JESUS the GARDENER

 JUNE 01, 2022

John 20:11-16

11Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. 13They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. 15He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” 16Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).



Genesis 2:8-15

8Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. 11The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12(The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) 13The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. 14The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 15The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.



Genesis 3:17-19

17To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. 18It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. 19By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”


In the article She Mistook Him for the Gardener, Victoria Emily Jones, points out that paintings from the European Renaissance and Baroque periods frequently depict Jesus greeting Mary Magdalene on Easter morning while toting gardening tools or leaning on a shovel—even wearing a floppy gardening hat—as if he had gotten

up extra early to get a little weeding done. This article resulted in me thinking about the “garden” theme in scripture and how prominently images of nature and gardening seem to show up in Jesus own experience in the gospels. 

You’ve probably read today's passage dozens, maybe hundreds of times. And if you’re like me, you’ve likely always thought of the fact that Mary mistook Jesus as “the gardener” as some odd but insignificant detail of Scripture. Just a case of mistaken identity. After all, someone in a garden at an early hour makes sense that individual may be a gardener. Sometimes I have these strange questions that pop into mind when I read scripture, perhaps you do to. In this case the question I had was why a gardener? Why not a fellow mourner like herself? Is this detail pointing to something more noteworthy than I noticed at first read?

Perhaps, to understand the story, we must first go back to Genesis where God created Adam and Eve and put them in the Garden of Eden to work and “fill the earth.” Remember according to Genesis 3, Sin did not yet exist, and working in the garden was an act of worship.

However, a few verses later, sin enters the world. Now work is still worship, but it is now also tiring and difficult. We hear that “through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.” Sin’s outcome becomes the reason for the “Word to become flesh”. The reason that God will through him “crush the serpents head”.

The story of Easter reveals that renewal is on the way. The resurrection resets the world as Jesus inaugurates the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven. And in his first appearance to humanity post-resurrection, Jesus reveals himself to Mary looking like a gardener. Why? Here’s what N.T. Wright says in his terrific book Surprised by Hope: “In the new creation, the ancient human mandate to look after the garden is dramatically reaffirmed as John hints in his resurrection story, where Mary supposes Jesus is the gardener. The resurrection of Jesus is the reaffirmation of the goodness of creation.”


By appearing as a gardener, Jesus is deliberately pointing us back to Adam and Eve, the world’s first gardeners and workers. Adam was to "garden" the whole earth for the glory of God. But he failed. John's Gospel records what happened on the morning of Jesus' resurrection. He was "the beginning [of the new creation], the firstborn from the dead." Jesus is showing us that it is time to garden again, working to till the earth, to “fill the earth” with signs of the new life that began to spring to life that first Easter morning when God turned "Graves into Gardens."

Maybe it is just me but I find it interesting that the last book of the Bible the closing scenes of the book of Revelation, John saw the new earth coming down from heaven. Remember what it looked like? A garden in which the tree of life stands!

“Believing in the resurrection of Christ is a little bit easier when you’re standing in the middle of a garden.”                                                                Debra Reistra

Here is the article that I mentioned.

https://artandtheology.org/2016/04/05/she-mistook-him-for-the-gardener/

ISN'T THIS THE CARPENTER?

 MAY 31, 2022

MARK 6:3

3 Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.



Each Advent/Christmas season, we celebrate Jesus’ incarnation by remembering, rereading, and retelling the story of that first Christmas morning.

The next time we fix our eyes on the baby in the manger, I wonder if we ought to take notice of the other manger people. We tend to focus on Jesus, of course, Mary and Shepherds, but what about Joseph? He is often the forgotten figure of the nativity. It occurred to me recently that Joseph represents the home that Jesus was born into. I wonder if there is something for us to notice in this home that Joseph provides that implies some significance, maybe even some foundation for Jesus’ future work.

For example, the life of a carpenter during the time of Jesus was quite mobile. Most carpenters traveled from construction site to construction site, along with other skilled craftsmen, and did not work primarily in their home village.

It is quite likely that Jesus may have been familiar to leaving Nazareth and traveling to various provinces along the Sea of Galilee long before becoming a traveling, Rabbi. It is possible that from a young age, he might have traveled with Joseph throughout Galilee, working on different projects, and thus becoming familiar with the land he would eventually travel through as an adult.

From the outset of the Bible’s story, we understand that God knew that He would have to send Jesus to earth, to bring peace and hope and Justice and to demonstrate the overwhelming love the creator has for his creation. This is certainly revealed in the later part of Genesis 3. Knowing this, what God planned to do, and knowing the ultimate purpose of Jesus’s life on earth, is it just me, or is the fact that God chose for Jesus to grow up in the home of Mary and a carpenter named Joseph something that should stop us in our tracks and cause us some reflection.

I mean when you think about it, God could have placed Jesus in a priestly household like the prophet Samuel or John the Baptist. Jesus could have grown up in the household of a Pharisee like the Apostle Paul. But instead, God placed Jesus in the household of a craftsman, doing work that likely looked very similar to the work many people do today.

Dr. Ken Campbell has pointed out that the Greek word tektōn that most of our Bibles translate as “carpenter” in Mark 6:3, would more accurately be translated as “builder,” someone who “worked with stone, wood, and sometimes metal” to create new things. It is Dr. Campbell’s view that Jesus and Joseph fundamentally operated a family-owned small business, as he writes, “negotiating bids, securing supplies, completing projects, and contributing to family living expenses.”

Doesn’t that sound familiar? It should. Essentially, Jesus and Joseph’s work seem to be most like ours. Would you agree?

It is strange to think that God Incarnate, the one we read of yesterday who had “created all things, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, was taught to build things by a human earthly father. Yet it seems that in this, as in all other aspects of His earthly life, Jesus submitted Himself to the humility of being fully human (Philippians 2:6–8). How amazing to think that Jesus, the creator of the universe, our Savior and Lord, the Word of God, the Son of God, was taught to build things with the very materials He spoke into existence.

Yesterday it was Jesus the Creator, and today we have Jesus the Carpenter. I do not know if I have wrapped my mind around all that Jesus the Carpenter may mean for us, but I feel that one key truth of this is that it gives great dignity, value and meaning to the work you and I do each day.

As the contemporary testimony, Our World Belongs to God, puts it:

Our work is a calling from God.
We work for more than wages
and manage for more than profit
so that mutual respect
and the just use of goods and skills
may shape the workplace.
While we earn or profit,
we love our neighbors by providing
useful products and services.
In our global economy
we advocate meaningful work
and fair wages for all.
Out of the Lord’s generosity to us,
we give freely and gladly
of our money and time.

 

JESUS CREATOR

 MAY 30, 2022

 

Colossians 1:15-16



15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,
16 for through him God created everything
in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see
and the things we can’t see—
such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.
Everything was created through him and for him.

Genesis 1:1

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

____



Today’s passages make clear that Jesus, along with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, were present at the creation of the world. Likewise, “all things” were created through Christ. In other words, Jesus is the Creator God we read about in Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning God created.”

It is an interesting thing that before God tells us He is love, before He tells us He is holy, before He tells us He is Savior, God wants us to know that He is a creative, productive, working God.

You see, this idea of a God who works is distinctive in the long list of stories of the origin of the world. Most religions around Israel, and in our world today claim that “the gods” created human beings to work and serve their needs and wants. It is a bold claim that is made in the Bible, no one, certainly in the world around Israel, would dare to say that God Himself works. Yet, our Bible introduces that truth in the first few words of the story. In the beginning God created!!

This truth of a creative, productive, working God, I believe carries the utmost significance for our work and tasks in the present. I have been wondering if maybe our perspectives on work need some tinkering in light of this revelation. What if work is not a peripheral thing or a meaningless means to an end. What if the Bible means to help us understand that work is central to who God is, and thus, central to who we are as His image bearers? That is a profound meaning of this revelation of Jesus Christ that we read about in our verses today.

I think what grabs me about this is that the work that God does is creative work, the work of creating new things for the benefit of others, to create a blessed and enjoyable life. The work of God described in today’s texts remind me of the work done around us. You know the work of entrepreneurs and artists, carpenters, storytellers and sales executives, scientists, marketers and mothers . . . .

I don’t know what you think of what I am about to say, lately I have been wondering if my response to the call of God to follow him, is a call that leads to a creative, productive, working life for God’s glory. Hmm what might that look like, in my homelife, neighbor life, work life, and church life? What might that look like in all our lives? 

Here is a prayer I encountered recently, a prayer for all us creators that seek to glorify God.

Bless the creators, O God of creation,
who by their gifts make the world
a more joyful and beautiful realm.
Through their labors
they teach us to see more clearly
the truth around us.
In their inspiration
they call forth wonder and awe
in our own living.
In their hope and vision
they remind us
that life is holy.
Bless all who create in your image,
O God of creation.
Pour your Spirit upon them
that their hearts may sing
and their works be fulfilling.
Amen.

NO WORDS

 MAY 27, 2022

Job 2:11-13

Now when three of Job’s friends heard of all the misfortune that had come upon him, they set out each one from his own place: Eliphaz from Teman, Bildad from Shuh, and Zophar from Naamath. They met and journeyed together to give him sympathy and comfort. But when, at a distance, they lifted up their eyes and did not recognize him, they began to weep aloud; they tore their cloaks and threw dust into the air over their heads. Then they sat down upon the ground with him seven days and seven nights, but none of them spoke a word to him; for they saw how great was his suffering.

More mass shootings, we are all left with the questions Why? How can this keep happening? Where have we failed? Yet, for me, I am struggling to answer the question, "How should I respond?" as a Jesus follower. I am sure you are struggling as well for a response.


What I do know is there are no words that are sufficient in the tragedies and trauma of Buffalo, New York, and now at a school in Uvalde, Texas.


Job's friends, if you recall the story in that Old Testament book, got a number of things wrong. In the passage above, however, is the one thing that I would argue they got right. It is in this passage that we may just find something to help us in how to respond to such horrific events.

You may recall that the above verses occur after Job has lost everything, including his children, and is even told by his wife that it’s time to curse God and die, Job’s friends visit and they find their friend unrecognizable in his grief. Notice what they do cry, mourn, and then are quiet.


When we see people in time of distress, would you agree with me, that we tend to surround them with a bunch of words. I have done that. As if any words would or could fix the brokenness and grief, sorrow and anger people feel when we go through heart breaking tragedy.

There will be a time and an occasion for conversations, for talk. I wonder though if in moments of tragedy the better thing is to come alongside those who suffer and mourn. Cry with them. Mourn with them. Sit in silence with them. No words, just a caring and a loving presence.

Below is a prayer that I invite us to pray today.

Prayer of Lament for Mass Shootings

Lord, in our shock and confusion, we come before you.

In our grief and despair in the midst of hate,

in our sense of helplessness in the face of violence,

we lean on you.

 

For the families of those who have been killed we pray.

For the shooter(s) —help us to pray, Lord.

For the communities that have lost members—their anger, grief,

 fear—we pray.

For the churches striving to be your light in darkness beyond our

 comprehension, we pray.

 

In the face of hatred, may we claim love, Lord.

May we love those far off and those near.

May we love those who are strangers and those who are friends.

May we love those who we agree with and understand,

and even more so, Lord, those who we consider to be our

enemies.

 

Kyrie Eleison. Lord, have mercy.

Heal our sin-sick souls.

Make these wounds whole, Lord. Amen

 

Prayer adapted from the Christian Reformed Church Office of Social Justice; used with permission.

A "MAIN THING" FOCUS

 MAY 26, 2022

Ephesians 4:1-13


4 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.



7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8 This is why it says:



“When he ascended on high,

he took many captives

and gave gifts to his people.”



9 (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Have you ever wished that those in close relationship to you saw life the way you do? Or possibly, you hoped they would understand an issue from your point of view?

Relationships do not work like that, do they? Sometimes, our differences can cause conflict. But can you imagine if God made us all the same? How boring would that be! We are individuals, we are unique, and I have learned that this is a blessing from our creator. That is what Paul was writing about a few days back when he discussed how the community of Jesus functions like a body. Not all hands, feet, etc. Not all teachers, intercessors, etc.

God made each of us in His image with wonderful precision. Psalm 139:13-14 reminds us of this when it says “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." Our skills, talents, and abilities are gifts from God. We are designed with tender, loving care.


The truth is we were meant to be different, and we are called to live a unified life. This is what the apostle Paul calls us to in our reading, when he says, “live a life worthy of your calling” Ephesians 4:1. Please do not misunderstand this calling. God doesn’t want us to ignore what makes us special, or to try to be like everyone else. God tells us to embrace our differences, to bear with one another when we’re annoyed, and to work toward peace. “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. “ Ephesians 4:2-3

The foundation for unity for us as believers, is our shared belief in God: Father, Son, and Spirit. What the scriptures challenge us with is that this foundation is greater than any disputes or difference of opinion we may face. Read these words again that you read above. “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” Ephesians 4:4-5. We are aware that some of our sisters and brothers prefer to worship with a band that rocks out contemporary worship songs, while others like to blend the historic hymns of the church with Contemporary songs, others find singing the hymns of old, maybe with a choir meaningful. Some wear suits to church, while others throw on jeans. The list goes on and on. Here is what I want to say, we can debate these things, with some really good arguments for or against these worship models, but these differences are not, “eternal matters.”

There is song we sing sometimes in worship called When It’s All Been Said and Done, in part of the song we sing these words,

When it's all been said and done
There is just one thing that matters
Did I do my best to live for truth?
Did I live my life for you?

When it's all been said and done
All my treasures will mean nothing
Only what I have done
For love's rewards
Will stand the test of time

What will last forever are our relationships with Jesus and others. To live in unity requires us to keep this eternal “big picture” perspective and focus on the main thing: the good news that Jesus transforms us with new life, sets us free to live a life of fullness, and gives us a future and a hope.

I will admit it, unity is not always easy, but it is worth the effort. When Christ’s body lives in unity and not in conflict and tensions, Jesus’ message is declared more clearly, His grace is experienced tangibly, and God’s people grow in maturity.



“So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

Ephesians 4:12-13

Let Us Pray,

God,
we know that we are called into a community of believers who are to have one mind, and that is to glorify You and to show your love to all who we encounter in your world. We realize that we cannot possibly have unity in the Community of Jesus, unless Your Spirit has unhindered way with us. Until we are gathered with one mind, we cannot be as effective as your community as we can be. God, help us to focus on the calling that You have for each one of us, and as one body gathered together, so that we can do more to honor you, “that the world may know” through our example that you are truly at work among us. Amen.

IN OUR LIVES, IN YOUR CHURCH LORD, BE GLORIFIED

 MAY 25, 2022

John 17


17 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:

“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.


Jesus Prays for His Disciples

6 “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.

13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

Jesus Prays for All Believers

20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”




With a Provincial election around the corner, I am reminded that many Politicians seem to thrive on division. If you think of Political advertisements, or speeches, or photo ops, video shorts, don’t you find that in the political realm, Income brackets separate communities into one side of the tracks or the other? Even people who share the same beliefs, disagree about how to live out those beliefs in our society.

Sometimes, unity seems an unlikely experience, even among the ranks of those who are followers of Jesus. That is one of the things that has grieved my spirit during this pandemic, the disunity we have witnessed in politics and in society at large, infiltrated the Community of Jesus. The other day we noted that the Unity of the followers of Christ was to set an example to the world, be a witness to what things could become through Christ. I was saddened, I would imagine we all were, at the discord between sisters and brothers in the faith revealed in recent times.

Unity is what Jesus prayed for us

before going to the cross.

More than anything, Jesus’ desire was for the church to be one because their uncommon unity would be a powerful witness to God’s love. In John 17, Jesus prays, “May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (John 17:23).

With so much division over so many things, Christians’ ability to be unified, even when we’re not the same, is what will set us apart. This kind of unity doesn’t happen naturally. It comes from above. As we experience God’s love for us, it leads us to love others. This begins to take shape in community when we set aside our personal agenda’s and begin submitting to God’s love and therefore to loving one another.

Do you ever think about the witness our church is to our community of unity? Think about our Church sign, St. Aidan’s Anglican church, Ambassador Community Church, Walkerville Evangelical Fellowship Church all holding services and conducting ministry out the same shared building. More than that praying for God’s blessing for our sisters and brothers in these congregations. Working along side one another, not competing. Making sacrifices and working with each other that God will be glorified. And God has been!! God will continue to be.

Just as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are united, we are to be united to bring God glory. Jesus knew He would not be on Earth forever, and we are an instrumental part of His plan to bring reconciliation to the world. Reconciling people with God (John 17:11, John 17:18) through the Gospel message, and being reconciled with each other. How does that strike you, when I suggest that “we are an instrumental part of God’s reconciling plan?

I am sure that “When believers live in harmony, people take notice and get a visible and clear glimpse of Jesus’ love (John 17:21).

SOME TAKE AWAYS

When you look at your relationships, how much unity do you see at home, at work, or at school?

What is one practical way you can build unity in the church and your community?

Take a moment to follow Jesus’ example in praying for our church family. Pray that we would experience the same unity that Jesus had with God and the Holy Spirit. Pray that same prayer for St Aidan’s Anglican Church, and for Walkerville Evangelical Baptist Church. I believe God is doing awesome things, and will continue to bless each of these congregations and our own as we remain faithful.



How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity, INDEED!!

 

WHAT A BODY!!

 MAY 24, 2022

1 Corinthians 12:12-31



12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28 And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? 31 Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.




I grew up in the Church, and somehow along the way I came to believe that there was a hierarchy of importance in the Worshipping Community. Now, that is not the biblical teaching, but it is a view that many people have. I have heard colleagues say, for example, that serving as a Deacon is the entry level position to “real” (their word not mine) church leadership.

If we’re not careful, we will believe the falsehood, as I did, that some positions in the church are more important to Jesus’ mission than others. Or we will find ourselves thinking our role is more important than that of another volunteer in another area.

We saw in Monday’s devotional, that Jesus desired unity in His Community. Think of it this way, we are one group of people pursuing a shared mission with individual contributions. 1 Corinthians 12:18-20 magnificently explains how this works: “... God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.”

The beauty of this teaching is that it acknowledges that we are passionate about different things and gifted in different ways for a reason. The verses above say that this is just as God wanted it to be. When we live out our passions and share our gifts with each other and our neighbors, we are fulfilling God’s purpose and plan. As Peter was to include in his prayer in 1 Peter 4, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.”

I find, our human nature wants to assign people value and importance based on their role. Yet what I see and read in the Bible is that God wants each of us working together to benefit the whole Community. Not only does Jesus’ model make the church more important and useful in our world, but it also brings us more joy. Would you agree with me that when we are serving in areas we are passionate about and using our gifts, that we have an energy for our roles that inspires others as well as ourselves? Why? Because we are in step with God’s purposes. I believe with all my heart and mind that God blesses our work as we put down roots into a calling, He designed us for.

Let’s remind ourselves of Paul’s words above that Jesus’ community “should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it."

Yes, it may be that the temptation to compare ourselves with others will always be there. The way to wrestle with such temptations may be for us to fight for unity and to give thanks for the part each person plays, knowing and believing that each person in the Community of Jesus matters to God and has a vital role in His vision for his Church, and its witness to the world. See above 1 Corinthians 12:24-26

“O How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity”, indeed!

SOME TAKE AWAYS

 
Maybe your next step is getting involved in the Church service. As you think about where to serve, consider: What are you passionate about? What are you good at?

 
When was the last time you celebrated the work others are doing in your church? Why not take a moment today to tell someone how much you appreciate their passion and service?

 
As you think about your attitude toward others, are you serving with Jesus’ heart? Is there anyone you need to forgive or ask for forgiveness?

 

FOR THE WORLD

 MAY 23, 2022

John 17:20-21

“I do not pray for these (those with Him in the Upper Room) alone (or, only), but also for those who will (future tense) believe (or, have faith in, trust, be persuaded) in Me through their word; (what) that they all may be one, (to what extent) as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, (why) that the world may believe (or, have faith in, trust, be persuaded) that You sent Me”.

Psalm 133:1

How good and pleasant it is
when God’s people live together in unity!

How Big Is Your Tent? That is the question we will wrestle with this week. Based on the Bible readings above UNITY is an important biblical theme in both the Old and New Testament. Since that is the case, I believe as follows of Jesus we need to embrace unity and understand Unity and make every effort with God’s help to pursue Unity.

Why Unity? Well Jesus answers that plainly don’t you think? Look above at John 17:20-21 and the why becomes clear “that the world may believe.” Jesus prayer for his followers of every generation was that their Unity, their “Oneness”, would be a unity that resembles the Father/Son relationship, “that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You.”

Here is the interesting thing about Unity, that I find important, the Unity the Bible speaks about does not deny us our individuality. It does not mean, that all followers of Jesus drive white cars, or live in white houses, or wear white suits or dresses. It rather is talking about unity in essentials. Unity, that is a witness to God’s ability through grace and love to knit a community together. Think about the early followers of Jesus, Women, Fishermen, tax collectors, Zealots, Religious leaders, people healed from various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, some rich, most poor. That is quite a mixture of people wouldn’t you say? Differing personalities, and goals and dreams, and life experiences, united in love through the presence of Jesus.

Like the mix of people in Jesus day our modern community of Jesus also represents a variety of occupations, ethnicity, lifestyles, experiences, family structures, goals and dreams, political affiliations, and personalities that Jesus presence continues to unite in love, as a witness to the world, of his grace, resulting in the belief that Jesus was indeed God’s anointed, the Messiah, God’s sent one. That's what this biblical Unity does.

The words of Psalm 133:1 express the desire of God for his people when it says, How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!

So, let’s do some searching of our hearts and minds and answer this question:

Who’s welcome in your spiritual tent?

Who’s not?

Who’s in? Who’s out?

Dear friends, let us love one another,
because love comes from God.
Whoever loves is a child of God and knows God.



Let us Pray



Jesus Christ, life of the world and of all creation,
forgive our separation and grant us peace and unity.

The peace that Christ gives is to guide us in the decisions we make, for it is to this peace that God has called us together into one body.

Jesus Christ, life of the world and of all creation,
forgive our separation and grant us peace and unity.

With his own body he broke down the walls of separation.
By his death on the cross Christ destroyed our divisions.

Jesus Christ, life of the world and of all creation,
forgive our separation and grant us peace and unity. Amen.

 Ephesians 2:14-22; 4:3-6; Colossians 3:15; 1 John 4:7

 

THE TAKE AWAY

 MAY 20, 2022

COLOSSIANS 1:15 - 17

15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Let's begin with a song today. 

Let's conclude this series of devotionals with some take away thoughts. We have been saying that God speaks through creation, reveals who he is through creation, and that through creation we have the revelation of God's presence with us always.


Here are some of the "take aways" that strike me from our reflections.

GOD Takes Care of His Creation


Matthew's gospel reminds us that if God takes care of the birds and flowers, how much more assured should we be that he will take care of each of us, His children?

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” Matthew 6:25-26


GOD Delights in Beauty


Look around as the seasons change and you will see beauty upon beauty emerging from its cocoon. An orange fiery sunset, crystal clear waters, buds developing on the trees and those same buds bursting open with the beautiful green leaves, the emergence of the Crocus or your Tulips push through the earth to add spectacular color to our world, …the list goes on and on. To see his handprint on our human bodies is to behold His "artist brush." We are His children – His creation made in His image, and are beautiful, wonderfully made. “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27) Wow, How awesome is that? The creator, finds each of us as deserving to bear His image.


Sometimes, do you feel this way? Sometimes something is so beautiful in God's wonderful, wonderful, world that we can only stand in awe of its presence and feel the love and delight of our creator.

God's Timing is Perfect


Timing is everything. God times our lives through the timing of a 24-hour day, 365-day year, and constant motion of planets spinning on their axis at just the right angle is a testament to His control. To see the change of seasons in nature is to see God’s perfect timing, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens…” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

Many times we can get stuck in fear or uncertainty. I am constantly reminded to not worry about what is ahead of me as I know my Father has it all in His hands, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:29-31)


So overall here is the take away, If God can take care of the birds, the flowers of the fields, and the winds, so can He take care of us. Your dream may not be visible in this moment, or your heart may be aching from a loss. Let the story of creation reminds us that the same God that ordains the sun to rise and set is the same God that has you and me in the palm of His hands. In His timing, all is made right by the purposes of his care and will, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11)


As I am writing this I have been listening to a random playlist of songs. Do you know what song came on just now? The following words, perhaps you will recognize them:


In His Time
In His time, in His time,
He makes all things beautiful, in His time,
Lord, please show me everyday,
As You're teaching me Your way,
That You do just what You say, in Your time.

In Your time, in Your time,
You make all things beautiful, in Your time.

Lord, my life to Your I bring,
May each song I have to sing,
Be to You a lovely thing, in Your time. 




Let's Pray



Heavenly Father, we scratch the only the surface of Who You are whenever we observe Your Creation. Thank You for planting a gnawing hunger in us to know so much more! Thank you that "you make all things beautiful, in your time! Lord, our lives to you we bring. Amen.

CREATION SINGS the FATHER'S SONG

 MAY 19, 2022

Nehemiah 9:6

6 You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.



I suppose by this time in the week you know our thoughts have been to declare that: Every part of creation, from the smallest of insects to the mountains in all their grandeur, proclaims the unspoken glory of God. Every living creature, rock, grain of sand, and mountain stream was created for a specific purpose. In the lilies of the field and the birds of the air, we discover God’s faithfulness and provision (Matthew 6:28-30). And with every gust of wind we are beckoned to live our lives as people of the Spirit (John 3:8).

Job 12:7-10 says, “But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you; or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.”

Recently, I read the following that made me stop and reflect on both my relationship with God, and my relationship with creation. Here is what I was challenged by. “Are you allowing God to teach you through his creation? Are you taking in the unspeakable mystery and majesty found in the work of God’s hands? Or are you merely passing by these beautiful, intentional poems written on the pages of leaves, blades, and dirt by the hand of your heavenly Father?”

Psalm 19:1-4 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.” God is always speaking to us. Every piece of creation declares the depth of God’s love, power, faithfulness, and nearness. For me, to take this all in I have to take the opportunity to stop and listen. When I stop and listen and take in God’s message through creation I am filled with such peace, hope and love.

I guess what I want to say today is “will you make space to open the eyes of your heart to receive the beauty, creativity, and love of our good and faithful God that are displayed before our very eyes?

To seek God without taking notice of his creation is to miss out on one of the most noticeably beautiful ways God speaks to us. May we be followers who seek God through every way available to us. May we be believers who have the faith and patience to learn about our heavenly Father through the work of his hands.


TAKE AWAY

1. Take some time to reflect on creation around you. It could be a flower, water, animal or whatever you see.

“You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you.” Nehemiah 9:6

2. Now ask God to teach you about his creation. What does he want to reveal about you and or himself?

 

INVISIBLE YET SEEN

 MAY 18, 2022

ROMANS 1:20

“For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.”





The more I grow in the understanding of who God is, the more I am drawn toward a deeper level of intimacy with God, I find that there has grown in me an adoration, appreciation and love for God’s creation. Romans 1:20 states that God’s “invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.” Nature is meant to declare to us the “invisible attributes” of God. And Scripture is clear that God is at work in his creation—maintaining and facilitating all that happens in the world. Psalm 147:8-9, 15-18 tells us,

He covers the heavens with clouds; he prepares rain for the earth; he makes grass grow on the hills. He gives to the beasts their food, and to the young ravens that cry… He sends out his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly. He gives snow like wool; he scatters frost like ashes. He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs; who can stand before his cold? He sends out his word and melts them; he makes his wind blow and the waters flow.

Did you hear that? When you see animals eating, you are witnessing God’s provision in the earth and can, as a result, know that he will provide for you. When you see snow fall, ice form, and springtime come to melt away the cold, you can know that God is at work around you and in your life. To miss out on all creation speaks to us, is to miss an important part of the way God’s voice can be heard.

You see, God promises to take care of you and me. Jesus reminds us of this great reality in Matthew 6:26-30,

Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

These verses are saying to us that, you can look at the grass of the field and know of God’s unwavering faithfulness for you. You can look at the birds and be comforted that God cares for you. Nature declares to us that God has and will provide for us all our days. Nature tells us that God speaks enormous promises to you and me.

So today, let the beauty and mystery of all of God’s creation fill you with a deeper longing to know God. Listen today for God’s voice and allow your heart to be stirred as you discover his steadfast desire to speak to you through his creation.