonderful details. You invite me to know You and lead me to hope for the day when I will see You, hear You, and reach out and touch You. Guide my spiritual life that I may have the times of worship, and the sweetness of the promises of Your word filling my life and days. Amen. Easter Evening - Jesus in Worship There is a question we sometimes ask and answer in our church. It goes like this: "Is Jesus the one we worship, or is He the one who leads our worship?" The answer is: "Yes! He is both. He is the one we worship because He is God. And He is the one who leads our worship because He is one of us." He is Man, born of the virgin Mary, born under the Law, to redeem those under the Law. (Galatians 4:4) He became one of us with flesh and blood, fingers and toes, able to be tempted, and needing to go to His Father in prayer. Jesus regularly went off by Himself to spend long hours in prayer. And we are used to verses that show us Jesus in worship. Such as when Jesus said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to little children, ..." (Matthew 11:25) And Jesus went up to the temple for the feasts. And He went to the synagogues weekly. He observed the Sabbath. He was a man of worship and prayer. Part of worship was what happened before the meals. For example, with the feeding of the 5,000 what happened before the meal? Jesus took the 5 loaves and 2 fish and then "looked up to heaven and said a blessing." (Matthew 14:19) That word is important. In Greek it is eulogaysen. It could be translated "He prayed the blessing." It means to talk to God in worship and to speak God's praises for the blessings we have received from His Fatherly care. It is to bless God because we have been blessed by God. His blessings are active. He gives our daily needs. In fact He gives us our days, with life and breath, sun and rain, food and drink, house and home, and so many other good things. Our blessing is to speak His praise, to tell of His goodness and to do so with faith, knowing that He is a loving God. When Jesus spoke the blessing that day before feeding the crowd, what did He say? I read in a commentary this week that no doubt His speaking the blessing before the meal would be special and intimate. What would it be like to be there and hear the Son of God thanking and praising His Father for the daily blessings He had received, and then to include the loaves of bread and the fish in that wonderful thanksgiving. Now that is worship! We do know something of how it likely started. A traditional Jewish mealtime prayer begins, "Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the universe ..." As a mealtime prayer it then continues with thanks and praise for the blessings received, including the meal. The wording is very old. It goes back at least to King David. Psalm 103 begins, "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits, ..." (Psalm 103:1-2) and then David goes on to enumerate the blessings. It's a good pattern of worship. So we come to Easter. It is the normal pattern for us to think about Easter and picture the disciples worshiping Jesus. The women returning from the tomb worshiped Him. (Matthew 28:9) Mary Magdalene cried out "Rabboni" and apparently clung to Him. (John 20:16) And a week later Thomas said, "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:28) But then Luke tells us how Jesus walked with the two on the road to Emmaus. And as He did so, Jesus explained to them why the Christ had to suffer and enter into His glory. They got to Emmaus and "urged Him strongly" to stay. And then it was time for the meal. "He took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him." (Luke 24:30-31) Later that evening they explained to the disciples back in Jerusalem "what had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of the bread." (Luke 24:35) Notice the pattern? Jesus begins the meal by praying the blessing. It is an act of worship, just like with the feeding of the 5,000, and then with the feeding of the 4,000. But this is Easter! And Jesus is not done with worship, with leading us in the worship of His heavenly Father. He prays the prayers and speaks the praises of God as He receives the blessings of daily bread. (Let me assume here that later on when Jesus shared breakfast with His disciples on the shore that meal also started out with worship and prayer. (John 21:9-13)) He is still one of us. He is still the One who leads our worship. And as He worships His Father He calls us His "brothers." (Hebrews 2:12) Looking back: It's right there in the Psalm of Good Friday. After the word from the cross, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Psalm 22:1) And after the description of crucifixion (Psalm 22:7-18) there is Jesus looking forward to worship. "I will tell of Your name to My brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise You: ... From You comes My praise in the Great Congregation; My vows I will perform before those who fear Him." (Psalm 22:22-25) When Jesus "took the bread, prayed the blessing, and broke and gave it to them" it was the beginning of that hope being fulfilled. He was worshiping, praising His Father and telling of the blessings of God "to [His] brothers." Looking forward: I finished the sermon today wondering and expecting that on Judgment Day also Jesus will be leading us in worship. Will that will be part of the whole experience on that day? From the Psalm ("... in the midst of the congregation I will praise You: ... From You comes My praise in the Great Congregation ...") it looks like it is absolutely certain. It will be. On Judgment Day Jesus will lead us in worship. He will still be one of us, the Son of Man, risen from the dead and glorified, and still one of us. What an amazing day that will be! But that is exactly why He came and was born for us. It was to take us who had wandered far from God, to purchase and win us by His blood, and to bring us back into fellowship with God, where there is glory and praise, celebration and joy for all eternity. Lord Jesus, lead me in worship, that my heart may be turned to God; that I may learn the pattern of praise for the countless blessings of each day; and that I may look forward with longing to that day when I join my voice to Yours in the songs of eternal life. Amen. |
Rev. Mark WilligPastor Willig is pastor emeritus of Friends in Christ Lutheran Church. Archives
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