A Few Points Off (Luke 1)

The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.  Luke 1:22

A Few Points Off
Connie L. Peters

When I was in junior high and high school, the teachers held an annual honor banquet. Students on the regular and high honor roll were invited. Every year, my grades were eligible, but being shy and having nothing nice to wear anyway, I decided I wouldn’t go until I was a senior.  

In my senior year, I had some tough classes, physics in particular. During the last nine weeks I was barely hanging in there to be qualified for the banquet. One day, I sat in study hall thinking hard about one exceptionally tough problem. I finally figured it out, finished it up and went to class. Before the teacher entered, my fellow students were discussing the problem. Apparently I was the only one who came up with the answer. But my shyness prevented me from telling anyone.  

However, the guy who sat beside me looked on my paper. He grew excited, seeing that I had understood the challenging exercise. But in the final calculation, he came up with a different answer. In the rush of the moment, I changed my answer to what he had and we turned in our homework.

When the teacher asked someone to explain their work, the student who learned from me volunteered. The teacher pointed out his error. My answer had been right. Those few points were enough to knock my grade down to a C which was enough to disqualify me for the honor banquet.  

It was a lesson both in taking the opportunity while I had it and more importantly to not be so easily persuaded by others.  

In Mark 1, the people were excited about Jesus, the way he taught, healed and performed miracles. In droves, they followed him everywhere. But when it came to the crucifixion, they went along with the Jewish leaders and the crowd.

Trust Jesus and, in confidence, love God and others in the wisdom and Spirit He provides, regardless of what the world or even what some religious leaders say.

READY OR NOT, HERE HE COMES (Matthew 24)

I’m not just saying this for some future generation, but for all of you. This age continues until all these things take place. Sky and earth will wear out; my words won’t wear out. (Matthew 24:35, Message)

 

 As a child born shortly after the mid-century mark, I would think on how neat the millennium would be. I would be forty-five years old. Of all the people ever born, I was one of the fortunate few to experience it.

 

Instead of the joyful anticipation I expected, the world went into panic mode. The world as we knew it would come to an end because computers weren't originally programmed to change 1999 to 2001. Some people went into full panic mode, stacking up with supplies, buying alternate power sources, collecting water, and the like.

 

Among Christians. some hoped the occasion would bring the Lord's return. (I was tickled to discover people thought the same thing, back in 999, and if the Lord doesn't return before then, they will expect it in 2999.)

 

Relief and reality swept the world in the non-event the dates turned out to be.

 

In Matthew 24, and elsewhere, Jesus gives us a list of signs of His return. They are as true today as the day He first spoke them ("my words won't wear out").  He makes it equally clear that we can best prepare for the His second coming by living for him each day.

 

I once heard a man say, "I wish I could serve God without family commitments, with an occasional visit with a prostitute." (I may have forgotten some of the words, but no, I'm not making it up.)

 

That's the attitude that Jesus warns us against.

 

I have a personal theory: every generation will experience signs that suggest Jesus is coming soon. When I was a child, the establishment of the nation of Israel was one such event.

 

God doesn't want a generation to think, "It's not going to happen in my lifetime. I don't have to prepare." So He gives each of us the hope, the incentive to live for Him with all our hearts.

 

Whether we are ready--or not--He is coming.

Let us live today with an eye on tomorrow.

OUT OF FOCUS (Matthew 23)

Careful bookkeeping is commendable, but the basics are required. Do you have any idea how silly you look, writing a life story that’s wrong from start to finish, nitpicking over commas and semicolons? 23-24

This verse struck me as a writer. It's in the middle of Jesus's diatribe against the Pharisees and other religious leaders.

I have a friend who says her critique group will argue over the placement of a comma for hours. I just don't get it.

Don't misunderstand me. Grammar is important, and I'm blessed to have a pretty good handle on the rules of the English language.

But when would-be writers tell me they don't dare try because they don't use good grammar, I want to shake sense into their heads. Yes, editors want to see "clean" manuscripts, ones without mistakes that would force spell-check to bury the page in a flood of red blood.

Are there not computer programs to check grammar? Are there not critique partners to point out what the computer misses? Are there not classes and books to study until at last you master the language?

A writer must have a story, one that forces her to write. He can gain grammar skills. She can improve her story-telling gift. But not everyone who understands grammar can write.

Jesus accuses the religious leaders of the same mistake. They understood commas and semi-colons to the nth degree. They taught every one around them the laws. But they ignored the story--God's story for them, the Chosen People, and the rest of the world. 

How can someone write a story with conflict, beginning, middle and end, if all they do is tear about each sentence apart without looking at its place in the story?

How can God write our life stories if we focus solely on what is spelled out as right and wrong, and don't ask God to light the path ahead?  

Know the rules--and move forward. God is the ultimate editor. He will publish each author who signs the contract with the blood of Christ. 

Of course He doesn't ignore those mistakes, but that's a lesson for another day.

WEDDING INVITATION (Matthew 22)

“That’s what I mean when I say, ‘Many get invited; only a few make it.’” (Matthew 22:14, Message)

Escalating tension is a plot device writers learn. Something bad happens to start the story. More and even more bad things fill the story until the final “black moment,” when the hero wins the day.

Jesus’s parable reminds me of the escalation factor. First the King invites the lords and ladies of the kingdom to his son’s wedding.  They all reject the invitation.

The king invited them a second time. They gave lame excuses. Instead of sitting inside Westrminster Abbey with William and Kate, they weeded their gardens and worked in their shops. A few of them killed the messengers.

The king leveled that city, but he still had a problem: he wanted guests at his son’s wedding.  He sent his servants to the busiest marketplace in town. Like barkers at a carnival, they caught everyone passing by, handing them a golden ticket to the most important event of their lives.

These people knew the value of the golden ticket. They went home, scrubbed their skin clean, laundered their best clothes, and prepared for the wedding.

All except one. He showed up at the wedding in the same clothes he was wearing when he received the invitation. He got tossed into hell.

It’s not enough to belong to the family. The upper echelon of the kingdom was invited, and they refused. It’s not enough if your parent believe if you don’t.

It’s not enough to receive the invitation but ignore the steps. The one man didn’t exchange his dirty old clothes for the ones provided for him. We can’t get in the kingdom unless we are clothed in Christ.

We’re all invited.

But hdo we R.S.V.P.?

ROCKY ROAD (Matthew 21)

ROCKY ROAD

Whoever stumbles on this Stone gets shattered; whoever the Stone falls on gets smashed. (Matthew 21:44 Message)

Rocks: Good or bad?

It depends. Maybe you ran into a rock with a bicycle and fell. Maybe a rock hit your windshield and it cracked. For thousands of year, people have used rocks as murder weapons and catapulted them in times of war. Stoning was the official manner of capital punishment in ancient Israel.

No wonder Jesus speaks of Himself as shattering and smashing those who don’t believe in Him.

But, wait a minute. Isn’t God described as the Rock who shelters believers? David used that image a lot, like this one: “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” (Psalm 18:2, NIV)

The definitions of rock and rocky suggest a similar dichotomy: A rock may cause you to shake violently or to be upset. It may also mean moving forward at a steady pace or to be extremely effective.

Think about figures of speech:

·         Rock the boat

·         Rock-and-roll

·         Rocky road

·         Rock solid

·         Rock bottom

·         Rock hard

·         Rock climbing

·         Stone cold

·         A “rock,” referring to the size of a diamond in a ring

Maybe when we stand on the rock, we feel invincible. Underneath the rock, we are hopelessly crushed.

Last summer, I got caught up in the TV program, “The Hero,” hosted by the actor known as (what else?) the Rock. After an exercise that tested physical strength, I almost turned it off. There’s more to being a hero than having John Elway’s physique.

I’m glad I didn’t. That same episode, a middle-aged house mom walked stairs without rails at the top of a skyscraper. Earlier in the episode we had learned she was afraid of heights.

But the Rock had called her, and she would answer. She took a step. “I won’t let fear defeat me.” She took a second step, repeated her affirmation, and continued until she reached the top step.

I fell in love with her, and so did America. The show later went on to test other hero attributes such as mental alertness, problem solving, team work, honesty, and communication.

Someone you could trust. A rock.

God is that kind of Rock times a thousand.

Is God the Rock on which we stand—or are you in the path of His rockslide?

ALL CHRISTIANS ARE CREATED EQUAL (Matthew 20)

Are you going to get stingy because I am generous? (20:15, Message)

            In these latter chapters of Matthew, the Pharisees keep goading Jesus. At the same time, the disciples display an unseemly jostling for position within the Kingdom.

            Jesus drops a pointed parable into the mix. A farmer hired workers throughout the day, at dawn, nine, noon, three and five. To each group he offered the same wage: a dollar for their work the day.

Perhaps group number one thought they misunderstood. Perhaps Jesus offered a dollar an hour. That was only fair. Wasn’t it? As fair a manager as the farmer wouldn’t pay the first group the same as the last. Would he?

The farmer, management negotiator that he was, said “You agreed to work for a dollar for the day. Why are you complaining?”

For everyone who has hoped for a government of and by the people, where everyone is equal—that’s the kingdom Jesus represents.

We all enter the kingdom by the same method. We are adopted, names added to the book of life, Jesus’s blood the ink used.

We all receive the same inheritance—eternal life.

We all are sealed to the family with the same seal—the Holy Spirit stamped on our hearts.

We all pay the same “tax” upon coming to age, in front of Jesus’s throne—we will throw our crowns or anything we have taken pride in, at his feet.

God doesn’t want His generosity to make us stingy.

He wants to extend the grace to everyone we meet—whether or not they are worthy.

LIKE A CHILD (Matthew 18)

Whoever becomes simple and elemental again, like this child, will rank high in God’s kingdom.

(Matthew 18:2-5 Message)

Forgive me a proud Grandma moment.

My daughter-in-law’s grandmother passed away recently. Of the considerable family gathered, my little girl is the one who said, “Mimi has gone to be with God in heaven.”

Mimi died of cancer, and her final days were difficult. Jordan still had Mimi on her mind. In her night time prayer, she asked, “Please make Mimi feel better.”

Mimi was in heaven, with only God to take care of her. Jordan just wanted to talk to God about her.

My daughter Jolene had a similar kind of faith. She pictured flinging herself into Jesus’s waiting arms when she died. When she died, I’m sure He stood, arms flung open to hold her.

Right before the end, my mother developed signs of dementia. One time when I came to visit, she was sitting up in bed, speaking quietly.  She smiled brightly when I entered. “I was just talking to Jesus about you.” She knew His presence, not by faith alone but with a childlike understanding.

Church hymns touch our residents Like the people here at the nursing home who cry, sing along or cry, when visiting churches sing the songs of childhood. “Tell me the story.” “Amazing Grace.” “Jesus Loves Me.”

Confused minds. Incomplete thoughts. Irrational thinking.

But…faith that God is at the center of everything. Faith like a child.

I pray that I cling on to Jesus with that kind of faith as my time comes closer.

MOUNTAIN MOVERS

“Because you’re not yet taking God seriously,” said Jesus. “The simple truth is that if you had a mere kernel of faith, a poppy seed, say, you would tell this mountain, ‘Move!’ and it would move. There is nothing you wouldn’t be able to tackle.”

Matthew 17:20, Message

This verse is one I struggle with. Mostly with conceiving why anyone would want to move a mountain—or maybe that’s the question. Jesus’ answer speaks to a bigger problem.

Peter had given the perfect answer when asked about “Who do you say that I am?” Jesus rewarded him, along with James and John, to the Mount of Transfiguration.

After that miraculous encounter, they must have expected to march into Jerusalem at the head of an army. Instead, three times before the end of the chapter, Jesus tells them I’m going to die. I will be raised again.

They didn’t have a clue what Jesus meant. Look at the questions they asked:

·         Wasn’t Elijah supposed to come first?

·         Why couldn’t we cast the demon out of this man? (Just a note: the nine other disciples. The big three were away with Jesus when the situation developed.)

·         When Jesus repeated His warning, they felt terrible. They didn’t ask questions.

·         When the Pharisees tested Jesus about paying the temple tax, that becomes the important question.

I wish I could say I would be different. But I’m the same way. I make an excellent ostrich. I stick my head in the sand until the last possible second of a mounting emergency.

I don’t take God seriously enough. If I fill my mind and heart with His word, His love, his will—I might stop asking stupid questions. I might join God in what He’s already doing.

The disciples wanted a kingdom. God offered them salvation.

I want fans in the tens of thousands. Instead God hands me a table with three emotionally and dementia challenged women.  No mother could feel any prouder when I see small steps of progress. I feel like my genuine love and concern helps those three women.

Forget the thousands. Them I don’t know about.

But my small community here, I do know and am known. If I take God seriously, I will work here with joy and abandon.

DON'T BE A BACK SEAT DRIVER (Matthew 16)

Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self.

(Matthew 16:24-25 Message)

If you claim to be a follower of Christ, get out of the driver’s seat. We may not like it, but we understand.

The next words out of Jesus’s mouth shock us. “Don’t run from suffering. Embrace it.”

Back then, Peter said “That can never be!” and Jesus rebuked him as Satan’s messenger. “Get out of my way, Satan. . .You have no idea how God works.” The rebuke is ever weirder, following on the heels of Peter’s recognition of “You are the Son of the Living God.” God praised Peter highly, describing him as a rock, and all the affirmation that came with it.

From the highest heaven to hell itself. Peter understood God’s heart about one thing, but he was as blind as the rest of us about the other.

If Jesus meant, of course I have to suffer and die. I’m not here to restore the kingdom, the rebuke makes a little sense.

But Jesus says more than that. We will suffer, as He did. We should embrace suffering. In suffering, we find our true selves.

Perhaps those hermits who spent years on top of a platform in the desert understood something we ignore today. They sought suffering as a means to knowing God better.

Luther tried the same thing. He flailed his back. He later recognized the futility of his actions, that the just shall live by faith and not by acts of contrition.

When I am suffering, should I seek escape?

Perhaps Paul’s advice to the church at Corinth can guide our thinking: “Yes, each of you should remain as you were when God called you. Are you a slave? Don’t let that worry you—but if you get a chance to be free, take it.”. (1 Corinthians 7:20-21, NIV)

Our true selves depend on the inner man, not the external shell—not even a wheel-chair bound nursing home resident.

SALOME'S DANCE COMPETITION

But at a birthday party for Herod, Herodias’s daughter performed a dance that greatly pleased him, so he promised with a vow to give her anything she wanted.
(Matthew 14:6-7, NLT)

I confess my fascination with dance competitions. I watch SYTYCD religiously (So You Think You Can Dance, for those not in the know.) I will also watch Dancing with the Stars. Not to mention the dancers on other competitions such as America’s Got Talent and Kim of Queens. Worst of all, I watch those horrible mothers and cruel teacher on Dance Moms.

In the process, I have come to understand the fascination of dance for young women. Thinking of all those devoted dancers made me consider today’s story in a different light.

Salome, the name traditionally given to Herodias’s daughter, has been portrayed as a slutty young girl twirling behind seven veils, revealing her nudity. Liz Curtis Higgs gave a different spin on the story in Really Bad Girls of the Bible. She portrayed Salome as a young girl dressed for a “glitz” pageant (hair pieces, false eyelashes, and the like), in cowgirls dress and boots, dancing to a western song.

I can see that. Salome had the opportunity of a lifetime. How had she learned to dance so well? I suspect there were limited opportunities to perform. What a rush to receive an invitation to dance for the king (her stepfather) and other powerful men of the kingdom.

She rose to the occasion, dancing the best she had ever performed,

She wasn’t promised a prize, but she received one far beyond her wildest dreams. He offered her anything she wanted, “up to half the kingdom.”

She had Daddy in the palm of her hand. I wonder what she wanted for herself, what she might have asked.

Unfortunately, at that point, Salome’s dream slipped out of her fingers. As coached by her mother, Salome asked for the head of John the Baptist on a plate.

Talk about interfering dance moms.

With a different mom, Salome’s life might have turned out differently. Consider her story as a warning against stage moms who live vicariously through their children.

THE GOSPEL IN FICTION (Matthew 13)

That’s why I tell stories: to create readiness, to nudge the people toward receptive insight. 

Matthew 13:11-15

I love stories. I grew from Dr. Seuss’s silly rhymes to Nancy Drew and on to the greats such as Charles Dickens and Thomas Hardy in high school. By far my favorite books were the Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien. In college, I discovered  C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia and books by other authors from their Inklings group. In them, I discovered the gospel retold in compelling fiction.

In fact, in seminary, I wrote a paper about “eucatastrophy,” a term coined by Tolkien. He argued against calling something “just a fairy tale,” stating “it is a sudden and miraculous grace: never to be counted on to recur. It does not deny the existence of dyscatastrophe, of sorrow and failure: the possibility of these is necessary to the joy of deliverance; it denies (in the face of much evidence, if you will) universal final defeat and in so far is evangelium, giving a fleeting glimpse of Joy, Joy beyond the walls of the world, poignant as grief.”

            I find that same ping in many works of fiction, some more than others. I felt it when I read The Chamber by John Grisham; Bone Crack by Dick Francis; Really Bad Girls of the Bible by Liz Curtis Higgs.

            As I write, I pray that my books will be mediums of that same eucatastrophe. That over and above the problems my characters face, they will run to the joy and peace of faith.

            Pray with us writers of faith, that our words will nudge our readers to “receptive listening.”

RUBBERY LIVES (Matthew 12)

I prefer a flexible heart to an inflexible ritual.  (Matthew 12:7 Message)

As a child enduring abuse, I clung to the restrictions of a legalistic church. They taught that a Christian could lose her salvation. I avoided that scary possibility by following the list of “don’ts”:

·         smoke

·         drink

·         dance

·         cuss

·         have sex outside of marriage

·         go to movies

·         wear short skirts or jeans

The perfectionism I strove to achieve brought no joy. Over time, God taught me that I was not only “dead to sin” but also “alive in Christ.” My understanding of the Christian life shifted, to one inspired by my relationship with a Holy God and His love for me.

I still clung to the idea of a “perfect” theology, however. After Bible college and seminary, I substituted a system of theology for a list of rules.  Christians disagreed on a few peripherals, such as the timing of baptism, the millennium question, and so on.  I did not anticipate disagreements over things like. . .

·         the Trinity

·         salvation vs. conversion

·         The origin of sin

Our differences came up at an ecumenical Bible study at work, with people as dedicated to a right understanding the Bible, as I was. I was flummoxed.

Now I live in a nursing home with people from several denominations, including one I label a “cult.” One of their members clings to one central truth: Jesus loves me, this I know; and He is my Savior.

I am not ready to give that “cult” a free pass—but I know that lady will be in heaven when she dies.

A flexible heart to accept those of different lifestyles and doctrines—asking God to show us which hearts are true to Him.

The longer I live, the more rubbery I get.

POETIC GRACE (Matthew 11)

Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. Matt 11:29, Message

This week I am writing poetry instead of my next romance, and this haiku came out of reading Matthew 11. Back to regularly scheduled programming next week.

God’s grace unforced speaks

Rhythmic spasms of mercy

Lightening my heart

DO IT ANYWAY (Matthew 10)

Don’t be naive. Some people will impugn your motives, others will smear your reputation—just because you believe in me. (Matthew 10:17, Message)

Today I am taking the easy way out. This verse reminds me of a beautiful poem I discovered last year, a prayer by Mother Teresa called "Do It Anyway." They say it hung on the wall of her bedroom.

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.

Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.

COME TO JESUS (Matthew 9)

As Jesus left the house, he was followed by two blind men crying out, "Mercy, Son of David! Mercy on us!" (Matthew 9:27, Message)


As I read Matthew 9, I was struck by the different ways people came to Jesus. These are all familiar stories. . .

The beloved daughter of a local official died when Jesus came to town. He bows before Jesus and begs for a touch of his hand. The man was an official; people would ordinarily bow toward him. He acknowledged Jesus' superior position. He came himself--he didn't send a servant or deliver a letter. He petitioned on behalf of someone else. Just a touch, a single touch--but to bring someone back from the dead?

While Jesus was on the way to the official's home, a second person came to Him for healing. This woman had hemorrhaged for 12 years. Her monthlies were 24/7, 365. In an era before blood transfusions, I wonder that she remained alive. She was unclean for temple worship--probably felt cut off from God--and helpless. Doctors had stripped her of all her money and left her as sick as when they found her.

This believed that if she could only touch the hem of Jesus's robe, she would be healed. She bowed to the floor. She didn't seek attention. She somehow knew that being in the vicinity of God's messenger would bring her healing.Jesus sensed her presence and rewarded her faith by healing of her body and her spirit.

Jesus arrived at the official's house and healed his daughter.

(P.S. I have to love the importance and compassion shown towards women in these two miracles!)

When Jesus left the house, two new people joined the crowd. Their shouts remind me of people here at the nursing home. One man sits in his wheelchair, calling, "Ma'am? Ma'am? Ma'am?" Two blind men followed Jesus, shouting "Mercy on us, Son of David!"

These two followed Jesus. They acknowledged His authority as the Messiah.Their plea suggests faith, but Jesus challenged them. "Do you really believe I can do this?" Their answer? "Why, yes, Master!"

Oh, wow, look at this--Jesus' physical touch in all of these cases as well . . . thoughts for another day.

One man came to Jesus with a polite request. One woman did her best to avoid attention. Two men made a noisy nuisance of themselves. But all of them realized Jesus was more than a man. All of them believed that when they brought their problems to Jesus, He would heal them.

I came to Jesus as a nine-year-old girl, in the Vacation Bible School class held in the lobby of my church (we were short on class space). I knew He was the Savior and God, and that He could forgive my sins.

We all have a different story--but Jesus welcomes all those who come to Him.

I would love to hear your story.

GOLDEN RULE FOR NURSING HOMES (Matthew 7)

Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for  you, then grab the initiative and do it for them. Add up God's Law and Prophets and this is what you get. (Matthew 7:12)

I have a few pet peeves when it comes to nursing home life.

Okay, maybe more than a few. :)

Often, I overhear the aides saying, "Jones want to get up for lunch."

"Jones" is Annie Jones. (not a real name). But the aides often refer to patients by their last names. I respond, "I prefer that you call me Darlene. I will accept Mrs. Franklin. But please don't call me 'Franklin.' I am not now nor was I ever a female version of my (ex) husband."

The issue is: See me as a person. Not as a last name (or even worse, in hospitals, as my health issues). At worst we should have a cordial working relationship and at best, we can be friends.

This week I have received a few reminders that respect runs both ways..

How about the time I hollered an after-thought to my aide after she left. The nurse passing by asked, "how about a please?"

Oh. Duh.

Or the morning I screamed in the shower--throwing a toddler-like fit--that they shouldn't ask me to walk on the wet floor. This aide does everything she can to make me comfortable. After I finished my fit, she asked, in her broken English (she speaks about a little more English than I do Spanish): "Do you not want me to be your aide any more?" And the next day she asked someone else to help me. We worked it out.

Today was another one of those times. I watched the clock go past eight (when my meds are scheduled). . .past nine (the legal deadline for delivery for meds scheduled at 8) . . .until nearly 10. I prepared to confront Janie.

When she walked through my door, I gave her a piece of my mind. She looked ready to cry, mumbled some kind of excuse, and left the blood pressure cuff on my wrist while she counted out my meds.

While I waited, I realized that I had overlooked the person behind the job. I hadn't greeted her, hadn't asked after her health, or made any friendly gestures before launching into my tirade.

When she came back in, bearing gifts of pain killers and cough syrups and other such wonder pills, I said, "let's start the morning over. How are you today?" We affirmed our friendship for each other.

Treat others the way you want to be treated.

Even in--especially in--a nursing home.

Most of the aides get it.

It's time I got it, too.

P.S. I wrote this a few weeks ago for my other blog but it's so good for today's reading . . .

THOUGHTS FOR A NEW YEAR (Matthew 6)

Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. (Matthew 6:34, Message)

This is the time of year when we look toward making new Year's resolutions. I've grown out of the habit. Aside from buying to keep myself on track and losing them after a few months. . .I do plan towards specific events. I have book deadlines to meet, and I would like to improve to the point where I can attend my oldest daughter's high school graduation in May.

What intrigues me about Jesus's words here is this: He advises against resolutions. Don't be so caught up in your plans for the future that you miss what is going today.

With my last birthday, I entered my sixtieth year. I am officially by any definition a "senior." (Even if I do know several residents here old enough to be my mother.)I am restricted. Dreams that I had for the future will dangle out of reach, unless my health improves.

In other words, I felt put out to pasture, without purpose.

Then I asked God for new dreams. He doesn't expect me to spend the rest of my life waiting to die. He has a purpose for me here and now. My job is to find it.

In the words of Henry Blackaby in Experiencing God, "Find out where God is at work, join Him there."

If I overlook the work God is doing around me, instead planning for a future ministry--I have lost out on God's best.

"Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions." (Matthew 6:32, Message)

That's a New Year's Resolution we can all use.

PAY IT FORWARD (Matthew 5)

In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.(Matthew 5:48, The Message)

"A Christian can afford to be generous."

The words have remained with me for almost forty years, ever since our supervising pastor spoke them to me during a summer church plant project. After we ate a restaurant, he must have left a tip that struck me as excessive. I commented on it.

His answer? "A Christian can afford to be generous." I have tried to adapt his principle.

Unfortunately, Christians tend to practice frugality and no generosity at the restaurant. My son, who worked at restaurants for ten years, said that the after-church crowd was their busiest time of the week. They also left the smallest tips.

When I learned that, my heart sank. What kind of testimony is our corporate stinginess on Sundays?

Grow up. Be generous, with money, but also with words. Compliment total strangers. Leave a comment when you enjoy a book. Thank the bus driver.

Be gracious--the word itself would take a lengthy study, and this isn't the day to look at forgiveness and other such things.

God gives to us graciously. He treats us graciously. In turn, He expects us to pay it forward--to treat others with the same life-affirming, esteem-boosting, care that He treats us.

Of course generous and gracious living involves a lot more than tipping servers. But it's a good place to start.

CRAMMING FOR A TEST (Matthew 4)

Jesus prepared for the Test by fasting forty days and nights. That left him, of course, in a state of extreme hunger, which the Devil took advantage of. (Matthew 4:2-3, The Message)

I've taken lots and lots of tests on my way to a master's degree. The longer I stayed in school, the longer I procrastinated preparing for the test. I spent a few all-nighters writing term papers, but I never stayed up all night studying.

I never spent forty days preparing for a test.

When I needed to concentrate, I went to the library for peace and quiet.

I never traveled to a deserted patch of real estate, devoid of people or anything to eat.

And I certainly never skipped a meal in order to prepare. I just drank more coffee.

That's what Jesus did, driven into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit, alone, and choosing not to eat whatever was available. He stayed there for forty days.

I've heard that 40 days is the limit people can go without eating. The first season of Survivor, they showcased the physical trauma the contestants endured. The effects of starvation, as I remember, were hair falling out, stomach bugs, difficulty with the bathroom.

That is the kind of preparation Jesus chose for His test. I've also heard that fasting focuses the mind. After forty days, I would probably be delirious.

If that is the kind of preparation Jesus endured for His tests, what does God expect of us?

Perhaps it's just this: He puts us in a position of weakness, for when we weak, then we are strong. The weaker the vessel, the more God shines.

So when you feel like trials hit you when you're at your lowest point--you're in good company.

P.S. If you'd like to read a short story about the Temptation, check out "The Ultimate Survivor" at ww.heartlight.org/articles/200202/20020202_survivor.html


www.heartlight.org/articles/200202/20020202_survivor.html

JOSEPH TAKES CENTER STAGE (Matthew 1)

Joseph, chagrined but noble, determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced.

Disappointment. . .failure. . .humiliation. All three of those emotions visit me, during the ups and downs of Christmas and on into the crushing deadness of January, "cold within and without." (One of my favorite opening lines, from Bolt by Dick Francis)

Disappointed . . .because no matter how much I tell myself that I can't expect anything for Christmas, because my remaining family, Jaran's family, celebrates Hanukkah instead, my heart wants more. Disappointed when the few things within my control go wrong.

Failed. . .when my plans fall through, for buying and giving presents, for sending cards, for going to church or having my daily quiet time or any of a dozen projects.

Humiliated? When my family comes and I'm in bed, undressed. When I wait too long or can't get away and soil myself. . .

All of those are true but none of my reasons comes close to what Joseph must have felt when he learned his betrothed was pregnant. With someone else's child.

In the kind of quiet and strong goodness Joseph exhibits over and over, he doesn't go public with his pain. He doesn't seek to judge Mary. He does decide to end the betrothal. And when God tells him to marry her, in spite of the pregnancy, he doesn't hesitate. In spite of all the public humiliation which would come their way. In spite of the gossip which was bound to peg him as the baby's father.

Joseph. Chagrined I understand. Noble I strive for.