Tag: Christian

Posted in Different Scriptures

Resurrection Life (from John 20:1-18)

Posted on by Wick
  1. Resurrection life comes even while it is still dark.  Mary had waited to come and prepare the body of Jesus fully for burial because Jewish law forbade doing such work on the sabbath.  We see that in John 19:42. Whether she didn’t know about the preparation done to Jesus’ body already, or knew it was incomplete, we know both Mark and Luke state Mary and possibly others came to anoint the body for burial.  

Even though she waited for the Sabbath to pass, she came while it was still dark outside.  We know it was not always safe for people to travel in the dark, especially for women in that era.  She was probably exhausted from her tears as well. Have you ever spent hours – crying with others?  Can you imagine how tired she may have been from such mourning?  Yet even here is where our story of resurrection life begins.

Early Christians believed the day of resurrection was so incredibly important and transformational that it was an “8th Day” of creation.  The beginning of a New Creation account.  Because of that, we’re going to match each truth about Resurrection with a scripture from creation itself.  How did the original account of creation begin?  Genesis 1:2-3 includes “..darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.  Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.” 

  • Where is the darkness in your life in this season?  Are you overwhelmed by the shadows of pain?  Is there a source of suffering?  It may be personal, or it may be communal.  We live in a community that has experienced suffering – whether in gun violence, or young people growing up in broken homes, or marriages where worldly ways and pursuits of “happiness” have pushed out serving one another in mutual submission.
  • Mary didn’t know what to expect in the darkness and discovered light beginning to shine.  We know the character of our resurrected Savior now.  We understand the redemptive story He’s invited us to join.  Will you look for Him in the darkness, trusting it’s His desire to bring New Life there this year? What does it look like for you to trust God’s desires there?

So here in John’s account, Mary runs to tell Simon Peter and (the Beloved Disciple) that the tomb was empty.  You can hear her voice urgently accusing Rome of doing something to the body, because resurrection was not on their immediate radar.  In response, Peter and (probably John) run to the tomb to learn more.

  1. Resurrection life inspires us to do something unexpected.  As Peter and the other disciple arrived at the tomb, the other disciple remained outside.  By this point in the story, we’ve heard about Peter before. He’s impulsive. He often does something without thinking.  He’s the one who asked Jesus to invite him to walk on water.  He’s the one who sliced the ear off the guard when they came to arrest Jesus. Unfortunately, he’s also the one who denied Jesus 3 times.  But here, we see his impulsivity leveraged for the purposes of the Kingdom.  How excited are you to discover more about what Jesus is up to?  What would happen if we gathered for worship or opened our Bibles or entered into longer times of prayer with this same enthusiasm to discover more about the heart and activity of Jesus?

But for today’s purposes, I want to focus on this concept of doing something unexpected.  John arrives first, which is often a tool of rhetoric to elevate one person without denigrating another.  (Josephus outswims others in his writing.)  But he doesn’t enter the tomb.  Maybe out of respect for the dead?  What if it’s a trap set by Rome? What if____?  Anything could have prevented him in those moments.    But Peter wants to know what has happened with Jesus.  We’ve seen that his entire life – this curiosity that steps forward even without all the answers, if it means joining Jesus.

I’m not just talking about being spontaneous in general. I mean, what does the world expect from us right now?  The world we’re in each day expects us to gripe about workdays.  Our media expects us to consume our feeds endlessly, getting angry and anxious, and responding as those who need to keep scrolling until we find enough dopamine to counteract the lack of control we may feel.  The world expects us to seek profit, to pursue power, to build up influence, and to conquer those in our way of doing each of these.  So in that world, what does it look like to do the unexpected?   

Let’s look at Genesis again – in Genesis 2:7, “the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”  What makes humanity a living being?  Receiving the breath of life God gives. This is the literal meaning of “inspire”: to breathe into.  We do not become what God desires of us by achieving.  We become what God desires of us by receiving.

When Jesus and His resurrection life have entered, we have all we need, not just for this life, but for eternity.  That doesn’t mean we sit on the bench, sidelined.  But it does set us free to join Jesus and trust Him with all we bring to the table.  We don’t seek profit as a foundation; we seek Jesus and living out the ways that are eternally profitable.  We don’t pursue power; we pursue the presence of His Spirit and living in ways that trust in His infinite power.  We don’t build up influence itself by selling out, but we are willing to steward our gifts and leverage who we are in ways that might be used by God. Whether He wants to influence the world through us, or just the quiet neighbor next door.  Either way, we are content, trusting His ability to be Lord over all things.

So they discover the graveclothes, as if the body just “disappeared”.  Some have asked – if the resurrected Jesus (physical) can somehow pass through graveclothes and later even walls and closed doors – why roll the stone away?  Hopefully, it’s clear – he didn’t need the stone rolled away for Himself.  We needed it rolled away to discover He has risen.  Jesus has removed obstacles for you that you may not even realize, in order for you to hear the words of His Love and Lordship for your life this morning.  Will you discover more?

So the other disciple (John) entered and believed.  Not that Jesus had gone to heaven, but that Jesus was alive again.  The disciples returned to their homes, but not Mary.  She stood weeping.  What would happen next?  What does this mean for their hopes?  The other disciples seem to have abandoned her in her time of grief, which is a sermon for another time.  But John is telling his story in a way that highlights something beautiful that happens next…

  1. Resurrection life sends us from isolation to relation. For whatever reason, Mary was left alone after the disciples returned home in John’s account.  She bends over to look once again into the tomb, only this time there are two angels.  They ask her why she’s weeping, and she responds.  It’s almost comical the way she sees two angels in white, talks to them as if it’s no big deal, and turns away.  In the context of the resurrection, John tells us, even other supernatural occurrences are really no big deal.  As Mary turns away from the angels, she sees Jesus but assumes He’s the gardener.  Maybe He prevents her from recognizing Him, maybe her tears have blurred her vision, or maybe she just doesn’t look up into His eyes.  Jesus asks her the same question as the angels – “Why are you weeping?”  She’s tired of trying to figure things out on her own at this point.  You can hear her sigh heavily… “Sir, if you’ve taken him, tell me where and I’ll bring him back”.  Seeing her standing there, with a tear-stained face and hearing her tired sigh of desperation, we can hear the love and excitement of Jesus for her to realize who He is.  “Mary!”  She turned to Him and declared, “Rabbi!”  I’m sure she hugged Him tightly, and He actually says to her, “Don’t cling to me…”  He had a lot to do before He went to be with the Father fully.

But Jesus sends the woman, Mary, as the first ever apostle (sent one) to share the good news of our resurrected Savior.  The resurrection life of Jesus will always nudge us out of our isolation and into redemptive relationships that further the purposes of His Kingdom.  

Not only does He send her, but He reveals something powerful about the change that has happened.  Up until now in John, Jesus has often said “My Father” or “the Father”. Here is says “Go and say to my brothers and sisters – I am going up to my father and your father, to my God and your God.”  In one quick instruction, Mary becomes the first one to be healed relationally to God and offered a healing relationship to humanity as well.  

Where in our world do we see the need for relational healing?  Of course, there are nations in need of peace.  We pray for peace to arrive in all areas of conflict.  But there are also workplaces with misunderstandings.  There are friendships with divisive differences. There are families with wounds and brokenness.  There are marriages with heels digging in with demands, instead of mutual submission that reflects the Love of Christ for His church.
In Genesis 2:18, God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner.”  We were created for relationships that invite us to be fully known and fully loved.  Not just in marriage, either, as we remember Jesus never married and yet lived a full life, enjoying intimacy with God and intimacy with others.  So what does intimacy look like in relationships? That’s a great question to seek the answer to with your local body of believers! (See www.discipleshipbands.com for more!)

How will we respond to the invitation of His resurrection life today?

Posted in Different Moments, Different Scriptures, Different Thoughts, Uncategorized

a true story.

Posted on by Wick

We ducked down a bit in the large passenger vehicle, trying to make it seem like it was no big deal. Our hearts were beating so fast, but we’d been told to stay quiet. Everything needed to look as normal as possible. We had no choice but to trust our driver. He had taken side roads for as long as possible, but there was no side road available near a border crossing. Before resuming the large, slow flow of single-file vehicles, he pulled over to call his wife. We had very little knowledge of the local language, but we didn’t need to understand his words to hear his concern. He was smuggling foreigners (us) across a very tightly closed border. He was telling his wife he would check back in with her after we all made it safely through the checkpoint. None of us knew what to expect.

As we came closer to the border crossing, we saw the recently erected army tents. They were detaining any foreigners, even those with proper paperwork. We had heard stories of families being detained and separated into gender-specific last-minute accommodations. Countries didn’t have official responses ready for something like this. As a married father of 4 daughters, that would mean being separated from all of my family, leaving them alone in a country where none of us spoke the language, and one of us with brown skin. A country not always known for warmly welcoming immigrants. He collected our identification cards (in case they were asked for) and told us to keep quiet and to not make eye contact with anyone. “Some of you pretend to sleep.”

It was March 2020, and we were returning to our Missionary work in Hungary from what had been a short trip to celebrate my wife’s birthday in Paris (European travel is VERY cheap when you’re already in Europe!). But while we were gone, new concerns over something called the “Coronavirus” had caused panicked countries globally to close their borders over safety concerns. We were legal, temporary residents of Hungary. Most of what we owned in this world was there, in our apartment, including our family cat, Toby. But legally, at that moment, we were unwelcome foreigners. Those in the country were allowed to stay, but no one else was being admitted unless they were native-born.

We had arranged for a Hungarian man to pick us up from the airport in Vienna, Austria, and drive us the 45 minutes home to the city we were living in. It was only as we loaded our luggage into his vehicle at the airport that he realized the possible dilemma. He remembered seeing army tents being erected when he drove west into Austria, but didn’t think much of it. In that airport loading zone, looking at his American passengers, a family in need, he made a quick decision to help us. I don’t even remember his name, but even now I’m thankful, and I pray God blesses him.

I remember what was probably a 5-minute stop, feeling like hours. Soldiers approached our vehicle. I remembered our time in Congo, caring for our daughter, and eventually being able to bring her home. We’d seen soldiers before. But our daughters were fairly young and untraveled, and seeing the armed soldier after hearing our concerns talked about openly, I can only imagine how they were feeling in that moment. We prayed quietly, holding hands unseen. We looked down at the floor mostly, quietly stealing glances at the men in the front of the vehicle, talking back and forth with soldiers. We couldn’t understand their words, but he gestured back at us once or twice. It sounded like small talk, and our driver kept his cool. Finally, we were given the thumbs up, and as the vehicle ahead of us drove forward, we were allowed to follow. We entered the country, and after a few moments of tense silence, our driver celebrated aloud. He congratulated us, saying he had just officially declared we were all Hungarian citizens. We all felt even more relieved than his voice sounded as he called his wife to tell her all was well. We were on our way “home”.

“Immigration is an issue. Immigrants are people.” These words were repeated over and over when I was studying to pursue my Immigration Law Paralegal status back in 2016. As part of my “MDiv”, I’d taken a course on Multi-Cultural Ministry, and the paralegal work was offered as an additional opportunity. As a pastor, I could not represent someone in court, but I could understand the law better and help fill out the required paperwork. Life and work have taken us in new directions, and I haven’t kept up my training. But I’ll never forget the heart of Jesus I discovered volunteering with local immigration lawyers, and learning how the issues were impacting individuals and families. It’s a very broken system, in need of reform. (Example: Current processing time for a U.S. citizen to petition for their parent/child/spouse is over 60 months. 100+ months if you’re a permanent resident, but not a citizen. Can you imagine not living with your loved one that long?) People on both sides of the aisle are doing great work to ensure and promote that work continues…both for secure borders and to offer assistance to those in deep need.

All of it is a needed reminder: No one goes through these processes for fun. Especially given the climate of conversation (or lack of conversation) these days, who would want to sign up for the stigma and separation from loved ones that can come in these processes? Many do so because they are desperate for a new life, or feel forced on this path because, like us, heading back into Hungary, they feel it’s the only option, and worth the risk. The story I shared was nothing like what so many people face, risking everything for the chance, not just of a “better life”, but of a continued life in struggle, compared to a known risk of death on other paths.

Lately, it seems like those on both sides of the political extremes are launching anger at the other. Anger toward and dehumanizing those who desire safety and are working to secure borders to protect their future and their children. Others have anger toward and are dehumanizing those who desire to cross or remain within secure borders to protect their future and their children. Politicians at the top of both sides are moving pawns around, whether angry protestors or angry ICE agents, to make their points and secure future elections, without assessing the human costs involved for those suffering on the front lines.

Jeremiah 22:3 “This is what the Lord says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place.”

I don’t have a solution. But I do agree with those calling for prayer. Calling for dialogue. Calling for greater amounts of listening. Slowing down our responses to increase safety and discernment. Calling for both sides to regard the preciousness and the humanity of those they currently see only as an obstacle to accomplishing their own goal. Lord Jesus, help us in these moments. Protect the vulnerable. Give us wisdom, and help us to move forward guided by Your Spirit, with Your Kingdom as our foundation.

Posted in Different Scriptures

from the furnace…

Posted on by Wick

(Read Daniel 3:24-30 first)

Whew. Even though we knew what was going to happen, it’s such a relief to arrive at this point in the story. Notice how often all 3 names of the men are used (Babylonian names that give credit to false gods, instead of their Elohim-honoring Hebrew names). As Israel passes on the story, they’re remembering the names (and truths) Babylon attempted and failed to declare. It’s a reminder to God’s people living in exile across all time – the faithfulness and authority of Elohim remains, even when Babylon seems to have renamed reality.

The passage begins with Nebuchadnezzar being astonished/alarmed, and rising up quickly. He asks for confirmation of reality, because what he sees does not match what he knows to be true.

When’s the last time what you perceived did not match what you knew to be true?

Often what we know to be true is due to the perceptions we’re used to using. We build our conceptions of reality based on what we can see, hear, and sense. We base our expectations off what we’ve experienced previously.

Because of that, it’s so important to exercise our imagination with God regularly. We are Kingdom citizens who know Jesus is on the throne already. We know Love is the language of this new Kingdom, and forgiveness is possible because of how we’ve each been forgiven. But so often we forget these realities, because of what we see and hear and perceive as reality in the world around us. So we meet regularly for worship and the Word each week. We draw together during the week in relationship and prayer, to encourage one another. We need these moments of being formed in the unseen realities of the Kingdom becoming visible through us.

God’s realities are being revealed as Nebuchadnezzar looks into the furnace. This is often the purpose of God doing something miraculous like this. Not to preserve the lives of these 3 young men indefinitely. Eventually, they all end up dying. We’re not even sure what happens beyond these moments. But in these moments, all Israel is given a vision they needed to see in the midst of their exile (or return from it). Every miracle (including the miracle of being the body of Jesus as the local church) is a window through which we glimpse the realities of God’s Kingdom. Every miracle is an apocalypse (literal meaning: an uncovering, a revealing).

I want us to focus on a few particular things, as God gives us here an apocalypse, a window into His Kingdom realities through this passage…

  1. There were four men. Nebuchadnezzar asks for confirmation – “We threw 3 guys in there, right?” He sees four men, and the fourth he describes with words that mean “he looks like a divine being”. Some believe maybe this was Jesus who came physically even before he was born to Mary. Others believe it was an angel. No matter who, it was the presence of God with these 3, and in a way that was embodied. The Kingdom of God is revealed as physically and relationally present in suffering.
    Surely, they would have been happy just to not be burned alive. They would have known God’s protection was with them. But the way of God’s Kingdom is to be physically with those in suffering. As a church, it’s good and responsible stewardship for us to send financial support to organizations that do good to alleviate suffering in our community and world. But it’s the way of the Kingdom for us to go out into the lives of our neighbors, and join them in their moments and areas of suffering as the embodied presence of Jesus.

2. They were unbound – even in the fire.
In verse 21, they bound the men. Once again, I’m sure the men would have been incredibly happy simply to not die in the fire. But God desires to go a step further here, revealing something important about the ways of His Kingdom: Sometimes instead of delivering us from the fire, God delivers us in the midst of the fire.
Remember the story of Jesus on the boat with His disciples? Matthew 8:24b says, “But Jesus was sleeping.” In a panic, they woke Him up afraid they were all going to drown. It’s true, Jesus could have helped them avoid the storm in the first place. Just like He could have healed Lazarus before He even died. But for whatever the reason, sometimes God brings His peaceful presence through us right in the midst of the suffering and storms. You may be living in a situation, or experiencing a furnace that cannot be changed right now, or that you cannot see a way out of. My prayer is that even now you would find comfort, knowing God can bring you freedom even in the midst of the furnace.
I can’t explain the mind of God, but I do know that if God always rescued us from having to be in storms, or be in fires, or experience death….we might continue to fear these things as if they were something that held power. Which leads to our 3rd point.

3. The fires of Babylon had no power over them.
It’s interesting the story doesn’t just say “they weren’t burned”. It doesn’t say they weren’t hurt, or stop with saying “they were saved from the powerful fire”. It very intentionally uses the phrase “the fire had not any power over the bodies of those men”.
As with many stories in scripture, this is not prescriptive, but it is descriptive. It’s telling us a story about this particular situation, where a miracle occurred in order to reveal something important about the ways of the Kingdom. The revelation here is that even the dangerous forces of the empire have no actual power or authority over someone who is set apart for God’s purposes.
This does NOT mean you will not get burned! That’s what we mean by being “descriptive”. It’s describing this particular story, where a window was opened to see how the Kingdom works. God’s authority is more powerful than anything the forces of empire might attempt.
Last week I smoked pork chops. Even smoking pork chops, when I came inside I smelled wonderfully like smoked meat. After washing my hands, that night I remember smelling it on my arms before going to sleep. It seems a bit unnecessary for God to keep these men from even smelling like they’d been in the fire. So why include that detail? Why go to that great length?

There’s no secret Ancient Near East meaning for the smell of fire, and there’s nothing obvious theologians agree on here. But it does show us the extent of God’s power in ways that might speak to something we’re aware of today – the impact of suffering. Sometimes referred to as “trauma”, even if we survive a difficult moment these days, it stays with us in ways we are still learning to understand. The power and authority of God revealed in these moments show us He is even able to deliver us from any ongoing impact of these furnace moments of life. What furnaces have you gone through in your past, where the smell of that fire hangs with you? It’s no longer an active presence of a threat, and yet you continue to walk around as if the fire remains. Allow the truth of scripture today to invite healing, or even the hope of healing. God is not only able to deliver us from the furnace, but from any impact the furnaces of our lives have left on us.

Nebuchadnezzar makes a decree including, “There is no other god who is able to deliver/rescue/save in this way.” This is a defining nature of God, revealed with the same root word back in Exodus 3:8. In those moments, God reveals His desires for the people of Israel in ways that echo through the rest of scripture. “I have come down to deliver them from (sources of enslavement) and to bring them up out of that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey.”

God not only desires deliverance for you, but He has provided that deliverance. Not only from the furnace, but into His New Creation Life. By His Spirit, He transforms us as a community into a place/people where others might discover that same deliverance. A place where God becomes physically present with us and through us. A place where we become “unbound”, even in the fire. A place where we’re reminded – there is nothing with power or authority over us, but God himself.

Will you allow God to set you free? Jesus invites us to step forward into His freedom…