Kissed by the Spirit

“And now, behold, the cry of the sons of Israel has come to Me; furthermore, I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians are oppressing them.”

Exodus 3:9 (NASB)

The story of Exodus teaches us that God sees all suffering and hears the cries of all people, whatever their race or national origin is. He heard the cries of Israelite slaves 1400 years BC,  just as He heard the cries of African slaves in the early days of America. He hears the cries of all people in every country today, who suffer injustice and cry out to Him. This is a brief story of the Kurdish people, and their years of crying out to God, especially one man in particular. 

The Kurds are a people who originally lived in Kurdistan, an area spread across Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria. They have migrated from place to place, seeking independence and self rule. Their faith tradition is Sunni Moslem, who are a peace loving people, although they have  suffered under many oppressive, militant regimes in predominantly Muslim regions. 

Nihad is a Kurdish man from Syria who was once imprisoned and charged with political crimes, for protesting the Syrian regime of Assad, who ruled that country for over half a century. The Kurds also suffered under Sadam Hussein in Iraq as well as other regions and dictatorships.  

While Nihad was lying in pain from a beating, in a tiny prison cell in Syria, he wished to die, but then he remembered a book once given to him by someone from a Billy Graham ministry.

In his pain and desperation, Nihad prayed. “Jesus, if you are real, please help me.” That day, he had a clear vision in that cramped, dirty prison cell. In the vision, he saw a man dressed in pure white, walking into his cell, and carrying a bowl of olive oil. The man in white poured olive oil over Nihad’s wounds and his pain immediately left. The man in his vision said something he never forgot. He said, “You are my beloved and I love you”, and then disappeared. Nihad knew in his heart that the man was Jesus. 

Six months later, Nihad was freed from prison, but those words have energized him ever since. He is now a Christian pastor, discipling other Kurds who have also found faith in Jesus, and migrated to South Korea for refuge. 

Thousands of Kurds have been turning to Christianity through a dream or a vision of Jesus, and traveled to South Korea, where a growing community of Kurdish Christians, like Nihad, are living in safety and freedom. 

Jesus is calling disciples from all races, religions and nations, but in the Mideast, He seems to be doing it through dreams and visions. The Lord said that those who seek for Him with all their heart, will find Him, and many are.

(Jeremiah 29:13) 

God seems to be extending a special grace to people in these oppressive, war torn countries, where citizens suffer torture, imprisonment and murder, just for seeking freedom. God hears their cries and He is responding, by revealing His beloved Son to them. God is making disciples in the faith, giving them comfort, hope and peace. 

I heard an interesting explanation of the difference between a religious person and a disciple:

Religious people like to tell others what they’ve done for God, but a disciple loves to tell others what God has done for him. May God keep making disciples throughout the world.

Jesus said that the pure in heart shall see God, and many are seeing Him for the first time. No matter how bad a situation appears to be, with large scale violence or injustice, God is still on His throne and He responds to all who cry out to Him. 

Lord, we praise you for hearing the cries of all people. We pray for those who suffer, and ask you to give them a place of refuge and hope in you. Amen

“Then he said to all, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

Luke 9:23 (NAB)

We are all called to be disciples of Jesus, who told us to follow Him, but then He added that in order to follow Him, we must deny ourselves and carry our cross. If we are being honest, it doesn’t sound like a fun way to live life. I don’t think I’m the only one who’s felt some discomfort in reading those words telling us to “deny ourselves and carry our cross.” 

I used to interpret it to mean that some big sacrifice is about to be required of me, which is going to make my life uncomfortable. 

I realize now that there is a deeper way to understand Jesus’ words telling us to “deny ourselves,” since Jesus also said, in the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.” 

Denying ourselves simply means asking for God’s will to be done first, according to His plan, before asking for our own requests. After all, there is no better place to be, than in the center of God’s will, just as there is no worse place to be than in the center of our own will. 

We all know the Sinatra hit song, “I did it my way.” I heard of a priest whose parishioner requested that this Sinatra song be played at a loved one’s funeral. The priest politely declined their request. Not intending to offend any Sinatra fans, but the phrase, “I did it my way” is really not the mantra of Christian living, but opposite of what Jesus taught. Even if we fail many times over, God honors our intent to do things His way, not our way. 

Everyone didn’t always adore and follow Jesus. Although crowds followed Him, He also watched multitudes walk away from Him, when He taught something they didn’t accept. People of every generation still want to do things their way. One day Jesus turned to His closest twelve friends and asked, “ Are you all going to leave Me too?  “Peter answered, “How can we leave ? You have the words of eternal life.”

The disciples didn’t always fully understand what Jesus was talking about, but they were following Him because of who He is, with the intent to do His will. We also follow the person of Jesus, not just a set of rules or values. Like the disciples, we may fail, but following Jesus is a kind of commitment, that keeps us coming back. We trust Him even when we don’t understand what He is teaching us. It’s in those times that we realize, this is what carrying our cross is all about. 

There’s a true story of a Japanese Buddhist soldier, during WWII, who became a traitor to Japan, was captured and thrown into the same prison camp along with other American soldiers. The prison camp guards routinely tortured that Japanese prisoner of war more than others. 

One American soldier who was imprisoned with him, felt compassion for the man and would care for his wounds and share his food with him, each time he was thrown back into the prison cell, after being beaten and tortured. 

One day, he was beaten so bad, the American soldier thought, “I’ve shared everything with this poor man except my faith, so he knelt over the man and said to him,” You might not make it through the night, but I want you to know that if you give your life to Jesus, He will take you to Heaven to live with Him forever.” 

The Japanese soldier looked at him and said, “If Jesus is anything like you, then I can’t wait to meet Him.” That story really touched my heart. It shows that we are not here to teach or preach morals and values, we are here to be Christ to this world. It’s the essence of what discipleship was meant to be, Christ shining His light through each of us. 

I’m sure that the American soldier was praying every day to survive that horrific prison camp, and to get back home to his family. He did survive and made it home, but God’s will for him was to show the love of Christ to someone else while he was there. God has a purpose in our pain, and desires to shine His light through us, even in the most horrific circumstances.

We follow Jesus in spite of our heartbreaks, tragedies, illness, pain and loss, by asking for God’s will to be done, because we believe that He is a good and loving God, in the bad times as well as the good. 

Lord, make us better disciples as we follow you, seeking that your will be done, so that your light can shine through in all that we say and do. Amen

“The lamp of God was not yet extinguished, and Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the Lord where the ark of God was.

The Lord called to Samuel, who answered, “Here I am.”

1 Samuel 3:3-4 (NAB)

Samuel was the little boy who was dedicated to the temple by his mother, Hannah. It’s a bible story often seen in children’s books, about a boy who hears the call of God in the silence of night, while he is sleeping, but the story of Samuel has a lot more to say about how God’s heart can be grieved, just like the heart of any human parent. 

The high priest Eli had a grieved heart over his two adult sons, who behaved irreverently as priests. Bible stories reveal that God has the heart of a parent, who also becomes deeply grieved over the sin He observes on the earth.

There are details in this Bible story that are never mentioned in any children’s books. Eli’s two adult sons were abusing the sacred office of their priesthood with bribery, sexual promiscuity and greed. Eli, being a very passive father, knew about his sons’ immoral behavior and begged them to reform, but he never had the courage to take action and remove them from the priesthood.  

God’s heart was grieved over Eli’s sons and planned to raise up Samuel to be a priest in their place, but Samuel was still a young boy, being educated, learning the roles and rituals of Hebrew priesthood from Eli. 

One night God spoke directly to Samuel, audibly calling his name waking him up out of his sleep. After the third time Samuel heard his name called, he answered “Hineni”, meaning “Here I am”, in Hebrew. It seems to be the first step to hearing God speak to us in the silence, saying, “Here I am, Lord.” God revealed to Samuel that the sons of Eli had grieved His heart and He was going to remove them from the priesthood. 

Samuel went to Eli to report what the Lord told him. This was the start of Samuel’s personal relationship with God. He grew to become a great prophet, who understood God’s heart, as to what grieved Him as well as what pleased Him. Samuel went on to guide the future kings of Israel, and was the first to coin the phrase, 

“Man looks at the outward appearance but God looks at the heart.”

God intends for all people to have a friendship with Him as Samuel did. We can see it in Genesis, when God would walk in the silence of the garden with Adam and Eve each day. They had a relationship of walking and talking with God, until they later hid from Him. Then God called Abraham and Moses His friends, as they listened to His voice in the silence. None of these people were perfect, yet God had a relationship with them. Even David, who stumbled in worse ways than anyone, was called by God “a man after His own heart.”

Jesus now calls us His friends, and no longer servants. 

(John 15:15)

Friends share their joys and sorrows with one another. This would mean that Jesus wants to share his joys with us, as well as what grieves Him. On the other side of that, He wants us to be honest and open, sharing all that grieves us as well. When we hold in our grievances and frustrations, we miss out on the great benefit of intimate friendship with Jesus. 

Repentance precedes friendship with Jesus, which is the beauty of Christianity. His death and resurrection changed the whole dynamic between God and people forever. Even those who have stumbled morally, like Eli’s sons, are no longer cut off, but invited to repent, return to God and receive forgiveness, cleansed by the blood of Jesus. 

God sees our hearts especially when we are grieving, and He is calling us to see His. He wants to walk and talk with us in the silence of whatever garden we happen to be in. We are all at different stages of listening, but in the silence of the night or the garden, God is always calling us. He patiently waits until our response is like Samuel’s, “Here I am, speak Lord, I am listening.” 

(1 Samuel 3:10)

I once heard a true story that reminds us of how God reaches out to every soul in silence. A prostitute was flipping through radio stations in her car one day, when she heard a Christian message of love and redemption that sparked something deep within her. In the silence of her car, God’s voice called her out of her lifestyle. Her heart was ripe and ready and her soul was awakened to the call of repentance. The Holy Spirit changed her life ever since. 

Lord, help us to shut off all the outside noises, so we may hear you in the silence, so that we speak less and listen more attentively to your voice. Amen

“With my mouth I will give thanks abundantly to the Lord;
And I will praise Him in the midst of many.” 

Psalm 109:30 (NASB)

The Psalms and the Proverbs always emphasize using our mouth to give thanks to the Lord. There’s something about our spoken words, instead of just thinking it. Scripture tells us that life and death are in the power of our tongue. 

The words we speak can lift our spirit and give life to those who listen to us. Too often, I catch myself saying negative things when something doesn’t go the way I expected. With sarcasm, I tend to mutter to myself, “story of my life,“ but then I stop myself because it certainly is not the story of my life.

The story of my life is God’s love and mercy that was shown to me before I ever gave Him a thought. By the time I was a young adult, He sought for me like a Shepherd searches for a lost sheep, and He found me. He transformed my heart by His love and grace, and Jesus became a real person to me. Since then, I discovered the amazing love of God, who waits so patiently for us to come home, no matter how long it takes. 

I am more inclined now, to keep my words in check, so that I speak words that God agrees with, since He is my heavenly Father. The words we say to ourselves and to others are more impactful than we realize, and can influence a person’s destiny. By taking charge of our tongue and the words that come out of our mouths, we can change our entire outlook and someone else’s life as well. 

The epistle of James has a lot to say about the human tongue. He said that though the tongue is a small part of the body, it only takes a small spark to set a great forest on fire. (James 3: 5)

Words can be like a refreshing rain of blessing or a spark that starts a destructive fire. That’s the power of the tongue.

Faith is an attitude of the heart which eventually flows out of our mouths. Since our words reflect our faith, no wonder Jesus asked, 

“When the Son of Man comes,will He find faith on the earth?” 

(Luke 18:8)

We never know how some small, simple thing we say, can inspire faith in someone else. It may be a good idea to start each new week dedicating our tongue and our words to God. 

A few years ago, I wrote a meditation explaining how God answered my prayer to reduce my cable bill, while keeping all my favorite Christian channels. One of my friends who read it, texted me to ask which christian cable stations I received, because she was in the process of changing her cable package.

I was driving and running errands when she texted me so I couldn’t respond right away. Hours later, I quickly looked up those stations on my TV and texted her the names of the four christian stations in my cable package.

What I didn’t know, is that she was already on the phone with her cable company at the time that I sent the text. While she was telling the customer service lady on the phone that she wanted Christian channels in her cable package, the customer service person began sharing her own faith story. She shared how she had just rededicated her life to God after becoming a new mom, with hopes of raising her child in the faith. She asked my friend what stations she recommended so that she could order the same ones in her own cable package. 

At this exact moment in her phone conversation, my text message came through, listing the four stations. She received my text at that moment, and shared those Christian cable networks with the customer service representative. 

The timing of everything was so providential in how the customer service lady connected with my friend, along with the timing of my text message arrival, that it couldn’t be better planned by anyone other than God. 

The Lord knows who is seeking Him and He also knows who is willing to speak about Him, and He loves connecting people at the right place and time. The power of the tongue is a beautiful thing when words are used to bless the Lord, and draw someone else closer to God at the same time.

Lord, let our mouths always give thanks and praise to you, making our words a blessing to others we meet today. Amen

GENTLE GIANTS FROM HEAVEN

“I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.”

Ezekiel 11:19 (NIV)

John Bosco was a priest who had an undivided heart, dedicating his life to the education of street children, juvenile delinquents and disadvantaged youth in 19th century Italy. He developed teaching methods based on love rather than punishment, a method that became known as the Salesian Preventative System. 

John Bosco led so many misfit street boys to faith in Jesus, and the Holy Spirit changed their hearts, later transforming them into men of God. John Bosco educated his youth and his heart was driven by the love of God and the gospel of Christ. In spite of his success and the devotion of the children he taught, he was widely criticized and seen as a lunatic. He would roam the streets and back alleys of Turin, Italy, appearing undignified as a priest, while surrounding himself with an entourage of misfit street kids. 

The Catholic Church was not totally accepting him at the time, and the government became very suspicious that he was secretly training an army of boys to one day overthrow the Italian government. Bosco was indeed training an army, but a spiritual one, that overcomes evil and leads young souls toward the kingdom of heaven.

With very few people to support him, he faithfully continued his ministry to youth, as he felt God leading him to do. One day, something amazing happened during his ministry. As two men followed him on a dark street at night, attempting to beat him up, a large grey wolfhound dog appeared out of nowhere and charged at the men driving them away. A wolfhound is a huge dog, known as a gentle giant, and this gentle giant was given a mission to protect John Bosco. 

There were other incidents where the same gray wolfhound would show up and protect John Bosco from attackers. The wolfhound would just appear out of nowhere and scare off his assailants. The boys named him Grigio, meaning the Gray One. The dog would emerge out of the fog and shadows whenever needed. 

Bosco didn’t own or even know the dog, but it would show up whenever he was in danger, and then disappear as suddenly as it appeared. It’s a mystery but many think it was a guardian angel taking the form of a wolfhound dog. If angels can appear as people, then it’s possible that they could also appear as an animal.

The hearts of the authorities of the church were changed and Bosco’s ministry was finally accepted and supported by the church. He founded a movement of lay people, the Association of Salesian Cooperators, in 1876 before he died in 1888. They still manage hostels today, primarily in third world countries and educate young boys and girls across 58 different countries. He was able to establish a network of centers to carry on his ministry, divinely inspired and originally protected by Grigio, the angel wolfhound sent from Heaven, who has not been seen since. 

Lord, thank you for the mysterious ways you find to protect people so they may finish the good work you called them to. Please protect us and help to do your work on earth. Amen

And God said, I will send them without wings so no one suspects they are angels. (Anonymous)

And God said, I will send them without wings so no one suspects they are angels. 

“And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”

Hebrews 12:1-2 (NIV)

I love this scripture verse, since there are many places in the New Testament, where believers are compared to runners in a race. Life is like a marathon and we who believe, are the runners. All the runners in a marathon look good at the starting point. Then challenges come along the way, and by the time each runner reaches the finish line, they are exhausted and dripping with sweat. It was worth it all as they break through the finish line and win the prize. 

Paul gave us this metaphorical image, which is how he lived his entire Christian life of faith. In his letter to Timothy before he was sentenced to a martyr’s death, he wrote, 

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”(2 Timothy 4:7)

Bible characters like Abraham, Moses, and Joseph all had the mindset of a marathon runner, who ran by faith, through their exhaustion, pain, and doubt, yet always keeping their eyes on the finish line, and nothing else. 

Moses kept his people focused on  the promised land, despite the many hardships encountered in the wilderness. The theme of the New Testament is to stay focused on Jesus as we run the race of life, all the way to the finish line. We don’t have a geographical promised land as the Israelites did, but we possess a land of God’s promises, which is the kingdom of God dwelling within us. Trusting in His promises gives us endurance as we run the race. 

Like any marathon runner, we face challenges and persevere through unexpected obstacles. A good runner doesn’t let themself get distracted, but keeps their eyes on the finish line. Jesus put His focus on His Heavenly Father during His life on earth, and it helped Him to overcame and find fortitude through so much betrayal and rejection. We overcome everything by keeping our focus on Jesus who lives within us. 

We all experience blessings and disappointments in the walk of faith, but disappointments are not the final evaluation of our faith. God is able to bring great blessings and purpose through disappointing circumstances. Rewards come to those who keep the faith, as the marathon runner diligently runs toward the finish line.

When we feel worn down with doubt, we remember the promises of God, and He renews our strength, lifting our spirit while we wait for the answers. Christian living is mostly about waiting. 

Answer to prayer usually takes time, and waiting can be very frustrating. Everywhere I go lately, seems to involve waiting. I wait at the doctor’s office, at train stops, at red lights, and in grocery store lines. It seems that God allows waiting in our lives to teach us something. We learn to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, putting our hope in His promises, more than in what we see, and we also learn patience as we wait for God’s timing.

It reminds me of the promise;

“They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)

God is love and everything He permits in our lives is out of His love for us. In all of the waiting and trusting, we keep running the race, with our eyes fixed on Jesus at the finish line. He is cheering us on and we hope to one day hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Lord, give us strength and fortitude to run, while fixing our eyes on you, and to wait patiently as we trust in your promises. Amen

“And the earth was a formless and desolate emptiness, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was “hovering”over the surface of the waters.”

Genesis 1:2 (NASB)

No matter how desolate, dark or empty a situation is, the Spirit of God is there, hovering. Hovering is an interesting way to describe what the Holy Spirit does. 

Webster’s dictionary definition of the word “Hover,” is “to position a computer cursor over an image or icon before selecting it.” Before computers existed, the definition of hover was “to move about to and fro, wavering over a person, place or object.”

The word, hover, has been around for centuries, and it appears in the book of Genesis, written around 1400 BC. The Spirit of God was “hovering over the waters” moving to and fro, over the dark, desolate, formless stages of creation. He is called the “Ruach Elohim.” Ruach is Hebrew for Spirit and Elohim is the plural form of the word for God. The mysterious thing about this name is that the word for God is El, but the writer of Genesis uses the plural form, Elohim.

So, the very first time God is ever mentioned in scripture, His name is in plural form. It makes sense to Christianity, that God introduces Himself as a Trinity. The plurality of His name is seldom talked about, yet in the story of creation, God refers to Himself in plural,

“Let us make man in our image.”

Christianity has always taught that God is a Trinity, one God in three persons. The actual word Trinity isn’t found anywhere in the entire bible, but the earliest fathers of the church, who knew the original apostles, were taught the Trinity by them, and then went on to teach it to others.

We may never fully comprehend the concept of a Trinity, but we can gain a deeper appreciation of each person in the Trinity. Jesus said that He would ask the Father, and He will send us another Helper, to be with us forever, who is the Spirit of truth. (John 14:16)

The Holy Spirit is this Helper, the same one who was there at the beginning, hovering over the dark waters of creation. He was sent to us by Jesus and His Father, and He hovers over us forever. Since the Holy Spirit is still hovering over us today, it seems only natural to invite Him into every aspect of our life and every situation of our day. 

The hovering Helper hovers over all of us especially when we feel like we are going through some dark, desolate situations in our lives. I can feel the darkness that my son is feeling, while currently going through a divorce, but I am trusting that the Holy Spirit will hover over all who are affected by it, and send His peace.

The same hovering Helper, moves  over every human soul on earth, pursuing them in the power of God’s love, because that’s what He does by nature. He is the One who makes God’s love knowable, regardless of how much suffering people may go through. He hovers over victims of poverty, injustice, loneliness, illness or depression. He even hovers over those who reject Him, and express no need for God at all, because His love is relentless and He never gives up on anyone.

This is the nature of the Ruach Elohim, the same Spirit who was first revealed to us in Genesis. He is the One who hovers over the whole world, and reveals His truth to anyone who asks and seeks for Him with their whole heart. Jesus asked for the Spirit to come to us, and now we can pray and ask the Spirit to come to our children, our friends, and all our loved ones. 

We can ask Him to hover over our homes, places of employment, or any area that needs to receive God’s love and truth. 

He hovers eagerly over all of our efforts to serve others. Leaders can ask Him to hover over their city or nation. Ministers and Pastors can ask the Spirit to hover over their churches and places of worship. Surgeons can ask Him to hover over their hands during surgeries. Scientists, inventors and doctors of faith, throughout history, have asked for His wisdom and discovered cures, treatments and vaccines. First responders can ask the Spirit to hover as they serve, save and protect others. 

While He hovers, He gives us comfort, hope, peace, wisdom and strength. Even in the darkest situation, the Spirit has infinite ways of helping us because God is infinite, and His love keeps persevering on our behalf. 

Come Holy Spirit and hover over us, in every aspect and area of our lives. Please have your way in our hearts, and in the whole world now and forever. Amen

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want;

he makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters;

he restores my soul.”

Psalm 23:1-2 ( RSV)

Emil Kapaun was a US army captain, who became a chaplain to an army unit in the Korean War. He was a large built man who went beyond his normal call of duty as a chaplain. When the Chinese volunteer army joined the fight, the Army gave Emil the option to leave and go to safer area, but he chose to stay with the 800 men that he served. 

Whether there was a need to find food for his men when they were starving or to pray at the side of the wounded or dying, Emil went out of his way to give hope and raise the morale of all his men. 

One day Emil saw a Chinese soldier aiming his rifle at a wounded US soldier lying helplessly on the ground, and he rushed at him, shoving the Chinese soldier aside, then picked up the wounded man, and carried him to safety. 

He was expecting the Chinese soldier to get up and shoot them both, but for some reason, he never did. Emil waited to hear the sound of gunshots, while carrying the wounded soldier, but the enemy soldier never fired at them. He carried the wounded man to safety, where he received medical aid, and lived to tell the story of Chaplain Emil’s bravery.

In 1951, Emil became ill and died in a Korean prisoner of war camp at the age of 35. Three unnamed US soldiers got together and buried his body in a rocky area of Korea as the war waged on. 

After the war, no one knew exactly where Emil was buried until 70 years later. One of the veterans who helped to bury him, was browsing through a veteran’s magazine in a doctor’s office waiting room one day. In the magazine, there was an article about Chaplain Emil Kapaun, whose remains were never found. The man was one of the three who buried him and immediately contacted the Army authorities to tell them where they buried the chaplain. 

Emil’s grave in Korea was found, and DNA tests confirmed that it was him. They brought his remains back to the US soil for burial. Emil, who was a good shepherd to his men, received an honorable burial on the green pastures of the National Memorial Cemetery in Hawaii. He was also posthumously awarded a Medal of Honor, Bronze star and a Purple Heart for his bravery in helping to rescue many men. 

As Chaplain Emil fulfilled his role as the Shepherd to his regiment, the Lord was a good Shepherd to him, by bringing his body back to be honored in his own nation, after lying in an unknown grave for seventy years. 

Jesus, is also our Good Shepherd, who stays at our side throughout the spiritual battles we face. He lifts our hearts up in faith, comforts us and heals our wounds. He keeps us safe from evil, and though the world forgets people, Jesus never forgets anyone. 

Lord, thank you for being a Good Shepherd to us all, and please bless all the good shepherds, like Emil, who follow your example and give themselves wholeheartedly, for their flock. Amen 

“But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”

Luke 2:19 (NIV)

I come from a patriotic family, and in honor of Memorial Day, this meditation will share thoughts about one veteran in my ancestry. My father served in the army, my uncle (my mom’s brother)was a Marine in WWII, and my oldest brother was an Air Force fighter pilot, during the Viet Nam war. Both my uncle and my brother died serving their country, but this meditation is in memory of my uncle.

As a child, my first introduction to a war hero was the picture of my grandmother’s only son, John, a Purple Heart Marine war hero, who died in World War II. He was killed by a hand grenade, in Iwo Jima, as he rescued a fellow marine. 

I remember spending time in my grandmother’s small, humble home, where I still recall an entire area of her living room, dedicated to her son, John. It was like a shrine filled with his photos, war medals, letters and a newspaper article, all in honor of an uncle I never knew, who died eight years before I was born.

I remember browsing through my grandmother’s scrapbook, which was full of photos of people who were special in her life, like her deceased husband, parents and siblings, even though I never met any of them.

My grandmother kept a letter from the Marine chaplain, who knew her son in Iwo Jima, which I now have in my own scrapbook today. 

He wrote to my grandmother, to say that her son was a man of faith, and a good man, who made the ultimate sacrifice. Jesus described it well, “Greater love has no one than this, that a person will lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)

A scrapbook is special to the one who puts it together, but even more meaningful when it can be  shared with others. It becomes more than a collection of photographs, but a memorial of a loved one’s values and character. Although her son lived only 24 years on this earth, his memory was kept alive for many years afterward, through my grandmother’s scrapbook.  

Mary had a place in her heart where she stored every cherished memory of Jesus, keeping His memory alive, long after He ascended to Heaven. She had a mental scrapbook filled with memories, conversations and miraculous images that she treasured, as scripture says that she pondered everything in her heart. 

When Mary and Joseph searched for twelve year old Jesus and were surprised to find Him in the temple, He told His parents that He had to be in His Father’s house. Mary treasured those words in the moment, putting it in the scrapbook of her heart, where it remained long after He was gone.

We may have our own memories of how we once searched for and found Jesus. We also have a scrapbook in our hearts of the most meaningful moments that impacted our faith and our relationship with Him.

A scrapbook has a twofold purpose, it’s a comforting reflection for the one who keeps it, but it’s also meant to be shared with other people, throughout the years. My grandmother’s scrapbook was a memorial to her only son, and made me feel like I knew my uncle even though I never met him. 

The memories we hold sacred in  this life, are a treasure, and by sharing them with others, we remind ourselves that we will all live forever. Jesus promised that all who believe in Him will live, even if they die. The shared memories of our loved ones today, and our hope in the resurrection, will continue to bless and comfort  our friends and loved ones, for many days to come.

Lord, we honor the memories of all loved ones and veterans, who live in the scrapbook of our hearts. As we share their memory, we hold on to the hope of eternal life. Amen 

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY🇺🇸

“Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.”

The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.

There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”

Luke 10:40-42 (NAB)

Bethany was a common stop for travelers, going to Jerusalem from Nazareth. Jesus and his parents traveled to Jerusalem throughout the years for religious holidays. They likely stopped over in the town of Bethany to spend time with the family of Lazarus, who befriended and hosted Joseph, Mary and Jesus in those earlier years. The friendship between Jesus, Lazarus, Mary and Martha developed and grew deeper over the years. 

The parents of Lazarus and Jesus’ father, Joseph, are not mentioned in this gospel story. The children are now young adults and very close friends. Jesus is just beginning His ministry and is the guest at their home along with His disciples, as Martha serves them. Mary appears to have abandoned Martha, while sitting at Jesus’ feet, in adoration. Perhaps she is seeing Him for the first time as her Lord and Messiah, and not merely her childhood friend.

There has always been debate over differing viewpoints about these two sisters in the gospel. Both sisters knew and loved Jesus, but Martha was busy serving, as Mary was listening to Jesus reveal Himself and His teachings. 

Some interpret this story to mean that service means nothing without true worship and others say that worship means nothing without true service. Both views are true and understandable, so we look to see what Jesus said about it. 

Jesus looked at Martha and told her that she was way too anxious. He wasn’t saying that service is not meaningful. In fact, He said  that there is a great need for more laborers to work in His Father’s harvest. (Matthew 9:38)

Jesus just wanted Martha to understand which response comes first. Our personal time spent with Him needs to come before our service and labor. We were meant to worship and to serve, yet Jesus said that Mary chose the “better”part, because it cannot be taken away. 

Chris Stefanik, a Christian lay speaker, once said;

“Lord, help us to be more like Mary so that we don’t have to work like Martha.” He didn’t mean that we shouldn’t work at all, but that there is a proper order to follow, so that we can serve God with joy, and not with all the anxiety that Martha carried around. Adoring Jesus and spending time listening to Him, comes first. It prepares us to serve Him in the spiritually healthy way, freed from the anxiety that leads to criticizing others.

Martha thought Mary wasted time sitting at Jesus’ feet, and she urged Him to tell Mary to help her. The difference between the two sisters is that Martha wanted Jesus to talk to Mary and correct her, but Mary wanted and needed only to listen to Jesus talk to her. 

Jesus told Martha that Mary has chosen the “better” part, which will not be taken from her. Jesus ended His sentence, indicating that there is something better that precedes all service to God, that will never be taken away. 

Jesus was warning Martha that we can lose ourselves in our labors, even when our labors are for Him. Hospitality and service is valuable, but some people can go through all the labor but still not know Him. Jesus asks us to abide in Him, which requires time spent with Him. 

We need Mary’s hunger to spend time with Him in prayer. To know Jesus is the better thing that produces the best servants, who listen to what He is saying before going out to labor in the world. It’s the “better”part that prepares us for eternal life with Him. 

Lord, help us to follow Mary in choosing to first spend time with you, so that we may serve like Martha, but without anxiety. Amen