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Luke 1:26-38

08 Dec

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”

29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”

35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. 37 For the word of God will never fail.”

38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.

Luke 1:26-38

Dear God, I’ve read this story so many times that it’s hard to get a new feel for it, but what stood out to me this morning was the idea that you had Mary on a need-to-know basis, and there was a lot she didn’t need to know. If you had given her a vision for how the next 33 years would play out, she probably would have crumbled in tears. Bethlehem. Egypt. Mocking. Crucifixion. Even the ascension after resurrection. This visit by Gabriel tells her what will happen in the unseen world, but she thinks it’s what’s going to happen in this world. But she doesn’t need to know.

Neither do I. Oh, how it’s so much better that I don’t know what’s next. I can make my plans, but I need to just do my best to serve you in the moment. To put my head down and embrace the path. To worship you, which Mary did. To love others, which Mary did. And then take life as it comes, which Mary did. A sword out pierce her soul (thank you, Simeon [Matthew 2:35]), but she didn’t need to know that right now. And my life will play out in ways that I don’t need to know either. It reminds me of the Garth Brooks song “The Dance.” The chorus: “And now, I’m glad I didn’t know the way it all would end. The way it all would go. Our lives are better left to chance. I could have missed the pain, but I’d have had to miss the dance.”

Father, here I am. I’m here to worship and to embrace the words Mary spoke in response to all of this: “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” Whatever that truth is, I embrace it as your path for the little life you have given me.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on December 8, 2025 in Luke

 

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Letter to the Church in Smyrna – Revelation 2:8-11

05 Jul

8 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Smyrna. This is the message from the one who is the First and the Last, who was dead but is now alive:

9 “I know about your suffering and your poverty—but you are rich! I know the blasphemy of those opposing you. They say they are Jews, but they are not, because their synagogue belongs to Satan. 10 Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you. You will suffer for ten days. But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life.

11 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. Whoever is victorious will not be harmed by the second death.

Revelation 2:8-11

Dear God, I guess this is a good letter? (He says with a questioning, high-pitched voice) You seem to be pleased with them. They seem to be faithful in their theology and living by your teachings even when those who say they represent you persecute them. If I were them, I think I would rather not know the 10 days of suffering are coming. I mean, I suppose once the 10 days arrives it will be good to know there is an end to it one way or another, but in that moment that would be very scary.

There are two things that really sit with me here. First, there were people there who were deluded into thinking they were right but were persecuting the church in Smyrna while you were happy with them. In fact, Jesus called the self-righteous persecutors minions of Satan. Oh my! I’m sure that would devastate them to know that. I’m sure they woke up in the morning thinking they were right and wanting to do the right thing. I’m sure they thought the church in Smyrna was dangerous and their enemy. They had no idea. Oh, how I hope that’s not me in this present age.

Second, there are Christians out there whose agenda I oppose. They think I am wrong and some have gotten angry with me. I think they are wrong and there have been times when I have been angry with them. Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit–My Triune God–please tell me how I’m wrong. I won’t say “if” I’m wrong because I am sure I am not correct about everything. But let me know “how” I am wrong. I don’t mind having people I oppose or even standing up to them, but I certainly don’t want to oppose you or stand up to you. You are God. You are right. If we are in conflict then I am the one who is wrong. Show me how I’m wrong.

Father, you keep me on a need-to-know basis and I very rarely need to know. I think I prefer that. There is sorrow in my life. Right now, as I sit here on the morning of July 5, there are parents and family members who are devastated by the loss of life and missing children in the floods in Kerrville, about 25 miles from me. This will be a sorrow that will stay with those who lose someone for the rest of their lives. July 4, 2025, will live in infamy for this area. It’s tragic. But I’m grateful I didn’t know my sorrow was coming in all of those years that lead up to it. I’m grateful these families didn’t know this was coming either. It’s like the Garth Brooks song “The Dance.” To quote the chorus: “And now, I’m glad I didn’t know the way it all would end. The way it all would go. Our lives are better left to chance. I could have missed the pain, but I’d have had to miss the dance.” I will stay on this dance floor as long as you let me, Father. Help me to be a source of love and comfort to everyone around me, even those who I oppose or who oppose me.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 5, 2025 in Revelation

 

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“The Dance” by Garth Brooks

10 Sep

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghsgEGBafyU

“The Dance” by Garth Brooks

Looking back on the memory of
The dance we shared ‘neath the stars above
For a moment all the world was right
How could I have known that you’d ever say goodbye
And now I’m glad I didn’t know
The way it all would end, the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance
I could have missed the pain
But I’d have had to miss the dance
Holding you, I held everything
For a moment wasn’t I the king
If I’d only known how the king would fall
Hey, who’s to say, you know I might have changed it all
And now I’m glad I didn’t know
The way it all would end, the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance
I could have missed the pain
But I’d have had to miss the dance
If our lives are better left to chance
Oh, our lives are better left to chance
Oh, our lives are better left to chance
I could have missed the pain
But I’d have had to miss the dance
Source: Musixmatch
Dear God, I was listening to this song yesterday and thinking about the introduction Garth Brooks gives it in the official music video. The first verse obviously sets the context as being about a romantic relationship, but he explains in that he also likes to think of it as being about living our lives in general and the choices we make to try to do the right things. Sometimes it ends in pain, but the pain or even tragedy is part of the journey and story as well.
Now, I know that not everyone even has the “dance” in their lives. The really joyous good times. I know that some have known nothing but pain their entire lives. But I can claim no such thing. I have had some remarkably wonderful times. There are times I still remember from childhood that were amazing. I’ve known my wife nearly my entire adult life, and we have done remarkable things together as well. When we got married, we had no idea some of the pain that awaited us. I could enumerate the pain we’ve experienced over the last 32 years of knowing each other, but you know it all better than I do. My life, comparatively, hasn’t been tragic my any stretch of the imagination. I’ve had pain to be sure. And there are some specific aspects of my current life that are extremely painful. Frankly, I’m not sure if they will ever be resolved. I’ve done what I can to resolve them, but their future is in the hands of others. So I’ve resigned myself to love them through letting them go and accept the pain as part of that love.
But coming back to this song, there is a lot of brilliance in it. I’m glad I didn’t know 20 or 30 years ago that I’d be exactly where I am now. There is so much wisdom in you keeping me on a need-to-know basis. It’s 8:32 in the morning as I type this right now. I don’t even know what 8:33 will bring. That’s okay. That’s good. If I will just stay in the moment and not worry about the next one then I can fully enjoy the good you are bringing me, absorb the pain, and commune with you.
On this vacation, the vision I keep having is from the 23rd Psalm. This two-week break is a luxury. You are leading me to green pastures and still waters. You are restoring my soul. There will be other times when I will experience the valley of the shadow of death. There will be times when I will be before my enemies. But right now, in this moment, you are restoring my soul. Thank you.
Father, I told you several months ago that I was having dinner with some old friends, and as we shared our lives with each other I thought of the metaphor of each of us having a representational bucket that contained the circumstances of our lives. All of the good and all of the bad. I came to the conclusion at that dinner that if I had the option to put my bucket in the middle of the table along with theirs and then we were each able to choose someone else’s bucket, I would, without a doubt, take my own. Everyone there would probably do the same. Why? As I sit here this morning, I think it is because, regardless of the pain in that bucket, it also contains all of those good and precious memories and moments of which I could not bear to let go. I have more than I deserve. I am grateful for the good and the bad. I embrace the life you’ve given me. Help me to, even in the hard times, worship you as the God who really loves me and can use my life in whatever way helps your kingdom to come to earth and your will to be done.
In Jesus’s name I pray,
Amen
 
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Posted by on September 10, 2021 in Hymns and Songs, Musings and Stories, Uncategorized

 

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