Every time I prepare to speak or write I ask myself, “What is the one thing I want to communicate?”  Once that is established, the rest of the message flows relatively easy.  Sitting down to write today’s column, I realized I didn’t have just one thing to say, but many, maybe too many.  So, what I’m sharing doesn’t come from that pile-up of thoughts, but rather from a conversation I had today with Pastor Stuart.

Jesus said to a dear friend, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed-or indeed only one.  Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”  (Luke 10:41-42, NIV)  

What Mary had chosen was to sit at Jesus feet to listen and worship.  Her close proximity to Jesus was the one thing that would not be taken away from her.  It was also this proximity that afforded her the opportunity to listen and worship.  We would do well to follow suit.  

It may be too simplistic to say that we can boil all of life down to one thing, but I know that this one thing is of ultimate importance.  Again, we would do well to follow Mary’s example.

Grace and peace,

Brook

As with all of life, there are tensions to be dealt with.*  For the last few weeks, we’ve been talking about the needs right in front of us.  This week I would like us to lift our gaze and look down the road a little, maybe a generation or two.  I was reminded of this perspective when I was reading Isaiah 39 a few days ago.  Due to Hezekiah’s pride by showing off Judah’s wealth to the Babylonians, the Lord said it will be all taken away, including the people, even his sons.  I was taken aback by his response, “The word of the LORD you have spoken is good,” Hezekiah replied. For he thought, “There will be peace and security in my lifetime.” (v. 8)  He seemed to care more about his own life than the future of his family or the nation.  Sadly, this is an easy place to go, focusing on the here and now to the neglect of the future.  And yet, the future always comes.  Herein lies our tension.  Surprisingly, though, we can flip this and neglect our responsibilities for today while securing our future.  It probably shouldn’t be a surprise that God desires that we would keep both in mind.  This is where I get the idea of “everyday eschatology.”

Eschatology is the study of the end.  As with the beginning, so it is with the end; the best we can do is have an educated guess.  Personally, I believe that it doesn’t matter how the last days unfold.  That is up to God.  My responsibility is to walk faithfully with Jesus.  As his love shapes the story of our lives we will find ourselves living within his story for the world.  Jesus loves our family and friends more than we do.  He will lead us to care for them now and in the future.

The key to holding the tension of today and tomorrow (the end) is faithfulness.  In Revelation 2 and 3 are letters from Jesus to the seven churches in what is today the country of Turkey.  Each message is a commentary on that church’s faithfulness.  And, each message ends with “If you can hear, listen to what the Spirit is saying…” (CEB)  I believe that living in complete faithfulness with Jesus and in those relationships he has given us, we will be able to address our responsibilities today and in the days to come.

Grace and peace,

Brook

* Tension: Two seemingly opposing realities that need to be recognized in light of the other. (my definition)

Last week I wrote about “pure religion” from James 1:27.  In a nutshell, “the genius of the Gospel is that the love of God is revealed through people who love God by loving others.”  James focuses on widows and orphans, which in my opinion is also symbolic of those who carry a burden too heavy for them to bear.  This is great and deserves our attention, but I want to add a qualifier to this from Paul’s letter to the Galatians.  “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” (Galatians 6:10)  

Our gospel is only as good as our love for one another.  Two things this last week brought me to this conclusion: a conversation and an article.  I was chatting with a friend I bumped into at the Sunnyvale Farmers’ Market.  We were remarking how a good presentation makes even simple food more appetizing. (He had just come from breakfast.)  The article I read was written by Mark Buchanan, a pastor in Vancouver, BC, on the commemoration of Columbus Day titled Native Americans, Europeans, and the Black Book. (a vary enlightening read)  Here is an excerpt of an historical quote from a Native American chief.  He was being asked for permission to evangelize his people.

“…In the end, he said he judged the Bible to be a sound book. Nevertheless, he wondered why the white people were not better than they are, having had it for so long. He promised that as soon as the white people achieved Christianity, he would recommend it to his own folks.”   

Now this doesn’t change what the Gospel says or how it can save, but it does effect the accessibility of Jesus and his message.  As scary as it sounds, our lives are a presentation of the Gospel.

Does this mean we have to have our outward lives all put together?  Not necessarily.  What it means is that despite our brokenness the love we share shines far brighter.  It is through the loving, giving, and seeing life from someone else’s perspective that keeps us from becoming myopic and self-centered, which is the surest way to keep us in our brokenness. (I speak from experience.)  Healing comes when we let go, when we stop living for ourselves only.  It is in this place that the Kingdom’s Gospel has its greatest potential.  If as Christians we are to make disciples, the first step is to make Jesus accessible.  We can make him accessible by loving someone today, especially someone who belongs to the family of believers.

Grace and peace,

Brook

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. 

James 1:27 (NIV)

     Through a collage of events and memories this week, I’ve been reminded of this verse from James’ letter to the church.  It is a passage that has been formative to my faith and even directive at times.

     If you’ve been around VLC for any length of time, you know that we are not about being religious.  Rather, we focus on our relationship with God and people as a means of living the Christian life.  In this passage, James uses the term “religion.”  If we seek to live a life of devotion to God, with or without “religious” activities, we are engaged in a religious endeavor.  But, let’s not get hung-up on that.  What James is saying is that if we have chosen to live our lives in devotion to God, two things are necessary: a heart of charity and a life lived in God’s presence.  Without God’s active presence in our lives our outward expressions of love will be hollow and powerless.  The genius of the Gospel is that the love of God is revealed through people who love God.  We can’t have one without the other.  My prayer is that as we love God, he would open our eyes to see others who need his love and then step out in faith, loving them to the extent that we would want to be loved.  Love that flows in this direction is resistant to the staining of the world, because it is infused with God’s presence.  The staining of the world in this context of the passage is to give or love with a view to its benefits for us, or even to the point of taking advantage of others.  In essence, James is saying, “It’s not about you!”

I love being a part of a family, the VLC family.  Last Sunday was a powerful gathering for me.  I experienced fatherhood on so many levels that I couldn’t speak at the closing of the singing time.  I pray that as we approach our worship gathering for this Sunday, your heart will be expectant and open for God’s presence to touch you in the midst of his people.

Priestly Blessing Wrap-up – Community Style

The LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:

 “‘“The LORD bless you 

   and keep you; 

the LORD make his face shine on you 

   and be gracious to you; 

the LORD turn his face toward you 

   and give you peace.”’

“So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”

 Numbers 6:22-27

     I hope this study of the priestly blessing has been enriching for you.  I must say, it certainly has been for me.   Reflecting back over the devotionals, I realized that the focus of most of them has been on the individual level.  This is fine, except that it minimizes the impact of the blessing.  There is a community level to this blessing, as well.  I won’t take six weeks to develop this concept.  We’ll wrap this up by taking a higher view of this blessing, seeking to understand what God’s blessing in our lives could mean to those we come in contact with.

     We are blessed to be a blessing.  This is the heritage of the people of God.  “Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.”  (Genesis 18:18, Galatians 3:8)  Through Christ, this heritage is now ours.  It just requires that we live with open hands and open hearts.

     We are kept so we can be a haven. The Old Testament is replete with references to caring for the foreigner, the poor, the widow, and the orphan. The apostle James writes, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (James 1:27)

     Our smile is potent when we’ve been smiled upon. “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.” (Philippians 4:4-5) We may never know how much hope is conveyed in a smile. So, be as liberal as you can in your joy.

     Mercy triumphs over judgement. (James 2:13) As I mentioned in a previous post, gracious can also be translated as merciful. We can take our queues from Jesus in this regard. Since he was a friend to sinners, he could lead them to the Father whose love brings about repentance.

     Community (relationship with people) is the pathway to God. In an earlier post I wrote, “He has made every way for us to know him face to face.” We have come to know God through Jesus, and Jesus through a friend or loved one. The Great Commission’s discipleship is best expressed in community, which leads me to the last point. 

     The one place one earth that the peace of God should be expected is with the people of God. If peace is the product of being in a face to face relationship with God, then peace should be a prominent characteristic within the gathering of God’s people.  What better way to share the Good News of Jesus than to live in peace.  I wrote last week, “the peace of God comes through an open, integral, and submitted relationship with him.  He is offering us all of himself if we do the same.  … peace is the fruit of a mutual giving of self.”  This has powerful potential if exercised in the church and in the world.

I hope you see that this blessing is not just something to be treasured, but shared, so that all may know and enjoy the blessing of God’s presence.

Grace and peace,

Brook

As summer is drawing to a close and fall is being ushered in, it brings an inverted awareness to a lot of people.  Spring brings in new life and fall the retiring of that life. But, at least in America, fall means that many things are just beginning–school, clubs, programs, etc.  And, in this funny upside down way, I would like to report that our Community Classes began again last Tuesday.  It is always so wonderful to get together with friends and neighbors, and also meet new ones.  If having fun while helping others sounds like a good time to you, see our Community Classes announcement below, and consider how you would like to get involved.

Face to Face

“The LORD lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace.”

Numbers 6:26 (NASB)

We are on the last couplet of the priestly blessing found here in Numbers 6.  This week we will talk about the portion, “the LORD lift up His countenance on you.”  This is a quite literal rendering of the Hebrew, and is a little difficult to understand as such.  My opinion is that it is a colloquialism of sorts.  But, for me it adds richness and a little grit to the Scripture, bringing it down to earth.  The NIV translates this as, “the LORD turn his face toward you.”  Either way, it speaks of a person to person relationship with God, even face to face.  

This got me thinking, how could God lift up his face to see us, if he in all ways is infinitely greater and higher than us?  But, then my kids answered that for me.  I love to pick up my children, hold them, talk to them face to face.  And if I don’t pick them up, I like to kneel down, closer to their level.  As we saw previously through this blessing that a progression of relationship is being established.  (Click here for previous posts.)  The goal of this blessing is that God wants to establish his peace in the lives of his people, but the pathway is through relationship.  His love is such that not only does he hold us securely in his arms, he also became a man in the person of Jesus and lived among us.  He has made every way for us to know him face to face.

Grace and peace,

Brook

God’s Gracious Embrace

The LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. (Numbers 6:25)

Last week we saw that we bring delight to the heart of God.  It’s not unlike that big cheesy smile parents get when they look at their children and their hearts swell with love, just because.

This week we are looking at the next phrase, “The Lord … be gracious to you.”  It took a little while to wrap my head around this one.  I was getting caught up on the concept of grace, which is a great place to get lost, instead of simply see God as gracious.  When I looked at the Hebrew I was surprised to find that this word speaks of kindness, mercy, favor, and pity, instead of free gift and empowerment, which is the connotation of grace, especially in the New Testament. * Looking at this couplet together, we get the picture of God smiling on his people with his arms wide open to receive them as his children.

The concept of God’s graciousness goes back to the time when God met Moses on Mount Sinai to give Israel the 10 Commandments. Before giving the Law, he proclaimed his name as “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness…” (Exodus 34:6)  This description shows up a number of times throughout the Old Testament.

Looking at the first two couplets together (Numbers 6:24-25) we see that this posture of God’s delight and acceptance is granted to those who take a posture of humility and trust, receiving from God his good words for them as well as his protecting embrace.

What does this mean for us today?  It means that we still need to turn to God, receiving the finished work of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection for us and choosing to stay.  God’s graciousness says, “You’re good enough to save!”

Grace and peace,

Brook

* The Septuagint (the Old Testament translated into Greek, ca. 200 BC) uses mercy, instead of grace in this passage.