Who is Jesus? Forgiving Friend

Posted on December 14, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

Jesus asked a third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt because Jesus had asked him three times if he loved him. So he told Jesus, “Lord, you know everything. You know I love you.”

Jesus replied, “Feed my sheep. I tell you for certain that when you were a young man, you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, you will hold out your hands. Then others will wrap your belt around you and lead you where you don’t want to go.”

Jesus said this to tell how Peter would die and bring honor to God. Then he said to Peter, “Follow me!”                John 21:17-19 (CEV)

I said yesterday how much I loved the story of the sinful woman who anointed Jesus. She showed her love for Him because of how He had healed her. He healed her through the forgiveness of her sins.

If I had to choose only one person in the Bible that I most connect with – it would be Peter. We would have much in common! Peter was very committed and passionate about Jesus. It was His ability to feel so intensely that got him into trouble. He allowed his fear to overwhelm his commitment and send him denying and running away when questioned about his association with Jesus. Three times He denied Jesus. And then went out and wept bitterly with guilt and despair (John 18).

Jesus wasn’t going to allow Peter to wallow in that despair. He knew that Peter was to be a leader in the Kingdom work that the disciples would continue in Jesus’ name. And so He reinstates Peter by ‘calling’ him back three times. Even John recognized this reinstatement and so included it in his gospel account.

Jesus said that I am His friend and a friend has no greater way to show love for another friend than to lay down his life (John 15). Jesus did that. He gave up His existence with the Father to come and live on this earth and then be the sacrifice that was needed for me to be able to live forever with Him. I have denied Jesus in my life and yet He did not hesitate to go to the cross. When I finally turned to Him, He was there, Savior and faithful friend. There really isn’t any way to comprehend all that Jesus is to me. I guess that is the best part of having a relationship – getting to know the other person who, in this case, also happens to be my Creator. Every day of my life time, there is something new to learn about Him and from Him.

My friend, Jesus, has forever changed my life. He has shown me that there is always hope. He’s taught me about faith and trust by His example. He joins me in laughter but He’s also been there to get me through the hard times, sad times, and when I am so confused.

LORD, Savior, Healer, and Friend – my Jesus is here.

Do You Hear What I Hear? written by Noel Ragney and Gloria Shayne (1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis) sung by Bing Crosby

 

 

Posted in John | Comments Off on Who is Jesus? Forgiving Friend

Who is Jesus? Healer

Posted on December 13, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

When a sinful woman in that town found out that Jesus was there, she bought an expensive bottle of perfume. Then she came and stood behind Jesus. She cried and started washing his feet with her tears and drying them with her hair. The woman kissed his feet and poured the perfume on them.          Luke 7:37-38 (CEV)

Who is Jesus? He is certainly a healer to me. The gospels tell of many who were healed from blindness, leprosy, seizures, paralysis, bleeding, and fevers. The gospel doesn’t say why Lazarus died the first time but he also was healed from whatever killed him.

It is this story that is my favorite healing story. This is a story of total healing to me. This woman was self-destructive and trapped in a position in her community that had no escape and no one to help her make a change – except Jesus. She is a sinner. We don’t know what her sin(s) but I can bet that everyone in town knew or thought they knew what it was. In Jesus she found forgiveness for the “terrible” sins and the courage to make a change. I know this because of the depth of her love for Jesus. She came, uninvited, into a Pharisee’s home and, unapologetically, expressed her love for her Savior.

At this season in my life, I have learned not to fear disease or death. This life is so fragile, fleeting, and without guarantees. When I am sick, I certainly ask Jesus to relieve my pain and restore strength and His good health to me. But as I grow older I face the truth that I will pass from this life to an eternal life one way or the other. And so I seek healing from un-forgiveness and pride and accusations from Satan and his storm troopers. It is the healing of my spirit that means the most to me. It is the acceptance of the refiner’s fire and launderer’s soap in my life that brings healing of far greater importance than what is happening in my physical body.

2 Chronicles 7:14. God said that if we humble ourselves and pray and look to Him that He will “heal our land.” Does that mean we will have good crops? I believe He was speaking about a bigger picture. If we humbly pray, righteousness, truth, unity, and His love will be restored to us.

Mark 3:2. Why is the scenario of Jesus healing on the Sabbath told in three gospels? I believe it is about compassion and love which is not found in a religious heart. Jesus wants me to respond to suffering immediately with compassion and His love. He wants the person suffering to know that they are important to Him.

Luke 5:20. Why did Jesus speak forgiveness of their sins to someone and then heal their physical body? Because He knew that if they were healed physically but remained broken in spirit, they would not really be healed, would they? He told the disciples not to worry about being killed in their physical bodies but to make sure they were in good relationship to the one who could throw them into hell (Luke 12:4-5).

James 5:15. James tells me to call the leadership of the Church together if I am sick and have them anoint me with oil and to repent of any sins. Healing in the body is only part; it is only the beginning.

Revelation 1:17-18. Jesus is the First and Last. He was once dead but is now alive! AND He holds the keys (has control) over death and hell. No fear of what is to come because Jesus says that I am in the Father’s hand and no one, no one can remove me. I eternally healed!

My Jesus is the Healer. He wants me to be whole and well so I can be about Kingdom work. He wants me to be whole and well because He loves me forever and ever.

Hallelujah Chorus by written by Handel and sung by The Food Court Chorus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Luke | Comments Off on Who is Jesus? Healer

Who is Jesus? Immanuel

Posted on December 12, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).              Isaiah 7:14 (NLT)

The moment they saw him they worshiped him. Some, though, held back, not sure about worship, about risking themselves totally.

Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: “God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.”     Matthew 28:17-20 (The Message)

Look at these two Scriptures! Go ahead and read them one more time. Isaiah, a prophet who lived over 700 years before Jesus, is inspired by God to deliver His promise that God will come and live with his people. And then Jesus, that prophesied LORD and risen Messiah, says He, God will be with us every day, every day through eternity. Do I understand what that means?

I just went to Facebook and took a scan at the entries that some of my 300+ friends have posted in the last few days. There are wonderfully cute pictures of children, requests for prayer for themselves or loved ones who are ill or going through a rough time, links to articles about war or rumors of war and economic ‘cliffs’, and invitations to various church events, Christmas concerts and parties. And in every entry I am so very grateful for Jesus’ promise that He is with us. Do you have doubts that God is there in all of this?

Matthew 18. Jesus says that children are important in His Kingdom. He said we are to come to Him with the same faith as a child has. I believe Jesus approves of anything that I do that pours love on a child, encourages a child, or empowers a child to be all that he/she can be in their life, in His Kingdom.

Matthew 14, Luke 22, John 11. Many may wonder where Jesus is when suffering in its many forms and war come. In Matthew 14, I read that Jesus was told of his cousin John’s death and withdrew. He took time to grieve and talk to His Father. Then He saw the 5,000 waiting for Him and He had compassion. In Luke 22, Jesus asked for ‘a pass’ on the suffering that was to come. He wrestled in this spiritual suffering to the point of sweating blood. In John 11, He wept with Mary and Martha as they grieved over the death of their brother, Lazarus. From my own experience, I know that Jesus is right there with me, through every step. From the day that I knew my son had cancer, through every treatment, every surgery, every decision, every dark night, even his death, Jesus was there. He was there in every moment of joy and printed it on my mind. He was there with all my questions, over and over again. And He has been there to wipe every tear.

John 2. Jesus enjoys a good party, even a wedding. The relationship that Jesus forges in three years with these twelve men had to involve some talk around the evening fires that included stories and laughter. The commitment to the mission that they are given including the persecution is forged in the trust and faith that is built during those three years and sealed with the Holy Spirit. God was with them every day and in all ways.

There is no greater comfort to me than Jesus’ promise that He is with me and is not going to leave me no matter what comes into my life. He is here when I am hunched over the ledgers trying to stretch my budget yet a little more. There as I watch a news report about a war or hurricane and know that there are people who will suffer. He is there laughing when I Skype my grandchildren and they tell me a silly story and there holding me when the call ends and a tear or two falls because another holiday has gone by.

God is with us. That is also who Jesus is to me. I am humbly grateful for His faithfulness and great love.

Emmanuel written and sung by Amy Grant

 

Posted in Isaiah, Matthew | Comments Off on Who is Jesus? Immanuel

Who is Jesus? The Baby

Posted on December 11, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

“Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”

Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”      Matthew 16:13-14 (NLT)

The season of Advent is all about preparation. My life as a disciple of Jesus Christ is all about preparation. I am to be preparing myself to live eternally with my LORD and I am to be helping others to do the same. A key element to that preparation is to know with whom I am preparing to spend eternity. That isn’t a simple answer as God is not simple. Jesus is the closest to God that I have somehow seen. Who is Jesus?

My first recollection of Jesus was the manger scene that my mother put out every Christmas. I loved lying in front of the tree and moving the figures around, the donkey in the shelter to be warm or outside the shelter to make more clean room for the new baby. The Christmas I was six, my brother had to have an emergency appendectomy. I remember lying in front of the tree in tears as I asked Baby Jesus to take care of my brother. Then there was another Christmas when my dad was out of work. The nativity scene, a box of fruit from Great-Aunt Florence and two gifts, one for me and one for my brother, were the only gifts that year. In a year that was very different with my dad at home and my mother taking a job in a retail store, it was comforting somehow that little things like the manger under the tree remained the same.

Jesus the Baby is a picture of innocence and the comfort that comes from accepting life as a child. God came to this earth, not in glorious, thundering power but in the helpless, dependent form of a newborn. Jesus, like all the newborns that we have seen, held or given birth to, was relying on His human parents for safety, warmth, nourishment, and care. When danger came through King Herod’s plot, 10,000 angels did not come with swords and destroy the king. It was Joseph’s obedience to a dream that saved the Messiah’s life. Who are You, Jesus?

On the one hand, Jesus is the innocent faith of a child who believes in me when no one else does. He calls me out to be His ambassador knowing all my weaknesses. He puts my hand in His hand and comforts me in the darkest days, without words, but with His unconditional love, just as a child does. Jesus spends endless hours with me, doing repetitive things, never tiring, just enjoying being with me. He knows that healing comes with a kiss just as much as with an antibiotic and band-aid.

And, on the other hand, Jesus asks me to believe like an innocent child. A child believes because someone he trusts tells him something is so. There’s no logic. He just trusts. It is a sad day when the child learns that people will let him down. He learns that his parents are human and frail. They make mistakes. It is a blessed child who has been taught about Jesus and so he has that relationship that will never fail. Because of that trust in Jesus, he will learn about forgiveness and unconditional love.

Yes, Jesus is the Baby snuggled into a wooden crib that was a manger in a shelter meant for animals. He is there to give me my first lesson: Look beyond the obvious and see the truth of what is and what will be (in His Kingdom!).

Mary’s Boy Child written by Jester Hairston (1956) and sung by Harry Belafonte

 

 

Posted in Matthew | Comments Off on Who is Jesus? The Baby

Look What the LORD Promises

Posted on December 10, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

“For the Lord your God is living among you.
He is a mighty savior.
He will take delight in you with gladness.
With his love, he will calm all your fears.
He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.

I will gather you who mourn for the appointed festivals;
you will be disgraced no more.
And I will deal severely with all who have oppressed you.
I will save the weak and helpless ones;
I will bring together those who were chased away.
I will give glory and fame to my former exiles,
wherever they have been mocked and shamed.
On that day I will gather you together and bring you home again.
I will give you a good name, a name of distinction,
among all the nations of the earth,
as I restore your fortunes before their very eyes.
I, the Lord, have spoken!”       Zephaniah 3:17-20 (NLT, my emphasis)

Lectionary texts: 3rd Sunday in Advent – Zephaniah 3:14-20, Isaiah 12:2-6, Philippians 4:4-7, Luke 3:7-18

The Lectionary texts continue to bring our eyes on what promises we should believe and live in the reality of that truth. I have heard those who believe the ‘prosperity gospel’ quote some of these texts as proving that God intends for us to be blessed in this life with abundance. Dear ones, this is not the abundant life (John 10:10) that Jesus promised. This is pale by comparison! Let’s look at the texts.

Zephaniah. Zephaniah is written so beautifully. Its words flow like a brook down a pebbled bed. God is going to do all this saving, giving, loving, gathering and restoring. He will calm my fears about circumstances of this world. If I mourn (cry, grieve) because I cannot participate in festivals (holidays) because I have no money for offerings (gifts), God will draw me close to Him and I will no longer feel sad and disgraced. He will show me the eternal gifts that I leave behind in those I love that will never rust or decay. God Himself sings and dances with joy over my life when I see with His eyes. WOW. Let me just stop here and take some time to receive that!

Isaiah. God’s anger has been assuaged (it no longer exists) by Jesus my Savior. I now have a relationship that is about love and comfort. Let me thank Him and tell others what God has done and will do. May my words and my life magnify the LORD to others, just as Jesus showed me.

Philippians. Rejoice and do not be anxious for anything but lay it all out before Jesus and He will give me peace. Notice it doesn’t say He will give me what I ask for but that He will respond and it will be with the best. And those things that are best is what I am to focus on. Look and listen to Jesus! Was He concerned about having a home or wondered where His next meal would come? Oh, this is simple but not easy!

Luke. John tells me that if I have truly repented (turned away from my old sin) then my life will produce fruit that reflects the new direction I am walking in. And John shows me how to always, always turn the eyes of anyone, who may think they should follow me, back to the One I am not worthy to even tie His shoes!

Let us praise our LORD this week and receive the abundance that He desires to give us.

O Come All Ye Faithful by John Francis Wade (1751) and sung by Casting Crowns

 

Posted in Zephaniah | Comments Off on Look What the LORD Promises

Come, Immanuel

Posted on December 7, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

1. Oh, come, oh, come, Emmanuel, 
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

2. Oh, come, our Wisdom from on high,
Who ordered all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
and teach us in her ways to go.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

6. Oh, come, our Dayspring from on high,
And cheer us by your drawing nigh,
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel! Translated from the Latin by John Mason Neale (1818-1866)

I’ve always thought this hymn closely resembled the style, the cadence of a psalm. It is a song of hope. It is a song longing from the created to their Creator. And that is where our Hope is found.

My fellow disciples, let us journey through this season not superficially like many blinking lights on a tree. Let us instead draw close to our LORD just as the shepherds and Magi did. Whether we come to Him with nothing in our hands or with the blessings of wealth, both came a long distance and knelt in humility before an infant. In faith they worshiped God in the flesh, not understanding what that meant but knowing somehow there was nothing more important in their lives to do than give their best to Him.

Rejoice! God is with us!

The Little Drummer Boy written by Katherine Kennicott Davis (1941) sung by The Vienna Boys Choir

 

Posted in Hymns | Comments Off on Come, Immanuel

Having a ‘Bad’ Day?

Posted on December 6, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

By the rivers in Babylon we sat and cried when we remembered Jerusalem.
On the poplar trees nearby we hung our harps.
Those who captured us asked us to sing; our enemies wanted happy songs.    Psalm 137:1-3 (NCV)

I am tired of crying to you.
Every night my bed is wet with tears; my bed is soaked from my crying.     Psalm 6:6 (NCV)

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is the Father who is full of mercy and all comfort. He comforts us every time we have trouble, so when others have trouble, we can comfort them with the same comfort God gives us.    2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NCV)

It’s amazing to me that we Christians too often believe that if we really have faith that we will not be sad or cry or just have “a bad day.” The psalms are filled with the phrase “crying out to God.” I think that is more than “calling.” There is emotion and probably tears in that call to God.

Sometimes this life just – stinks. (You can put many different words in place of “stinks”!) There are things that happen that no amount of spin can make it OK. God never said that His children wouldn’t have suffering or sadness. In fact from Genesis to Revelation, the opposite is declared. When Adam and Eve left Paradise, God told them they would “labor” and “sweat.” This is the world we live in. There is suffering and pain. But we also have Hope. Jesus came and suffered and died. He showed us that this is how it is when we live in this world and how to live in this world. Even Jesus wept and I believe more than once (John 11:35, Luke 13:34 and 22:40-44). Then He conquered death and went back to heaven to prepare the Paradise where we will live together.

So why am I writing this today? I believe God is telling me to acknowledge my times of sadness just as I embrace the laughter and joy in my life. It’s OK to weep! He wants me to come to Him with tears and feelings of being overwhelmed. “Come in, Jody. Have a seat. Here’s a tissue. I’m here for you.” And He will listen. He will help me to sort through the emotions and words that are swirling around me. He will show me how to separate the truth of my life from the deception of the Accuser, Satan. Satan would tell me that God expects me to hold my head up and that crying shows that I don’t really believe in God enough. Hogwash! God knows my heart. God knows what we have been through together. I know that God’s strength can get me through anything! I will be healthier spiritually and physically if I take my cry to God and leave it with Him instead of carrying it around like a ball and chain that I refused to notice.

One of the first patients I cared for my freshman year in school was a woman with breast cancer. The tumor was the size of a softball. She had found the lump when it was tiny but for various reasons, she had decided to ignore it. And now here she was in the hospital, dying. Ignoring something because it is difficult can produce far worse results. It is fear and lies that sorrow will never get better or it is pain that is unbearable. It is another ruse of Satan to keep us isolated and alone.

Darrell Evans wrote a song that says, “I’m trading my sorrows. I’m laying them down for the joy of the LORD.” I believe that in the strength of Jesus and with the knowledge of His Hope that He gives to me, I can acknowledge what is in my heart and take it to the Physician who replaces those emotions, those hurts, and fills the now clean empty place with His joy and His love.

Trading My Sorrows written and sung by Darrell Evans

 

Posted in 2 Corinthians, Psalms | Comments Off on Having a ‘Bad’ Day?

Of Temples and Curtains

Posted on December 5, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

[reprinted from December 12, 2008]

– Henry Neufeld

5Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice, and keep my covenant, then you shall be my own possession from among all peoples; for all the earth is mine; 6and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”        Exodus 19:5-6 (HN)

9But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: 10who in time past were no people, but now are God’s people, who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. – 1 Peter 2:9-10 (HN)

On Wednesday Jody talked about Zechariah in the temple, and how he kept the symbols of worship and of God’s presence going as was his duty as a priest, while the people stood outside and were separated from all of this.  Jody promised that I would write this yesterday, and she did indeed ask me to do so.  I forgot.  I apologize.  I also apologize for how late it is this morning.

In Matthew 27:51 we’re told that when Jesus died, the veil in the temple was torn in two, and this theme is picked up in Hebrews 10:20 (and a couple of chapters on either side) where we are told that Jesus opened up a new way and thus we can enter with boldness into God’s presence.

The tabernacle and the sanctuary are often taught as symbols of God’s presence with his people, and there is a sense in which they were. God showed himself there and centered worship around that point. It was a place to which people could look for understanding of God and for worship. It is important to remember that, unlike other temples in the ancient world, when one got to the center there was no image. In fact, there was nothing. You had cherubim over the ark. On the ark, one would have expected an image of the God, but the space was empty.

That was a constant reminder to priests and people not only that God couldn’t be represented, but that God couldn’t be contained. He chose for a moment of time to present himself at that place and in that way, but he was not limited to the way in which he had done it.

There’s another important way in which the temple was a symbol of God’s absence. There was an outer curtain around the courtyard, then there was a curtain leading into the first chamber, then another curtain leading into the holiest of holies. The restrictions on who could enter became greater and greater with each veil. Actually being in the presence—to see the empty space between the cherubim filled with God’s glory—was a rare occasion indeed.

Why was this? Did God not want to be present with his people? Hardly! In fact, in our first text from Exodus 19, we have God’s vision for his people as a nation of priests. Restricting some portion of the temple to “priests only” would hardly be meaningful if everyone was a priest! But that is what God wanted—everyone coming into his presence.

Ultimately, Israel was chosen to be in God’s presence and to lead others (us, the gentiles) into that presence as priests. But something stood in the way, and that something was simply fear. When God appeared on the mountain with all the restrictions and rules, all the noise, the earth shaking, the thunder, and the dark cloud, the people were afraid.

The largest and thickest veil that separates us from God, the one hardest to tear open, is our fear. Many people claim to enter God’s presence without fear or awe. I hope that it is true, and that perfect love has, for them, cast out all fear. But for most of us, I would suggest that if there is no fear, we are just pretending, and not really experiencing God’s presence.

We come with the fear, but the one who casts out that fear is Jesus, who experienced himself all the fearfulness of being in God’s presence. Jesus tore open the veil and made it possible for us to be in God’s presence and lose that fear. He did it when he died on the cross.

Now, as we wait in advent expectation, our need is to let Jesus tear open the veil that remains in our own heart. He’s not going to tell you it’s safe. Going into God’s presence will always be the most dangerous thing you can do. It will twist your universe into unimaginable shapes and shatter your vision of life and of who you are. It’s frightening.

But it’s also the safest thing you will ever do—Jesus came as a baby to tell you so!

Breath of Heaven written and sung by Amy Grant

 

Posted in Exodus | Comments Off on Of Temples and Curtains

Worship Close, Even More Close and Unafraid

Posted on December 4, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

[reprinted from December 10, 2008]

Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.

Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, your prayer has been heard.”     Luke 1:8-13 (NIV)

I am going to ask my husband to also do a devotion tomorrow on this passage. I suspect he will give a different perspective on this story. I’d like to hear what he has to say!

Zechariah was a minister or celebrant of God. He had the responsibility to keep the incense burning and the lamps lit. It was part of the worship ritual. BUT the worshipers were outside! That is the way it was until Jesus tore down the curtain! We can worship in the presence of God. We do not have to hide behind a curtain.

The angel had a message for Zechariah. It is a message that God sends to us every day.

  • “Don’t be afraid of your problems. They are not ‘giants’. I AM the LORD of Hosts!”
  • “I hear your prayers, Jody. I hear you. You are my child. I hear you because I love you.”
  • “Do not be afraid of Me, Jody. I AM your Father. Come closer. Come to worship!”

As we sing and pray and worship this Advent season, let us come closer. Let us not stand with our hearts outside on the side lines. Let us not be afraid of our Father. If there is sin that is keeping us apart, He gave us a Savior to wash us clean. Ask. Receive. Worship.

“And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous – to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”      Luke 1:17 (NIV)

How Great is Our God , How Great Thou Art written & arranged by Chris Tomlin, Jesse Reeves, & Ed Cash and sung by Chris Tomlin

 

Posted in Luke | Comments Off on Worship Close, Even More Close and Unafraid

Do I Want to Hear This?

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

“See, I am going to send My messenger,and he will clear the way before Me. Then the Lord you seek will suddenly come to His temple, the Messenger of the covenant you desire—see, He is coming,” says the Lord of Hosts. But who can endure the day of His coming? And who will be able to stand when He appears? For He will be like a refiner’s fire and like cleansing lye.         Malachi 3:1-2 (HCSB)

Lectionary texts, 2nd Sunday in Advent: Malachi 3:1-4, Luke 1:68-79, Philippians 1:3-11, Luke 3:1-6

One of my most vivid memories of nursing school is memorizing all the bones, muscles, and nerve innervations of the body. I thought my own brain was going to explode! The morning of the exam came and we were escorted into an auditorium with long tables. Bones were laid out and numbered. At each station a question was asked or a spot was marked and we were to identify the bone or tiny hole or what muscles moved the bone in a specific way. The bonus question was a patella (knee cap) and we were to identify it as either “right” or “left.” Yes, it was a 50-50 guess since none of us were orthopedic surgeons! I tell you this story because of all the “stuff” in my years that I was asked to memorize (like the Periodic Table!) and I have to say now that I know it was important for me to learn. I did use much of that information I learned for that exam throughout my nursing career. I never have used the Periodic Table in nursing.

The Lectionary texts this week are not easy passages that cause me to shout “Hallelujah!” but they are important for me to meditate about.

Malachi warns me that the Messiah comes with cleansing. Now I may think how relaxing and refreshing a shower can be but if I have been out in the grime for an extended period time then the washing involves some strong soap and maybe even a scrub brush! A “refiner’s fire and launderer’s soap” does not sound gentle but indeed sounds thorough!

Philippians states a few promises: God will finish what He begins in me. Whether in trials or in joy God’s grace, His unconditional love is there. And with these two promises I can grow in maturity and live a pure and blameless life that is the fruit of my relationship with Jesus.

Luke has two passages this week. The first one is part of Zachariah’s song of praise to God and a prophecy over his newborn son, John, that he will be a prophet that preaches repentance. The second set of verses tells us that John fulfilled his father’s prophecy and like the prophets before him, he was ridiculed and eventually killed for his truth-telling.

I wonder how many sermons will be preached this next week encouraging all of us to “Prepare the Way.” And by that, as I read in these passages – Repent! Submit to the Holy Spirit’s refiner’s fire and take the time to turn away from sin and walk in a way that brings us into step with our Savior, living a blameless life. Am I willing to take ridicule and step away from the pull of this world and go after the Way of Jesus Christ?

As we read these passages and join in the following worship songs, may we continue to ready ourselves for the coming of the Messiah. He came as a baby to save us the first time. He’s coming as our King and Savior to take us home forever. Are we ready?

Blessed Be the Name of the LORD (Matt Redman)/All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name (Edward Perronet, 1780) sung by Lindell Cooley

 

Posted in Malachi | Comments Off on Do I Want to Hear This?