There is a redeemer Jesus, God’s own son Precious lamb of God, Messiah Holy one
Jesus my redeemer Name above all names Precious lamb of God, Messiah Oh, for sinners slain.
Thank you oh my father For giving us your son And leaving your spirit ‘Til the work on earth is done.
When I stand in glory I will see his face And there I’ll serve my king forever In that holy place.
Thank you oh my father For giving us your son And leaving your spirit ‘Til the work on earth is done.
There is a redeemer Jesus, God’s own son Precious lamb of God, Messiah Holy one
Thank you oh my father For giving us your son And leaving your spirit ‘Til the work on earth is done. And leaving your spirit ‘Till the work on earth is done.
Dear God, I heard this song for the first time in a long time about three days ago, and it really struck me how small we are. You are so…well, amazing. Awesome. Powerful. EVERYTHING! And I am so small. Even John the Baptist is less than the least in heaven. When I hear angels referred to as “Saints,” it almost seems like an insult to the angels. Like they can have the same title/designation as a human! No, we can be “Saints.” They are way above that.
So what do we do as these little, seemingly insignificant creations who are loved by you? We look to our redeemer. Jesus God’s own son. Precious lamb of God. Messiah. Holy one! You sent a piece of you to redeem us from Satan and make us part of your kingdom. To give us a path into your kingdom.
Father, I have embraced this gift for myself. Help me to offer it to others. Help me to share it with others. Help me to explain to them the difference between believing in your and accepting your redemption through Jesus and then walking through the narrow gate of discipleship. Help me to share that well.
Like a foolish dreamer, trying to build a highway to the sky All my hopes would come tumbling down, and I never knew just why Until today, when you pulled away the clouds that hung like curtains on my eyes Well I’ve been blind all these wasted years and I thought I was so wise But then you took me by surprise
Like waking up from the longest dream, how real it seemed Until your love broke through I’ve been lost in a fantasy, that blinded me Until your love broke through
All my life I’ve been searching for that crazy missing part And with one touch, you just rolled away the stone that held my heart And now I see that the answer was as easy, as just asking you in And I am so sure I could never doubt your gentle touch again It’s like the power of the wind
Like waking up from the longest dream, how real it seemed Until your love broke through I’ve been lost in a fantasy, that blinded me Until your love, until your love, broke through
Songwriters: Keith Gordon Green / Randy Stonehill / Todd Fishkind
Dear God, I can’t believe I’ve seemingly never done a prayer journal on this song before. Not that I could find anyway. I’m surprised because it’s the first Keith Green song I remember hearing. I might have sung one or two of his other songs in church, but it’s the first time I remember hearing a song and connecting it to this guy named Keith Green.
It’s one of those great, humble songs. My wife and I were listening to it over breakfast this morning, and I just go full-body chills. Just who I am in relation to you. I’m so small. I’m so insignificant in the Kingdom of Heaven, but Jesus reached out and pulled me in. Jesus came. Jesus provided the bridge. Jesus welcomed me. He couldn’t override my will. He wouldn’t make me come to you, but he was ready for me when I was done. I’m grateful, I suppose, that my “hitting bottom” was pretty shallow. I certainly came to the end of myself pretty quickly. I guess what frustrates me so much is how tempted I am to take it back. To take my life back. To take control. To start to set my own agenda. Yeah, that frustrates me very much.
I think I’m going to spend the next few days with Keith Green and some songs. I told my wife this morning that he reminds me a lot of Rich Mullins. He didn’t have a classically great or traditional singing voice, but somehow it makes the great songwriting even better. You took both of them young. I think they were both in their late 30s. Keith died in a plane accident, and Rich died in a car accident. You took them young, you took the quickly. In some ways, I guess they went out like Elijah. For my part, I don’t care how old I am, Father, when you take me. And I guess I used to pray that you take me quickly. But that’s selfish too, I suppose. You just do with me whatever you will. My life is not my own.
26 Another rebel leader was Jeroboam son of Nebat, one of Solomon’s own officials. He came from the town of Zeredah in Ephraim, and his mother was Zeruah, a widow.
27 This is the story behind his rebellion. Solomon was rebuilding the supporting terraces and repairing the walls of the city of his father, David. 28 Jeroboam was a very capable young man, and when Solomon saw how industrious he was, he put him in charge of the labor force from the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, the descendants of Joseph.
29 One day as Jeroboam was leaving Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah from Shiloh met him along the way. Ahijah was wearing a new cloak. The two of them were alone in a field, 30 and Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing and tore it into twelve pieces. 31 Then he said to Jeroboam, “Take ten of these pieces, for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I am about to tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon, and I will give ten of the tribes to you! 32 But I will leave him one tribe for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel. 33 For Solomon has abandoned me and worshiped Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians; Chemosh, the god of Moab; and Molech, the god of the Ammonites. He has not followed my ways and done what is pleasing in my sight. He has not obeyed my decrees and regulations as David his father did.
34 “‘But I will not take the entire kingdom from Solomon at this time. For the sake of my servant David, the one whom I chose and who obeyed my commands and decrees, I will keep Solomon as leader for the rest of his life. 35 But I will take the kingdom away from his son and give ten of the tribes to you. 36 His son will have one tribe so that the descendants of David my servant will continue to reign, shining like a lamp in Jerusalem, the city I have chosen to be the place for my name. 37 And I will place you on the throne of Israel, and you will rule over all that your heart desires. 38 If you listen to what I tell you and follow my ways and do whatever I consider to be right, and if you obey my decrees and commands, as my servant David did, then I will always be with you. I will establish an enduring dynasty for you as I did for David, and I will give Israel to you. 39 Because of Solomon’s sin I will punish the descendants of David—though not forever.’”
40 Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, but he fled to King Shishak of Egypt and stayed there until Solomon died.
1 Kings 11:26-40
Dear God, I just spent too much time looking for an image on my phone. I wasn’t able to find it, but I found it in two parts on someone else’s Facebook post when I Googled it.
It basically takes all of the kings of Judah and Israel and labels them as having done right, done evil, or mixed. The first time I saw this a few years ago, I saw that, while Judah had a mixed bag of kings (with most of them doing evil), Israel itself, including Jeroboam in this story, had nothing but kings who did evil. You knew this already in this story. I thought of a line from the opening of the movie Spaceballs as I read this story this morning (paraphrasing): “Unbeknownst to Jeroboam, but knownst to us…” The conversation Ahijah had with Jeroboam that day should have been enough to scare Jeroboam into not falling away from you. But it wasn’t. And all these stories should be enough to keep me from falling away from you, but I do it time and time again. Just yesterday morning as I was reading about Solomon I found myself repenting.
There’s a Keith Green song called “I Don’t Want to Fall Away from You.”
“After all the things that you have shown me, I’d be a fool to let them slip away.” But I am a fool.
Father, once again, I’m here this morning. I always do things I shouldn’t do, but you know, Lord, I don’t want to fall away from you. Help me. My faithfulness to you is the one things you can’t force. Well, you can, but you gave me free will. I can’t pray that you will never let me slip away. That’s my choice. But I can ask that you help me. I am “prone to wander, Lord. I feel it. I’m prone to leave the God I love. If it’s possible, here’s my heart, Lord, take and seal it. Seal it for thy courts above.”
81 I am worn out waiting for your rescue, but I have put my hope in your word. 82 My eyes are straining to see your promises come true. When will you comfort me? 83 I am shriveled like a wineskin in the smoke, but I have not forgotten to obey your decrees. 84 How long must I wait? When will you punish those who persecute me? 85 These arrogant people who hate your instructions have dug deep pits to trap me. 86 All your commands are trustworthy. Protect me from those who hunt me down without cause. 87 They almost finished me off, but I refused to abandon your commandments. 88 In your unfailing love, spare my life; then I can continue to obey your laws.
Psalm 119:81-88
Dear God, wow! Halfway through this psalm it shifts tone and goes from a psalm of orientation to a psalm of disorientation. Was this the plan all along. I’ve been critical of this psalmist for not having suffered, but maybe he was saving it. One of the interesting things about taking this thing slowly like this is that it helps me to notice this trend. When I’m done with this psalm in several days, one thing I’ll do is look at the biblical commentary I use to see what scholars think of this psalm.
With that said, let’s look at these verses one by one.
81 I am worn out waiting for your rescue, but I have put my hope in your word. – There is a podcast I listen to that has an intro about making sense during confusing times. The funny thing is, I think everyone thinks their times are either the most confusing or at least particularly confusing. This came to mind because I wonder at what level this psalmist needed rescued. Was it life or death or simply a lament? Was it personal rescue or societal rescue? There are times when I am stressed and times when I am in mourning. I get anxious sometimes. And if I were in Gaza or Ukraine right now, I would be feeling the depths of needing your rescue. Father, please rescue those who call on your name, and have mercy even on those who do not. Use all of this pain to draw us closer to you in some way. Don’t let it be wasted. Make it count.
82 My eyes are straining to see your promises come true. When will you comfort me? – I have certainly needed comforted. There are still pains in my life for which I need comfort. Help me to take the comfort your give me and give it to others who need comfort as well. I don’t want just comfort for me. I want to know comfort so I can give comfort. Help me to give comfort.
83 I am shriveled like a wineskin in the smoke, but I have not forgotten to obey your decrees. – I’ve felt this way before. I’m grateful to not feel it now. I’ve followed you blindly in the midst of pain but not forsaken you. But I do remember the 18-month period when I was in so much pain I didn’t pray like this. I prayed to you silently, but not really meditating on your Word like I am doing now. Thank you for carrying me through that time and teaching me as well.
84 How long must I wait? When will you punish those who persecute me? – Again, how personal is this persecution for the psalmist? Is it something that a few people are persecuting him or is he in exile and persecuted as a Jew? And how does your “punishment”–even for the evil–work? Somehow, I don’t think any of us really understand that.
85 These arrogant people who hate your instructions have dug deep pits to trap me. – So this seems pretty personal. Isn’t it interesting that he wrote this and then published it for others to know and sing? Again, he goes back to his theme of your commands and instructions. Some obey and try to follow and some hate and ignore. Help me to be someone who not only follows, but inspires others to follow as well. I’m thinking of one man, in particular, who needs to know your instructions right now.
86 All your commands are trustworthy. Protect me from those who hunt me down without cause. – Again, this is very personal. The phrase “hunt me down” is interesting. I don’t feel hunted by people right now, but I know there are others who do. God, help us all.
87 They almost finished me off, but I refused to abandon your commandments. – There is obviously some pain in these words. Be glorified, Father, even in this pain all of us feel.
88 In your unfailing love, spare my life; then I can continue to obey your laws. – Quoting Keith Green: “Make my life a prayer to you. I want to do what you want me to. No empty words and no white lies. No token prayers. No compromise. I wanna share the light you gave through your Son you sent to save us from ourselves and our despair. It comforts me to know you’re really there.”
7 Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. 8 But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil.
1 John 3:7-8
Dear God, first, when I just sat down and saw the words “Joy to the World” for the title of this collection of daily readings, it made me think of the Keith Green song “Easter Song.” The chorus: “Joy to the world! He is risen. Halleluiah!” This is just the beginning of the bigger story. The plan is in motion. It had always been in motion, but now human eyes are starting to see it take shape. You are coming forth from Mary. The incarnation! And you will die. And you will rise again. And Satan will be destroyed along with his works.
I have to say, it doesn’t feel like he’s been destroyed yet. My wife and I cried together this morning over a sorrow in our lives. No, his works are not destroyed. They are still causing all kinds of problems. And we seem to hold onto them.
Our small town weekly paper does a page this time of year for local pastors to write something for the community. I think there were six pastor messages this year. I read them all. The one I am holding onto today is the last one. He encouraged us to have the faith of Mary. Mary accepted Gabriel’s charge. And yes, she might have had some buyer’s remorse and fear after the angel left, but she still had faith. She still pressed on. And she lived a hard life. And she suffered. She had sorrow. She had pain. A sword pierced her very soul, as Simeon predicted in Luke 2:35.
Father, I don’t understand how you defeated Satan’s plans or what that looks like from your perspective, but I do not have to understand. As I prayed with my wife this morning: I believe. Help my unbelief. I have faith. Help my lack of faith. I worship you. Help me me to worship you well and sin no more. And may it all be for the sake of your name being made hallowed, your kingdom coming to earth, and your will being done on earth as it is in heaven. You have given me more than my daily bread in terms of material needs, but give me my daily bread of emotional needs and healing. Comfort. Keep me from temptation and deliver me and those I love from Satan’s plans. Deliver us all from Satan’s plans. All glory and honor are yours, now and forever, Father.
Dear God, we’ve learned nothing. I’ve learned nothing. Okay, I’ve learned a little, but just a little. I still grumble. I still complain. I’m so sorry.
But lest I skip the clever lyrics to this song, here they are:
“So You Wanna Go Back to Egypt”
So you wanna go back to Egypt Where it’s warm and secure Are sorry you bought the one way ticket When you thought you were sure You wanted to live in the land of promise But now it’s getting so hard Are you sorry you’re out here in the desert Instead of your own back yard
Eating leaks and onions by the Nile Ooh what breath for dining out in style Ooh, my life’s on the skids Building the pyramids
Well there’s nothing do but travel And we sure travel a lot ‘Cause it’s hard to keep your feet from moving When the sand gets so hot And in the morning it’s manna hotcakes We snack on manna all day And we sure had a winner last night for dinner Flaming manna souffle
Well we once complained for something new to munch The ground opened up and had some of us for lunch Ooh, such fire and smoke Can’t God even take a joke? Huh? NO!
So you wanna to back to Egypt Where your friends wait for you You can throw a big party and tell the whole gang Of what they said was all true And this Moses acts like a big shot Who does he think he is? Well it’s true that God works lots of miracles But Moses thinks they’re all his
Oh we’re having so much trouble even now Why’d he get so mad about that c-c-c-cow (that golded calf) Moses seems rather idle He just sits around, he just sits around and writes the Bible!
Oh, Moses, put down your pen! What? Oh no, manna again?
Oh, manna waffles Manna burgers Manna bagels Fillet of manna Manna patty BaManna bread!
By Keith & Melody Green
Oh how I used to look down on the Israelites in the Old Testament. What was their problem? Why did they keep disobeying you? Couldn’t they see everything you had done for them? The miracles? Why did they lose their faith? Then I got old enough to recognize the exact same patterns in myself. I am certainly no better. In fact, maybe I’m worse. They were one of hundreds of thousands of Israelites. I am just one of millions of Christians, but at least I have a Bible to teach me. All they had was Moses and the edicts you gave through him.
It’s interesting how Keith and Melody Green capture the Moses resentment in this song. I was looking at Numbers 12 yesterday and reminded of how Miriam and Aaron rebelled against Moses and started by criticizing the wife he chose–presumably Zipporah. But I think there were probably other resentments too. Kind of a “Who made you the boss of me?” situation.
I don’t know where I’m going with all of this except to say that there are certainly things in my life that do not please me right now. There are aspects that I’m unhappy with. However, I feel like you are slowly growing me and stretching me to the point where I am trusting you more and more. I believe you have a destination in mind for me and those I love. I believe it will be good and part of your plan. I just don’t know the road that leads there. I might not survive until they have completed it. I might never know how it happened. That’s okay. I trust you.
I’m going to close with the chorus of a Twila Paris song called “Do I Trust You:” Do I trust you, Lord? Does the river flow? Do I trust you, Lord? Does the north wind blow? You can see my heart. You can read my mind. And you’ve got to know I would rather die than to lose my faith in the one I love. Do I trust you, Lord? Do I trust you?” Yes, Father, I trust you. Help my distrust. I believe. Help my unbelief.
The demons were planning on having a party one night.
They had beer, Jack Daniels, and pretzels,
There was red wine, some white.
They were celebrating how they crusified Christ on that tree.
But Satan, the snake himself, wasn’t so at ease.
Well, he took his crooked finger,
And he dialed the phone by his bed,
To call an old faithful, to see if he was dead.
“Hey grave, what’s going on, did my plan fail?”
Grave just laughed and said, “The dude’s dead as nails.”
On Friday night, they crucified the Lord at calvary,
But he said, “Don’t dread, three days’ later I’ll live again, you’ll see!”
When problems try to bury you, make it hard to pray,
It may seem like Friday night, but Sunday’s on the way!
A tranquilizer and a horror filck, couldn’t calm Satan’s fears.
So Saturday night, he calls up the grave, scared of what he’d hear.
“Hey, grave, what’s going on?”
Grave said, “Man, you done called me twice,
And I’ll tell you one-more-‘gin, boss, the Jew’s on ice.”
Satan said, “Man grave, you remember when,
Ol’ Lazarus, was in his grave.
Everything was cool then four days later… BOOM,
Ol’ Lazarus, he was raised.
Now, this Jesus, he is much more trouble
Than anyone has ever been to me,
And this man said he only gonna be dead, for three days.”
On Friday night, they crucified the Lord at calvary,
But he said, “Don’t dread, three days’ later I’ll live again, you’ll see!”
When problems try to bury you, make it hard to pray,
It may seem like Friday night, but Sunday’s on the way!
Sunday morning Satan woke with a jump,
Ready to blow a fuse.
He was shaking from the tips of his pointy ears,
To the toes of his pointy shoes.
“Hey grave, is he alive, I don’t wanna lose my neck?”
Grave said, “Satan, you are a wreck.
Cool your jets Big D, my sting is still intact.
Jesus is dead forever, he ain’t
Never coming back.
So mellow out man, just go drink up or shoot up,
Just leave old grave alone,
And I’ll catch you la… la…
Oh no! Oh no! OH NO! OH NO!
Somebody’s messing with the stone!”
Well, the stone was rolled away,
And it ounced a time or two,
And an angel stepped inside,
And said, “I’m Gabriel, who are you?
If you’re wondering where the Lord is,
At this very hour,
I tell you he’s alive and well,
With resurection power!”
On Friday night, they crucified the Lord at calvary,
But he said, “Don’t dread, three days’ later I’ll live again, you’ll see!”
When problems try to bury you, make it hard to pray,
It may seem like Friday night, but Sunday’s on the way!
The gates and doors were barred and all the windows fastened down,
I spent the night in sleeplessness and rose at every sound,
Half in hopeless sorrow half in fear the day,
Would find the soldiers crashing through to drag us all away.
Then just before the sunrise I heard something at the wall,
The gate began to rattle and a voice began to call,
I hurried to the window and looked down to the street,
Expecting swords and torches and the sound of soldiers feet,
There was no one there but Mary so I went down to let her in,
John stood there beside me as she told us were she’d been,
She said they moved him in the night and none of us knows where,
The stones been rolled away and now his body isn’t there.
We both ran toward the garden then John ran on ahead,
We found the stone and the empty tomb just the way that Mary said,
But the winding sheet they wrapped him in was just an empty shell,
And how or where they’d taken him was more than I could tell.
Something strange had happened there but what I did not know,
John believed a miracle but I just turned to go,
Circumstance and speculation couldn’t lift me very high,
Cause I’d seen them crucify him and then I’d watched him die,
Back inside the house again all the guilt and anguish came,
Everything I’d promised him just added to my shame,
But at last it came to choices I denied I knew his name,
Even If he was alive it wouldn’t be the same.
But suddenly the air was filled with a strange and sweet perfume,
Light that came from everywhere drove shadows from the room,
Jesus stood before me with his arms held open wide,
And I fell down on my knees and clung to him and cried,
He raised me to my feet and as I looked into his eyes,
Love was shining out from him like sunlight from the sky,
Guilt and my confusion disappeared in sweet release,
And every fear I’d ever had just melted into peace.
He’s alive, He’s alive, He’s alive and I’m forgiven,
Heavens gates are open wide.
He’s alive, He’s alive, He’s alive and I’m forgiven,
Heavens gates are open wide.
He’s alive, He’s alive, He’s alive and I’m forgiven,
Heavens gates are open wide.
He’s alive!
Songwriters: Allen Collins / Ronnie Van Zant
Dear God, sometimes on Easter morning I like to think back on some of my go-to Easter songs. These three are very different, but they always come to mind. I know “He’s Alive is from the 70s. I’m not sure about “The Easter Song” by Keith Green. This one is either 70s or 80s. And then Carman’s “Sunday’s on the Way” is either 80s or 90s. I guess this is my tell for when I was more involved in Christian music.
Each of these songs is so different, I want to look at each one briefly this morning.
“The Easter Song”
This one is just pure celebration. Bells are ringing. The angel is telling us the news we all need to hear. Jesus is no longer dead. What’s an amazing thing for the disciples to learn. Despair to hope to victory. But their victory in Jesus was only the beginning. Now the work began. At this point, their entire lives were ahead of them and they had responsibilities. The news was great, and part of that great news is that they now had purpose. A new purpose. A purpose that all but one of them would die for. I suppose Easter is supposed to be a reminder to us (and to me) that my work is only just beginning too.
“Sunday’s on the Way”
This song is full of all of the bravado that was/is Carman. He had all kinds of songs like this. And it can be kind of fun to poke my finger in Satan’s eye, although I usually avoid doing it. I do not worship Satan. I worship the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. But I do respect Satan and I hide behind Jesus’s blood when he’s involved. But what I think I like about this song is taking the fear of those at the time and relating it to the fear we have now: “When problems try to bury you and make it hard to pray, it might seem like Friday night, but Sunday’s on the way!” This song is a great reminder that you are still God and you are still capable of doing things I cannot even imagine. I just need to rest in you.
“He’s Alive”
Hopeless sorry. Fear. Guilt. Anguish. Shame. These are the emotions the song assigns to Peter as he struggles with the experience of losing Jesus and his actions leading up to the crucifixion. But by the end of the song–after the resurrection–it all melts into peace. You know I like that word as it relates to you and my relationship with you. In your light everything just melts into peace.
Father, as I sit outside in our town square typing this and looking at an empty church on Sunday morning because of this COVID-19 pandemic, I can’t help but consider how this particular Easter is impacting us. How it reminds us that, as one pastor put it, the church isn’t empty, but it’s deployed. How we have work to do. We can rest in the idea that while this particular day might not be our “Sunday” for this situation, but “Sunday” is on the way. And because of what Jesus did 2,000 years ago, all of our fears, guilt, and anguish can melt into peace while we worship you and work for you in faith. Help me to do all of that this Easter.
John 20:1-10 [ESV]
And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus’s head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples went back to their homes.
Dear God, I’m so grateful this morning. I’ve spent the week trying to sink into the depths of this Passion. Sure, I didn’t really go all the way. I had work. I had other things that took my attention. But I can say that this is likely the most thoughtful I’ve ever been about Holy Week. And here we are.
When I woke up this morning and made my breakfast, I played four songs. “Sunday’s on the Way” by Carman, “He’s Alive” by Don Francisco, “Easter Song” by Keith Green, and then “Gotta Tell Somebody” by Don Francisco. The first three were about Easter and Jesus’s resurrection in one way or another while the fourth was about a grateful father who just had to tell somebody what Jesus did for him. It was fun and worshipful. You are alive! And you have done great things for me.
Father do I “gotta tell somebody?” Have I counted my blessings and shared your greatness and mercy with others? Do I live with the joy that you are alive? Help me to do better. Live through me. Love through me. Let you kingdom come and your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.
Matthew 20:17-19 [NLT]
17 As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside privately and told them what was going to happen to him. 18 “Listen,” he said, “we’re going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man[a] will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die. 19 Then they will hand him over to the Romans to be mocked, flogged with a whip, and crucified. But on the third day he will be raised from the dead.”
Dear God, the biggest thing I think of when it comes to passages like this is that, on the rare occasions when you give us insights into the future (and they are very rare), they are more about comforting and reassuring us than they are about letting us in on the secret. In this case, the disciples didn’t have to know this information in order for it to all happen. In fact, their response to this knowledge might have gotten in the way. But the reason you NEEDED them to know was that you knew that they would need to be able to remember back to these moments and realize that this was part of the plan all along. Twenty or 30 years down the road, as Matthew thought back on this and put pen to paper, he could be assured that this was all okay.
I can’t say that I’ve gotten a lot of words of prophecy from you. One of my many one-liners is that you keep me on a need-to-know basis and I very rarely need to know. But I can almost always look back on events in my life and see your providence, even when, at the time, I felt like all was lost. I have had some trials (no worse than anyone else’s to be sure), but I can almost always look back on them after a good amount of time and see what you were doing for me, for those I love, or within me to grow me into a place where you need me to be.
Father, thank you for your patience with me. There’s a Keith and Melody Green song called “Make My Life A Prayer To You.” In it, there’s a line that says, “I want to thank you now for being patient with me. It’s so hard to see when my eyes are on me. So I guess I’ll have to trust and just believe what you say. Lord, you’re coming again. Coming to take me away.” So to finish this prayer with the chorus of that song, “Make my life a prayer to you. I want to do what you want me to . No empty words and no white lies. No token prayers. No compromise. I want to shine the light you gave through your son you sent to save us from our self and our despair. It comforts me to know you’re really there.”
Do you see?
Do you see?
All the people sinking down?
Don’t you care?
Don’t you care?
Are you gonna let them drown?
How can you be so numb?!
Not to care if they come
You close your eyes,
And pretend the job is done
“oh, bless me, lord!
Bless me, lord!”
You know, it’s all I ever hear!
No one aches,
No one hurts,
No one even sheds one tear
But, he cries,
He weeps,
He bleeds,
And he cares for your needs
And you just lay back,
And keep soaking it in
Oh, can’t you see such sin?!
’cause he brings people to your door,
And you turn them away
As you smile and say,
“god bless you!
Be at peace!”
And all heaven just weep,
’cause Jesus came to your door,
You left him out on the streets
Open up! open up!
And give yourself away
You see the need,
You hear the cries,
So how can you delay?!
God is calling,
And you are the one
But like Jonah, you run
He told you to speak,
But you keep holding it in
Oh, can’t you see such sin?!
The world is sleeping in the dark,
That the church just can’t fight,
’cause it’s asleep in the light!
How can you be so dead?!
When you’ve been so well famed
Jesus rose from the grave,
And you!
You can’t even get out of bed!
Oh, Jesus rose from the dead!
Come on, get out of your bed!
How can you be so numb?!
Not to care if they come
You close your eyes,
And pretend the job is done!
You close your eyes,
And pretend the job is done!
Don’t close your eyes,
Don’t pretend the job is done
Come away! come away!
Come away with me, my love!
Come away from this mess,
Come away with me, my love!
Come away from this mess!
Come away with me, my love!
Come away,
Come away with me my love!
Dear God, I have the honor and privilege of getting to preach tomorrow to a group of people who are very precious. So what is it that you need them to hear?
As I was working through the Presbyterian church’s prescribed liturgy for this Sunday, the Old Testament reading was out of Joshua 5, which I journaled about last Sunday to kick this week off. That’s kind of set the tone for the week. The Promised Land. They had arrived. The men got circumcised and they were expected to start supplying their own food from the land–you turned off the supply of manna. Now it was time to go and take the land.
When they first left Egypt, I would imagine that they didn’t necessarily think through what going back to the Promised Land about which Moses told them would cost them. They might have seen it as their reward for years of slavery. But that wasn’t it. This was just the next chapter for them as a people. It would be hard. They would have to devote themselves to you first. They would have to fight. They would have to struggle. That is how their people would survive and how you would eventually bless the world–through Israel as a nation. As much as their lives were not about “them” while they lived generation after generation in slavery in Egypt, their lives were still not about them. They were about you. They were about your plan.
As I sat down to pray to you this morning, I wanted to clear my head and get focused so I turned to the Christian music on my iPod. I wondered what I should listen to, and I heard a nudging for Keith Green. Eventually, I landed on this song. I think it’s perfect for what I’m talking about in the spirit of taking the Promised Land. “Asleep in the light.” Isn’t that what a lot of us are? Asleep in the light? Isn’t that what I am a lot of the time?
So what will I preach tomorrow? The message is going to be that it’s time to take the land. This particular church has been in limbo through various setbacks for too long. They are now muddled in fear and frustration. They are mired in lethargy. This might sound harsh, but it feels like it’s true. They are too concerned about what is happening within their doors and not concerned enough with what is happening in the neighborhood around them. The message will be, “God has supplied you with manna and he has given you talents, but now it is time to wean yourselves from the manna and start working for your community. It is time to start taking the land. And it starts with personal commitment (see the mass circumcision in Joshua 5:2-8). What will you do to bring commit yourselves to God and bring your talents to the table? What will you do to see that this church advances into the Promised Land and doesn’t flounder in the wilderness? When will you look around and see the world around you dying?
Emails to God 