Liturgical Calendar - Jeremiah's Vow

Lent 2022 | Day 39: Friend

In Jesus’s final gathering with his disciples, he offered them a word of encouragement I believe we too can participate in. Jesus told the disciples that he no longer considered them servants.

We are now days away from celebrating the glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ. This single event defines the fullness of our faith. Without the resurrection, we are left with no hope for what lies beyond the grave. But in the resurrection, we find a reason to endure the trials of this life and look forward to the promise to be fulfilled.

In Jesus’s final gathering with his disciples, he offered them a word of encouragement I believe we too can participate in. Jesus told the disciples that he no longer considered them servants. After all of their time together he had shared with them and talked with them about all that the Father had given to him. Now, as a result, they were ready to transition from those who were receiving to those who could give to others.

How do we know this is true? Jesus tells them he no longer called them servants but that he now considered them to be friends.

There is a big difference between a servant and a friend. The biggest of the differences is a servant does not have the same kind of access that a friend does. Servants cannot call upon their master and seek the same kind of comfort that a friend offers to a friend.

The reality this is describing is that at the end of our journey with Jesus we should be able to consider him our friend. In this case, what I mean by the journey is the journey of discipleship. That time where there is intentional and specific training, instruction, and encouragement to live out what is being learned. But there comes a moment we stop being students and we must begin to live for ourselves. Not ignoring what we have learned but according to what we have learned.

It has become my practice whenever I enter into a discipleship relationship to tell them from the beginning, “At the end of this discipleship process, however long the Lord gives us, if we are not better friends I will have failed to have discipled you properly.”

This mindset comes from what Jesus told his disciples. At the beginning, there was a great deal of transfer of information and correction from Jesus to the disciples. But as they matured they became more than just receptors of information and truth. Whether or not the disciples truly understood this does not change the fact that Jesus said this was his desire and his intention.

Whether or not we have ever felt like this about those who have discipled us in the past does not matter for how we should move forward. When we realize what Jesus was trying to do in and through us we become accountable for that.

And so as we prepare ourselves to celebrate the fulfillment of God’s great promise of salvation we should give thanks to Jesus Christ who is that friend that sticks closer to us than a brother (Proverbs 18:24). Jesus is the greatest friend we will ever have. Let us learn from him and be good friends with those whom we journey within this life. Even if it is only for a short time.

Lent 2022 | Day 38: Betrayal

During the night of the Last Supper, at the conclusion of the meal, Jesus tells the disciples that one among them would betray him.

As we approach the end of the season of Lent this year, we enter into the events that occurred prior to Jesus’s execution on the cross of Calvary. There are many things that occurred during that final week. Some of them encouraging and serving as reminders of God’s grace toward us as followers of Jesus. But some other events can remind us of how dark life can get when we lose our way.

The one event that comes to mind in this final week of Jesus’s life was the decision made by Judas Iscariot to betray Jesus into the hands of the high priest and his followers. During the night of the Last Supper, at the conclusion of the meal, Jesus tells the disciples that one among them would betray him. All of them looked around unsure as to who it could be. And while we are given no indication that anyone suspected Judas of being the betrayer, the biblical record indicates that Judas knew Jesus was talking about him.

It is so hard to describe or adequately articulate the feelings associated with an act of betrayal. The feelings and thoughts that emerge when that breach of trust is finally exposed can leave very deep emotional and spiritual wounds.

We can only imagine how Jesus felt knowing who would be the catalyst for the events that would lead to his death. And then for the other disciples to learn who among them had cast aside all they had seen in and through Jesus for 30 pieces of silver must’ve been a great shock.

While we would like to think we are not capable of such an act, the truth is not only are we capable in the right circumstances but we let ourselves off the hook for the small betrayals we commit against our own consciences and integrity. I do not mean to malign anyone or to falsely accuse anyone without cause. My intention is to reveal how easy it can be to judge the motives of another while giving a lenient interpretation of our own motives.

This entire topic is so difficult because it requires an omniscient mind in order to understand the multitude of contours that go into the decision. It can be overly simplistic to think that people commit a betrayal in a moment. The truth is the final act of betrayal is the culmination of a journey away from what one believed to be true at some point in the past.

I find it hard to believe that when Judas was called by Jesus he intended to betray him three years later. But at some point in his time walking and talking with Jesus he became discouraged with how Jesus was doing his ministry in the world. And that seed of doubt continued to grow until it bore the fruit of betrayal against Jesus.

We must all be careful what we allowed to grow in the soil of our heart. Because we do not know when that seed of doubt will bring forth its fruit in our lives. Again, my intention is not to scare anyone but to encourage an intentional awareness of those things that could take root in our minds and hearts.

While the season of Lent is coming to an end and we turn our attention to rejoicing in God’s faithful salvation through Jesus, it is a stark reminder of how fragile we all can be. Judas’s act of betrayal must serve as an example of what can happen when we allow ourselves to stand in judgment over how God chooses to act in the world.

Lent 2022 | Day 37: Search

The season of Lent is an opportunity for searching once again. It is a reminder to set aside those things that would keep us from deepening our commitment and relationship to God.

The prophet Jeremiah records a letter he sent to the exiles while they were in Babylon. The purpose of the letter was to remind them that God had not forgotten them nor abandon them there. It can be difficult to imagine how the Israelite people must’ve felt to receive that letter. They had been in captivity for many years, struggling to make sense of how God would deliver them out of the hand of their captors.

In one section of the letter Jeremiah offers to them these words:

¹²“then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. ¹³you will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. ¹⁴I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations in all the places where I have driven you, declares the LORD, and I will ring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.”
Jeremiah 29:12-14 ESV

Throughout the Scriptures, there are instances where God encourages his people to seek him. The idea of searching is an encouragement to be actively engaged in the process of understanding what God is calling his people to. When we remain passive in our understanding of the faith we miss out on an important element of what it means to be followers of God. That element, stated simply, is the idea of journeying with God. We have been called to leave familiar places and to search for God where he has called us to go.

One of the beautiful aspects of what Jeremiah tells the people of God is seen in verse 13. He says to the people, “you will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”

There are two important points made here that we must be diligent in recognizing. The first point has to do with the manner in which we seek God. This is seen in the second half of the verse. We must seek God with our whole heart. What that is describing is a complete commitment to the task of searching. It is not enough to pay lip service to this.

If we are not truly and honestly seeking after God then we will never really find them. Not because God is trying to stay hidden. We will not find God because we never really sought him. This is an important precondition to our journey of faith. It is not designed to restrict us. It is quite the opposite. By making it known that only a genuine search for God will lead us to where God is, God has made clear how we can assess whether or not we will ever find God.

The second point, found in the first half of the verse, is the promise built into the act of searching. The promise that God offers to his people is that if we seek him according to the manner he described then he will be found. This is a promise of certainty. This is a promise God has obligated himself to fulfill. Not because he owes us, but because he has stated the conditions and the results he will relate to us with.

The season of Lent is an opportunity for searching once again. It is a reminder to set aside those things that would keep us from deepening our commitment and relationship to God. It is a time where we can challenge and even oppose the forces at work against our faith through dedicated focus. But most importantly it is a persistent reminder every year that God has called us to seek him.

As we celebrate Easter this year may we remember that God is still calling us to seek him. I pray that I might recommit myself to seek him with my whole heart. I pray that you will do the same.

Lent 2022 | Day 36: Tears

One of the most remarkable moments in Jesus’s ministry is when he arrives in Bethany to see about his friend Lazarus.

One of the most remarkable moments in Jesus’s ministry is when he arrives in Bethany to see about his friend Lazarus. It is remarkable because it is the only time where Jesus is recorded to have wept about anything or anyone. This is not mean that it may not have happened at another time. However, because this is the only instance recorded in the Gospels it serves to highlight Jesus’s response to the loss of a close friend.

There are many reasons for which we might find ourselves shedding tears. And what makes the act of crying so interesting is that it may be the result of great joy or deep sadness. The fact that tears may be caused by such a varied range of emotions makes it an interesting phenomenon in the human experience.

In the case of Jesus’s weeping over the death of Lazarus, we can see that the instance was that of deep sorrow. We see in the story how both Mary and Martha knew that Jesus could have prevented Lazarus’s death. But Jesus remained where he was for a day longer. We know now Jesus did in fact raise Lazarus from the grave. But at the time there was a lot of uncertainty in the minds and hearts of all those involved.

So what are we to make of the tears Jesus wept over a friend he had the power to resurrect? It could be tempting to make more of it than is warranted. We do not know what was going through Jesus’s mind at the time. But I think if we consider that Jesus’s love for Mary, Martha, and Lazarus was genuine then we must grant that Jesus’s tears were as much for the loss the sisters endured as it was for Lazarus’s death.

Anyone who has experienced the physical death and loss of a loved one will know the pain which I am speaking of. There is an emptiness felt because of the finality of the person’s absence. And while we hope in the coming time of the resurrection when Jesus returns, few of us will ever know the joy of having someone who has passed being brought back to life.

Mary and Martha had to face one of the darkest moments of their life and then had the opportunity to see their brother returned to them. And in those days and events, they experienced both the deep tears of sorrow and the excited tears of unexpected joy.

The human experience that we all must journey through will afford us the opportunity to experience both of these extremes. The question is will we be able to hold on to our faith regardless of where or why we might find ourselves weeping.

As we prepare to celebrate the glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ in just a few short days, may we not fear the tears of sadness or anticipate those of joy that this moment elicits in us. Regardless of the reason, may the tears of sorrow and of joy serve as a cleansing expression of the oftentimes unutterable realities we encounter in life.

Lent 2022 | Day 35: Truth

The question asked by Pontius Pilate at Jesus’s trial is one of the most important questions ever asked of God. The question reminds us the truth is not merely some abstract or undefinable reality with no consequences.

³⁸Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”
John 18:38a ESV

The question asked by Pontius Pilate at Jesus’s trial is one of the most important questions ever asked of God. The question reminds us the Truth is not merely some abstract or undefinable reality with no consequences. Truth is something that can be known. It is something that must be known. And within the context of the Christian faith, it is someONE we must build a relationship with!

Each and every day millions if not hundreds of millions of people wake up to repeat what they have done over and over again. This continuous and seemingly endless cycle can become monotonous. But for too many this process is a mindless repetition empty of any purpose. It is this feeling of senselessness that causes many to question whether there is anything beyond the present experience of life.

We cannot go into an in-depth defense of the Truth here. Much wiser individuals than myself have offered better answers to the question. However, what can be said in this limited space is that without the truth nothing else can maintain its integrity. The denial of truth is a self-defeating proposition.

The Truth serves as a binding agent to the experience we call life. Without the Truth, we can trust nothing we claim to know. Without the Truth, we can have no confidence that what we have learned can be of any benefit to us or anyone else. And without the Truth, we resign ourselves to a life of doubt and confusion.

It does not matter how far we try to run and hide from the Truth, the greater our descent into fear and chaos. We may think we can avoid this. We may even convince ourselves that we can escape the effects of living without the Truth to sustain us. But, eventually, that lie will catch up to us. We may never admit it to anyone else. What we will not be able to do is deny it to ourselves.

Those who claim that the Truth is relative undermine the very proposition they make with the declaration. There is no person who has ever lived who has ever been able to operate their lives according to the principle when they know something is a lie.

We can have philosophical arguments as to the nature of truth. We can have theological arguments about the reliability of truth claims. We can even have ethical arguments as to whether or not the truth can be employed indiscriminately. But what we cannot do, and at least maintain any semblance of sanity, is to deny that we all operate from the perspective that at least what we believe and what we claim is true.

It is this approach to life that reminds us that without the Truth we all are subject to the whims of others. We do not have to have delusions of grandeur or be seekers of power to understand the need for truth in our lives. But to reject truth as a form of escape from the difficult realities of life or the pains we have endured because of others is no reason to reject that the Truth exists.

As we continue our time of reflection and prepare for Easter morning we too must ask the question that Pontius Pilate asked: What is truth?

But rather than leaving the question hanging and not waiting for an answer, we should look to Jesus and see what he says on the matter. As we consider the importance of the question, and if we were to give it its proper weight, we would realize that without truth we all are truly lost. Not because we did not have lives we could enjoy but because we could have no confidence in anything that we attempted to do with our lives.

Lent 2022 | 6th Sunday in Lent: Entrance

On each of the Sundays of Lent, we have been looking at God’s grace. Trying to better understand this precious gift that God has bestowed upon us. Today we transition to the beginning of Holy Week. In this, the final week of Jesus’s earthly sojourn, we prepare to remember and experience the fullness of the Gospel’s promise for eternal life.

The Sunday before Easter is known as Palm Sunday. It is a Sunday that marks Jesus’s final entrance into the city of Jerusalem. During that time many of the inhabitants of the city and some of those who had gathered for the Passover celebration greeted Jesus. They threw palms at his feet and cried out hosanna. They believed that he would usher in a new earthly reign governed by God’s chosen ruler. What the people failed to understand was that God’s plan would not look like they desired.

The contrast between Jesus’s entrance on Palm Sunday and what happened at the end of the week is quite remarkable. But we will look at that in a few days time.

What is the focus of our consideration today is that often times we make assumptions about how God will work in our lives and in our midst. These are assumptions grounded in our own desires rather than God’s wisdom. The circumstances of life can cause us to cry out to God for relief and in the process blinds us to the reality that God’s character will not change. For some, this may be a point of discouragement. But for me, I find it reassuring, that God will maintain his integrity in order to remain faithful to his character.

These are important ideas as we look at Jesus’s entrance. The people had made up their minds regarding what they wanted to see Jesus do. But God was not swayed by what can only be described as a shortsighted understanding of what was needed. The temporary reign of an earthly king does not compare to the eternal victory of the Son of God. So while Jesus entered Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday in a far more humble posture than would be expected of a king, his purpose would not be thwarted by the misconceptions of those who received him.

I think one of the important lessons we can take away from Palm Sunday is recognizing how God will accomplish his purposes in the world. And even more vital to our faith is understanding how God will accomplish his will in our lives. That God can hold these realities without causing contradiction or catastrophic collapse of his plan is so mind-scramblingly astounding I cannot articulate it properly.

So as we enter into this Holy Week, I encourage you to remember we can trust in God’s goodness to accomplish his perfect will. We may not always understand how he will do it. We can simply know that he will. God has never failed to accomplish that which he has promised. And I do not believe that he will begin now.

Lent 2022 | Day 34: Life

Often times comes when life is lost. It is only when contrasted against death that the precious nature of life becomes easier to see.

Any discussion about life requires a greater appreciation for what it is. The insight required to make this assessment often times comes when life is lost. It is only when contrasted against death that the precious nature of life becomes easier to see.

According to Christian teaching, putting our faith in the sacrificial work of Jesus Christ on the cross produces an effect in our experience of life. We come to realize how sin has fractured our relationship with God and distorted our understanding of self. In the sacrifice of the son of God on the cross of Calvary we see how seriously God saw our sin. And in this clarifying understanding we can make sense of why the life we now have in Jesus is to be cherished and valued.

It can be difficult to understand the method God use to provide for our salvation. Everything involved in saving those who are separated from God and lost in their sin would require countless lifetimes to fully grasp. And yet it is possible to see, from an experiential point of view, that death is the end of something that cannot be undone. This is why those of us who trust in Christ lean so intentionally into the promise that our salvation has neutralized the damning effects of sin.

We may still have to endure the process of transitioning from this life to a new life but we have reason to hope that what awaits us is truly there. The totality of the Christian experience hinges on Jesus’s fulfillment of his word to prepare a place for us (John 14:1-3). And so we wait until the time when we transition or Jesus returns.

Life is a precious gift. And it is one we should never take for granted. Even when the journey gets hard and the obstacles seem to be unending we can choose to look forward and hope. And it is a choice we have to make. It can be hard. And sometimes it may feel impossible. But in moments like that I am reminded of God’s gracious gift both in the life I now have an in the new life Christ has given to me.

As we enter the final week of Lent, let us look with both anticipation and joy that God has provided a way for us. I think it’s important to remember that this way is shared by all who put their hope and trust in Jesus. And so as we travel this road we do not have to travel alone. I encourage you to take heart in that.

Lent 2022 | Day 33: Grief

For those who have experienced the unyielding reality of loss, grief can follow you around and make its appearance at unexpected times. There are many reasons why people experience grief. The most common is the loss of a loved one. But the reality of trauma from other events or circumstances can also produce the deep sense of loss often described as grief.

In the course of the last 20 years of ministry, I have had the opportunity to walk with many through a season of grief in life. But even describing it as a season does not accurately convey the impact on a person’s life. Grief is not like the mending of a bone after it has been broken. Grief winds its way through a person’s life taking turns that are often unexpected. This is why I have come to understand that every person grieves in unique ways.

Regardless of the circumstances that lead to a person experiencing grief, one of the worst things to say to someone is that it’s time to move on. The assumptions contained in that statement are not only callous but many times are premature. Grief does not progress along with any predictable patterns.

How much time should it take to replace what has been lost? Only the person who is enduring the process of grieving can determine that timeline. This is what makes grief so difficult to address as someone seeking to support a person in grief. And it is also one of the challenges when we are the ones in the midst of that struggle.

We feel the tension between trying to get “back to normal” and knowing we may not be ready to do it. But the often unspoken reality is that the very notion of normal has changed. There is an emptiness now present in our lives. And in the process of learning to live with it is not easy. If we’re honest, many times it is near impossible to do, at least without some support.

As a believer in Jesus Christ, I do not know how those who do not have a relationship with God endure times of grief. There are so many questions that come in those moments of solitude and reflection. So many thoughts that we find difficult to restrain. And without the promise of future hope and future justice, I struggle to imagine how to look forward to a new day. The reason to describe grief in such stark terms is not to increase the burden, but to describe it as honestly and sincerely as we can.

I believe there are two fundamental reasons why grief is often misunderstood by those on the outside looking in. First, when we see someone else in grief we are challenged to consider how we would respond. And for those of us who have suffered a loss the reminder of what was endured can be difficult. Remembering what that journey looks like can bring back to mind some of the difficulties and heartache we have had to manage. And there are many who simply do not want to deal with that ongoing presence in their life. This is not a judgmental statement. It is not a criticism. It is just an acknowledgment of the human experience.

Second, for most of us, knowing what to do or what to say can be challenging. I think it’s important to acknowledge that when there is loss there is nothing that can be said, particularly in those initial moments, that can bring the kind of comfort we would hope to offer. Our words cannot feel the full impact of the event that created the hole a person now feels. And so oftentimes we end up saying things, that though they are well-intentioned, do not help.

In this season of Lent, we recognize that God has done something for us we could not do for ourselves, or even for each other. God has entered into and has become like us to show us we are not alone. While there is a time for words of comfort, the primary ministry we can offer one another in times of grief is that of presence. To be with one another in and through the journey of grief has a healing effect upon our hearts that cannot be fully quantified. And we see this in the life of Jesus. Jesus enters into the mire and the muck of human frailty and he teaches us and he loves on us and he mourns with us by being near to us. This is one of the great mysteries of Jesus’s mission on the earth. And it is one we celebrate as we travel through the season of Lent in preparation for the celebration of Easter morning.

Lent 2022 | Day 32: Rebirth

One of the most challenging exchanges Jesus had was with one of the religious leaders of the Jewish people. The story is found in John chapter 3. A Pharisee by the name of Nicodemus came to Jesus because he had questions about what Jesus was teaching. As a learned man, Nicodemus was well-versed in much of the philosophical and theological knowledge of his day. But there was something about the way Jesus taught that caused him to come late one evening to find answers.

Nicodemus begins his conversation with Jesus by acknowledging that what Jesus was doing both in his teaching and in the performing of miracles marked him as someone having been sent from God. But this is not enough for Nicodemus. Part of the reason for Nicodemus’s struggle was that what he saw in Jesus seemed to be in conflict with what he had learned through his many years of study.

In this passage, Jesus tells Nicodemus that in order for anyone to enter into the kingdom of heaven they must be born again. Another way of saying that is they must experience a rebirth. And this was where Nicodemus began to struggle. Let’s take a look at what Nicodemus asked Jesus that night.

“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
John 3:4 ESV

Jesus immediately identifies the problem with the question. Jesus did not consider the question to be asked with an ulterior motive. Jesus realized that for Nicodemus the connection between the physical life he was living and the spiritual reality Nicodemus was being invited into was difficult for him to understand. Therefore, Jesus makes a connection for Nicodemus, and for us. In the same way that we all must experience a physical birth in order to enter into this world, we must also experience a spiritual birth in order to enter into a spiritual kingdom.

The challenge we face is recognizing that the way one is born into the world and the way one is born into God’s spiritual kingdom is not achieved by the same means. And while it may seem apparent to some how this is the case, the reality is it is much more difficult to fully understand and appreciate. I think this is why the apostle John records the story. For if a man as educated and informed as Nicodemus struggled to understand this connection, we should not feel like there is something wrong with us when we also struggle to make the connection as well.

So how do we respond to this situation we find in John chapter 3? We must accept what Jesus said to Nicodemus for ourselves. We must realize that what Jesus is calling us to is a new commitment to living according to the spiritual realities he initiated through his ministry while on earth.

When we try to understand the peculiar and particular mechanics of salvation we have entered into the realm of trying to know what only God knows. But if we trust in what Jesus has said about how we become children of God, we do not have to understand how God accomplishes it. We can find comfort in the fact THAT God accomplishes it.

One of the important purposes of commemorating the season of Lent every year is precisely to remember that God has called us to a new kind of life. This new life began when we gave ourselves — mind, body, and soul — to Jesus when we believe the gospel. And now that we have been born again we must learn to live out the principles and characteristics of God as taught to us by Jesus.

As we continue our March toward Easter morning I pray we will learn to accept our rebirth in Christ. And also that we might celebrate the gift that it is for our good.

Lent 2022 | Day 31: Weary

²⁸Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Matthew 11:28-30 KJV

We don’t use the word weary very much in our culture today. But it is slightly different than just being tired. Being tired is what we describe feeling after physical exertion. This is the result of a long day of work or chores. The primary focus of being tired is the physical. We end up with sore muscles, inflamed joints, or just a general sense of fatigue. But this is not what it means to be weary.

We talk about being weary when we are going to a much deeper place and how the activity that we are performing affects us. When we are weary the effect on our emotions and our sense of purpose is what is deeply affected.

The causes or reasons for weariness are as varied as the people we encounter on life’s road. Whether it be a marriage that is being stressed by the circumstances of life or the toll of looking after an elderly parent. Or just the ongoing drudgery of enduring a job that you no longer find fulfilling, all these can be sources of weariness.

In the midst of the daily rhythms and routines of life, we find God breaching the feeling that we have with his presence. We see this most intently in Jesus’s birth. God becomes a man and enters into the human experience. He lives among a broken people, worn and tattered by the ravages of sin, and doing all they can to make it through another day. While we have the advantages of technology and quick access to information this does not change that the human experience in striving to meet fundamental needs has remained essentially the same.

How do we know that this human experience is more regular than we may typically consider being true? I think it’s seen in the stories that are passed on from one generation to the next. We can see it in the parables, fables, in moral tales that can be found in every culture and civilization that is lived on the planet.

The fact that we can still learn the principles and concepts contained within the stories today is a testament to a general commonality experienced by all humanity. Even separated by time and cultural understandings we can learn from others through these principles.

This is why when we talk about weariness we can know that it is not a new phenomenon in the human condition. It is actually quite common. But that is not the way we experience it. That is not the way we describe it when and if we share it with someone else. When we are in the midst of a season of weariness it can be one of the most isolating times of our life. And again, this is quite normal.

So what do we do? How do we deal with these times of weariness?

The short answer is that we must not do it alone. The temptation and tendency to cordon off those who would have an interest in helping is one we have to fight against. The example of Christ contained in the verses at the beginning of this post is quite instructive. Jesus enters into the human experience and offers to journey with us through it all. This is the example we should model. This is the mindset that we should adopt.

We all at one point to another will find ourselves feeling weary, burdened down by the weight of life. But when that moment comes we do not have to go through it by ourselves. We must learn to practice asking for help. It is not always easy. But it will always be worth the effort when we can find someone who is willing to enter into our weariness and help us to get to the other side of it.