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This past week we heard from Luke chapter 7.  A woman enters the scene of Jesus reclined at Simon the Pharisee’s table, and begins to kiss his feet, and anoint them with perfume…drying them with her hair.  It’s quite a scene, and Jesus points out her undignified response is out of a realization of how much she’s been forgiven.

He tells the story of two men, who both owe money.  One a large amount, and one a small amount.  Both are forgiven.  Who loves the forgiver more?  Simon reluctantly answers “the one who was forgiven more”.

Forgiveness is mentioned twice here.  The first, in Jesus’ story, it pertains to a debt that was owed, and then canceled.  The word used here is “χαρίζομαι” (care-eez-oh-my).  It involves showing grace, which is actually the root word, “χαρίζ” (care-eese).  It involves the restoration of a relationship.  We see this also in Colossians 3:13, where it talks about putting on the New Self:

“Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”

It’s an important aspect and type of forgiveness we yearn for…to be brought into right relationship with God. But there are other times, where a different emphasis is needed. In these cases, it’s also very helpful to remember/recognize the power of the God we serve.

When Jesus talks about and to the woman who is anointing his feet, he mentions her sins are forgiven. He says the person who is forgiven much, shows great love. The one forgiven little, loves little. The word used here is “ἀφίημι” (af-ee-ay-mee). This seems to focus on the relationship of the person to the sin. An emphasis on separating them from it, releasing them from it, and allowing them to completely set it down at walk away. We see the word used in Matthew 4:20 when Jesus calls His disciples:

“Immediately they left their nets and followed him.”

There are definitely times where our emphasis is on wanting to get rid of a bad habit, a bad choice, a life-damaging path or element we’ve found ourselves to have. I’m thankful for a God who recognizes the need for both types of forgiveness, and who is ready to offer both any moment we come to Him… 🙂

Forgive us Lord. And while you’re at it….forgive us too. 🙂

It’s time to celebrate the passover meal.  Jesus doesn’t simply tell his disciples “Go get things ready!”, and leave it at that.  Nope.  He says, “Go follow a man carrying the jar of water.  He’ll go into a home.  When he goes into a home, find the owner of that home, and ask him for the room.  He’ll know what you’re talking about.” (my paraphrase)

Wow.   Really? 

It seems like this is the kind of passage non-believers would make fun of.  A lame man walking, sure.  But a random prophetic coincidence like this?  Silly, right?  And yet, there it is.  Right along side the verses that talk about Jesus breaking the bread and sharing the cup.  Solid stuff.

There’s an important connection here.  Two very important things found in verse 13.

First – “they left“.  They heard the words of Jesus regarding what to do, and they were compelled to action.  They didn’t sit and wait passively…that wasn’t their instruction.  If they’d just stood around, who knows what would have happened. 

Many of us have heard God’s word in and for our lives.  We have the scriptures, and we’ve heard God speak His desire for our lives today, and for tomorrow.  Yet so many times, we stand around waiting passively.  Whether for more prodding, or a special blessing, or perhaps even a different word….we often wait.  Where can we be moving even NOW where God has compelled us forward?

Second – “they found“.  Jesus had been right.  It was no coincidence.  It was Jesus speaking, and what he had spoken happened.  We hear Jesus say in the book of John that the Son can only do what He sees the Father doing.  So where do we see God speaking, and things happening?  How about Genesis, and the story of creation.  God didn’t simply clap his hands, snap his fingers, or say “bibbity boppity boo” and the entire world became.  There’s a power in spoken word.  But not in spoken word alone, rather, in speaking the words of God.

Jesus calls us to follow Him.  To live our lives as He lived.  To have such power in the words we speak, that we echo the words of Jesus, and of God at creation.

It makes me think of the words I’ve spoken in the past week.  The words I will speak this week.  The amount of power and incredible Kingdom work they can accomplish.  Of course, I probably won’t tell anyone “Go follow a man with a can of pop.  He’ll go into a home.  Find the owner of the home, and ask him for a room.”  🙂

But I do want to find out where God desires words to be spoken.  Words of Love.  Words of Mercy.  Words of release, life, grace, forgiveness, hope, etc.  And when I find them….to Speak them in His Name…

There seems to be a relation between a persons “need” (or perceived need) for C/church, and their connectedness/relationship to it.  (Or this may all simply be a rant based on being asked “What are we doing in Youth Group?” about 20 times a month by another teen trying to figure out which church is worth their time this week.  They’re only asking what the adults around them would love to.)

When I was growing up, we “needed” the church (and Church, in many ways).  Difficult life situations, financial challenges, and my single mom raising five kids on her own made being connected to a loving, safe, praying, Jesus-centered community not only helped – but may have actually been connected to how we all survived it overall.  Mom knew that whatever may come, we needed to stay connected to the church.  Thanks mom. 🙂

We can all probably think of someone we know who has drifted from previously being very involved in a local congregation.  Not someone who simply switched local parts of the “body”, but someone who actually has little to no regular involvement in a particular community seeking Christ together.  Usually, it seems these are not people who are suffering, or poor, or hungry…etc.

It is quite simply…a need that has faded.

Bills are paid, stomachs are fed, the kids are older, and for the most part, life continues just fine.  Still believing in Jesus and all that.  Still thankful that hell is not the destination.  But doing quite alright at this point.

So for those of us who find ourselves near that location on the map…why get up early Sunday morning?  Why commit yet another evening of my week to something I could quite easily not show up for and survive?

How do so many of us who follow Jesus today consider our home church that place we’re active with once a month….ish?  Obviously there could be many answers to that question.

But I believe at least one of them is connected to how much the experience of “church”, and even “salvation” (or the other way around) is sometimes very much “me” centered.  I believe we need a revival of participating in the Church, and churches…with what the Kingdom, the Church, and the church needs in mind.  Along with those who make it up, and need it.

May we move toward our involvement in local bodies asking ourselves “Where can we serve/add to/join Kingdom work here?” instead of “Will this experience fulfill us today, and be worth what we’ve given up for it?”.  May we seek God’s presence over an experience, ethnicity, musical style, social class, or comfort level.

It’s hard to write this, without feeling like it will be read as a plea for better church attendance…because I’m a pastor.  Being honest, there probably are some of those thoughts in there.  But not because I think ill of people who enjoy sleeping in, and not because I want anymore dollars in the plate this Sunday.

But because I think Church and our church is more than what I think.  Thankfully. 🙂

It may also be connected to thinking of the Church as a body, with no part being any greater than the others, but every part offering something incredibly important to what Jesus is accomplishing.  We are missing several body parts on a regular basis.  We are incomplete…sometimes even when that part is sitting in the pew, or standing in the pulpit.

May we each discover what that can mean…