Month: February 2023

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

2 Corinthians 12:9 (RSV)

If there was a reel of video images playing back our entire life, it would consists of a series of moments. We cannot recall every detail that happened in our life but we do have a collection of moments stored in the treasury of our minds and hearts. Days, weeks, months and years are condensed into key moments. We have childhood moments that we treasure, memories spent with siblings, cousins and old friends. We remember the sacred moments of our last goodbye to a beloved friend or loved one. We cherish the joyful moment of first meeting a new born addition to our family.

Whether moments bring laughter or tears, they are the moments that compose the playback video entitled “Your life.” I remember a moment in my life when I was so sick with a virus while I had four month old twin babies to care for. My husband was on strike but had an obligation to his union to go to the picket line that day with the others who were striking. No one was available to help with the babies and I was too sick and weak to care for them that day, so he took them with him to the picket line.
I packed diapers and bottles and he took them in a twin stroller for a few hours as he took it all to the picket line, while I was able to rest at home. A newspaper reporter who was covering the strike, came by and took a picture of him with the twins in the stroller and the local newspaper article the next day read, “Striker does double duty on picket line.”

It was a memorable moment, and we were all amused. Not every key moment in life makes it to the newspaper, but in every moment, we give Jesus the steering wheel of our lives. We trust Him to calm the storms that come, and we proclaim Him Lord of our life through sickness and health, through the best and the worst of times.
There have been moments where we win battles over sin and moments where we lose, with moments of rebellion followed by moments of repentance. If we reviewed the moments of our lives, some will make us laugh and some will make us cry, some with cause a sense of achievement and others a sense of shame. Our faith waxes and wanes through the different storms of life, but we always pick ourselves up again and keep moving forward, because God’s grace and strength is perfected through our weaknesses.

It is those redemptive moments that secure our confidence to keep coming back to God.
Everything in the video of our life that is summed up in this combination of moments, is a brief flashback compared to eternity that we will spend with Jesus. We were created to live eternally, and our present life is the time we are given to live out the key moments from this day onward, in a state of grace.

Lord, thank you for your grace in giving us time and a fresh start to try again and do better, in living every moment for your glory. 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)

I love the story of Samuel, the little boy who was dedicated to the temple by his mother, Hannah. It’s a story usually told to children about a little boy who hears the call of God while he is sleeping. The story of Samuel has a lot to say about a grieved heart, both the heart of God and the heart of a parent. Hannah had a grieved heart until God answered her prayer and gave her a son. The high priest Eli had a grieved heart over his irreverent sons. God’s heart is also the heart of a parent, and He becomes grieved over sin. We can learn from Samuel to tune ourselves in to what grieves God.
There are many details in this story that are never told to children. The high priest, Eli, raising Samuel in the temple, and preparing him for priesthood, had two adult sons who were priests. Being a very passive father, Eli’s two sons grew up to disrespect God, and abuse their office of the priesthood with bribery, sexual promiscuity and greed. They brought shame to their office, to their father and to God. Eli begged his sons to reform but he never had the courage to remove them from the priesthood.

God was very grieved over their wickedness and planned to raise up Samuel to be a priest after His own heart. While Samuel was still a boy, learning the roles and rituals of priesthood from Eli, one day God spoke directly to him. He called his name out in the middle of the night, 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. Then God revealed His heart to Samuel, explaining that He was going to remove the two evil sons of Eli and cut their lives short. Samuel went and reported all the words of the Lord to Eli.
This was the beginning of Samuel’s personal relationship with God. He grew up to understand what grieved the heart of God as well as what pleased Him, leading Samuel to become an intimate friend with God. Jesus called us His friends, not slaves or servants. If we were meant to have friendship with God, then friends share their joys as well as their sorrows with one another. This would mean that Jesus wants to share his joys with us, but He also wants to share what grieves Him.

Other faiths do not believe we can have friendship with our Creator, but rather believe men are only servants of God, but Christianity is clear that we are called into a friendship with God, our Father. Jesus said in John 15:15, “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” God desires to share what is on His heart with us, just as He did with young Samuel.

Friends listen to each other, sharing joy and grief. It’s a two way communication that Jesus wants to have with us as well. We are all sinners like Eli’s sons, but we have been washed and cleansed in the precious blood of Jesus, renewed by His Spirit, and adopted as children of His Father.  The friendship Samuel had with God is offered to us through Jesus.

The same Spirit that dwelled with Samuel, dwells in us and is there when we sleep and when we wake up. He has things to say and share with us. Lord, help us to shut off all the outside noises, so we might hear what you are saying, and we can answer like Samuel, “Hineni, Here I am, speak Lord, I am listening.”

“While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.”

Mark 14:3 (NIV)

Greeting with a kiss, washing feet and pouring fragrant oil on the head were all routine customs of hospitality in Jesus’ day. These acts of hospitality were done for house guests who spent hours walking in the hot dry sun.

This woman went beyond the routine custom of the day, and poured out all her oil on Jesus, saving nothing for herself. As others complained about her waste, Jesus praised her for showing Him so much love.

For me, the valuable oil kept in my alabaster jar is my time. Time is sacred and sometimes I just want to keep it for myself. When we sacrifice time to serve others, it’s like washing Jesus’ feet or pouring oil on His head. I remember once staying late at church washing silverware after an evening event, and I kept thinking how much I disliked washing dishes, and wished I was at home relaxing on my couch. This bible story was an awakening for me, and I realized that whether I give my time in a menial task like washing church dishes or taking the time to call someone who is lonely and struggling, it is like pouring oil out of my alabaster jar. Serving others, is serving Jesus and there’s nothing menial about serving Jesus. The narrow spout on the alabaster jar was used to moderate the flow of oil and avoid waste, but the woman broke off the spout, and poured it all out on Jesus. In holding nothing back, her action was interpreted by Him as a gesture of love.

Jesus loves us in the same way, and gave Himself for us without moderation. He held nothing back, but emptied Himself completely, all the way to the cross. This story is a reminder that He is worthy of whatever we hold valuable in our alabaster jars. Whatever we do for others is done for Him. In breaking off the spout, Jesus becomes our first priority and our first love.
Jesus, thank you for showing your love to us in giving all of yourself. Help us to love you more by giving you more of what is kept in our alabaster jars. Amen

“And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

Mark 5:34 (RSV)

The woman with the hemorrhage was determined to go see Jesus. It all began by speaking to herself saying, ”If I but touch His clothes, I shall be cured.” In most other gospel accounts of healing, a person is brought to Jesus by friends or family. Scripture doesn’t explain her family situation, only that she suffered with a hemorrhage for twelve years, and came to see Jesus alone. She was probably lonely and physically weak from losing blood over many years. Her healing is unique because she inspired herself to go where Jesus was, to touch the edge of His clothes and to be healed.

There will be times in our lives when we are weak or alone and need to speak faith to ourselves. We may need to go to church alone, go to the doctor alone, pray alone, or troubleshoot problems alone. 

During those times, when we feel that no one is around to support us, we need to tell ourselves, as she did, that touching Jesus is all we need. When the woman in this gospel story touched the hem of His garment, she unleashed His power. Jesus instantly felt power leave His body, and turned around, asking who touched Him. 

The woman didn’t stand by, dwelling in self pity, and waiting for Jesus to approach her. She initiated her healing by persevering to push through the crowd, and put her faith into action by touching Him first. Immediately the flow of blood dried up and she knew that she was healed of her twelve year affliction. Jesus was impressed with her faith, which started by speaking to herself. 

Sometimes we need to speak words of faith to ourselves, and then put our words into action. This woman’s example teaches us that even when we feel weak or alone, or suffer for years, we can still find perseverance deep within, to reach out to Jesus and believe for our miracle. Our faith unleashes God’s power, and if we reach as far as we can, Jesus meets us the rest of the way, saying, “Your faith has healed you, Go in peace.”

Lord, give us the self determination to persevere and believe for our miracle, even when we are alone. Give us the courage and the faith to reach out and touch you, in faith and trust. Amen