Healing Rays of Righteousness

You Are So Very Precious

Read Hebrews 2:14-18

I enjoy looking out our windows and watching snowflakes coming down, accumulating and covering the cold, hard, brown landscape with soft whiteness.  As I watch, my meditative thoughts become focused on the beauty of God’s goodness and love for me and my world.

A gift bag that my wife and I filled with Christmas gifts had the following poem by Robin Fogle, titled “Snowflake Angels,” printed on its outside.

“Snowflakes are a gift from God  That float on angels’ wings,

Delighting all who see them  With the beauty that they bring.

They glow with crystal brilliance  That comes from God alone,

Then join to make a snowman  With a newness all its own.

And like each perfect snowflake  We, too, were made to be

A wonderful example  Of God’s creativity.

So when you see a snowflake  All pure and glistening white,

May you also be reminded  You are precious in God’s sight.”

How precious am I you ask.  How can I know God loves me? Let the Christmas story tell you.

According to that biblical story, it is because God so loved the world, you and me, that he sent his one and only Son, Jesus, into our world as a helpless, needy human baby just like you and me, to suffer the growing-up pains and temptations of childhood, teenager, and young adult years, just like you and me.  And in responding to God’s call to be God’s redeeming servant in the world, he suffered ridicule, rejection, injustice, and death as a human, just like you and me.

And the writer of Hebrews tells us in verse 17 that Jesus had to be made like us “in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.”  Furthermore, “because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”

That, my friend, is how precious you are to him.  That is how much Jesus loves you.  You and me are the only reason he laid aside his glorious royalty, his all-mighty sovereignty, his perfect holiness, to come down and live as a human person in our human world.  And, in order to rescue, redeem, and reclaim us as his brothers and sisters in the great, eternal family of God, he had to taste the bitterness of human sin and experience first-hand the painful sufferings of human life.

In his book “Consider Jesus (Daily Reflections on the Book of Hebrews, p.76), Donald R. Jacobs writes, “Those are forceful words.  He had to be made like me in order to save me.  …I can scarcely take this in.  How can the One who fashioned the universe submit to be fashioned as a human being?  What love!  What grace!  I marvel at the thought.  He became like me so that he might remake me to be like him.”

Jesus makes it clear in his conversation with Nicodemus that God did not send him “into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world.”  (John 3:17).  This is the good news the angels proclaimed to the shepherds on the night of Jesus’ birth into our human world, “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11).

Truly, truly, God reaches out to us, not with the arm twisting of divine imperialism, but with the persuasive power of patient long-suffering love.  And the falling snowflakes silently but beautifully proclaim the wonder-filled truth that we are fragile and so very precious in God’s sight.  “O how marvelous, O how wonderful is my Savior’s love for me.”

Pray with me;  Father God, I thank you for loving me, forgiving me, redeeming me, and adopting me into your Kingdom family of brothers and sisters together with Jesus.  Thank you, thank you.  I love you, Lord God!  Amen.

“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – January 30, 2019

What Is That In Your Hand

Read Exodus 4:1-17 

When God called a reluctant Moses to be his servant in leading Israel out of Egypt, he asked Moses, “What is that in your hand?”  And Moses replied that it was a staff.  God then directed him to throw it on the ground and it became a snake.  God then told him to “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.  So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand.” After reassuring Moses that he would empower what Moses held in his hand, God said, “Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”

I’m reminded of Mother Teresa who lived as an ordinary sister in a convent.  But while doing so, an extraordinary dream grew within her mind and heart.  One day she shared her heart’s ambition with her Mother Superior, who asked her, “Well, how much money do you have?  Sister Teresa replied, “I have two pennies.”  Mother Superior quickly replied, “Oh, you cannot start an orphanage with just two pennies.”  To which Sister Teresa replied, “No, but with two pennies and God I can start an orphanage.”  And she did!

A shepherd’s staff, two pennies – what is that in your hand?  Are they holding empowered gifts of help and healing, warmly clasping another’s hands of need; or are they tightly clenching earthly treasures and selfish greed?

A young man who was depressed by the evil, the suffering, and the misery in the world complained to his rabbi:  “Why did God ever make such a world?  Why, I could make a better world than this myself.”  His rabbi quietly answered:  “That is exactly the reason God put you in this world – to make it a better world.  Now go out and do your part.”

In the rabbi’s answer, we hear a truth that is frequently overlooked.  We often speak of our dependence upon God, but seem to forget that God depends on us.  There are many things He will not do without our assistance.

God brings forth bread from the earth, but not without the farmer, who properly prepares the soil, plants the seed, and harvests the crop.  God heals the sick, but not without the surgeon’s skilled hands, the doctor’s medicine, the nurse’s vigilance, the chaplain’s prayers, and the encouragement of family and friends.  God graciously chooses to partner with us in doing his healing, restorative work in the world.  Truly, we are blessed and privileged to be joined with him in a great partnership.

Let’s look at our hands for a few moments.  What a blessing they are.  What an amazing, intricate network of joints, tendons, and nerves, enabling us to do so much.  What a severe handicap we would suffer without them.

With these two hands we can bless a person or bruise them.  We can heal or hurt others.  We can generously give to another or greedily grab from them.  We can choose to lovingly extend our hands toward others in caring compassion, or we can tightly clench them to protect our earthly treasures and selfish greed.  The decision is ours to make with each encounter of another human being.

This truth is so beautifully expressed in these words from Alexander Irvine’s novel, My Lady of the Chimney Corner.  “God takes a hand whenever he can find it, and just does what he likes with it.  Sometimes he takes a bishop’s hand and lays it on a child’s head in benediction.  And then he takes the hand of a doctor to relieve the pain, the hand of a mother to guide a child.  And sometimes he takes the hand of a poor old creature like me to give comfort to a neighbor.  But they’re all hands touched by his Spirit, and his Spirit’s everywhere lookin’ for hands to use.”

Look at your hands and pray;   “Lord Jesus, help me to use my hands in holy, generous ways of healing and empowering the hands of others today, tomorrow, and always.  Amen.”

 

“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – January 23, 2019

Be-Resolutions for the New Year

Read Colossians 3:12-17

I suggest that this set of Christian virtues become our “Be-Resolutions” for the New Year.

To better understand Paul’s thinking regarding these virtues, I give you my edited summary of the prior verses 1 through 11.  “Since you have been made alive in Christ, set your hearts and minds on things above, for your life is now with Christ in God.  Put to death whatever belongs to your earthly nature, the things you did in the life you once lived. Get rid of these things and put on the new self which is being renewed in the image of your Creator God.”

That being true, Paul addresses us in verse 12 as “God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved.”  The Scriptures repeatedly affirm that this is who we are.  They also declare that how we live and what we do flows out of who we are.  Being and doing cannot be separated.

“Holy” has to do with our character, which shapes our attitudes and actions.  That’s why in the previous verses, 5 through 9, Paul urges us to put away the sins in our lives that flow from our earthly nature.

“Holy” also has to do with “being set apart,” that is, being dedicated for special purpose.  God lays his claims upon us, calls us, and we respond to his love.  Then we are made alive and have a new vocation, that is, to be his beloved and to think, feel, and live like him in our world.

Both meanings of “holy” help to define our identity.  But there is more.  We are “dearly loved.”  Is there anything more important than knowing that you are loved?  I don’t think so.  The witness of Scripture is that God’s love is unconditional and not dependent upon our merit.  His love is a constant embrace of grace which sustains and strengthens our journey onward, no matter what.    “Therefore …”

Be Caring (vv.12-13)                                                                                                                                           “… clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”  God’s royal garments are graceful, beautiful, and life changing.  Each morning, God lovingly invites us into his dressing room to be clothed with garments from his priceless collection.

• Compassion – I will care about my world and do my best to bring it help.                                                        I will be moved by your pain and seek to act in your behalf.
• Kindness –       I will do useful things to improve your well-being.
• Humility –        I will remember who I am in relation to God and other persons.
• Gentleness –   I will exercise self-control because I am God-controlled.
• Patience –        I will tolerate and bear unpleasant situations, unexpected hurts,                                                         and  unwanted problems.
• Forgive –         I will graciously forgive because God has forgiven me.

Be Loving (v.14)                                                                                                                                                   The difference between a nice wardrobe and stylish look is the “tied-together” appearance of the accessories.  Love is the garment that brings the parts of our character into a single whole.  Love “binds them all together in perfect unity.”

Be At Peace (v.15)                                                                                                                                            Living with others in family, community, and church, is sometimes difficult and stressful. Frequently our hearts are arenas of conflict and competition.  All sorts of feelings clash within. How can these feelings to be arbitrated and harmonized?  What feelings are allowed to rule?

The literal meaning of the word “rule” comes from the athletic arena, and Paul is literally saying, “Let the peace of God be the umpire in your heart.”  In the peace that only Christ can give, are we motivated and empowered for getting along with ourselves and with all others.

Be Thankful (v.16)                                                                                                                                              The body-life of the Christian congregation is described in this verse. The “word of Christ” is a synonym of his living presence within us.  We are admonished to “Let the word of Christ dwell in us richly.”  The Lord Christ is to be “at home” in our hearts.

Our response to Christ’s being “at home” in our hearts is to be thankful and to express that in celebration of joy by singing “psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.”  We are to be a grace-filled, grace-equipped, grace-celebrating people, in whom Christ dwells richly and through whom grace flows to the people around us.  The church is to be the Kingdom of God in the midst of this world.

Be Purposeful (v.17)                                                                                                                                         The name of Jesus Christ stands at the center of Christian living, and provides both our identity, “I am a Christian,” and our authority, “I do this in Jesus’ name.”  As a Christian acting in his name, I need not cower nor bully, neither whine nor despair, in my conduct and conversations.

I believe being in Christ, being filled with his Spirit, and being committed to the above “Be-Resolutions, will assure our being adequately prepared for the new year of 2019.  And whatever the year may bring into your life, remember you are chosen, holy, and dearly loved by God.

“Healing Rays of Righteousness”  –  January 16, 2019

Be-Resolutions for the New Year

Read Colossians 3:12-17

I suggest that this set of Christian virtues become our “Be-Resolutions” for the New Year. 

To better understand Paul’s thinking regarding these virtues, I give you my edited summary of the prior verses 1 through 11.  “Since you have been made alive in Christ, set your hearts and minds on things above, for your life is now with Christ in God.  Put to death whatever belongs to your earthly nature, the things you did in the life you once lived. Get rid of these things and put on the new self which is being renewed in the image of your Creator God.”

That being true, Paul addresses us in verse 12 as “God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved.”  The Scriptures repeatedly affirm that this is who we are.  They also declare that how we live and what we do flows out of who we are.  Being and doing cannot be separated.

“Holy” has to do with our character, which shapes our attitudes and actions.  That’s why in the previous verses, 5 through 9, Paul urges us to put away the sins in our lives that flow from our earthly nature.

“Holy” also has to do with “being set apart,” that is, being dedicated for special purpose.  God lays his claims upon us, calls us, and we respond to his love.  Then we are made alive and have a new vocation, that is, to be his beloved and to think, feel, and live like him in our world.

Both meanings of “holy” help to define our identity.  But there is more.  We are “dearly loved.”  Is there anything more important than knowing that you are loved?  I don’t think so.  The witness of Scripture is that God’s love is unconditional and not dependent upon our merit.  His love is a constant embrace of grace which sustains and strengthens our journey onward, no matter what.    “Therefore …”

Be Caring (vv.12-13) “… clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”  God’s royal garments are graceful, beautiful, and life changing.  Each morning, God lovingly invites us into his dressing room to be clothed with garments from his priceless collection.

Compassion – I will care about my world and do my best to bring it help.  I will be moved by your pain and seek to act in your behalf.

Kindness –       I will do useful things to improve your well-being.

Humility –       I will remember who I am in relation to God and other persons.

Gentleness –   I will exercise self-control because I am God-controlled.

Patience –       I will tolerate and bear unpleasant situations, unexpected hurts, and  unwanted problems.

Forgive –         I will graciously forgive because God has forgiven me.

Be Loving (v.14) The difference between a nice wardrobe and stylish look is the “tied-together” appearance of the accessories.  Love is the garment that brings the parts of our character into a single whole.  Love “binds them all together in perfect unity.”

Be At Peace (v.15) Living with others in family, community, and church, is sometimes difficult and stressful. Frequently our hearts are arenas of conflict and competition.  All sorts of feelings clash within.  How can these feelings to be arbitrated and harmonized?  What feelings are allowed to rule?

The literal meaning of the word “rule” comes from the athletic arena, and Paul is literally saying, “Let the peace of God be the umpire in your heart.”  In the peace that only Christ can give, are we motivated and empowered for getting along with ourselves and with all others. 

Be Thankful (v.16) The body-life of the Christian congregation is described in this verse. The “word of Christ” is a synonym of his living presence within us.  We are admonished to “Let the word of Christ dwell in us richly.”  The Lord Christ is to be “at home” in our hearts.

Our response to Christ’s being “at home” in our hearts is to be thankful and to express that in celebration of joy by singing “psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.”  We are to be a grace-filled, grace-equipped, grace-celebrating people, in whom Christ dwells richly and through whom grace flows to the people around us.  The church is to be the Kingdom of God in the midst of this world.

Be Purposeful (v.17) The name of Jesus Christ stands at the center of Christian living, and provides both our identity, “I am a Christian,” and our authority, “I do this in Jesus’ name.”  As a Christian acting in his name, I need not cower nor bully, neither whine nor despair, in my conduct and conversations. 

I believe that being in Christ, being filled with his Spirit, and being committed to the above “Be-Resolutions, will assure our being adequately prepared for the new year of 2019.  And whatever the year may bring into your life, remember you are chosen, holy, and dearly loved by God.

“Healing Rays of Righteousness”  –  January 16, 2019

Forgiveness and Pressing On

Read Philippians 3:10-14

The Christian life is a journey, a process of growth in which I “press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”  We have been loved, saved, and reconciled into a new relationship with Christ.  We claim that Christ has made us new creatures, but every day we humbly confess that we have not yet fully become what Christ wants us to be. 

The beginning of a new year offers us a time to reflect on our past year, enjoying our accomplishments, and remembering God’s blessings in our life.  But most likely we will also remember and regret our painful mistakes, failures, and unloving behaviors. 

If asked whether or not we always did our best, most of us would probably ashamedly answer, “No, I did not.”  If asked whether or not any of our conversations and actions caused unnecessary pain, again most of us would sadly answer, “Probably so.”

Mistakes and regrets of the past can and often do become heavy baggage for us.  And the baggage is real and cannot be easily dismissed, for it represents the consequence of mistaken judgment and unwise decisions that have left painful wounds and sometimes deep scars in relationships.

There always seems to be something about the past that troubles us, even if it is nothing more than the nagging belief that we could do better if given another chance.

Many years ago, Louisa Fletcher Tarkington, wrote a perceptive poem entitled, “The Land of Beginning Again.”  It begins and ends with a verse which gives voice to the regret we feel when we realize what we’ve done or haven’t done.

•             I wish there were some wonderful place
•             Called the land of beginning again
•             Where all our mistakes,
•             And all our heartaches,
•             And all of our poor selfish grief,
•             Could be dropped like a shabby
•             Old coat at the door,
•             And never be put on again.

I think that being Christian in relationship with God through Jesus Christ, makes us uniquely equipped to leave the past behind.  The baggage of our past that continues to drag us back, weigh us down, and make us stumble, is our sense of failure, our guilt over past sin, our pain from past hurts.  And I’m thinking that this inability to leave the past behind contradicts everything we profess to believe about the forgiving, healing, redeeming power of Christ.    

I’m thinking that this is what the apostle Paul was referencing when he wrote, “But one thing I do; Forgetting (forgiving) what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

There is great value in looking back.  We look back to learn.  We look back to affirm the places, faces, and circumstances from where we have come, to remember what and who has shaped us.  There is a time to look back if it carries with it a positive purpose.

Paul is urging us not to look back in ways that keep us from going forward, in ways that make us a prisoner of our past mistakes and sins, in ways that do not allow for healing of old hurts and painful memories.

The past is always with us with its potential to rob us of freedom, making us heavy-hearted, preventing us from being able to use all our spiritual energy and gifts for coping with the new day and moving with joyous anticipation into the new year.

However, the Bible is filled with the idea of forgiveness and beginning life over again.  The possibility of new beginnings is God’s good news to us, individually and corporately. 

And so I say, whatever loose ends of mistakes and unloving behaviors that may be staking you from your past, God can help you gather them into confession and new beginnings of pressing on “toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called (you) heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Forgiveness is for the asking.  Instead of fretting, find forgiveness, and move forward through God’s open door of opportunity and excellence into the new year of 2019.

“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – January 9, 2019

Arise, Shine, Your Light Has Come

A new year begins.  A new set of 365 days to plan, pursue and perfect our hopes and dreams of  a better life.  A new opportunity to reach new spiritual maturity in becoming the Jesus-like person we have committed ourselves to be. 

We hope it will be a good year of health and happiness, but we also fear that it may not be as good as we would hope it to be.  Many of us are anxious, wondering what difficulties or disappointments may lie ahead.  So, what are you thinking?  What do you see as you step into this new year of 2019?

Sadly, I see a world of darkness, of pain and fear.  I see people victimized by hate, greed, and violence.  I see nations and churches, divided by politics, racial prejudices, and national pride.  I see major tragedies happening almost every week, both near at home and far away.  I see a world of misery with suffering people and hopeless darkness covering the earth.

The prophet, Isaiah, was writing to God’s people in a time of deep darkness and despair.  The return to their homeland after exile in Babylon was very difficult.  Much of their property had been destroyed and the economy was very poor.  And many of their friends had chosen to remain in Babylon, causing those who did return to feel lonely, weary, and forgotten.

But God has a good news message for them.  Through their prophet/pastor, Isaiah, God says to them, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.  See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you.” This is similar to the voice of a parent calling to their sleeping children; “Wake up! Rise and shine! It’s a new day!”

Isaiah’s analogy of light in this chapter fills in the details of his earlier prophecy (9:2) “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”  This analogy of light represents the majestic, redeeming glory of God’s presence, awakening hope and a future. 

This glorious light links us forward to what the apostle John’s says about Jesus Christ – “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:4-5). 

And a few chapters later, Jesus declares himself to be light – “I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12).

On the day of Epiphany, we remember the coming of the light of Christ into the world, driving away the darkness of sin, loneliness, and despair.  Epiphany is all about the glory of God being revealed to the world in the birth of Jesus Christ; a birth confirmed and affirmed to be the Messiah by Magi from the east.  (Matthew 2:1-12).

The glory of God’s new promised world shines brighter and brighter as the glory of the Lord sweeps away the darkness of sin in every person and nation.  As the apostle Paul says in his second letter to the Corinthians (3:18) – “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”  

When the full glory of the Lord is upon us, there is no way to remain in the shadows of doubt and despair.  God has come to us.  Our salvation is here!  So, arise and shine!  “Wake up, your light has come!  Arise, shine …the glory of the Lord rises upon you.  …and his glory appears over you.”  

Let us encourage one another to enter this new year of 2019 with confident faith, believing Christ’s new world of redeeming light, hope, love, peace, joy and life has dawned upon us and is on the way to complete fulfillment as the glorious eternal Kingdom of Jesus Christ. 

“O star of wonder, star of night, Star with royal beauty bright, Westward leading, still proceeding, Guide us to thy perfect light.”

“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – January 2, 2019