Take this soul...

“10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.” (Psalm 51:10-12)

Return begins with knowing we will be accepted. David prays for a clean heart and a new, right, spirit in Psalm 51 because he *knows* that God will give it to him. The singer/speaker in the song “Yahweh” prays for change because (s)he is certain that God will help those changes happen. 

This is what amazes me more than anything else: before we're ready to return, God is waiting.  As Brennan Manning says in The Ragamuffin Gospel, the good news is that salvation precedes repentance.  Why repent if the promise of forgiveness is conditional.  Why offer our hearts, our voices, our souls, our lives...if we aren't sure God will receive them?  Fear of rejection is pretty high on the list of things we are afraid of, right?  We are hesitant to risk love if we aren't sure there will be a reciprocal feeling.  

I remember the night my wife said, "This will be so much easier if you just admit that you love me." (We were debating "ending" a seven year friendship for the sake of romance...we've been married for almost 14 years now.)  When she said that I knew that she loved me; I knew there would be no rejection.

If you want change in your inner being, ask God to begin making that change. But God won’t do it alone. You have to work for that change, too. God won’t put up road blocks to dead end streets, but God will whisper to you, “You don’t want to walk that road.” God will teach you how to use your hands for Kingdom work, but you have to make them available. God has shown us how to live a changed life, but we have to look at the example of Jesus, we have to open our ears to listen to the Word.

God will take our hearts, but only if we offer them.

To the One I Love

Two quotes from Martin Luther (1483-1546):

“I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God's hands, that I still possess.”

“Whatever your heart clings to and confides in, that is really your God.”

Let’s reflect upon those things that are truly important to us as individuals. (You need to think about this for yourself, I can’t list the things that are most important to you.) Where do the things that God calls important fit into your list of priorities? Is your love, your life, your livelihood being invested in things, or in places where moth and rust consume and thieves break in and steal—or are you investing your energy and passion into the Dream of God?  Scripture is full of invitations to dream God sized dreams, and says in more than one place that everyone (and, yes, that includes you) gets to see what God sees and dream what God dreams. 

Christ invites us to make our priority the will of God, the Kingdom (Kin-dom, as one dear friend of mine calls it) of God, a place where the streets have no name, a place where our love does not turn to rust.  As I journey through this season of Lent, I try to think of that one thing that holds me back from ultimate trust in God and then work at giving that obstacle away (“Tear down the wall that holds [me] inside.”). If you’re willing find someone to confide in if need be, find a holy friend who will help hold you accountable, but whatever it is that holds you back from fully trusting in God, give it away. Write it down and tear it up. Write it down and toss it into a fireplace if you have one, but give it away as an offering to the God and then rest in your movement toward freedom.

I remember when I saw the movie Rattle & Hum in the theater there was this shift from black and white to color as the song “Where the Streets Have No Name” began.  I got chills; when the guitar intro started up and the Edge was ringing the bells on his guitar, I think that was the moment that I truly fell in love with U2.  I remember with even greater clarity the moment I fell in love with God, so when I speak of tearing down walls it’s so that I can keep falling in love with the One who gave everything for me.

Angels

18 Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. 19 I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. (Isaiah 43:18-19)

Let's be honest, a life in faith--life in general--isn’t all sunshine and daisies or strawberries and cream. “Some days are better than others,” as U2 sings in a different song.  We see so much that needs to change, so many situations that need God’s attention; both in our own lives and in the lives of others. 

We cry out “God why don’t you do something about (insert current dilemma here…Chile, Haiti, war, famine, poverty, illness, violence, injustice, etc.)?” Then we sit by and wait for the action to happen.  Or we draft up eloquent statements that declare beyond a shadow of a doubt that "THIS (whatever this is at the moment) is a bad thing and PEOPLE (whoever those people are, usually somebody other than us) really need to do something about it." (Douglas Adams refers to the "SEP Field"--Somebody Else's Problem.) 

The thing is, God has done something, is doing something, and it’s happening through us! We are the somebody, we are the "People" we're waiting for; we are God’s angels; we are God’s ambassadors of reconciliation (2 Cor 5:18-20).

I think I heard a sermon preached once that said if we want to see God fulfill the Promise we need to step out in faith. We cannot just sit and wait on God to do something, because God wants to work through us! Look at all the stories of faith we call our Scriptures…Noah, Abram, Moses, Esther, Mary, Paul..all these people stepped out in faith to see what God’s Promise looks like.

I am grateful for them.  They have impacted my life.  Some of the people we meet on the roads of life, are there to walk with us on as we journey through dry and desert places.  Some of the people we meet on the roads of life need us to lead them from the dry river bed to the well of Living water.  It's a blessing to be in both spots.  

Be thankful for angels.

We Get to Carry Each Other

9 Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; 10 love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. 18 If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. (Romans 12:9-18)

“One life with each other…we get to carry each other”…I like the way this song says we get to carry each other. Not we have to carry each other, or we’re supposed to carry each other…we GET to carry each other. It is a privilege to be in holy community with one another. It is a blessing to weep with those who weep and to rejoice with those who rejoice. It is a blessing to share more love than we have received. It’s fun to try to outdo loving each other—not because we should be in competition, but simply seeing how far love in community can go.

We all have busy lives, those of us who work, those of us who raise children, and those of us who are retired—the idea that retirement gives you more time than you had when you worked full time is a myth that needs to be dispelled, as does the notion that stay at home parents "don't work"—but, if we want to see healthy, vibrant, vital, holy community…we have to decide to start loving even if no one has demonstrated that love to us, even if we feel that we are too busy to stop and share love. Why? Because we GET to carry each other. You only get one life here on earth, why be unhappy? Why be too busy to share in the joy of others, or share the in grief of others? Love genuinely; love authentically, love deeply, love extravagantly…slow down, and love one another.

Grace

"Grace makes beauty out of ugly things."
31b Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him. (Matthew 21:31-32) 

Grace challenges everything we know. Grace upsets the world’s notions of justice, equality, and retribution. Grace says tax collectors, thieves and prostitutes (and even their 21st century equivalents) are welcomed into the God’s Kingdom as much as we are. Grace says that men and women in prison, serving life sentences for heinous crimes, can be just as forgiven as we religious folk, or “normal sinners,” are. Grace is a scandal because it looks at ugliness and sees beauty, it looks at hurt and sees healing; grace looks at tit for tat, eye for eye and tooth for tooth as says, “No, forgive your enemies, love those who seek to do you harm.” 

Where does the scandal of grace fit into your spiritual journey? Do you hold grudges and carry baggage from hurt, pains, or crimes against you? Do you carry the weight of doubt when it comes to God’s acceptance of you, regardless of how “colorful” your past—or present—may be?

The “Law of Karma” says you get what you give. If you give good, you get good. If you give pain, or hurt or evil, that is what you get in return. Grace travels outside of Karma, and—Thank God!—we don’t get what we deserve. But we are challenged to give Grace as we have received it.  Maybe that's a message we need to listen to more than anything else.

If Grace walked up to you, would you be willing to listen the strings of her music as she says, “You are loved. You are forgiven. Take my hand and walk with me.” 

Fighting Identity Theft

16 I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, 17 and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. 18 I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 

(Ephesians 3:16-19)

Identity theft is a tremendous fear for most of us. My wife left her purse at a restaurant one afternoon, and because her credit cards, debit cards, drivers’ license were all in there and out of her possession for a few hours she called our banks and had all those cards cancelled and reissued. 

When someone asks you to describe yourself—when you talk about your identity—who do you say that you are? Do you start with your family identities (I’m a father, a husband, a son, a brother…), your career (I’m a pastor), your hobbies (I’m a painter and an illustrator; I’m a fledgling runner and a not-so-great gardener…)? What’s the first thing that comes to mind when describing your identity? Where does “child of grace” or “child of God” or “Beloved” fit into your identity? Can you lift up as a prayer, “I was born a child of grace...All because of You, I am!”

It is incredibly easy to let our "child of grace" identity get stolen from us in the name of careers, or societal expectations, or haunting words from others. If you have ever seen the movie Precious, maybe you have an idea of what I mean by "haunting words."  In a scene between "Precious" and her teacher Ms Rain, Precious says, crying, "Nobody loves me!"  Ms. Rain tries to reassure her otherwise, "People do love you, Precious."  Precious says back, "Please don't lie to me, Ms. Rain! Love ain't done nothing for me... but beat me... rape me... call me an animal! Make me feel worthless! Make me sick!"  The movie is full of people trying to change the self-image of Precious, and people who are trying to prevent her transformation.

This is one of the reasons I love this passage from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians: “I pray…being rooted and grounded in love…you may…comprehend…what is the breadth and length and height and depth (of God’s love.)” Paul's prayer, my daily prayer for so many people I meet with and talk to, is that we all come to understand the breadth, depths and height of God's love for us.  I pray that we can all come to the knowledge that God's love goes beyond labels that we hang around our own necks, or that we hang around other's necks.  

I pray that during this season of reflection you may make the first thing in your heart, the first thing off your lips, “I am a child of grace” and that, with your whole being, you may come back with your whole heart to the One who has a love so deep, so wide, so high and that your life would become a mirror reflecting that love to those around you.

Joyful, Noisy Living

I can only provide a link to the song for today: Magnificent

12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:12-13)

How do you think God sees you? Do you think that God look at you and sees a broken, tangled mess of humanity or does God look at you and see a beautiful, magnificent creation? The answer to that question is “yes,” but, God looks at us and sees our “child of God-ness” even as God sees our brokenness. God looks at us and sees “beloved” and calls us to live into that vision.

It isn’t enough to just know that God sees us as beloved or beautiful magnificent creations, we must accept that and live into it. The singer in the song says, “I was born to sing for you…I give you back my voice.” It is an understanding of the need to claim the way God sees us for ourselves, to believe and trust in God’s grace, and then live in joyful response to that grace.

If you wrestle with believing that you are God’s beloved, if you have difficulty accepting that God sees your child of God-ness before anything else then I invite you to say as a breath prayer these words offered by one of my favorite authors: “Abba, I belong to you.”

If you have accepted the grace-filled status of Beloved, if you are making it part of your day to day identity, then I challenge and encourage you to make your life a joyful response to that grace by reaching out I the name of the One who reached out to you.