Seeking Christ

 June 26, 2023

“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” —Matthew 6:33

What does seeking God look like? Am I doing it? It’s easy to go through the motions; to read and pray so I can check it off my daily to-do list. But am I coming to meet God, or to get it done?

Luke 7:36-50 tells the story of a Pharisee named Simon who invited Jesus to dinner. At some point in the festivities, a “sinner” woman—probably a prostitute—crashed the party and did something scandalous. She poured perfume on Jesus’ feet, took down her hair, and weeping the whole time, spread the perfume over his feet with her hair. She offered this perhaps as a sign of her repentance, but Simon apparently saw it as a flagrant sexual overture.

Two people are physically in the presence of Jesus. Simon the Pharisee, who knew all the right things to say and do, and the woman who knew neither. Simon was the host. Perhaps it looked good on his résumé, had all the markings of piety and sincere searching, but it was just a show, a sham.

The woman, who remains unnamed, was breaking all the boundaries of propriety in order to get to Jesus, but she was used to breaking the rules. She didn’t have the right words, didn’t know the right protocol; she just came with what she had, washed and wept, and was forgiven. She alone truly met Jesus. In contrast to Simon, she remains unnamed, perhaps because it’s Jesus’ name that is important, not hers. Maybe Simon was all too willing to have his name be known.

What was Simon seeking that evening? To impress Jesus, or his other guests? To satisfy his curiosity? There was a show, a facade of seeking Jesus, but the evidence of his failure is clear: Simon saw only the woman’s sin. Jesus saw the woman herself.

Worry

 June 25, 2023

This morning I rode my motorcycle to Findley Lake where I filled in for their vacationing pastor. It was a good morning, a great day for a ride. On the way home, I got to thinking about Nate’s baccalaureate talk with the Panama seniors Tuesday night, where he contrasted worry with seeking God.

Had I given that talk, I would have contrasted worry with faith, but I think Nate did better than I. “Faith” can be pretty abstract, but seeking God is concrete, something you can sink your teeth into. He actually read Matthew’s words more accurately than I. Here’s what Jesus said:

““I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?… Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

—Matthew 6:25, 31-33 

Jesus was talking about worry, and he didn’t tell his listeners to have more faith; he told them to seek God. Whenever I am scheduled to preach, I worry. I worry that I won’t have the right words for what the listeners need at that moment, that I won’t be clear about the Gospel, that I’ll end up giving good advice instead of the Good News, that I won’t be precise enough in giving an invitation to discipleship and faith in Christ.

Did you read that carefully? How many times did the word “I” appear? That’s the whole problem. As long as I am focused on my situation or on how I feel, I can talk about faith all I want, but I’m not seeking God, and if I’m not seeking God, the only alternative is worry. Worry focuses on me; seeking God narrows my field of vision to God himself—he is the focus of my attention, and when that happens, worry vanishes.

Mysteries

 June 24, 2023

There’s just something about a good mystery. Linda and I have enjoyed watching various mysteries over the years. Back in the 70’s and 80’s it was Columbo, Murder She Wrote, Hart to Hart, etc. We see them in reruns on YouTube and wonder how we ever stomached such drivel. We moved on to British fare with Poirot and Miss Marple, and have recently been watching Miss Fisher, Brokenwood, Death in Paradise, and such. She likes Blue Bloods and NCIS; I prefer to pass. Current favorite is Murdoch, set in turn of the century Toronto. 

Trying to pick up on the clues, figure out the red herrings, and match wits with the detective is a welcome diversion. I think the fun is in the teasing of the clues and the exhilaration if we can figure it out before the protagonist.

I wonder if that isn’t part of the attraction of Jesus’ words in Luke 8. Jesus explains his use of parables in his preaching, saying that they are designed to shield the truth from those unwilling to heed it: “So seeing, they may not see, and hearing, they may not understand” (v.10). But immediately after these words, he tells his disciples who are privy to the inside story that “no one lights a lamp and covers it up…Nothing is hidden that will not be known.” The challenge of the mystery and the thrill of discovery; Jesus knows what he is doing.

On the surface, it seems contradictory, but earlier in chapter 2, there is a hint of what is going on. The aged Simeon, holding the infant Jesus, tells his mother Mary, “This child is set for the rising and fall of many.” Before Jesus, outward religion sufficed in the eyes of many, but this Child was destined for a Cross where all human systems and efforts would be exposed and judged insufficient. Prior to the Cross, the message was hidden, impossible to fully understand; the Cross came and shined its light on us, revealing our hearts. And now we upon whom the Light has shined, have the responsibility of being lights in the world. The mystery that God would redeem all creation has been revealed. What was hidden is now open, and salvation is not limited to the nation of Israel, but is available to all who believe.

Like Jesus

 June 23, 2023

“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” —Luke 6:46

In the 45 verses preceding these words, Jesus tells us to love our enemies, do good and speak blessings to those who hurt and curse you. One of life’s hardest lessons is learning to see everything—even the bad things—as a gift from God designed to make us more like Christ, who is the express image of God himself. 

Sin has so distorted that image that restoring it only comes through much difficulties and trials. When people mistreat us, the natural response is defensiveness at the least, and retaliation at the most. We want to strike back, to even the playing field, to protect ourselves. But God is the Great Sacrificer, the Great Giver, the Great Blesser, if you will, and none of his gracious gifts to us has come without great cost to himself. If it costs him, it will cost us, too.

New Wine

 June 22, 2023

Doug Comer is a name I’m still able to pluck from years ago. We were freshmen in college, not particularly close, but friends. Doug decided one day to mix up a batch of root beer. This was Houghton College, a conservative Wesleyan college in a dry Wesleyan town. I guess since it was ROOT beer, Doug figured it wouldn’t be violating any of the college rules against alcohol. He followed the directions, mixed it all together—you know—yeast, water, sugar, and root beer extract. He scrounged around and found an old bottle capping device, a couple dozen bottles, and he was in business.

The instructions called for letting it “work” in a cool, dark place. What could be cooler and darker than his dorm closet? Two cases of virgin root beer in amongst his clothes and shoes, working away in the dark. But not so cool. After about a week, one of the bottles burst; then another and another. Doug didn’t dare go into his closet for fear he would be met with shards of glass from the exploding bottles. He just sat there, counting the explosions till it was all over except for the mess. 

I think of Doug whenever I read Jesus’ story about putting new wine in new wineskins, and I wonder how much of God’s amazing work we miss because he chooses to work in ways we aren’t willing or able to accept. 

It was fairly early in Jesus’ ministry, but already the lines were being drawn. He forgave a man’s sins, received tax collectors (that could ruin any man’s reputation) and sinners, and wasn’t abiding by the religious rituals that had been sacrosanct since anyone could remember. As we pick up the story, he is having a rather heated discussion with the religious leaders who have been watching him, tracking his every movement, and were looking for ways to ensnare him.

The presenting issue was his disciples’ failure to observe regular times of fasting. “Why?” they wanted to know. It was then that Jesus uttered one of his more famous sayings.

““And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the new wine would burst the wineskins, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine must be stored in new wineskins. But no one who drinks the old wine seems to want the new wine. ‘The old is just fine,’ they say.”” —Luke 5:37-39 

Jesus isn’t saying that his new wine isn’t better, but that most of the time, we prefer the old. We are reluctant to try new ways, and often when we do, we prefer the old, familiar patterns. Old wine is stable and predictable; the new is bursting with energy, and requires us to be flexible and pliant. I like old cars, old music, old religion. I don’t like old bones and old thinking, but I am often tempted to stick with what I know instead of taking a risk on something new and untested. But if we are to be faithful to Jesus Christ who makes all things new (1 Cor. 5:17), we must allow God to keep churning and bubbling within us like new wine. 

Keep my mind and heart flexible, O Lord; yielding to the working of your Holy Spirit within me so your work doesn’t merely make a mess.

The King’s Domain

June 21, 2023

Tonight I am grateful that God doesn’t stop teaching us new things just because we’re old. Last night at our granddaughter’s Baccalaureate, her father gave the Baccalaureate speech to the kids. Actually, he just talked to them, told them funny stories about giving blood and how he hates needles, and how many of them he has had in the last year. He was telling them that we worry about the future because of things that have happened in our past that we anticipate will reoccur, and that the antidote to worry is seeking God. He told of how his brain tumors have changed his thinking about life, that he made the decision a year ago today that whatever the scans said, good or bad, he would trust God. 

He had them download the Bible App on their phones and showed them how to use it. He hadn’t anticipated it, but when he opened the reading for the day, it was the text he was using that night. “God knew,” he said. Indeed, he did. The Scripture was Matthew 6:33.

“Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these other things will be added to you.”

Nate then clarified a concept that has long puzzled me: “the kingdom of God.” I’ve listened to preachers and professors talk about how important it is, how it is present and also “not yet,” but I’ve never heard anyone tell me unequivocally what it is. Until last night. Nate did for the kids what I used to do with our kids at our dinner table; he simply pointed out the history of the word. “Kingdom” comes from “the king’s domain,” ie. where whatever the king says, goes. THAT makes sense to me! The kingdom of God about which Jesus spoke so frequently and that was so central to his thinking is nothing more or less than wherever the King has dominion, wherever the King’s wishes are carried out. It’s so much simpler than those professors made it out to be! 

Seeking, actively pursuing whatever the King of kings and Lord of lords desires is God’s plan for our blessing. The King’s domain—that’s the goal. Keeping it the goal brings the blessing, so keep pursuing it. Even better, seek the King himself. Find him, and it’ll be a no-brainer to seek his rule in your heart and life. 

Make Way!

 June 20, 2023

John the Baptist took his calling from the prophet Isaiah:

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 

‘Prepare the way of the Lord; 

Make His paths straight. 

Every valley shall be filled 

And every mountain and hill brought low; 

The crooked places shall be made straight 

And the rough ways smooth; 

And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ””

—Luke 3:4-6 

It’s all very poetic, but how does it actually come to pass? People are hindered from coming to God by mountains of habits and history that blocks their way, by valleys of sin and despair they get stuck in, by the crooked paths of religion, politics, philosophy, and secularism that wind and wander all over the landscape of life, by roads so rocky with rules and regulations they can hardly be navigated.

How do we fix all this—actually level the mountains, fill the valleys, straighten the crooked paths—so people can come to God? Verses 8-14 give us a few hints:  

1. Live humbly (V.8). Don’t imagine your heritage makes you better than others.“Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones.”—Luke 3:8 
2. Give generously (v.11). Don’t ignore the needy. “If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.”        —Luke 3:11 
3. Live with integrity (v.13). In business and life, treat people fairly. “Even corrupt tax collectors came to be baptized and asked, “Teacher, what should we do?” He replied, “Collect no more taxes than the government requires.”                —Luke 3:12-13
4. Be compassionate (v.14). When in a position of power or authority, don’t take advantage of those who have neither power nor authority. ““What should we do?” asked some soldiers. John replied, “Don’t extort money or make false accusations. And be content with your pay.”                                                               —Luke 3:14 

All these deal with our actions, not our feelings. Our feelings can inspire action, but can never replace it.