Flub Ups and Do-Overs

Posted on by Betsy

Have you ever done something you instantly regretted, like missing the pop fly in the championship game, failing to get the big fish in the net, blurting out something totally inappropriate, or otherwise completely flubbing something up? I bet you wished you could get a do-over. We’ve all been there and wished that. Sometimes I think I live in the land of FlubUp. I’m actually starting to get mail there.

Today’s reading is a reminder that God always offers do-overs to us:

Deuteronomy 10:1-5 (New Revised Standard Version)

10:1 At that time the LORD said to me (Moses), “Carve out two tablets of stone like the former ones, and come up to me on the mountain, and make an ark of wood. 2 I will write on the tablets the words that were on the former tablets, which you smashed, and you shall put them in the ark.” 3 So I made an ark of acacia wood, cut two tablets of stone like the former ones, and went up the mountain with the two tablets in my hand. 

4 Then he wrote on the tablets the same words as before, the ten commandments that the LORD had spoken to you on the mountain out of the fire on the day of the assembly; and the LORD gave them to me. 5 So I turned and came down from the mountain and put the tablets in the ark that I had made; and there they are, as the LORD commanded me.

 So, Moses and the people of Israel get a do-over! They had already received the Ten Commandments, inscribed in stone by the very finger of God. But when Moses returned with the tablets the first time, he discovered that in his absence the people had turned back to their idols, and his brother had made a golden calf for them to worship. Talk about a flub up! In righteous anger, Moses smashed the first set of tablets, symbolizing the breaking of God’s law by his people. 

 Why did the people turn so quickly away from the God who had just brought them out of slavery in Egypt to a hunk of metal shaped like a farm animal? Because people are created for worship. And so in place of God, we will worship anything: fame, money, the easy high, flattery, the intrigue of an inappropriate relationship, possessions … all kinds of fake things.

 We are the same as our desert ancestors. When we worship all of those inappropriate things, we reject our God who has provided for our every need, if not our every want. The comparison trap of social media only serves to make us want these things even more. Every time you scroll, stop, and pinch out to see an image more clearly, you end up comparing yourself to that person or thing. Whether it’s a celebrity’s new nose, your neighbor’s idyllic vacation photos, a purse you can’t afford, or an unattainable lifestyle, you are in reality worshipping something completely unreal. We lose sight of the difference between needs and wants. We end up creating golden calves multiple times each day, and God is forgotten in our pursuits of these false idols.

 But God, in his mercy, gave the people a do-over. God is always about second chances. Even as you are reading this, God is making his way toward you, offering you a second (or third, or eightieth) chance to get right with him. That is what the cross is all about: delivering us from the slavery of sin and death and bringing us into the land of redemption and freedom. 

 The question is, who or what will you worship? Know this for sure; your golden calf may be shiny and attractive, but it brings you nothing but the hollowness and superficiality of fake gold. 

 Quit falling for it. Turn to the one true God in humility and repentance, and do it over. God will give you every second chance that you need. Thanks be to God!

Needs a Do-Over by Michelle Robertson

Bath-tisms

Posted on by Betsy

Last week I had the privilege of returning to my old church for the baptism of my three youngest grandchildren, who will grow up there. It is my fifth time to be back in that Sanctuary; the first four times were for funerals, and then we attended Christmas Eve service there last year. It is always a bittersweet moment for me, as I loved that church and its people. But how lovely it was to be there baptizing a new generation of family who will be blessed as I was to be a part of such a wonderful congregation! There was some confusion in the three-year-old’s mind, though. He couldn’t understand why he had to go to church for his “bath-tism” since he gets his baths at home. Considering that baths are for getting clean, he wasn’t far off!

As I looked out to the congregation from the stage, I was struck by a memory of kneeling on the concrete floor during the building of that worship center and writing my favorite scripture with a fat sharpie. The building committee had opened the space up before the carpet was laid and everyone was given an opportunity to write something on the bare floor. I chose Romans 8:28:

Romans 8 (Common English Bible)

26 In the same way, the Spirit comes to help our weakness. We don’t know what we should pray, but the Spirit himself pleads our case with unexpressed groans. 27 The one who searches hearts knows how the Spirit thinks, because he pleads for the saints, consistent with God’s will. 28 We know that God works all things together for good for the ones who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 We know this because God knew them in advance, and he decided in advance that they would be conformed to the image of his Son. That way his Son would be the first of many brothers and sisters. 30 Those who God decided in advance would be conformed to his Son, he also called. Those whom he called, he also made righteous. Those whom he made righteous, he also glorified.

I have used that Scripture more in counseling and staff meetings than any other Scripture. I believe it with all my heart. God can use happy times, tragic times, disaster, abundance, scarcity, etc. for our good if we just look for his activity among us. If God is for us, who can be against us?

31 So what are we going to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He didn’t spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. Won’t he also freely give us all things with him?

This is important to remember when you feel that life is crumbling all around you. I have felt that way, and I’m sure you have, too. No matter what, we can never be separated from Christ’s love:

37 But in all these things we win a sweeping victory through the one who loved us. 38 I’m convinced that nothing can separate us from God’s love in Christ Jesus our Lord: not death or life, not angels or rulers, not present things or future things, not powers 39 or height or depth, or any other thing that is created.

If you find yourself in the depth this morning, hold on to this promise. You can never be removed from God’s presence and his amazing and astounding love for you. We are named and claimed in our bath-tisms, and God never lets go.

Neither Height Nor Depth by Michelle Robertson

Just Be Nice

Posted on by Betsy

I have a happy memory of visiting my mother at the paint factory where she worked as the bookkeeper when I was very young. Occasionally my babysitter would drop me off there and I had to wait until mother’s workday was finished. The men in the factory were all like old, wizened uncles to me. One in particular was quite fond of me and always asked me about my day. He called me “Ornery.” It was many years before I knew the definition of that word … but I did like that he gave me a special nickname. Now that I think about it, his choice of words was rather prophetic.

This gentleman once gave me a real treasure. It was a solid green marble ball with a gold and black band around it that read: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” I cherished this gift and hid it under my bed lest my sister try to take it from me. I often thought about the words and the generosity of that craggy old fellow.

I later learned that those words come from the Bible. Listen to this discourse from the book of Luke, as he records Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount. We begin with the “blessed are you” portions:

Luke 6 (New International Version)

20 Looking at his disciples, he said:

“Blessed are you who are poor,
    for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 Blessed are you who hunger now,
    for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now,
    for you will laugh.
22 Blessed are you when people hate you,
    when they exclude you and insult you
    and reject your name as evil,
        because of the Son of Man.

23 “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.

Jesus assured the hearers that the resurrection will reverse all of their current woes. Poverty, hunger, weeping, rejection, exclusion, insults … soon will come a time when earth will pass away, and a time of rejoicing will ensue.

24 “But woe to you who are rich,
    for you have already received your comfort.
25 Woe to you who are well fed now,
    for you will go hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
    for you will mourn and weep.
26 Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you,
    for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.

But woe to those who enjoy the affluence and wealth of this earthly existence, for that, too will pass away and their joy will be short-lived here on earth.

27 “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.

Some people operate from a theology of ‘do unto others before they do unto you.’ Don’t be those people. So today, as you’re driving with angry drivers cutting you off, when you are in rush at the grocery store and the cashier is taking too long, when annoying things happen at home, remember the solid green ball’s message that fascinated a child: do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Just be nice!

Blessed by Michelle Robertson

Birthright

Posted on by Betsy

I came upon a woman in the hair salon this week who was seated on the couch with her foot propped up. She wore a black orthopedic boot on her injured foot, and I saw crutches waiting along the wall for her. I expressed sympathy for her situation and then heard the whole story of how she slipped on the ice and fell down some stairs last February, Because she was gripping the railing, her entire body twisted, dislocating her ankle and tearing the tendons. The long months between then and now were filled with physical therapy, surgery, more injury to her hip and knee ligaments as her body accommodated the ankle injury, etc. It reminded me of the classic children’s book, “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie,” where each decision resulted in a further consequence that had to be dealt with. I certainly sympathized, as I have been there myself with injuries. The day I saw her was the first day she could drive by herself in six months, and she is beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

In our lectionary passage today, we see Jacob at a similar junction in his life. He was the younger of two sons of Isaac but had connived and deceived his father into giving him the birthright that was legally Esau’s. The birthright gave the eldest son control of the land and the family’s fortunes. Once that word was spoken, there was no turning back for any of them. Like the mouse’s cookie, the deception led to further consequences. Esau was angry and wanted revenge, and Jacob’s place as birthright-holder meant that he could not take a wife from among the Canaanites were they lived. For both reasons, Isaac sent Jacob away and Jacob found himself without a home or a family around him.

Genesis 28 (Common English Bible)

10 Jacob left Beer-sheba and set out for Haran. 11 He reached a certain place and spent the night there. When the sun had set, he took one of the stones at that place and put it near his head. Then he lay down there. 12 He dreamed and saw a raised staircase, its foundation on earth and its top touching the sky, and God’s messengers were ascending and descending on it. 13 Suddenly the Lord was standing on it and saying, “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. 14 Your descendants will become like the dust of the earth; you will spread out to the west, east, north, and south. Every family of earth will be blessed because of you and your descendants. 

The legal implication of the stolen birthright meant that Jacob would now become the patriarch of Israel, and his life was forever changed. But as we read it, we realize that it was God’s plan all along for the younger brother to usurp the older one. The mouse got his cookie, the glass of milk, a napkin, and the land of milk and honey.

15 I am with you now, I will protect you everywhere you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done everything that I have promised you.”

When Jacob was scheming for his father’s inheritance, he never imagined what would happen next. Did God approve of his lie? Nope. Did God use all things for the good of Israel? Always. Remember, Esau sold his priceless birthright for a mere bowl of stew. If we think that little of the enormous blessings God has bestowed upon us, we too will pay the consequences. The continuing damage to our environment comes to mind. We have failed to take good care of God’s creation and the evidence of our grabbing the cookie with disregard to the planet is all around us in the form of unbearable heat waves, polluted air and oceans, toxic spills, out of control wild fires, and other environmental disasters. We have forsaken the birthright of our beautiful earth.

16 When Jacob woke from his sleep, he thought to himself, The Lord is definitely in this place, but I didn’t know it. 

So here’s the good news. Even when we are in a spiral of bad decisions, the consequences of someone else’s actions, or things that are plummeting out of control, the Lord is still with us. Sometimes we are like Jacob when we are dealing with things, and we don’t know that the Lord is there.

Are you in such a place right now? Take heart. The Lord is definitely in that place with you, even if you didn’t know it.

The Lord is in This Place by Michelle Robertson

Breaking Dawn

Posted on by Betsy

I am not a morning person, so my favorite way to watch the sunrise is by looking at my friend’s Facebook posts about an hour and a half after the fact. You have seen Michelle’s beautiful photography right here on many of my devotionals. She has a true talent. But Sundays are a different matter because I wake up in the dark to prepare for church. As I caffeinate, I notice the beautiful deep blue that replaces the charcoal grey as the sky prepares to welcome the sun. The sabbath breaking of dawn is almost prettier than the sunrise itself. It is so filled with promise.

Here on the Outer Banks, we enjoy “big sky,” where you can see for miles and miles. There are no high rises, no buildings, and even no trees to obstruct your view. As a friend’s child once observed on a cruise ship, you can “see as far as your eyes can look.” When the sky changes here, it colors the entire horizon.

If you’ve ever spent a sleepless night staring out your window, you know the change that comes over your soul when day finally begins to break. Somehow the company of the sun in your lonliness brings a warmth with it that dispels the darkness of the spirit, and even can bring with it a sense of “maybe this isn’t so bleak” as the night dissipates, and clarity comes in.

Every day is filled with promise. Every day is an opportunity to get it right, undo a wrong, make a difference, bring joy to someone, and talk to the Lord. The breaking dawn signals hope.

Psalm 119 (New International Version)

147 I rise before dawn and cry for help;
    I have put my hope in your word.
148 My eyes stay open through the watches of the night,
    that I may meditate on your promises.
149 Hear my voice in accordance with your love;
    preserve my life, Lord, according to your laws.
150 Those who devise wicked schemes are near,
    but they are far from your law.
151 Yet you are near, Lord,
    and all your commands are true.

The psalmist speaks into the early first strands of sunlight. Having stayed awake all night to meditate on God’s promises, he rises before dawn and cries for help. Ever been there?

So often we put our hope in other things: spouses, family, neighbors, the government, friends….and with luck, these things come through for us. But putting our hope in God’s word is the only thing we can really count on to sustain us and preserve us.

God is near, and his word is always true. So next time you find yourself awake in the dark, lean on his understanding and not your own.

Arise and shine, for your light has come.

Here Comes the Sun by Michelle Robertson

Welcome Home

Posted on by Betsy

Both of my daughters and their families have come home for a visit this summer, and our time spent together has been wonderful. Each one had a list of activities, meals, restaurants, and places they wanted to go that came straight from their childhood summers spent here on the Outer Banks. We relived those experiences, and hope that their children will consider OBX to be their summer home just like their Mamas still do. Home is that place you return to for love, rest, peace, and joy.

A week ago Sat. my church gathered in our Sanctuary and said goodbye to one of our oldest church members. But what we were really saying was Welcome Home. Jesus wanted us to understand that our one TRUE home is with him in heaven. He even promised to go ahead of us and make the beds.

John 14 (The Message)

 You trust God, don’t you? Trust me. There is plenty of room for you in my Father’s home. If that weren’t so, would I have told you that I’m on my way to get a room ready for you? And if I’m on my way to get your room ready, I’ll come back and get you so you can live where I live. And you already know the road I’m taking.”

Think about the word HOME for a moment. What does home mean to you?

1. HOME is a place to REFUGE when life implodes around you. 2. HOME is a place of REUNINTING with loved ones, where forgiveness, acceptance and mending take place. And 3. HOME is a place of REJOICING, where love is served on plates around a table.

When I think of home being a place of refuge, I immediately think of traveling home on semester breaks from college. I lived too far away to come home on weekends and so those Christmas and Spring breaks were life-giving to me. I can remember hauling my suitcase to the Greyhound bus station in State College, PA to ride for about 5 ½ hours to south New Jersey. Finally coming home to my house on 5 Chatham, to my parents, my dog, to my bedroom…. all the stress, text anxiety, all-nighters, the roommate issues, and my responsibilities would just melt away the instant I crossed that threshold and yelled “I’m home!!”  And for the next week, life was easy again, if only temporarily. 

Have you ever come home from a lousy day at work or school and felt that relief of that safe place? Have you ever returned to your childhood home or your grandparents’ home and experienced the comfort that it brought all over again? The HOME that we have with our Great God in heaven will be ten times better than that…. it will be a place of rest and refuge. Life is filled with chaos and confusion, but in heaven, we find our true home in God. And that, my friends, is a reason to rejoice.

And we know the road that will take us there. All who believe in Jesus shall not perish but have eternal life. Do you believe? Have you given your life to Christ? It is never too late.

Welcome Home.

The Road Home by Becca Ziegler

Holy Mackerel

Posted on by Betsy

Many years ago I participated in a baptismal rededication in the Jordan River while on a trip to Israel with 14 travelers. As the officiating pastor, I had to be in the cold January water for everyone’s immersion, and the last fellow to come was about 6’5, and weighed in at 280 lbs. When I dunked him over, the chill of the water and the power of the Holy Spirit combined in that moment, and he completely lost his footing. Hard as I tried, I could not pull him up. I then lost my footing and found myself under water, pushing him back up on his feet. After a bit of floundering, with both of us going downstream for a few minutes, he finally popped up and yelled, “Holy Mackerel!” I don’t know what the mackerel had to do with it, but it was a holy moment for sure. It took me about a week to warm up.

In our Luke passage today, we see Jesus at his baptism at the very same site where I almost drowned the big fellow. All four gospels record this momentous event, which signaled the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Luke tells it in a very compact way, beginning with the people wondering if John was the messiah, to which John responds that the one more powerful than he will come and baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. And then a few sentences later, Luke simply says this:

Luke 3:21-22 (New International Version)

“When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized, too. And as Jesus was praying, heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in boldly form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

That’s kind of amazing, isn’t it? To think people were actually there at Jesus’ baptism! Christ’s baptism is important to us for several reasons.

First, we are immediately struck by Jesus’ humility. To submit to being baptized by a mere human is an expression of deep humility, and he did it for our sake. God is the agent of our baptism. God is at the center of this sacrament. God brings the cleansing of our sin and the blessing and the new life that starts in baptism. And here was God, in the form of Jesus, being baptized by a man. He who was sinless submitted to being baptized by a man. I think Jesus’ humility was an act of courageous obedience to the will of God. He was baptized because of his obedience to his Father, and in doing so, set the example for us. What God desires from us is humble obedience also. Jesus shows us how to submit to the Father’s authority in his baptism.

Another amazing thing about this story is that it reveals Jesus’ divinity, and it is one of the few portrayals of the Trinity in scripture. Remember that the concept of the Trinity—God in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—wasn’t developed by the church until a few hundred years after Jesus’ resurrection. And frankly, the Trinity is a very difficult thing to explain. How can something be one and three all at once? If I had the perfect explanation for the Trinity, I am sure I wouldn’t be sitting here writing this, but rather I would be the Dean at Yale Divinity School or a famous Christian author. But the best analogy I can offer is that the Trinity is like water in the way that it can be flowing water, ice, and steam. But these three things are all water, just in different forms and functions. On the other hand, maybe we can just simply accept the Trinity the way children do…simply. Kids usually get things right. 

The word Trinity does not appear anywhere in the Bible, but at Jesus’ baptism, we see all three persons of the Godhead present. Jesus is in the water, the Holy Spirit appears in the form of a dove, and God speaks. This is important, because we are taught by Jesus himself that anytime we see him, we are seeing a mirror image of God. While fully human, Jesus is also fully divine, and this gives us an accurate picture of the character of God. The picture we see is a picture of divine love … a perfect and complete love.

But for me, the best part of Jesus’ baptism is that it helps us understand our real identity. This passage brings us that “I yam what I yam” moment, to quote Pop-Eye the sailor man. Part of the baptism ritual is something we call “naming and claiming”. We say to the parents, ”What name is given this child?” Or to an adult, “What is your given name?” and the name is spoken aloud. Then we claim that person as a child of God, and in a closer context, a member of this church family. We claim them as God’s, and we claim them as their own. In doing so, we all receive our identity.

Remember that Jesus’ baptism was the beginning of his earthy ministry, like an initiation moment that sent him out to do God’s will and God’s bidding. He was about 30 years old, and to that point had probably been working as a carpenter, like his father Joseph, and probably took over that family business when Joseph died. We know that as a young boy he stayed behind in the Temple when his family went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, that he was obedient to his parents, and he grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man. But now, at his baptism, the heavens open up, the Holy Spirit descends as a dove, and God says, “You are my son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

You, my friends, are the children of God. You are called to live a life worthy of that title. You have been named and claimed by the great and mighty King. Today is a day to remember who we are, and Whose we are. We are called to humble obedience to God’s will and purpose in our lives, so that all who see us may see our good works and give thanks to our Father.

We are Christ’s body at work in the world, reminding the world that it is loved.

Looking for Holy Mackerel by Michelle Robertson

Do Not Give Up

Posted on by Betsy

Have you ever been afraid to try something again that scared or defeated you the first time you did it?

Many of you know that I struggle with claustrophobia. It has most definitely gotten worse as I’ve gotten older. Claustrophobia has prevented me from doing some pretty cool things, like climbing the clock tower at the top of Old Main at Penn State University. I took one look up the narrow, enclosed staircase and my brain went “NOPE” loud enough for the clock to hear it. So I sat at the bottom and waited for everyone to tell me how amazing the views of campus were from up there.

Yesterday, I had an opportunity to climb one of our famous lighthouses in the Outer Banks. My family is visiting, and my daughter wanted to climb the Currituck Lighthouse like she did growing up. I did not have a problem with it in those years, but it does get narrower as you ascend and there is of course only one staircase for people going both ways, so it can get crowded in the summer. As we were driving up there with three very excited grandkids, I told my husband I probably couldn’t climb it. I did not have a problem with the 220 steps (each way) but was anticipating the closeness of the brick walls at the top. He reminded me that I used to do it with ease, but my brain said, “that was then.”

Then I remembered an obscure scripture from 2 Chronicles that encourages us to be strong and not give up:

2 Chronicles 15 (New International Version)

1 The Spirit of God came on Azariah son of Oded. 

2 He went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. 

3 For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach and without the law. 

4 But in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him, and he was found by them. 

5 In those days it was not safe to travel about, for all the inhabitants of the lands were in great turmoil. 

6 One nation was being crushed by another and one city by another, because God was troubling them with every kind of distress. 

7 But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.” 

Israel had walked away from the covenant with God and was full of false idols. The people had forgotten God and lived in great turmoil. There was no one to lead or teach them and they did not remember God’s love and divine mercy. Then the Spirit of God came to Azariah, who gave Asa the word of encouragement that if they were strong and did not give up, God would honor his part of the covenant even when though they had forgotten theirs.

Are you about to give up on something? Are you feeling weak and afraid today? Do you feel like you just can’t keep pushing that rock uphill? Read the full chapter to see what happens next and put yourself back in God’s hands.

As for me, I decided to at least try the climb, promising my brain that if panic started to settle in, I would turn around and go back down. I am glad to say that the risk was rewarded, and I made it to the top. The views were spectacular! I did not have one moment of discomfort on the climb … well, at least not from claustrophobia. Two Hundred and twenty steps straight up left me out of breath! But it was worth it because the view was breathtaking.

As you go about your day, remember these words: be strong, and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.

Be Strong

Weeds of Worry

Posted on by Betsy

Let’s talk about parables today. These simple stories were told in order to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson and were a favorite way of communicating for Jesus. Scholars disagree about the number of parables he told, with the numbers ranging from anywhere from 30 to 50. When his disciples asked him why he so often spoke in parables, he responded by saying that he was trying to create a readiness to receive him in the hearts and minds of the hearers:

Matthew 13:10 (The Message)

10 The disciples came up and asked, “Why do you tell stories?”

11-15 He replied, “You’ve been given insight into God’s kingdom. You know how it works. Not everybody has this gift, this insight; it hasn’t been given to them. Whenever someone has a ready heart for this, the insights and understandings flow freely. But if there is no readiness, any trace of receptivity soon disappears. That’s why I tell stories: to create readiness, to nudge the people toward a welcome awakening. In their present state they can stare till doomsday and not see it, listen till they’re blue in the face and not get it.

They asked him this question after he told a crowd of people a harvest story, which later would be known as the Parable of the Sower:

13 1-3 At about that same time Jesus left the house and sat on the beach. In no time at all a crowd gathered along the shoreline, forcing him to get into a boat. Using the boat as a pulpit, he addressed his congregation, telling stories.

3-8 “What do you make of this? A farmer planted seed. As he scattered the seed, some of it fell on the road, and birds ate it. Some fell in the gravel; it sprouted quickly but didn’t put down roots, so when the sun came up it withered just as quickly. Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled by the weeds. Some fell on good earth and produced a harvest beyond his wildest dreams.

9 “Are you listening to this? Really listening?”

We get to listen in now as Jesus explains the meaning of this beautiful little story to his disciples. God, of course, is the farmer and we are the ground:

18-19 “Study this story of the farmer planting seed. When anyone hears news of the kingdom and doesn’t take it in, it just remains on the surface, and so the Evil One comes along and plucks it right out of that person’s heart. This is the seed the farmer scatters on the road.

20-21 “The seed cast in the gravel—this is the person who hears and instantly responds with enthusiasm. But there is no soil of character, and so when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it.

22 “The seed cast in the weeds is the person who hears the kingdom news, but weeds of worry and illusions about getting more and wanting everything under the sun strangle what was heard, and nothing comes of it.

23 “The seed cast on good earth is the person who hears and takes in the News, and then produces a harvest beyond his wildest dreams.”

Road, gravel, weeds, or good earth. It is obvious what type of ground Jesus wants us to be. Only in good soil can a seed be planted, watered, and grown to a full harvest.

Have you ever been gravel? Has your need to pursue your own self-interests left your heart as solid as the surface of a road? Are you so busy with worldly concerns that God’s seed falls among your weeds of worry?

Be good soil today. Open your heart and mind to receive God’s word and his instruction for your life. Insights and understanding will flow from your very being, and you will be ready to do as God instructs. When we do that, the harvest is full and plentiful.

And that’s the good news.

Weeds of Worry by Michelle Robertson

Labels

Posted on by Betsy

A recent trip to the vet to refill my dog’s prescriptions gave me a good chuckle as I stood at the reception counter. I looked down as I was handing my credit card over and spotted sticky labels that are used to alert the staff about potential behaviors an animal might have (see picture below). I spotted the “Aggressive,” “May Bite,” and “Might Bite” labels right away. Immediately I thought that it might be easier if people came appropriately labeled. It would give you a heads up about who to avoid and who is safe for interaction.

Of course, labeling is a terrible idea for people. Communities that have fought for decades against stereotyping have taught us this. Negative stereotypes are obviously harmful, but positive stereotypes can be damaging as well, as they force people into a “box” where not everyone belongs. Teachers know this better than anyone, I think. Labeling students as lazy, slow, good at math, or compliant robs each one of their individuality. It is better to let people speak for themselves and take a moment to look beyond the outer information to see what is hidden underneath.

This thinking is biblical. God reminded Samuel that outer appearances may tell one story, but looking into the inner self is wiser. In our Scripture this morning, Samuel has been sent by God to anoint the next king of Israel. He has been directed to observe Jesse’s many fine sons, among whom is God’s choice:

2 Samuel 16 (The Message)

16 God addressed Samuel: “So, how long are you going to mope over Saul? You know I’ve rejected him as king over Israel. Fill your flask with anointing oil and get going. I’m sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I’ve spotted the very king I want among his sons.”

2-3 “I can’t do that,” said Samuel. “Saul will hear about it and kill me.”

God said, “Take a heifer with you and announce, ‘I’ve come to lead you in worship of God, with this heifer as a sacrifice.’ Make sure Jesse gets invited. I’ll let you know what to do next. I’ll point out the one you are to anoint.”

4 Samuel did what God told him. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the town fathers greeted him, but apprehensively. “Is there something wrong?”

5 “Nothing’s wrong. I’ve come to sacrifice this heifer and lead you in the worship of God. Prepare yourselves, be consecrated, and join me in worship.” He made sure Jesse and his sons were also consecrated and called to worship.

6 When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, “Here he is! God’s anointed!”

7 But God told Samuel, “Looks aren’t everything. Don’t be impressed with his looks and stature. I’ve already eliminated him. God judges persons differently than humans do. Men and women look at the face; God looks into the heart.”

8 Jesse then called up Abinadab and presented him to Samuel. Samuel said, “This man isn’t God’s choice either.”

9 Next Jesse presented Shammah. Samuel said, “No, this man isn’t either.”

10 Jesse presented his seven sons to Samuel. Samuel was blunt with Jesse, “God hasn’t chosen any of these.”

11 Then he asked Jesse, “Is this it? Are there no more sons?”

“Well, yes, there’s the runt. But he’s out tending the sheep.”

Samuel ordered Jesse, “Go get him. We’re not moving from this spot until he’s here.”

12 Jesse sent for him. He was brought in, the very picture of health—bright-eyed, good-looking.

God said, “Up on your feet! Anoint him! This is the one.”

13 Samuel took his flask of oil and anointed him, with his brothers standing around watching. The Spirit of God entered David like a rush of wind, God vitally empowering him for the rest of his life.

Samuel left and went home to Ramah.

You can see from this story that if Samuel had followed his intuition, David would not have been selected as king. This is a great reminder to look upon the heart, not the appearance, of people we encounter. Who knows what relationships might form if we were to do that! Our neighborhoods might be more peaceful, our workplaces might have more harmony, and politicians might actually have to run on issues rather than character assassinations.

It wasn’t until I got home and looked at the picture again that I noticed the label that said, “May Give Kisses.” Our challenge today it to encounter a stranger and label them “May Give Kisses” and deal with them accordingly.

A greater challenge is to wear that one ourselves.

May Give Kisses