Singing With The Saints

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

Each of these four living creatures had six wings and was covered all over with eyes, inside and out. Day and night they never stop saying: 

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty.
He was, he is, and he is coming.”

These living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to the One who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever. Then the twenty-four elders bow down before the One who sits on the throne, and they worship him who lives forever and ever. They put their crowns down before the throne and say:
“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, because you made all things. Everything existed and was made, because you wanted it.”    Revelation 4:8-11 (NCV, my emphasis)

The book of Revelation is one that is good to read even when there are parts that make me rub my forehead or scratch my head. There are some strange pictures that come to my mind as I read. Creatures with six wings and covered with eyes? Sounds like some special effects from a movie, doesn’t it?

What I do know from this passage (and these 5:9-14, 7:11-12, 11:16-18, 19:1-8) is that there will be a lot of worshiping of our LORD. John saw heaven and what he saw that was easy to describe was the worship. Whether it was a multitude that could not be counted or the “24 elders” who seem to have some special designation – all are worshiping God. Singing, dancing, bowing to the ground, lying with their face to the ground – all are worshiping God.

How much time do I spend worshiping God now? Am I prepared in my spirit for heaven? Do I “get” where I am headed?

There is nothing in Scripture that tells me that heaven is going to be some eternal dream vacation near a balmy, blue ocean or cool, majestic mountains. John and Daniel and Ezekiel have difficulty explaining the “place” that is heaven. They knew what oceans and mountains looked like but the “place” seems to be beyond their words. I believe that all the places I have seen so far – Niagra Falls, the Rocky Mountains, fields of flowers, rivers and oceans – are just a “glimpse” into what is to come. But as magnificent, extra-ordinary as that will be – those who have been given a larger look, do not spend their time talking about the place. They speak more about the worship.

Is worship of God, focused worship of God in which He is the only thought in my mind and spirit, only happening for one hour in my week? What about spending time just reading and soaking in the Word of God? What about turning on music and just singing (making a joyful noise had nothing to do with pitch and tone!) to my LORD about my love for Him, how wonderful He is, and how thankful I am? Do I kneel or bow in worship? Do I lift my hands and eyes with joy and praise?

Throughout scripture, I am called a “saint” of God. It means I belong to God and my allegiance is only to Him. One of these days I will be singing with the saints in that place that is indescribable. For now, I am blessed to live in a land that allows me to come together with other saints on the road to that eternal life and we can worship our LORD. It is a time of practice for the Glorious Forever Homecoming!

Singing With The Saints by John D. Rowsey, sung by The Gaither Vocal Band

 

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Listening or Not

Posted on July 17, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

[Jesus said,]“But I say to you who are listening,

  • love your enemies.
  • Do good to those who hate you,
  • bless those who curse you,
  • pray for those who are cruel to you.
  • If anyone slaps you on one cheek, offer him the other cheek, too.
  • If someone takes your coat, do not stop him from taking your shirt.
  • Give to everyone who asks you,
  • and when someone takes something that is yours, don’t ask for it back.
  • Do to others what you would want them to do to you.
  • If you love only the people who love you, what praise should you get? Even sinners love the people who love them.”          Luke 6:27-32 (NCV, my format and emphasis)

Here is one of those passages that if I was Thomas Jefferson I would rip out and pretend it wasn’t really Jesus saying this. If I was Mark Twain I would include it in the list of passages I wish I didn’t understand! Am I really listening? Because if I am listening, then I have no reason not to obey!

What are my enemies? If I am like some who are posting on Facebook and various blogs, that would be President Obama and Governor Mitt Romney! “Holy Spirit, shine your light inside my heart and reveal Your Truth.” I need the Holy Spirit because I can justify my feelings for somebody that has hurt me or attacked my children. Jesus doesn’t say “love except …”. And He, beaten and tortured forgave those who were nailing Him to a cross – including me!

“…do good…bless…and pray…” When I think of someone and begin to pray for them, I weep. I remember how Jesus laid down on a cross – for me. I was not a ‘good’ person by anyone’s definition.

But God shows his great love for us in this way: Christ died for us while we were still sinners.         Romans 5:8 (NCV)

“…allow them to slap you…steal from you…and then give some more…” Do I see any way to wiggle out of what Jesus says? And if my begins to think of a way, then there is Jesus’ example as He stands quietly in front of Pilate. And Jesus didn’t stop His “giving” to me when He left the tomb. He gives every day. He blesses me every day with every breath, every beautiful cloud, every loving look from my family, … I could go on and on. “So, Jody, bless others just as you have been blessed.”

And then Jesus knocks whatever last leg I am trying to stand on to avoid doing what He says by telling me: “If you just love people who love you and are nice to you – how are people going to see Me working in you? You aren’t doing any more than the sinners who don’t have Me!” Ouch!

And then I see with Kingdom eyes what this is all about. It isn’t about me having the strength to be obedient. It’s about people seeing Jesus not me. It’s about people praising what Jesus has done in me. How He has made me into this person who can turn her cheek and give more and love people who aren’t lovable.

Where You Lead Me sung by MercyMe

 

Posted in Luke, Romans | 1 Comment

God’s Address

Posted on July 16, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

But that night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: “Go to My servant David and say, ‘This is what the Lord says: Are you to build a house for Me to live in? From the time I brought the Israelites out of Egypt until today I have not lived in a house; instead, I have been moving around with a tent as My dwelling. In all My journeys with all the Israelites, have I ever asked anyone among the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people Israel: Why haven’t you built Me a house of cedar?’”     2 Samuel 7:4-7 (HCSB)

Lectionary texts: 2 Samuel 7:1-14, Psalm 89:20-37, Ephesians 2:11-22, Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

I grew up in a small town in the Midwest. The church that I attended through college was built in 1833. Though tornadoes have knocked it down, the people rebuilt it.

Some find great comfort in such a rich heritage of faith. I have never found such comfort in buildings. It seems that a building was not where God was wanting to live. He tells the prophet Nathan that He has been with the Israelites in a tent just as they have been living their daily lives in tents. He does say that David’s offspring will “build a house for my Name…and I will be his father and he will be my son” (vv 12-15). Does He mean Solomon? I don’t think so. He says that the offspring will be flogged by men and the kingdom, the lineage of David’s throne, will be established forever. Hmmm.

Then Paul says:
Now you who are not Jewish are not foreigners or strangers any longer, but are citizens together with God’s holy people. You belong to God’s family. You are like a building that was built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. Christ Jesus himself is the most important stone in that building, and that whole building is joined together in Christ. He makes it grow and become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Christ you, too, are being built together with the Jews into a place where God lives through the Spirit.     Ephesians 2:19-22 (NCV)

We are the dwelling of God. Together. Jews and non-Jews. We are the place where God lives. It makes me think about how Jesus came and was born in a stable. That is a good comparison to Him living in me. A smelly, not-so-clean stable. And yet, this is where God chose to live. This is where He still chooses to live. Oh how I want His Spirit to sweep through me and clean out all those hidden corners and closets!

Mark’s gospel message given here is about Jesus being out in the roads and hillsides with the people. He is not in some grand, man-made temple or church. He is out where the people live.

I am praying this week for a group I know in Africa. They have left their suburban homes and are living with the people in simple wood homes or huts. They are there to work with the local church to share about Jesus with adults, youth, and children. They are where God lives.

How many of us belong to local fellowships? How much of the budget for that fellowship is spent on maintaining buildings and property? “Have I ever asked you to build Me a house made out of wood?”

God, as usual, gives me some things to think about this week. How God wants me to use the talents and blessings He has given me? God wants to live with me and I don’t think it is inside a cathedral!

Eagles Wings by Reuben Morgan, sung by Hillsong Worship team

 

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Trust: The Issue

Posted on July 13, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus by Louisa M.R. Stead & William J. Kilpatrick(1882) sung by Casting Crowns

Today I hope you will begin by listening to what may be a familiar hymn. This is where this teaching began for me yesterday. I was struck by the simplicity of the song.

“Just to take Him at His word…” A child asks the parent a question and takes the answer at face value. No doubts. And then comes a day when a parent or friend doesn’t follow through with their promise. You can see the trust die in their eyes. Like a child, I look at the promises of God in His Word and believe. Then a day comes when I ask or believe God for an answer – and He doesn’t respond the way I thought He would. Or I read a promise and believed it for my situation but do not see that answer. Jesus said that the Kingdom belonged to the children and we should receive the Kingdom like a child (Mark 10:14-15). It is receiving from our Father what He wills for us, knowing it is “the best”. Just take the Father at His word. Trust Him.

“How I’ve proved Him over and over…” I can have a short memory. I love flipping through old photo albums or my picture file on my computer. I laugh and get a tear as I remember wonderful times and the people who were a part of it. My prayer journals are like that. Snapshots of what God has done in my life that I might otherwise forget. So many times when God has moved in my life at just the right moment. I may have thought Him slow or late. But I can look back now and see the “faith muscle” that He has built in me.

“Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend; And I know that You are with me, Will be with me to the end…” Whether it is the end of my life here on earth or the end of a difficult season in my life, I know that Jesus, Savior and Friend, will be with me every step of the way. When all others are too busy or too oblivious or just too tired themselves, Jesus is right here.

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All power in heaven and on earth is given to me. So go and make followers of all people in the world. Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach them to obey everything that I have taught you, and I will be with you always, even until the end of this age.”       Matthew 28:18-20 (NCV, emphasis mine)

Trusting Jesus and believing what He says isn’t always sweet promises. Often they are challenging words and correcting words. Accepting these words is another part of trusting Him. It is looking Jesus face to face – and seeing the love that will get me through those hard times. Pick any of the prophets and read the difficult words. Follow Jesus into the Garden where His sweat was like blood and hear Him cry out to the Father for a different plan, a different answer. And then He got up and continued to walk toward the Cross. Jesus doesn’t ask me to move into a level trust that He hasn’t already walked. Yes, it is sweet to trust Jesus. I am still learning to do so.

I have a feeling that I am going to be humming this song all weekend, with the phrases floating through my spirit. Thank You, LORD, for the inspiration of this song. Thank You for walking so close to me and not giving up on me. It is so good to trust in You.

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Learning to Communicate

Posted on July 12, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

[Jesus said,] “What I tell you now in the darkness, shout abroad when daybreak comes. What I whisper in your ear, shout from the housetops for all to hear!”     Matthew 10:27 (NLT)

Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.          James 1:19

My husband and I are very different in personality type, how we do our work, choice of relaxation activities, – on most every level except the most important – we both love and serve our LORD. And if we had any doubts about how different we are, we had plenty of people remind us, including our families. After almost 13 years of marriage, I would have to say that our obvious differences have been a blessing for a variety of reasons. The one that I have been thinking and thanking God for recently is: we have learned to be very intentional about our communication. We do not assume that the other person just knows what we are thinking or feeling. And if we do think we know, we take that extra moment to verify that we are correct. And then let go of any frustration if we aren’t! This has derailed many, many disagreements.

I went to look at what God in His word says about speaking and communicating. I found first of all that there is much more about God speaking than about people. People seem to get very quiet when God speaks.

Every word should be ‘seasoned’ with love. (1 Corinthians 13:1) Jesus did not speak with the intent to humiliate someone. Now His words did humiliate those who were filled with pride like the church leadership but that was not the intent of His heart. And so it is with my words. Jesus is my standard. Paul says that if I speak all kinds of “angelic words” but do not have love – I’m like a crashing cymbal. God holds His ears in pain when He hears my un-lovely words.

Give the Holy Spirit permission to control my tongue. (1 Corinthians 2:13) Before Jesus became my Savior and Teacher, my tongue was a “registered weapon”. I could rip you up with my words. I took no prisoners. It began with teasing, making fun of people, or “dissing” people for their weaknesses when I was a pre-teen. Then in high school and college I added the “flavor” of cursing. Servicemen would blush. It is never God when cursing words come out a mouth. Jesus said that the mouth would speak what overflowed from the heart (Matthew 12:34). So what does that tell me was in my heart? It is a choice that I make to give the Holy Spirit control over what goes inside of me and what flows out of me. I believe this choice to make a change and take on a Holy Spirit filter cost me many people that I thought were my friends. Will I live my life first for God’s approval or everyone else?

My words should be about God’s Kingdom, not myself. (Ephesians 5:19) Are the words that I speak appropriate to speak in the Throne Room of God? Do they praise Him with their love and encouragement, patience and forgiveness, kindness and gentleness? Ouch. Not every sentence needs to have the word “God” or “Jesus” in it but it should have His Spirit in it! When I part company with someone, they should leave in better shape than when we met. That is Kingdom building!

LORD, may I be quick to listen to You whispering in my ear. May I be slow to speak so that Your Spirit can ‘marinate’ the words in my heart before I speak. May what God releases me to speak be a “fire in my bones” that I fear no man. And if scorn of man comes my way, may I follow the example of Christ and allow His love and His Spirit only to speak, even in silence. Take my life, LORD, and use it as You will.

Lifesong Sing to You by Casting Crowns

 

 

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My Day with My LORD

Posted on July 11, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

I will tell about your goodness in the great meeting of your people. 
Lord, you know my lips are not silent.
I do not hide your goodness in my heart; I speak about your loyalty and salvation.
I do not hide your love and truth from the people in the great meeting.
Lord, do not hold back your mercy from me; let your love and truth always protect me.
Troubles have surrounded me; there are too many to count.
My sins have caught me so that I cannot see a way to escape.
I have more sins than hairs on my head, and I have lost my courage.
Please, Lord, save me.
Hurry, Lord, to help me.
People are trying to kill me.
Shame them and disgrace them.
People want to hurt me.
Let them run away in disgrace.
People are making fun of me.
Let them be shamed into silence.
But let those who follow you be happy and glad.
They love you for saving them.
May they always say, “Praise the Lord!”
Lord, because I am poor and helpless, please remember me.
You are my helper and savior. My God, do not wait. Psalm 40:9-17 (NCV)

I could not move away from this psalm yesterday. I kept reading it and letting it move over and through me.

I will speak about my LORD. This doesn’t mean that I have to stand in a pulpit or in front of a class. Every breath that I take is a testimony to the goodness of God. Rarely does a day go by that someone doesn’t call, text, or email me with a difficulty in their life. What is the best thing to do? It is an opportunity to pray. Right then.

Sin. Life. Every day. I sin every day. Whether it is losing my temper and being unkind or impatient, or turning to food instead of to God for my comfort, I sin. Do you ever think that you just can’t be forgiven again? That’s a lie. The psalmist tells about the feeling of being beaten down to the point of death. This world can be much more than I can walk through in my own strength. Making the “right” decision can seem more than I can do in my own wisdom. It is God who has the strength, the courage, the wisdom, the patience, the whatever-I-need to get through the day.

I am so weak by myself. “God, remember me.” I say this for my sake, not God’s. He doesn’t forget me. I am letting go of my fear of being alone. I am embracing my Creator, my LORD who has no equal. And yet He loves me. God loves me!

Let us not pull ourselves through another day but make the choice to meet with our LORD and turn over all that is heavy. Let us release the burdens of our heart and give them over to Jesus. As much as we love those who may be ill or lonely or struggling in many ways, their Creator God loves them more.

You are my helper and savior. My God, do not wait. Thank You, LORD. Thank You.

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Listening

Posted on July 10, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

I waited patiently for the Lord,
and He turned to me and heard my cry for help.
He brought me up from a desolate pit,
out of the muddy clay, and set my feet on a rock,making my steps secure.
He put a new song in my mouth,a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.
How happy is the man who has put his trust in the Lord
and has not turned to the proud or to those who run after lies!
Lord my God, You have done many things—
Your wonderful works and Your plans for us; none can compare with You.
If I were to report and speak of them, they are more than can be told.
You do not delight in sacrifice and offering; You open my ears to listen.
You do not ask for a whole burnt offering or a sin offering.
Then I said, “See, I have come; it is written about me in the volume of the scroll.
I delight to do Your will, my God; Your instruction lives within me.      Psalm 40:1-8 (HCSB)

Are you listening for God to make His plan known to you? Are you feeling like you are entering a time of change but want so much to be on God’s plan and His timing of when to move and where to move? Yes, me too.

This psalm is the cry of my heart. Read the whole psalm – it’s only 17 verses. It’s going to lay open on my desk today and I am going to be praying it for myself and others who are seeking God in their plans.

Wait patiently. Oh, this is so hard for me. I have always thought that the best way to get from Point A to Point B was to go in a straight line – quickly! But the psalmists says not to jump out but to wait because He is going to answer. Peter, impetuous Peter, learned that God does not move slowly but in His perfect timing (2 Peter 3:9). In the wait, it is so important for me to be open and prayerful to hear God when He gives the “Move” command.

With trust comes joy. There will be joy when I “let go and let God”. That may sound like a cliché but there is truth many times in those memorable words. God does not want to be my co-pilot. He is the pilot. I am the one who is sitting in the side seat and learning from the Master. The waiting may not be easy for me but when I do move with God there is great joy because I put my trust in Him for the all of His plan, not just whatever ‘parts’ I like.

Remember how God has been my guide. Remembering how God has worked in my life is a great way for me to spend my time while I am waiting. This is where my Prayer Journal has come in handy – because it is a journal of the seasons in my life. It shows me how I cried out to God – and how He responded. It is a journal of faith that I might not remember with such clarity and joy if I had not written it down. Ask God to recall His ways in your life.

God’s lesson will take root in my heart. And in each cry – wait – and answer – there is a lesson for me to learn. And I want to learn. I do not want to repeat a class or go to a remedial class! What are the books of the Bible but the ‘lesson books’ of those who have gone before me! It is God’s teachings to His children. He shows me that He has different ‘styles’ for each child and for each season. I have read Psalm 23 maybe a thousand times and yet there is always something new to hear and learn. That is the way God teaches – not stale words but fresh Bread that He offers every day. “I desire to do Your will, LORD. Your lessons live inside of me.” (verse 8, my paraphrase)

And there’s the bottom line – or the main point for me today – God is looking inside of me to see if I have an open and willing heart for His plan. If I am open, then He knows me and my weaknesses. God will make sure that I do not “miss” His plan. He will speak it so I hear and hear His confirmation, His Spirit to my spirit. He is faithful.

Breathe on Me sung by Hillsong Worship Team – Darlene Zschech

 

 

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Fear of the LORD

Posted on July 9, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Christ, God has given us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly world. That is, in Christ, he chose us before the world was made so that we would be his holy people—people without blame before him. Because of his love, God had already decided to make us his own children through Jesus Christ. That was what he wanted and what pleased him, and it brings praise to God because of his wonderful grace. God gave that grace to us freely, in Christ, the One he loves. In Christ we are set free by the blood of his death, and so we have forgiveness of sins. How rich is God’s grace, which he has given to us so fully and freely.           Ephesians 1:3-8 (CEV)

Lectionary texts: 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12-19, Psalm 24, Ephesians 1:3-14, Mark 6:14-29

I hope that we will take time to read these passages this week. They aren’t easy passages to read.

2 Samuel 6 is about David bringing the ark back to Jerusalem. The part of the passage that I often refer is David worshiping God with all his heart and not concerned whether someone (like his wife!) thinks he isn’t behaving “kingly” enough. I love the reminder that my worship of God isn’t about me. But the lectionary text people are like me and leave out the part about Uzzah dying because he reached out to steady the ark when the ox stumbled. Heartfelt worship of God will bring me closer to God. Coming close to the Holy One can be dangerous.

Psalm 24 “Who is able to to stand in God’s Holy Place?” The psalmist writes like he knows how dangerous it is to come close to God. He verbalizes that he has seen the holiness, the mightiness of God. He has a ‘holy fear’ of God. The psalmist knows who he is next to God.

Mark 6 passage tells me about the beheading of John the Baptist. It would seem on the surface that evil ‘wins’. Nothing redeeming can be said about King Herod and the perverted Herodias and her daughter. They get what they want – the death of John. But you and I both know that they do not really win. God has the final word in this story. God promised that vengeance would belong to Him (Isaiah 34:8 to name just one).

And so all these passages strike a chord, a true chord, of holy fear inside me. I am reminded of the power and justness of my LORD. I am reminded that God does not lower His standard, His holiness. I cannot stand in His Holy Place in myself. I am too un-holy. I am a sinner.

But my Father had a plan from the beginning. The Father loves so completely that He would provide the sacrifice, the atonement, to make it possible for me to come into His presence. Paul lets the revelation of that love just flow from him in this Ephesians 1 passage. Before I can exclaim that “All is lost! I am a sinner!” I am wrapped in the perfect, all-consuming love of the Father and given an eternal life with Him. And so His Spirit provides the balance of truth about the love and power of God.

Please join me this week in reading these passages. Let us meditate on our LORD and allow Him to speak to each of us, spend time with His child like He wants to do so very much.

Holy, Holy, Holy medley sung by Steven Curtis Chapman, original written by Reginald Heber (1826)

 

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‘Hate’ from God’s View

Posted on July 6, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

[reprinted from November 9, 2009]

— Henry Neufeld

16There are six things the Lord hates,
Seven that are abominations to his very being:
17Haughty eyes,
Lying tongue
Hands pouring out innocent blood.
18A mind fashioning wicked plans,
Feet running toward evil,
19Breath carrying falsehood,
False testimony,
Anyone who sends out strife between brothers. — Proverbs 6:16-19 (HN)

I have a survey idea. I’d like to ask a representative sample of church goers what the things are that God hates, really hates, in fact, considers to be abominations. I’m guessing that we would get many different answers. I’m fairly sure that sexual sins would be fairly close to the top of the list. And there certainly are sexual sins that are listed as abominations in scripture.

Yet here in this list in Proverbs, the things that God hates are a bit different. Look at these items:

Haughty eyes – which we could call, with the CEV, being “too proud.” Pride goes before a fall, and pride is underlying most other sins. Paul uses the phrase “not think of yourself more highly than you ought (Romans 12:3).” I can relate this to my “other” work in computers. If I announce that I can fix something, but I actually lack the knowledge, my downfall is coming soon. What I have to do is know my capabilities.

Lying tongue – lying is almost a way of life, I think. We at least become very careless with the truth and we tolerate a great deal of lying in others. Yet it is an abomination.

Hands pouring out innocent blood – here’s where we think we’re safe, right? None of us are murderers. But wait! Jesus said that a murderous anger, murdering in your heart, was the same as murder. It certainly damages you. Oops! Maybe I’m not so safe from “abominations” after all!

A mind fashioning wicked plans – I don’t know whether this means they must be carried out or not. I would prefer to work on my tendency to fashion a revenge on someone, and then oh so righteously give it up because I’m such a good person. It seems that God doesn’t see that as all that good.

Feet running toward evil – which way are your feet pointing? If we ran away from evil more often, we’d find temptation much weaker.

Breath carrying falsehood – have you ever encountered someone who literally lived and breathed falsehood? Sometimes it seems their whole life is a lie. It’s nice to point it at someone else, isn’t it? But if we start with the lying tongue, eventually our lives become just layer after layer of falsehood, and we “breath out lies” on a constant basis.

False testimony – Wow! Did you notice how many of these deal with falsehood?

Anyone who sends out strife between brothers – this one we like to point at others. When there is conflict it is always someone else’s fault. There are times when conflict is inevitable. Then you have to ask yourself this: “Am I creating the strife, or standing up for the right?” We always want to think we’re just standing up for the right while the other guy is creating the strife. But there’s another element. This refers specifically to the person who creates a conflict between other people. It will generally lead right back to the sin of gossip, probably the most prevalent sin of the church.

How do we avoid all these abominations? Jesus summarized it: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and your neighbor as yourself. That’s what this passage says in a nutshell.

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Glorious Stories

Posted on July 5, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

[reprinted from December 16, 2009]

–Henry Neufeld

13After they had left, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the child and his mother and flee into Egypt, and stay there until I tell you otherwise.” 14So he got up, took the child and his mother at night, and went to Egypt. 15And he was there until the death of Herod. This was so that what was spoken by the prophet might be fulfilled: “I have called my son out of Egypt.”      Matthew 2:13-15 (HN)

Let me sound complicated for a moment. We each have some set of metaphors for our life. A metaphor is something that is carried over. It’s a way of expressing something indirectly. We use metaphors more than we believe.

For example, the psalmist says: “Oh that I had wings like a dove, for then would I fly away and be at rest” (Psalm 55:6). Now nobody expects us to literally fly away and get into a nest, but the imagery is very powerful. It works for many of us when we’re tired.

As a nation, we have stories. Here in the United States, one of the major defenses of our freedom is the story of how we got them, how our founding documents were written, and how our founding fathers fought and acted in order to create this nation. Yes, I know, there are the documents themselves, and there are traditions of freedom passed from generation to generation, but have you noticed that we can hardly debate politics without making reference to the story of how these people acted and what they intended? The national story becomes part of our discussion.

One of the key stories of the Bible was the story of the exodus from Egypt. It involved escape from bondage, dramatic divine action, good leadership, conflict, and finally success. It was a story that shaped Israel. The prophets of Israel could hardly talk about their country without talking about the exodus. When they were taken into exile in Babylon and then returned they interpreted that story according to the exodus. They told the stories together, and the national story grew.

Jesus came to join the national story of Israel, and as such, he adds new dimensions to the story of rescue from bondage, of trouble, hardship, oppression, and then rescue. It’s a powerful story, and Matthew wants you to tie it all together.

What’s so important about stories? I’m going to suggest that there are overriding stories of your life, and you talk about events in your life according to those stories. Some people have as their main story all the things that have gone wrong in their lives, the way they have been mistreated, and how impossible it is for anything to change. They don’t have to say, “I’m never going to amount to anything.” The story of their life does it for them. Others, even many who have had great difficulties, tell stories of hope. They tend to remember and repeat good things. They don’t have to say, “I’m going somewhere!” Their life stories do it for them.

God enacted a story of redemption in the Bible. The story is repeated over and over. When things get really bad, God is there, redeeming. Matthew tells us in our passage today that Jesus experiences that same story as one of us. Jesus repeatedly tells the story of redemption throughout his life, and his death and resurrection again repeat that story of redemption.

Jody pointed out to me the silence in church when stories are told of people coming to Christ, or of miracles that happen in people’s lives. Why is it that we treat this kind of testimony as routine. A profession of faith, a baptism, [yawn]. It’s just the routine life of the church.

I think the problem is that we don’t really take in the story. What we do is add the “church story” to all those other dead stories in our lives. We don’t really expect things to change. But when we come to Christ, and are “buried with him by baptism into his death” (Romans 6:4) we have joined the story of Jesus. We have joined the story of God’s redemption.

We’re called out of the water into a new life. Our life story should now be about getting called out. Are you entrenched in failure? You are called out! Are you burdened by sin? You are called out! Are your relationships failing? You are called out? Do you feel far from God? You are called out!

Let the fundamental story of your life change. I don’t know what it was. But in Christ, it should be this: Called out for glory!

 

 

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