I have a good friend who ferries boats up and down the East coast for a living. An accomplished captain, he navigates all kinds of weather and conditions. This man is a solid Christian, a recovered addict, and a leader of others who struggle with addiction. He has weathered all kinds of storms in his life as well as on the water. But the strength of his faith is ironclad. Through all of his experiences, he has learned to trust God and wholly yield to God’s will. Everyone who knows him is blessed by his example.
My friend is living proof that you can survive the worst storm of your life if you submit your life to Jesus. He sent me this picture last week and commented that some mornings you wake up and suddenly you are in the midst of the storm. But on that day, God hasn’t changed. The only thing that changes is the height and depth of the waves around us, but God is consistent, present, and unchangeable.
I immediately thought of the Scripture that demonstrates God’s power to overcome any storm we face in our lives:
Luke 8 (New International Version)
22 One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. 23 As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.
24 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!”
He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. 25 “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples.
In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”
If you are in the midst of high seas and battering winds, remember who commands even the winds and the water. Jesus is in control of every dangerous thing that threatens to drown you. Like my friend, if you submit to his power and do his will, you will sail on to better seas.
Sometimes the storm is of our own making. Submitting to his will may mean getting serious about your addictions, behaviors, or destructive habits. It may mean physically leaving a place or a relationship that has grown toxic. It may mean risking everything to pursue a positive outcome. It may mean letting go of something so that you can fully grasp the life that he promised.
What storm are you in today? When you find Jesus, you will find the calm.
I had the pleasure of having a conversation with a trusted and valued friend where the subject of “plans made and suddenly changed” came up. We acknowledged the need for grieving when that happens, and I found her comments to be both wise and helpful. Even when you are handling the change with patience and grace, it is still a good and necessary thing to recognize that unexpected change can take a toll on your heart. I think when we have come out the other side of these events and are mostly “unscathed,” we want to minimize or dismiss the impact that the loss of something that we had planned and looked forward to can have on us. This is not a healthy response. It is good to acknowledge the disruption, mourn over it, work through the grief of that unexpected change, and then seek closure. It is also good to count the blessings we see even in the midst of the trial.
I want to invite you to think about a situation or time when you felt the extreme heat of disappointment, an unfulfilled dream, a sudden illness, the end of a relationship, or a life-changing loss. To liken those events to being engulfed in extreme heat should give you a sense of what Isaiah was writing about in Isaiah 25. He is writing about the unexpected change that came over Israel when the surrounding nations assaulted them and drove his people out. Isaiah wisely acknowledged this tragedy, and then focuses our attention to the “plans formed of old” and praises God for the deliverance that will eventually come.
Isaiah 25 (New Revised Standard Version)
O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure. 2 For you have made the city a heap, the fortified city a ruin; the palace of foreigners is a city no more; it will never be rebuilt. 3 Therefore strong peoples will glorify you; cities of ruthless nations will fear you.
Note that Isaiah began this writing with words of praise and thanksgiving. The Assyrians had already overtaken the Northern Kingdom and Isaiah’s role as prophet was to warn of the time when the Babylonians would seize Jerusalem. It was a time of great tribulation and a forecast of the Great Tribulation that will come at the end of time. If you are in a tribulation or remembering a time of great trouble, you will find instructions here on how to handle your situation. The first step is to praise. Isaiah said, “I will exalt you,” a reminder that worshipping God in the storm is a choice we make. Will you exalt God in your disappointment?
4 For you have been a refuge to the poor, a refuge to the needy in their distress, a shelter from the rainstorm and a shade from the heat. When the blast of the ruthless was like a winter rainstorm, 5 the noise of foreigners like heat in a dry place, you subdued the heat with the shade of clouds; the song of the ruthless was stilled.
Even on our worst days, God is worthy to be praised. He offers refuge to the needy and provides shelter in bad times. He fights our battles for us and never leaves our side.
6 On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear.
Christian readers will feel an immediate pull toward seeing this next section as a description of the Feast of the Lamb that Revelation talks about:
“for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Revelation 7:17
7 And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the covering that is spread over all nations; 8 he will swallow up death forever. Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.
All of our disappointments will be swallowed up, for the Lord has spoken. In the end, isn’t that the only thing that really matters?
9 It will be said on that day, “See, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
Having this conversation with my friend provided a shade from the heat. Who in your life is in a predicament that burns? Can you offer comfort just by listening? God is on our side in all times of distress, and we can offer hope to others by reminding them of that very thing. Reach out to someone today and give them a listening ear. You will be blessed to be a blessing.
“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
This beautiful prayer is a hallmark of 12 Step groups such as AA. The origin of it is somewhat disputed, but look at this longer prayer written by theologian Reinhold Niebuhr:
God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things which should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.
Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time, accepting hardship as a pathway to peace.
Taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it.
Trusting that You will make all things right, if I surrender to Your will, so that I may be reasonably happy in this life, and supremely happy with You forever in the next.
Amen.
The pursuit of serenity and peace is something that consumes many of us, with little to no results. The reason may be that we are using the wrong things to find it. Hoping to find serenity in alcohol, drugs, food, “retail therapy”, inappropriate relationships, overworking, over exercising, attempting to control everything around us … even the list itself is exhausting.
I know someone who religiously gets up every morning to pour over every single page of a national newspaper, thinking that intellectual pursuit of answers to her anxiety about the current state of affairs will bring her peace. It does not. I know someone else who is up at the crack of dawn to exercise, followed by more cardio work and group classes throughout the day, in hopes that physical exhaustion will settle her mind down. It does not. Neither will the every afternoon Happy Hour routine, the weed smoked before class, the sexting, the pornography, the overspending, the under-eating … nothing we can produce or manufacture will bring us true peace. It is all lies, smoke, and mirrors fueled by industries who are just trying to produce more consumption of useless things.
Niebuhr was right. Accepting hardship, rather than denying it, is the pathway to peace. Living one day at a time, rather than spinning with worry about tomorrow, will lead us to serenity. Enjoying one moment at a time, rather than comparing that moment to the fun everyone on Fakebook seems to be having, will lead to acceptance of the world as it is. And the key? “Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His will.”
Take a look at verses 3 and 4 of this passage from Isaiah. Note that the voice changes in this passage; verse 1 and 2 describes what is happening, verse 3 addresses God, and verse 4 addresses us.
Isaiah 26
1 In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
“We have a strong city;
he sets up salvation
as walls and bulwarks.
2 Open the gates,
that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in.”
3 You keep him in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on You,
because he trusts in You.
4 Trust in the Lord forever,
for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.
To be kept in this perfect peace, our minds must be “stayed” on God. The Hebrew word “sawmak” comes from the root “to prop,” and is translated as “to lean upon or take hold of; to bear up, establish, uphold, lay, lean, lie hard, put, rest self, set self, stand fast, stay, sustain.” (Strong’s Dictionary)
So, what sustains your mind? What do you lay your mind upon? What does your mind stand fast upon? What is your mind leaning on? To have perfect peace, your mind can’t just occasionally visit the Lord; it has to be STAYED on him. Keeping your mind, heart, soul and activity wholly centered on God is the way to peace.
Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.Real Serenity by Michelle Robertson.
A long time ago I did a children’s sermon on the word “hope” and used it as an acronym to explain what it means to have hope. Hope is wanting something to get better. So we can have HOPE when we remember that there are always (H)elpers who will come alongside of us when we are in trouble. And if we remain (O)pen to seeing what God is doing all around us, it can help us to realize that God is working for good in our situation. Of course, HOPE comes to us when we (P)ray, and we should always (E)xpect that God is listening to us and will answer in his time, because his Word promises exactly that. That’s hope!
I want you to think of places in your life where you are lacking hope. Perhaps your job situation or your business is crumbling around you. Maybe your marriage or a relationship is in trouble. A challenging child or your teenager might be a dark place for you today, or maybe a betrayal or argument has kept you up at night.
Whatever is going on in your life that has left you feeling hopeless, this scripture is for you:
Zechariah 9 (New Revised Standard Version)
Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Does that sound like Jesus? Zechariah was an Old Testament prophet, proclaiming the coming of the long-awaited Messiah. With New Testament hindsight, we can see Jesus entering Jerusalem on Palm Sunday in this passage.
10 He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war-horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall command peace to the nations; his dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.
As Christian readers, we see a prefiguring of Christ’s Second Coming in this verse. We all long for the day when Christ’s dominion will rule the earth and his peace will be known in every nation. Come, Lord Jesus, come!
11 As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. 12 Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double.
Here’s where it gets personal. You have a blood-covenant relationship with Christ if you are part of his flock. He is active right now in setting you free from the waterless pit of your despair. So return to your stronghold by looking for helpers, opening your heart to God’s activity, praying without ceasing, and expecting God to restore you. Hope is your stronghold. Cling to that.
In times of great distress, God calls us to be prisoners of hope. May we never let go of that chain.
“Hope is a thing with feathers…” by Michelle Robertson (quote by Emily Dickinson)
Today’s passage from the book of Acts is a whirlwind of circumstances that only the apostles could have experienced. It is hard for us to imagine the fervor and absolute dedication these men had for proclaiming the gospel. They did so at great expense, even at the expense of their lives, yet it is obvious when we read these accounts that they counted all that cost as gain for the kingdom. The times they lived in were turbulent and dangerous, but they were never perturbed or dissuaded from their cause.
In this story, we have an unexpected visitation of an angel from the Lord, who arrived at just the right moment to open prison doors so that they may continue delivering their message:
Acts 5:17-42(Common English Bible)
The Jerusalem Council harasses the apostles
17 The high priest, together with his allies, the Sadducees, was overcome with jealousy. 18 They seized the apostles and made a public show of putting them in prison. 19 An angel from the Lord opened the prison doors during the night and led them out. The angel told them, 20 “Go, take your place in the temple, and tell the people everything about this new life.” 21 Early in the morning, they went into the temple as they had been told and began to teach.
Wow! If you are like me, you didn’t see that coming. It is such a beautiful reminder of the presence of angels. Surely God can and will use everything in his power to release us from the bondage of life circumstances that keep us trapped in sin, despair, regret, and misery. Do you believe in angels?
When the high priest and his colleagues gathered, they convened the Jerusalem Council, that is, the full assembly of Israel’s elders. They sent word to the prison to have the apostles brought before them. 22 However, the guards didn’t find them in the prison. They returned and reported,23 “We found the prison locked and well-secured, with guards standing at the doors, but when we opened the doors we found no one inside!” 24 When they received this news, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were baffled and wondered what might be happening. 25 Just then, someone arrived and announced, “Look! The people you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!” 26 Then the captain left with his guards and brought the apostles back. They didn’t use force because they were afraid the people would stone them.
27 The apostles were brought before the council where the high priest confronted them: 28 “In no uncertain terms, we demanded that you not teach in this name. And look at you! You have filled Jerusalem with your teaching. And you are determined to hold us responsible for this man’s death.”
It is interesting to note that the council didn’t use force on the apostles, because they were afraid the people would stone them if they did. The high priest commanded the men to stop teaching in Jesus’ name. Truth be told, he should have been afraid of apostles, not the people. After all, they had an angel of the Lord on their side as they spoke God’s powerful truth.
29 Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than humans!30 The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God has exalted Jesus to his right side as leader and savior so that he could enable Israel to change its heart and life and to find forgiveness for sins. 32 We are witnesses of such things, as is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
Peter spoke an uncompromising truth. We must obey God rather than humans. It is so easy to get into the trap of going along with the crowd, keeping quiet so as to not ruffle feathers, hiding our witness for fear of ridicule or rejection, and spending our lives just trying to blend in. But that is not what the apostles did. They spoke boldly and without hesitation.
33 When the council members heard this, they became furious and wanted to kill the apostles. 34 One council member, a Pharisee and teacher of the Law named Gamaliel, well-respected by all the people, stood up and ordered that the men be taken outside for a few moments. 35 He said, “Fellow Israelites, consider carefully what you intend to do to these people. 36 Some time ago, Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and some four hundred men joined him. After he was killed, all of his followers scattered, and nothing came of that. 37 Afterward, at the time of the census, Judas the Galilean appeared and got some people to follow him in a revolt. He was killed too, and all his followers scattered far and wide. 38 Here’s my recommendation in this case: Distance yourselves from these men. Let them go! If their plan or activity is of human origin, it will end in ruin. 39 If it originates with God, you won’t be able to stop them. Instead, you would actually find yourselves fighting God!”
Gamaliel was logical and correct. His argument was simple and persuasive. If the activity of the apostles was human, it would end in ruin. This convinced the council to let the apostles go. His conclusion was also brilliant. He was right in saying that if their teaching actually did originate with God, the council won’t be able to stop them anyway. Nothing can stop God.
The council was convinced by his reasoning. 40 After calling the apostles back, they had them beaten. They ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, then let them go. 41 The apostles left the council rejoicing because they had been regarded as worthy to suffer disgrace for the sake of the name. 42 Every day they continued to teach and proclaim the good news that Jesus is the Christ, both in the temple and in houses.
And so they continued to teach.
How dedicated to Christ and his mission are you? Are you willing to suffer persecution, rejection, or ridicule? Are you just going along with the crowd so that you can fit in? Do you worry about losing friends or relatives if you share your faith with them?
May we take courage from the apostles’ example and be willing to suffer disgrace for the sake of the name of Jesus. In the end, that is what will matter.
A few weeks ago I met a young girl named Emily who did NOT want to ride TRON, the new high-speed rollercoaster at Walt Disney World. She and her parents were waiting in line behind my husband and me, and she was crying the entire time. In those situations, you cannot help but overhear the conversations around you, and my mama-heart went out to her. Her parents were doing an excellent job of both encouraging her to be brave and allowing her to decide whether or not to ride. The ride offers cleverly placed exits just before you board your lightcycle in case you have a change of heart. They also have a way for one adult to ride alone while the other waits with the child, and then swap without having to go through the line again. All the options were available to Emily.
I took advantage of an opportune moment in the line to turn around and address her. I asked her if it was her first time to ride, knowing it was. I asked her if she was scared, and she nodded through her tears. I then told her that it was my second time, but the first time I was scared, too, because doing something for the first time is always a little scary. I went on to describe the ride, talk about the cool lockers where you stash your things before you board, and how much I was looking forward to riding it again. I told her I was very proud of how brave she was being, but also very proud of how she was able to tell her parents about her feelings, because that takes courage, too. Finally I said that she should be proud of herself whether she decides to ride or not, because she was willing to try something new, even if this she decided that this wasn’t the right time.
As I was bending over to speak to her, her mother reached around her shoulder to squeeze mine in one of those, “thank you, mama” moments. We exchanged looks and nodded to each other.
David understood fear and felt it deeply when his attackers were close on his heels. Psalm 56 was written about the time when the Philistines captured David in Gath, as recorded in 1 Samuel 21. It deals with the period between the visit to the tabernacle at Nob and his arrival at Adullam when David was alone, desperate, and afraid.
Fortunately, David knew what to do with his fear.
Psalm 56 (Common English Bible)
3 whenever I’m afraid, I put my trust in you— 4 in God, whose word I praise. I trust in God; I won’t be afraid. What can mere flesh do to me?
5 All day long they frustrate my pursuits; all their thoughts are evil against me. 6 They get together and set an ambush— they are watching my steps, hoping for my death. 7 Don’t rescue them for any reason! In wrath bring down the people, God!
8 You yourself have kept track of my misery. Put my tears into your bottle— aren’t they on your scroll already?
Here was David, the slayer of lions, bears, and giants, and he was afraid. But he knew to acknowledge his fear and deal with it by trusting God. When he boldly proclaimed his faith, his fear moved aside, and his faith took over. He put his faith in God’s word, which he knew to be trustworthy. Fear was there, but it did not rule him … trust did. Even when we are scared, trust gives us enough momentum to take the next step toward faith.
What are you afraid of today? What has you immobilized in fear? God is able to come along side of your fear and help you move forward into faith.
When we got off the ride, I looked through the crowd to see if I could spot Emily. We had gotten separated before we rode, so I did not know if she got on or not. Sure enough, there she was with her parents, standing by the exit. I asked her if she rode, and she beamed with pride and said she had! We high-fived several times and she couldn’t stop talking about it and wanted to know if I had been on Guardians of the Galaxy, which they would ride the next day. I assured her that once she had conquered TRON, she could ride anything. We chatted some more and high fived several more times, and her parents glowed with their pride for her. I was proud of her, too.
The next time God calls you to do something new and scary, remember Emily. It’s okay to be afraid. God is with you.
Sometimes, lamenting comes via text. My daughter sent me a text this week to report that a leaky toilet in her house was being repaired by the plumber for a cost of a $10 flange plus labor. This was good news right up until he were almost finished and suddenly they could hear sounds of water spraying. The plumber’s helper ran down the stairs to turn the water off outside, but not before water started coming through the lights in her kitchen. The next text reported that a restoration company was on the way.
I sure hope that plumber has good insurance, or he will be doing some lamenting of his own.
In Hebrew, the word lament means “to wail.” It is an expression of sorrow, pain, and confusion. We are invited to take our regret, grief, and sadness to God whenever we become overwhelmed by our situation.
In the book of Lamentations, the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah did exactly that. This book expresses the humiliation, sorrow, and regret of the citizens of Jerusalem following the devastation of the city by the Babylonians in 587 BC. Lamentations was probably written for public rituals when the people gathered to remember the destruction of the city of Jerusalem and the Temple. As you read today’s passage, you will certainly hear the weeping and wailing of a defeated nation and a depressed prophet:
Lamentations 1 (Common English Bible)
7 While suffering and homeless, Jerusalem remembers all her treasures from days long past. When her people fell by the enemy’s hand, there was no one to help her. Enemies saw her, laughed at her defeat.
8 Jerusalem has sinned greatly; therefore, she’s become a joke. All who honored her now detest her, for they’ve seen her naked. Even she groans and turns away.
9 Her uncleanness shows on her clothing; she didn’t consider what would happen to her. She’s gone down shockingly; she has no comforter. “Lord, look at my suffering—the enemy has definitely triumphed!”
This is painful to read. The humiliation and deep embarrassment is obvious. Note how Jeremiah personified the city as a fallen woman. It is intended to make us wince.
10 The enemy grabbed all her treasures. She watched nations enter her sanctuary— nations that you, God, commanded: They must not enter your assembly.
11 All her people are groaning, seeking bread. They give up their most precious things for food to survive. “Lord, look and take notice: I am most certainly despised.”
If you have ever lamented a situation or regretted a decision you made, you can relate to the depth of despair that Jeremiah felt for his beloved city. Worst of all, it could have been prevented if they had just heeded all the warnings he and the other prophets gave the people. How devastating it must have felt to watch them ignore the word of God and then have everything removed from them.
12 Is this nothing to all you who pass by? Look around: Is there any suffering like the suffering inflicted on me, the grief that the Lord caused on the day of his fierce anger?
13 From above he sent fire into my bones; he trampled them. He spread a net for my feet; he forced me backward. He left me devastated, constantly sick.
14 My steps are being watched; by his hand they are tripped up. His yoke is on my neck; he makes my strength fail. My Lord has handed me over to people I can’t resist.
Are you lamenting something? Do you feel the sharp sting of an injustice, or a bad decision gone wrong? It is alright to wail. It is normal to weep. When sorrow and anguish are deep, it helps to articulate them and release the overwhelming sadness from your heart.
That is when it is a good time to find a brother or sister in Christ and just vent. That is when it is a good time to pick up a pen and a piece of paper and journal your thoughts. That is when it is a good time to pray.
So if you are lamenting something today, know that you are in good company. And remember that in the end, God heard the lamentations of the people and restored Jerusalem.
I spoke with a church member this week who told me that her father has just been given a terminal diagnosis. Her mother is suffering with Alzheimer’s, so as she grappled with the painful news of her father’s illness, she was also trying to deal with what will happen to her mother when he dies. The responsibility of caring for the remaining parent is a difficult thing to negotiate. If this has happened to you, you know the awful challenge of deciding what to do when the first parent, who has been faithfully caring for the second parent, is no longer here.
While his death is not imminent, she wanted to think through options so that she will be ready. I have been with families when a sudden death occurred and completely knocked them sideways, and I’ve been with others who knew they were in the final months and days of life. Neither one is easy. But the chance that some people get to prepare for death is a blessing when it happens. It always helps to be ready for major life changes.
In this final chapter of 1 Thessalonians, Paul addressed the Second Coming head on. He didn’t dance around the subject but laid out an expectation that the people would be ready. Reminding them that they were “children of the day,” he encouraged them to be sober, alert, and ready to roll:
1 Thessalonians 5 (Common English Bible)
5 We don’t need to write to you about the timing and dates, brothers and sisters. 2 You know very well that the day of the Lord is going to come like a thief in the night. 3 When they are saying, “There is peace and security,” at that time sudden destruction will attack them, like labor pains start with a pregnant woman, and they definitely won’t escape. 4 But you aren’t in darkness, brothers and sisters, so the day won’t catch you by surprise like a thief. 5 All of you are children of light and children of the day. We don’t belong to night or darkness.
6 So then, let’s not sleep like the others, but let’s stay awake and stay sober. 7 People who sleep sleep at night, and people who get drunk get drunk at night. 8 Since we belong to the day, let’s stay sober, wearing faithfulness and love as a piece of armor that protects our body and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 9 God didn’t intend for us to suffer his wrath but rather to possess salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 Jesus died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with him. 11 So continue encouraging each other and building each other up, just like you are doing already.
People who belong to the day stay awake and sober, wearing faithfulness and love as a piece of armor. What a beautiful image! When we sit at the bedside of a loved one who is dying, armor is useful. When we are given terminal diagnosis, lose our jobs, send our kids off to college, welcome a new baby, etc., it helps to be ready. Those moments of great change can assault you with the arrows of anticipation, fear, and feeling overwhelmed. Armor would help! Help us, Lord, to be ready.
Paul went on to say that we can also wear our hope of salvation as a helmet. This is reminiscent of Ephesians 6:10, where Paul detailed putting on the full armor of God in order to combat the Evil One. It is a good analogy. As we wait for the Second Coming, we need to be ready to do battle for our souls and protect ourselves with faithfulness, love, and especially hope.
But I love what he said in verses 10 and 11. Jesus died so that we will live together with him, so our job now is to continue encouraging each other and building each other up. Do you do that? Do you speak words of encouragement to your loved ones or are you critical and dismissive? Do you build up your friends and co-workers or tear them down? What do you need to change to truly be ready for the day of accountability?
How many of you meticulously follow the directions of recipes? I do on the odd occasions when I bake, but when I am preparing a meal, I have more of a “Oh, I’ll just wing it” attitude. I don’t bother with measuring things, but rather go by trial and error. My son-in-law asked me for my coleslaw recipe last week and I really struggled to guess the measurements and ratios of apple cider vinegar, monk fruit, Beau Monde, salt, pepper, and mayo. I hope I guessed right, and he wasn’t disappointed when he made it. (By the way, Beau Monde is my secret weapon. It is a Spice Islands product and hard to find. You can thank me later.)
We finish our look at 1 Thessalonians 4 today, and it doesn’t disappoint. It almost reads like a recipe at the end, where Paul is listing the ingredients for a harmonious and hopeful community. Put all these things together, he says, and you will truly have a “beautiful world.”
Final instructions and blessing
1 Thessalonians 4 (Common English Bible)
12 Brothers and sisters, we ask you to respect those who are working with you, leading you, and instructing you. 13 Think of them highly with love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. 14 Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are disorderly. Comfort the discouraged. Help the weak. Be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure no one repays a wrong with a wrong, but always pursue the good for each other and everyone else. 16 Rejoice always. 17 Pray continually. 18 Give thanks in every situation because this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 19 Don’t suppress the Spirit. 20 Don’t brush off Spirit-inspired messages, 21 but examine everything carefully and hang on to what is good. 22 Avoid every kind of evil.23 Now, may the God of peace himself cause you to be completely dedicated to him; and may your spirit, soul, and body be kept intact and blameless at our Lord Jesus Christ’s coming. 24 The one who is calling you is faithful and will do this.
Taking this last section and boiling it down to a list of ingredients, Paul is clear about his expectations of their behavior:
*Respect each other.
*Live in peace.
*Warn the disorderly.
*Comfort the discouraged.
*Help the weak.
*Be patient.
*Rejoice, pray, and give thanks in everything.
*Don’t ignore the Spirit.
*Avoid evil.
*Hang on to what is good.
This last thing is what I suggest to my church members when they are entering a time of troubled waters. Hang on to what is good. And what is good is knowing that you are not alone in this life or in the next. The promise and hope of the resurrection guarantees that the end of life here is just the beginning of life there, where we will all be reunited.
And that, my friends, is good.
Final greeting
25 Brothers and sisters, pray for us. 26 Greet all the brothers and sisters with a holy kiss. 27 By the Lord’s authority, I order all of you to have this letter read aloud to all the brothers and sisters. 28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you.
Today we get to dip our toes into the parable pool and see what we can learn. Jesus used parables to teach his listeners about what the kingdom of heaven was like. They probably had a lot of different ideas about that. For example, we can assume that a Pharisee would have a different idea than a pagan. Jesus tried to dispel all the preconceived notions and bring everyone to a singular vision without being confrontational (to the Pharisee) or too vague (to the pagan). When it came to understanding an audience, Jesus was a master of framing a story so that everyone could catch a glimpse of the topic while still keeping it a mystery. Surely, none of us will understand the kingdom of God until we get there. But in this parable, we learn that the kingdom’s version of what is fair will not be what we expect.
Matthew 20:1-16 (The Message)
20 1-2 “God’s kingdom is like an estate manager who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. They agreed on a wage of a dollar a day, and went to work.
3-5 “Later, about nine o’clock, the manager saw some other men hanging around the town square unemployed. He told them to go to work in his vineyard and he would pay them a fair wage. They went.
5-6 “He did the same thing at noon, and again at three o’clock. At five o’clock he went back and found still others standing around. He said, ‘Why are you standing around all day doing nothing?’
7 “They said, ‘Because no one hired us.’
“He told them to go to work in his vineyard.
8 “When the day’s work was over, the owner of the vineyard instructed his foreman, ‘Call the workers in and pay them their wages. Start with the last hired and go on to the first.’
9-12 “Those hired at five o’clock came up and were each given a dollar. When those who were hired first saw that, they assumed they would get far more. But they got the same, each of them one dollar. Taking the dollar, they groused angrily to the manager, ‘These last workers put in only one easy hour, and you just made them equal to us, who slaved all day under a scorching sun.’
Oh, they groused angrily! And who can blame them? Can you imagine how it felt to those who had been picking grapes in the blistering sun since daybreak to see those who sauntered in at sunset get the same wage? Unfair!! Call the Union! Organize a protest!
13-15 “He replied to the one speaking for the rest, ‘Friend, I haven’t been unfair. We agreed on the wage of a dollar, didn’t we? So take it and go. I decided to give to the one who came last the same as you. Can’t I do what I want with my own money? Are you going to get stingy because I am generous?’
What a beautiful response. Can’t I do what I want with my own things? It’s mine to give. Should I not be generous because you are stingy?
You see, the workers were using the wrong measuring stick. They measured fairness by the length of time it took to work. The manager measured fairness by what he was able to give. Grace and mercy always outweigh any other measurement you can come up with.
And it was his to give.
16 “Here it is again, the Great Reversal: many of the first ending up last, and the last first.”
There will be many Great Reversals in heaven. You may be surprised to see who is seated at the great banquet next to you. On the other hand, they may be surprised to see you there, too!
God is the author and creator of fairness. Thank God he thought it was fair to send his son to redeem every single one of us, whether we confess him from birth or with our dying breath.
Real Serenity by Michelle Robertson.
At Water’s Edge 