Look to the Future

Moses

And the Lord said to [Moses], “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, ‘I will give it to your offspring.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there.” Deuteronomy 34:4

It strikes me as somewhat sad that Moses never got to actually enter into the Promised Land after he led the Israelites through the desert for 40 years. And I think of Abraham and Sarah, who never got to actually see the multitudes of descendants that came about through them and their miracle son Isaac, whom God had promised to them.

Maybe it is because I am solidly in middle age, but it occurs to me now more profoundly that I will most likely not be here in 50 year, so I will not see the end result of some projects or plans in the works in my personal or professional life.

The same applies for us in the Church. What we do now may not see full completion in our lifetimes. So how do we respond to that reality? For me, it comes down to three areas:

  1. Place. We must do all we can to make the house of the Lord a place that remains intact. What can we do now to make sure that the building where we worship today is clean, presentable, well-kept, in good condition and a welcoming structure for visitors and members in the future who will pray, praise and give thanks to God here.
  2. Community. It is imperative for Christian believers of the future to be a part of a vibrant, reverent, dedicated, faithful, loving, caring and forgiving community. We can lay the groundwork for that type of community now in how we intereract in a Christ-like manner with those around us, and we can grow that community by offering more opportunities to gather and enjoy each other’s company.
  3. Vision. It will be hard for future generations to know where they are going if there is no vision. We must make certain that the Christian vision of a future in heaven with Jesus for all who believe in him is clearly voiced, repeated and passed on. It is this vision that will bring focus to future days here in earth, even when we are no longer here.

Think of ways you can look to the future in what you say and do. Though you may not be able to see it currently, your life now has impact on what happens later. Lean in to that privilege.

He Is Not Here!

tomb

The first words of the angel to the women outside the empty tomb of Jesus on Easter were, “He is not here!” Why make a point to say that? It is a declaration to the women and to us that Jesus is not in a place of death any longer. You cannot find him in any area dedicated to grief and sadness now. Why? Because he is risen, just as he said. What does that mean for us? We don’t need to dwell in sadness and grief anymore. We are released from the grip of death and are no more entombed by any sin. We are free to live a new life in him out there in the world and in the world to come. Alleluia! Amen.

Sirens

siren

At my mom’s church, if the sound of an ambulance siren is heard duing worship, the congregation stops what they are doing and the pastor says a prayer for the patient, the EMTs and the doctors and nurses who will care for the patient. I experienced this happening one time during a Thanksgiving worship service. I found it very touching and a nice reminder that we need to be always aware of the needs of those all around us. And it was a good way to remember that any time is a good time to pray.

Recently, at a concert I attended, something similar happened. During some high notes that a soprano was singing in a solo, the siren of an ambulance went by with high-pitched sounds that almost exactly matched the soprano’s voice. It was a moment that helped me to realize that we need to stay in tune with the circumstances of others. As the Bible tells us, “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn” (Romans 12:15). As the body of Christ, we need to echo the outcries of joy or pain of our fellow brothers and sisters in the faith because we are one in the spirit and are called to commiserate with them.

Lately, coincidently, I have heard the emergency sirens go off a few times at work and at home to warn of a tornado in the area. The immediate response to such a siren is to go to a basement or the most interior room of a building or dwelling to keep safe from damaging storms. When the storms of life of any kind are heading toward us, it is always good to immediately seek refuge, shelter and protection from Jesus, who keeps us safe from harm through his death and resurrection.

Let any sirens you may hear in your day-to-day living be a wake-up call to you to always reach out to God, care for those around you, and find comfort in Christ.

Forever

forever

The clothing store Forever 21 recently announced that it has filed for bankruptcy and is closing all of its locations. The headlines went something like this: “Business will not last at Forever 21,” “Forever has come to an end at Forever 21,” “The ‘eternal’ store is no more.”

The shuttering of this mall staple is yet another reminder to us all that nothing on this earth lasts forever. As the Bible says, “The grass withers, the flower fades…” (Isaiah 40:8a). Only one thing remains: “…the word of our God will stand forever” (Isaiah 40:8b).

Jesus reiterates this fact to his disciples: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Matthew 24:35).

We as Christians, who believe and follow God’s Word, know that “our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself” (Philippians 3:20-21). We know, like the faithful before us, that we are “strangers and exiles on the earth” (Hebrews 11:13) and we, like them, “desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one” (Hebrews 11:16). For us, forever is a reality, not a business slogan. For we know, by faith, that our forever will come, as recorded in Holy Scripture: “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).

 

Free Ice Cream

ice cream on ground

On my morning walk on March 21, the first day after the start of spring, I saw a sign by the Dairy Queen by my house: “Free Ice Cream Cone on March 20 to celebrate the first day of spring!” Then a few steps later, I saw a half eaten ice cream cone lying on the ground.

The sight of this free ice cream cone tossed to the ground brought to mind for me our struggle as humans with cheap grace. Here’s what the cheap grace approach looks like: God grants us grace—a free gift undeserved. Yet we devalue it, discard it, take it for granted, use what we want of it and care less about the rest.

What we should do instead is treasure it, savor it, appreciate the cost it took to offer this grace to us. It cost the life of Christ, who gave himself up for us on the cross, that we might enjoy the sweet taste of forgiveness for all of our sins. Consider today how amazing grace is, and never toss it aside.

Trash Trucks

trash truck

There is dead-end alley in the back of my house where the trash dumpsters are. I use the alley to pull my car out of my garage in the morning and drive to the street on my way to work. But some mornings I can hear the trash truck beeping in reverse down my alley. When I hear this, then I know I will not be able to get my car out of the garage until after the trash truck has passed by to unload the trash in all the dumpsters in the alley.

One time as I waited for the trash truck to go by my garage on its journey to get rid of all the garbage my neighbors and I have placed in the alley, I realized that this experience is like Lent in a way. The season of Lent makes us stop in our tracks, quit our busy schedules for a moment and watch Christ dispose of the refuse of our sin that has cluttered our lives for far too long. Then after the the filth of our sin is taken away by the power of Christ’s journey to the cross, we are free to move forward in our work for the Lord. Watch for trash trucks this Lent and pause to remember that we have a Savior who removes rubbish and makes us righteous.

Camping

Three tents

Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us set up three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah,” not realizing what he was saying. Luke 9:33

When I was a child, my family often went on camping trips. Some were nearby our home and some were far away—Glacier National Park being the most memorable. Most times when we were camping, we never wanted to leave.

That is where we find Peter right after Jesus was transfigured before him with Elijah and Moses standing by. Peter did not want that experience to end. So he suggested they all camp out there for awhile. Now that would have been the ultimate camping trip.

But immediately the moment passes. Moses and Elijah disappear and Jesus is standing there looking like his normal self again. Jesus, Peter, James and John then return to their regular lives.

Wanting to “camp out” in the places where things are good is a natural human tendency, but as Peter discovered, the good times do not last in this broken world. But the good news is that there will be a time to come when Jesus will return and we will go with him to be with all believers in heaven where we will be able to hang out with our Lord and our brothers and sisters in Christ forevermore. That will be far better than any camping trip here on earth. Just you wait!

Overflowing

cereal

Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. Luke 6:38

I have always loved the word picture this verse creates in my mind. For some reason, I envision an overflowing box of cereal being dumped into my lap and me laughing like a little child. At first blush, it seems this verse is all about God’s overwhelming goodness toward us and our giving spirit that comes from him.

But I was surprised to see the context of this verse when it was part of the readings for a Sunday recently. Here is Luke 6:38 again with the end of Luke 6:37 (in italics) preceding it:

Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap.

How does the inclusion of verse 37 change the meaning of verse 38 for you? For me, it shifts the focus of verse 38 to a discussion of the effects of showing mercy. It is no longer about just good gifts of any kind. It is a verse about forgiveness being a very precious gift and a gift that “keeps on giving,” as they say. Being generous with our forgiveness has long-term abundant and very personal blessings for us.

Notice, too, how even the words are so similar from one verse to the next: forgive and give; forgiven and given. We give something of ourselves when we forgive. And we are given something from our Lord himself when we are forgiven. Forgiveness is something that brings us very close to one another and very close to Jesus. And it is these close relationships that fill us to overflowing in love and harmony and happiness—happiness like that of a little laughing child.

Living Branches

tree branches

In your one body let us be
As living branches of a tree,
Your life our lives supplying

The lyrics above come from the hymn “O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright.” I am drawn to the concept of us being like “living branches on a tree.” What do we know about branches? One thing we know is that branches cannot grow and thrive if they are not provided with nutrients from the roots below. And branches are connected to other branches that also are fed by the roots below.

The application to Christian living is obvious, but sometimes forgotten in this world where we are becoming more and more isolated and autonomous. Christian living cannot happen in a vacuum. We need to be part the lives of those around us and we need to receive energy from our Lord and Savior, who said quite clearly, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

I see this in action in my neighborhood trees. Branches attached to the rest of the tree stay strong. Those broken off from the tree, fall to the ground and die. So what are we to do to remain “living branches”? Listen to Jesus, let him guide and direct your growth, and reach out to fellow Christians to love and care for them and help them grow in their own connection to Christ. We often talk about our place in our biological family trees, but we need to talk more and more about our places in our spiritual family tree. Who knows how far we can reach as “living branches” for the Lord? Or how high.

God the Smelter

smelting

After singing “pure and free from sin’s alloy” in the hymn “As With Gladness” on Epiphany Sunday, I did a deep dive into the meaning of “alloy” in this context. This took me to Isaiah 1:25, where God says:

I will turn my hand against you and will smelt away your dross as with lye and remove all your alloy.

Isaiah is depicting God as a smelter here. And what does a smelter do? A smelter burns off the impurities, the “alloy,” from metals so that they are pure again.

This is a good imagery for us during this Lenten season when we spend these 40 days focusing on getting rid of the impure things in our lives: bad habits, unclean thoughts, recurring selfish behaviors. We can’t get rid of them by ourselves, though. We need the help of the Smelter. Only he can completely do away with our impurities. The process in metalwork is not easy. Burning off something is not pleasant. In the same way, it can be difficult and even painful for us as humans to have our sins excised. That is why Jesus took on the task for us by going to the cross and putting all the impurities of our sins on himself that they might be permanently eliminated through his death.

What a blessing it is for us this Lent to remember that we have been made pure through Christ.