“Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them.’”
Psalm 126:2
Did I scare you? When I was a kid my grandma loved to scare us as we walked into her kitchen. She’s stand hidden just on the other side of the doorway and say boo as we walked through and then she’s have a good chuckle. This fun memory turned up in my head following a video clip we had seen at church. The clip was from the movie Monsters Inc – in the clip the big blue “monster” named Sulley is scared by a little human girl who finds her way into the monster world. She scares Sulley at first; but eventually they become friends and the monster world is changed. At church we saw this clip as part of message series about stewardship in which the idea was to answer the “monster” questions about money. Oh – did I scare you again? Sorry – this devotion is not about money, so you can calm down. So what is it about? It’s about love, it’s about laughter, and it’s about restoration and amazing life change.
This week’s passage from Psalm 126 is a song of celebration for the Hebrew people. It is a song of restoration and life change. The people who had been exiled and lived as captives in Babylon had finally been freed and allowed to return home. What a feeling of that must have been with each step they took toward home the fear, the doubt, the sadness they had experienced turned to relief and joy – the laughter welling up inside and pouring out as a song, giving them strength to rebuild their lives and follow after their God once again.
Scripture tells us Jesus wept, that he understood sorrow and loss. I have to believe that He also laughed – laughed, shaking His head as he walked away from some ridiculous encounter with the religious leaders of the day. Laughing as he sat at table enjoying a good meal. Laughing as His disciples shared stories of life change. Laughter is a powerful thing.
Back to Monsters Inc – in the beginning of the movie the screams of scared children powered the city the monsters lived in, but by the end that big blue monster Sulley - discovered that the laughter of those same children would provide far more power for the city than their screams ever would. Every ones lives were changed – the monsters no longer scare children, instead they made them laugh. The monsters no longer feared becoming contaminated by the children. The children who used to be afraid of the monster in the closet slept peacefully.
So BOO! Hope that made you laugh, I hope you will have many good laughs this week. I hope you will feel the power of love, joy, restoration and amazing life change when you do.
A Prayer
Father, thank you for the gift of laughter. Thank you for the power that laughter has to change our mood, our day and our lives. Help us to see the humor of life, even in the midst of the storms we face. May we carry divine laughter with us wherever we go so those around us can experience that power. In the name of Jesus, we pray – Amen.
Thursday, October 29, 2015
Friday, October 23, 2015
Glow In The Dark
“Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life…”
Philippians 2:14-16
It had been a long week, a long month really and this particular day had dawned dark and rainy – lest you be deceived, church work is not glamorous – its hard work and those of us called to it carry a burden in our hearts that drives us to do this, rather than something else. I am not complaining I love what I do – I love everything about it, but sometimes I can see the darkness that is trying to overwhelm our planet. As I thought about that on my way to the office I thought about how incredible our world really is and how God placed in nature all sorts of things to hold back the dark. Science calls these things bioluminescent. I call them glow in the dark – these plants, fish, reptiles and insects make light that pushes back the darkness around them.
Stars glow in the dark. God made them along with the moon so that night wouldn’t be too dark. In this week’s passage Paul is giving the church in Philippi a pep talk telling them to shine like stars in the dark world that they live in by living out the “word of life”. As I write this a great song by Jason Gray is playing on the radio it’s called Glow In The Dark. I love the chorus – it says: “Doesn’t matter how deep, how dark the night is – keep hoping, keep shining and they’ll see His light burning in your heart. And if the road gets rough, just keep your head up; let the world see what you’re made of that His love’s alive in your deepest parts. Like a flame, like a burning star you can shine right where you are – He made you to glow in the dark.” We could call it being spiritluminescent – we could say we are “glow in the dark” people.
Jesus talks about us being luminescent – The Voice puts it this way “You are like that illuminating light. Let your light shine everywhere you go, that you may illumine creation, so men and women everywhere may see your good actions, may see creation at its fullest, may see your devotion to Me, and may turn and praise your Father in heaven because of it” (Matthew 5:16 VOICE).
The darkness is doing its best to overwhelm our world but John opens his gospel by telling us that “The light (Jesus) shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5 NIV). The Message says “The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn’t put it out” and The Voice says of this light that “It cannot and will not be quenched.”
The darkness cannot overwhelm us because God has placed His light in us, He has made us spiritluminescent – so today and every day no matter what you are facing, let that light shine – because someone else needs to see that light shining in their darkness.
Let’s be glow in the dark people.
A Prayer
Father, thank you for sending Your light into our world through your Son. Thank you that it is a light that cannot be overwhelmed by the darkness in this world. Thank you that we have been made glow in the dark by the power of Your spirit living in us. Help us every day even in the midst of the dark storms we face to let that light shine so that others can find their way through the darkness to Your heart. In the name of Jesus who makes us glow in the dark, we pray – Amen.
Philippians 2:14-16
It had been a long week, a long month really and this particular day had dawned dark and rainy – lest you be deceived, church work is not glamorous – its hard work and those of us called to it carry a burden in our hearts that drives us to do this, rather than something else. I am not complaining I love what I do – I love everything about it, but sometimes I can see the darkness that is trying to overwhelm our planet. As I thought about that on my way to the office I thought about how incredible our world really is and how God placed in nature all sorts of things to hold back the dark. Science calls these things bioluminescent. I call them glow in the dark – these plants, fish, reptiles and insects make light that pushes back the darkness around them.
Stars glow in the dark. God made them along with the moon so that night wouldn’t be too dark. In this week’s passage Paul is giving the church in Philippi a pep talk telling them to shine like stars in the dark world that they live in by living out the “word of life”. As I write this a great song by Jason Gray is playing on the radio it’s called Glow In The Dark. I love the chorus – it says: “Doesn’t matter how deep, how dark the night is – keep hoping, keep shining and they’ll see His light burning in your heart. And if the road gets rough, just keep your head up; let the world see what you’re made of that His love’s alive in your deepest parts. Like a flame, like a burning star you can shine right where you are – He made you to glow in the dark.” We could call it being spiritluminescent – we could say we are “glow in the dark” people.
Jesus talks about us being luminescent – The Voice puts it this way “You are like that illuminating light. Let your light shine everywhere you go, that you may illumine creation, so men and women everywhere may see your good actions, may see creation at its fullest, may see your devotion to Me, and may turn and praise your Father in heaven because of it” (Matthew 5:16 VOICE).
The darkness is doing its best to overwhelm our world but John opens his gospel by telling us that “The light (Jesus) shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5 NIV). The Message says “The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn’t put it out” and The Voice says of this light that “It cannot and will not be quenched.”
The darkness cannot overwhelm us because God has placed His light in us, He has made us spiritluminescent – so today and every day no matter what you are facing, let that light shine – because someone else needs to see that light shining in their darkness.
Let’s be glow in the dark people.
A Prayer
Father, thank you for sending Your light into our world through your Son. Thank you that it is a light that cannot be overwhelmed by the darkness in this world. Thank you that we have been made glow in the dark by the power of Your spirit living in us. Help us every day even in the midst of the dark storms we face to let that light shine so that others can find their way through the darkness to Your heart. In the name of Jesus who makes us glow in the dark, we pray – Amen.
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
It Is Not About Us
“Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: ‘Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’ Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’”
Matthew 22:34-40
Raise your hand if you have grown up in church or have been following Jesus for a long time…my hand going up. Our church staff, lay leaders and myself had spent two days at the Leadership Institute, a conference for church leaders. As some of us sat in a session called Radical Hospitality, the speakers was talking about the importance of making church services guest friendly and how that means we need to set aside our personal preferences for how we “do church”. What I heard in my heart was that radical hospitality is a sacrifice and that for us as leaders or longtime followers of Jesus - who have the assurance of eternity in our hearts - it is not about us.
Scripture bears this idea out. In its simplest expression being a follower of Jesus means to love God and love others. This week’s passage makes that clear. It’s interesting that Jesus isn’t really saying anything new here - his statement to Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind and to love others as yourself echoes words spoken generations earlier, they are words the Pharisees would be familiar with. Leviticus 19:33-34 says: When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.” Deuteronomy 6:5 says: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. This particular passage point us back to Deuteronomy 5 and the Ten Commandments, which in case you’ve never noticed easily divides into “Love God and Love Others.”
You see it is not about us – it is about God and others. Of course as followers of Jesus Sunday mornings have something for us – it equips us for loving God and others. But it is more for the first time guest, for the person looking for something to fill that hole in their heart – that can only be filled with Jesus.
What does radical hospitality look like? Maybe it means sitting up front and in the middle of a row so that first time guests can sit in the back. Maybe it means embracing a different style of music so someone else can find the forgiveness, mercy, grace and life everlasting we already have. Maybe it means embracing scary looking change without having all the answers. Maybe it means being more involved in the community outside the walls of the church building. Maybe it means actually be the body of Christ to a hurting world. What will radical hospitality look like for you?
I really don’t know who else this message is for. I know it is helping me process something I know is important for me as I help to lead through change, change that I know is necessary and that it’s not about me. If you don’t need this – that’s ok. If you are feeling a bit convicted – good, heed the still small voice that may be speaking to your heart and take action. If you are feeling a bit offended – I’m not going to apologize, I am going to ask that pray that God reveals something new, something that will take you to a new level of faith and lead you to radical hospitality that’s not about you.
It is not about us… It is about loving God and loving others.
A Prayer
Father, forgive us for turning your church into something you never intended it be – an exclusive club where things are done our way instead of your way. Help those of us who have been walking with Your Son for a long time to understand that it is not about us – that it is about You and welcoming others into your kingdom as part of your family. Grant us the wisdom and courage to show radical hospitality and to fulfill the purpose you have for us. In the name of Jesus who teaches radical hospitality, we pray – Amen.
Matthew 22:34-40
Raise your hand if you have grown up in church or have been following Jesus for a long time…my hand going up. Our church staff, lay leaders and myself had spent two days at the Leadership Institute, a conference for church leaders. As some of us sat in a session called Radical Hospitality, the speakers was talking about the importance of making church services guest friendly and how that means we need to set aside our personal preferences for how we “do church”. What I heard in my heart was that radical hospitality is a sacrifice and that for us as leaders or longtime followers of Jesus - who have the assurance of eternity in our hearts - it is not about us.
Scripture bears this idea out. In its simplest expression being a follower of Jesus means to love God and love others. This week’s passage makes that clear. It’s interesting that Jesus isn’t really saying anything new here - his statement to Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind and to love others as yourself echoes words spoken generations earlier, they are words the Pharisees would be familiar with. Leviticus 19:33-34 says: When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.” Deuteronomy 6:5 says: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. This particular passage point us back to Deuteronomy 5 and the Ten Commandments, which in case you’ve never noticed easily divides into “Love God and Love Others.”
You see it is not about us – it is about God and others. Of course as followers of Jesus Sunday mornings have something for us – it equips us for loving God and others. But it is more for the first time guest, for the person looking for something to fill that hole in their heart – that can only be filled with Jesus.
What does radical hospitality look like? Maybe it means sitting up front and in the middle of a row so that first time guests can sit in the back. Maybe it means embracing a different style of music so someone else can find the forgiveness, mercy, grace and life everlasting we already have. Maybe it means embracing scary looking change without having all the answers. Maybe it means being more involved in the community outside the walls of the church building. Maybe it means actually be the body of Christ to a hurting world. What will radical hospitality look like for you?
I really don’t know who else this message is for. I know it is helping me process something I know is important for me as I help to lead through change, change that I know is necessary and that it’s not about me. If you don’t need this – that’s ok. If you are feeling a bit convicted – good, heed the still small voice that may be speaking to your heart and take action. If you are feeling a bit offended – I’m not going to apologize, I am going to ask that pray that God reveals something new, something that will take you to a new level of faith and lead you to radical hospitality that’s not about you.
It is not about us… It is about loving God and loving others.
A Prayer
Father, forgive us for turning your church into something you never intended it be – an exclusive club where things are done our way instead of your way. Help those of us who have been walking with Your Son for a long time to understand that it is not about us – that it is about You and welcoming others into your kingdom as part of your family. Grant us the wisdom and courage to show radical hospitality and to fulfill the purpose you have for us. In the name of Jesus who teaches radical hospitality, we pray – Amen.
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
He's Watching Over You
“I lift up my eyes to the mountains - where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip - he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you - the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm - he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”
Psalm 121
I haven’t watch Dancing With the Stars since it’s early days but the season the world is watching as I write this has one “celebrity” dancer that I have been paying attention to. Perhaps it’s part of the Australian obsession, but more likely it is the back story of this young woman. 17 year-old Bindi Irwin, daughter of the late Steve Irwin is that young woman and she is taking her life and the dance floor by storm. Dancing with her professional partner Derek Hough to Every Breath You Take, her most recent performance was an emotional tribute to her late father and her family. As I watched the segment on YouTube my thoughts turned to our heavenly Father.
It isn’t often that I use a whole chapter of Scripture but Psalm 121 seemed to speak into what my heart was thinking. Life isn't easy – we lose loved ones when we need them, jobs are lost, health fails, emotional and literal storms come – life can be a battering experience -Israel certainly could testify to the struggle.
In the midst of it the Maker of heaven and earth is watching over us, He never sleeps – he knows every breath we take because he has given us that breath. He knows when we have a sleepless night, he know the brokenness of our hearts when the world beats us up. When we slip He will be there to help us up. Just imagine what our lives would look like if He wasn’t protecting us. He sent His Son to make a way back to His Father, to show us how much the Father loves us and to let us know He is watching over us, that He sees us where we are and He hopes that we’ll want to be like Him.
For all of her 17 years, Bindi Irwin has wanted to be like her dad – I think he is probably very proud of her, I know her mom and little brother are you can see it in their faces. I want my heavenly Father to be proud of me – what about you?
He is watching over you, rest in the incredible fact that the Maker of everything is there for you no matter what you are going through, no matter where you are in life. Let that motivate you to be like Him.
A Prayer
Father, you know that there is so much in our world today that can cause us to slip, yet you are ready to catch us or pick us up - whatever we need. Help us to trust that love, when we feel worthless and alone. Help us to call to you. As you bring healing and protection to our lives, may we reflect all the love, care and protection you have given us to the world around us. In the name of Jesus who is our Way, we pray – Amen.
Psalm 121
I haven’t watch Dancing With the Stars since it’s early days but the season the world is watching as I write this has one “celebrity” dancer that I have been paying attention to. Perhaps it’s part of the Australian obsession, but more likely it is the back story of this young woman. 17 year-old Bindi Irwin, daughter of the late Steve Irwin is that young woman and she is taking her life and the dance floor by storm. Dancing with her professional partner Derek Hough to Every Breath You Take, her most recent performance was an emotional tribute to her late father and her family. As I watched the segment on YouTube my thoughts turned to our heavenly Father.
It isn’t often that I use a whole chapter of Scripture but Psalm 121 seemed to speak into what my heart was thinking. Life isn't easy – we lose loved ones when we need them, jobs are lost, health fails, emotional and literal storms come – life can be a battering experience -Israel certainly could testify to the struggle.
In the midst of it the Maker of heaven and earth is watching over us, He never sleeps – he knows every breath we take because he has given us that breath. He knows when we have a sleepless night, he know the brokenness of our hearts when the world beats us up. When we slip He will be there to help us up. Just imagine what our lives would look like if He wasn’t protecting us. He sent His Son to make a way back to His Father, to show us how much the Father loves us and to let us know He is watching over us, that He sees us where we are and He hopes that we’ll want to be like Him.
For all of her 17 years, Bindi Irwin has wanted to be like her dad – I think he is probably very proud of her, I know her mom and little brother are you can see it in their faces. I want my heavenly Father to be proud of me – what about you?
He is watching over you, rest in the incredible fact that the Maker of everything is there for you no matter what you are going through, no matter where you are in life. Let that motivate you to be like Him.
A Prayer
Father, you know that there is so much in our world today that can cause us to slip, yet you are ready to catch us or pick us up - whatever we need. Help us to trust that love, when we feel worthless and alone. Help us to call to you. As you bring healing and protection to our lives, may we reflect all the love, care and protection you have given us to the world around us. In the name of Jesus who is our Way, we pray – Amen.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)