Tag Archives: love

Tell (and Re-tell) the Story

Jesus saves

A couple months ago, I became familiar with the game Telestrations. In this game, players are given a word or a phrase that the next player must draw a picture of. Then the next player must write a word or a phrase based on what they think was drawn in the picture. This continues for several rounds until at the end of each player’s pad, you can see the progression of what was the original word or phrase to what the word or phrase became at the end. The difference between the two can very often be quite shocking.

This game, while funny to play, only goes to show that messages can get off-track sometimes. People often don’t hear what was initially stated because of miscommunications along the way. That is just a fact of human life.

That is also why we as Christians continue to tell the story of Jesus and his love over and over to people. We do not want the message to get confused or garbled in any way. We want the truth that Jesus died on the cross for our salvation to be perfectly clear to all if you are the first person or the one thousandth person to hear it. That is why we have church every week: to bring the message home again and again. So tell the story of Jesus and keep telling it. Then let the Word take root in the hearts and souls of all who hear it.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving gathering

During this Thanksgiving week, my thoughts turn to a choral piece I had the privilege of singing at a pastor’s ordination recently. The song is “Ubi Caritas.” It is a Latin work sung a cappella in four parts. Translated, the words of the first half of the composition mean, “Where charity and love are, God is there. The love of Christ has gathered us together. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

To me, that is what the focus of our Thanksgiving gatherings should be: the love of Christ. While the food preparation is important, of course, the love we share with one another through Christ should be first on any menu for the day. Rejoice in the bonds of friends and family. Be glad in the experiences we have had in unity with each other. Celebrate that the love of Christ covers over a multitude of missteps along the way. There should great joy around the tables of all who meet in the Lord’s name. Yea, Lord, let it be so.

Your All in All

all your love

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. Mark 12:30

We have all heard the phrase “give it your all,” right? Well, that sentiment is never more clear than in the words of Jesus in Mark 12:30. Jesus does not tell us to just love God. He tells us to love him with our all.

all our heart: We are to love deeply, sincerely, compassionately.

all our soul: We are to love from our spiritual core, from the center of our faith, through the will of the Holy Spirit.

all our mind: We are to love with understanding and a clear conscience without any ill intent.

all our strength: We are to love with the power God has given us and the confidence we have in Jesus.

Think of these components every time you hear the word love in any context, and consider ways in which you can incorporate all of them in your expressions of love to God, especially in worship, prayer, Bible study and devotions. He truly is your all in all.

Tune My Heart

girl singing

My pastor recently pointed out the phrase “Tune my heart to sing thy praise” in the hymn, “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.” It is an interesting turn of phrase and got me to thinking, “Does my heart need some tuning when it comes to my approach to God?”

So often our first notes to God are clashing chords of frustration, anger, disappointment and doubt. Or we start our song to him in a minor key with feelings of sadness, grief and loss. But the hymn reminds us that our hearts should be tuned first and foremost to praise. From the outset, our melody to him should be filled with gratitude and joy, love and devotion. He is truly worthy of praise, no matter what else is happening around us.

This is not to say that we should never share with God anything that it bothering us. It is only to say that our default setting, our initial approach, our main mindset should be all about praise. With praise as our theme song, the rest of what we have to say to God can become more in tune with him, and, as a result, easier to handle.

Coffee Cups

coffee cups

Have you ever noticed in movies that when office assistants carry coffee cups into a building for the staff, you can tell there is no coffee in the cups. The actors hold the carriers too lightly or too freely. If the cups were full, the person would be carrying the cups more carefully and seriously, lest anything might get spilled.

This idea reminds me of how we often carry messages to one another. We can present what we have to say flippantly or with empty words that have no meaning. Or we can carry our words with seriousness and full of meaning. The Bible wants us to know that it is important to approach one another with fullness. St. Paul assures the Romans, “I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ” (Romans 15:29). St. Paul later tells us that we should “be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:19).

Consider your approach the next time you come to a gathering of people with news to share. Let what you have to give be full of Christ’s blessing and have the weightiness of God’s outpouring of love. The results promise to be good to the last drop.

Look with Love

Jesus face

The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him. Luke 22:61

The Greek word for “looked straight at” in this verse is emblepo. It literally means “to observe fixedly” or “to discern clearly.” In other words, Jesus gazed upon Peter fully, knowing him through and through. At first this might seem to be a scary thought, Jesus looking right at us and knowing all our faults and missteps. But there is a certain added depth to this verb that can give us comfort. When Jesus looks at Peter and “discerns clearly,” he sees a man who is many things—a disciple, a friend, a husband, a fisherman, but also a sinner. And Jesus in his complete gaze sees it all and in his great love, still has compassion on Peter. He already knew that he would forgive the repentant Peter for his denials of him. He already knew that Peter would become the greatest orator of the story of salvation in Jesus and one of the most widespread sharers of the Gospel message throughout the known world.

When Jesus looks at us, he does so in the same way. He sees our triumphs and our failures, our strengths and our weaknesses, our service to him and our sins. He looks at it all and still loves us, still forgives us, still calls us to spread the Good News for him. As St. Paul reminds us, “Let each of you remain in the condition in which you were called” (1 Corinthians 7:20). Through Christ we can see in ourselves what he holds dear and focus on that.

Charcoal Fire

fire

Now the slaves and the guards were standing around a charcoal fire that they had made, because it was cold, and were warming themselves. Peter was also standing there keeping warm. John 18:18

When they climbed out on shore, they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.” John 21:9-10

There are only two places where a charcoal fire is mentioned in Scripture. Think about when these charcoal fires occur: Once in a courtyard outside of Jesus’ trial, where Peter denies Jesus three times. And then once on a beach where the risen Jesus asks Peter three times if he loves him.

This detail linking the two scenes is no accident. We are meant to draw a clear connection: We may sin (like Peter did by the first fire), but we are still forgiven (as Peter was by the second fire). How is that possible? Because of what happened between those two fires, which is the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus.

Think of these two fires the next time you light a charcoal fire in your fire pit or start up your grill to cook dinner or smell a neighbor’s charcoal fire burning. We are blessed by Jesus to be warmed by his love and nourished by his Word, no matter how cold or harsh we have been to him in the past. Jesus always gives us a second chance (as he did with Peter).

Follow Close

follow close

We say in Lent that we follow in the footsteps of Jesus on his way to the cross. But what does that mean exactly? In a sermon I heard a few weeks ago, the preacher talked about how disciples in Jesus’ day walked so close behind their masters that dust from their masters’ footsteps fell onto them. That’s how close we should follow Jesus this Lent. We should let his words, his life, his ways fall on us and become a part of us and who we are.

What is more, many disciples in the time of Jesus were spokespeople for their masters. They knew what he would say. They knew what he would do. They knew how he would respond. We who have read the gospels and know the trajectory of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection can speak with certainty that Jesus would say, “I love you.” We know that he would do the job of a servant to show his care. We know that he would respond with mercy to every confession of sin.

Our lives should be in lockstep with our Savior. Our walk should always mirror his. As St. Paul tells us, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but when it comes to our imitation of Christ, it is the sincerest form of faith. Be a faithful follower of Christ today.

Giving Up

no chocolate

“So what are you giving up this Lent?” Has anyone asked you that in this season? For many, the answer is simple. “Yes, chocolates, TV, using your phone too much,” etc. But for others the answer is a little more complicated and personal: an addiction, a truly sinful habit, a bias or prejudice. Lent allows for it all. Whatever you may be giving up this Lent, do it with all your heart. This is an opportunity to really get to the bottom of what is really holding us back from a true and honest, full and close relationship with God. The Bible warns us not to give up on giving up:

Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. Hebrews 12:3

We turn to Christ for guidance when we feel ourselves wanting to give up on giving up those things that distract us from God. Jesus never gave up on the way to the cross. He never turned back. He kept going even in the face of ridicule and pain and disgrace. He gave completely of himself so that we could completely experience the love of God for us in his forgiveness and everlasting salvation.

We may not be able to see it now, but the goal of heaven is coming. Doing the good that God wants us to do in response to his love for us thus becomes a part of who we are when we know what awaits in the end. As St. Paul tells us,

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9

Jonathans

Jonathans

I have been in the process of compiling the history of the church I attend, and one of the interesting facts I found was that in the 1940s, the church’s men’s club was called the Jonathans. I have a brother named Jonathan, so I have a special place in my heart for that name, but I assume that the men’s club chose that name because of the depiction of Jonathan, the son of Saul, as the epitome of a good friend to David.

The soul of Jonathan was bound to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. 1 Samuel 18:1

Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that he was wearing and gave it to David and his armor and even his sword and his bow and his belt. 1 Samuel 18:4

Jonathan spoke well of David to his father Saul, saying to him, “The king should not sin against his servant David, because he has not sinned against you and because his deeds have been of good service to you.” 1 Samuel 19:4

Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you say, I will do for you.” 1 Samuel 20:4

Jonathan made David swear again by his love for him, for he loved him as he loved his own life. 1 Samuel 20:17

At their last meeting Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, since both of us have sworn in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord shall be between me and you and between my descendants and your descendants forever.’ ” 1 Samuel 20:42 (Jonathan would later die on the battlefield.)

These verses about Jonathan describe for us all what a good friend is: a good friend loves his friends like he loves himself. A good friend will literally give you the shirt off his back to help you. A good friend will stand up for you. A good friend will follow your lead, and a good friend will recognize that the Lord is a part of your relationship. My hope and prayer is that you have many “Jonathans” in your life.