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“Nobody” by Casting Crowns (featuring Matthew West)

23 Feb

“Nobody” by Casting Crowns (featuring Matthew West)

Why you ever chose me has always been a mystery
All my life I’ve been told I belong at the end of the line
With all the other not-quites, with all the never-get-in-rights
But it turns out they’re the ones You were lookin’ for all this time

‘Cause I’m just a nobody, tryin’ to tell everybody
All about somebody who saved my soul
Ever since You rescued me, you gave my heart a song to sing
I’m livin’ for the world to see nobody but Jesus
I’m living for the world to see nobody but Jesus

Well, Moses had stage fright, and David brought a rock to a sword fight
You picked 12 outsiders nobody would’ve chosen and you changed the world
Well, the moral of the story is everybody’s got a purpose
So, when I hear that Devil start talkin’ to me, sayin’,
“Who do you think you are?” I say

I’m just a nobody, trying to tell everybody
All about Somebody who saved my soul
Ever since You rescued me, you gave my heart a song to sing
I’m livin’ for the world to see nobody but Jesus
I’m livin’ for the world to see nobody but Jesus

So let me go down, down, down in history
As another blood-bought faithful member of the family
And if they all forget my name, well that’s fine with me
I’m livin’ for the world to see nobody but Jesus

So let me go down, down, down in history
As another blood-bought faithful member of the family
And if they all forget my name, well that’s fine with me
I’m livin’ for the world to see nobody but Jesus

‘Cause I’m just a nobody, trying to tell everybody
All about Somebody who saved my soul
Ever since you rescued me, You gave my heart a song to sing
I’m livin’ for the world to see nobody but Jesus
I’m livin’ for the world to see nobody but Jesus
I’m livin’ for the world to see nobody but Jesus

Written by Bernie Herms, Mark Hall, and Matthew West

Dear God, this song is exactly what I needed this morning. I’ve found that the most important thing I can do on the mornings I preach is get my heart right before you. It has to be you speaking through me. It has to be the Holy Spirit. If I get up there out of my own ego then I have failed everyone involved, most especially you. So I decided I needed to start with some praise music. I contemplated going to my usual mix on my phone, but wanted something fresh. I chose to try Christian music videos on YouTube and let it pick my mix (it’s almost like I was casting lots). I thought about whom I wanted to hear and I thought of Casting Crowns. I searched “Casting Crowns songs” and it gave me a mix starting with this song.

I’ve heard “Nobody” before, and I haven’t loved it. It sounded a little too spot-on for my taste. Too Christian-y. Too obvious. Like a Sunday school lesson with no depth. But this morning I sat down and listened to it while watching the video. It’s exactly what my heart needed to hear on a morning when I will stand in front of people and hopefully–prayerfully–deliver your message to them. When I’m standing up there, I’m just a nobody trying to tell all of them about what you have taught me. You have taught me through my successes, but more often than not you have taught me through my failures. You have taught me through my struggles and insecurities. You have taught me through repentance and forgiveness. I’m just one of them, standing in front of them give them hope, direction, inspiration and lead them in worship of and devotion to you.

So let’s look at this song in four chunks: the two verses, the chorus, and the bridge.

Why you ever chose me has always been a mystery
All my life I’ve been told I belong at the end of the line
With all the other not-quites, with all the never-get-it-rights
But it turns out they’re the ones You were lookin’ for all this time

I will confess to you that I’ve never wondered why you chose me. I grew up in the church at an early enough age that I never doubted that you came for everyone, including me. Now, where this verse does fit me is the idea that I do feel like I don’t measure up. I don’t measure up to others’ expectations, and I certainly don’t measure up to who you are or would want me to be. I have received your mercy and grace for this, and I am grateful, although I do confess that I take this for granted often. It’s such an amazing gift, how could I not? There’s no way I’ll ever be able to intellectually understand just how amazing your grace is.

Well, Moses had stage fright, and David brought a rock to a sword fight
You picked twelve outsiders nobody would’ve chosen and you changed the world
Well, the moral of the story is everybody’s got a purpose
So, when I hear that Devil start talkin’ to me, sayin’,
“Who do you think you are?” I say

That’s the beauty of the way you gave us scripture. Outside of Leviticus, Deuteronomy and parts of Exodus, you really didn’t give us an owner’s manual. You gave us a book of stories and letters. And the stories are filled with flawed people. Adam was flawed. Abraham. Noah. Moses. Job. Elijah. David. Peter. Paul. James. John. Mary. Joseph. They were all flawed. But that’s us. We are your people. You love us. My children are flawed and I love them very much. We are flawed and you love us even more.

I’m just a nobody tryin’ to tell everybody
All about Somebody that saved my soul
Ever since You rescued me, You gave my heart a song to sing
I’m livin’ for the world to see nobody but Jesus
I’m livin’ for the world to see nobody but Jesus

That’s it. I almost put an exclamation point there, but it’s more relaxed than that. It’s simple. That’s it. I’m just a guy sharing my faith this morning. I’ve spent time with you in prayer. I’ve studied and contemplated the scriptures. I’ve listened to the Holy Spirit. And now I feel like the Holy Spirit has something to say through me this morning. And the message is all based on things you’ve taught me. Waiting on you. Understanding I can’t see the whole picture. Not expecting all sunshine and roses. Rejoicing and worshipping anyway.

So, let me go down, down, down in history
As another blood-bought faithful member of the family
And if they all forget my name, well that’s fine with me
I’m livin’ for the world to see nobody but Jesus

I wasn’t put on this earth for my glory. I wasn’t put on this earth for fame and attention. I wasn’t put here to be remembered. My life will be largely forgotten two generations from now. My greatgrandchildren will probably know very little about me, if anything at all. But my life will have rippled into theirs in ways they will never know, just as thousands, millions, and even billions of lives have rippled into mine. My name won’t be attached, but if those around me can see you–if my children, my family, and my friends can see you–then my life has a shot at being a catalyst for the world to see you.

Father, help me to decrease as you increase this morning. Love through me. Live through me. Inspire through me. Convict and motivate through me. Let every person there see you and not me.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

 
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Posted by on February 23, 2020 in Hymns and Songs

 

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The Elephant

22 Feb

Dear God, I’ve been praying through and thinking through these scriptures all week. I’ve looked at Moses on the mountain getting about eight chapters worth of instructions from you. I’ve looked at Peter talking in his second epistle about his experience at the Transfiguration. And I’ve looked at the Transfiguration itself. I’ve also layered on top of it the story of Naomi from the book of Ruth. These are the pieces of quilt I feel like you’ve given to me this week as I’ve prepared to preach tomorrow. So this morning, what I’d like to do is ask you to help me take these pieces and weave them together into the message that your Holy Spirit wants to deliver to the parishioners at the local Presbyterian church in the morning .

It starts, I think, with the old illustration of the blind men who each touch a different part of an elephant and then asked to describe the elephant. One describes the elephant as being a really long stump (the leg). One describe an elephant as an odd snake-type creature or really long, rough hose (the trunk). One describes it as a long smooth spear (the tusk). One describes it as a huge rough wall (the body). Another describes it as a thin, wiggly animal with some hair on the end (the tail). They are all accurate in their description of what they know, but they are wrong. They can’t see what we can see. They cannot see how the leg, trunk, tusk, body, and tail all work together to form one of the most majestic animals in the world.

That’s what you showed me in the story of Moses on the mountain. You were getting some business done with Moses. It was housekeeping time. It was paperwork time. You and Moses needed to spend some time together so that you could give him some marching orders for all of Israel. But the Israelites couldn’t see what was going on. All they saw was the cloud and the fire. For all they knew, you had grown angry with Moses and he was dead. If you would have asked them to explain what was going on they would have had no clue. Not even Moses really understood the whole picture, but you did. You could see what no one else could see.

Then we get the story of the Transfiguration. Another example of you tangibly showing up on a mountain and spending some time with your man. In this case, it was your son, Jesus, and he brought three friends (notably, you brought two friends of your own in Moses and Elijah). You know I’ve thought for a number of years that you did this because Jesus needed it. He was on his way to Jerusalem. He, at a minimum, had a good idea of what was coming if not complete knowledge of his impending future. I think he needed some affirmation and encouragement, and you provided it to him through your personal presence and affirmation as well as whatever he learned from Moses and Elijah. But what were Peter, John, and James doing there? If you asked them in that moment to describe what they had just experienced they would have said that Jesus is really powerful, and they had just gotten to see Moses and Elijah. Yes, Jesus kept talking about his death, but they didn’t really believe that. How could he possibly die? It’s almost like we look at the current stock market. How could it possibly start to lose? The piece of the elephant they could see what very small in the grand scheme of things. They didn’t understand the pressure Jesus was under or what he needed. They didn’t understand what you were doing for them in revealing the reality of Jesus being the Messiah to them through this story. That’s what the verses in 2 Peter are about. Peter, in retrospect, is telling his audience that he knows the Jesus story is real because of what he witnessed on that mountain. He and his two friends didn’t only hear some disembodied voice that could be explained away as a hallucination. They physically saw Elijah and Moses–so much so that it occurred to Peter to put up houses for them. You don’t build houses for spirits.

And then on the way down, they are still trying to make sense of what they had seen. They wondered if maybe seeing Elijah there was a fulfillment of the prophecy about Elijah preceding the Messiah. That’s when Jesus explains to them that they have already seen Elijah in John the Baptist. Jesus showed them just a little more of the elephant.

So why don’t you show us what is going on? Why do you keep us on a need-to-know basis? Why is it that I so rarely need to know? The answer is obvious. If we know any suffering or inconvenience that lies ahead we will most certainly avoid it. If I had known what answering your call to quit my stable job in 2003 would mean to my own discomfort and instability I might not have done it. If I had known some of the pain involved in parenting I might have avoided it. If Jacob had known that his relocation to Egypt would result in generations of slavery he might have let his family die in the desert. And that impoverished widow who Jesus saw put her two coins in the collection never knew that her faithfulness in the midst of her poverty would be a lesson to all of us for thousands of years.

And then there is Naomi. She was convinced you had turned on her. Mara. Call me Mara because God has made my life bitter. When I left I had everything, but now He has taken everything from me. The Lord has sent me nothing but tragedy and made me suffer. (Ruth 1:20-21) But she didn’t know. She didn’t know that you would use her situation and the loss of her husband and sons to bring Ruth to Bethlehem. She didn’t know that she would play a role, through her dead husband’s legacy, in setting Ruth up with Boaz. And she didn’t know that she would end up cuddling and raising King David’s grandfather, Obed. She didn’t know that Obed’s grandchild would kill Goliath and set up the country for its greatest period. She could only see a little piece of the elephant. But you were faithful to her.

What’s one other common thread in these stories. You gave each person affirmations along the way. They didn’t necessarily see them as affirmations. The Israelites didn’t understand that if Moses had just disappeared for 40 days with no cloud or fire they wouldn’t have necessarily believed him when he came back with the rules. Peter didn’t realize at the time that you had given him evidence of who Jesus was through witnessing the Transfiguration. And Naomi didn’t see it at the time, but if she had stopped feeling sorry for herself for a moment she would have seen that Ruth was there for her when she absolutely didn’t have to be. Naomi could have been left for dead, but you were there for her.

Father, help me to reach the level of faith where I don’t need to see what the elephant looks like to follow you joyfully. I don’t know what the lives of my children will look like. I can’t see how a decision they make in this moment will impact the next. I cannot see how my own actions will flow into history. But you have been good to me. You have been better to me than I deserve. I guess my simplest prayer is that I will decrease, you will increase, and I will worship you and do my best to love all of those around me with your love.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 22, 2020 in 2 Peter, Exodus, Matthew, Musings and Stories, Ruth

 

Fathers of the Bible – Saul

21 Feb

Now the men of Israel were hard-pressed on that day, for Saul had put the people under oath, saying, “Cursed be the man who eats food before evening, and until I have avenged myself on my enemies.” So none of the people tasted food. All the people of the land entered the forest, and there was honey on the ground. When the people entered the forest, behold, there was a flow of honey; but no man put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath. But Jonathan had not heard when his father put the people under oath; therefore, he put out the end of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it in the honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth, and his eyes brightened. Then one of the people said, “Your father strictly put the people under oath, saying, ‘Cursed be the man who eats food today.’” And the people were weary. Then Jonathan said, “ My father has troubled the land. See now, how my eyes have brightened because I tasted a little of this honey. How much more, if only the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies which they found! For now the slaughter among the Philistines has not been great.” They struck among the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon. And the people were very weary. The people rushed greedily upon the spoil, and took sheep and oxen and calves, and slew them on the ground; and the people ate them with the blood. Then they told Saul, saying, “Behold, the people are sinning against the Lord by eating with the blood.” And he said, “You have acted treacherously; roll a great stone to me today.” Saul said, “Disperse yourselves among the people and say to them, ‘Each one of you bring me his ox or his sheep, and slaughter it here and eat; and do not sin against the Lord by eating with the blood.’” So all the people that night brought each one his ox with him and slaughtered it there. And Saul built an altar to the Lord; it was the first altar that he built to the Lord . Then Saul said, “Let us go down after the Philistines by night and take spoil among them until the morning light, and let us not leave a man of them.” And they said, “Do whatever seems good to you.” So the priest said, “Let us draw near to God here.” Saul inquired of God, “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will You give them into the hand of Israel?” But He did not answer him on that day. Saul said, “ Draw near here, all you chiefs of the people, and investigate and see how this sin has happened today. For as the Lord lives, who delivers Israel, though it is in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die.” But not one of all the people answered him. Then he said to all Israel, “You shall be on one side and I and Jonathan my son will be on the other side.” And the people said to Saul, “Do what seems good to you.” Therefore, Saul said to the Lord, the God of Israel, “ Give a perfect lot .” And Jonathan and Saul were taken, but the people escaped. Saul said, “Cast lots between me and Jonathan my son.” And Jonathan was taken. Then Saul said to Jonathan, “ Tell me what you have done.” So Jonathan told him and said, “ I indeed tasted a little honey with the end of the staff that was in my hand. Here I am, I must die!” Saul said, “ May God do this to me and more also, for you shall surely die, Jonathan.” But the people said to Saul, “Must Jonathan die, who has brought about this great deliverance in Israel? Far from it! As the Lord lives, not one hair of his head shall fall to the ground, for he has worked with God this day.” So the people rescued Jonathan and he did not die. Then Saul went up from pursuing the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their own place.
1 Samuel 14:24-46

Dear God, Saul’s relationship with Jonathan will come up several times in the rest of 1 Samuel. I will admit to you that I’ve always had a little bit of a soft spot for Saul. I know he grieved you by doing a pre-battle sacrifice and ceremony before Samuel had arrived, but at least he was trying to keep worshipping you. In this case, he was just stupid to make this curse in the first place. As the text says, everyone was weak from hunger. That’s not a great way to fight an enemy. And then Jonathan’s sin was revealed so Saul felt compelled to fulfill his oath. I’m still not sure where you stood on that whole thing. Did you want him to kill Jonathan? I don’t think you did, but this story intimates that you were upset about the broken oath and expected some sort of punishment.

Is there room for stupid people in your kingdom? Does the new covenant allow for a well-intentioned idiot? When the people asked Samuel for a king, did you really just pick Saul as a placeholder until David was old enough to be king. And what about Jonathan? Why take the kingdom away from him? He seemed to be pretty good and faithful. He was certainly faithful to David.

In the next stories, we will see Jonathan trying to deal with his dad as a tyrant, and Saul getting exasperated with Jonathan. It’s one of the more complicated set of stories for me, and I’m not sure I’ll know any more about what to make of them after talk with you about them than I do now.

Father, speak to me as a dad. Help me to, first and foremost, love you well. Help me to give you all of the glory for every good thing, and to point people to you when they are both celebrating and afraid. To paraphrase a Rich Mullins song, “If I Stand,” if I am in a good place, let me be there knowing that you brought me there. If I am in a bad place, let me fall on the grace that brought me to you in the first place. If I celebrate, let me celebrate all that you do for me and this world. And if I ever weep, let it be simply as someone that longs to be with you.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 21, 2020 in 1 Samuel, Fathers of the Bible

 

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“Lord (I Don’t Know)” by Newsboys

20 Feb

https://youtu.be/JZeYMj_WF1M

You are the author of knowledge
You can redeem what’s been done
You hold the present and all that’s to come
Until your everlasting kingdom
Lord, I don’t know where all this is going
Or how it all works out
Lead me to peace that is past understanding
A peace beyond all doubt
You are the God of tomorrow
Turning the darkness to dawn
Lifting the hopeless with hope to go on
You are the rock of all salvation
Lord, I don’t know where all this is going
Or how it all works out
Lead me to peace that is past understanding
A peace beyond all doubt
Oh, Lord, you are the author
Redeeming what’s been done
You hold us in the present
And all that is to come
Lord, we don’t know where all this is going
Or how it all works out
Lead us to peace that is past understanding
A peace beyond all doubt

Dear God, the deeper I get into your presence and studying your word, the more I see the truth in this song. I’m supposed to be leading a devotion for the ministerial association today. It’s interesting that it is coinciding with me preaching this weekend. I think the message will largely be the same–just shorter. The message is that our limited vision makes us completely incapable of seeing what you see. We cannot see where all of this is going. We cannot see how it all works out.

And we are in good company. Noah couldn’t see it. Abraham. Jacob. Moses. Naomi. Ruth. Samuel. Saul. David. Skip to the New Testament. Peter. Paul. James. John. Paul had no idea that his incarceration would bring Christianity to the West. He just knew he wanted to go a different direction and you kept. Closing the door. He knew his incarceration was for you, but he had no idea why.

Now, I have a family member who is really struggling emotionally. Come to think of it, I have several. I have a few that are really facing some major hurdles. Some are scared. Some are fighting for something and they aren’t sure how to get it. Some are fighting and they would be hard-pressed to say why except that they are feeling sorry for themselves. I have a friend undergoing a second back surgery today because the first one only made things worse. I don’t know why she is having to go through this. I don’t know where all of this is going. But I know you can redeem. I know you can heal. I have a relative in the hospital right now. I don’t really know him and probably haven’t seen him in 40 years. But I should be praying for him more than I have because you could be using this in his life to bring him to peace in you.

Father, help me to turn loose of where all of this is going. Help me to stay in the moment with you. Help me to accept the circumstances around me and lead me in the ways in which I should respond to them. Help me to love well. Help me to bring your presence and peace into every situation.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 20, 2020 in Hymns and Songs

 

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Matthew 17:1-13

19 Feb

Six days later Jesus took Peter and the two brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone. As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light. Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus. Peter exclaimed, “Lord, it’s wonderful for us to be here! If you want, I’ll make three shelters as memorials —one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” But even as he spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him.” The disciples were terrified and fell face down on the ground. Then Jesus came over and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” And when they looked up, Moses and Elijah were gone, and they saw only Jesus. As they went back down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” Then his disciples asked him, “Why do the teachers of religious law insist that Elijah must return before the Messiah comes? ” Jesus replied, “Elijah is indeed coming first to get everything ready. But I tell you, Elijah has already come, but he wasn’t recognized, and they chose to abuse him. And in the same way they will also make the Son of Man suffer.” Then the disciples realized he was talking about John the Baptist.
Matthew 17:1-13

Dear God, I want to look at this story today from Peter’s, James’s and John’s perspective. Well, mainly Peter’s since he is the one who talks so we know a little more of what is going on with him. That, and the fact that the New Testament reading for this weekend is Peter using this Tory to make his point.

I’ve talked before with you about how I think this experience was your way of encouraging, affirming, and even comforting Jesus on his way to Jerusalem. But, frankly, he didn’t have to have these three disciples with him. But maybe they needed to be there. In fact, who’s to say that Jesus didn’t have several experiences like this that weren’t recorded because no one was there?

I would say that one of the things Peter got was a revelation that this was all for real. He had just seen Moses and Elijah, for crying out loud! What a testimony this was to them in a time when they might have started to doubt!

You can tell they are trying to process what they just saw as they walk down because they are trying to make sense of having just seen Elijah (they just saw Elijah!) and how it might fit into the prophecy about him coming back before the Messiah comes.

Of course, Peter uses this experience later in his epistle to underscore that this is all very real. You are real. Jesus was/is real. The message he was preaching is real. This one little event had a huge impact on him.

Father, you do things that encourage me all of the time. Sometimes I notice and sometimes I miss them. Please help me to notice you in every moment. Help me to be grateful for every single thing you do for me. And, really, thank you for even caring about me at all, not to mention loving me so much.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 19, 2020 in Matthew

 

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2 Peter 1:16-21

18 Feb

For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice from the majestic glory of God said to him, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.” We ourselves heard that voice from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain. Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts. Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.
2 Peter 1:16-21

Dear God, this New Testament reading for this Sunday fits in with the gospel reading (transfiguration) and the Old Testament reading I prayed about a couple of days ago with Moses going up on the mountain. Moses and Jesus has their personal encounters with you, but so did Joshua, Peter, James and John. It’s important not to overlook the impact your personal presence on these two mountains had on everyone involved.

In the case of this passage, Peter is leaning on it as evidence. It’s like he’s saying. “You can’t tell me this whole Jesus guy was a fraud because I saw Moses and Elijah, I felt the Holy Spirit and I heard God. I was there. It was real. It is real.”

So now one might question Peter’s testimony–or John’s or anyone else’s. Well, if they were lying then they were fools because all their lying brought them was suffering and, in most cases, martyrdom. Not much of a reward for lying.

I wonder if you have appeared to anyone in such a personal, tangible way in the last 2,000 years. I know many claim to have heard your voice. For my part, I have certainly felt lead by the Holy Spirit and felt words placed on my heart that seemed to be from you. I’ve also had people say things to me that the Holy Spirit seemed to encourage me to heed as words from you.

Father, as I try to crystallize your message to the church this weekend through my sermon, please speak to me. Guide me so that I might be your voice for at least one person in that room this weekend. Love through me. Encourage and admonish through me. Inspire through me. And help me to decrease as you increase.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 18, 2020 in 2 Peter

 

Psalm 2

17 Feb

Why are the nations so angry? Why do they waste their time with futile plans? The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the Lord and against his anointed one. “Let us break their chains,” they cry, “and free ourselves from slavery to God.” But the one who rules in heaven laughs. The Lord scoffs at them. Then in anger he rebukes them, terrifying them with his fierce fury. For the Lord declares, “I have placed my chosen king on the throne in Jerusalem, on my holy mountain.” The king proclaims the Lord’s decree: “The Lord said to me, ‘You are my son. Today I have become your Father. Only ask, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, the whole earth as your possession. You will break them with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots.’” Now then, you kings, act wisely! Be warned, you rulers of the earth! Serve the Lord with reverent fear, and rejoice with trembling. Submit to God’s royal son, or he will become angry, and you will be destroyed in the midst of all your activities— for his anger flares up in an instant. But what joy for all who take refuge in him!
Psalm 2

Dear God, I don’t know if this has anything to do with this passage, but as I read it I was just thinking about how we are all so divided. Not only nation against nation, but within the nations there is conflict between political parties, churches, families, etc. frankly, I’m not sure what it would look like for us to all be on the same page, working together towards a common purpose. It seems that the best way to unite a group is to give us a common enemy. Maybe that is why political leaders naturally vilify their opponents. That’s the best way to galvanize their own support.

So what does unifying leadership really look like? I suppose it looks like Jesus. It looks like selling grace/mercy/freedom instead of power/judgment/fear. Some pastors even try to lead through fear. I’ve had two young men come to our clinic in the last six months, each of them terrified of the tribulation. They had been listening to pastors that lead through fear.

Maybe the problem with leading with love and mercy is that it tends to attract but not galvanize. People get comfortable and then they get lazy. Is it our sinful nature that needs that extra motivation to work and stay together? Even now, is there any part of my discipline of sitting here and praying to you that is driven by fear, or is it simply pursuit of you?

Father, whether I am leading with my family, my work, my community, or wherever, help me to lead with mercy and joy. Help me to allow the fruits of the Spirit to flow out of me. I want to be a source of your kingdom coming to earth and your will being done here as it is in Heaven.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 17, 2020 in Psalms

 

Dear Evan Hansen — “For Forever”

15 Feb

End of May or early June
This picture-perfect afternoon we shared
Drive the winding country road
Grab a scoop at À La Mode
And then we’re there

An open field that’s framed with trees
We pick a spot and shoot the breeze
Like buddies do
Quoting songs by our favorite bands
Telling jokes no one understands
Except us two
And we talk and take in the view

All we see is sky for forever
We let the world pass by for forever
Feels like we could go on for forever this way
Two friends on a perfect day

We walk a while and talk about
The things we’ll do when we get out of school
Bike the Appalachian trail or
Write a book or learn to sail
Wouldn’t that be cool?

There’s nothing that we can’t discuss
Like girls we wish would notice us but never do
He looks around and says to me
“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be”
And I say, “me too”
And we talk and take in the view
We just talk and take in the view

All we see is sky for forever
We let the world pass by for forever
Feels like we could go on for forever this way, this way
All we see is light for forever
‘Cause the sun shines bright for forever
Like we’ll be alright for forever this way
Two friends on a perfect day

And there he goes
Racing toward the tallest tree
From far across the yellow field I hear him calling, “follow me” there we go
Wondering how the world might look from up so high
One foot after the other
One branch then to another
I climb higher and higher
I climb ’til the entire
Sun shines on my face

And I suddenly feel the branch give way
I’m on the ground
My arm goes numb
I look around
And I see him come to get me
He’s come to get me
And everything’s okay

All we see is sky for forever
We let the world pass by for forever
Buddy, you and I for forever this way, this way
All we see is light
‘Cause the sun burns bright
We could be alright for forever this way
Two friends
True friends
On a perfect day

Dear God, this song is an interesting follow-up to “Waving Through A Window.” It’s almost like “Waving Through A Window” is his admission to how he feels and this song is a description of what he longs for. If someone sees him waving through a window. If someone accepts him then this is his fantasy of what that looks like. He even creates a new story of Conner coming to his rescue after he fell out of the tree when the truth is that he waited for someone to see him, but they never did. He had to go an find someone after he fell out of a tree (jumped?). So what’s in this fantasy that might speak to what we all look for?

First, it’s important to note to whom he is lying. He is lying to the parents of a young man who just took his own life after being extremely troubled. In “Requiem,” we will see how the loss is hitting them (mother, father, sister) differently, but in this case, Evan is just flat out lying to them. His desire to comfort them is getting mixed up his loneliness. And let’s not forget that this started because he is trying to obscure the fact that the letter they found on Conner wasn’t written by Conner at all, but by Evan and mentioned the feelings he had for Conner’s sister (one of the people listening to his current lie).

In the dialogue that precedes this song, the parents give him the intelligence that the ice cream parlor and the apple orchard were once special places to their family, so he works them into his tale.

I guess the thing that hits me about this song is my favorite memory from high school. My best friend and I would sit in the back of my truck my senior year and just talk. It would be out in my driveway. We’d just hang out and connect. Though we literally live a world apart, this friend is still one of the most treasured people in my heart. I feel bad about it now when I think about the fictitious characters in this musical because I had exactly what Evan reveals he is longing for in this song. Before I had a girlfriend, fiancé or wife, I had this friend. In a time that can be confusing and full of insecurity, there really is no replacing that kind of friend. And I don’t think I took it for granted. I knew what I had at the time, and I was grateful. I’m also grateful to you because this was the year I really started to devote myself to you and he was going through the same thing. We were both discovering you in a new way together, sharpening each other as iron sharpens iron. Maybe I have taken it for granted because I don’t know that I’ve ever really thanked you for him.

As I sit and think about that friendship now, we were good friends before that senior year, but neither of us was pursuing you. You weren’t a connection between us. I think our friendship took on a whole new dynamic when we each found you and committed to loving you with all of our heart, mind, and strength.

Hmm. Maybe that’s the whole song for me. No need to break down verse by verse. Except to maybe ask if I have that now. I kind of do in a friend in another city with whom I speak every Friday morning, but it’s not the same as having someone–another guy–that I connect with. Yes, I connect with my wife. We make a point to spend time talking every day and I feel very close to her. Is there a need in me that is beyond my relationship with her? Am I missing something? Is there someone that you have out there with whom you would like me to sharpen myself against? Probably. Yeah, probably.

Father, thank you for having shown me what a great male friend can look like. Thank you for the current friend you’ve put in my life every Friday morning. Thank you for a wife with whom I can really bond. There is so much for which I need to thank you. But if there is more you need me to do, make it clear to me. Show me. I will give you all of me. Use it how you will.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 15, 2020 in Dear Evan Hansen

 

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Exodus 24:12-18

15 Feb

The LORD said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain, and wait there; and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.” So Moses set out with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God. To the elders he had said, “Wait here for us, until we come to you again; for Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a dispute may go to them.” Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. The glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the cloud. Now the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. Moses entered the cloud, and went up on the mountain. Moses was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights.
Exodus 24:12-18.

 

Dear God, this is one of those scenes that reminds me of the proverb of the blind men touching different parts of an elephant and then describing an elephant to someone. There are a lot of people involved in this story, and each one has a different perspective:

  • Moses: He is the one that went into the fire and saw you up close. He got to be in the loop and have first-hand knowledge of you. But he didn’t know what it was like to just see a mountain with cloud and fire, not knowing what was going on. He was just trying to figure out what you wanted him to do and getting to know you better. And he was getting several chapters worth of instructions from you down to some pretty specific details.
  • Joshua: He went only so far, but not all of the way with Moses. He saw some special stuff. He probably heard more than the Israelites did. But he didn’t see everything Moses saw. He had a unique experience.
  • Aaron and Hur: Moses left them in charge. They were caught between watching Moses and Joshua disappear onto the mountain, seeing the cloud and fire, and then having to manage the people–mainly being their judge–while Moses was away.
  • The elders: They were in a unique form of leadership. They were watching Moses and Joshua disappear, witnessing the cloud and fire, and then submitting to the two men Moses left in charge. We don’t know how they felt about Aaron, but we know that they will feel leaderless after several days and demand that Aaron build them a god (Exodus 32). But from their perspective, they were coming from a world where they probably didn’t have much faith and gods were tangible inanimate objects, the person that seemed to be leading them and talking to you was missing into a cloud of fire for over a month, and they apparently felt lost. It’s hard for me to imagine how seeing a golden calf would make me feel better about my situation, but there was obviously something about it that helped them. Almost like a child’s security blanket or a prized stuffed animal. You and I know that the security blanket and stuffed animal don’t offer any real protections, but there is something about its presence that is reassuring to a child. The same is apparently true for the Israelites in this story. Come to think of it, what is it about cows (sacred cows?) that people find worthy of worship? I think that Hindus have a special place for cows as well. Hmm. Interesting tangent for another day.
  • You (God): Yes, you are a witness to this whole thing as well. You saw your interaction with Moses. You saw Joshua, Aaron, Hur, the elders, and the people all respond to this situation. You know what was in each one’s heart. And like the parent who can see things that their small child cannot see, you could and still can see things that we cannot see. You know more than we know. You understand more than we understand. You also are capable of loving us more than we are capable of loving you.

Father, once again the theme of what I seem to be learning through these times with you is that my knowledge of the past, present, and future is so limited. Faith is something that is not only recommended for a relationship with you and a life spent worshipping you–it is a requirement. So please give me the faith I need to have to let go of my own wisdom and simply trust in you. Whether it be in how I manage my own life or try to have input into others, please guide me beyond my own wisdom (a.k.a. foolishness) and into your peace.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

 
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Posted by on February 15, 2020 in Exodus, Uncategorized

 

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Fathers of the Bible — Samuel

14 Feb

[1 Samuel 3:1-14] Meanwhile, the boy Samuel served the Lord by assisting Eli. Now in those days messages from the Lord were very rare, and visions were quite uncommon. One night Eli, who was almost blind by now, had gone to bed. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was sleeping in the Tabernacle near the Ark of God. Suddenly the Lord called out, “Samuel!” “Yes?” Samuel replied. “What is it?” He got up and ran to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” “I didn’t call you,” Eli replied. “Go back to bed.” So he did. Then the Lord called out again, “Samuel!” Again Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” “I didn’t call you, my son,” Eli said. “Go back to bed.” Samuel did not yet know the Lord because he had never had a message from the Lord before. So the Lord called a third time, and once more Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” Then Eli realized it was the Lord who was calling the boy. So he said to Samuel, “Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, ‘Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went back to bed. And the Lord came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.” Then the Lord said to Samuel, “I am about to do a shocking thing in Israel. I am going to carry out all my threats against Eli and his family, from beginning to end. I have warned him that judgment is coming upon his family forever, because his sons are blaspheming God and he hasn’t disciplined them. So I have vowed that the sins of Eli and his sons will never be forgiven by sacrifices or offerings.”

[1 Samuel 8:1-9] As Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons to be judges over Israel. Joel and Abijah, his oldest sons, held court in Beersheba. But they were not like their father, for they were greedy for money. They accepted bribes and perverted justice. Finally, all the elders of Israel met at Ramah to discuss the matter with Samuel. “Look,” they told him, “you are now old, and your sons are not like you. Give us a king to judge us like all the other nations have.” Samuel was displeased with their request and went to the Lord for guidance. “Do everything they say to you,” the Lord replied, “for they are rejecting me, not you. They don’t want me to be their king any longer. Ever since I brought them from Egypt they have continually abandoned me and followed other gods. And now they are giving you the same treatment. Do as they ask, but solemnly warn them about the way a king will reign over them.”
1 Samuel 3:1-14,8:1-9

 

Dear God, Samuel is such a complicated figure. Sure, at first glance he look all noble, but this story reveals a pretty critical flaw. He allowed his sons to do exactly what he saw Eli allow his sons to do. Yet, for some reason, you seem to have given Samuel a pass that you didn’t give to Eli. In fact, when Samuel comes to you, you told him that they had rejected you and not Samuel. That’s interesting because in my reading of this story it looks like they were rejecting Samuel.

Once again, we come across a flawed man in the Bible. Thank you for preserving these stories in this way because it is a reminder that we are all flawed! I am hugely flawed. And now that my children are grown and making their way in the world my relationship has materially changed. The big difference between my life and Samuel’s is (and his culture probably dictated that it would happen this way) that he chose to bring his two oldest sons in to the family business. I will likely end up avoiding a lot of these pitfalls with my children because I am 99.9% certain that we will never be in business together. We certainly won’t be in a position of judging others and settling disputes. I won’t be in a position of having to defend their professional behavior. I can just be a dad who loves them. Even if they were to do something that I disapprove of, I can still love them and give of myself to them. Hmm. Thinking about it in that way, isn’t that what you do with us?

Father, again, thank you for these stories. Thank you that we actually get vignettes like this that make Samuel, Eli, Naomi, Jacob, Abraham, etc. relatable. Next, I’m going to be looking at kings as fathers. We are going to see Saul and David and see what they were like as dads. True to form, we will see a lot of flaws. What in interesting God you are to build your plan this way. I don’t understand you. I don’t understand your ways. But I am grateful for your grace and mercy. I am grateful that you will love and hold me, even after I’ve done something that disappoints you. Thank you.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 14, 2020 in 1 Samuel, Fathers of the Bible

 

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