A Schmuck Prays

(Genesis 32.9-12 NIV) - 01.13.13

Schmuck: a Yiddish word, has a range of meaning depending on context. In its most innocuous use, a schmuck is a person who does a stupid thing, in which case "dumb schmuck" is the appropriate expression. A schmuck's behavior ranges from pesky and inconsiderate, to obnoxious and manipulative. A schmuck's personality type ranges from jerk to bastard. Schmucky behavior also falls within a range of intentionality. Some schmucks carefully plan their bad behavior, some only a little, and some not at all. Schmucks – our world is full of them.

You and I, because of our sin nature, are schmucks: we do a wide range of stupid things. Most of all, we plan and connive to control our lives (or the outcome thereof) and do our best to keep God at bay lest He come along and ruin our plans with His righteous plan for our days.

Now, I certainly don’t mean to be nasty or crude or inconsiderate but this sin nature is a big, big deal; and as we read through the narrative of Genesis (and the rest of Scripture) we see, up close and personal, the lives of people who were schmucks and yet somehow, someway God seemed pleased to touch their lives in some manner or other, and introduce them to freedom from schmuckery. God wants all people everywhere to be free from schmuckery.

One day a long, long time ago, a schmuck named Jacob began a series of actions that derailed his life a bit. He cheated his older (and stronger) brother out of his birthright and the blessing which was only to be given (culturally) to the firstborn. He then flees the revenge of his brother and escapes to the land of his father’s relatives and finds himself caught up under the schmuckery of an uncle named Laban. If Jacob’s actions were schmuckish, Laban’s were five-star. And for twenty years Jacob puts up with Laban. And one day Jacob decides he’s had enough, so he gathers his wives, and children and flocks and herds and flees (he’s good at fleeing) from the schmuck, Laban.

So Jacobs is apprehended by Laban and accused of schmuckery in his fleeing without so much as a good-bye. The two decide they are both schmucks and it’s better that they separate and keep their distance and they part somewhat amicably. And then Jacob hears his older brother Esau is coming to meet him…with four hundred men. So Jacob prays… (Schmuck or not, it is good to pray. It’s also good to believe that God wants to make us schmucks into saint and cure us eternally of schmuckishness.) A schmuck prayed this prayer:

“O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, Lord, you who said to me, ‘Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,’ I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two camps. Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid he will come and attack me, and also the mothers with their children. But you have said, ‘I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted.’” (Genesis 32.9-12 NIV)

Today, is it time to pray? Today, is it time to face the schmuckery that has led us to where we are and repent? Today, is it time to quit being a schmuck and become a saint? The door is open and the invitation has been offered. Let’s give ourselves to this God who promises to cure us eternally and free us to be the people He’s always desired for us to be: righteous and good, and schmuck-free. God help us – amen.

Blessing the Blessed

01.11.13

Psalm 4.6-7 6 Many, Lord, are asking, “Who will bring us prosperity?” Let the light of your face shine on us. 7 Fill my heart with joy when their grain and new wine abound. (NIV)

In Genesis 28, Isaac decided it was time for him to pass along the blessing of all of who he was and all of what he had to his firstborn, Esau. Like Abraham before him, Isaac loved his firstborn son but the firstborn of both men wasn’t God’s choice.

In the early days of Rebekah’s pregnancy it says: The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord.  The Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.” (Genesis 25.22-23 NIV) God had, before the world was ever formed, decided who was going to be the stronger and more blessed of Isaac’s two sons – we can never forget that.

And so through a series of events and deceptions Esau’s brother Jacob, obtains not only the birthright from Esau, but the paternal blessing from Isaac his father as well. Esau is left with nothing. There is far more to the story but a quick reading of Genesis 25, 27 & 28 will bring much to light about this somewhat dysfunctional family.

From the earliest days of mankind, there has been a human infatuation with blessing. In the earliest days of Scripture the chosen of God have been blessed and those who bless them have been blessed. And alternately, those who’ve cursed the blessed of God have been cursed. Don’t know why, just know that it is. Man has sought blessing from his earliest days because he’s recognized that blessing is the preferred option between that and cursed. So when David seeks the Lord and asks, Lord, who will bring us prosperity? He isn’t asking this lightly. Most everyone on earth understands blessing.

Like it or not, understand it or not; accept it or not, all blessing comes from God. Period. Jacob’s means of obtaining his blessing may have been deceitful but God had already made His choice of who would be blessed and who wouldn’t. And the was, was and the wasn't, wasn’t.

And so, when David prays in Psalm 4, Who will bring us prosperity? he was asking God to bless people: any people; all people. Blessing comes from God and is upon those who accept God’s authority in their lives. And a blessed people are a source of joy because when a people are blessed, everybody’s happy… especially those who believe in God’s blessing. Blessing is the choice of God – we can’t earn it, He only gives it, because He is who He is. God chooses whom He’s going to bless long before they’re ever born and we have to accept that – no matter how fair or unfair it may appear to us. God does the blessing

Father, I ask that You bless those who bless You. I pray to quit being jealous of Your blessing and to rejoice that You so abundantly bless those who bless Your people. And I pray that I would be a blessing to others and in return, be blessed. Thank You that You want to bless; You desire to bless. And though our choice may not be Your choice we are blessed because You choose. I’m grateful for that!

Nuances

01.10.13

Luke 10.29 29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”(NIV)

One day, Jesus was having a conversation with a lawyer. A lawyer in those days was an expert in the Law: one that knew the Levitical Law through and through. Like those who study the Bible now, lawyers then, had questions: What exactly does this mean? Do I actually have to do that? And so on. The question in the lawyer’s mind centered on the concept of eternal life. He wanted to know what Jesus thought about eternal life.

Jesus answers by asking him what is written in God’s Law: How do you read it?

The lawyer answers: love God completely and thoroughly; and love my neighbor as myself.

And Jesus said, Do this and you will live.

But the lawyer was hung up on nuances – define neighbor: Who is my neighbor? Someone who lives next to me, or anyone else in the Jewish community?

So Jesus shares with him the parable of the Good Samaritan. There were no good Samaritans in the eyes of a Jew.

Yesterday, a friend and I talked about martyrs. He’d read a book and was telling me about the experience of a martyr who’d been burned at the stake. The bottom line of the conversation was that martyrs are NOT just those who’ve been persecuted for their faith and killed in some gruesome manner – martyrs are witnesses who share what they’ve heard, seen, and experienced. A martyr is a witness who shares what they know about something; what they’ve seen about something and what they’ve experienced about something.

In the Christian community we are called to share as witnesses everything we’ve heard, seen, and experienced with Jesus Christ. He may be presently invisible, but that doesn’t mean He isn’t present. He may be invisible, but that doesn’t mean He’s inactive. And so our number one purpose is to be about the business of sharing everything we have heard, seen, and have experienced as believers in Jesus Christ. It’s not about Sunday mornings – it’s about the everyday worship and witness of the presence of the Living Lord. That’s what witnesses do.

And who are we to witness to? Who is my neighbor? Anyone who will listen. Anyone in need. In life with Christ it isn’t about nuances – it’s all about obedience. If we do that we will live. It’s isn’t about rules; it’s about relationship with a real God who really says, love your neighbor as yourself. If we’re going to err on the side of anything, we need to err on the side of doing as Jesus told us to do, and then letting the chips fall where they may as a result.

Eternal life defined is all about my truly loving God with everything I say and do, and all that is within me; and truly loving my neighbor (whoever that may be at the present moment) as I love and care for myself. Lord, may Your love flourish in me today toward You and the ones around me as I share about everything I’ve heard, seen, and experienced in You…

The Short-Circuit to Love

1.7.2013 

Luke 7.44-46 44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. (NIV)

When you grovel in the dust the closest thing to you is someone’s foot. Jesus went to lunch and shrugged off Simon’s insults: no water to wash His feet – no kiss of greeting – and no oil of refreshment oh His head. Simon was breaching social protocol by publicly ignoring Jesus both as a man and a guest. Simon’s focus was elsewhere.

Jesus, we notice, didn’t turn to Simon and respond; Jesus turned to the woman and responded. He spoke to Simon but He was looking at the woman. And Jesus enumerated Simon’s shortcomings. And Jesus pointed out what Simon’s problem was: he thought too highly of himself.

Jesus was a threat and a nuisance to the Pharisees who didn’t respect Him, His teachings or His miracles: He wasn’t one of them. And in their eyes, anyone who wasn’t one of them, wasn’t.

Our church installed an espresso maker in our fellowship hall over the weekend. On Sundays you can come to our church gathering and have a latte, or a mocha, or an Americano. Guests get them free but the locals have to pay. We’re doing this to raise money for missions and things like that. Not one dime goes to fixing up the place or salaries, or stuff like that.

There were some names being thrown around for the various drinks that would be served and one of them was, The Pentecostal –three shots of espresso! If that don’t getcha rollin’ in the aisles I don’t know what will. The Pastor said you could get a cup of cold water if you wanted. I thought we ought to call that one, The Pharisee. The Pharisees tried to throw cold water on everything Jesus did and said. He wasn’t one of them.

Simon was, unfortunately for him, a self-righteous guy. He lived a blameless life and could stand before God and proclaim his innocence. And unfortunately for him, God isn’t (and wasn’t) impressed with his righteousness – or mine either for that matter. The woman loved Jesus much because He was the Only one in the room who wouldn’t use His foot to kick someone when they were down. The woman’s sins were forgiven because she loved God. Want to get your sins forgiven? Love God. Simon loved himself and his achievements: he loved who he was and how he lived. He didn’t need God because he kept the rules. And the short-circuit to love is rule-keeping.

Lord, loving You is obeying You and obeying You is learning to do what You love and sacrificing what I love. Help me to love much because I need forgiven of much…

Totally Awesome Dude

01.05.13

Luke 5.26 26 Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.” NIV

A friend of mine has made the decision to refrain from using the words, awe or awesome except in instances where they can be only ascribed to God: that is an awesome sunset; that she asked for forgiveness was awesome. Awe is a word that ought only to be reserved for God and what He decides to do. Awe is man’s reaction to the presence of God, not the presence of man. Man may be creative or clever or colorful but he is never awesome. To be filled with awe is to be moved by the presence of the Almighty.

Jesus’ point, in this passage, is that He has the authority to forgive sins. And not just to say, one’s sins would not be held against him, but that one’s sins were removed, erased, blotted out. To the folks in that day, that was a big, big deal. We’re not so much affected by sin these days – our own or anyone else’s; we tend to just deal with sin as that’s just the way people are.

But sin is a big, big deal. Sin taints everything we experience in life. Our problem may be that we are so used to sin that we’ve simply lost all sensitivity to it. Nowadays anything that may be considered wrong has to have some disorder attached to it so we can have empathy for the person with the disorder. And then treat it with medication or therapy. I don’t know if there’s much medication or therapy that can cure being a butt-head. To cure a butt-head takes an act of God and therefore is awesome because someone went from being a total ass to being someone whose heart has been touched by the Almighty. Admit it; we’re all impressed with a cured butt-head.

We must admit as well that the malady of mankind is not a disorder but a nature. A sin-nature. And everyone born on earth has one. And the cure for sins, is to have our sins removed. And to have our sins removed is to have a heart change; and a heart change is only something God can do because sin is so vast, and deep, and pervasive. So when Jesus showed up and proclaimed one’s sins were forgiven, the religious folk had to know how a man had the authority to do such a thing; nobody could do that but God.

So Jesus proved His authority by causing a paralyzed man to get up and walk. Which is easier: to tell someone that their sins are forgiven or to tell them to get up and walk? You figure it out…

In our day, we get to witness things like the total heart-transformation of a butt-head. When someone who is so obnoxious, selfish, and hard to live with becomes loving and gentle and compassionate, it is truly awesome and we all get to benefit from it and maybe do something about our own butt-headed shortcomings. Only God can change a butt-head into a beauty. Only God can make a lame person whole. Only God can transform a heart so that we all reflect in awe of His power and presence.

Seen anything awesome lately?

A Sore Spot

01.04.13

Luke 4.28 28 All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. NIV

Jesus had come to His hometown to begin His ministry and He proclaimed to them that He was the fulfillment of Isaiah 61.1-4. It seems at first they were gracious to Him and said things like: Nice job Jesus. Or, It seemed like You were speaking just to me. Or, That is one of my favorite passages. Or, I wish my mom would have been here to hear this – she is having such a hard time.

It was a great sermon and as long as it hadn’t touched them they were fine, but then Jesus did the unthinkable: He made an application: “Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.” Aw c’mon Jesus, whaja hafta go and do that for!?

What do we do when God doesn’t do what we want Him to do? What do we do when we pray and pray and lose the job anyway? What do we do when we cry out for healing and mercy and our mom (or dad) or son, or daughter, or husband, or wife, dies? What do we do when we pray and pray for our government leaders and then they keep making such unfair policies? What do we do when we are really counting on God to come through and it seems He left on vacation without checking it with us…? That’s how the people in that synagogue felt that moment when Jesus reminded them of an ugly part of their history.

The Sidonians were the ancestors of the Philistines and were lowlife scum in the eyes of the Jews. The Syrians were the Assyrians and they were a cruel and vicious enemy to Israel and came up with some of the most wicked and horribly creative ways of punishment which they inflicted upon the Jews. And when Elijah the prophet was ministering, he ministered to a Sidonian widow and a Syrian military commander. It was a sore spot in Jewish history that hadn’t seemed to have healed.

Sore spots happen and sometimes they remain for a long time, and sometimes, never heal. What do we do when that happens?

What do we do when God doesn’t do what we want Him to do? How do we approach the parts of the Scripture which tell us about forgiveness and humility when our society and culture wants nothing to do with those things?

Then as now, Jesus wants us to deal with the skeletons in the closet – or the pains deep within and trust Him to help us through them…will we trust Him that, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Father, Help me with what I don’t want to deal with; what I try to ignore; or what I try to take out on others because I am impotent to resolve…and I want my revenge.

Treasuring...

01.02.13

Luke 2.51 51 Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. NASB

What do you like to think about? What fond and pleasant memories do you have? We have a grandbaby on the way and don’t think for a minute that I don’t treasure that in my heart. I’m of the grand-parenting age and am totally excited about the birth of this child. I think about what we’ll do together. I think about buying him (we know from modern science, medicine, and technology that he is a he) pieces of ABS and PVC pipe and fittings to play with – he may as well start young. I treasure these things in my heart.

Mary, the mother of Jesus treasured thoughts about Jesus in her heart. She’d had an angelic visitation – wow! She’d been told that she was carrying the Son of God in pregnancy. She was told she’d give birth to the Savior of the world. She was frustrated at His being missing at Jerusalem that one time…but later smiled and wondered when she saw the fuss the priests were making over Him. Mary treasured her Firstborn and loved Him though she didn’t fully understand what it was all about.

I think I am like a ping pong ball in a tornado; my thoughts are all over the place. As soon as one hits my mind, I’m off to the next. But I treasure things in my thoughts. I’m learning to treasure what God thinks of me…and all of my fumblings and failings. God treasures me in His heart and that thought is worth treasuring in my own.

I have lived so many years trying to impress others with what I know and what I can do and I am getting to the place where I realize it just doesn’t matter what they think – I can’t control it anyway. I can’t impress them by trying and I need to just be me: loved by God and treasured in His heart.

Mary was free in her thinking to think about anything she wished but she thought about her God. She thought about her Boy; and she thought over and over about the mystery and majesty of His coming to be – through her. I think Mary treasured the thought that God treasured her. That’s a thought worth treasuring. It is a freeing thought and one worth the place of preeminence in our hearts.

In 2013, I have decided that despite the fumblings and failings of our nation, our leaders, and our economy, I am not going to lose sight of the things worth treasuring in my heart. I’m not going to let the news – good or bad – steal my joy and my treasure. My treasure is worth too much and I can’t control the news…

Jesus said, where your treasure is, there is your heart. I think Mary was on to something big because she acknowledged Who was in control of things she maybe didn’t fully understand. That’s good medicine for me as well. Treasuring…