I WAS A STRANGER

 

Matthew 25:35 (NIV)
I was a stranger and you invited me in,

               We are experiencing a crisis in our country as those who have the power have decided to use it against those who do not. Immigrants and people of color have become a target for unfair and illegal practices. This has been going on with the full approval of our government. It is not right!

               I have struggled with how to address this issue. I have been praying fervently for an end to the abuses and the removal of those who are perpetrating them. But I feel compelled also to speak out in support of the stranger among us.

               Many years ago, God laid on my heart Matthew 25:31-46; the parable of the sheep and the goats.

Matthew 25:31-46 (NIV)
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
³⁴ "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'
"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'
"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'
"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

               The part the grabbed me was, I was a stranger and you invited me in. At the time, I was serving a church in a university town. The university had a growing number of international students attending there. God laid it on my heart to begin an outreach to those “strangers” among us. For almost 30 years we actively tried to be a welcoming presence for the internationals in our community. It was one of the most enriching parts of our ministry.

               Today, I am seeing the foundations of what we helped to build being eroded by the actions of our government. Instead of inviting the stranger in we are expelling them. It is a direct contradiction to Jesus’ words. Unfortunately, many people who call themselves Christians are lining up behind what the government is doing. I am not one of them.

               The Apostle Paul tells us that the history of Israel has been recorded as an example for us to learn from. Israel was specifically forbidden to take advantage of the alien among them. "Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt. But they failed to listen to God’s command. If we look back carefully at the actions of ancient Israel, what we see is an abuse of aliens and strangers. Because of that, God unleashed His wrath on Israel, eventually resulting in their exile for their land.

               I can say, without qualification, that God is not pleased with the course of action our government is taking. I don’t know what action God will take in response to this abuse, but I fear we will all suffer for it if we do not repent and change course.

               As private citizens, we often feel powerless to effect what goes on at the higher levels of our government. Outside of choosing who we will vote into office, we are left to watch the results. But we have a God who is not powerless. The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases. Proverbs 21:1 (NIV) When His people truly humble themselves and seek His help, He always responds. It may feel like our prayers are powerless, but they are not.

               For whatever reason, God has allowed the current government to be in place. We can argue all we want about that, but ultimately God is in control of those who are in control. There are many things that are wrong with the direction our nation was headed before the current President took office. But the pendulum has swung in the opposite direction; much to our detriment. God may be allowing us to reap the consequences of our own choices.

               But the good news is that God is a God of grace. He rebukes, not to destroy, but to redeem. I believe that God is in the process of purifying His people. It is painful, but necessary. He is calling us to forsake our love affair with political power (whichever side of the equation we are on) and to return to allegiance to Him alone. As follows of Christ, we are called to be salt and light in a dark and decaying world. We cannot do that by embracing the ways and means of that dark and decaying world. We can do that only as we draw near to Christ and seek to live out His values in our world.

1 Peter 2:9-12 (NIV)
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

               In the parable of the sheep and the goats, the defining factor was not what people claimed to be, but what they demonstrated by their actions. When you did this to the least of these brothers of mine you did it to me. We will ultimately be judged not by what political banner we wave, but by how we lived out our faith in practical, loving, compassionate, and gracious ways.

Psalms 146:1-10 (NIV)
Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul.
I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing.
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them-- the LORD, who remains faithful forever.
He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets prisoners free, the LORD gives sight to the blind, the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down, the LORD loves the righteous. The LORD watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.
The LORD reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the LORD.

 

PAY ATTENTION

                                                             Psalms 90:12 (NIV)

Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

               The watch word for today seems to be live for the moment. As a society we have placed much emphasis on living in the present, without much thought for the future. Living for the moment may enhance a person’s experience, but it also may bring unintended consequences. Living for the moment is not always the wise thing to do. How often have we heard the excuse, “we were just having fun”, after some unfortunate or destructive thing has happened.

               In my devotions today, I read the above verse from Psalm 90. I have read it many times, but it struck a chord this morning. The Psalmist is challenging us to look at life from the proper perspective. Living for the moment may be “fun”, but is it wise? There is more to life than this moment, this experience.

               I was reminded also this morning about leaving a positive legacy for those who follow us. In order to do that, a person must think in terms of the long haul, not the short run. A true legacy is built over time, one piece at a time. It is not built all at once. It takes intentionality and a vision for the future. At the end of our lives, do we want it said about us that we had fun or that we made a difference? I would prefer the latter.

               The Psalmist tells us to pay attention to our days so that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Wisdom is something sorely lacking today. True is wisdom is not rash. It does not vary from moment to moment. It is not shaken by temporary set-backs. True wisdom has endurance. It wears well over time.

               Ther book of Proverbs is all about gaining a heart of wisdom. Solomon contrasts wisdom with folly. Wisdom brings genuine benefits over time. Folly offers a momentary thrill at the expense of the future. It seems like that is the world we live in today.

               The person who is wise looks beyond the immediate to what is yet to come. They adjust their actions to position themselves well for the future. I have been watching the Olympics this week. Last night we watched some cross-country skiing. The commentators noted that athletes that started out too fast ran the risk of running out of gas later in the race. It is a lesson any one who have run distance has had to learn. Pacing is important. You cannot sprint through a marathon. Life is the ultimate marathon. We can burn up all of our energy early or we can wisely pace ourselves for the long haul.

               Ultimately, wisdom comes from aligning our life with God’s purposes. The wise person has learned to listen to what God has said in His Word. James addresses this in his letter. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does. James 1:22-25 (NIV)

               Part of being wise is listening to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. When a person puts their faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in their life. He is there to be a person’s guide through life. As Jesus was preparing His disciples for His departure, He assured them that they would not face the journey ahead alone. Instead, He promised them the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit. "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. John 16:12-13 (NIV)

               The role of the Spirit is to shape our lives to conform to the image of Christ. He replaces folly with wisdom. But we have to consciously follow His lead. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. Galatians 5:22-26 (NIV)

               The Psalmist calls us to pay attention. How we live our daily lives matters, not just for the moment, but for eternity. Paul challenges us to be very careful how we live. If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. Galatians 5:15-18 (NIV)

               There doesn’t seem to be a lot of wisdom today. We are enthralled with innovation and everything new. We discount the wisdom of the past as old fashioned and out of date. Yet, already we are discovering some of the unintended consequences of failing to consider where we are headed. It is time to stop and “number our days aright.”

Proverbs 3:5-8 (NIV)
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.
This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.

 

TO BE “PERFECT”

 

Matthew 5:48 (NIV)
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

               We have a running joke in our family. My daughter will say, nobody is perfect, and I will respond, what about me? Then she responds, you’re not perfect, Dad, you’re missing parts.

               We often take solace in the fact that nobody is perfect. When we mess up in some way, we can take comfort in the fact that we all make mistakes. Perfection is a goal that none of us achieves. But that makes Jesus’ words in Matthew 5 very disturbing. It seems that Jesus is saying that not only is it possible for us to be perfect, it is expected of us. So what does Jesus really mean by his statement, be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect?

               I was reading a commentary this morning that addressed this very issue. The author made the point that the Greek word used here for perfect literally means to function according to one’s purpose. Jesus’ statement comes at the end of a passage where He instructs us to love our enemies. His rationale for this statement is that The Father shows grace and mercy to all, so as His children, we should do the same.

               We were created to reflect the image of God in the world. We are the only part of creation that was created in the image of God. Our very purpose in life is to be like God. Not to be God, but to emulate His essence. Part of God’s essence is love. God doesn’t love in the same way that we love. Our love is conditional. We love as a response to other’s love or to attain their love. But God is love. It is a part of who He is. His love is unconditional. So Jesus says, if we are to fulfill our purpose in life, we too need to love as God loves. This is but one aspect of what it means to be perfect.

               The Apostle Paul expands on this idea of being perfect in Ephesians 5:1-2. Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Just as young children imitate their parents, so we are to imitate God. The more we imitate God’s character the more it shapes our own character. It is common for families to share certain characteristics. “I can see his father in him.” As followers of Christ, and children of our heavenly Father, we are to share His character traits as well.

               The commentator that I referenced used an analogy to help us understand the Greek meaning of the word perfect. He talked about buying a screwdriver to fasten a loose screw. The screwdriver fit the screw perfectly and accomplished its purpose. In that way it was perfect. As we fit into God’s plan of our lives, we too become more and more perfect. We fulfill the purpose for which we were created.

               Jesus’ command to be perfect alerts us to the reality that this doesn’t just magically happen in our lives. We have a part to play. Our choices, our actions, all lead us toward or away from our goal of being perfect in Christ. Praise God that He is patient with us and gives us the opportunity to try again and again to get things right.

               Paul emphasizes our role in this in Ephesians 4:1-3. As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. We cannot be passive about the way we live our lives. We need to be intentional if we are going to live up to our calling. Going with the flow will only carry us away from the goal. It is godly determination coupled with Holy Spirit empowerment that moves us in the right direction.

               Perfection (in any sense of the word) is out of our reach if we have to accomplish this alone. But we do not have to do that. As we put our faith in Christ and draw closer to Him, we are empowered to do what we cannot do on our own. In John 15, Jesus tells us the secret to fulfilling our purpose in life.

John 15:1-8 (NIV)
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

               It is only as we remain attached to the source of our life that we can bear fruit and become who God intended for us to be.

               Being perfect in a spiritual sense does not mean never making a mistake or always getting everything right. Being perfect means living out our God-given purpose in life. The more we align our life with the purposes of God, the closer we will come to truly being perfect.

Philippians 3:12-14 (NIV)
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

 

 

LETTING GO OF OUR GUILT

Romans 8:1 (NIV)
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,

               This past Sunday, the worship leader at our church began the service by reminding us of Romans 8:1. He invited us to enter worship as forgiven sinners who are welcomed into God’s presence with open arms. His words hit home for me, because I am one who tends to hold onto guilt.

               Guilt is a real thing. It is not something to be denied or ignored. Many people today claim that feelings of guilt are inappropriate and that we should never allow guilt to enter our minds. Yet, we all feel it from time to time. Even the person with a hardened heart, in the dark hours of the night, when they cannot sleep, feels nagging guilt.

               Guilt is actually a gift from God. Guilt alerts us that something is wrong. In fact, applying guilt to our lives is one of the roles of the Holy Spirit.  When he comes, (referring to the Holy Spirit) he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: John 16:8 (NIV) One of the jobs of the Holy Spirit is to awaken us to our sin and to all of the ways that we have failed to live up to God’s standards. To deny our guilt is to live in a false reality. As it says in 1 John 1:8 (NIV), If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. Those who want to deny the reality of guilt or hide from it are deceiving themselves.

               Making us aware of our sin is the positive side of guilt. It motivates us to do something about it. It challenges us to see things as they really are and not as we wish they were. Guilt serves a very important role in our lives.

               But here is where things can get out of balance. We can allow guilt to immobilize us. We can wallow in our guilt and become introspective in an unhealthy way. That was the case for Martin Luther before he embraced the reality of God’s grace. But guilt can also harder our hearts. If we rationalize our guilt or try to bury our guilt, our hearts will become hard and unresponsive to God’s grace.

               The healthy way to deal with guilt is to recognize it, own it, and then take it to God. I John 1 continues with the good news for all of us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 (NIV) God’s purpose for guilt is to lead us to repentance and restoration. God does not want our guilt to be a burden we carry throughout our lives. He wants it to be a catalyst for spiritual renewal. We can escape the burden of guilt by honestly bringing it to God by faith. God’s promise is that He will replace our guilt with His forgiveness and restoration.

               We can see this illustrated in our human relationships. If I have offended another person, I can choose to ignore it or rationalize it away, but that only keeps me separated from that person. But if in humility I confess my wrong and ask for forgiveness, my relationship with the other person can be restored. That is exactly what God is offering to us.

               But with God, He takes it one step farther. When Christ died on the cross, He died for the sins of the world, past, present and future. When a person puts their faith in Christ, what He did on the cross is applied to that person’s life. So, as it says in Romans 8:1, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. Ultimately, all of our sin and failures have been covered by the blood of Christ. When we stand before His throne in eternity, we will be declared not guilty. Not because of anything we have done, but because of what Christ Jesus did for us on the cross.

               As follows of Christ, we still need to deal with our guilt. But we can do it from a place of confidence. Another person may or may not forgive us, but God, in Christ Jesus, always will. When we fail, and we will, we can come back to God in faith, knowing that He will accept us with open arms. We do not have to live with guilt hanging over our heads. We do not have to carry that burden. We can experience the release that only Jesus can give.

               So when you experience the feelings of guilt, don’t deny them, don’t wallow in them, confess them to God and allow Him to embrace you with His love and grace.

Romans 8:1-4 (NIV)
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.

 

PROMISES, PROMISES

 

Isaiah 38:7 (NIV)
This is the LORD's sign to you that the LORD will do what he has promised:

               We have all made promises that we failed to keep. We have all had promises given to us that were not fulfilled. It is easy for us to become skeptical about promises in general. It doesn’t take many times being disappointed to start not believing people’s promises. It is not a very large step to not trusting God’s promises.

               There are many promises made by God in the Bible. Some of these promises are very specific to specific people. Some of these are more general to all believers. We can grab ahold of these promises and expect certain things from God. If our expectations are not met, we can begin to doubt God’s trustworthiness.

               Most of God’s promises are conditional. They depend upon our response to God and to what God has asked us to do. If we fail on our side of the equation, we invalidate the promise. God’s promises are not blank checks that we can cash in whenever we want to. But if we do our part, we can be assured that God will be faithful to what he has promised.

               We tend to grab ahold of the promises that seem to offer us the most immediate benefit. We expect God to protect us, prosper us, and heal us. Although these are promised by God, they are all qualified by what God’s will is in any particular circumstance.

               God is the great healer, but he has not promised to heal every sickness that we encounter. God has promised to provide for us, but it may not be in the ways that we expect. God has promised to protect us, but that doesn’t mean that he will shield us from all hardship or difficulty. When we make God’s promises black and white, we set up false expectations that will always disappoint us.

               When we submit our expectations to God’s will, we can experience the fulfillment of his promises in our life.

               Here are just a few promises that we can hang upon no matter what the circumstances of life may be.

               God will forgive our sins.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 (NIV) Notice the condition of this promise; if we confess. We have a part to play, but we can be assured that when we come to God in genuine repentance, he will forgive us.

               God will give us peace.                                                                                                                                    Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27 (NIV) This is a promise directly from Jesus. The peace that he promises us is not the temporary peace that the world offers. It is a lasting peace that reside deep within our soul and will stabilize us even in the most difficult situations.

                              God will lead us through life’s journey.
 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV) Here we have another conditional promise. If we will put our faith and trust in the Lord he will guide our life. It is a matter of trusting that God knows what is best for us and then taking the path set before us.

               God will never leave us.
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Hebrews 13:5 (NIV) The promise of God’s abiding presence is throughout the Bible. Psalm 139 tells us that there is nowhere we can go where we will be separated from God’s presence. Romans 8:35-39 assures us that there is nothing that can separate us from the love of Christ. We may be abandoned by other people, but never by God. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Matthew 28:20 (NIV)

               God will always answer our prayers.
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us--whatever we ask--we know that we have what we asked of him. 1 John 5:14-15 (NIV) Notice again that this is a conditional promise, not a blank check. If we ask according to God’s will it will be done. Jesus invited us to boldly bring our requests to God. We have to trust him with the answer that he gives to us. When Paul prayed to be healed from his thorn in the flesh, God offered him something better, his grace to endure.

               God will give us eternal life.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 (NIV) This is another conditional promise. It is for all who believe in Jesus. The promise is that God will place his very life within us. Eternal life is not just living forever. It is living in the power and life of God.

               God will give us his Holy Spirit to dwell within us.
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1:13-14 (NIV) One of the greatest gifts that God gives to those who believe in Jesus is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. When a person puts their faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in their life. He becomes their companion, teacher, guide, and confidant.

               There is an old hymn titled Standing on the Promises. It invites us to consciously and intentionally take our stand of the promises of God. The promises that other people make may or may not be fulfilled, but we can be sure that whatever God has promised He will fulfill. In these unsettling times, there is a solid foundation upon which we can stand. It is the promises of God.

Hebrews 10:23 (NIV)
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

 

EPIPHANY

 

Matthew 16:15 (NIV)
"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"

               Traditionally January 6 is known as Epiphany; a remembrance of when the Magi traveled from the east and found the infant Jesus, proclaiming him to be the one born king of the Jews.

               The word epiphany means an awakening or a divine appearance. Sometimes, when a person makes a discovery, they will say that they had an epiphany. The Magi had an epiphany when they believed the prophetic signs and traveled to Bethlehem to find Jesus. When they saw him, they knew that he was the one that had been foretold.

Matthew 2:9-11 (NIV)
After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.

               Each person who encountered Jesus at his birth had a different kind of epiphany; a different response. The Magi responded to Jesus with genuine worship. Herod responded to Jesus with anger and malice. The religious leaders responded to Jesus’ birth as if it was the answer to a religious trivia question. The shepherds responded to Jesus’ birth in awe and wonder. Mary and Joseph responded to Jesus’ birth with amazement.

               Many years later, Peter had an epiphany of his own. Jesus had posed the question to his disciples, who do people say that I am. The disciples gave a variety of responses.

Matthew 16:13-14 (NIV)
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

               Then Jesus posed the most important question of all. Who do you say that I am? At that moment Peter, speaking for all of the disciples, voiced his epiphany.

Matthew 16:16-17 (NIV)
Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.

               Jesus is still asking the same question to us today. Who do you say that I am? Many people are willing to see Jesus as a good, moral teacher. Others see him as a prophet or spiritual leader. Still others see Jesus as a threat to their way of life. But many still take their place alongside of Peter and declare that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

               Traditionally, Epiphany is the end of the Christmas season. It is the wrap up of the story for another year. This week we began to take down all of our Christmas decorations. They will go back into boxes to be stored for another year. But Epiphany is not the end of the story, only the beginning.

               For many people, as they box up their Christmas decorations, they will put Jesus away for another year. They will not give much thought to the significance of his coming into the world. But for those who have had a genuine epiphany, the journey of faith is just beginning for another year. It is a reminder that Jesus came not to be a religious leader or a good moral teacher, but to seek and to save that which was lost. Jesus came to change the course of human history forever.

               Each year, at Epiphany, we are faced again with the question, who do you say Jesus is? The Magi knew the answer. Mary and Joseph knew the answer. Peter and the disciples knew the answer. How about you? Have you had your own personal epiphany?

Romans 10:9-13 (NIV)
That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile--the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

 

THE JOURNEY MATTERS

 

1 Timothy 4:16 (NIV)
Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

               Last night Suanne and I watched a movie called The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. It is a fictional story about a man who receives a letter from a friend telling him that she is in hospice and dying. He struggles with how to respond to this friend. Through a chance encounter he is inspired to walk the 600 miles from his home to where his friend is, believing that his effort will extend her life. Throughout this incredible journey, Harold learns about himself and others. He faces his own grief at the tragic loss of his son by suicide. Near the end of his journey, he almost gives up, discouraged and spent, but his wife challenges him to finish his journey, which he does. His encounter with his dying friend is anticlimactic, but Harold is a changed man.

               At several occasions on his journey, he is offered a ride that would make his trip shorter and easier, but each time he declines, simply saying, I made a promise. He endures the 600-mile trip on foot, sleeping rough and depending upon the kindness of others.

               We are all on a journey through life that requires of us perseverance, stamina, and the will to keep going. Along the way, we have the choice to take short-cuts or to stay the course. There are parts of our journey that we would rather move through at a rapid pace or skip altogether. There are other parts of the journey that refresh us and renew our energy. We often wonder why God allows us to walk the paths that we do, but each situation is a part of our personal pilgrimage. Although we may want to rush to the end, the journey itself matters. It is the journey that shapes us as people. It shapes our character. It shapes our relationships. It shapes our faith. Without the challenges of the journey, our faith and our character will be weak and ineffective. It is the challenging times that build the spiritual muscles we need in order to endure to the end.

               When Jesus came into the world, he could have come as a fully grown man, displaying all of his power and glory. But he took the hard road instead. He took on our humanity and lived our life. At the beginning of his ministry, the Holy Spirit led Jesus out into the wilderness to face Satan. Satan offered Jesus several shortcuts to his end goal. It would have saved Jesus much pain and grief if he had accepted them. But he did not. Instead, he stayed committed to the journey that was before him. He literally walked his “unlikely” journey through the parched countryside of Palestine. He slept rough and depended on the kindness of strangers. He never wavered in his commitment to follow the path set before him all the way to the end.

               As followers of Christ, we have been called to walk our own “unlikely” journey of faith. Along the way we will face challenges that will require us to lean upon God and others. There will be times of discouragement and even disillusionment. At those times, God will send others to come along side of us and encourage us to keep going. As the writer of Hebrews put it, Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV)

               The year that is ending was a year of challenges, disappointments, and set-backs. There were some highlights along the way, but it was a hard year in many ways. It is natural for us to ask for an easier path ahead of us, but that is probably not going tom happen. There will be more challenges ahead. They are all part of our journey and the journey matters. It is the journey that is shaping us into the people we will be for all of eternity. As C.S. Lewis has said, we are either moving toward being such glorious beings that if we saw them today, we would be tempted to worship them, or toward being such distorted, twisted people that we would recoil from them in horror. The shape we will take as we enter eternity will be formed through the journey ahead.

               Harold Fry was a very different man when he finished his journey than when he began it. God has invited us into a journey that will transform our lives, if we don’t give up. The journey is essential. The journey matters for all of eternity.

Galatians 6:9 (NIV)
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.