And so, as we come to the end of Lent, we return back to the beginning. The Law which was to be fulfilled has in fact been fulfilled. The world has been set right. We are living proof of the living God. We are Easter people who are witnesses of the Gospel. We are given the gift of life in the face of a broken death filled world. We get the privilege to go out into the world and be a beacon for others; a city on a Hill. This Easter is a calling for us to recommit to our Christian faith. Let us to be reinvigorated for the work of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Pain in unavoidable. We worship a God who would do anything to prevent us from feeling the pain. But it is unavoidable. We worship a God who instead decided to do all that was necessary to provide love in the face of pain; healing in the face of heartache. We worship a God who tells us to keep our focus on the treasures that await us in heaven: Community with our loved ones and eternal joy and thanksgiving. We worship a God he tells us it’s okay to cry; it’s okay to feel pain. That we are not alone. We worship a God who tells us this night, this pain, is not the end.
A basic human need is for to experience fulfillment. The avenue which leads to the fullest example of this is a world which has been set right; a world built on righteousness. Yet, the world is filled with betrayal and temptations. How then we are to engage with this sort of hostility? By opening a table for all to partake. To give out the gift in the most humble of forms. Simple bread and juice which are filled with a power greater than the world can comprehend. We embrace the simplicity, serving when we can. We refrain for the places in our lives which are cause for stumbling. We find ways to step away from the world, visit the metaphorical upper room, and spend time in communion with Jesus.
The kingdom of Heaven is here, and the revolution begins on a donkey. (Technically a donkey and a colt if Matthew is to be believed). The juxtaposition of emotions that Jesus would feel in such a short amount of time is truly staggering. Yet he set the stage for way he would respond in his sermon on the Mount: He would pray for and love those people who would persecute him. Even while the masses filled the street praising him, he knew there were naysayers in the city. Yet he willingly went there in order to fully love them. The road we walk in life will be complicated and can put us at odds with the world. Jesus’s encouragement is to engage with those who do not love us, for this is the action which lead to the fullest life.
3/25 - 3/26/2023 (March 25/26) | Embrace Humility
A willingness to give is something that is deeply exalted in our modern world, yet the frustration of this comes in attempting to walk the hire wire between giving in such a way where people know we are philanthropic but that we can claim humility at the same time. Jesus makes it clear that walking alongside him strips away the notion of false humility. We give out of compassion for others, rather than in the hopes that we might inherit some other praise or celebration.
Mercy is the thing we all desire but struggle to give. We often expect others to go the distance for us yet fail to realize when we have gone a half measure for them. Yet the only one we can control is ourselves. Rather than focusing on how others aren’t giving us enough, or even worse that we need to repay some affront received with something equal. Our goal is not to contemplate on fair and equal retribution but to dream up radical and unmerited shows of love, even if doing so benefits the other person more than us. We do this because Jesus did this for us, laying down his life when he was blameless so that we might experience a fullness of our own lives.
As the world grows, it has become more and more easy to find ways to eschew commitment to anyone or anything. We are encouraged to pursue our own desires, and if those desires change, we are within our rights to move that way. Yet, the beauty of the gospel is the fact that God never moved on from humanity, and we are called to live into commitment ourselves. Part of faithful living is realizing what it means to be faithful in our marriages, to our friends, and to those in our professional worlds. Rather than chasing after the next shiny thing, we are encouraged to double down on that which we love: God and neighbor.
3/4 - 3/5/2023 (March 4/5) | Love, Not War
The concept of power is a driving force in the lives of so many. Being willing to not waver in the face of adversity, and to go so far as to pursue that fight is a celebrated quality. Jesus reversed the understanding of power. When the world chooses the allure of intimidation and force, Jesus chose the route of humility and love. Rather than being the conqueror, we are called to create opportunities for compassion and kindness.
In Matthew 3, upon seeing Jesus, John the Baptist boldly proclaims that the Kingdom of Heaven has drawn near. It is fully understood by John that Jesus will usher in a new Kingdom that will be the paradise that God has always envisioned for the world. The question has always been what that will look like. Beginning a series with the sermon on the mount by diving into the Beatitudes is essential because the Beatitude provide an image of the Kingdom of Heaven. We see an image of what we will find in Heaven, and by contrast, what we will not find in that Kingdom. In here, we see how God will redefine things that bring joy and happiness; the things that allow us to experience the blessings of God. For this reason, we will be a city on a hill, a beacon for others to look to and follow themselves.