devo

Stupid Steve and Doubting Thomas…You are the one who Jesus loved.

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Doubting Thomas…That is what we call him anyway.  Traditionally the reading for the Sunday after Easter is what we call the story of doubting Thomas.  I find in fascinating that we pick this reading for after Easter and that we call him by this name.  Its like we only remember the worst thing about him and run with it.  What is most fascinating to me in the text is Jesus doesn’t give him that name. It is what you and I have named him.  We took his worst moment in the Gospels and attached that to him for his lifetime and throughout history.

I remember back to my life as a grade school/Middles school student and I am glad that I am not named weird Steve, quiet Steve, or stupid Steve…Well I suppose I could have been called all those things at one point or another in my life and actually probably far worse if I really knew what people thought of me as young person. I have called myself far worse in my head. I am glad this thing called Facebook wasn’t around and my mother has very few pictures of me to remember all the awful things I ever did as a child because back then we didnt take a picture/video of every dumb thing we ever did.

What is every time you walked around this world everyone only remembered you for the worst thing you ever did?  I know some of us think that is the way we are supposed to be.  You see we take our worst sin and have a hard time letting it go.  We walk around day and night just holding onto that sin.  We make it our name badge.  We sometimes even share it with others. It might be the sin of hatred, or something truly evil we did as a child, teen, or young adult.  It might be we think of ourselves as divorcee, bully, or terrible parent.  We all walk around with baggage.

I will tell you this, as I remind myself on daily basis, my name is not stupid Steve.  You and I are not named after our worst mistake we are called beloved.  My name is the one who Jesus loved. I can try to make my name something else or try to make it more than that, but ultimately it is the name Jesus calls me.  The name he gave me when he called me his own in my baptism.  May we all remember what our real name is today. If you are walking around thinking of your name as something other than loved than let me remind you that your are the one whom Jesus loved!

24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

John 20:24-28 ESV

Routines…New, Old and Changed

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I have worn more sweat pants over the last four weeks than I think I have in my entire life. These last few weeks have been trying to figure out my routines.  Things are not the same a they were before the stay at home orders.  I would say in some ways it has been good and in some ways it has been difficult.  Certainly things I tried to do early in the process are not happening nearly as often today.  Things like wearing dress pants and dress shirt even when I have to come into the office has been lost as the weeks have gone on.  Even getting up early to be in the “office” (my kitchen table) by 8am has not happened.  Some things are never going to be the same.

17 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?”  26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the[c] covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”  Matthew 26:17, 26-29 ESV

As I was thinking about it this week I was thinking about the Lord Supper.  How Jesus took something they had been doing in the Passover/Sabbath meal and tweaked it.  He took something in their routine and made it that much more meaningful.  I imagine the very next week when they got together for Sabbath meal they sat in awe of the moment it could never be the same. They couldn’t look at it the same way. When those disciples sat together and ate the meal together everything was different.

Lots of things we have done these last few weeks will not be the same.  Hopefully you and I can consider some new routines that glorify Jesus.  I know for me one of those things will to be to appreciate the power of being together in worship and most especially the gathering around the Lords table.  I also pray for me that this routine of being in the word more outside of class will continue into the future.  What are the things in your new routine you want to keep?  What things will you cherish more?  What things do you want to get back?  Jesus comes to bring change, may that change help us all grow in our trust in Him.

Anticipation…from dread to hope!

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Anticipation is something we deal with on a daily basis these days.  It used to be with excited anticipation, but recently I think much of our anticipation is dread.  We are sitting and waiting for something to go wrong.  The anticipation of today is not what I enjoy.  It has been a tough season of anticipation.

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This January when I went to Israel I bought this Bethlehem wood sculpture. It is one my favorite things I bought there.  I bought a lot of things for teaching students and families. I got coins, prayer shawls, pictures, and a rams horn, all so I could teach about Jesus to others. This item however was for me.  It was supposed to be a reminder of what Jesus did for me from beginning to end.

I spent way too much on this item and if my wife knew how much it was she would have told me no.  Well maybe not, but she probably would have shook her head.  I couldn’t resist it though.  For me this little item has been a great reminder for holy week and our struggles with anticipation.  Here is what I see.  I see the baby Jesus with Mary and Joseph and  I see the cross.  From the very beginning of all the eager anticipation of the coming of Jesus it was all meant for the cross.

Today many of us are waiting in anticipation.  We are waiting for new numbers of people infected, or if a loved one is sick, or if someone in my family will pass away.  Our Anticipation is something we deal with on a daily basis.  It is certainly not the anticipation of joy we are used to.  And yet I imagine the Angles in heaven, from the time he was born looking on with baited breath in anticipation of when it all would happen.  When would God redeem his people and the whole world.  I imagine they looked on in wonder, or maybe sadness and fear as it all played out.  Even when God sent Jesus to the cross maybe they didn’t even fully understand everything that was going on.  Fear may have  even enveloped them as it did for His disciples.  Maybe fear is enveloping you in these days of anticipation.

For this week I would ask you to turn off your TV and focus on something else.  Focus on the cross.  The cross was where our place was taken and as we enter these days ahead we will make it to the empty tomb.  All of this Anticipation went from dread to hope.   Maybe today as we get closer to the cross, His death and Resurrection you can look on with anticipation of the hope we have in Jesus and throw off the dread that so easily takes hold.

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Romans 8:18-25 ESV

This isn’t how it is supposed to be…One day we will do this right

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Today I had the opportunity to sit in front of my TV and be a greeter at Church. This isn’t how this is supposed to be. We had some technical difficulties, and the feed was missing sound for the first 10 minutes. This is not how this is supposed to be.  I had technical difficulties at home with my TV, and I participated in the service through a 4″ phone.  This morning all I thought was,  “This isn’t how it is supposed to be.”

During the service, once it got working, I had some friends from Church text me about the tech stuff and sent me thanks for it working. I had nothing to do with fixing it, I just let the team know at Church it wasn’t working. At the end of our conversation, one of them said, “I can’t wait until I can see my Church family again.”  I agreed this isn’t how this is supposed to be.

Although there is a lot of good that has come from all this, not the least of which is churches and people sharing Jesus online, I cannot tell you how much I want to be together with people in worship. This is not how it is supposed to be. I look forward to the amazing moment when our community can be together again. It will be a great moment for our people and for me personally. I love people, and I can’t wait to be together again.

I had a thought today; even when we get back together, even when we get together and pull out all the stops and it feels like heaven, it won’t be.  This just isn’t how it is supposed to be. You see one day, when this is all over, we will gather all together, in person, in our resurrected body for worship that will last for eternity.  It will be beyond amazing, and it will be beyond everything we have ever experienced or seen.  We will hug our loved ones and celebrate Jesus like we can’t even imagine.  That is the day we see a little here but will see more fully when Jesus comes again.

I pray as we go through these days that we are reminded that this isn’t how it is supposed to be, not just in worship, all of it.  Jesus changes everything, and I can’t wait for it to be just as He said it will be.

13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

15 “Therefore they are before the throne of God,
    and serve him day and night in his temple;
    and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.
16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
    the sun shall not strike them,
    nor any scorching heat.
17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,
    and he will guide them to springs of living water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Revelation 7:13-17 ESV