Author: Wick

The story of the Tax Collector and the Pharisee who both went to pray, is found in Luke 18.  The Pharisee thanks God that he’s not wicked like other people.  The tax collector won’t even look up, beats his breast, and prays for mercy – confessing his sinful and undeserving state.  Jesus tells his listeners that the tax collector goes home “justified” here.

Usually when we hear this story, it’s a reminder that we need to approach God with more humility, recognizing our need for His mercy, etc.  It’s true, even in our daily walk, those of us who have grown up in Church-life automatically “look down” on others bound by certain sins – usually without even realizing it.

There is even more to this story than a call to humility, however.  I think those of us familiar with this story, may sometimes be experiencing lukewarm prayer-lives.  Wanting to model ourselves after the tax collector, we approach God with all the appropriate humility, and like the tax collector – “not even look up to heaven”.  These words seem to speak of expectation.We pray, but who are we to ask something of God?  He’ll choose whether or not to do it, and “your Will be done” is our “get out of expectation free” card.

But this story is open-ended.  We don’t hear of the tax collector getting hit by a donkey cart on his way home.  He’s not dead.  He went home justified.  Different.  The next time he approaches God in prayer, it is as a new person.  Not that he becomes like the Pharisee, but perhaps next time he will actually “look up” in expectation.  Still humbled before God, aware of his sinful estate, but also knowing He has been justified and stands in the presence of a God who invites His prayers.  Maybe that’s a big “perhaps”.  (I recognize that Jesus’ story was not actually an illustration regarding prayer.)

But still…I believe, and have been reminded that God desires his people to be “of prayer”.  Not in a way that brags “I prayed for ___ hours this past week.”…but in a way that honestly says “Praying is like breathing or eating to me…it’s necessary for my life.”  For us to pray with expectation that we speak in the presence of a God who hears and is with us.  A God who’s nature and will is New Life and transformation.

For us to be silent, with the expectation that the presence we are silent with, will respond where we give room.  May he continue to reveal how we should pray…and may we respond as people who are receiving His nature…

..after all, our kids are becoming homo orans, or “beings who pray”, right along with us.

For a long time the people of God met and worshiped together on the 7th day of the week.  This made sense, because the concept of “Sabbath” (rest) had been patterned by God.  Given to us as a gift, God knew we needed a regular reminder to slow down, pause, and re-orient our lives around thankfulness to Him.  An entire day to exist differently, that it may be our regular “time tithe” we offer to God.  The sabbath was also, in a way, a celebration and affirmation of God’s act of Creation, because on the “7th Day” of that creation, He sabbathed.

Fast forward thousands of years.  The people of God and all of creation experience and bear witness to the beginning of “New Creation” with the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  We don’t believe Jesus simply “came back from the dead”, as if his blood simply began flowing again.  We believe Jesus was given His resurrection body ahead of all of us (“firstborn from among the dead”), and stands as God’s firstfruits of New Creation.  In the life of Jesus, his actions and words were all about bringing Heaven and Earth together.  In His resurrected body, we see it is not only occurring as event, but exists as being.

With the birth of “New Creation” on the first day of the week (the resurrection), we were transformed to “1st Day Sabbath” people.  This is a large part of why we worship on Sunday’s now, proclaiming that we people who are being made new.  We desire New Creation, and look forward to the resurrection of all people, and coming together of Heaven and Earth that has already begun, and will be completed someday.

All of that to say – Easter is a big deal for us Jesus-followers.

It seems like a bit of a let-down to have a period of 40 days (Lent) leading up to Easter; only to wear our bonnets and find our eggs, go out to brunch, and wear a new tie for a day.  It surely can’t only be about inviting new people to church that Sunday, and sitting with friends and family who haven’t been to church since Christmas.  That’s not much of a celebration.  Even if we tag on an Easter ham waiting back at home.

Since our family is pretty low on home-made pyrotechnics, and the yacht we ordered still hasn’t come in – we’ve been celebrating“Easter Week” in our home.  There are 5 people in our home, and 5 weekdays.  Each person gets to pick a day, and insert something special to celebrate Easter that day.  (Happy Easter Thursday, by the way!!)

So far this week: we’ve built an awesome blanket fort that we camped overnight in, we’ve gone to the zoo, we ordered stuffed crust pizza, went to Claire’s to pick out some fun cheap jewelry, and made “Get Well” cards for a neighbor.  And it’s only Thursday!!!  Looking forward to what is yet to happen this week, and I want to challenge you to give another burst of celebration this week to the amazing fact that New Creation has begun!!!

I often find myself in the position parents all throughout time have been in, explaining a large word or concept to my 4 year old in ways she can grasp. The word we were discussing was the word “patience”. A word her daddy needs to work on every bit as much as she does. The phrase I came up with to help her understand was simply, “patience means it’s okay to wait”.

We’ve just arrived at “Easter Week”, something we’ve been waiting through the 40 days of Lent to arrive at. In Exodus 24, God calls Moses to the mountain to meet with him. Moses goes, and ends up having to wait 6 days before God reveals himself. As they’re meeting together on the mountain, the people of God find themselves waiting 40 days and 40 nights, and they grow impatient. It seems not only here, but throughout scripture, God’s people should be those who not only “know how” to wait well, but look forward to those times of waiting.

This seems to be appropriately against the normal pace of an instant gratification world. The culture of hurry, and filled schedules. It also connects well with the season of Lent we’ve just journeyed through. We wait, and deny ourselves certain things until the celebrations of Easter week. We know there will be much to celebrate, and what we will celebrate together gives us strength and reason to remain faithful today.

The people of God in Exodus 24 lost sight of that. In chapter 32, we read a disappointing scene where God’s people have lost patience in waiting for Moses. In their impatience, they’ve created an idol to give them spiritual gratification immediately. I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to say, many times we Jesus-loving church goers find ourselves with the same desire for instant spiritual gratification.

But what about the faithfulness of God that comes after a period of waiting? All of creation waited for Christ to come, and oh how things have changed! The people of God wandered in the wilderness, waiting to enter the promised land. Jesus spent his time in the wilderness, being tempted by Satan and spending time apart with God – preparing him for his earthly ministry. Noah and his family waited through the storms, and waited even beyond that for the water to recede, in order to experience the covenant living of God. Abraham and Sarah waited quite longer than they expected, to experience the beginning of God’s faithfulness to His word.

In each of these, the wait was much more than “okay”.

May we be people who are not only experienced in, but filled with anticipation by…waiting on the Lord. May God move in our lives in celebration of Easter and Resurrection Life this week – and as we live as people made new – we high five our kids. It’s definitely okay to wait..